novelraw Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48 : Chapter 48
Chapter 48 - Rain Forest Pavilion (2)
“Do you want to see what the afterlife looks like personally today?”
“N-N-No! I wash wrong!”
The Pavilion Master prostrated himself before the Ice Rakshasa, shedding tears profusely.
In a short time of less than a gak, the Pavilion Master’s face had swollen up beyond recognition of its original form.
“Answer only what I ask properly.”
The Ice Rakshasa, who was glaring at the Pavilion Master, smiled brightly and turned to Jaun.
“Young Hero Jaun. You said there was something you wanted to ask, right?”
At that drastic temperature difference, Jaun smiled bitterly.
‘They are guys who committed sins, so they deserve to be punished, but…….’
Seeing the Pavilion Master with his face swollen up, Jaun felt a bit of compassion and sighed.
“What. Not going to answer? Making Young Hero Jaun sigh?”
“Ah, y-you haven’t ashked anyfing yet!”
The Pavilion Master shouted with a feeling of coughing up blood.
Thinking that if he delayed the question any longer, the Pavilion Master would become someone who was a Pavilion Master, Jaun pointed at the Inspection Leader lying on the ground.
The Pavilion Master checked Jaun’s hand and hurriedly nodded.
“Th-That guy! Shall I cut off that guy’s head firsht?”
At the Pavilion Master’s reaction, Jaun shook his head.
“No. The necklace hanging around that person's neck.”
At Jaun’s words, the Pavilion Master ran like lightning, grabbed the necklace hanging around the Inspection Leader’s neck just like that, broke the string, and brought it to Jaun.
“H-Here…….”
Jaun, smiling bitterly, accepted the necklace and examined it closely.
‘As I definitely felt yesterday, there is Demonic Energy contained in it, though faint. An object containing Demonic Energy can only be created by a priest of the Divine Cult……?’
The Ice Rakshasa approached Jaun’s side and examined the necklace.
“Does it belong to someone you know?”
Jaun shook his head left and right and asked the Ice Rakshasa.
“That's not it. I'm asking just in case, is there any possibility of the Demonic Cult and the Sado Alliance forming an alliance?”
“Huh? An alliance between the Sado Alliance and the Demonic Cult? Hmm……. If it's to break the spirit of the Murim Alliance, I can't say there's absolutely no possibility of a temporary alliance, but not now.”
At Jaun’s question, the Ice Rakshasa answered firmly.
“There have been many grievances between each other over the last ten years. And the Murim Alliance's power isn't that great right now either.”
At the Ice Rakshasa’s words, Jaun nodded.
“Then that's fortunate. It seems the Sado Alliance isn't entangled. I feel faint Demonic Energy from this necklace. I want to know where it was obtained.”
Hearing Jaun’s words, the Pavilion Master ran like the wind and slapped the Inspection Leader’s cheeks repeatedly.
“Wake up, you bashtard! That, where did you get that!”
“P-Pavilion Master? Is this the afterlife?”
“Don't talk nonshense, you dog bashtard! Where did you get that necklache!”
“Necklace?”
The Inspection Leader, fumbling with his own neck, looked at the necklace held in Jaun’s hand.
“That, it's the one you crafted from the black stone you gave as a gift, Pavilion Master.”
Instantly, everyone's gaze shifted to the Pavilion Master.
***
Upper floor of the Rain Forest Pavilion.
The group gathered in the Pavilion Master’s room waited for the Pavilion Master.
The Pavilion Master, who was busily throwing things around searching for something desperately, ran back with a bright face, holding a stone about the size of a chestnut in both hands.
The Pavilion Master bowed his head and held up the stone to Jaun.
“This…….”
Jaun, accepting the stone, turned it this way and that and examined it.
“Where did you get this?”
“Locathed above our Rain Foresht.”
“Ah, listening to you makes me annoyed again. Want your head cut off, or your lip pierced?”
At the Ice Rakshasa’s words, the Pavilion Master hurriedly picked up a knife and pricked his swollen lip.
Psshh
As blood drained out, the Pavilion Master’s pronunciation became a bit clearer.
“I got it from the quarry located above our Rain Forest.”
The Pavilion Master repeatedly wiped his lips, from which blood was dripping, with his sleeve.
“Are there many stones like this?”
“No. It was an object I picked up by chance, but since it looked somewhat shiny and flashy at a glance, I kept one and threw one to the kids to take.”
“Hmm.”
Jaun, pondering while turning the stone around, asked.
“May we visit that quarry once?”
“The quarry…… is, it won't be good to look at…….”
When the Ice Rakshasa turned her head sharply, the Pavilion Master nodded quickly.
“I will escort you right away. However, since there might be a little disturbance, please understan…….”
The Pavilion Master hurriedly instructed something to the pavilion members.
Watching that scene with sharp eyes, the Ice Rakshasa asked the Pavilion Master.
“What do you mean by disturbance?”
“Well, about that.”
The Pavilion Master, who was giving instructions, ran over quickly, gathered his hands, and stood before the Ice Rakshasa.
“Starting from some time ago, a crazy bastard from the Zhongnan Sect has been poking around our business sites here and there looking for something.”
The Pavilion Master, swallowing hard as if blood kept going down his throat, continued speaking.
“At first we just ignored him, but he gradually came closer to our manor, and recently he has completely squatted in front of the quarry, demonstrating to be let in.”
“A person from Zhongnan?”
“That’s right. He’s not a martial artist but a descendant of some Quanzhen School or something, calling himself a Scholar Taoist of Zhongnan, but he’s completely stubborn. He’s a psycho that even people from Zhongnan came to stop but it didn't work at all.”
“Scholar Taoist, you say?”
Jaun tilted his head.
“I should at least check what that means. I will meet that person who came from Zhongnan. Let's go personally and see the situation.”
At the Ice Rakshasa’s words, Jaun nodded.
***
“The energy of the Blood Star has definitely appeared.”
“Stop rambling about that star and please just go.”
The young man kneeling on the ground straightened his attire and shook his head from side to side.
“I cannot do so. It is a matter upon which the life and death of the Central Plains depend. The Blood Star, which hasn't shone once for over five hundred years, has appeared. So please let me investigate!”
“Ha, I'm really going crazy. This bastard.”
The warrior guarding the front of the quarry placed a hand on his head.
“Still, since he belongs to Zhongnan, I can't just kill him, seriously.”
“The movement of the Blood Star is unusual. If left as is, everyone will see blood. Wake up!”
“You wake up, you crazy guy. Even your sect was shaking their heads; how crazy do you have to act to get that kind of treatment?”
The young man, adjusting his crooked scholar’s hat, straightened his back stiffly.
“Although I am researching heavenly secrets and formations that everyone in Zhongnan avoids, I am still undeniably a disciple of Zhongnan, so watch your words. Time is urgent, so let me inside immediately and escort me. There is no time.”
The warrior sighed and returned to his spot.
“A crazy guy is climbing up to die like that but I can't do anything……. I'm so frustrated my insides are going to burst.”
Just as the warrior turned away from the young man and looked forward, someone running from afar kicking up dust was seen.
“I-Il-nam!”
The Inspection Leader, rushing to the warrior as if chased by something, looked around.
“Hey. You cleaned up properly, right? Those…… slaves.”
“Of course. I hid them well. But what on earth is happening? Thanks to that, the quarry has completely stopped now.”
“Shut up and listen well. Just if anyone asks anything, say ‘Yes, yes.’ You must absolutely never mention the slaves. Got it?”
The warrior, seeing this appearance of the Inspection Leader for the first time, nodded with suspicious eyes.
“Act as if nothing is wrong. I'm going for now.”
The Inspection Leader, having finished his business with the warrior, went down like the wind.
“Here! It's here! You can come this way.”
The Ice Rakshasa, who was dragging the Pavilion Master and climbing the hill following the Inspection Leader’s guidance, spotted the young man kneeling in the middle of the road and lifted her head.
“Is it that person?”
“Yes. That’s right. That guy is the Scholar Taoist of Zhongnan or whatever.”
Slap!
The Ice Rakshasa’s hand hit the Pavilion Master’s forehead hard.
“You, drain the blood from your tongue while we talk. If you make that lisping sound again later, I'll just kill you.”
“U-Understood.”
The Pavilion Master, shedding tears profusely, took out a dagger from his bosom.
‘It’s almost pitiable.’
Reluctantly ignoring the Pavilion Master, Jaun stepped forward.
“Hello. I am Han Jaun of the Murim Alliance. I heard you are from Zhongnan?”
At Jaun’s greeting, the Scholar Taoist slowly stood up and turned around.
The Pavilion Master, who was trembling behind and bringing the dagger to his tongue, heard Jaun’s words, stopped the knife, turned his head, and slightly grabbed the hem of the Ice Rakshasa’s clothes.
“That person is…… Murim Alliance?”
The Pavilion Master’s hand pointed towards Jaun.
“What. Why?”
“Young Lady is, Sado Alliance?”
The Pavilion Master’s hand pointed towards the Ice Rakshasa again.
“Why are the two together?”
“Want to die?”
“I'm sorry.”
The Pavilion Master bowed his head deeply and slowly brought the dagger to his tongue.
“Hoho. I had a premonition that the Sect Leader would not abandon me. You must have asked the Murim Alliance for help.”
The Scholar Taoist smiled with a sickly face.
“This poor Daoist is called Ban Cheol-hwi of Zhongnan. Now please let me inside there. There is not much time.”
Jaun, who received Ban Cheol-hwi’s greeting, slightly blocked his path.
“I'm sorry, but the Sect Leader of Zhongnan did not send me. I was just passing by on business and came after hearing the story. Why are you trying to enter this place, Taoist?”
At the words that the Sect Leader did not send him, Ban Cheol-hwi, with a slightly dejected face, cleared his throat and adjusted his scholar’s hat.
“This poor Daoist is the last descendant of the Quanzhen School researching supernatural strength and chaotic spirits, and a Scholar Taoist who has entrusted himself to Zhongnan to study formations and heavenly secrets.”
Continuing his words, Ban Cheol-hwi’s eyes shone clearly.
“Although I am still young and my realm is short so I cannot read heavenly secrets as if seeing them with my eyes, I have confirmed the unusual movement of the constellations and am currently going around looking for places that might be problematic.”
As soon as Ban Cheol-hwi’s words ended, the Pavilion Master, who was drooling blood from the corner of his mouth, spat out a mouthful of bloody water with a pfft and added his words while reading the room.
“That guy…… no, this person went around our business sites making such a ruckus that he had to investigate something, causing a huge disruption to our operations. Sitting like that for days and nights in front of gambling houses, inns, and even brothels…….”
The Pavilion Master, seemingly getting heated again, thumped his chest and glared at Ban Cheol-hwi.
“We had no choice but to let him in a few times, but he would just rummage through roughly, shake his head, and move to another business site, wouldn't he? So, do we get frustrated or not?”
“He just looked around and left?”
“He scanned through completely. Even if Zhongnan is a sect sharing the same region with us, this is damaging business ethics severely, not just ordinarily. We can't take off even our undergarments to show him, can we?”
At the Ice Rakshasa’s stinging gaze, the Pavilion Master bowed his head deeply again.
Ban Cheol-hwi shook his head left and right.
“Tsk tsk. To be this insensitive. I said the Blood Star has appeared! The Blood Star! Will you come to your senses only after the entire Central Plains is dyed in blood? Business sites and such are not important right now!”
Ban Cheol-hwi shouted while pointing his finger.
“If we don't start the investigation right away, a big trouble might occur. As a result of investigating here and there, everything was eventually leading to here. So let me in immediately.”
Jaun raised his energy and carefully scanned Ban Cheol-hwi’s body.
‘He definitely doesn't have a body trained in martial arts, but strangely, his Upper Dantian is developed.’
The energy encompassing his entire face from the crown of his head was different from others.
Confirming that, Jaun fell into thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Let's go into the quarry together for now. It seems you might be of some help.”
At those words, Ban Cheol-hwi approached with a bright face and tightly grabbed Jaun’s hand.