Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Joining
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Shaanxi, Xi'an.
Hwangboyun's jaw dropped wide open at the sight of Xi'an, the city of his dreams.
"This is it! Xi'an! The heart of Shaanxi!"
Wi Sowol firmly pressed down on the back of Hwangboyun, who was acting like he might start jumping around any second.
"Don't block the road."
"Okay."
"And Xi'an or Nanju are all the same. What's with the fuss?"
Acting like a country bumpkin when he was born and raised in Nanju, the capital of Gansu Province.
But contrary to Wi Sowol's thoughts, Hwangboyun was genuinely shocked.
"They're totally different."
"...Aren't they similar?"
"No."
They were completely different.
Even though Xi'an had been utterly devastated by a major earthquake in the past, that very fact had led to it being rebuilt packed with brand-new modern buildings.
To Wi Sowol, a true country girl, Nanju must seem like a massive metropolis.
But to Hwangboyun, who was born and raised in Nanju, the gap between the two cities felt stark and clear.
"...Anyway. I'll book a room at the inn run by the Ha Clan Merchant House. Wander around a bit and meet me there."
"Huh? Not going together?"
"I told you. Once I reach Xi'an, I'm joining the fight against the Radiant Contention Sect right away."
"One day won't hurt."
Hwangboyun apparently wanted to stick with her.
Even Wi Sowol, who wasn't great at empathizing with others' feelings, could somewhat understand.
This was Hwangboyun's first trip away from home.
It had to feel unsettling for someone from the same region, who'd traveled together so far, to suddenly vanish.
Here, as a senior in life's journey who'd walked the world alone, she needed to teach him the mindset for it.
Just as Wi Sowol thought that and was about to open her mouth—
"Or could you lend me a little money? I didn't bring much traveling cash when I left. I heard the candy shops around here are pricey."
"......Sell some clothes or something."
What was she even worrying about with this guy who didn't need any concern at all?
With a strange sense of injustice, Wi Sowol's steps grew heavier.
Hwangboyun watched her retreating back for a moment, then tilted his head and muttered.
"Doesn't like sweets?"
He couldn't understand it.
After parting with Hwangboyun, Wi Sowol quickly arrived at the Mount Hua Sect's Xi'an branch.
She'd stopped by once when leaving Mount Hua for Nanju, so finding it was easy.
A Mount Hua Sect warrior recognized the beak mask she was wearing and greeted her familiarly.
"Oh? Isn't this Little Beak?"
Little Beak—that's what it meant.
The beak mask Wi Sowol wore was newly made by the Weird Physician to fit her face perfectly.
Because of that, Mount Hua Sect members sometimes called the Weird Physician "Big Beak" and Wi Sowol "Little Beak" as affectionate nicknames.
It was a small courtesy, knowing the Weird Physician didn't care much for his own moniker.
But calling them by their real names casually would be rude.
"I want to ask about the war with the Radiant Contention Sect."
"Hold on. That's not something I can decide."
The Mount Hua warrior quickly went upstairs and soon returned with someone who looked like a first-class disciple.
"Jong Hu. First time seeing you in person, though I've heard the stories."
"Same here."
Wi Sowol checked the embroidery on Jong Hu's daoist robes.
The gold-thread "Hua" character on the chest, and the plum blossom patterns on the sleeves.
Mount Hua Sect's pride: the Plum Blossom Sword Master.
'Not bad as the force responsible for Xi'an's defense.'
The Mount Hua Sect's elite, selected from below the elders.
The Plum Blossom Sword Master was the leading figure among the sect's later-generation talents.
They had considerable on-site decision-making authority, if not quite at elder level.
"You're curious about the war with the Radiant Contention Sect? Follow me. As the disciple of Great Beak Master, you qualify."
Following Jong Hu to the second floor, there was a map.
Maps of the era were fairly widespread even among civilians.
As culture flourished and commerce developed, local gazetteers were distributed, circulating regional maps reasonably well.
Military national maps were still strictly controlled, but a map of just Shaanxi was something the Mount Hua Sect could easily obtain.
"The current battlefield is mainly in three areas."
Jong Hu pointed to three spots in succession.
"Guyuan front, led by the Kongtong Sect. Qingyang front, handled by the Zhongnan Sect. And Yan'an and Ganquan front, led by the main sect. Guyuan is stalemated. Qingyang is slightly disadvantaged. Ganquan holds the advantage."
Wi Sowol pictured the situation in her mind.
The Kongtong Sect had to keep an eye on the Rampaging Demon Heaven, so they'd stick to defense as much as possible.
Zhongnan Sect being at a disadvantage probably meant more Radiant Contention forces were deployed there.
'What's surprising is that Mount Hua Sect holds the advantage.'
In truth, Mount Hua Sect was nearly fighting on two fronts.
Until recently, they'd been clashing with the Nether Luo Sect over southern Shanxi Province.
Even if settled for now, with the Nether Luo Sect possibly striking anytime, they needed ample forces in Shanxi too.
Yet they were gaining the upper hand at Ganquan...
"Master is at Ganquan."
"Right. Great Beak Master is moving with the main sect. The warriors he's gathered have racked up impressive achievements too."
"I'll head to Ganquan."
"Alone? A Mount Hua support unit will go soon. Better join them and move together. The Radiant Contention Sect operates guerrilla units."
"Perfect. Easier to reduce their forces that way."
Jong Hu's face showed a flicker of surprise at Wi Sowol's words.
'Doesn't seem like peak realm yet.'
As a Plum Blossom Sword Master, Jong Hu was a seasoned peak expert.
To him, Wi Sowol's level was ambiguous.
But his sword-honed instincts warned against underestimating her.
Jong Hu trusted his gut more than reason.
'Like master, like disciple. Incredibly bizarre. Hard to read.'
"If you're going, at least take some supplies. They're from the main sect."
Wi Sowol stared straight at Jong Hu through her beak mask.
Not sure what they were, but Jong Hu added,
"It's free. We provide them to everyone fighting the Radiant Contention Sect alongside us. Spare uniforms, blankets, rations—nothing to worry about."
It was spring now, but nights were still chilly.
Wi Sowol's body was beyond mere cold immunity, nearing assimilation with the cold, but having them would make bedding more comfortable.
"I'll gladly take them."
"Good. But really not joining us? Daoist Yu Jin, whom your master treated, is in this support unit. Wouldn't hurt to see his face."
"Daoist Yu Jin?"
Ah, that training maniac whose arm broke but kept pushing until the bone shattered again.
Wi Sowol shrugged.
Why bother?
More importantly, Wi Sowol had someone else in mind.
"What about the third-generation disciples?"
"This war mobilizes mainly first-class disciples, with some second-class. Can't send third-gen who haven't even debuted in the jianghu."
That settled it.
Seon Ye was safely waiting at Mount Hua Sect.
"Thanks for the info."
"...Then show your thanks with those hands. I'll include medicine too—if you see any main sect members or Plum Sword Warriors injured, treat them."
"Will do."
A bundle was slung on Wi Sowol's back as she left the Xi'an branch.
Mount Hua Sect supplies.
'This should be enough.'
But she had a promise with Hwangboyun.
Thinking to at least secure a room, Wi Sowol headed to the Thousand Gold Inn run by the Ha Clan Merchant House and booked one.
As Shaanxi's top inn, rooms were naturally full.
But Wi Sowol had a special power.
Limited to Shaanxi Province, the ability to create new rooms even where none existed.
The power called "Mount Hua Sect Elder Badge."
Wi Sowol borrowed a bit of Pure Void Daoist's elder badge authority she still held, and like some divine hand, it turned someone's room into hers.
Of course, that someone received ample compensation, completing a world where everyone was happy.
Wi Sowol lay on the bed and circulated her energy.
The Great White Light True Qi, far beyond basic breathing stages like sitting or lying meditation, breathed in sync with her, spreading through her body.
Melting and refining the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian yin qi still filling her, Wi Sowol thought of the war to come.
'I'll kill a lot more.'
She hoped the Radiant Contention Sect's grudges ran deep.
That killing them would bring solace to more people.
Killing intent and active intent.
The two mindsets entwined in Wi Sowol's heart, disrupting the Great White Light True Qi's flow.
Wi Sowol half-opened her eyes.
She felt uneasy.
Like a foggy mist in her mind.
In her discomfort, she unconsciously furrowed her brow.
"Smooth your brow. You'll get wrinkles. And you're so young."
Since Hwangboyun said that—
"You're here?"
"Yeah. Now, say ahh."
"What's this suddenly."
"Hurry."
At Hwangboyun's urging, Wi Sowol reluctantly parted her lips.
His long finger slipped into her small mouth and out, leaving something round inside.
Feeling something in her mouth, Wi Sowol rolled her eyes, unsure whether to spit or swallow, lips still parted.
Seeing that, Hwangboyun grinned.
"It's fine. Eat it."
Like a kind sister soothing her little sibling, Hwangboyun whispered.
Wi Sowol closed her mouth.
Her neat white teeth crunched through the sugar coating with a snap.
At the same time, sweetness flooded her mouth, and her furrowed brow relaxed smoothly.
"Tasty, right?"
"...Mm."
"It's hawberry candy from the shop. See. Cute?"
Hwangboyun opened a small box.
Inside were colorful hawberry candies shaped like sheep, lions, and puppies.
"Sweets are best when your mind's a mess. Eat up."
Wi Sowol didn't refuse.
She hesitated a bit but steadily reached in, picking them out one by one.
Nom nom.
Hwangboyun quietly watched Wi Sowol diligently working her small mouth on the candies.
"Heading out tomorrow?"
"Mm, gulp. Yeah."
"Take me with. But when it's over and we return to Xi'an, let's go to the candy shop together."
"...Sure."
She'd eaten plenty of sweet dishes before.
Why was this—
The taste of hawberry candy, something she'd never tried, was sweet enough to last a lifetime.
Northern Shaanxi Province is highland terrain.
Cross the northern mountains above the Guanzhong Basin, and you enter the yellow earth plateau.
The Yan'an area, where Mount Hua Sect and the Weird Physician were fighting the Radiant Contention Sect, lay at the boundary between the north and south of that plateau.
The north featured hilly terrain with the Molang Valley; the south was mostly plateau in the Yuanliang Gorge region.
Wi Sowol and Hwangboyun, not yet at Yan'an, were in a gorge area formed by countless mountains.
And such gorges, as usual, were prime spots for ambushes.
Like now.
"Hah!!"
Hwangboyun let out a shout and unleashed a punch.
Kwachik!
The Radiant Contention warrior with a headscarf had his ribs crack, body flying into the gorge.
That ended the ambush.
"Easy!"
Hwangboyun stretched his shoulders wide and turned to Wi Sowol.
Flashing a nice grin, he crisply raised two fingers.
Index and middle.
Wi Sowol, thinking it might be a V-sign for victory, asked puzzledly.
"What?"
Bragging about taking down two?
Hwangboyun got three.
Had his muscle-brained self forgotten even basic math?
"Tsk tsk. You don't know everything, Sowol? In the western regions, this is the symbol of victory."
Only then did Wi Sowol understand the gesture's meaning.
Indeed.
A kind of hand seal.
Like the antimagic seal where the toucher overcame the Heavenly Demon's interference to attain enlightenment and subdue demons.
Raising two fingers apparently signified victory too.
'Hwangboyun took down three Radiant Contention goons. I got six. So I'm twice the victor.'
In that case.
Chak, chak!
Wi Sowol raised both hands, forming Vs with each.
"I win."
Having removed her mask mid-meal during the attack, a victor's smile graced Wi Sowol's face.
She hadn't thought of using both hands, it seemed.
Seeing Hwangboyun's face fill with shock, Wi Sowol proudly wiggled her hands.
If anyone saw the two putting on that childish show, they'd say they were playing like kids.
And so, the two girls joined the battlefield.