Chapter 502
Why were they suddenly sitting cross-legged?
I stared at the scene around me with a baffled expression.
What was wrong with these people?
As I stood there staring blankly at the sight—
[You showed them a lofty realm. It is only fitting that it became something suitable for enlightenment.]
Enlightenment?
[It would have been different if it were perfect. Because it is incomplete power, there is more to see within it.]
“......”
So, to put that simply—
I was the one doing tricks, but those people walked away with the prize.
It meant they had gained something from my body-and-sword unity.
...My stomach hurts like hell.
How much work had I put in to gain this power? And they just gained something the moment they saw it? This was absurd.
[You speak as though you earned it with great difficulty.]
“......I did work hard in my own way.”
[There are few who could gain enlightenment merely by seeing that in the first place. Those children are the strange ones.]
“......”
True.
The people who had gained enlightenment just happened to be existences called geniuses.
That was the abnormal part. This was only happening because everyone gathered here was a genius.
“......What is going on here?”
At that moment, someone appeared from the carriage.
It was Poison Dragon. His eyes widened at the situation unfolding before him.
“Why is everyone...... Huh? Peng Dojun? Why is Black Greatblade here?”
“......”
He really was something too.
“You’re terribly unlucky.”
“What? What about me?”
“......Never mind. You...... yes, let’s train.”
“......Right now?”
“Yes.”
“What about these people?”
“Leave them alone.”
They would manage somehow.
I dragged Poison Dragon away to teach him Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
*****
Some time passed.
Around the time morning came, I stared at the younger generation still seated on the ground, refining their enlightenment.
How long were they going to keep doing that?
They’re impressive, I’ll give them that.
They were still at it. How much longer did they need? It was ridiculous.
But since they had gained enlightenment, I could not exactly disturb them either.
“Are you people not going to eat......?”
I let out a deep sigh and prepared food.
The others paid no mind to that side at all. Since they were all martial artists, they seemed to know how important enlightenment was.
While quietly preparing food, I looked to the side.
“Lady Peng.”
“Yes...... Yes!?”
“Are you hungry?”
Peng Doyeon.
The girl who had been introduced as Peng Dojun’s younger sister.
She had been sitting quietly, staring only at Peng Dojun.
“N-no...... I’m fine.”
Grrrrr.
“......”
At the sound from her body that said otherwise, her face turned red.
I chuckled at the sight.
“Your stomach doesn’t seem fine.”
“Th-this is......”
“Eat. It’s not like we’re short on food.”
“......Thank you.”
Peng Doyeon accepted the food in embarrassment.
Then she put it into her mouth.
“Mmm......!”
“Not bad, right?”
“Yes, yes......!”
It seemed to suit her taste.
For something I had made in a rush, her reaction was not bad.
I smiled at the sight and was about to eat as well.
Slide.
“......Hm?”
A hand reached out.
I looked at the owner of the pale white hand.
“......What are you? When did you wake up?”
It was Yu Yeon.
Apparently she had quietly gathered her enlightenment and woken up first.
I had not even seen when she got up.
Her face was expressionless, yet somehow faintly refreshed.
Seeing that, I was a little surprised.
She’s changed.
It was truly subtle, but her energy had settled.
It seemed she really had gained enlightenment.
Seeing that, I spoke in disbelief.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be giving me food?”
“......?”
“If you took something from me, you ought to do something in return.”
“......”
Yu Yeon’s eyes widened at those words.
Then she headed somewhere.
“What? Where is she going?”
As I was wondering, she soon reappeared with something in her hand.
It was a flower.
What was that now? Why was she holding a flower?
As I stared at her in confusion, Yu Yeon came up to me and offered it.
“Oh my.”
Peng Doyeon reacted first at the sight.
“What is this?”
“......”
Yu Yeon’s face showed her thinking hard.
What was this? Why was she giving it to me?
No way.
“......I told you to give me something, so you brought this?”
Yu Yeon nodded.
Seeing that, I had to let out a hollow laugh.
“Now I can’t say anything.”
I had only said it as a joke, but she reacted like this.
It felt like I would not even be able to joke properly with her.
“Forget it. I don’t need it. Just eat.”
At my words, Yu Yeon somehow looked dejected.
What was this? Why was she making that face after I said it was fine?
While I was staring at her, wondering what this was about—
“P-please accept it......”
Peng Doyeon spoke to me in a voice that almost crawled into itself.
Ah.
So I was supposed to accept it?
At those words, I carefully took the flower.
Only then did Yu Yeon nod, seemingly satisfied.
Was that the end of it?
“If that’s settled, eat already.”
Yu Yeon accepted a bowl to eat.
At that moment, I felt movement behind me.
“Ugh......”
“Mm.”
Silver Moon Sword and Black Greatblade.
The two of them woke up at the same time.
“That was refreshing.”
Black Greatblade grinned.
He looked satisfied.
Silver Moon Sword was the same.
It seemed all of them had gained something good.
“Is that food?”
Peng Dojun said as he looked at the situation.
Yes. It was food, you bastard.
“Are you going to eat?”
“Gladly!”
For now, I fed them first.
Whatever their situation was.
After mealtime ended—
“Thank you.”
Black Greatblade expressed his gratitude to me.
“Now?”
It was a very late thanks.
If he was going to do it, he should have done it earlier. Doing everything after eating and after causing all that trouble was ridiculous.
“Hahaha! Yesterday, I was too flustered.”
“......”
He was bold and shameless beyond belief.
Yes. That was Black Greatblade Peng Dojun.
Even after seeing him for the first time in a while, some things had not changed.
“Yeon, are you all right? I failed to look after you.”
The problem was that I could not get used to that attitude at all.
This bastard could use a gentle tone too?
Something about it felt unpleasant.
No, it was just disgusting.
“What is it, friend? Why are you making that face?”
“......No. It’s nothing.”
“Hm......”
Peng Dojun looked at me suspiciously, but I deliberately ignored him.
“For now. You’re coming with us to Henan, right?”
When I changed the subject, Peng Dojun nodded.
“I would be grateful if you allowed that.”
“......Yes. With your carriage smashed too, let’s go.”
It would be ridiculous to leave them behind like this.
If we were going to Henan anyway, we might as well travel together.
With that decided, our journey with the Peng Family began.
*****
However, after several days passed—
What is this?
I felt something strange.
In the middle of camping, or whenever I tried to patrol the surroundings, something had begun bothering me quite a bit.
What the hell is it?
It was strange.
This time, after stopping the carriage again, I was walking around here and there.
“......”
The sensation I had been feeling for the past few days.
As I grasped it, I let out a sigh.
It seemed I should not leave it alone.
Tap.
I hid myself in the forest.
“Ah!”
A voice rang out behind me.
It was a startled voice.
The moment I heard it, I appeared behind the owner of the sound.
“What are you doing?”
“Eek!”
The girl screamed as soon as I spoke.
Peng Doyeon flinched violently and collapsed onto the ground.
“Hah...... Haaah.”
“......Are you all right?”
Her reaction was intense.
At this rate, would she have a heart attack?
I felt a little sorry.
“I apologize. But you kept watching me, and it was bothering me......”
“I...... I was caught...... You noticed......”
“......Apparently.”
Had she thought I would not notice?
Peng Doyeon was not a martial artist.
I already knew that.
Because of that, perhaps she did not know the characteristics of martial artists.
“So, why do you keep watching me?”
“......”
Over the past few days, I had noticed Peng Doyeon following me and secretly watching me.
Why was she doing this?
I could not tell.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“It’s...... It’s not that.”
“Then?”
Peng Doyeon spoke hesitantly.
“......When I’m beside you, Young Master...... I don’t hear the voices.”
“What?”
I frowned at those words.
She did not hear voices?
What voices—
Ah.
I realized what she meant and widened my eyes.
No way.
Is it because the petty gods avoid me?
When she was near me, petty gods did not come.
Or rather, they came less.
It could not be helped.
I have set up a formation around myself.
The reason gods did not come near me was simple.
I gave off an energy that ghosts hated.
Because I had intentionally arranged it that way.
I had done it because I did not want to get entangled with them.
Did she notice that?
Apparently, Peng Doyeon had noticed that part.
Interesting.
How had she realized this?
It was not something one could understand from intuition alone.
“What do you mean, you don’t hear voices?”
“......There are voices that torment me every time. But when I’m beside you, I don’t hear them......”
“......I don’t understand what you mean.”
I pretended not to understand.
There was nothing good about acting like I knew.
This has become troublesome.
Now that she had noticed it, it was obvious she would approach me from time to time.
What should I do?
Yeon!
A loud voice rang out.
It was Peng Dojun.
Not long after, his enormous frame approached this way.
“So this is where you were.”
“Brother......”
Peng Dojun discovered Peng Doyeon and looked relieved.
Then he looked at me.
“Hm?”
His expression asked why I was with his younger sister.
“What is this, friend? Don’t tell me you have feelings for my sister......”
“Don’t say insane things.”
What kind of crazy nonsense was that?
She looked far too young at a glance.
Did he think I was my father or my older brother?
When I spoke in horror, Peng Dojun laughed.
“Ahaha. It was a joke. Surely that would not be the case. I only said it because you two were together from time to time.”
“We weren’t together. Your sister is the one who keeps coming to find me.”
“......Oh?”
At those words, Peng Dojun looked at his sister this time.
“Yeon. Do you also like that pretty-boy face?”
“......What? N-no!”
Peng Doyeon turned bright red and waved her hands frantically.
It was exactly the reaction of a girl her age.
I smiled awkwardly at the sight.
“It’s...... It’s not like that.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller.
I looked at Peng Doyeon, then said to Peng Dojun,
“For now, take her back. It will be night soon.”
“Ah, that would be best. Yeon, let’s go.”
“Ah...... Yes.”
Peng Doyeon returned with Peng Dojun, her voice carrying disappointment.
That disappointment was surely because she was losing her peace.
Hmm.
After Peng Doyeon left, I narrowed my eyes and stared somewhere, alone.
What should I do?
Peng Doyeon approaching me was understandable.
That child was not doing it out of malice.
But—
That side is different.
Wooooong.
Above the tree.
The energy lingering in the place Peng Doyeon had been.
As I felt something spread faintly like a haze, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Its attention got drawn.
Perhaps because of Peng Doyeon’s interest in me.
The great deity attached to her had recognized me.
Which meant things had become rather troublesome.
Then.
If necessary—
I’ll have to remove it.
I had to kill a god.
Before things became bothersome.