‘Is this a coincidence?’
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes as he sensed the eerie gazes.
Only the disciples of the Wind God Palace should be able to detect the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
How could the people of Cheonchuk walking through the market possibly sense it?
‘Cheonchuk is a land where special secret arts and sorcery thrive.’
Unlike the Central Plains martial world, Cheonchuk does not prohibit sorcery or shamanistic arts. Instead, martial arts and mystical techniques with strong religious undertones are widespread.
It was entirely possible that, even in this marketplace, there existed individuals with extraordinary abilities capable of sensing the energy of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
‘I must be careful.’
Feeling uneasy, Bu Eunseol stopped spreading the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
He scanned his surroundings with a casual expression, then slipped away by blending into the crowds of touts calling out to tourists here and there.
Just as he was finally leaving the bustling market,
“Hello!”
A short girl approached Bu Eunseol.
Her face was covered in large spots, like bruises, making it impossible to discern her original appearance. However, her eyes sparkled like starlight and her teeth were pure white, so she did not look particularly frightening.
“Are you from the Central Plains?”
The girl spoke fluent Han language and approached him with a friendly expression.
“Not only is the scenery around Napsageukseong beautiful, but there are also many wonderful places that tourists don’t know about.”
She winked and continued in a suggestive voice,
“Of course, if you go a little outside the city, there are many guides who can show you the scenic spots. But they don’t speak the Han language properly.”
The girl was a guide who earned money by showing famous sites to tourists visiting Napsageukseong.
These guides, also called escorts, not only explained the history of the attractions but also led visitors to hidden scenic spots known only to locals, making them invaluable helpers for travelers from afar.
“But I can speak Han language. That’s a huge advantage.”
Upon closer inspection, the girl’s eye color was unusual, but her facial features and skin tone were closer to those of the Han people.
She seemed to be of mixed blood, with Han ancestry mixed with another lineage.
“I understand.”
Without hesitation, Bu Eunseol took out a silver tael from his pouch and held it out to the girl.
“I’ll hire you.”
Napsageukseong was far too vast to search thoroughly on his own.
If he could not quickly locate the secluded realm, it would be better to use a guide familiar with the local geography.
“Wise choice!”
The girl smiled brightly, quickly took the silver, then boldly held out her hand again.
“The guiding fee is one silver tael per day. Payment in advance.”
“Didn’t I just give you one?”
“That was before the contract. This is just a down payment.”
When Bu Eunseol gave a wry smile, the girl carefully examined his appearance.
Because he had transformed into Seolso, his face was utterly ordinary.
Moreover, since he had flown all the way to Cheonchuk using qinggong, his entire body was covered in dust and his clothes looked shabby.
Although his pouch appeared quite full, it might not be wealth but rather the entire savings he had brought for the journey.
Many Central Plains travelers who came to Cheonchuk for sightseeing were like that.
“Fine.”
The girl sighed as if she had no choice.
“You don’t seem to be in a position to pay a down payment, so I’ll take this as payment for one day.”
Watching the girl decide everything on her own, Bu Eunseol couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lately, he had been constantly clashing with the strongest experts of the martial world and the abyssal forces, living blood-soaked days.
But seeing this young girl earnestly working as a guide somehow cleared his mind and made the smell of blood on his clothes feel a little less heavy.
“What is your name?”
“Huh?”
“You should at least tell me a name I can call you by, shouldn’t you?”
When Bu Eunseol smiled, showing his teeth, the girl looked momentarily dazed.
How could someone with such an ordinary face have such a dazzling smile?
“Don’t you have a name?”
When Bu Eunseol asked again, the girl finally shook her head, snapped out of it, and spoke in a low voice.
“My name is Ahwan.”
“I see.”
“And you, young master?”
“I am called Seolso.”
Bu Eunseol then took out another silver tael from his pouch and offered it to the girl, Ahwan.
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Ahwan waved her hands vigorously.
“Anyway, touring all the famous sites of Napsageukseong can’t be done in just a day or two. Keep your money.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and put the silver back.
“Understood.”
“Shall we start the tour then?”
Ahwan asked with a lively face.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to go? The reason you came to Napsageukseong is probably to see Dharamil Valley, right?”
Before Bu Eunseol could say anything, she chattered on without pause.
“In Dharamil Valley, there is the legendary Illusion Forest. But the actual Illusion Forest is…”
“There is only one place I want to go.”
“Huh?”
“A place that is well-known to people, yet rarely visited, or only visited during certain seasons.”
So far, the places where secluded realms had been found were either the bases of special sects, or famous seasonal attractions—places that were well-known but only crowded during specific times.
In other words, all the locations with secluded realms were places that were usually quiet but still known to the world.
‘This might be the condition for maintaining a secluded realm.’
It was probably not a mere coincidence that all such places shared this common trait.
It could even be a necessary requirement for sustaining the secluded realm.
‘Especially since some of the Baekri family’s secret archives serve as devices to maintain secluded realms.’
Based on these points, Bu Eunseol formed a hypothesis.
Unlike ordinary formations, a secluded realm might require continuous infusion of power or the fulfillment of specific conditions.
For example, paradoxically, it might need to be a public place or require periodic visits from outsiders.
‘I can only hope my guess is correct.’
Searching every corner of Napsageukseong could take months.
That was why he planned to start with places that matched these conditions.
“A well-known place… yet rarely visited, or only visited during certain seasons.”
Ahwan muttered with wide eyes.
In all her time working as a guide, she had never received such a request from any tourist.
“Is there no such place?”
“There are some, but…”
Several locations came to Ahwan’s mind.
However, most of them were places tourists could not enter.
“Some of them are places you cannot go, young master.”
“Why can’t I go?”
“Because those places are currently…”
Thud, thud, thud.
At that moment, a group of men with fierce faces began walking toward them from afar.
“Quickly look away.”
The girl grabbed Bu Eunseol’s arm and whispered.
“They are warriors of the Elephant Sect, under the command of the Elephant King.”
The Elephant King.
One of the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants and the sect leader of the Elephant Sect, he was a supreme expert who had mastered the greatest external arts in Cheonchuk.
In particular, the Eight Iron Arts he had created were external techniques infused with profound religious elements, said to be comparable to the renowned Myeongok Blood Steel of the Eternal Blood Demon, considered the strongest external art in the martial world.
“The Elephant King rules Napsageukseong… If you offend them, you will never survive.”
As Ahwan whispered, one of the men approached and began speaking rapidly in a strange tongue to Bu Eunseol.
Bu Eunseol frowned.
Judging by the sharp, prolonged shouting, the man did not seem to have good intentions.
“What is he saying?”
Ahwan spoke carefully with a fearful expression.
“He says to follow them.”
“For what reason?”
“He won’t say. Perhaps… he saw the full pouch you were carrying earlier.”
“Is he demanding money?”
“They think everything in Napsageukseong belongs to them. They often rob lone travelers like you.”
Ahwan clenched her fists and gathered her courage.
“I’ll try to talk to them.”
At that moment, the man shouted again.
When Ahwan carefully bowed her head and spoke pleadingly,
Slap!
The man suddenly slapped her cheek and glared fiercely.
It seemed he was telling her not to interfere.
The moment Bu Eunseol’s eyes changed, Ahwan waved both hands.
“I’m fine, young master.”
She was clearly not fine.
Even without using inner energy, being struck by the massive, pot-lid-like hand of a burly man like him…
As if to prove it, Ahwan’s cheek instantly turned red and began swelling.
“You don’t need to get involved in something like this.”
As Bu Eunseol stepped forward with a solemn expression, Ahwan shook her head urgently.
“You mustn’t. Even if you have trained in martial arts, it’s the same.”
She whispered in a low voice,
“You must never touch them.”
Then Ahwan took out all the silver she had in her pocket and offered it to the man while speaking rapidly in the Cheonchuk language.
The man’s eyes grew even fiercer, and his foot twitched slightly.
This time, instead of slapping her cheek, he was about to kick her in the stomach with full force.
Whoosh!
Just as the man’s thick leg lifted off the ground to kick Ahwan’s belly,
Crack.
A clear sound of breaking bone suddenly rang out.
At the same time, the man who had been kicking froze with a dazed expression and blinked.
His knee had been twisted backward.
“Uh…”
The man was so shocked he couldn’t even scream. He staggered backward, limping.
“To think you would try to kill a young girl without hesitation.”
Bloodlust rose in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
A martial artist trying to kick a powerless girl?
A kick like that would either kill her instantly or leave her severely injured even if she survived by luck.
“Scum like you—I have no intention of sending you away quietly.”
Step, step.
As Bu Eunseol slowly walked forward,
“Tat apasphalatu!”
The panicked group shouted something, and Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Yes.”
Then he bared his fangs in a smile.
“Even if the language is different, there is an excellent way to communicate.”
Crack.
When Bu Eunseol focused his strength, a bone-crunching sound rang out as the foot of the man at the front was instantly driven deep into the ground.
With terrifying inner energy, he had mercilessly hammered the perfectly healthy leg into the earth like a nail.
“Kraaaagh!”
As the man let out a miserable scream, the thugs behind him all drew their weapons.
Their solid lower bodies and balanced stances showed they truly were disciples of the Elephant Sect.
“To commit robbery despite having trained in such martial arts.”
A solemn light appeared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he looked at them.
Drip, drip, drip.
The men’s arms began to twist grotesquely.
He didn’t even need to touch them.
Once again using inner energy, he crushed their right hands into mangled shapes.
“Y-Young master!”
Ahwan cried out in shock.
“If you touch them…”
—Huuu, uaaaagh!
With wretched screams, the men jumped into the air.
He had completely shattered all their right hands.
“Ugh… ughhh.”
Overwhelmed by pain, they clutched their arms and began sobbing loudly.
Bu Eunseol normally did not harm the weak.
But these men had tried to kill a powerless girl without hesitation.
That alone was more than enough reason to punish them by rendering one hand useless.
“Vermin who carelessly harm ordinary people do not deserve to use both arms.”
Bu Eunseol turned his head and spoke to Ahwan.
“Ahwan, tell them what I say.”
“...”
“I will be staying in Napsageukseong for a while. If they have any complaints, tell Sangdo Gangcheon to come find me himself.”
The Elephant King was the ruler of Napsageukseong who commanded a hundred thousand subordinates, and one of the eight tyrants of Cheonchuk whose very name made birds fall from the sky.
He was one of the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants.
Yet Bu Eunseol was casually calling his name as if it were a neighborhood dog’s?
Ahwan trembled in fear and could not relay the message, lowering her head.
It was understandable—she had seen countless Central Plains martial artists come here, show off their skills, act arrogantly, and ultimately die at the hands of the Elephant King’s experts.
Moreover, the Elephant King never forgave anyone who touched his subordinates.
Touching his warriors was considered an attack on himself, so he would pursue the offender to the ends of hell for even the smallest offense.
If she relayed such open insults toward the Elephant King?
Even if one could fly through the sky, there would be no escaping Cheonchuk.
“Speak.”
“I can’t, young master.”
Ahwan shook her head.
“If you do that, you will be killed in Cheonchuk without even your bones being found.”
“It’s fine. Tell them.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with solemn eyes.
“Otherwise, these bastards will harass innocent civilians again while looking for me.”
Seeing his resolute gaze, Ahwan trembled as she carefully began speaking in the Cheonchuk language.
Tremble.
The Elephant King’s warriors glared at Bu Eunseol while shaking.
They seemed to feel extreme humiliation and truly intended to report the words to the Elephant King.
“Get lost.”
Even though the language was different, strangely, they understood.
The Elephant Sect warriors turned and left in a hurry.
“Young master.”
Ahwan trembled in fear and held out the silver.
“I’ll return the silver to you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“No, I’m not fine.”
She lowered her head and pleaded.
“If I serve you, everyone in our tribe will die.”
“Tribe?”
Only then did Ahwan realize her slip of the tongue and shake her head.
“I-I meant my family.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing her tremble in fear, Bu Eunseol felt somewhat sorry.
The experts of the Elephant Sect would surely come after not only him but also Ahwan for revenge.
‘Even if I tell them my name, it would be the same.’
The Cheonchuk girl Ahwan, who made a living guiding tourists, would not know the name of the Great Master of the Central Plains martial world, the Martial Soul Command Lord.
‘The command token probably won’t work either.’
In the Central Plains, the Martial Soul Command Token held authority comparable to the emperor’s golden plaque.
But in this distant foreign land of Cheonchuk, it held no power at all.
‘In that case...’
Having inwardly decided to resolve not only the secluded realm but also this matter, Bu Eunseol took out nearly forty silver taels from his pocket and gave them to Ahwan.
“Don’t worry. I will make sure you suffer no harm.”
“Stop paying attention to me and forget about today’s events.”
After checking his surroundings, Bu Eunseol prepared to use his movement technique to leave the area.
Shuuuuk.
But at that moment, three or four more men suddenly gathered around Bu Eunseol.
They had long hair tied in two braids like women and wore unique patterned ornaments all over their bodies.
They had approached as smoothly and silently as flowing water, suggesting they possessed far superior martial arts compared to the previous Elephant Sect men.
‘This doesn’t look good.’
In foreign lands, one had no choice but to act with extreme caution.
A single mistake could turn a martial world conflict into an international dispute.
Moreover, Bu Eunseol currently could not operate his information network, putting him at an even greater disadvantage.
‘But if they pick a fight, I won’t avoid it.’
Until now, Bu Eunseol had dominated the martial world without fear of heaven or earth.
Even if it wasn’t the Elephant King, even if all eight tyrants of Cheonchuk attacked at once, he was not someone who would blink an eye.
“If you’re going to use your hands, start now.”
Bu Eunseol calmly extended his hand.
But at that moment, a middle-aged man with strangely tied hair suddenly stepped out from among the men and gestured to Bu Eunseol.
“You, come.”
Surprisingly, the middle-aged man spoke Han language.
“Come with us.”
However, his arrogant expression, thick accent, and completely chopped-up sentences made it impossible to understand what he was saying.
“What do you mean?”
“Follow. Then you will know.”
Bu Eunseol frowned.
If they had business, it was proper etiquette to reveal their identity first and then speak.
Yet this man not only spoke poorly but also stated his demand without any explanation.
“I am busy. If you have business, speak here.”
When a cold reply came, the middle-aged man with tied hair spoke loudly.
“You adulterer.”
“What?”
“I saw. You cheating on wind.”
The man continued in a low voice.
“We received prophecy. You cheated on wind.”
Although he could speak Han language, Bu Eunseol could not properly understand what he meant.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“So follow.”
“What?”
“Keep the prophecy. Keep the promise.”
As Bu Eunseol’s face grew increasingly fierce, Ahwan stepped forward and spoke to the middle-aged man in the Cheonchuk language.
The middle-aged man made a displeased face, but Ahwan kept chattering nonstop.
The middle-aged man then looked dazed for a moment before reluctantly extending his hand and speaking seriously.
After a long conversation, Ahwan’s expression gradually changed.
“Young master.”
She turned around and spoke with an extremely serious face.
“You must go with them.”
“Why?”
“Earlier, you were looking for a famous place that people rarely visit… or one that tourists only visit for a certain period, right?”
“Yes?”
Ahwan pointed at the middle-aged man’s face and said,
“One of those places is Anirasan and Samana Valley, where they live.”
“Samana Valley?”
“Yes. They are people of the Bayura tribe, called the ‘Wind Tribe,’ one of the Four Holy Clans from the past.”
‘Wind Tribe.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize how the men in the marketplace had sensed the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
Since they were called the Wind Tribe, they clearly possessed power connected to the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
“Earlier, it seemed like they were demanding something from me.”
Ahwan nodded at Bu Eunseol’s words and spoke again to the middle-aged man.
After another long exchange, she spoke with a surprised expression.
“He asks if you are the Wind Cloud Young Master from the Central Plains.”
Bu Eunseol looked dazed.
The term “Wind Cloud Young Master” sounded as if it referred to him, who possessed the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.
“What is a Wind Cloud Young Master?”
“He is the person from the prophecy.”
Ahwan explained.
“Two hundred years ago, all Four Holy Clans, including the Bayura tribe, received a prophecy. It said the Wind Cloud Young Master would retrieve the lost sacred artifacts and restore the glory of all the tribes.”
“Sacred artifacts?”
When Bu Eunseol frowned, the middle-aged man stepped forward again and spoke at length.
“Am am, awagchami.”
Ahwan kept nodding as she listened, then turned back to Bu Eunseol.
“After hearing the prophecy, the Bayura tribe has been guarding the area around Napsageukseong every day. And they clearly saw you using the power of the wind.”
Bu Eunseol almost burst into incredulous laughter.
How could learning Han language lead to translating “using the power of the wind” as “cheating on wind”?
“Who are you?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Ahwan asked again in the Cheonchuk language.
The man pointed at himself and said loudly,
“Hokason, Hokason.”
It seemed the middle-aged man’s name was Hokason.
‘So the people who were staring at me earlier were from this tribe.’
Bu Eunseol finally understood the situation.
When he had spread the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi to find the secluded realm, they had sensed it and become convinced he was the Wind Cloud Young Master.
‘The place where this tribe lives coincides with a likely location for a secluded realm...’
Bu Eunseol felt a fateful pull.
After pondering for a moment, he nodded.
“I cannot promise to retrieve the sacred artifacts. However, I will accept the invitation.”
Hokason smiled widely and nodded.
“Refusal is welcome. Very welcome.”
The middle-aged man, Hokason, spoke almost broken Han language.
Strangely, however, he understood exactly what Bu Eunseol was saying.
“Lead the way.”
When Bu Eunseol gestured, Hokason pointed at Ahwan.
“Yona tribe, forbidden.”
“Yona tribe?”
“Yes. Yona tribe, traitors. Sacred land is forbidden.”
Bu Eunseol looked puzzled.
Was this guide girl from one of the Four Holy Clans?
“Is that true?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Ahwan lowered her head deeply.
“Yes. Our Yona tribe people committed a great sin, so we cannot live together in Samana Valley, the holy land… Instead, we wander around Napsageukseong like this.”
“What do you mean? What sin?”
“The three tribes, including the Bayura, lost their sacred artifacts because of what our ancestors did. That is why the once-mighty Four Holy Clans lost their power and declined...”
According to Ahwan’s explanation, all members of the Four Holy Clans were born with mysterious abilities.
This was possible because of the sacred artifacts each tribe possessed.
However, the Yona tribe could use their power even without the sacred artifacts, making them the strongest among the Four Holy Clans.
Then, about two hundred years ago,
The Yona tribe stole the sacred artifacts kept by the other tribes and hid them in a secret location.
The tribes tried to find the artifacts again but ultimately failed.
‘So the reason the Four Holy Clans declined two hundred years ago was because the Yona tribe stole the sacred artifacts.’
Only now did Bu Eunseol understand why the once-dominant Four Holy Clans of Cheonchuk had fallen.
If that had not happened, the Four Holy Clans would still be flourishing in Cheonchuk, and the Cheonchuk Eight Tyrants would never have been able to rule as they did now.
“Because of that sin, we cannot live on the sacred land where the tribes reside and have become a group of wanderers around Napsageukseong.”
Ahwan lowered her head.
“Moreover, our tribe was cursed by the other tribes and lost the ability to use our power. We can only be born with hideous appearances.”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
The word “curse” was rarely used in the Central Plains.
But Cheonchuk was originally a land where many tribes worshipped sacred powers.
Since the Four Holy Clans had possessed the strongest power and ruled Cheonchuk, it was possible they truly had the ability to cast such curses.
‘Four Holy Clans.’
Feeling that fateful pull once again, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“I will accept the invitation, but,”
He then spoke to the middle-aged man.
“On two conditions.”
“Speak.”
“First, I must bring Ahwan with me.”
The middle-aged man shouted something loudly.
After listening, Ahwan said, “He says there is someone else, including the chieftain, who speaks fluent Han language, so there is no need to worry.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
From the moment he heard that Ahwan was also a descendant of the Four Holy Clans—the Yona tribe—Bu Eunseol had already decided to take her with him.
It was partly because of a gut feeling, but also because he realized the Elephant King’s subordinates might come after her to harm her.
“If I cannot take her, I will not go.”
The middle-aged man seemed to understand Bu Eunseol’s words and talked at length with his companions standing behind him.
“Good.”
When the middle-aged man nodded, Ahwan said,
“He asks you to state the second condition.”
At that, Bu Eunseol pointed at Hokason.
“Make that man shut his mouth.”
“Huh?”
With an extremely solemn and firm expression, Bu Eunseol declared,
“If that man utters one more word of his broken Han language… I will not go to Samana Valley.”
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