Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 84

The Mountain Lord’s stone chamber was a sprawling complex with numerous rooms.

Among them were the Herb Garden, Mansam’s dwelling, the pond where Taehwari made his home, and dedicated spaces for Tanhwa O’Gong, Samcheok Gwidongma, and even a training hall. Soryeong occupied one of the many peaks, his rooms tailored to his needs.

His sleeping quarters were a spacious area covered with the enormous fur of an unknown spirit beast.

A human would have been given a modest, appropriately sized room, but the Mountain Lord was, after all, a tiger.

Being a tiger the size of a house, the stone chamber was also boundlessly large.

That’s right.

A very large space.

There was no way Cho-ah, lying down there, would take up all the space.

No way.

Anyway.

The Mountain Lord looked at the table of food and drinks Cho-ah had brought and pressed his lips together.

What could be the reason for bringing a table of food and drinks in such light clothing? No matter how dense he was, he couldn’t possibly be unaware of her blatant intentions.

‘This is awkward,’ he thought.

Soon, a refreshing fragrance tickled the Mountain Lord’s nose. It seemed she had even taken a bath.

“E-eat, please.”

He stared silently at the beautifully arranged table of food and drinks for a long time before picking up his chopsticks.

The side dishes were quite elaborate.

Starting with colorful dumplings, there was jerky, dried fish, dried persimmons, and even sweet rice punch [Sikhye, a traditional Korean rice beverage].

He picked up the liquor bottle and smelled it; it wasn’t bad.

“It’s Baekhwaju [a traditional Korean liquor made from a hundred different flowers].”

The Mountain Lord smiled, intoxicated by the scent, but his face hardened as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘Isn’t Baekhwaju the alcohol shared at weddings…?’

The Mountain Lord’s expression instantly turned bitter.

“I’ll… pour you a drink.”

“Huh? Oh, uh….”

Pour, pour.

He accepted the glass of alcohol in a daze.

His face reflected in the glass looked quite unsightly. He stroked his cheek, wondering if he had been making such a foolish expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

It was terribly coincidental.

When he was young, he could just ignore it.

But now that she was acting like a modest woman, he felt incredibly awkward.

He couldn’t even rebuke her.

‘I don’t know,’ he thought, exasperated.

She poured him a drink, so he had to drink it and start a conversation. As he swallowed the alcohol, the fragrance of flowers filled his mouth, and a smile spread across his face.

“Try this too.”

Then Cho-ah picked up a pancake.

She tried to bring it to the Mountain Lord’s mouth, but when their eyes met, she was startled and put it down on the plate.

The Mountain Lord stared at the pancake for a moment, then put down his glass and covered his face with one hand.

He pressed his temples with his thumb and middle finger.

He wondered what he was doing.

“Do you… have something to say?”

“Yes?”

“No, I mean, you brought the table of food and drinks.”

“Ah….”

Cho-ah fidgeted with her hands and said.

“I really… wanted to do it for you.”

She was smiling, but her smile looked somehow sad, as if it held a story.

“When I mistakenly thought my husband had closed his eyes [passed away], I was too young. That’s why I didn’t do anything for you.”

She had only received.

As she murmured, she took out a pure white hairpin from her bosom.

It was the Domojam he had given her as a gift.

“To me, it was regret, lingering attachment, and ultimately, resentment.”

Cho-ah gazed deeply at the Mountain Lord, then picked up the liquor bottle again and poured more alcohol.

“But now, that resentment has disappeared. I’m really… really glad.”

That you’re alive.

‘So, she thought I was dead… I see. She must have seen what Hwaran made,’ he realized.

Now that he thought about it.

It was strange.

Cho-ah, whom he met later, acted as if she was a completely different person.

He felt the ruthlessness of time as he watched Cho-ah, who had changed so much, but it was all his fault, which was bitterly disappointing.

Only then did he begin to understand why Cho-ah had come to Goseon.

She must have realized that he was alive for some reason and came to find him, only to be captured by Guium Narachal.

“Could you call me once?”

“Call what?”

“M-my name.”

Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears.

Come to think of it, she was called Baekryeon, not Cho-ah, in the Ice Palace.

It was common to create a new name when entering a sect [a religious or philosophical group].

Calling her name was not difficult either.

“Cho-ah.”

“One more time.”

Was she that happy?

That he was calling her name.

“Cho-ah.”

“Yes…!”

She finally shed tears.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

But Cho-ah looked happier than ever.

“Cho-ah, you’ve suffered a lot.”

“Yes.”

Cho-ah hugged the Mountain Lord, sobbing.

“Please call me more.”

Calling her was very easy.

But a little.

“Stop clinging to me so much.”

She was burrowing into his arms and wouldn’t let go.

“We’ve been apart for so long….”

“No… oh, okay.”

He patted her back, and she rubbed her face against his chest as if she felt good.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course….”

She said, then looked him in the face.

“Does Husband… dislike it?”

He didn’t dislike it.

But a little… it was ambiguous.

He wasn’t a snot-nosed kid, so he couldn’t possibly be unaware of the emotions behind Cho-ah’s actions.

‘It’s burdensome,’ he admitted to himself.

To be honest, it was.

It was one thing when she was a child who didn’t know anything and followed him around, calling him Husband.

But now she was a mature woman.

How could she not be?

Besides, the Mountain Lord hadn’t had much connection with women for 100 years.

He had lived with Hwaran, but that couldn’t be the same as this.

“No.”

But how could he openly say he disliked it?

Cho-ah was a child who had lived longing for him for over ten years.

Besides, this wasn’t a peaceful world. All sorts of schemes were rampant, and one’s head could be blown off with a single word.

In such a place, she had grown up and come to find him as a woman, so how could he, as a man, pretend not to know?

“That’s a relief. I was so worried about what to do if you rejected me.”

“…Okay.”

He was going to answer, but when the time came, he didn’t know what to say.

“Well, I have many stories to tell you. Have another drink.”

“Um… okay.”

If they shared a drink, things would somehow work out.

After that, the two sat side by side and talked a lot.

From how she ended up going to the Ice Palace to Yeon-ah, who was guarding Mount Baek.

As they shared various stories, the alcohol soon ran out, and as their stomachs filled, sleepiness washed over them.

The Mountain Lord, tipsy, lay down.

Cho-ah, who had cleared the table, slyly rested her arm on his and lay down.

“It’s really like a dream.”

It seemed she still couldn’t believe it.

She hugged him, holding onto his sleeve tightly.

Even though she was older, he wondered why she still liked to be held like a baby.

The Mountain Lord took a deep breath.

The alcohol was kicking in.

But he had to say what he had to say.

“How much longer do you have to live?”

“The lifespan of a Biseon [a type of female immortal] is 500 years, so if there are no problems, I’ll live that long.”

500 years.

A number of years that ordinary people could hardly fathom.

But for spirit beasts, it was a lifespan that was even called short.

“I will ascend to Yeongmyeong [a higher level of spiritual attainment] here. In human terms, it’s equivalent to Hwanseon [another level of spiritual attainment]. If I do, my lifespan will also increase exponentially, and I will gain a lifespan of 2000 years.”

500 years and 2000 years.

The difference was obvious without even counting.

Cho-ah’s pupils were shaking aimlessly. It seemed she didn’t know that the lifespan of a spirit beast was that long.

“T-then I’ll also work hard to cultivate….”

“If, just if, you become a Jiseon [a high-ranking female immortal], you’ll have a lifespan similar to mine.”

He had heard that Jiseon had a lifespan of 3000 years, so it would be roughly correct.

“But don’t think that I’ll be in Yeongmyeong forever.”

She might really become a Jiseon.

But would the Mountain Lord just stand still until she became a Jiseon?

His goal was to ascend to Yeongwon [the highest level of spiritual attainment] and become a Divine Beast.

If Cho-ah became a Jiseon and the Mountain Lord also became a Yooksa [a powerful being] of Yeongwon, the difference in their lifespans would be immeasurable.

Even if she was a Honahyeol [a person with mixed blood], it would be the same.

“Life is full of ups and downs, and no one can enjoy a natural lifespan… you will die before me.”

That was what he feared.

Cho-ah’s appearance was an absolute beauty, not too good to be called a fairy.

And what about her heart?

It was as soft as silk.

How could he not like such a child when her heart was so special towards him?

But she was human.

He was a spirit beast.

Life was unpredictable, but there was a big difference between knowing and not knowing one’s lifespan.

Especially if it was about one’s spouse.

“B-but…!”

“Yes. Soon, I will receive the Cheonsu Ilgigeop [a heavenly trial] and attempt to achieve Jinsumyeonghwa [a state of spiritual transformation] in Yeongmyeong. Life is unpredictable, so I might be possessed by a Simma [a demonic entity] and die, or I might become a Jinmyeongsumok [a tree spirit] like other spirit beasts and end my life in vain.”

Unlike humans, spirit beasts risked their lives.

Failure in Jinsumyeonghwa meant death.

“H-how can you be in such a hurry….”

“I have a lot to do. Therefore, I need strength, and I have no choice but to wander around, so my partner will have a very difficult time.”

The answer was already decided from the beginning.

He had only hesitated.

Now was the time to give that answer.

The Mountain Lord waited silently.

After a short while, after a moment passed.

Cho-ah slowly lifted her upper body.

“Do you know that?”

“Know what?”

“Taoists who pursue the Great Dao [the fundamental nature of the universe] abandon their surnames or something.”

The Mountain Lord was well aware of that.

It was to abandon the secular world and devote themselves to cultivation in order to become immortals.

“Originally, that’s the reason. But there’s also a reason why they have no choice but to do so.”

“Why are you beating around the bush?”

Cho-ah smiled bitterly and wrapped her stomach with both hands.

“Taoists expel the toxins in their bodies at the same time as they enter the sect. After that, they cultivate, observe their bodies, and manage their diet thoroughly to make it completely a vessel.

Therefore, men cannot plant seeds, and women cannot have children.”

It felt like the alcohol was wearing off.

It was a story that had nothing to do with spirit beasts.

But it seemed different for humans.

Cho-ah swallowed a bitter smile.

“What reason would there be to accept a woman who cannot bear children as a wife?”

“…….”

What was she trying to say?

The Mountain Lord couldn’t understand at all.

Cho-ah’s words were strange.

She was saying that she had no value as a woman, but her eyes were still bright, and her face was flushed.

“But all of this doesn’t matter if you become an immortal. I heard that if you ascend to immortality and become a true female immortal, it’s also possible to have children! And what you’re worried about, Husband, is that if you become an immortal, you’ll become immortal, so there’s nothing to worry about at all!”

Cho-ah, who had her hands on either side of the Mountain Lord’s head, gasped for breath.

As she said, if he became an immortal, there would be no need to worry about the problems.

But how easy was that?

Even Hwanmang Seonsa, the number one person in Goseon, was unable to ascend despite having it right in front of him.

Besides, even if he became an immortal, there were laws and powers unique to the immortal realm.

‘The child of an immortal and a divine beast….’

Anyway, everything depended on becoming an immortal.

“I will become an immortal. I will definitely become a female immortal! So, Husband, you should also become a divine beast and become immortal!”

“No, wait a minute! Wh-why are you untying your clothes! W-wait a minute!”

He was startled and squeezed his eyes shut.

The night was long and long.