Chapter 201: I’ll Be Back (1)
Things have really gone wrong.
I didn’t expect the Second Elder to show up.
Our eyes met, and after scanning me from head to toe, he spoke with narrowed eyes.
“In the world, they call that a prison break.”
“Well, it might look that way at first glance, but I assure you, it’s not what it seems!”
Of all times for him to show up.
What terrible luck I have.
The Second Elder stared at me quietly for a moment, then put down the basket he was holding and said,
“If it’s not, then explain it. Make it understandable for me.”
His gaze warned that he wouldn’t let it slide if I didn’t give him a convincing explanation.
The Second Elder was likely trying to assess the situation rather than scolding me right away.
Of course, given how strange the situation was, it was understandable for him to be suspicious.
However, it really wasn’t as big of a deal as it seemed.
*
The events were set in motion right after the marble emitted its light at dawn.
My field of vision changed.
It was a sense of unfamiliarity I had never felt before.
One of my eyes seemed to see normally, while the other was different.
What is this?
It was pitch black.
What am I seeing right now?
For a moment, I thought I had gone blind in one eye.
Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case, as something slowly started to become visible in the darkness.
Is that… iron bars?
It felt like some reflective light was intermittently illuminating the surroundings.
What on earth was I looking at?
I wanted to change my direction, but it felt like I couldn’t do it by my own will.
Even if I turned my gaze, it wasn’t moving.
Why is this happening?
“Can you not see it, Noya?”
What?
For some reason, even Noya, who seemed to share part of my body and emotions, couldn’t read what I was seeing or the thoughts I had about it.
What could this possibly mean…?
Why did this phenomenon occur all of a sudden?
I don’t need to worry about figuring it out.
It was clearly because of the marble I was holding.
That was the obvious conclusion.
What on earth is this object?
I had to figure out the intent behind it.
Will it disappear if I let go of the marble?
Just as I was about to drop the marble to check,
“…!”
In an instant, something caught my eye.
Having adjusted to the darkness, I faintly saw the figure of someone illuminated by the moonlight coming through a small window.
A familiar red uniform and long black hair.
A woman with a fierce but alluring appearance.
Gu Huibi…?
It was definitely Gu Huibi.
I could see Gu Huibi glancing around, touching the iron bars, and feeling the walls.
It looked like she was trying to find a way to escape.
Sometimes it seemed like she was talking to someone.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear any sound.
I could only see, but it felt like I couldn’t hear anything.
…Why can I see this?
Shifting vision was one thing, but of all people, I could see Gu Huibi.
Moreover, it wasn’t even her point of view, but from that of a third person?
If this wasn’t an illusion…
…Where is this location? I need to know where I am.
Putting my confusion aside, I focused on what was important.
Fortunately, it looked like Gu Huibi was unhurt.
She didn’t seem to be dragged away or tortured.
Confirming this, I concentrated to gather more information about my surroundings, but,
The darkness is too thick, and I can’t see anything.
What I could gather was that Gu Huibi was there, contained within a prison.
That wasn’t going to be easy.
Is this even the Black Palace?
The Palace Lord may have taken her, but that didn’t guarantee she was brought to the Black Palace.
I wanted to find out just a little more.
If only I could see from a bit farther away…
“Ugh…?”
Just then, while I was mulling it over, I felt a sharp pain in my eye, and I instinctively covered it with my hand.
Though I had to close my eyes, my vision did not fade.
And that wasn’t the only surprising thing.
…It’s getting farther?
The view had only shown Gu Huibi and a small portion of her surroundings.
But that narrow view gradually widened, revealing more of the surrounding area.
I was moving further away from Gu Huibi, allowing me to take in more of the environment.
It was a large building surrounded by thick fog.
While I couldn’t see it clearly due to the fog, it appeared to be located in the heart of a forest.
…A fog-shrouded forest.
As I was mentally jotting down the features, my sight returned to normal with a jolt in my eye.
When the pain faded, nausea surged up, and I felt the urge to vomit rise in my throat.
I definitely couldn’t leave any nasty stains in this tiny prison, so I had to swallow it back.
…Ugh…
What the hell? Why are you suddenly like this…?
“Just wait… don’t talk to me for a moment.”
Noya’s voice resonated directly in my mind, and currently, it made things riskier for me.
“A forest shrouded in fog.”
Even while holding my mouth, I had to think hard.
It might seem ordinary, but the density of the fog was what made it significant.
And more importantly, if Gu Huibi was in that area…
We need to calculate the distance from the battlefield.
When I remembered that she hadn’t traveled far in such a short time, a particular location sprang to mind.
The Misty Mountains.
It was a massive mountain region perpetually covered in fog.
In the distant past, a white-grade demon had come out of a Gate of Demons.
The fog covering the Malankai region was the trace left by that demon after its demise.
If I considered this, and it was not an illusion…
It seemed Gu Huibi was indeed in the Misty Mountains.
If that was the truth, I needed to relay this information to—
“Gah!”
As I was about to call out for someone, a shock ran through my body and sent me staggering.
I tried to hold myself against the wall, but in the end, I fell weakly and lost consciousness.
…So, when you regained consciousness, this was where you found yourself?
“Yes.”
I nodded at the Second Elder’s inquiry.
As to why I had lost consciousness, it was probably because the recoil from using my Blood Qi had not yet worn off.
Most likely, my body couldn’t withstand the rebound that had built up.
After all that went down, when I finally regained lucidity, it was already past noon.
The expression on the Second Elder’s face grew grim as I finished explaining.
I had given him a rough outline of the earlier events, but it seemed he didn’t fully grasp it.
“Yangcheon.”
“Yes?”
“Now, what does this have to do with your prison break?”
“…Ah.”
Huh, I can’t believe I forgot to mention the most important part.
I needed to clarify this part right away.
“It wasn’t a prison break.”
“Generally, if you come out of a prison, it’s known as a prison break, you damned grandson.”
“Well…”
This was truly frustrating.
As soon as I regained consciousness and got to my feet, I found myself unsteady, and before I knew it, the prison door opened spontaneously as if on its own.
“Are you saying the door was simply unlocked?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
Hearing that, the Second Elder started examining the door behind him.
As expected, there was no evidence that I had forced it open or broken anything.
“If I was really intent on escaping, I wouldn’t have acted so foolish.”
“Then you caused trouble believing you outsmarted everyone?”
I didn’t have a comeback to that.
“The door was unlocked, huh.”
The Second Elder sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly clenched his teeth, seemingly realizing something.
“I see… those damn old fools.”
“Second Elder?”
“Forget it… right now, there are more pressing matters. Continue telling me what happened. The part about seeing Huibi.”
With a sense of urgency in his tone, the Second Elder encouraged me.
I took out the marble from the pouch and held it up for him to see.
“Do you know what this is?”
“This is…”
The Second Elder’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the red marble.
“This is the Marble of Celestial Captivation, isn’t it? How did you…”
“The Marble of Celestial Captivation? Is that what it’s called?”
It was the first time I’d heard that name.
At least, since he recognized it by name and knew what it was, I could tell it wasn’t some trinket sold by a random merchant.
“My sister gave it to me, telling me to carry it.”
“Huibi gave this to you?”
At my words, a moment of realization crossed the Second Elder’s face.
“This must explain why the Lod wanted to go to the vault to grab something.”
“The Vault? Did you just say ‘Vault’?!”
“Yes, didn’t Huibi tell you about it?”
How could she? This was the first time I’d heard of it.
If Gu Huibi actually took this from the Gu Clan’s vault, it meant this marble was, at the very least, a treasure of some kind.
And to think she bought it from a merchant!? That crazy woman!
I was already unknowingly burdened with precious artifacts, and now, another one was thrown onto my count.
At this point, my being felt like a walking treasure chest.
“…Does this marble do what I think it does?”
“Yes, what you witnessed wasn’t an illusion; it was the power of that marble.”
The ability to observe another person as long as they possessed the marble too.
Granted, I couldn’t hear anything; I could only see, but what an absurd power that was.
Then seeing Gu Huibi meant…
That she must be carrying a similar marble.
“Though I already knew it, Huibi is quite obsessed with you.”
The Second Elder chuckled, and I nodded in agreement.
“I know, right? I can’t believe she handed me this just to mess with me.”
“Hm?”
“What a terrifying individual she is.”
The Second Elder looked slightly confused by my words, but the expression quickly vanished.
“Anyway, it’s quite fortunate. Thanks to this, we now know Huibi’s location.”
“Yes.”
“Misty Mountains, you mentioned? I need to send a letter to the Lord immediately.”
As the Second Elder rushed to leave, I grabbed his arm.
“…Take this with you.”
I attempted to hand him the Marble of Celestial Captivation.
I didn’t want to keep this suspicious marble that could reveal to the enemy what I was doing.
Above all, it would be more advantageous for Father to possess it, so he could find her more swiftly.
But the Second Elder shook his head.
“The activation condition for this marble is to wipe it with one’s blood.”
“Oh…!”
If what he said was true, it would appear I activated the marble when I touched it with my bloodied hand.
However, what he said next was even more startling.
“Once blood is infused into it, no other person can use that marble until the owner dies.”
…What? What kind of ludicrous item is this?
Not only did it monitor others, but it also stuck like glue to the owner until their death.
It was practically a cursed artifact.
“If you think I’m lying, do you want to experience death firsthand?”
…
At his remark, I softly tucked the marble back into my pocket.
“So you’d better keep that with you. You could return it to the vault if you want, but knowing your personality, that won’t happen.”
He hit the nail on the head.
“…I really can’t afford to chat any longer, so I must take my leave.”
“Yes…. I understand.”
Now that I found out where Gu Huibi was, the urgency in the Second Elder’s steps was palpable.
As I watched him leave, I slipped back into the cell and closed the door behind me.
Wasn’t this a pathetic scenario? But I had to endure for now.
Having closed the door behind me, just as I was about to lock it, the Second Elder, who had been hurrying away, suddenly paused and turned to me.
With a serious voice, he called out,
“Yangcheon.”
I met the Second Elder’s gaze, puzzled over what it was about.
“Old man has a request of you.”
“Speak.”
“Don’t go.”
…
My eyes widened at the Second Elder’s words.
I hadn’t anticipated such a request.
My expression didn’t go unnoticed, as the Second Elder continued.
“This is something you shouldn’t involve yourself in. Leave it to the others.”
“What are you talking about? Where am I supposed to go?”
“Yes, so just don’t go.”
“Second Elder, what are you even saying—”
“Answer me.”
The Second Elder cut me off, his tone unwavering.
Despite the urgency he had shown moments before, his eyes conveyed that he wouldn’t leave until I gave him a response.
In the end, I surrendered with a sigh.
“…Understood.”
“Thank you.”
Satisfied with my answer, the Second Elder hurried away toward the clan.
The only thing left in my presence was the basket filled with food he had brought.
…
The food had long gone cold.
This meal was meant for us to share.
And why is it placed so far? Is he expecting me to casually open the cell and eat it?
I could grasp how urgent the situation had made him.
I let out a chuckle without thinking, though my mind was awash with other thoughts.
It wasn’t just the Second Elder’s request, nor was it the Marble of Celestial Captivation that Gu Huibi tricked me into taking.
—Brother, please be happy.
Buried in memories of my previous life, a woman’s visage surfaced, uttering those words with her eyes fixed on me.
In a moment where tears would have been appropriate, she chose to smile, whispering her farewell.
For a long time, I pondered why she said that in that moment.
But now, with a hazy understanding of the emotions and thoughts she had at the time,
“I’m sorry.”
It was the only thing I could utter in apology.
It felt like I wouldn’t be able to heed the Second Elder’s request.
Night had fallen.
I couldn’t tell the exact time, but it was clear the sun had completely set.
With a calm movement, I opened my eyes.
I got up just like that.
So in the end, are you going?
It was Noya’s inquiry.
Fiddling with the marble in my possession, I nodded.
“Yes.”
The marble didn’t show me Gu Huibi’s situation again.
Once bright red, the color of the marble had become rather dull.
It seemed that additional time would be required before I could use it again.
In fact, the color appeared to be slowly returning to its original shade.
This is going to be dangerous.
“I realize that.”
If that truly is the palace where the Black Palace Lord resides, it is undoubtedly an extremely hazardous situation.
Yet, here I was, about to voluntarily step into that danger.
Though I often expressed a desire for a peaceful life, I now headed towards peril.
The irony was not lost on me, and a chuckle slipped out.
“It’s because I’ve regretted it my whole life.”
Creak…
The door of the cell opened easily, as if it had never been locked.
Strangely enough, no one had come to check on me yet.
Was this merely a pretense of imprisonment?
Or did they have ulterior motives?
I wasn’t sure about that yet.
But I could faintly determine which regret would weigh heavier.
Which one would I regret more?
The scales tipped ever so slightly, yet the answer resided firmly within my heart.
It would pain me more to simply stay stagnant in complacency.
…
Noya’s lack of response suggested he was respecting my choice by staying silent.
But in truth, I felt confident that was the case.
As I approached the exit, I expanded my senses.
One at the entrance.
Only one?
Despite the rotating guard system, their lax vigilance gave the impression they had no real intent to monitor this place.
At this point, it felt like they secretly wanted me to escape.
Once outside, I swiftly stunned one of the guards and put him out of commission with an expertly placed chop.
After all, they hadn’t sealed my Qi, which made this whole imprisonment utterly pointless.
…
Although I hadn’t been back with the clan for very long, I couldn’t help but think I’d said something very similar before I left for Hanam.
Was the world truly out to get me?
Otherwise, why would I keep facing such ridiculous situations?
I had no intention to escape in the first place, and yet here I was.
Would I have to deal with a headache upon my return?
Father would likely be understanding.
Well, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t care too much.
They could punish me if they wanted, but my rage would be scarier.
When will you learn?
Ignoring Noya’s soft murmurs, I jumped in the least busy direction.
Given that much of the clan’s manpower was currently depleted, escaping without being noticed was easy enough with my abilities.
The girls…
I was sure they’d be worried about me.
If I were to vanish like this without a word, I would surely meet sharp glances upon my return.
Namgung Bi-ah had hinted that I should let her know if I ever pulled a stunt like this.
Thus, if I found myself caught, I’d be in real trouble.
She might actually draw her sword.
In that regard, Namgung Bi-ah was far scarier than Tang Soyeol or Wi Seol-Ah.
Having witnessed her skills firsthand in my past life added to the intimidation.
Quickly!
Clenching my lips, I surged forward, as this wasn’t a relaxing situation for friendly hellos.
Later, I’ll just send them a letter.
Even if that was only a slim hope of happening.
After some leaps surrounded by Qi, the Gu Clan’s wall came into view.
Without hesitation, I vaulted over it and landed safely.
…Hmm?
Just as I believed I had made it out without a hitch, I caught a glimpse of something golden flickering past me.
I turned around, wondering if it had been an illusion, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
Past the clan’s boundaries was only an absence of light, with trees and the mellow sounds of crickets accompanying me.
Was it just my imagination?
Perhaps it was just a passing firefly.
With no sense of any other presence nearby, I rolled with that assumption.
As I prepared to leap again, correcting my path, a familiar voice erupted from behind me.
“Master.”
My body spun around instinctively.
The voice belonged to someone who shouldn’t be here.
You…?
At that spot stood Wi Seol-Ah, staring at me with swollen eyes, crouched beneath a tree.
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