Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 436 – The Ruins of an Old Castle (4)

-Squeak!

It’s too dizzying.

And the pain feels like her spirit body is being burned.

Where on earth is this place?

As Cheong-ryeong looked around, she noticed something strange.

She was trapped in a jade window made of rare silver wood.

Because of this, due to the silver wood’s power to suppress resentment, she couldn’t move properly and the pain persisted.

-Ugh.

Even while suffering, Cheong-ryeong looked around to determine exactly where she was.

But she realized a new fact that she hadn’t noticed before, being too focused on the silver wood jade window.

‘Could it be?’

Everything around her was enormous.

From a huge inkstone to brushes, numerous medicine jars, and large books.

All of these were larger than herself.

It might have been confusing, but due to the giant surroundings, she could recognize one fact.

That is,

‘… Have I shrunk?’

It seemed similar to when she was sealed in the wooden doll of mortals.

The difference was that while the wooden doll just confined her, this was almost like torture.

The purifying power of silver wood not only weakened resentment but could ultimately extinguish it.

This could be considered the worst crisis for her.

‘No.’

Judging that she couldn’t stay trapped here, Cheong-ryeong, though in pain, tried to raise her spiritual power to break the silver wood.

Even if her body had shrunk, there was no way that she, a vengeful spirit who had reached the extreme of her rank, couldn’t destroy this level of silver wood.

-Rumble… Crack crack crack!

-Aaaaagh!

Cheong-ryeong, who had been raising her spiritual power, had to stop due to pain that felt like her entire spirit body was being torn apart.

Staggering in agony, Cheong-ryeong couldn’t understand.

It might be understandable for a low-ranking vengeful spirit, but she had already reached a rank no different from high-level Imaemangyang.

So why couldn’t she release her spiritual power?

As she wondered about this, she suddenly discovered something and her eyes widened.

It was because talismans forming a formation were attached to the bottom of the silver wood jade window, that is, on the desk, centered around her.

‘This is…’

But there was something strange about these talismans.

She had seen many talismans while being with Mok Gyeong-un.

However, these talismans had even more complex phrases and patterns engraved on them than those.

Perhaps because of this, even the spiritual power emanating from the talismans themselves was extraordinary.

All of this seemed to be organically connected with the silver wood, preventing her from recklessly releasing her spiritual power.

‘… Damn it.’

Cheong-ryeong held her throbbing head and recalled what had happened earlier.

The space of the bamboo forest had twisted like a vortex, and she had been sucked into it.

-Crack!

Eventually, her vision brightened and her surroundings changed to a wide grassland covered in green.

Faced with this sudden miraculous event, Cheong-ryeong was momentarily at a loss for words.

Where on earth is this place?

No matter how advanced the formation techniques have become, how could such a wide grassland be hidden inside a bamboo forest?

As Cheong-ryeong was puzzled, something caught her eye.

It was a thatched cottage in the middle of the grassland.

[… Oh my.]

At that moment, the bamboo-hatted man presumed to be Ghost Blade showed a somewhat bewildered expression.

So she asked,

-Why? Is this not the place?

[This is certainly it.]

-Then why are you reacting like that?

[… This déjà vu is a first.]

-Déjà vu?

Déjà vu.

It’s a phenomenon where a situation or environment that one has never experienced before feels familiar, as if it’s something one has gone through before.

At the bamboo-hatted man’s words, she too felt something strange.

Come to think of it, this mortal was said to have sent the same secret message twelve times.

As if each time was the first time sending it.

‘Could it be?’

Cheong-ryeong looked at the bamboo-hatted man with widened eyes and opened her mouth.

-You, perhaps…

[This is quite interesting.]

‘!?’

Cheong-ryeong turned her head in surprise at the voice coming from somewhere.

How could she, with her extremely heightened spiritual sense, not have noticed someone approaching this close?

Ten steps behind her was someone leaning on a silver cane with a jade ring.

That someone was none other than a beautiful woman.

She had long blue-black hair, distinct eyebrows, round eyes with slightly upturned corners that reminded one of a cat.

‘What is this?’

Cheong-ryeong’s eyes filled with wariness.

How could she not have noticed such a being approaching?

The energy emanating from the woman was so vast it was impossible to measure.

In terms of energy alone, she even surpassed the sentient beings.

How could such a bein…

-Swoosh!

At that moment, the blue-black haired woman muttered something and extended her cane.

In that instant, Cheong-ryeong couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

She felt her spirit body stiffening like stone.

Then,

-Whoosh!

At that moment, the bamboo-hatted man presumed to be Ghost Blade moved his body so quickly it caused spatial distortion.

In an instant, he closed the distance to the woman and tried to cut off the wrist of the hand holding the cane.

However,

-Clang!

‘!?’

The bamboo-hatted man’s pupils shook.

This was because the woman, without moving a single step, caught his sword bare-handed, even though he had swung it with the power of one of the Eight Stars, considering the opponent strong even if she hadn’t raised her energy.

Feeling that this wouldn’t do, the bamboo-hatted man hurriedly tried to raise his strong energy, but,

-Tremble tremble! Crack!

“Kuk.”

The tip of the sword blade caught by the woman trembled, then the trembling spread to the entire sword, and then, as if the wound on his already torn palm had widened further, blood burst out.

This wasn’t the end.

Along with the blood bursting, the bamboo-hatted man’s body was pushed back, for as much as ten steps.

-Rustle rustle rustle rustle!

If he hadn’t applied true qi to his Yongcheon point, he would have been pushed back even further.

Centered on the soles of the bamboo-hatted man’s feet where he had stopped, the surrounding grass on the ground rotted and then crumbled.

‘… What is this?’

The bamboo-hatted man’s eyes narrowed.

The moment he felt energy climbing up his palm, he thought he should let go of the sword hilt.

Not stopping there, he felt he should unconditionally release the energy that had penetrated his body, so he sent it out through his Yongcheon point.

If he hadn’t done so, he would have been injured internally by this strange energy.

The bamboo-hatted man raised his head and looked at the blue-black haired woman holding his sword blade.

‘Again.’

As déjà vu struck, the bamboo-hatted man frowned.

Then, the blue-black haired woman raised the corner of her mouth and spoke.

[Isn’t it fascinating how your body remembers?]

[What? What are you talking about…?]

[Why are you denying it? Even if your mind doesn’t, it’s natural for your body to remember if you’ve experienced this.]

[Remember… with the body? Then indeed…]

The bamboo-hatted man’s gaze sharpened.

He had felt something strange due to the words he heard from Cheong-ryeong and the peculiar déjà vu.

But that strangeness became certain because of what this woman was saying.

It seemed that his memory was not intact.

Convinced of this, the bamboo-hatted man spoke.

[… Is this the thirteenth time?]

At his question, a glint appeared in the blue-black haired woman’s eyes.

[You… Have you perhaps regained your memory?]

[… What have you done to me?]

[Hmm.]

One of the woman’s eyebrows raised.

Then,

-Swoosh!

The woman’s figure blurred and suddenly appeared behind the bamboo-hatted man who had been pushed back.

The woman who appeared behind the bamboo-hatted man instantly used the Grappling Hand Technique with her left hand, twisting his arm behind his back and pushing him forward.

-Thud!

The bamboo-hatted man’s expression contorted.

What on earth is happening?

No matter how swift the woman’s movements were and how impressive the Grappling Hand Technique was, it was impossible for him to be overpowered so helplessly.

Just who is this woman?

-Pak!

The blue-black haired woman’s hand touched the back of the bamboo-hatted man’s head.

Sensing a cold energy penetrating the moment her hand touched, the bamboo-hatted man hurriedly tried to raise his internal energy.

However,

‘My internal energy isn’t gathering.’

Strangely, strength doesn’t easily come.

Come to think of it, he had felt something was off earlier, but the internal energy in his body wasn’t circulating properly according to his will and was moving on its own.

[Hmm… It’s not undone.]

[What?]

[You still don’t remember, so how did you know the number of times you’ve been here?]

At her question, the bamboo-hatted man kept his mouth shut.

He thought it was more important to focus his mind on correcting his inner energy that was running wild rather than answering something.

Then the blue-black haired woman sneered.

[Kekeke. You’re doing unnecessary things. No one can exert their own power here, child. Of course, even if you could exert your power, it wouldn’t make much difference.]

[What… What have you done to me?]

[Well. What did I do? You’re already guessing, aren’t you?]

[… Did you make me lose my memory of coming here?]

[Huhuhu.]

The woman laughed softly at this question.

It meant affirmation.

At this, the bamboo-hatted man became quiet.

After learning the answer to his question, he seemed to become even more calm, considering how to break through this situation.

Then the bamboo-hatted man spoke in a cool voice.

[I didn’t enter this place to threaten you. I just…]

[You came to obtain the forbidden technique that can unite the soul and spirit.]

[……]

The bamboo-hatted man was at a loss for words.

He had tried to take the approach of persuading her, but with this answer, it became certain.

Although he couldn’t remember, he had clearly taken this approach before.

And he must have failed.

[Why are you silent?]

[If you know that, and I have no memory of it, it means persuasion is meaningless, right?]

[You understand well.]

At her answer, the bamboo-hatted man inwardly became confused.

Based on the situation so far, a few things had become clear.

That he couldn’t obtain what he wanted through persuasion, and fortunately or unfortunately, for some unknown intention, she could kill him but only made him lose his memory and sent him out of the formation.

‘Why?’

For her too, the continued repetition would lead to annoyance.

So why does she keep repeating this?

As he wondered, he heard the woman muttering.

[If it weren’t for the promise with that person, it would be easier to just kill you and be done with it. Tsk tsk.]

[What are you saying…]

-Grip!

[Hup.]

At that moment, the woman strongly gripped the back of the bamboo-hatted man’s head.

Then she said,

[I don’t know why all your memories aren’t erased, you mutant. Thanks to you, I’m not bored. Come again.]

‘!?’

-Pak!

At that moment, the bamboo-hatted man’s head fell forward and he lost consciousness.

The woman, gripping the back of his collar, lifted the bamboo-hatted man up, then repeatedly struck the ground with her cane while softly chanting what seemed to be a spell.

Then,

-Crack!

Part of the space began to distort as if swirling.

The woman then pushed the bamboo-hatted man, whom she was holding by the collar, into the distorted space.

As the bamboo-hatted man’s figure disappeared, the distorted space returned to normal.

‘Move. Move.’

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong tried to somehow raise her spiritual power to move her body.

However, her spirit body, once stiffened like stone, didn’t budge at all.

She couldn’t understand what was happening.

Then, the blue-black haired woman who had made the bamboo-hatted man disappear approached, raising the corner of her mouth in a sinister smile, and said,

[It’s truly a good day. I promised not to kill, but there was no mention of not touching dead resentment to begin with.]

-… You… What exactly are you?

She’s a monster with immeasurable martial prowess and even strange techniques at her disposal.

She had never heard of or seen such a being, either in life or after death.

As she was at a loss for what to do, the woman who had approached right in front of her spoke in an excited voice.

[Even in the old days when I was outside, I had never seen such strong resentment. I didn’t expect such luck to come my way.]

-Rumble!

Cheong-ryeong tried to somehow ignite the resentment within her to raise her spiritual power.

The blue-black haired woman approached her and casually lifted the chin of her spirit body, saying,

[It’s useless, child.]

Although she was in a threatened position, Cheong-ryeong, not one to be intimidated, retorted with a voice full of killing intent.

-The child would be you, wouldn’t it? You mortal.

[Kekeke. Indeed, as expected of a high-ranking resentment, you’re not easily intimidated. Given your rank, you must have been a vengeful spirit for quite a long time, so you might know of my prestige.]

-Prestige? Ha!

It’s laughable that she’s spouting such nonsense, overconfident in having restrained her, when she’s just a mortal who won’t even live a hundred years.

[If you know this prestige, you could say you’ve lived in a similar era to me.]

-Hmph. Well then, let’s hear how great this prestige of yours is.

[Wicked Granny[1]]

‘!?’

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