Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 535

Tales of Nanshan – Part 2, Episode 244

Adultery. This small word lingered in Cheonbeom’s mind, trapped within the dark prison.

No, it was more like a presence was forcibly preventing the thought from escaping.

“Tsk, tsk. Well, I suppose something fresh and firm is better than something old and worn-out.”

It was Hori.

“Firm… ?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A young and sturdy one is always preferable to something old and flabby.”

Whatever ‘it’ may be. Something young and vibrant is better than something old and worn.

“Am I… old?”

“Not exactly young anymore. Besides, you’re not entirely without fault! Leaving a woman alone in her prime, isn’t it natural she’d stray?”

The image of the woman leaving with Bihae was unforgettable.

Complex and subtle emotions were evident, but the look of relief showed how much she cared for Bihae.

“You fool.”

Hori clicked his tongue, his mood seemingly a mix of good and bad, yet his lips subtly curled upward.

“Are you laughing now? Is this funny?”

“Why shouldn’t it be? Watching other people’s misfortunes is always amusing when it’s not my own.”

Cheonbeom glared at him, speechless. Hori simply shrugged as if to say, ‘What are you going to do about it?’

“If you’re going to give your heart, you should give it to the right person. You have no eye for women, not even as much as a speck of dust.”

“Shut up. There must be some misunderstanding. Saha is not that kind of woman.”

Hori snorted dismissively, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Misunderstanding, my foot! What misunderstanding could there be when she’s embracing a grown man so affectionately! There doesn’t seem to be any room for misunderstanding at all!”

“Ugh! Shut up!! I’m trying to figure out that misunderstanding right now!”

Cheonbeom was the one concerned, not Hori.

His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, struggling to discern what was right and wrong.

“Frankly, unless he’s your son, there’s no reason to embrace such a big man….”

Hori’s words faltered.

“What? Is he really your son?”

Even with great-grandchildren, who could guarantee that more sons wouldn’t appear?

Thinking about it, Bihae’s insolent way of speaking wasn’t much different from Cheonbeom’s when he was young.

“The way he cleverly schemes and his slyness are exactly the same….”

Considering him as a son and matching things up, there were quite a few similarities.

No wonder every word he said was so irritating; it seemed to be because of their shared blood.

“Nonsense. That guy is not my son.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Cheonbeom glanced at Hori and sighed deeply.

“Unlike in the Lower Realm, immortals in the Upper Realm don’t conceive children simply by sleeping together. And if one did, I would have known immediately upon conception.”

Hori’s eyes, who knew almost nothing about that, sparkled with curiosity.

“Then how do they conceive?”

“It’s not much different. You have to unite the yin and yang energies simultaneously with intercourse.”

Because of this, immortals who have children consume a considerable amount of vital energy, whether they are women or men.

Those severely affected may even see their cultivation decline, so it is common for cultivators to plan carefully and conceive when their vital energy is abundant.

“Then you….”

“I have never done that.”

He had no intention of creating children, and given the circumstances, it was impossible.

He was using the Wheel of Eternal Warmth [a powerful artifact that drains his life force], and his cultivation was declining, so how could he?

“Oh… so he’s not your son?”

“That’s right.”

Finishing his words, Cheonbeom stood up and casually broke the handcuffs, letting them fall.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“My head is too muddled; shouldn’t I find out what’s going on?”

Seeing Cheonbeom striding towards the bars, Hori also used his strength to break the handcuffs on his wrist.

Clang.

“W-What! How did you break the handcuffs!?”

The guard, who was watching, shouted in surprise at the ease with which they broke the handcuffs.

“Do you know what the relationship is between the woman and the man who just left?”

“Get back to your post! I don’t know how you broke them, but you can’t break the seals placed by the Four Generals…!”

Crash!!

Cheonbeom shattered the seals on the bars as if to show off.

It wasn’t difficult at all.

He simply drew his finger in the air, and the prison bars, layered with various seals, easily crumbled.

“W-Who are you!!”

However, Cheonbeom did not answer the guard’s question.

“I’ll ask again.”

Koo-oong….

The murderous intent that subtly emanated from his core engulfed the surroundings.

“Cough!!”

Thud!!

Overwhelmed by the unbearable murderous aura, not only the guard but also all the prisoners in the prison foamed at the mouth or were crushed to the ground, groaning in pain.

But regardless, Cheonbeom simply asked him with indifferent eyes, releasing his murderous intent.

“Do you know the relationship between the woman and the man who just left?”

Even if he didn’t know, he had to find out.

Otherwise, the wrath of Great Master Wonseon would rain down.

“Y-Yes, I know!!”

The terrified guard opened his mouth with difficulty, prostrating himself.

“The head of the Sa Clan, who can be said to be the master of Shangshu, and her only son, Bihae, are in a very special mother-son relationship that no one in Shangshu can fail to recognize!!”

A mother-son relationship.

Looking at their affectionate expressions, it was natural to see them that way.

He seemed too young to be having an affair. But hearing that they were mother and son, Cheonbeom couldn’t help but be even more shocked.

Bihae is not his son.

He couldn’t be his son. But if they were mother and son, wasn’t that strange?

Then there was only one possible answer.

“…What then. Are you saying your wife had another man’s child?”

Hori’s muttering in surprise broke the silence of the prison.

Cheonbeom’s anger reached its peak.

* * *

Flinch.

Hwayang, the governor of Sagun, who was reviewing state affairs,

trembled at the pressure of the immense murderous aura that suddenly descended.

“What’s going on!”

It was only for a moment, but she could feel it.

It was no ordinary murderous intent.

It was truly a fleeting moment, but Hwayang, who was at the late stages of the Peak of Fragrant Divinity [a high level of cultivation], felt fear.

It swept past like a gust of north wind from not too far away, so she couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘It was definitely a Heavenly Killing Aura.’

Not just any murderous intent.

A murderous intent among murderous intents that only those who have received the Killing Tribulation [a trial to achieve higher power] can use.

It was the aura of Heavenly Slaughter.

In Shangshu, there was no one here, including herself, who could unleash a Heavenly Killing Aura comparable to Fragrant Divinity.

A long time ago.

While attacking the south of the Upper Realm with the Immortal Slaughter Front, she received his letter and settled in the Water Realm for a long time.

The other high-ranking immortals of the Four Realms, who understood her intentions, all went elsewhere.

She protected Shangshu so that no army from any of the Four Realms dared to approach.

His traces were abundant here, and one woman, like herself, was waiting for one man for a long time.

As she was organizing her thoughts, her subordinates rushed in, panting.

“Who is it?”

“That is….”

Hwayang’s face naturally frowned as she heard the whole story.

“You don’t know? Is what I’m hearing really true?”

“There was a disturbance. Some outsiders involved with a soldier were temporarily imprisoned in the underground prison….”

Just as they were about to interrogate them, they broke the handcuffs and their whereabouts became unknown.

“Who is that soldier?”

“That is… that child.”

Hwayang’s concern deepened behind the iron mask.

“…You’re talking about Bihae.”

She was handed a neatly folded letter.

The crest of the Hwagirin [a symbol of authority] rose into the air, and the letter unfolded on its own.

Her handwriting floated above the unfolded letter, and as she read the contents.

“She says she took him away for some business.”

“Governor, even if she is the head of the Sa Clan, I believe she was a little hasty this time.”

“….”

“No matter what, our Sagun is responsible for the security of Shangshu, and taking away a soldier at will like this can be seen as exceeding her authority.”

“This can be seen as disregarding the soldiers of the Four Realms, and greatly disregarding the Governor who sits above them…….”

Hwayang, feeling the vehemence of her subordinates’ words, quietly got up and left her seat.

“Where are you going….”

“I’m going to ask the person involved. First of all, the most important thing is the person with the Heavenly Killing Aura who appeared in Shangshu, so I need to meet Bihae and hear the whole story.”

The Heavenly Killing Aura was the priority.

If she met Bihae, who was related to him, and heard his story, she would know who he was and why he appeared.

“Governor. That child always tells lies. There’s no telling if he’ll tell the truth even if you ask him.”

“The Sa Clan Head, who only ever protects Bihae, won’t be on our side either. I’ve heard that there have been frequent signs of unrest in Shangshu, so it’s hard to know what will happen, so you should prepare….”

They have changed.

Hwayang felt that as she looked at them.

Whether it was a long or short time.

Perhaps because they had been in Shangshu and had a peaceful time.

They were already speaking as if Shangshu was their own land.

“But that doesn’t mean anything will be resolved if we just stand still.”

If they acted quickly instead of engaging in meaningless armchair discussions, most things would be resolved quickly.

“I’ll talk to the Sa Clan Head, so you all do your duties.”

Hwayang, who had come outside, crossed the sky and headed to Hwamaebong, where the Sa Clan of Shangshu was located.

* * *

At the time when a stream of gold and silver light was flying across the sky.

In an inn in Shangshu located beneath it, an old man had rented the entire place and was drinking alone.

“Why are you drinking alone so pathetically? When you were emitting murderous intent as if you were going to destroy everything in sight.”

A woman, looking at him with a look of pity, quietly sat down.

They were Hori and Cheonbeom, who had been imprisoned in the prison managed by Sagun just a moment ago.

“Thinking about it, it’s understandable.”

“What’s understandable?”

“I’ve been away for so long, it’s understandable that her heart would be filled with a new man. Hearts can change in an instant, so how can I blame her?”

It was his fault for not being by her side.

How could he only blame her for her change of heart?

“So you’re drinking so pathetically like this? It’s not certain that he’s not your son, so you can’t be sure.”

“I’ve already asked some people in Shangshu, and I’ve heard the answer. Bihae is indeed the son of the Sa Clan. They say the Sa Clan Head cherishes him quite a bit….”

Could there be another answer?

“He could be an adopted child.”

“Saha is not that kind of woman. She wouldn’t adopt a random child. She is the head of a family who has to take responsibility for the clan. She would prioritize the prosperity and bloodline of the family, not bring in other blood.”

Cheonbeom knew best how much she cherished the Sa Clan.

Saha was the one who especially felt the importance of bloodlines, so she wouldn’t adopt someone who wasn’t related by blood.

“What do you mean she’s not that kind of woman? You know her so well, yet you let her have another man’s child and raise him? Serves you right, you idiot!”

Hori, feeling annoyed, frowned and asked.

“So, are you going to keep doing this? Should I pray for her happiness or something?”

“If that’s her choice. I have no choice but to respect it. I am always a sinner to my wife.”

Not even once.

He had never not been a sinner.

Perhaps he had been mistaken.

He was under the illusion that she loved him even though he was like that, and that she understood everything.

“You know, don’t you? They are waiting for me. It will be difficult for anyone to preserve their life.”

Those in Geonwonhaemok [a secret organization] are all waiting for their time.

No matter what the end may be.

For the final battle in the Upper Realm.

Calmly and coldly, they are sharpening their blades.

Cheonbeom was no exception.

After the battle with them.

No one knows whether they will survive or not.

The trip to the Water Realm with Hori, and the desire to resolve most of his lingering attachments, were all part of that.

“Because forgetting you might be her happiness?”

Cheonbeom simply held the glass to his lips.

As if that was the answer.