Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 12

Nangseon’s Spirited Journey – Episode 11

Hwaran caught a squirrel.

“The Mountain Lord caught the Miraculous Young Beast at Hundred-Foot Valley.”

And out of the blue, she started telling stories to the squirrel, whose stripes were in a checkerboard pattern.

“Yes. The Mountain Lord of Baek Mountain is also looking for the Cho Yeon Herb and the White-Haired Mountain Spirit. Take this and tell your friends.”

“Okay!”

As she gave the squirrel a fragrant Gaedal acorn from her hand, the squirrel’s eyes sparkled, and it snatched the acorn in an instant.

She smiled contentedly and got up from her seat.

The squirrel from just now was a spirit creature called the Checkerboard Squirrel, and they loved to gossip. Their specialty was going around and spreading various rumors.

If she did this, she could find clues about the Cho Yeon Herb and figure out the Mountain Spirit’s location.

Although she was a little far from Baek Mountain, the Mountain Lord’s reputation spread throughout this area, so wouldn’t they bring information on their own?

‘If word spreads that he caught the Miraculous Young Beast, most of the weaklings will stay out of his way.’

The area near Baek Mountain is where so-called weakling spirit creatures gather.

In the first place, the spiritual energy flowing through the mountain is weaker than in other places, so there is no reason for high-ranking spirit creatures to come.

The Mountain Lord knew that well, so he made Baek Mountain his base.

‘It’s just that the Blood Cat Rat Child was unusual.’

[Are you done?]

“Yes, where are you headed?”

[I’m going to Udun Mountain.]

“Udun Mountain… Are you talking about the place where that old man is?”

[That guy would know about the Cho Yeon Herb. It’s an herb I’ve never heard of. A centuries-old crafty old beast like him might know.]

Udun Mountain is a two-day trip from Hundred-Foot Valley, so it’s relatively close, and if you go up a little further from there, there’s Hwajang Village, so Hwaran also nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the village where Choa and her group arrived, Cheongdosan was raising his voice.

“Yes! That’s how you do it. That’s right, that’s right!”

Choa was learning footwork by following the steps Cheongdosan taught her.

In Cheongdosan’s heart, Choa was already as good as his disciple, so he taught her a few secrets of Kunlun’s divine skills, and she mastered them in less than a day!

Cheongdosan clenched his fist tightly.

“Hehe….”

How could such talent have been wasted until now?

He thought she would be on par with Bicheong, but now that he saw it, her talent was as different as heaven and earth from Bicheong.

If she trained for just 10 years! No, even just 5 years, he had no doubt that she would ascend to Doseon [achieve enlightenment] like other Seoncheonja [naturally enlightened beings].

‘No! With Choa’s talent, even the Ascending Immortal Pill….’

While Cheongdosan was grinning with an unpleasant face, Choa pouted with a sullen face.

“It’s not fun.”

She wanted to meet her husband more than playing with her feet in a strange way and controlling the internal energy in her body.

She wanted to get on top of her husband, hug his sturdy neck, and rub her face all over him.

She wanted to snuggle up against his prickly yet soft fur, curl up, and take a nap.

“Hey! If you’re weak, a terrible monster will appear and kidnap you like yesterday. Don’t you know that it will harm you and the people around you!”

But Choa couldn’t help it because he kept bringing up yesterday’s events whenever she didn’t want to do something.

The old man’s words were true, and she couldn’t deny that she was a burden.

Cheongdosan, who was looking at Choa, who was concentrating again and practicing footwork and martial arts, had a desire in his heart.

He didn’t want to lose the disciple who would fulfill his dream.

‘If that tiger comes back….’

Cheongdosan has no way to stop him.

He may already be dead, but if he is alive, wouldn’t he be losing his disciple with his eyes open!

Cheongdosan’s eyes flashed as he looked at Choa.

* * *

Udun Mountain (愚鈍山) [Mountain of the Foolish]

Although smaller than Baek Mountain, it had a large area, so quite a few spirit creatures and spirit objects were located there.

The mountain’s name, Udun, was given because foolish people gathered in the past to exchange their knowledge and repeatedly practice to become immortals.

Therefore, spirit creatures and Taoists who thought they were foolish gathered here to practice.

It was a fairly famous mountain that most people knew, and the owner of this Udun Mountain was the one the Mountain Lord was trying to meet.

Udun Mountain Peak.

It was an insignificant and ordinary peak, but the peak also had a name.

Udunjiu (愚鈍智虞) [Foolish Wisdom, Foolish Worry].

It meant that even if foolish people gathered their wisdom, their worries would not be resolved, and it was named in lamentation of their foolishness.

Various spirit creatures gathered in Udunjiu, mostly spirit creatures similar to the shape of wild boars.

[Great Elder! Please make a decision now!]

A wild boar spirit creature with a rough mane and long fangs shouted.

Following his gaze, all the other spirit creatures looked at one place. It was a wild boar spirit creature with a house-sized body, sparse fur, but sparkling eyes.

You could tell at a glance that he was old, with white hair all over his body and long whiskers hanging under his chin.

In addition, lush green moss and grass were tangled with his mane and growing all over his back.

The owner of Udun.

He was the Great Elder of Udun Mountain.

The Great Elder closed his eyes once as if giving up as he looked at those who wanted his decision, and then opened his mouth.

[Foolish ones. Why do you ask the most foolish one for a decision?]

[If it’s not the Great Elder, how can these foolish guys make a decision!]

Keureuk keureuk!

The young wild boar spirit creature, seemingly a little excited, shouted while looking at the others.

[If the Great Elder returns to the soil, who will protect Udun Mountain!]

[That’s right! If there is no Great Elder, Udun Mountain will not be as peaceful as before! Humans are already running rampant these days….]

Buzz buzz.

The spirit creatures complained or whispered, saying that they had been harmed by humans.

[I heard that tiger-like guy ate the Miraculous Young Beast this time….]

[What? Is that really true?]

[I heard it as a rumor. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the story is spreading throughout the forest!]

For a while, the foolish spirit creatures poured out slander about the tiger, but they became as quiet as mice at the Great Elder’s action of stomping on the ground!

[Even so, is it even right to drive out the humans!]

It was an absurd sound.

The Great Elder also felt sorry for the fact that ignorant humans had harmed them, but to attack a human village because of that!

[The number of humans is increasing, and the number of foolish people is also increasing, so how can we not when there is a shortage of food?]

[That’s right! The spirit creatures are okay, but we can’t say the same for their children!]

[A peddler carrying Dobonghwan (導鋒丸) [Lead Point Pill] is said to be coming to that village! With that, the Great Elder can raise his training and extend his life!]

The Great Elder groaned.

Sword Immortal – Doseon – Biseon – Hwanseon – Taeseon – Jiseon.

The 6 stages of a Taoist.

Dobonghwan was a Seondan [elixir] used by Taoists to break down the wall when they moved from their first stage, Sword Immortal, to the second stage, Doseon.

If he could really bring Dobonghwan, he might be able to live for another 500 years as a Miraculous Young Beast.

The lifespan of a Miraculous is a thousand years!

But the problem was after that.

The Taoists who had their village attacked by spirit creatures and robbed of Dobonghwan would not stand still.

How many people had he seen die in vain, blinded by greed?

He couldn’t drive so many people on Udun Mountain to their deaths just to save his own life.

However, so many people did not want his death and were expressing their anger at humans, so his worries deepened.

At that time.

A rabbit spirit creature approached the Great Elder and whispered to him so that only he could hear.

His complexion became strange, and after thinking for a while, his eyes flashed and he ordered everyone to leave.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Mountain Lord was sitting on his butt at the entrance of Udun Mountain.

It didn’t matter if he just went in, but it was polite to give notice when another mountain lord visited someone else’s territory.

After waiting for about 15 minutes.

A wild boar the size of a bull came down from the mountain to greet him.

[I greet the owner of Baek Mountain.]

He was a guy who knew how to be quite polite for a wild boar. Spirit creatures originally didn’t have manners or anything, but the spirit creatures of Udun Mountain valued it.

The Mountain Lord didn’t want to cause a commotion, so he just nodded slightly.

The guy’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but the Mountain Lord snickered inwardly and pretended not to care.

[Udun’s Great Elder. I am Uja, the eldest son of that person.]

He says words that he didn’t even ask, perhaps because he was annoyed by the Mountain Lord’s actions that seemed to ignore him.

It was an unspoken threat to treat him with respect, even if he was the owner of Baek Mountain.

The Mountain Lord was about to say something, but then shook his head and opened his mouth.

[I am the Mountain Lord of Baek Mountain.]

[Yes, come this way.]

As the Mountain Lord followed Uja up the mountain, he felt the gazes staring at him in the middle of the climb.

It was a glare filled with bad feelings, but the Mountain Lord smiled faintly.

-You’ve earned a lot of hatred.

Hwaran, who was in the Mountain Lord’s arms, sneered.

-They messed with me first and got hurt badly. Didn’t you see it too?

-Yes, I clearly stopped you.

-What am I supposed to do when they pick a fight first?

[We’re here.]

The Mountain Lord, who had arrived at the top of the mountain, glanced around and headed towards a wild boar of similar size to himself.

The Great Elder of Udun Mountain. It was Udan (憂斷) [Worry Severing].

[Is this the first time we’ve met in 30 years?]

[Keu keu, yes. 30 years ago, you were stabbed by my tusks and ran away, didn’t you?]

[Ran away! You attacked me sneakily when I was exhausted from fighting other guys!]

30 years ago.

When he was first called the Mountain Lord of Baek Mountain, he often traveled around.

In the meantime, he happened to visit Udun Mountain, and there was friction with those who valued etiquette, so he beat up one or two guys, and then he beat up all the spirit creatures who used to use their strength in Udun Mountain.

At that time, the Great Elder Udan, who couldn’t stand it, stepped in and chased the Mountain Lord away.

At that time, the Mountain Lord was a little exhausted from fighting other spirit creatures, and he didn’t know how to handle his strength completely, so he was ambushed and had a hole in his side and ran away.

[Yes, have you come to settle the score now? Mountain Lord of Baek Mountain.]

He wasn’t afraid of fighting Udan now, unlike in the old days, but he didn’t care about that.

He wanted to become human as soon as possible.

He didn’t want to waste his strength meaninglessly.

[No, I came because I have something to find.]

[Hoo……. What is it?]

[Cho Yeon Herb.]

[Cho Yeon Herb? Why are you looking for that?]

Udan tilted his head.

Why is this tiger-like guy looking for that useless herb?

[I’m looking for it because I need it. Do you think I would have come all the way here out of boredom?]

[Cho Yeon Herb.]

It’s not difficult to give it.

Udun Mountain had many spirit creatures in its sect, and he remembered that the Cho Yeon Herb was mixed among the herbs he received as tribute.

[It’s not difficult to give it. But, I didn’t know that you and I were so close.]

‘!’

He thought it would be fortunate if he knew even a clue, but he had the Cho Yeon Herb!

The Mountain Lord was overjoyed, but he didn’t show it. If he noticed it, this crafty wild boar might make unreasonable demands.

[If you find the Cho Yeon Herb, I’ll give you a few roots of ginseng. It’s ginseng that’s not easy to get, so it’ll be good for an old man who’s about to die, right?]

100-year-old wild ginseng is eaten as a snack for the Mountain Lord, but not for them. Why is wild ginseng wild ginseng? It’s wild ginseng that even a Simmani [Ginseng Collector] can barely dig up once every few years. Moreover, something that is about 100 years old is even rarer.

[Keu keu, ginseng is good too. But……. What Udan needs is not ginseng. I heard you ate the Miraculous Young Beast. Is that true?]

[Hmph, I drowned it the day before yesterday. It fell off with one kick of my forefoot? If you want to get hit, I’ll be happy to check it for you.]

Udan clicked his tongue at the Mountain Lord’s sarcasm.

[You wicked guy. But if so, that’s fine. If you grant me one request, I will give you the Cho Yeon Herb.]

[A request?]

The Mountain Lord frowned.

He just wanted to quickly handle things with a barter, but a request.

He had a hunch that he would be asked to do something incredibly annoying.

[Yes, it’s an easy task for you, so it won’t be difficult. And haven’t the children of Udun Mountain been angry with you? If you don’t grant Udan’s request, you won’t be able to take even a pebble from Udun Mountain.]