Chapter 22: Ximen Qing

A-Qing emerged from the cave.

The sky was ablaze with the crimson hues of sunset.

Having entered at dusk, she had spent an entire day within.

Though tempted to linger and indulge in further carnage, hunger, thirst, and the risk of exhaustion outweighed the desire.

Moreover, Jin Jangmyeong, with his delicate constitution, couldn't withstand such conditions.

Despite the aches, pains, and exhaustion, her dantian was brimming with energy, making it the perfect time to attempt another escape.

With the sun setting in the west, north was easily determined.

Her plan was to run northward, then west, and so forth, until she reached a towering mountain that could only be Mount Mu.

However, A-Qing had underestimated the mountains of Murim.

To a cultured modern Korean, a mountain was merely a large hill with gentle slopes and rounded peaks.

But in Murim, mountains were formidable obstacles, nearly insurmountable to humans.

Mount Mu was originally part of the Mu Gorge, a long stretch of river flanked by cliffs on either side.

Thus, as she journeyed between forest and field, a wall-like formation appeared, partially obstructing her view.

What's that? A mountain range?

Which one is Mount Mu?

How do I find the Divine Maiden Sect?

Do I have to search the entire mountain range?

For a moment, she felt a wave of despair.

"Hey, do you know where Mount Mu is?"

"No."

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't. Should we go there then?"

At the foot of the mountain, a cluster of black roofs came into view.

A typical Murim village.

"Ugh, those villages are never friendly."

Remote Murim villages were not peaceful havens where people lived harmoniously, their days unchanging.

The village's structure itself was a testament to this.

Perched on a hillside, the houses were built like a fortress wall, with a small castle-like structure at the top serving as both watchtower and command center.

An old Murim tradition allowed villagers to raid neighboring settlements and kidnap people when they were short-handed.

Women were paired with unattached young men, and men were forced into slavery. The treatment of slaves varied depending on the village's relationship with the captured, ranging from being treated like lower-class family to serving as mere punching bags.

Officials in nearby towns or cities would simply laugh it off, saying, "Oh, that's how things used to be. Nobody lives like that anymore."

But in remote areas, the practice persisted.

A-Qing had witnessed this shocking reality during her travels.

She slowly approached the village's main entrance.

A large gate connected the houses, essentially a fortified wall.

A young man sitting atop the gate abruptly stood up.

"Goodness! What's this? A ghost or a human?"

"I'm human."

"Would a ghost ever admit to being one?"

"Then what would they say?"

"They'd say... 'I'm a ghost.' Humph. What tricks are you playing?"

A-Qing sighed deeply.

"Enough with that. Are there any outsiders here?"

"Outsiders? None here. Who would come to a place like this?"

A-Qing felt a sense of relief.

The Black Shadows hadn't reached this far.

"Well, since I'm here now, can you let me in?"

"With that face? No way, ghost girl."

“Oh, come on… Can you at least tell me where Mount Mu is?”

“Mount Mu? Why are you looking for a place so far away? If you head that way for about two days, the tallest peak you’ll see is Maiden’s Summit. The area around there—that’s what folks call Mount Mu.”

“Oh. Maiden’s Summit.”

Divine Maiden Sect. Maiden’s Summit. The pieces fit together perfectly.

“…But, would it be alright if I rested here for just one night?”

“Tsk, you really are something.”

"Or could you spare a few cold dumplings? The child is starving."

"Huh? Is that a child on your back? Not a hunchback?"

This was the first time a Murim person had seen a K-baby carrier.

The young man's muttering reached A-Qing's ears.

"A ghost with a child is poisonous..."

Hey, why does everyone keep calling me a ghost?

Unaware of her own appearance, A-Qing gritted her teeth.

She had rolled around, been rained on, crawled through mud, and fallen into a pit.

By Murim standards, she was barely human.

But by a stroke of luck, her appearance won them over.

In Murim, people were more tolerant of ghosts than fellow humans.

They might not have food for a beggar, but they always had offerings for the Buddha.

Chasing away a human was easy, but a ghost, if offended, could haunt you for generations.

"Stay right there! I'll bring you some food."

"If you have some warm soup, that would be great. I was freezing all night."

"You want a lot!"

"Ah, and some alcohol too, if you have any."

"I'll see what I can do!"

Once the young man disappeared into the village, A-Qing released Jin Jangmyeong and collapsed on the spot.

Jin Jangmyeong naturally snuggled into A-Qing's arms.

"What? You're heavy."

"I'm cold."

"Tsk. What good is such a weak body?"

A-Qing hugged Jin Jangmyeong, resting her chin on the child's head.

"I hope they give us something delicious."

"I'm hungry."

"Me too."

At first, she wasn't bothered, but the thought of food suddenly made her stomach growl.

"Grandma, it's a ghost, a ghost! A ghost with a child!"

"A ghost, you say? Let me see. If it's a lowly ghost, let it go."

A-Qing's ears perked up.

If it's a lowly ghost, let it go.

What if it's not a lowly ghost?

A-Qing channeled her energy into her hands.

A bluish light emanated from her palms, with faint threads of energy swirling within.

Come to think of it, the terms for martial artists like swordsman, warrior, or monk didn't sound very impressive.

This self-illuminating energy was a mark of the Transcendent Realm.

The Black Shadow Association swordsman's energy was barely at the level of glow-in-the-dark stars stuck on a child's ceiling.

"Oh my, that's no ordinary ghost."

"Grandma, it's a powerful one!"

"Prepare a feast! If we please it, it might protect our village. And warn the children! If they stare too long, they might get possessed. Lock them in their rooms."

Wow, this is working.

A-Qing smiled with satisfaction.

The result was, for the most part, satisfactory.

Though she wasn't sure if sticking chopsticks in the rice bowl like incense was meant to help her ascend to heaven.

A mountain of rice with pickled vegetables.

And more pickled vegetables to go with the pickled vegetables.

The hot fish soup was perfect for her cold and empty stomach, warming her from the inside out.

With her hunger somewhat sated, A-Qing sipped the cloudy alcohol served in a bowl.

She didn't understand the concept of drinking with meals.

To her, food was food, and alcohol was alcohol.

Because of the supposed ghost child, they had even included a few baked treats, which Jin Jangmyeong munched on from within her arms.

But something else caught Jin Jangmyeong's eye, more so than the alcohol bowl moving up and down.

"Your hand... Is it okay?"

"It's not not okay."

The two dangling fingers had been somewhat fixed. They were swollen and immobile, but at least they weren't flopping around.

Jin Jangmyeong pondered for a moment before speaking.

"So it's not okay..."

"Correct. It hurts like hell. But I have so many other places hurting at the same time that it doesn't really register."

Her thigh had a hole in it, and the stitched wound on her arm had reopened, oozing blood. The mud seeping into her cuts and bruises was incredibly irritating.

Every joint ached, and her hair was gritty with dirt.

Ironically, being in such a state brought her a strange sense of peace.

It was like the carefree attitude of those reservist soldiers.

The reason they could fall asleep anywhere, with the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed, when wearing their uniform, was probably due to this same logic.

As she relaxed with a full stomach, darkness enveloped the surroundings.

A-Qing wrapped Jin Jangmyeong up again.

What would take a villager two days to travel would take A-Qing less than half a day of running.

If she went slowly, she should arrive around dawn.

Then, she just had to head for the highest peak.

"We should arrive around dawn. Go to sleep, little baby. You need to sleep well to become beautiful, but I think you need to sleep all day long."

“What are you even saying? If that’s the case, then you[^In Korean, "unni" is used by a female to refer to an older sister or a close female friend.] should just hibernate through the whole winter.”

A-Qing flinched.

That was a name she had never been called before.

She could feel Jin Jangmyeong fidgeting on her back.

Although she couldn't see the child's expression, as even a martial artist couldn't turn their head completely backwards.

But she could tell—it was a question in itself.

Asking if it was okay to call her that.

The term ‘sister’ wasn’t exactly fitting for a man, but in more modern times, even men sometimes jokingly used it with each other.[^ In some East Asian cultures, it’s not uncommon for close male friends to use feminine terms like ‘unni’ (언니, older sister) or ‘noona’ (누나, older sister for males) in a playful or teasing way. This isn’t a common practice in Western cultures, so the nuance may feel unusual.]

A-Qing let out a small chuckle.

What did it matter? They were fated to travel together to the Divine Maiden Sect anyway.

It’s not like some miracle would happen once they arrived—like this sickly kid suddenly getting better and becoming a full-fledged companion.

Once she delivered the child, who knew when they would meet again?

"Go to sleep. And don't drool on my back."

The pitch-black sky had turned navy.

Birds chirped.

Though still below the horizon, the sun's presence dominated the dawn.

She had been worried about overshooting the destination during the night.

But upon seeing Divine Maiden Peak, she realized it was a needless worry. With its towering height, there was no way she could miss it.

But seriously, how do I get up there?

It was less of a Divine Maiden Peak and more of a Divine Maiden Tower.

A tower rising high on the mountaintop.

Barely half of the visible mountain was covered in greenery.

The rest was composed of vertical, gray cliffs.

Still, she thought there must be a path if people lived there, so she continued searching for a trail.

Rounding a corner at the edge of the mountain, she came across a valley nestled between two ridges.

There was a path, hardened by the constant passage of people and oxcarts.

And at the end of that path stood two people.

That Shin Chang? Something clan's... someone.

She hadn't bothered to remember his name.

And a ninja she couldn't stand the sight of.

A-Qing saw them, and immediately, they saw her.

Nietzsche's words echoed in her mind: When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.