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| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Chapter 403 |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
The eyes of the Ghost King were somehow empty. Looking into his eyes, Pyo Wol felt a sense of emptiness as well.
The same was true for Pyo Wol.
He thought that something was broken within him.
After enduring countless harsh trials that were difficult for a human to bear, some part of his human emotions had worn away.
On the other hand, the Ghost King seemed to have been missing something from the beginning.
There was a big difference between the two.
Pyo Wol was still somewhat aware of what he had lost, but the Ghost King didn't even know what was missing from him.
That's why the Ghost King's words didn't sound empty.
"What do you need help with?"
"Be my guide."
"Guide?"
"I'm bad at finding my way. There's a place I need to go..."
"So, if I help you find your way, you'll heal this woman? How?"
"There's a land that can save people."
"Land?"
Pyo Wol furrowed his brow.
It was the first time he had heard that land could save people.
However, it was the Ghost King who said it.
He seemed to be missing something, but he wasn't someone to talk nonsense.
Pyo Wol nodded his head.
"Let's go together."
"Good."
The Ghost King nodded as if he knew that would be the answer.
With that, the conversation between the two came to an end.
Having accomplished his goal, the Ghost King leaned against a rock, sat down, and closed his eyes.
Pyo Wol silently watched the Ghost King.
His breathing was barely noticeable, and there were hardly any signs of biological activity.
He looked like a wooden puppet with its strings cut. Yet, it was clear that the Ghost King was alive.
He was a mysterious existence, just like his nickname, Ghost King (鬼王).
Hong Ye-seol whispered into Pyo Wol's ear.
"Did you accept his offer because of me?"
"Yes!"
"Oh! I'm happy. But there's another reason, right?"
"That's right, too!"
"I knew it. Still, I'm happy to receive such consideration from a man like you."
"What's wrong with me?"
"You're a god of death. I can feel the scent of death from you. That's why I'm scared. What's even scarier is that despite that, you're attractive."
That was the reason Hong Ye-seol tried to keep a certain distance from Pyo Wol.
The fear that she might lose herself if she got closer to Pyo Wol existed in her innermost feelings. So she always struggled to keep a psychological distance from him.
Even now, she felt that if she stayed with Pyo Wol for too long, she might never be able to break free. So she spoke harshly.
"As soon as my body recovers, I will leave for the hundred wraith union."
"Is it because of the seven sage scholar?"
"I need to find out who hired me to kill him."
"The hundred wraith union's leader won't tell you easily."
"Then I'll have to make him talk."
"Is it possible?"
"It's possible."
"I guess you'll have to risk your life again."
"That's our job."
"I hope you succeed."
"Thank you."
Hong Ye-seol smiled and looked at the campfire.
Her pale face turned red.
＊＊＊
As dawn approached, the Ghost King opened his eyes.
Ordinary people would do various things to wake up this early, but the Ghost King got up immediately without any of those.
His behavior reminded Pyo Wol of the Bronze Man said to be in Shaolin Temple.
If the Bronze Man were alive and moving, it would be just like the Ghost King, he thought.
Pyo Wol's movement was no less than that of the Ghost King.
The moment the Ghost King opened his eyes, Pyo Wol opened his eyes as well.
Pyo Wol immediately checked Hong Ye-seol's condition when he opened his eyes.
Her condition wasn't good; it had worsened overnight.
It was dangerous to put her on a horse like this.
After thinking for a moment, Pyo Wol removed the saddle and other horse gear from the horse he had tied nearby.
Pyo Wol whispered to the horse.
"You've done well so far. Now you can live freely as you wish."
Purr!
Pyo Wol forcefully slapped the horse's hindquarters, and the startled horse galloped away.
He silently watched the horse's back as it quickly receded into the distance.
They had been together for quite a long time. So he had become attached to it.
It was a bit sad to let the horse go, but there was no other choice for now.
He didn't even know how dangerous the place they were going to with the Ghost King was, and he couldn't carry Hong Ye-seol either.
It would be better for the horse to be free like this.
Pyo Wol tore the thick cloth that had been between the horse and the saddle and made a rope.
He carried Hong Ye-seol on his back and tied her and himself together with the rope.
After making sure that there were no problems with moving his limbs, he spoke to the Ghost King.
"Let's go!"
"Hmm!"
The Ghost King nodded and took the lead.
Pyo Wol followed the Ghost King while turning one hand behind him and placing it on Hong Ye-seol's vital point. Then, he carefully injected his internal energy.
Whether he knew it or not, the Ghost King unfolded his lightness skill and advanced forward.
Pyo Wol also unfolded his lightness skill and followed him.
If any other martial artist had seen what Pyo Wol was doing right now, they would have called it a suicidal act.
Injecting one's internal energy into another person's body required a high degree of internal energy control and concentration.
Even in a quiet place without any distractions, the delicate task would be difficult enough. Yet, Pyo Wol was doing it while using his lightness skill.
A slight mistake could endanger not only Hong Ye-seol but also Pyo Wol's life. Nevertheless, he acted without any hesitation.
The Ghost King glanced back and observed Pyo Wol's actions.
A normal martial artist would have surely offered some advice to Pyo Wol, but the Ghost King was no ordinary person. He ignored Pyo Wol's actions and focused on using his lightness skill.
It turned out that Pyo Wol had made the right decision to release the horse.
The Ghost King moved through paths that were impossible for a horse to navigate. He traversed dense forests where one couldn't see even an inch ahead and broke through tall rocky mountains.
He chose a path that would be difficult for even a skilled martial artist to approach, let alone a horse.
If it hadn't been for Pyo Wol following him, he would have fallen behind long ago.
Pyo Wol ran close behind the Ghost King, carrying Hong Ye-seol on his back.
At first, Pyo Wol struggled. But as time passed, he mastered a more precise method of controlling his internal energy.
Hong Ye-seol's condition was dire.
If Pyo Wol hadn't continuously injected internal energy into her, she would have lost her life long ago.
There was a major crisis in between.
"Haak! Haak!"
Suddenly, Hong Ye-seol gasped for breath and had a violent seizure.
Pyo Wol administered the last Black Flower Spider Pill to her.
Thump!
Her prenatal energy was stimulated and violently surged.
After a while, color returned to Hong Ye-seol's face. She appeared stable, and her breathing seemed much easier. However, Pyo Wol's expression was dark as he looked at her.
He knew that her current state was only a temporary phenomenon, like a dying ember flaring up briefly.
The stimulation of her prenatal energy temporarily revitalized her, but no one knew how long this phenomenon would last.
One thing was certain: once the current phenomenon ended, there would be no way to save her life.
Pyo Wol carried Hong Ye-seol on his back again and asked the Ghost King, "Are we far yet?"
"We're almost there."
The Ghost King's response was the same as it had been half a day ago.
He had said they were not far away then.
As Pyo Wol tied Hong Ye-seol and himself together again, he said, "We really should be there by now."
"I do not lie."
The Ghost King turned away.
Pyo Wol stared at the Ghost King's back for a moment but couldn't press him any further.
It was too late to turn back now.
Regardless of the outcome, he had to follow the Ghost King to the end.
Pyo Wol followed the Ghost King as he soared through the air.
After several days of following the Ghost King, Pyo Wol had no idea where they were now.
The Ghost King's lightness skill was truly amazing; if Pyo Wol focused on anything else for even a moment, the distance between them grew quickly. That's why he had to concentrate solely on following the Ghost King.
The place they finally arrived at was a dense, unnamed mountain.
The trees were so thick that it was impossible to guess which direction they were heading.
People entering this place for the first time would likely get lost and wander until they met their demise.
However, this was irrelevant to the Ghost King and Pyo Wol.
They didn't move through the trees but rather used their lightness skill to step on the very tops of the branches.
Pyo Wol scrunched up his nose.
Suddenly, a pungent smell wafted through the air.
The strong smell that stimulated his sense of smell also made his head spin.
The keen sense of smell that Pyo Wol had honed underground was more sensitive than that of a beast. That sensitivity only made Pyo Wol more uncomfortable. Pyo Wol blocked his sense of smell using inner power. Only then did his cloudy mind clear up.
It was a horribly damp and unpleasant smell.
Pyo Wol had never smelled anything like it before, so he was even more flustered.
Although the ghost king called it the land that saves people, if anyone had to keep smelling this, they wouldn't be able to endure it and would eventually die.
The dense thicket came to an end, and a black, plantless land appeared as if it were a lie.
As if covered in black sand, there were no traces of life on the pitch-black earth.
The foul smell came from the black ground.
The ghost king said, "We've arrived."
"It doesn't look like the land that saves people?"
"You have to go a bit further inside. That's where the land that saves people is."
"Really?"
"It's true."
The ghost king strode into the black land.
Pyo Wol followed him.
As they went further inside, the foul smell grew worse.
Despite blocking his sense of smell with inner power, Pyo Wol's head started to ache terribly.
It was a moment of worry whether people could really be saved in a place like this.
Suddenly, a red land appeared before them.
A strikingly red land, existing like an island in the middle of the black earth.
The ghost king looked at the red land and said, "There it is. The red land has sucked up all the earth energy (지기) around it and turned the surrounding land dead."
"It sucks up the earth energy?"
"I don't know why, but it's true. I also healed a significant injury here."
The Ghost King's discovery of this place was a coincidence.
At that time, he was severely injured. Although he had a near-immortal regenerative ability, his injury was so severe that it was life-threatening.
Back then, he instinctively found this place.
He knew nothing about its location or information; he simply found it through sheer determination and instinct to survive.
The reason the entire land turned black and lifeless was because of the red land. The red land sucked up all the life energy and held onto it.
"What do we need to do?"
"Just bury her inside. The rest will be taken care of by the red land."
"Really?"
Pyo Wol entered the red land holding Hong Ye-seol.
The energy of the red land was extraordinary, even for Pyo Wol to feel it instantly.
Pyo Wol laid Hong Ye-seol down and dug the red soil with both hands. The red soil was as soft as tofu, so it was easy to dig without using inner power.
After digging a hole deep enough for a person to lie in, Pyo Wol carefully laid down Hong Ye-seol.
He covered her entire body with red soil, leaving only her face exposed.
Up until then, Hong Ye-seol had not regained consciousness.
Pyo Wol looked at her face for a moment before returning to where the ghost king was.
The ghost king said to Pyo Wol, "We have to stay away from here."
"Why?"
"If we stay close to the red land, it will steal our energy as well."
Without waiting for Pyo Wol's answer, the ghost king flew up and sat on a high tree outside the black earth.
Pyo Wol also flew up and landed beside the ghost king.
"Our job is done. The rest will be taken care of by that land."
"Do you know the true nature of that red land?"
"I don't know. But it's not the only place like that in the world."
"There are more?"
"I have seen more than three with my own eyes."
"And people still haven't found out about them?"
"No one else has buried themselves in the land like I have."
Moreover, the lands he discovered were all in places inaccessible to ordinary people.
The ghost king muttered, "Someday, that land might cover the entire world."
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