NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 102
Chapter 102: Your Hands Are So Beautiful
Inside the Secret Cave, it was dark unlike in my previous life.
It was a complete darkness, not even a single Night Pearl to light the way. I held the lantern I had prepared for this very situation, but the flickering flame was far too weak to illuminate the entire cave.
If I were an average person without any skills, I would have struggled to find my way. But I was not an average person; I was a time traveler.
In my mind, all the geography of Geumhu’s Secret Cave that I had analyzed during my first run was already stored.
Moreover, unlike during my first run when there were traps set up by the Blood Sect, the current Geumhu’s Secret Cave was devoid of traps.
It seemed the Blood Sect masters, who were ahead of us, had destroyed all the traps and mechanisms.
‘Well, it turns out the Blood Sect can be helpful sometimes.’
Of course, by now, those masters of the Blood Sect would probably have noticed our presence, so they were likely scheming something.
Shuffle, shuffle.
Geumhu and I walked through the dark cave.
The passage bore signs of human touch, hinting at this being Geumhu’s Secret Cave. As we proceeded, fragments of broken mechanisms lay scattered about.
“Eungong. It’s quite dark. I’m worried something might happen to you, so… I think it would be best if we held hands for support.”
How long had we been walking with the lantern?
Geumhu, who was beside me, cautiously suggested this.
Hold hands? Well, considering my skills were merely at the first-rate level.
To a master like Geumhu, I probably looked like a child by the river.
Plus, it wasn’t like she was an ugly man; I would be holding the delicate hands of a beautiful woman.
I had no reason to refuse.
“Thank you, Geumhu-senpai. Then I’ll take you up on that.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural.”
Geumhu expressed modesty.
Swipe.
I naturally snatched her hand, trying to be as manly as possible.
Geumhu’s palm, unlike a lady’s, was rough and calloused.
As a female master with the alias Geumhu, she had certainly cultivated her swordsmanship, and I could feel the years of training conveyed through her calloused hands.
“… I’m sorry, Eungong. My hands are rather rough…”
Geumhu shyly spoke, her voice tinged with embarrassment.
This wasn’t the modern era but a medieval martial arts land.
In this age, the ideal woman’s trait of slim and beautiful hands should naturally be included.
Calloused hands were the complete opposite of delicate, beautiful hands.
Perhaps it was because Geumhu was indeed a woman; she seemed to be particularly sensitive about such details.
Hmm.
In this situation, it would be best to throw out some sweet words to woo her heart.
With a smile of the grown man I had practiced countless times while longing for her, I held her hand and led the way.
“It’s alright. I don’t mind. If anything, it’s a good thing. Your hand, Geumhu-senpai, symbolizes all the hardships and training you’ve undergone to become the best female swordsman. As a swordsman myself, how can I not admire that hand?”
“…”
Geumhu fell silent at my words.
What’s this? Is she falling for my charm?
“… Thank you, Eungong…”
A soft voice followed from her.
Perhaps because of the darkness, I couldn’t see her expression very clearly.
After that, the conversation dwindled.
But Geumhu did not let go of my hand.
She seemed to grasp it tightly as if to hold on for dear life. So we walked together through the darkness, hand in hand.
Thud.
Soon, we came to a halt again.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Passing through the narrow passage, we emerged into a fairly large cavern.
A massive waterway flowed through the center, resembling a small river by its scale.
The stone bridge that had been constructed over this underground stream was already broken in the middle.
“… This destruction… It seemed familiar; I’ve seen it in records of our sect. It’s the remnants of the Blood Zombie Technique.”
Geumhu muttered in a low voice.
Still holding my hand, she brushed her fingers over the broken bridge.
“… The appearance of the Blood Zombies means…”
“It means the Blood Sect or Demon Sect is involved in this matter.”
I responded to Geumhu’s remark.
There were only two sects capable of handling zombies in the world.
The Heavenly Horse Church from Xinjiang Tianshan.
And the Blood Sect.
In the Central Martial World, the use of zombies was strictly forbidden by the royal family. Violating this would result in public disgrace in the martial world; even the rogue sects wouldn’t undertake the study of zombies lightly.
While the Demon Sect did handle zombies, in their respect for strength, they regarded zombie techniques as a sorcery that borrowed others’ strength rather than using their own, thus dismissing it.
Because of this, only one major force operated zombies on a large scale.
“… The Blood Sect… Have they truly appeared?”
Only the Blood Sect.
“That could be possible.”
“… The identity of the evil spirit is likely the Blood Sect. In the past, when the Blood Sect caused trouble, I heard the previous Geumhu destroyed their remnants, resulting in the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood. They might dig up the grave of the old Geumhu to disrupt her rest and insult our sect. If that’s true, this is something that simply cannot be forgiven.”
Geumhu spoke with a serious expression.
She bit her lip.
“We need to cross this river. The evil spirit must have noticed our entry and cut off our path. The signs suggest the bridge was destroyed not long ago. We can catch up to the evil spirit soon.”
“Understood, Eungong. But the gap where the bridge is broken is wide, and the current of the river is quite fierce and swift. So, um…”
She released my hand and took a step back.
Geumhu stretched her arms wide.
Her ample chest wobbled slightly.
“… It might be a bit unsightly, but there’s no other choice. Please let me carry you. I will cross the broken bridge while holding you.”
Carry me again?
Unintentionally, the sensation of being held by her before, the softness of her skin, flashed across my mind, causing my face to redden slightly.
Not that I disliked it. I was just worried about what might happen to me.
No, refusing here would mean I’m no man. Mastering my desires was what I had trained for all this time, wasn’t it?
A true master of desire must know when to act and when to refrain from it.
It meant I had to control my desires first if I wanted to become the master over them.
I was a master of control, not a slave to my desires; I had faith in my ability to handle myself.
Taking a deep breath, I constricted the flow of blood rushing to my manhood and suppressed my excitement before responding.
“Understood. Then, I’m sorry to impose, but I’ll take you up on that, senpai.”
“Thank you, Eungong. Please don’t misunderstand; there’s no other meaning behind this.”
Swipe.
As soon as my words ended, she scooped me up into her embrace like a princess again.
I felt the softness of her skin and the warmth of her ample chest against me.
While desperately controlling the blood flow down below, I pressed against her.
Hehe.
This is what I’m talking about!
I glanced down.
Crash, crash, crash, crash, crash!
Below was the river, a raging torrent, broken and barely passable even for seasoned martial artists.
“Then I’ll begin.”
With Geumhu’s words, the sound of rushing wind filled my ears. In an instant, the scenery blurred as we darted forward.
Tap.
In the blink of an eye, Geumhu’s footsteps reached the other side of the underground river.
“We’ve arrived, Eungong. Please wait for a moment.”
She gently set me down on the ground and drew her sword.
Swish.
Her Moonlight Sword glimmered with a transparent silver light, illuminating the dark cave.
“… It seems we have some uninvited guests.”
The silver sword energy from her Moonlight Sword shone bright like starlight, lighting the surroundings.
Geumhu’s expression hardened.
Unlike my first-rate perception, Geumhu, a master, seemed to feel something stirring in the air.
She stepped forward protectively in front of me.
Soon, I too felt something in the air, and beyond the black darkness, a red blood light flickered, revealing something.
It was a zombie.
[······.]
Five Blood Zombies spotted us in the dark and rushed toward us quickly.
Whoooooosh!
With the sound of rushing wind, the zombies charged at Geumhu.
These Blood Zombies, so solid that even sword energy couldn’t injure them, dashed toward Geumhu in an aggressive assault.
As her silver sword energy flashed, a brilliant silver trajectory illuminated the darkness.
Geumhu’s silver ponytail swayed.
“… How dare you, filthy creatures, try to harm Eungong… I cannot allow this!”
As she swung her sword with a serious expression, a flash of silver light brightly illuminated the dark cave like a flare.
A tremendous force shook the entire cave.
When the flash faded, mangled pieces of the Blood Zombies lay scattered on the ground.
The five Blood Zombies, which could only be injured by sword energy, had been dealt with in one swift blow by Geumhu, who closed her eyes for a moment and caught her breath.
The sword energy that had resided in her sword also began to vanish.
Geumhu pushed her hair back and came closer, gripping my hand tightly.
“Eungong, do not let go of my side under any circumstances.”
With concern in her silver eyes, I could only nod.
*
At the same time.
Deep within Geumhu’s Secret Cave.
“Cough?!”
Thud.
The bishop, who was leading the Blood Zombies through a trap, spat blood from his mouth.
It was because the backlash from the five zombies he was mentally connected to had been taken down in an instant.
Drip.
Blood trickled from one of his eyes.
The moment the five Blood Zombies were eradicated, the image of the enemy broke into his mind.
“… Geumhu… Could it be that she has come in person?”
The opponent was Geumhu.
The only Supreme Master of Hwakyung in the martial world, just seventeen in number—a master of extraordinary capabilities, but against Hwakyung’s master, his strength was futile.
“Damn it…”
The bishop bit his lip.
The Hangshan Sect’s Technique of Subduing Demons and the Heart Sword could not return empty-handed. Moreover, the elixir in the cave was a precious item necessary for the resurrection of the supreme one.
This plan absolutely could not fail.
‘I will give up my life if necessary…’
The moment the bishop thought that.
[Do you really want to sacrifice it?]
A voice resonated in his mind.
It was the Blood Demon Lord.
Once he heard the Blood Demon Lord’s voice, the bishop fell prostrate, performing full-body obeisance.
“Blood Demon’s Resurrection! Blood Sect’s Glory! Long live! Long live! Long live! I greet you, Blood Demon Lord!”
[If you sacrifice your life and original energy completely… I can lend you part of my power. If you use the Blood Spirit Strengthening Method to install the Bewildering Soul Formation, then with your pitiful skill, you’ll be able to confront Geumhu.]
Drip.
Blood burst from both his eyes and ears.
From high-ranking officials to lower-level followers, every member of the Blood Sect was mentally connected to the sect leader, bound as his slaves—there were no exceptions.
With powers surpassing the realm hailed in the world, the Blood Sect leader who had reached the state of transcendent martial arts, the Boundary of Life and Death, bestowed these capabilities upon the bishop.
The Blood Sect leader would grant strength through the Crazy Heaven Blood Seal Technique, and the bishop would receive this power, giving him martial prowess beyond his natural abilities.
And by offering even greater sacrifices, he could momentarily manifest a part of the Blood Sect leader’s strength.
The Blood Sect leader was now demanding a sacrifice from the bishop.
And being the slave of the Blood Sect in body and spirit, the bishop could not deny the sect leader’s order.
“I shall grant you the honor of playing a part in my resurrection. Sacrifice your life to me.”
In the bubbling blood pond, the eyes of the Blood Sect leader glowed red.
He spoke to the bishop through the connection.
Stuck in the Blood Pond formed with the blood of men and women, the Blood Sect leader was unable to take a single step beyond the vile pool created from the mingling of blood and elixirs.
This plan was of utmost importance.
[I will give my all to the supreme one.]
“Good. Then I shall lend you my strength.”
The Blood Sect leader closed his eyes as he organized the situation.
“… The Tortoise Shell is disturbed… Someone keeps throwing off the heavenly order… Besides Taepyeong Princess, has there been another variable I’ve overlooked…?”
The low voice of the Blood Sect leader echoed through the cave.
Bubbling.
The ugly blood water of the blood pond, made from the mingled blood of men and women and elixirs, simmered violently.