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Chapter 22
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Ga-jin took the box on her back with a deeply displeased expression.
The disapproval on her face was unmistakable.
Her gaze shot daggers at Lee Seon.
Lee Seon turned his head, avoiding her stare.
Yoo Yeong-mok also glanced at Lee Seon.
“Why did you choose Ga-jin?”
He could guess why he was being asked.
Maybe they thought he was taking out his frustration on her?
But Lee Seon had already prepared an excuse that would satisfy them.
“It seems there’s a trace of yin energy coming from inside that box.”
“Yin energy? In this heat?” Yoo Yeong-mok looked puzzled.
“I didn’t feel anything like a chill or anything of the sort.”
“It’s very faint, almost unnoticeable. I only barely noticed it myself.”
“Really?”
Yoo Yeong-mok was still bewildered.
“It seems that continued exposure to the yin energy is subtly weakening the yang energy in the body. Ga-jin would be able to endure it more easily than the men.”
Yoo Yeong-mok nodded.
If the physician says so, it must be trusted.
Lee Seon then added another reason.
“And Ga-jin is the strongest among us, isn’t she?”
This time, Yoo Yeong-mok blinked in confusion.
“Who said that?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Lee Seon was taken aback.
“Isn’t she?”
” Ga-jin is not weak, but there are warriors in this escort of a similar level.”
“That can’t be right.”
Had he misjudged?
If the others were at a decent level, Ga-jin was the one with an undeniably superior force.
It was indeed unusual for someone of Ga-jin’s skill level to be working as an escort.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was the strongest among the escorts.
But judging by Yoo Yeong-mok’s expression, he didn’t seem to be lying.
“…How long have you known Ga-jin?”
But another thought crossed Lee Seon’s mind.
“Not long, less than a year, I think.”
Less than a year?
“Is there a problem?”
Problem? Of course there was.
It wasn’t uncommon for martial artists to accompany escorts or merchant groups.
Many respected escorts or merchants had skilled people around them.
Naturally, he’d assumed this was one of those cases.
If she’d hidden her martial arts and joined the escort group, it changed the situation.
The reason he’d entrusted the box to Ga-jin was because of the energy he sensed from her.
Aside from her rough demeanour, her energy was calm and pure.
It appeared she had been hiding her martial arts, but she couldn’t fool him.
There was no doubt she’d practiced martial arts of the Daoist tradition.
Considering her training, it wasn’t likely she’d joined with malicious intent, but she remained suspicious.
“No problem.”
Lee Seon held back his thoughts.
He decided to keep his suspicions to himself for now and observe.
**
Just as Lee Seon had predicted, Ga-jin managed to endure much longer than the others.
However, she too eventually showed signs of fatigue.
As evening approached, they couldn’t continue moving.
They quickly set up camp and lay down to rest.
These seasoned escorts, as expected, fell asleep the moment their heads touched the ground.
In the middle of the camp, Lee Seon abruptly stood up.
“It’s time to confirm it.”
It was time to check the contents of the box.
Lee Seon stood and scanned his surroundings.
Two guards were stationed near the box.
“It’ll sting a little.”
A small needle gleamed between his fingers.
Woosh.
The needle flew on the wind and landed on the back of their necks.
“Huh?”
Feeling a slight prick, they frowned.
Their fingers brushed over a small thorn on their necks.
“What the…? What is this…?”
Before they could fall, Lee Seon swiftly approached and carefully laid them down by a tree.
Lee Seon rubbed his hands together.
“Alright, let’s see what we have here.”
It felt like opening a treasure chest.
The box was rectangular, wrapped securely.
A thick cloth was draped over it for extra protection.
But they probably hadn’t anticipated this.
Lee Seon took out a piece of wood riddled with holes.
He had noticed it by the roadside earlier and brought it along just in case.
With a light tap of his fingers, something began to wriggle out of the hole.
Its body was covered in what looked like pure white armour, with thin legs and large pincers.
Unlike ordinary ants, it had a body as thick as a finger joint, with jaws as large as its head.
These creatures, boasting a unique appearance, were none other than ants.
Specifically, they were called “Iron-Devouring Red Ants”.
The name was given due to their voracious appetite and unusual appearance, and they were notorious enough that everyone had heard of their vicious reputation at least once.
If these ants were spotted nearby, the entire area would be turned upside down immediately.
True to their name, they would devour all nearby wood at an incredibly fast speed.
If used correctly, this characteristic would be very useful for this task.
Using something sharp would leave traces.
But if an insect bored a hole, it would leave comparatively fewer traces.
One ant was enough to carry out this plan.
Lee Seon lightly spread some honey on the cloth.
As the ant caught the scent, it started to crawl up.
Crunch, crunch.
Soon, the cloth was easily pierced.
Lee Seon quickly identified the material of the box inside the cloth.
“A box made of peach wood, huh.”
Since ancient times, peach wood was believed to ward off spirits and negative energy.
In particular, Taoists regarded peach wood as imbued with exorcism power, often using it to make wooden swords.
Moreover, the box was plastered with talismans.
Judging by the design, they were talismans meant for exorcism.
It seemed certain that Taoist priests were involved in this.
To wrap it up this securely—
What on earth was inside this box?
Crunch, crunch.
The ant continued to work its jaws diligently.
A very small hole was finally made.
“I thought the smell was strange, and this is why.”
From within the box, an intense, sinister aura of magic emanated.
Inside was a single sword.
They were so wary of this sword that even the interior was covered in talismans to seal it.
But judging from the glimpses of the blade and its shape, it was no ordinary sword.
A sword.
People often say that true masters are not bound by their weapons.
“Who says that?”
Whenever that saying was mentioned, martial artists would shake their heads.
It was only something to say as a boast when facing a vastly inferior opponent.
In a battle between masters, every little factor played a significant role.
Victory could hinge on the slimmest of margins.
Now, if your opponent had a legendary sword and you were wielding a kitchen knife—
Why would you take on an already difficult fight with an added disadvantage?
On the contrary, martial artists would go to war to obtain a single legendary sword.
“Now I have a rough idea of what’s going on.”
The reason Ga-jin, a warrior, joined this escort, and the purpose of this peculiar mission—
If it was to transport this sword to Shaanxi, then everything made sense.
Just a mere glance at it was enough to feel chills from its sharpness.
The balance of its weight was perfectly aligned.
For a sword like this, it could truly be called a divine weapon.
Even he, who had no real desire for weapons, felt a momentary temptation.
If others learned about this sword, it was obvious what would happen.
“I get it.”
That strange energy he’d sensed must have been the malevolent aura emanating from this sword.
Most of his questions were now answered.
But one question still remained.
“Why on earth are the Taoist priests transporting this sword?”
Even surrounded by peach wood and covered with talismans, the sword’s aura was not completely contained.
Moreover, the residual aura was so potent that it was harming those carrying it.
It wasn’t something to be sealed—it needed to be destroyed or melted down to eliminate future harm.
Lee Seon’s eyes turned cold.
The smiling young physician was gone, replaced by the martial artist standing here now.
His fingers brushed the poison inside his pocket.
If it had been a precious gem like a luminous pearl or a spirit beast’s core of equal value, he wouldn’t have been this angry.
‘Even Taoist priests have to make a living, I guess.’
But this was different.
Taoist priests trained in martial arts to pursue immortality.
But here they were, discarding the Dao in pursuit of martial power?
It was a case of the roles being completely reversed.
“Should I just melt it down?”
No matter how divine the weapon, it would still deteriorate if exposed to poison long enough.
Lee Seon scratched his head, deep in thought.
But that would harm the escort bureau.
He didn’t know the details, but he’d noticed early on that the Yoo Family Escort Bureau was not in good shape.
A thriving escort bureau wouldn’t have taken on this kind of risky task.
There must be a reason for undertaking such a strenuous mission.
With a reputable orthodox sect backing this, the reward would be considerable.
Yoo Yeong-mok had likely staked everything on this escort mission.
The desperation in his eyes said as much.
What about the others?
They were also here, enduring hardship, for Yoo Yeong-mok and the bureau they served.
Should he, under the pretext of serving the martial world, force them to make sacrifices?
“…Why is it so dark tonight?”
It was an unusually moonless night.
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