Chapter 9: Waiting for the Yin Ghost (Seeking a Collector)
After entering the main hall, they saw Hamunhwi and Dogeom, two peerless individuals, standing to the left of the hall, watching as the group entered. Hamunhwi stepped forward and, fawning with a smile, spoke to Maeng Gyegyeong.
“Little Sister Gyegyeong, let us wait here for the zi hour. The back is a place no one has entered for a long time. There are snakes, insects, ants, and such everywhere.” Maeng Gyegyeong and Seo Geumui were both children of the martial world, but upon hearing of snakes, insects, and ants, their faces slightly changed. The two girls turned toward Seo Cheongi. Their eyes and expressions said they no longer wished to go further inside. Seo Geumui in particular was on the verge of letting out a scream. In any case, to give face to Fifth Brother, they had him make the decision.
Seo Cheongi saw the beauties’ beseeching gazes and opened his mouth as if his body had gone limp.
“Most people who have encountered ghosts multiple times met them in the main hall, so we should wait here. Come, Little Sister Gyegyeong, let us go sit over there.” Reading the situation, Hamunhwi strode forward.
“Little Sister Gyegyeong, that is the cleanest spot I’ve observed in a long time. And I’ve even wiped the chair clean.” He waved a cloth piece proudly, as if he had ripped it from his own home.
Seok Heon somewhat admired this fellow. To chase women, he stooped to doing trivial tasks well. He had deeply grasped the truth of the character *so* (small/lowly) from the five-character maxim, *Like a donkey in a half-stable, waiting lowly*. A master of the internal arts cared about the difference between brushing away dust with a palm and, without regard for his image, taking off his own shirt to wipe a chair.
Maeng Gyegyeong, thinking of Seo Cheongi’s face, did not reply, but her expression showed that her tension from the snakes, insects, and ants had eased.
This fellow Seo Cheongi glared fiercely at Hamunhwi but took no further action. Apparently, this guy had no experience whatsoever in this area. No wonder, despite holding a place among the top twenty young, distinguished experts of the martial world, he suffered setbacks before Hamunhwi, whose obvious skill didn’t measure up.
Fortunately, Seo Cheongi had a good younger sister. Seo Geumui dragged him toward the corridor, leaning closer to the side where Hamunhwi’s two elders were. Then she told Seo Cheongi to wipe a chair with his sleeve. Only then did she wave at Maeng Gyegyeong.
“Sister Gyeong, come here. It’s clean.” Maeng Gyegyeong smiled and cupped her hands toward Hamunhwi in thanks.
“Thank you for your kindness, Brother Ha.” Then she went toward Seo Geumui, while Hamunhwi turned pale behind her.
Since there were only four or five chairs remaining in the entire hall, Seok Heon, seeing that Seo Cheongi was merely fawning while everyone else treated him as air, took out a dust-removal talisman from an inner pocket. Holding the talisman, he walked a few steps to a spot not far from Maeng Gyegyeong’s chair, tucked his hand into his sleeve, stimulated the talisman with soul power, then swept his palm across the floor in a slicing motion. As various clutter and dust on the ground rode a gust of wind and flew toward the corridor, a large, clean floor suddenly appeared.
Without a care, Seok Heon sat cross-legged immediately. The others turned their attention to see the clutter and dust flying. Aside from Seo Cheongi, who knew Seok Heon’s inside story, everyone else was surprised. At Seok Heon’s age, he was merely an early-stage internal expert. Yet the current effect showed little difference from a veteran expert who had accumulated true qi for many years.
Seo Geumui, eyes wide, reacted after a long while and stepped forward to speak.
“Brother Seok, you tricked me earlier, but fortunately I was still putting on airs before you. You’re too bad!”
“I didn’t trick you. My fists and footwork are certainly no match for Brother Seo.”
Seo Geumui suddenly realized.
“Oh, you’ve also quickly broken through the boundary of the first meridian of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. It’s no big deal. Brother Seok, our Fifth Brother has richer experience wandering the martial world and trading blows all year round than you. Oh my, oh my, I was putting on airs earlier too.”
Since Dao cultivation was known only to a very small minority, not only did Seo Geumui not think in this direction, but seeing the expressions of Maeng Gyegyeong, Mujin, and the other side’s Hamunhwi and two elders, everyone accepted her words. However, their wariness toward Seok Heon grew markedly.
Seok Heon thought a misunderstanding was fine and said, “Geumui, at your age, I wasn’t as amazing as you.”
Seo Geumui immediately feigned anger, clearly pleased.
“Hehe, so you know how to speak the truth.”
Because Seok Heon had cleared the wide ground, Seo Cheongi and Mujin both came and sat cross-legged as well. However, Seo Cheongi still remained half a step away from the chairs of Maeng Gyegyeong and Seo Geumui. And in a low voice, he spoke to Seok Heon.
“Right. It was rumored a few years ago on Gamnong Island that the Dogeom Twin Killers pierced the fifth meridian of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Several years have passed, so they’ve probably ascended another layer. Even if they’re not first-rate experts, they won’t be far off.”
In the martial world, those who pierce the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and achieve the Acquired Minor Circulation can be called first-rate experts. Piercing the remaining eighteen minor meridians is called attaining the supreme expert level of the Acquired Minor Circulation. Once these two barriers were broken through, one’s strength was as different from the previous realm as heaven and earth. Speaking of grandmaster experts who had entered the Secret Realm, that was a major boundary breakthrough, and the gap was even greater than before.
(What is passed down in the martial world is only the eighteen minor meridians, and only in the true traditions of famous orthodox sects are they transmitted. Even ordinary unorthodox bandits know a few, so they cannot train to become supreme experts. The *Guizhen Jing* has thirty-six locations; through this one can know the preciousness of the *Baolu*.)
“Mm, don’t worry. If they don’t achieve results, the day after tomorrow—Sunday—will be no problem. By the way, how is Hamunhwi’s martial arts?”
In fact, unless one was a grandmaster who had entered the Subtle Realm and gave Seok Heon such a feeling, if Seok Heon covertly trapped them with Yin methods, even a supreme expert would inevitably suffer losses. Moreover, since he also possessed so many talismans left by reclusive Daoist masters who had transcended the secular world, he wouldn’t be afraid even if a true grandmaster came.
Seo Cheongi chuckled and said, “That guy has thick skin and no talent for martial arts. His father is the chieftain of the Ha main family and a first-rate expert. Who knows how many precious medicinal herbs he has taken from childhood until now. In the end, he only entered the Yang Qi Stage this year at age twenty-five.”
This fellow Hamunhwi truly had thick skin; seeing everyone seated here, he had the two elders move chairs, and all three came over.
“Little Sister Gyegyeong, the view here is excellent; it’s fine. I’ll come sit too.” Hamunhwi smiled broadly and spoke to Maeng Gyegyeong.
Seo Cheongi stood up. “Hamunhwi, stop clinging like a dog-skin plaster and pick somewhere else. Go wait over there.”
“Tsk tsk, Cheongi, it’s not like you own this place. Why can I not come here?” Behind Hamunhwi, the fierce Geomchong took a step forward, then silently retreated, his hair half-white. Just that single footprint crushed a bluestone brick into powder.
Seo Cheongi inhaled sharply but was about to speak. Maeng Gyegyeong stood up and stepped forward first.
“Everyone, we have matters to attend to shortly. For now, quietly adjust yourselves in all aspects and gather your energy.”
Seeing that the beauties had all come to smooth over the situation, everyone helplessly conceded, then sat down, closed their eyes, and rested. However, right as Hamunhwi sat down, the scar-faced Kalbong made a splitting motion with one hand, producing a palm wind slightly stronger than Seok Heon’s, sending dust flying.
Watching the scene, Seok Heon inwardly sneered. No matter how much wind you blew, we had already cleaned the dust thoroughly.
At this time, Seok Heon dared not observe carelessly. First, he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing to recover his vitality. Then, using the mental formula of controlling thoughts from the Clear Breeze Bright Moon Divine Official Method, he calmed his mind and maintained a clear, lucid state over his entire being.
In this state, Seok Heon discovered that his senses grew even sharper. For example, he could feel Hamunhwi looking this way filled with malicious intent, hesitating and shifting around. Hamunhwi probably wanted to do something bad to this side, believing in his own strength, but hesitated out of concern for other matters.
This sharp sensation was very novel, and Hamunhwi’s state showed Seok Heon how various factors came together in a person to reach a decision. Even if a decision was eventually made, it might not be the true will of one’s original mind. In fact, he too had learned the mental method of controlling thoughts with his original nature, but he merely performed it as instructed and could not properly reflect his original nature. Since birth, one is influenced by thought patterns and experiences accumulated through all sorts of happenings. Because this influence permeates the process of one’s actions, there is a saying: “Seeing one’s original nature is emptiness.” If one could truly free oneself from external influences and reflect one’s original nature, perhaps one would already have become a Primordial Spirit. Therefore, cultivation is heavy and distant.
Behind Hamunhwi, the Dogeom Twin Killers both closed their eyes and rested. Seok Heon saw this opportunity and stimulated a Calming Fortune Talisman from inside his sleeve. This talisman was only an ordinary auxiliary talisman, mainly useful for clearing the mind and removing killing intent. It was perfect for use on the Dogeom Twin Killers. Although their killing intent had already fused with their souls, if they did not match their breathing and observe carefully, a fierce backlash would occur simultaneously. Of course, Seok Heon was only suppressing them as well. And this Calming Fortune Talisman was a beneficial talisman; the Dogeom Twin Killers would merely feel their minds clear and their vitality recover faster during the adjustment process. Most would think that their own meditation effects were good and their kung fu had advanced.
As time drew near to the zi hour, the main hall’s great gate was already broken, and the wind whistled; even though everyone was cultivating their martial arts, they felt a chilly air.
The sounds of all things were quiet, and only the wind was clamorous. Suddenly, as the wind shifted, a chill and eerie cold filled the air. Seo Geumui and Mujin both shivered, their teeth chattering.
Suddenly, a white shadow rushed toward the two girls in the center, and Seo Geumui let out a scream. Seo Cheongi and Dogeom on either side each attacked the white shadow, while Hamunhwi turned pale with fright and kept retreating backward.