Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Three hundred twenty.

Three hundred fifty.

Three hundred seventy. Three hundred ninety. Four hundred. Four hundred ten. Four hundred twenty.

Chwa-aaa-ak!

“No matter how many I cut down, there’s no end.”

At the sight of yokai endlessly pouring out, I shook off the blood on my sword and rotated my stiff shoulder. A strange fatigue weighing down my shoulders.

“About a day has passed, I suppose?”

It had been about a day since I’d burst out of the black fog and started cutting down yokai rushing toward Anhwahyeon.

In that time, I’d cut down four hundred twenty yokai.

They weren’t strong yokai. So-called small fry—the yokai that would form the bottom layer even in a Baekgwiyahaeng had become ghosts beneath my sword.

But what mattered now wasn’t the yokai’s strength. Even if they were small fry, if this many poured out and headed for a city, yokai were beings that could turn it into ruins in an instant. I couldn’t let a single one slip through.

That’s why I’d thought to track down and exterminate the source while cutting down the yokai.

Until I encountered the black fog that hadn’t existed when I first arrived here.

Tung!

“Still can’t enter?”

I pushed the fog with my hand and frowned at the fog that bounced back elastically. Despite yokai and disciples’ traces continuing inward, the black fog prevented me from entering inside.

I’m not knowledgeable enough to be called an expert in this field, but it’s probably some kind of formation or spell. A formation that blocks entry from outside, or one that cuts off the inside from the outside.

Either way, it’s not a good situation. It means even if something happens inside, I can’t help.

If there’s one encouraging thing.

It’s that the visible red energy has thinned slightly.

—Kieeee…!

Chwa-aaa-ak!

“Four hundred twenty-one.”

I cut down a yokai just crawling out of the black fog, then crossed my arms and fell into thought. If the situation improved because I didn’t enter, I could think of two cases.

The first is if my entering would actually worsen the situation. When my actions inside would have a worse effect than my disciples’ independent judgments.

Could that be?

“…The probability is low.”

I can’t say such a case is impossible, but it’s probably unlikely. Regardless of experience differences, it wouldn’t be easy for me, who can see red and golden energy, to make worse judgments than my disciples.

Then what remains is the second case. When entering inside means I can’t come back out, and there’s work that must be done from outside.

In other words, when there’s work that’s only possible if I’m here right now.

“The most troublesome situation.”

With a bitter smile, I sheathed my sword and quietly closed my eyes. Flowing thoughts.

‘Let’s think.’

According to hyung-nim’s words, this is the Blood Cult’s grand plan. Conversely, that means it’s not an incomprehensible phenomenon but a kind of experiment occurring with the Blood Cult at its center. One with a very clear purpose.

If my expectations are correct, the Blood Cult has poured considerable time into this experiment. That means the manpower and resources invested are substantial. In such a situation, if the experiment doesn’t flow as intended?

‘The Blood Cult will suffer great losses.’

No place in this world willingly accepts losses. The Blood Cult must have prepared methods to control variables as much as possible and is watching this situation unfold. Probably from close by.

—Then there’s one thing I need to do.

“Huu.”

I withdrew the energy sense I’d spread out and slowly took a deep breath. The flow of internal energy flowing from my dantian and extending to all my limbs.

Released strands of internal energy grope through the air. Like a spider spinning a web, a densely woven net covers heaven and earth. And the next moment.

The Heavenly Net blanketed this entire area.

My mind felt like it was burning. A tsunami of information rushing in.

The heartbeat and fear of hidden beasts, the yokai energy of yokai still not emerged from the fog. Such things brushed past my senses all at once. A map drawn vividly in my head as if looking down at the entire mountain from above.

‘Not yet.’

What I want to find isn’t visible. Is it not there?

No, it just hasn’t been seen yet. With conviction, I extended my internal energy further. And.

Beyond one li, beyond ten li. When extremely finely processed energy sense covered an area totaling thirty li.

I wiped the blood flowing from my nose with my thumb and grinned.

“Found it.”

Something caught at the edge of the net.

“Choil’s nowhere to be seen.”

“…What?”

At Wangpal’s rigid voice heard while I was sitting on a rock with crossed arms lost in thought, Seohwa turned to look at Wangpal with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

The village people are uncooperative, and the village chief has no intention of telling them the village’s secrets.

That’s why Seohwa had planned to bring Choil, who was cooperative with them, to proceed with the search. Even if Choil said he didn’t know much, having been in this village for two years, wouldn’t the probability be high that he knew something?

Fortunately, Choil’s inn was the most idle space in this village. In a slash-and-burn village with their own homes, no one would stay at Choil’s inn, and his cooking skills were definitely not good enough for people to make special trips to eat there, so she’d thought he’d accept a request to join the search without issue.

“Choil’s not at the inn?”

“Yes. Even searching the surroundings, he’s not visible.”

This changes things.

Because Choil had no reason to go out anywhere right now.

“It’s not like he doesn’t know the situation…”

Yokai appeared, and that fact spread. Because of that, most village residents are hiding inside their homes.

Except for the village chief wandering around somewhere unknown, most are holed up in their houses refusing communication. But if Choil left the inn on his own, it would mean he had separate business.

“The well?”

“I searched there.”

“He didn’t head toward the defense line, did he?”

“I went to check just in case, but he wasn’t there either.”

“Mm.”

Choil’s figure couldn’t be found anywhere.

At Wangpal’s story, Seohwa unconsciously supported her chin with index finger and thumb like Baek Riyun often did and became absorbed in thought. Several hypotheses came to mind.

‘The most plausible would be that he went out to get ingredients… but there’s no way he’d go outside the village in this situation.’

Given that Choil clearly recognizes that outside the village is currently dangerous, and in the first place, if he’d gone outside the village, there’s no way those on the watchtowers wouldn’t have spotted him.

Conversely, it’s hard to think he’s doing something in the village. As mentioned, most village residents are holed up in their homes and won’t even open their doors.

Then what remains?

“Ah.”

Isn’t there one thing left? Something Choil would do.

At the hypothesis that suddenly came to mind, Seohwa nodded and kicked off the rock to land on the ground. Then Seohwa voiced her opinion.

“Let’s go to where the Divine Maiden is.”

“The Divine Maiden… you mean Choil’s sister?”

“Yeah. If he’s anywhere, he’s probably there.”

When they encountered each other at the stronghold and guided them here.

Even in a situation where his own life might be in danger, Choil had made his sister’s escape a condition. If yokai invaded, he would naturally have gone to check on his sister’s safety first.

“This works out well, actually.”

The ritual the village chief performs. And the Divine Maiden.

They’d needed to investigate anyway. They couldn’t meet her last time, but if they take this opportunity to meet Choil’s sister, something might come out.

“Let’s go.”

Convinced, Seohwa turned and headed toward the Divine Maiden’s shrine, and Wangpal, nodding, followed behind.

“Choil. Are you the—?”

A moment later.

Having arrived at the Divine Maiden’s shrine, Seohwa, looking for Choil, unconsciously placed her hand on her sword hilt.

“…What are you doing right now?”

“Mm.”

At the sight of the village chief gripping Choil by the back of his neck as they met, the village chief glanced slightly at Seohwa displaying an attack stance and released Choil. Then Choil made coughing sounds and dry-coughed.

“He was saying ominous things, so I was just giving him some discipline. I didn’t hit him, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…Weren’t you choking him?”

“If I’d properly choked his neck and blocked blood flow to his head, he’d have lost consciousness in less than ten seconds. Does that boy look unconscious to you?”

Without answering the village chief’s retort, Seohwa approached Choil while blocking the village chief and checked Choil’s condition, then let out a sigh of relief and glared at the village chief. Fortunately, Choil’s condition didn’t look bad.

“Why did you do this?”

“Didn’t I say? Discipline.”

“Did you get caught badmouthing him or something?”

“I don’t discipline people just for badmouthing me when I’m not around—even the Emperor gets cursed. It’s just the clash between an old man and hot-blooded youngsters, something that happens daily.”

“Then why.”

“Didn’t I say? He was saying ominous things.”

The village chief tapped his staff on the ground. Tak.

“He was saying he’d take the Divine Maiden away.”

“That can’t happen. The Divine Maiden is this village’s guardian deity. We can’t let her be taken away based on mere sympathy and pity. That’s what I mean. So I gave him a bit of discipline.”

“The village’s guardian deity?”

“That’s right. Didn’t I tell you? That yokai can’t enter the village.”

With half-open eyes, the village chief stroked his beard and looked at the door inside. His following statement.

“Didn’t you find it strange? Despite yokai being so prevalent near the village, yokai can’t actually enter the village.”

“It’s all thanks to the Divine Maiden. Thanks to the Divine Maiden’s ability, we can live this safely.”

Having finished speaking, the village chief sat on the wooden floor and slowly continued.

“You seem to have trouble understanding my words. That look in your eyes says you doubt the Divine Maiden has such ability.”

“…Honestly speaking, yes.”

A method to prevent yokai from approaching?

Such methods aren’t completely nonexistent. For example, after experiencing one incident, Beijing where the imperial palace is located had all sorts of mystical arts practitioners work together to create a mystical formation for yokai extermination encompassing all of Beijing, and they succeeded in maintaining it semi-permanently.

If the Divine Maiden were a mystical arts practitioner of a level ranking among the best in all of the Central Plains, she might be able to use some technique to prevent yokai from encroaching. While impossible for martial artists, those who use mystical arts might have some method.

“I heard the Divine Maiden is a young girl.”

Choil is fourteen. And the Divine Maiden that Choil calls his sister is younger than that.

Even if she were an unprecedented genius, she couldn’t become a mystical arts practitioner ranking among the best in the Central Plains at an age not even thirteen. While I can’t say it’s ‘impossible,’ the probability would be extremely low.

Rather, this is more likely.

“Isn’t it you using the techniques, Village Chief? But since having the village people worship you directly would create various restrictions, you put forward the Divine Maiden as a proxy.”

“Hmm.”

The village chief’s age is at least over fifty. It wouldn’t be strange for a high-level mystical arts practitioner to have secluded himself in a remote area.

At Seohwa’s reasonable deduction, the village chief nodded. Then came his retort.

“So you’re thinking the Divine Maiden has no power to repel yokai.”

“Yes.”

“Because she’s young?”

“…That too, yes.”

“And you think I’m just using the Divine Maiden for my own convenience.”

At the words penetrating her every thought point by point, Seohwa silently nodded. Then the village chief paused briefly before standing in front of the door.

“It seems I need to show you for you to believe. It would be difficult to stop you folks with my strength alone.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean to show you how the Divine Maiden can block yokai. And why the Divine Maiden can’t leave this place.”

Quietly.

With half-open eyes, the village chief looked at Seohwa, Wangpal, and Choil, then grasped the door handle with his hand. And.

“This is why the Divine Maiden cannot leave the village.”

Kki-iik!

The moment the village chief pulled the door handle to open the door.

Seohwa and Wangpal reflexively placed hands on their sword hilts.

Inside the door.

A girl bound in iron chains was blankly staring at the opened door.

—With red eyes that couldn’t be found on humans.