Chapter 32 (1/2)

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-Lihua!

-Lihua, where are you?

“Huk!”

I opened my eyes suddenly. A small light appeared in front of my eyes.

“How long…?”

How long was I out for? I blinked my eyes blankly and became wide awake.

This is not the time for this. I had to go to the place I promised with Cheonma.

“First I’ll do some healing cultivation… huk!”

I tried to move as soon as possible, but my back and ankle hurt so much. It looks like I got hit somewhere while I was falling.

I clenched my teeth and forced myself to cultivate. My dantian was empty, but my twisted meridians were corrected.

Did my enlightenment have a good effect on me?

The pace of gathering has increased and the amount I could accumulate also increased.

As soon as I gathered some qi, I uncrossed my legs and rummaged through my clothes. Fortunately, the pouches were intact. I took out the Golden Medicine and spread it on my back.

After that, I rolled up my pants and found my ankle. There was a black bruise on it.

I squinted my eyes as I tried to apply some medicine over the bruise.

“…handprints?”

The bruise looked like a handprint. Like someone grabbed my ankle.

Did Jegal Hyun try to grab onto my ankle and pull me?

The size of the bruise was small to say so. It was similar to or slightly larger than my hand. After I examined my ankle, I looked around.

Where is Jegalhyun? And…

“Where am I?”

It was neat without even a stone out of place in the large space. I couldn’t even see pores on the smooth stone wall.

Though I apparently broke through the floor, there were no holes in the ceiling. I don’t know what happened, but it certainly wasn’t where I fell. I thought the cave was just a maze of roads… but there was a place like this in the cave.

“Wait.”

I lowered my eyes to my ankles again. At the same time, a sharp realization penetrated my head.

There’s someone here.

He must have dragged me all the way here. That’s why my back hurts.

I can imagine someone grabbing me by the ankle and dragging me.

The back of my head cooled.

It’s dangerous.

I don’t know if he’s a villain, but he’s not a good man. Even just moving a fainted child like a piece of luggage wasn’t enough that he just threw me away on the ground.

He can’t be a good man.

I felt for something instinctively on the floor. Then I realized that there was something really important that I was missing and opened his eyes wide.

“Bae, Baekha… “

Did I lose it? Where? My heart sank at the thought of losing my only weapon.

“I  need to get back to where I fell.”

Just as I was about to stand up while rambling, I could sense a movement behind my back.

Just as I was rambling to stand up, I could feel a movement behind my back.

I quickly turned around and stepped back. Someone that was standing at the entrance tilted his head at me.

“……… a child……?”

About my age? It was a girl with milky skin and delicate gray eyes.

I can’t believe it. How could a child be in a place like this…

She was strange, too.

She was dressed in clothes that were so big and worn out that I could see her white skin. I also could see her little toe at the end of her ragged pants.

‘You didn’t even wear your shoes…’

Huh?

Isn’t this a plant spirit that I’ve only heard of?

Plant spirits are one of the sect’s most popular experiments.

It was the upgraded version of it that takes the appearance of a child after surviving for ten thousand years.

Come to think of it, I felt a different energy from the child compared to regular humans. It looked extraordinary but I asked carefully.

“Hey, are you human?”

Shake shake.

The child suddenly shook her head.

Oh! You must really be a spirit!

I sighed with relief and grinned. Since humans were unfamiliar to them, the priority was to have her relax.

“Will you come here?”

“Big sister isn’t a bad person. I’ll never hurt you. I swear.”

“For real. You can come closer because it’s okay.”

The child standing slowly approached. Maybe it was because of the elixir, but I couldn’t even hear my footsteps even though I was barefoot.

I waited until the child came closer and reached out my hand. The child’s gray eyes stared at my hand. I reached out very slowly and stroked the child’s head so that he wouldn’t be surprised.

The child’s long hair slid through my fingers like black silk thread.

The child’s eyes, which had been somewhat stiff, slightly loosened. He seems to like the stroking.

“Oh, pretty. Kind.”

I brushed the child’s head over and over again and carefully asked him.

“Do you know how to speak? Like people speak.”

The child nodded.

I can’t believe you’ve mastered human speech! As expected of a plant spirit!

“I’m Chun Lihua, what’s your name?”

The child who was feeling my touch with his eyes open finally opened his mouth.

A clear voice like the color from a ripe fruit leaked from her red lips.

“No.”

Hmm…

It was a more neutral voice than I thought, but it was full of energy.

“Oh, right. A spirit can’t have a name……so you brought me here?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you very much for your help. I would have been in trouble if it wasn’t for you. But when did you start living here?”

“I don’t know.”