Chapter 22

A-Qing came out of the cave.

The weather was crazy, with the sky bathed in a fiery sunset hue.

Having gone in around dinner, it looked like she had literally pulled an all-nighter.

If it were up to her, she would have loved to smash her way out, but she was also hungry and thirsty, and staying put would only drain her energy further, increasing the chances of getting into danger.

Besides, Jin Jangmyung, who was weak, wouldn’t be able to hold out like A-Qing.

Even though she was exhausted with aches and pains, now that her dantian was full, it felt like the perfect time to make a run for it.

As the sun dipped to the west, north must be that way.

First, she decided to dash northward, hoping that as she went, if a big mountain came into view, it would be the Moutain of the Gods or something.

However, A-Qing had underestimated the mountains of the Central Plain.

To a cultured, modern Korean, a mountain is just a big hill with soft, rounded peaks.

But to the people of the Central Plain, mountains are more like insurmountable obstacles.

Moreover, the Mountain of the Gods, originally known as Moutain of the Gods Gul, was part of a long river flanked by cliffs on both sides.

For that reason, at some moment between the woods and fields, a kind of barrier appeared, blocking her view.

What on earth is that… a mountain range?

Where’s the Mountain of the Gods in all that?

How am I supposed to find the Divine Maiden Sect?

Do I have to search through this mountain range?

In an instant, her vision went dark.

“By any chance, do you know where the Mountain of the Gods is?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. So, should I head that way?”

At the mountain’s foothill, there were clusters of black roofs.

It was a typical house village of the Central Plain.

“Lady, places like that are not friendly…”

The remote villages of the Central Plain were definitely not just communities of people living with a pastoral mindset, silently going about their day without a care in the world.

Even the shape of the village gave that impression.

Nestled on the slopes of the mountain, the houses below formed a wall, while above were watchtowers and command posts, a veritable small fortress.

Traditionally, in the Central Plain, if there weren’t enough people, they would invade neighboring villages to kidnap some.

Women were paired with lonely young men, while men were turned into slaves. The treatment of slaves varied widely depending on their relationship with the village — from being treated as friendly subordinates to being used as punching bags.

In villages or towns around the official’s residence, people would laugh it off, saying “That’s just how it used to be, who lives like that anymore?”

But in the more remote areas, it was still like that.

This was a shocking real-life experience she had come to witness.

As A-Qing slowly approached the town, she saw a large door connecting the houses.

It was practically a gate.

The man sitting above it jumped up.

“Oh my, what’s this? A ghost or a human?”

“I’m a person.”

“A ghost or a ghost?!”

“Then what do you call it?”

“Gogoshee… Hmph. Just messing with you!”

A-Qing let out a big sigh.

“Anyway. Are there any outsiders in here?”

“Outsiders? Nope. Who on earth would come to a place like this?”

A-Qing felt relieved for the moment.

It seemed like the dark ones hadn’t made it this far.

“Well then, since I’m here now, can you let me in?”

“Like how you’d ask, that’s not gonna happen, ghost girl.”

“Lady… Can you at least tell me where the Mountain of the Gods is?”

“The gods? Not that far. If you look that way, you’ll see the highest peak, the Divine Goddess Peak. That’s the vicinity of the Mountain of the Gods.”

“Oh wow. The Divine Goddess Peak.”

Divine Maiden Sect. Divine Goddess Peak. They fit perfectly.

“But, can I rest for a day?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Or at least give me a few cold dumplings? I’m really starving here.”

“Eh… Is there a little kid behind you? Not a hunchback, right?”

That was the first impression of a Central Plain person seeing a K-wrapping.

The man’s mumblings reached the ears of the Master.

“Someone like that with a kid is tough…”

Hey, why do you keep calling her a ghost when she’s just a normal person?

A-Qing ground her teeth, clueless about how she looked.

She had rolled around, been drenched, and slogged through muddy ditches, and now she was in a sorry state.

By Central Plain standards, she didn’t even look human anymore.

But luckily for her, her sorry appearance seemed to earn her some sympathy.

It was already a known fact that people in the Central Plain were more lenient towards ghosts than humans.

While they might not have dumplings to spare for a beggar, they always had some meat to offer at the altar in front of Buddha.

You could just chase away a person, but a ghost, if you mess it up, could haunt you for generations!

“Just stay right there! I’ll go fetch something!”

“If you have warm soup, I’d like some too. It’s freezing and I was out all night.”

“Wanting too much, huh!”

“If there’s alcohol, then some of that too!”

“Shut your mouth!”

The man disappeared into the village, and A-Qing released Jin Jangmyung and plopped down right there.

Jin Jangmyung, as if it were natural, nestled into A-Qing’s embrace.

“What’s with the weight?”

“I’m cold.”

“Tsk. What use is your body if it’s this weak?”

A-Qing hugged Jin Jangmyung and rested her chin on the crown of her head.

“It’d be nice to have something tasty.”

“I’m starving.”

“Me too.”

At first, it wasn’t a big deal, but once food was on the way, her hunger hit like a storm.

– Grandma, a ghost, a ghost! A girl attached to a ghost!

– Is it really a ghost? Let me see. If it’s a genuine ghost, just let it go.

A-Qing’s ears perked up.

If it’s an insignificant ghost, just let it go.

If it’s not an insignificant ghost…?

A-Qing infused true energy with both hands.

With her fingers glowing faintly, blue threads of energy danced around.

Now that she thought of it, despite being a swordswoman, the whole daoist thing sounded a bit off.

If it was truly radiant true energy, then she’d have reached the level of mastery.

The equipment of a mundane merchant felt like something meant for stick-on glow-in-the-dark stars in a kid’s room.

– Oh my, that’s not an ordinary ghost.

– Grandma, it’s haunting the plates!

– Prepare an elaborate feast! If it sticks around, it might suck all our flesh. Just be careful, little ghosts are going to be the death of us.

Wow, this is something!

A-Qing smiled with satisfaction.

And the result was quite satisfactory.

She wasn’t sure if the chopsticks standing up in the rice bowl was meant to encourage quick enlightenment.

They served a mountain of rice with pickled vegetables.

And pickled vegetables served alongside even more pickled vegetables.

And the stew made from catch of the day was hot and soaked right into her empty stomach.

Feeling somewhat full, A-Qing took a sip from the cloudy alcohol served in her bowl.

A-Qing had no concept of pairing.

Rice is rice and alcohol is alcohol.

Even though a few baked snacks came out as they claimed there were ghosts, Jin Jangmyung munched away in her arms.

There was something else that caught Jin Jangmyung’s eye, more than the swaying cup in front of her.

“Your hand… is it okay?”

“It’s not not okay.”

The two fingers which had been sort of dangling were somewhat fixed now. They had swollen up like balloons so they couldn’t move at all.

Jin Jangmyung thought for a while and said.

“So, it’s not okay…”

“Ding ding ding. It hurts a hell of a lot. But since everything hurts all at once, I don’t really notice it too much.”

There was a hole in her thigh, and the wound on her arm from before had burst open, oozing blood again. Her scratches were filled with dirt, and it was all burning and itching like crazy.

Every joint ached, and dirt was stuck in her hair.

Ironically, being a complete mess felt more comforting to her.

Just like those easy-going reserve forces.

The reason they can just lie down and use the sky as a blanket and the ground as a bed must lie in this principle.

Having eaten her fill, A-Qing had stretched out, and soon it was pitch black outside.

A-Qing wrapped Jin Jangmyung up again.

If it took two days to walk the path of the villager, A-Qing could reach in less than half a day if she ran.

If she took it a little slower, she guessed she’d arrive around dawn.

By then, they’d aim straight for the highest peak.

“I guess we’ll get there around dawn. The kid should sleep. To become a beauty, you must sleep well, but the kid will have to sleep all day.”

“What are you talking about? Then, then, do you mean you have to hibernate?”

A-Qing flinched.

That was an unfamiliar title.

She could feel the little movements of Jin Jangmyung behind her.

No matter how skilled a martial artist may be, they can’t see behind their back, so she couldn’t tell her expression.

But it was kind of like a question.

Is it okay to call me like that?

While it felt a bit strange for a man to call her older sister, in modern times, men did use that title for each other.

A-Qing let out a little laugh.

What’s the big deal. After all, they were headed to the Divine Maiden Sect.

There was no way that by arriving, the high school girl would magically get healthy and become a comrade and stuff.

So after she took her there, who knows when they might meet again.

“Sleep quickly. Just don’t drool on my back.”

—-

The once pitch-black sky had unexpectedly turned a deep blue.

The chirping of birds filled the air.

Though the sun was still below the earth, its presence loomed over the break of dawn.

She was worried about running too far all night.

But as soon as she spotted the Divine Goddess Peak, she realized it was an unnecessary worry. The towering peak stood alone, so there was no way to miss it.

But, how on earth do you get up there?

It seemed less like the Mountain of the Gods and more like a tower of the Gods.

Moreover, it was just a mountain that had risen even higher at the top.

From the bottom, the green cover barely showed a fraction of itself.

The rest was vertical, rugged rock formations.

Still, she thought there might be a path if people lived there, so while searching for a hiking trail, she kept moving forward.

As she rounded the corner at the base of the mountain, a concave shape appeared between two ridges.

And she found a path that had been compacted tight from being stepped on by people and carts.

At the end of that path stood two people.

That Shin Chang? Something or other family… someone.

She didn’t really remember their names.

And one pesky ninja who was getting on her nerves.

As soon as A-Qing spotted them, they also noticed her.

You’re talking about whatever abyss or whatever.

A-Qing recalled Nietzsche’s famous saying that everyone knew.

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