Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 70

Entering the Howling Wing Barracks, San-gun couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

The place was a space of its own, a world in itself. The picturesque scenery stretched endlessly, and the towering peaks exuded a timeless charm.

And that wasn’t all.

The Gungbi tigers [a mythical tiger species] practicing around the peaks flew about, making it seem like a paradise. Even without that, the considerable number of mystical beasts leisurely frolicking or appearing at peace suggested that this place was their Elysium [a place or state of perfect happiness; paradise].

“With such abundant natural energy, just being here will increase spiritual power two or three times faster.”

Geum-myeong Jisu and Ryun seemed quite surprised by the space within the Howling Wing Barracks, constantly marveling and looking around.

The Howling Wing Barracks seemed to house at least thousands of Gungbi tigers. Each peak was as large as a small island, so it was no wonder.

Just then, they landed on a particularly large peak among the many, and several magnificent pavilions came into view. Reaching one of them, the old man spoke.

“If you have any questions, please ask the servant. I must visit the Elder, so please wait here for a moment.”

With those words, the old man flapped his wings and flew away. Before them stood a magnificent pavilion adorned with the image of a tiger with grand wings and sharp eyes.

Stepping inside, a girl with mischievous eyes was seated. She seemed to be the servant the old man had mentioned.

The servant gazed at San-gun for a long time, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“Are you curious?”

“Yes? I-I apologize. Guests rarely come here, so I couldn’t help but….”

A chuckle escaped San-gun, and the servant’s face turned as red as a persimmon. Geum-myeong Jisu, who had been quietly observing, interjected with a sharp remark.

“Are you already flirting? I would appreciate it if you could restrain yourself a bit.”

“What nonsense….”

“If not, that’s a relief. I doubt the Hermit’s taste runs to such young ones.”

Just when things seemed to be improving, she started again. San-gun glared at her, but she avoided his gaze and raised her head.

“I’ll bring some tea!”

The servant flapped her small wings and flew off, leaving behind an odd silence.

San-gun ignored her and began to examine various items he had taken from Gong-jeonggang.

A vial of Blood Collapse Water and the ancient texts he had previously stolen.

Many of them were useless to him, but there were also unexpected insights that gave him enlightenment.

As he was looking at the ancient texts, the servant returned with tea. She held the tray in her arms, constantly glancing at San-gun, who tilted his head, noticing her gaze.

“Why do you keep staring?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. You just smell familiar…. Are you perhaps a tiger?”

At that, his eyebrows shot up.

“How did you know?”

“My nose is a bit sensitive, so I could smell the tiger scent!”

‘A bit sensitive, she says.’

San-gun took out a scented pouch from his pocket.

It was a pouch Hong-yeon had given him, which he used to mask the tiger scent with the fragrance of pine.

“Ah, I knew it. I could smell both pine and tiger!”

“That’s quite remarkable. Most people wouldn’t notice.”

The servant simply smiled. Perhaps it was related to a unique skill or bloodline.

San-gun didn’t press further and quietly drank his tea. It wasn’t like he was dealing with humans; he had been found out by a spirit race, so it didn’t matter.

There was no need to hide it from them.

He was a little surprised that a young child had noticed, but he didn’t mind it much.

Geum-myeong Jisu alternated her gaze between the servant and San-gun, then let out a scoff as if she was dumbfounded. Her expression seemed to say, ‘How long has it been, and you’re already chatting so intimately?’

“By the way, how did you guests come to be here?”

The servant asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Geum-myeong Jisu and Ryun frowned. They were displeased that a mere servant was speaking so freely.

However, San-gun simply raised the corner of his lips and replied.

“The demonic forces were up to no good in Geumgang, so I dealt with them. It seems the Gungbi tigers were unaware of it, so I brought them here to tell you the story.”

“Is that so? Could that be why human Taoists and Yooksa [a rank in Taoism] have been disappearing lately?”

It seemed such rumors were circulating.

Goseon [ancient Korean kingdom] was plotting something, and since Blood Collapse Water wasn’t here, they were probably spreading poison elsewhere as well.

“Probably. To perform the Gu-dok ritual [a type of black magic], they would need test subjects.”

“I see. Geumgang of all places. I didn’t expect them to scheme in the Gungbi tigers’ territory.”

“It’s like being blind to what’s under your nose. I didn’t expect them to be performing sorcery in such a place.”

“Oh my, how did you find out? You’re with the Fourth Moon Clan’s princess, but you don’t seem to be a wolf, young master.”

“Well….”

“Why are you answering so readily?”

Geum-myeong Jisu scolded him, unable to bear it any longer.

Her face seemed to say, ‘Why are you telling a servant everything?’ He also narrowed his brows, but upon reflection, she was right.

But strangely, he felt compelled to reveal everything, which he himself found astonishing.

‘What is this?’

He gazed at the smiling servant and activated the incantation of Danryeong Geumjeong [a type of magic]. His pupils dilated, and he examined her thoroughly with another set of pupils, but there was nothing special about her. She simply tilted her head with an innocent expression.

At that sight, San-gun felt a chill and fiercely gathered his spiritual power.

He bolstered the Bunhap Su-gyeol [another type of magic] and the energy of Hangbo within him. An immense spiritual pressure then pressed down on the surroundings. Geum-myeong Jisu and Ryun were shocked by his vast spiritual pressure and jumped to their feet.

“What are you doing all of a sudden!”

Ryun seemed to be struggling, but Geum-myeong Jisu seemed to be holding up relatively well.

Even if they were at the same realm, San-gun’s spiritual pressure and the purity within it were different, so Ryun’s face looked grim.

Despite Geum-myeong Jisu’s outcry, San-gun’s energy continued to surge.

The teacups on the table floated into the air and trembled. Cracks soon appeared on the teacups, and the tea sloshed about. Just as the pavilion began to creak and groan,

his pupils dilated once more.

A third pupil.

It was a divine power that combined Danryeong Geumjeong with Gwaebi Yeogak [another type of magic]. A divine power he shouldn’t be able to achieve at his current realm! As expected, he seemed to be struggling, sweat beading on his forehead and cold sweat streaming down.

His complexion turned pale, and tears of blood welled up in his eyes.

Koo-oong-

It was then.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery distorted.

Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeok!!

Suddenly, the floor of the pavilion burst open.

What surged through it was a blue flame. It became a pillar of blue fire, spreading in all directions.

Kwang! Kwaang!

Before they knew it, the pavilion was completely burned down, and the entire world was engulfed in blue flames, making this place no different from hell.

“Hermit! What is the meaning of this…!”

Geum-myeong Jisu shielded the trembling Ryun and resisted the illusion.

That’s right.

This was an illusion.

A divine power one should only attain upon reaching the realms of Illusion and Spiritual Enlightenment. An illusionary realm also known as Hwan-tong [a powerful illusion technique].

He was using it.

None other than, Yeong-gyeol [a level of martial arts mastery], was using it.

But even with her outcry, San-gun didn’t stop.

The flickering blue flames, like ghosts, soon took the form of demons. They snarled as if they would devour them at any moment.

San-gun’s bloodshot eyes, shedding tears of blood, were solely fixed on the small girl.

However.

Even in that situation, the servant smiled.

She even looked impressed.

“Amazing! To unfold such an illusion at the level of mere Yeong-gyeol. The Yooksa’s level has already surpassed Spiritual Enlightenment!”

The servant purely admired and clapped her hands. A simple clap.

But what that simple clap brought about was astonishing. With the sound of the clap, the scenery changed. The surroundings, which had been a fiery hell with demons swarming, instantly became a serene landscape with flowing waterfalls. The previous scenery vanished without a trace, as if it had been an illusion.

San-gun, who shuddered at the sight, wore a bitter smile with a bloodless complexion.

“For a moment, I almost didn’t realize I was under a charm and was about to give up my liver and gallbladder [idiom for being completely taken advantage of].”

“Haha, surely not. Would I do such a wicked thing? I was merely having a friendly chat with the Yooksa, as we seemed to get along.”

Who would use a charm for such a reason! On the outside, she acted nonchalant, but on the inside, she must have been sweating bullets.

Even with the Hangbo Sasin Sword made from Hangbo Shinmok [a type of wood], he couldn’t block her charm. He had barely managed to recognize it and push it away.

What that meant was simple.

Her realm was far higher than his. From the start, she had changed the illusion that San-gun had strained himself to create with a single gesture, so it was only natural.

“Please don’t be so wary. I was just trying to approach you comfortably, but it seems it only made you uneasy.”

The girl was now strolling in the middle of a lake where a waterfall flowed.

Walking on the surface of the water with her dainty feet, she looked like a divine being.

“There are no lies in my words? Isn’t it natural for a woman to show that much charm? Please be understanding.”

To call using a charm for seduction ‘charm’… he couldn’t even imagine what she would do if she did it properly.

“I’m late with my greetings. I am Yo-ho, the Great Elder of the Howling Wing Barracks.”

As expected.

He had thought that someone who wielded such divine power would be the Great Elder or the Clan Lord of the Howling Wing Barracks.

Yo-ho tapped her cheek with her finger, then crossed her arms.

“I can roughly guess. They’re probably trying to create a Hon-gwae [a type of ritual] with Gu-dok and use strange sorcery. It’s not the first time they’ve done such things, so it’s not surprising.”

Her tone was as if she was fed up with it.

“The Four Great Spirit Clans of Goseon cannot interfere in the human world unless something extraordinary happens. Isn’t that the same for the Fourth Moon Clan?”

Yo-ho looked at Geum-myeong Jisu and Ryun.

They were startled and knelt down to pay their respects.

“The daughter of the Fourth Moon Clan, Geum-myeong Jisu, greets the Great Elder of the Gungbi tigers. As you said, the Four Great Spirit Clans do not interfere in the human world unless they interfere first.”

“That’s right. No matter what they do, it’s the humans’ business, so it doesn’t seem like we need to step in. Don’t you think?”

Even if they cause a ruckus, Goseon is made up of humans. It is a country of ordinary people.

Even if there is damage, they will be the ones to suffer, so the spirit race does not interfere. Of course, it is not good to be involved with the Demonic Path, and they cannot interfere as they are bound by oath.

That was an old oath with the group they called ‘them’. As long as they were bound by it, they could not interfere in the human world.

That was why she was asking why San-gun, a spirit beast, was digging into their affairs.

Doing something that was of no help.

“What are you trying to achieve by punishing them, young master? What are you hoping for?”

“…I’m just looking for something I need to find.”

“Something you need to find…. You’re not a member of the Fourth Moon Clan, and you don’t seem to be a Yooksa from here. But seeing you with the Fourth Moon Clan’s princess, you must be quite important to them… Since the Fourth Moon values favors, you must be their Hermit.”

Her insight was astonishing.

“You’re at the middle stage of Yeong-gyeol and soon aiming for the later stage, so you must want the Fourth Moon Clan’s Thousand Autumns One Calamity [a rare treasure]? If so, you must be looking for what they lost. The Gi-ryung Brush [a magical artifact] and Blood Collapse Water… Since the demonic humans have them, that must be it. Am I right?”

It felt as if she had mastered the mind-reading technique passed down from Buddhism.

How could she come to such a conclusion without looking into his mind?

Yo-ho’s lips curved upward as San-gun’s red eyes trembled incessantly.

“There’s no need to be surprised. When you’ve lived as long as I have, the pebble you kicked comes back as a palm [idiom for reaping what you sow].”

“I can only admire the Great Elder’s wisdom.”

Yo-ho untied her neatly bound hair. She put one end of the string in her mouth and then gathered her hair again, tying it with the string.

The appearance of a girl had already changed into a woman with maturity.

The mischievous eyes had changed to an unfathomable depth, and soon her eyes transformed into those of a captivating woman.

“Due to the oath, the Fourth Moon Clan provides assistance, and the young master, who is not bound by the oath, freely roams and retrieves the Gi-ryung and Blood Collapse… That brat is quite fortunate.”

By ‘brat’, she meant the leader of the Fourth Moon Clan.

She must be referring to Geum-myeong Okseo.

To call him a brat.

Just how old was she?

“In fact, we were planning to remain still until the time came. No matter what those guys did, no matter what kind of guy they summoned….”

With those words, Yo-ho clapped her hands, changing the scenery. The serene landscape disappeared, and Goseon was spread out beneath their feet.

“But you appeared. With that, we must also change our actions.”

“…….”

“We can’t help but join in on such a delicious feast.”

Her smile, revealing her desire, was both eerie and reassuring. It was better to be openly used than to deal with those who hid their schemes.

San-gun briefly calculated in his head and then looked at Yo-ho.

“What do you want?”

“I want nothing. You just need to find what you want to find. I’ll just be drooling over the prey that comes after that.”

It was an incomprehensible statement, but one thing was clear. His actions would benefit them.

Then he had to change the question.

Not what she wanted.

“Then what will you give me?”

What could she give him?

The corners of San-gun’s lips curved into a smile.