Truth-1

The woman who entered the village moved towards the crowded area.

Pushing through the bustling market crowd, the woman searched for an inn.

After a bit more searching, she found a very small inn.

She entered without hesitation.

After ordering a cup of tea, she opened her ears.

From the early drinking parties of people finishing work early for a late lunch, various stories were heard.

“These days, farming is…”

“In Chang’an…”

Just as uninformative information was being repeated, a story on a topic that piqued her interest emerged.

It was a story about a madman.

As is often the case with rumors, there were exaggerated parts here and there.

The woman dissected the rumors in her own way and succeeded in extracting a piece of information.

After drinking her tea, the woman got up, paid, and left the inn.

The sword hanging at her waist rang softly.

The woman walked for a full day and arrived at the entrance of a certain mountain.

At a glance, the mountain range looked rugged, but it was precisely because it was rugged that she had to climb it.

She had to confirm the rumors.

‘A martial artist gone mad…’

They might have fallen into Qi Deviation for some reason, or perhaps they suddenly went insane.

Whatever the story, it was a dangerous element that could harm the common people.

And it was her duty, as the one who inherited the Three Great Inherited Martial Arts, to suppress that dangerous element.

The woman began to climb the mountain.

The mountain climb started with a gentle slope, but gradually the incline increased.

It wasn’t difficult, but it was inevitable that it would take time.

“Beautiful…”

As she climbed closer to the summit, a breathtaking view unfolded below the cliff, captivating her eyes.

She momentarily forgot her purpose and admired the scenery.

The beautiful and peaceful appearance of nature slightly refreshed her mind.

“…I should go back to climbing.”

Traces of people that were not visible from the mountainside began to appear near the summit.

She wondered if it was a village created by people who had fled without paying taxes, but the fact that there was only one trace confirmed the reality of the rumors.

“It needs to be an opponent I can handle.”

If they were a master of higher level, things would get complicated.

As the traces of people became increasingly dense, she drew her sword.

The sword’s name echoed through the mountain.

Preparing for any possible ambush, she moved her feet slowly.

Following the path made by people passing by, she saw a dilapidated building.

Judging by its appearance, it looked like a space where bandits used to stay.

‘The presence…’

The numerous presences that should be felt if it were a bandit’s hideout were not felt.

She reached out and opened the door.

-Creeeak

The sound of the old wooden door opening made the mountain’s atmosphere eerie.

“The inside… is cleaner than I thought?”

She muttered, looking at the wide-open interior.

“…There’s someone over there.”

Were they not bothering to hide? A presence was felt in one building.

It was a building that seemed to have been recently repaired.

She, Cheong-yeon, who inherited the name of Bingryungong, entered that building.

Just like when opening the main gate, when she opened the door of the building, the orange light of the setting sun entered the building.

At the same time as opening the door, a terrible stench stung her nose.

“……”

She covered her nose with her large sleeve, searched for the source of the smell, and quickly found it.

In the center of the building, which only had a floor, pillars, and a roof, there was a small coffin.

And on that coffin was something in the shape of a person wrapped in bandages, and in front of it, a woman was sitting demurely, stroking it.

“Hehe… you’re such a sleepyhead. Even though I’m urging you like this, you’re still sleeping.”

The woman muttered in a sweet voice.

Cheong-yeon doubted her ears.

She moved her legs and approached closer.

“Haa… it’s so nice to be here together like this. You think so too, right? My lovely disciple.”

The woman sitting in front of the coffin slightly raised her body and rubbed her face against the corpse.

Even with the smell that made it difficult to maintain one’s sanity, the woman didn’t seem to mind.

“I hope you wake up soon. I’m a little bored.”

As the woman muttered, now holding hands, Cheong-yeon couldn’t bear it and called out the woman’s name.

“…Soyou?”

With Cheong-yeon’s words, the woman’s actions stopped.

The woman called Soyou did not turn around at Cheong-yeon’s words, but raised her hand and stroked the head, the part presumed to be the head, of the corpse in the coffin.

“Inho, just a moment. I’ll be away for just a moment. Don’t be too sad.”

As soon as those words were finished, Soyou’s body blurred and disappeared.

“!!!”

Cheong-yeon reflexively raised her sword to defend, but a dull impact struck her chest.

Cheong-yeon, who was hit by Soyou’s kick, broke through the door and fell into the mountain village courtyard.

“Ugh…”

Despite the impact that made it difficult to breathe, Cheong-yeon used her sword as a cane to stand up and took a stance.

However, Soyou was nowhere to be seen in front of her.

“What gives you the right to come here?”

As Soyou, who had come behind her without her noticing, spoke, Cheong-yeon swung her sword.

The sharp sword drew a semicircle, aiming for Soyou’s head, but Soyou ducked to avoid it and thrust her palm into Cheong-yeon’s stomach.

“Kyaaak!!”

Although she had mitigated the impact with ice, the unavoidable shock shook Cheong-yeon’s body.

Cheong-yeon rolled several times on the dirt ground.

“This is my and Inho’s nest. It’s not a place for you to come.”

As if threatening, Soyou stomped her foot filled with anger, and the ground rumbled.

“Soyou… Inho… is he dead?”

Staggering to her feet, Cheong-yeon asked Soyou, hoping against hope.

“……”

Soyou’s movements, which seemed ready to pounce at any moment at Cheong-yeon’s question, stopped.

“I just… heard a rumor that there was a dangerous person and came here to check.”

Putting away her sword, Cheong-yeon made it clear that she had no intention of fighting.

“Soyou… is Inho really dead?”

“No.”

When Cheong-yeon asked again, Soyou answered immediately.

“No, he’s not dead. You saw it too, didn’t you? He’s sleeping over there like that?”

Like a broken doll, Soyou smiled brightly.

And tears streamed down her eyes.

“He’s not dead. He’s not dead!!”

Every time Soyou shouted, flames blazed fiercely from her body.

The tears flowing down her cheeks instantly evaporated in the heat.

“Soyou… you…”

Cheong-yeon couldn’t finish her sentence after seeing a fragment of the aura that Soyou was emitting.

This was because the size of the Inner Force that Soyou possessed was several times greater than her master’s.

“He’s not dead!!!!”

Looking at Soyou’s flames, which were burning with a murky light, Cheong-yeon closed her mouth.