I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 6

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

06.
Jin Mun, Yang Ja-han’s master, furrowed his brow at the refusal that came without a moment’s hesitation.
“Now, about my reputation….”
“I’m only having this conversation with you out of respect for that reputation, am I not?”
Had it not been Jin Mun blocking Baek Un-jin’s path, Yang Ja-han would not have survived.
Jin Mun crossed his arms and exhaled deeply.
“Your senior’s disciple attempted to murder my disciple.”
“Could it not have been an accident?”
“Are you jesting?”
What Yoo Yeon-seo had named ‘Gureum’ was a fragment of Baek Un-jin’s guardian spirit, Unmong.
Had Unmong not intervened, Yoo Yeon-seo would have lost her life to that first strike.
That attack was unmistakably infused with killing intent.
“Why make such a fuss over a single disciple? You, who have so many.”
Unlike Baek Un-jin, who had only Yoo Yeon-seo as a disciple, Jin Mun’s disciples numbered in the hundreds.
He employed a method of pitting his disciples against one another, transmitting his power only to those who distinguished themselves in the competition.
“I apologize, but just as you cherish that disciple, I have reasons I cannot abandon.”
“I see.”
Baek Un-jin stepped forward, refusing to back down.
Baek Un-jin was a prodigy who had ascended to the Yuanyingji realm at merely eighty years of age and become an elder of the Jeongmun Paldae.
Even Jin Mun was not an opponent he could easily defeat.
The atmosphere grew tense.
I staggered to my feet and hastily grasped Baek Un-jin’s sleeve.
“Were you planning to kill him?”
“He attempted to kill you.”
“That’s true, but….”
I glanced furtively at Yang Ja-han, who still could not lift his head.
It was true I nearly died, but in the end, I did not.
‘This is difficult.’
Though he had tried to kill me, Yang Ja-han was the protagonist of the Cheonmyeong Suseonggi.
In terms of the narrative progression, we were still only in the early chapters, and having the protagonist die because of me seemed wrong.
‘Who knows what would happen if Yang Ja-han died by Baek Un-jin’s hand!’
The Cheonmyeong Suseonggi still contained numerous unresolved incidents and calamities.
Regardless of whether Yang Ja-han tried to kill me, as the protagonist, he had duties to fulfill!
After deliberating at length, I finally opened my mouth.
“Still, I don’t think killing is necessary. I’m unharmed, after all.”
I could not know why Yang Ja-han had tried to kill me.
But that did not mean it had to become a reason for him to die by Baek Un-jin’s hand.
More than anything, judging by his master’s reaction, it seemed certain that Yang Ja-han would receive some form of punishment regardless.
If he was to be punished, that would suffice.
“Consider yourself fortunate.”
Baek Un-jin stroked my head before turning his body to the side.
Fortunately, his anger seemed to have subsided somewhat.
“Hmm, I apologize for this trouble. I’ll handle this matter cleanly—.”
“Let’s settle this with a Fated Name Tablet.”
“You!”
“Otherwise, we can pretend this conversation never happened.”
“I only have two Fated Name Tablets myself. Isn’t this asking too much, even so?”
“I will accept no further compromise.”
Jin Mun groaned under Baek Un-jin’s resolute stance.
Though he looked down at Yang Ja-han with displeasure for causing this trouble, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon him, muttering something under his breath.
‘I suppose that’s true.’
Yang Ja-han was a Void-type Heavenly Root Bearer who had entered the Wuji Xuanmen for the first time in fifty years.
Since the Void type was a special root, their numbers were scarce, and it was even rarer to be born with a pure Void-type Heavenly Root.
In the original work, there was even a description of heated disputes among the upper echelons over who would become Yang Ja-han’s master.
Having taken in a disciple with such difficulty, there was no way Jin Mun would abandon him over something like this.
Whether Baek Un-jin threw this at Jin Mun knowing Yang Ja-han’s value or not, I couldn’t say.
“Ugh, fine.”
“Give it to me right now.”
“In exchange, let’s pretend this incident never happened between us.”
Baek Un-jin nodded slightly, reluctant but agreeing to do so.
Before his words even finished, Jin Mun pulled out an old name tablet from his waist pouch and tossed it with a flick.
The name tablet traced an arc through the air and landed perfectly in Baek Un-jin’s hand.
“Master.”
A Fated Name Tablet, when possessed, would automatically activate in a moment of mortal danger and twist one’s fate.
Since that fate could be trivial or life-saving, it was treated as the highest-grade treasure among all dharma treasures.
Yang Ja-han, understanding the value of the Fated Name Tablet, bowed his head deeply.
“That’s enough. We’ll discuss the details when we return.”
“…Yes.”
He turned and cast a glance back at me.
Though the matter was resolved, his gaze toward me remained unchanged.
‘Hmph! Serves you right.’
I stuck my tongue out at Yang Ja-han.
What kind of protagonist acts so unpleasantly?
How irritating.
Yang Ja-han and Jin Mun mounted their flying swords and vanished in an instant.
Once the two disappeared, the tension drained from me.
Baek Un-jin caught me as I swayed.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m just feeling a bit dizzy.”
Baek Un-jin bent down and brought his hand to my forehead.
A blue light seeped from my fingertips, spreading across my entire body.
The wounds where the light touched healed rapidly.
The bodies of cultivators are different from ordinary people.
A high-ranking cultivator could easily mend even severed limbs using life-nurturing techniques.
However, unlike self-healing life-nurturing methods, the number of cultivators capable of using life-nurturing arts to heal others was not particularly large.
‘The Chingwoo Immortal Sect’s cultivation methods naturally lean toward that discipline.’
Baek Un-jin possessed considerable skill in life-nurturing arts.
I suspected that my survival was perhaps due to that very reason.
“How is it now?”
“It seems much better!”
As I smiled at the fully healed wounds, Baek Un-jin gently stroked my head.
Before I could say anything, he lowered himself and lifted me up, cradling my back with his other arm.
Perhaps due to the height difference, my body suddenly felt weightless as it rose.
Nestled in Baek Un-jin’s embrace, I blinked.
“Just because your wounds have healed doesn’t mean you aren’t exhausted. Rest for a while.”
Baek Un-jin’s embrace was warm and comforting.
On the way back, Baek Un-jin collected the merchants’ bodies, informed other merchants in a nearby village of their location, and recovered all the silk brocades they had been transporting.
Considerate of my condition, he didn’t use a flying vessel on the return journey, instead flying quietly using sword techniques.
Cradled in his arms, I asked something that had been on my mind.
“But what happened to the merchants?”
“I thought they were vengeful spirits, but it seems they were attacked by malevolent ghosts.”
The merchant caravan had cultivators serving as escorts, but they apparently lacked the strength to face malevolent ghosts.
I silently prayed that the deceased would find peace.
“Oh, Gureum!”
I hastily retrieved the forgotten Gureum from my embrace.
What if it had perished?!
The creature that had been pierced with a large hole was perfectly intact, restored to its original state.
“Huh? It’s healed?”
As if understanding my words, it approached my cheek and rubbed against me.
“Since it has no physical form to begin with, the wound probably wasn’t as severe as it appeared.”
Guardian spirits persist as long as their master’s spiritual power endures, though they can be dispersed—they don’t easily perish.
“That’s a relief. I wish I had a guardian spirit like that too…. Mmm.”
As I began to nod off drowsily, Baek Un-jin chuckled softly and answered.
“When fate aligns, you will have one. Don’t worry about it too much.”
“Okay….”
With that reply, I fell asleep almost immediately, nestled securely in his embrace.
***
The Fabric Shop Owner expressed his condolences upon hearing that merchants transporting Cheonryul silk had been killed in an attack by vengeful spirits.
“I will create your disciple’s wing garment as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you.”
Baek Un-jin called out to me as I examined the silks.
I scurried over to Baek Un-jin from the corner where I had been standing.
“Choose one of the silks here that appeals to you, then try infusing it with your spiritual power.”
“Yes!”
I selected a silk that caught my eye and infused it with my spiritual power.
Remarkably, the silk’s color transformed from its original gray hue.
After ceasing the infusion of spiritual power, I slowly examined the color of the silk in my grasp.
“Oh, this? It’s a color I haven’t seen in quite some time.”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————