Light Novel: Volume 17 Episode 7
Manhwa: N/A
It didn’t take long for Pyo-wol and the Ghost King to wake.
The Ghost King’s face was filled with fatigue.
He was still reeling from the aftermath of Kyung Musaeng’s technique.
An invisible spiritual connection existed between him and Kyung Musaeng. Although it had weakened as he switched bodies, the connection was not completely severed.
Kyung Musaeng might have retreated for now, but the Ghost King was sure that he would return once he was fully prepared.
Once the time comes, the Ghost King won’t be sure if he will be able to make it through or escape unscathed again.
‘I must go there quickly.’
To the place where he had regained consciousness.
He had no memory of anything before that.
But one thing was certain.
Only by going to the place where he had woken up would he be able to completely sever his spiritual link with Kyung Musaeng.
What the Ghost King wished for is not anything grand.
He simply wishes for freedom.
Just being free from Kyung Musaeng’s suppression would be enough to fulfill his purpose.
This was not a rational decision.
His instincts just told him to do so.
And to accomplish his goal, Pyo-wol’s help was essential.
The Ghost King turned his head to look for Pyo-wol.
He had finished meditating and was getting to his feet.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Hong Ye-seol leaned in close.
“Are you okay?”
“How about you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good.”
“What on earth happened while I was unconscious? And what’s with that giant monster?”
Hong Ye-seol asked impatiently.
Pyo-wol briefly raised his hand to stop her for a moment, then took a quick peek inside his robe.
Gwiya had its eyes closed, wrapped around Jialong’s inner core.
Judging by the undulations of its body, the little snake was still clearly breathing. Fortunately, it hadn’t been struck by Kyung Musaeng’s lightning.
Pyo-wol closed his collar and pulled himself up.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Ah, a man of many secrets.”
“Judging by how much you’re talking, it seems you’ve fully recovered.”
“It’s because of you, so thank you.”
Hong Ye-seol smiled brightly.
Pyo-wol glanced at her face for a moment before turning his gaze to the Ghost King.
“Are you alright?”
“You helped me, so I’m fine.”
“Can you move?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s change our location.”
“Alright.”
The Ghost King nodded, agreeing with Pyo-wol.
Before moving away, Pyo-wol took one last look at Jiaolong’s corpse.
Decay had already begun to set in on Jiaolong’s huge body.
At this rate, it was likely to be stripped of its flesh in a matter of days.
It was a phenomenon that was incomprehensible to common sense, but Pyo-wol thought it was likely Jiaolong’s own will.
Its last bit of pride probably didn’t want to leave its miserable corpse in this world.
Such a will would have accelerated its decay dozens of times faster than the normal rate.
Even if someone came here in the future, they wouldn’t be able to see Jiaolong’s corpse.
Pyo-wol gave Jiaolong’s corpse one last touch before taking off.
The Ghost King and Hong Ye-seol quickly followed behind him.
Once out of the forest, the three of them soon traveled in search of a place to stay.
After crossing several high mountains, they were able to find a small village.
The village was so small that even the lone guest house was quite shabby. But as none of the three were particularly fussy about where they slept, they were satisfied to have a place to wash and rest.
The Ghost King went straight into his room without looking back.
Hong Ye-seol left her room and came into Pyo-wol’s room.
Pyo-wol asked,
“What is it?”
“I need to check something.”
“What?”
Hong Ye-seol laughed and said,
“I feel like I need to check this to confirm that I am fully healed.”
Her dirt-covered robe slid down to the floor.
She walked forward without hesitation and nestled comfortably into Pyo-wol’s arms.
* * *
Pyo-wol and Hong Ye-seol made love several times.
With a flushed face, Hong Ye-seol lay on Pyo-wol’s upper body and looked at him. Then she spoke,
“I’m definitely better now.”
“Seems so.”
Hong Ye-seol chuckled and caressed Pyo-wol’s chest with her long, white fingers.
Pyo-wol, propping his head up on his arm, enjoyed Hong Ye-seol’s playful actions.
Hong Ye-seol looked into Pyo-wol’s face and said,
“Aww, you’re so beautiful.”
“……”
“It’s just a pity that I won’t be able to see your beautiful face for a while.”
She genuinely looked regretful.
Pyo-wol asked,
“Are you going back to the Hundred Wraith Union?”
“Yes.”
“But it’ll be dangerous.”
“I still have to go.”
“You’re determined.”
“I tend to be sure about what I do.”
Hong Ye-seol smiled.
Among all the sects and factions in Jianghu, an assassin organization like the Hundred Wraith Union was more harsh and rough than any other.
And, Hong Ye-seol was a poisonous species that had survived in such a place.
In a group like the Hundred Wraith Union, if a person allows themselves to be belittled, they would never be able to survive.
This time was just like that.
She had been completely taken advantage of.
The client had used her to create a disturbance in Jianghu.
If it had been just a little disturbance, she might have let it pass. But the situation was so bad it could have escalated and turned into an all-out war.
She had to find out who had set this situation up.
Hong Ye-seol suddenly kissed Pyo-wol on the lips.
She coveted his lips even more fiercely than when they were making love awhile ago.
A moment later, she pulled away her lips with a regretful expression.
Looking at Pyo-wol with a longing gaze, Hong Ye-seol stood up.
As she picked up her clothes from the ground, she asked,
“Do you have any intention of coming with me?”
Pyo-wol shook his head silently.
Hong Ye-seol asked again,
“Are you going to go with the Ghost King?”
“It’s the price I have to pay for saving you.”
“You’re leaving me with nothing to say. Okay then.”
Hong Ye-seol cleanly gave up.
As stubborn as she is, she knows he is even more so.
He’s the kind of person who never looks back once he’s made up his mind. The same was true for herself.
Hong Ye-seol had never dreamed of living an ordinary life.
She was an assassin to the core.
She had absolutely no intention of giving up her life as an assassin.
Hong Ye-seol tightly fastened her waist belt.
“I’ll go now.”
“Alright.”
“See you later.”
Hong Ye-seol left her final words and closed the door.
Her presence receded and soon completely disappeared.
Pyo-wol pushed himself up from the bed.
The room felt eerily empty after being with her. Pyo-wol thought that having such thoughts and feelings was a luxury.
Pyo-wol threw on some clothes and came out to the backyard of the guest house. There, he found a well.
Pyo-wol took off his clothes, hung them on the screen, and drew a long stream of water from the well, and poured it over his head.
Swoosh!
The cold water drenched his entire body.
Pyo-wol poured well water over himself, washing off all the dust that had adhered to his body, several times.
When he finished, he returned to the guest house’s dining area and saw the Ghost King.
The moment he saw the Ghost King’s face, he felt a strange emotion creep up on him.
The inside may have changed, but the shell was the same. It was still Do Yeonsan.
The boy who had burned everything to avenge his younger sister and parents.
That same boy had become the Ghost King and was now accompanying him.
‘Is this also fate?’
It was said that fate is so unpredictable that no one knows what’s going to happen, and that was exactly what happened.
The Ghost King lifted his head and looked at Pyo-wol.
“Has she left?”
“Yes.”
“Is it okay to let her go alone?”
“She can take care of herself.”
“Is that so?”
“We should talk.”
Pyo-wol sat down in front of the Ghost King.
The Ghost King looked at him curiously.
Pyo-wol asked,
“You said you were looking for directions, right?”
“Yes.”
“What is your final destination?”
“The source. The source that woke me up is there.”
“That’s too vague. Do you have another explanation?”
The Ghost King shook his head in reply.
“I don’t remember.”
“How do you switch into another person’s body?”
“I don’t know. It’s just possible.”
“Just possible? Then can anyone just do it?”
“Not really. Those who can can feel it.”
“Are there many such people?”
“No! Almost none.”
“What happens to the memories of the previous owner when you switch bodies?”
“They become diluted.”
“Diluted? You mean they fade?”
“It’s more accurate to say they get muddled. The memories of the previous body and the new body collide and mingle, and eventually become indistinguishable.”
“Is it happening now? Are the memories with your previous body mixing?”
“Yes.”
At the Ghost King’s reply, Pyo-wol furrowed his brows.
The more he talked with Ghost King, the more he felt like all the common sense he knew was being negated. But since there was evidence right in front of him, there was no reason not to believe.
“Then do you remember your first personality?”
“I only remember the view when I opened my eyes for the first time.”
“What was the scene like?”
“I was in a forest. There were a lot of collapsed buildings and a lot of stars.”
“And?”
“I don’t remember anything else.”
“Nothing at all?”
“None.”
“I need more information.”
The Ghost King pursed his lips at Pyo-wol’s words.
It was an expression that he didn’t remember anything more.
Pyo-wol realized that helping the Ghost King would be more difficult than he had thought.
No matter how good he was at finding his way around, he couldn’t use his abilities to their fullest if he didn’t have enough information.
“It won’t be easy.”
“That’s why I’m asking you. You won’t give up, will you?”
“We made a deal, so I’ll keep my word.”
“I believe you.”
With those words, the Ghost King stood up from his seat and went to his room.
Left alone, Pyo-wol stared out the window in silence.
Darkness had already settled outside the window.
The view, where not even an inch ahead could be seen, seemed to foreshadow his future. However, Pyo-wol neither despaired nor gave up.
No matter how tough and difficult, there is always a way out.
It only feels difficult because it hasn’t been found yet, but once the path is found, often it isn’t much of a problem.
Pyo-wol thought it would be the same this time.
It was then.
“Excuse me, will you be eating here?”
An old man with a stooped back cautiously approached him and asked.
The old man was the owner of the guest house.
“Yes, so bring food over.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, by the way-“
“What is it?”
“Where is this place?”
“What do you mean?”
“The name of this village. “
“It’s called Baita Village.”1
“Baita Village?”
Pyo-wol slightly tilted his head.
It was a name he had never heard before.
Since he had followed the Ghost King aimlessly, Pyo-wol did not know the exact location of this place.
The basis for all tracking begins with accurately knowing where one is.
The name Baita Village offered him no help at all.
“What’s the nearest big city?”
“Ah, if you follow the road outside the village for half a day, you will reach a city called Qiyang.”2
Qiyang was a city located at the southern tip of Hunan Province.
It was about 1,500 li southwest of where he originally was at Poyang Lake.
He was curious about the news from Poyang Lake, but he knew it would be impossible to hear any news about that place from Baita Village.
‘I wonder what happened?’
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