The final destination of the Divine Dragon Team was Sichuan. However, Baek Woo Jin didn’t go directly there, but instead chose to meander along mountain paths and ventured only into remote areas that were untouched by human footsteps.
“Hmm, nothing here either, huh…”
Baek Woo Jin who was wandering through the deep valleys as if searching for something wore a look of disappointment on his face.
– Meow!
At that moment, the little white tiger that had been nestled snugly inside Baek Woo Jin’s clothes, peeking out with only its face visible. It woke up and began to let out adorable cries.
“There, there, my little Baek Ho. What’s the matter?” (TN: Baek Ho literally means white tiger.)
He gently bounced the tiger up and down like he was soothing a child and stroked its head. For a brief moment, the little creature wore a contented expression, but then with a sudden burst of energy, it jumped out of Baek Woo Jin’s arms and ran off somewhere.
Its speed was astonishing, leaving the entire team in surprise.
“Haha, I’d almost forgotten.”
“Right… it is a spirit beast, after all.”
Its adorable appearance had nearly made them forget that this was a Divine Beast’s cub, one that had lived for centuries. No matter how small and cute it looked, its innate abilities were exceptional.
“Let’s follow it.”
Baek Woo Jin took the lead. He followed the tracks left by Baek Ho and soon discovered the entrance to a rather large cave cleverly hidden in the thick foliage.
Baek Ho stood firmly on all fours in front of the cave entrance and sent hostile glares beyond the darkness.
– Growl! Grr!
“So… so cute…”
“What are we supposed to do with this!”
Despite the intense look on Baek Ho’s face, both Jegal Yeon Ji and Shin Ye Hwa found its appearance irresistibly adorable. They could barely contain themselves.
“There, there, our little Baek Ho.”
As Baek Woo Jin picked up Baek Ho, the little creature squirmed against his hold yet kept his gaze fixed on the cave entrance.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything inside the cave… or, hmm?”
Something felt strange.
He sensed absolutely nothing beyond the mouth of the cave.
The wind was blowing fiercely, enough to shake the leaves around them, and yet, despite the air rushing into the cave, no sound of wind echoed from inside.
Baek Woo Jin gathered the energy he had spread widely and projected it into the cave.
And that was when something interesting happened.
When his energy moved into the depths of the cave, it suddenly rebounded as if hitting an invisible wall.
“Well, isn’t this something?”
Such an occurrence was impossible under normal conditions.
An unnatural phenomenon like this could only mean that someone’s hand had been at work here.
“Miss Jegal, Ye Hwa.”
“Yes.”
“Mhmm!”
“Search the area near the entrance. Ye Hwa, guard Miss Jegal.”
At his command, the two stepped forward.
Following his instructions, Jegal Yeon Ji began thoroughly examining the area around the entrance, while Shin Ye Hwa kept a close watch on the darkness beyond and prepared to defend against any sudden attack.
“I-It’s a formation…”
Around the cave entrance, the flow of energy was subtly shifting.
“It looks like a Sound Concealment Formation…”
“A Sound Concealment Formation… meaning it blocks sound?”
“Yes… and it’s also masking any signs of presence.”
The absence of sound from the wind entering the cave, as well as the lack of response from within despite Baek Ho’s persistent growling, now made perfect sense.
“Can you dismantle it?”
“It shouldn’t take long.”
“Then start right away.”
“Yes…!”
The fact that a formation was set up at the cave entrance to block sound and presence meant there was something hidden here, something worth such precautions.
“I-It’s done!”
The formation was dismantled with remarkable speed. A wave of energy briefly passed through, and suddenly, distinct sounds and traces of presence could be detected from beyond the cave.
Baek Woo Jin’s demeanor turned razor-sharp as he sensed a familiar energy.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
The training they had sweated through all this time was finally paying off. At Baek Woo Jin’s sharp command, the team members instantly raised their vigilance, gripped their weapons, and swiftly formed a new formation in preparation for an ambush.
– Grrrrr
– Growl! Screech!
A beast—or rather, something even more dangerous—howled, and Baek Ho who was unwilling to be outdone roared in response.
Thud, thud
Emerging with heavy footsteps from beyond the cave was a grotesquely shaped wild boar.
“A-A demon.”
The creature had a huge boulder-like body, multiple tails like whips, and long tusks jutting from its mouth.
A “Demon Boar.”
This was the name given to a wild boar transformed by demonic energy.
– Kuhehehek!
The Demon Boar let out a cacophonous wail and charged toward Gu Wang Soo. The tusks that jutted out like horns looked threatening.
But Gu Wang Soo did not panic.
He was no longer the person who would have faltered at something like this. The training he endured was far from easy.
In the past, he had simply followed Namgong Soo’s shadow and would probably not be able to avoid such an attack. But under Baek Woo Jin’s training, Gu Wang Soo had become so different that he could almost be called a new person.
“Haah!”
Whenever he used to flinch and flee from incoming attacks, Baek Woo Jin would firmly grab his ear and say:
Evasion should always be short and concise!
Gu Wang Soo waited until the Demon Boar’s tusks were nearly touching his sword before finally executing his footwork.
– Kuchik!?
Without pausing, he struck down with his sword on the Demon Boar’s back as it stumbled to a halt, having lost sight of its target right in front of it.
Shhhk
The sharp blade slashed across the boar’s back, but its thick hide was too tough, and his attack ultimately failed to penetrate.
“Tch…!”
Gu Wang Soo clicked his tongue in regret and stepped back.
Just then, Baek Woo Jin’s voice rang in his ears with praise.
“Well done, Gwang Soo!”
A grin as wide as a sink spread across Gu Wang Soo’s face. Hearing Baek Woo Jin’s praise was a rare occasion, maybe once a month if he was lucky. But it didn’t end there.
“But your attack power is still weak. Looks like you’ll need to step it up—get to the peak master level.”
“Y-Yes….”
I’ll work on it….
Jang Sam, the one just ahead of him in rank, gave Gu Wang Soo a comforting pat on the shoulder.
“Hyah!”
With Shin Ye Hwa in the lead, the fight against the Demon Boar continued. Among the team members, except for Baek Woo Jin and Tang Seon Yeong, Shin Ye Hwa was the only one capable of dealing a fatal blow to the Demon Boar, so it was an inevitable choice.
“Heh, not bad at all.”
Baek Woo Jin stepped back with Tang Seon Yeong and observed their fight.
When Baek Woo Jin prepared for this journey, he had set two main objectives in mind. One of them was to ensure that his team members would face monsters in battle.
To locate areas where demonic beings or monsters were likely to appear on their route to Sichuan, he invested a full ten days of effort.
He hired hundreds of Hao Sect disciples to thoroughly search the surrounding areas and to locate any areas that showed even the slightest hint of unusual activity. After visiting several places, he finally discovered what he was looking for here.
I have to make sure they gain real experience…
Since fighting demons was an inevitable challenge for anyone in the Divine Dragon Team, it was important to instill them with a wealth of experience starting now.
The rigorous training he had put them through was paying off; the team members were holding their formation more calmly than expected and were fully engaged in a tense struggle against the grotesque creature.
…
…
Baek Woo Jin kept a close watch on his team members. He was ready to intervene at the first sign of danger. Tang Seon-young, who was standing next to him, watched him in a daze.
What on earth do you know…
On the first night of their journey, while she was keeping watch, Baek Woo Jin had mentioned her father Tang Yeon Shin by name. And he didn’t hold back; he called him a terrible father who had tormented his daughter.
At that moment, she had felt as if her breath had stopped.
Publicly, no one knew anything about her relationship with Tang Yeon Shin. People only assumed that because of her unexpectedly high status, her father must be treating her well.
Because of this, it was impossible to tell from outward appearances that her father hadn’t treated her well.
This could only mean Baek Woo Jin knew something about the inner workings of the Tang clan.
She felt a growing curiosity and started wondering exactly what he knew and how much. But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to ask.
I’m afraid…
A mixture of fear and hope swirled within her.
Part of her hoped he was keeping her close despite knowing her flaws and the Tang clan’s secrets, while another part feared that he didn’t yet know her truth and would turn away if he found out.
Because of this, she couldn’t say a word. If he didn’t already know, she might have to reveal all her weaknesses right there and then.
She couldn’t even imagine the look he’d give her after hearing it all.
“…….”
For now, I’ll just watch…
After a long deliberation, she decided to wait and see. She would watch to see how he acted once they reached the Tang clan and what he sought from that place.
All she could do was hope that he would free her, that he would be the one to embrace all her pain.
So for now, I’ll just set my heart at ease.
Feeling a little lighter, she wrapped her arms around Baek Woo Jin’s unsuspecting arm.
He felt the soft pressure from her chest against his arm, and his face split into a wide grin.
Yes. Let’s just enjoy the moment.
After all, the journey to the Tang clan would take quite a while at this pace.
“Gah!”
Just as he was savoring the sweet moment, Jang Sam was struck down by the lashing tail of the Demon Boar, who had been quietly stalking him from behind.
Baek Woo Jin noticed the Demon Boar turning its head toward Jang Sam and moved to intervene, but Tang Seon Yeong didn’t release his arm.
“Just a moment… let go of my arm…”
It was then, as he tried to pull his arm free from her grip.
Whooosh!
Thud! Thud!
Without even looking directly at her target, Tang Seon Yeong hurled two throwing daggers that embedded themselves in both of the Demon Boar’s eyes.
A strangled groan escaped the Demon Boar as it convulsed and collapsed to the ground. Demonic beings typically had a strong resistance to poisons, but with such a swift end, it was impossible to imagine just how potent a poison she must have used.
After taking down the creature with only two throwing daggers, she looked up at Baek Woo Jin and smiled more seductively than ever.
“Stay put.”
“Yes.”
A chill ran down his spine as he imagined a future where food and drink would be laden with poison after another argument with her.
I’d better not push my luck.
Baek Woo Jin resolved to avoid doing anything that might upset her.
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