Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 200 – Water Demon (2)

Swoosh!

The downpour was still incredibly heavy.

The name of this village near the river was Sohachon (Small River Village).

Although it was called a village, as befitting a place with a ferry dock, it was a village of considerable size in the area, with about a hundred and fifty boatmen and fishermen living together.

The village itself was adjacent to the river as it operated the ferry dock.

“If the river rises any more, a few houses will be swept away.”

On the way to the village, Seop Chun clicked his tongue and spoke.

As he said, although they had piled up an embankment with soil to block it, looking at the churning waters, it wouldn’t be surprising if it collapsed at any moment.

Unlike Seop Chun, who was worried about this, Mok Gyeong-un and Mong Mu-yak had no interest at all.

Mong Mu-yak’s mind was occupied with nothing but finding the owner of the large boat, and Mok Gyeong-un had no interest in the affairs of others if they were unrelated to him.

However, there was one thing that caught Mok Gyeong-un’s eye.

‘Hmm.’

It was an old man with white hair sitting on one side of the embankment that looked unstable, wearing a bamboo raincoat.

He had looked there due to a strange sense of incongruity and was puzzled.

The waters were so rough due to the heavy rain that the embankment looked like it would collapse at any moment, but what was that old man doing?

Upon closer inspection, a curved bamboo stick was visible in front of the old man.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

‘Fishing?’

Was he really fishing in this heavy rain?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been puzzled, soon lost interest and tried to head towards the village.

But Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to leave, hesitated.

‘…… What is it?’

For a moment, he had tried to pass by without much thought, but something was off.

He was more sensitive to qi than anyone else.

But just now, he hadn’t felt any qi from that old man.

As if he had blended in with the surrounding objects.

-Shh!

Mok Gyeong-un turned his head and looked towards the embankment again.

However,

‘!?’

The old man who had been there until just now had suddenly disappeared.

He looked around just in case, but as if he had never existed in the first place, there was no sign of the old man.

The perplexed Mok Gyeong-un asked through voice transmission,

-Cheong-ryeong. Did you see that old man just now?

-Old man? What old man are you talking about?

-The old man sitting on the embankment and fishing or something.

-An old man fishing? In this weather, what fishing is he doing?

-……

-Did you see something?

-…… No. I guess I was mistaken.

Even Cheong-ryeong, whose vision was open, didn’t see him.

Was it really an illusion?

“My Lord?”

Seop Chun, who had been standing still, called out to Mok Gyeong-un in puzzlement.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.”

With those words, he shrugged his shoulders and quickened his pace again.

The three of them passed the village monument inscribed with Sohachon and entered the village.

-Swoosh!

Due to the heavy rain and the dark evening, there was no one on the streets.

Mong Mu-yak looked around and said,

“Someone who owns such a large boat must be a wealthy family or clan leader in this village.”

“You’re stating the obvious.”

Seop Chun sneered at those words.

Then Mong Mu-yak glared at him, revealing his displeasure.

To the two people growling at each other, Mok Gyeong-un nodded his head towards somewhere and said,

“There’s an inn over there.”

“Ah!”

Fortunately, there was an inn not far from the village entrance.

Rather than entering any random house and asking, it seemed faster to go to the inn and find out.

So the three of them crossed the raindrops and entered the inn.

As they entered the inn with their leather shoes soaked with moisture, the interior, which was older and more dilapidated than expected, was revealed.

However, unlike the dilapidated interior, there were quite a few guests in the inn.

Perhaps it was thanks to the heavy rain that had been going on for days, they seemed to be outsiders who were stuck and staying.

-Thump, thump!

As they entered, the gazes of the guests naturally turned to Mok Gyeong-un and his party for a moment.

Even though they were wearing bamboo hats, they were carrying swords and weapons at their waists and backs, so it was a natural reaction.

However, it wasn’t just the guests who showed this reaction.

Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak, who had only been thinking about finding the boat owner, also had their eyes drawn to a few of the guests.

That’s because,

‘Martial artists.’

The guests sitting at the table in the innermost part and those at the rightmost table were martial artists who had mastered martial arts.

What was truly peculiar here was that the six on the right seemed to be wanderers or villains based on their attire and rough appearance.

On the other hand, the attire of those sitting in the innermost part was very neat and tidy.

Judging by their almost uniform attire, they looked like escort warriors.

The person they were escorting was obviously the woman in the center with her face covered by a veil.

She was wearing blue silk clothes embroidered with butterfly patterns, and just by looking at that, it could be inferred that she was of a noble status with considerable elegance.

“My Lord.”

Seop Chun called out to Mok Gyeong-un.

The reason was because of the beardless old man sitting next to the woman.

He was smiling and serving the woman with utmost devotion, but unlike the others, his qi was concealed, making it difficult to gauge his martial arts level.

It wasn’t just Seop Chun who felt this.

‘Who the hell is that old man?’

No matter how much he focused his qi sense, he couldn’t discern the old man’s level.

If he, who had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, couldn’t discern it, it meant the old man was a master of an even higher level.

Seeing their wariness, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile,

“Don’t mind them. We came here to secure a boat, didn’t we?”

But Mok Gyeong-un didn’t care about this at all.

Anyway, there was no reason to pay attention to them as they had no acquaintance or reason to clash.

“Understood.”

At this, Seop Chun went towards the inn’s kitchen and called for the innkeeper.

Meanwhile, the veiled woman looked at Mok Gyeong-un with interest and said in a low voice,

“In the midst of being trapped in this village, a treasure has walked in on its own.”

At her words, the beardless old man, who had been talking about this and that to please her, slightly furrowed his brow.

Then he cautiously said,

“Prin…… No, young lady.”

“Yes.”

“Is it because of that handsome young man who just entered?”

At this question, the veiled woman slightly nodded her head.

Trapped in the village inn for three days due to the incessant heavy rain, her attention was drawn to one of the new guests who had entered the inn.

That’s because his wet hair and face were too beautiful.

Such a face was rare to see even in ‘that place’.

“Duke. The rain will probably continue for a few more days before it stops, so I’d like to receive service from that man with exceptional beauty.”

“Young lady. I apologize, but those people……”

“They’re martial artists, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I can tell that much just by looking at their weapons.”

“Yes, yes, you have excellent insight. But do you remember what I told you in advance, young lady?”

“That I should avoid getting involved with martial artists?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. So please……”

“Duke. Didn’t you say something before you became my esco…… escort?”

“……”

“You said that even in the martial arts world, there aren’t many masters of your caliber.”

“That may be true, but……”

“Then are you saying you can’t even grant this request to alleviate my boredom and frustration?”

‘Oh my.’

The beardless old man couldn’t hide his difficulty at the veiled woman’s words.

From the moment they entered the inn, he had discerned through qi sensing that those guests were not ordinary people.

Those men who appeared to be in their late twenties were masters of the Transcendent Realm.

‘If they have reached such excellent levels at such a young age, they are likely to be the sons of prestigious families or disciples of major sects in the martial arts world.’

The boy who looked to be 17 or 18 years old, whom the veiled woman had singled out, also hadn’t even come of age, but he seemed to possess outstanding talent, appearing to be at the peak of the Transformation Realm.

The old man looked at them with a troubled gaze.

‘What should I do?’

Even food can cause severe indigestion if eaten incorrectly.

This was precisely such a situation.

It wouldn’t be a problem to mess with those worthless wanderers on the other side, but those of this level were different.

If he carelessly provoked them, it could become troublesome, and getting caught up in gossip during a secret mission wasn’t a very good direction either.

However,

‘If I keep suppressing her, she will definitely explode.’

The veiled woman had been raised so nobly that she had to have her way to be satisfied.

How many incidents had occurred even on the way to Guangzhou?

He had barely managed to coax and appease her to come this far.

‘It has piled up to the limit.’

Her mood was close to the worst, having been trapped in this damp and dilapidated inn for three days due to the continuous heavy rain.

If he just kept saying no, her anger would eventually be directed at him.

Then,

‘It would make things difficult for this old man as well.’

The veiled woman’s anger wasn’t a big problem.

If it somehow reached ‘that person’s’ ears and was misreported, it could make things difficult in the future.

Therefore, although it was somewhat troublesome, some compromise seemed necessary.

The old man cautiously said to the veiled woman,

“Then how about doing it this way?”

With this, the old man told her what he had in mind, and although the veiled woman showed a dissatisfied expression, she eventually nodded her head reluctantly and gave permission.

***

-Swoosh!

Behind the inn.

Mok Gyeong-un and his party followed the old woman, who was the owner and innkeeper of the inn, through the kitchen to the back of the inn.

After coming out to the back, the old woman looked around and said,

“No. What’s the rush for you young folks to find that boat?”

At the old woman’s question, Seop Chun politely said,

“Ma’am. We are in a situation where we need to cross the river urgently.”

“I understand what you said earlier, but launching a boat in this weather with such rough waves could lead to big trouble.”

“I’m aware of that, but we have our own circumstances.”

At Seop Chun’s words, the old woman shook her head and clicked her tongue.

Then she pointed somewhere with her hand.

It was the hillside to the northwest of the village.

The downpour was so heavy that he hadn’t noticed, but there was a large estate-like structure on that side.

As expected, it seemed to be a wealthy family that was doing quite well in the village.

However,

“The owner of that boat lives over there, but there’s no use going.”

“Thank you for telling us.”

“I’m telling you it’s no use, but are you turning a deaf ear?”

“Pardon?”

“The owner of that boat…… In other words, the master of that house has done evil deeds and is now dying from divine punishment.”

At those words, Seop Chun furrowed his brow.

Divine punishment? What does that mean?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t I say it? The master of that house is dying.”

“Is the master of that house the boatman?”

“That’s right.”

“But you said he’s dying?”

“Didn’t I say so? That fellow has been possessed by a water ghost, and his condition is unspeakable. If you go there for no reason, you might also get cursed, so just wait for the rain to stop.”

At the old woman’s words, Seop Chun made an expression of incomprehension.

He thought he might be sick, but what does it mean to be possessed by a water ghost?

As he was puzzled, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile,

“Let’s go and see for now.”

At his attitude of not caring at all, the old woman shook her head.

“I’m telling you this out of concern that you outsiders might get cursed for no reason, but you don’t believe me. Well, if you want to die from a curse, suit yourself.”

With those words, the old woman swiftly entered the inn.

Seeing this, Seop Chun muttered in an unpleasant tone,

“That old hag has no manners. Tsk.”

Divine punishment and water ghosts, aren’t those just ghost stories?

He didn’t understand why she was saying such things.

Then Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Anyway, now that we know who the boat owner is, we’ll find out if we go.”

“Well, you’re right.”

So they were about to head straight to the estate where the boat owner was said to be.

But after walking only a few steps, someone called out to them.

“Excuse me. Young masters.”

-Flinch!

At that call, Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak instantly turned around with eyes filled with wariness.

That’s because no matter how heavy the downpour was, they should have been able to sense the presence at the distance where the voice was coming from, but they had failed to do so.

Their eyes widened as they turned around.

‘Who is this person?’

The one who had called out to them was none other than the beardless old man who had been in the inn.

He was already cautious from the moment he first saw him because he couldn’t discern his level through qi sensing, so why did that old man call out to them?

As they were puzzled, the old man clasped his hands together and said,

“I apologize for calling out to you on your way, but this old man is called Elder Beom.”

At the old man’s words, Mong Mu-yak said in a voice mixed with wariness,

“For what reason did you call us, sir?”

“Ah. Young masters. There’s no need to be so wary. This old man didn’t call you to harm you.”

As if he had noticed their wariness, the beardless old man, who had introduced himself as Elder Beom, said with a smiling face.

At this, Mong Mu-yak asked again,

“Then may I ask for what reason you called us?”

“Hohoho. The young master seems to be in quite a hurry.”

“……”

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. I unintentionally overheard your situation earlier. It seems you were looking for a large boat to cross the river, am I right?”

At Elder Beom’s words, Mong Mu-yak furrowed his brow.

He said unintentionally, but in the end, he had eavesdropped on the conversation between the old woman and them, hadn’t he?

He was about to feel displeased when Elder Beom said,

“Actually, this old man also went to find the boat owner at the request of the young lady I’m serving.”

“You mean you went to find the boat owner?”

“That’s right. But judging by the fact that we’re currently waiting for the rain to stop at the inn, I’m sure you can roughly guess what happened, can’t you?”

At his words, this time Seop Chun asked in puzzlement,

“You couldn’t borrow the boat?”

“That’s right. This old man also met the boat owner, but he was already on the verge of death, in no condition to steer the boat.”

On the verge of death means his life is in danger?

At Elder Beom’s words, Seop Chun looked at Mong Mu-yak with an expression of “What should we do?”

If the life of the boatman who could control the boat was in danger, whether it was payment or threats, it was all meaningless.

However,

“Thank you for the information. But it doesn’t seem like you called us just to tell us that.”

Mok Gyeong-un said to Elder Beom.

Then Elder Beom replied with a smile,

“You’re right. So, the young lady I’m serving wants to build a rapport with you young masters while waiting for the weather to clear up. If it’s alright, could you spare some time?”

“Rapport?”

“That’s right. We’re both in a situation where we’re waiting, so there’s not much to do anyway. And the young lady has shown so much interest in you that this old man is making this request.”

With those words, Elder Beom clasped his hands together once again.

He spoke in such a polite manner that Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun exchanged troubled glances.

In fact, they were in the middle of a secret mission, so it wasn’t a situation where they could come into contact with someone else.

Even if they had to wait for the rain to stop.

So Seop Chun, likewise, politely clasped his hands together and said,

“We appreciate your invitation, sir, but we are in such a hurry that we ask you to convey our apologies to the person you’re serving.”

“Oh my.”

At Seop Chun’s words, Elder Beom clicked his tongue.

Then he made a troubled expression and said,

“This is quite a dilemma. Since you can’t cross the river right away anyway, is there a need to push yourself so hard?”

“The situation is unavoidable.”

“Oh my. Oh dear.”

“Then, sir, we’ll be on our way……”

Before he could finish his words,

-Flinch!

At that moment, the expressions of Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak stiffened simultaneously.

It was due to the intense qi emanating from Elder Beom.

Although his hands were clasped behind his back, Elder Beom’s qi pressed down on them as if reminiscent of a sharp sword.

‘Pinnacle…… The pinnacle-stage of the Transcendent Realm.’

He had somewhat guessed, but Elder Beom was a tremendous master.

Just from the true energy emanating from his qi, the gap could be clearly felt to that extent.

In terms of the Heaven and Earth Society, he was at a level comparable to an executive.

Elder Beom revealed his qi in such a menacing manner and said with a smile,

“Listen, young masters. This old man is making this request. Please build a rapport with the young lady, even if it’s just for the sake of this old man’s face.”

Although his words were polite, it was almost half a threat.

Seop Chun couldn’t hold back his displeasure and said,

“Are you threatening us now?”

“Hohoho. How could that be a threat?”

Elder Beom had no intention of actually harming them.

He intended to let them know the gap appropriately and then have them attend the gathering the young lady wanted.

At least to show that he had done his best to fulfill the young lady’s order.

“You can consider it cooperation, not a threat. It’s not a difficult thing, so I hope you can do it.”

With that, Elder Beom raised his qi even more and tried to pressure them.

Right at that moment,

From behind, a low voice reached Elder Beom’s ear.

“Sir.”

-Flinch!

Instantly, Elder Beom’s eyes widened.

This voice belonged to the youngest young man the young lady had singled out.

‘When?’

Clearly, the three of them had been standing side by side, but he had suddenly disappeared.

Elder Beom couldn’t help but be perplexed by this.

Then a gentle voice resonated in his ear.

“It seems you don’t know what a threat is. Shall I enlighten you?”