Chapter 89
**
Black Danhwa didn’t take off her veil. She still wore it.
Even though I had become her friend, nothing changed.
“It’s strange to think that something I’ve carried as a wound all my life could be tossed aside overnight. I’m just satisfied to have formed a bond where I don’t need the veil anymore.”
I didn’t pry too deeply. Ultimately, it was her choice.
“I guess it’s more convenient to call me Mu Myung outside, right?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Sounds good. But since we’re using a pseudonym, wouldn’t a different name be better? The name Mu Myung feels completely fake from the start—doesn’t it?”
“…Is it really that strange?”
“Jeok-un has a subtly strange side. It’s cute, I like it.”
As Black Danhwa fiddled with my hair, she turned her gaze away.
“From now on, we’re going to trace the rumors. Of course, we’ll be using soul fusion art. However, what worries me is… I’m concerned that there might not be enough of this Mist Water White Soft (무수백유) to serve as a foundation for the soul fusion art. Normally, I’d suppress the target with Mist Water and then extract my lacking power, but this time, we aim to stay out of sight, so I can’t injure the enemy.”
“Is that the basis for using soul fusion art?”
“My dantians have been broken for a long time due to Shim Ma. I can’t contain it inside, so I have to rely on external sources. It’s also a symbol of my efforts.”
“…Hmm.”
After pondering, I came up with a solution.
“How about using my power to supplement it?”
“Jeok-un’s… power?”
Black Danhwa tilted her head in confusion.
“There’s no reason it can’t be done… but can you trust me that much? If I end up absorbing your innate energy…”
“If that was your intention, you wouldn’t even say that. It’s okay. This is our first collaboration as friends, after all.”
I placed my hand on my outer garment.
“Take as much as you want. After all, I recover pretty quickly.”
“…Aren’t you giving your trust a bit too easily?”
“A shaky trust is worse than no trust at all.”
“You just said we were strangers before.”
“…That’s a slightly different issue.”
“You don’t want to see someone else’s naked body yet you want to show your own… Are you… perhaps… exhibitionist…?”
“I never said I would show my naked body.”
“It was a joke. Just take off your top.”
Black Danhwa placed her hands on my body. I flinched in surprise.
“…I misunderstood you.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I saw your sword, I thought you were some absurd person who reached a high level through sheer effort. But your physique is stronger than I expected. Well, that part isn’t particularly special, but… hmm… this is…”
Black Danhwa started to grunt.
“Now that I think about it, it was strange. Mist Water. That stuff is so abundant that my energy could manifest. Yet, it visibly decreased the moment Jeok-un left. It was barely enough to fill the bottom of the bathtub. I initially thought that something unknown caused it to disappear…”
“…Ahem.”
“What I couldn’t understand was hiding an understandable truth. A thief.”
“Isn’t it wrong of someone trying to kill?”
“I’ve never actually killed. I just drain and discard. I absorb just enough innate energy so as not to cause significant harm. In a few years, it should recover. Initially, it was a kind of warning. Chasing after something futile only leads to ruin.”
Black Danhwa continued to touch my body.
“…Actually, it was just a way to vent. I want to check on a few things. Would you like to lightly manipulate your energy?”
I followed her few instructions.
Watching me, Black Danhwa let out a small gasp.
“The amount of energy is significant… but given how large your physique is, it can definitely hold a lot, and your recovery speed is also remarkably fast. You have a beastly body. I can sense the wildness.”
“Can you see all of that?”
“You’re known as the best vessel under heaven. This level is simple. If my dantian had been intact, I would have already surpassed Huaxing, don’t you think?”
It didn’t seem like mere boasting. She genuinely believed that.
Certainly… there was a sense of inimitable genius within the vision I experienced.
“I’ll take just a little. That’s all I need.”
As Black Danhwa’s fingertip made contact, my heart began to race. The energy that had been swirling around my body was molded along her touch.
What had been formless was compressed to have shape, and it entered the bottle she possessed.
I realized one thing.
“…Mist Water is, to put it simply… close to being a powerful energy, right?”
“That’s correct. Jeok-un. It doesn’t match perfectly, but it aligns to a certain extent. With special techniques, the energy of others is confined and molded into a visible liquid. It’s the foundation of the Demonic Illusion Technique. Furthermore, it’s mixed with soul fusion art.”
She closed the lid of the bottle and continued to explore my body.
“Is there fatigue? Or some other issues? If there are, please let me know now. This energy is still yours, so I can return it to you.”
I moved my body. There was some stiffness, but that was all.
After all, the amount drained wasn’t enough to make moving difficult. Even the spots from which it had been drained were being replenished in real-time.
After lightly manipulating my energy for about half the day, the drained energy was quickly restored. Black Danhwa looked into the bottle.
“I’ve never seen Mist Water this red before.”
“…Is that a bad sign?”
“The energy usually follows the owner’s color. That includes its properties. Ironically, this energy is quite pure. Yet, it’s like an arrow with a lit fuse, ready to go wild. It has quite the property.”
“……”
“That’s a compliment. A man should have a wild side; if he’s just innocent, he loses his appeal.”
“Danhwa, you have quite the mischievous side.”
“We’re friends, after all. Don’t you like it?”
“I do.”
“…Why?”
“Because we’re friends.”
Black Danhwa smiled brightly.
“Shall we go chase after the source of the rumors?”
“Where do you plan to start?”
“For now… I think it’s best to find the one who framed the Manma Sect. The Manma Sect is the strongest pillar supporting the main school. There must be a good reason for framing such a place.”
“We should start by looking for the key figures of the Manma Sect currently in Eungmin.”
“I got a general understanding of the situation on the first day we parted. Didn’t I say it would be helpful?”
Black Danhwa waved her fan gracefully.
“The figure dispatched from the Manma Sect under the pretense of collaboration is a whole group. If we total all the small units together, it amounts to about 500 warriors. At the end of that is Nine Heavens Jade Woman Geum Seoryeon, the leader of the Wima group. The rumors we start with MUST be about them.”
It was reassuring to know we had a clear direction. It allowed me to nod along as I followed.
Black Danhwa immediately began to move.
A drunken man we encountered at the inn burped loudly.
“I heard the one holding the Turtle Messenger Black Wild Dan is Nine Heavens Jade Woman! It’s unmistakable! The Manma Sect has already swallowed them, but they pretend otherwise! If they’re caught having something they shouldn’t, they’ll surely be entangled with the Nachal Sect, so they must be looking for an opportunity to secretly slip out of Eungmin…”
The eyes of the drunken man, caught in soul fusion art, became bleary.
“Uh… so… who did you hear that from? Oh, I heard it from Mr. Bai…”
Following that connection, we kidnapped the one mumbling as he walked along the path.
“W-why are you doing this to me?!”
“Shh. Look over here.”
Mr. Bai, caught in soul fusion art, blinked.
“Ah… Manma Sect…? Well… Nine Heavens Jade Woman is certain… No, that scum told me so. After having a drink, he rambled on, and naturally, I believed it…”
We went to find this scoundrel. He mentioned yet another name.
Following that connection, we searched for the next name. When we heard they weren’t currently in Eungmin, the trail suddenly went cold.
“…This means…”
“We have to go back to the beginning. Didn’t I say it would be a tedious and exhausting task?”
Not all rumors were interconnected in the background.
We had to exert effort across countless hours to seek the enemy.
We cut back on our sleep. It had already been seven months since Blood Sea Member Wolhyang went missing.
Day by day, Black Danhwa and I busily jumped around.
I felt guilty toward her. After all, dragging an outsider into the group was hardly different from coercion.
“I’ve dragged you into this mess because of my compulsion.”
“Don’t say that. We’re friends, after all.”
I felt a bit like I was taking advantage of her, with her significant attachment to our friendship. Out of regret, I asked several times.
“If there’s anything you want from me, feel free to say it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I will assist to the best of my abilities.”
“…I’ll save it for later. Right now, I’m in a hurry.”
The absent Black Wind seemed to have urgent matters and didn’t return, but strangely enough, the Huachun Quenma who’d met us previously came looking for us.
A large man, pouring drinks into a cup without hesitation at the inn where we were staying, casually asked.
“D-did you find anything?”
“How about you, Elder?”
“To be honest, I’ve been lost, not knowing where to start. Those apprentices aren’t much help. Their confidence dwindled after a few days, saying they might as well go home. But I can’t just do that. Even if it’s some other guy, they say that little Mi-ryeong might still be alive. I can’t just let it go. We made a pact too.”
“The pact…”
“I’m an old friend of the leader of the Seven Star Gate. Well, we’ve only met a few times, but the coincidences allowed us to look out for each other. It’s a long story… what I can say for sure is that she entrusted me with Mi-ryeong.”
The Huachun Quenma scratched his head.
“My two disciples have already returned. I’m left just looking around. It seems they’re chasing something… Can you at least give me a hint?”
“Not possible. You’re untrustworthy…”
“Let’s join forces.”
“Mu Myung?!”
“We do have a past. While rough around the edges, he’s not someone who would betray others.”
I laid down a clear condition.
“What we’re doing now is a somewhat tedious and rough task, Elder. Because of that, we might end up at odds with sects.”
The Huachun Quenma nodded vigorously.
“I came to Eungmin prepared for that. If I can just find Mi-ryeong, I’ll do anything.”
“The Turtle Messenger Black Wild Dan will be handed over to the Nachal Sect as soon as we find it.”
“Well, that wasn’t my intent. If you want to, I can just turn a blind eye.”
“There could be some violent battles.”
“That’s my specialty.”
The Huachun Quenma laughed. Black Danhwa dragged me along forcefully, and I shouted out.
“T-this can’t be! Mu Myung! How can we trust if this man speaks the truth?!”
“A warrior speaks in the void. Since we’ve held hands before, there’s a level of sincerity…”
“That’s not the issue! This is a matter of trust! What if he betrays us in the end?!”
“If that happens, I will take responsibility.”
“Huh?!”
I fiddled with the Ear Sword Bai Ya.
Having already shook hands with the Huachun Quenma. If I poured everything I had into holding him down…
I thought I could kill if not restrain him.
Moreover, my heart felt heavy. A promise with a deceased friend. This warrior came to Eungmin to keep that promise.
“On the day I first met the Huachun Quenma, I didn’t even mention the Turtle Messenger Black Wild Dan; I brought up the last survivor of the Seven Star Gate, Yeon Mi-ryeong first.”
“That’s true, but…”
“I’m here to keep that promise with my deceased friend. I can’t let him go back empty-handed.”
“That’s about someone else.”
“Your story often starts from someone else’s perspective. How many times does one truly start from their own story from birth?”
I turned my head.
“I’ve already heard and been moved, so I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to depend on him once. It would have been a problem alone, but isn’t it much better to rely on the much smarter Danhwa?”
“…E-eck?”
“If you sense any suspicious signs, please let me know. I will handle it then. Would that be okay?”
“Do you know what you just implied?”
“Yes?”
“That means… you’re unconditionally trusting me, right?”
“That’s only natural, isn’t it?”
Hearing her unusual take made me tilt my head.
Who else would I trust if I don’t trust the person who’s actively seeking out information for me?
The first meeting had been bizarre, but things were different now. Naturally, I trust her.
“I trust Danhwa. Although I couldn’t say this before, I can say for sure now.”
“……”
I felt a slight twitch coming from behind the veil. Clearing her throat, Black Danhwa nodded.
“…Well, I can monitor him to some extent. But please, let’s keep it to just him. If we add more people, we can’t act discreetly, and it might cause disruptions in our work.”
“Of course. I’m sorry for being stubborn.”
“No need to apologize. It’s your story, after all. You can make the choice. Besides… adding another usable card is nothing but advantageous. If it’s the Huachun Quenma who promised to protect Huaxing, I’m sure he won’t be outmatched in combat…”
“Cough.”
The big man suddenly leaned in. Snot was dripping from his nose.
Huachun Quenma laughed.
“You’re a fine lad! I could tell just from the first handshake… outstanding! Did you say Mu Myung? You’re a genuine warrior! I absolutely will not betray you! Your empathy for others, even taking risks for their sake… How many righteous souls do we have in the main sect?!”
“Do you know that saying something righteous to the members of the main sect is an insult?”
“Strength and righteousness are not opposites. In fact, they can coincide. I, Gun Ho-kwang of the Huachun Quenma… I’m genuinely moved! If I betray you, feel free to ruin my dantian! I swear it by the name of Huachun Quenma!”
“Shhh… quieter, please…!”
“Cough cough!”
I was suddenly covered by the large man. I raised my hand to push him away.
“You’re too close, Elder.”
“If you want to learn Huachun Exploding Sword, just say the word. I’ll teach you anytime.”
“Why are we suddenly talking about that?”
“Seeing talents and liking their character makes it hard not to be greedy. Just become my disciple.”
“No, thank you.”
“What a prickly lad. But I won’t let you go. Since you don’t belong to any sect, I’ll have to seal the deal later.”
“That’s not the topic we should be discussing. Elder.”
“Right. Let’s see. What can I do?”
“Just follow us. I’ll be handling the details, so don’t speak too much, and please don’t engage in any foolish actions. Just act normal. Got it?”
“I understand.”
Even with one more companion added, our task didn’t change much. We were hunting for the source of the rumors.
Several third-rate warriors. A few times trails vanished. After a bit of probing through the cunning wolves, we finally caught something.
“There seems to be a gold ban on that. But it’s a simple trick, so it’s easily solvable.”
The voice of a courtesan caught in soul fusion art flowed out.
“The One-Eyed Bird Shim Yu ordered it…”
Black Danhwa’s veil fluttered.
“One-Eyed Bird Shim Yu is affiliated with the Manma Sect’s Bursting Lion Team. A unit that came with the Wima group is now spreading rumors that we have the Turtle Messenger Black Wild Dan… With how heavily restricted it is, it seems less than questionable.”
“It truly is suspicious. So now, should we kidnap Shim Yu?”
“Shim Yu isn’t an ordinary person. He’s a leader of a team. A warrior with quite the renown…”
Black Danhwa sighed.
“He wouldn’t possibly travel alone. We could very well encounter the team he leads. Huachun Quenma, it’s your turn to take action.”
“Are you telling me to smash everything?”
“Just subdue them, please. I don’t have a hobby of stirring hives.”
