Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 452

Having slept soundly, Cheonbeom felt all the fatigue in his body disappear.

He opened his eyes refreshed and was about to get up from the bed when he realized there was a woman still sleeping beside him.

“….”

She was sleeping so soundly and beautifully, oblivious to the world.

Carefully lifting his head so as not to wake her, he placed a pillow under her head and quietly got out of bed.

“By tomorrow, my arm should be completely healed. It’s a bit unclear whether it’s because it was a clean break or because I completed the Hwahyeol Body [a cultivation technique]….”

Still, considering the bone was broken, it reattached itself in an instant, which isn’t bad.

Beom stretched and opened the window to check the situation outside.

He had gone to sleep around dawn, so it was now early evening.

‘Should I take a walk?’

He had been reluctant to wander around Mangakjeong [a district in the city] because of the prying eyes of many Guiseon [heavenly beings or immortals], but as a habit, he emitted Shinshik [spiritual sense or energy] to scan the area. He didn’t sense any particular energy appearing, except for the servants of Mangakjeong nearby.

Mangakbyeonwang [ruler of Mangakjeong] might have sent them all back.

Anyway, there were no noticeable energies, and the Qi [life energy] emanating from the nearby garden felt quite familiar, so he decided to go there.

A moment later.

“What are you doing here?”

At Beom’s question, Huhae, who was standing blankly in the modestly arranged garden, flinched in surprise.

“Ah! Great Chief, you’ve arrived.”

“Yes, but what are you doing here?”

“Ah, Sal Seon Shinjang [member of the Sal Seon Unit] wanted to get some fresh air….”

He seemed to be standing guard.

Peeking slightly, he could vaguely see Saha and Sabi through the foliage that formed a wall.

Beom nodded and walked across the garden towards Saha.

“So, you were here.”

“You’ve come, Head of the Hall.”

Sabi greeted Beom.

Soon, sensing the atmosphere, he slipped away towards Huhae.

“Why are you chasing the kid away?”

“I didn’t chase him away. He just knew enough to leave on his own.”

Saha, who was about to argue that it was the same thing, picked up her teacup as if it was no big deal.

She seemed to have been drinking tea with Sabi in the garden’s gazebo.

“Want a cup?”

“Sure.”

Beom felt good as he received the tea from Saha, who poured it for him.

But as he savored it, he frowned.

What was in the teacup wasn’t tea, but alcohol.

He didn’t dislike alcohol, but he couldn’t understand why she was drinking it from a teacup instead of a proper glass.

“What is this nonsense?”

“The glasses are too small.”

It was a simple enough answer.

“You’re not even fully recovered, and you’re already looking for alcohol after just getting out of bed.”

“This isn’t alcohol, it’s medicine.”

“Oh? Is it good for you?”

“It’s medicine for my mind.”

He thought it might be a precious medicinal liquor, but it didn’t seem to be anything special.

From the taste, it was just a basic alcohol that Mangakjeong served to guests.

Still, it was alcohol that was hard to come by outside of Mangakjeong, but it was a bit too strong for Saha, who hadn’t fully recovered.

“Stop drinking. What are you doing, drinking alcohol from a teacup instead of a glass?”

“It’s my business. Who are you to tell me what to do!”

She must already be drunk.

“Whenever you drink like this, it’s usually because of me.”

“….”

In the past and now, Saha often drank heavily when it was because of him.

“Is it because of me?”

Saha didn’t say anything.

She just kept pouring alcohol into her teacup and gulping it down.

She was drinking with a serious expression, but Beom couldn’t help but find her cute when he realized it was because of him.

The slightly flushed cheeks and the faint moonlight were enough to enhance her charm even further.

“I get it now. It’s because the princess set up her bridal chamber next to your room, right?”

Clang! Saha slammed the teacup down roughly and shouted with a flushed face.

“That’s not it!”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“I just wanted to drink. Do you think I only drink because of you? You’re so full of yourself, your confidence is through the roof.”

“Is that so?”

At her sarcastic attitude, Beom drank the alcohol that had been poured into his teacup.

“I was going to ask the princess to change the bridal chamber… but I guess I don’t have to.”

Originally, cultivators would draw formations that would be permanently preserved when building a house.

Things like preventing sound from leaking out, or embedding necessary restrictions in the walls. But currently, there was nothing like that in Cheonbeom and Hwayang’s bridal chamber.

For Saha, whose true form was a Fire Kirin [mythical creature], she would be able to hear even the slightest sounds through such thin walls.

Beom was the same.

“Last night was quite eventful too. She kept trying to cling to me while we slept.”

Saha’s reaction changed drastically when he said that to tease her.

She glared at him as if she wanted to kill him, and then shattered the teacup in her hand.

“Yes! I heard everything! I couldn’t understand why she was clinging to you so tightly from morning!”

It was hard for Cheonbeom to hold back his laughter as she burst into anger.

Unlike that woman, Saha was truly easy to read.

“The princess is something else too. She asked for a pillow arm like she had no shame. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even speak. Do you know how many times I considered breaking through the wall?”

“You heard everything.”

She must have heard everything they talked about in the morning.

“I heard that Mangakbyeonwang came to see you. You got hit, right?”

She had been acting like a nagging wife until just now, but suddenly she was worried.

“Yeah, my arm broke.”

“Hmph, serves you right.”

But even as she said that, she looked at his right hand and then his left, as if wondering which arm it was.

“It’s my left arm.”

“Who wanted to know? I didn’t even ask.”

But she couldn’t take her eyes off his left arm.

She seemed worried.

“It’s already healed. I completed something called Hwahyeol when I was in the Seon Realm, so the broken bone healed quickly. You don’t have to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

But unlike her words, her expression became much more relaxed. But then she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but was reluctant.

Annoyed, he asked what it was this time.

“But, um… Mangakbyeonwang hit you as soon as he saw you because you and Princess Hwayang were naked in the bedroom in the morning. Is that true?”

He hadn’t expected her to ask that.

‘Come to think of it, the rumors must have spread.’

It was natural for rumors to spread after all that commotion.

Those who didn’t know the truth would assume that the couple had enjoyed a night of passion, but Saha, who knew the truth, felt differently.

“It’s just a rumor, right?”

She seemed to hope it was just a rumor.

Beom hesitated.

If he told her the truth, she would be hurt, but if he lied, he would feel uneasy.

So, instead of answering, Beom changed the subject.

“I think I’ll have to stay in Mangakjeong for a month, or maybe a year. I talked to the princess, and it seems like we need to stay that long to avoid suspicion. Besides, Mangakbyeonwang, who hadn’t shown himself, has appeared. Even a few words from him could be a great lesson for me, so I can’t miss this opportunity to advance to a higher level. This place is perfect for training, so it won’t be a bad opportunity for you either.”

Saha became a little gloomy at his attempt to avoid answering.

“If that’s what you think, then so be it. Then what happens after that?”

“What do you mean?”

“After that, will you come back here….”

“I don’t think I’ll have any reason to come back.”

At those words, her expression relaxed slightly, and she nodded.

Seeing her so easily swayed by his words, Beom felt a little complicated.

“Saha.”

“I’m listening.”

“Do you know about the Geumhwan Seonhyang [a region or place]?”

“Of course, I do.”

At her questioning look, Beom replied.

“I met my granddaughter there.”

“Oh, oh… I see. That’s good.”

“It was a happy day. But it was also a sad day.”

“Why?”

“I heard about the deaths of my disciple and daughter there. Both of them had accidents during their training and returned to the cycle of reincarnation.”

Saha didn’t know what to say. Looking at his calm face, it seemed like he had transcended all the sadness of losing his family, but he looked somewhat lonely.

“Are you okay?”

“That’s how cultivators are. Anyone can end up in a situation where they can’t turn back because of a moment’s mistake, like my daughter or disciple. Whether it’s me or you, everyone under the sky is equal.”

“That’s true.”

In the Seon Realm, it’s common for people to disappear or lose contact without warning.

They might be attacked by someone.

Or they might die suddenly while training.

That’s just how the world is, but it happens so often in the Seon Realm.

“It was all in vain. All my past years felt resentful and futile. But I still desire power.”

Only then did Saha realize what Beom was trying to say. He was gently telling her not to get hurt.

That what he desired was still power.

Not affection with a woman.

But eternal life.

“What is the end you desire?”

“The end for those who cultivate is all the same.”

Eternal life.

And becoming a true immortal.

Saha’s heart ached at his answer.

He had spoken indirectly, telling her not to get hurt, but that’s why it hurt even more.

“I see.”

As the conversation came to an end, Saha also seemed to have sobered up.

“Come to think of it, I think I have to go to the Hyoguga [a dangerous area] in a few days.”

“Why the Hyoguga?”

“The princess said she was going to collect Seoncho [spiritual herbs] that grows naturally in the Hyoguga. That reminds me, Saha, what exactly happened to you in the Hyoguga?”

She hadn’t heard the full story.

Saha’s face darkened rapidly when asked about the Hyoguga, probably because of the subordinates she had lost there. She had heard that the members of the Sal Seon Unit, who had been carrying out missions with her for a long time, had been wiped out there.

“Were you attacked by Sal Seon? Or….”

“At that time, I was lying in ambush in the Hyoguga. I heard that a procession of Sal Seon would be coming, and according to the story of the adjutant who had been scouting the movements of the Four Realms, such movements were predicted.”

Knowing that, they waited for a month.

It was on a strange day when a sudden rainstorm struck.

“Do you know the legends passed down in the Hyoguga?”

“I’ve heard some of it.”

She had heard that it was a place where strange mythical creatures lived, and even highly skilled cultivators found it difficult to set foot there carelessly.

“At that time, we heard a strange song on a stormy day. The mysterious and soothing sound made me unconsciously relax.”

But Saha, who had heard stories about the mythical creatures of the Hyoguga, quickly regained her composure. Then, a strong wind blew, a tsunami swept in, and a deafening roar that seemed to tear the sky apart was heard.

Unlike the song she had heard earlier, it was like a scream that tore at her heart just by listening to it.

“I couldn’t help but shed tears.”

She didn’t remember what happened after that.

She was swept away by the waves and lost consciousness. As you know, she ended up in Mangakjeong and almost became a magical artifact before surviving.

“Did I bring back bad memories?”

“It’s okay, Beom. Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Tell me. I’ll do anything I can.”

“Then, can you take me to the Hyoguga too?”

“Is it because of your subordinates?”

“I think I should look for them at least once.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll have the Guiseon of Mangakjeong investigate.”

But Saha shook her head.

“They’ve been following me for over a thousand years. I think I should look for them myself.”

“…If that’s what you want, then okay.”

Hwayang wouldn’t refuse to accompany her.