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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Whispers from Hell
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Jo Seol-yeon instinctively closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath while shielding herself from the wind. But even that proved unnecessary. The moment her breath caught, she could breathe easily again. The pressure of the wind battering her face had vanished.
Jo Seol-yeon opened her eyes once more. And she jumped in shock.
"Oh my!"
The surrounding landscape had completely changed. Just moments ago, they'd been in a vast, empty plain—wide open terrain that left them vulnerable to pursuit and certain death. But now, they were in a thickly wooded area. Trees dotted the landscape everywhere she looked.
And there were people.
"M-Miss?"
Jo Seol-yeon whipped her head toward the voice beside her. Hyeong Pyo stood there.
"Uncle Hyeong, the escort warrior!"
Jo Seol-yeon cried out joyfully at the sight of him, but her face suddenly turned to one of surprise as she scanned their surroundings. She saw wagons loaded with cargo. And around them stood burly men. Their uniforms were those of the Henan Escort Bureau's elite guards. Their faces, too, were achingly familiar to her.
"N-No way...!"
Jo Seol-yeon snapped her head toward Dan Hyeong-u with a smack.
"We've joined up."
Jo Seol-yeon was left dumbfounded by Dan Hyeong-u's curt reply. She had no idea where her original position had been, but it certainly wasn't anywhere close. He'd covered that vast distance in a single breath. While carrying her, no less.
Jo Seol-yeon gazed at Dan Hyeong-u with newfound awe.
Almost the moment Dan Hyeong-u arrived with her, the escort procession resumed. The time he'd taken had allowed them to finish all their preparations perfectly. Of course, they hadn't had time to cremate the bodies and had buried them instead.
"Miss, what happened?"
Hyeong Pyo walked alongside Jo Seol-yeon. Naturally, Dan Hyeong-u was right there with them. Jo Seol-yeon glanced at the two men before calmly recounting her tale. There wasn't much to hide anyway. And she wanted to tell Dan Hyeong-u everything she'd been through.
Hyeong Pyo listened silently to the end, unable to hide his puzzled expression.
"Something doesn't add up."
"What do you mean? I told you everything exactly as it happened."
"No, no, miss—I'm not saying you're hiding anything. Don't misunderstand. I'm just saying I can't fathom the Manor Head's actions."
"My father's?"
"It's hard to believe he made that call in an instant. If he'd hesitated even a moment, you might never have escaped Heochang. The Martial Alliance folks wouldn't have made it out either."
Now that she thought about it, he was right. Jo Seol-yeon's expression grew grave. This might be more complicated than she'd realized.
"Anyway, that's not our concern now. The good news is we haven't been paid by the Tang family yet. And this escort's fee is quite substantial."
Hyeong Pyo grinned. Jo Seol-yeon could read his intentions from that smile.
"You've already been thinking that far ahead, Uncle Hyeong. Meanwhile, I..."
"You just keep being yourself, miss. That's strength enough. Isn't that right?"
Hyeong Pyo glanced at Dan Hyeong-u, who nodded.
"Do what you want."
At Dan Hyeong-u's words, Jo Seol-yeon managed a forced smile once more. At least these two were with her now. It let her forget, if only for a little while.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Slightly off the main road stood a lavish carriage. Men in blue robes surrounded it. At a glance, they appeared to encircle it haphazardly, but in truth, they followed a precise formation.
There were thirty of these blue-robed men, and not one looked ordinary.
Creak.
The carriage door opened, and a woman stepped out gracefully. Dressed in light, comfortable attire, her beauty was breathtaking—enough to topple kingdoms without shame. Yet the eyes of the surrounding men showed not the slightest flicker.
As the woman descended, a figure appeared at her side in an instant. His movements were so stealthy and ghostly, it was as if he'd risen from the earth itself.
"They really failed?"
"Yes."
The woman couldn't believe it. She'd fully assessed the enemy's strength. By her calculations, the full Black Serpent Squad should have succeeded without a single casualty. And yet, they'd failed.
"Unbelievable. Is that for real?"
The man bowed his head slightly at her words.
"Wiped out."
"Wiped out? Not a single survivor? The Black Serpent Squad? Their leader too?"
"The leader as well."
The woman's face registered shock. She bit her lip lightly.
"Damn it. I was so sure. What's their status now? How many warriors left?"
"No change."
"What?"
She couldn't help but be stunned. Even for them, this was too much.
"We haven't pieced together exactly what happened since the Black Serpent Squad was annihilated, but there's definitely a top-tier master among them."
The woman fell silent, lost in thought.
"What do you think, Shadow Serpent? Could the Azure Serpent Squad pull it off?"
"Party Leader, this isn't the time to rush. Without solid intel on the enemy, we'll just take more losses. We need more time."
The woman, addressed as Party Leader, nodded glumly at the Shadow Serpent's words. She knew he was right, but the frustration was unbearable.
"What about the White Serpent Squad?"
"The White Serpent Squad is practically the core of the Serpent Spirit Party. We still need more information."
"Sigh, fine. We'll do that."
A heavy sigh escaped Umun Hye, leader of the Serpent Spirit Party. Losing the entire Black Serpent Squad was a massive blow. Their fifty warriors might have been weaker than the Azure or White Squads, but their skill in external missions was unmatched. With them gone, the Serpent Spirit Party was effectively crippled for the foreseeable future.
"Please return to the carriage. It'd be best to head back to the family estate for now. I'll dig into the family intel once we're there."
Umun Hye nodded, then suddenly looked at the Shadow Serpent as if struck by an idea.
"I'll check it out myself."
The Shadow Serpent panicked at her abrupt declaration.
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"I'll go personally. See who's there."
The Shadow Serpent struggled to comprehend at first, then realized her intent and cried out in alarm.
"Miss! You can't!"
He was so shocked that "miss" slipped out before "Party Leader." Umun Hye smiled faintly at his reaction and shook her head.
"It's fine. I'm not that weak. Even if things go south, I can escape on my own."
The Shadow Serpent knew she wasn't weak. But that didn't ease his worries. The martial world held experts who could crush someone of her caliber with a finger. If their master was one of those, escape would be impossible.
He met Umun Hye's gaze. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she stared back, like a child seeking permission. He had no choice but to nod reluctantly. As her shadow, he couldn't refuse her request—or her order.
"Very well. But you must take the Gold Serpent and Silver Serpent with you."
"Gold and Silver?"
Umun Hye furrowed her delicate brows slightly.
"Aren't you much stronger than them?"
"Of course I'll accompany you. I'm your shadow, after all."
Umun Hye beamed at his response. The Shadow Serpent sighed softly at her radiant smile. No man could resist that—not even one with a heart of ice.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Unlike Jo Seol-yeon, the other Jo Family Manor survivors, or the Henan Escort Bureau members, Paeng Cheol-yeong and his group faced no pursuit and arrived safely at the Martial Alliance.
Upon arrival, they immediately reported the events at the Jo Family Manor to the Alliance Leader. At the time, they hadn't thought it too grave. But when news broke that the entire Jo Family Manor had been wiped out, they were stunned.
The Martial Alliance quickly formed an investigation team and dispatched it to Heochang.
Paeng Cheol-yeong sat with a somber expression. Beside him stood Namgung Jin, wearing an equally grim face.
"I should have gone. I should have followed to the end. Why the hell didn't I...?"
Namgung Jin nodded at Paeng Cheol-yeong's mutterings.
"It's all in the past now. Once the culprits are revealed, make them pay properly."
Paeng Cheol-yeong shot to his feet at Namgung Jin's words.
"Damn right. That's the least I can do."
As Paeng Cheol-yeong stormed out, Namgung Jin clicked his tongue softly at the retreating figure.
"Can't tell if he's serious or not. Risking his life for a woman he's barely met..."
Namgung Jin shook his head. Paeng Cheol-yeong surely hadn't planned to follow them.
"Incomprehensible. It seems too much even for show to impress others... and there's no reason for that anyway."
Namgung Jin left the room, still puzzled. Regardless, he needed to prepare himself. Once the perpetrators were uncovered, he'd lend his strength too. No matter the reasons, the Manor Head had saved their lives.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The escort that began in Heochang had now entered Sichuan. Despite the incidents, their combined efforts had shaved off considerable time.
Since Jo Seol-yeon's appearance, Hyeong Pyo had grown closer to Dan Hyeong-u. It was only natural—treating him more comfortably now. Jo Seol-yeon, meanwhile, tried desperately to put her family's deaths behind her as quickly as possible.
The road from Shaanxi to Sichuan was smooth but monotonous. With nothing happening, that was to be expected. Escorts rarely saw trouble on normal runs, but after the chaos early on, the peace felt especially dull by comparison.
The calm journey naturally led to more chatter. Even Dan Hyeong-u had changed somewhat since first meeting Jo Seol-yeon.
"Brother, how did you get so strong? We're not that far apart in age."
Jo Seol-yeon kept asking questions like this. Now that she knew his true power, it was inevitable. And Dan Hyeong-u answered her queries with surprising patience.
"Fight with your life on the line for years, and it comes naturally."
Jo Seol-yeon nodded at his response. It made sense. Nothing beat real combat for training. And if it was life-or-death, the results were unmatched.
"Who on earth did you fight like that?"
"Demonic beasts."
Jo Seol-yeon could only tilt her head at his answer.
"You mean yokai?"
"You could see it that way."
Jo Seol-yeon's eyes widened in surprise. Fighting yokai? Had he trained to become an immortal or something?
"Didn't you say you lived on Mount Hyeong?"
"Hmm."
Jo Seol-yeon racked her memory at his vague reply. Her recall was sharp, so the conversation came back vividly.
"You definitely implied it..."
Dan Hyeong-u hadn't said it outright, but he'd assented. Others had assumed and concluded the same. Still, it was clear he'd come from Mount Hyeong. Jo Seol-yeon tilted her head again. She'd never heard of yokai on Mount Hyeong. But if he said so...
"Then... tell me about it. The stories of fighting yokai."
Dan Hyeong-u's brow furrowed ever so slightly at her request. No one noticed. Except Jo Seol-yeon.
"Why? You look upset... Oh!"
Jo Seol-yeon gasped, eyes widening as memory struck. Her hand flew to her mouth.
Dan Hyeong-u had mentioned ninety-nine friends, all dead. Probably to yokai. Asking about it would naturally sour his mood. She clamped her mouth shut.
Jo Seol-yeon felt guilty toward Dan Hyeong-u, but inwardly regretted missing yokai tales.
As she stole glances to soothe her disappointment, she pondered where yokai might appear. But within her knowledge, nowhere fit.
"Then where exactly did you live, brother?"
Dan Hyeong-u didn't answer right away, letting the silence stretch. Finally, he muttered in a low, bitter voice, as if spitting it out.
"Hell."
A chill ran through her at his word. Jo Seol-yeon shivered with sudden goosebumps. Her eyes turned cautiously to him.
The cold emanating from Dan Hyeong-u's body shifted abruptly to Nihility Qi. Recalling that place brought the Heavenly Qi Master to mind, and with him, the news of his death.
"Did the Heavenly Qi Master really die?"
"That's the story. Ten years ago."
Dan Hyeong-u's Nihility Qi subtly affected those around him. Their bodies and minds grew faintly lethargic.
"I still don't believe it."
Hyeong Pyo muttered softly. In that instant, the Nihility Qi pervading the area vanished. The creeping apathy lifted cleanly from everyone's hearts. Sensitive sorts noticed the shift but could only tilt their heads in confusion.
"Don't believe it?"
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