Chapter 72
Pyon Juksu said that the inside of the barrier was a completely different place.
- There are trees and flowers in full bloom that I've never seen since I came here, and above all, it's very warm.
It seemed to be a more amazing barrier than he had thought. Otherwise, the climate inside and outside couldn't have changed as if they were different.
- Is it a place like the Peach Blossom Spring?
- What's the Peach Blossom Spring? Ah. Wait a minute. There are people talking over there.
Pyon Juksu seemed to have moved to where the people were. And after a while, he spoke again.
- They say the one called the fairy took people and went to the Flame Pond. Maybe that's why there aren't many people here.
- Then you should come back for now. So we can go to the Flame Pond together.
- Alright. I'll look around a little more and then go out.
- As for where we are...
Mok Wigun explained the location of the hunter's hut where he was now.
"Is something wrong?"
The hunter asked. It was only natural to think it was strange since he was suddenly staring blankly while talking.
"No. I just had something to think about."
Mok Wigun was about to ask more about the Flame Pond, but he asked just in case.
"By any chance, is there a story about seeing a place like the Peach Blossom Spring around here?"
"Well, there's a similar story."
The hunter smiled and told a few local legends, such as the Fairy Bath where fairies were said to come down and bathe, and the Herb Valley where medicinal herbs were said to be scattered all over the place. They were the kind of stories that could be found in any region.
But Hwangbo Ryeong, who was listening to the story from the side, said.
"That's strange. If the Flame Pond is a pond that boils like that, there shouldn't be a thousand-year-old fire carp."
"What do you mean by that?"
Hwangbo Ryeong hesitated for a moment and then said.
"Because the thousand-year-old fire carp has a hot nature, it is said to live in cold water."
"Is that so?"
It's not certain whether it's true or not. Because there are almost no proper records related to spiritual creatures. So the content is different for each book. So it's impossible to know if the content Hwangbo Ryeong saw in the book is reliable information.
"We'll know when we go and check."
"Then when do we leave?"
"Physician Pyon will be here soon, so I think we can leave tomorrow."
Hwangbo Ryeong had a slightly worried expression.
"What if there's no thousand-year-old fire carp? We absolutely need the inner core."
"Even if there is a thousand-year-old fire carp, do you think it will fall into your hands?"
At Mok Wigun's words, the Hwangbo siblings' expressions became even more gloomy.
"What are you so worried about? It's not like the thousand-year-old fire carp's inner core is the only thing with strong yang energy in the world."
"It's because all such spiritual medicines are not easy to obtain."
"What are the symptoms?"
Hwangbo Jun answered.
"The meridians are gradually freezing. We have to melt it..."
"Huh?"
Although there are quite a few types of ice arts, there are almost no martial arts that are so profound as to freeze the meridians. The most well-known is the Cold Ice Palm of the North Sea Ice Palace. Thinking of that, he suddenly thought of the Chang'an magistrate's mother.
Mok Wigun was about to say something but looked in one direction. It was because he felt Pyon Juksu approaching from a distance. So he was thinking of going out to meet him, but suddenly, another heterogeneous energy was felt. Mok Wigun stood up from his seat.
"What's wrong?"
"No. Just a moment."
Mok Wigun went out of the hut. Two energies were approaching the hut. Pyon Juksu was close, and the heterogeneous energy was a little far away. But suddenly, both of their movements stopped.
Mok Wigun launched himself into the air, climbed a tree, and then moved towards Pyon Juksu. Pyon Juksu had come to a place that was not very far.
- It seems someone is following you.
- I know. I just noticed it too. Aish. I used too much energy, so my senses have become dull.
It seemed he had overdone it by entering the barrier and contacting him. Otherwise, there was no way he wouldn't have known someone was following him.
"What should we do?"
Mok Wigun said as he landed next to the stopped Pyon Juksu.
"What do you mean, what should we do? We have to catch him."
"Now? If you're out of energy, you should rest for a while."
"I recovered on the way. Let's go right away."
Pyon Juksu and Mok Wigun exchanged glances and then launched themselves to the left and right. At that, the one who had been following them began to flee. Because they had moved first, the distance with the opponent narrowed in an instant.
"Huh? What's that?"
It was a strange sight. The opponent was moving as if flying in the sky, with a white robe fluttering in all directions.
Ordinary martial artists wear clothes that stick to their bodies. The higher the master, the more so. What would happen if the clothes fluttered in all directions when moving quickly like now? It would be hindered by the air resistance and interfere with the movement.
"How strange."
Pyon Juksu also said he was seeing it for the first time and was amazed. Even while fluttering like that, the speed did not slow down. Should I say it was moving freely here and there instead of going in a straight line? A feeling of moving while riding the flow of the air?
"It's like a butterfly."
Mok Wigun muttered. It was really like a single butterfly. The movement was elegant and gentle. And yet, it was not slow, so it was very strange.
After moving like that for a long time, it suddenly stopped on a branch of a large tree. Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu also stopped on a nearby branch, and for the first time, they could see the opponent's face.
It was a woman with a pale face. Was she a little over twenty? Her face was on the slender side, but her very large eyes were impressive.
"I am called the White Butterfly Fairy."
White Butterfly means a white butterfly. It was a fitting title.
"Go back. This is advice for your own good."
"There are circumstances. I need a spiritual medicine with strong yang energy. So I have to get the inner core of the thousand-year-old fire carp."
At Mok Wigun's words, the White Butterfly Fairy snorted.
"It is not a place for you to enter. Those who approach the Flame Pond will all die."
"But what if we say we'll go into the Flame Pond anyway?"
The White Butterfly Fairy's expression turned cold.
"I want to kill all of you. Humans are cunning and deceitful beings. They all deserve to die!"
Does she have some grudge against people?
"Why do you want to kill people so much?"
"Shut up. How dare you ask me a question?"
The White Butterfly Fairy suddenly burst into anger and waved her hand. At that, a swarm of butterflies suddenly flew up and covered the surroundings.
And the butterflies moved as she waved her hand. And so, countless butterflies danced in the air. A very mysterious sight. But although the butterflies came close to Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu, they couldn't get any closer and turned away.
"What's wrong? My children wouldn't do this."
The White Butterfly Fairy waved her hand again. At that, the butterflies gathered again and flew towards the tree where Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu were.
It was the same this time too. They came close, but when they reached a certain distance, they turned away. It was as if the butterflies were avoiding them on their own.
"Who are you? You are not human."
Mok Wigun whispered slyly to Pyon Juksu.
"Is it because of you?"
"I think so."
Pyon Juksu muttered, very amazed.
"What's the principle? The sense of smell? Or another sense? A normal butterfly wouldn't be able to feel that."
Pyon Juksu muttered that there was something different from a normal butterfly. He said that since they felt something, they seemed to be receiving that woman's instructions. And he moved here and there to catch a butterfly. Saying he had to catch one and compare it with other butterflies.
In the meantime, the White Butterfly Fairy glared at Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu for a moment and then suddenly frowned. And she lifted her head a little. It wasn't that she was just standing still. She also nodded her head slightly, her expression hardened, and she let out a small sigh. And then she spoke.
"You guys. Consider yourselves lucky."
After saying that, she was engulfed in the swarm of butterflies. And when the butterflies disappeared, she had also disappeared with them.
"Aww. I have to catch more butterflies..."
Pyon Juksu said. His mind was completely occupied with the butterflies. Mok Wigun was a little different. He felt as if he had had a short dream.
* * *
"What? Two days?"
Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu, who had returned to the hut, heard a surprising story.
"Yes. You suddenly went out, and there was no contact for two days, so I was worried."
Dan Bulseok said, 'Where did you go?'
"It's a relief that you're safe. You should have at least told us before you left."
Mok Wigun and Pyon Juksu looked at each other's faces, dumbfounded. It was because it was something they couldn't understand either.
- Did the woman called the White Butterfly Fairy do that?
- I don't think so. To be honest, I don't know what happened either.
Pyon Juksu also said he couldn't figure out what had happened this time.
- Did I not feel it because I used too much energy? Or because my mind was on the butterflies?
- Is it possible that you didn't feel it?
- A magic that has a direct effect... no, is it a spell here? Anyway, if it's not a direct spell, it's hard to feel...
He said that since it was a spell with no harm, and he was in a state of having used up a lot of energy, he probably hadn't felt it. Even so, he said it was the work of a considerable master.
- I think I need to drink some more blood. Or make a potion quickly.
Seeing Pyon Juksu joking like that, it didn't seem to be that serious. If it had been a really serious situation, he would have been busy thinking of a countermeasure.
But the curse and this spell. It seemed there were great people in that field. Or some being that was not human. Thinking that, Mok Wigun's expression hardened slightly, and Pyon Juksu quickly sent a telepathic message.
- Don't worry. Don't you know me? It's because I overdid it a little, and my mind was on something else.
Well. What kind of being is Pyon Juksu? Since they had been together for a long time, he knew better than anyone else. As much as his pride was strong, he was a being with certain skills and abilities.
- So don't just dig into that because you're curious. You know you always make a mistake when you do that.
There had been many such experiences. Mok Wigun gave a special warning.
- It's still a time to be careful. You're also still far from regaining your original strength.
- Alright. Stop it. If I just find my real strength, I'll just...
Pyon Juksu, as if he had suddenly thought of something, sent a telepathic message.
- If we catch the thousand-year-old fire carp this time, I'll have to drink some of its blood. Since it's a spiritual creature, it should be fine.
- Oh. That would be good too.
- Right? Well, even if it's not that, if I hadn't let my guard down, I would have caught that guy who was playing tricks right away. If I had, I would have already caught that guy and beaten him up.
As the two were talking telepathically, Dan Bulseok slyly approached and spoke.
"Um. Young master. While I was scouting around looking for you, I confirmed that two groups were moving to the Flame Pond."
"Oh?"
Two days is more than enough time for that. It would have been enough for the Divine Physician Valley group to detoxify in half a day. The Mok family would also have rested for about a day and then left.
"But a fight broke out in the middle..."
That's a given. It wouldn't be strange if they fought at any time. But Dan Bulseok said something strange.
"Another group intervened in the middle, and many people died."
"Seomun Daecheol?"
"No. They were not related to the Folding Snow Valley."
(End of Chapter)