𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖𝟑
After witnessing Xue Laifu’s end, our first priority was to clean up after the aftermath and track down the generals who had left with each faction.
Fortunately, their respective territories were unharmed, suggesting that while they had faced enemy attacks, the severity was manageable.
「𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙛𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨.」
It was possible that our arrival, sooner than Xue Laifu had anticipated, had forced him to rush his hand. That was my gut feeling.
With all the aftermath taken care of, we were left with one final task.
“So, I’d like to hear the full story of what happened.”
“Yes. I’ll tell you everything.”
It was time to question Thousand-Faced Ghost, the yokai who had been forced into impersonating Sophia under Xue Laifu’s control.
“. . . I encountered her quite by accident. Her aura was so overwhelmingly spiritual, I couldn’t believe she was human! Drawn to her, I unconsciously began following her, gradually mimicking her appearance.”
Eventually, she was discovered by Sophia herself, her true identity questioned, and her life put in danger.
“But she spared me. In exchange for a promise that I would harm no more innocents and do her a single favor.”
“Which was?”
“To continue living in her form and, should I encounter any of her comrades, to pass on news of her.”
After all, taking on Sophia’s appearance would make it easier for us to make contact through some channel.
And hadn’t it worked, despite her being manipulated by Xue Laifu?
As I nodded in understanding, Thousand-Faced Ghost continued.
“In the process, I was captured by Xue Laifu, who somehow found me, and ended up living each day pretending to be the priestess of the clan. . . . . . . I honestly thought it was the end until I met all of you.”
“Did Xue Laifu tell you anything of value?”
“He was initially pursuing Sophia, but it seemed like he only realized I was a yokai impersonating her after encountering me in person. I think that’s when he changed his approach and came up with his current scheme.”
I could more or less follow her explanation. However, there was one issue.
“. . . So ultimately, you don’t know where Sophia is?”
At Arietta’s sharp question, the Thousand-Faced Ghost looked away, flustered.
“W-Well, yes, but I do have some information that might be helpful.”
“What information?”
“The first place I met her was Yongju, and the last place we parted ways was Baek Mountain. She mentioned heading south from there. . . . . . . That should narrow down her possible destination somewhat.”
Having traveled with Ho-chung and gained some familiarity with the surrounding geography, I could roughly estimate the location of the areas that Thousand-Faced Ghost mentioned.
And south from Baek Mountain would inevitably lead to . . . . . . .
“The direction of Cheongra?”
“Yes? Well, it depends on how far she traveled, but it’s not unlikely.”
The city I had first visited, where I had met Gonha and established a connection with the Taoists of Daehwa-rym.
It seemed likely that Sophia had headed there at some later point.
「𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.」
Even if not Cheongra itself, there were already quite a few merchants operating in the vicinity who cooperated with us.
Unless there had been some major setback, Sophia would have likely picked up on our trail as well.
“How long has it been since you parted ways with Sophia?”
“A little over two months, I think? I was captured and brought here only about a month ago.”
In that case, assuming she checked for messages near Cheongra and headed for Jinyeon Mountain, Sophia might have arrived in the vicinity by now.
While there had been no word from Ho-chung, perhaps we would cross paths with her on our way back?
It was still only a hopeful possibility, but it was a positive sign nonetheless.
“In that case, should we head back to Jinyeon Mountain for now?”
“We’ve already met Ha-on, and there are only two left, so there’s no need to rush, Oppa.”
As Cheong Juhwa and Han Seo-ah said, there was no reason to explore other locations if we could simply confirm Sophia’s whereabouts.
Seo Ji-an was still out there, but she had said she would find us on her own after completing her task. There was no need to dwell on it for now.
I nodded in agreement with my companions.
“. . . We’ll return to Jinyeon Mountain and wait for Sophia for the time being.”
With a conclusion reached, there was no need to hesitate.
We informed the Hawon Clan of our departure and soon gathered with most of them for a farewell.
“. . . To be honest, I’m still confused. I almost wish I didn’t know.”
As Oh-cheon, the general of the Fifth Faction, said, it must have been an overwhelming truth for them to accept.
However, it seemed that they had all steeled their resolve, and I could sense their determination.
“Most of the clan is still unaware of the truth, so this is when we must stand firm.”
“Heh, it’s not as if our duty has changed, has it?”
“Well, from what I hear, the outside world isn’t exactly a picnic either. . . . . . .”
Pae-yong, Geum Sah-yang, and Nachal grumbled, and soon Ha Sa-dam approached us, extending a hand with a smile.
“For now, we must focus on solidifying the foundation of our clan, but know that we recognize your cause. Should the moment come, the Hawon Clan will stand with you without hesitation.”
“. . . Thank you for your support in many ways. We will surely reach out if we are in need.”
And so, we departed from the Hawon Clan’s territory and finally set out on our return journey.
And with two days left until we reached Jinyeon Mountain, we received a piece of welcome news.
“The shikigami I entrusted to Ho-chung has sent a signal.”
“Really?”
Just like the one I had given to Seo-ah, a special-purpose shikigami that would relay a signal to me upon its destruction.
And its meaning was clear.
“. . . It means that one of our comrades visited Jinyeon Mountain while we were away.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Sophia had visited Jinyeon Mountain after receiving the message.
There was no other way to interpret it.
“We should probably hurry back a little faster.”
Feeling a sense of the puzzle pieces slowly falling into place, we began to quicken our pace.
Vowing to seize everything we could within the remaining six months or less.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
“Oh, it’s really Kang Yoon!”
At Jinyeon Mountain, which we had finally returned to, Sophia was waiting for us, looking exactly as she had before.
Well, the clothes she wore had changed to match the era, but her appearance itself was so distinctive that it felt all too familiar.
“I’m glad. Did you have any trouble?”
“Ummmm, there were some things. . . . . . ? But I managed to get through them somehow.”
Everyone greeted Sophia happily, and she smiled as she told us about her experiences.
Since we had already gathered so much information, there wasn’t much new to learn, but it gave us a sense of the many adventures she had been through as well.
In contrast, when we shared the information we had obtained, it was Sophia’s turn to widen her eyes in surprise.
“T-That’s how it was. I feel like I’ve been worrying for nothing. If I had been there with you, I could have helped. . . . . . .”
She seemed deeply regretful for not being able to lend her strength during the crisis, but even so, she quickly regained her spirits and recommitted herself to the task ahead.
“Don’t worry! I’ll help out with anything I can from now on.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Indeed, her joining us was a great relief.
Not only did it eliminate a major concern, but it was like adding another heavy hitter to our team.
And so, after our reunion, I had to face another unexpected person.
“This is So-yul. I heard she met Kang Yoon before? She was a great help in getting here.”
“Long time no see. Oppa.”
So-yul, still with her impassive expression, greeted me and bowed to my companions as well.
It was such an unexpected encounter that I couldn’t help but ask in surprise.
“I thought you said you were going to settle down in Cheongra?”
“. . . After Oppa left, a powerful yokai appeared near Cheongra and even damaged the shop. That’s when I met this sister.”
So-yul seemed to have heard about my companions’ characteristics and recognized them at a glance.
And so, Sophia had defeated the yokai that had settled in Cheongra and had guided her here to Jinyeon Mountain.
Nodding at her explanation, I couldn’t help but check her information again with my sentiment ability, just in case.
There had been nothing particularly unusual before, but the words of Hong Lin kept coming back to me.
Ting!
【So-yul】
▶Level 19
Again, there was no problem. And so, I lightly patted her head and thanked her for her hard work.
Shin Pyo-eul, who had been watching her unpack with a pleased expression, spoke up.
“So, what should we do now?”
We had defeated Baekryeo and Xue Laifu, two of the five great yokai, and had successfully reunited with Yoo Ha-on and Sophia.
While there was still some concern about Seo Ji-an, we had decided to trust her, so our immediate options were threefold.
“We could meet with Seo Cheon-ye to get information on Taotie and go after him, or we could ignore him and search for information on Polar Night.”
Or we could simply choose to focus on training for the time being, as we had originally intended.
Especially since Taotie’s strength was unknown, it might be wiser to raise our levels as much as possible before making a move.
“It’s hard to decide because both options have their merits. . . . . . .”
“The problem is that we only have six months left. It feels risky to just keep moving, but it’s frustrating to wait until we’re stronger.”
Ultimately, it was a question with no right answer, so we had no choice but to check the opinions of each individual in the group.
“Let’s vote on it.”
We gathered together and decided to determine our immediate goal through a vote.
And soon, our wills intersected and a result emerged.
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