Chapter 157: An Unfamiliar Return
Seriously. They thought I was from the Demonic Cult?
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I looked at the hunters in front of me.
Even after I revealed my identity, the fear still hadn't disappeared from their faces.
They remained tense, their bodies trembling as they watched me warily.
Well... I guess I can't really blame them.
My current appearance was definitely a little...
questionable.
The Heavenly Law Sword was covered in blood.
Black bear blood had splattered all over my body as well.
And this was a border region between the Demonic Cult and Kunlun Sect.
A martial artist dressed in black had suddenly appeared in a place plagued by rumors of Demonic Cult members wandering around.
It wasn't completely unreasonable for the hunters to mistake me for one of them.
Maybe it's the clothes.
I glanced down at what I was wearing.
Black robes made from dark silk.
Yeom Yuhwa had personally prepared them for me before I left the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
She had apparently taken my status as a righteous martial artist into consideration and removed every symbol associated with the Divine Cult.
Even so...
there was still something about the fabric and tailoring that carried the distinct atmosphere of the cult.
To put it nicely, it looked imposing.
To put it less nicely...
it looked vaguely sinister.
And now it was covered in bear blood.
Yeah. Looking like this, anyone would think I'm from the Demonic Cult.
I let out a short sigh.
Then again...
maybe it wasn't only the clothes.
Or maybe I spent too long crossing swords with Dokgo Jinak.
For the past three weeks...
I had spent almost every day alone with Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jinak inside the Heavenly Forbidden Prison.
Calling what happened there mere instruction would be an understatement.
Receiving guidance from Dokgo Jinak meant putting my life on the line.
He tested exactly where my limits were.
Simply receiving one strike from his sword made every bone in my body vibrate.
The moment my sword path wavered even slightly...
the pressure of death would crawl up the back of my neck.
It was supposed to be training...
but every moment took place on the boundary between life and death.
There had even been one or two times when I genuinely almost died.
Now I understand why the Ten Demons feared Dokgo Jinak so much.
Even now, remembering Dokgo Jinak thrusting his sword toward me with a completely expressionless face sent a chill down my spine.
Still...
those brutal three weeks hadn't been wasted.
By the time my training with Dokgo Jinak ended...
I had changed.
The sensation of holding a sword was different.
The way I circulated my qi was different.
More importantly...
my understanding of the Flow had become far clearer than before.
The gaps I'd been missing had been thoroughly filled.
I looked back at the hunters.
They were still watching me cautiously.
The young hunter sat on the ground covered in blood, while the old hunter stood in front of him as though protecting him.
The remaining hunters hovered awkwardly behind them.
I slowly raised one hand.
“There's no need to be afraid.”
I kept my voice calm.
“Like I said, I'm not from the Demonic Cult, and I have no intention of harming you.”
Only then did the old hunter cautiously lower his head.
“W-We apologize.”
“We were rude.”
“There's no need to call it rude.”
I looked around.
The terrain here was slightly unfamiliar even to me.
On the way back from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to Kunlun, I'd decided to cut directly across the mountain range instead of taking the main roads so I could return as quickly as possible.
But after rushing through unfamiliar mountains for so long...
my sense of direction had become a little uncertain.
I'd stopped to check the surrounding terrain when I happened to hear the hunters screaming.
That was how I ended up here.
I looked at the old hunter.
“Is this the right direction toward Kunlun Sect?”
The old hunter exchanged glances with the others.
After hesitating briefly, he answered carefully.
“The direction is correct...”
He looked ahead.
“but Kunlun Sect is still quite far from here.”
I frowned.
“Far?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“Even if you knew the shortcuts and traveled by horse, it would still take two or three days.”
I nodded slowly.
“Two or three days by horse....”
I calculated briefly in my head.
With my current physical condition and movement technique—
“Then I should arrive today.”
“Pardon?”
The hunters stared at me as though I'd said something absurd.
I didn't bother explaining.
“You've helped me confirm the direction.”
I bowed lightly.
“Thank you. That was a great help.”
The old hunter hurriedly shook his head.
“Great help?”
He looked embarrassed.
“We're the ones who should be thanking you. If you hadn't appeared, all of us would've died to that bear.”
At those words...
the young hunter sitting on the ground lowered his head deeply.
The old hunter turned toward him.
“You saw that, didn't you?”
His voice hardened.
“Because of your greed, all of us nearly died.”
He gestured toward the valley.
“Moklim Valley is that kind of place.”
“The moment you let greed take over, you can lose your life.”
The young hunter bit his lip.
“I'm sorry.”
His voice sank.
Then he added,
“But... I needed money for my father's medicine.”
The others looked at him.
“If I went back empty-handed again, we wouldn't even be able to call a physician....”
The old hunter sighed and looked toward the sky.
He didn't scold the young man any further.
He only continued letting out helpless sighs.
The other hunters looked the same.
For people like them...
a single day's catch could decide several months of livelihood.
The reason they'd entered dangerous Moklim Valley in the first place was ultimately to keep themselves and their families alive.
The old hunter finally spoke in a gentler voice.
“You can only earn money for your father's medicine if you're alive.”
The young man lowered his head.
“...Yes. I understand.”
“Then let's head back down.”
The old hunter looked around uneasily.
“We don't know what other dangerous beasts might appear.”
He said that...
but his own expression was far from relaxed.
I watched them for a moment before speaking.
“You don't need to hurry down yet.”
The old hunter looked at me in confusion.
“Pardon?”
“You can search Moklim Valley a little longer.”
He stared at me.
“What do you mean?”
His voice grew anxious.
“You just saw how dangerous this place is. People like us could die at any moment to beasts like that.”
I answered calmly.
“You don't need to worry about the dangerous beasts.”
He blinked.
“I've already dealt with most of them.”
“Dealt with them...?”
I pointed behind me.
“While I was checking the terrain around here, several beasts attacked me first.”
I continued,
“They looked dangerous enough to kill people, so I cut down every one I came across.”
“I gathered the carcasses in one place.”
"..."
“There shouldn't be many beasts around here capable of harming people for a while.”
Then I added,
“And if you need hides, take the carcasses over there.”
“They haven't been dead long, so they should still be usable.”
The hunters stared at me with blank expressions.
I gave them a slight nod.
“Then I'll be going.”
I turned toward Kunlun.
Before I could leave, the young hunter called out from behind.
“T-Taoist!”
I stopped briefly.
The young man bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
His voice trembled.
“Thank you so much for saving my life.”
I didn't answer.
I simply raised one hand.
Then I activated my movement technique.
The moment my foot touched the ground...
the scenery around me rushed backward.
The hunters remained frozen in place for quite some time.
The black-clad Taoist who had been standing before them only moments earlier was already dozens of jang away.
And not long after that...
his figure completely vanished from sight.
Only then did the old hunter swallow hard.
“They say martial artists can fly through the mountains with human bodies....”
He stared in the direction Han Mujin had disappeared.
“So it wasn't an exaggeration.”
The other hunters looked equally stunned.
