Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Chapter 18: Finding Traces (4)
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As soon as day broke, I hurried to find Dokgo Yul, only to be hit with an unexpected question.
"Lord. What happened yesterday?"
"Eh, how do you know something happened yesterday?"
"The Murim Alliance Leader brazenly ordered everyone to find you."
His follow-up explanation let me piece together the situation.
'So the figure beyond the Blue Wall Pavilion was the Murim Alliance Leader.'
No wonder his senses had been so sharp and his reactions so swift. It was the prowess befitting the Murim Alliance's top dog.
"Yesterday was a stroke of luck. I happened to be on the scene, so I could bluff my way through."
"Yeah, that's true."
"But thinking ahead, it's a bit worrying. You need to be more discreet from now on, Lord."
Spot on.
No matter how urgent I felt, I'd revealed my energy too openly.
I needed to reflect on how my composure had shattered when my emotions shook.
'Whenever my bride-to-be is involved, I just can't suppress the turmoil in my heart.'
I was confident I could stay calm even after killing a hundred or a thousand people, but thoughts of my lover alone made it impossible to settle down.
'No, that's not what's important right now.'
Once I found my bride-to-be and left this place, there'd be no issue anyway.
"As for yesterday... I think I found a trace of 'her,' so I pushed too hard."
A crack appeared in Dokgo Yul's previously sullen expression.
"A trace of the legit-i-mate wife?"
I wished he'd drop that oddly emphatic tone.
Anyone overhearing might mistake me for trash with a harem of ten concubines.
"Yeah. That's right."
"You found the legit-i-mate wife... "
"It's not certain. But I think I caught the fragrance she enjoyed."
"Hmm... So that's why you were in such a rush. I get it. I was the same. While tracking my runaway lord, just the smell of blood would send me into a frenzy."
That seemed different.
'No, why does the smell of blood make you think of me...'
Way too harsh for a peaceful everyman.
At any rate, Dokgo Yul looked moved and started fidgeting.
"Very well. If it's related to the woman who'll bear me twelve children, boys or girls be damned, then no choice. Do you remember what the fragrance was like?"
It sounded ominous, but urgency won out, so I answered quickly.
"Hard to put into words."
Sweet yet subtle, like fragrant tea but incredibly addictive?
I could describe it if pressed, but I doubted he'd grasp it. And the longer the explanation dragged, the more I'd come off like a pervert fixated on the scent.
Fortunately, I'd prepared ahead.
"I secretly scattered some Shadowbind Fragrance."
Shadowbind Fragrance.
A secret tracking scent known only to the Shadowbind Black Wind Division.
Unlike compounded scents from incense or exotic aromas, it was a forbidden art that burned true energy in a specific pattern to imprint on the target.
"Shadowbind Fragrance. A clever play."
"Yeah. Can you track it?"
"Summoning one person is child's play. Leave it to me."
Dokgo Yul spoke with utter confidence, no hesitation whatsoever.
And with that, he left the spot.
That evening.
Dokgo Yul brought a girl to one corner of the training ground.
Average height, fairly pretty face, and her gait suggested training from a reputable school.
Dokgo Yul exchanged a few words with her and patted her shoulder. Her face turned beet red; she floundered awkwardly, then scurried off.
Only after she was completely gone did Dokgo Yul approach.
"What'd you say to her?"
"Said I'd critique her martial arts, and she followed without a peep."
"...Really?"
"She kept striking up conversations, which was awkward. Seemed well-trained, but she kept stumbling my way."
Figures.
Dokgo Yul was drenched in cold sweat. Probably spooked at the thought of contact with a potential future lady of the house.
'No wonder I can't let others handle the search.'
He ticked all my bride-to-be's boxes: 'older man' and 'instructor,' plus handsome. Annoying.
Call it an imprinting effect?
The first guy matching her tastes had to be me.
"So, how was she?"
"What do you think?"
"Not her. You had the face of a ginseng hunter pulling up a rotten carrot."
Dead accurate.
The girl wasn't the lover I sought. Clear as day.
"The fragrance matched perfectly, though."
"It came from her sachet."
Why did this girl carry the same sachet as my bride-to-be?
"You know her affiliation?"
"Name's Seo Ok-rang. From Qingcheng Sect. Master: White Cloud Sword Yeo Jae-il of the Dojang. Main art: Azure Cloud Falling Sword. Learned Qingcheng's secret technique, Floating Cloud Swift Step."
"...You sure know your stuff."
"She spilled it all without me asking."
Probably his looks fitting the righteous faction's handsome ideal.
I dredged up memories.
'Seo Ok-rang. Rings a bell...'
Fishing through hazy recollections of the past.
'Right. She mentioned a close friend from the Divine Martial Academy.'
Not the type to lead a swarm, but over five years there, it'd be weirder if she had no friends.
'And a Qingcheng Sect friend too.'
Memories incomplete.
Our reconciliation came after years warring with the righteous faction; no time for casual trivia chats.
But I'd snagged a vital clue.
The fragrance came from a woman's sachet.
'Come to think of it, my bride-to-be's personality wouldn't have her buying and carrying one herself.'
Sachets were pricey.
The incense inside cost a fortune, and even common musk came from tiny yields of the rare musk deer.
'No way my cash-strapped bride would splurge on luxury.'
Most logical: she'd received it from a friend and carried it around.
Back in the Heavenly Destruction Society era, folks commonly toted mementos, heirlooms, or loved ones' relics.
'This settles one thing.'
Chu Un-hwi, thoughts organized, spoke up.
"Yul. Can you pinpoint Seo Ok-rang's close friends?"
"Should be doable."
"What if we summon them all?"
Dokgo Yul looked troubled.
"One or two, sure. All of them? Tough. Her outgoing vibe's a concern too."
"Urgh. Fair. She does seem the lively pack-leader type."
"Plus, Silver Hall strictly separates student quarters and training grounds by gender."
I'd heard.
'Silver Hall and up split dorms and grounds by sex?'
A far cry from Bronze Hall, patching up training dummies to save resources.
"Biggest problem..."
Dokgo Yul said gravely.
"Silver Hall's too damn big."
"...How big we talking?"
"At least two or three times Bronze Hall."
"Shit."
Bronze Hall was massive; it'd taken nearly half a year to comb every nook.
'Silver Hall's two or three times that?'
Were the righteous faction nuts?
"Lord. Guess what shocked me most?"
"What?"
"Silver Hall has a village inside."
Village?
In the academy?
No mistake?
Dokgo Yul was dead serious.
"A real village. Asked why; guess the answer?"
Uh...
"Mock town for simulated battles before jianghu expeditions."
"......"
Crazy righteous bastards.
Our demonic cult was unhinged, but these guys were no better.
"Even forests and rivers. For outdoor enemy encounter drills."
His voice dripped with raw dismay.
"Gold Hall's worse, they say. Lord, the Murim Alliance is insane."
Dokgo Yul, who'd starved in the divine realm's deserts till eating dirt clumps, was clearly overwhelmed.
Desert hick shell-shocked by the righteous faction's overflowing wealth.
In conclusion.
"Damn. Tailing's impossible?"
"Forget searching; even mapping the terrain'll take ages."
Just hearing it, I could picture Dokgo Yul's ordeal.
Wrangling instructors, taming bratty righteous whelps—no breathing room.
Dokgo Yul made another pitch.
"Lord. Bring in Dan-ya."
"Said no. Other Shadowbind Black Wind Division guys might catch the scent."
"Too risky like this. Imagine: what if this year your legit-i-mate wife advances to Gold Hall?"
"Gold Hall?"
My vision darkened.
Silver Hall alone made me queasy; now scour an even bigger Gold Hall?
Despair city.
Decision time.
"Fine. Yul."
Like biting into a venom apple, Chu Un-hwi said.
"Bring in Dan-ya."
"By your command!"
Now we were truly in too deep.
Settling into the training ground, Chu Un-hwi recalled Dokgo Yul's advice.
- Lord. Regardless of Dan-ya, you have preparations to make.
With that opener, Dokgo Yul had continued.
- You need solid achievements in Bronze Hall.
Obvious, really.
Talent shortage or not, they wouldn't accept subpar skill.
"Achievements are simple."
An instructor's worth was how solidly he'd raised his students.
"Hate seeing my trainees come back battered."
Planned to drill them again at the right moment anyway. No sweat.
The snag was the next condition.
- Apply as temporary specialist instructor for jianghu expeditions.
The rationale made sense.
- Biggest staffing gap there.
- Deals with the most students.
- Strong results could snag an exceptional hire.
Tempting terms.
One hitch.
"Why need a guardian for jianghu expeditions?"
- Roll with the living; dead's unavoidable.
Chu Un-hwi's simple survivalist mindset left him clueless on the duties.
"Aigoo, headache."
Following Dokgo Yul's tip, he cracked open Instructor Duties Manual - Jianghu Expedition Specialist and slammed it shut.
"Dizzy just skimming it."
What to do.
Who'd have thought I'd hit a wall here.
Groaning and rolling on the dirt, Chu Un-hwi spotted a figure training relentlessly.
Vacation or not, sweating nonstop without slacking.
"Nangong Yun-ho."
Straightening up, he called out. Nangong Yun-ho startled and dropped his sword with a clang.
"In-Instructor."
"Why so jumpy?"
"First time in ten days you've spoken to me."
Had it been?
I'd been too harsh.
"You chased me off when I visited, acted like I was invisible—like I was a ghost for real."
Haha.
Offering a hollow grin, the young man asked.
"You need something from me?"
"Yeah."
Chu Un-hwi raised an index finger.
"You. Know anything about jianghu expeditions?"