Chapter 402: To Sichuan.

Gu Jeolyub is not participating in this trip to Sichuan.

After hearing about it, the thought that came to my mind was:

‘This seems like…’

As I recalled last time, it must be because a problem occurred at Gu Seon Mun.

‘Is it a problem with Mu Yeon.’

Including Il Geom Daeju, Gu Seon Mun decided to fully support Mu Yeon.

Hearing that, Gu Jeolyub apparently chose to return to his main family home immediately.

Perhaps sensing the intention behind my words, Elder Il let out a slight sigh and said:

“It was his own wish. The Family Head also agreed to it.”

“Is that so.”

My father probably wouldn’t care much about whatever choice Gu Jeolyub made.

It’s just that I feel a little disappointed.

‘If he goes back to the main family like that…’

It was about whether that was truly the right thing for Gu Jeolyub.

Of course, even if he were to follow me around, I don’t think it would be a better choice than that.

‘It just feels a bit… unsettling.’

The fact that a slight unease remains bothers me.

And that damn guy’s dark expression, too.

Looking at Gu Jeolyub’s face, I also turned my gaze away.

‘If that’s your choice, I won’t interfere unnecessarily.’

Gu Jeolyub himself concluded that returning to Gu Seon Mun was the right thing for now, so I won’t say anything more about it.

If he had subtly come to me and asked what he should do, I might have given a different answer.

But Gu Jeolyub didn’t.

He must have been truly convinced that going now was the right thing.

Seeing that, and through the minuscule affection I felt, I harbored one wish:

In the future.

I just hoped Gu Jeolyub wouldn’t look back on this choice of his and express regret.

******************

After finishing all the farewells, I boarded the carriage.

I took the carriage provided by the Gu family, and didn’t bring any attendants.

It seems the Tang family’s primary objective is the escort mission, and having too many people would make things rather inconvenient.

The Bae family, it seems, had reached an agreement with the Tang family to focus on providing escort.

‘As for other matters….’

I sent my gaze towards the Bae family’s carriage.

Cheol Ji-seon must be sitting with Bae Woo-cheol right now.

I needed to find out a bit more about him as well.

‘Because the route to Tang family was slightly altered due to the escort mission, I also needed to figure out if there were any problems arising from that.’

I still have so much to think about.

Even after organizing and reorganizing, there’s still this much.

I feel like the headache that had subsided recently is returning.

Just as I let out a breath filled with tired heat.

From somewhere, a cool hand enveloped my forehead.

The owner of the hand was Namgung Bi-ah.

I opened my eyes slightly and looked at her face.

I met her worried blue eyes.

She looked at me and asked:

“…Are… you okay?”

Okay?

What exactly is okay?

I smiled slightly at her and replied:

“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

“…”

“I probably smell a bit right now, so stay back.”

I meant that I had boarded the carriage in a messy state without even properly washing.

I considered just walking outside, but Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah insisted I couldn’t do that, trying to stop me.

Even though it would have been fine to just go.

Anyway, the moment I gently pushed Namgung Bi-ah away, telling her not to touch me because I was a mess.

Namgung Bi-ah instead reached out her arm and pulled my head towards her.

Then, a soft sensation followed.

I realized it was Namgung Bi-ah’s lap.

Just as I tried to sit up from the sudden situation.

“…You’re… tired. It’s okay to sleep….”

Hearing Namgung Bi-ah’s voice speaking to me, I unconsciously relaxed my body.

‘How did she know I was tired?’

My body, reaching its limit, had adjusted its internal energy subtly without showing it.

I was controlling it within the limits of not letting my breathing falter.

Perhaps because of my disheveled state, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to have noticed.

‘…This is troublesome.’

The moment I lay down on Namgung Bi-ah’s lap, feeling a sense of comfort.

What followed was a thought of regret.

Wasting time.

Time spent sleeping, like this.

Right now, I should be using even this time for other things.

I wondered if it was okay to fall asleep like this.

‘Speaking of which, Moyong Hi-ah…’

Moyong Hi-ah, who I hadn’t heard from recently, thankfully sent word that she would be joining the trip to Sichuan a little later due to circumstances.

She said she’d join within a few days of departure, didn’t she?

Recalling that, I suddenly felt something strange.

‘Thankful…?’

Why did I feel thankful upon hearing that Moyong Hi-ah would participate in the Sichuan trip?

Am I not thinking straight because I’m tired?

‘…Right now, I need to think more about what awaits in Sichuan.’

I had to force myself to erase it and think of something else.

There were many reasons I specifically chose Sichuan.

And among them, besides the matters of Baekma Seok or the Yeon family, there was one thing I was particularly concerned about.

‘Just then, he is there.’

The personal force I’ve been thinking about, to stop him when the blood calamity occurs in the future.

One of the people I planned to include was coincidentally based in Sichuan.

Originally, it would have taken another year or two for him to stand out.

I intended to seek him out a little earlier.

‘If my predictions are correct, finding him shouldn’t be too difficult.’

If the information I heard in my past life isn’t wrong.

He should be hiding out, based on the tallest mountain in Sichuan.

He was the first step towards establishing my own force.

Someone who was originally a demon, and one of those whom I wouldn’t feel anything about even if I corrupted them into demons in this life.

As I recalled the face of such a person.

I suddenly felt a gentle touch stroking my hair.

Was it Namgung Bi-ah?

Or perhaps Wi Seol-ah, who was sitting next to me?

I wasn’t sure.

All I could think was:

It felt truly strange how this light touch brought peace to my tired mind.

Even though I thought I should get up.

My exhausted body felt like it wouldn’t allow it, so in the end, I decided to rest for a moment.

I’ll just sleep for a little bit and then wake up.

That was my thought.

******************

Sichuan’s Guimun Mountain (鬼文山).

It is one of the towering sacred mountains, and the name of the largest mountain in Sichuan.

Not only due to its size, but also its somewhat eerie atmosphere and uniquely cold air, people call it the mountain possessed by ghosts.

Because of this appearance, the rumors floating around the mountain are quite terrifying.

Like how ghosts appear if you climb the sacred mountain at night.

Or that you won’t return alive if you visit the mountain alone.

The ill rumors about Guimun Mountain were quite famous.

Besides these, there are plenty of nonsensical rumors surrounding the mountain, but.

There was one fact those people didn’t know.

That Guimun Mountain actually has no ghosts.

Of course, there might be ghosts, but.

The rumors about ghosts appearing in the middle of the night were falsehoods spread by those who had settled on Guimun Mountain.

The statement that you won’t return alive if you recklessly visit the mountain is true, but.

It wasn’t because of ghosts, but because of what people did.

Namely, settling on the sacred mountain without anyone knowing.

They spread rumors to prevent people from coming and blocked access.

In the Central Plains, people referred to them as ‘bandits’.

In the past, when the Demonic Gate Incident occurred, monsters began appearing in mountains and seas alike.

By now, the number of bandits had significantly decreased.

Seeing this, some people claimed the lineage of mountain bandits had dried up.

It wasn’t an incorrect statement.

In reality, sightings of bandits across the Central Plains were virtually non-existent, and as many organizations like escort agencies strengthened their forces and moved to guard against monsters.

The scope for bandits to operate had considerably shrunk.

Given such circumstances.

It wouldn’t be strange at all to call those based on Guimun Mountain the ‘Last Bandits’.

An eerie residence located halfway up the mountain.

Deureureureuk-.

Inside, in a room that was close to being a mess, liquor bottles were rolling around.

Liquor bottles were scattered messily everywhere, and flies swarmed over food that looked like it hadn’t been cleared away.

In the midst of such filth, men who looked like they hadn’t washed in days were tangled together, snoring.

Unlike the quiet forest, one might worry if the mountain would echo with the snores emanating from the men.

Suddenly, the door of the residence burst open, and someone rushed in.

Kwang-!

“Captain!”

A bearded man kicked open the door and yelled.

As if reacting to the sound, the men who had been snoring moments before groaned and stirred.

“Kkeueo…. My head hurts….”

“Waa…ter!”

“Uuueok-!”

“Ugh! Hey, you bastard…! Don’t puke here!”

“Throw this bastard out!”

In the midst of the situation that instantly turned chaotic, the person who first yelled looked around and said:

“Where’s the Captain? Where is the Captain?”

“What the, isn’t that the youngest?”

“Hey, youngest…. Go fetch some water first.”

Despite the man’s urgent words, the others seemed to ignore him, busy raising their voices at each other.

Who knows how much they drank yesterday; the room was filled with the smell of alcohol.

The man kept asking about the Captain, but not a single person answered him.

Perhaps because of that.

“No! You guys! Where is the Captain?!”

The man yelled sharply, seemingly having lost his temper.

Then.

Instantly, the noisy atmosphere in the room fell silent.

Sensing that, the man flinched.

Because the gazes of those looking at him were unusual.

“…Hah, look at this bastard?”

“Did the youngest eat something wrong? Quite the set of lungs. That bastard just yelled at us, didn’t he?”

“Tew.”

Kkeudeudeuk.

Those who had collapsed as if dead from hangovers slowly began to rise.

I hadn’t realized it while they were lying down, but as they all got up, each one was quite massive.

Their heads were almost touching the ceiling of the residence.

Not only their size but also the faint aura of hostility made the man flinch and step back.

“No…. Seniors…. It’s not that….”

“No? It seems your tongue lost its reason because we haven’t disciplined you in a while.”

“Shall we give you a little taste of discipline after a long time?”

Thick fingers reached out towards the man.

Seeing that, the man shut his eyes tightly.

The man braced himself for the pain he expected to feel, but.

Strangely, he wasn’t feeling the pain he anticipated.

As the man thought something was strange and slightly opened his eyes.

“…Huh?”

The others who had been approaching the man were now standing straight as if nothing had happened.

Confirming that, the man was about to frown, wondering why they were acting like that, when.

“…So.”

The voice from behind made him stiffen instantly.

Hearing the voice, the man stiffly forced his head to turn and look behind him.

There stood the ‘real one’, a head taller than the massive figures in front of him.

His upper body, unclothed, was packed with solid muscle.

His body was covered in dark scars here and there, but they only added to his overwhelming presence.

Within his disheveled long hair, a dark glint that instilled fear just by looking at it could be felt.

Meeting those eyes, the man called out to him in a trembling voice.

“C-Captain…. Kkeuk!?”

The person called Captain suddenly grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him.

A grown adult man being lifted by his neck in a giant hand was a truly bizarre sight.

“What is it that’s bothering me so early in the morning?”

“…Th-that…. Ugh….”

“If it’s not a story that satisfies me, you die right here. Understand?”

The murderous intent heavily mixed in his voice began to dominate the man’s entire body.

The way he spoke with his lips curled up so high was terrifying.

Looking at the Captain, the man barely managed to utter:

“…Tang… Tang family….”

Hearing the words the man barely managed to spit out, the Captain’s eyes widened slightly.

Immediately after.

Kung-!

“Keoheok!”

The man who had been held was released and fell straight to the floor.

Such was the strength with which his neck had been held, the fallen man immediately had to gasp for breath repeatedly.

“Haaak… haaak…!”

I thought I could finally catch my breath, but.

That lasted only a moment.

Geudeudeuk-

The Captain lowered himself to his knees, facing the man lying prone, and asked:

“The Tang family? Tell me.”

At the Captain’s face, asking with a wide smile, the man trembled down to his shoulders.

The identity of the man called Captain, exuding such an overwhelming presence.

He was the master of the last bandit stronghold remaining on Guimun Mountain.

And in the distant future, he would become known as the Green King under the command of the Heavenly Demon.