The Return (2)
"A punitive expedition against the Demon Head...."
Mujeong Soma put on a grave expression.
But even that look was surely an act.
After all, Mujeong Soma himself was the Demon Head of the Blood World Mara Sect — the one thing he couldn't afford was to let that be suspected.
He was playing the part of an ordinary loose cultivator tensing up at news he could never have anticipated.
"What kind of fiends are we talking about hunting down?"
"You may have heard of them."
Seo Seol-ryeong spoke in a grave voice.
"Tamran Guma of the Blood World Mara Sect. The Greedy Chaotic Dog Demon."
"......."
Tamran Guma.
With the character for "dog" in his name, he sounded at first glance like some third-rate dark-path thug of the martial world — the sort of hoodlum who shaken down civilians for coin and called it a living.
But Tamran Guma was nothing of the sort.
He was a wicked demonic cultivator who had mastered every manner of curse and hex involving dogs.
Above all, he was the undisputed master of the grudge-dog art — the vile craft of torturing a dog to death, sealing its dying resentment, and forging it into a weapon.
"Tamran Guma is, you might say, our Baekhwa Sect's mortal enemy."
At that point Shao Xiaofu, the Sect Master of the Hundred Flowers Sect, spoke up.
"Two years ago... my direct disciples were attacked by Tamran Guma."
"......."
"And they were devoured alive by his grudge dogs — for no reason other than that a female cultivator with a pure, unblemished body makes the finest of prey...."
Fury burned in Shao Xiaofu's voice.
The disciples standing around her were biting their lips, trembling with barely contained rage.
"Our Baekhwa Sect has always punished the wicked of the cultivation world. But ever since that incident, Tamran Guma became our foremost target. Then, recently, intelligence reached us that he would appear in the Hwangryeol Flying Archipelago to trade in a rare treasure."
Cheon Woo-jin had met the Baekhwa Sect on Pyeonghwang Island, the first island of the archipelago.
At the time, they must have already been hunting Tamran Guma.
"We tried to capture him there in the Hwangryeol Archipelago. But... in the end, he slipped through our fingers."
"......."
"We did, however, determine exactly where he fled. We were en route to that place when... by chance, we stumbled upon the Grand Yao Bat Ship."
Having explained their circumstances, Shao Xiaofu extended one hand forward.
"Fate has brought us together like this, so I would ask you both to lend us your strength. As Seo Seol-ryeong has already said, we will not treat you poorly."
"......."
Cheon Woo-jin turned his head to look at Mujeong Soma.
Mujeong Soma wore a grave expression.
But while holding that expression, he sent a burst of mental speech toward Cheon Woo-jin.
[Lord Cheon, do not worry. I will join as well.]
[Will that be all right?]
[It's no trouble at all.]
To the question of whether he could take part in the hunt for Tamran Guma, Mujeong Soma answered without a moment's hesitation.
[This isn't yet public knowledge, but Tamran Guma betrayed the Blood World Mara Sect some time ago and struck out on his own. So my joining the hunt poses no problem whatsoever. If anything, the Sect's upper echelons would commend me for it.]
[I see. That's a relief.]
In truth, Cheon Woo-jin had already known everything.
That the Baekhwa Sect had been searching for Tamran Guma in the Hwangryeol Archipelago.
That Tamran Guma had betrayed the Blood World Mara Sect and was operating alone.
All of it came up naturally when playing the Baekhwa Sect route in the game.
Which was why he'd been able to predict that Mujeong Soma would accept without reluctance.
From Mujeong Soma's perspective, this was a chance to strike down a traitor to his own sect, no less.
'It wasn't what I intended, but everything is falling neatly into place.'
He had felled Jang Si-u, the Illusion-Winged Immortal Bat — a future thorn in his side — before the man could become a problem, and deepened his rapport with Mujeong Soma.
Now, if he joined forces with Mujeong Soma and the Baekhwa Sect to destroy Tamran Guma and collect the rewards, it would make for an extremely efficient progression.
Even in the game, play this efficient had been impossible.
"So where is Tamran Guma now?"
"Ghost Head City."
"I'm sorry?"
At Cheon Woo-jin's question, Shao Xiaofu answered in a stern voice.
"Tamran Guma fled to the 7th Floor of Ghost Head City. And so that is where we shall go as well."
The 7th Floor of Ghost Head City.
It was an area in the city's upper layers — a place Cheon Woo-jin had never once set foot.
In the end, the Grand Yao Bat Ship lost all function and crashed to the ground.
It had already taken heavy damage from Cheon Woo-jin and Mujeong Soma, and left utterly exposed to the Baekhwa Sect's coordinated barrage, it had suffered catastrophic structural failure.
In this state, the Grand Yao Bat Ship was nothing more than a mountain of scrap.
No power in the present-day cultivation world possessed the means to repair a legal treasure of such colossal scale.
And so Cheon Woo-jin decided to strip out everything of value from its interior, together with Mujeong Soma.
The two of them were the ones who had brought down Jang Si-u and annihilated the Night Rat Crowd — which meant the right to claim the ship's contents belonged to them alone.
After asking the Baekhwa Sect to wait outside for a time, Cheon Woo-jin combed through the Grand Yao Bat Ship, all the while checking whether any survivors of the Night Rat Crowd remained.
'In the game, Tamran Guma fled somewhere else entirely.'
Cheon Woo-jin sank into thought as he gathered valuables from the bat ship's storerooms.
'Could it be because Seo Seol-ryeong joined the Baekhwa Sect?'
In the game, the Baekhwa Sect had floundered helplessly against Tamran Guma time and again.
Even in the Hwangryeol Archipelago, Tamran Guma had shaken them off without difficulty and escaped at his leisure.
But this time, Seo Seol-ryeong had aided them.
With her cooperation, the Baekhwa Sect had likely cornered Tamran Guma into a dead end in the archipelago.
A rat in a trap might well have altered his plans and fled to Ghost Head City instead.
'My presence, and the presence of the people around me, may be changing the future more and more often. I can't afford to make careless judgments based on game knowledge alone.'
Even in the game, the movements of the major factions and figures had been identical every playthrough right up until the War for the Throne — but after the War for the Throne began, countless variables came into play and produced a wide variety of patterns.
So from this point forward, it would be wise not to forecast the future too readily.
"Lord Cheon."
A voice came from behind Cheon Woo-jin, who had been lost in thought.
It was Seo Seol-ryeong, who had entered the Grand Yao Bat Ship.
"I thought I asked everyone to wait outside."
"That request was for the Baekhwa Sect's people."
Seo Seol-ryeong approached with perfect composure.
"We did agree to meet again in Ghost Head City... but somehow it's turned into an awkward situation, hasn't it."
"So it has."
The two of them had already crossed paths once before on Pyeonghwang Island.
Back then they had parted ways pretending to be strangers — only to run into each yet again here.
"Did you accomplish your objective, Lord Cheon?"
"More or less."
"That's a relief. As you can see, I haven't quite finished mine yet."
If Seo Seol-ryeong had achieved her goal, she would have returned to Ghost Head City alone.
The fact that she was still acting alongside the Baekhwa Sect meant the purpose that had brought her to the Hwangryeol Archipelago remained unfulfilled.
"Did you promise the Baekhwa Sect something in return? For cooperating in the hunt for Tamran Guma?"
"You could put it that way."
"What did you agree to receive?"
"That much I'd rather not say. You never told me what your objective was, either."
"Fair enough."
They were in the middle of this exchange when
Mujeong Soma, who had been ransacking another storeroom, poked his head out.
"You two have the air of people who've shared a long and deep bond. Might you be husband and wife?"
"No."
"We've known each other for less than two years."
Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong denied it at once.
At that, Mujeong Soma broke into a grin.
"Well, whatever the case, you do seem remarkably well suited. Watching Lord Cheon — so impeccably polite with me — bicker and banter like that with Lady Seo, I could tell at a glance that you two have opened your hearts to one another."
"And you, Lord Seong, of all people—"
Seo Seol-ryeong cut across Mujeong Soma's words with a question.
"How did you come to know Lord Cheon? You hardly seem an ordinary man."
"I'm just a humble wandering loose cultivator."
"Somehow I doubt that."
"......."
Mujeong Soma had his identity concealed flawlessly.
Even probing his body with dharma arts, it would not be easy to determine that he was a demonic cultivator of the Blood World Mara Sect.
But Seo Seol-ryeong was hardly a woman to be underestimated either.
Though she couldn't pin down the specifics, she had already noticed that Mujeong Soma was hiding something.
"Seo Seol-ryeong, this man is trustworthy."
Cheon Woo-jin, unable to watch any longer, put in a word.
"If he ever tries to stab us in the back, I'll deal with it. So don't worry."
"......."
Seo Seol-ryeong fell silent for a moment, thinking.
"Very well. If you vouch for him, Lord Cheon, I'll extend my trust — for now."
"Heh heh. Cold as you seem, you certainly listen to Lord Cheon. There truly is an extraordinary trust between you two—ow."
Mujeong Soma, who had been needling them so gleefully, flinched and shrank back under the icy pressure of Seo Seol-ryeong's qi.
"Senior, kindly refrain from teasing us. Neither of us is particularly fond of jokes."
"Indeed. We would appreciate your discretion."
"......."
They really are two of a kind.
With a look that said exactly that, Mujeong Soma regarded Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong.
"In any case, Lord Seong—"
Seo Seol-ryeong cleared her throat and resumed the conversation.
"I won't press you any further about who you are. But are you certain it's wise for you to enter Ghost Head City?"
"To be honest, I've never been there myself. I'd rather like to have a look around, now that the chance has presented itself."
Mujeong Soma, as the White Face Pavilion Master of the Blood World Mara Sect, likely also wanted to scout out the interior of Ghost Head City.
By an ancient pact, the Blood World Mara Sect was barred from establishing a foothold in the city — but there was no stopping an individual like Mujeong Soma from slipping inside with his identity thoroughly concealed.
"Ghost Head City... is not a place safe enough to sightsee through."
"Haha, I appreciate the concern. But I'll manage on my own — no need to fret over me."
Mujeong Soma said with a smile.
"Though I would ask one thing — a recommendation for lodging. I'd prefer to stay somewhere reliable."
"As it happens, I know a fine place. There's a prosperous town on the 6th Floor of Ghost Head City called Junggyeongjin — I'll point you to the eastern quarter, where the security is tightest."
"Junggyeongjin, you say...."
"It's our home base as well. If we're to keep working together, staying there would be for the best."
"Hmm. If that's the case, then remaining there would indeed be my best option."
Junggyeongjin.
Cheon Woo-jin found himself recalling the days he had spent there.
Barely two months had passed since he'd left Ghost Head City, yet it felt like ages ago.
'I wonder if everyone's been well.'
Jang Ryang, Won Pil-so, Na Chwi-ryang, Yo Eun-hui, Wi Ju-seon, Hoyeon Rin... the faces of the people he'd come to know in Ghost Head City drifted through his mind.
'It would be nice to gather everyone at Seo Seol-ryeong's shop for tea sometime, when there's a spare moment.'
The tea trees in the eastern fields of the Great Emptiness Cave Heaven Mirror were already growing beautifully.
If he roasted the leaves well and served them to everyone at her shop, it would make for a fine gathering.
Even if Seo Seol-ryeong would only grumble, 'This is not a teahouse.'
From the Grand Yao Bat Ship, Cheon Woo-jin secured a massive trove of cultivation resources.
They were assets Jang Si-u had spent long years gathering from the seas beyond the continent, and in both quantity and quality they were staggering.
There were no Nascent Soul Spiritual Materials — Jang Si-u had presumably already consumed his — but there were plenty of resources that would prove a tremendous boon to Cheon Woo-jin.
'With this much, I could attempt the Core Formation Great Circle.'
Once again, the truth was driven home: plundering what others had gathered was far faster than gathering it yourself.
'Ascending to the 7th Floor will require the Baekhwa Sect to make their own preparations too. In the meantime, I'll attempt my breakthrough to the Core Formation Great Circle.'
Having salvaged what they could from the Grand Yao Bat Ship, the whole party set out together for Ghost Head City.
When they entered through the docks on the southern outer wall of the 3rd Floor, crowds of onlookers could hardly conceal their astonishment.
"Isn't that the Baekhwa Sect?"
"Why would a renowned orthodox sect come to Ghost Head City...?"
Several factions approached the Baekhwa Sect hoping to curry favor, but Shao Xiaofu politely declined them all.
The Baekhwa Sect's policy was to destroy Tamran Guma and depart immediately.
And so the entire group ascended together as far as the 6th Floor.
It was unfamiliar terrain for Mujeong Soma and the Baekhwa Sect alike, but with Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong guiding them, nothing about the journey proved difficult.
However... the moment they actually set foot on the 6th Floor, something about the atmosphere felt off.
"What's going on?"
"Hard to say."
As they drew near Junggyeongjin, people began staring at them with strange eyes.
More precisely, they were looking at Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong with expressions that read, 'Oh no. Oh, this is bad.'
"L-Lord Cheon! Lady Seo!"
As they walked along the road, a scruffy-bearded man came rushing out toward them.
He was disheveled and haggard, but his was a face both Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong knew well.
"Lord Won?"
"What's happened?"
It was Won Pil-so, who had run a talisman shop together with his senior, Jang Ryang.
Tears were welling in his eyes at the sight of them.
"Lord Cheon, Lady Seo... why only now...."
"Has something happened?"
When they pressed him for an explanation, Won Pil-so seized Cheon Woo-jin by the wrist.
"It'll be faster to show you. Both of you, follow me."
"......?"
Cheon Woo-jin and Seo Seol-ryeong followed Won Pil-so for the time being.
But before long, both of them flinched in shock.
The shop Seo Seol-ryeong had poured her heart into furnishing as her home on the 6th Floor.
It had been smashed to ruins, quite literally.
"......."
Cheon Woo-jin bit his lip as he approached the devastated shop.
The plaque reading "Teahouse" — hung up purely as a cover — lay split in two, rolling across the ground.
Scattered at his feet was... the tea-leaf casket Cheon Woo-jin had once given Seo Seol-ryeong as a gift.
As Cheon Woo-jin stood staring at the dust-covered casket, Seo Seol-ryeong's voice rang out, hard as iron.
"How did this happen?"
Seo Seol-ryeong pressed the question at Won Pil-so almost like an accusation.
"There's no one left on the 6th Floor brazen enough to touch our shop."
"It wasn't the 6th Floor...."
Won Pil-so answered in a trembling voice.
"It started moving on the 7th Floor. Up there — where the monsters of the Nascent Soul Realm crawl in swarms!"