Chapter 22: Whiplash with a Pretty Girl (2)
The minds of the Celestial immortals were clouded with confusion.
Could it really be one of the Three-Honered ones, the girl whimpering in the grip of a man who suddenly appeared on an electric scooter? The same three-Honered ones who were known as the overwhelming powerhouse of despair and fear in sects?
“How many hits do you want to take?!!”
“One, just one...?”
“One?!”
As the man roared, the girl, still whimpering, asked again.
“Two, maybe two...?”
“Two?!”
The girl shrunk further in front of the man's renewed outburst.
Watching this, Cheonji's Celestial immortal Lee Jin-ryong was reminded of an incident from years ago.
He had gone to stop a rampaging sorcerer at the sect's request. The sorcerer was a young girl, so with the intention of mercy, he had said,
“Girl! How many times must I hit you before you stop this madness?!”
“...Trying to act tough, huh? Bring it on.”
“How dare you, how dare you!!!”
As the Black Dragon, Lee Jin-ryong had lived for hundreds of years, but these words enraged him to the extreme. He charged at the girl, only to narrowly escape before becoming a mere shadow of his former self in the snake soup.
Thus, Lee Jin-ryong couldn't believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
How powerful must one be to discipline this monster???
The Black Dragon Lee Jin-ryong came back to the present and looked again at the man and girl.
“This won’t do. Talking about one or two hits, there's no sign of remorse at all.”
“Wait!”
Slap-
The man's hand struck the girl's butt hard.
“Ouch! That hurts!”
“It's supposed to hurt! Didn’t I tell you not to do dangerous things? I warned you after the last time that if you did it again, I'd spank you hard!”
“I, I forgot.”
“Forgot?”
“I’m human too. I can forget, can’t I!”
Witnessing the scene, Cheonji's Celestial immortal Miro couldn't help but recall an event from years ago. At that time, Miro was deeply engrossed in his training.
Back then, Miro had expressed his frustration, saying,
“What must I do to reach the next level?”
The stages of a psychic abilities are usually divided as follows:
First, the stage where one’s soul vaguely grasps a vow. From this stage, one can begin to use spiritual powers.
Second, the stage where one’s soul fully comprehends a vow. From this stage, referred to as 'Earthly Immortals' by the standards of Cheonji, one can wield powers akin to those of legendary immortals in myths.
Third, the stage where one’s soul brings a vow into reality. At this level, known as 'Celestial Immortals' by the standards of Cheonji, one becomes an existence nearly equivalent to a real deity.
And fourth, the stage of completing the yin and yang of one’s soul. If born as an evil spirit, one must complete the yang aspect of the soul to exist like the living, and if born a living being, one must complete the yin aspect, akin to ghosts.
Only upon completing both the yang soul of life and the yin soul of a natural spirit, can one receive the title of a true sage.
Miro was currently at the third stage, known as Celestial Immortals. Despite centuries of training, he had not yet reached the fourth stage and was accumulating inner demons.
That was when he saw a girl. Hearing that she needed to cultivate a yin soul to advance, she immediately began her ritual.
Miro muttered to himself upon seeing this,
“Such an ignorant act, like that of a mere mortal. That’s not how one completes a yin deity.”
“Who are you calling a mortal?”
The girl, known as Kim Sojin, laughed cruelly and retorted,
“Wouldn't it be you, who's achieved nothing despite centuries of training?”
“You, how dare you?!”
And then, Miro saw it.
The girl, barely a day into her training, completed her yin deity.
Watching this, Miro fell into a trance.
Thus, Miro couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before him now.
That transcendent being, calling herself a human???
His gaze returned to the present.
To the man spanking the girl.
“I'm human too. I can forget, can’t I!”
“Who do you think you are, raising your voice?!”
Slap-
The man's hand sharply struck the girl's butt.
“Ow! It hurts! It hurts!”
“Didn’t I tell you last time? Don’t go to dangerous places. If you end up like Nayu, haunted by ghosts, it would ruin your life. You'd be lucky to end up like Nayu!!!”
Slap-
The man's palm once again made a crisp sound.
The girl twisted in pain.
“Going there could actually kill you!!! You can’t undo death. Damn it, do you even know how ghosts and psychics can kill people? It’s too late to regret when it happens!!!”
“Even fighting with Cheonji is dangerous too...”
Tears welled up in the man's eyes.
The girl, looking at his tears, bowed her head.
She, too, was crying.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“You knew it was wrong and still did this?!”
“Sob, sob. I won’t do it again. I was wrong.”
Gamlo couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before her.
The notorious girl, apologizing?
Knowing how to express regret?
Gamlo recalled an event from a few years ago.
Back then, this girl was a demon, mercilessly killing everything in her path. She didn’t kill those who didn’t challenge her, but if they did, it was a certain death rule.
To convey a message from Cheonji, four Celestial immortals, including herself, had visited Louisville.
“Yeongzon*.”
“Gamlo? You don’t smell of alcohol today.”
“Have you no intention of stopping the killing?”
Hearing this, Yeongzon laughed.
“Stop killing? Why should I? Those guys, if left alive, will only become slave owners or abusers. Killing them is a service to this world.”
“No, that’s not true.”
Gamlo continued.
“What you kill are their subordinates. Killing them only leaves their children parentless, forced to become servants of the sect like you. You’ve created hundreds, thousands of kids like yourself.”
Yeongzon said nothing in response.
“If you truly want revenge, storm their stronghold and eliminate only the real leaders. You wouldn’t dare, right? Knowing the risks, as you do. So, you only torment those who can’t resist you.”
Still, Yeongzon couldn’t find words.
“So, stop the killing. If you do, I’ll persuade the sect to...”
“...Ghost Gate.”
“What?”
“Ghost Gate, Nirvana Preservation Gate.”
Stunned by the revelation, Kim Sojin recklessly cast the Nirvana Preservation Gate, and Gamlo along with three other Celestial immortals barely escaped with their lives.
The scene shifts back to the present.
Where Yoo Hajin is spanking that Yeongzon.
“I, I’m sorry.”
“You knew it was wrong and still did this?!”
“Sob, sob. I won’t do it again. I was wrong.”
Yeongzon apologizing? Such a notorious figure? Gamlo couldn’t believe it.
“Don’t ever do this again. If you do, I’ll make sure your butt turns from rice to pounded rice cakes. Got it?!”
“I, I got it.”
“And you, are you hurt anywhere else? Any pain? Seeing anything strange?”
“My butt hurts…”
“Okay. Seems like everything else is normal.”
With that, the man picked up Yeongzon. The girl he carried clung tightly to him, sobbing. The man carrying Yeongzon spoke.
“I have a kid to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now. Thank you for watching over her.”
“To take care of... a kid??? I watched over her?”
“You handle the test however you want. Finish it quickly and go take care of the kids.”
For Yoo Hajin, passing the test was no longer a concern.
He had made a friend who could help him eliminate the Cheonsu.
Thus, Yoo Hajin disappeared while performing the feat of riding an electric scooter with Yeongzon in his arms. The Celestial immortals, watching this, were left speechless and deep in thought.
+Who exactly is that guy?!+
That was the first thought that came to mind.
* * *
And so, I returned home with Jamsuni.
What a spectacular day it had been.
On the bus back to Seoul, Jamsuni clung tightly to my arm, sobbing continuously.
Did I overdo it? But if I hadn’t been strict, she would surely have engaged in dangerous antics again.
And man, am I exhausted.
Rode the DMZ, fought a weirdo, received leader-like treatment, did it all.
As I dozed off, Jamsuni whispered beside me.
“Fighting with Cheonji isn’t that dangerous. It wasn’t something to worry about to the point of crying…”
What about Cheonji?
A duel with cards on the line?
I’m too sleepy to understand what she’s saying.
“Even with the Ghost Gate slightly open, everyone started seeing ghosts. If it opens more, the human world will definitely be doomed. That’s why, from Cheonji’s perspective, they can’t fully commit their forces to me…”
I see. So Ghost Gate is the cause of all this.
Or was it Ghost Gate? What’s it waiting for?
Too drowsy to get it.
Dozing off- Dozing off-
“Still, thanks. I thought it’d feel good to be worried about by someone, but it hurts to be worried about by you. I’m sorry.”
Peck-
Something brushes my cheek.
I wonder what it could be.
I choose to believe it’s definitely not the lips of a middle schooler.
And like that, we returned to Seoul.
* * *
“Next up in the news. Cheonji has announced the successful conclusion of their selection exam. Especially noteworthy was the top scorer of the exam, hailed as a remarkable talent who will be a blessing for everyone. Let’s find out more.”
The top scorer of the selection exam. Must be from some team other than our patrol team. I bailed before the exam ended with Jamsuni in tow, so I’m obviously disqualified.
“The top scorer of this selection exam was described as a hero, in every sense of the word. Volunteering for the most dangerous group for the sake of everyone…”
Was there such a sucker?
I joined the patrol team because it seemed the safest.
Maybe the GP team, with no escape, was the most dangerous?
“Demonstrating exceptional leadership, they efficiently overcame all sorts of bizarre phenomena…”
Definitely not me.
Let’s recall what I did.
Singing idol songs from start to finish, playing watermelon games in between.
Zoning out while the kids were exorcising evil spirits.
That’s all I did. Seems like there was a hard-working team leader in some other group.
“They selflessly inflicted a critical injury on an unbelievably powerful enemy. Cheonji is offering the top scorer a position akin to their executive staff and benefits comparable to a Celestial Immortals. We hope they will return…”
“Wow, benefits comparable to a Celestial Immortals? That’s almost like privileges of a head of state…”
An unbelievably powerful enemy, huh?
What happened? Did a real Gwizon show up in the other team?
And benefits comparable to a Celestial Immortals.
What benefits do Celestial Immortals get? Oh right, the license to kill.
Killing without major consequences, right?
Seems like there were many such outrageous perks.
Beep-
I turned off the monitor.
Listening further would only make my stomach churn.
“Jamsuni! Time to eat!”
“Food! Fresh meat!”
“No meat though.”
“No meat…?”
And so, another day began.
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
[TL: Yeongzon('영전'): Yeongzon in Korean can have multiple meanings, including 'soulless', or a state of being promoted to a higher position or title, or being in the presence of the spirit of the deceased. However, in the context here, it is used as a unique title. So to preserve the original flavor I also didn't change it.
