Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 194

Tales of a Wandering Swordsman – 193

The End of the North Sea.

There stood a towering sacred mountain. It was impossibly vast, fiercely gathering all the yin energy of the world, and laden with chilling cold.

It was Bukhaebogaksan (North Sea Archive Mountain) of the Ice Palace.

The most spiritually potent mountain in the entire North Sea, a mountain of deep grace that saw the founding of the Ice Palace and the birth of countless immortals.

Toward that Bukhaebogaksan, a streak of pure white light approached like the wind.

The guard on duty was startled but quickly bowed respectfully.

The streak of light passed him and entered one of the many high-rise pagodas within the Ice Palace, disappearing from view.

Fwoosh.

As the dim light faded, the figure of an old man in white robes became visible.

It was the same old man who had vied for the Gungbiho at the auction house a few months prior, standing against the Mountain Lord. The old man entrusted himself to the approaching Ice Palace maids, walking step by step.

Swish.

As the white robes were shed and the topknot was untied, the old man’s appearance began to change.

Hair cascaded down like a waterfall, soon turning pure white, and the sagging skin regained its elasticity, becoming like porcelain.

The old man, no, the white-haired woman, immersed herself slowly in the prepared bath, completely naked.

Several ice-made lotus flowers floated on the water, and they were clearly not ordinary. Despite emitting a thick chill, the water in the bath did not freeze but only radiated extreme cold.

Even as she entered the bone-chillingly cold bath, she remained composed, her complexion unchanged.

But only for a moment.

A voice from somewhere furrowed her beautiful brow.

[Where have you been?]

Thud, thud.

As footsteps approached, the maids lowered their heads and retreated.

A hunched old woman emerged from the hazy cold.

[You wicked girl. Do you intend to ignore your master’s words so brazenly?]

At the barbed words, the white-haired woman let out a hollow laugh, as if in disbelief.

“These days, it seems masters are always contemplating when to devour their disciples.”

“The king, the teacher, and the father are one.

Since the grace of the king, the teacher, and the father are the same, isn’t it only right that the lifeblood of the disciple I raised is also in my grasp?”

“Nonsense.”

The old woman smiled unpleasantly, approaching and lifting the woman’s chin.

“Truly beautiful. But this beauty is not eternal.”

Slap!

The woman shook off the old woman’s hand, but she had already vanished.

Turning around, the old woman was already standing above the bath with her hands behind her back.

“There was a time when I was as beautiful as you, but beauty is like a flower that blooms and fades in an instant.

Beautiful and fragrant flowers always attract insects, but when time passes, and beauty fades, and fragrance turns to stench, even those insignificant insects will turn their backs on the flower.

In the end, what remains is only the path of cultivation and one’s own strength.”

Her face was bitter, as if recalling old memories. But the woman remained indifferent, showing no interest.

“Were you betrayed by a man? I can already smell the stench of your long, drawn-out story.”

Instantly, an icy aura seized the space.

“The days when you can act so arrogant are numbered.

If you weren’t of the bloodline of the White Shaking Treasure Lotus (Baekyoboryeon) in the first place, you wouldn’t even be alive right now! You would have ended up like that Gungbiho you cherished!”

At that, the white-haired woman, Choa’s face contorted.

“You keep failing to focus on your cultivation and instead try to sell me off for your own gain, and you still haven’t let go of your lingering attachments!

The most important thing in cultivation is detachment, and the first hurdle to ascension is precisely the absence of thought (Munyom)!”

The old woman, who had been shouting, now soothed Choa with a gentle voice.

“Yes, I was the same. Led by foolish affections, I was swept up in useless matters, and I even dreamed vain dreams of eternal love (Cheonjangjigu).”

Eternal Love (Cheonjangjigu).

As constant as the heavens and the earth.

A phrase meaning unchanging love, like the heavens and the earth.

It was somewhat surprising to hear such words from the old woman, who seemed to have never received affection in her life.

“But it’s all a facade.

Even if you swear such love, in the end, a woman is nothing more than an ornament to a man.

The only thing to trust is yourself.

Don’t waste your precious time on pointless matters, and solidify your realm to prepare in time for your ascension.”

Swish.

As she disappeared like smoke, Choa’s body slowly sank into the bath.

She fell into a deep sleep, but the man who surfaced in her mind pierced her heart with cold.

The man who took Yoho.

At first, she didn’t know, but she was certain when she saw the blue flames rising on his wings.

“My lord…”

After that.

The sound of the woman’s sobbing echoed sadly for a long time in the Ice Palace Lord’s bath.

* * *

Plop.

The sound of a pebble falling into the pond washed away his troubled mind.

“Did you finish the story well?”

Hwaran had approached unnoticed and sat gently beside him.

“Yeah. Yoho said she needed more rest.”

Yoho’s condition had improved, but it was only natural that she was still not well.

She had fallen asleep quickly, exhausted even by a short conversation.

“You are a man with many sins. You must embrace the wounds of many women; even two bodies would not be enough.”

It was a teasing remark, but Hwaran trailed off.

Thump.

The Mountain Lord leaned against her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just… dizzy.”

He was trying to sound calm.

Trying to sound indifferent.

But Hwaran could roughly understand his feelings.

Wasn’t the Sword Spirit connected to him in soul, Hwaran herself?

She couldn’t grasp his exact thoughts, but she could understand the general gist.

“Life isn’t easy, is it?”

“…I know.”

At those words, as if she knew everything, the Mountain Lord replied with a hint of amusement.

Nothing is easy.

He barely managed to return alive, only to find that hundreds of years had passed, Baekseok was in crisis, and Choa had disappeared.

He solidified Baekseok and fought with Yoojeong to become a Ghost King, but Hori had lost her memory and was now afraid of him.

Moreover, Choa was said to be held captive by the old monster Jiseon, Choeumseonnyeo, so he couldn’t feel at ease.

As a result, vague worries had accumulated due to various factors.

It was a knot that couldn’t be untied by worrying.

He vaguely wondered what he was living for, and he had been running busily for what felt like an eternity, but the wall blocking him still seemed distant, making it even worse.

Whether it was a wall of fate or a wall of cultivation, it was ambiguous and caused confusion.

Even though he had flown here, exhausted from running, the destination was still far away.

Was he just foolishly moving forward, only to fail in the end and die in vain?

Such vague doubts assailed him.

“But what can you do? Isn’t this the path you chose, Mountain Lord?”

“That’s right, the path I chose.”

Hwaran embraced his head and gently stroked his back.

“What are you so worried about?

If it’s hard, you can stop for a moment to catch your breath, or if not, you can lie down and take a nap.”

That was right.

No one in the world was urging him to run faster.

It was up to him to decide.

“And you are not alone, Mountain Lord. I am here, aren’t I? Originally, men are supposed to wash away their worries in the arms of a woman, so if you want, I can wash away your troubles tonight.”

Then the Mountain Lord’s lips curved.

“You were doing so well, but you had to ruin it.”

“They say good fortune comes with laughter, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I have to laugh.”

This cruel world.

How can I live if I don’t live with a smile?

I’m struggling to live forever, but how can I live if I’m already like this?

The Mountain Lord put on a bright smile, broke away from Hwaran’s embrace, and embraced her.

Soon, their faces drew closer.

“Sixth Ghost, are you there?”

Hwaran, startled, disappeared like smoke, and the Mountain Lord staggered before clearing his throat.

“Ahem, is that So Sojeo?”

“Yes, ah! You were here.”

“What’s the matter?”

The Mountain Lord, who had calmed his surprised heart, asked with a sulky face.

“It’s a letter. I don’t know how they knew, but the Third Ghost’s subordinates came here.”

“Third Ghost? Ah, now that you mention it, that’s right.”

He had heard that the Third Ghost’s forces were based in the mountains near Banrong.

Opening the letter, he saw the unique handwriting and the Third Ghost’s mark.

“What does it say?”

“It’s nothing special. He says he’s come nearby, so he wants to see my face.”

There was nothing wrong with that.

The Third Ghost’s residence was famous as a place with a long history.

Since it was close to the Ice Palace anyway, he could stop by to treat Yoho’s body and have a calm conversation with Hori.

‘I could also think about what to do with the Hyeonhoe Sword, and I could carefully consider Choa.’

According to Yoho, Choeumseonnyeo was planning to make Choa a Jiseon [an immortal being].

There was still time.

It was time to reorganize his treasures, survey the situation, and gather information.

“Are you going?”

So Sojeo asked as if she was reluctant.

“Third Ghost… well, he’s not a likable guy.”

“It’s because you’re the Sixth Ghost that you say that, but even the other Ghost Kings hate the Third Ghost as much as you do. Not only is he eccentric, but he also flirts with women at every chance.”

So Sojeo shuddered, hugging her arms as if she was disgusted just thinking about it. The Mountain Lord smiled wryly and patted the young lady’s shoulder.

“It’ll be okay if I’m by your side, so don’t worry too much about that.”

Even the Third Ghost couldn’t act as he pleased in front of the Mountain Lord.

If he dared to flirt like that in front of him, his wrist would be chopped off.

“Also, there’s no suitable place to stay nearby, so there’s nothing wrong with it. Even if it’s the Third Ghost, he wouldn’t call me without a reason.”

They weren’t that close.

There must be a reason.

“A reason?”

“I’ve heard that the Third Ghost is desperately searching for the Heavenly Yang Treasure.”

There must be many related scriptures as well.

Perhaps he could find a way to fix the Hyeonhoe Sword.

‘I don’t know how he’ll react if he finds out I have the Heavenly Yang Treasure.’

Even if he couldn’t use the Hyeonhoe Sword, he wasn’t afraid of the Third Ghost.

“Anyway, you’re going?”

“That’s right.”

So Sojeo sighed deeply.

She really didn’t want to go.

“So Sojeo.”

“What?”

“If you hate it that much…”

She could just go her own way.

So Sojeo looked at him with a face that said she knew what he was thinking.

“Sixth Ghost is my sugar daddy. If I want to freeload, I have to put up with this much.

What can I do when my sponsor wants to go?”

“Oh, geez…”

The Mountain Lord chuckled at her confident attitude.

* * *

A few days later.

The group entered a sacred mountain cave named Hwagwasan and couldn’t help but gape at the scenery unfolding within the mountain.

The legendary Hwagwasan, where the Great Sage Equaling Heaven [Sun Wukong, the Monkey King] was said to have lived, seemed to be here, filling them with excitement.

“Welcome, Sixth Ghost!”

The Third Ghost approached, seemingly genuinely pleased, and clasped his fist in greeting to the Mountain Lord.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Haha, it’s nothing! We’re both Ghost Kings, so shouldn’t I be able to do this much? Oh, Ninth Ghost is here too; it’s been a while.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while.”

“You’ve come all this way. You must be tired from the long journey! Hey, treat our distinguished guests with the utmost care!”

Soon, monkeys popped out from everywhere and began to guide them.

“D-don’t push me, you monkey bastards!”

Hori and So Sojeo were pushed away and disappeared, and Yoho was also guided to a room.

But the Mountain Lord remained still, and the reason was the Third Ghost.

“You seem to have something to say.”

His actions were exactly like that.

As expected.

“Haha, I can’t beat the Sixth Ghost. Since I’ve already been caught, I’ll cut to the chase and ask!”

The Third Ghost, unable to hide his excitement, said, puffing out his nose.

“Are you interested in the Heavenly Yang Treasure?”

The Mountain Lord’s lips curled up.