novelraw Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Fate (2)
Clatter. Clatter.
Inside the carriage heading to Hebei Province, Jiwon looked at the woman sitting across from him with a strange expression. Her small eyes and protruding cheekbones made her look truly plain. Since she was none other than Sama Seorin in disguise, he could not help but ask.
“Why go through the trouble of disguising yourself like that...?”
As his voice trailed off, she raised her nose high and replied.
“I cannot hide my beauty with an ordinary face.”
She was acting quite arrogant, but he had to admit she was right. Her aura seemed to have completely vanished thanks to her intentionally unattractive face. Now that his immediate curiosity was satisfied, he asked another question he had been keeping to himself.
“But how did you find me? I was careful and even changed my identity.”
“Ha. You used the Blood-Shattering Strike. What exactly were you careful about?”
At her mocking laughter, he realized his mistake.
“Ah. No way.”
Leaving traces of one’s martial arts was a common plot device in Wuxia stories, but he had been so flustered by his unexpected first kill that he had not even considered it.
‘Damn it.’
To make such a basic mistake. He did not feel great thinking about how that damn author would laugh at him. Furthermore, the fact that he could not use the Black Blood Asura Martial Art if he wanted to avoid being tracked was a fatal blow.
“Phew. I suppose I should create a new martial art.”
At Jiwon's murmur, Sama Seorin burst into laughter.
“Create a martial art? Who do you think you are?”
“...I do not have a choice.”
Faced with such blatant contempt, he crossed his arms and immediately began brainstorming. He had plenty of time for now, as they were currently traveling to Hebei Province to investigate matters related to the original story. In Wuxia novels, protagonists usually walked or rode horses, but he had no intention of doing that.
‘But this carriage is not exactly comfortable, either.’
Unlike a car, every bump in the road was transmitted directly to his rear. He missed the modern world in many ways. He focused once more on designing a new martial art. Before long, Jiwon grew bored and peeked his eyes open.
Swish.
Having lost interest in him, Sama Seorin was looking out the window, enjoying the breeze as it flowed inside.
‘She looks like she is having fun.’
—The Queen of the Demonic Cult, Sama Seorin.
In the original story, her personal history was rarely touched upon. Most descriptions of her involved people dying. Although they were traveling together because their goals happened to align, she was a person he could never let his guard down around.
***
He spent six days inside the rattling carriage. Jiwon, who had grown indifferent to the scenery passing by the window, felt a surge of emotion when he suddenly spotted a grand fortress wall in the distance.
“Oh.”
The carriage slowly came to a halt in Xingtai, a city located on the outskirts of Hebei Province, marking the end of their long journey.
“Argh...”
As soon as he stepped out, Jiwon stretched with a groan. After traveling by carriage all morning and spending the nights at inns for days on end, his entire body felt stiff. It seemed Sama Seorin was no exception, as she grumbled while getting off.
“Honestly. Coming all the way to this remote place to find a bride. This is ridiculous.”
“...Huh?”
Jiwon looked confused for a moment before quickly remembering the ‘setting’ and apologizing.
“Ah. Sorry.”
As far as she was concerned, he had run away to marry the person he loved.
“Let us find an inn to stay at first.”
Now that he was quite used to the Wuxia world, he took the lead. The streets of ancient China were as bustling as ever. He spotted a three-story inn that he liked and gestured to Sama Seorin, who was following a step behind him.
Nod.
She gave a slight nod in agreement, and they slowly stepped inside.
“Welcome! Shall I lead you to a table for a meal?”
A middle-aged waiter approached them with a smile and asked. Jiwon met his gaze and replied.
“First, give us two clean rooms.”
“Yes, sir!”
With a vigorous reply, he handed over two keys, and Jiwon and Sama Seorin went upstairs to unpack. When they reached their rooms, Jiwon pulled a book from his robes and handed it to Sama Seorin.
“What is this?”
“It is a draft of a martial art I have been thinking about. I call it the Heaven-Slaying Sword Script.”
A sword that kills the heavens. As he spoke with confidence, she let out a scoff.
“Pfft. That is quite a grand name.”
Despite her reaction, she flipped through the book as if curious. As she read through it without much expectation, Sama Seorin’s expression turned to one of slight surprise. This was because it was entirely different from any standard system of martial arts.
“...It is interesting, I suppose. But how do you plan to implement this?”
When she looked at him with a serious gaze, Jiwon replied boldly.
“That is for you to figure out.”
“What...?”
As she looked at him in disbelief, he calmly tried to persuade her.
“You do not want me to be dragged back to the Demonic Cult either. So, help me.”
“Ha. You certainly have a lot of nerve.”
“It is not exactly a difficult task for you, is it? For the greatest genius of the Demonic Cult, I mean.”
He flattered her, subtly coaxing her to accept.
“That is true. But do not think I am some pushover you can easily exploit.”
Rumblllle.
A murderous intent began to rise from her entire body. His heart hammered in his chest, but he ignored it and shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine, fine. I will just make it myself. Greatest genius, my foot...”
He let his voice trail off so it was barely audible. He was more confident than anyone when it came to getting under someone's skin. Sure enough, Sama Seorin’s face contorted instantly.
“Are you picking a fight with me right now?”
“Not at all. I just thought that if I could create this martial art myself, it would mean I am a better genius than you.”
As he spoke playfully with a shrug, her gaze turned cold.
“Who do you think you are provoking? Do you really think I would fall for such a clumsy trick?”
‘Ugh, was I too obvious?’
He felt a prick of guilt. No matter how much pride she had, she was not foolish enough to fall for such a blatant method.
‘Damn it. It always works in novels.’
“...However, I am curious to see how this martial art you made will actually work.”
“...!”
Sama Seorin looked at the martial arts draft he had handed her with interest. She was also an extreme martial arts fanatic. It was only natural for her to feel intrigued by the peculiar martial art he had designed.
“I am counting on you!”
Before she could change her mind, he quickly said his goodbyes and ducked into his room.
‘That takes care of the new martial art.’
A satisfied smile spread across Jiwon’s face. In any Wuxia novel, creating a martial art was never an easy task, but this was Sama Seorin from ‘The Tale of the Heavenly Demon’s Queen.’ As the final boss of the original story who caused the deaths of the protagonist's companions and put them through all sorts of hell, all her stats were off the charts.
‘Besides.’
A martial art created by her would likely be the only way to kill her. There was no way a woman as prideful as her would do a half-hearted job.
Thud.
Jiwon tossed his luggage aside and lay down on the hard wooden bed. To recover from the accumulated fatigue of the journey, he slowly closed his eyes, even though it was a bit early.
The next morning.
Waking up early, he left the inn alone. Walking through the streets while breathing in the fresh air brought a natural smile to his face.
‘Wow. This is an unexpected two-for-one.’
Sama Seorin had shut herself in her room to work on the martial art. Thanks to that, he was able to move around freely.
‘...But what should I do first?’
Jiwon’s confident stride came to a sudden halt. In the original story, Jin Yun lost his inner energy and entered the Martial Alliance as a laborer a year later. The reason he had come to Hebei Province was to investigate those ‘omitted stories.’
‘If I want to prevent the war between the Wicked Cult Alliance and the Martial Alliance entirely, I must resolve this case.’
Unfortunately, the ‘Tragedy of Hebei,’ which was one of the triggers for the war, was not explained in detail in the original story.
“Excuse me. May I ask you something?”
When he could not come up with a good idea no matter how hard he thought, he spoke to a man who looked like a local.
“Ah. Yes. What is it?”
The man looked visibly nervous, perhaps due to Jiwon's appearance, so Jiwon asked as kindly as possible.
“I am new to this city. Is there a place where I can find some information?”
“Information...? Ah.”
The man looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to remember something and spoke again.
“If you go over there, there is a place called the Seongun Inn. It is filled with martial artists. Why don’t you try going there?”
“Oh! Thank you!”
Jiwon thanked him with a flushed face before he even realized it.
‘An inn filled with martial artists!’
As a reader who had enjoyed Wuxia novels since he was a child, he could not help but walk faster at such an exciting prospect. Besides, showing that he was enjoying himself would surely annoy that author. After walking for about five more minutes, he arrived at the single-story Seongun Inn.
Shhh.
As he parted the wooden blinds and stepped inside, he saw men who appeared to be warriors sitting there. Approximately fifty pairs of eyes focused on him, but Jiwon did not care and walked further inside.
Step. Step.
A man wearing clean white martial robes with a bamboo hat partially obscuring his face. When he sat down fearlessly in an empty seat in the center of the inn, one of the warriors stood up. The man, who looked to be in his mid-forties and appeared experienced, walked over to Jiwon and gave him a warning with a smile.
“It might be best if you went to another inn.”
“Did you rent the whole place out?”
“Haha.”
The man let out a hearty laugh at Jiwon's bold response. Jiwon had no intention of clashing unnecessarily, but he also had no intention of acting submissively. He had done enough of that during his corporate life.
“The young hero is acting quite bold.”
Rumblllllle!
In an instant, murderous intent and battle spirit erupted from the middle-aged warrior's entire body! However, compared to Sama Seorin, it was pathetic.
‘My, that tickles.’
When he scratched the back of his neck as if he had been bitten by a mosquito, the middle-aged warrior could not help but look flustered. But that lasted only a moment. Although it was not Jiwon's intention, the man felt insulted and gripped the sword at his waist. At that moment—
“I am Captain Paeng Ungi of the Martial Alliance, and I am leading these men.”
A man who had approached them unobserved introduced himself while placing a hand on the warrior's shoulder to restrain him.
‘The Martial Alliance...?’
At their unexpected identity, Jiwon looked at the man named Paeng Ungi with a surprised expression. He looked to be in his thirties, with a plump build and a gentle impression. Wearing somewhat dirty white martial robes, he patted the middle-aged warrior on the shoulder, who then bowed and retreated.
“Could you tell me your name?”
The sharp gaze directed at him from within the man's smiling, narrowed eyes was impressive. Since he had nothing to hide, Jiwon cupped his fist and introduced himself impressively.
“I am Cheon Siu. I have no affiliation; I am just a wanderer.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Paeng Ungi nodded, etching the name Cheon Siu into his memory. The youth looked young, but his ability to shrug off murderous intent and battle spirit was extraordinary. Thus, Paeng Ungi apologized first.
“I apologize for the rudeness earlier. Everyone is a bit sensitive due to the fatigue from our journey.”
“It is fine. But what are warriors of the Martial Alliance doing here?”
Jiwon nodded and asked naturally. Then, Paeng Ungi observed him closely as he replied.
“We heard that children are disappearing in Hebei. The Alliance dispatched us to resolve this matter.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
Jiwon looked intrigued by the unexpected information. Seeing that Jiwon genuinely seemed to be hearing this for the first time, Paeng Ungi’s interest faded. He cupped his fist and bid farewell.
“Then, excuse us.”
The man led the warriors of the Martial Alliance out of the inn. Left alone, Jiwon inwardly cheered as he watched them leave.
‘I found a clue without even trying.’
Perhaps this disappearance case was the ‘Tragedy of Hebei.’
***
“The insolent brat.”
Inside the office of the Black Blood Clan Leader. A middle-aged man who looked like a Taoist, with his white-streaked hair tied neatly back, stood looking out the window with a stern expression. Jin Doha could not contain his rising anger. Everything had been ruined by Jin Yun’s unexpected escape.
“May I come in?”
At the voice from outside, he composed his voice and gave permission.
“Come in!”
A sturdy man with a robust build slowly entered the room. Jin Cheon walked up to Jin Doha and delivered his report.
“I am told they have found no trace of Jin Yun.”
“Incompetent fools...!”
Faced with more bad news, Jin Doha’s face contorted.
“...Is it truly necessary to forcibly bring back Jin Yun, who has already left?”
Jin Cheon asked cautiously while glancing at his father. Jin Doha frowned and let out a sigh.
“Sigh. You do not understand. This marriage is a vital opportunity to form a blood bond with the Demonic Cult.”
“I will take over that marriage in his place.”
“It is not that simple.”
At the flat refusal, Jin Cheon’s eyes momentarily turned sharp.
‘Is this marriage more than just a simple blood bond? Is there some deal involved behind the scenes that he cannot even tell me?’
He could not help but be suspicious. Regardless, Jin Doha turned his gaze back to the window and gave an order.
“You go out and find Jin Yun as well. You must find him.”
“I shall obey your command, Father.”
Jin Cheon bowed respectfully and left the office.
—...You may not believe me right now. But you will soon see my sincerity.
He suddenly remembered what Jin Yun had said before the wedding. Perhaps he had left knowing something that Jin Cheon did not.
‘Fine. Let us look for him first. I will find him and ask him myself.’
Compared to Jin Yun, he was not particularly brilliant. Since he accepted that fact, he decided to move personally.