Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 59
>Chapter Title: On the Ship (2)
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*Roooaaar!*
The rain was still a raging downpour.
Before boarding the ship, three men had gathered.
They were Seop Chun, the Third Escort Captain of the Heavenly Alliance's main branch; Mong Mu-yak, the son of the deputy leader and direct subordinate to the Vice Captain; and Ja Geum-jeong, the apostate Shaolin monk known as the Demon Subduing Fist Master.
There was only one reason these three had gathered like this.
It was this.
“To be frank, Ja Geum-jeong. I cannot trust your oath of loyalty.”
It was because of Ja Geum-jeong the apostate monk's oath of loyalty.
The reason Mong Mu-yak was expressing his displeasure so openly was simple.
It stemmed from Ja Geum-jeong's origins and infamous reputation.
He was a Shaolin monk warrior, from what was considered the root of the orthodox martial world, and after becoming an apostate, he had committed mad acts indiscriminately against both the righteous and evil factions.
Could such a man truly be trusted?
In response to Mong Mu-yak's attitude, Ja Geum-jeong snorted derisively.
“Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern.”
“What?”
“Even in this damned situation, I keep my word once I've given it.”
Seop Chun clutched his stomach and burst into laughter at those words.
“Hahaha! A damned situation, you say? Does that mean swearing loyalty to our lord feels damned to you?”
“Did you think this monk would call himself happy?”
Ja Geum-jeong was a man who never hid his emotions.
Mong Mu-yak grew even more wary at his words, but Seop Chun, with his naturally bold disposition, actually took a liking to it.
“You wouldn't be happy, would you? Falling for our lord's temptation and swearing loyalty—how could that feel good?”
“Hmph, stating the obvious.”
“But Ja Geum-jeong, as a true man, you'll keep your oath whether you like it or not, right?”
“Don't keep repeating what this monk already said. Even without your nagging, I'll protect that bastard until this life ends.”
Ja Geum-jeong was the type who never looked back once he made a decision.
That was why, though he had raged uncontrollably in that moment, he had ultimately been overwhelmed by Mok Kyung-un's presence and sworn loyalty.
In truth, there was a hidden sentiment even he couldn't reveal to these men.
‘...For Mun-hae and Master, for Shaolin.’
It was truly bizarre.
From a mere youth not even in his thirties, Ja Geum-jeong felt an inexplicable fear.
It might not be now, but if this one set his mind to it, he seemed capable of bringing great harm not just to the sorcerer Yi Mun-hae, but to Shaolin itself.
It was a mere instinctual premonition.
Caught in this premonition, Ja Geum-jeong had secured a promise from Mok Kyung-un not to touch them before swearing loyalty.
That moment had left him utterly hollow.
‘After leaving Shaolin, was this all I lived for?’
As he wallowed in such thoughts,
A sudden realization struck him.
‘...Lived for this... Ah?’
His master, the keeper of the Sutra Pavilion, the great monk Gong Jeon, had always taught one thing.
Everything had its cause, effect, and natural order, and no matter how one tried to escape it, things inevitably flowed that way.
Perhaps gaining these eyes, and even becoming an apostate, had all been to reach this very moment.
‘Natural order.’
Seeing it all as the natural order washed away the turmoil in his heart.
Since he had decided to do it, regrets and lingering attachments were pointless. If this was the path he must walk, he would simply give it his all.
Mong Mu-yak spoke to him then.
“I'll be watching.”
“No. If this monk says he'll do it, what right do you have to order me around...”
“Aaah, hold on. That's just how he talks.”
Seop Chun grinned and held Ja Geum-jeong back.
At first, he had been wary of the man called the Three Lights, but upon actually meeting him, he found him less mad and more bluntly honest—someone who actually suited him well.
Ja Geum-jeong seemed to feel the same, as he said,
“You're the one guy here I can actually talk to.”
“Instead of 'you guy' this and that, since we're in this together now, how about proper introductions? I'm Seop Chun, twenty-nine years old. As you can see, I mainly use the saber. You too, Mong Mu-yak.”
“That's embarrassing...”
“We'll be serving the lord together anyway, so what's with the attitude?”
At Seop Chun's words, Mong Mu-yak shook his head and said curtly,
“Mong Mu-yak. Twenty-six, swordsman.”
“There we go—our introductions are done. Your turn?”
Ja Geum-jeong stared fixedly at Seop Chun.
Truth be told, he didn't particularly like introducing himself this way either.
But since he had decided to serve Mok Kyung-un as lord, and might spend his life with these men, it felt awkward to just brush it off.
“Ahem. As you know, name's Ja Geum-jeong. I favor bare-handed fists.”
“Why no age? Skipping it because you're way older than us?”
Ja Geum-jeong furrowed his brow at that.
Since leaving Shaolin, he had never once told anyone his age.
He hesitated, wondering if he really had to, but finally spoke.
“My age... twenty-six.”
‘!!!!!!!!!’
No sooner had the words left his mouth than both Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun were left dumbfounded.
With his fierce face and aura, Ja Geum-jeong looked to be in his mid-forties.
And he was in his twenties?
‘This face is the same age as me?’
Mong Mu-yak wore an incredulous expression.
Had he alone weathered the storms of time so poorly that his face had aged like this?
He had never seen such an old-looking face before.
The apostate monk Ja Geum-jeong glared at Mong Mu-yak and said,
“Your look really pisses me off, punk. Want me to send you to the Buddha today?”
He looked ready to strike at any moment.
Seop Chun hurriedly intervened.
* * *
-Rumble rumble rumble!
The ship, supported by dozens of wooden pillars as a makeshift bridge, reached right up to the riverbank.
Normally, they would need to move further to launch it into the river, but since the waters had long been swollen from the downpour, it didn't take much time.
Everyone who needed to board was already aboard.
“Slowly! Even slower!”
“Yes!!!”
At the command of the vengeful spirit Ha Yun, possessing the body of Captain U In-yeom, the retired naval soldiers moved in perfect unison, and the ship's bow entered the river.
-Splash!
As expected of such a large vessel, water surged upward as the bow pushed in.
But just as the ship advanced, it creaked and began tilting sideways.
This was due to the ferocious current from the flooded river.
“...Can we really cross this?”
Seop Chun, who had been standing boldly at the bow watching, grabbed the deck railing and clicked his tongue.
Just the bow entering had caused this; if the whole ship went in, he worried it would be swept away and capsize in no time.
Then, suddenly, the bow seemed to gain strength and righted itself.
“Huh?”
What was happening?
The current was still raging, yet the ship was straightening on its own.
It was because,
“Those things...”
“Those things? Geum-jeong, what do you see?”
In Ja Geum-jeong's eyes, countless vengeful spirits clung to the bow.
They were pushing and supporting the ship against the current.
It was an astonishing sight.
With the ship's own sturdiness and the aid of so many spirits, crossing the river seemed possible.
Soon after, the entire hull entered the water.
-Creeeak! Creeeak!
The ship rocked wildly in the immense current.
Though Mok Kyung-un and the others, all trained in martial arts, didn't fall easily, their bodies swayed uncontrollably.
It wouldn't have been surprising if the ship flipped right then.
Fortunately, countless vengeful spirits were holding it steady.
-Ooooooh!
-Huuuuuuh!
Before boarding, they had completely demolished the manor house's main hall and performed a ritual for the spirits—perhaps this was their way of repaying the favor.
Thanks to them, even in the brutal current, the ship miraculously avoided capsizing and inched forward.
Of course, it was moving diagonally against the flow.
The vengeful spirit Ha Yun, possessing U In-yeom's body, patted her own head and said to Mok Kyung-un,
-According to the experiences and knowledge in this man's head, it will take time, but if we proceed like this, we can cross.
“I see. Thank you for your efforts.”
-......
Mok Kyung-un smiled faintly and clasped his hands in greeting to Ha Yun.
A glint appeared in Ha Yun's eyes as she watched.
It made sense—A fight was a fight, and there was no point dwelling on it now, but this human was truly unique.
She was a vengeful spirit.
Even sorcerers feared or guarded against her kind, yet this man treated her ordinarily.
Was it to curry favor since they needed to cross the river safely?
‘No, no. It's different.’
This one's gaze held no distinction between the dead and the living.
It was as if he saw the essence of their being.
What a strange human.
Was this why even exalted beings like her followed him?
As she pondered, Mok Kyung-un spoke.
“If it's not rude, may I ask something?”
-What is it?
“Setting aside your enmity with the U clan, reaching the Azure Spirit grade means you harbored a grudge strong enough to linger for over a century. Might I ask what it was?”
-......
It was a sufficiently rude question.
Someone traveling with a high-grade spirit and possessing such proficient sorcery should know full well what a grudge meant to a vengeful spirit.
Yet Mok Kyung-un stared with what seemed genuine curiosity.
Like pure inquisitiveness.
-......
She could have ignored it, but there was no gain in antagonizing this one, so Ha Yun finally spoke.
-I failed to protect.
“Failed to protect?”
-I failed to protect the one I had to safeguard above all.
“Ah...”
Mok Kyung-un looked at Ha Yun with puzzlement.
Most grudges arose from profound sorrow or vengeful hatred, so he had expected some tale of resentment toward another.
Yet Ha Yun's grudge stemmed unexpectedly from loyalty.
Unable to leave this world for ages due to self-blame for failing to protect someone.
-More steadfast than he looks.
Even Cheong Ryeong viewed Ha Yun differently now.
But Mok Kyung-un felt no such emotion.
It was merely that Ha Yun had carried this resentment for so long for that reason.
“I see. Thank you for answering.”
With that, Mok Kyung-un smiled and stepped away from the bow.
Everyone had crowded there to watch the crossing, but he headed toward the empty stern.
-Such a fool.
-What?
-I thought of making her a familiar when you asked about her grudge.
-She's high-grade and tempting, but no slots left now.
-True enough.
The number of familiars Mok Kyung-un could take was limited.
If he could, he would have turned every spirit he met into one.
Mok Kyung-un had simply asked out of pure curiosity upon seeing even lowly spirits follow Ha Yun, regardless of her grade.
As he strolled leisurely toward the stern, Mok Kyung-un suddenly stopped.
-What's wrong?
-...You're going to say you don't see it again?
-Huh? What are you... Oh?
Cheong Ryeong noticed something.
It was a figure perched at the ship's stern, holding a curved long bamboo fishing rod.
Even from the white-haired back alone, it was clear he was an old man.
-How did that old human board the ship?
-...That's what I want to know.
He hadn't been anywhere nearby when they launched.
So how had he gotten on?
Puzzled, Mok Kyung-un asked Cheong Ryeong,
-You see him clearly, right?
-Yes.
Mok Kyung-un then unleashed the demonic power from his right third eye.
He was curious about the man's identity.
Dressed in bamboo rain robes, he seemed not a spirit or some monster, but something else.
Yet feeling no presence at all was utterly bizarre.
But then,
-Guhk!
The moment he unleashed the third eye's power, intense pressure hit Mok Kyung-un's right eye, red veins bulging wildly,
-Psh!
And blood tears flowed from it.
Startled, Cheong Ryeong cried out.
-Human!
-Pah!
Mok Kyung-un hurriedly sealed the power again against the crushing ocular pressure.
He clutched his bleeding right eye.
He dispersed the residual true energy that had stirred deathly aura and raised the pressure.
-Ssssh.
Fortunately, his judgment was correct.
As the energy scattered, the pressure subsided quickly.
-What happened?
-Couldn't read his energy.
-What? What do you mean?
-Literally.
With the third eye open, he could scrutinize energy flows in detail with his right eye.
Even traces of internal energy, demonic power, or spiritual power.
Yet upon opening it, his vision turned pure white.
Unable to comprehend, he endured the blinding light to read the energy, but the rising pressure made it impossible to keep his eyes open.
‘Why is my vision filled with white light? Unless the entire area around him is overflowing with energy...!? No way.’
Suddenly, Mok Kyung-un's left eye narrowed.
It was hard to believe.
‘...Could it be?’
Just then,
-Human! Behind you!
At Cheong Ryeong's shout, Mok Kyung-un turned to the deck where the bamboo-robed old man with the fishing rod had been sitting.
No one was there.
Which meant, as Cheong Ryeong said, someone was behind him.
But he felt no presence at all.
This had nothing to do with the pouring rain.
The opponent was a monster who could completely conceal his presence.
In that instant of deliberation, a voice came from behind.
“So, seeing this old man earlier wasn't mere coincidence.”
‘!?’
[Chapter 59: On the Ship (2)] End