Chapter 94 : Chapter 94

Chapter 94. Ghost (3)

"Eyes?"

While I tilted my head and asked.

For some reason, my junior sister also seemed to have noticed something and let out an exclamation of "Ah!"

"B, bro's eyes were red just now. B, before too, they turned red whenever we fought. I, I thought they were bloodshot. B, but now they're fine."

I wondered what this was all about.

"It happened before too? Since when?"

"I think it started after we came back from Mount Heng. Senior Brother. It was like that during the Choi Manor incident, and also during the last chaotic battle. Come to think of it, this time your eyes turned red even when you were training alone."

My junior sister, answering in place of Nam Geon, tilted her head once and added.

"I also thought they were bloodshot from exhaustion during battle. But when I looked closely just now, it wasn't so much bloodshot as…… it felt like a reddish aura was flickering."

Since after Mount Heng?

A reddish aura?

After thinking for a moment, one possibility came to mind.

After Mount Heng meant after I had consumed the Gongcheong Seokyu.

In other words, it was after I had reached the peak stage and my second eye had opened.

That a reddish aura flickers in the pupils when the second eye opens.

It was a fact I was completely unaware of.

What on earth is this eye?

The problem that I had lived with without caring because it was a great help in getting stronger gently raised its head.

At that time, the Tang Clan guy, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, spouted nonsense.

"If it's a red aura, could it be a ghost? That person's alias is the Ghost Sword Young Master, isn't it? Now that I see it, isn't he really possessed by a ghost?"

A smirk escaped my lips.

A ghost, you say.

It was half true.

I had died and returned to the past.

The moment I was having such trivial thoughts.

Nam Geon shivered and said.

"Hi, hiik. I, I hate ghosts."

"……How unexpected. Young Master Nam, are you afraid of ghosts?"

Nam Geon nodded his head violently at Dang Sopyeong's question.

"I, I'm not afraid of people. I, I'm fine even if I get stabbed. B, but I'm afraid of ghosts. I, I can't hit ghosts. But ghosts can t, torment me."

It was a surprisingly logical reason.

As if convinced, Dang Sopyeong and my junior sister also nodded.

With a still anxious face, Nam Geon asked.

"B, bro, are you possessed by a ghost?"

"Don't worry. There's no such thing as ghosts."

In my previous life, I had roamed the entire martial world for over a decade and killed countless pieces of trash, but I had never seen a ghost.

So, there were probably no such things as ghosts.

***

Seven days and nights later, at dusk when the sun had set.

We finally arrived at a village called Habae near Heavenly Peak Ridge.

Perhaps because it was such a small village.

There were no inns in sight.

As we were loitering around the village, an old man approached us.

"I am the chief of this village, what brings you all here?"

I answered the Habae village chief's question politely.

"My surname is Jin, and my given name is Yuseong. I have some business at Heavenly Peak Ridge over there, so I stopped by for a moment."

For some reason.

The village chief asked back with a startled face.

"A, are you planning to go there now?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Of course, there are many problems! Th, there is a ghost at Heavenly Peak Ridge! Even the people of this village absolutely! do not go there at night!"

I frowned and turned my head to look at Dang Sopyeong.

It was a strange thing.

Even in the distant future, there was a rumor that a ghost lived on Heavenly Peak Ridge.

And the source of that rumor was none other than the Poison Immortal.

As befitting a reclusive loner suffering from severe distrust of humans, the Poison Immortal did not welcome anyone entering his territory.

If anyone approached the vicinity of his residence and the place where he grew medicinal herbs, it was the Poison Immortal's daily routine to knock them out with a paralysis poison and then drive them away.

From the victim's perspective, it was a situation where they fainted as soon as they encountered a whitish figure resembling a human, and when they opened their eyes, they had been kicked out to the foot of the mountain.

Thus, the rumor that a ghost lived on Heavenly Peak Ridge was born.

This was also the reason why I didn't believe in ghosts.

Because the ending of ghost-related rumors was always like this.

But this guy hasn't even become the Poison Immortal yet, so why on earth is there already talk of ghosts?

Was the Tang Clan guy a twin?

The moment I had such a suspicion.

The Tang Clan guy, with a similarly contorted face, opened his mouth.

"You're the one possessed by a ghost, why are you suspecting me?"

"Stop with the nonsense. As I said last time, there are no such things as ghosts."

"……But why did I see one?"

"I don't know what nonsense you've been spouting since a while ago."

After dismissing Dang Sopyeong's nonsense, I asked the Habae village chief.

"For now, we don't plan to go to Heavenly Peak Ridge right away. Elder. We need a place to stay for a day, do you happen to have any empty rooms or houses?"

As soon as I finished speaking, my junior sister shrewdly took out some money from her bundle and held it out.

***

The next day, early in the morning.

The village chief, who had come with our meal, said.

"Are you planning to go to Heavenly Peak Ridge today?"

"Yes."

"Then you must return before nightfall. Also, absolutely do not go to Ghost Spirit Valley. It's a dark place with a gloomy atmosphere even during the day, so you'll know it when you see it."

At the village chief's repeated emphasis, I asked again, just in case.

"Are there any people who have been harmed by that ghost?"

"Oh my. What's there to say. There are outsiders who have disappeared after being bewitched by that ghost, and a few of the villagers have disappeared as well."

"Do you know what that ghost looks like?"

"Hmm. According to a man who came back alive, it was a female ghost that was at least eight zhang tall. And it was said to be a terrifying sight with four arms and four legs each."

A female ghost eight zhang tall with four arms and four legs?

The moment I tilted my head at the truly bizarre description, the village chief emphasized again.

"It is a truly dangerous ghost. So you must come down before the sun sets."

"We will do so."

After finishing our conversation with the village chief.

We immediately got ready and headed for Heavenly Peak Ridge.

While climbing the entrance of Heavenly Peak Ridge.

I heard my junior sister's voice from behind.

"It's okay. Orabeoni. The ghost is said to only come out at night anyway, right? I'm sure nothing will happen?"

I discreetly turned my head and saw my junior sister comforting Nam Geon.

Although Nam Geon was much bigger, it was a sight that looked not like a younger sister comforting her older brother, but like a mother comforting her young son.

Watching the bizarre sight, I opened my mouth.

"It doesn't matter if it's night or day, so don't worry. We're heading to Ghost Spirit Valley anyway."

"Hi, hiik."

"W, what do you mean by that, Senior Brother?"

"This ghost-possessed bastard is finally planning to offer us to the ghost!"

I let out a sigh at Dang Sopyeong's nonsense and answered.

"A good number of the herbs you mentioned are in that Ghost Spirit Valley."

"!?"

"Think a little. You said it yourself, didn't you? That the balance of yin and yang is important."

The Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass, as its name suggests, was a spiritual herb that contained yang energy.

Naturally, to find an herb with the opposite property, one had to go to a place with strong yin energy.

The Tang Clan guy, belatedly realizing this, let out an exclamation of "Ah" with a foolish expression.

And then he asked another useless question.

"But do you even know where that Ghost Spirit Valley place is?"

"I have a rough idea of where it is."

Although I had never called it Ghost Spirit Valley, there was only one place on Heavenly Peak Ridge that was dark and had a gloomy atmosphere.

It was the place where that Poison Immortal bastard used to grow his poisonous herbs and yin-energy-strong medicinal ingredients separately.

"Well. Since you said you've been here before, you would know."

Dang Sopyeong, who spoke as if muttering to himself, tilted his head and said.

"But why did you react as if you were hearing about the ghost for the first time?"

Ignoring his question, I said to Nam Geon.

"Nam Geon. There's no such thing as a ghost. But it was said that several people have disappeared from here. It means that something pretending to be a ghost is harming people."

This was the reason for visiting Ghost Spirit Valley first.

If it were simply for the herbs, I could have just dug up the herbs from other places first and then visited Ghost Spirit Valley last.

"Maybe there's nothing there. Heavenly Peak Ridge is a rugged mountain, so in a dark place, anyone is at risk of slipping and getting hurt or dying. Also, it's easy to see things in the dark. But if there is a being that pretends to be a ghost and harms humans, shouldn't we dispose of it in advance now?"

After my explanation finished.

Dang Sopyeong and my junior sister wore expressions of having been somewhat convinced.

Nam Geon seemed to ponder for a moment, then gathered his courage and shouted.

"I, I'm going too!"

After saying so, Nam Geon looked at the party members in turn and added.

"B, bro is here, and H, Hyang is here. Ph, physician bro is here too. I, I'm not scared if we're all together."

I smirked at his words and started climbing Heavenly Peak Ridge again.

Towards that Ghost Spirit Valley where a ghost was said to live.

***

After climbing up and down the rugged mountain path for about a shichen.

We arrived at a thicket where the sunlight didn't reach well and a somewhat sinister energy lingered.

"……It's really getting creepier the further we go."

At Dang Sopyeong's remark, Nam Geon, who was following behind, shivered and said, "Hiik."

"It's okay. Orabeoni. There probably aren't any ghosts."

My junior sister patted his back like a mother.

We continued to walk along the gradually darkening mountain path.

Occasionally, a rustling sound echoed from a nearby thicket.

I thought it was probably an animal hiding nearby that had moved to avoid the presence of people.

Every time, Nam Geon would be startled and let out a scream.

"Hiik!"

Animals or insects startled by Nam Geon's scream would flee in all directions.

Caw! Caw!

In response to that sound, Nam Geon would have another fit, and my junior sister would take care of him.

"Hiik!"

"Don't worry. It's not a ghost, it's a bird."

Thanks to that, it wasn't boring, so I wondered if it was a good thing.

Even after that, we continued to advance towards the gradually darkening forest for a while.

At some point, the noise died down.

It wasn't that Nam Geon had overcome his fear.

The presence of animals or insects that we had felt around us had disappeared.

Since it was quiet around, it seemed Nam Geon wasn't screaming either.

At that moment, from behind, I heard Nam Geon's flustered voice saying, "Ugh, ugh, ugh," followed by a thud!

I turned my head and looked back.

Nam Geon was sprawled on the ground.

"Did you fall from being nervous?"

Nam Geon answered my question with a wronged expression.

"I, I didn't fall on my own. S, suddenly my foot wouldn't come off."

After answering so, Nam Geon got up and struggled to lift his left leg from the ground.

No.

The shoe, unable to withstand Nam Geon's strength, tore apart.

My junior sister, who was beside Nam Geon, examined the torn shoe, tilted her head, and said.

"There's something like a thread or string. Senior Brother. Thin and sticky."

"A thread?"

A thread so sticky that it could withstand Nam Geon's monstrous strength.

As soon as I had the question, the story I had heard from the village chief came to mind.

A female ghost, eight zhang tall, with four arms and four legs.

Could it be?

The moment I had that thought.

Nam Geon screamed louder than before and pointed his hand straight ahead.

"I, it's a ghost!!!"

I quickly turned my head and looked where Nam Geon was pointing.

Between the bushes where darkness had fallen.

A huge human figure was cast.

At the same time, a strange human voice came from the direction of the shadow.

"He, help meee!"

To calm Nam Geon, who was screaming again, I shouted.

"Hiik!"

"Get a grip, Nam Geon!! It's not a ghost! It's a Human-faced spider!"

As soon as my shout ended, the huge human figure began to approach us quickly.

At the same time, Dang Sopyeong let out a yell.

"We have to run now! If it's really a Human-faced spider, it's a monster we can't handle!"

Dang Sopyeong was right.

According to rumors in the martial world, the Human-faced spider was a spiritual beast and a poisonous creature that had formed an inner core by gathering immense spiritual and poison qi.

After turning our backs and running for a moment.

From behind, the monster's scream was heard again.

"A g, ghost~!"

It seemed to be mimicking the words of the humans it had encountered so far.

How many people had been eaten by that thing?

With that thought, I turned my back again.

It wasn't that I intended to immediately kill that monster that had eaten people.

I could tell from the presence I felt behind me.

The distance between us and it was gradually decreasing.

It would be a different story if I were to use my full movement arts and run away alone.

It was an unavoidable problem as I had to match the speed of the party.

"I'll buy time, so you all keep running!"

"H, hold on for just a little! If we run to a sunny place, it will give up too!"

Leaving Dang Sopyeong's shout behind me, I stared straight ahead.

The distance between me and it had become quite close.

Thanks to that, I could now see its form properly.

Pababababak!

A giant spider with a human face was approaching at a tremendous speed, moving its eight huge legs.

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