Into the Creations 1805

Chapter 1805 – 1805. Ascension To The Light

Crack, crack.

The warmth from the bonfire began to fill the old inn. The pleasant temperature brought on a wave of drowsiness.

Hong Gang-hu and his son, Hong Je-yu, were talking about something, but the details didn’t register in my mind. It wasn’t important anyway. It was mostly about the monsters they’d encountered while traveling the Jianghu.

Nod, nod.

I was dozing off, my head bobbing back and forth, when I sensed something approaching. It wasn’t a human presence. I raised my head and circulated my qi. The drowsiness vanished instantly, and my mind became clear.

Thud, thud, thud.

As my senses sharpened, I could hear something approaching through the rain, its footsteps crunching on the muddy ground.

“There are many trees, so it’s hard to see, but that’s not the sound of human footsteps.”

“If it were a beast, it would have charged more aggressively. It must be a monster.”

The Hong family father and son jumped up from their seats and drew their swords. I was about to step in, but I stopped myself. If they were going to kill the monster, there was no need for me to interfere.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

The presence rapidly multiplied. I narrowed my eyes and looked outside the inn. The figures, previously obscured by trees, darkness, and rain, began to appear.

They looked like masses of flowing flesh. They had arms, legs, and torsos, but they were several times larger than humans. About ten of them were approaching us. Their bodies were covered in mud, making them look quite filthy.

“Those are Water Fall Ghosts.”

“Usually, they live near rivers or lakes. Did they come out because of the rain?”

“How can we, as humans, know the actions of monsters? What’s certain is that they’re trying to eat us. Master Yeom, please stay put. Since you’ve given us your seat, we’ll take care of these things.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

I asked in a flat tone. It was just a polite question. Hong Je-yu aside, Hong Gang-hu’s skills were more than enough to deal with Water Fall Ghosts in the blink of an eye.

“We’ll be fine.”

“When you travel the Jianghu, you encounter these kinds of things easily. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Je-yu, no matter who the opponent is, never let your guard down. The most dangerous thing in the Jianghu is carelessness.”

“Father, I’ve heard that a hundred times, it’s tiresome.”

Hong Je-yu charged towards the enemies as if to avoid his father’s nagging. I quietly watched him. Hong Je-yu’s movements seemed simple at first glance. However, there was a depth to that simplicity.

‘Judging by the pure energy, it’s a martial art from the orthodox sect.’

Hong Je-yu methodically sliced and killed the Water Fall Ghosts one by one. When the Water Fall Ghosts attacked in a group, he retreated without hesitation to create distance. His movements were more like a hunter than a martial artist.

“It’s heavy yet contains the essence of subtlety. What kind of swordsmanship is that?”

“It’s the Five Mountain Sword. It’s more like a patchwork of different swordsmanship, but in other words, it can be said that it takes the advantages of other swordsmanship.”

“Did you create that swordsmanship?”

“I don’t have that kind of ability. The Five Mountain Sword is a swordsmanship created by my late father.”

Hong Gang-hu said proudly.

This was different from the orthodox sects. The orthodox sects were fundamentally proud of their martial arts. They believed that the old ways were the best. That was why their martial arts didn’t develop well over time. A patchwork martial art? Orthodox sect members would never say that about their own martial arts. For them, it was the most shameful thing.

‘Has he been a wanderer for too long? He doesn’t seem like an orthodox sect member.’

Still, his tone and nature were like those of an orthodox sect member.

I asked Hong Gang-hu, who was watching Hong Je-yu’s fight.

“Don’t you need to help your son?”

“I didn’t raise him to be so weak that he can’t even overcome this much.”

I could feel the pride in his voice. However, his eyes were fixed on Hong Je-yu, not leaving him for a moment.

The Water Fall Ghosts used their abilities. Their bodies seemed to melt, turning into puddles of water that moved quickly towards Hong Je-yu. Hong Je-yu jumped towards a tree. He stepped on the tree trunk with heavy steps and climbed upwards.

The Water Fall Ghosts, now puddles, were left chasing after him like dogs chasing chickens. They had no choice but to return to their original forms.

“He’s surrounded.”

I said in a calm tone.

Hong Gang-hu placed his hand on his sword hilt. His leg twitched, showing that he was ready to jump out at any moment.

“…He’s still fine. Since he’s on a tree, he can just jump to another tree and break the encirclement.”

It seemed he didn’t intend to step in for such a small crisis. Since it was someone else’s business, I quietly watched.

Hong Je-yu jumped to another tree, escaping the Water Fall Ghosts’ encirclement. Even though the Water Fall Ghosts were low-level monsters, they weren’t as stupid as beasts. The Water Fall Ghosts’ encirclement remained solid. Then, the Water Fall Ghosts charged at the tree Hong Je-yu had climbed onto.

The tree broke. Hong Je-yu was startled and jumped to another tree.

“He’s scared.”

From the moment he got scared, his actions became passive. He was glancing at us, looking like he wanted help.

“That idiot…!”

Just as Hong Gang-hu was about to step in, a figure appeared a little distance away. Hong Gang-hu tensed up at the presence. I also tightened my loosened senses.

‘Who is that now? No, is it a woman?’

As she got closer, I could see her better.

Like me, she wore a bamboo hat and black clothes. The lines of her body were slightly curved. She was definitely a woman. Her chest was neither too big nor too small, just the right size. Her hips were the same, not excessive.

‘Should I call her like a sculpture? Her body is beautiful enough to tell even through her clothes.’

Was it the golden ratio? The proportions, such as arm length, leg length, and body balance, felt perfect.

Her face was hidden by the bamboo hat. But judging by her aura, she was definitely a beauty.

‘She knows what a master’s demeanor is.’

She walked calmly towards the Water Fall Ghosts. The Water Fall Ghosts belatedly noticed her presence. Hong Gang-hu watched with uneasy eyes but didn’t step in. It was probably because he didn’t sense any killing intent from the woman.

The excited Water Fall Ghosts rushed at her as soon as they saw her. She calmly drew the sword from her waist. She walked lightly on the mud and swung her sword at the Water Fall Ghosts. Her legs didn’t stop, and her sword didn’t falter.

‘She’s stepping on the mud, but there’s no sound of her footsteps.’

In the blink of an eye, the Water Fall Ghosts were being dealt with. I focused on her swordsmanship. It wasn’t the swordsmanship of the orthodox sects, nor the unorthodox sects. It was definitely not the swordsmanship of the demonic path either. Her swordsmanship was concise and too efficient. It was like she had deliberately removed all unnecessary movements and sharpened the edge. It was a swordsmanship that seemed to realize the ideal of killing people. Ironically, there was no killing intent at all.

She turned the Water Fall Ghosts into corpses in an instant and sheathed her sword. She was showing that she had no intention of fighting us. Hong Gang-hu’s tension eased.

“Her skills seem similar to ours, but she doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“That swordsmanship, is it the swordsmanship of an assassin?”

“Huh? Ah, in a way, you could see it that way. It looks like an overtly efficient swordsmanship. But it’s not the sword of an assassin. An assassin’s sword isn’t that deep. That’s the swordsmanship of the imperial family.”

“…The imperial family’s sword? A swordsman belonging to the imperial family? Not the military, but the imperial family?”

I asked again. The imperial family of the empire rarely acted openly. Moreover, this place was very far from the capital of the empire where the imperial family resided. There was no reason to encounter a swordsman of the imperial family.

“The military’s swordsmanship is much more crude than that. She’s definitely from the imperial family.”

“…Why is that imperial family swordsman here?”

“Everyone has their own story. And if you’re curious, ask her directly.”

She and Hong Je-yu were approaching us. Hong Je-yu was talking non-stop. Raising my hearing, I could hear him saying things like her swordsmanship was excellent, thank you for saving me, and so on. The female swordsman just listened, occasionally replying.

‘Her voice is clear and nice.’

Soon, the woman entered the old inn. She wore a bamboo hat, but it wasn’t enough to completely shield her from the rain. Her clothes and the bundle she carried on her back were soaked.

“The rain is too heavy. May I rest here for a while?”

Her voice was beautiful. Her tone was that of a twenty-year-old. The problem was that her way of speaking was old-fashioned.

‘Her cultivation is at the mid-stage of the Origin Realm… If she’s at the Origin Realm, there’s no way she’s in her twenties. She must be at least 200 years old.’

In this world, the strong ones are all over a few hundred years old.

The Hong family father and son’s gazes turned to me. They seemed to think that I was the owner of this inn. I had arrived first, and I had made the bonfire, so it was natural.

“Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

The woman strode over. She sat down to my left. Her clothes made a squishing sound as they were wet. She carefully took off her dripping bamboo hat and placed it beside her.

Her revealed face was more beautiful than expected. Her clean skin was like white jade, her eyes were big, and her gaze was gentle. She had a slight smile on her lips.

A unique feature was that her hair was white. She had tied up her long hair and secured it with a hairpin.

‘Did her hair turn white due to the influence of her martial arts? It’s rare, but not unusual.’

Hong Je-yu stared blankly at her appearance, while Hong Gang-hu became more wary.

“My name is Baek Ran. I was caught in a sudden downpour while passing by.”

“We also came here to avoid the rain. Ah, I’m Hong Je-yu.”

“You’re the Five Mountain Sword Hong Gang-hu. Your swordsmanship seems extraordinary… What’s your alias?”

“I haven’t been in the Jianghu for long, so I don’t have an alias. What’s your name?”

Baek Ran asked, looking at me.

She had a sweet scent, like a woman. I wanted to pounce on her. But judging by her skills earlier, that wouldn’t be easy.

“I am Yeom Gu-seok, the Lightning Flash.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Baek Ran grabbed her wet clothes and squeezed them. Water dripped down.

I asked her directly.

“Are you from the imperial family?”

Her eyes widened, and the Hong family father and son gasped. In this world, the emperor’s authority was so absolute that it was almost godlike. Therefore, the emperor and the imperial family were not words that could be easily spoken.

Fortunately, Baek Ran didn’t get angry.

“That’s right. Did you recognize it from my swordsmanship? You have a good eye.”