An Unexpected Quarry
Behind the boundaries of the Sun and Moon Sect on Gwangmyeong Peak lay rugged mountains and deep valleys, a wilderness that stretched into the massive mountain range running along the western edge of the Central Plains.
This was the private hunting ground of the Sect Leader's family.
"Young Sect Leader. Use this bow. It is of the same make as those used by the imperial court for their royal hunts."
The moment we arrived at the hunting grounds in the early morning, a robust, middle-aged man with a completely bald head and a dignified bearing handed me a bow with a warm, grandfatherly smile.
This man was none other than Jang Yeon-hui, Baek Yeon's maternal grandfather.
The bow he offered was a luxury item; its limbs gleamed with a polished lacquer finish, and the bowstring looked far sturdier than any standard make.
I expressed my gratitude and accepted the bow.
"It is a truly magnificent bow. Father-in-law has bestowed a wonderful gift upon the Young Sect Leader."
"As expected, the Sect Leader has an eye for quality. Haha."
The Sect Leader and Jang Yeon-hui exchanged pleasantries, creating a seemingly warm and harmonious atmosphere.
To an outsider, they would look no different from any other father-in-law and son-in-law.
Though, of course, God only knew what treacherous thoughts they were harboring deep down.
"Young Sect Leader, what do you wish to shoot with that bow?"
The Sect Leader asked, and I fell into brief contemplation.
To be honest, I didn't have a particularly high opinion of hunting.
I couldn't for the life of me understand what meaning there was in shooting perfectly fine animals with arrows just to watch them die.
"Father, Grandfather. Truthfully, I have little interest in hunting. So, if you ask me what I wish to shoot..."
"Hmm?"
But speaking my mind honestly would be a fool's errand.
"I desire nothing more than to plant an arrow directly into the throat of the detestable Alliance Leader."
"Heh!"
At my fiercely ambitious declaration, Jang Yeon-hui gasped in surprise.
Two years had passed since my reincarnation as the Young Sect Leader, Baek Yeon, and my performance in the role had grown thoroughly polished.
The Sect Leader also seemed momentarily taken aback, but he soon burst into a hearty, delighted laugh.
I offered a thin smile and added another word.
"However, to meet my grandfather's expectations today, I shall bring down a massive beast."
Needless to say, my goal for today's outdoor excursion was exactly the same as always.
To finish the day without any incidents, minimize my energy consumption, and return to my quarters to rest.
In truth, whether the bow was good or bad was of absolutely no concern to me.
I had no intention of shooting the damn thing in the first place.
Thoroughly and perfectly, I will do absolutely nothing.
Fortunately, there was little chance of running into anyone unexpected in a private hunting ground, so achieving my goal today shouldn't be too difficult.
Our party rode for quite some time before entering a dense, lush forest.
The path ended there, and the thick, towering trees grew so closely together that we could no longer proceed on horseback.
Everyone dismounted, tied their horses to the trees, and began to move on foot.
"Let us head that way."
Leading the way, the Sect Leader and Jang Yeon-hui carefully examined the tree trunks and the forest floor, searching for any tracks left by wild beasts.
I lagged slightly behind, merely pretending to track prey.
Suddenly, Baek So-cheong, who had been sticking close to my side ever since we arrived at the hunting grounds, spoke up.
"Young Sect Leader. Did you know that tigers are sometimes spotted in this forest?"
"Tigers?"
I had heard rumors that tigers inhabited the areas around Mount Kunlun and Mount Cheon.
In this world, it seemed that travelers on mountain passes or amateur hunters falling victim to tiger attacks was a fairly common occurrence.
"I heard they are occasionally spotted deep within these mountain ranges... but since this hunting ground is relatively close to human settlements, a tiger shouldn't venture this far."
"I see."
I replied in a deliberately nonchalant tone.
Baek So-cheong smiled warmly, looking at me with an affectionate expression as she whispered in a voice only I could hear.
"Are you afraid we might run into a tiger?"
"What nonsense is this?"
This sister of mine knows me far too well.
In truth, ever since my previous life, I had harbored an inexplicable fear of predatory beasts, even simple dogs and cats.
So the mere thought of a wild tiger was enough to make my hair stand on end.
But there was no way the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect could show fear over a mere tiger.
"Quite the contrary. Since we have embarked on a hunt, if the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect draws his bow, should he not at least return with a tiger's pelt?"
"Haha. The Young Sect Leader's spirit is truly magnificent!"
Having successfully reinforced my dignified persona as the Young Sect Leader once more...
"We shall rest here for a moment!"
Having walked for a long time without encountering any significant game, our party sat down to take a break.
We drank water and inspected our hunting gear. Just as we were catching our breath, the sound of rustling came from up ahead.
"Shh."
The Sect Leader pressed a finger to his lips, quietly raised his bow, and crept forward.
Jang Yeon-hui followed close behind, and the other escort warriors slowly trailed after them.
In an instant, only So-cheong remained by my side.
"It seems a wild boar has appeared... Aren't you going to follow them, Young Sect Leader?"
"Wild boar meat has an unpleasant odor. I have no appetite for it."
"Oh? When did you ever taste wild boar meat?"
"I read of it in a book."
"Ah, I know how much the Young Sect Leader enjoys reading!"
"Personally, I would much prefer to roam the Jianghu and vanquish my enemies. However, since my time has not yet come, must I not content myself with reading books within the palace? Truly, the confinement is suffocating."
Baek So-cheong was unusually talkative today, asking me this and that.
But I played the role of the ideal Young Sect Leader to perfection, and she seemed to take my words at face value.
"Indeed, I see!"
So-cheong sat a short distance away, gazing at me with a profound, gentle look.
I sat cross-legged, quietly calming my mind.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of wood and grass, accompanied by the occasional melodic chirping of birds.
The view stretching out below the mountain felt incredibly liberating, and the slow passage of time brought a welcome sense of leisure.
The vast, boundless spirit I had felt at Mount Kunlun last year washed over me once more.
"Sister, do not wander off."
"Where would I go? The Young Sect Leader is right here."
"I am warning you clearly."
"I shall obey your command."
After giving a firm warning to Baek So-cheong, who let out a soft chuckle,
I closed my eyes, circulated the Mystic Demon Scripture, and began my internal cultivation.
Feeling the pure, natural energy of the mountains, the experience was entirely different from training inside a closed room.
Whoosh.
Two years after beginning my internal cultivation, my Dark Demonic Inward Heart Method was on the verge of its final hurdle: the realignment of the Governing Vessel.
Just one more step, and all my Qi channels would twist and realign, marking the grand completion of the Inward Heart Method.
Had the sacred energy of the Hall of No-Mind returned, I would have achieved grand completion long ago, but I did not rush.
Even circulating my internal energy for a brief moment now generated a flow of power so potent that it could be felt from the outside.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since I last practiced my internal cultivation in front of Baek So-cheong.
How is it, Sister? Impressive, isn't it?
Completing a full cycle of the Dark Demonic Inward Heart Method, I cracked my eyes open slightly to steal a glance at So-cheong's expression.
I had expected her to look shocked, impressed, or perhaps even awestruck.
...What is with that face?
Contrary to my expectations, So-cheong had her lips curled into a gentle smile, her head tilted slightly to the side, and her eyes curved into warm crescents.
I didn't expect to see her signature 'motherly smile' here of all places.
In any case, quite a bit of time had passed, yet the hunters who went after the wild boar showed no signs of returning.
Perhaps because of what Baek So-cheong had said earlier, an ominous feeling began to creep over me.
And as if triggered by that dread, I even began to hear auditory hallucinations.
Growl.
An auditory hallucination born from my vague, deep-seated fear of tigers.
I even saw a hallucination of a massive tiger prowling out from the right, slowly advancing toward where Baek So-cheong and I were sitting.
Its bloodcurdling growl, its vividly painted stripes, and its rippling, wild muscles looked so incredibly realistic that it felt as though a living tiger had actually cornered us.
"Young Sect Leader. Do not move. Stay perfectly still."
The problem, however, was that this was neither a hallucination nor an auditory trick. It was a very real, very physical tiger.
Hahaha...
At this point, I could only let out a hollow laugh in my mind.
It's not like I asked for much, right?
I just wanted to spend a single day without any incidents! Is that really so hard to ask for?!
Barely managing to suppress the tremor in my voice, I spoke to Baek So-cheong.
"There is no need for me to personally deal with such a lowly beast."
Even in a crisis like this, my mental fortitude in maintaining my Young Sect Leader persona was honestly astonishing, even to myself.
So-cheong drew the thin sword from her waist and stepped between me and the tiger, shielding me.
The sheer pressure radiating from the wild tiger at close range was overwhelming.
Its body was easily twice the size of a grown man, yet its movements were completely silent as it shifted its weight on all four paws. Its eyes gleamed with raw, predatory malice.
I couldn't even begin to express how incredibly fortunate I was to have Baek So-cheong by my side.
Though the world clamored about the Young Sect Leader, Baek Yeon, being an unprecedented genius, Baek So-cheong's actual martial prowess was leagues above mine at this point.
No matter how fearsome the king of beasts was, a beast was still just a beast.
Rumble.
A First-class Realm master possessing over sixty years of internal energy could easily subdue a tiger, especially when armed.
And unlike me, So-cheong showed absolutely no signs of fear.
Grrr.
The tiger lowered its forepaws, tensing its muscles to spring at any second.
So-cheong stood her ground, her entire body enveloped in a dense, menacing demonic Qi.
The moment the tiger made a move, she would swing her sword and cleave the beast in two.
Did its wild instincts warn it of the outcome?
Sensing that it stood absolutely no chance, the tiger began to slowly back away.
Just as I, watching from behind So-cheong, was about to let out a sigh of relief—
The sound of something massive moving echoed from deep within the forest.
A dark shadow swept over us in the blink of an eye, and the massive tiger confronting So-cheong was suddenly launched high into the air.
The beast, twice the size of a human, spun helplessly in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground. It did not move again.
I stood frozen, staring blankly at the surreal spectacle unfolding before my eyes.
Could that be...?!
And then, the entity that stood before me.
I thought I was hallucinating again, but the suffocating pressure radiating from it made it painfully clear that this was reality.
It was easily five times the size of a human, making the tiger that had just terrified us look like a mere stuffed toy.
Beholding its mystical, colossal frame, its snow-white fur, and its chillingly luminous eyes, I immediately realized what it was.
A White Tiger?
It was the White Tiger, one of the Four Divine Beasts of the Sun and Moon Sect's legends.
I recalled reading a prophetic text stating that the White Tiger was a spiritual beast guarding the vast western mountain ranges of the Murim, destined to appear only when the Sun and Moon Sect faced a dire crisis.
And now, that very White Tiger stood before us, having slaughtered another tiger in a single bite.
Growl.
Its mystically white, colossal form looked down at me with piercing eyes. The overwhelming pressure radiating from its body made it difficult to even wiggle a finger.
The sheer volume of its internal energy was completely beyond measurement.
"Hyaaa!"
"Sister!"
Driven solely by the desire to protect me, Baek So-cheong lunged at the White Tiger.
However...
The White Tiger merely turned its head slightly to look at her, and So-cheong suddenly lost all strength, collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"..."
I couldn't utter a single word.
Forget running to check on her—I couldn't even make a sound.
Now, the White Tiger's gaze was fixed entirely on me.
But then...
Purr...
For some reason, through the beast's eyes, its extended forepaws, and its lowered tail, I could sense the spiritual beast's emotions.
Is it... afraid?
It made absolutely no logical sense.
Yet, somehow, I knew.
This thing is terrified of me!
Sigh.
I calmly took a breath and steeled my resolve.
A moment later, my mouth slowly opened.
I stared straight into its eyes.
There was no need for long-winded words with a beast.
"Kneel."
Rumble.
The internal energy of my Dark Demonic Inward Heart Method erupted outward.
Meeting my gaze, the White Tiger flinched, its front legs trembling.
I flinched in unison with it, but that wasn't the important part.
A moment later, the colossal frame of the White Tiger shrank back, and the legendary lord of the mountain prostrated itself flat on the ground before me.