Chapter 40: I Want to Reclaim My Name
I lay drenched in sweat amid the bushes. The martial arts of the Dragon Demon Clan that Bongmareung had taught me were no joke.
They were far more difficult than when Ok Geum-ran had instructed me, leaving me utterly exhausted.
That's when Ok Geum-ran approached quietly. She held out a towel and said, "How're you feeling?"
"Feeling what?"
"You beat your first challenger. Beom Se-un's slated to be named the clan's young master soon."
"......"
Two days earlier, I'd perfectly repelled Beom Se-un's challenge. In return, I'd received a Pure Demon Pill from Beom Sang-gun, and that very evening, I'd begun absorbing its energy.
After a full day of meditative breathing, my stamina had hit rock bottom, forcing me to sleep like the dead for another day.
Thus, it had taken two days before I could exchange words with Ok Geum-ran again.
I glanced slyly over my shoulder. "Where's Gyeon So-hee?"
"Sent her on an errand earlier. We're out of food supplies."
Perfect. Time for a real talk.
I let out a small sigh. "Feels like I've just barely cleared one hurdle. But there's still mountains ahead."
"Who's next?"
"Gye Cheon-bing."
"Ah, that girl......"
Ok Geum-ran grimaced, as if recalling old memories.
It had happened a few years back—Yong Baek-heon had trained under the same instructor as Gye Cheon-bing and forged a vicious grudge in the process.
This time, it might turn into a deadly clash of killing blows.
Gye Cheon-bing hated Yong Baek-heon more than anyone in the world.
"She'll come at me for real blood."
"Yeah, probably. Gotta endure it anyway. 'Cause I'm supposedly Yong Baek-heon. Damn it all."
That was a problem for later, though.
Truth be told, after the fight with Beom Se-un ended, I'd felt a strange bitterness. An aching loneliness.
"After the duel wrapped up, Beom Sang-gun slapped Beom Se-un across the face? Something about his grandson not getting his head straight......"
"Shock therapy, right? Seemed to snap him out of it."
"Yeah. That's what it was."
Then Yong Hyeon-seok and Yong Se-ryeong had approached to congratulate me—both fooled into thinking I was Yong Baek-heon.
So those cheers weren't meant for me.
The only thing that truly celebrated me in that moment was a brief glance from Ok Geum-ran in the distance.
It was the sole signpost confirming I wasn't Yong Baek-heon.
[Hey, you punk! You forgot about this old ghost?]
Oh, right. Sorry.
Make that two who knew.
Anyway, my sentiment boiled down to this.
"I wanna get the hell out of these Hundred Thousand Mountains ASAP and reclaim my name. Being called Yong Baek-heon is driving me nuts."
"Yeah......"
Ok Geum-ran nodded and patted my shoulder reassuringly.
Right then, a rustling came from the bushes nearby.
My Geuk-cheon Gu-ryun-gong's heightened senses kicked in instantly.
Thanks to absorbing the Pure Demon Pill I'd earned from the Beom Clan manor, my inner energy—once the size of a pinky nail—had grown to the thickness of a thumb joint.
I quickly identified the intruder.
"Sis, it's a Three-Tailed Fox."
"What?"
As I muttered, Ok Geum-ran sprang up, hand on her sword hilt.
Her brow furrowed at the thought of that savage spirit beast we'd chased off returning.
But...
"What's it doing? Just lurking around?"
"Why, though?"
Suddenly, an apple rolling on the ground caught my eye.
The one from the second round against Beom Se-un, our lightness skill duel. I'd tossed it aside to snack on after training.
I picked it up and flung it over.
A Three-Tailed Fox kit shot out like lightning and snatched it mid-air.
Ok Geum-ran tilted her head. "That one...?"
"Not the big guy we fought—looks like one of the pups it had with it."
"Yeah. Smaller build. But it's grown quite a bit."
The Three-Tailed Fox that had occupied Wayong Hall was raising three kits. This was one of them.
"Kii! Kiik!"
It crunched through the apple right there.
From the looks of it, the poor thing was starved.
Ok Geum-ran scratched her head at the sight. "Weird. Three-Tailed Foxes are clever—they stockpile food and tough out winter like champs. And it's peak foraging season now, so why...?"
"Hmm."
I watched the young fox milling about.
Then it started gesturing frantically.
"Kiik! Kiik!"
"Sis, looks like it's beckoning me. Right?"
"Uh... yeah. Seems like it's calling us over."
Unable to speak, the Three-Tailed Fox was communicating with very human-like gestures.
Ok Geum-ran shrugged after observing. "Dunno what's up, but I'm dying to find out. I'll check it out—you keep training."
"Nah, can't let you go alone."
"......?"
"I'm curious too."
As I stood, Ok Geum-ran grinned. "You too, huh? Fine, let's call it a quick stroll before So-hee gets back. We can practice lightness skills now that you've got some inner energy."
"Sounds good."
We followed the kit deeper into the mountains.
But it turned out to be anything but a simple walk.
We found its father—the adult Three-Tailed Fox I'd fought—dead in a gruesome state.
* * *
The Hundred Thousand Mountains teemed with all sorts of spirit beasts: birds of prey, land dwellers.
The most dangerous were, naturally, tigers and wolves.
"Looks like wolves got it. It escaped up a tree to avoid being hunted, but they tore into its scruff first. That's what finished it."
That was Ok Geum-ran's assessment after inspecting the fly-covered corpse.
I scanned the surroundings silently.
Nearby was a small earthen den the Three-Tailed Fox had used as a nest. The three kits huddled inside, trembling.
The one that had fetched the apple was the largest of the bunch.
I muttered without thinking, "Kinda feels like guilt tripping me."
"Huh? Why?"
"I chased 'em out of Wayong Hall."
Ok Geum-ran scratched her cheek. "Ho-sam, I get where you're coming from. But Wayong Hall's man-made, for humans. No need to overthink it."
"......"
"Besides, this dad fox was already weakened. That's why it hunkered down in Wayong Hall to protect the kits."
"Already weakened?"
"Look at the eyes."
Both of the dead fox's eyes were clouded over.
Come to think of it, during our fight, one eye had looked off. It must've been rotting from some disease even then.
"It shielded the kits from other beasts as best it could, but eventually... this was inevitable. Plenty of vicious spirit beasts around here."
"Hm."
Vicious spirit beasts, huh.
Sure enough, I sensed other presences lurking nearby.
[Quadrupeds. Two? No, three.]
Bongmareung pinpointed what I'd felt.
I activated my Gwi-ryeong Sin-byeok-an to properly surveil the auras beyond.
"......"
"Ho-sam?"
As silence stretched, Ok Geum-ran—assuming I was still hung up on it—forced a smile and kept explaining.
"I know you don't like the law of the jungle. But some natural laws are unavoidable, right? We humans draw lines. But beasts like these..."
"Get down!"
The moment a black shadow burst from the bushes, I surged my Geuk-cheon Gu-ryun-gong, drew my sword, and swung with full force.
The opening strike of Su-ra Cheon-ran Geom-beop erupted vertically.
[That's it! Using it right!]
Bongmareung nodded approvingly.
The blade pierced my target's mark dead-on.
The black wolf that had trampled through the underbrush collapsed limply—its maw impaled, skull split wide.
Ok Geum-ran's eyes went wide. "What the...? Great Black Wolves? These are super rare..."
She mumbled in a daze but had already drawn her blade. Her form flickered and vanished.
The second wolf lunging from the brush could only swipe futilely at where she'd stood.
Blood sprayed in a fountain.
Ok Geum-ran flowed like water, slicing under its throat effortlessly.
A faint bloodlust gleamed in her eyes as she turned to me.
"Great Black Wolves, Ho-sam. Know what that means? Their pelts are top-notch!"
"One more, sis."
The biggest one, seemingly the leader of the three.
But it stayed hidden in the brush.
It had watched its minions drop one after another and realized we weren't easy prey. Probably prepping to bolt.
[Finish it. Meat's no good, but as the lady says, the hide's valuable.]
It's backing off?
It was slinking away stealthily.
But charging through the brush was too risky—it could counterattack head-on, catching me off-guard.
So...
Gotta throw the sword. Been wanting to try this.
[Huh? Throw your sword how? This old ghost never taught flying blade arts!]
Like this!
Whoosh!
I channeled heavy Geuk-cheon Gu-ryun-gong and hurled my longsword.
Time seemed to slow; my senses expanded.
But Bongmareung muttered in disbelief. [You just chucked it—what now...?]
I'd never learned flying sword techniques, so no clue how to calculate spin for a precise hit.
But I had something to compensate: Formless Finger.
It let me adjust the slowly arcing blade's path.
Just like this.
Ting, ting, ting!
Invisible chopsticks nudged the flying sword mid-air.
Formless Finger chased it, correcting its trajectory perfectly.
The blade sliced through the brush and nailed the target.
"Kang!"
A dog-like yelp rang out.
I pushed through the foliage.
There lay the massive wolf, convulsing before going limp.
[What technique is that...?]
I just grinned at the tongue-tied Bongmareung.
I yanked the sword from the Great Black Wolf's forehead. Ok Geum-ran approached.
"Better call some servants this time. Skinning three'll take forever. Shall we have one made for each of us in the Wind and Cloud style? Whaddya think?"
"Yeah, let's. Oh, and..."
I turned.
The Three-Tailed Fox kits had crept close, staring daggers at their father's killers, breaths held.
Something tugged at my chest.
So I blurted, "Let's take 'em and raise them."
"Raise the kits...?"
"Just toss 'em fruit or whatever. Feels like they might come in handy. Wayong Hall's too damn quiet with no one around anyway."
I'd spoken on impulse.
But Ok Geum-ran smiled, understanding, and nodded. "Alright. Let's take 'em."