Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 391

Nangseon’s Strange Tales – Part 2, Episode 100

“…What did you just say?”

Cheonbeom, his complexion unusually pale, looked at the woman kneeling before him.

Hair as red as twilight.

It was Peng Gayeon of the Peng Clan.

“I said I would abandon my surname.”

Abandoning her surname.

She couldn’t possibly be unaware of what that meant.

“You must know that it’s no different from turning your back on your family. Moreover, the timing of your saying this… am I free to interpret it as I wish?”

Bringing up such a thing in the current situation was practically asking to be suspected.

It was as good as saying she was plotting something and wanted him to be suspicious.

But since she wasn’t a foolish woman, Cheonbeom thought there must be another reason.

“I am speaking not as a member of the Peng Clan, but as one of the Crimson Thunder Squad Leaders.”

Crimson Thunder Squad Leader.

Only then did he understand a little.

“This is sudden.”

“I’ve only just realized it.”

She didn’t seem to be lying.

But that didn’t mean he could completely trust her.

‘I was just trying to keep the Peng Clan from doing anything rash….’

He hadn’t expected it to turn out like this.

To suddenly say she wanted to serve him as her master.

She hadn’t exactly asked for his consent.

She was informing him.

Whether he killed her or drove her away, she would serve and regard Cheonbeom as her master.

“Good grief….”

He was already out of his mind with worry, and he didn’t know what was going on.

As Cheonbeom’s head ached, a wave of flower petals rose, and Hwaran appeared.

“If that’s all you have to say, let’s talk about it later. Thanks to your father, my master’s condition is terrible right now!”

“Ran…”

Cheonbeom tried to stop her, but Hwaran looked more serious than ever.

Once she got like that, even Cheonbeom couldn’t stop her.

Peng Gayeon seemed to understand and rose from her seat, bowing once more.

“I’m not asking for an answer right away. But….”

Cheonbeom raised his hand to stop her.

He squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain, unable to open his mouth.

Worried, she tried to take a step closer, but stopped.

Hwaran stood in her way.

“As you can see, I’m not in good shape. Would you stand guard with Vice-Commander Woo in front of my room? I’m quite… exhausted.”

The labored words and the rough breaths between them spoke volumes about his condition.

Gayeon bowed and stepped back, and Hwaran immediately cleared away all the surrounding objects.

Soon, Cheonbeom transformed into his true form and lay down, and Ran looked at him with concern.

“Please rest. Don’t worry about anything else. Just get some sleep.”

[…Not even a word of nagging.]

“It’s not like San-gun [a respectful title] is overdoing it for the first time. I’m used to it now….”

Ran said that there was a time and place for nagging, and she worried about him.

Inside Cheonbeom’s room, which had been greatly expanded with spatial divine power, the faded Five Elements Extreme Mountain lay stretched out to its original size, and beside it was the drooping Five Dragons.

Tanhwa was there.

The Extreme Mountains and Tanhwa were not in good condition either.

And that was the same for Hwaran.

[I’ll shake it off soon. Fortunately, both Tanhwa and you will recover fully with time.]

“Thanks to your pampering, San-gun is the most injured.”

[I thought you weren’t going to nag….]

“I hate you to death.”

At her words, Cheonbeom smiled bitterly and slowly closed his eyes.

His eyelids were as heavy as mountains, and it would take a long time to open them again.

* * *

The Gyewol Ship was enormous.

It had the volume and area of a small island, and thanks to spatial divine power, each of the crew members’ rooms was quite spacious.

Since there was no shortage of space, the martial artists and scholars usually spent their time cultivating or sharing insights after meals.

The Gyewol Ship was moving along a rainbow-like stream of energy, similar to a pre-set course.

Since it was riding the currents of the Heavenly Aperture [a celestial pathway], said to be a hole in the sky, there was no need to pay special attention, and they were enjoying a relatively comfortable life, knowing that they would arrive in the Immortal Realm in another hundred years.

But.

There was one concern.

“Vice-Commander U-myeong. Hasn’t the Head of the Palace come out yet?”

“Not yet.”

The face of the inquiring cultivator was filled with worry.

Those gathered around were the same.

After that incident.

A month passed, then a year, then ten years since they boarded the Gyewol Ship.

Yet the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace, Cheonbeom, had secluded himself, remaining behind closed doors, leaving U-myeong and Gayeon, whom he had appointed as guardians.

“But he will come out soon. He was the one who stopped the Peng Clan Head’s attack, so he will shake it off soon. Don’t neglect your training in preparation for that time.”

“…I understand. Then.”

It had been ten years of sending them away like this.

U-myeong sighed softly after sending the cultivator away.

Don’t worry.

He will shake it off soon.

Who was he?

There’s nothing to worry about.

He was repeating the same words to the visiting cultivators.

But even U-myeong, who told them not to worry, was worried.

‘That day….’

The Head of the Civil and Martial Palace, Cheonbeom, had blocked the Peng Clan Head’s final attack and boarded the Gyewol Ship.

It was U-myeong who had guided him.

That’s why he knew better than anyone.

What Cheonbeom’s condition was like.

‘Why does he always push himself so hard?’

It was a body that wouldn’t have been strange if it had collapsed at any moment. His internal injuries were severe, and his energy channels were twisted, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had vomited blood from all seven orifices.

But Cheonbeom had barely endured and hurriedly hid himself in the Gyewol Ship.

Since then, he had not shown himself for ten years, treating his internal injuries.

“He is a precarious person.”

Peng Gayeon suddenly said that.

“He seems so strong, yet he gets hurt so easily.”

It sounded sarcastic, but it wasn’t.

“What do you want to say?”

“I’m asking. How far can Vice-Commander Woo go for him? What are you looking at?”

It was sudden, if anything.

U-myeong was puzzled as she suddenly seemed to be examining his loyalty to the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace.

“Do you think you have the right to ask me that?”

Cheonbeom was in that state because of Gayeon’s father, Peng Jongyeon.

Now, the Peng Clan had become sworn enemies, so it was not appropriate for Peng Gayeon, the daughter of that family, to ask U-myeong such a question.

“I can at least ask.”

She was even brazen.

U-myeong did not answer.

As he remained silent, Gayeon seemed to lose interest and closed her mouth.

Ten years of guarding the door to the room where the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace was staying.

She and he had been in this state all along.

U-myeong did not understand the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace. She was the daughter of a family of enemies who might target him.

Until now, that could be said, but now she was the daughter of a complete enemy.

It was all thanks to the Peng Clan Head that Cheonbeom was in that state.

So he didn’t understand.

‘Why did you do that….’

Before secluding himself, Cheonbeom had summoned U-myeong and Gayeon and ordered them to stand guard.

U-myeong, of course, and the other martial artists and scholars had also opposed it.

But the objection was not accepted.

U-myeong was originally a man indifferent to worldly affairs.

It was one of the characteristics of the Woo Clan, but U-myeong was even more so.

But when it came to the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace, U-myeong was not limited by blood.

It was because he sincerely respected him.

That’s why U-myeong gradually disliked the Peng Clan, the enemy of the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace.

The same was true of Peng Gayeon, who had inherited the lineage.

He wanted to drive her out right now, but it was a pity that he couldn’t.

That’s why the martial artists and scholars came to visit every day.

With loyalty and concern for the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace.

And with questions and doubts about Peng Gayeon.

Most of those here thought of the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace as their teacher.

And since they had once thought they had lost the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace, it was a natural result.

“I know what kind of eyes Vice-Commander Woo is looking at me with. Most of the martial artists and scholars here are looking at me as if I were an enemy.”

It was as if it was natural.

But she didn’t seem to care.

U-myeong’s eyes narrowed.

“Thanks to you, the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace was forced to leave for the Immortal Realm less than a month after arriving at the Water Palace.”

It was an unlike U-myeong tone.

Peng Gayeon smiled bitterly.

“That may be. But what I want to say is not that. What do you think is the reason why he pushed himself so hard?”

“That’s….”

“It’s because he doesn’t have power.”

At her words, U-myeong flared up.

“The Head of the Civil and Martial Palace’s power is comparable to that of an Immortal Envoy.”

“I’m not talking about that kind of power.”

Then.

“…Are you talking about influence?”

“Yes. The Head of the Civil and Martial Palace is someone who will reach a place that we can’t even imagine. So he needs a force to protect himself and those around him. No matter how strong he is, he can’t protect many things alone.”

That was not wrong.

No matter how outstanding an individual’s power is, there are limits.

That’s why there is the Water Realm, the family, and the Water Palace, isn’t it?

The power of an individual and a group are clearly different.

The things they can do and the size they can achieve are also different.

“The Water Realm is already too stagnant. Even if you try to cut out the rotten parts, the remedy will be worse than the disease. So I think it’s right to head to the Immortal Realm.”

But there was an inconsistency in her words.

“You’re not suggesting that we try to win over the Immortals in the Immortal Realm and make them the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace’s people, are you?”

Immortals and cultivators.

It was a rather complicated relationship.

The reason why they had a strange relationship that was neither enemy nor ally was probably because they had a common enemy.

“Originally, that would be nonsense, but now it’s special.”

“Are you talking about the Immortal Slaughter War?”

“Yes. Through the Immortal Slaughter War, the Immortal Realm and the Water Realm have no choice but to join forces, whether they like it or not, and the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace is now heading to the Immortal Realm. Shouldn’t we use everything we can to reduce the amount of guarding we have to do?”

Guarding.

Before and now, U-myeong was guarding Cheonbeom.

It was because he had failed to prevent him from getting hurt.

“Let’s hear more.”

The reason why Cheonbeom had pushed himself this time was not only to avoid being deprived of the Twin Annihilation Swords, but also to warn them by showing his power.

He was leaving for the Immortal Realm, and the Sa Clan remained in the Water Realm.

And the unspoken pressure that he would return stronger than he was now. But Peng Gayeon thought that was not enough.

It was a difficult and bitter task to protect the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace from the families of the Water Realm. Besides, he was a man with many things to protect.

“Fortunately, we are going to an area in the Immortal Realm where there are many mixed-blood Immortals, so it’s not bad.”

They were Immortals born as mixed-bloods, not of pure human lineage, but with the blood of mystical beasts, Immortal Insects, and cultivators mixed in.

So there was a possibility.

That was why the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace was heading to the Immortal Realm.

But.

“It’s impossible.”

No matter what, their homeland was the Immortal Realm.

Even if there was a connection, there was no bond.

There was no way they would abandon their homeland and devote their lives to the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace.

It was nonsense.

“Do you think so?”

Peng Gayeon wore a smile that was hard to decipher.

U-myeong’s mood became uncomfortable.

But he didn’t open his mouth any further.

No matter what her thoughts were, he had no intention of agreeing yet.

All of that was up to the Head of the Civil and Martial Palace.

It was after Cheonbeom emerged from seclusion.

* * *

Ninety years later.

The Gyewol Ship carrying Cheonbeom and the cultivators of the Civil and Martial Palace arrived in the Immortal Realm.

It was also exactly two hundred years since Cheonbeom had ascended to immortality.