What I Was Never Meant to See
"Huff… huff… Just who are these bastards, anyway? Every single one of them is at least at the Peak / Expert level. I can’t believe it."
"If the three of you hadn’t come, we would’ve been wiped out."
Six corpses in blood-red clothes lay scattered around us.
Jong Jinwon and the others were all breathing hard.
"Bind up the wounded, apply golden wound medicine, and let them rest here. Everyone else, follow me inside."
""Yes, sir!""
I shook the blood off my sword and scanned the surroundings.
It should be around here somewhere.
I pressed down on a stone that jutted slightly from the cave wall.
Rumble—
"Th-there’s no way… steps are appearing in the floor!"
With a thunderous groan, the mechanical formation shifted into place.
"We found it properly!"
Using the information we’d gotten from the Blood Pouring Castle, we’d raided their hideout.
They still hadn’t produced any commander-class expert, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t.
We needed to strip this place bare and get out fast.
"We don’t have time. Let’s go."
"Yes!"
Just as we were about to descend the stairs—
"Cheon-dae-hyeop… no, this is still my fault. I don’t have the face to say this, but I’m sorry. Again…."
"…"
Jong Jinwon bowed his head, his face full of apology.
At the sight, I gave a wry smile.
This was the third time.
Was he stubborn, or just secretly timid?
"Jong-hyung, didn’t I say it was fine? It’s already in the past, so don’t worry about it. Besides, now you’re moving according to my lead, so there’s no problem anymore."
"No matter how I think about it, it was a foolish, idiotic thing to do… how could I not be ashamed? If there were a mouse hole nearby, I’d honestly want to hide in it."
Jong Jinwon wore a strange expression, half like he was crying and half like he wasn’t.
Then again, that was exactly the sort of guy he was.
"I know that no matter what I say, the guilt welling up in my heart won’t disappear. But."
I cut myself off for a moment and caught my breath.
"But?"
What should I say so he’d understand?
Thinking about this idiot’s personality, the answer was obvious.
"At the end of the day, aren’t we fellow disciples studying under Raeji-sabnim? And since we’re all still immature academy students, let’s just let this one go."
"…"
"And didn’t I already tell you? If you really feel bad, then bring me a good elixir later."
He wasn’t some random nobody; he was an heir of the Kunlun Sect.
And now that I’d planted a debt in his heart as well, keeping him alive was far more profitable for me.
Of course, the man in question had no way of knowing what I was thinking.
Jong Jinwon stared at me for a long moment, then let out a sigh of admiration.
"To think I’ve only now met a righteous hero as compassionate as Cheon-dae-hyeop… I realize now how lacking my own vision was."
"Right? I guess Jong-so-hyeop is finally catching on too. Ahem!"
Namgung Hye puffed up proudly, placing both hands on her hips with a pleased expression.
Why are you happier than I am?
"I believed the rumors and looked down on Cheon-dae-hyeop in my heart, so how could I not be ashamed? I failed to recognize a person’s true worth…."
"Exactly! Everyone must have eyes only for decoration!"
"When we return, I’ll make sure everyone hears about this."
"I will too!"
He was a man with plenty of influence, so in one way or another he’d be useful.
We kept moving down the stairs.
"I never thought there’d be a place like this underground… it’s huge!"
"We don’t know what might be waiting for us. Everyone, stay sharp."
Jinwon spoke in a voice full of caution.
He really was a careful man.
"All we have to do is avoid touching the red coffins."
"Is that so? Everyone who understands, hurry up and retrieve whatever valuables you can!"
"Captain Jong! We found a ledger or something like a roster here…!"
"Well done. Bring it here. …Wait, don’t go near the red coffins!"
"Y-yes, understood."
I’d lured Jong Jinwon into this by telling him we could deal a blow to the Blood Cult this way,
but my real goal was elsewhere.
I opened a small wooden box. Inside were three purple beads.
Blood Clot Pills.
This was it.
The Blood Pouring Castle bastards had all been carrying only cheap, mass-produced garbage, which had put me in a foul mood.
At last, I’d gotten my hands on something that could actually be called a proper elixir.
"…"
I wanted nothing more than to sit down and begin circulating my breath immediately, but everything would be stripped bare and gone within half a shichen.
By the time I got back, it wouldn’t be too late.
"Captain Jong! We found a suspicious ledger here! Aren’t these the merchant caravans trading with the Blood Cult?"
"Bring it here."
Jong Jinwon was busily running around with a face full of righteousness.
A faint smile tugged at one corner of my mouth.
I should grab a few elixirs while I’m at it.
There was no reason to refuse if he was volunteering to do the dirty work for me.
Farther inside, several barrels had been tightly lashed down with chains.
What stood out most of all were these two barrels.
A faint light seeped through their rough, uneven surfaces.
"Wow…."
At the strange phenomenon she’d never seen before, admiration slipped from Namgung Hye’s lips.
They must’ve been made from Moon River Tree wood. And what’s inside is probably….
This was no ordinary material.
Moon River Tree was a kind of wood that emitted vitality, a cheap trick used to keep sacrifices fresh while transporting them.
"…"
Should I open it?
Seeing them go to such lengths for special transport like this, the contents were probably either from a prestigious clan or some famous rising talent.
It wouldn’t hurt to take them.
I cut through the chains wrapped around it and lifted the lid a crack.
"Mmph! Mmmph!!"
Inside was a woman with pink hair….
Thwack!
"…"
I closed the lid without a word.
I’d seen something I was never meant to see.
"Cheon-dae-hyeop? Did you find anything?"
"No. There’s nothing here."
Yeah, I must’ve seen wrong.
"What’s in that one?"
Curiosity aroused, Namgung Hye reached for the barrel that was giving off light.
I turned my head and looked at the other barrel.
There was no way that woman had been captured alone….
"…"
I could guess what this was.
As much as I wanted to leave them both behind, Cheongmyeong had already been publicly declared dead at the hands of the Blood Cult.
If these two died as well, it would mean war immediately.
It’s too early for that. At the very least, I need to get Heaven’s Sword if I want to survive.
I finished my calculations quickly and opened the lid.
Part of me had hoped I’d be wrong, but there it was, just as expected.
"A p-person?"
"Mmph! Mmmph!! Mmmph!!!"
My former fiancée, Guyang Jihee, was inside with her eyes and limbs bound.
"C-Cheon-dae-hyeop… what is this situation? Don’t tell me this person…?"
Even with her striking pink hair, Namgung Hye failed to recognize Guyang Jihee.
Her eyes trembled, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Having heard enough about the Blood Cult’s infamy, she must have realized they’d been intended as sacrifices.
"…Your guess is probably right. Let’s open this one too."
"…"
Likewise, once the chains were cut and the lid lifted—
"Eh? T-this person is? …A, a finger?!"
Namgung Hye clapped a hand over her mouth and widened her eyes.
Of course she would.
He was the most famous man at the academy.
Inside the barrel lay a man with his index finger missing, his wrists and ankles bound behind him.
Is he dead? No… he’s unconscious.
There was no life in his face, and he looked utterly haggard.
*
Jong Jinwon let go of the wrist he’d been checking for a pulse and slowly opened his eyes.
"The dantian damage is severe as well… and there’s demonic energy flowing through him. He’s been under a powerful seal."
It was the kind of seal strong enough to work even on someone in the late Super Peak / Master realm.
"A seal? Thank goodness!"
"It’s nothing much. We’ve got the captain!"
The Chunghondae members smiled brightly and showered Jong Jinwon with praise.
Since the Kunlun Sect was a school where Daoist power was combined with martial arts, they also taught immortal energy and sorcery.
He really might have learned something, since he’s the successor to the sect leader, after all.
There didn’t seem to be any need for me to step in.
"Then I’ll leave the rest to you."
"Wah! Ah! Wuh!"
The woman, still unable to speak because of the acupoint seal, was deeply irritating.
Was he leaving it blocked on purpose?
"Cheon-dae-hyeop… wait."
Just as I was about to rise, he called out to me with a troubled expression.
"What’s the problem?"
"This looks difficult for me to handle on my own. For some reason, I can’t get my internal energy to flow…."
"Captain? What do you mean…?"
"No way. Captain Jong can’t do it?"
I understood immediately.
The demonic energy was so strong that there was nowhere for Jong Jinwon’s internal energy to penetrate.
In that case—
"Step aside for a moment."
I clenched my fist.
Wooooong—
"Huh? Cheon-dae-hyeop, what are you doing now!"
Thud!
I drove sun-and-moon qi straight into his dantian.
"…!"
Wei Shiyun’s eyes rolled back as his body spasmed violently, then quickly went still.
If there was no opening, all I had to do was make one.
"Then I’ll leave the rest to you."
It was a pretty brutal method,
but it was the most effective.
"What in the world is this…."
Before Jong Jinwon could say another word, I rose to my feet.
"Wuh, ah! Ah! Ah-oo!"
He’d been acting like a beast, and now he couldn’t even speak like a human.
She was wearing what was less a set of clothes and more a bundle of rags, shaking her tangled hair as she let out broken, animal-like cries.
A foul stench hung around her, and dark, murky qi was seeping from her body—just one look made it obvious she wasn’t normal.
Her skin was dry and rough, greasy grime running in streaks down her face….
She was the sort of woman whose only redeeming feature was her looks, and even that one advantage had now vanished.
"Cheon-dae-hyeop-nim?"
It wasn’t that the acupoint seal couldn’t be released. It was that it couldn’t be released.
"Namgung-sojeo, step aside."
"Ah… all right. Everyone, make way."
Without saying anything more, she immediately had the others back away.
Guyang Jihee waved her bound arms and howled like an animal.
She doesn’t seem insane… but what is that smell?
I glanced sideways.
Inside the barrel, there were traces of urine and feces left behind.
I wanted to throw up.
It smelled like a mix of stinky tofu and casu marzu.
It was definitely not a smell I wanted to keep breathing.
"A-oo! Aah? My voice? Finally…!"
"How did you do that? We couldn’t do anything even when we pressed her blood points…."
As soon as the seal was broken, Guyang Jihee twisted around and looked up at me.
I hadn’t expected to hear her thank me.
And I didn’t particularly want to hear it either.
"Y-you… why did you close it again just now? Why didn’t you pull me out faster?!"
"…"
Surprisingly enough,
that was the first thing she said.
Guyang Jihee rubbed her wrists, where rope marks still remained, and glared at me.
"Answer me! I’m talking to you! Do you know how horrible it was in there?"
Why would I need to know?
At this point, I was just impressed.
What kind of life had she lived for that to be the first thing out of her mouth?
At the overwhelming stench,
"Ugh, g-gah…."
One of the Chunghondae members bent over and vomited onto the floor.
"Disgusting…!"
Seeing that, Guyang Jihee made a face of pure disgust and walked over to me.
It’s your own body odor.
Most people didn’t notice their own smell,
but in her case, her senses had clearly been numbed by the murky qi.
And maybe by her conscience too.
Should I knock her out and stuff her back in the barrel?
Just as I was thinking that—
"Wait a minute. If you receive help, shouldn’t you start with a thank-you? Isn’t that common courtesy?"
With her jet-black hair swaying, Namgung Hye stepped in front of me.
As if to protect me.
"And who are you to butt in?"
"M-me? I’m…."
For a moment, Namgung Hye was at a loss for words, then she glanced at me and murmured in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s:
"…His lover."
##