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Chapter 213: A Tale from the Past

Once upon a time, long, long ago.

This is a story from an era that many have now forgotten, akin to an ancient folklore that hardly anyone remembers.

Back in the old Central Plains, where people knew nothing of the existence called the Demonic Gate and merely sought martial prowess and alliances.

In an age when the saying “Strength is Sovereignty” resonated throughout, there was a man who longed for another world.

A man who was originally not of this land.

He yearned to return to the place where he truly belonged.

Oh, how he wished to return to his homeland.

For a long time, he desired this deeply.

In the end, unable to hold back, he tried to burn his own flame to open a door.

A door that could lead him back to where he originally belonged.

As ages passed.

Finally, the man found a way to open that door.

Though it was similar to how he had come to this land, it was in a different manner.

Full of joy, the man let out a sound.

He spoke openly of the hope that now he could go back.

At last, he succeeded in opening the door while tearing through the void.

But the man had to despair immediately upon seeing the door before him.

The torn dimension was not the door he had wished for.

Moreover, the door brought with it calamity.

Seeing the disaster pouring forth from the crack, the man could only sit down in defeat.

He could not return to the world he so longed for.

Instead, due to his obsession, he left a gigantic blemish on the world.

Later generations would name this.

The crack that spewed forth monsters—Demonic Gate.

This would become a distortion that brought the greatest change to the Central Plains in the future.

And would remain a calamity unresolved for several centuries.

…

The man who created this would leave behind his sins and karma for future generations.

And his lineage would be bound by this first karma.

After some time had passed since the incident occurred.

I found myself on the path heading toward the Gu clan, passing through the Mudong Mountain Range.

The situation caused by the events at Black Night Palace had not yet been properly resolved.

However, since the Gu clan belonged to the Righteous Faction, the subsequent developments should have followed after the Martial Alliance arrived at the mountain range.

Given that getting Gu Huibi safely to the safe house was my top priority.

The personnel left behind to handle the matter proceeded toward the safe house.

And now, I was facing a rather embarrassing situation.

While I struggled, Nangong Bi-ah asked me.

“…Are you okay?”

“Uh, very much so.”

“Then… should I carry you?”

“No, please don’t do that. I’m already pretty embarrassed as it is.”

I leaned my throbbing head back and wiped my face.

The subtly probing gazes around me were not helping to alleviate my reddening ears.

‘…What the hell.’

The reason I was so embarrassed was that I was currently being carried on the back of Nangong Bi-ah.

Soft, and with her hair brushing against my nose every time the wind blew.

‘…Why does it smell so nice?’

Amidst it all, the gently wafting floral scent was quite bothersome.

Maybe she had sprayed something?

Instinctively, I started to tense my nostrils.

Suddenly, Shin Noya’s displeased voice echoed in my mind.

[You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?]

‘…Does it look like that to you?’

[Then isn’t it unrealistic to wish it doesn’t look like that?]

As I coughed lightly, I shifted my gaze around me.

Though there was nothing but fog surrounding me, it was impossible to look ahead.

‘Hmm?’

While I was casually scanning my surroundings, I felt an intense gaze coming from slightly behind.

The culprit of that gaze was Gu Huibi, who was being carried just like me.

The only difference being.

While I was on the back of Nangong Bi-ah,

Gu Huibi was perched on her father’s back.

What a bizarre sight it was.

The fact that my father was carrying someone was inherently strange enough.

Moreover, it was Gu Huibi who was being carried.

‘Why is she staring at me like that?’

In such an awkward situation, it seemed as though Gu Huibi was glaring at me.

No, glaring might be an understatement, given her naturally fierce demeanor.

[Now you get it, huh? This is how you feel when someone looks at you like that.]

‘…Why are you suddenly going off on me?’

Ignoring Noya’s comment, I was puzzled about why Gu Huibi was looking at me like that.

She had claimed she hated being carried, yet here she was.

Why was she looking at me like that?

‘Do you think I wanted to be in this position?’

However, due to the Demon Energy circling around her Lower Dantian, Gu Huibi was in no position to move freely.

I was facing a rebound due to the impact on my Lower Dantian, making it difficult to employ my powers at that moment.

Given how I felt, it seemed like I might be stuck in this position for several hours.

So, in need of assistance, Nangong Bi-ah naturally picked me up.

From the start, Nangong Bi-ah was a formidable martial artist herself, and my weight must not have been an issue.

But still, the mere act of being seen like this was awkward.

[If that’s the case, couldn’t you have simply asked someone else to carry you?]

‘…True enough.’

Why did it take me so long to realize that?

Perhaps my head was cluttered with other thoughts, leaving no room for clear thinking.

[You’d like to make excuses, wouldn’t you!]

‘…Could you please just stay quiet for a moment?’

[Hmph.]

Shin Noya seemed even more irritated than usual today.

It seemed to stem from not only the previous teasing but also for reasons unknown.

He had the personality of a grouch. Shouldn’t an enlightened being be a bit more magnanimous?

Anyway, aside from Noya’s nagging and the embarrassing situation of being carried by Nangong Bi-ah.

This was definitely not the time to be thinking about those things.

My mind was busy considering something else entirely.

‘The Black Night Princess and the Heavenly Demon….’

Just thinking of this was overwhelming.

I had to ponder why the Princess was with the Heavenly Demon.

What was the Heavenly Demon doing in such a position with the Princess?

As I contemplated this.

Just as I had said, the Heavenly Demon, who I presumed originally came from the Demonic Gate, had already remained in the Central Plains in a young form.

Furthermore, what could their goals be?

Each and every story was different from my previous life, which made it all the more complicated.

‘…The Black Night Palace falls to the Martial Alliance in a few years.’

That was how it was said to be in the future, surely.

Yet, seeing how the situation unfolded now, my thoughts veered in a different direction.

‘…Perhaps.’

What if it wasn’t the Martial Alliance that brought it down, but rather, the Palace feigned its collapse?

‘Then, what about the Princess?’

If that were the case, did the Black Night Princess truly perish?

If it wasn’t the Martial Alliance that brought down the Black Night Palace, but rather the Palace itself feigned destruction.

Then where did the Black Night Princess go in my previous life?

‘The Black Night Palace is undoubtedly the root of the Demonic Sect.’

Considering the main figures of the Black Night Palace would eventually become demonic sect members.

It was clear that the Demonic Sect was, in fact, birthed from the Black Night Palace.

‘What on earth are they after?’

It was a mystery.

As for why the Heavenly Demon ravaged the Central Plains, they had stated it was to prove they were a supreme deity and to purify the corrupted plains.

It was hard to decipher any other meaning in that sentence.

Now, everything was just a question.

Recalling that the Heavenly Demon was not merely some enigmatic entity.

If one considered they were originally among the Central Plains’ inhabitants.

‘Furthermore…’

The fact that the face resembled Wi Seol-Ah’s so frighteningly close.

While they did not look identical back then, there was a massive difference in atmosphere and aura, making them feel entirely different.

But now, it wasn’t just that they resembled each other.

Aside from being the same age, barring their skinniness, they looked completely alike.

How could that be merely a coincidence?

‘…Does this mean the Heavenly Demon is related to Wi Seol-Ah?’

Or perhaps, Wi Seol-Ah was related to the Heavenly Demon.

That would implicate I’d also have to consider the Sword Sovereign.

The Sword Sovereign cared for Wi Seol-Ah as if she were his granddaughter.

Could there be some other underlying concern there?

No, by now, I was already convinced.

That there must be some secret involving the Sword Sovereign.

‘What a mess.’

Everything I thought I knew was tangled up into a single ball of yarn.

It was unclear where I should even begin untangling it all.

However, if there was only one thing I could confidently affirm.

‘Currently, there is definitely an issue with the Heavenly Demon.’

So how did I come to that conclusion?

It was in conjunction with the recent intel Gu Huibi had shared and the moments I faced the Heavenly Demon.

According to Gu Huibi.

The reason why the Black Night Princess had captured Gu Huibi was to compel her to absorb something from the Heavenly Demon.

Yet, apparently, the Heavenly Demon said they could not do it.

‘Now… they said they couldn’t do it.’

More precisely, they claimed they couldn’t feed on it.

And at the moment I encountered the Heavenly Demon.

When they looked at me, the Heavenly Demon murmured.

-My own.

The Heavenly Demon had most certainly said that while looking at me.

It could have been a comment directed at the Demon Energy within my body, but.

‘That’s unlikely.’

This is a certainty derived from intuition.

I rubbed my belly as I reflected upon that.

It was the Demonic Power the Heavenly Demon had bestowed upon me in my previous life.

It was that cursed power that had remained with me even until my reincarnation.

The Demonic Absorption Technique.

Back then, I assumed it was merely a way to absorb the energy from Demon Stones and transform it into one’s own power.

But now, it felt like not only my own energy, but it absorbed the energy of others and made it flow harmoniously without conflict.

‘Could it be that the Demonic Power had undergone a transformation during my reincarnation?’

But it seemed it wasn’t that simple.

For reasons that eluded me.

Why could the Heavenly Demon no longer do what it had originally been capable of?

I could only conclude it was because their power was currently within me.

As things stood, I had no choice but to think that way.

Realizing this only deepened my frustration over the missed opportunities.

‘I absolutely should not have let them slip away…’

If I had noticed a bit sooner.

Or if I had been a bit more prepared, things might have turned out differently.

“…What’s wrong?”

Did Nangong Bi-ah hear me brooding over my thoughts?

She asked me with genuine concern.

Gazing into her azure eyes, I hastily shook my head.

“Nothing at all.”

I made an effort to hide my true feelings while looking at her.

There was nothing I could do at this moment.

For now, returning to the Gu clan took priority.

Days passed.

I finally left the Mudong Mountain Range and arrived in Shanxi.

The distance hadn’t been overly vast from the start.

I had also made the haste to return quickly.

Regardless, I was just relieved to have returned safely to Shanxi.

Upon entering the marketplace of Shanxi.

Someone from behind called out to me.

“Brother.”

At the sound of Gu Huibi’s voice, I turned my head slightly.

As soon as I turned, I found Gu Huibi’s face right there.

Currently, Gu Huibi was riding on my back, so it wasn’t surprising at all.

My body, for a few hours, had regained its function, allowing me to walk again normally.

So there was no longer a need to remain on Nangong Bi-ah’s back.

Nangong Bi-ah made a regretful expression as she set me down.

I simply didn’t want to deal with this embarrassing feeling anymore.

The issue was.

-Now that you’re fit, shouldn’t you carry me?

Gu Huibi, comfortably being carried by her father, immediately called out to me and ordered me to carry her.

Of course, I was prepared to refuse with a grimace, questioning why I had to do that.

-You will carry me.

With my father’s firm command, I had no choice but to accept and carry Gu Huibi.

‘…This family is ridiculous.’

I thought I had gotten a bit stronger, but it was clear that I was still far from matching my father.

[At this rate, you’ll need a while to become a thorn in your father’s side.]

I nodded at Noya’s words.

I was well aware of my father’s strengths.

Moreover, I knew he was concealing his power while staying at the safe house.

‘Seeing it directly, he’s as formidable as ever.’

The Crimson Sky that stained the heavens.

The aura gathering onto his palm and the seasonings.

Not to mention that overwhelming presence.

It was undeniable; claiming him to be merely one of the top martial artists in the Central Plains was an exaggeration.

‘There is still a long way to go.’

And I began to understand just how far I still had to go to reach my own growth.

This made me frown as Gu Huibi continued speaking.

“Doesn’t something seem off?”

“…What’s off?”

Right after the incident regarding the Orb of Heavenly Road, Gu Huibi hadn’t mentioned anything about me speaking casually to her.

Rather, she seemed to be trying to change the subject out of fear I might bring up the topic of the orb.

Of course, I intended to address that matter clearly as soon as we reached the safe house.

“People… the atmosphere is strange.”

“The atmosphere?”

At Gu Huibi’s words, I began looking around the marketplace.

This was a place I had seen immediately upon my return.

It was also where I had first encountered Wi Seol-Ah.

‘Strange, huh?’

To say the atmosphere was peculiar could imply that it felt just like any other day.

“What exactly seems strange?”

“Hmm… or not?”

With a nonchalant posture, Gu Huibi rested her chin on my shoulder.

“Now that we’re here, shouldn’t you walk on your own?”

“Brother, I’m the patient. How could I possibly walk up that steep hill by myself?”

As Gu Huibi spoke, I looked at her, feeling absurd.

Just then, Nangong Bi-ah, walking beside us, chimed in.

“…Then… should I carry you…?”

Seemingly irked by Nangong Bi-ah’s suggestion, Gu Huibi frowned.

“Hey, didn’t you hear? This is a private conversation amongst family.”

Her voice had a somewhat sharp edge, prompting me to respond quickly.

“If she’s offering to help, why are you getting mad?”

“Brother… whose side are you on? Don’t tell me you’re already fighting over her because you’re engaged?”

Seeing Gu Huibi’s expression twist as if she had been struck by shock made me think.

‘Why is she acting like this…?’

I wanted to throw her away, but I held back because my father was present.

Consigning my feelings, I continued to survey my surroundings.

Gu Huibi’s earlier comment had left a lingering worry in my mind.

‘…A strange atmosphere.’

For sure, there was a strange vibe contrary to the everyday feel in the marketplace.

But I had yet to discern the reason behind it.

However, before I could ponder further.

The answer swiftly revealed itself.

“…Huh?”

Immediately upon returning to the Gu clan.

The one who greeted me was not Wi Seol-Ah, nor Tang Soyeol, nor even Elder Lee.

“Greetings, Gu Gongja.”

With long black hair and pure white skin, eyes that seemed to exude a chill.

Her gently upturned eyes and rosy lips generated a captivating aura.

“It’s good to see you again.”

Seolbong Moyong Hi-ah.

And inexplicably, she was staying at the Gu clan.

 

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