Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Human Flowers
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「Wait. Hold on.」
As Bu Eun-seol was about to head deep into the forest, Yu Hwa-ryeong stepped forward.
「I'll follow them and assess the situation. You should stay in the village.」
It seemed he was worried that while Bu Eun-seol was chasing them, they might miss their chance to catch the Cheon-geom-hoe's culprit.
「Understood.」
Understanding Yu Hwa-ryeong's concern, Eun-seol reluctantly turned back.
“…!”
But something was strange.
To his surprise, the villagers who had entered the forest had vanished as if they had evaporated.
He looked around for a long time, but there wasn't a single trace of them anywhere.
*‘Am I possessed?’*
He quickly returned and told Bu Eun-seol what had happened.
“Let's go together.”
*Fwoosh.*
The two used their lightness technique and entered the forest in a single breath.
But the people pulling the carts were nowhere to be found. They went deep into the forest, but it was the same.
*‘They can't deceive my senses.’*
Bu Eun-seol's heightened senses could detect a leaf falling a hundred paces away.
Yet these people, who had just entered the nearby forest, had vanished in an instant?
After thinking deeply for a while, Bu Eun-seol muttered.
“It seems there's some kind of mechanism or formation installed here.”
It was impossible for commoners who knew no martial arts to deceive the senses of a martial artist like himself and disappear in an instant.
“That's possible.”
The experienced Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes glinted as he began to survey the area.
But he couldn't find any faint sounds of a mechanism operating, nor any traces of a hidden formation.
“Nothing. They've completely vanished.”
Just as Yu Hwa-ryeong shook his head,
*Zzzing.*
With a low hum, a white haze shimmered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
*Swish.*
He reached out, touching the traces left on the ground, then began to walk forward, scanning his surroundings.
He was using Gongsim-tongnyeong, the highest state of the Beast Dao, to follow the trail.
“This is the place.”
Bu Eun-seol finally stopped in a wide clearing deep within the forest.
“They disappeared from here.”
“That can't be.”
Looking around the empty clearing, Yu Hwa-ryeong gave a hollow smile.
“For that many people to disappear from here all at once, they would have had to soar into the sky or…”
“Correct.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded and looked down at the ground.
“Sink into the earth.”
And at the same time, he activated the Thousand-Jin Weight technique.
As his powerful internal energy pressed down on the ground, a square-shaped hole suddenly appeared with a loud *clank*.
“Incredible.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong's mouth fell open as he peered inside.
Looking closely, he saw that the large hole was an artificially constructed passage.
“To build such a mechanism in the middle of a mountain…”
The deep, dark passage looked like an entrance to hell.
Yu Hwa-ryeong didn't dare to look directly inside, instead craning his neck to peek in.
“I have no idea where this leads.”
“We'll know if we go.”
“Then I'll go first. We don't know what's ahead.”
Worried that Bu Eun-seol might get hurt, he quickly took the lead.
“Wait.”
But Bu Eun-seol stopped him, plucked a leaf, and flicked it toward a giant tree a dozen paces away.
*Thwack!*
With a dull thud, the leaf embedded itself upright in the trunk of the distant tree.
It was an incredible feat of turning a leaf into a projectile.
“Come out.”
Bu Eun-seol said softly.
But the forest remained silent, with no response.
“Hmph.”
This time, Bu Eun-seol plucked two leaves. Without hesitation, he sent them flying toward the giant tree.
*Ting! Ting!*
With a clear ringing sound, the leaves were deflected,
*Fwoosh.*
and a figure in black, their face covered with a cloth, descended from the giant tree.
They weren't tall, but their build was solid, with limbs as thick as logs. At first glance, they looked like a man who had mastered a significant external martial art.
“Impressive senses.”
The black-clad person's voice was very low and raspy, as if intentionally disguised.
The figure glanced at the dark passage and sighed.
“A weight-sensitive mechanism. So that's why I couldn't find it until now.”
Bu Eun-seol stared intently at the figure.
Then, as if realizing something, he nodded.
“You're the physician who was treating the patients in the village.”
“What?”
The figure blinked, then let out a smirk.
“Me, a physician?”
“You've stuffed something under your clothes to hide your physique.”
Bu Eun-seol crossed his arms and snorted.
“You would have been better off just wearing larger clothes.”
Staring into Bu Eun-seol's confident gaze, the black-clad figure sighed in resignation.
“How did you know?”
It was the clear, melodious voice of a woman.
With Bu Eun-seol having exposed her identity in an instant, she threw off the cotton padding she had stuffed all over her body.
“No one has ever seen through this disguise before.”
Befitting a physician, she hadn't just stuffed in cotton wads; she had shaped them to clearly mimic the form of muscles.
There was nothing unnatural about her appearance, so how had this man seen through it at a glance?
“With that much muscle, you should weigh at least a hundred and sixty *geun*. But your steps were quite light.”
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes and looked at the black-clad woman's thighs.
“Also, with such a muscular build, your stride would have been much wider due to developed thigh muscles.”
He then glanced at the cotton padding she had thrown aside and continued his explanation.
“But your gait and posture were those of someone weighing around seventy *geun*. In that village, the only person who showed signs of practicing martial arts and weighed about seventy *geun* was the physician treating the sick.”
“Hearing you talk about sixty or seventy *geun*, I feel like a piece of meat.”
She laughed in disbelief, looking back and forth between the masked Bu Eun-seol and Yu Hwa-ryeong.
“Well, with such sharp observation skills, you can't be nobodies. Who are you?”
“You don't need to know.”
At the cold reply, she looked blank for a moment.
But she soon smiled confidently and nodded.
“Perfect. I had no intention of telling you who I am either. Let's agree not to ask each other.”
*Tuk.*
Just then, a small leaf fell onto Bu Eun-seol's head.
It was the leaf she had deflected from Bu Eun-seol's earlier attack.
On the leaf that fell to the ground was a tiny hole, invisible to the naked eye.
“A member of the Needle King's family.”
At Bu Eun-seol's low mutter, the woman's eyes widened under her mask as if they would tear.
“How did you know who I am?”
When Bu Eun-seol didn't answer, she raised the edge of her hand as if to attack.
“Answer me, now.”
Indeed, a rather sharp aura flowed from her body.
But Bu Eun-seol remained unresponsive.
For her age, her martial prowess was outstanding, but to Bu Eun-seol, who had reached the Supreme Celestial Realm, it looked like mere child's play.
“I'm curious too. Why not just tell her?”
As the atmosphere grew tense, Yu Hwa-ryeong stepped forward to mediate.
“Besides, isn't the Needle King's family known for treating the sick for free and doing many good deeds?”
At that, Bu Eun-seol let out a low breath and spoke.
“The weapon.”
“Weapon?”
He picked up the leaf from the ground.
On the side of the leaf was a minuscule hole, invisible to the eye.
It was so small one could only see it by holding it up to the light, but to Bu Eun-seol, who practiced the Beast Dao, it looked as large as a bowl.
“There are many strange and unique weapons in the martial world, but the only ones who use thin needles as weapons are the Needle King's family.”
The moment Bu Eun-seol saw the fallen leaf, he instantly discerned that a needle thinner than a hair had been used.
“But that's strange. Even if she uses the Needle King's martial arts, how did you know she was a member of his family, not just a disciple of his school?”
“The Needle King's martial arts originate from medicine, so they cannot be mastered in a short time. In fact, all the disciples of his school are renowned physicians.”
Bu Eun-seol stared intently into the young woman's eyes.
“But to possess such outstanding medical skills at such a young age, and to be able to freely use the Needle King's secret techniques… one would have to be of his bloodline.”
“Not just your observation, but your insight is incredible too.”
Her identity completely exposed, she whipped off her mask.
A clean and elegant woman's face, like a morning dewdrop, was revealed in the moonlight.
“That's right. I am Jongri Sa-yu.”
Jongri Sa-yu. She was the granddaughter of Jongri Sa-hyeon, known as the Needle King, one of the Seven Kings of the Four Gods.
Known to have inherited the Needle King's martial arts and medical legacy, she was quite famous in the Jianghu.
She had even earned the moniker 'Grass Spirit' for her ability to combine ordinary herbs to create effects comparable to spiritual elixirs.
“Now it's your turn.”
Jongri Sa-yu said in a cold voice.
“Since I've openly stated my identity, isn't it proper for you to reveal yours?”
When Bu Eun-seol remained motionless, Yu Hwa-ryeong reluctantly cupped his hands.
“I am Yu Hwa-ryeong, a disciple of the Cheon-geom-hoe.”
“The Cheon-geom-hoe?”
Jongri Sa-yu raised an eyebrow.
The Cheon-geom-hoe was a faction that had once enjoyed great prosperity, but now it was a mere shadow of its former self. Weren't they a group that barely participated in the affairs of the Jianghu?
*‘The Cheon-geom-hoe…’*
Thinking that Bu Eun-seol must also be a disciple of the Cheon-geom-hoe, she scoffed.
“As if it's some great organization worth hiding your identity for.”
She sighed and asked in a low voice.
“How did the Cheon-geom-hoe find out about this place?”
“We didn't. We simply came here after hearing that a great enemy of our society was in this area.”
“A great enemy?”
“That's right. We happened to find this passage while pursuing some suspicious individuals.”
“Who is this great enemy?”
“For certain reasons, I cannot say.”
Though he wore a mask, Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes were full of righteous energy, and his voice revealed an upright character.
Moreover, although the Cheon-geom-hoe was considered a neutral faction, didn't they essentially follow the path of the orthodox factions, focusing on the study of martial arts?
“Hmm. A great enemy, you say…”
Her wariness seeming to ease, Jongri Sa-yu shrugged and gave a subtle smile.
“By any chance, is this person from the government?”
“How did you…”
As Yu Hwa-ryeong gasped in surprise, she nodded as if she understood the situation.
“It seems we are both chasing the same person.”
Judging by her tone and actions, she seemed to have been tracking a government official for a long time.
“Who exactly are you looking for?”
To Yu Hwa-ryeong's question, Jongri Sa-yu sighed and said.
“A long time ago, my family discovered a faction that was intentionally creating plagues using consumption worms.”
“Intentionally releasing them to cause a plague? Is such a thing possible?”
“It's not impossible if it's the government.”
She said in a firm voice.
“Unlike medical or poison clans, the government won't be branded a public enemy of the martial world, and there's no one to stop them.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes widened.
The reason that demon appeared in every region where a plague broke out. Was it to study the plague?
“Well, we'll know the details once we go inside.”
Putting her mask back on, she looked at the dark passage.
“Since our objectives seem to be the same… let's cooperate for a while.”
The passage leading underground seemed to stretch on endlessly.
Even as she walked down the dark path, Jongri Sa-yu showed no hesitation or fear.
*‘Is she fearless, or just overconfident?’*
As Yu Hwa-ryeong watched her back while she led the way, a question crossed his mind.
No matter that she was the successor to the Needle King, to think she was wandering the Jianghu alone, chasing a faction that spreads plagues?
*—A long time ago, my family discovered a faction that was intentionally creating plagues using consumption worms…*
Recalling Jongri Sa-yu's words, Yu Hwa-ryeong gave a faint nod.
*‘She's not alone.’*
She seemed to be traveling by herself, but she was clearly leading a secret force.
After all, she was a member of the Needle King's family.
How long had they been walking?
At the end of the seemingly endless passage, a faint light finally appeared.
Stepping inside, they found themselves in a vast space with a ceiling a dozen paces high.
The ceiling was studded with luminous pearls, casting down light as bright as day, and below, numerous buildings had been erected.
It was truly the scene of a small city.
If this weren't deep underground, one might mistake it for any other provincial capital.
“Huh, huh…”
Yu Hwa-ryeong let out an involuntary gasp of astonishment.
He had traveled all over the world and prided himself on being more knowledgeable than anyone.
But he had never even heard a joke about such a vast and enormous space being built deep underground.
*‘What is that?’*
Hiding behind a building and surveying the area, Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes widened.
There were martial artists bustling about everywhere, and piles of corpses covered in white cloth were stacked high.
Moreover, among the bodies, there were some who still seemed to be breathing, letting out low groans.
「What in the world do you think they're doing?」
Bu Eun-seol shook his head at Yu Hwa-ryeong's question.
「I don't know either.」
In truth, Bu Eun-seol was just as shocked.
In his work as a coroner, he had seen all sorts of bizarre things, but he had never expected to see a sight like this underground in a desolate forest.
Jongri Sa-yu, however, showed no signs of surprise.
Instead, she scanned her surroundings with sharp eyes and spoke to Bu Eun-seol and Yu Hwa-ryeong.
“Follow me.”
Jongri Sa-yu weaved between the buildings, heading deeper inside.
She finally stopped before a building where not only the main gate but the entire structure gleamed with a metallic luster.
The iron door was firmly shut, and it seemed to have a special mechanism, with only an intricate pattern carved into it.
After looking around, she took out two golden needles from her robes and began to trace the pattern on the iron door.
Finding a small hole, she inserted the golden needles and began to move them with precision.
With a *click*, the tightly shut iron door slowly began to open.
*‘She's skilled at infiltration.’*
Bu Eun-seol watched Jongri Sa-yu's back as she walked without making a single sound.
This was probably not the first time she had infiltrated such a place. She might have received professional training in stealth and infiltration.
*‘This means the Needle King's family has been investigating them for a long time.’*
“What on earth is all this?”
Just then, Yu Hwa-ryeong, who was looking around, tilted his head in confusion.
The interior was a space that gleamed with a metallic luster up to the ceiling, and it was so vast that it seemed to be over three hundred paces wide.
Moreover, hundreds of strange structures were packed tightly throughout the area, all of them covered with black cloth.
Below them, black pipes were connected in a chaotic tangle.
From a distance, it looked as if thousands of giant spiders had spread their legs in all directions.
“Ugh.”
Looking at this bizarre scene, Yu Hwa-ryeong instinctively took a step back.
In doing so, he accidentally stepped on the black cloth covering a nearby structure.
With a rustling sound, the structure was revealed.
*‘A glass case?’*
What had been under the cloth was a transparent glass case.
And inside, a sleeping woman was covered in vibrant plants.
“This is…”
Yu Hwa-ryeong's eyes shot open as he peered into the glass case.
Looking closely, he saw that a thick needle connected to a tube was inserted into the sleeping woman's blood vessels.
And wasn't the blood being delivered to the plants through the tube?
“What in the world is this grotesque act?”
Jongri Sa-yu answered Yu Hwa-ryeong's cry.
“They're 'Human Flowers'.”
“Human Flowers?”
Her eyes were filled with deep contempt and rage.
“When a human's vital essence is forcibly injected into them, they create an artificial spiritual herb called a Human Flower.”
Yu Hwa-ryeong's mouth fell open.
Cultivating spiritual herbs with human vital essence? Was such a thing even possible?
And why was such a heaven-defying atrocity being committed here?