Chapter 112
112
- The Hidden Cave of Ghost Hands Divine Doctor
"Who is it?"
Dang Jung, his expression hardening, retreated and slipped his hand into his sleeve.
It was a familiar motion, but the speed was much slower than I knew.
I stared at Dang Jung, mouth agape.
The Dang Jung I knew was a pretty boy, but he couldn't compare to the perfect beauty before me.
His ink-drawn eyebrows and sharp, straight nose gave him an air of refinement.
His body, not hidden by the long robe, was firm and slender, and he looked well over six feet tall.
His words that long limbs were good for handling weapons were based on experience.
The only difference was his eyes. The young Dang Jung's eyes didn't have a blue tint.
It seemed like this was before he created his grandfather's unique Internal Martial Arts.
Dang Jung frowned, one eyebrow twitching, seemingly displeased by my staring.
It was a habit he had when he was uncomfortable, and I almost burst out laughing.
Wow. It's really Grandpa.
I rubbed my nose, trying to pull down my trembling lips.
I wanted to run and hug him, tell him how much I missed him, how hard it had been.
I wanted to tattle that Father kicked me out of the house and ask him to scold Father.
But I held back, fearing a Flying Dagger would be planted in my crown.
Dang Jung's expression was so cold.
The emotion of reunion crumbled before eyes more frightening than when he suspected me of being a spy.
I didn't know what the situation was, but I knew for sure that he was different from the Dang Jung I knew.
Why is young Grandpa here?
"I asked. Who are you?"
As Dang Jung's voice rose, a woman approached and placed her hand on Dang Jung's shoulder.
"Cheoncheon, who's here? Is it Seol-yak?"
Cheoncheon?
Surprised by the unfamiliar name, I scanned the young Dang Jung again, but it was Dang Jung.
There was no way I wouldn't recognize my grandfather. His unique sullen mouth and intonation were definitely his.
Dang Jung replied to the woman's question.
"It's someone I don't know. Go inside, Hwan."
Hwan?
...No way. It can't be. It's not who I think it is. Ahahaha.
Trying to figure out what this bizarre situation was, I turned around. But Yeon-ryang was gone.
"Brother? Ju-ryeong?"
I called out to them in surprise, but no answer came from anywhere.
The stone door that had been there a moment ago, and the ceiling studded with night-shining pearls, had disappeared.
They said there was a spell on it, so am I caught in an illusion alone?
As I showed signs of panic, the woman asked gently.
"Did you lose your way, young lady?"
"I think so. Where is this?"
"This is..."
The woman, who was approaching to answer my question, widened her eyes.
"Oh my, you look just like Hwa-yeon."
Then, a young boy's voice chimed in.
"Who looks like Hwa-yeon noona? I want to see too."
"Rak-i, come out too. It's the first time someone other than Seol-yak has entered this place."
I wanted to faint at the sight of the boy striding out with a large Dao on his back.
...Who? Rak? S-Surely, Paengrak Elder?
The boy looked nothing like the Paengrak I knew.
First of all, he was shorter than Dang Jung.
Really. Paengrak was shorter than Dang Jung.
I don't know if I should say Dang Jung is tall, or Paengrak is short.
He had no beard, and his eyes didn't shine yellow like a beast.
The boy with sparkling eyes had a playful face befitting his age.
As I couldn't close my gaping mouth, the woman asked.
"Young lady. Do you perhaps know Rak-i? You look very surprised."
"Um... Paengrak Elder... is that you?"
"Elder? I am Paengrak, but. Am I already old enough to be called Elder outside? Noona. I must have lived a long life."
Paengrak giggled and boasted to the woman.
You have lived a long life... You lived healthily until you attended the funerals of your son and grandson, and your great-grandson became the Patriarch.
Unlike the two people who were friendly to me, Dang Jung did not let his guard down. He questioned me with sharp eyes.
"You. What is your relationship with the Tang Clan?"
"I'm Grandfather's great-granddaughter."
"Cough, cough!"
Dang Jung coughed, choking on my answer. At the same time, surprise appeared on the faces of Paengrak and the woman.
"Did hyungnim get married? To whom? Surely not noona?"
"Oh my. Really? Did I marry Cheoncheon?"
"Who would marry such a tomboy!"
Seeing the expressions of the three people who were clearly letting their imaginations run wild, I quickly corrected our relationship.
"To be exact, I'm his great-great-granddaughter. Grandfather is my fourth-generation ancestor."
"Not a direct granddaughter, then? Haha, our Cheoncheon. I guess you didn't get married."
"Hwan!"
"Young lady. Have you ever heard about that bad-tempered man's wife?"
"No. Grandfather never married."
"See, I didn't get married, Cheoncheon."
The woman smiled brightly and looked at Dang Jung. Dang Jung seemed a little surprised, moved his lips, and glared at the woman.
"There was no one who met my standards."
"Of course. With hyungnim's temper like that, no one would marry you... Ouch!"
Paengrak, who had added a word, stumbled as he dodged the Feather Needles flying at him.
"Ah, hyungnim! Let's talk it out! Please!"
It seemed that Hidden Weapons flew first instead of words even when he was young.
Dang Jung, who lightly ignored Paengrak, asked me.
"So that's why you resemble Hwa-yeon. How old are you?"
Perhaps because of the words "great-great-granddaughter," Dang Jung's voice was much softer. The fact that he became gentle at the sound of being a Tang Clan's bloodline was exactly like my grandfather, so I smiled and answered.
"Sixteen."
"The same age as Hwa-yeon noona. That's why you look even more alike."
Paengrak blinked in wonder. Seeing that Hwa-yeon was sixteen, it seemed to be the time before Dang Jung lost his younger sister.
"Um, but where is this place? How are the three of you here? I was surprised that Grandfather... is so young."
Dang Jung, who had his arms crossed, answered sullenly to my question.
"We are Seol-yak's thoughts."
"Thoughts?"
"Yes. Thoughts created from Seol-yak's memories. It's a realization of the way Seol-yak remembers us. We can only exist inside this cave."
"You said it was created with a Mo San Sect's spell, right?"
"That must be it. I don't know well. I'm not interested in spells."
"It's been a while since we've been here. Fifty years? It feels like it's been longer. No, if hyungnim even has a great-great-granddaughter, hasn't it been a hundred years? Right, hyungnim?"
Paengrak, scratching the back of his neck, looked at Dang Jung and asked. Dang Jung nodded.
"It must be around that time. Seol-yak, what on earth are you thinking..."
It was the first time Dang Jung didn't call Ghost Hands Divine Doctor by his name, so I blinked blankly.
Were they on good terms at this time?
As I couldn't take my eyes off Dang Jung, the woman covered her mouth and smiled.
"Young lady, are you so amazed by Grandfather's young face? Seeing how surprised you are, the Cheoncheon outside must be a hairy old man."
"Ah, no. He doesn't have a beard. He doesn't have a beard, but... he Reverted to Childhood. He's in the form of a child."
"A child's form? Cheoncheon? Can you tell me more about that? I'm curious."
The woman asked, her eyes sparkling. I answered as best I could within my knowledge.
He's this tall, he ties his hair like this, his sullen expression is the same as now, he enjoys drinking tea, and he often sits on the willow tree and smokes a long pipe...
The woman seemed happy to hear stories about Dang Jung that she didn't know.
The young Dang Jung snorted, saying that couldn't be true, but he didn't interrupt me.
He just looked at the woman with affectionate eyes.
Seeing eyes that were dripping with affection, not the empty eyes of a lonely old man, I was convinced.
The woman was undoubtedly Ok-hwan, the Lunar Fairy who was said to be Grandfather's lover.
For some reason, my heart swelled.
Grandfather... Grandfather can make those eyes too. The ecstatic eyes of someone in love.
"Does Cheoncheon treat you well, young lady? Does he give you pocket money? Even if he acts stubborn, don't hate him too much. Cheoncheon is shy, so he often acts differently from what he feels."
"He, treats me well."
He always treated me well.
I felt like I would get teary if I talked more, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
"Why do you call Grandfather Cheoncheon?"Jung is Cheon and Ri." He hated that Ri-ri sounded like a girl's name, so it became Cheoncheon. But isn't Ri-ri okay too? I liked it because it was cute."
...Um, I see. I shouldn't have asked.
"Me, young lady. Me?"
Paengrak also asked about his well-being outside with a curious face.
I thought he would be disappointed if I said that the Elder had not Reverted to Childhood, so I glossed over it by saying that he had earned the wonderful title of Fierce Tiger Dao Lord.
"Did you hear that, hyungnim? Fierce Tiger Dao Lord. I must have conquered the Central Plains with the Dao!"
Paengrak puffed out his chest, pleased with the title.
Ok-hwan, who was looking at me with gentle eyes, asked.
"But how did you get in here? Seol-yak's Hidden Cave is hidden in a hard-to-find place."
I couldn't bring myself to tell these people, who seemed to be friends with Ghost Hands Divine Doctor, that I came to steal his treasures. I smiled awkwardly.
"That's..."
"It's obvious. She must have come to steal Seol-yak's treasures."
Dang Jung spat out bluntly.
Grandfather. You're like a ghost.
As I rolled my eyes, Paengrak chuckled.
"Judging by the young lady's reaction, it must be true? Seol-yak noona's Hidden Cave has a lot of treasures. I would have swiped them too if I wasn't a thought."
I pretended not to hear and looked away.
"Um, I have a question. What do I have to do to get out of here..."
Just as I was about to ask, a huge Qi pressed down on me mercilessly.
I felt suffocated as if someone was strangling me, and my knees buckled involuntarily.
I wanted to lift my head, but my terrified body was frozen and unmoving.
"Who dares to set foot in the domain of the Ghost Hands Divine Doctor without permission?"
A voice filled with Inner Force pierced my ears like thunder. Goosebumps rose on my skin at the angry tone.
"You have seen what you should not have seen."
The tiger-headed staff in Ghost Hands Divine Doctor's hand made a rough bell sound and pressed down on my neck.
I coughed and tried to remove his hand. But I couldn't move a single finger due to the overwhelming difference in power.
Ghost Hands Divine Doctor, looking down at me who couldn't even struggle, said coldly.
"You will have to die here as the price."
