Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 55 - Proposal (3)
Chapter 55 – Proposal (3)
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Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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-The weight is different.
“Pardon?”
-To become this one’s disciple means that you, sentient being, must bear the karma of the Moon and carry out a bloody purge.
‘A bloody purge?’
Blue Spirit’s atmosphere, brimming with killing intent, was different from usual.
But if one thought about it, she was a vengeful spirit.
And one with resentment so deep that she had remained in this world for well over a hundred years.
Mok Gyeong-un met her gaze and spoke.
“As expected, you are related to the Heaven and Earth Society.”
-…I will not deny that.
“But if becoming Blue Spirit’s disciple brings in talk of the karma of the Moon and a bloody purge, why is that?”
-It is exactly as you heard. This one wants the price of blood.
“Simply put, revenge.”
At those words, Blue Spirit drew deeply on her pipe as though displeased, then exhaled a long stream of smoke into Mok Gyeong-un’s face as she said,
-Hoo. The weight is different, but by your way of speaking, yes, it would be revenge.
At her words, a strange light entered Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.
It was because of the sense of kinship called revenge.
He too was wandering like this for the sake of taking revenge for his grandfather.
Only, unlike her, he would resolve that resentment while alive, not dead.
She spoke.
-What will you do? Will you become this one’s disciple?
“Should you not tell me at least somewhat why I need to become your disciple before I can decide whether to accept or not?”
-That is…
“That is?”
-No. If you are not going to the Heaven and Earth Society, then just forget what this one said.
“…It seems you have the ability to raise someone’s interest and then cool it off.”
-Hm. I did not say it to arouse your interest.
“……….”
Mok Gyeong-un stared at Blue Spirit.
In truth, Mok Gyeong-un had no interest at all in other people’s circumstances or stories.
Even if they shared the common ground of revenge.
He had asked Blue Spirit to tell him her circumstances, but that was only his way of telling her to persuade him why he should become her disciple.
“May I ask one thing?”
-If it is a question that cannot be answered, refrain from it from the start.
“That is up to Blue Spirit. Someone of Blue Spirit’s rank must have died a very long time ago. Has not time already taken revenge for you?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Blue Spirit let out a snort.
Then she asked,
-If it were you, would you think time would resolve everything and simply let your enemy go?
“No.”
-Why not? Did you not just say so?
“…You got me back instead.”
Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and continued speaking.
“That is right. If one is going to take revenge, one has to see it through to the end. I cannot just leave alone everything connected to that person.”
One had to take away his family, his relatives, and everything precious to him.
If one was going to take revenge, there was no reason to spare circumstances or make allowances.
At least that was what revenge meant to Mok Gyeong-un.
Blue Spirit’s red lips twitched as she opened her mouth.
-Our intent matches. This one is the same. This one cannot forgive even the sight of those bloodlines of that bastard, who deserves to be chewed to pieces, still breathing, nor can this one forgive the truth being buried and this one being mocked. If so, then this one will gather everything back with my own hands. Even if that means staining everything with blood.
-Gooooooo!
Mok Gyeong-un looked around and pointed with his hand.
Perhaps because her tremendous rage had burst forth, the surroundings were in chaos as though a storm had blown in.
Even the surroundings were being dyed crimson.
“Please calm yourself.”
-………
At those words from Mok Gyeong-un, she seemed to realize it herself and calmed down.
Then the sudden change in the surroundings stopped as though it had never happened.
Seeing that, Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.
If Blue Spirit was this much, then just how dangerous and powerful were vengeful spirits of a rank above hers?
He was curious.
But that was not what mattered now.
“Blue Spirit.”
-Speak.
“Even if I do not become your disciple, could we not still carry out Blue Spirit’s revenge together if the situation aligns?”
-No!
“Pardon?”
-It only has meaning if you, sentient being, inherit the karma of the Moon.
“Then what exactly is this karma of the Moon?”
-If you become this one’s disciple and go there, you will naturally come to know.
“You are stubborn. Then I would rather not become your disciple.”
-What?
A wrinkle formed between Blue Spirit’s beautiful brows.
She said in a voice thick with irritation,
-Then are you not going to the Heaven and Earth Society?
“No, I am going. I have decided to go.”
-Then why!
The ringing shout echoed in his ears, and Mok Gyeong-un frowned.
If she had had her way, Blue Spirit would have forced things, but because of the relationship between shikigami and master, she could not do that.
It truly was an irritating relationship.
To be bound by this fetter and be unable to do anything because of it.
Then Mok Gyeong-un said,
“I am sorry, but I dislike being pushed around by someone. That remains true even if it is Blue Spirit, whom I currently trust more than anyone.”
-………Irritating.
“Still, there is nothing to…”
-I said it is irritating!
Blue Spirit shouted, her hand trembling.
The reality that she had become the shikigami of such a brat and was being pushed around enraged her beyond measure.
She had only just escaped the place where she had been sealed, and though she possessed a rank that allowed her to move freely rather than being a bound spirit, what was this?
If she had had her way, she would have wanted to kill him and vent her anger.
But if she did that, then the hundred years she had endured by chewing on her resentment would become meaningless.
‘Damn stubborn sentient being!’
Though he had not even lived half of half of a hundred years, he was infuriating.
After glaring at Mok Gyeong-un for a long while, she opened her mouth.
-Fine. This much I will tell you. I do not know the present circumstances, but originally the Heaven and Earth Society was born from three lineages.
“Three lineages?”
-One of them is the Moon Lineage.
“…And Blue Spirit is someone from that Moon Lineage.”
He really was quick on the uptake.
Blue Spirit did not deny it.
-What this one can tell you right now goes only this far. Since a full hundred years have passed, it is meaningless to investigate the events of that time. There is no way everything from that era still remains as it was. You need only inherit the karma of the Moon.
She stared hard into Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.
With other humans, she could tell what they were thinking just by their eyes and expression, but with this sentient being in particular, she could not tell what he was thinking.
She was not even sure whether the emotions he showed, other than anger, were real.
Then Mok Gyeong-un said readily,
“All right.”
-Hoo. Your stubbornness really is… What?
“I said I will learn from Blue Spirit.”
-You mean you will become this one’s disciple?
“Yes. But I have a condition.”
-…What condition?
“Let us just omit formal expressions like Master and disciple.”
-You insolent sentient being.
“Even if Blue Spirit is my shikigami, I do not go around calling you my servant either.”
-………
Clicking her tongue at Mok Gyeong-un, she soon nodded.
Well, it did not matter anyway.
Ordinarily, since he was receiving martial transmission, it would be right to make the master-disciple relationship clear, but she was dead anyway.
What meaning did the etiquette of this world hold anymore?
-Tsk tsk.
Watching her, Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly.
In truth, if he was going to the Heaven and Earth Society anyway, he had to learn the rest of that sword art’s moves and the qi-circulation formula from her.
If anything, he was the one who ought to be asking a favor.
-What are you grinning about?
“It is nothing. More importantly, I should hurry.”
-What do you mean?
“It is hard to keep doing this here.”
Mok Gyeong-un opened the Secret Text of Questioning the Dead he was holding.
Within one shichen, he had to dispel the occult art so that he could step off the spot, and he also had to master the occult art that would hide Blue Spirit’s energy.
* * *
Half a gak before one shichen had passed.
The surroundings were unsettled.
The masked men who had left their places were returning one by one.
‘Hmm.’
Occult Practitioner Jo looked slightly disappointed as he gazed toward the northwestern forest.
It was taking longer than expected.
In truth, one shichen could not be called that long.
Because even if it was a designated occult art, mastering it in one shichen was fairly difficult.
And if, on top of that, one had to search through the Secret Text of Questioning the Dead to find out which occult art it was, then the time was extremely tight.
‘I thought it might be possible.’
If he failed, then the situation might have been harder than he had expected.
If so, then there was nothing to be done.
He would have no choice but to go and dispel the occult art himself.
It was then.
‘!?’
He saw a figure walking out of the dark forest.
It was Mok Gyeong-un.
“What?”
“How did this boy…?”
When the masked men spotted Mok Gyeong-un outside rather than in the wagon, they were startled and tried to subdue him again.
Occult Practitioner Jo stopped them.
“Stop.”
“But…”
“That child is now my disciple. I merely made him train for a short while.”
“Pardon?”
The masked men glanced between Mok Gyeong-un and Occult Practitioner Jo with slightly surprised eyes.
It seemed they had not expected him to really accept the boy as a disciple.
But Occult Practitioner Jo was above them, and they could not disobey, so they soon returned to their positions.
Occult Practitioner Jo spoke to Mok Gyeong-un, who was looking around.
“You are later than I expected.”
No, in truth he had exceeded expectations.
He had really found the occult art and dispelled it within one shichen.
But having taken him as a disciple, he intended to refrain from praise as much as possible.
Mok Gyeong-un lowered his head slightly and replied,
“If I am late, then forgive me, Master.”
“I have expectations of you, so do not disappoint me.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“In any case, dispelling an occult art will have cost you a great deal of mental force, so rest for a while. Once the Fate Blade King arrives, we will depart.”
“Understood.”
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un looked around.
He had in fact been curious since earlier.
The masked men had brought along boys who looked to be around fifteen to eighteen years old in pairs.
All of them had cloths over their faces, so they could not see ahead.
So Mok Gyeong-un asked in a low voice,
“What are those?”
At the question, Occult Practitioner Jo let out a short laugh and answered,
“Recruits gathered from the various factions.”
“Recruits?”
“Think of it as doing that on the side while we came this far.”
It was difficult to understand just what he meant.
It almost seemed as though he was speaking vaguely on purpose.
“You will learn later, so there is no need to care about such things now. More importantly, from now on you will ride with me in my wagon, so go and rest there in advance.”
Where he pointed, there was a clean-looking wagon rather than a baggage wagon.
Seeing it, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head and said,
“Forgive me, Master. For a while, may I simply ride in the baggage wagon where I was before?”
“What?”
Occult Practitioner Jo made a puzzled expression, then soon spoke as though he understood.
“Ah. Is it because of your younger brother?”
Of course it was not, but Mok Gyeong-un nodded as if that were the case.
To him, Jo Ui-gong clicked his tongue and said,
“You are taking unnecessary hardship upon yourself. If you change your mind, move to my wagon.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, and let me warn you. This time you were able to leave because this master intended it, but if you dream of doing something like helping your younger brother escape, do not even think it. If you do something pointless, you will see Yeon Mok Sword Manor exterminated.”
“I will keep that in mind. Since I have entered as your disciple, nothing like that will happen.”
“Naturally it should not.”
Occult Practitioner Jo grinned.
In any case, because he was wearing the Chain of Commanding Words, he would not be able to disobey his orders.
Mok Gyeong-un said to the smiling man,
“If it is within Master’s authority, could you have the man watching inside the baggage wagon sent out?”
“That…”
“If that is difficult even with Master’s authority, that is fine. I only ask because I would like to sit quietly inside the wagon, look at this, and memorize it.”
Mok Gyeong-un said that as he held up the Secret Text of Questioning the Dead.
At those words, Occult Practitioner Jo, who had been about to refuse, soon nodded.
It was because what pricked him was what Mok Gyeong-un had said earlier rather than the latter point.
“Do you think I do not have even that much authority? Fine.”
“Thank you.”
“However, do not do anything that would invite suspicion. Even if you have become my disciple, provoking the Fate Blade King will do no good.”
“Understood.”
As Mok Gyeong-un bowed in thanks, the corner of his mouth rose slightly.
* * *
When Mok Gyeong-un entered the baggage wagon and closed the door, he took something out from his robes.
It was a small wooden doll in the form of a person, the size of a finger, with the character Connect carved into it.
Mok Gyeong-un smiled faintly and whispered softly,
“It was a success.”
-…Success or not, this is stifling enough to kill. To be trapped inside a wooden doll like this.
The voice coming from the wooden doll was none other than Blue Spirit.
Mok Gyeong-un had succeeded in hiding her energy safely.
If Occult Practitioner Jo learned that he had more or less mastered even this art within one shichen, he would not have been able to hide his astonishment.
Because he thought Mok Gyeong-un had only barely managed to dispel the occult art and come out.
Mok Gyeong-un placed the wooden doll on his palm and said,
“Please endure it a little.”
If she came out of it, the unique energy of a vengeful spirit would be revealed.
It would do no good even if Occult Practitioner Jo noticed.
Just then the wooden doll trembled, then wriggled on its own in Mok Gyeong-un’s palm.
Then a grumbling voice came out.
-Now it has come to this, being made to possess a wooden doll like this. You, sentient being, cannot know how difficult this is.
The method Jo Ui-gong had taught was none other than making the spirit possess a medium.
It was an occult art almost identical in method to a seal.
That was why Blue Spirit had thought she would be unable to exert any power at all inside this wooden doll… but that was not the case.
The demonic monk had been unable to, but she could break the wooden doll and come out by her own will.
That seemed to be due to the difference in rank.
“Be careful. It has cracked again.”
-How much more careful do you expect me to be in here? Even an ordinary body cannot endure this one.
“That is true.”
It was only enduring thanks to the occult art that regulated her energy.
If not for that, the wooden doll would have shattered long ago.
Blue Spirit, now in the form of a wooden doll, sat down on his palm and said,
-Still, if one uses this occult art well, it seems one can endure reasonably well even after entering a weak body.
That was the one point she took as consolation.
“Yes. So please endure just a little longer. Once we get there, I will let you enter an appropriate body.”
-Understood.
“In any case, until we arrive there, we have secured a training place of sorts as well.”
He had not expected much, but securing the baggage wagon was a fairly good gain.
If he had not, it would have been difficult to do anything at all.
At least while moving, conditions had been prepared so that he could quietly receive the rest of the sword art from Blue Spirit and practice the reverse-flow breathing adjustment.
-But what will you do about that one?
-Kikikikik!
Blue Spirit moved the blunt hand of the wooden doll and pointed at someone.
It was Mok Yu-cheon, who was still unconscious.
At this, Mok Gyeong-un went over, tied the loosened cloth back over his eyes, and then
-Tatatatatak!
struck the mute acupoint again.
With that, Mok Yu-cheon had returned to his original state.
“If I leave him like this, he will stay quiet, right?”
-…You really are something.
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