A Deal with the Poison Sovereign
Swoosh.
Leaves fluttered in the wind. They were still green, brimming with the vitality of the season.
A gentle breeze swept the leaves against my cheek.
The sensation was freezing.
Was it because of the weather? No way. It was far from cold.
With the sweltering heat of summer just around the corner, there was no reason to feel a chill.
Yet, the cold I felt now was not of the flesh, but of the soul.
A shiver.
A spiritual chill, to be precise.
Feeling the cold tighten around my entire body, I hardened my expression.
A single slip-up would give me away.
I had to endure it, no matter what.
What is this?
At the same time, a question flashed through my mind.
How on earth did he know?
Dok-jon stood before me, his gaze chillingly fixed on my face.
Unless my ears played tricks on me, he had definitely spoken to me.
He knows I can see him?
How?
I was certain I hadn't let anything slip.
I poured every ounce of my focus into maintaining a poker face.
I didn't even swallow my saliva, and I did my absolute best to keep my eyes from twitching.
No, stay calm.
Don't let him shake you.
I didn't make any mistakes.
I mentally retraced my steps ever since arriving in Sichuan and encountering Dok-jon's ghost.
Nothing.
Even upon second thought, I hadn't slipped up once.
Which meant I hadn't done anything that could possibly tip him off to my ability to see spirits.
Then...
Is he testing me?
Was he just bluffing? That was highly likely, but that in itself was a problem.
Why test me now?
What made him suspicious in the first place? If I truly hadn't made a mistake, he shouldn't even have a reason to doubt.
The very fact that Dok-jon suspected something and was trying to bait me meant I had given something away, no matter how small.
A tell, however minuscule, must have leaked.
But where...?
I hadn't crossed paths with Dok-jon all that much.
Our first encounter was in the Poison King's office.
After that, maybe three times at most.
Including the time with Dang Ye-ran, it was three times.
In those brief moments, what could I have possibly done to arouse his suspicion?
No matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing came to mind.
So why was he testing me?
Tsk.
Suppressing the flood of questions, I forced myself to take another step forward.
I couldn't show any reaction.
Whether he was bluffing or possessed some inexplicable certainty, my course of action remained the same.
There was only one choice.
Play dumb.
Feigning ignorance was my only play.
I resolved to walk right past him. But just as I was about to plant my foot—
[Are you planning to pretend you don't see me?]
Dok-jon smirked at me.
[You certainly hide it well. I suppose that's to be expected of that idiot's successor.]
My ears twitched slightly at the mention of Yoo Chun-gil.
[However, child.]
Whoosh.
...!
Dok-jon materialized right in front of my nose. If I hadn't been bracing myself, I would have jumped out of my skin.
[Right now, I don't have the luxury of accommodating your circumstances.]
As he spoke, the spiritual chill grew even more intense.
My fingertips threatened to tremble against my will.
I held it in. I endured it by sheer force of will.
What kind of energy is this?
It was absurd how much this was affecting my physical body.
First that old man Yoo Chun-gil, and now this old man Dok-jon.
Already dead and gone, yet they could still exert this much pressure on the living.
It made me wonder what kind of monstrous lives they had led to leave behind such potent spirits.
Damn it.
I cursed inwardly, over and over.
[Answer me. I know you can see me.]
"..."
I ignored him again, keeping my feet moving.
I had to get out of here, no matter what.
Dealing with one tagalong ghost is exhausting enough. I can't let another one latch onto me.
My mind was entirely consumed with escaping, and now Dok-jon wanted a piece of me too?
Not a chance.
If that happens, my life is officially ruined.
This was a boundary I absolutely could not cross. But just as I took another step—
[It seems you have no intention of answering. Fine.]
With those words, Dok-jon reached out toward me.
His fingertips were charred black, an ominous shade that screamed danger.
He can't touch me.
Even though I knew a ghost couldn't make physical contact...
...Right? He can't, right?
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
His fingertips drew closer and closer, right before my eyes.
Should I dodge? Just as I was debating it at the very last second—
[Back off.]
Grab!
A large hand materialized out of thin air and firmly gripped Dok-jon's skeletal wrist.
[I've already laid claim to this one. It's bad manners to cut in line.]
[...Ha.]
Dok-jon's face contorted as he glared at the owner of the voice.
Swoosh—
The already freezing chill intensified tenfold.
Goosebumps erupted all over my skin beneath my clothes.
[I knew it. You were here all along.]
Dok-jon gritted his teeth, as if he had expected this.
The other ghost—
Yoo Chun-gil—smirked fiercely and addressed him.
[It's been a while, Dang Gyeon.]
Instantly—
Shrieeek—!
The spiritual chill peaked, screaming through the air.
"Ugh..."
I let out a low groan and clenched my fists.
[You died and went to the grave ages ago. What lingering greed keeps you wandering the mortal realm?]
Dok-jon growled. Yoo Chun-gil chuckled in response.
[Look who's talking. Take a look at yourself first. Crawling around with a mountain of regrets... Aren't you embarrassed to show your face? Have some shame, old man.]
[...Why, you bastard...]
Dok-jon glared at Yoo Chun-gil, who contorted his face right back, refusing to back down.
Wow.
I couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
These old geezers looked absolutely terrifying.
Dok-jon had a sinister, cunning kind of frightfulness to him.
While Yoo Chun-gil was just overwhelmingly, absurdly terrifying.
[What? Mad? Want me to fold you like laundry for old times' sake?]
[No matter how old you get, that vulgar mouth of yours never changes. It's because of a brute like you that the Martial Alliance was always dragged through the mud.]
[Dragged through the mud, my ass! Jegal Jin handled all the paperwork, so why would I get blamed? Do you have any idea how much sponsorship money rolled in when I was the Alliance Leader?]
[I don't care.]
[Oh? You son of a bitch...]
"..."
A stream of incredibly lowbrow insults flew back and forth. Were these really the legendary heroes who had saved the world?
A wave of profound skepticism washed over me.
[Anyway.]
After a heated round of bickering, Yoo Chun-gil stepped in front of me, shielding me with his broad back.
[This kid is mine. Beat it, Dang Gyeon.]
His low voice carried a chilling resonance.
[You of all people should know.]
Something stirred within me. The moment I heard Yoo Chun-gil's voice, my instincts screamed at me.
They warned me to stay alert, that the entity standing before me was no ordinary spirit.
[Dang Gyeon, I hate it when people touch my things more than anything else in the world.]
A shiver ran down my spine.
A single sentence was enough to drench my back in cold sweat.
The sweat poured down uncontrollably.
Tap, tap.
Yoo Chun-gil patted the crown of my head. Of course, I felt absolutely nothing.
[...You.]
Dok-jon's brow furrowed deeply at the sight.
Then—
[Wait.]
His eyes widened as if he had realized something.
[Ah, I see.]
[What?]
[I wondered why you were still lingering in the mortal realm like this...]
Dok-jon spoke to Yoo Chun-gil as if a puzzle piece had finally clicked into place.
[I thought you two looked somewhat alike. Is this boy your secret love child—!]
"Are you insane? What kind of nonsense is that? How could a handsome face like mine ever come from that old geezer—"
Ah.
I clamped my mouth shut the moment the words left my lips.
It was such a ridiculous accusation that I had reacted instinctively.
[...]
[...]
The gazes of both ghosts locked onto me.
Feeling their intense stares, I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.
"...Oops. Well, that was a slip of the tongue, wasn't it?"
I tried to laugh it off.
But of course, it didn't work.
I returned to my quarters.
By the time I got back, the sun was already beginning to set.
The first thing I did was light a lamp.
I sat down in the dimly lit room, trying to hide my gloomy expression.
And standing right in front of me...
[...Pathetic fool.]
Yoo Chun-gil stared down at me with utter disappointment, while Dok-jon sat beside him, watching me with a peculiar look in his eyes.
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat awkwardly, but that didn't stop Yoo Chun-gil from nagging.
[You held it in so well, only to ruin everything because you couldn't tolerate that one comment?]
"...Hey, I couldn't help it."
[Couldn't help it? How on earth was that unavoidable?]
Yoo Chun-gil looked completely flabbergasted, but—
"I mean, think about it."
I had my own grievances.
"How could a face like mine ever inherit genes from yours? I had to clear my name."
In a family with absolutely nothing to its name, my face was my only saving grace.
I had been blessed with good looks thanks to my father, who practically made a living off his face. How could I stand by and let someone say I resembled this fierce-looking old man?
I simply couldn't tolerate it.
[...Are you out of your mind?]
Yoo Chun-gil looked disgusted by my sheer sincerity.
[Just for that? And besides, what's wrong with my face?]
"What's wrong with it? Are you seriously asking because you don't know...?"
[Of course! I was considered quite the handsome, rugged man in my youth! Do you have any idea how many women I charmed with this face back in the day?]
"Did you bury your conscience along with your corpse? Because that's the only way to explain this delusion."
[Why, you little...]
A vein popped on Yoo Chun-gil's forehead.
Just as he was about to start another shouting match—
[...Why don't you two cut it out?]
Dok-jon quietly intervened.
[I don't think that's the main issue right now...]
I realized that even a ghost could look incredibly exhausted.
It was another fascinating discovery about the undead.
[So, in any case... child. You can indeed see me.]
Dok-jon asked, looking at me. I gave a reluctant nod.
"...Yes."
[I knew it.]
Dok-jon reacted as if his suspicions were confirmed. This time, I asked the question.
"...How did you know?"
How on earth did he figure it out?
By my calculations, it should have been impossible to get caught.
Since he had approached me with such certainty, I wanted to get a straight answer now that the cat was out of the bag.
At that, Dok-jon gave an unexpected reply.
[I could see it.]
His answer was simple, yet puzzling.
"You could see it?"
What did that mean? He could see that I was seeing him?
[Child. I mean I could see that you were looking at me.]
"...What do you mean by that?"
I pressed for a more detailed explanation.
Fortunately, Dok-jon was willing to elaborate.
However...
[Your deliberate attempts to avoid looking at me, your efforts to hide the fact that you can see me, and your conscious avoidance of other spirits... I can sense the subtle shifts in your presence that stem from those tiny, unnatural actions.]
It took me a moment to process his words.
So...
In other words...
The very fact that I was trying not to look at him was what gave me away?
The dissonance created by my deliberate avoidance.
Dok-jon had picked up on that subtle discrepancy.
"...Is that even possible?"
How could anyone notice something so minute? It sounded absurd, so I questioned it.
[It is.]
The answer came not from Dok-jon, but from Yoo Chun-gil.
[A change is a change, no matter how microscopic. You lack the absolute control required to perfectly mask every single reaction. To a martial artist who has reached a certain level of mastery, such details are impossible to miss.]
"...So you're saying that if a ghost was a master in life, they can tell I can see them?"
[Hmm...]
Yoo Chun-gil stared at me quietly before adding,
[Well, to detect a discrepancy that minor... I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the entire Central Plains who could do it.]
[Probably fewer than ten, at best.]
Dok-jon nodded in agreement.
[Would that Plum Blossom fellow be able to see it?]
[Probably, but he's going to kick the bucket soon anyway.]
[True, it's about time he went. His lifespan has been unnecessarily long.]
[I thought he'd be the first to go, but the bastard managed to cling to life for quite a while.]
"..."
If the "Plum Blossom fellow" they were talking about was who I thought it was...
Could it be the Plum Blossom Sword?
He was the current Sect Leader of the Mt. Hua Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Gang, and unlike the two ghosts before me, he was a living legend of the Heavens Beyond Heaven realm.
If what they said was true...
It means only those of an absurdly high realm can notice it.
They did say there were fewer than ten people, so I suppose that was a relief.
...But looking at it another way.
It still meant there were spirits out there capable of seeing through me.
Tsk.
Even if the probability was low, the risk existed. I needed to find a solution.
Just as I was trying to brainstorm a way out—
[Child.]
Dok-jon spoke.
[Since you can see me, I have a favor to ask.]
Just as I expected.
...Of course he does.
The reason a ghost would strike up a conversation was always the same. They wanted to use me to resolve their lingering regrets.
Dok-jon was no exception. But should I accept it?
No way.
I shook my head inwardly.
Dealing with Yoo Chun-gil alone was already pushing my limits.
I couldn't afford to take on anything else. I had to reject whatever favor he wanted.
With that firm resolve, I opened my mouth to address Dok-jon.
"I'm sorry, but I have my own circumstances, so I can't really—"
[There is something I need you to quietly retrieve from my Secret Vault. If you bring it to me, I will give you the Great Pill of the Shaolin Temple.]
"—circumstances, but... why don't we hear you out first?"
As was always the case...
Desire had a funny way of conquering reason.
...Goddammit.