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Gu Jeolyub will not participate in this Journey to Sichuan.

After hearing about him, the thought that crossed my mind was.

‘This is certainly…’

As I had previously suspected, there must be an issue with the Gu Exemplar Sect.

‘Is it a problem with Muyeon?’

Including the Sword Team’s leader, it seems the Gu Exemplar Sect decided to push for Muyeon altogether.

Upon hearing that, Gu Jeolyub seems to have made the immediate choice to return to the main family.

Perhaps sensing my intention, Elder Lee lets out a slight sigh and states.

“It’s what he wanted. The clan leader also said so.”

“Is that so?”

I could hardly imagine that my father would care too much about what Gu Jeolyub chose.

It was just a bit disappointing for me.

‘If he returns to the main family like that…’

Was it truly the right thing for Gu Jeolyub?

Of course, even if he were to follow me, I wouldn’t think that it would be a better choice than that.

‘It’s just a bit unsettling.’

It bothers me that there’s a slight uneasiness lingering.

That damn dark expression of his too.

Looking at Gu Jeolyub’s face, I turned my gaze away.

‘If that’s your choice, I won’t meddle.’

For now, Gu Jeolyub himself thought returning to the Gu Exemplar Sect was the right decision, so I won’t say anything more about it.

If he had come over and asked me what he should do, I might have offered a different answer, but.

Gu Jeolyub didn’t do that.

He probably truly believed that leaving now was the right course.

Seeing that, if I were to wish for even a tiny bit of affection that had formed between us, it would be for him to not regret his choice in the future.

After finishing all my greetings, I boarded the horse carriage.

The carriage was provided by the Gu Clan, and I didn’t call for a servant.

It seemed that the Tang Clan prioritized the safe escort, as increasing the personnel would make things a bit inconvenient.

It appeared that the Paewoocheol had agreed with the Tang Clan to strengthen their guard.

‘As for the external matters…’

I cast my gaze toward the Paewoocheol’s carriage.

Cheol Jiseon would be sitting alongside Paewoocheol right now.

I’d need to find out more about that guy as well.

‘The escort was slightly delayed because we were heading towards the Tang Clan.’

Since the route to Sichuan had shifted a bit for a safe escort, I needed to check if there would be any issue coming from that.

There’s still so much on my mind.

Even after organizing things over and over, it still feels overwhelming.

Lately, my slight headache, which had calmed down, was beginning to stir again.

As I let out a weary breath laced with heat.

Suddenly, a cold hand appears and touches my forehead.

The owner of the hand was none other than Nangong Bi-ah.

I slightly opened my eyes to see her face.

I was met with her worried blue eyes.

She looked at me and asked.

“…Are you… okay?”

Am I okay?

What exactly is okay?

I replied with a slight smile.

“I’m fine. Nothing to worry about.”

“…”

“I might smell a bit, so keep your distance.”

It meant that I had no chance to wash and was a complete mess in the carriage.

I was tempted to just walk outside, but both Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah insisted that I shouldn’t.

I could just go if I wanted to.

Anyway, as I pushed Nangong Bi-ah away, trying to make it clear that I was a poor sight.

Instead, she reached out, grabbing my head and pulling me closer.

Then, a soft sensation followed.

What was it? Oh, it was Nangong Bi-ah’s knee.

Just as I was about to rise in surprise at this sudden development.

“…You’re tired, right? It’s okay to sleep…”

Her voice made me unconsciously relax my tense body.

‘How did she know I was tired?’

My exhausted body, trying not to show it, had been adjusting my demeanor.

I was controlling my breathing to keep it steady.

Was it because of my disheveled appearance? It seemed Nangong Bi-ah had sensed it.

‘This is… troublesome.’

Lying down on Nangong Bi-ah’s knee, I felt comfort blooming within me.

What followed was a realization of how precious time was.

Time spent sleeping right now feels like a waste.

Considering the situation, I thought this was no time for napping.

‘Speaking of which, what about Moyong Hi-ah…’

Fortunately, Moyong Hi-ah, who hadn’t contacted me lately, sent a letter, stating she would arrive a bit late to participate in the Journey to Sichuan.

If I recall, she mentioned joining within a few days after departure.

As I pondered this, a strange thought flickered in my mind.

‘Am I relieved…?’

Why did I feel relieved upon hearing that Moyong Hi-ah would join the Journey to Sichuan?

Could I possibly be out of my mind from exhaustion?

‘…For now, I need to focus on what’s happening in Sichuan instead.’

I needed to consciously brush it aside and think of something else.

There were many reasons I chose Sichuan.

Among them, right now, aside from the White Horse Stone or the matters of the Lotus, there was one thing particularly on my mind.

‘Coincidentally, he’s there.’

In the future, when the Blood Calamity occurs, I would need my own force to stop him.

One of the able individuals to recruit into that force was conveniently based in Sichuan.

Originally, it would have taken 1-2 years for him to stand out, but.

I intended to find him a bit earlier.

‘If my predictions don’t go wrong, finding him shouldn’t be too difficult.’

If the information I had from my past life was correct.

He would be hiding in the highest mountain in Sichuan.

The first step to establishing my forces was that guy.

He was from the Demon race in his previous life, and even if I turned him into a Demon in this life, he wouldn’t feel any emotional response.

As I envisioned that guy’s face.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch brushing through my hair.

Was it Nangong Bi-ah?

Or perhaps it was Wi Seol-Ah, who was sitting next to me?

I couldn’t tell.

All I knew was that.

It was quite remarkable how this light touch could bring such tranquility to my tired mind.

While I thought I should be getting up.

My exhausted body felt as though it wouldn’t permit such a thing, leading me to decide to close my eyes for a brief moment.

Just a little nap would be okay.

That was my mindset.

Guiwen Mountain in Sichuan.

It’s one of the lofty peaks of Mount Tai and is known as the largest mountain in Sichuan.

Due to its size, somewhat eerie atmosphere, and particularly cold air, people often refer to it as the mountain where ghosts reside.

Given this appearance, the rumors surrounding the mountain are also quite fearsome.

Some say ghosts appear on Mount Tai at night.

If you venture alone into the mountain, you won’t return alive.

The malicious rumors about Guiwen Mountain were notoriously famous.

Besides the numerous nonsensical tales surrounding the mountain.

There was one fact that those who spread these tales were unaware of.

In reality, there were no ghosts on Guiwen Mountain.

Of course, ghosts could exist, but.

The rumors about ghosts appearing at night were actually false tales spread by those who resided there.

The truth about not returning alive after recklessly visiting the mountain was real.

It wasn’t because of ghosts but due to the actions of people themselves.

They had quietly set up their base on Mount Tai.

Spreading rumors to keep people away from approaching.

Those who referred to them in the Central Plains called them ‘Green Forest.’

After the Demonic Gate incident began to occur, beasts of the demon kind started to appear in the mountains and the sea.

By now, the number of individuals in the Green Forest had significantly dwindled.

Some claimed elsewhere that the bandit population had dried up.

That wasn’t entirely incorrect.

In fact, no one had reported seeing bandits throughout the Central Plains, and as more emphasis was placed on enhancing security measures against demon beasts, the operational range of the Green Forest became greatly narrowed.

Under such circumstances.

It wouldn’t be strange to refer to those who resided on Guiwen Mountain as the ‘last of the Green Forest.’

A chilling residence located halfway up the mountain.

Creak, creak, creak-.

Inside, it was a messy room, with liquor bottles rolling around.

The cluttered room was filled with bottles of liquor and what appeared to be leftover food, swarming with flies.

In this filthy setting, men who hadn’t washed in days were tangled and snoring together.

Unlike the quiet woods outside, I worried that the snoring men might wake the mountain.

Suddenly, the door to the residence swung open, and someone rushed in.

BANG-!

“Chaeju!”

A scruffy man with a thick beard kicked open the door and shouted.

At the sound, the snoring men stirred and began to move.

“Ugh… my head hurts…”

“Water… water!”

“Uugh-!”

“Ugh! You bastard…! Don’t puke here!”

“Throw this bastard out!”

Within moments, the entire room turned chaotic as the man spoke.

“Where’s Chaeju? Where the hell is Chaeju?”

“What? It’s the youngest, huh?”

“Hey youngest… Go get some water.”

Despite the man’s urgent request, the others were completely oblivious, too busy raising their voices.

How much did they drink the night before? The stench of alcohol filled the room.

The man kept asking about Chaeju, but no one answered.

Was that the reason?

“No! You idiots! Where’s Chaeju?!”

The man, now frustrated, shouted angrily.

Suddenly, the previously noisy atmosphere in the room went silent.

Sensing this, the man tensed up.

The gazes of those staring at him were quite unnerving.

“…Ha, look at this guy?”

“Did the youngest eat something wrong? His voice is quite loud. Did he just yell at us?”

“Puh!”

Creak.

As the hungover individuals who had been sprawled out on the ground slowly started to rise.

It wasn’t until they stood that I realized just how massive each one of them was.

Their heads nearly brushed the ceiling of the room.

Apart from their size, a subtle aura radiated from them caused the man to step back in fear.

“No… sirs… it’s not that…”

“It’s not that, huh? Looks like your tongue’s lost its sanity after not getting a lesson for a while.”

“How about a bit of fun since it’s been a while?”

A thick hand reaches out toward the man.

Seeing that, he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

He expected the pain to come crashing down on him.

But strangely, the pain he had anticipated didn’t arrive.

As he thought something felt off and slowly opened his eyes.

“…Huh?”

The other men who had approached him stood back as if nothing had happened.

Confirming this, the man wondered what was going on and frowned just when.

“…So.”

The voice from behind froze him in place.

Hearing that voice, the man reluctantly turned his head to look back.

There stood ‘Chaeju,’ a true giant, even taller than the massive figures before him.

His bare upper body was filled with solid muscles, scattered with dark scars, which only enhanced his overwhelming presence.

From his unkempt long hair, a fierce gaze emanated that could instill fear just by looking at it.

With that gaze fixed on him, the man called out in a trembling voice.

“Ch-Chaeju…! Guh!?”

The man named Chaeju swiftly grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him.

The sight of an adult man being lifted effortlessly like a feather was utterly bizarre.

“What’s the matter that you’re bothering me first thing in the morning?”

“…I… I…”

“If what you say doesn’t please me, you will die right here and now. Understand?”

The menace in that voice began to permeate the man’s entire being.

With a terrifying grin, Chaeju seemed to radiate pure fear.

Seeing Chaeju like that, the man managed to let out a word.

“…Tang… Clan….”

Hearing the barely audible words, Chaeju’s eyes widened slightly.

Then.

Thunk-!

“Gurk!”

The man who had been held dropped to the floor in a heap.

The grip that had held his neck had been so strong that he gasped for air the moment he hit the ground.

“Gah… Gah…!”

Just as he thought he could catch his breath.

However, even that didn’t last long.

Creak, creak-.

Chaeju crouched down, looking at the man who was still on the floor.

“What’s the Tang Clan? Speak up.”

Chaeju’s face, lit up with a bright smile while interrogating, made the man’s shoulders tremble uncontrollably.

Thus, the identity of the man known as Chaeju.

He was the last heir of the Green Forest residing on Guiwen Mountain.

In the distant future, he would join the Heavenly Demon and be known as the Green King.

 

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