171. Ungmyo (2)
“……”
“……”
“……”
[…….]
The Ungmyo spoke.
“What’s this? Why no answer? Can’t talk?”
A pint-sized body about the size of a five-year-old child, short arms thrust boldly to its waist like some cheeky hero.
The Ungmyo spoke.
‘With its actual voice?’
It wasn’t as if there were no spirit beasts capable of communication. Even Mugyeok-i could understand speech to some degree.
Going further, divine beasts or particularly clever spirit beasts could even hold full conversations.
But that was always a mental link, spirit to spirit.
Never had one ever produced actual sounds with its physical voice like this.
‘Parrots aside.’
That wasn’t a spirit beast trait—it was just an animal mimicking noises, not true dialogue.
Perfect, fluent communication like this? Unheard of, unseen.
“Wh-what the hell is this?”
Tak Horak jolted in shock, jabbing a finger like he was accusing it of a crime.
“A beast talking!?”
Crack.
The Ungmyo scowled at Tak Horak’s words. And in the next instant—
The Ungmyo vanished from sight.
“Kwaaack!?”
It reappeared, having already slammed into Tak Horak’s gut.
Bam—!
Tak Horak let out a bizarre screech as he rocketed into the sky.
“Beast? That’s insulting to a spirit beast overflowing with intellect and cuteness like me!”
The Ungmyo wagged its rear at the sprawled Tak Horak, pointing accusingly as it lectured him.
Like something out of a cartoon.
[……You said this Ungmyo had no abilities whatsoever. Speaking is one thing, but martial arts?]
Pa Cheon’s shock rang through.
Of course, I was shocked too. I just managed my expression to hide it.
This was straight out of Kung Fu Panda… whoops, copyright.
“Hey, you lot! Gonna answer or what?”
“Agh, you damn beast!”
“Tak Horak. Enough.”
Tak Horak was about to throw a fit, but I stopped him.
“But, Young Master!”
“It’s not just a beast. It’s a spirit beast.”
“……”
“It moved fast enough to evade your senses. Any injuries?”
Tak Horak’s face paled at my question. Adrenaline must’ve masked it, but he’d flown through the air with no real damage.
That level of physical force should’ve wrecked his internals.
“You mean to say that bea… spirit beast has mastered the Internal Damage Technique?”
“Exactly.”
The Internal Damage Technique was a staple in wuxia tales—striking externally without surface harm, targeting only the insides. A pinnacle skill.
The Ungmyo had used it flawlessly, sending Tak Horak flying without injury, pure propulsion.
Anyone at first-rate could manage the basics.
But wielding it to apply force without harm?
In other words—
“The Ungmyo—is Super Peak?”
Only Super Peak experts handled it with such finesse.
[Doesn’t seem like it.]
Pa Cheon replied.
[Super Peak gives off that signature tingle through linked intents. I don’t sense it from this Ungmyo.]
Do Il Gwang had once doubted me for lacking that Super Peak aura.
I couldn’t feel it myself, but apparently they could at that level.
[Its movements are profoundly subtle, though. Feels like orthodox martial arts.]
Even in that instant, martial arts fanatic Pa Cheon had analyzed it.
“Super Peak? What’s that? Food? Hey, who are you people anyway? Bad humans?”
“We’re not bad humans.”
The Ungmyo narrowed its eyes at my words.
“Then what?”
“I’m Kim Dong Yun.”
“Kim Dong Yun. Got it. Human Kim Dong Yun. Why’re you here?”
The Ungmyo’s blunt question left me speechless.
I’d planned to snag one and go. Sure, I’d intended to return it after, but looking back, I was basically here to harass healthy, thriving creatures.
If it couldn’t talk, I’d have just grabbed one. But lying to a perfectly articulate one felt wrong—
“Listen up, Ungmyo! Our young master came to take one of you with him!”
Oh.
Tak Horak, should I kill you?
The Ungmyo’s eyes narrowed to slits at Tak Horak’s blunder.
“So you are bad humans?”
That’s when it happened.
Hummm—
Suddenly, the energy of this otherworldly space began to roil.
How to describe it?
Like the space itself saw us as intruders and was gearing up to eject us.
‘……Not a mere spirit beast. A divine beast.’
I quickly pointed at Mugyeok-i.
“Ungmyo, you can sense this divine beast’s aura, right? This is Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa, direct descendant of the Four Directional Gods’ Zhuque, wielder of purifying flames.”
“Hmm.”
“Would a purifier of all impurity follow villains?”
The Ungmyo crossed its stubby arms awkwardly, squinting suspiciously.
Piiik—!
Mugyeok-i snorted flame, as if offended at the doubt.
“True enough. You’re not bad humans.”
“Just a misunderstanding.”
“Got it.”
The unprecedented energy shaking the space vanished clean away.
‘Why didn’t a divine beast like this appear in Return of the Murim Warrior?’
The Poison Eye Monk episode described the Ungmyo habitat as full of powerless ones.
Something had changed?
“By the way, I’m not called Ungmyo. My name’s Ungjin.”
A name oddly reminiscent of a water purifier.
“Right. Ungjin. Nice to meet you.”
“You don’t seem bad, so follow me.”
Ungjin toddled ahead on two legs, just like a human, short legs waddling.
“Follow……”
I turned to the group—and locked eyes with Sa Wol, who’d been covering her mouth.
She pretended nothing was amiss when our gazes met, but her cheeks and ears burned red.
Sa Wol always seemed cold and emotionless, but she was at that age where cute things melted her.
If she had a smartphone, she’d have snapped hundreds of pics.
Smaller than the other Ungmyo, maybe due to its spirituality?
As Ungjin passed, the other Ungmyo paused their bamboo munching, bowing their heads like in greeting.
‘The others have some spirituality too?’
Ungjin led us to the base of a massive waterfall.
Astonishingly, a pavilion stood there.
Human workmanship.
Ungjin hopped up to the pavilion table, still gnawing half-eaten bamboo.
“So, why’re you humans here?”
“Truth is, this guy’s right. We came to take one of you.”
“What now?”
Ungjin was a divine beast.
Better to be direct than lie.
I explained the reasons plainly.
“Mm, got it. Kim Dong Yun.”
Ungjin continued, chomping bamboo.
“But no thanks.”
Was it the munching, or its natural speech? Either way, annoyingly cheeky.
“Old man said not to do anything without proper payment.”
“……Old man?”
“Yeah. Old man.”
“Human?”
“Yep. Taught me speech and movement.”
Made sense—no way it learned speech or martial arts solo.
“What’s his name?”
“Name? Dunno. Just called him old man.”
“What’d he look like?”
“Hmm. Humans all look alike, hard to say.”
[……Is it saying me and Tak Horak look alike right now? I’ll kill it.]
‘Calm down. We can’t tell Ungmyo apart either.’
Humans might see differences, but to an Ungmyo, maybe not.
‘Trained in orthodox martial arts, likely a Taoist. Who?’
To teach an Ungmyo that level? At least Super Peak. Candidates existed, but hard to pinpoint.
This wasn’t idle curiosity.
A subtle discrepancy from what I knew.
A clue to uncover it.
“Was he an old man?”
“Old man means aged, right? Nah, looked about your age? Wait.”
Ungjin hopped off the chair, toddling toward me.
An approaching Ungmyo was hell on the heart.
“Sniff sniff!”
It nosed up close, snuffling.
“Kim Dong Yun. You smell like old man.”
Chills ran down my spine.
I drew up Heavenly Demon Divine Art qi visibly.
“Is this it?”
“Old man!?”
Ungjin’s eyes went wide.
I was more shocked.
“When did you meet this ‘old man’?”
“Dunno. Oh, winter’s passed a hundred times.”
……Older than expected. Divine beasts accrued spirituality over ages.
A century ago?
‘The First Heavenly Demon again?’
What was with this guy? He’d been everywhere in the murim world.
“Did he leave anything? Writings on the wall or such?”
“Nothing like that. Oh! Wait, yeah, there is. Hold on.”
Ungjin suddenly dove into the waterfall.
How long passed?
Pop!
It burst from underwater, a small box in its mouth.
Shaking off water, it waddled over with a fist-sized box.
I knew instantly what was inside.
A jade, probably.
“Here.”
“No payment, and you’re giving it?”
“Old man said give it to anyone smelling like him if they show up.”
A thought crossed my mind.
This wasn’t wuxia—it was constellation stuff, them watching and tossing opportunities.
‘Or maybe he knows Cheon Gi-ja and predicted the future somewhat.’
Good thing Ungjin didn’t grasp “Heavenly Demon,” just calling it “old man.” Sa Wol and Tak Horak looked baffled.
Heavenly Demon talk leaking would be a headache.
I took the box and opened it.
Inside: blood-red jade.
Ominous at first glance.
Even Ungjin grimaced.
“Ugh. If not from old man, I’d have ditched it.”
Sa Wol chimed in.
“It reeks faintly of blood.”
“I sense it too!”
“Origin unknown—best not to take it.”
Jades varied.
Well-known like Avoid Poison Jade or Flame Fire Jade versus mysteries like Flicker Jade or Time Wheel Jade until absorbed.
Mishandle, and you’d get cursed like Golden Jade.
But not for me.
Pa Cheon made it safe.
I removed the Time Wheel Jade from Pa Cheon Sword, slotted the red jade.
‘What is it?’
[Hm.]
Jades imprinted functions upon bonding.
Pa Cheon answered.
[Blood Explosion Jade. Explodes the owner’s blood.]
Acting as the Heavenly Demon