Chapter 40
Ch. 40 .｡.:✧ Down the Cliff ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“I used to serve in the military.”
The Chief began to explain.
His gruff voice echoed as he sat on a fur blanket.
“You might think my martial arts are a jumbled mess, but that’s where I learned them.”
“…I see.”
“Well, ‘serve’ might be an overstatement. I was just a foot soldier.”
That explained why he seemed reasonably skilled.
Life was complicated.
There were plenty of reasons why a former soldier might become a bandit.
He cleared his throat and asked,
“So, what brings you here? It seems like you came all this way for that matter.”
“Hmm, I was looking for something…”
Glug-
The Chief poured himself a cup of strong liquor and downed it in one gulp.
I winced slightly at his boldness and continued,
“…Anyway, I’m looking for a specific location.”
“If that’s the case, you should have asked the herb gatherers or the slash-and-burn farmers. There was no need to come all the way here and challenge the Chief of a bandit stronghold.”
“I didn’t want to attract unwanted attention.”
“Hahaha! So you thought getting tangled up with a bunch of bandits would be less conspicuous.”
“It wasn’t intentional, but that’s how it turned out.”
The Chief chuckled and poured himself another drink.
“That’s quite strong. Are you sure you’re alright?”
I asked.
“…Don’t worry about me. This barely tickles my liver.”
“That’s not what I was worried about…”
“Hahaha! Whatever. A man needs to get drunk and wet his shirt every now and then.”
He laughed heartily, then paused, as if considering my words.
He scratched his head, trying to recall something.
After a moment, he spoke.
“…I don’t know anything about this ‘Heavenly Sword Sect hideout’ you mentioned.”
“Then…?”
“But I think I know the place with the two sheer cliffs you described.”
“…!”
I started to stand up, but the Chief gestured for me to stay seated and took another gulp of liquor.
“Hic. Hold on. I need to think back, so it might take a while.”
“Hmm, so you don’t know the exact location.”
“The exact location… well, it’s such a distinctive landmark that I should be able to find it within a few hours, once I figure out which peak it’s on.”
“I see…!”
I was thrilled.
This detour had been worthwhile.
Finding the Chief had actually saved me time.
The Chief, noticing my expectant gaze, smiled and nodded.
“…As repayment for opening my eyes, I’ll help you find this place.”
“I’m grateful. And don’t worry about the reward. You’ll be handsomely compensated.”
“Hmm, are you leaving today?”
“That would be ideal.”
The Chief suddenly stood up, cutting his drink short.
“Hey! Gather everyone who’s not busy!”
“…!”
I chuckled at his eagerness.
He was clearly determined to get this done quickly.
I followed him outside.
Creak-
The sunlight streamed in as the door opened.
“I need ten men who are quick on their feet and know the area well!”
“Yes, Chief!”
“Come with me. We’re going for a walk.”
The bandits lined up in perfect formation.
It was a display of impressive discipline.
I looked at the Chief with renewed respect.
He nodded at me.
“Let’s go.”
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With the Chief’s help, it didn’t take long to find the place I was looking for.
Mount Yunhaeng wasn’t as vast as Mount Hua, which made the search much easier.
“This should be it,” the Chief said.
“Hmm… indeed. The cliffs are close enough to touch.”
I hummed in agreement.
The landscape before me matched the description from the novel perfectly.
Sheer, almost artificially carved cliffs stretched endlessly, creating an unnatural, yet memorable, formation.
This was it.
My intuition told me so.
The Chief, looking down into the seemingly bottomless chasm, muttered,
“I can lead you to the cliff, but… this place has always had a strong Yin energy. I don’t know why, but there’s a chilling aura emanating from the valleys and caves below.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“I initially wanted to establish our base here, but it didn’t work out. So we had to settle for a less… suitable location.”
“I’m grateful for your help.”
“Don’t mention it. This pouch of silver is more than enough. It wasn’t that much trouble.”
The Chief shrugged.
The coins in his pouch jingled.
It was a heavy pouch, hanging from his waist.
I thanked him again and bid him farewell.
“I hope we meet again someday.”
“Haha! It’s an honor to hear such words from a distinguished individual like yourself. Anyway, be safe. Since I led you here, after all.”
The Chief smiled and left with his men.
I watched them go, then took a deep breath.
“Huu…”
Whoosh-
I turned and looked down into the chasm.
It seemed bottomless.
I gathered my energy.
Whoosh!
And jumped.
‘I need to reach the bottom to find what I’m looking for.’
Whooooosh-
The wind whipped past me as I fell.
It was a risky move for someone at my level, but I knew there was a deep mountain lake at the bottom.
I had already planned and set things in motion.
How long did I fall?
Splash!
I plunged into the icy water.
The cold seeped into my skin.
‘It’s freezing. Well, it’s not exactly warm yet…’
I frowned slightly, channeled my internal energy to protect myself from the cold, and looked around.
I swam towards the surface.
Thankfully, I’d been a good swimmer in my previous life.
“Hah…!”
I gasped for air as I broke the surface.
I let the current carry me towards a small patch of land.
‘The novel described it as a lake, but the current is strong, almost like a river. Is it because of the strong Yin energy?’
Squeeze-
I wrung out my wet clothes and shook my head, sending droplets of water flying.
“Now, what…?”
I considered my next move.
It didn’t take long to decide.
‘I need to find the Red Lotus. That’s why I’m here.’
I couldn’t waste any more time.
Ha-seol was still searching for this place, unaware that I’d already found it.
I nodded and started walking along the edge of the lake.
Thud. Thud-
How long did I walk?
“…Found it.”
I smiled.
There it was, a splash of crimson against the dark rocks – the Red Lotus, its distinctive lotus flower and seedpod unmistakable.
It looked almost… deliberately placed.
I cheered inwardly and reached for it.
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