Chapter 203: Misty Mountains (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 203: Misty Mountains (1)
Five days.
That was how long Gu Huibi had been imprisoned within the Black Palace’s dungeon.
Five days of utter stagnation. Trapped by a formation laid down by the Palace Lord himself, she was completely cut off from her Qi, reduced to the weak, helpless girl she once was. The deprivation was absolute, gnawing at her very soul.
Thud-
Thud-
A repetitive, grating sound had echoed near the iron bars since the previous night. It finally pushed Elder Mook past his limit.
“Damn it, will you stay still!” he snapped.
Thud… Thud…
The noise ceased at his shout. The source was none other than Gu Huibi, who had been rhythmically knocking her head against the cold iron.
“Do you think the bars will bend if you keep that up? You’re being loud. Be quiet.”
Gu Huibi turned a gloomy face toward him. Though only five days had passed, she already looked like a recluse, her spirit worn thin. Elder Mook let out a dry chuckle.
“Look at you. It’s as if you’re the one being tortured, not me.”
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”
“If you don’t want to hear it, then sit still. Or lie down and sleep.”
But Gu Huibi had barely touched the food provided, let alone slept. Elder Mook, in contrast, had gladly eaten her leftovers.
“…Surely it will bend one day,” she muttered, more to herself than to him.
“Do you think a rock will break if you smash it with an egg? You speak nonsense for the daughter of a noble clan.”
When he first saw her, she had seemed relatively composed. Now, he wondered what could have driven her to such a state of desperation.
“What in the world has made you so desperate?”
“Hah, aren’t you the weird one for being so calm after being imprisoned?”
“Sigh, you brat. It’s obvious that’s not the real reason. Don’t try to lie to me.”
The old man was a professional in such matters. Whether it was reading a situation, gauging the atmosphere, or discerning the emotions hidden within a voice, his skill and confidence were unparalleled. Lies held no sway over him; he could extract a wealth of information from a passing dog. He watched Gu Huibi’s struggle and went straight for the heart of the matter.
“Are you really that upset about the marble not working?”
“…”
“Who were you watching that has you so sullen now that you can’t see them anymore?”
Gu Huibi remained silent. It was true. The Marble of Celestial Captivation no longer responded to her commands. Without her Qi, the artifact that required its owner’s blood and energy to function had become little more than a ordinary trinket. She could no longer monitor her brother’s situation as she had done so regularly.
…No, I can’t let this continue.
The problem wasn’t just being unable to see him. Well, it was, but that wasn’t the core of her anxiety. The real danger was the possibility of Gu Yangcheon discovering the marble’s secret and how to activate it.
Well, it would be nice if someone knew my location… but…
She prayed that Gu Yangcheon would not activate the marble. And even if he did so by accident, she hoped he would remember her past treatment of him and not rush to her aid immediately. That was her endless prayer. She could not allow her little brother to fall into danger because of her.
“Stop looking at the marble and put it away. It’s a problem if they notice it,” Elder Mook advised.
Gu Huibi promptly hid the marble once more, but a part of his words lingered, perplexing her.
Who is that old man?
Elder Mook remained an enigma. He was the only prisoner before her arrival, and despite being blind, he acted as if he could see everything. He was clearly no ordinary old man.
On her second day of imprisonment, his sightless eyes had seemed to fix on the marble in her hand.
-Ohhh, so the missing Marble of Celestial Captivation ended up in the Gu Clan. That explains why no one could find it.
He was privy to top-secret information.
-Hmm, if the marble is there, then do you also have that flame steel?
He even knew details known only to the Clan Lord and a select few, and he spoke of them as if it were commonplace. To his question, Gu Huibi had feigned ignorance.
-Oh… I see. The pieces finally click! It had been nagging me for a while, thank you for clearing it up. Ah, I feel relieved, thanks.
She had given him no answer, yet the old man acted as if her silence itself had confirmed his suspicions.
This old man… is definitely crazy.
There was no way he was normal. Yet, even so, she dared not underestimate him. Her intuition whispered that there was far more to him than met the eye.
Forcing her thoughts elsewhere, Gu Huibi sighed and looked out the small, barred window. She had Gu Yangcheon and this strange old man to worry about, but ultimately, her greatest concern was herself.
I must know.
A burning curiosity ate away at her. Why had the Black Palace Lord abducted her and thrown her down here? Several days had passed, and she still had no answer. This was understandable, as the Palace Lord had not reappeared since the battle that landed her in this cell, leaving her to wonder what purpose she served here.
As she pondered, Elder Mook’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Do you think thinking frantically, like a dog about to burst, will actually yield results?”
“Hmph. Elder Mook seems quite relaxed.”
“Well, I’ve been here for a long, long time. Haha.”
Letting out a sigh at his cavalier attitude, Gu Huibi closed her eyes, ready to sink back into her reverie.
Tsk.
But the sound of a clicked tongue broke her concentration.
“He’s here.”
Confused by Elder Mook’s sudden words, Gu Huibi was about to ask what he meant when an ominous aura emanating from beyond the giant dungeon door sent an instinctive shiver of fear down her spine.
Creak-
The door groaned open, revealing two figures. One was a fierce-looking old man whose face was covered with age spots. The other was a face she could never forget—the one who had brought her here.
The Black Palace Lord. One of the legendary Four Emperors and Five Kings, the master of this very fortress, had appeared.
“You’re awake,” the Palace Lord said, his gaze meeting Gu Huibi’s glare.
“How could I not be, after you’ve shoved me in here for days?” she retorted, forcing down the fear that threatened to choke her.
At her tone, the Palace Lord’s brow furrowed slightly. “Sword Phoenix. Your words are as crass as the rumors suggest, but then, those of your surname have always been that way.”
As he approached, Gu Huibi felt a slight tremble run through her body. She clenched her teeth, determined not to show weakness. “Why did you bring me here?!”
Her roar echoed in the stone chamber, but the Palace Lord’s attention shifted past her to Elder Mook. “Now, do you have any intention of speaking?” His voice was utterly emotionless, sending fresh chills down her spine. She had expected to sense an overwhelming aura from a martial artist of his realm, but the Black Palace Lord felt… hollow. More mysterious and terrifying for it.
Elder Mook chuckled in response. “Didn’t I tell you to just kill me?”
“I cannot do that. You are my hope, after all.”
“You shouldn’t say such disgusting things between men.”
“It seems you still cling to hope.”
Elder Mook leaned against the wall, ignoring him. “That’s why you haven’t ended your own life.”
“Are you telling me to kill myself by biting off my tongue? You little brat! Have some respect for your elders!”
At the mocking tone, the Palace Lord fell silent. Instead, he exchanged a glance with the spotted old man beside him. The old man approached the iron bars, placed a hand on them, and with a sharp click, the cell door swung open.
“Come out.”
The command wasn’t directed at anyone specifically, but Gu Huibi knew it was for her.
Clench-
Gritting her teeth, she glared at the Palace Lord. “I asked why you brought me here.”
The Palace Lord stood motionless, his dark pupils seeming to swallow the light. Cold sweat trickled down Gu Huibi’s back. After a small eternity, he finally spoke.
“Because I need you.”
“…For what purpose?”
“It is because the Great One needs you.”
The Great One? What existence could possibly command such a title from the master of the Black Palace, one of the Four Emperors and Five Kings?
“Answering your pointless questions, keeping you alive despite your rude mouth… it is all for that reason.” So do not test my patience further. The unspoken words hung heavy in the air.
“Follow me.”
With that final statement, the Palace Lord turned away. She wondered what would happen if she refused. In her Qi-less state, he could easily drag her. Yet, he gave her a choice: follow willingly, or be taken by force. An illusion of choice, but a choice nonetheless.
From behind her, as she glared at the Palace Lord’s retreating back, Elder Mook spoke in a surprisingly polite tone. “Is your body fine?”
The Palace Lord paused.
“You don’t look so well.”
Body? Curious, Gu Huibi scrutinized the Palace Lord, but to her eyes, he appeared perfectly unharmed. What had the blind old man noticed?
“Were you beaten up or something? If you’re exhausted, you should rest. You look very hurt.”
Even after this jab, the Palace Lord remained focused ahead. Soon, he resumed walking, ignoring Elder Mook completely.
Gu Huibi clenched her jaw and followed.
The passage was long and dark, the architecture blocking nearly all light. As she walked stiffly behind the Palace Lord, Elder Mook’s words echoed in her mind.
-You don’t look so well.
-Were you beaten up or something?
The Palace Lord had neither confirmed nor denied it. But his silence was telling.
Perhaps…
A realization dawned on Gu Huibi. The Palace Lord’s condition might stem from his recent battle with the Second Elder. While it had seemed like an effortless victory for the Palace Lord, since the Second Elder had succumbed to a fatal injury, the reality might have been more complex.
Then, the reason he didn’t come for me these past few days was because…
He needed time to recuperate fully. It was just a guess, based on the old man’s words, but Gu Huibi clung to it. Only then would the Second Elder’s sacrifice hold some meaning. Only then would there be a sliver of hope.
Second Elder…
Her thoughts drifted to the moment he had sustained that fatal injury. Was he still alive? She prayed fervently that he was.
As she walked, her lips pressed tightly together, a door became visible in the distance. It was similar to the dungeon door but far larger and darker. And it was utterly horrifying.
“…!”
Gu Huibi’s face turned ghostly white.
The Palace Lord, observing her reaction, seemed faintly impressed. “I had heard you are the greatest of the young prodigies. It must be true. To think you would be able to sense this.”
Gu Huibi was speechless. Whatever lay beyond that door evoked an indescribable sensation—a terror far surpassing her first encounter with the Palace Lord.
Collapse.
Just looking at the door paralyzed her. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the cold floor. Her lips quivered, her eyes trembled, and her breathing grew ragged. She couldn’t pinpoint the source, but she knew it was pure, primal fear.
Seeing her frozen state, the Palace Lord made a subtle gesture. An invisible force lifted Gu Huibi into the air. Despite her lack of Qi, he controlled her body effortlessly. She tried to struggle, but her limbs refused to obey.
“You seem to have heightened perception. Perhaps you can recognize the greatness beyond our realm—the Great One.”
“Greatness…?” Cold sweat traced a path down her cheek and chin, dripping onto the floor.
“Yes, respect for an existence from a wholly different realm. If it’s you, perhaps you can feel it.”
Was she mistaken? The Palace Lord’s face, usually a mask of indifference, now bore a faint, mad smile. To Gu Huibi, it looked utterly lunatic.
“If you can acknowledge that, you can also become a part of the Great One with a happy mind.”
His words echoed, his dark eyes brimming with an overwhelming, insane conviction. He pulled Gu Huibi toward the door, walking slowly. A violet-colored gem was set into its surface. The Palace Lord extended a hand toward it.
Click.
Dddddrrr-
A deep, mysterious sound emanated from within. Without hesitation, he pushed the door open.
Inside, absolute darkness reigned. Gu Huibi could see nothing. Yet, she sensed a presence lurking within—an unknown entity that made the very darkness feel alive. Fear gripped her, and a chilling aura seemed to pulse from the abyss.
“I pray that the flame within you will make the Great One shine even brighter.”
Swoosh!
A sudden gust of wind propelled Gu Huibi forward, throwing her into the abyss beyond the door.
“Ugh…!”
Her body tumbled across the floor. Even weakened, her rigorous training should have allowed her some control, but it wasn’t just her Qi that felt restricted… her entire body struggled to respond.
As she barely managed to push herself up, she heard something approaching.
Step.
A small footstep echoed in the oppressive silence. The all-enveloping darkness had stolen her sight, heightening her other senses.
Step.
The approaching footsteps made her tremble violently. Every instinct screamed at her. It was a primal fear in the face of a mysterious, overwhelming existence.
Blaze!
The footsteps halted right in front of her. As if awaiting this moment, flames materialized in the room. Though tiny, their violet hue illuminated the entire space. Gu Huibi understood that the presence before her had conjured this eerie fire.
She forced her head up to look at the figure.
“…!”
It was a child.
Long, thick black hair. Naked and emaciated, as if starved for an eternity, skin stretched taut over bone. Shock coursed through Gu Huibi. The fact that this small child was the source of her primal fear, the existence the Palace Lord called ‘from a different realm’… none of that mattered in that instant.
What mattered was that the face of the child, now raised with violet flames dancing across its skin, was eerily, terrifyingly familiar.
Trembling, she watched as the child extended a skeletal hand toward her. Startled, Gu Huibi flinched backward.
“Book.”
The child’s voice was a dry rasp, piercing the air.
“…What?”
“Book.”
The child repeated the same word. Then, Gu Huibi’s eyes widened as she noticed the old, tattered book clutched in the child’s other hand.
* * *
While Gu Huibi encountered a mysterious existence, another arrived in the Misty Mountains, a place perpetually shrouded in thick fog.
“…I seriously can’t see shit.”
It was a fierce-looking boy clad in a red uniform. Gu Yangcheon frowned at the impenetrable wall of gray.
There was way more fog than he had expected.
Surveying the mountain, he directed his frustration at his companion. “Oh, for fuck’s sake! Why did you insist on going left? I told you it was right!”
“…”
“We would’ve taken twice as long if I’d listened to you. You realize that, right?”
“…Sorry.”
Gu Yangcheon, who should have been alone, for some reason had another person with him. It was a lady with bluish-white hair, currently avoiding eye contact.
“But if we had gone left… We still would have been clo…ser.”
“…I’m gonna go crazy.”
It was Namgung Bi-ah.