Chapter 69

Hwang Gae had given the answer in a half-joking manner, but upon hearing it, Yerin’s expression wavered significantly.

“By any chance… how reliable is that story?”

“Who knows. I can’t say for other things, but a giant pit certainly exists. I once visited it myself out of curiosity. However, such a thing can easily be made by human hands, so is there really any need to attach special meaning to it?”

It wasn’t strictly wrong, but from Yerin’s perspective, it wasn’t something she could simply overlook.

As Yerin sank into contemplation, Hwang Gae quietly provided a few more pieces of information.

“If you are curious, go see for yourself; it was certainly a place called Mount Bongryeong in Yunnan. And the person who told me that story is a gentleman called the Divine Physician. Since he claims to have been there himself, wouldn’t he know something more?”

“I-I see… Thank you! Grandfather!”

Having obtained plausible information for the first time in three long months, Yerin could not hide her excitement and let out a joyful smile.

A moment later, after conveying something to the bird perched on her shoulder, she spoke to Hwang Gae once more.

“By any chance, Grandfather, is there an object or a person you are looking for? If it’s within a distance that can be reached within a day, this bird will guide you!”

“Hmm? Well… if I had to pick something, I am looking for the Black Whip Staff that my master disappeared with… but it happened so long ago that I doubt that tiny bird could find it.”

“Could you explain as much as you know about that Black Whip Staff? You have nothing to lose anyway, so just give it a try.”

Since she wasn’t wrong, Hwang Gae laughed heartily and described the sacred treasure of the Beggar’s Clan in detail from his memory.

Shortly after, leaving only a small silver bird behind, Yerin departed.

After a while, staring at the backside of the bird that had begun to fly somewhere with a pitter-patter, Hwang Gae let out a hollow laugh, dusted himself off, and began to walk.

“I’ve seen everything in my life… Well, let’s go for a stroll for the first time in a while.”

Thus, Hwang Gae left Gyunhyeon, cleared his mind, and walked for a long time in the direction the bird led.

Crossing mountains, crossing rivers, and traversing rugged terrain where no one walked, half a day passed. Looking at the back of the bird, which still showed no sign of stopping, Hwang Gae finally let out a groan.

“Good heavens, you brat! Just where on earth are you trying to go with all this fuss? You’re determined to exhaust an old man!”

Feeling that there would be no end if he kept moving like this, Hwang Gae stealthily caught the bird in his palm, placed it on his shoulder, and let out a small sigh.

“Don’t fly so hard; just point the way. This old man can run there in a single bound.”

“Twee-twee?”

Once the bird indicated the direction with a tilt of its head, Hwang Gae leaped across the ground with a mysterious Step Technique for two shichen.

The long journey finally came to an end when he reached a small mountain in Shinchang.

“Is it truly here? You want me to dig the ground?”

Following the bird, which was hopping among the fallen pinecones, he cleared the ground, and surprisingly, an old coffin and the corpse of an old man, who seemed to have become white bones long ago, appeared before Hwang Gae.

And upon its chest, the Black Whip Staff that Hwang Gae had searched for so desperately revealed its brilliant form.

“Master? Is it truly you, Master…?”

The moment he confirmed the neatly lying skeleton, Hwang Gae felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.

‘H-how is such a thing possible?’

Could it be that the identity of the young woman he met this morning was a celestial immortal sent by heaven?

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he realized that the silver bird, which had been chattering beside him for a while, had vanished.

Midnight had come, and the duration of the ability’s use had expired.

“…Haha, this old man has obtained a fortuitous encounter that will never happen again in his lifetime.”

Recalling the woman’s face, which remained vivid in his memory, Hwang Gae bowed his head low and offered his sincere gratitude to Yerin.

And so, another night faded away.

“Why are you staring so intently? Do you have something to say?”

“…….”

“Hehe, you’re more of a scatterbrain than I thought.”

Once again gifting a poison that caused severe abdominal pain to those who picked a fight at the tavern, the woman met Taewoon’s gaze with a slender smile.

Looking closely, it seemed this woman actually enjoyed the act of enticing people.

The incident at the previous tavern might have been intentional as well.

“If the advances are bothersome, wouldn’t it be easier to cover your face completely?”

“If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to see, and it would interfere with my daily life.”

“…I’m sure it would.”

Nearly a month had passed since he began traveling with the woman, Biryeong.

During that time, Taewoon had been subtly testing the woman and analyzing her identity, and he now had a guess that was close to certainty.

‘This woman is definitely an absolute expert of the Demonic Cult or the Evil Sect forces.’

He didn’t know exactly which faction’s Martial Artist she belonged to, but what was certain was that her realm was far from ordinary.

‘Just… how great is her skill?’

Among those Taewoon had fought in the Theater, the strongest was a sword expert who had reached the Peak, but even he was pitifully lacking compared to the latent power the woman before him was hiding.

Of course, Taewoon’s weapon wasn’t limited to spear techniques, but if Biryeong exerted her full strength, she could take Taewoon’s life at any time.

That much was a clear fact.

“The land of Hubei is not far now. How long do you intend to continue accompanying us?”

“I wonder… until I feel like stopping?”

“Sigh, do as you please.”

Taewoon and Jain couldn’t control Biryeong anyway. In that case, letting her roam freely was one way to keep his mind at ease.

‘Still, I’ve gained quite a few results thanks to her.’

Although she seemed unaware of the Heavenly Secret Manual, Biryeong knew a great deal, befitting her skill.

It seemed that enduring all the inconveniences hadn’t been in vain, as she answered most of the things Taewoon was curious about.

‘I even… learned a few martial arts while being by her side.’

Of course, most of them were things that deviated from the righteous path, but regardless, it was undeniable that they were helpful to Taewoon.

‘If possible, I want to ask her clearly about the Star Absorption Great Technique.’

However, since the opponent was presumed to be an expert from the Demonic Cult or the Four Black Unions, there was a possibility that a disaster would strike the moment she found out he possessed that secret manual.

It was a matter that inevitably led to deep worry.

“Everyone stop! Is there a woman wearing a face veil and her party here?”

Everyone’s attention shifted to the Martial Artists who suddenly burst through the tavern door.

And behind them, as expected, there was a young man pointing at Taewoon’s party with a pale face.

“Kugh… Th-there, it’s those people!”

Taewoon sighed and stood up, and Jain hurriedly packed the luggage he had set down.

Approaching Biryeong, who was leisurely preparing to leave, Taewoon left a short warning.

“At this rate, we’re really going to end up with bounties on all our heads. It goes without saying, but please do not kill them.”

“I don’t do such things. I don’t take back words once I’ve spoken them.”

But in the end, the burden of hassle and hardship always fell to Taewoon.

After leading them to a secluded place and suppressing them, Taewoon joined his party as usual and hurried toward their next destination.

And finally, the moment arrived to enter the land of Unhyeon, the long-awaited border of Hubei.

“…We’ll arrive in Gyunhyeon soon. Did you say you have a party to meet?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“Is it a woman, by any chance?”

“That is true, but we aren’t in a special relationship. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

As if she didn’t place much meaning in it, Biryeong turned her head indifferently and traced the stars in the sky with her hand.

That night, Biryeong appeared before Taewoon, who was preparing for camp, exuding an aura different from usual.

Without giving Jain even a glance, she gestured for Taewoon to follow her.

“…So, have you finally found something you want?”

“Well. That’s not wrong… but it’s closer to wanting to have a slightly special conversation.”

Biryeong stared at Taewoon with eyes that felt the presence of a sinister star, then let out a small, amused smile.

“Interesting. I’ve realized while watching you that you are indeed something different from the people here.”

“If you say I’m different…”

“The structure of the human body, bodily habits or customs, lifestyle, constitution and Qi—any of those could be the answer. But I’m talking about a more fundamental part.”

Stopping her answer for a moment, Biryeong stared at Taewoon with a gaze that felt almost chilly, and finally spoke her conclusion.

“An inexplicable sense of incongruity… a feeling of alienation, as if you alone are sticking out in this land of the Central Plains… Actually, I’ve been curious about that since the first time I saw you.”

“…….”

“So, I’ll make a proposal. Will you follow me to the Divine Sect?”

Even though he had finally realized her affiliation, Taewoon could not bring himself to be pleased. It was because he knew through his experiences what the option before him meant.

“Does my choice exist in that proposal?”

“Yes. The answer is the same as before. Either give up your companion’s life, or accompany me.”

“In that case, I will change my answer this time.”

As soon as Taewoon finished speaking, Jain, who had been waiting behind a tree, walked out in front of the two, and as Taewoon gestured, his body turned into a handful of light and vanished.

“With this, I will never be able to meet him again in this life. Is that a sufficient answer?”

“…Yes. Let’s end our companionship here. It was a fairly interesting time.”

As Biryeong turned to leave without lingering, she stealthily tilted her head and gave Taewoon one last piece of advice.

“A wind of blood will soon blow through the Martial World of the Central Plains, so please be careful… And with that level of talent and constitution, you won’t have any problems if you learn the Star Absorption Great Technique. As long as you are confident you won’t be caught by the righteous Martial Artists.”

“…….”

At that remark, which seemed to pierce through his innermost thoughts, Taewoon could only stare at Biryeong’s departing back in a daze.

‘I just can’t figure her out…’

Now alone in the night, Taewoon felt an inexplicable loneliness and lay his body on the cold ground, using the constellations of the night sky as his blanket.

While in one corner of his heart, he looked forward to the sun that would rise again tomorrow.