Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 433

Nangseon Gi Hwan Dam – Part 2, Chapter 142

Cheonbeom, who had weathered countless hardships, couldn’t help but be surprised by his granddaughter’s sudden appearance.

A granddaughter.

He had a granddaughter!

“You’re… Cheonwoo’s daughter?”

“Yes…!”

So-cheong cried out, her face streaked with tears.

It was hard to tell if she was simply sad or overjoyed by this dramatic encounter.

Cheonbeom felt a lump in his throat and gently stroked So-cheong’s cheek.

“Are you really… my granddaughter?”

So-cheong nodded, sobbing.

Then, Cheonbeom’s eyes also began to water.

He didn’t know why.

He had been composed until now, but suddenly felt a surge of both sorrow and pride upon hearing the word ‘granddaughter.’

“I always, always thought about this. I grew up listening to stories about grandfather from my father and grandmother, so I wished and wished for it! But, but I never thought this would really come true! That I would really meet grandfather!”

So-cheong cried and laughed like a child, overcome with joy.

“I can’t contain my happiness at meeting my grandfather, who has become a divine immortal in the heavens. It would have been even better if my father, mother, and grandmother were here too!”

For So-cheong, meeting Cheonbeom was a miracle in itself.

How could she have imagined that she would meet Cheonbeom, a legendary figure she had only heard about in stories, in the Geumhwan Seonhyang [Golden Ring Celestial Fragrance, a mystical realm]?

A miracle orchestrated by Geumhwan Seonhyang.

So-cheong believed it was an inexplicable connection.

“I’ve become an old man without even realizing it. Grandfather…”

It felt a little awkward, but not unpleasant.

He was also quite taken aback by the sudden appearance of such a charming granddaughter.

But as he looked at her closely, her sharp nose seemed to resemble Yoho [Cheonbeom’s deceased wife] a little, and her gentle eyes seemed to mirror Cheonwoo [Cheonbeom’s son].

‘She looks like me when she smiles.’

Perhaps it was because she was dressed as a man, but she seemed even more like him in his younger days.

“I don’t really like the title ‘grandfather.’ Doesn’t it feel too formal?”

Cheonbeom’s position was what it was, and she was not of ordinary status, so she must be using such an expression out of respect.

But they were already estranged, and even the title seemed to create a barrier, so he didn’t like it.

“Th, then…”

“Call me grandpa.”

So-cheong’s face lit up with a bright expression she had never shown before.

“Yes, Grandpa!”

Cheonbeom smiled warmly at So-cheong’s radiant expression and embraced her.

So-cheong felt that her grandfather’s embrace was incredibly wide and warm, like being enveloped by sunlight.

* * *

A little later.

After their emotional reunion, Cheonbeom sat down with his granddaughter near the floating stones of Geumhwan Seonhyang, spending quality time together.

He answered her questions sincerely, told her about the Upper Realm, and shared amusing stories about his experiences after ascending [achieving immortality and moving to a higher plane of existence].

So-cheong, having removed her disguise, was an even more lovely child than he had anticipated, and her youthful appearance made her seem only sixteen years old, making it easier to connect with her.

If she had been a grown woman, it would have been difficult to be so affectionate, even if she was his granddaughter.

“Ah, then is Grandpa famous even in the Suye Gye [Watery Night Realm, a lower realm]?”

“Of course, there’s no one in the Lower Realm who doesn’t know your grandpa. Naturally, I’m making a name for myself in the Upper Realm as well.”

He showed off a little and enjoyed himself.

“But, So-cheong.”

“Yes, Grandpa!”

Her cute response made him smile involuntarily.

“Didn’t you say you came to find the treasure I left behind?”

“Ah! Yes, I did!”

“But there’s no treasure I left behind in Geumhwan Seonhyang. There’s no way there would be a treasure I don’t even remember.”

A little time had passed, so he wondered if he had simply forgotten, but no.

Cheonbeom had no memory of leaving anything behind in Geumhwan Seonhyang.

“What? Th, then what is this…”

She took something out of her arms, an old book.

When he received it and opened it, he saw writing and a rough map that appeared to be in someone’s handwriting.

“It looks similar to my handwriting.”

“Yes! So we thought this was what Grandpa left behind…”

“No. It’s similar to my handwriting, but I have no memory of writing something like this.”

It was an object he didn’t recognize.

In the first place, he didn’t remember any treasure, and there was no reason to bury it in Geumhwan Seonhyang, so why would he do such a pointless thing?

At his words, So-cheong immediately pouted in disappointment.

“I went through so much trouble to get here, but it was all for nothing.”

“Haha, that’s life. But because of that, you got to meet this grandpa, so it’s not such a bad ending. Don’t you think?”

“I guess so?”

She smiled pleasantly, but strangely, there was a hint of worry on So-cheong’s face.

Cheonbeom found it strange and looked at the old book again, reading the words.

The writing described a certain treasure and its effects, and its name was Woncheongang [Primordial Azure Essence], and it claimed that it could cure Guryongjeolmaek [Nine Dragons Severed Meridians] if one possessed it.

‘Woncheongang…?’

He never thought Woncheongang would come up.

Woncheongang was a condensation of Seongi [Primordial Energy] in a place arranged by Jiranwi, the ancestor of the Haeryong Clan [Sea Dragon Clan], which Tamhwa had swallowed.

‘Very few people know about Woncheongang, and most of them died at my hands…’

How did this end up being written in his handwriting and going to his granddaughter?

“Where did you get this?”

He asked, and she replied.

“My mother said she found it by chance while cleaning the Baeksan Sect’s [White Mountain Sect] pavilion.”

“Hmm… That would be my daughter-in-law. Can you tell me about your mother?”

“Yes? Of course.”

So-cheong’s mother was a descendant of Gung Biho, who was thought to be dead, but she happened to meet Cheonwoo and made a lifelong vow [marriage vow].

After that, she lived in the Baeksan Sect, assisting Cheonwoo and giving birth to So-cheong, and later, as Yoho’s daughter-in-law, Cheonwoo’s wife, and So-cheong’s mother, she was said to be an impeccable mistress of the Baeksan Sect.

“It’s a shame I can’t see my daughter-in-law.”

He wondered if the Lower Realm’s successor, who had a bad relationship with him, had approached with bad intentions, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

“Woncheongang, which can cure Guryongjeolmaek… I don’t know who wrote such nonsense.”

He didn’t know what Jeolmaekjeung [Severed Meridian Disease] was, but if a Lower Realm cultivator swallowed Woncheongang, their body would explode and die, so how could it cure the disease?

He was starting to wonder why So-cheong had risked her life to enter Geumhwan Seonhyang because of this ridiculous story.

“I, isn’t Woncheongang the cure for Guryongjeolmaek…?”

“No. Woncheongang is created by the condensation of the energy of heaven and earth for tens of thousands of years. If a Lower Realm cultivator rashly takes that enormous energy, they will not be able to digest it and their body will explode and die unless they are born with a special bloodline.”

Then, So-cheong’s face turned pale and she dropped her head.

“Why are you doing that?”

Then she started sobbing.

“I have no hope now, Grandpa.”

“No hope? What are you talking about?”

“I’ve had a Jeolmaekjeung called Guryongjeolmaek since I was a child…”

“What?”

Guryongjeolmaek (九隆切脈) [Nine Dragons Severed Meridians].

It was one of the Jeolmaekjeung, a disease in which problems with the blood vessels make it difficult for Qi [spiritual energy] to circulate, leading to premature death at a young age.

Among them, Guryongjeolmaek is said to have blood vessels that are enlarged from an early age, causing Qi to circulate more and faster than other Jeolmaekjeung.

If she were an ordinary person, she would have aged quickly, but So-cheong had the blood of a Youngsu [divine beast], so that was not the case.

However, the Simgiche [Mind-Qi Foundation], which is important for cultivation, is not balanced, causing a major setback in the next Jinsumyeonghwa [True Breath Illumination, a stage of cultivation].

“Grandpa probably knows that Yeonggyeol’s [Spirit Connection Stage] lifespan is 1,500 years.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But I have Guryongjeolmaek, so my lifespan is only half that. So I only have a hundred years left to live…”

So-cheong was about 500 years old, so if she couldn’t cure her Jeolmaekjeung, she would soon die.

“You can do Jinsumyeonghwa, can’t you?”

So-cheong was currently in the Later Stage of Yeonggyeol, and she could easily become a Yeongmyeong [Spirit Life Stage] with just a small opportunity. If she was his granddaughter, her talent wouldn’t be bad either.

But perhaps because Cheonbeom said it too lightly.

His granddaughter, So-cheong, became even more depressed and seemed to sink into the ground.

“I’m not as talented as Grandpa… And because of Guryongjeolmaek, Qi circulates faster than others, so I’m not good at handling Yeonggi [Spirit Energy]…”

So Woncheongang was the last remaining hope for So-cheong.

But she was greatly disappointed by Cheonbeom’s statement that it was false.

‘Whoever it is, it seems like someone with a great grudge planned this.’

It seems that they have put in a lot of effort over a long period of time to trap So-cheong.

If they had a grudge against the Baeksan Sect, it would probably be a Maseon [Demonic Immortal] from the Mado Sect [Demonic Path Sect].

“So-cheong, do you have anyone who holds a grudge against you?”

“A grudge…?”

She tilted her head as if she didn’t know.

Cheonbeom began to worry about So-cheong, who had such an innocent face.

‘I don’t know if this young one will survive well in that fierce place.’

Isn’t the Sutogye [Mortal Realm] the place where you get your nose cut off even with your eyes open [a cutthroat world]?

Cheonwoo, the father, was so confident in his daughter that he sent her alone to Geumhwan Seonhyang, which was very questionable.

‘Unlike his sister, he was a very cautious person…’

It doesn’t make sense.

Cheonbeom looked at the map in the old book for a moment and then asked So-cheong to give him her wrist.

It was very wary to give a Taoist one’s wrist, but So-cheong gave it without hesitation.

Cheonbeom checked So-cheong’s pulse and gently flowed Qi into it.

“Heut!”

She frowned as if in pain, but seemed to be trying to endure it.

‘Hmm… Is this how it is?’

It is a disease caused by abnormally wide blood vessels.

Which medicine can cure this, which was born with congenitally widened blood vessels?

Since she was born that way, she probably wouldn’t be able to cure it with any ordinary medicine.

“It seems difficult to cure your disease with any medicine.”

When he shook his head and said that, despair settled on So-cheong’s face.

She must have been expecting something.

She probably thought that her grandfather was a god, so he might have a way.

But when he said it so firmly, she started sobbing again, saying that she only had about a hundred years left to live.

“Don’t cry, So-cheong. Still, I’m your grandpa, so I’m not a person who wouldn’t care when I see my granddaughter crying.”

“Bu, but… Grandpa can’t do anything about it, so I have no choice but to wait for the day I die. Sniff!”

Now she was completely sobbing, and Cheonbeom burst out laughing.

“Ha, Grandpa is laughing even though his granddaughter is about to die!?”

Cheonbeom smiled and replied, dumbfounded.

“I said I can’t cure it with medicine, but it’s a disease that can be cured with something else. Your grandpa is a god, so can’t I cure a disease in the Lower Realm?”

“What?! Is that true?”

“Don’t call your grandpa a liar. I’m not such a shameless person that I would lie even to my granddaughter.”

Beom, who said that, tapped his wrist with his finger.

“It seems like the time has come for you to leave my side. You have been with me for a long time.”

Then, something wriggled inside Beom’s wrist, and a long, golden, thread-like worm appeared through the skin.

The name of this Yeongchung [Spirit Worm] was Jangchungjitae [Long Life Earthly Essence].

It was a Sangsaeng Yeongchung [Symbiotic Spirit Worm] that had lived in symbiosis with Cheonbeom’s body since the Lower Realm.

“This will cure your disease.”