Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 309

Tales of the Spirit Lancer – Part 2, Episode 18

Cheon Mu-seon [Celestial Warrior] from Tongcheon Water Palace.

Yang Hwi and Hwang Ohn settled in the village of Sangseo, a little ways from Hwamae Peak.

There, So-seons [Lesser Immortals] who had migrated from Yongma Valley were busy building their homes, farming, and cultivating medicinal herbs.

Even if they were So-seons, those who had given up the path of spiritual cultivation often formed marital bonds, had children, and lived ordinary lives.

They were no different from ordinary people, and that was why this migration to a new place was a very important time for them.

“Hwang Ohn, you weren’t yourself back there. Did you have another side that I didn’t see?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

The two were sitting at a small restaurant.

Yang Hwi was rebuking him for acting out of character. He understood his feelings well, but they were Cheon Mu-seon of Tongcheon Water Palace.

“You must not bring personal feelings into public matters. We are on the side of the Water Realm, not anyone else’s.”

If they were swayed by personal feelings and ruined their work, they would not be qualified to be Cheon Mu-seon.

Cheon Mu-seon was a position for the peace of the Water Realm, and there was honor in that position.

“You must not lose your composure.”

“I’m sorry.”

Hwang Ohn readily lowered his head.

Given the situation, his outburst was a mistake. Cheon Mu-jang, who could be called the epitome of Cheon Mu-seon, was a Sang-seon [High Immortal] of the same level, but he was a man of such great magnanimity that Hwang Ohn respected him.

“Then, I should hear the story now. Why did you stir up the mind of the Cheon So-seon to the point of agitating him?”

There had to be a reason.

The Hwang Ohn that Yang Hwi knew was a Mu-seon with outstanding martial prowess and cleverness.

He wasn’t one to be so rude to a Sang-seon of Sangseo without a good reason.

“Actually, there’s something bothering me. So, I deliberately probed him.”

“And?”

“I can’t say for sure yet. I need to investigate a little more.”

Yang Hwi was also a little uneasy.

If a swarm of Seon-chungs [Immortal Insects] was enough to destroy an entire clan, the damage should have spread to other areas as well, but it hadn’t.

And there were five Sang-seons in Yongma Valley.

Yet they were helplessly ruined, so it was not something to be taken lightly.

But.

‘If it’s someone’s plot….’

The story changes.

Annihilating a clan would usually be due to a great grudge, and it becomes a story at the clan level, not just individuals.

As the scale grows, so does the number of deaths, and it may not end with just one incident.

‘Someone might have intentionally manipulated the Seon-chung swarm.’

Putting aside whether or not one could control tens of thousands of Seon-chungs.

“I heard that the So-seons here are those who escaped from Yongma Valley. How about gathering information from here first?”

Yang Hwi nodded.

The Sang-seon Martial Competition was not far off.

“The opening of the Sang-seon Martial Competition is the same as the appearance of the Janjanjeongdo [a powerful artifact], a true treasure, in the world.”

No Cheon Mu-seon could be late or refuse the summons.

“A month is enough.”

A resolute answer.

Yang Hwi took pity on his situation of being involved in the annihilation and agreed.

“Then let’s start right away.”

First, from the So-seons here.

And….

‘The Sang-seons of Sangseo too.’

If they dig, something will come out.

Even if the one he met earlier didn’t, the other two were originally Sang-seons of the Hwang Clan!

* * *

“Is it okay? I was thinking it would have been better to tell the truth.”

Cheonbeom, who was handling the proxy work for the Sa Clan, put down the document he was examining.

“Are you saying we should say that they committed a crime and we delivered judgment directly?”

“It’s not like we committed a crime.”

“Well.”

That was in the Lower Realm.

The Upper Realm was also a place where the law of the jungle prevailed to some extent, but….

‘I’m not strong yet.’

And one of the Cheon Mu-seons from Tongcheon Water Palace was Hwang Ohn.

He was a Sang-seon of the Hwang Clan.

And at the same time, the eldest son of the Hwang family.

What would happen if he told such a person the truth?

“No matter how much they are Cheon Mu-seons of Tongcheon Water Palace, they cannot ignore the ties of blood. Seeing his behavior towards me earlier, I am convinced that my choice was right.”

Cheonbeom thought.

He probably knew the secret of his clan.

He was likely aware of the fact that the Sa Clan was ruined by Mochui Port.

‘Otherwise, there’s no way he would have been so hostile to me.’

Perhaps he was hostile not to him, but to Sangseo.

He was likely to think that the Hwang Clan could not have been destroyed by the Seon-chung swarm.

“Anyway, I just did my best.”

“…Yes. San-gun would have done what San-gun does. You’ve always been like that, so I think it will go well this time too.”

When Beom praised him so readily, Hwaran gave her a strange look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because it’s not like you. I’m wondering if it’s an imposter wearing your face.”

“You’re saying something silly. I’m also a woman who praises when I need to.”

“Then do it a little more.”

“I don’t want to. Get to work.”

“How heartless.”

Clatter.

Rustle.

The sound of paper turning filled the room for a moment.

“Ugh.”

Before he knew it, time had passed, and Hwaran, who had reviewed most of the documents, stretched.

“But San-gun.”

“What again.”

“What if they interrogate others?”

“Others?”

“So-seons who came from Yongma Valley or….”

Chochan and Tangomal.

If they asked them, the story would be quite different from what Beom had said.

If that happened, Cheonbeom’s lie would be exposed, which would be a big deal.

“Ah… that.”

But Beom chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

“Don’t worry. They won’t find out anything anyway.”

* * *

After the migration.

“Did you find out anything?”

Yang Hwi, sitting on a rock in the dense forest, asked Hwang Ohn, who was trudging back, as if greeting him.

But Hwang Ohn only shook his head with a bitter expression.

He had not achieved any significant results.

“The stories of the Cheon So-seon who is acting as the head of the Sa Clan were not much different.”

For the past two weeks, he had gone to each and every So-seon who had migrated from Yongma Valley, compared their stories with what Cheonbeom had said, and questioned them closely, but he had gained nothing.

“They were telling the same story, strangely enough.”

Originally, memories have slight deviations even if they experienced the same event.

This is because the degree of emotion felt by each person is different.

For some, that day may have been so frightening that they almost died, while for others, it may have just been a surprise or a little difficult.

But the So-seons he had met for the past two weeks were all strangely the same.

“There was not a single error, only the same story.”

Hwang Ohn was even more suspicious of that part.

“Did they manipulate their memories?”

“That possibility cannot be ruled out.”

It is possible to erase memories or plant things that are beneficial to the practitioner by using various spells such as hypnosis and suggestion.

“That many So-seons?”

“That’s….”

But there were too many to do that.

It is difficult even for a Sang-seon to manipulate the memories of approximately eighty So-seons.

It is possible, but it is not possible to do such precise work on dozens of people in a short period of time.

“Even I would not be able to easily manipulate the memories of that many So-seons without a single error.”

Even a Hyang-seon [Fragrant Immortal] would be reluctant.

“But….”

“Then let’s do this.”

Yang Hwi came down from the rock and turned his head slightly.

“I heard that two Sang-seons who survived in Yongma Valley are staying in Sangseo.”

“I know.”

Hwang Ohn gritted his teeth.

From his point of view, they had abandoned the Hwang Clan and joined another clan, so he thought of them as traitors.

Because of that pride, he was going the long way around, leaving the easy path behind.

“Even if that Cheon So-seon did something fishy and manipulated all the memories of the So-seons, he would not have been able to rummage through the minds of the same Sang-seons.”

“He may have already made his move.”

They are already Seon-ins [Immortals] of the Sa Clan.

They cannot be trusted.

“Then is there a way?”

“That’s….”

There was no particular way.

“We don’t have time. The Sang-seon Martial Competition is not far off. We have less than 30 years left, so we must hurry back to the Water Palace to protect the seal of the Janjanjeongdo.”

“I understand. I will go find them, and if no clues come out, I will return to the Water Palace.”

* * *

After the migration.

“I feel good today.”

The reason Tangomal felt good was none other than.

“Good. It’s really good!”

Before him was a strange folding screen. It was a crude folding screen depicting a shabby thatched house, several phrases, and several jars.

He smiled endlessly, looking at the folding screen as if he liked it so much.

“Sang-seon, you have a guest.”

“A guest? For me?”

“Yes. They said they wanted to see the Sang-seon. They said this would do….”

The So-seon handed over a round spirit badge from his sleeve.

A Cheonmu Badge [Celestial Warrior Badge] with a phoenix and a dragon mixed together!

Tangomal’s eyes narrowed.

But the hesitation was short.

“Let them in!”

As he shouted, the front door burst open.

And two men appeared, Cheon Mu-seon Yang Hwi and Hwang Ohn.

“It’s been a while, Su-seon Tang [Water Immortal Tang].”

“Indeed, Su-seon Hwang [Water Immortal Hwang]. I didn’t know I would meet you here, I didn’t know.”

The two were acquaintances, but now they were already estranged.

As he laughed heartily and invited them to sit down, cushions sprouted legs and took their places in front of them.

“I think I know why you came. I heard that there is someone who is asking the So-seons of Sangseo about the events of Yongma Valley these days.”

“Since you know, I don’t think we need to drag it out. Are you the same?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, Tanmo doesn’t seem to have anything to tell Su-seon Hwang. Since you’ve come all this way, I should offer you a drink.”

Tangomal opened his mouth, looking at the folding screen behind him.

“Okgyeong-ah [Jade Mirror], pour these guests a drink.”

Then, wouldn’t a beautiful fairy appear from the folding screen?

A woman with a cold impression and expressionless.

It was quite impressive that such a woman popped out of the folding screen and suddenly poured a glass of alcohol.

“Haha! I recently received this as a gift, and I really like it! It’s a magic treasure that contains various liquors!”

Moreover, how could it not be delicious when a beautiful woman appeared and poured the liquor? There was no better magic treasure for Tangomal, who was an avid drinker to the point of saying that his Dao [path] was the Dao of Alcohol.

“That woman doesn’t seem to be a puppet, is she a spirit of the liquor?”

This folding screen was a type of magic treasure that was not ordinary, and it contained something called a spirit of the liquor, similar to a sword spirit.

To put it simply, it was a soul dwelling in the magic treasure, but it was slightly different from a spirit that was naturally created.

The spirit of the liquor was literally bound.

Someone had artificially bound the soul to the magic treasure.

“I think so. Anyway, Tanmo has nothing more to say, so have a drink and go back. Hahaha!”

At Tangomal’s order to leave, Hwang Ohn clenched his teeth and stood up.

“Who did you receive this magic treasure from?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because it looked familiar to me. If I remember correctly, it seems to be an item in our clan’s armory! Isn’t that right?”

“Is that so? Well, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were several similar things in the world.”

He maintained a brazen attitude and clicked his tongue as if he had ruined the taste of the liquor.

“See the guests out. Take care on your way, since you can’t go far.”

At the clear order to leave, Hwang Ohn had no choice but to get up, huffing and puffing.