Chapter 174: It Is Fate (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: It Is Fate (3)
An endless forest lay shrouded in a thick, purple mist.
The fog was so dense it was impossible to distinguish night from day. The only clues were the mountain's ambient sounds and the cries of crickets, which led me to assume it was nighttime.
Crunch.
A rough, grating sound echoed from between the trees. It was the sound of something being torn apart.
Flutter-
Birds that had been hiding within the forest took flight simultaneously, startled by the noise.
-Sigh.
I let out a heavy sigh, the fierce battle finally over. I threw the demon's head—a green, wolf-like creature—far away.
Thud.
The head landed on the ground with a dull impact, and standing before it was a person. I frowned as I recognized who it was. It was the last person I wanted to see.
-What.
My voice came out as rude as ever.
-…Are you that tired after defeating just one green demon?
-Why are you talking shit as soon as you arrive? You wanna die?
The woman who spoke to me in that mocking tone was the Snow Phoenix, Moyong Hi-ah. She was covered from head to toe in dust and leaves, as if she’d been crawling through the underbrush. She let out a sigh after hearing my response.
-Ha. I’m jealous, seeing you so relaxed.
-Relaxed? Do I look relaxed to you?
I had fought with everything I had, and here she was, claiming I was taking it easy. This was exactly why I couldn't stand that damned woman. She acted as if the world revolved around her.
I spat on the ground, wanting to end the conversation, but Moyong Hi-ah continued.
-You’re here wrestling with some random demon, completely oblivious to the current situation. So yes, you look relaxed.
I stared at her.
-What are you talking about? Speak clearly.
-I was relieved to have finally found someone… but of all people, it had to be you. How unlucky am I?
-You damned bitch.
Why was she talking shit when she was the one who sought me out? I was exhausted enough without her. I roared at her, flames flickering around me, but Moyong Hi-ah maintained her disappointed expression.
-…You. How long has it been since you last saw the others?
-What?
I asked, confused by her sudden question. She urged me to answer, her tone impatient.
-I asked how long it’s been. Don’t drag this out. It’s urgent.
-About four days.
-Four days? And in all that time, did it never once strike you as strange?
-What are you talking about? Be clearer.
Moyong Hi-ah swept her hair back, looking utterly frustrated.
-…Everyone has disappeared.
I frowned. A year had passed since we were trapped in this damned world—this "Demon Realm," this Abyss. The number of people here had been steadily decreasing since day one, but a decent number had remained, thanks to the sacrifices made by the Sleeping Dragon and Wi Seol-Ah to protect everyone.
But now, everyone was gone?
-What are you talking about? How could they disappear? This place isn’t that big.
I was currently scouting a forest in the north. Despite the fog, I’d come here with a group, hoping to find supplies or an escape route. And now all of them were gone? At least twenty people had entered together.
Moyong Hi-ah seemed just as baffled as she replied.
-That’s what I’m saying. If your people went missing, you should have been searching for them. What the hell are you doing here?
-Are you blind? Can’t you see? I was fighting for my fucking life!
As she’d witnessed, I’d been barely holding on, fending off demons in this forest. I’d had several close calls with death. Sure, they were only green demons, but after four days without a wink of sleep… I’d almost died from exhaustion earlier.
Moyong Hi-ah laughed apathetically at my response.
-Then you should have gone looking for the others. What are you doing here, being pathetic all by yourself?
-I thought they’d just left me behind.
-…What?
Moyong Hi-ah asked, though she’d heard me perfectly clearly. Why was she making me repeat it?
-Is it really that strange?
-…
Perhaps because I’d said it so casually, Moyong Hi-ah seemed at a loss for words. Did it really sound that odd to her? From my perspective, it wasn’t strange at all to be abandoned. The same went for the woman standing in front of me. That crazy woman didn’t believe a word I said, and I was certain she’d use me as bait and run at the first sign of real danger.
Moyong Hi-ah sighed, as if she understood my thoughts.
-…Never mind that. You haven’t even tried to leave this forest yet, have you?
-Not yet.
Now that she mentioned it, the idea hadn’t even crossed my mind.
-Well, we can’t.
As soon as the thought formed, Moyong Hi-ah spoke in a cold tone.
-What do you mean, ‘we can’t’?
-I went back to the entrance I came from, but I just kept looping back to the same spot. The forest won’t let us leave.
-Are you sure you just didn’t miss the entrance?
-Do you think I’m as stupid as you? I obviously left markers behind.
-…
This bitch… Should I just attack her right now? I seriously considered it, but I held myself back. I couldn’t beat her even at my best; in my current state, I’d probably die.
-Anyway… So we’re trapped in this forest?
-If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.
So I decided to do just that. The markers Moyong Hi-ah said she’d left were, thankfully, still there. I followed them, expecting to reach the forest’s edge, but…
-…Why am I back here?
I kept looping around, ending up back at the same spot where I’d met Moyong Hi-ah. I’d lived my life recklessly, but the path we’d taken was a straight line. There was no reason I should have returned here.
-I told you.
Moyong Hi-ah, who had been following me, spoke as if to say, "I told you so."
-We can’t leave.
I looked around with tired eyes. The fog still choked the forest, the crickets still cried, but given that we were in the Abyss, I had to wonder if those crickets were even insects at all.
After staring at Moyong Hi-ah for a moment, I spoke.
-So, what you’re saying is that everyone else has disappeared, and only you and I are trapped in this forest?
Moyong Hi-ah frowned but didn’t refute my words. Probably because it was the truth. To summarize: the people I’d come scouting with were gone, I was stuck with this crazy woman, and on top of it all, we couldn’t even leave the forest.
Having concluded my thoughts, I whispered while rubbing my face.
-I’m fucked.
Moyong Hi-ah didn’t respond. I really wished she had told me I was wrong. But reality remained as harsh as ever.
Well, if I thought about the far future… this was the moment our long, ill-fated relationship truly began.
* * *
The stairway leading to the Shaolin Temple wasn’t as long as the one on Mount Hua. No wonder this place attracted more visitors. Of course, you needed an appointment to enter, but that was easy enough to arrange. Before my… departure from Muyeon, I’d actually made an appointment to visit the Shaolin Temple. I’d planned to return to the clan shortly after the tournament ended, so I’d scheduled it early to get things done quickly.
But what’s she doing here?
Why was Moyong Hi-ah here? She stood there as if it were the most natural thing in the world, looking completely out of place.
As I stared at her with a dumbfounded expression, Moyong Hi-ah smiled and tidied her clothes.
“What a coincidence, Young Master Gu.”
It was definitely not a coincidence. I didn’t need intuition to know that. When a fox-like woman like her used the word ‘coincidence,’ it was impossible to believe.
“…Why are you here?”
“What do you mean? I also have business at the Shaolin Temple.”
“Business, huh? And what business would that be?”
Moyong Hi-ah pointed at me in response. Even that small gesture was executed with grace.
“It just arrived. My business.”
“…”
A splitting headache bloomed in my skull for a moment. It seemed Moyong Hi-ah had no intention of offering a real excuse.
“I could have sworn I denied your request earlier…”
“Isn’t it fine since we met by coincidence?”
“Didn’t you just admit it wasn’t a coincidence?”
“It is a coincidence. My business may be you, Young Master Gu, but how could I have known you would be here at this exact time?”
That’s what I was wondering. How did you know, you crazy woman?
I don’t think she stole the letter I sent to Shaolin.
It wasn’t impossible, but I believed even Moyong Hi-ah wouldn’t go that far. The best course of action was to just ask her directly.
“That’s what I’m curious about. How did you know I would be at the Shaolin Temple at this exact time?”
At my question, Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes curved into enchanting crescent moons, charming enough to make any man’s heart skip a beat.
“Just a feeling.”
“What?”
“I had a feeling that Young Master Gu would leave today.”
For a second, I thought she was being absurd, but then I remembered her from my past life and dismissed the thought. Moyong Hi-ah was a highly rational individual who calculated her every move. But sometimes, she relied on intuition to decide whether we should proceed or not. And most of the time, her intuition was correct; the places we planned to go often ended up in a horrendous state. Later, people trusted her extraordinary intuition more than her rational plans.
As I remained silent, simply staring at her, Moyong Hi-ah spoke again.
“Young Master Gu really is a unique person.”
“…What makes you say that?”
“I don’t think an ordinary person would make that face upon hearing it was just my intuition.”
“I was just shocked. It’s my first time hearing something so absurd.”
“I see.”
She clearly didn’t believe me, judging by her slight chuckle. At this point, I became genuinely curious. Why was she doing this to me? I even reconsidered the request she’d made earlier. I thought Moyong Hi-ah’s goal was that Pissing Dragon bastard. But was I wrong? There’s no way.
“Young Master Gu.”
“…Yes.”
“Perhaps it is fate that we met like this, coincidentally. So, would you like to enter the Shaolin Temple together?”
“First of all, I’m certain it’s not a coincidence. Secondly, as far as I know, you can’t enter with me.”
“Why not?”
“I sent a message to the Shaolin Temple beforehand. Didn’t you come here without doing that?”
She would have needed to send a message at least a day in advance. While Shaolin was more open than other clans, its rules still had to be followed.
Hearing my question, Moyong Hi-ah responded with a slight smile.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Huh?”
As I stood there confused, someone descended the stairs and greeted us. It was a young monk who looked even younger than me.
“I am Heeyoung. I have been assigned to guide the two of you. Please pardon me if I am lacking in any way.”
I nodded at his words, but couldn’t help noticing something strange in his greeting.
“Monk… Heeyoung?”
“Yes, that is correct. Oh, are you perhaps Young Master Gu Yangcheon?”
“I am Gu Yangcheon.”
“We received your message. The Abbot instructed me to convey his congratulations if I had the honor of meeting you.”
“…Oh. Thank you.”
I was slightly surprised that the Abbot himself had taken notice, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Monk Heeyoung, did you say ‘the two of you’ just now?”
Heeyoung tilted his head in confusion. “Yes. The two of you standing before me.”
Hearing him speak so matter-of-factly, I looked at Moyong Hi-ah in shock. She still wore that smile—a smile so charming that even the young monk, who had probably lived his whole life in the temple, began to blush slightly.
“I told you there was no need to worry.” Moyong Hi-ah tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A light breeze carried her scent to me. “I am not someone who moves without a plan.”
“…”
I was about to say that was her biggest problem, but I barely managed to hold my tongue. Whether she knew my thoughts or not—no, she probably knew and was just pretending not to—she spoke again.
“Shall we go, then?”
I was left speechless by her blatant, shameless smile.
* * *
Shaolin had originally been Elder Shin’s destination, but contrary to plan, I ended up here without him. As we ascended the stairs under Monk Heeyoung’s guidance, I observed that Shaolin had maintained its ancient atmosphere by refusing to change with the times. The buildings here seemed twice as large and expansive as those on Mount Hua. This wasn’t because Mount Hua was small, but because the Shaolin Temple was simply enormous. I couldn’t even imagine the scale of donations and support it received from Hanam.
I wonder what that old man wanted to find here.
I thought of the old swordsman, a hero in life and a ghost in this world—the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, Shincheol, who was now in a deep slumber.
“This is the area most frequented by tourists,” Heeyoung said, pointing.
I looked where he indicated and saw a large lake within the temple grounds. In the crystal-clear water, where you could see the bottom, a pure white fish swam alone. I stared in confusion, wondering why there was only one, when Heeyoung began his explanation.
“That is one of the Shaolin Temple’s treasures, the White Fish of Purity.”
“That fish is a treasure?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It is a treasure left behind by the great hero, the Light of Might, who stopped the Blood Demon’s Catastrophe in the distant past.”
That meant the fish had lived for hundreds of years. Wasn’t it a demon by now? I could only nod in the end; asking if Shaolin’s treasure was a demon was sure to get me into trouble.
Was there something like this in my past life?
I hadn’t been very interested in Shaolin back then, and I’d never heard about this fish. I was simply fascinated that a living creature could be considered a treasure.
And can they really just let it swim freely in the lake?
What if someone just came along and stole it?
As I stared at the fish with that thought, Heeyoung continued his explanation, as if he’d been waiting for the question. “The Abbot has placed a barrier around the lake as a precaution against those with ill intent. We will know immediately if anyone approaches it.”
I recalled the barrier on Mount Hua. I enhanced my vision with Qi and could faintly see a shimmering energy surrounding the lake.
“I’m curious about one thing, Monk Heeyoung.”
“Yes?”
“Do all monks give tours like this?”
“Oh.”
It was simple curiosity. I knew Shaolin had many disciples, but there couldn’t be enough to personally guide every tourist who visited.
Heeyoung hesitated for a moment before speaking haltingly. “It’s not that… but the Abbot himself ordered me to.”
“The Heavenly Eye himself, huh.”
“Yes. He said a precious guest would be arriving soon and that I should treat them with the utmost courtesy…”
A precious guest. The words felt strange, especially coming from the Abbot of Shaolin, who was said to be able to read the heavenly Qi.
Does that old man know I’ve traveled through time?
I assumed not. If he did, he would have appeared much earlier. It seemed I had revealed more than I should have, and the Abbot had taken notice. The thought displeased me.
This is why I should have held back more when I fought him back then.
Letting out a small sigh, I looked straight ahead. I avoided looking behind me; the sensation of being stared at was unpleasant. Moyong Hi-ah was observing me with an intensely focused gaze.
Why did she even ask to come along if she wasn’t going to do anything?
Since we’d entered the temple grounds, Moyong Hi-ah hadn’t said a word. Instead, she’d been staring at me as if trying to bore a hole through me with her eyes. It felt like she was blatantly observing me, trying to uncover something.
I followed Heeyoung in silence, walking along the lakeside path. Moyong Hi-ah remained quiet, and I had to endure her uncomfortable gaze for a long time.
…I can’t take this anymore.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I turned around to face Moyong Hi-ah.
“Lady Moyong, why are you—“
I stopped mid-sentence.
Moyong Hi-ah was frozen. Not just her steps, but her entire being. Her foot, lifted to take a step, hung suspended in the air. Her hand, her eyes that had been fixed on me… even the leaves rustling in the breeze—everything was frozen.
“…What the hell?”
Time had stopped. Everything was frozen, except for me.
In such a sudden and bizarre situation, I instinctively charged my Qi. Was this an ambush? Was there someone capable of using such a strange power?
Suddenly,
[…cheol.]
A voice reached me from somewhere.
[…Shincheol…]
It was the voice of an old man. I quickly turned my head toward the source of the sound.
And there, in the lake… the White Fish of Purity, which had been swimming moments before, was now staring directly at me.
[…Shincheol, you arrogant, stubborn, fucking idiot.]
It offered a rather offensive greeting.