Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 226

Nangseon’s Romantic Tale – Episode 225

“How did you get there…?!!”

Choeum exclaimed in astonishment.

He never imagined that Choa would be inside the black bead the Gumiho [a nine-tailed fox, a mythical creature] threw.

Choa, equally clueless, blinked, looking around.

“I don’t know either… what’s going on.”

Though she didn’t know, she could roughly grasp the situation.

Choeum’s momentum was significantly weakened, while the Mountain Lord’s was not.

The contrasting appearances showed a mix of joy and sorrow.

Choa understood at once and smiled contentedly at Choeum.

“I thought I was going to die here… but I guess not. The situation has changed quite a bit now, Teacher.”

“…So, you two knew each other.”

You could tell just by the way they looked at each other.

Anyone who couldn’t tell they were close would be a fool.

“I thought there was something, but I didn’t know you had such a connection.

And I told you to stay away from men…”

“Before being a man, he is someone who is like my only support. How could I stay away?”

Choa took off her bamboo hat and stood quietly by his side.

She took the Mountain Lord’s hand tightly and smiled with a face he had never seen before.

It was a face of utmost happiness, with nothing to envy in the world.

“I didn’t know you were so beautiful, Teacher. Did you always take the form of an old man because you were betrayed by men in your past life?”

“It’s nothing. You never called me Teacher before, but now that you have someone on your side, you call me that so easily. Are you being sarcastic?”

“When else would I do this? I’ve always been in a situation where I could die at any moment, so I have to do this now.”

“Ha!”

It was absurd, but it was true.

The situation had changed a lot.

With the Mountain Lord backing her, Choa had nothing to fear.

Choeum deeply felt the vicissitudes of life along with a sense of transience.

How did he end up in this situation?

He had cultivated and lived based on the memories of his past life with the Sipsaenggeumeocho [a rare and mystical herb], dedicating this life solely to the Great Dao [the fundamental nature of the universe in Taoism]. Was even that not allowed to him?

‘But I, Choeum, will not be easily defeated here.’

“Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

Though her face was venomous, the Mountain Lord spoke calmly, as if he didn’t care.

“You want to undo the Geumje [a magical curse or binding] you placed on Choa, right? That Geumje activates upon my death and will penetrate her Hwaryeong [spiritual core], preventing her from even reincarnating, annihilating her.

If you truly care for her, you wouldn’t want to see that happen.

Am I wrong?”

Her expression and tone were arrogant, but she held Choa’s lifeline.

As Choeum said, the Mountain Lord couldn’t kill her carelessly.

“How can you undo it?”

“I don’t know how to undo the Geumje of the Manbo Era. But I do know how to transfer it to someone else.”

The Mountain Lord’s eyebrows twitched.

To not know how to undo it but to know how to transfer it meant.

“How about it? If you truly care for each other, you should be able to take on the Geumje in your woman’s body. Shouldn’t you be able to do that much to be called a man?”

“That’s absurd!!”

There was no need to do that.

If the Geumje could be removed just by transferring it, it didn’t have to be the Mountain Lord.

They could find a Taoist of suitable skill and transfer the Geumje.

There was no need for the Mountain Lord to risk himself and endure it.

“It’s not absurd. The Geumje I planted on you is the Hanryeongoryunje (寒領五輪制) [a specific type of curse]. A Geumje made of cold energy.

It’s poison when someone who controls cold energy possesses it, but who knows about someone who controls Hwasintong [a powerful fire-based martial art]? It might take a long time, but they might be able to melt it away.”

Of course, it was a gamble.

It was not something that could be confirmed.

It didn’t matter to Choeum, and it was her aim.

‘But he won’t accept it.’

Who would willingly do it when they might die?

‘Men are all like that.’

On the surface, they say they can pluck the stars and moon from the sky, but when things get tough, they are too busy saving their own lives to abandon their women.

That goes for the king of a country, the woodcutter living in the mountains, and the beggars begging in the streets.

No man would die for a mere woman when his own life is at stake.

Choeum, who had lived for thousands of years including her past life, was certain.

He would never transfer the uncertain Geumje to his own body.

‘If that happens….’

A rift would naturally form between them, and if she tended to it well, a gap to survive would naturally appear.

‘Poor disciple. The most foolish thing is to trust a man.’

Choeum showed a faint smile and looked at the Mountain Lord with a triumphant air.

The impending catastrophe already seemed to flicker before her eyes.

“Please do so.”

“…What?”

Choeum’s face contorted.

“Transfer Choa’s Geumje to me.”

Choeum’s eyes widened in disbelief as she asked again.

“Really? You might die if something goes wrong!”

“If I don’t, Choa might die.

She is a child I almost lost once. I’d rather have it myself.”

The Mountain Lord, recalling the events at Goseon, thought it was the right thing to do.

Then it was Choeum who was flustered.

“If, if I transfer the Geumje and detonate it right away, you’ll die immediately!”

“If you do that, the Suseon [a guardian spirit] who protects me will kill you. I don’t think you’re foolish enough to do that.

So, transfer the Geumje to me.”

Choeum pressed her lips tightly.

It was a reaction too different from her expectations. Her thoughts seemed to stop, feeling dazed and detached from the world.

She felt dizzy and nauseous, as if her entire existence was being denied.

“No way!!”

But then, Choa shouted.

She gnashed her teeth and expressed anger with a face he had never seen before.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! What do you mean it’s okay! I, I don’t want to be a woman who holds back her husband!

I’d rather help you than cause you trouble like this. How can I live with myself!!

If you put such a burden on my heart, it might become my Simma [a mental block or inner demon]. If that happens, how can I become a god and cross over to the Immortal Realm, and how can we live happily together!”

So.

“Please, take back those words.”

“What a load of crap.”

Choeum muttered in disbelief.

“Shut up!! When you get right down to it, all of this is your fault, so it wouldn’t be enough to tear you apart into dozens of pieces right now!”

“Then kill me, do whatever you want. If I die, you’ll die too, and if that happens, I won’t go alone, so you’ll be perfect as a companion on the road to the afterlife.”

Choeum also revealed her murderous intent, growling as if not to be outdone.

But the Mountain Lord seemed to have made up his mind, holding Choa’s hand and saying.

“Trust me.”

“But…!”

Red eyes met Choa’s eyes.

The Mountain Lord’s lips moved.

It seemed like he was sending some kind of telepathy.

She stared at the red eyes for a long time before biting her lip. Then, she lowered her head without a word.

“You’re awful.”

“Didn’t you know that when you married me?”

“I wouldn’t have done it if I knew it would be like this.”

The Mountain Lord’s lips loosened at Choa’s complaining tone.

But it was only for a moment.

Poisonous energy rushed out in all directions again.

“Please do it.”

Choeum looked at the two of them and nodded with an even darker face.

* * *

At the same time.

In the sky of Geumhwanseonhyang [a celestial realm], a very small mosquito was riding the wind.

The mosquito was flapping its wings precariously, as if it was about to die, and its energy was so weak that it could be considered to be at the level of Yeonggyeol [a low level of spiritual cultivation].

He was none other than Chungseon, who had fought fiercely with the Mountain Lord and was thought to be dead.

[Damn it…!]

He had been completely deceived by the avatar created by Tamhwa and thought he had met his death, but he had also separated a part of his body in preparation for the worst.

As long as the Wonyuk [the core essence of a being] was not broken, he could still move.

He could not use his original power unless he regained the Wonyuk, so it was not living even if he was alive, but he could still hold on to a glimmer of hope.

[I will definitely kill that bastard and retrieve my Wonyuk!!]

He spat blood and revealed his resentment, but he did not know how much time it would take to rebuild his cultivation.

The poison spewed out by Oryong [a mythical dragon] was no ordinary poison, but it was even more so because he was vulnerable to poison.

He was alive because of his special technique, but if he were an ordinary god, he would have died a hundred times over.

But such self-consolation was useless.

His current situation was worse than that of any ordinary Yeongchung [a type of spirit] in the Lower World. He was in a pathetic state, no bigger than a finger joint, so he was ashamed to even be called Chungseon.

[Since that bastard has my Wonyuk… it won’t be a problem to find him no matter how much time passes.]

But if that bastard destroys or consumes the Wonyuk, he too will be destined to disappear.

Of course, if he re-condensed the Dallyeong [another term for spiritual essence] before that, his life would not be in danger, but he would never be able to find him.

As he was wondering what to do.

“This is… is this a joke of the heavens? I never thought I’d meet you here.”

He trembled and looked back.

Behind him, a handsome young man was smiling eerily, the Taoist who used the Mado [a demonic or unorthodox martial art] he had seen before.

It was Yewoon of the Gwigang Gate [a sect known for its unorthodox practices]!

“How did you end up in such a state… you look no different from a mosquito that dies when you slap it with your palm.”

In an instant, the things he had done to him flashed through his mind.

Looking back on those things, he was afraid, but it was also an opportunity.

If he could coax him well and get help, it would be much easier to regain his cultivation.

[That’s good, you can help me.]

“Help you? Me?”

[Yes! If you help me regain my original state, I will ascend to the Upper World again and create a place for you, as well as directly impart the advice and enlightenment you need to ascend!]

“Hoo….”

It was a proposal that any cultivator would be tempted by.

The thing that Taoists want most is to become gods, and to become gods, they must ascend. So, of course, they have to seek even the smallest piece of advice with a desperate heart.

[If you just help me, ascending to the Upper World is not a difficult task!]

Yewoon stroked his chin as if he was tempted, and then suddenly took something out of Gongjeonggang [a storage artifact] as if he had remembered something.

It was a broken puppet.

A puppet.

[Wh, why is that….]

“When Chungseon tried to kill me out of the blue, my wife tried to stop him and ended up in this miserable state.”

[Wife… isn’t that just an ordinary puppet, not a wife.]

In an instant, Yewoon’s eyes changed.

The gentle eyes suddenly became as sharp as a weasel.

[Wh, where are you looking like that!]

Then Yewoon gave a sinister smile and muttered sullenly.

“Ah! The thing in front of me is just an ordinary mosquito, but I guess I was mistaken!”

With those words, Yewoon spread his hands wide.

It looked like he was about to clap.