I was led by people into a house in the village. People with white cloth wrapped around their heads surround the house.
Considering there was a call to summon a Taoist earlier, I won’t be in here for long.
I obediently go inside and wait.
The inside of the house is really nice. But while traces of people living here remain, it’s a well-maintained house judging by how clean it is in every corner.
As I sit in a chair, the person presumed to be in the highest position sits across from me. And he has his subordinate bring something to drink.
It seems he’s going to start a conversation.
“You said you’re going to Mount Kunlun. For what reason are you going?”
It’s an interrogation.
Hmm. What should I do?
There’s no reason to bother good people. Then, I should create a reason, right?
I took out the Demon-Suppressing Sword from my bosom.
“This is a treasure called Demon-Suppressing Sword. When you infuse qi, a blade of light and heat comes out. I can’t use it, so I’m trying to take it back to where it originally belongs.”
With those words, I can see the gazes of the people around fixating on the treasure.
“A treasure, you say?”
The man in front stutters and examines the Demon-Suppressing Sword I took out closely.
So I decided to explain in detail.
“It’s a weapon where a sword of light shoots out from this part. So they repeatedly warned that when infusing qi into the user, you should avoid this area. Even the Taoist named Hwangbo Cheon just before touched his skin a few times while drawing the blade.”
Well, since I have some of Hwangbo Cheon’s memories, I can speak as if I know all this. My words are implying a certain fact right now.
That I might actually be someone related to Taoists?
This is an illusion that will disappear when the Taoist arrives, but it’s useful for now. The gazes of people looking at me have softened tremendously right away.
“Would you like to try using it?”
At those words, the man in front’s eyes widened.
“Oh my, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Yu Daejeong, the head of the Southern Mount Heng Sect. May I ask for your name, miss?”
Seeing him immediately become polite, he must be very interested in weapons.
The swordsmen inside sparkle with lustful memories saying they can’t resist curiosity.
“I’m called Choseol.”
As I said that, I handed the treasure to him.
The man who carefully received it examines the object with an expression full of curiosity. So I gave a warning.
“That part. Think of flames shooting out from there. If you make a mistake, you could die, so be careful of the position if you’re thinking of infusing qi.”
Yes. In other words, it means you can use the weapon if you carefully infuse qi into that part. It’s also words tempting him to try it.
After hearing my words, the man hardened his expression, then carefully aimed the direction where the blade comes out towards the ceiling.
And.
Woong.
A bright red blade of light, shorter than the one Hwangbo Cheon used, shoots out.
“Ooh.”
“Is that, a treasure?”
“A sword of fire…”
People who had been subtly focusing around also leave their impressions.
“Would it be alright to swing it once?”
Unfortunately, there’s no greed visible in his expression. Rather, a face full of curiosity like a boy’s.
Ah.
It’s disappointing.
Since it’s not my weapon anyway, I nodded.
Suppressing his excitement by force, but with steps that couldn’t fully suppress it, Yu Daejeong went outside holding the Demon-Suppressing Sword and swung it.
Like in the classic space opera works the man in the faded memories knows, light dances here and there leaving afterimages.
The gazes of people here are drawn towards the sword as if being sucked in.
Among them, several.
While remembering the faces of people whose desire is glistening, I quietly drank tea.
After performing sword dances for a while, the man returned with sweat all over his body but a bright face and placed the Demon-Suppressing Sword in front of me without hesitation.
“It was a good experience. Miss Choseol. But this object seems a bit too much for humans to use. However, how could you hand over such an item so lightly? What if I had stolen it?”
I have no intention of lying. But I can tell only part of the truth.
“Aren’t you on the same side as the Taoists?”
They are on the same side, but there’s no guarantee there won’t be problems. Strictly speaking, humans and immortals are different groups.
“Miss Choseol would do better to be a little more suspicious of people.”
“I trust people.”
When I refuted, Yu Daejeong gave a bitter smile. Then he looks at me with eyes seeing an ignorant child.
“I hope that heart lasts long. Well then, rest there until the Taoist arrives.”
Yu Daejeong took everyone inside out with him. As soon as they went out, people ask how the treasure was, calling out “Sect Leader”.
The sound of Yu Daejeong explaining his impressions of using the weapon in an excited voice can be faintly heard even after the door closes.
I picked up the Demon-Suppressing Sword.
In a world like this, famous swords bewitch people. I can already see several people intoxicated by that poison. I wonder how much they can resist?
I don’t think all people are morally excellent.
Even if there are strict rules, if there are many people, at least one will surely have desire surpass reason.
So I easily hung the Demon-Suppressing Sword on my waist and lay down in the room.
Even if not in this world, there are still harvesters remaining in other worlds, so I’m not bored.
And I’m also curious how helpful the compressed information called One Stroke Heavenly Demon Divine Technique that Heavenly Demon left will be. So I sent that information to those who could receive it.
A very short memory that’s not even a quarter of a quarter of the memory Eunjae knew.
How efficient will it be?
I send it little by little, expecting how good the results will be.
* * *
While spending time like that, the murmuring sound outside grows louder.
It’s later than I thought. I arrived in this village in the morning, but the sunset is visible through the window. And many people have gathered.
They’ve come.
I got up and went to where we talked earlier to wait. Not long after I sat down, a group of people opened the door and came in.
But none of them are carrying equipment like treasures.
They’re just people with white cloth tied around their heads. In other words, Murim Alliance people.
“This person… We’ll take them to Kunlun ourselves.”
Did they realize I’m related to harvesters as soon as they saw me? Someone who’s seen my face before? For that, there’s not enough hostility.
Next to him stands the middle-aged man called Yu Daejeong I saw earlier. He asks with a frown.
“Vice Leader of the Five Mountains Sect. When the Southern Mount Heng Sect joined the Five Mountains Sect, didn’t you say the Southern Mount Heng Sect’s autonomy would be guaranteed?”
“I’m sorry. I’d like to do that too, but orders came down from Kunlun to send all living prisoners to Kunlun, and the Murim Alliance Leader accepted it.”
Surprisingly, they both seem to strongly dislike Taoists.
Well, it’s not someone they don’t know well, and it’s unpleasant to have something that’s not human controlling you.
“How can immortals interfere in human affairs like this…”
“What can we do. But without the immortals, it would have been difficult to bring down the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. You didn’t see Heavenly Demon’s last moments yourself, did you?”
Oh ho.
It seems the man called Vice Leader of the Five Mountains Sect was there when Heavenly Demon died.
Well, since this characteristic hair color is completely identical, if he killed harvesters there, or saw them being killed, he could immediately distinguish them.
So that’s how I was discovered.
“I glimpsed the form of the Martial God the elder spoke of. I understood why Oh Myeongseong had such a fit when he was tainted by demonic energy. It was truly admirable martial might.”
The man who said that glares at me.
“So if there’s anyone with even a little demonic energy, we must remove that sprout. We must not let anyone use demonic energy again.”
The one called Vice Leader of the Five Mountains Sect ordered people to take me away.
The men who rushed in subdued me as I was and tied me up tightly with ropes.
This isn’t bad in its own way.
I don’t need to walk far, they’re taking me there, right?
Above all, I don’t think I can properly get there on my own.
“And we should properly take care of this.”
The Demon-Suppressing Sword that bounced out from my waist when I fell. The Vice Leader of the Five Mountains Sect grabs and holds it.
I read people’s expressions well.
Countless memories. Especially memories of people who have experienced the worst situations immediately recognize the expressions of people with bad intentions.
Because it’s the face that comes to mind at the moment of falling into despair.
Yes.
It’s glistening with desire.
The gap in technology.
Is there any reason not to take it when an opportunity to get a better item has arisen?
The only unfortunate point is that there’s a high chance I’ll become a non-existent person on the way there.
Even if not the Murim Alliance, it’s impossible for someone in the position of vice leader of a huge group belonging under them not to know that various information has been extracted from people who entered Kunlun.
Jung Jaewoo and Byeongil’s final moments. I saw the people around through their light.
There were people watching memories extracted from souls with something like holograms.
Not everyone present was an immortal or Taoist. Because there were people who were astonished by the technology.
This person doesn’t seem to have been there then, but such stories are difficult to keep to oneself.
Still, thinking it would be nice if they let me off at as close a place as possible, I obediently let myself be dragged away.
As I’m being dragged along the ground, Yu Daejeong looks at me with a gloomy face and mutters.
“I’m sorry.”
What is he sorry about?
To feel guilty in a situation where I’m almost certainly a criminal. He’s too good of a person.
He’s not someone who will become great.
“Do trivial things in the mountains.”
He made an extremely pained expression at my words.
No, I didn’t particularly say it to make him hurt.
I said it so it would sound like that since there are many people here, but.
Looking at the vice leader, it’s difficult for good things to happen.
At least until I go to Kunlun, it’s better for good people to remain in a good state.
Those who would consider me to have sufficient value for use are those who are faithful to their own desires.
But those with clear goals are a bit tricky.
Rather than that, people who have compromised a little more with desire are better. Those who can’t do excessively horrible things for their own benefit, but can easily ignore trivial things.
Just about that much.
I was loaded onto a completely broken carriage. Looking around, there are quite a lot of people who look like that.
Clatter.
The carriage moves.
How long will it take to Kunlun like this?
I leisurely rest in the carriage.