Almighty God of War - Chapter 118
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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118
Early the next morning, the Yeom Estate was shrouded in a veil of thin mist.
Guyang Cheongang, with the Supreme Sword at his waist, mounted his glossy black horse and departed from the Yeom Estate.
He was still wearing Hahou Gang’s human skin mask.
He planned to maintain this face until he completed the Emperor’s command.
He had a simple travel bundle strapped to his back, and in his chest pocket were the Nine Dragon Divine Talisman and two Laughing Buddha statue pieces given by the Emperor.
“Young Master, please be careful.”
Shangguan Wana’s voice was filled with worry.
Seeing her eyes slightly reddened, it seemed she had stayed awake all night.
“Young Lady, don’t worry. I’ll return safely in good health.”
Yeom Pung held the horse’s bridle and spoke solemnly.
“Young Master, no matter what happens, don’t overdo it. Remember that nothing is more precious than life.”
“I’ll keep Great Hero Yeom’s words in mind.”
When Guyang Cheongang pulled the reins, the horse moved forward vigorously.
Clop-clop- Clop-clop-
Glancing back, the figures of the Yeom Estate, Shangguan Wana, and Yeom Pung grew distant.
Guyang Cheongang turned his head to gaze ahead.
The shorter the sentiment about farewells, the better.
Arriving at the Imperial Capital West Gate, Guyang Cheongang witnessed an unexpected scene.
About a hundred paces from the city gate, under the shade of a zelkova tree by the roadside, stood a handsome young man in silk robes.
It was Yeon Sahyeok from Geumsan-ru.
This time there were no chairs or tables.
Like when they first met, only two elders stood behind him like mountains.
As Guyang Cheongang looked down from his horse, Yeon Sahyeok smiled warmly and greeted him first.
“Prince Hahou, how are you?”
Guyang Cheongang’s gaze from atop his horse turned coldly serious.
“Young Master Yeon, what brings you here so early in the morning?”
Guyang Cheongang’s tone was polite, but wariness seeped through.
Encountering Yeon Sahyeok near the place where he was supposed to meet Hanjo and Pung Socheong was too coincidental to be mere chance.
“I heard you were departing on a long journey. I wanted to see you off.”
Despite looking up, Yeon Sahyeok maintained his leisurely expression.
Guyang Cheongang clicked his tongue inwardly.
The information network of Geumsan-ru, considered the best among the great merchant guilds, truly lived up to its reputation.
“For someone like Young Master Yeon to come out personally for someone like me, this is quite an excessive send-off.”
“Excessive? Aren’t you a benefactor of the Imperial family?”
“I heard Geumsan-ru’s situation hasn’t been favorable lately, yet Young Master Yeon seems quite leisurely despite that.”
Guyang Cheongang’s words carried subtle thorns.
That Geumsan-ru was in a difficult position after the Second Prince incident was an open secret in the Imperial Capital.
A minute tremor flickered in Yeon Sahyeok’s eyes but disappeared immediately.
“No matter how busy I am, I can’t fail to see off a friend who’s departing on a long journey.”
“Were we friends?”
“I think of it that way.”
“What would you do if His Majesty the Second Prince were to return?”
“That’s something to think about when the time comes.”
“It’s confusing when friend and foe are unclear.”
“In the merchant world, there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends.”
“You live quite comfortably.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Well, think whatever you like.”
“Thank you.”
A bitter expression briefly crossed Yeon Sahyeok’s lips.
Guyang Cheongang clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘This bastard, what’s his scheme?’
[Doctor, I’m detecting tension in Yeon Sahyeok’s biosignals. He appears relaxed on the surface but seems inwardly anxious.]
Yeon Sahyeok took something out from his sleeve.
It was a bracelet made of some unidentifiable black metal.
It seemed to absorb all the surrounding light as if crafted from darkness itself.
And the mysterious patterns carved on its surface were so intricate they almost seemed to writhe alive.
It was no ordinary object.
Yeon Sahyeok spoke.
“I’d like you to accept this.”
“What is it?”
“A token of friendship, you could say. If you carry this bracelet, you’ll receive the same treatment as me at all Geumsan-ru establishments.”
Yeon Sahyeok continued his explanation.
“At taverns, inns, and tea houses, up to ten companions can use them for free, up to a thousand silver nyang can be used immediately, and up to a hundred thousand nyang can be arranged interest-free.”
Guyang Cheongang’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s quite a burdensome gift.”
“Don’t feel burdened. It’s merely a sincere token of friendship.”
“They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
At Guyang Cheongang’s direct words, Yeon Sahyeok gave a bitter smile.
“Well, here it is.”
He continued without lowering his hand.
“Aren’t you already someone who saved the Imperial family? Maintaining a connection with such a person is itself a great honor for me.”
[Doctor, this bracelet’s material is very unique. It’s similar to the Supreme Sword, and it’s a substance that doesn’t exist in any of my databases. The surface patterns aren’t simple either. Some secret is hidden within. Yeon Sahyeok seems to have no idea of this object’s true value.]
Hearing this, Guyang Cheongang no longer declined and accepted the bracelet.
“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”
Taking the bracelet, Guyang Cheongang felt an indescribable strange sensation. But he couldn’t find anything particularly unusual.
‘Was it my imagination…?’
He said.
“I’ll use it well.”
“I’d be grateful if you do.”
A smile appeared on Yeon Sahyeok’s face.
He smiled with satisfaction as if he had already achieved his purpose.
‘Hahou Gang… one who has the absolute trust of the Emperor and Crown Prince. Since we don’t know what might happen in the future, it’s not bad to create a connection in advance.’
Yeon Sahyeok knew this bracelet was a mysterious artifact that had been sleeping in Geumsan-ru’s treasure vault for hundreds of years.
He didn’t know its exact purpose, but he was certain it was no ordinary object.
He judged that a gift of this caliber would help maintain his relationship with Guyang Cheongang and brought it along.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. Have a safe journey.”
“Young Master Yeon, stay well too.”
After Yeon Sahyeok bowed in farewell, he turned his steps toward the center of the Imperial Capital with the two elders.
Guyang Cheongang kept looking down at the bracelet until his retreating figure disappeared into the morning mist.
[Doctor, Yeon Sahyeok has completely moved away. Now let’s go find Hanjo and Pung Socheong.]
‘We should. But this bracelet… it really seems like there’s something to it… Akasha, analyze it and tell me the results.’
[Understood.]
Guyang Cheongang put the bracelet on his left arm and headed to the location.
After riding about ten li outside the Imperial Capital West Gate, Guyang Cheongang met Hanjo and Pung Socheong at the appointed place.
Both had brought horses and were waiting for him.
Pung Socheong spoke.
“Let’s depart. Gwimun Mountain is over five hundred li away, not an easy distance.”
The three immediately turned their horses and began riding toward Ghost Valley Village.
The four-day journey was filled with silence.
During the day they rode without rest, and when night came they camped at suitable places.
On the night of the third day, the group finished their evening meal with dry rations and sat around a campfire.
The three gazed at the campfire flames, lost in thought.
An Eastern Bureau inspector, a Hao Gate Branch Master, and a mysterious physician of unknown identity.
None of them spoke first.
They could hardly be called companions yet.
Though they shared a common goal, it was a strange companionship with different hidden intentions within.
Suddenly Hanjo broke the silence.
“We’ll reach Gwimun Mountain tomorrow. From there we’ll need to be careful.”
Pung Socheong nodded.
“It’s been a place of ominous rumors for over a hundred years. There are also stories that few who entered Soul Loss Valley ever returned properly.”
On the afternoon of the fourth day, Gwimun Mountain came into their view.
Even at first glance, it was a mountain that gave an extraordinary feeling.
The entire mountain was shrouded in gray clouds so the summit wasn’t visible, and the foothills were thickly covered in dense fog.
The moment they entered Gwimun Mountain, even the air changed.
Unlike other mountains, a deathly silence pervaded where not even a single bird song could be heard.
In the sunless forest came a damp, fishy smell of earth, and whenever the wind blew, tree branches collided making eerie sounds.
The trees were all grotesquely twisted.
They looked like soldiers who had died in agony, frozen in their final moment of reaching toward the sky.
It was a chilling sight.
‘Akasha, can you analyze this ominous energy?’
[Already analyzing, Doctor.]
Akasha calmly reported the analysis results.
[High concentrations of ‘evil qi particles’ are detected in the soil and atmosphere of this area. It’s a type of ‘mental contaminant’ that can directly affect the minds of living beings. Prolonged exposure is dangerous.]
Guyang Cheongang’s eyes deepened.
‘Evil qi… I felt uneasy from the moment I first saw this place…’
The path leading to Soul Loss Valley was said to have originally been a well-maintained official road.
But after human traffic ceased following the great battle over a hundred years ago, it had now transformed into a narrow trail covered with shrubs and vines.
Following the path that had narrowed so much that two horses couldn’t pass side by side, the three rode in single file.
After advancing another fifty li, a massive gorge revealed itself before the group.
It was Soul Loss Valley.
The closer they got to the gorge, the stronger the ghostly energy became, and they could feel an indescribably eerie evil qi and yin energy.
Even the horses grew anxious and slowed their steps.
[Doctor, the evil qi concentration is rapidly increasing. It’s at a level that could sufficiently affect someone with weak mental fortitude.]
‘Hmm…’
Guyang Cheongang looked back.
Contrary to his concerns, Hanjo and Pung Socheong had calm expressions, seemingly unaffected by the evil qi.
Guyang Cheongang asked.
“How does this compare to when you came before?”
Pung Socheong slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows and answered.
“The evil qi seems thicker. It’s definitely stronger than when I first came.”
Following her, Hanjo added.
“Young Master, I think we need to be careful. Something has changed in the meantime.”
As the sun began to tilt westward, they arrived before a hill where a small village stood.
About twenty thatched houses were clustered together along the hillside slope.
The rooftops were woven with silver grass and straw, and the walls were roughly plastered with mud and wood.
Narrow dirt paths wound between the houses, and traces of small vegetable gardens could be seen here and there.
Hanjo pointed to the village and spoke in a low voice.
“That place is Ghost Valley Village.”
No sound whatsoever came from the village.
No cooking smoke, no children’s laughter, not even a single dog’s bark.
This was said to have been a poor slash-and-burn farming village where people gathered medicinal herbs and grew potatoes and sweet potatoes to survive.
But now, as if the entire village had become one giant tomb, only an eerie silence greeted them.
Guyang Cheongang’s eyes turned coldly serious.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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