SYM 46

Ha Yeo-un’s fan moved quickly. Each time the fan moved in a dazzling manner, a harsh sound echoed. It was a sharp yet heavy sound, as if iron was clashing against iron.

Whatever was deflected from the fan fell onto the surrounding trees and ground with a clamorous noise. There was a thud, and dust rose hazily.

Eun-hyeon couldn’t even follow Ha Yeo-un’s movements with his eyes. All he could see were flashes of light each time Ha Yeo-un’s white robes rippled gently like waves.

Ha Yeo-un’s movements were extremely restrained, simple yet elegant. There was not a single unnecessary part between the smoothly connected motions, and contrary to appearances, they carried considerable power. If there had been a melody, one might have believed Ha Yeo-un was dancing.

Ha Yeo-un swung his arm widely. The white sleeve fluttered through the air, disturbing it.

After deflecting everything flying from the sky, Ha Yeo-un now took a big step forward. From Ha Yeo-un’s toes, vibrations spread, shaking the ground as if an earthquake had occurred.

Eun-hyeon instinctively raised his hands to cover his ears. Ha Yeo-un had merely stomped his foot, yet it created a shockwave like a lion’s roar.

The thick layer of soil and fallen leaves on the ground surged upward.

For a brief moment, it felt as if time had stopped around Ha Yeo-un.

Soon, as the leaves and soil fell, everything became quiet.

“What on earth…”

Eun-hyeon looked around, unable to grasp what had happened. Then he noticed leaves embedded in the trees and was startled.

When one’s martial arts reach a certain level, they can imbue anything in their hands with sword qi or sword force to use as a weapon. Even these leaves could be used like sharp blades. But there was no one in sight who could have thrown these leaves.

Could it be that they were launched using some kind of mechanical device rather than a person?

Even if the device was enhanced with the help of formation techniques, it was still astonishing.

Having assessed the situation, Eun-hyeon looked at Ha Yeo-un with a pale face.

“It doesn’t seem like there will be an immediate attack for now.”

“How did this… Good heavens, how could leaves… Were the leaves imbued with sword qi?”

“Not quite sword qi, but they were certainly infused with considerable inner force.”

“Could there be mechanical devices installed within the formation technique?”

The thought of mechanical devices being installed within the formation technique made Eun-hyeon’s head spin. The difficulty of escaping the formation technique had just skyrocketed.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s more likely that the formation technique was used to simply enhance them.”

“…Good lord. Is such a thing possible with formation techniques?”

Eun-hyeon looked around with a pale face. Trees surrounded them on all sides. The thought that all of this could suddenly attack him sent chills down his spine.

“Even with formation techniques, they can’t do this indefinitely, so there’s no need to worry too much. Even if another attack comes, I won’t let even a hair on the Eldest Young Master’s head be touched, so don’t be concerned.”

Ha Yeo-un suddenly noticed the edge of the celestial silkworm silk garment he had given Eun-hyeon before, peeking out from under his outer clothes.

It was the clothes he had given to Eun-hyeon when he rescued him after he was kidnapped. It must have been quite large on Eun-hyeon, but he was wearing it. The thought of that small Eun-hyeon wearing his clothes was both amusing and gave him an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Ha Yeo-un’s mood improved, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned upward.

Celestial silkworm silk could only be sewn by those who had learned martial arts, and special techniques were required to make clothes from it. That’s probably why Eun-hyeon couldn’t even alter the large clothes and wore them underneath instead.

Ha Yeo-un decided that as soon as this matter was resolved, he would have several sets of clothes made from celestial silkworm silk as a gift for Eun-hyeon. The silk not only protected against cold and heat but also served as armor while being lightweight, making it essential for Eun-hyeon. He regretted not having thought of it sooner.

Just then, Eun-hyeon pointed towards the mountain peak.

“Great Hero Ha. That’s the mountain peak, right? We’ve come quite far, but it doesn’t seem like we’ve gotten any closer.”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un also looked up at the mountain peak.

“Hmm. It seems that Godeok Temple is indeed at the peak. And it looks like Madam Hwang and Namgung Eun-gwang are there too.”

“…Pardon?”

Eun-hyeon looked at Ha Yeo-un in surprise.

Could he really see all the way to the mountain peak from here?

“Although the path is twisted due to the formation technique, it hasn’t actually changed the height of the mountain.”

In truth, being able to see the mountain peak wasn’t a matter of distance, but due to Cheonma’s martial arts abilities. However, he couldn’t explain that to Eun-hyeon.

“It seems we need to climb up there for now. Seeing them all gathered like that, it looks like the life gate of the formation technique is at Godeok Temple.”

“Haa…”

Eun-hyeon let out a long sigh at Ha Yeo-un’s words.

While Ha Yeo-un’s eyes might see something different, all Eun-hyeon could see was an endlessly high mountain.

Ha Yeo-un chuckled and patted Eun-hyeon’s head.

“I’ll be carrying you anyway, so why the sigh?”

“I can’t just keep being carried. You must be tired too, Great Hero Ha.”

“Eldest Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“I could carry someone of the Eldest Young Master’s size and spar all day without any problem. They seem to have been waiting for a while up there, so let’s get going.”

Ha Yeo-un beckoned to Eun-hyeon with a gesture.

“…Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Eun-hyeon swallowed his sigh and approached Ha Yeo-un.

After all, climbing the mountain or avoiding traps on his own was impossible, so being carried by Ha Yeo-un was the most practical option.

With Eun-hyeon on his back, Ha Yeo-un strode into the forest. Despite not knowing what might jump out at them, he moved without hesitation.

As they went deeper into the forest, it grew darker. Then Eun-hyeon suddenly noticed something strange. There was no sound at all. No bird calls or animal sounds typically heard in a forest – not a single sound could be heard. The realization sent a chill down his spine.

“…The forest seems too quiet.”

“It’s as if there’s no life at all.”

A forest like a tomb, with no sound except the wind. While mountains and forests were familiar places to Eun-hyeon, he had never experienced a forest like this before. It was beyond strange; it was eerily chilling.

In the past, mountains had been like home to Eun-hyeon. Even after leaving the Kunlun Sect, he had continued to live in the foothills of the Kunlun Mountains.

To think that a mountain could feel this unpleasant to someone like him.

As he looked around, Eun-hyeon unconsciously gripped Ha Yeo-un’s clothes tightly.

As Ha Yeo-un continued walking, the trees became larger and more majestic. While most of the trees at the base of the mountain had been deciduous trees just beginning to bud, the trees here were mostly straight, tall conifers.

They were so large that even craning his neck, Eun-hyeon couldn’t see their tops, giving him the feeling of being surrounded by trees.

“This place, it really feels strange. It’s weird… It feels bad.”

Overwhelmed by an inexplicable anxiety, Eun-hyeon pressed his face against Ha Yeo-un’s back.

At that moment, Ha Yeo-un flinched briefly and stopped, but he resumed walking before Eun-hyeon could notice.

“Now that we know we’re trapped in a formation technique, I can finally see the path. Even though it feels like we’re wandering through the mountains now, we’ll soon reach the peak.”

“Can’t we use light body skill? We could go much faster if we used light body skill.”

“If we go too fast, we might accidentally step on something other than the life gate. We don’t know what might happen then, so it’s better to go slowly like this.”

“…I see.”

In truth, if Ha Yeo-un had been trapped in the formation technique alone, he would have ignored all the life and death gates and broken through by force. No matter how sturdy the formation technique was, it would be helpless against overwhelming power.

Even now, the fastest way to escape this place would be to leave Eun-hyeon in a safe spot and destroy the formation technique alone.

But that was impossible with the abilities of Ha Yeo-un, a mere senior disciple of the martial world, rather than Cheonma, the leader of the Demonic Sect. He couldn’t use those abilities in front of Eun-hyeon.

Moreover, even if he left Eun-hyeon in a safe place, there was no telling what might happen while he was breaking the formation technique. So, the conclusion he reached was to slowly follow the path of life gates with Eun-hyeon.

One might think it would be frustrating to go slowly while carrying Eun-hyeon on his back, but strangely, it wasn’t.

“Are you scared? You seemed fearless when you were running around causing trouble, but this is unexpected.”

“…Who says I’m scared? I’m just a bit tired and low on energy.”

Ha Yeo-un patted Eun-hyeon’s bottom as he carried him.

For a moment, Eun-hyeon’s face reddened in disbelief, but he was too tired to protest and just rested his head on Ha Yeo-un’s back. He knew Ha Yeo-un was deliberately trying to provoke him to lift his spirits, but he really was out of energy.

Had he overestimated how much his health had improved? He felt exhausted even though all he had done was ride in a carriage for half a day and then be carried up the mountain by Ha Yeo-un. He had thought he at least had the stamina of an average person now, but that seemed to have been his own misconception.

As Eun-hyeon slumped against him, Ha Yeo-un’s steps became more careful.

“If you’re sleepy, you can close your eyes for a bit.”

“…No, I’m fine.”

Despite his words, Eun-hyeon’s body was gradually losing strength.

“You’ve been up since dawn, moving about busily, and then climbing the mountain for a while. It’s natural to be tired.”

At first, Eun-hyeon tried to keep his eyes open to avoid falling asleep, but his eyelids felt increasingly heavy.

“I… I insisted on coming along and ended up being a burden. I’m sorry.”

“If I didn’t think I could handle the Eldest Young Master, I wouldn’t have brought you along no matter what you said.”

At first, Eun-hyeon felt sorry and burdened about being carried by Ha Yeo-un, but in reality, carrying him wouldn’t be difficult for Ha Yeo-un at all.

After all, Ha Yeo-un was actually the Heavenly Demon Cheong-un of the Demonic Sect?

Thinking about it, when he was Taoist Eun-hyeon, he had carried the young Cheong-un quite often. Eun-hyeon decided to think of this as getting that favor returned. With that thought, he felt a bit more at ease.

Eun-hyeon fell asleep not long after closing his eyes.