Book 28 Chapter 18

Looming risks

-Turbulent waters of fate

Cook!

"Uh… yeah."

Cook!

"Ugh…… Yeah!"

Cook! Cook!

Writhing to and fro, the spirit opened her eyes after a few futile struggles. Someone was poking her cheek with a finger.

"Uh… Huh? What's going on again, Rin?"

The spirit muttered, rubbing his eyes and getting to his feet.

"You're awake, sister."

It was the white finger of Na Yerin, who was staying in the same room, that poked her cheek as she lost herself in a trance.

"As expected, this works best for my sister."

Na Yerin smiled wryly at her.

"You……!"

The angry spirit put his hand to his cheek and stood dazed for a moment.

"Why didn't I wake up?

Though she tended to be a light sleeper, she was not so desensitized as to allow others to approach her so casually.

And yet, after being poked in the cheek with a finger four times, he finally opens his eyes…….

"How defenseless was I?

What would have happened if it had been a dagger, not a finger, that had just pierced his cheek? He would have died instantly.

What's with the warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach in the face of such a ridiculous situation?

'Besides, why would I want to say half a word again…….'

It's not the first time I've made a mistake, and I've done it again, despite my resolve to never do it again.

The spirit's body stiffened as it tried to ask a question.

It was only in hindsight that I realized that Na Yerin was now standing in full armor, white as snow, with a white robe wrapped around her body and a cold white sword in her hand.

"Get ready, sister."

That was enough for me.

Without a word, the spirit sprang to her feet, wrapped her clothes around herself, and picked up the sword she'd left on her bedside table. It was a strange feeling, as if her body was moving of its own accord, against her will.

"That's it……."

I tried to be respectful, but it was incredibly awkward, and Na Yerin giggled at my awkwardness.

"There's no need to be awkward, just use your normal way of speaking, lion."

Na Yerin said in a soft voice, smiling broadly at the spirit, who was frowning at the excruciating awkwardness she felt.

"What the hell is this……?"

Instead of answering, Na Yerin stared off into space for a moment, then looked up at the spirit and said.

"We're running out of time, go ahead and wake the others up."

"Where are you going, Rin?"

But by then, the hem of Na Yerin's white robe had disappeared out the door. The spirit stood for a moment in a daze, her hand covering her mouth.

"And you say this again……."

Deeply suspicious that the longer she spent with Na Yerin, the stranger her speech became, the more the spirit followed her out of the room.

Their current room is on the fifth floor. When the spirit stepped outside, Na Yerin opened the door to the next room and entered.

It was the room where Jinryung was sleeping with Ryu Eunkyung.

"Ambassador, why are you here on this late night……."

Na Yerin brought her index finger to her mouth, signaling for quiet.

Na Yerin whispered a few words into the spirit's ear. And then her eyes grew wider and wider.

"Did you remember everything I said?"

As if in confirmation, Na Yerin nodded twice.

"Everyone needs to be quiet."

Na Yerin's voice sounded so mysterious in the darkness of the night that she seemed to glow all by herself. If a woman like her could make men fall in love with her, how could she not?

"Then please do."

With those words, Na Yerin left the room.

She immediately headed down the stairs to the dining room on the second floor. As if she knew everything, her actions flowed like water.

* * *

Chirp.

Yeomdo grumbled as he poured himself a drink from an empty glass.

"This is the worst, and out of all the people I've ever had to drink with, this ice cube is the worst."

"I agree. Alcohol is meant to be enjoyed in the company of good company and good manners, but when you sit down to drink with a fireball who can do nothing but grumble and complain, you've got a problem."

Binggum silently agreed as he poured himself a drink.

Their personalities and hair colors were very different, and so were the types of alcohol they drank.

Yidou was drinking the fiery hot liquor that seemed to breathe fire when consumed, and Binggum was drinking the ice-clear, crystal-clear ice moon liquor, so the bottles and glasses in front of them were different.

"It's been a while since I've had a drink with an ice cube."

Yeomdo muttered, looking down at the large glass in his hand.

"You must have a really bad drinking habit. I can't forget the first time I drank it, and how quickly I got rid of it."

"You remember those old days well."

Iceblade grinned bitterly at Yeomdo's grumbling.

"How could I forget, it was right over my head, and it's in the top ten worst experiences of my life."

At Binggum's words, Yidou cocked his head to the side and said bluntly.

"Hmm, I don't remember."

"Typical excuse from a drunk. I remember it well. Who knew the redheaded boy who talked so loudly like he could drink was so weak?"

"Well, you were just unusually drunk at the time."

"Oh, and did I mention that you had only had two drinks, no, one and a half?"

Binggum still remembered exactly what had happened. He was not one to forget things easily.

"……."

After staring into his glass for a long time, Yeomdo suddenly spoke up.

"How did we get here?"

Binggum's hand twitched for a moment, then he brought the glass to his lips and sipped as if nothing had happened.

"Didn't you know, we're supposed to be like this."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot."

Then, after a while, Yeomdo spoke again.

"You know what, your kid is a real asshole?"

"Good. It was bound to happen."

The two men sipped their drinks in silence again.

They've been fighting for twenty years, and if it weren't for the intervention of Bi Ryuyeon, they wouldn't be so entangled.

It's a tangled mess, so tangled that I don't even know where to begin to untangle it.

"I'm not a match for this guy!

We both came to the same conclusion.

"What's going on? Late at night."

Yeomdo asked, looking toward the stairs, where Na Yerin stood with the spirit.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Salt and Iceblade were momentarily speechless at Na Yerin's earnest words. But these were Na Yerin's words, not anyone else's, and the stakes were too high to dismiss them as mere musings.

"The danger is coming."

At Na Yerin's warning, Yaldo smiled bitterly.

"Thanks for the warning, but it's too late."

From afar, Na Yerin sensed a number of living creatures approaching, encircling the entire room.

"I wish I had caught it sooner, I'm sorry."

Binggum shook his head.

"It's not your fault."

It was rather surprising that he had seen it coming and descended this way; it was a different force, one that went beyond the developed senses of mere mortals.

"Chet, that's a lot of water."

Binggum nodded with a heavy expression at Yeomdo's grumbling.

"If they've mobilized this many, they must be confident. Wake up the children, and Chancellor Dam, who was guiding us today."

Na Yerin replied in a quiet tone to Iceblade's command.

"I'm already awake."

"What?"

"I'm just here to let you know that I'm all set to fight."

Though quiet, her voice was filled with unwavering conviction.

"Ready to go?"

Then a man came upstairs, the head of the credit union that had hidden them.

"You're awake already?"

And he was dressed appropriately.

"I just woke up to a lady in your group shaking me awake. I'd like to know what's wrong……."

He looked confused, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

"Who woke you up?"

He raised his index finger and pointed toward the stairs, just in time to see a jin lord descend, armed to the teeth.

She wasn't the only one coming down the stairs. The entire rescue team was descending the stairs, dressed and armed.

"Hehe, this is going to be a ghost story."

Yeomdo smirked and muttered to himself.

"Hast thou awakened them all?"

Qin Lie blushed at Bing'er's question.

"I was…… just doing what I was told to do, Mr. President."

"You mean Na Yerin?"

"Yeah, me Sojae woke me up a little while ago, and he quietly told me to wake all the men up and arm myself……. He said we're going to have to move soon, so get ready……."

"Have you ever questioned why?"

"Come to think of it, ……," Jinling shook his head.

Binggum once again studied Na Yerin's face, this time with a questioning gaze.

"Yerin, how did you know that Chancellor Dam was the actual head of 'this stronghold'?"

The guest of honor was just a fake face to put on.

"It was just a hunch."

Na Yerin's answer was deceptively simple. Binggum did not smile.

"You seem to be able to see things we can't, much more than before. Do you 'feel' this too?"

Na Yerin shook her head silently.

"No. This one is a 'certainty'."

Ever since she was kidnapped by the Archon and freed from the Forbidden City under her own power, Na Yerin's power over the dragon's eye has grown even stronger.

What was once the domain of the individual was now seen in a larger perspective. The fate of individuals and the organizations they create seemed to be more or less in their hands.

A strange sense of certainty grew in me. That I would never be wrong.

Her father's disappearance hasn't put her mind at ease, as she's convinced that he's still alive and well under the heavens. However, her growing anxiety over the past few days could only mean that the threat to his safety was growing stronger and stronger.

Na Yerin's eyes were as deep as the night sky as she answered without a hint of doubt. It was as if she was predetermining the future.

And I felt an odd sense of certainty that the ice sword and Yeomdo would somehow be real.

'You have such a mysterious look in your eyes.

Iceblade thought as he gazed into Na Yerin's dark eyes, which gazed back at him without the slightest wavering. The coldness in those eyes had thinned, and in its place was a much deeper mystery. They possessed a strange magic that seemed to draw you in just by looking at them. She was mysterious, like a shaman reading the stars. She seemed to see through everything……. I could feel the tug of power that seemed to bind even the soul.

'I don't think it's in full bloom yet, but…….'

The buds were already opening. What would happen when they all opened, even Bingum himself had no idea.

'The young master certainly has an eye for a woman.

This gave the rescuers time to prepare for the unexpected and time to get away.

"Sorry to wake you up, everyone."

Yeomdo glanced at the rescuers and opened his mouth.

We were nervous because we were in enemy territory, but after all, on the first day, when we were relieved that we had infiltrated safely, we were surrounded by the enemy, and not everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Yeomdo didn't miss the agitation in their hearts.

"For those of you who might have tried to do something with the free room, we offer our 'triple' condolences."

"That never happened!"

Long Tianming straightened his unnecessarily disheveled clothes and answered aloud.

"No, that didn't happen."

Maharishi said, smoothing his hair unnecessarily.

"Okay, let's leave it at that, we're running out of time."

Yeomdo nudged the two of them and said. Long Tianming and Maharishi's faces quickly turned red.

"What do we do now, fight back?"

Upon hearing Long Tianming's words, Bing'er shook her head. In the absence of the Southern Palace Master, who had been forcibly dragged away by Bi Ryuyeon, the center of the Heavenly Guidance Sect had naturally tilted toward him, even if only temporarily.

"Nope. We can't waste power here."

Playing in the enemy's front yard was a very unwise choice.

"Chancellor Dam, we'll have to use the secret passage."

The General Secretary nodded.

"I'm afraid we'll have to abandon this base as well. I've been suspicious that this is the only one of Infinity's strongholds that's unharmed, but I didn't expect it to be today. I had a guard on duty, but it looks like they've already taken it."

Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten the news this late.

"But the passageways are too narrow and complicated for this many people to dodge all at once, so we need time."

"Don't worry about that, we'll buy you some time."

After saying that, Binggum looked at Yidao.

It was a do-or-die, do-or-don't-do look.

"Why stare, you're going to do it anyway."

"I'm asking you what you want, out of respect."

A snort of laughter came from Salty.

"Phew, you're making me laugh about respect. I'm not going to let you get all smug on yourself. I'm coming."

"Then it's settled."

Binggum's gaze returned to the face of the rescue team.

"As you can see, this is one of our specially prepared bases. If you go underground, you'll find an emergency exit. Follow Commander Dam."

"What about the unions, aren't they coming with us?"

At Qin Lie's question, Iceblade shook his head.

"No, no. If you come with us, these chairs will be taken over quickly. It won't take long for the secret passage to be discovered."

That had to be avoided. I couldn't let the young flowers that hadn't yet bloomed die here.

"You can't possibly mean……."

Iceblade nodded at Na Yerin's words.

"That's right. We'll stall for time, while you guys run away."

"It's dangerous for you two alone!"

Her voice was desperate, unlike the usually calm Na Yerin.

"Hehe, have you forgotten who we are? No worries."

"But…… but……."

Na Yerin's complexion didn't brighten as she answered.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Na Yerin's words rang like an ominous prophecy, causing the faces of Salt and Iceblade to stiffen slightly, but they soon relaxed.

"Don't worry, it's just a feeling. There's no guarantee that your hunches are all right, is there?"

"If…… something were to happen to both of you, who would we have to rely on?"

"Don't worry, I don't get caught up in things like this easily. The two of us are more than capable of escaping on our own, as long as you guys make it out alive. So don't worry."

And then Yeomdo nodded beside him.

"Yeah, right. We're surrounded, it's easy."

You guys are the ones who are holding me back, and I couldn't have pushed harder.

"Okay, then take care."

Na Yerin bowed respectfully, and the others followed suit, bowing respectfully.

"Take care!"

Yeomdo said with a grin, as if it were somehow amusing.

"Kahahaha, don't worry. I'll see you soon! And if the worst happens, you can reach me at……."

He looked around at the students he had been teaching.

"Well, it won't happen, but if the worst does happen and you have no one to turn to……."

Yeomdo looked toward Qin Lie and said in a low tone.

"You know, right?"

Qin Lie nodded and replied.

"I know."

"All right, then. I'm not going to let you guys die if I'm your godfather."

But let's not forget to add a word.

"But it's best not to bring it up. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course I know that to the bone, Mr. Yeomdo."

"That's it. Now leave."

Following General Dam, the rescuers made their way to a secret passage.

The spirit starts to move after Na Yerin, but a voice stops her.

"Spirit, you need to see me for a minute."

It was none other than Yeomdo who caught her eye.

"Anything you need to do to get me to school……."

The spirit asked in a nervous voice, for he was somehow afraid of this man, Yin Do.

"Defend."

"What? Keep what?"

The spirit was dumbfounded by the bottomless pit of words. To the spirit, who was full of questions, he pointed toward Na Yerin, who had not yet left.

"Protect that child. If you fail to protect her, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I guarantee it. Don't make the same mistake as anyone else. You may have to live with it forever."

Yidou's face was so serious that I didn't dare to argue with him.

"What's that……."

She was still a spirit of the Illusory Mountains, not a disciple of the Sword Gak.

"What I'm about to tell you, you'd better remember it. Unless you want to regret it for the rest of your life."

The words weighed heavily on the spirit's mind.

"You'd better take the advice of experience. That's all I need to know."

The spirit left his presence as hastily as she had entered it, as if to flee. But she seemed unable to forget what he had just said.

Yindo said, looking back at Binggum, who was watching from a few feet away.

"Shall we go?"

"Sure."

"Let's go out with a bang. Hiding is not my favorite thing after all."

"That's because you're being overly simplistic."

"What?! Did you finish your sentence, you icy bastard!"

The Yeomdo has changed.

"There's still a lot more to say. But I'd have to stay up for days and nights to get it all done, so I'll stop here."

"You're such a dick."

"You're half right. Now if you're done being angry, why don't you go do what you're supposed to do, not hold my ankles."

"I don't want you to throw cold water on me, I've got enough on my own, why don't you go suck on a popsicle stick with your finger?"

"You're no match for me, I can do this on my own. Why don't you step away and shine a light on it, it's dark, that would be perfect."

The bickering didn't end until they were down the stairs from the second floor and standing at the front door.

Sun Guang, a member of the Black Heavenly Clan Patrol, was dumbfounded when he saw Yeomdo and Ice Sword, who had just come down from the battlefield and didn't even care about him.

"You chewing bastards, slacking off on the intruder topic?!"

At that moment, Sun Guang cringed, so he ignored the command and gave the order to attack.

"Attack in unison and surround the invaders! I don't care if you kill them!"

No matter how well you fly or crawl, this is the Black Heaven's backyard, the domain of their patrols.

With a shout, the first ranks of the patrols charged toward Yin Do and Ice Sword in unison.

And……

Quack!

It bounced back with an eardrum-splitting explosion. The air around him sizzled with the heat of the instantaneous eruption.

"Hehe, how dare you!"

Yeomdo snorted, his red hair blowing in the wind. The heat that had warmed the air a moment ago had been the pottery he had exuded.

Son Kwang's face spoke for the unimaginably strong resistance.

"Jayzin attack!"

Immediately, Jayjin of the patrol charged in. This time, Binggum stepped forward and swung his sword.

A transparent blue sword light flashed, and in a flash, two dozen swords rose into the sky.

"Hmph!"

At the same time, a chill swept through their bodies, and the rangers fell to their knees on the spot. As they fell to their knees, their swords fell from their hands and struck them like tombstones. One more step and the blade would have pierced their white-gray blood.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

I had to make up for this humiliation somehow. As it was, I could not face the other danjutsu.

"Hooray!"

To support his men, who were clearly outnumbered, Sun Guang unleashed the strongest of his single-handed martial arts, the Yun Ying Eight Forms, and charged toward Yin Dao and the Ice Sword.

Bang!

His dao, flying through dozens of shadows, was intercepted by a sharp dao, a red flame of fire.

"Kill whoever killed you!"

Uh-huh!

With a sound like a lion's roar, Sun Guang's Dao was shattered. He couldn't help but be stunned as his Qi infused Dao shattered like a porcelain bowl. The next moment, an invisible dark sutra struck his entire body.

"Kaaahhhh!"

Unable to withstand the impact, he too bounced and spun out of the three sheets.

"Go fuck yourself!"

He leaped forward and landed in front of Sun Kwang, about to strike down the flaming Dao.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, the woman's voice brought Yeomdo's hand to a halt.

Quickly withdrawing their hands, Yeomdo and Ice Sword turned to face the source of the voice.

"I told you to hold on to your feet for now, but you were in a bit of a hurry."

There was a hint of rebuke in his voice, but Patrol Leader Sun Guang was unable to respond.

"That thinned the siege a lot, didn't it?"

It was none other than Gal Hyo-hye, the third of the eight divine sages, who turned to them and smiled.

Behind her stood five of her sisters, and behind them the three great nang rang, led by the Nine Heavenly Maidens Muhua.

"We meet again, Mr. Guan! I see you've both shed all that stuffy detachment, and you're much more confident and presentable."

At Gal Hyo-hye's wide smile, Bing-gum hardened his expression and replied, "I'm sorry.

"You've already figured out who we are?"

Gal Hyo-hye nodded without wiping the smile off her face.

"Yes, of course I knew, why do you think my mother asked me to accompany you in the midst of the crisis?"

The smile on Gal Hyo-hye's face sent chills down Yeomdo and Bing-gum's spines.

"…to spy on us."

Suddenly realizing why Mu Hua had asked where she was going, Bing Gum's complexion hardened. Gal Hyohye must have blown him off.

"Yes. I don't know if you realize it, but a peak master doesn't hide himself that easily, and you two are not very good at it, and you've obviously lived a life where you've never had to. Unless you've had specialized training in stealth, a peak master can give you away by the way he walks, the way he moves his fingers, or his mood. The hard part is pretending not to notice, which you probably don't know, but it's pretty painful to smile in the face of your enemy's enablers."

As Gal Hyo-hye said that, a smile spread across her face more and more.

Laughing Sword (笑裏藏刀). A knife hidden behind a smile.

From the beginning to now, there has never been a time when her laughter hasn't contained a knife. Until now, it had only been hiding a glint of foreknowledge. Now that it was out in the open, her smile was powerful enough to send chills down the spines of the two peak masters.

I've heard it said that if you think a woman is smiling on the outside, she's smiling on the inside, you're in big trouble……. This one seemed to be a match made in heaven.

"But why are there only two of you?"

And Binggum replied.

"We're still putting our students to bed."

"Wow, what a sweet teacher."

"It's not a compliment I hear often, but it's nice of you to say."

Gal Hyo-hye said with a wry smile.

"It would save me a lot of trouble if everyone else would stand up too……. I don't want any more hassle."

In short, he was asking to be caught.

"Even if he were here, I can't do that."

Binggum shook his head emphatically.

"Apparently, Mr. Binggum is the one causing the hassle."

Despite their outward appearance of resolve, Bing'er and Yeomdo were nervous. If these women attacked all at once, it would be extremely dangerous.

Whatever you mean," Binggum said proudly.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but this red fellow has a bad temper, but he won't be easy to take down."

Mu Hua, who had been staring at Yeomdo and the Ice Sword, spoke up for the first time.

"You're so full of yourself, you two have become so great?"

Nine Heavenly Maiden's single word caused Yeomdo and Ice Sword's bodies to flinch.

"……."

Silence from this man.

They both kept their faces stiff and tried to avoid looking in her direction as much as possible.

"Hah……."

A short sigh escaped from Gu Tianxuan's mouth as she closed her eyes.

"I was skeptical when the third said it was you two, and I hoped you two weren't the obstacles in my way, but it was really you. When did you become so strong that you could make such an arrogant statement in front of her?"

"……."

"You've already forgotten what you were taught twenty years ago."

They both stiffened as the memories they'd buried in the darkest recesses of their minds came flooding back like it was yesterday.

"How could I ever forget that horrible thing?"

Iceblade said, his tone heavy.

"Never forget, never!"

The impression of Yeomdo speaking out loud was crumpled as it was.

"And yet you dare to stand in my way?"

"…I'm sorry."

Yin and Iceblade said, raising their qi.

"If so, great."

They both shuddered at the tremendous amount of flesh that radiated from her entire body as she answered.

'I can't believe how intimidating this is…….'

I can't believe a master of their caliber is under this kind of pressure just to live…….

A horrible memory from my past was tingling and trying to resurface.

The next moment, her eyes, which had been closed for so long, flashed open, and an explosion of formative light burst forth.

The two of them tense up as they prepare for Goo Cheon's departure.

"Fourth and fifth, are you there?"

"Yes, Mother, here it is."

A chorus of voices answered simultaneously from the back of the line.

"There's no way I'm going out, you twins are going to test those two!"

"Yes, Mother!"

This time, the answer was the same.