Chapter 84: A Strange Connection (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: A Strange Connection (2)
-Un-hwi. I can’t hear the Sodam Sword’s voice.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one.
The Namcheon Iron Sword couldn’t hear him either. Ever since I obtained the power of the Big Dipper, the relic of the Sword Immortal, nothing like this had ever happened.
‘Sodam! Sodam!’
I hadn’t intentionally blocked him, yet I couldn’t hear a thing. I had no idea what was going on.
One thing was certain: the Sodam Sword had been seized by someone. I didn’t know who it was, but if they caused even the slightest harm to him, I wouldn’t forgive them.
-Un-hwi. Calm down.
How can I be calm?
The Sodam Sword is like family to me, just like the rest of you. I can’t afford to lose him.
‘I have to hurry.’
I unfolded the Wind Shadow Step and dashed into the northern forest. However, as I pressed forward, I was forced to halt by the sight before my eyes.
A thick, heavy fog was spread out across the forest, marking a clear boundary.
‘What on earth is this…?’
It was an incomprehensible phenomenon. When I had looked down through the Sodam Sword’s eyes earlier, there hadn’t been any fog at all. In fact, it had been perfectly clear.
‘What is this phenomenon?’
I approached the fog. It was so dense that the forest beyond was completely invisible, obscured by a white haze. It felt strangely alien, almost like a solid wall.
‘Is this the fog Jwa-baek said he saw?’
I didn’t know how it worked, but I had to get through this fog to reach the lake. Without hesitation, I threw myself into the mist.
Everything turned white, and I couldn’t see a thing, but I figured if I kept moving in a straight line, I’d eventually pass through the forest.
As I ran forward, the fog suddenly vanished. A faint light flickered ahead.
-We’re almost there.
I accelerated.
But the moment I burst through the brush, I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
“!?”
-Un-hwi, what in the world is…
Even the Namcheon Iron Sword was stunned by this bizarre occurrence.
Ahead of me, a campfire flickered. Gathered around it were Sama Yeong, Song Jwa-baek, Song Woo-hyeon, Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang, and A-Song—all of them staring toward the northern forest.
“Ha!”
At the sound of my voice, they all turned their heads. Sama Yeong looked at me with utter confusion and shock.
“Young Master? Didn’t you just go that way?”
She pointed toward the north.
A-Song’s eyes went wide with wonder. “Young Master, have you learned something like the Ground Shrinking Technique now?”
As if.
I had no idea what was happening, but I didn't have time to waste.
“Wait here.”
With those words, I dashed back into the northern forest. Not long after entering, the foggy woods appeared again. This time, I would be careful.
Clang!
I unsheathed the Namcheon Iron Sword. Starting from the edge of the fog, I moved forward, hacking branches off trees to mark my path.
I continued to cut my way through, and before long, the fog cleared, and I saw the light again.
‘…What?’
An uneasy feeling washed over me. That light looked incredibly familiar.
As I stepped out of the trees, I was left speechless by the sheer absurdity of it. There was the campfire again, with my companions sitting around it.
Seeing me emerge from the southern forest once more, Song Jwa-baek spoke up.
“What are you doing? Are you playing a prank on us?”
“A prank? Does this look like a prank to you?”
Anger flared up for a moment, but I had no way to explain this phenomenon in words. I didn’t know what this freakish occurrence was, but entering the fog in the north somehow led back out through the south.
I explained the situation to the group.
“See! I told you Woo-hyeon and I saw the fog!”
“That’s not the point. I’m saying I passed through the fog and ended up back here.”
At my words, Jang Mun-ryang stroked his chin. “That is indeed a strange matter.”
“Elder Jang, do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“It seems likely to be some sort of mystic art or a formation.”
A mystic art?
Even in the memories of Wicked Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon, no such preposterous spell existed. Or was it truly a type of formation?
“Whether it’s a spell or a formation, as long as it was made by human hands, it must have a weakness. Lord, why don’t we go together this time?”
I was anxious because of the Sodam Sword, but he was right. I had no way to handle this bizarre phenomenon on my own.
So, this time, I entered the northern forest with the whole group and encountered the fog.
“It really is here.”
“Argh, I told you it was real!”
Song Jwa-baek stomped his feet, frustrated that no one had believed him. Ignoring him, I examined the foggy woods.
Sama Yeong asked me, “Young Master, what are you looking for?”
“I cut some branches before entering the fog.”
I was looking for them, but strangely, they were nowhere to be found. Even as I walked along the edge of the fog, the trees were perfectly intact, with no signs of being cut.
“……They’re all fine.”
“Are you sure you actually cut them?”
Why would I lie about that? I could still feel the sensation of the blade slicing through the wood in my hand, yet there was no trace of it.
I looked at Jang Mun-ryang. Given his experience serving under the Jonju, he might be able to assess this more objectively than I could.
Jang Mun-ryang carefully inspected the entrance to the fog. “It seems more like a formation than a mystic art. We might not be able to pass through unless we find the exit from the inside.”
“You mean it will just keep looping?”
“I haven’t been inside yet, so I can’t say for sure. But seeing as the Lord passed through and ended up in the south twice, it definitely smells like a formation.”
Sama Yeong chimed in. “Let’s just go in together this time. Maybe we’ll understand it better that way.”
She was right. If it was a formation, something even stranger might happen once we were inside. We decided to hold hands and enter together.
Just as we were about to step in, a thought struck me.
“Ah!”
I was being an idiot. I didn’t necessarily have to go through the forest; I could just fly over the fog. There was no reason to deal with the mist at all.
“What is it?”
In response to Sama Yeong’s question, I unsheathed the Namcheon Iron Sword and stepped onto it.
“Ah! You’re going to go over it.”
“Just in case, I’ll try to fly over the fog.”
“Understood. Then we’ll hold hands and try walking through the foggy woods.”
With that, the rest of the group headed into the forest, and I used the Sword Flight Art to soar above the fog on the Namcheon Iron Sword.
As I rose higher, the forest soon spread out beneath me. The entire area was blanketed in fog, covering a vast expanse.
Then, the Namcheon Iron Sword spoke.
-Un-hwi. The fog is gone.
‘What do you mean?’
From my perspective, the entire forest was still shrouded in thick mist, so much so that I couldn't even see where the lake was. Seeing my confusion, the sword spoke again.
-Look through my vision.
At his suggestion, I focused on the vision of the Namcheon Iron Sword unfolding in my mind.
‘Huh?’
He was right. When I looked through his eyes, the fog over the forest had vanished. It was the exact same sight I had seen through the Sodam Sword earlier.
About half a li ahead, I could see the lake, the pavilion, and the inn building. However, there was one difference: the ferry that had been in the middle of the lake was now docked at the pier.
‘Why does it look like this through the Namcheon Iron Sword’s eyes?’
To my own eyes, there was nothing but fog. Yet, the vision in my head was the complete opposite.
I used the sword’s vision to look for my companions who had entered the fog.
‘Ah!’
A startling sight unfolded. My companions, who were moving forward while holding hands, began to blur and then suddenly vanished—as if they had never been there in the first place.
‘What is happening?’
It was enough to make one believe in ghosts. On a hunch, I looked toward the southern forest.
A moment later, I saw the group emerging from the trees, still holding hands. As soon as they stepped out and saw the campfire, they looked utterly bewildered.
‘I really don’t get it. What is this?’
From a sword’s perspective above, everything looks normal. But if you enter the fog, you don’t reach the lakeshore; you end up in the southern forest. Is such a thing really possible with just a formation?
-We need to save the Sodam Sword, so why don’t we head to the lake first?
The Namcheon Iron Sword was right. Rescuing the Sodam Sword was the priority.
‘Let’s go in.’
-Understood.
The Namcheon Iron Sword flew toward the lakeshore, following the path he could see. It was truly bizarre; my own eyes still saw nothing but dense fog.
But then, in an instant, the fog suddenly cleared. And that wasn't all.
“……No way.”
Suddenly, the world was flooded with bright light. It was the beginning of the Hour of the Pig (9-11 PM), so it should have been the middle of the night, yet the sun was high in the sky.
-Un-hwi. I don’t know what kind of sorcery this is.
My thoughts exactly. The sudden brightness made me squint involuntarily.
As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, the scenery of the lakeshore came into view. Peach blossoms surrounded the lake, and what I had thought was an inn was actually a magnificent building that looked more like a grand temple.
‘Am I dreaming… or is this an illusion?’
-I’m seeing it too, so I don’t think it’s either.
Furthermore, there had been no one here just a moment ago. But as soon as the day turned bright, young men in white Taoist robes began to mill about, staring at me and whispering.
They seemed just as surprised as I was.
‘Where did all these people come from?’
I couldn't understand it at all.
‘Where is the man who snatched the Sodam Sword?’
He was nowhere to be seen. I jumped down from the Namcheon Iron Sword.
As soon as I landed, the young men in robes swarmed toward me. One of them suddenly spoke to me.
“Which master do you serve?”
Which master? What on earth was he talking about?
Judging by their robes and the pure energy I felt from them, they were definitely martial artists of a Taoist lineage. But I couldn't tell which sect they belonged to. Whether it was Wudang, Huashan, or Zhongnan, every sect had its own unique attire.
What was even stranger was that each of these individuals seemed to possess the martial prowess of at least a second-rate or first-rate master, yet I couldn't identify their origin from their robes.
I gave them a fist-and-palm salute and spoke.
“I am So Un-hwi, the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest, Great Hero Hojongdae. If I may ask you Taoists something…”
Before I could even finish, their expressions shifted drastically. The curiosity and friendliness they had shown just a moment ago vanished instantly. The change was so extreme it was jarring.
“A secular person!”
“How did a secular person get in here?”
What was that supposed to mean? It sounded like the way Buddhist or Taoist monks referred to ordinary people, but was being a "secular person" really something to be that wary of?
The Taoists in the vicinity suddenly surrounded me, taking up martial arts stances.
“I don’t understand why you’re all acting like this.”
“Drop your sword immediately, get on your knees, and put your hands up!”
They were making unreasonable demands.
“Taoists, I didn’t come here to harm you. I don’t know how this happened either, but after passing through the fog, the day suddenly turned bright—”
“Subdue him!”
At one Taoist’s shout, the others suddenly lunged at me. They began unleashing palm and fist techniques, which was incredibly frustrating.
“And you call yourselves Taoists…”
I didn't have time to deal with them one by one. I was too busy trying to find the Sodam Sword.
Snap!
I lightly flicked my fingers.
In that instant, the Taoists lunging at me all at once began foaming at the mouth and collapsed.
Thud! Thud!
“What?!”
“The—the secular person knows mystic arts!”
The Taoists who hadn't collapsed were struck with horror. I had intended to knock out everyone here to avoid further trouble, but about four of them remained standing.
Their martial arts were superior to the others—at the beginning of the Supreme Peak Realm—but it was still impressive that they had withstood the pressure. Or perhaps they simply had stronger mental fortitude than most.
Regardless, this should be enough to keep them from attacking recklessly, so I decided to ask again.
“Is there a man here with long hair and a face so pale it’s almost white? He took my dagger. I’ll leave as soon as I find it, so please, no more…”
Right then, a sharp energy surged toward me from somewhere. I quickly tilted my head back to dodge it.
‘Sharp killing intent.’
It was none other than a blade of energy. After dodging it, I turned my head toward the direction it had come from.
There stood a woman with long hair reaching down to her waist, dressed in a slightly more ornate set of light military attire compared to the other robes. She was pointing a sword at me.
‘That woman…’
Even from a distance, I couldn't forget that outfit. She was definitely the woman who had been on the ferry with that man.
She was a considerable beauty—though not quite on Sama Yeong’s level—and she possessed extraordinary martial prowess, reaching the very peak of the Supreme Peak Realm.
‘To be so young and yet so skilled.’
It wasn't an exaggeration to say her talent was almost on par with Baek Hye-hyang’s. While I was marveling at her, the woman spoke.
“There is no way a secular person could be so skilled in mystic arts. Reveal your identity.”
I couldn't understand her at all. More importantly, I had business to attend to.
“Enough with this 'secular person' nonsense… Sigh. The man who was with you took my dagger without permission. Where is he?”
At my question, a strange light flickered in her eyes.
“You are the owner of that dagger?”
As I thought, she knew. That made things simpler.
“I am. Tell me where he is right now.”
At my words, the woman smiled with an interested expression.
“Are you perhaps a disciple my Master is raising in secret?”
What was she talking about now?
“What on earth do you mean?”
“Hmm? Then how can you perform the Dao that my Master has achieved?”
“How should I know who your Master is? Stop talking in circles and tell me where the man you were with is.”
The woman tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s strange. My Senior Brother said you might be Master’s disciple.”
“I don’t know who your Master is, but I have absolutely nothing to do with him—”
“Do you really not know the Great Elder Sunyangja?”
“Sunyangja?”
……Wait, I think I’ve heard that name somewhere.
As I looked puzzled, the corners of the woman’s mouth curled up.
“I believe in the secular world, he was known as the Sword Immortal.”
“!!!”