Chapter 100
Chapter 100
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: To Hubei
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I couldn't say for sure.
It might work, or it might be utterly useless.
If it didn't work, what then?
Should I create a new technique to detect enemies who had completely concealed their presence... Was there even such a thing?
I'd been racking my brains over it for a while when Hwaryeon's clear voice rang out.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
Her training session must have ended, and she'd even finished bathing—her hair was still slightly damp as she approached.
I stared blankly at her face, flushed red in the firelight, for a moment before shaking my head slightly and making a bit of room beside me.
She sat down in the spot I'd cleared, letting out a contented sigh as she warmed herself by the fire, then spoke again.
"You still haven't answered my question. What are you pondering so deeply?"
"A way to detect enemies who've hidden their presence."
"Ah... That."
Hwaryeon had picked up on my dilemma right away.
I'd already told the group about Ye So-ha and Chilji.
They all found it hard to believe that warriors from Tyrant Heaven Fortress had used a sinister art like the Enthralling Soul Technique.
They expressed doubts about this mysterious woman named Ye So-ha.
"I've thought about it too since then, but I still don't get it. The Enthralling Soul Technique? From Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors, of all people?"
"You still don't believe me?"
Hwaryeon nodded cautiously.
"I know you're not the type to spout nonsense, Young Master Goon, but it's just so hard to accept. No, I don't want to believe it. To not only use demonic arts as an excuse but to actively employ them... That's as good as saying Tyrant Heaven Fortress has become a new demonic cult."
A flicker of pain crossed her refined features as she said it.
A face desperately hoping Tyrant Heaven Fortress hadn't fallen that far.
But having experienced it firsthand, I couldn't bring myself to say it wasn't true.
I couldn't even offer words of comfort, so I decided to change the subject.
"Come to think of it, I still owe you a proper thank-you. Thanks for lending me the talisman. It saved my life."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Hwaryeon, no stranger to my intentions, forced a change in her expression and replied with a smug look.
"See? I told you it was an efficacious talisman."
Her voice pitched a bit higher, chin lifted in pride.
It was her signature expression when she was showing off.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the rare, adorable face.
"Yeah, it was incredibly efficacious, just like you said. How'd you get it?"
"My father gave it to me when I was a child, before I left the fortress. He said it would protect me if I kept it with me."
"...Huh?"
Wait, hold on.
So... that meant this talisman was a keepsake from her father?
I was utterly flustered.
I'd never imagined it carried such heavy sentimental weight.
"Ah, no... A treasured item like that...?"
"I can guess what you're thinking, but don't worry about it too much. Besides, didn't you say it helped you escape danger because I lent it to you?"
"Well... true."
On one hand, I felt I shouldn't handle such a precious item so casually.
On the other, without that talisman, I'd be helpless if a similar situation arose again.
Torn between the two, I heard Hwaryeon's voice, hesitant but probing.
"And if it really bothers you... you can protect me instead of the talisman."
"...What?"
She turned her head away from me slightly.
It wasn't my imagination—her face looked even redder than before.
"What do you mean by that?"
A grin crept up unbidden.
I held it back and feigned ignorance as I asked.
Hwaryeon let out a small groan before raising her voice a touch.
"I mean! In exchange for lending it, you act as my bodyguard! You know, mutual aid?"
Her flustered words tumbled out in a jumble.
I leaned forward to peer at her face.
Her brows furrowed slightly, lips mumbling.
The expression she made when things weren't going as planned.
I nearly burst out laughing at the sight.
"Ahem... Be honest. What were you really going to say?"
"W-what? There's nothing like that!"
As I pressed her with feigned coughs to cover my almost-breaking laughter, she stammered in embarrassment.
I was tempted to tease her a bit more, but Seol-i and Master arrived just then, forcing me to reluctantly give up.
"What are you all talking about?"
"From the looks of it, you were discussing that Chilji fellow."
"Good grief, your ears are sharp. You heard that?"
"Don't treat me like some doddering old man. I'm not that far gone yet."
Before I knew it, we were all huddled around the campfire.
I hoped we could share some lighthearted stories before bed, but unfortunately, the conversation turned grim.
"The Enthralling Soul Technique... I knew that bastard leading it would pull something like this. Crossing a line he shouldn't have."
"You're taking it at face value pretty easily, Master."
Master snorted at my question.
"Ever since I first saw the Blood Explosion Technique manual, I had a feeling it might come to this. Demonic arts are no different from yokai themselves—they constantly tempt and corrupt those around them."
"The Blood Explosion Technique and the Enthralling Soul Technique... Traces of two demonic arts that shouldn't even exist have already surfaced. There are probably others too, right?"
"...Likely."
Master nodded heavily at Seol-i's question.
My face naturally hardened as I fell into thought.
I'd nearly been done in by just the Enthralling Soul Technique—what other bizarre demonic arts would I clash with?
Did I have to rely on this one little talisman every time?
Even if I survived thanks to it, what about the others?
Hwaryeon, Master, Seol-i—they could fall victim to some weird demonic art too.
What then?
"...There's another urgent issue."
I realized I needed to find a way to counter demonic arts, beyond just sensing presences.
For example, that white flame Ye So-ha had used in Hefei.
The power that had turned Chilji—the tree monster—into ashes in one strike. It was too alien to call it a martial art.
Could I recreate that power as a martial technique?
After that thought struck me, I tried to visualize and replicate the white flame during breaks in my presence-sensing training.
But with only a single glimpse and sensation to go on, the limits were clear—I couldn't even attempt it properly.
My attempts continued even after passing Anhui and entering Hubei, only to be forcibly halted upon arriving at Wuhuan.
"Take him away!"
"Huh?"
The bailiffs grabbed my arms.
Then they started dragging me off somewhere.
What the hell was this?
*
A little while back, about half a shichen earlier.
We gazed at the long line of people and carriages stretching toward the gateway into Wuhuan's Three Towns, Hankou.
"No way—are Tyrant Heaven Fortress goons checking people here too?"
I stood up in the carriage for a moment to check the distant inspection post.
Fortunately, it wasn't Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors doing the inspecting, but ordinary bailiffs.
The atmosphere at the checkpoint was pretty tense, though.
They were barking orders, forcing everyone out of their carriages, and arbitrarily dragging people off.
"...What the?"
Why were they hauling people away like that?
Tilting my head in confusion, we followed the line until it was finally our turn.
"Hmm?"
I approached without a care, but the moment they saw me, the bailiffs started exuding a menacing aura.
Why? What did I do?
Unable to comprehend, I just stared silently until the apparent leader stepped forward and bellowed.
"Everyone in the carriage—out, now!"
His voice carried a savage threat: comply or else.
In the end, the others in the carriage stepped out.
Seol-i and Master first, then Hwaryeon last, leaving the bailiffs momentarily stunned.
"You idiots! Snap out of it!"
"S-sorry, sir!"
The leader, who seemed to have some experience, recovered first. He scanned our group, then glared at me last.
And without warning,
"Take him away!"
"Huh?"
He ordered the bailiffs to drag me off?
W-wait, what did I do wrong?
"Wait just—!"
I tried to protest, but the bailiffs dragged me away without a word.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"We're investigating. Stand down. If you're innocent, you'll be released without issue."
The group, flustered by this absurd situation, argued with the leader, but he just repeated the same lines.
And so, I was helplessly hauled away by the bailiffs.
But I wasn't the only one.
"Whoa..."
I was speechless at the sight inside the warehouse being used as a temporary holding pen, packed full of people.
What stood out was that every single one dragged in was a man—and all of them had fairly handsome faces.
"Inside!"
The bailiffs shoved me roughly into the warehouse and slammed the door shut with a bang.
The room plunged into dimness.
"Ha, hahaha..."
Letting out a hollow laugh at the ridiculousness, I scanned the faces around me and spoke up.
"Does anyone know what's going on here?"
Dozens of eyes turned toward me at the sound of my voice echoing through the warehouse.
One of them spoke up.
"I can tell just by looking at you. First time in Wuhuan, right, brother?"
"Yeah. They grabbed me just as I was trying to enter."
"Keh heh heh... You picked the worst possible time to arrive, what with Wuhuan in an uproar over some lecherous fiend. Talk about bad luck."
"...Lecherous fiend?"