Book 22 Chapter 21

It's not too late to go back yet…

― I don't feel like it! But…

“Huh? Are you awake now?”

Grrr!

“Good.”

Grrr grrr!

“Let me ask you just one thing. Master… is he here?”

Nod!

“Hoo ∼ So that's how it is. I had a feeling… it was as I suspected…”

Nod nod!

“Then can I ask for one favor? What? You can? Thank you.”

Baekmuhu hadn't answered at all yet.

“Take me to where Master is. You can do that, right?”

Instead of answering, Baekmuhu stared at Yeonbi with blank eyes. Seeing his expression, Yeonbi sighed and said,

“Please don't look at me like that. I'm still sane, you know? I don't want to be looked at like that even by a beast, honestly.”

Baekmuhu nodded repeatedly again.

“Alright, shall we go? Hiyah!”

At the same time, Baekmuhu kicked off the ground and soared. Baekho sprang off multiple air currents and ran under the night sky. The wind brushed past Yeonbi's cheeks. Sometimes, the houses looked small. That's how high and fast Baekho's leaps were.

Baekho landed softly in the backyard of an inn with a sign that read ‘Sillagak’. As a spiritual being who had learned the art of light footwork, there was almost no sound. Baekmuhu carefully pressed his body to the ground. Then, a woman in black clothes descended from Baekho's back. Of course, it was Yeonbi. Using Baekho as a mount was incredibly audacious.

“Here?”

Baekmuhu nodded.

“The exact location?”

Then Baekmuhu raised his head and pointed to a window at the top of the third floor.

“Hmm, over there. Thank you. See you again, Hayang-ah!”

At that, Baekmuhu's golden eyes widened.

‘Will I really see you again?’

Baekmuhu's eyes seemed to say that.

“We will see each other again, for sure!”

And soon, Yeonbi's figure disappeared as if sucked into the pavilion.

Let’s avoid misunderstandings.

It’s not that Yeonbi was happy to be entering this building right now. She wasn’t happy climbing these stairs. Although she wanted to turn back on the second floor, she went up another floor. Although she didn't want to, she walked ten steps to the right and arrived at a door on the far left. It wasn't too late. She could still turn back if she wanted. She could just turn around and walk out quietly without making a sound. The longer she delayed, the greater the danger. So, if she was going to turn back, it was now. She didn’t come all this way because she wanted to!

She raised her gaze to look at the door. It was an ordinary door, except it was a special suite. It didn't breathe fire like the demonic gate of Macheongak. There were no grotesque figures of evil spirits or bad omens. However, she couldn't muster the courage to knock on the door.

Yeonbi had felt no fear when entering the demonic gate of Macheongak. Far from being afraid, she had even found it exciting, like a new source of interest. However, she was afraid to enter this ordinary door. The moment she stepped beyond this door, everything might change. Her destiny might claim it was not hers.

So, let's avoid misunderstandings.

She is absolutely not doing this because she wants to. However, it is also true that there is no other way. If she cannot escape, she has no choice but to confront it head-on. To do that, there are times when one must open an unwelcome door. Unfortunately, that moment had become this moment. So, what is she hesitating about? Haven't her resolve already been made? Raise your hand and knock on the door. Come on, now!

Knock, knock!

Finally, Yeonbi knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door, which had been closed, and stepped inside.

The fire in the brazier was not lit, as the weather was warm. The air was warmed.

A white-haired and red-eyed old man sat at a table in the center of the room, sipping a wine cup. Jang Wooyang, who had gone to bring better wine, had not yet returned, so he was drinking alone. Then, he heard the sound of the door being knocked on twice, and before he could answer, the door opened with a creak. The old man slowly turned his head and looked at the rude visitor. The visitor was wearing black clothes, holding an umbrella in one hand and a silk bundle in the other. It was Yeonbi.

The old man closed his mouth and quietly gazed into Yeonbi's eyes for a while. His gaze, deeper than the abyss, looked at Yeonbi's amber eyes. A suffocating silence flowed. Yeonbi did not avoid his gaze. Both remained silent.

It was the old man who moved first. The old man, who had been as rigid as a statue, moved his gaze, scanned Yeonbi from head to toe, and then said with a look of bewilderment,

“Did you come to be my servant? I wasn't looking for a woman.”

It seemed the old man mistook the woman who had just entered for a courtesan. Of course, Yeonbi wasn't on a business trip. She had to let him know that.

Yeonbi winked and replied in a coquettish voice, as if embarrassed,

“Aww, Oppa, really!”

She didn't forget to twist her waist and legs.

“……”

For a moment, time froze and space stopped. It was a heavier and colder silence than before. It felt as if time and space were freezing on her skin.

“Hehehe…”

The old man let out a disbelieving snort and looked around.

Then, the old man's eyes fell on an iron brazier used to keep embers for the cold. That was enough. The old man grabbed both sides of the cast-iron brazier with both hands and slowly began to bring his hands together. At that moment, the cast-iron brazier began to close into one point like soft clay. The old man molded the cast-iron brazier like a potter shaping clay to make ceramics. With each light movement of his hands, the cast-iron dough folded here and there, losing its original shape. As the cast-iron brazier began to form a single mass, the old man rolled it up and stretched it like a thick rice cake. Soon, a thick and solid-looking iron rod of appropriate size was made. As a finishing touch, the old man wrote 'Striking Awakening Purification Rod' on the end of the iron rod with his finger. As if writing on tofu, the old man's fingers moved without hesitation.

Having finished his work, the old man sprang to his feet. And then, with a look of utter disbelief, he looked at Yeonbi askew.

“Hehehe… Hehehe…”

Once again, a hollow laugh erupted.

Stomp, stomp, stomp!

The old man's body, which had been motionless like Mount Tai, began to move. The old man dragged the iron rod on the stone floor and walked forward with a stomp, stomp, stomp.

Krrrrrr! Pababbt!

Sparks began to fly from the end of the iron rod as it scraped the stone floor.

It is the duty of a master to guide their disciple's wrongdoings!

“Hehehe, this Oppa will give you a gentle stroke!”

The old man's purpose was very simple, straightforward, and terrifying.