The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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19
Woogeom Jaengpae
“Your food is here.”
The waiter placed a plate of xiaolongbao and a bowl of noodles at Woo Geom-san’s table. Two large chunks of meat sat atop the noodles.
Woo Geom-san picked up his chopsticks and spoke.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the food.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Right, let me ask you one thing.”
“Yes?”
“I overheard the misters sitting at the next table saying something about a ritual being held tomorrow?”
“Ah! The Honglian Festival?”
“Yes! The Honglian Festival.”
“Baihong Temple holds a ritual once a year.”
The waiter answered with a smile.
“A ritual at a temple? Do you mean a Ritual for the Dead?”
“That’s right. It is a kind of Ritual for the Dead. At this time of year, the pond at Baihong Temple is filled with blooming red lotuses, so it’s called the Honglian Festival.”
“It seems to be a rather grand event. Seeing how the people are anticipating it even before it begins.”
“Since you’re an outsider, you probably don’t know what the Honglian Festival means to this village. Originally, our village suffered from endless misfortune. As if cursed by the heavens, we were periodically swept up in disasters and wars, so it wouldn’t have been strange if we went under at any moment. Then the Holy Monk appeared and cleansed our village with his mighty spiritual power. Didn’t all wars and disasters vanish cleanly after that? However, that is only temporary, and he said that the village must hold a Ritual for the Dead once a year to continue enjoying peace, which is why the Baihong Festival is held.”
“So that was the reason.”
Woo Geom-san nodded his head.
In recent years, the world under Heaven had suffered from the war between the Cheonmyeong Association and the Nine Great Sects.
The power of the Nine Great Sects, which had been rooted in Jianghu for hundreds of years, went without saying, and the strength of the Cheonmyeong Association opposing them was also immense.
The war between the two giant factions inevitably brought chaos, and this village could not have escaped its sphere of influence either.
Now that the war between the two giant factions had ended, it might be natural for peace to come. However, Woo Geom-san did not bother to say such things to the waiter.
The waiter said with a laugh.
“If it’s alright with you, stay one more day before you leave. The Four Immortals of Baihong will also appear at this Honglian Festival, so it will be quite a sight to see.”
“What are the Four Immortals of Baihong?”
“They are immortals who assist at the Holy Monk’s side. They are as beautiful as celestial fairies and so kind-hearted that everyone reveres them. Just seeing their faces would make staying in the village for another day worthwhile.”
The excitement did not fade from the waiter’s face, as if he were entranced just by imagining the appearance of the Four Immortals of Baihong.
Woo Geom-san frowned at the sight of the waiter, in whom he could even sense a touch of madness.
“I’ll think about it. For now, I’m hungry, so I should eat first.”
“Yes! If possible, you must definitely stay.”
Leaving those words behind, the waiter dashed off to the kitchen.
Woo Geom-san shook his head and began to eat the food placed on the table.
The taste of the food was just ordinary.
It was so bland and flavorless that it felt as if the chef had prepared it without tasting the seasoning at all.
“Tsk!”
In the end, Woo Geom-san put down his chopsticks before even finishing half of the food.
Since his appetite was ruined, there was no reason to stay here any longer.
Woo Geom-san stood up from his seat and headed toward his room.
When he entered the room, Baek Ho-yang looked at him with puzzlement.
“Why does your face look like that? Was the food not delicious?”
“Yes! It was the worst.”
“Is that so?”
“I would have rather had a Biyogu Pill.”
“Was it that bad?”
“It seems the chef makes the food without checking the seasoning at all.”
“Haha!”
Baek Ho-yang smiled at Woo Geom-san’s grumbling.
Though they had been together for quite a while, this was the first time Woo Geom-san had complained to this extent.
‘He finally acts a bit like a child.’
Woo Geom-san was a mature child.
Perhaps because he had gone through many hardships, he was mature beyond his years, having a bit of an old soul.
Seeing such a Woo Geom-san reveal his emotions like this actually made him pleased.
“You suffered from eating tasteless food.”
“It would be better to just skip breakfast tomorrow.”
“Then we can set off at dawn.”
“Yes! Let’s do that. If we leave late, it will be chaotic because of the Honglian Festival.”
“The Honglian Festival?”
To Baek Ho-yang, who showed curiosity, Woo Geom-san relayed the story he had heard from the waiter.
“The person who presides over the Honglian Festival is called the Holy Monk?”
“Yes.”
“For a monk’s dharma name, it is quite arrogant. Performing a Ritual for the Dead once a year is also strange.”
“Right? On top of that, the Four Immortals of Baihong. Everything is suspicious.”
“How was the reaction of the villagers?”
“They seem to anticipate it a lot.”
“Then we have no reason to particularly care about it. Since the villagers are satisfied. Let us watch until tomorrow morning and decide what to do.”
“Yes!”
“Sigh!”
Baek Ho-yang let out a low sigh.
The war between the Cheonmyeong Association and the Nine Great Sects had ended, but chaos had not yet subsided under Heaven.
The existing order centered around the Nine Great Sects had collapsed and was not yet settled.
Until a new order was born and took root, this kind of chaos would continue.
Baek Ho-yang wished that the chaos would quickly be settled so that many people could live in peace.
The two shared small talk for a while before going to bed.
It was not long after they lay down on their beds.
Sssss!
Suddenly, white smoke drifted in through the gaps of the door and window.
The stark white smoke was inhaled into the noses of Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang.
After a moment, the room door opened without a sound, and a group of people entered the room.
The intruders, who entered without even wearing masks, were the middle-aged men who had been conversing in the restaurant.
Exchanging glances, they spoke.
“They’re all fast asleep.”
“As expected of the Heavenly Soul Incense.”
“Isn’t it an item specially bestowed by the Four Immortals of Baihong? Its efficacy is certain.”
“Hehe! The Four Immortals of Baihong must be waiting. Let’s take the boy quickly.”
“What should we do with the old man? Shall we just kill him?”
As a burly man with a bushy beard drew a knife from his chest, another burly man shook his head.
“If we kill him here, Zhang will be furious. Last time, he threw such a fit, complaining that it took half a day to clean up the blood stained in the inn.”
“Then we should take him to the dungeon first and kill him there.”
“That would be best.”
The two took Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang over their shoulders respectively and left the inn.
***
Woo Geom-san felt his whole body swaying.
His head was dizzy as if someone were stirring his brain with their hands, and he felt nauseous.
His hands and feet lacked strength, swaying like reeds.
He tried to open his eyes, but they would not budge, as if glued shut.
‘What happened?’
He remembered up to the point of lying down on the bed with Baek Ho-yang.
After that, he had no memory at all.
The frantic swaying of his body made it feel as if he were being moved somewhere.
Of course, not by his own will, but by someone else.
Amidst his hazy consciousness, a hypothesis came to mind.
‘Am I being kidnapped right now?’
Even when he tried to continue thinking, his mind was tangled, making it difficult.
‘First, I need to clear my head.’
At that moment, Woo Geom-san recalled the Righteous Breathing that Baek Ho-yang had taught him.
This was because his mind cleared up every time he breathed righteously.
Without forcing himself to accumulate strength, Woo Geom-san calmly continued his breathing.
At first, even breathing like that was not easy.
It was because his mind was too hazy.
Fortunately, Woo Geom-san had become so accustomed to it that he could breathe righteously without even consciously thinking about it.
As he breathed righteously, his mind cleared up little by little, and external stimuli were felt more vividly.
Someone’s conversation reached his ears.
“The boy is very handsome. The Four Immortals of Baihong will like him very much.”
“Indeed! Anyway, men and women are all the same. They like things that are young and pretty.”
“Hehe! Don’t we also like the Four Immortals of Baihong because they are beautiful? We shouldn’t talk about others.”
“True… If we offer this kid, they will bestow their grace upon us.”
“I’m looking forward to how ecstatic it will be.”
Even after that, their lewd banter continued for quite a while.
Only then could Woo Geom-san understand what the situation was.
‘So, they’re offering me to women called the Four Immortals of Baihong and intend to sleep with them?’
If it were a normal temple, there would be no reason to commit such an act.
‘It seems Baihong Temple is an Evil Cult after all.’
Then the burly man’s voice was heard again.
“You go ahead to the immortals first. I’ll come up after locking this old man in the prison.”
“Come quickly. If you’re late, there won’t even be soup left for you.”
“Can you handle it by yourself?”
“Hehe! Wait and see.”
“Stop it. If you do that, your Essence and Blood will be sucked clean and you’ll become a mummified corpse. One woman might be possible, but you can absolutely never handle two.”
“I know that too. Stop nagging and hurry up.”
“Alright.”
With that conversation, the presence of the other burly man vanished.
‘Old man? Has Grandfather been subdued as well?’
He felt a sense of relief from the fact that he was at least not the only one kidnapped.
Creak!
After a moment, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a thick scent of incense pierced his nose.
The smell of incense mainly used in temples stimulated his sense of smell.
Thud!
Subsequently, his body was roughly thrown to the floor.
A fairly large impact struck Woo Geom-san’s body.
‘Ugh!’
His entire body ached as if it were shattering, but Woo Geom-san thought it was actually for the best. The pain made his mind clearer.
At that moment, the burly man who had carried Woo Geom-san on his back shouted loudly.
“Four Immortals of Baihong. This Jiang Chonghun has brought a sacrifice for you, so please come out. Since he is young and handsome, he will definitely catch your fancy.”
“Ohoho! A young and handsome sacrifice?”
“Then he is welcome.”
At that instant, the giggling of women and a strong scent of powder were carried over by the wind.
Then, he felt someone lightly landing in front of Woo Geom-san.
In fact, two beautiful women dressed in luxurious clothes appeared before Woo Geom-san.
One was a glamorous beauty dressed in blood-red clothes, while the other was a beauty with a cold atmosphere dressed in blue clothes.
A captivating smile hung on the lips of the women who were beautiful enough to make one’s head spin.
The burly man who had kidnapped Woo Geom-san smiled, revealing his yellowish teeth.
“As expected, you are blindingly beautiful. If I can receive your grace tonight, I would have no regrets even if I die.”
“Killing you for real is nothing. If you want to die, just say the word. I’ll kill you on top of my stomach.”
“Can’t you kill me in a different sense?”
“Hoho! We’ll decide that after seeing the state of the sacrifice.”
“You will never be disappointed. He must be a top-grade product that is hard to come by lately.”
“Shall we take a look?”
The woman in red lifted the chin of the prostrate Woo Geom-san with her finger.
An exclamation broke out from her mouth involuntarily.
“Hoh! He is handsome.”
“See. I told you that you would definitely like him.”
“Good! I like him.”
“Hehe! Then the reward?”
“We will pay it right now.”
“Really?”
The burly man’s eyes widened.
His eyes were already bloodshot with anticipation.
As the woman in red untied her red belt, her clothes slid down below her shoulders, revealing her snow-white skin.
“Quickly…”
The burly man reached out and touched the woman’s bare skin.
At the feel of the skin that was soft as silk, the burly man wore an even more ecstatic expression.
The woman in red wore an even more captivating smile and brought her face close to the burly man’s face.
Just before their lips touched, a pure white current flowed from the lips of the woman in red and entered the burly man’s lips.
Instantly, the burly man’s pupils turned hazy.
“Hehe! Good. Touch me more.”
The burly man flailed his hands wildly toward the empty air. However, there was nothing for his hands to catch. It was because the woman in red had already stepped back.
Nevertheless, the burly man flailed his hands wildly and moved his hips back and forth, as if the red woman were right in front of him.
The woman in red looked at the burly man with eyes full of contempt.
“Beast-like thing. Go ahead and roll around with the illusion to your heart’s content.”
What she deployed was an evil sorcery called the Soul-Bewitching Pleasure Art.
It was an evil sorcery that allowed one to feel pleasure within an illusion.
The burly man felt as though he were actually having intercourse, but in truth, it was nothing more than an illusion.
The woman in red did not give even a glance to the burly man and looked at Woo Geom-san.
“Hoho! I will give you real pleasure. In return, offer your Essence and Blood to us.”

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