Chapter 317

Chapter 317

The two-day preliminary matches ended quickly.

“Sect Master! You were so cool!”

“Thank you.”

“Can you teach me that martial art later too? Does big sister use that martial art too?”

“That won’t do. This is a martial art only yokai can use.”

“Tch.”

I smiled bitterly at Seou clicking her tongue as if disappointed and patted her head smoothly. Then Baek Risan, who had been watching that scene with displeasure, quietly spoke up.

“Are they really coming to find you? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”

“Unless their eyes are knothole-level, the probability they didn’t recognize it is low. It wouldn’t make sense for a Talgakja’s eyes to be knotholes.”

I passed the preliminaries using Gunrimbo. It was a perfect reproduction of what Nakcheon had used.

I thought it would be possible since I copied the technique of Nakcheon, who was a yokai, but it unfolded with higher fidelity than expected. If Nakcheon’s was Cheonma Gunrimbo, mine would be about Uicheon Gunrimbo level.

You couldn’t recognize it at a glance, but if you’re someone with deep understanding of martial arts, you would know that the core is the same. Anyone whose thoughts reach that far would have figured out my identity.

“Is there a need to reveal your identity now?”

“There is.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to share information.”

Hyung-nim said he couldn’t catch Sangwi, and in reality, he didn’t take any particular measures separately while we were arriving here. A different attitude from before when he would take the lead in helping with various things whenever we set up a strategy.

“Hyung-nim seems to think he can’t catch Sangwi, but he still sent us here. That means there’s something that can achieve at least some results.”

“Couldn’t he just have been busy with his own affairs and not given it much thought?”

“Hyung-nim isn’t that kind of person.”

“Sometimes I think you overestimate that guy too much, oppa.”

“It’s not overestimation but the truth. There’s no need for me to tire my mouth talking about how much of a genius Hyung-nim was.”

Among the three direct siblings of the Baek Ri Family including myself, Hyung-nim is the only one who didn’t properly learn martial arts.

Even so, I know what Hyung-nim’s potential was like. I vividly remember how in childhood, Hyung-nim, who hadn’t learned martial arts, poked at my vital points with a wooden sword that didn’t even contain internal energy.

“He had the talent to make even martial arts he saw for the first time feel natural in his hands as if he’d practiced them for decades. If Hyung-nim had devoted himself to swordsmanship, perhaps there would have been no place for you and me.”

“That’s exaggerating……”

“It’s not exaggeration.”

“Yes, yes. Anyway, that wasn’t the point. Why do you need to share information?”

“It’s a connected story. That Hyung-nim sent us here means there must be some reason.”

All of Hyung-nim’s actions have meaning.

“You’re such a fanatic now. A total fanatic. Why don’t you start a religion? The Baek Riseon Cult.”

“Oh, should I?”

“……No, don’t. Absolutely not.”

“Hahaha. I’m not quite at that level either. Anyway, according to Hyung-nim’s judgment, it means there’s definitely something we can achieve here. And I think that’s weakening Sangwi and Heukya.”

“Weakening?”

“Yes. Because yokai are beings that originally get stronger the more they fight.”

They say martial artists get stronger through fighting, but martial artists who actually get stronger the more they fight are rare. Because there are limits to how much people can heal injuries.

When joints or bones are damaged, or muscles are torn, that martial artist has to live with disabilities until they achieve Hwangoltaltae. Naturally their martial power decreases, and there are quite a few cases where they have to give up martial artist life, and in severe cases, some even lose their lives during friendly sparring matches. However.

That doesn’t apply to yokai.

Because yokai are literally beings that can solve anything as long as they have enough fear.

“Those gathered here are the Central Plains’ total forces.”

“…….”

“If this place is broken, the Central Plains will suffer tremendous fear. The martial artists will flee while spreading word that the world is ending, and all that fear will pour onto Sangwi and Heukya. What will happen then?”

“Heukya will… get stronger?”

“Right. Heukya, who would have originally been weakened from injuries in the battle, might arrive in Beijing in an even stronger state.”

If that happens, the world and everything will be finished. Heukya, who destroyed the Great Seal, will deliciously consume the yokai power of the Great Yokai sealed inside, and will literally become a Yokai King and bring the end to this world.

“Secretly receiving the operation plan is part of that. If I reveal my identity right now, the dramatic effect will be reduced and I won’t be able to dispel the fear all at once. But if I don’t know the operation plan at all, I won’t know when to intervene and there’s a high probability things will just pass by vaguely.”

“So that’s why you used such a tricky method……”

“Right. Do you understand now?”

“Uh, roughly……?”

“That’s the look of not understanding. It’s not important for you, so just let it go in one ear and out the other.”

“Got it.”

Knock knock!

—Are you there.

Baek Risan, who had been nodding at my words, suddenly froze at the sound from outside the door.

“Oppa.”

“Go inside.”

“…….”

A moment of silence.

Baek Risan, who had been looking at me, took Seou and slipped out the window to return to her room as if understanding. Confirming that, I quietly opened the door. Sure enough, a woman with a familiar face was waiting for me.

“It really was you.”

“It’s been a while.”

“A while…… Should I call meeting after barely a month and a bit ‘a while’? Well, there’s been a lot going on.”

Thud.

Ilryun, who let out a hollow laugh as if finding it puzzling and entered the room, raised her internal energy to close the door.

“I sensed you were with the other children, but they seem to have gone somewhere.”

“I asked them to leave. It seemed like intimate matters would be discussed.”

“Is that so……?”

“Yes. More than that, I understand you have something you want to say.”

“Something I want to say. That’s right. Mm.”

Ilryun, who had paused for a moment at my words, looked directly at me. And the question that followed.

“I’ll ask straight out. Are you a yokai?”

“…….”

She’s asking that from the start?

“Yes.”

“……You admit it refreshingly.”

“Weren’t you asking while already knowing?”

“That’s right. Yes…….”

Ilryun, who maintained silence for a moment, smiled bitterly and shook her head.

“Since when were you a yokai?”

“I was human until I died.”

“Meaning you’ve been reborn as a yokai now.”

“To be precise, it’s a bit different. I’m in a state where my consciousness is placed upon a yokai’s authority.”

“Consciousness upon authority?”

“What happened was…….”

When I briefly told her about what happened in Yunnan and about Muhyeong’s ability, Ilryun let out a sigh. Ilryun let out a contemplative sound as if it was a story hard to readily believe.

“If that’s true…… it’s heavenly fortune. They say ‘do your best and leave the rest to heaven’—heaven truly helped.”

“Luck was on my side.”

“Yes. The reason you deliberately showed Gunrimbo to make contact with me was ultimately to obtain information, right?”

“You figured it out?”

“If not, there would be no reason to wear a Jukrip and hide your identity.”

What kind of martial artist do people like and get excited about? The Sword Saint whose prestige they hear every day? The notorious Taeak? Or Ilryun, the absolute ruler of a place called the Demonic Cult?

None of those. People quite mysteriously prefer unknown masters who rise to prominence over those whose names are known. It’s speculation, but probably because they’re like protagonists in heroic tales or martial arts novels.

Because people like mysterious masters so much, among the masters in society, even though their names are known, there are quite a few cases where they deliberately hide their identities and perform chivalrous acts or demon head deeds. In my case especially, I pulled out a martial art that couldn’t even be seen in the Central Plains as my opening move, so it’s natural that people’s attention would be drawn.

“The moment it’s revealed that you’re the Uicheonmunju who died in Xinjiang, people will be shocked. Isn’t that right?”

“I’m preparing for when the operation fails.”

“You’re thinking about after failure.”

“I have many things prepared.”

“Things prepared……. Is that also something your sibling prepared?”

“That’s right.”

“Mm.”

Ilryun, who had been letting out contemplative sounds for a moment, quietly continued.

“I’ll speak honestly. I believe your words, but I can’t trust your sibling.”

“You mean Hyung-nim?”

“Yes. Baek Riseon…… Yeonbi’s eldest. It’s too coincidental to believe.”

Ilryun coughed and put a long pipe in her mouth, pondering whether to light it or not before putting it down again. Confirming that, I lit it with Sammaejinhwa as a sign that it was okay to smoke. Then Ilryun deeply inhaled the smoke.

“Huuu. That child’s predictions have never once been wrong so far. Isn’t that right?”

“Isn’t it because he can read the heavenly signs?”

“No. It’s not because he can read the heavenly signs.”

“……?”

“Heavenly signs are a means of predicting the future, not foreseeing it. I haven’t learned sorcery, but having led the Divine Cult for a long time and conversed with Divine Maiden Daelie many times, I can tell. That heavenly signs are not such a convenient means.”

What has Baek Riseon done so far?

He caused the Daejeon, and collected the soul of Baek Riyun who met death. He rescued Qinghai and immediately went down to Yunnan to find a way to revive Baek Riyun.

“That’s insufficient with merely reading heavenly signs. It’s behavior possible only if you know precisely what will happen in the future.”

“…….”

“And in that sense, the strategy you spoke of right now is extremely strange. Do you know why?”

“Is it because of the strategy of using yokai power as energy?”

“That’s right.”

Only yokai can use yokai power.

This is common sense. The reason I can use Gunrimbo by imitating Nakcheon is because I can use yokai power while using a yokai’s body, isn’t it?

“No matter how much it’s sorcery, arbitrarily processing and handling yokai power is a domain not permitted to humans. Even the first Divine Maiden succeeded in confining yokai power, but didn’t succeed in processing yokai power and changing it to internal energy. Do you know what that means?”

“…….”

“It means your Hyung-nim would have to become a yokai to use yokai power.”

From an outside view, it’s extremely suspicious. Someone who plans strategy on the premise that the Great Seal will be released. A strategy premised on becoming a yokai.

“I know how much you’re devoting yourself for humanity. And I also know you don’t easily suspect people.”

“Yes.”

“But your Hyung-nim is too suspicious. Both not revealing the strategy in detail, and subtly inducing the destruction of the Great Seal.”

Must such a dangerous method be chosen? Aren’t there better ways?

“I’ll only do what I can do, but you have more prepared, so you must think carefully.”

“…….”

“Just because someone is blood family doesn’t necessarily mean they can be trusted.”

Rustle!

“The information you wanted is here.”

Please make a wise choice.

Confirming that Ilryun, who bitterly muttered, left after putting down the operation plan she brought, I quietly closed my mouth.

‘Hyung-nim is suspicious?’

I’m already aware. Iryang said so too, and even before Iryang said so, I knew that much about him being suspicious. However.

Even though I haven’t decided on a response, time flows. Then I must make a decision now.

‘Do I……’

Believe? Or not believe?

I looked at the operation plan Ilryun left behind for a moment, then closed my eyes.

It didn’t take very long to settle on an answer.