The haunted spot in Heavenly Bright Moon was often regarded as a special place where spiritual energy gathers.
Of course, unlike places like Hongseong Mountain or Cheongho, it didn’t play a significant role in the story.
However, each time the area was purified, one could receive pretty decent rewards, and by meeting certain conditions—like purifying it on the night of the new moon when the ghostly energy is strongest—one could acquire equipment imbued with special powers.
Because of this, many people made a point to purify the area, and the haunted spot near Seomhwa Village was one of the more frequented locations.
“Haunted spot, huh…”
It seemed Hongryeon was aware of such places. However, she probably didn’t know it was about a day’s travel south from Seomhwa Village.
“They say that purifying this haunted spot can grant mysterious powers in the equipment. But don’t worry; I know how to do it. I’ve read about the purification method in a book before, and I’ve also heard about it from Hano. I have some time now, so I was planning to do it… Do you dislike the idea?”
“Not at all. But what kind of equipment are we talking about?”
“They say it’s equipment that can harness ghostly energy.”
“…Will there be ghosts at the inn?”
“No, they appear at Hongseong Clan.”
This is one of the reasons I’m bringing Hongryeon along.
At Hongseong Mountain, ghostly energies naturally gather, and it’s often heard that these spirits disrupt the training of disciples like Sayoon.
Of course, having mastered Hongseong Divine Art means they aren’t harmed by mere ghostly energies, but they can still get startled now and then, so it would be better to prevent it this time.
“For the sake of Hongseong Clan…?”
“That’s part of it, and there are also items to be gained during the purification process, so I’d like to gather those too. I have a good amount of interest in items myself.”
Hongryeon stared at me without blinking. Just when I felt her gaze becoming too intense, I asked her.
“Is there something on my face?”
“…Just wondering.”
She subtly moved closer. Feeling the warmth from her as she approached reduced the winter night’s chill a bit, so I looked around.
“It’s about time we take a rest here before moving on.”
Perhaps because the night was drawing close to the new moon, the surroundings felt eerily desolate.
Not even the sound of insects could be heard on this silent path, and there was a resting spot that looked like a camping area at the end. Let’s warm up there for a bit before continuing.
The moving wagon came to a stop, and as I got off, I stacked up the dry firewood that I had brought along.
“Oh, I’ll light the fire.”
“No need. I should take care of things like this.”
I stacked the dry firewood and grabbed one.
-Fwump!
Following Ogumhee’s fire techniques, I lit the logs, and after making a campfire, I said, “Alright. Let’s warm up a bit.”
“…Okay.”
After taking a deep breath, I saw her approach and pulled a kettle from the wagon.
I filled the kettle with clean water and boiled it for a while, smiling at the quietly observing Hongryeon.
I smiled quietly at the calm Hongryeon.
“What are you so tense about?”
“Huh? Ah, no. It’s just that…”
“The purification of the Spirit Realm is something you can handle all by yourself, so don’t stress too much.”
“Uh… it’s not because of that.”
“Then what is it?”
Hongryeon repeatedly opened and closed her lips. Eventually, her face slightly reddened, and she just shook her head gently.
“Nothing. But, um…”
“Hmm?”
“Can I… move a little closer?”
Timidly, Hongryeon asked while looking at me for a response.
I watched her as her face grew redder and her eyes became a bit moist, and only then did I nod.
“Sure.”
Seeing her now, Hongryeon had changed a lot.
Her first impression was like a sharp, alert cat.
A sensitive cat determined to protect the Hongseong Clan and her sisters.
She would reveal her sharp claws to anything approaching, fur bristling with high vigilance.
But she was always struggling and searching for a place to rest, like a wild cat.
From the first meeting, she was refreshing and confident anywhere, anytime.
If you stepped closer, she would be startled and quickly try to run away, but if she backed off, she’d sulk and droop her tail; thus, when you stretched out your hand and waited silently, she would finally relax her guard and softly approach, rubbing her nose against you.
Now, she wanted to lean against me.
How could I refuse such a thing?
As I watched Hongryeon sit next to me, I brewed tea with the boiling water.
“Sometimes, having tea outdoors like this isn’t so bad.”
“Indeed…”
Listening to Hongryeon’s languid voice, we enjoyed our nighttime tea.
*
It was unfortunate.
The reply to the letter sent to the Murim Alliance had not arrived until the departure.
Because of that, Hongryeon couldn’t relax.
So, should I ask or not?
I knew the saying that one should think long to do an action, but Hongryeon also understood that acting rashly without hesitation could backfire.
After contemplating until the day of departure, she made a decision.
Let’s find out through this journey.
When she made that decision and met him, Yu Wol smiled bitterly upon seeing her.
That smile made her flinch.
Was there some problem?
Should she have worn the outfit he said would suit her for the Murim Alliance?
Ah, that seemed too transparent, so she deliberately didn’t wear it.
Had she known this would happen, she might as well have worn it.
In a fleeting moment, a whirlwind of thoughts stirred in her mind.
Then, he calmly offered her his clothes.
Along with a remark about it being cold.
That made her heart flutter.
Ah, you’re just the same as always.
It’s just me who got overly anxious.
In the end, she silently put on the clothes he handed her.
With a bitter scent of tobacco lingering from his clothes.
Together.
His intense scent lingered.
So strongly that it felt as if he was holding her close.
She managed to keep a straight face and arrived at the resting spot.
In the darkness where finding the moonlight was nearly impossible, a campfire shone brightly, filling the space with an awkward yet pleasant silence.
That comfort felt like it was soothing her chaotic heart, and Hongryeon glanced over at his face.
Now that she thought about it, there was a scene like this in the Sect Travel Journal.
[The rising campfire seemed to reveal her infatuation as it blazed fiercely. He, indifferent as always, didn’t lay a finger on her, but that only made her heart burn even brighter like the flames.
His voice was like oil that intensified the flames.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah… Yes. I-I’m fine.”
“It must be cold, so come a bit closer.”
Even the cold winter night couldn’t hide the heat of her heart as she timidly approached him. And…]
“Are you alright?”
“Eep!”
Startled, Hongryeon snapped back to reality from her thoughts of the Sect Travel Journal upon hearing his voice.
“Ah… Yes. I-I’m fine.”
“It must be cold, so come a little closer.”
Huh?
Huh, huh, huh?!
Hongryeon panicked.
Things were oddly escalating.
Of course, she couldn’t tell if he knew about her feelings yet. But maybe it was just a hope? Her heart began to race.
“Uh, um…”
– Krrrrrrr…!!
And then the evil monster appeared.
Emerging from the darkness with its ominous eyes was a creature that attacked nocturnal travelers.
It was a giant with the body of a bulky beast and the head of a dog.
“…I mean, I knew about it.”
Yeah, she was aware that moving at night was dangerous, and that monsters often lurked around.
Also, this was outside Seomhwa Village’s territory. So it made sense that monsters would appear here, unaffected by the energy of Hongseongsan.
But why now?!
When the atmosphere was so nice!!
“…….”
“Hongryeon?”
“Stay seated.”
With a bright smile, Hongryeon pulled out her great sword and shot a cold glare at the approaching beast.
“I’ll take care of this quickly.”
As expected, the monster couldn’t withstand her great sword. Watching as the creature was obliterated in one strike, turning into gray ash and fading away, Hongryeon awkwardly smiled.
What now?
Should she repeat that line from earlier?
“It seems your body has melted, so let’s head on.”
“…Yes.”
Trying to hide her disappointment, Hongryeon followed his words.
Cha Hongryeon followed his words.
As they moved until dawn, they arrived at an abandoned village.
In the small village that only bore traces of past inhabitants, there lingered a chill reminiscent of the Hongseong Mountain.
“Now I can definitely tell. This is the Spirit-Calling Ground.”
Hongryeon nodded.
Most spirit-quirks seek yang energy. In other words, Yu Wol could be in danger, enchanted by the spirit energy here.
If that’s the case…
There’s no room for unnecessary thoughts.
“From now on, absolutely do not leave my side. Even during the day, we cannot ignore the spirit energy.”
“Don’t worry.”
Yu Wol calmly approached her side.
“I won’t leave your side.”
At those words, Hongryeon felt a warmth in her chest.
Really.
He’s a not-so-heart-friendly guy.
They arrived at the Spirit-Calling Ground and explored the abandoned village during the day. In the process, Yu Wol discovered a wooden puppet and a small, worn-out dagger.
Recalling the time when she purified the Spirit-Calling Ground, Hongryeon placed them in the center of the village. Now, they just had to wait for nightfall.
“Aren’t you tired? You’ve been taking care of the cart all night.”
“I’m fine.”
Hongryeon looked at him with concern.
She herself had strong martial arts skills, but Yu Wol didn’t.
Moreover, he collapsed last time due to overexertion.
So she smiled gently.
“Let’s take a little nap. What if you collapse again? We might have to stay up all night, so get some rest now.”
After pondering her repeated suggestion for a while, Yu Wol nodded.
Then he lay down on the cloth spread on the ground, and soon, soft snores were heard.
Seeing him, Hongryeon smiled brightly.
No matter how sturdy he is like a giant tree, he’s so defenseless while sleeping. It made her want to tease him.
While looking down at him, Hongryeon saw him frown slightly as if uncomfortable and shift around, swallowing hard.
Then, she gently lifted his head and placed it on her thigh. Only then did his expression seem to relax a little.
She gazed at him, comfortably sleeping with his head resting on her thigh.
As she softly stroked his hair, she felt a wave of comfort.
Ah.
…If only time could stop like this…
How much time had passed?
As she looked down at Yu Wol’s face until the surroundings darkened, she lifted her gaze at the strong spirit energy she felt around her.
At the edge of the forest, a woman with black hair dressed in a pure white garment, surrounded by dark mist, opened her eyes wide and glared at them.
When Hongryeon met her gaze,
She didn’t flinch from the chilling and hateful stare and bared her teeth.
The woman in the white garment shuddered at her will to not disturb his rest and slowly faded away, and she smiled leisurely again.
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