Chapter 26 :

Chapter 26

Act 4: The Bamboo-Tube Beauty (7)

“If you’re done resting, let’s get moving.”

The two stood up.

Although it was already early evening, cultivators needed only about four hours of sleep each day.

Since they had limited themselves to one week, they needed to use their time efficiently.

Yise decided to search the mountains, marking each peak on a hastily obtained map of the surrounding area.

He would begin with the shimmering spiritual energy visible through his Spiritual Eyes.

They would focus their search on the places where those hazes appeared.

After all, grotto-heavens were more likely to form where the flow of spiritual energy was abundant.

He briefly considered splitting up to search, but soon changed his mind.

If an independent cultivator they encountered happened to be hostile, having an advantage in numbers might at least make the enemy hesitate before attacking.

Thus began the fourth day of their search.

In the morning, they visited the Grand Martial Path outpost, reviewed the information Chong Sadeuk had gathered, and slept briefly.

After recovering their stamina with a short nap of approximately four hours, they spent the rest of the day searching increasingly distant mountains.

It was not physically exhausting, but the loss of cultivation time was a problem.

Unable to cultivate properly, Yise grew restless and felt as though the wasted time might drive him mad.

Unaware of Yise’s frustration, time passed mercilessly, and the fourth day ended without any results.

“We’ve come quite far. Traveling back and forth would be a greater waste of time now. Let’s camp for the remaining days and search more thoroughly. The spiritual energy throughout this area feels relatively dense.”

They had grown accustomed to traveling together.

While Yise prepared a place for them to sleep, Seol Ryeong lit a fire and prepared some fasting grain for a light meal.

“Okay. Ugh... I have a feeling we’ll spend the entire week struggling without finding anything...”

“If that happens, we’ll have to accept that it was her fate.”

“Oh. You’ve learned how to say things that sound rather Daoist.”

Seol Ryeong chuckled.

After spending the past few days together, they seemed to have grown considerably closer.

After briefly satisfying his hunger with the fasting grain, Yise assumed the lotus position.

Seol Ryeong stared silently at him.

After observing him for several days, she could only describe him as a cultivation fanatic.

Apart from the time he spent eating, sleeping, and relieving himself, he never wasted a single moment.

Whenever he had even a little spare time, he immediately began cultivating to absorb the energy of heaven and earth.

Through her Spiritual Eyes, Seol Ryeong could see that the amount of spiritual energy within him had increased considerably since they left the Grand Martial Path.

In many respects, he was a fellow disciple worth learning from.

After cultivating in a state of selflessness for some time, Yise opened his eyes, and Seol Ryeong spoke to him.

“Yise, do you like life at the Grand Martial Path?”

“It hasn’t been long enough to call it a life, but... I’m reasonably satisfied. I’m unhappy that there’s no one to instruct us, though.”

“Right. That is a problem. Leaving everyone to fend for themselves has its merits, but cultivating like this feels somewhat aimless.”

“If a sect accepts disciples, shouldn’t it clearly assign masters to them and establish master-disciple relationships? And shouldn’t those cultivating together become senior and junior disciples? That would give everyone a stronger sense of belonging and make them more closely connected. I don’t understand why they don’t do that.”

“The people above say they have no choice but to make us compete because of resource-distribution problems... But the system itself is probably related to how the Grand Martial Path was founded.”

“How the Grand Martial Path was founded?”

Yise tilted his head at Seol Ryeong’s explanation.

“The Grand Martial Path was originally formed by uniting several sects active throughout the Three Kingdoms of Bando. You could call it a kind of grand order. The Nangwol Sect, Jucheon Guild, Yeongsan Manor, and other sects to which the current Hall Masters belonged all came together. The core disciples of those individual sects preserve their respective cultures within the Eleven Inner Halls. The disciples who don’t belong to any of them are inevitably left with only minimal supervision. After all, they need an inexhaustible supply of new blood.”

“It sounds like an organization that could split apart and tear like a sheet of paper at the slightest opportunity.”

“That’s probably why it tends to bind its members through contracts and binding spells instead of genuine loyalty. I don’t like it either. It feels so cold and impersonal.”

Seol Ryeong chattered away, endlessly sharing everything she knew.

“As expected of someone from a prestigious clan. It’s helpful that you know so much.”

“...R-Right. Thank you.”

She was unused to such a direct and sincere compliment.

Seol Ryeong briefly stammered and averted her gaze.

“What kind of place is your clan?”

“The Seol Clan is...”

Seol Ryeong wore a distant, nostalgic expression before smiling playfully.

“I’ll tell you once we become closer.”

***

The sixth day of their search.

At last, Chong Sadeuk returned with meaningful information.

“We received testimony from a herbal-medicine shop in Cheongnim Village, approximately fifty li northwest of Namsangol. Someone there saw a man resembling the portrait. It was about two weeks ago. They said he looked similar but appeared to be in his fifties, so he is likely the independent cultivator you are seeking.”

Yise and Seol Ryeong exchanged glances.

If he appeared to be in his fifties, then as expected, he was probably a cultivator with mediocre or ordinary talent.

Cultivators appeared increasingly younger than their actual ages as their cultivation realms rose, and upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, they underwent a complete bodily transformation.

As Seol Ryeong had predicted, he was likely trapped at the first minor bottleneck, unable to advance his cultivation.

Even so, he was undoubtedly a cultivator in a much higher cultivation realm than the two of them, who had only just stepped into the immortal-cultivation world.

At least for now.

However, one thing was certain.

The difference between them and the unknown opponent now felt almost tangible.

Cheongnim Village was approximately twice the size of Namsangol.

They hurried directly to the herbal-medicine shop, where the physician welcomed them with a smile.

“I heard you were coming, honored Daoists.”

Chong Sadeuk placed a bundle of silver coins before the elderly physician and added that they could question him freely.

After inspecting the bundle, the physician’s smile grew noticeably brighter.

Yise repeatedly expressed his gratitude for all the material and practical assistance they had received.

“Thank you. Keep a record of your expenses, and I’ll repay you later.”

“Haha. To the Grand Martial Path, money from the secular world is no more valuable than stones lying on the ground. No matter how much I spend, the main sect will reimburse me, so please don’t concern yourself.”

So he was not spending his own money.

That was a relief.

Yise had been thinking that he would repay this debt once he became successful. He then questioned the physician.

“Do you remember what the man was wearing?”

The physician seemed reluctant to disclose information about a patient, but when Chong Sadeuk gave him a pointed glance, he immediately began recounting everything he remembered.

“I don’t think there was anything particularly unusual. He wore reasonably clean white clothing... I believe it was a loose Daoist robe like the ones you are wearing.”

Loose clothing was a typical characteristic of cultivators.

That was only natural when they needed to conceal various ritual implements throughout their garments.

“What medicinal ingredients did he purchase?”

“Let me think... I believe they were mostly mountain herbs. Houttuynia, atractylodes root, Haeum Herb...”

They received the list of medicinal ingredients, but it was difficult to determine his purpose.

A cultivator would not use ordinary restorative medicine to strengthen his body, so most of them were probably ingredients for alchemy...

However, the field of alchemy was so vast and varied that cultivators often attempted to produce something even from ordinary medicinal herbs that did not qualify as spiritual herbs.

“He still hasn’t given up on cultivating.”

“Strictly speaking, he has only lived half his expected lifespan. It may be overly optimistic, but some cultivators encounter a fortuitous opportunity late in life.”

Having already experienced one fortuitous encounter, he seemed to have continued clinging to hope.

“Do you know which direction he went after leaving?”

“I’m afraid I don’t...”

“Understood. By the way, does this shop carry Hanjung Herb?”

“Hanjung Herb? Isn’t that a poisonous plant?”

The physician looked at Yise in surprise.

“Do not question him. Simply state whether you can obtain it.”

The physician flinched at Chong Sadeuk’s interruption and nodded repeatedly.

“How much would you require...?”

Yise held up ten fingers.

“At least ten roots.”

“We can obtain some immediately, but we’ll have to ask the surrounding herbal-medicine shops for the rest. Shall I gather them for you...?”

“Please do.”

Yise readily agreed, and Chong Sadeuk interrupted once more.

“I will assign people to assist you. Have everything delivered within two hours.”

“Y-Yes.”

This man had a tendency to be somewhat excessive in his methods.

Yise acknowledged Chong Sadeuk with a glance before speaking.

“May I use your brazier and cauldron?”

The physician glanced nervously at Chong Sadeuk, his eyes darting from side to side.

Then, looking as though he might burst into tears at any moment, he nodded repeatedly.

“Why don’t we wait at the tavern across the street until the ingredients arrive? We can have a meal.”

“Yes, Cultivator Yi.”

Unlike Chong Sadeuk, who readily agreed, Seol Ryeong responded with a disgusted expression.

“You’re eating again?”

“We’re not merely going there to eat. We’re going to gather information. Kim Siwon may have visited the tavern. Even if he didn’t, tavern doors are always open, so someone there might help us determine which direction he went.”

Of course, he intended to eat as well, but Yise saw no need to mention that.

As soon as they left the herbal-medicine shop, Chong Sadeuk approached Yise and cautiously began speaking.

“Cultivator Yi, it would be better not to show ordinary mortals too much respect. I am personally grateful to receive such consideration, but you must uphold the dignity of the Grand Martial Path and its disciples so that they do not harbor improper intentions.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“You will gradually become accustomed to it. A high-ranking cultivator once told me that as one’s cultivation realm rises, ordinary mortals increasingly begin to resemble insects that do nothing but spew turbid energy.”

Chong Sadeuk laughed heartily as he entered the tavern opposite the herbal-medicine shop.

After eating their fill, they showed the portrait of the independent cultivator to the proprietress.

She did not remember the independent cultivator’s face, but she did remember a man wearing a white Daoist robe.

She said that so few people traveled in such clothing that he had remained in her memory.

“Which direction did he go?”

“Let me think. Was it this way? No, it was that way. I’m certain he went in that direction.”

The proprietress pointed northwest.

Several peaks rose prominently in that direction.

The terrain was rugged, but if they thoroughly searched from the deepest areas outward, they should be able to find him relatively quickly.

Yise thanked her, took a talisman from Seol Ryeong’s weapon pouch, and handed it over as a token of gratitude.

“This talisman will ward off misfortune.”

“This damned Daoist is accumulating virtuous karma using someone else’s talismans...”

His ability to learn was impressive in the most unnecessary ways.

Seol Ryeong grumbled.