Chapter 79
The White Butterfly Fairy had no choice but to guide Mok Wigun. The place she guided him to was a place far up a hill. After climbing up, a very wide basin unfolded before his eyes. Mok Wigun realized that the inside of the barrier was wider than he had thought.
"Do you see the water over there?"
A place that was too small to be called a lake and too large to be called a pond was visible. Still, it was a size that was difficult to call a pond. Mok Wigun decided to think of it as a small lake.
"You have to go alone from here. Because that person dislikes crowds."
The White Butterfly Fairy said that and then went back the way she had come. Mok Wigun slowly headed towards the water.
The surroundings were in full bloom with grass and flowers, and the water of the lake was a faint jade color. A warm energy enveloped his body, and a refreshing scent made him feel good.
'If there is an immortal realm, wouldn't it be similar to this place?'
It was a mysterious and beautiful landscape that made him think that. Mok Wigun soon arrived at the water's edge and was able to see the thousand-year-old fire carp.
"It's huge."
That was his first impression of the thousand-year-old fire carp. It was truly huge. The fire carp, in the shape of a red carp, was so large that its body could be compared to the single-horned great serpent.
"It seems to have lived for ten thousand years, not a thousand. The inner core must be enormous."
The fire carp was swimming leisurely and came close to where Mok Wigun was. And then it stuck its head out of the water.
The fire carp spat out a little water and then glared at Mok Wigun.
"You filthy human. By what right are you going to kill me?"
Since it's a spiritual creature, it's possible for it to speak human language. But he hadn't thought it would be so foul-mouthed. It was an interesting creature.
"I didn't say I would kill you."
"Don't lie. You were thinking of killing me. Taking my inner core means killing me and taking it."
"Well, that's true..."
The fire carp grumbled.
"Anyway, humans are all rotten. They come to kill me, who is living well, without feeling any guilt."
That seemed to be true. From the fire carp's point of view, it couldn't help but feel wronged. It hadn't done anything wrong and was just living well, but people were coming to kill it and take its inner core.
And then the fire carp went back into the water. Perhaps because it was not long before it would truly become a dragon, its body from the waist to the tail looked similar to a dragon.
"It's a bit difficult to kill it like this..."
Mok Wigun licked his lips as he looked at the lake. And after a while, the fire carp stuck its head out again.
"What a pity. If I had a little more time, I would have become a dragon..."
The fire carp muttered to itself and then made a proposal to Mok Wigun.
"Can't you just go back? Then I will repay you accordingly."
"That's a bit difficult. I need the inner core, and I don't have a very good feeling about dragons."
Mok Wigun said as he rotated his wrist. Just thinking about that dragon made him shiver. At that, the fire carp sighed as if it was greatly disappointed.
"Haa. The divination said there would be a big crisis right before I became a dragon, and it was true. Damn it. What bad luck."
The fire carp was not like a spiritual creature, but like a person. The creature suddenly got angry and then threatened.
"Do you think it will go as you wish? I'd rather destroy my inner core and kill myself than die like this."
And it flapped, and since its body was so large, water splashed in all directions. It was a creature with a bit of a temper.
"You can destroy your inner core yourself?"
"I'm right before becoming a dragon. Did you think I couldn't even do that much?"
If it really did that, it would be a disaster. Besides, as he talked with it, it was a creature that he somehow felt an affection for. He was a little reluctant to kill it. Then a good idea came to mind.
"If you're right before becoming a dragon, you must be well over a thousand years old, right?"
"What kind of question is that? A mere thousand-year-old fire carp. Ahem."
"Hmm. Then the inner core must be that big, right?"
The fire carp said as it wrapped its body with its fins.
"So you're going to kill me in the end?"
"No. Since you said you can break the inner core, I was wondering if you could break off a little."
"Huh? Break off the inner core?"
Mok Wigun nodded his head.
"Yes. If you can just break off as much as I need, I don't have to kill you."
"You want me to share my inner core?"
The fire carp rolled its eyes. A troubled expression. And it seemed a little confused.
"Not to kill me, but to share. I've lived for countless years, but I've never heard such a thing. Everyone just tried to kill me."
"But you've managed to survive even though they tried to kill you like that."
At that, the fire carp showed its ability. As the creature said something and trembled its body, the surroundings suddenly turned into a desert.
"How is it? Amazing, right?"
Mok Wigun knew that this was an illusion. But even knowing that, it felt real.
"Oh ho. The illusion art is amazing."
"Yes. I was good at illusion art. So I was able to survive until now."
The creature continued to speak with a dejected look.
"But my other abilities are poor. Probably even a peak master among you humans could kill me. It would be easier if there were many. So I've faced many crises of death."
As he was saying that, the scenery returned to normal again.
"But is it okay to tell me all this?"
"What's the point of hiding it now? No matter what you do, if that strange guy makes a move, I'll die right away."
The strange guy seemed to be referring to Pyon Juksu.
"So can you break off the inner core or not?"
"How much do you need?"
Mok Wigun thought for a moment and then thought of the fruit of the thousand-year-old flower spirit grass.
"Hmm. I think about the same amount as the fruit of the thousand-year-old flower spirit grass would be enough."
"Damn it! I have to break off a lot."
The fire carp grumbled and then answered.
"It's possible. But if I give you that much, I'll have to wait for a long time again. I've worked so hard to grow my inner core."
The creature grumbled continuously. Mok Wigun, who saw that, was about to take something out of his bosom.
"No. No. There's no need to take out a knife. I'm not saying I won't give it to you, it's just a complaint. A complaint. Well. It's better to give a little of my inner core than to die. Of course."
But what Mok Wigun took out of his bosom was not a knife.
"What's that?"
"The inner core of the single-horned great serpent."
Mok Wigun showed the inner core in the pouch.
"Wouldn't this help to replenish it a little?"
"Oh. It's an amazing inner core. That much would be a great help."
The fire carp was incredibly happy. Perhaps because it was excited, it flapped its tail, and water splashed in all directions again.
"Seeing your reaction, it seems it will be more than enough to replenish it."
"That's true. The single-horned great serpent was also a creature that had lived for a long time, so its inner core is very substantial."
"Then shouldn't you do something more?"
The fire carp hesitated for a moment and then pointed to the vicinity with its head and said.
"Hmm. There are amazing medicinal herbs here. Take them."
"What's this? The medicinal herbs are not yours."
The medicinal herbs are just blooming here. To try to get away with something like that.
"I'll take the medicinal herbs myself, so give me something else."
"Tsk. Humans are indeed cunning. What should I give you?"
The creature thought for a moment and then said.
"Alright. Then I will tell you a little about the heavenly secrets."
The fire carp hesitated for a moment and then carefully opened its mouth.
"From a while later, there will be a great drought. For the next three years."
"Hmm. That's some ambiguous information..."
"To say such a thing even after I've told you such a heavenly secret. Anyway, this is all I can tell you. What you do with it is up to you."
The value of information depends on the person who uses it. Depending on what you do, it can be incredibly valuable information. So Mok Wigun accepted it.
"Alright. I'll let it go at that. Then shall we exchange the inner cores?"
"Wait a minute. This is not as simple as breaking off a piece of dough."
"Alright. I'll wait, so tell me when you're done."
Mok Wigun sat on a nearby tree stump. As he was talking with the creature, he remembered when he had first met Pyon Juksu. Although the situation and the disposition were different, should I say the feeling was similar?
"It's a peculiar creature."
The wait was not that long. It didn't take as long as he had thought to break off the inner core.
"Alright. Here it is."
The fire carp placed what it was holding in its mouth at Mok Wigun's feet. It was a red bead the size of a child's fist.
"The size is similar to the fruit of the thousand-year-old flower spirit grass. The color is a little different."
The fruit was a bright red color. But the inner core was a light red with a pinkish hue. The energy felt was also a little different.
"Alright. Here it is."
Mok Wigun threw the inner core of the single-horned great serpent. At that, the fire carp caught it with its large mouth. And then it looked at Mok Wigun and said.
"It was a good deal. And thank you."
"I'm a person who is sure about giving and receiving."
Mok Wigun was also satisfied. If you don't show hostility first, there's no reason to harm them.
"Oh. The inner core of the single-horned great serpent. I think this is much better than I thought."
"Oh? That's a relief."
The fire carp, perhaps because it was in a good mood, flapped its tail again, and water splashed in all directions again.
"Yay. If I melt this, I can advance by a hundred years."
"Hey. You're a spiritual creature, a great being, but aren't you being too frivolous?"
The fire carp retorted, asking what he meant.
"What's wrong with being honest with my emotions? That's the natural thing. Don't worry, I'll be serious when it's time to be serious."
As expected, it was an interesting creature.
* * *
Mok Wigun, who had returned after taking the inner core, looked around. There were more people living inside the barrier than he had thought. Although he hadn't counted, it seemed there were about a thousand people. And perhaps because it was a place where the energy of heaven and earth gathered, there were an enormous number of medicinal herbs.
Even the same medicinal herb has different effects depending on where it blooms. The medicinal herbs here looked very good just by looking at them. The scent was strong, and they seemed to be full of energy.
Perhaps because everything was abundant, there were many people who were resting comfortably, and there were also many who were training in martial arts. But the level was considerable. There were hundreds of people who seemed to be at the level of a first-rate master. Mok Wigun looked around the inside of the Folding Snow Valley, amazed. At that, perhaps because she had heard the news, the White Butterfly Fairy came to find him.
"If you've finished your business, why are you still here instead of leaving?"
"I'm going to take some medicinal herbs."
"Aren't you asking for too much? If you're too greedy, you'll get into trouble."
"I'll take a moderate amount, so don't worry. And the medicinal herbs are not yours, are they?"
Mok Wigun's words were not wrong. Because the people here had not grown the medicinal herbs.
"You really have to take a moderate amount."
"Why? Is there a use for the medicinal herbs?"
"The people here also need things. Because there are also things that can only be obtained from the outside."
She said that if they needed something, they would sell the medicinal herbs to get it.
"But there are more people than I thought."
"Where is there a place to live as good as this? There are no worries and no diseases, so it's natural for the population to increase."
The White Butterfly Fairy said that it was better to have a lot of people now.
"There have been many times when the barrier was unstable and this place was almost revealed. So the more people there are to protect this place, the better."
And she muttered, as if it was a pity.
"If only the martial arts passed down during the great cataclysm a hundred years ago hadn't disappeared..."
It was the first time Mok Wigun had heard of it. Perhaps because it was so long ago, it was not in the original Mok Wigun's memory.
"A great cataclysm?"
"Don't you know about the incident that turned the martial world upside down? The most bizarre incident in the history of the martial world?"
(End of Chapter)