Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 232

Nangseon Ghwandam – 231

“What’s wrong?”

Cho-ah asked worriedly.

The Mountain Lord’s face was stiff, like a startled man.

“No… it’s nothing.”

“Did I ask for too much…”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just that you look a lot like someone I know…”

“Me?”

Cha Ryuk widened her eyes in surprise.

With a horn covering one eye, who could she resemble? It seemed like a joke, but the man’s eyes and demeanor suggested otherwise.

“Yes. A long, long time ago… you resemble someone I saw long ago and haven’t seen since. Forgive my rudeness.”

“Ah, no. It happens. Though I have an unsightly face now, I used to be quite decent.”

Cha Ryuk, trying to smile, was as gentle as he remembered.

‘Was this why?’

Bong said she wasn’t his guest. At the time, it didn’t make sense, but now it was a little clearer.

He must have seen through the connection between himself and Cha Ryuk.

The Mountain Lord sighed inwardly.

Yang So-peng.

He never dreamed he would meet Martial Brother Yang of Kunlun’s [a legendary mountain and a school of Taoism] woman, who was taken from him by his fellow disciple, in a place like the Realm of Neither Existence Nor Non-Existence, and in this form.

‘This isn’t good.’

He was already on edge because of Yoo Mu-woon, and being cautious.

But her presence shook the Mountain Lord severely, which was not good.

He paused to collect his thoughts and asked.

“You want to rebuild Kunlun. Is that what you’re asking of me? But wouldn’t it be more meaningful if Seonja Cha [a Taoist immortal] did it herself?”

Why ask him that?

Those are priceless treasures. There’s no need to hand them over and ask for a favor; she could rebuild it herself.

She is a Jiseon [Earth Immortal].

A being at the pinnacle in the Lower World.

Even though she is wandering in the Realm of Neither Existence Nor Non-Existence now, if she leaves this place, she can easily rebuild Kunlun.

So, it was puzzling.

Why would she ask a complete stranger to do that?

“It’s a simple reason.”

Soon her story continued, and the Mountain Lord and Cho-ah swallowed their sighs.

“I see. Your lifespan…”

Her lifespan was short.

At best, a few decades.

She had become a Jiseon by luck in the Realm of Neither Existence Nor Non-Existence, but she could not leave this place.

She wandered aimlessly here until her lifespan reached its limit.

She could have cultivated, but she walked this dark path, hoping to find an exit, to meet her beloved.

“I wanted to apologize.”

What was there to apologize for? He knew she was also a victim. Wasn’t she forced into marriage by that bastard?

“Because I hurt him. It’s my fault for being foolishly deceived.”

Crack.

Without realizing it, his fist clenched.

It was all because of that fellow disciple that Yang Martial Brother and Seonja Cha’s fate was ruined.

If only that bastard hadn’t existed….

“Is that so.”

“Yes. So, I would like to ask you to rebuild Kunlun in my stead… just in case.

If Yang Martial Brother ever comes looking, please deliver this letter….”

Cha Ryuk handed over a crumpled letter.

The Mountain Lord’s heart felt heavy.

How long had she held this feeling in her heart to leave it in a letter?

Just looking at the crumpled letter, he could tell how much she had agonized and poured her emotions into it.

“Will you grant my request?”

The Mountain Lord couldn’t look her in the eye. He just nodded silently and accepted the letter.

Cha Ryuk showed a relieved smile.

She looked as if she had relieved a long-standing worry.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Do you have a place to go? It’s fate that we met like this….”

Cho-ah asked worriedly, but Cha Ryuk smiled and shook her head.

“I can’t cause any more trouble.

I’ve entrusted my long-held resentment to you, so now I’m going to enjoy the last of my life with a light heart.”

She only had a few decades left to live. So, he couldn’t stop her.

Cho-ah reluctantly bid farewell to Cha Ryuk.

Just as Cha Ryuk was about to disappear outside the Geumje [a restricted area] with their farewells.

-Would you like to come with me for a moment?

Her telepathic message was heard.

As she disappeared leisurely outside the Geumje, the Mountain Lord’s pupils shook.

“Why have you been acting like that since earlier?”

“It’s nothing.”

It wasn’t nothing.

Cho-ah’s eyes narrowed at the Mountain Lord’s strange state.

“Go after her.”

“Why would I?”

“You have a look on your face like you have something to say. And Seonja Cha also… seemed to have something left unsaid to you.”

When he looked at her with surprised eyes, Cho-ah smiled and hugged his neck.

“I’ll be waiting, so don’t be too late. I don’t know what the story is, but as a cultivator, it’s best to express what’s in your heart.

So, don’t hesitate.”

“…When did you grow up so much?”

The Mountain Lord stroked Cho-ah’s hair, feeling a sense of time passing.

When did this immature child grow up to be such a fine woman?

The more he looked at her, the more admirable she was, and the more he looked at her, the more beautiful she was.

“I’ll be back.”

“Come back soon.”

The Mountain Lord’s figure disappeared, engulfed in blue flames.

“…He really left.”

Cho-ah, grumbling, smiled bitterly and entered Gongjeonggang.

* * *

Whoosh.

At the same time as the blue flames rose into the air, the Mountain Lord’s figure appeared.

In front of him, Cha Ryuk, holding a staff with bells, stood as if she had been waiting.

Dingle-

It was a truly mysterious bell sound.

“Hold this. You won’t be affected by Yoo Mu-woon. Unlike inside the Geumje, it will be difficult for you here, Yuksa [a title of respect].”

“Thank you.”

Thinking that, the Mountain Lord took a step towards her.

As he grabbed the staff, their faces became infinitely close.

They stared at each other in silence for a long time.

“You said… I resemble someone you know.”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“It’s a coincidence. I felt that way too.”

“You mean me?”

“Yes. I also saw Yuksa and the image of that person I know overlapped.”

“Is that so.”

“It is.”

They stared at each other for a long time, but it ended when the Mountain Lord averted his gaze.

“What kind of woman was she?”

What kind of woman.

Thinking about it, a bitter smile escaped.

What kind of woman should he say?

The woman in front of him was that woman, so what was there to say?

“She was a kind person. Listening to her considerate way of speaking and gentle tone, I would often fall asleep.”

“It seems she was a woman who filled Yuksa’s heart.”

“Yes, she was my everything.

We grew up together since we were young, and naturally, our eyes turned to each other, and under a large tree, we promised our future and said we would walk the path of the Great Dao [the path to enlightenment] together.”

Cha Ryuk’s face stiffened.

Her only eye shook aimlessly, and her gaze changed.

“You… did. Perhaps, this is that Zelkova tree.”

Saying that, she slightly lifted the staff she was holding together and tapped the ground.

Thud.

Then, like a ripple, sand dust spread out, and the scenery swayed.

Whoosh!

As a rough wind swept past, the scenery changed.

A large mountainside.

A large Zelkova tree growing on a cliff absorbed the sunlight and turned green, and under the tree were a man and a woman.

A man resting on the woman’s lap and a woman looking at such a man with a happy expression.

It was Yang So-peng and Cha Ryuk.

“Cha Simae [junior martial sister].”

“What’s wrong, Yang Hyeong [senior martial brother]?”

“I’ve been thinking, Cha Simae, you seem too kind.”

“You said you liked that before.”

“I do. It’s a good thing. Being kind means having a good heart. But you’re kind to other guys besides me, so isn’t that so?”

“Are you saying that I should only be kind to Yang Hyeong?”

“That’s right. Just like I’m the only one who can lie on your lap.”

Then Cha Ryuk smiled deeply.

It was a playful smile.

“You never know. I might lend my lap to someone other than Yang Hyeong.”

“Then I’ll have to get married quickly so that doesn’t happen.”

“Who said I would?”

When she said that as if it were absurd, Yang So-peng jumped up and tapped the Zelkova tree.

“This tree is my witness, so I swear.

I, Yang So-peng, will achieve the Great Dao and definitely take Cha Simae as my partner!”

Cha Ryuk’s face turned as red as a beet, and she tapped Yang So-peng’s chest.

“What if someone hears you!”

“I said it so they would hear! And what does it matter? Anyway, all the other martial siblings know it!”

It was an affectionate memory and a happy time.

The Mountain Lord watched their memories and savored them again.

Cha Ryuk, who showed him this illusion, should have asked something, but for some reason, she didn’t say anything.

Soon her illusion disappeared, and when they returned to the dark landscape of the Realm of Neither Existence Nor Non-Existence.

“She’s gone.”

She was already gone.

There were many things she wanted to say.

There were many things she wanted to hear… but did she also know that it was all in vain?

The Mountain Lord felt regret and relief as he turned back.

“You’ve come.”

When he returned, Bong greeted him as if he had been waiting.

“Did you know?”

“I just felt that there was some kind of connection between you and her. When morning comes, the sun rises, and when night comes, the sun sets. What fills that void is the blue moon, and the warm light is the afterglow of the hidden sun.”

“What are you talking about again?”

“The question is asked by the heavens. It is right that you should come up with the answer yourself.”

It was an ambiguous statement that he didn’t understand, but he seemed to know it vaguely.

‘The answer….’

It seemed that he had to give an answer to the relationship and either let it go or bring it to a conclusion.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate. I had a few things in mind for your training, but if you can refine the Sipsaeng Geumeocho [a rare medicinal herb], the efficiency will be doubled.”

Bong stroked the three-legged cauldron that Cha Ryuk had left behind and nodded.

“It’s not a bad refining cauldron. If it’s a cauldron of this quality, you can go straight into refining after a short period of tempering. If I put in some effort, Sipsaeng Geumeocho will be enough in three months.”

That was welcome news.

The Mountain Lord was already feeling uneasy because of her appearance.

Still, he was relieved that he could refine the Sipsaeng Geumeocho, which he had been worried about.

But the joy was temporary, and soon the image of Cha Ryuk, who had left this cauldron, flickered in a corner of the Mountain Lord’s heart.

“What should I do with this?”

He took out the crumpled letter and looked at it with a complicated expression.

He will keep his promise to her.

Rebuilding Kunlun is not that difficult.

But rebuilding Kunlun is to leave a letter to her beloved.

In case he is still alive, she wants to show him the letter containing her heart and past affection.

The Mountain Lord stopped his hand from unfolding the folded letter.

Many thoughts came and went, sank and rose again, and then disappeared.

After hesitating, he took out a wooden box from his chest and stopped trying to put the letter in it.

‘This must also be fate.’

Although he is not Yang So-peng, it is as if he is holding his martial brother in his arms, so shouldn’t he release his spirit in this way?

His mind may become unstable and he may not be able to distinguish who he is as before, but he had to endure that as well.

‘I’m alive on the lives of my martial brothers….’

Flutter.

He unfolded the letter.

Then, a faint light soared up and began to form a shape.

It was a woman with neatly styled hair and a pretty face.

The blue hair and the horn on one eye could not be found.

She was the beloved in his memory.

It was Cha Ryuk.