Chapter 191
'Hmm...'
So-ah felt embarrassed by Wang Bang-tae's telepathic message.
—Take care of my daughter. You indifferent person!
A phrase that anyone would think a father-in-law would say to his son-in-law.
Of course, he could have just said, "Yes, sir!" and brushed it off with a joke.
He had long since mastered that level of social skills and quick-wittedness.
But So-ah could not do that.
'So-yeong is a friend... if I agree, it will be like selling my friendship with So-yeong to use the Palace Lord. I'm not that kind of scoundrel.'
Until now, Wang Bang-tae had bestowed great kindness.
It was thanks to the North Sea Ice Palace that the Moyong family had been able to prosper so much (in terms of establishing a financial foundation), and So-ah felt like he wanted to give a deep bow to the Palace Lord's decisiveness in deciding on the Gansu subjugation without a single question at his request.
So, although he was willing to do anything that Wang Bang-tae asked, it was a different story if it was a matter that guaranteed his friendship with So-yeong.
So-ah did not want to use friendship as part of a deal.
Moreover, since Wang Bang-tae had been eyeing him as a son-in-law and had been urging him to marry, such a request was even more difficult to accept.
'But I can't just say no! ...should I pour cold water on the mood?'
It was when a look of bewilderment appeared on So-ah's face.
[You are So-yeong's only friend. Don't you know how frustrated So-yeong is living in the North Sea? Take care of your one and only friend, you person! Come and visit the North Sea often! Send news sometimes. It's not difficult, is it?]
Wang Bang-tae sent another telepathic message.
Only then did So-ah's expression relax.
'Aha! So that's what it was?'
Frankly, So-ah had thought that Wang Bang-tae was telling him to flatter So-yeong in return for his kindness.
But it turned out that Wang Bang-tae had just wanted So-ah to take care of So-yeong as a friend.
'Yes... the North Sea princess has no friends but me. It's true that I've been too indifferent.'
So-ah's gaze turned to Wang So-yeong.
Whenever he saw her, Wang So-yeong's appearance was so beautiful that it surprised the viewer.
But So-ah was not unaware that a terrible loneliness was hidden in that beautiful appearance.
Thinking of So-yeong, who had grown up lonely without friends due to her mother who had died when she was young and her special status in the North Sea, and who was still lonely, he felt a sense of pity as her only friend.
Just then.
"Jin So-ah. Why are you staring at me like that?"
So-yeong, who felt a question at So-ah who was staring at her face, asked.
"I was just admiring my friend's handsome face. As a matter of fact, after you visited the Martial Alliance last time, there was talk among the late-stage masters. They said you were the most beautiful woman in the world, or something like that? I was just checking if you were really that handsome, you brat."
"Pfft... so? What's the result of your check? Young Master Jin?"
Wang So-yeong smiled at So-ah's slick lines.
"I'm not sure?"
"Shut up."
"...Yes."
So-ah, who was exchanging jokes with So-yeong,
[Palace Lord! I will keep my promise. After this is over, I want to broaden So-yeong's horizons and show her the world, so I'd like to invite her to my family's home, feed her delicious food, and let her get some fresh air. Would that be okay?]
...sent a telepathic message to Wang Bang-tae.
[Kehkeh! That's a good idea. A good idea! So-yeong will be overjoyed. Because she's a child who feels suffocated.]
[And this! This is not to repay your kindness to the Palace Lord, but I am asking you a favor. Let's be clear about the calculations. I will repay your kindness to the Palace Lord in some way.]
[I'll look forward to it. Young Hero Jin. Hahaha! And by the way...]
[Speak, Palace Lord.]
[A woman's heart is like a reed. You have to do well when you have the chance. So that you don't have any regrets later.]
That, that, that old man.
He's crossing the line again.
So-yeong is just a friend!
***
"We're not far from Go-hap-san now! Everyone, let's cheer up!"
Zhuge Hyuk's Six Harmonies Telepathy encouraged the crowd.
After the desperate battle with the demonic beasts and the blood zombies, the allied forces had been subjected to several surprise attacks.
But the group, which had gained some kind of power from the prayers of Baek In-hwa and the spells of the monks, was able to reach the front of Go-hap-san without any trouble.
Their momentum was like that of an ascending dragon.
It was only natural that their confidence would soar, as they were a large group of people from all walks of life, including the seniors and juniors of the martial world, and regardless of the distinction between black and white.
Especially,
"As expected! No matter how much the White Lotus Cult is the successor of the Blood Cult that once ruled the martial world, they are nothing when the Martial Alliance and the Black Path join hands."
As they won victory after victory in the repeated battles, Han Baek was full of confidence and uttered a heroic one sentence.
At that,
"You're acting up again, again! We haven't even arrived at the Gansu cult branch yet. What's with all the nonchalance?"
Jang Byeong-il rebuked such a Han Baek.
"Why? Are you scared? Are you afraid? Well. I saw you attacking the spider's hind legs before, and there was no answer. You were so tense with your body all stiff. You bastard... tsk-tsk. You're just unnecessarily scared."
Han Baek, on the contrary, ridiculed Jang Byeong-il.
"You're really going to regret it if you keep acting up like that. From what I've seen, you might even die in this subjugation if you're not careful."
"What?!"
"Don't you know? It's always the one who acts up the most who dies first in these things. It's an immutable law. So if you don't want to die, don't act up."
"You son of a bitch... I endured it once when you hit me on the back of the head in front of Young Leader Wi-ji. Are you just going to curse me now?"
In the end, as usual, the two's argument turned into a low-level fight.
'Phew. Those pathetic things.'
'Tsk-tsk. When will they grow up?'
'It's Han Baek's fault, Han Baek's fault.'
His friends, looking at the two, furrowed their brows.
If it were just them, it would be a different story...
Not only the seniors and juniors of the Orthodox Path, but also the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Green Forest, and the Yangtze River Waterway Fortress.
There were also people from the Black Path, and his friends felt pathetic at the two's behavior of constantly tarnishing the face of the Orthodox Path like that.
'I guess I have to mediate.'
Namgung Mun, who could not watch anymore, tried to stop the two.
He was the eldest brother, and when Namgung Mun graduated from the Baekmu Academy, he had become the top student and had been appointed as a thousand-man commander-level official, so his position was also much higher than the two.
But,
"Both of you, stop."
Myo-seon, who had the highest position among his friends along with Dang Il-gi after Namgung Mun, stepped forward before Namgung Mun and opened her mouth.
'Hah...'
'Ah...!'
At Myo-seon's warning, Han Baek and Jang Byeong-il, who had been running wild, felt a pang of guilt and blushed.
Myo-seon had never rebuked the two before.
Not only the two, but in the first place, Myo-seon was a person who belonged to the most gentle of his friends, so she had never said anything unpleasant to anyone until now...
Originally, when a quiet person gets angry, the ripple effect is doubled.
Perhaps that was why even the wild Han Baek had no choice but to shut his mouth at Myo-seon's one sentence.
"Everyone, don't act rashly. This is not the time for that, is it?"
"L-Lady Myo-seon..."
"Yes..."
Han Baek and Jang Byeong-il, who had lost their spirit, bowed their heads with a meek expression.
But Myo-seon's reprimand did not stop.
"Han Baek!"
"Yes... huh?!"
Myo-seon, who had always used honorifics even to people younger than her, spoke with a changed tone.
"You've never seen a Ghost Demon Jiangshi, have you?"
"I-I haven't."
"You've never seen how strong the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, is, have you?"
"No..."
"The strength of the White Lotus Cult is not at the level you think it is. At least, there will be a few more masters like the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, and there will be demonic beasts that are more ferocious than the Ghost Demon Jiangshis. But you say it's nothing?"
"Ah..."
At Myo-seon's scolding, not only Han Baek, but also the other friends who were busy with the march in the same rank, had a look of surprise on their faces.
Because they had never seen Myo-seon get angry like this before.
Moreover, since Myo-seon had started to train the Sunflower Manual and had now opened her Ren meridian, the pressure that Han Baek felt was needless to say.
'Wow... Myo-seon is so scary when she's angry...'
But without daring to even imagine uttering such an intention, Han Baek just bowed his head.
"No Yeong-myeong and the Ghost Demon Jiangshis, who were only a part of the White Lotus Cult, annihilated the prestigious Iron Fist Sect of Sichuan overnight. If it weren't for So-ah and the deceased of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, our Emei Sect would not have been able to avoid a bloodbath. In a word, this subjugation is a matter of risking our lives. Do you understand? You can't do anything with a light heart."
At Myo-seon's serious one sentence, his friends' hearts became heavy.
'Lady Myo-seon's words are right.'
'It will by no means be an easy journey.'
'That's right...'
In fact, although he had said so, Han Baek did not think that the subjugation of the White Lotus Cult would be easy.
It was just a word he had said to change the mood, but it had touched Myo-seon's nerves.
"L-Lady Myo-seon. I was careless. I'm sorry...'
Perhaps because he was embarrassed, Han Baek was scratching the back of his head and blaming himself for his carelessness.
"Everyone, stop!!!"
A huge lion's roar that encompassed the entire crowd burst out from the front ranks.
The voice was none other than Baek In-hwa's.
***
"W-What is it, Sect Leader Baek!"
The one who first asked Baek In-hwa in surprise was Zhuge Hyuk.
Baek In-hwa, whose face had turned pale, said with a serious voice.
"You all probably didn't sense it. Because I just felt it now. At this moment, we are trapped in a formation."
At that,
"A-A formation?"
"What do you mean, Sect Leader Baek?"
"A formation?!"
Questions popped up from here and there in the front ranks where the leadership of the allied forces was located.
Especially, Zhuge Hyuk looked more surprised than anyone else.
Who was Zhuge Hyuk?
The general of the Martial Alliance, and the current head of the Zhuge family.
This meant that at least in fields such as various strange gates, strange illusions, and formations, there was no one who could follow him.
Because the Zhuge family was the best professional group in the martial world in strange and mysterious fields such as strange gates, strange illusions, formations, as well as astronomy, geography, divination, and sorcery.
"Sect Leader Baek. A formation? I have studied formations for decades. If we were trapped in a formation, there is no way I would not have noticed."
As Zhuge Hyuk said with certainty, Baek In-hwa shook his head with a pitiful expression.
"General Zhuge. Of course, I know that General Zhuge is an expert in formations. But the formation that is cornering us now is not a common strange gate or organ formation..."
"...Then?"
"Look at this..."
With his words, Baek In-hwa took out a round iron object from his bosom.
And then, he opened the lid of the round object, and inside, on a white background, the characters for east, west, south, and north were engraved on the surroundings, and in the center, a small needle was shaking back and forth, catching Zhuge Hyuk's eye.
"This is a very precious magical treasure, a compass that can detect the right direction in any formation. But the needle is losing its center and is shaking, isn't it? We must be going around in the same place. This is a maze formation and an illusion formation. It is something that is activated only by sorcery, so the general could not have sensed it."
At Baek In-hwa's words, not only Zhuge Hyuk, but also the faces of all the people were filled with astonishment.
A formation that even Zhuge Hyuk, an expert in formations, could not detect.
This meant an invisible danger.
"Hmm... it seems so. Looking with my mind's eye, the Samsara Formation and the Nine-Layered Mourning Gate Great Formation have been activated together."
This time, the monk of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Hall, who was located in the second rank, added his words.
Only then did everyone accept Baek In-hwa's words as a fait accompli.
"Th-The Samsara Formation and the Nine-Layered Mourning Gate Great Formation are of opposite natures... how can they be activated at the same time?"
Zhuge Hyuk, who could not hide his surprise at the current situation where his theory and common sense were being shattered, asked urgently.
"I don't know about that part either. But one thing is for sure..."
"..."
"This maze formation will never be broken unless we find and kill the sorcerer."
(End of Chapter)