[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 294

The red smoke, as if the arrow that just flew by wasn’t enough, now blankets the sky in a hazy blur.

Perhaps because of that, as time goes on, the presence of many people begins to be felt inside the closed Murim Alliance.

“The Murim Alliance really knows how to welcome people.”

“…This won’t do.”

Jeon Ho, who had been standing with a desolate expression, grabs my wrist.

“What won’t do?”

“Let’s run away, Han So-jeo.”

Jeon Ho, finishing his words bluntly, pulls my arm.

“Why run? And this is where you work, isn’t it?”

“We need to get out of here quickly! If we delay any longer, the pursuit team will come! So hurry!”

He pulls my arm again, which I was holding firm.

“It’s okay. Calm down.”

“Han So-jeo!”

Jeon Ho raises his voice unusually.

Seeing the guards at the entrance drawing their swords and glaring at us, I can understand Jeon Ho’s reaction.

“Jeon Ho.”

“Han So-jeo, there’s no time for jokes!”

As I reach out towards tall Jeon Ho’s head, he seems to ponder for a moment but eventually lowers his head slightly.

Pat pat.

“Good boy? Calm down.”

“Sigh… I don’t know either.”

Leaving behind a seemingly resigned Jeon Ho, I step closer to the gatekeepers, who glare at me with even sharper eyes.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“I have business here, so please open the gate.”

They’re so tense that the hand holding the sword hilt is trembling.

Seeing the deep distrust in their eyes, it’s clear they won’t listen to anything I say.

Tap.

The moment I take another step.

Swoosh!

A sharp sword sound rings out as a sword flies towards me.

Compared to the branches my master casually swings, this is like a snail crawling.

“Ouch.”

“Th-the Exploitation Master!”

As I unconsciously let go of the sword blade, I see the sword, all crumpled and ruined.

“Don’t do that and step aside. You should go home and see your precious children.”

“….”

“Right?”

The gatekeeper who swung the sword at me shows an emotional expression. Probably thinking about his rabbit-like children at home.

Not a face I particularly want to see.

“Take your whining home, and step back a bit so you don’t get hurt.”

Approaching the main gate and touching it, I feel the coldness of the metal.

Thick iron plates are attached to the wooden gate.

“Baekseol, Danpung, it’s going to be loud. Cover your ears.”

“Okay!”

“It’s great!”

Quickly gathered strength fills my fist.

**〈Super Heavy Hit!〉**

Boom──!!

A loud sound, as if eardrums would burst, erupts, and the huge main gate flies away.

If they had made the entire gate this big out of iron, it would have been hard to blow it away with a punch. The gate is about 3 meters high, so considering its width and thickness, it must weigh at least 70 tons.

Crash!!

A dust cloud rises belatedly from afar along with the noise.

It seems the gate that flew away has crashed somewhere.

“Jeon Ho, the gate’s open.”

“Is this what you call opening?”

“They should have made it sturdier.”

“I didn’t make it. And just adding iron was already causing trouble due to the weight. We had to repair the leaning gateposts every year because of that.”

Well, since it’s a gate for passage, not for blockade, making it any sturdier would be overkill.

Even if they made it, with the technology here, it would be hard to open and close, and maintenance would cost a fortune.

“Who’s there!”

Only after the gate bursts open do the warriors inside, who had gathered in advance, hurriedly draw their weapons from their waists.

“Hey!”

“If you mess around, our Deputy Inspector Jeon Ho’s life is on the line. Surrender quickly.”

“Han So-jeo?”

Despite the warning, it seems there’s no intention to put away the menacing blade.

“Actually, Deputy Inspector Jeon Ho ordered it.”

“Han So-jeo?”

Then, a whimpering sound starts to be heard near the ear.

“Arururu─”

A trivial sound, almost like a threat.

“Danpung, you’re a squirrel.”

“Ppiit?”

“This little guy.”

When I scratch the chin of the creature that had been showing a lot of wariness on my shoulder, it melts like freshly steamed rice cake.

“Ppii…”

It’s just a gentle creature that loves to collect things it likes and share its own, but it seems it thought I was being threatened and tried to protect me.

“Want to go inside?”

“Ppiit!”

When I open my collar, Danpung slips into my pocket.

“Thought you were a tiger.”

“Must be angry because you drew your sword.”

It’s a bit different in personality from the rabbit, which always rolls around leisurely like a ball except when playing. Perhaps because it grew up alone in the wild, it’s more vigorous and lively compared to Baekseol.

“They almost got into big trouble.”

“First time seeing Danpung-sensei get angry.”

“Me too.”

As I laugh and chat with Jeon Ho, the surrounding martial artists pour out their incredulous gazes.

“But how long do I have to wait?”

“Is this what you were waiting for?”

“Don’t cause any trouble. And I’m the one who’s leaving.”

Jeon Ho’s face looks somewhat complicated.

I’m someone who can leave at any time, but Jeon Ho has to live here for the rest of his life.

Unless we’re bound by a bad relationship, it’s hard to take responsibility for Jeon Ho any further.

“People who are waiting don’t blow the door like that.”

“That’s true.”

“Hahaha.”

“Don’t laugh, I’m getting attached.”

While continuing to talk with Jeon Ho, I sense someone approaching quickly from afar.

Baekseol seems to have sensed it first, poking her face out of the pocket and twitching her ears.

“Chik, chik.”

“Hoo─”

While lighting a cigarette, a middle-aged man lands lightly in front of me and looks me up and down.

He’s dressed in clothes reminiscent of a scholar.

“Get out!! How dare a woman cause a disturbance in the Murim Alliance!”

“That damn ‘get out’. I’ll split your head open.”

“You bastard…!”

“It’s you, you jerk.”

“How dare you wag your tongue in front of me…!”

The man dressed in scholar’s robes trembles with anger.

“This is the Cheongun Unit, one of the martial forces of the Murim Alliance. It’s also a place where the influence of the Cheongseong faction is strong.”

Jeon Ho, who was explaining, is glared at by the man in scholar’s robes.

“Deputy Inspector, why are you standing there?”

“Since I personally brought the guest, it’s only natural for me to stand here.”

Despite receiving such a glare head-on, Jeon Ho acts as if he’s used to it.

“Do people here have a disease where they die if they don’t take sides?”

“There’s some truth to that.”

“Swish!”

The man in scholar’s robes draws his sword.

“You bitch. If your mouth is too big, you won’t live long.”

“If our Han So-jeo just keeps her mouth shut, she’s practically a saint.”

Jeon Ho has become quite cheeky while traveling together.

“Isn’t this where you work? Is that okay?”

“Han So-jeo is a guest I brought. So, disrespecting her is the same as disrespecting me.”

“Swish!”

A sharp sword sound rings out as Jeon Ho also draws his sword from his waist.

Then, he stands in front of me as if to protect me.

“Deputy Inspector. You’re too confident just because you trust the Naegakju.”

“Is that your business?”

Ugh.

“You brat, how dare you call me ‘that side’?”

“I’ve had enough of this, old man.”

Our Jeon Ho has grown so splendidly, it almost brings tears to my eyes.

“Do you think the Naegakju’s protection will save your life? I never liked the idea of picking up some old, low-born guy and putting him in the political academy.”

“Are we really talking about something that happened years ago…?”

All this fuss about the Blood Jade Token, and now they’re suddenly throwing a party among themselves.

“You…! You brought this upon yourself, so don’t expect any mercy from me.”

In a world where conversations are held with swords instead of words, a man from Hakui draws his sword and charges at Jeon Ho.

Thud!

He stomps the ground and moves as if sliding, his speed anything but ordinary.

“Die!”

Just as the man’s sword is about to swing at Jeon Ho, a long spear suddenly appears, blocking the path.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal clashing echoes, and sparks fly in broad daylight.

“Cheongun Daeju, stop. Why are you pointing your sword at a fellow alliance member?”

“Naegakju…”

The person who quickly approached and blocked the path seems to be the Naegakju.

Having heard a lot about the Naegakju from Jeon Ho, even though it’s my first time seeing him, he feels familiar.

He was like a foster father who took care of Jeon Ho since his powerless days.

“Greetings to the Naegakju.”

As the situation calms down due to the sudden appearance of the Naegakju, Jeon Ho offers his greetings.

“Deputy Inspector Jeon… You’ve arrived.”

“Deputy Inspector Jeon Ho, I have completed my mission and returned.”

At Jeon Ho’s words, the Naegakju’s gaze turns to me.

“Does that mean this person is…?”

“Correct.”

Bang!

“I am Yang Ik-jun, the Naegakju of the Murim Alliance, here to meet Shin Yi.”

A man with graying hair, who seems like he would receive greetings from most people, deeply bows his head to me.

“Hello, I’m Han Ga-eul.”

“Hoho.”

As I bow my head in return, the Naegakju lets out a hearty laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Shin Yi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“From the pigeons?”

“Correct.”

The Naegakju nods.

“That’s why the grandmothers and grandfathers were so annoyed.”

“Wait, those people…?”

“Yep. I met them while going for treatment.”

“Ah, so that’s why the Blood Jade Token…”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

As the Naegakju and I engage in small talk, the man from Hakui interrupts.

His eyes are so wide they look like they might tear, clearly very flustered.

“Tsk tsk. Cheongun Daeju, why did you have to mess with someone under the protection of the Blood Jade Emperor? I told you to control your temper.”

“Th-the Blood Jade Emperor? I didn’t know! I really didn’t know!”

The man from Hakui rambles on as if he’s lost his mind.

“Does not knowing excuse you in the affairs of the Murim?”

“I didn’t even know he was alive!”

When I was about to punish the Namgung family on behalf of my grandmother, she said the same thing.

“Shin Yi, could you spare some time? The alliance leader is eagerly looking for you.”

“Sure. I’m fine with that.”

Bang!

The Naegakju, who had just made a loud fist greeting, bows his head again.

“Thank you. I will escort you.”

“I’ll follow along.”

The Naegakju, with a warm smile, leads the way.

Meanwhile, the man from Hakui is still muttering to himself, unsure of what to do.

“Jeon Ho, does he usually bother you a lot?”

“Yes. He bothers me a lot.”

“Should I scold him?”

“Yep.”

“Alright.”

The Naegakju, who had taken a few steps forward, overhears our conversation and suddenly…

Stops and stares in disbelief.

*Thwack!*

**〈Mental Breakdown〉**

[Despair] [Frustration] [Loneliness] [Anxiety]

[Fatigue] [Discouragement] [Grief]

[Futility] [Self-loathing] [Illusion] [Auditory Hallucination]

[Lethargy] [Alienation] [Emptiness]

[Depression] [Misery] [Despair] [Fear]

“Ugh… uh…”

Cheongun Daeju, who had been properly cursed, starts drooling with wide, bloodshot eyes.

When I went to Grandfather Herman’s house for treatment, I once met a strange woman laughing by the side of the lying grandfather.

I cursed that person with maximum power and later heard that they ended up committing suicide after self-harm.

Since then, I’ve only used it weakly on people, but it seems like I need to erase the person in front of me quickly.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes, Han So-jeo.”

“Kill them when they sleep.”

*Creak!*

“Huh?”

“No. Let’s go and take care of ourselves.”

***

“Speed up a little more!”

“Yes, Master! Like this!”

The coachman, hearing the man’s words, whips the reins harder, making the cart shake.

The man who gave the instructions turns his gaze to his daughter sitting across from him.

“Is that story true?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Being revered as a divine figure at such a young age has made you unbearably arrogant.”

The man’s green eyes burn like fire.

“That person’s techniques were utterly ruthless, and each move was so fast that I couldn’t even see the afterimages.”

“I am the Poison King, Dang Jeongmun.”

Even at the Poison King’s wild words, Dang Eun-hye nods as if it’s only natural.

For Dang Eun-hye, who grew up pampered in the closed-off Sacheon Dang Clan, her father was someone no one could dare approach and someone everyone had to bow to.

‘How dare you insult me. Just wait…’

Thanks to the reliable ally sitting across from her, Dang Eun-hye’s eyes naturally curve.

***

“Let’s hurry, coachman.”

“Hey! I told you I’m not a coachman!”

“Whatever, just hurry. Ga-eul is waiting.”

*Grind grind.*

As soon as Dokma finishes speaking, the sound of teeth grinding ominously echoes from the coachman’s seat.

“Let’s get off and settle this, old man.”

“Tsk tsk.”

The cart from the Demon Sect was still bickering.

***

“How about we don’t do both?”

“Grandfather, if we treat both, those Namgung bastards will lay twice as many eggs.”

**〈White Peach Transformation〉**

“Right, Namgung Grandfather?”