RDM (Novel) Chapter 409


C 409



Her skin, once white as snow, was tanned and bronzed by the sun, and her hands, once delicate, were roughened by hard labor.  Yet she was a beautiful woman whose elegance remained unchanged.

Pyo Wol knew her identity.

"Yong Seol-ran!"

"It's been a while."

The woman who pretended to know Pyo Wol was none other than the Emei Sect's disciple,  Yong Seol-ran.

After the fall of the Emei sect, she had disappeared and was now living in a remote and secluded village far from the Sichuan province.

Her splendid attire from the past was nowhere to be found. Instead, she wore shabby clothes that only the villagers would wear, and in her hand, she held a hoe used for tilling the fields.

She seemed to fit in even when wielding a sword, but her current appearance also felt completely natural.

It wasn't a state she could have achieved in just a day or two.

It was unclear how long she had been here, but she must have fully adapted to this life, thus exuding such an atmosphere.

"Whoa!"

"We’re saved."

As Yong Seol-ran appeared, the villagers hastily retreated.

The ghost king, who had covered his eyes and ears, wrinkled his forehead.

It was because the aura he emitted had been blocked by  Yong Seol-ran.

Yong Seol-ran spoke to the ghost king.

"Please calm your anger. The villagers have been suffering from bandits for so long that they are on edge."

"Who are you?"

"I am Yong Seol-ran."

"A disciple of the Emei sect?"

"How did you know?"

Yong Seol-ran's eyes widened.

While living here in hiding, she had completely abandoned her martial arts skills.

Although she had used her internal energy to block the Ghost King's aura, it wasn't something visible from the outside. Yet her opponent had accurately identified her martial sect.

It wasn't something an ordinary person could do.

The ghost king revealed his teeth and laughed.

"I can smell the Emei sect on you."

"Can you distinguish by smell?"

"The martial arts of the lotus realm have a unique scent. Among them, it's not difficult to distinguish the scent of the Emei sect."

 Yong Seol-ran furrowed her brow at the ghost king's answer.

On one hand, she felt puzzled.

The ghost king, who appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, spoke like an experienced elder, arousing suspicion. However, the aura he exuded was genuine.

It wasn't something that could be faked with pretense.

Yong Seol-ran's gaze turned to Pyo Wol.

She was demanding an explanation.

Pyo Wol said,

"He is the ghost king."

"The ghost king?"

Yong Seol-ran's face was filled with astonishment.

No matter how much she had given up the sword and lived in hiding, she hadn't lost the knowledge she had acquired during that time.

'Is the ghost king really that young?'

He was the highest presence among the Eight Constellations.

Even though he was an extraordinary being, it was not easy to accept such a young boy as the ghost king
.
But it was Pyo Wol who said so.

Yong Seol-ran knew better than anyone that he was not someone who would lie or speak nonsense.

Yong Seol-ran spoke to the villagers who were watching cautiously.

"Everyone, please go back."

"But..."

"I will take care of him at my house. I promise you that there will be absolutely no harm done to any of you."

"If you say so..."

At  Yong Seol-ran's reassurance, the village chief looked at the villagers.

"Everyone, go back to your homes. They are the guests of Yong Seol-ran, so don't worry about them..."

"Understood."

"Hmph!"

The villagers scattered and returned to their homes.

Although they still felt uneasy, they trusted and followed Yong Seol-ran's words.

From their attitude, it was evident how much authority Yong Seol-ran had in the village.

When the villagers dispersed, Yong Seol-ran spoke to Pyo Wol and the Ghost King.

"I'll take you to my humble residence."

"Did you come straight here after leaving the Emei sect?"

"I traveled around various places. I searched for places unrelated to the martial world and ended up here."

"You look well."

"Do I?"

Yong Seol-ran smiled faintly.

Her skin was sunburnt, and her hands were rough, but she was still as beautiful as before.

Pyo Wol thought Yong Seol-ran's atmosphere had changed.

Her sharp aura was gone, replaced by a gentler one.

Yong Seol-ran's house was the innermost part of the slash and burn Village.

A wooden house surrounded by diligently cultivated fields stretched out around it.

"I planted and grew these myself. The harvest is not far off."

"Did you trade your sword for a hoe?"

"Yes! It's more peaceful this way. I don't have to hurt people anymore, and I feel like my disposition has become more generous."

Yong Seol-ran was very satisfied with her life here.

Her arrival in this place was purely coincidental.

Up until then, her heart was full of distress.

She was tormented by the guilt of not being able to prevent the fall of her sect.

Fortunately, settling here made that distress disappear.

At first, the villagers were wary of her.

No one in the world would welcome a woman who came wielding a sword.

The people here were no exception.

But as they watched her devote herself to farming, they gradually opened their hearts.

The turning point was when a huge tiger descended from the mountains.

She effortlessly caught the tiger, which came down to prey on humans.

After that incident, the villagers regarded Yong Seol-ran as a goddess.

Although their attitude sometimes felt burdensome, she naturally blended into the village as one of them.

Yong Seol-ran led the two into the house.

The interior was quite cozy.

On the floor lay a tiger skin rug she had caught, and a bed was placed against one wall.

"You can both sleep on that tiger skin rug."

"Thank you!"

"Sorry for not providing a bed. That's my sleeping space..."

"This is more than enough."

The Ghost King then spoke.

"I'll rest here."

He pointed to the most secluded corner of the house. It was a bare floor without even a proper rug, but the Ghost King seemed to like it.

Without waiting for Yong Seol-ran's response, the Ghost King crouched down in the corner and closed his ears again.

Yong Seol-ran said to Pyo Wol,

"He's an unusual person."

"Quite different from ordinary people."

"Just as different as master Pyo."

"Is that so?"

"From my perspective, the Ghost King and master Pyo are no different. Both of you completely defy the common sense of the world."

Pyo Wol nodded at Yong Seol-ran's words.

Her argument made sense.

An awkward silence hung between the two for a moment.

Yong Seol-ran broke the silence first.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet!"

"Then wait a moment. I'll prepare something quickly."

"There's no need."

"I just need to add two more bowls of rice to my meal. Please wait a moment."

Despite Pyo Wol's refusal, Yong Seol-ran prepared the meal.

She skillfully cooked rice, prepared side dishes, and even made pastries.

Pyo Wol didn't know Yong Seol-ran well.

All she knew was that Yong Seol-ran was a disciple of the Emei sect, but he had no idea what kind of life she had led or what experiences she had gone through.

However, the only thing he could guess was that Yong Seol-ran had a very high status in the Emei sect, so she wouldn't have been doing such trivial tasks.

Her master, the abbess of nine calamities, who was also the head of the Emei sect, was not the type to watch her disciple do menial tasks.

Because of this, Yong Seol-ran had never done such tasks while she was in the Emei sect. But now, she was able to skillfully cook rice and make side dishes.

Her ability to make pastries in no time showed that she wasn't new to this. It meant that she had completely adapted to this lifestyle.

She even had a faint smile on her lips, looking very happy.

Yong Seol-ran placed the rice, side dishes, and pastries she had made on the table and called the two of them.

"Let's eat now."

At her words, Pyo Wol tapped the Ghost King's shoulder. Then the Ghost King removed the cloth that had been covering his eyes and ears and got up from his seat.

He sat down at the table as if it were natural.

The three of them sat down and ate together.

The Ghost King ate his food very quickly, while Pyo Wol ate slowly as usual.

Yong Seol-ran was somewhere in between.

As she busily moved her chopsticks, she alternately looked at Pyo Wol and the Ghost King.

They were really an odd couple.

She didn't know why these two were together, but their presence alone made the atmosphere feel strange.

The Ghost King seemed to feel  Yong Seol-ran's gaze and looked back at her.

"What is it, girl?"

"Are you really the Ghost King?"

"People do call me Ghost King."

"I see."

With that, their conversation came to an end.

The Ghost King quickly finished his share of the food and got up from his seat.

He covered his eyes and ears with the cloth again and said,

"It seems like there's a lot to talk about, but don't mind me and go ahead."

Ghost King went to a corner and blocked his senses once more.

He completely cut off external stimuli.

In this way,the Ghost King submerged himself into his own world.

Only he knew what he was thinking or what dreams he was having.
 
Yong Seol-ran looked at Pyo Wol.

"You're still the same."

"What do you mean?"

"You're still beautiful, and you still seem like you're not from this world."

"You look much better now."

"It was hard at first. I don't know if you know, but I've never lived like this before. So, I made a lot of mistakes. But now I've gotten used to it a lot."

"It seems that way."

"Why did you come here, master Pyo? You're not the type to take leisurely trips."

"I was asked for a favor."

"A favor?"

"To help the Ghost King find the place he wants to go."

"I see. It has to do with him covering his eyes and ears."

 Yong Seol-ran's gaze turned to the Ghost King.

There must be a reason why he covered his eyes and ears like that.

She was curious about his situation, but she had a feeling that she shouldn't ask any more.

Her life had been peaceful until Pyo Wol and the Ghost King appeared.

Although she had proved herself against the tiger, it allowed her to live with the respect of the villagers.

She was very satisfied with her current life and did not want to disrupt the peace she was enjoying.

But if she asked Pyo Wol about the details or got involved, the fragile peace she was 
experiencing, which was as delicate as glass, might shatter.

"Ah!"

 Yong Seol-ran let out a quiet sigh and put down her chopsticks.

She approached the window and opened it.

As the window opened, the entire view of the village came into sight.

It was a small village with just over ten households.

At night, all the lamps went out, plunging the village into pitch-black darkness, and there was not a single person out and about, making it eerily quiet.

At first, she was not used to such a view.

The Emei sect, where she had spent her entire life, was a place where the fires never went out.

There was always a light somewhere in the temple complex, and the paths were illuminated by lanterns and torches, making it safe to walk at night.

The Emei sect itself was larger and more splendid than an ordinary village.

For Yong Seol-ran, who had lived her entire life in such a place, this village was as unfamiliar as an unknown world.

Now that she had gotten used to it, she could not even imagine leaving.

The peace of mind she had found with difficulty was shaken from the moment Pyo Wol appeared.

She had thought that her connection with Pyo Wol had ended back then, but she never dreamed that they would meet again like this.

Whether Pyo Wol knew of the turmoil in Yong Seol-ran's heart or not, she silently continued eating.

Her way of eating little by little seemed almost reverent.

She looked just like a general facing a great battle.

'Surely the winds of strife won't reach this place?'

"Ha!"

It was a night full of anguish.

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