You Will Now Become This Old Man’s Disciple

The ability to see ghosts.
Rumors about it were bound to spread. When Ah-ryeong could no longer work as a courtesan, she had expected to be cast out of Hao Gate.
However, the outcome had been different.
Combining the ability to see ghosts with Hao Gate’s intelligence network would give them tremendous influence.
That was how she had become a diviner.
Of course, there had also been failures.

“…They said she was a princess.”

She grumbled quietly.
She knew what kind of place the imperial palace was.
As a member of Hao Gate, she had no choice but to remain sensitive to information.
There were many princesses in the imperial palace. Aside from those favored by the Emperor, they were little more than decorative flowers.
Rewards bestowed upon officials who had rendered distinguished service.
They were valued as nothing more and nothing less.
Of course, they enjoyed luxuries beyond anything an ordinary person could imagine.
However, the Empress Dowager was different.
She was one of the true powers who effectively controlled the imperial palace.
Naturally, Ah-ryeong couldn’t help being surprised.
Even Hao Gate did not possess every piece of information.
That was especially true of a secretive place like the imperial palace.
However, it was precisely to acquire information like this that they had sent Ah-ryeong all the way to Hubei.
If she remained in Anhui Province, someone might recognize her.
That was why she had been forced to leave Anhui.

The courtesan Seol Mae now had to live here as the diviner Heaven-Praying Hermit.
Naturally, her importance could not be compared to when she had merely been the courtesan Seol Mae.

“…Had I known this would happen, I would’ve run away like Brother Gyo suggested.”

Ah-ryeong spoke bitterly.
She was now kept under strict supervision like a bird trapped inside a cage.
They called it protection, but it was no different from surveillance.
She was probably no different from the princesses of the imperial palace.
Even so, the work was rewarding.
It was not because she was helping Hao Gate.

‘I hope you can finally release your resentment.’

She recalled the woman she had seen earlier.
Merely honoring her spirit would not necessarily resolve her resentment.
The ghost had gradually become so distinct that it was difficult to distinguish her from a living person by appearance alone.
Ah-ryeong could now identify ghosts only through the peculiar sensation they gave her.
Some ghosts occasionally spoke to her, but she still could not hear their voices.
Because of that, she couldn’t know what had truly caused them to remain.
She could only hope that what she had done would help the woman.
Hao Gate did not interfere with what she was doing.
They had not stationed her here to make money.
They wanted information they could not otherwise obtain, just as she had provided today.
That single piece of information was already enough to prove her value.

‘How long will I have to keep doing this?’

She could not be certain.
Because she was under surveillance, she could no longer exchange messages with Yeom Hong as she had before.
The war that had now begun in earnest was also partly responsible.
Hao Gate belonged to the Evil Heaven Alliance, while Yeom Hong belonged to the Beggars’ Union, one of the Nine Sects, One Union.
They were on opposing sides and could not meet in the first place.
Ah-ryeong sighed, then suddenly noticed something strange.

“…Is there no next client? Is it lunchtime already?”

Normally, a young attendant would come or inform her of the situation through voice transmission.
However, even though her client had left, no message came.
As she tilted her head, an unfamiliar voice reached her ears.

“So your spiritual eye has indeed opened.”
“…!”

A chill ran across her skin.
It was not one of the voices she normally heard.
When she turned her head, she saw an old man standing in the darkness.

“…Who are you?”
“Ho, you have courage as well. Then again, even if you are only a girl, someone whose spiritual eye has opened could hardly be ordinary.”

Ah-ryeong kept her guard up as she pulled the cord beneath the table.

“If you mean those outside, this old man has put them all to sleep.”
“…!”

Ah-ryeong’s eyes widened.
She now held an important position even within Hao Gate.
She had possessed a certain amount of renown even before.
A candidate to become Hao Gate’s successor had personally sought her out.
However, her value was now on an entirely different level.
Naturally, experts from Hao Gate were guarding her.
The old man was saying that they had all been subdued without her even realizing it.
That meant he was an expert of extraordinary ability.

“This old man comes from Ghost Valley.”

Only then did Ah-ryeong understand the situation.
Ghost Valley.
One of the Three Great Mysterious Organizations of the Kangho.
It wasn’t counted among the Three Great Mysterious Organizations merely because it was difficult to find.
It also possessed strength worthy of that reputation.

“You will now become this old man’s disciple.”

It wasn’t an invitation. It was a declaration.

“The people here will remain safe. This place had ties to my disciple, after all, so this old man cannot slaughter them without cause.”
“…Because you cannot afford to make an enemy of my sect, I suppose.”

The old man’s eyebrow twitched at Ah-ryeong’s words.
She was right.
Even Ghost Valley could not lightly turn Hao Gate into an enemy.
Moreover, the Evil Heaven Alliance stood behind Hao Gate.

“Insolent wench. Do you think this old man fears a paltry organization like Hao Gate?”

The old man revealed his anger.
However, his reaction alone revealed the truth.

“This old man will forgive you only once. From now on, your sect is Ghost Valley.”

A cold light shone from the old man’s eyes.
When he gestured, Ah-ryeong became completely unable to move.
She couldn’t even open her mouth.
Her acupoints had been sealed.

“We must hurry on our journey for now. This old man will discipline you in due time.”

The old man carried Ah-ryeong on his back and left the room.
Slung over his shoulder, Ah-ryeong quietly closed her eyes as she saw the unconscious people lying throughout the corridor.

‘…Foolish.’

His thinking was shortsighted. Had this happened only a few days earlier, his judgment would have been correct.
She would have been merely another member of Hao Gate.
However, things were different now.
Important figures had begun seeking Ah-ryeong out, just as Lord Gwak had today.
Hao Gate would not abandon her.
Whether he spared or killed her guards made no difference.
As a member of Hao Gate, she understood that well.
Her value was greater than that of those guards.

‘They would have increased my guards before long.’

In a sense, the old man could be considered fortunate.

‘What a damned life.’

Unable to move her body, Ah-ryeong sighed inwardly.

After leaving Mount Heng, Ah-ryeong learned the circumstances.
The old man’s name was Gu Heo.
He was an elder of Ghost Valley.

“A treasure of Ghost Valley was stolen.”

However, after hearing Gu Heo’s story, Ah-ryeong disagreed with that description.

‘It was taken by force.’

It had not been secretly stolen.
They had entered openly and carried it away. Ghost Valley had been unable to stop them.

“This old man told them that we should leave no future trouble behind.”

Gu Heo clicked his tongue briefly.

‘Future trouble?’

Ah-ryeong’s smooth brow furrowed.
Did the thieves perhaps have a history of enmity with Ghost Valley?

‘They might even have been the treasure’s original owners.’

Considering Gu Heo’s behavior and Ghost Valley’s reputation, that possibility seemed quite likely.

“Then are we going to retrieve that treasure now?”
“That is correct.”

He had heard rumors about Ah-ryeong along the way and abducted her.

“Ghost Valley… Even when the Sa… Sahyungs and Samaes back at the valley were there, you couldn’t stop them. Can just the two of us manage it?”

She had never imagined that the word Sahyung could feel so awkward.
Gu Heo answered her question.

“You need not worry about that. Since they took the treasure, they must have headed toward Ghost Valley’s forbidden grounds. No one who is not a disciple of Ghost Valley can enter that place. If not for the monster accompanying them, they could never be a match for this old man.”

Gu Heo smiled confidently.
That meant he had not pursued them without a plan.

“Enough idle conversation. Begin practicing the Ghost Origin Art.”

It was Ghost Valley’s exclusive martial art.
The two were now inside an unnamed graveyard.
At Gu Heo’s instruction, Ah-ryeong began circulating her qi.
She had no intention of leaving Hao Gate.

‘However.’

Ah-ryeong’s gaze swept across their surroundings.
Ghosts stood at a distance.
However, they could not easily approach.
It was because of the pressure emanating from Gu Heo.
He naturally suppressed ghosts with his presence and could even command them.
It was precisely the kind of martial art Ah-ryeong needed.
Ah-ryeong also understood why Gu Heo had taken her as his disciple.

‘It’s incomplete.’

He could sense ghosts, but he could not see them as Ah-ryeong could.
Naturally, his abilities had limits.

‘He didn’t bring me merely to make me his disciple.’

Ah-ryeong’s mind worked rapidly.
Just as Ah-ryeong was observing him, Gu Heo was observing her.
More precisely, he coveted Ah-ryeong’s spiritual eye.
Ah-ryeong concealed the fact that she had discerned his intentions.
Deceiving another person was not difficult for her.
That remained true even if the other person was a peak expert.
Because of Ghost Valley’s nature, its members rarely interacted with outsiders.
Ah-ryeong, in contrast, was an expert in such matters.
She had been trained from childhood, and Hao Gate had recognized her talent.
Gu Heo believed he was deceiving her, but the opposite was actually true.
However, she could not afford to remain complacent.

‘I don’t know when he might change his mind.’

If he discovered a way to acquire her spiritual eye, would he still need Ah-ryeong afterward?
What if he realized he could never obtain it?
Neither possibility was good.
It didn’t appear that he had ever intended to keep her alive for long.
The fact that he readily taught her something equivalent to a secret art was proof of that.
Even after accepting a disciple, one did not recklessly transmit secret arts before understanding their character.
There was a reason for the saying that secret arts must not be transmitted to the unworthy.
Even an elder would likely require the Valley Master’s permission.
Yet Gu Heo was teaching her without holding anything back.
That made the situation even more frightening.
She needed to escape from him quickly.
However, it was nearly impossible for Ah-ryeong, who had not even reached the first-rate level, to escape from a peak master.
Gu Heo was pursuing someone, but there was no guarantee that they would help Ah-ryeong.
She had no choice but to wait and hope that reinforcements from Hao Gate arrived quickly.

‘Until then, I need to learn as much as possible.’

Since he intended to kill her, he probably had no reason to teach her false martial arts.
Ah-ryeong quietly practiced the Ghost Origin Art.

Even after Gyo-ha left Hunan Province and reached Chongqing, the contents of his purse had not diminished.
As expected of the Murim Alliance.
The reward had been substantial.
That had also created a problem.

‘No, can I really call this a problem?’

It was actually a welcome development.
A group of men blocked Gyo-ha’s path.

“Hey, you sure have a lot of money for a cripple with useless arms.”
“Hand it over unless you want your legs crippled too.”

The men approached with leering grins.
Gyo-ha smiled brightly when he saw them.
A short while later, they lay unconscious in a corner of the alley.
Gyo-ha used his toes to pull the purses from the unconscious men’s robes.
He had grown accustomed to doing this as well.
By now, he could even use chopsticks with his toes.
It was not merely that his senses had grown sharper.
The circulation of his qi and blood had also grown smoother.
His kicking arts and movement arts had improved accordingly.

‘Fist arts might be too difficult, though.’

Fist arts performed with his feet.
He tried to imagine it, but even Gyo-ha thought it would be difficult.
It was not something he could accomplish merely by using his toes like fingers.
The structure of the joints was different.
Gyo-ha smacked his lips in disappointment and resumed walking.

“I suppose it’s fortunate that my internal energy doesn’t accumulate.”

He no longer needed to use the Red Blossom Palm as he traveled.
The blackening had now spread to just below his shoulders. Pus had already begun forming below his elbows, accompanied by a foul stench.
Gyo-ha’s body was dying in real time.
Because of that, his internal energy was being consumed automatically. There was no need to deliberately overwork his body.
Every day, he massaged his arms with his feet to keep the blood flowing.
Otherwise, they might truly have to be amputated.
It was a serious situation, yet Gyo-ha himself felt perfectly fine.
Even Gyo-ha found that strange.

‘And the lack of pain…’

Had not only his skin but also his nerves died?
He did not know the reason.
Even so, he knew well that he did not have much time left.
He needed to find a yokai quickly.

‘That’s true, but…’

Gyo-ha raised his head.
A mountain range stood in the distance.
Beyond those mountains lay Chongqing.
The Jeokyang Clan was based in Chongqing.
Both the Jeokyang Clan and Gyo-ha.
They had accumulated grudges against each other.
Their relationship had passed the point of no return.

“…I can’t help it. Taking another route would mean making a detour.”

Gyo-ha spoke as though making an excuse.
He had merely chosen the fastest route to Qinghai.
However, Gyo-ha’s eyes shone brighter than ever as he gazed beyond the mountains.