Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Don't Be Captured by Common Sense
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Whatever choice he made was entirely up to him. It was no longer any of my business.
With that, I turned away without a second thought. Leaving behind the chaotic and disorganized camp of the unorthodox wanderers, I headed toward the carriage where Soso and Haeun waited. I had no more business in this secret cave.
Glancing toward the orthodox faction's camp, I saw they were also busily preparing to withdraw. Azure Dragon Squad members were packing up gear, saddling horses, and bustling about.
By the time I reached the carriage, Soso and Haeun were waiting for me. Relief washed over their faces as they spotted me approaching. The moment I climbed aboard, a sudden curiosity struck me, and I asked Soso,
"Soso. Where did the physicians go?"
The three or four Azure Dragon Squad physicians who had ridden with us on the way here were nowhere in sight. Soso beamed at my question.
"Ah! Another carriage showed up, so they went there."
"Another carriage?"
Haeun provided more details.
"They said there were quite a few abandoned carriages whose owners had died. Looks like they picked up a few."
Sure enough, countless unorthodox wanderers had perished during this secret cave expedition. Their carriages must have been left behind as is. The interiors had probably already been ransacked by other wanderers for anything valuable, leaving empty shells for the Azure Dragon Squad to collect.
The carriages weren't all that spacious, so with Haeun joining us now, I'd been thinking I'd have to seat Soso on my lap for the return trip. But with an extra carriage, that wouldn't be necessary. We'd need one more coachman, but that was their problem to handle.
More room to stretch out. Nice. I decided to think positively.
Soon enough, the Azure Dragon Squad finished preparing to return to the Murim Alliance.
The coachman who'd driven our carriage here switched to the new one carrying the other physicians. Paeng Daesan plopped down solidly in the driver's seat of ours.
I stuck my head out the window and called to him.
"Paeng Daesan. Drive straight."
Paeng Daesan puffed out his massive chest and bellowed back.
"Yes, sir! I'll safely escort Brother, Sister-in-Law, and your little sister all the way to the Murim Alliance!"
This dimwit still thought Yeon Haeun was my actual little sister.
"Call Haeun 'Sister-in-Law' too."
"Pardon!?"
Paeng Daesan jumped in surprise. But it was only for a moment. He quickly nodded with a grave, resolute expression, as if he'd just attained some profound enlightenment.
"Ah... Understood. I respect your choice, Brother."
...What nonsense is this fool spouting now?
"Forget it. Just watch the road."
"Yes, sir!"
Paeng Daesan snapped to attention and stared straight ahead.
At that moment, Squad Leader Byeok Cheonwi's commanding shout boomed across the entire camp.
"All personnel! Return to the Murim Alliance!"
With Squad Leader Byeok Cheonwi's thunderous order as the signal, the long procession began to move. The creaking of carriage wheels mixed with the thudding of countless hooves, stirring the dawn air.
Our carriage jolted once with a heavy lurch before slowly rolling forward.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The carriage ride back to the Murim Alliance was monotonous.
Apart from the constant jolting and Paeng Daesan's occasional off-key humming of some inexplicable tune when he got carried away, there was nothing noteworthy. We were just traveling by carriage, after all—no real tasks to occupy us.
To kill time, I held out my palm.
Focusing my mind on it, black energy slowly rose, coalescing into a round orb about the size of a ping-pong ball. Compared to Black Elder's ferocious, massive demonic energy, it was pathetically small and insignificant, but it was a pure clump of demonic energy, untainted by any impurities.
"Whoa..."
Soso, sitting beside me, let out a small gasp of wonder, her eyes wide with curiosity. Her sparkling gaze was adorable. Such a cute kid.
Haeun, seated across from me, eyed the demonic energy on my palm and asked,
"Is that... the demonic energy extracted from the Mad Demon Sword?"
I nodded.
Even for martial artists, opportunities to see demonic energy with the naked eye like this were rare. The Demonic Cult had withdrawn from the Central Plains long ago, so few remembered what demonic beings looked like. Most demonic arts were mixed with internal energy or too violent to hold a stable form like this.
But this one was different.
I quite liked this small, pure demonic energy. I infused it with my will, reshaping it. The black orb writhed before transforming into a tiny rabbit with long ears and a round tail.
"Wow! A bunny! It's a bunny!"
Soso clapped like a child, delighted. Her innocent reaction brought a smile to my lips unbidden. This demonic energy felt almost alive. No, it was alive—since my hypnosis worked on it.
Soso tentatively reached out to touch the demonic rabbit.
Just as her pale, soft finger was about to make contact—
Whoosh!
The demonic rabbit instantly dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and fled back into my palm.
"Ahh...!"
Soso let out a disappointed whine, her shoulders slumping pitifully.
I sensed the demonic energy trembling inside me like a quaking aspen. Probably the same reason the secret cave's iron door had opened and closed in front of Soso.
The demonic energy feared Soso. I didn't know why.
Then Haeun's gaze lingered on Soso's finger. The crude wooden ring on her ring finger.
Sensing Haeun's stare, Soso proudly spread her palm wide and said,
"This? Senior Brother bought it for me at the market! Pretty, right?"
Haeun's eyes flicked to me. They held a world of meaning—a silent pressure asking, What about me?
"Got it. I'll buy you one too."
Haeun's lips curved in satisfaction. She quickly turned to look out the window as if nothing had happened, but she couldn't hide her flushed ears. Cute.
"...Hm?"
Glancing idly at Soso's ring, I noticed a faint oddity. A tiny green leaf had sprouted on its surface—so small you wouldn't see it without close inspection.
"Soso. Did you put that there?"
Soso tilted her head and peered at her ring.
"Nooo... It was like this when I woke up."
No way. It was dead wood. How could it sprout?
It defied common sense...
...Actually, I had no idea. The world was full of things I didn't understand. Maybe it could grow leaves. This world had its quirks anyway. I decided not to dwell on it.
And so, for several days, the Azure Dragon Squad pressed on silently toward the Murim Alliance.
The long journey was sometimes tedious, but never boring. At inns along the way, we'd politely clear out regular guests and commandeer the whole place for all-night drinking sessions. We'd also fend off half-hearted bandit attacks from those sniffing out money, using them to loosen up.
Any issues were swiftly handled by Squad Leader Byeok Cheonwi and the Azure Dragon elites, so nothing troublesome reached us.
And finally.
The end of the long journey came into view.
Towering walls and pavilions scraping the sky. As Squad Leader Byeok Cheonwi had claimed, we arrived at the heart of the Central Plains martial world: the Murim Alliance.
The carriage passed through the massive gates and came to a stop before the Azure Dragon Squad's training grounds.
"Alright, let's get out."
I stood first and headed to the door.
With a creak, I opened it and stepped out.
And I had to freeze mid-step.
Right in front of the carriage.
A woman stood staring at me with cold eyes—I had no idea how long she'd been there.
Immaculate black hairpins without a strand out of place, a frosty expression like winter frost, her body wrapped in black robes.
It was an utterly unexpected person.
"It's been a while."
Her voice was like cracking ice. A chill ran down my spine at those words. I swallowed dryly and bowed politely.
"Master. It's been too long. I hope you've been well."
"......"
Instead of replying, she shifted her gaze past my shoulder.
Then, with another creak, the carriage door opened again, followed by bustling sounds from behind.
"Whoa, we finally made it!"
"Careful getting down, Soso."
Soso's bright voice rang out first, followed by Haeun helping her down. The two now stood side by side with me. Im Hyehyang's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. Her gaze lingered on Haeun for a moment before returning to me.
A faint curve—not quite a sneer—touched her cold lips.
"My disciple has quite the talents."
Her words were laced with thorns. I knew exactly what she meant, but I had to play dumb. I just gave an awkward smile and replied,
"Yes."
Soso finally noticed Master and dashed over in surprise.
"Master! When did you get here?"
Her face bloomed with smiles, thrilled to be back at the Murim Alliance. Master lightly stroked Soso's head and greeted her indifferently.
"Good. You've been well."
I was momentarily entranced by the gentle sight. She could make expressions like that? But the warmth was reserved solely for Soso. As her gaze returned to me, the air froze over again.
How do I introduce Haeun? 'Hidden little sister?'
Ridiculous. That might fool a dimwit like Paeng Daesan, but not the woman before me. She'd see through any lie in an instant—I'd be dead on the spot.
In the end, I could do nothing but stand there with an embarrassed grin.
As if reading my thoughts, Im Hyehyang said coldly,
"I don't care."
Her icy voice pierced my ears.
"However, if your actions bring shame to the Healer Immortal Sect... expulsion awaits. Remember that."
It didn't sound like a joke. She meant it. I swallowed and replied in a subdued voice,
"...Yes."
I had to change this suffocating atmosphere somehow. Cautiously, I shifted the topic.
"But... what brings you here?"
Her chilling eyes narrowed on me.
"Is there a reason I can't be here?"
"N-No! That's not what I—"
"Hiding something, are you?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Does a master need a reason to see her disciple?"
Her sharp questions came relentlessly, giving me no room to breathe. Sweat beaded on my skin under the interrogative pressure, like a criminal on trial. I shook my head desperately.
"No way! There's no problem at all!"
Im Hyehyang fell silent for a moment. She scanned me up and down before replying curtly, as if bored.
"Great-uncle summoned me."
...What? She wasn't even here to see me.
Tension drained from me all at once, leaving hollow relief. But I kept a straight face.
"I see."
Im Hyehyang paused again, then jerked her chin toward the inner Murim Alliance.
"You come too."
The abrupt command caught me off guard.
"Pardon?"
Her gaze raked over Soso and Haeun beside me, then back to me—with icy contempt.
"Do you have some urgent business with those two?"
Goosebumps prickled my skin. I shook my head frantically.
"No! I'll come with you!"
Best to escape this situation first. I scanned around for Paeng Daesan. If I left Soso and Haeun in his care for directions, it'd be fine. But that burly oaf was nowhere. Where the hell did he go?
Reading my eyes, Haeun whispered quietly.
"That man... some servants calling him 'Young Master' just took him off somewhere."
...Damn. Always missing when I need him.
No choice. I turned to Soso.
"Soso. Go back to the room with Haeun and rest. I'll see Master and be back soon."
Mindful that Master could hear, I avoided saying 'our room.' No need to advertise sharing one right now.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Soso nodded brightly.
"Okayyy! See you laterrr~."
Soso grabbed Haeun's wrist and scampered off toward the Azure Dragon Squad lodgings. Haeun glanced back at me worriedly until the last moment.
With the two gone, only Master and I remained.
A suffocating silence descended.