Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Tell me, where are you now?
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花開不同賞
Blossoms bloom, yet we cannot admire them together
花落不同悲
Blossoms fall, yet we cannot grieve together
欲問相思處
Tell me, where are you now, my love?
花開花落時
When blossoms bloom and fall once more
攬草結同心
I pluck the grass and tie a lover's knot
將以遺知音
To send to you, who truly understands
春愁正斷絶
Spring sorrow severs my burning heart
春鳥復哀吟
And spring birds wail in grief again
'Ooh... I'm no poetry expert, but... this feels profoundly heartfelt and aching.'
In truth, this poem was a verse from the Spring Longing by Xue Tao, a female poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Han Ibi had no clue about any of that background, but even so, he could feel the raw, poignant longing radiating straight to him.
The bittersweet agony of being unable to confess boldly to one's beloved, circling around it endlessly, drowning only in yearning...
'Was this some old martial arts master who once pined away in unrequited love? Someone who desperately wanted to express their feelings but could never do so, pouring it all out in poetry here in this deserted place...?'
But then another thought quickly crossed his mind.
'Eh, whatever. Doesn't matter. Pointless. Totally pointless.'
To Han Ibi, handwriting without any fortuitous encounters or treasures was just meaningless graffiti scratched onto rock instead of paper.
'Damn it, another swing and a miss today.'
Grumbling under his breath, he still drank in the stunning scenery with his eyes.
It was time to go.
He'd have to come back alone someday when he felt bored and needed a change of pace.
'Well, no luck with encounters, but I found a great tourist spot... It'll come in handy eventually. Haha.'
With that whimsical thought, he crouched down and squeezed back into the crevice between the massive cliffs.
Light vanished once more.
And so he trudged through what was more cave than not, heading outward.
He was almost at the exit.
- Grroooar!
A massive growl rumbled out, like a giant dog baring its fangs.
'Wh-what the hell is that?'
Just hearing it sent waves of 'fury' from its source crashing across the entire mountain.
A strange foreboding gripped Han Ibi, urging his feet to move faster without thinking.
And in the instant the outside world came into view...
His pupils dilated in shock.
The source of that enraged roar was a colossal bear at least twice the size of a man.
In the modern world, bears were heavily romanticized.
Probably from cartoons watched as a kid or teddy bears hugged to sleep.
But in reality, bears rivaled tigers and lions—no, in the wild, they often overpowered them with terrifying ferocity.
Anyone who faced one was overwhelmed by its sheer bulk, majesty, and raw power.
Han Ibi was in exactly that state right now.
But...
Someone else had already provoked the beast.
An old man with snow-white hair and a crotchety look.
Terror had saliva drooling from between the old man's lips...
The massive beast was on the verge of shredding the old man's face with its razor claws.
Without a second thought, Han Ibi drew his dagger and activated his Flying Knife Technique.
The crosshair mark thrashed wildly, as always.
Aim for the head as basic protocol—but no time for precision now.
Whoosh!
The dagger from the thrower sliced through the air.
But the giant bear sensed the danger with primal instinct and twisted away swiftly.
Slash!
It grazed the bear's flank.
- Grooar! Grraaaw!
It must hurt like hell.
The beast bellowed even more furiously than before, whipping its gaze toward the attack's origin with a 'whoosh.'
Its eyes blazed scarlet.
Ah... haha...
Only then did Han Ibi realize what he'd done.
The heavy responsibility that came with letting his body act faster than his brain.
'I learned from the Gucheonse incident, so why'd I repeat it?'
The bear dropped to all fours and charged at full speed.
Han Ibi had faced experts multiple times and weathered crises, but... this was different...
'Fighting a bear? This is insane!'
Swoosh!
The bear's forepaw lunged to rip open his chest.
Visually sharper and swifter than any palm strike from a master.
No choice—Han Ibi unleashed his lightness skill and rolled aside.
The massive claws grazed his hair by a hair's breadth.
At the same time, the bear barreled toward the fallen Han Ibi like lightning!
'Aaaah! Who the hell called bears dumb brutes? It's ridiculously fast!'
Enormous, jagged fangs plunged mercilessly toward his head.
Poised to chomp his entire skull and swallow it whole.
Han Ibi flipped backward in a somersault and sprang up.
The bear pivoted with impossible grace for a human—smooth and agile—tracking his path perfectly.
- Graaaw!
Another devastating forepaw smash incoming!
Han Ibi gathered his wits and dodged sideways. But the timing was off.
Riiip!
Fabric tore, blood sprayed.
A gash on his left shoulder.
- Grroo! Graaack!
The sight of blood seemed to enrage it further.
Like a palm technique grandmaster, it unleashed a barrage of five claw swipes.
Han Ibi could only scramble and evade, mind reeling.
'Hah... no internal energy to speak of... but this thing's external strength is beyond imagination... eek!'
Another claw raked across his chest.
Fresh blood splattered.
Han Ibi collapsed backward, hands propping him up on the ground.
But the onslaught continued relentlessly.
The bear's vivid, multicolored fangs loomed in a life-like charge! Those massive teeth!
'Just... buy a little time...'
Then it hit him.
'Ah... could it be?'
While tumbling away, he drew the Mysterious Frost Blade from his robes.
'Yeah. Got it.'
The 'Frost Fang Strike' property in his status window.
Clang!
A sharp ring echoed.
He'd jammed the blade between the bear's jaws as it bit down.
The instant it clamped, Han Ibi yanked with all his might.
Blood spurted.
A wound in the bear's maw.
A flicker of bewilderment in its eyes.
And a welcome chime.
'What? Only 5 seconds? All flash, no substance—barely different from before.'
The massive bear flopped down.
But who had time for that?
Impressive or not, it was still a beast. Born fast, sure—but no match for a martial artist trained in lightness skills.
Han Ibi hauled himself up with desperate effort and bolted toward the herb gatherer.
The old man stood frozen in shock.
Han Ibi grabbed him and hoisted him over his shoulder.
The herb gatherer dangled limply from his back.
- Graaaw! Graaaw!
A feral roar from behind.
Stun over—the beast charged after the fleeing Han Ibi.
He glanced back and jolted in horror.
'Underestimating a beast against a martial artist was a mistake. I admit it! This crazy bear is really... aaah...'
Indeed.
Han Ibi pushed Zhongli Swift Leopard Step to its limit, but carrying an adult slowed him down.
Meanwhile, this bear, at home on Qingcheng Mountain like its backyard, was agile enough to shame a leopard.
As he fled wildly, a spark of resentment flared amid the panic.
"Aigoo, Elder. What did you do to piss off that mad bear?"
Bouncing on Han Ibi's shoulder, the old man somehow managed to reply.
"Aigoo, I must be crazy. Death must be near—my eyes went funny, and I poked the damn thing while it was sleeping peacefully."
Han Ibi's eyes nearly popped out.
"What?! You poked a perfectly sleeping bear first?!"
"Yep. Thought I'd bash its head with a rock and be done."
Han Ibi yelped as he ran.
"Why the hell would you?!"
But the old man just muttered on like to himself.
"A spirit beast, they said... but I never dreamed it'd be like this. I thought tales of the Heaven-Shattering Bear were just legends..."
"Heaven-Shattering Bear?"
"That's right. It's a hybrid of twelve bear breeds, including the cat bear..."
Come to think of it, patches of its fur were milky white like a cow...
"...inheriting only the strengths of each: skin tough as iron, movements swift as a tiger, fangs like elephant tusks..."
"Alright, enough. We need to run fast—keep quiet, you're distracting me. You knew all that, so why smash a sleeping lion's—no, bear's—skull?!"
The herb gatherer sighed deeply and muttered again.
"All because of greed. Who can I blame? Chasing quick riches, now I'm about to lose my life..."
Han Ibi's ears perked up mid-sprint from the rampaging Heaven-Shattering Bear or whatever.
Specifically, the bit about 'quick riches.'
He called out.
"Did you just say 'big money'?"
"Yes."
"Some lunatic tycoon wants it as a pet?"
"Hardly... but..."
The old man licked his parched lips and continued.
"Its bear bile is the ultimate premium medicine."
"Bear bile...?"
An image of a pitiful bear in a Korean farm enclosure flashed in Han Ibi's mind, then vanished.
"Yes. The Heaven-Shattering Bear's bile has effects on another level entirely."
Han Ibi's eyes sparkled.
"Exp... expensive?"
The old man answered without hesitation, as if two words were too many.
"Obviously. Every herb peddler covets it. Legendary stuff... For a regular person, eternal health and childlike sharp eyes. For a martial master, boosted internal energy and hawk-like vision..."
"Split it fifty-fifty."
"Pardon?"
"We'll split it half and half."
"What do you...?"
"Lucky for you, I'm a man of conscience. You found it and shared the info... I'll take care of the beast..."
The herb gatherer's eyes bulged as he stammered.
"Y-you mean... you're going to... hunt that Heaven-Shattering Bear...?"
In that instant, Han Ibi unleashed Zhongli Swift Leopard Step, bounding off two massive trees and soaring upward.
"Eek! Aaaah!"
The old man felt himself lifted skyward against his will.
Han Ibi was climbing with him on his back.
Up in the tangled canopy of enormous branches.
Han Ibi deposited the old man there in a flash.
His face ashen, the elder gasped.
"What are you...?"
But before he could finish, Han Ibi plummeted back down.
"One strike, certain kill... one strike, certain kill..."
Below raged the Heaven-Shattering Bear, bellowing in fury and battering the tree.
Each blow shook it to the roots, like an earthquake rattling the old man's body in rhythm.
(To be continued next chapter)