Alas, How Tragic!
People said the night before a journey was always the most exciting part. For Han Yuhyeon, though, there had been no time left to feel excited at all.
They were heading somewhere denser with spiritual energy than Yeongil-ju, which meant stronger cultivators—and that meant he needed more training. Only after spending the entire night in the training chamber did he finally make his way to the Grand Hall, dark circles under his eyes.
"Hmm?"
Han Yuhyeon furrowed his brow. Among the familiar faces stood one that was anything but.
"…Greetings."
"Ah, there you are, Junior Brother."
Jeong Cheon-o welcomed him warmly enough. But Yuhyeon's eyes went straight past him to the stranger.
Shockingly, the stranger was ugly enough to rival Han Yuhyeon before the scales had covered him. Yuhyeon at least had decent height and build for a man; this person was scrawny on top of everything else. The long hair almost made him wonder if it was a woman.
"And this is…?"
Yuhyeon asked carefully, reading the room. He had received plenty of those looks himself when people saw an ugly face, yet the moment he saw one, the exact same look rose unbidden in his own eyes.
A mixture of pity—how can anyone look like that?—relief that at least he was better off, and pure instinctive revulsion all tangled together. He schooled his expression at once, but the stranger had already felt that gaze.
"It's me."
To his astonishment, a voice like rolling jade beads—beautiful beyond measure—came from that face.
A familiar voice. For a second, face and voice refused to sync in his brain.
"…Elder Baek?"
"Yes."
"How did your appearance become like that? Could that be your true—"
Startled, Yuhyeon blurted out a storm of rude questions. Baekri-wan remained utterly unmoved by his fluster.
"No. It's a mask. One I made while thinking of you."
"M-me? Thinking of me?"
The phrasing was ripe for misunderstanding—until her next words made everything clear.
"Mm. I tried to recreate the ugliest person I knew. You were the only one who came to mind."
"Ah. Yes."
No wonder it rivaled his pre-scale face. It simply looked like that face. Meaning the only person who could still out-ugly Han Yuhyeon was Han Yuhyeon himself. The thought left a bitter taste.
Still, he understood why she had gone this far. No one was more faithful to desire than cultivators. To any lecherous cultivator, a beautiful woman at Qi Condensation was nothing more than a plaything. The reverse held true as well, of course.
"What a pity. To hide Elder Baek's beautiful appearance like that."
Jeong Cheon-o prattled on, completely oblivious to her true reasons.
In this world's standards, her behavior was eccentric. Cultivators focused on eternal life far more than human shame or dignity. Beautiful men and women at Qi Condensation usually formed dual-cultivation pacts with higher-realm cultivators and demanded resources in return.
In Yeonhwa Seonrok, you could even dump every stat and dump everything into Charm as a concept build. Female cultivators would throw themselves at you, and dual cultivation would have them delivering resources like mother birds feeding chicks.
"Hmph. What would you know?"
"…Uh."
Baekri-wan was naturally displeased, and Jeong Cheon-o fidgeted, having no idea what he had done wrong. From Yuhyeon's perspective, Jeong Cheon-o hadn't done anything wrong. As always, he was simply the average cultivator.
"Everyone's here, I see."
Before Jeong Cheon-o could recover, Un Song-byeok and Geum Wi-hyeong stepped out of the Grand Hall.
"You've arrived!"
"Yes. Let's depart at once."
Un Song-byeok took a folded cloth from his waist and flung it skyward as if scattering it. The fabric bore simple patterns, yet it was broad—roughly the size of a six-seater SUV. Three rows of two would fit perfectly.
"If Senior Hyeon were here, the three in back would've been squeezed tight."
Jeong Cheon-o whispered to Yuhyeon. Truthfully, the same thought had flickered through Yuhyeon's mind, so he couldn't really blame him.
The difference was that Yuhyeon felt a twinge of guilt for thinking like a cultivator, while Jeong Cheon-o had simply said it out loud.
Baekri-wan's sharp ears had clearly caught the remark, yet she showed no particular contempt over it.
"We may as well sit in order."
Un Song-byeok said.
Geum Wi-hyeong naturally took the place beside him. Regardless of age, Geum Wi-hyeong's realm was apparently higher than Baekri-wan's.
Baekri-wan stepped back to the second row. That left her with Im Su-weol, and Jeong Cheon-o with Han Yuhyeon in the very back.
Yuhyeon was about to move to the rear without thinking when Baekri-wan snagged his sleeve.
"Junior Brother Han. You've made progress."
"Ah."
Every gaze locked onto him. Yuhyeon looked awkward. He had planned to hide the fact that he had broken through to Qi Condensation 8-star during last night's training. The speed of his breakthroughs was starting to draw too much attention.
He thought he had concealed it well—neither Un Song-byeok nor Geum Wi-hyeong had noticed—yet Baekri-wan saw through it at a glance.
"You reached Qi Condensation 8-star?"
Everyone but Baekri-wan looked stunned. Un Song-byeok strode over and took Yuhyeon's pulse. Once the wrist was offered, there was no hiding it.
"Ho, hoho. Truly Qi Condensation 8-star. A remarkable achievement."
Confirming it, Un Song-byeok let out a hearty laugh. Until he spoke, the breakthrough speed had seemed too absurd to believe; now every pair of eyes filled with pure shock.
"Why try to hide such joyous news?"
"I am not yet skilled at handling the spiritual power of Qi Condensation 8-star. I intended to keep it quiet until I grew proficient."
He had prepared the excuse for exactly this moment, so the answer came smoothly. He just hadn't expected to use it so soon. He thought he heard a soft snort from Baekri-wan, but pretended not to notice.
"Haha. What now, Junior Brother Jeong? This has gotten rather awkward."
Geum Wi-hyeong, seated in the middle, laughed. Naturally, the one left looking most pathetic was Jeong Cheon-o. He was still only Qi Condensation 7-star. Now that Yuhyeon had risen to 8-star, he was stuck as the undisputed junior of the group.
"Ah— ahem. I have heard it said that one should not force titles upon senior brothers simply because of a difference in realm."
Jeong Cheon-o spoke while glancing at Yuhyeon. Yuhyeon smirked. He remembered saying those words. And depending on the situation, people sometimes stayed friends even with a small realm gap.
"Did I say that?"
At Yuhyeon's reply, Jeong Cheon-o's face turned ashen. As far as Yuhyeon was concerned, he had never received enough kindness from Jeong Cheon-o to warrant cutting him any slack. If anything, they had started off on bad terms.
"Hahaha."
"Hahaha."
"Don't laugh."
Jeong Cheon-o's mouth clamped shut like an undercooked clam.
"What can I do? I broke through early."
"Th-that is true."
"Is true?"
"…Yes."
"Say it properly."
"That is true, Senior Brother."
Jeong Cheon-o looked ready to cry. Satisfied with the correct formal speech, Yuhyeon nodded.
As a Republic of Korea reserve sergeant, chewing out subordinates was already second nature to him.
"Let's do well. Your name's been coming up a lot lately."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuhyeon clapped Jeong Cheon-o's shoulder. The man answered with his neck stiff as a board, frozen solid. Thus the hierarchy was settled for the time being.
Honestly, ranking senior and junior brothers purely by realm was ridiculous—but what could you do? Those were the rules of this world.
"Amazing, Junior Brother Han. Truly amazing. I've never seen a cultivator rise this fast."
Im Su-weol said, sidling up to him. Her eyes even held a trace of awe.
"Junior Brother Jeong, could we switch seats?"
"Pardon?"
"I just want to sit with Junior Brother Han."
She even asked Jeong Cheon-o to trade places. His eyes lit up as if he had been handed free cake—switching with Im Su-weol would put him next to Baekri-wan.
Baekri-wan's eyes narrowed, clearly displeased at the prospect of sitting beside Jeong Cheon-o.
"E-Elder Baek, I shall attend you well so you won't be bored."
"Unnecessary."
"Yes, ma'am."
Baekri-wan remained as frosty as ever toward him. Still, Jeong Cheon-o beamed at the chance to sit beside her. It really drove home that she was the sweetheart of the entire Baekun Sect.
"Then I shall sit with Junior Brother Han."
"What?"
In the end, Baekri-wan simply refused to sit next to Jeong Cheon-o. His face crumpled as if his country had fallen.
"I have matters to discuss with Junior Brother Han. Would you mind yielding the seat?"
Im Su-weol fidgeted her fingers as if troubled. The tone was a request, but it was pure coercion. When an elder "asked" an inner disciple, how could it ever be a mere request?
"…Mm. Of course, if that is Elder Baek's wish, it must be so."
"Good. Sorry, Junior Sister Im. You as well, Junior Brother Jeong."
Baekri-wan spoke in a voice that sounded not the least bit sorry, then drew two talismans from her storage pouch—spirit talismans she had clearly crafted herself.
"These are my apology."
To a cultivator, a talisman that could replenish spiritual power was as good as an extra life. When the two hesitated, she added:
"Take them. Opportunities like this aren't common."
"Thank you…"
"Thank you…"
The talismans were high quality, yet the two accepted them in gloomy voices, the sting of losing their seats outweighing any gratitude.
"Are the seats settled?"
Un Song-byeok, who had been watching with amusement, smiled. Baekri-wan answered by raising and lowering one eyebrow. Seeing her maintain that attitude even after Mun Il-pyeong's death, one had to admit she possessed nerves of steel.
"Good. Let us be off—to So-ui-ju. It should take about five days."
At Un Song-byeok's words, the flying carpet began to rise. With half a month remaining until the Mid-Autumn Festival, they had a ten-day buffer even if trouble arose on the way.
Once the carpet reached altitude and leveled out, Baekri-wan—who had claimed she wanted to talk—turned her head the other way and gazed down at the scenery.
"Junior Brother Han."
Just as Yuhyeon decided she was simply sightseeing and prepared to ignore her, she spoke.
"Yes."
"Have you grown used to the flying carpet?"
"Ah—yes. After riding a few times, it no longer makes me nervous."
"That's good."
Was that all? The small talk was unusually trivial for Baekri-wan. Then again, they had five full days of flight ahead; without chatter the time would crawl. Even a three- or four-hour drive dragged when the passenger seat was empty.
"How about you, Elder? Does the journey to So-ui-ju make you nervous?"
"Well. Not particularly."
"Have you been there before?"
"I have. I didn't stay long, though."
"Ah. What's it like? Is So-ui-ju dangerous for people like us?"
"Nothing too dangerous should happen. We're going by invitation, after all. If anything befalls us, the hosts lose face as well."
Baekri-wan answered in a languid voice. That made sense enough.
"Come to think of it, which sect invited us?"
"A place called Wonhu Gate. It's… passable, I suppose."
From her indifferent tone, Yuhyeon could tell she held no high opinion of the place. He chose not to comment. It might sound as if he were claiming superiority over her.
Passing the time with idle conversation, they eventually left Yeongil-ju's territory. Three days had passed since the carpet first rose from the Grand Hall.
Flight within Yeongil-ju had been perfectly pleasant. No force in the region could touch the Baekun Sect.
That pleasant flight ended the moment they crossed the border.
"Hoho. Fellow Daoists. Welcome to So-ui-ju. Cultivators from Yeongil-ju, are you?"
Three or four cultivators burst from the clouds like squeezed pimples and blocked the Baekun Sect's carpet. Un Song-byeok remained composed and offered a courteous greeting.
"Indeed. We are cultivators of the Baekun Sect, based in Yeongil-ju. I am Un Song-byeok, its Sect Master."
Watching the Sect Master bow his head so readily left a strange feeling for an inner disciple. By Yuhyeon's rough estimate, the newcomers themselves did not look especially high-realm—barely into late Qi Condensation at best.
Yet Un Song-byeok handled them with caution. One never knew who might stand behind them. For a leader responsible for his entire group, it was an entirely rational judgment.
"Might I ask why you block our path?"
Un Song-byeok inquired with utmost restraint. The cultivators exchanged glances and snickered among themselves like thugs.
"What else? This sky road is the territory of our Azure Forest."
"Ah."
Yuhyeon let out a quiet sigh so the others wouldn't hear. Azure Forest. These were simply the Green Forest bandits of the cultivation world. The sky was blue rather than green, so they called themselves Azure Forest.
Their usual work was blocking the sky roads of cultivators on flying treasures and collecting tolls.
"It was not Azure Forest territory when we last passed this way."
"Hoho. Even if it was not Azure Forest territory yesterday, it may well be so starting today."
The Azure Forest cultivators laughed heartily. Un Song-byeok's caution had proven correct. Azure Forest groups were scattered across the entire cultivation world. Their sky camps were not organically linked like the mountain strongholds of the Green Forest, but even as a loose network they were large enough that avoiding a fight was the wiser choice.
"Then how much toll must we pay?"
"Hmm. One moment. First, a face inspection."
"A face inspection?"
Ignoring Un Song-byeok's incredulous echo, the four men circled the Baekun carpet and examined its passengers one by one.
"Ugh. The ones in the middle look like they got hit in the face by a heavenly tribulation."
"Damn. Looking at ugly faces ruins my mood."
True to their nature as thug cultivators who specialized in robbery, their language was crude.
Baekri-wan simply closed her eyes and remained serene, unbothered. This was precisely why she had disguised her face.
Unfortunately, the Baekun carpet carried another beauty.
"Hmm. The junior sister in the last row is rather fine."
"Pardon?"
"It won't take long. Lend her to us for three days. We'll return her afterward. In exchange, you may pass safely. You're headed to the Wonhu Gate gathering, yes? Once past here, there are no other Azure Forest sky camps."
Un Song-byeok's expression darkened. Demanding three days was filthy enough, but delaying three days here would waste far too much time.
To cultivators, time was gold. Three days as toll? Even Un Song-byeok seemed to find the price excessive.
"What do you say, junior sister?"
"…"
Im Su-weol's face was pure disgust. No cultivation resources would come her way—she was simply expected to offer her body for safe passage. Of course she was not pleased.
"Junior Brother Han."
"Yes?"
Baekri-wan spoke quietly—soft enough that only he could hear.
"Wreck those bastards and I'll give you a present."
Yuhyeon looked at her as if asking whether she was serious. Her expression was hidden behind the mask, but her eyes were crystal clear. Baekri-wan never spoke idle nonsense.
Still, with Sect Master Un Song-byeok fretting over bloodshed, was this wise? Yet Yuhyeon trusted that Baekri-wan was no fool. She would never make a decision that doomed their entire group. And if Un Song-byeok later complained, she was not the type to dodge responsibility.
In that case, he had no reason to refuse. The Azure Forest thugs' attitude had thoroughly irritated him as well.
"Alas, how tragic! Filthy bandit scum making threats like a pack of idiots. What is the cultivation world coming to?"
No further thought was required. Yuhyeon's proclamation was instant.
Un Song-byeok, who had been facing forward, whipped around toward Yuhyeon with a deathly pale face. The Azure Forest cultivators' expressions twisted just as violently. The only one smiling was Han Yuhyeon.