Chapter 129
Swish!
Dang Yejun’s body shook violently.
With that blow, he could no longer move.
After hesitating for a moment, Dang Yejun slowly crumpled to the ground.
“Haah.”
A long sigh escaped Yerin’s lips.
Thud!
She had no strength left to stand.
Yerin leaned against her sword, which she had planted in the ground, propping herself up at an angle.
Today, Yerin had lost her father and brother.
But she did not cry.
Instead, she bit her lips until they bled, staring down at the lifeless body of her fallen brother for a long time.
The wind swept in.
Her hair and the hem of her clothes, matted with blood and flesh, swayed heavily.
Yet Yerin did not move a muscle.
How much time has passed like that?
“Madam.”
At the sound of her name being called, Yerin slowly lifted her head.
Doyul was quietly looking at her.
“…Doyul.”
A hoarse voice escaped her parched lips.
Doyul didn’t ask if she was alright or how she felt.
He already knew her inner turmoil.
Despite their flaws, the Dang Clan leader and Dang Yejun were the only blood relatives Yerin had.
If he couldn’t fathom the depth of her sorrow, he wouldn’t be human.
“You did well.”
So Doyul simply reached out and patted Yerin’s shoulder.
A slow smile spread across Yerin’s dry face.
“Thank you.”
Tap.
Yerin rested her head against Doyul’s shoulder.
Doyul wrapped his arms around her tightly.
“Really… it’s been an incredibly long day.”
With that whispered remark, all the strength drained from Yerin’s body.
Overwhelming fatigue washed over her.
Her eyelids felt heavy as if weighed down by lead.
But at this moment, what troubled Yerin the most was not her exhaustion…
It was the emptiness as if her heart had been hollowed out.
9. Scattered Like Snowstorms
Yerin and Doyul had been gravely ill for several days.
It was due to the series of intense battles they had faced.
However, Yerin had been bedridden longer than Doyul, and there was a hidden reason for this.
About a week ago.
“Somi, I need to talk to you.”
– ‘Why are you calling me?’
“That contaminated land…”
Yerin had secretly summoned Millennium Ice Crystal, glancing around to make sure Doyul wasn’t nearby.
“I’d like to ask for purification.”
After failing to create solitude, she had used ice energy to at least prevent the poison from spreading across the land.
But it was far from being completely purified.
“If we leave it as is, it will cause significant damage to the surrounding area. We can’t just leave it like this, can we?”
Hearing this, Somi’s expression turned serious.
– ‘Are you seriously asking if I would do that for you?’
“But, Somi.”
– ‘That kind of large-scale purification puts a tremendous strain on the contractor’s body.’
Millennium Ice Crystal firmly rejected her request.
– ‘Moreover, I have a duty to prioritize your well-being.’
With that resolute answer, Yerin called out to Millennium Ice Crystal with desperation.
“Is there really no way?”
– ‘….’
“Really?”
Yerin looked at Millennium Ice Crystal with sparkling eyes.
– ‘Ugh! Fine, fine!’
Unable to resist her gaze, Millennium Ice Crystal huffed in annoyance and slapped its tail against the ground.
– ‘But it won’t be complete purification.’
“You mean you’ll do it?”
– ‘I will restore your spiritual energy just enough to allow for natural purification over time. Don’t expect more.’
“That’s more than enough, thank you!”
Yerin was overjoyed.
However, Millennium Ice Crystal squinted its triangular eyes and glared at her.
– ‘You deliberately called me here without the Young Palace Lord, didn’t you?’
“Uh, um?”
Yerin flinched.
Millennium Ice Crystal continued, unimpressed.
– ‘It’s obvious that if the Young Palace Lord hears your request, he would be furious, so you called me quietly to make the request instead.’
…Why is it so sharp in situations like this?
Yerin was at a loss for words, and Somi pressed further.
– ‘So, the contractor now owes me a debt, right?’
“Well, if you put it that way…”
– ‘Then the contractor should give this great one a chance to repay the favor.’
Somi declared in a grand voice.
– ‘I enjoy red bean paste rice cakes.’
“…Just say you want a snack.”
Regardless, due to this little story, Yerin had been ill slightly longer than Doyul.
However, the people of the Sicheondang Clan had not completely neglected the situation, and the condition of the contaminated land had improved significantly.
Yerin sighed in relief but felt a bit guilty about Doyul, who was anxiously fidgeting at her bedside.
More than anything,
“Um, normally this isn’t referred to as having a fever…”
It was embarrassing even to say she had a slight fever.
“Um, the physician said I can do outdoor activities now.”
Yerin spoke cautiously.
Yet Doyul just glared at her with narrowed eyes.
“The fact that you have a fever is a problem in itself.”
“…”
Yerin was left speechless.
Just then,
“Madam, Lord Doyul.”
Hyuk Min-woo’s voice called out to them from outside the door.
“It’s Hyuk Min-woo!”
Thank goodness!
I can finally be free from Doyul’s piercing gaze.
Yerin quickly responded, “Come in.”
Hyuk Min-woo entered the room, looking concerned as he asked about her condition.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m not bad.”
Yerin flashed a bright smile.
To be honest, the only problem was that she had completely drained her physical strength and internal energy after fighting all day long. Her body wasn’t significantly harmed.
‘If it weren’t for the purification of the land, I wouldn’t have been bedridden for so long.’
Hyuk Min-woo nodded with a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. If you two had been seriously injured, the clan heads wouldn’t have let me off easily.”
Whether he was serious or not, he shuddered at the thought.
He then looked at Somi with admiration.
“That creature really found the Madam’s location. I was surprised.”
– ‘Hmph, I am quite impressive.’
Millennium Ice Crystal proudly barked.
‘Well, to Hyuk Min-woo, it probably just looks like a dog showing off…’
Yerin clicked her tongue inwardly as she turned to Hyuk Min-woo.
“By the way, Hyuk Min-woo.”
“Yes?”
“Did you relay what happened in the clan to the Murim Alliance and the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”
“Of course.”
Hyuk Min-woo nodded.
It was something that absolutely had to be reported.
The Four Heavenly Clans had allied with the Blood Cult, and the Blood Cult was scheming all sorts of wicked acts to resurrect the Blood Demon.
Moreover, the head and the young master of the Dang Clan had both perished in this major incident.
“Good.”
The clan heads would take care of it, and at least the leader was responsible enough to handle it.
Once he passed on the information, they would manage the situation well.
As Yerin was trying to calm her thoughts, a word suddenly flashed in her mind.
‘…Blood Demon.’
The legendary transcendent of the Blood Cult is said to promise to dye the world in blood.
The cultists had always been waiting for the Blood Demon to return.
The fervor of that desire was such that, in principle, the highest authority of the Blood Cult was always the Blood Demon.
‘Though, practically, it was the vice leaders who led the cult…’
Yerin narrowed her eyes.
‘The Blood Demon had never once appeared in this world.’
If such an extraordinary master truly existed, the Blood Cult would have had overwhelming victories every time.
Despite the many battles between the Blood Cult and the Murim Alliance, the Murim Alliance was the faction that still held power in the martial world.
‘However, the vice leader said they were waiting for the Blood Demon’s resurrection.’
It was such an absurd claim that Yerin was skeptical about whether the Murim Alliance would actually believe in the Blood Demon’s story.
Just then, Doyul asked a question.
“So, how did you handle the corpses used by the Blood Cult?”
“They were buried well in the ground. For those with family or acquaintances, we returned the bodies to them.”
Hyuk Min-woo answered clearly, but there was a strangely bitter expression on his face.
“However, the poison embedded in the corpses was so powerful that we had some trouble making special coffins to seal it.”
“Right…”
Yerin and Doyul fell silent for a moment.
‘They can’t even rest in peace after death.’
Doyul asked again, in a heavy voice, “What about the woman and the workers?”
“Both were orphans without any relatives. So, we took care of them ourselves.”
“…I see. You did well.”
After that response, Doyul closed his mouth.
Everyone’s emotions were complicated in this unprecedented situation, so Yerin and Hyuk Min-woo also fell silent.
Time passed.
“Um, Madam.”
It was Hyuk Min-woo who broke the silence.
“I’m sorry to bring this up, but the situation in the Dang Clan doesn’t seem good.”
“…”
“What should we do?”
Yerin pursed her lips as she considered the situation.
The turmoil in the Dang Clan was severe enough for Hyuk Min-woo to say that.
They had lost their master and young master overnight, and their followers were trembling in anxiety, unsure of what to do.
Normally, the elders of the clan would step up to resolve such issues, but…
‘The problem is that there aren’t any elders left in the Dang Clan right now.’
