Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 187

Tales of Nangsungan – Episode 186

Who is the white-haired woman he seeks? There’s only one person it could be.

“I’m curious too. A woman who captured Yukgui’s heart. He must know Chilgui’s feelings…”

At his subtle words, Sangun chuckled and rose from his seat.

“It’s not like Chilgui has feelings for me either. Besides…”

Just then,

A man strode purposefully towards Sangun.

It was Sipgui, the newly appointed Demon King.

“Yukgui, let’s have a spar!”

At Sipgui’s sudden shout, the bustling surroundings instantly fell silent.

“Suddenly?”

“We were born as men with strength, so why not cross hands! It’s not like we can mingle bodies, hahaha!”

Sangun glanced at Ilgui.

Ilgui, with an indifferent face, gestured towards Chilgui, who was sitting on the opposite side.

He seemed to understand the situation.

‘Chilgui is the problem.’

This had happened before.

Sagui had come to Sangun, demanding a spar to claim Chilgui as his own.

After being quickly defeated, it turned out that Chilgui had told him to win against Sangun if he wanted to win her heart.

‘I didn’t see her that way…’

She’s quite cunning.

Turning his head slightly, he saw Chilgui covering her mouth with a fan, smiling.

Samgui was also beside her, subtly avoiding eye contact.

“Surely, you’re not afraid of me, Sipgui!”

Sangun scratched the back of his neck and readily nodded.

“Can you give me the first move?”

Sipgui thumped his chest and said heartily.

“Of course! My skin is like the shell of the Juhaetongchun [a mythical, incredibly hard tortoise shell], impenetrable! If you can even scratch it, I’ll concede the spar!”

Sangun nodded, half-listening, and strode forward.

“Come on!”

Sipgui gathered his energy with his hands clasped together, and suddenly his whole body began to crack and harden like stone.

Soon, his entire body turned a faint golden color, truly deserving the title of Indestructible Diamond.

Sipgui glared with a confident attitude. He was confident he could block any attack.

“Don’t blame me if you get hurt.”

The subtle light of Gyuncheonogwang [a powerful, heaven-defying energy] emanated from Sangun’s body.

He clenched his fist and struck out in one swift motion.

The pressure of Gyuncheonogwang transformed into a giant fist and flew forward.

Kwaaaang!!

“Uwaaaack!!”

Koo-oong!!

Sipgui, unable to withstand Sangun’s fist, flew backward.

He crashed through a small pavilion and into a rock wall, startling all the watching Ghost Soldiers, who gasped.

Sipgui was covered in blood and unable to regain his senses, while Sangun leisurely fled.

“S-Sipgui-nim! Quickly, get him! What are you all doing!!”

The Yuksas [Sipgui’s subordinates], seemingly Sipgui’s forces, rushed over to pick him up.

“Tsk tsk, Sipgui, you should consider yourself lucky to be alive after messing with Yukgui of all people,” Ogui clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if he were foolish.

Nearby, the new Palgui rolled his eyes and subtly asked Ogui.

He was curious.

“Isn’t the order of the Demon Kings a measure of strength? But why is Yukgui feared by all the Demon Kings?”

Ogui chuckled dryly, reminiscing about the past.

“He’s an exception.”

The remaining Demon Kings looked at each other with awkward faces before raising their glasses.

“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

As if nothing had happened, they shared drinks and enjoyed the festival.

* * *

The only Yukguigak [Yukgui’s personal residence/office] in Yongjeon.

Sitting there, Sangun was organizing various items when he noticed So Sojeo examining a jade case.

Sangun sighed as he looked at her. They had been together for about 25 years, but nothing significant had happened.

As he thought, So Sojeo was born as a human but possessed the body of a Hongoe [a being born from the unnatural combination of human and spirit beast].

Originally, Hongoe are mutants born from the combination of humans and spirit beasts, but their composition is slightly different from Hona Blood [those with a strong human bloodline and spirit beast lineage].

Hona Blood are those born with a strong human bloodline, but Hongoe are not.

They are artificially combined beings whose blood balance is not right, resulting in grotesque appearances or, in most cases, possessing a Naedan [inner core of energy].

However, that Naedan contains both the Naedan of a spirit beast and the Geumdan [golden core] of a Taoist, and because the two do not mix, they repel each other and explode as they cultivate.

Therefore, the end of Hongoe is bound to be miserable, but Somang, Sojeo, was a little different.

‘Cheongeun(天根) [Heavenly Root], was it?’

A very rare Cheongeun born from the combination of Taoists and spirit beasts.

In other words, she was the owner of a Cheondan(天團) [Heavenly Core].

It is a Geumdan with dozens of times more pure spiritual power and divine power than ordinary Naedan.

It is said that possessing a Cheondan allows for extremely fast cultivation speed and easy ascension under the influence of heavenly lightning.

‘However…’

Perhaps because she possesses a Cheongeun, she cannot accumulate energy with the spiritual energy of most sacred mountains.

So, she has to create and consume Seondan [elixir pills] with a special technique, but the ingredients are so rare that even Taeseon [Great Immortals] rarely encounter them.

‘There are drawbacks, but even so, Cheongeun is an attractive Geumdan.’

She was currently at the early stages of Yeonggeop [a high stage of cultivation], but it was ambiguous whether to call her Yeonggeop or Taeseon.

The reason is that Taeseon has one Hwaryeong [spiritual manifestation], and Yeonggeop has five, but she with Cheongeun had no Hwaryeong.

If you ask how she can be called Yeonggeop without Hwaryeong, there is nothing to say.

The energy itself is Yeonggeop, but she has not condensed Hwaryeong, so she may not be Yeonggeop, but looking at her pure Naedan, one cannot say that.

She is truly a strange being.

It is not that her divine powers are weaker than Yeonggeop, so curiosity arose naturally about the mysterious Cheongeun.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“I’m amazed.”

“At what again?”

“The immortals are said to unite Hwaryeong to have one Geumdan, right?”

“Well… I guess?”

So Sojeo, who was lying in her chamber looking at the jade case, got up and answered awkwardly.

“Isn’t Sojeo similar to that? She skipped the troublesome Yeonggak [another stage of cultivation], Danryeong [another stage of cultivation], and Hwaryeong like us and created the immortal’s Naedan.”

“Ah, yes… But why are you suddenly saying this? You’re not going to tell me to leave again, are you?”

“Baeksan [Mount Paektu]?”

“I’ll say it in advance, but if you’re telling me to go to Baeksan, I refuse.

The truly precious things are with Yukgui, and there’s a sly old man there who’s watching me.”

“Are you talking about Elder Gol?”

“Yes. It’s like he’s noticed something and keeps subtly watching me, so I don’t even want to go near there.”

“That quick-witted old man.”

So Sojeo is a successful Hongoe created by Ilwolmun [Sun Moon Sect].

Because of that, she had been confined to Ilwolmun for about four hundred years.

They needed a test subject to artificially create Cheongeun.

After hearing all the stories, Sangun decided that there was no need to suppress Sojeo any longer.

‘I was going to use her as bait to lure him, but we’re not in that kind of relationship… And it’s not like he’d fall for it anyway.’

Besides, she had been confined for hundreds of years.

Without knowing, she had been imprisoned for hundreds of years, so he wanted to send her away as soon as possible.

But for some reason, she returned to Yongjeon after 5 years and settled in Yukguigak.

The reason is as follows.

“Am I Sojeo’s pocket? You’re using me too freely, aren’t you?”

“Then why did you take me in?

It’s already like this, so I’ll consider Yukgui as my purse!”

It seemed she had caught Sangun as her patron.

With no connections and no place to stay, Dogye [a dangerous area] was too brutal to wander around Nangsungan.

Dogye is a place where you can get your nose cut off even with your eyes open, so how could a Nangsungan who doesn’t know the ways of the world survive?

Moreover, Cheongeun needs more precious spirits than ordinary Taoists.

It must have been an inevitable decision for her. She wouldn’t want to go back to Ilwolmun, and Sangun, who released her and didn’t touch her, was the perfect patron.

Thanks to that, Sangun’s purse was emptying day by day.

“Ahem. Although Yukgui is currently suffering losses, if you wait a little longer, I will ascend to Jiseon [Earth Immortal] and share enlightenment to advance Jinsumyeonghwa [a high-level cultivation technique], so please wait patiently.”

“I’ll be ruined waiting for that. Besides, I can’t research Sojeo’s Cheongeun, and I don’t really need it.”

Sangun has plenty of spirits to spare.

He had replicated the truly precious ones several times with Sawoljehang [a powerful replicating technique], so it’s not really a loss. But isn’t that how people feel?

‘It’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit.’

It’s not profitable, but his wealth is gradually being wasted, so it’s annoying.

He had pitied her for over a decade, but he didn’t really see her that way anymore.

Even now, she’s lying in her chamber, leisurely reading an jade case, so what’s the point of saying more?

“Sojeo.”

“Yes?”

“I’m thinking of going north.”

“The north is good. Have a good trip. I’ll borrow the necessary elixirs and herbs from the other Demon Kings in Yukgui’s name.”

Sangun’s eyes turned cold.

Wasn’t this the true definition of a freeloader? Look at her confidently speaking as if she had entrusted her things to him. For some reason, he wanted to flick her forehead.

But Sangun endured.

How could he become a Divine Beast if he couldn’t even endure this much?

If you endure and persevere, blessings will come.

“Ah, how long will you be gone? If it’s over a hundred years, it would be good to give me some precious herbs in advance.”

Will blessings come?

It didn’t seem like they were coming at all.

‘Blessings are made by oneself.’

Sangun, who had closed his eyes for a moment, declared to So Sojeo.

“Sojeo is going to the north with me.”

“Yes? I don’t know the geography of the north very well, and I get cold easily, so…”

“You wouldn’t know any geography? What are you talking about… And what cold are you talking about at Sojeo’s level?”

Those were ridiculous excuses.

“B-But…”

“There’s no objection. No, I’m taking you. You shouldn’t think about running away to Chilgui like last time. If you do that again, I’ll spank your bottom.”

“Spanking a lady’s bottom! H-How can you say such frivolous things!”

“Lady my foot… Anyway, know that. I can’t stand seeing Sojeo playing in her room.”

Sangun ran to his room, leaving So Sojeo, who was shouting that she was cultivating, not playing.

As he entered the room, Hwaran was braiding Tamhwa’s hair.

It was a sight that brought a satisfying smile to his face.

“So Sojeo’s voice could be heard all the way here. Did you bother her again?”

“I didn’t bother her. I just informed her that I was taking her on a trip.”

“That’s bothering her. Why are you trying to take someone who doesn’t want to go?”

“Ahem, it’s all to give her experiences that will become blood and flesh.”

“As you get older, you seem to be developing habits that strange old men have.”

Sangun sat in his chamber and clicked his tongue.

He didn’t think he could win even if he argued more.

Isn’t it good for a man to be taciturn? What good is it to argue with women?

As he kept his mouth shut, Ran smiled and leaned against his shoulder.

“Are you sulking?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. How can I be called a man if I sulk over such things? If he’s so petty to his woman, he won’t even become a man, let alone a Divine Beast.”

“You seem a little sulky, judging by how much you’re talking.”

Ahem.

Sangun swallowed his saliva.

“You have a remarkable talent for teasing people. It’s truly astonishing.”

As he sneered, Hwaran chuckled and leaned her body against his shoulder.

“Are you going to Binggung [Ice Palace]?”

“…I have to.”

“Do you think Madam is really in Binggung? Didn’t she originally escape from there and be with Sangun?”

Sangun thinks the same.

If she’s there, Yoho would also be there, but it’s even stranger that there’s only a story about Hyeoncheonseonnyeo [Mysterious Heavenly Fairy]. But this is also something that needs to be confirmed.

He’ll find out anyway when he goes to Binggung.