/translatingnovice
"The Ender's Tale...?"
Its when Im looking at the storybook with trembling eyes.
"Sir Immortal...?"
"...Ah, sorry. I'll read it to you."
I read the storybook.
The contents of the storybook are roughly as follows:
Once upon a ti, there was a Supre Deity who ruled the heavens.
The Supre Deity had seven beloved disciples, and one day, they had a great dispute with the Supre Deity.
The disciples left the heavenly realm ruled by the Supre Deity and descended to the human world.
The Supre Deity, seeing that the seven disciples did not obey his command, called them Enders.
But the human world was harsh, and the seven Enders shed tears of pain, longing for the heavenly realm.
Seeing this, the Supre Deity created a path to ascend to the heavens so that the seven disciples could return, and made it possible for them to reach the heavens by walking this path.
It is said that the seven Enders walked the heavenly path laid by the Supre Deity, returned to the heavenly realm he ruled, and lived happily beside him, assisting him.
This is the rough storyline of this tale.
And then.
Shiver, shiver!
For so reason, I feel a surge of disgust and fear rising from deep within my soul, taking over my body.
I feel goosebumps all over my body for so reason.
Why?
This tale itself is a kind of fairy tale, intended to teach children the lesson 'not to leave ho recklessly.'
But.
'Why?'
I feel sothing ominous in every single line of this tale.
Especially at the end of the tale, the part where the Enders happily lived beside the Supre Deity, it felt like chills were covering my whole body as soon as I read it.
"Sir Immortal, are you okay?"
The child, looking worried, tugs at my arm.
"Ah...!"
I suddenly realize that Im in a greatly shrunken posture with a distorted expression.
"It's okay. Just... feeling a bit unwell, don't worry too much."
'What is this?'
I felt this emotion surge from a place deeper than my soul, in response to a sentence and content I have never seen before.
Sothing is strange.
What exactly is this story?
'Is there sothing else hidden in this book or on the paper?'
After reading "The Ender's Tale," I move on to the next story.
'Ah, this is a tale I know.'
Fortunately, from the second story onwards, they are ordinary tales that I read before.
Like the story of a man who threw himself onto the ice to catch a carp for his mother to eat on a midwinter day.
Or the story of an old man who built a pagoda to offer a ritual to fate.
These were tales conveying the lesson 'sincerity reaches the heavens,' which I had seen before, and this ti I read the tales to the child comfortably without feeling strange.
Just then..
'Hm? This is also a story I've never seen before...'
The thirteenth chapter, "The Tale of the People of the Spherical Land," is also a story I havent read.
'Ah, this is...'
Its the story of the content that Buk Hyang-hwa had narrated.
It said that people live in a place called the Astral Realm, and they live attached to a spherical land.
"Wow, how do people live attached to the land? People living under the round part would fall down, wouldn't they?"
"...Indeed."
I smile bitterly and turn the last pages of the storybook.
The last chapter of the storybook is about "World's End," which I had seen before.
Its about stories like if you go to the east, west, north, and south of the world, you would reach the World's End, and sothing like the World Shield Force surrounding the world.
And, in the last chapter, theres a map roughly showing what this world looks like.
'This is...'
In the center of the map, theres a large desert, and in the center of the desert, sothing like a small island is drawn.
To the left of the desert are countries that seem to be Byeokra, Yanguo, and Shengzi.
To the right are various states.
To the top, a large grassland.
To the bottom, an endless sea is drawn.
And, at the ends of each east, west, north, and south, there are clear boundary lines, and beyond these boundary lines, the sun, moon, stars, etc., are drawn.
'Is this... the entirety of this world...hmm?'
Suddenly, I notice sothing very small drawn outside the map, a cylindrical object, and my eyes widen.
"Serving Command Palace...? Is it also ntioned here? Huh..."
For a simple countryside storybook, the content is too detailed.
And then, I suddenly notice another strange aspect of the storybook.
"Sir Immortal, look at this. The sun and the moon here~"
The child points to the sun and the moon marked outside the map and says,
"They look just like eyes!"
"......"
The map depicts the sun and the moon like eyeballs.
Inside the golden sun, there are things like blood vessels and a pupil that is hard to see unless observed closely, and the silver moon is the sa.
The pupils of both the sun and the moon are facing the continent inside the map.
Shiver, shiver!
As soon as I recognize these as 'eyeballs,' I feel chills running through my body again.
'What in the world is this place...?'
Suddenly, the setting sun and the rising moon in the distance feel terrifyingly ominous.
'...No, it can't be. It's just a book that a child in the countryside has. The person who made this book must have drawn it just for fun...'
I force a laugh, driving away the terrifying thoughts that ca to my mind.
'But why, in a country child's book, is there a map with Serving Command Palace and even the Ascension Path of Heaven-Treading Desert precisely drawn...?'
Crack...
Even after closing the book, the faint pupils drawn in the sun and moon don't leave my mind.
What did the person who made this book want to convey?
And, is there a hidden secret in this book?
"Could you give this book?"
"Huh? No! I have to read it with my sister when she cos!"
"Hmm..."
I make a troubled expression.
'How, is there no way...'
The girl seems quite stubborn.
Then, I see the sun setting in the distance.
'Night will fall soon.'
Its when venomous creatures will start to gather.
"By the way, child, shouldn't you go inside now? It's dangerous to wander outside at night."
"Umm... I'm waiting for my sister..."
"There's a festival in the village today, don't you want to see it?"
"Umm..."
After a mont of thought, the little girl holds my hand and says,
"I'll go if you co with , Sir Immortal!"
"Umm...? I..."
"If Sir Immortal doesn't go, I won't go either!"
Eventually, I sigh and collapse the earthen chair I had created with a spell.
"Fine, fine. I'll go too."
Soon after, I form another spell and creat an earthen doll.
Murmur, murmur...
Using the Yin Soul Ghost Incantation, I cast a small curse and graft it into the earthen doll.
"Wow, Sir Immortal. What is that doll? It looks creepy..."
"...It's a cursed doll."
Yin Soul Ghost Incantation includes a thod to create cursed dolls and manipulate them remotely through curses.
I could cast curses through the cursed doll, and also input actions by infusing one or two curses.
The founder of Yin Soul Ghost Incantation, who handled 108 curses simultaneously, was said to have created a human-like doll, infusing it with 108 curses and manipulating it just like a real person.
Woosh!
The curse-infused doll wriggles awkwardly and stands at the edge of the village in my place.
"That will stand guard in my place."
If sothing crosses the village boundary, the cursed doll will send a signal, and I can sense it and eliminate it from a distance.
"Wow... Sir Immortal, you are really cool!"
"Ha ha, now that you've seen sothing interesting, let's hurry into the village."
I take the child's hand and enter the village together.
At the sa ti, forming another spell, I create three more earthen dolls, infuse them with curses, and send them to the four corners of the village.
This should be enough for the defense.
"Oh my, is Cultivator Seo also participating in the festival?"
Buk Hyang-hwa, dressed in traditional festival attire of a pure white gown, sees walking with the girl.
Following the festival's rules, she only has a simple hairpin as her head decoration, like the other won in the village.
"Yes, thanks to this child."
"Wow, it's an Immortal maiden!"
The child approaches Buk Hyang-hwa and admires her dressed in the village's traditional attire.
Although her appearance is not particularly outstanding, dressed in white and looking neat, she appears quite beautiful.
"Ah, is Sir Immortal also participating in the festival?"
The village chief and so village n approach and ask.
"Yes, but... is there a problem?"
"No! Not at all. Just wondering if you've heard about the mountain festivals?"
"Yes, I'm aware. Great Stone Ceremony, Recounting Celebration Ceremony, Twin Immortals Dance. These three festivals are the most famous, aren't they?"
"Yes. This festival is the Twin Immortals Dance festival among them. After people were taken by harmful beasts, we always perform the Twin Immortals Dance ritual to console our hearts and minds."
In the mountainous regions of Shengzi, there's the Great Stone Ceremony, held once a year when lightning covers the entire mountainous area,
Recounting Celebration Ceremony, a festival of scholars reciting classics and scholarly works, hosted by Shengzi, known for its scriptures and academia.
And the Twin Immortals Dance festival, famous for praying that such incidents of people being taken by beasts or monsters never happen again, if they do occur in the mountainous regions.
"I am aware. Oh, but to participate in the Twin Immortals Dance festival, don't all participants need to wear the sa outfit..."
I realize there might not be any spare clothes if I decide to participate on such a short notice.
"That's alright. We can get clothes that fit you from the young n of similar stature..."
"Well, never mind then. If that's the case, I might as well not participate."
Youre saying that, but arent you really saying not to participate?
That's when Buk Hyang-hwa approaches and asks.
"What's the matter?"
"Oh, I don't have clothes to participate in the festival, so I've decided not to participate."
Upon hearing my words, she chuckles and says,
"Oh, was that the problem? Please tell the village chief. I'll make clothes for Cultivator Seo."
"Um...? What do you an by that?"
"Ah, please tell him quickly."
Although Im confused, I relay her words to the village chief, who laughs heartily, nods, and then leaves.
"No, Miss Buk. The festival is about to start..."
"It's alright, just stretch out your arms."
She quickly takes out a tool resembling a tape asure from her storage device, asures my body, and then takes sothing else out.
Boom!
Bang!
From her storage device, sothing like a small model house pops out and then drops in front of us with a bang.
"This, this is..."
"It's my portable workshop. Just wait for a mont. I'll make it quickly and bring it to you."
After a while, there are sounds of rapid movent inside her workshop, and she cos out with a white Daoist robe.
"...Is this a pre-made outfit from inside the workshop?"
I ask, glancing inside the workshop, astonished by the unreal production speed.
"Why would I have this region's traditional clothing in the workshop? Stop fussing and try it on."
"Huh..."
'Is this what they call Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent...'
Those with a natural talent for 'making' things.
I dont know about ordinary magic artifacts, but it seems she would whip up sothing like clothes in no ti.
Im montarily astounded by the speed, receive the clothes, and change inside her workshop.
The outfit I received is a flowing white robe. Even the shoes match perfectly, making look like a white heron to an outsider.
"Hmm, it suits Cultivator Seo quite well, doesn't it?"
"Hmm, thank you. Miss Buk, you look quite fitting as well."
"Oh, thank you."
Boom!
She then shrinks her portable workshop and puts it back into her storage device.
I head towards the site of the festival thats about to begin.
There, the village chief is busily overseeing the festival preparations.
"Ah, Sir Immortal. You've arrived. Ha ha, you look good. How many tis have you seen the Twin Immortals Dance?"
"Ah, actually, this is my first ti. Until now, I've only read about the festival in ancient texts."
The village chief strokes his beard and nods.
"It's an honor for our village to show Sir Immortal his first Twin Immortals Dance."
"It's an honor for as well to witness such a long-standing tradition."
"The festival has been passed down for sixteen hundred years in the mountainous regions of Shengzi. I hope you enjoy it."
I ask, surprised.
"Sixteen hundred years... It's quite a historically deep-rooted festival, isn't it?"
"Yes. As legend has it, long ago, two immortals defeated a notorious demon in these mountains, and the Twin Immortals Dance began from the dance they perford together.
That's why, when people are taken by monsters or harmful beasts, we perform the festival, praying for the miraculous power of those immortals so that such tragedies never happen again."
The village chief suddenly looks overwheld with emotion and wipes his tears as he speaks.
"Until now, the village was too close to the habitat of the centipede demon, so when people were taken, we couldn't even think about recovering their bodies, let alone hold a festival with any hope.
But now, just like the legendary immortals, two immortals appeared and saved our village, and I can't tell you how moved I am."
I listen to the village chief's words while watching the festival preparations.
Soon after, as the sun sets, the festival begins.
The won and elders of the village play the drum and zither, while others pluck the pipa at ho.
The music, though, is not too frivolous, befitting a festival that mixes the atmosphere of comforting the deceased with a gentle lody.
Then, young n and won gather in the center of the village.
All dressed in the sa white robes, the village won approach the young n and won, distributing a paper fan to each.
Whether these fans are from their hos or not, they are all different in shape and equally worn out.
So even just folded roughly when there weren't enough fans.
Flutter, flutter!
On both sides of the clearing, scrolls depicting the two immortals from the distant past are unfurled.
Then, the village chief prays for the souls of the deceased at the front of the clearing, asking for the miraculous power of the two immortals to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
And so, the dance begins.
The Twin Immortals Dance is literally a dance where pairs of n and won, each holding a fan, dance together.
Interestingly, at the beginning of the festival, the won's faces were covered with white cotton cloths, making it hard to recognize each other.
'Ah, Miss Buk has completely withdrawn her divine consciousness.'
It seems like it wouldnt be fun if we both have our domain of consciousness, as we would recognize each other instantly.
Thinking like that, I, too, close my eyes and transform my consciousness into the Formless Sword.
Pairs start forming in the clearing.
I drift around the edge without partnering up, launching my Formless Sword into the distance.
Swoosh!
A venomous creature, caught by the cursed doll's detection and trying to enter the village, is struck by the Formless Sword and bursts.
Boom, boom!
I dance casually, focusing more on the defense of the village from the center.
Until Buk Hyang-hwa creates her magic artifact in a few days, it's only right that I do my best to protect the village.
'I should practice my footwork around the edges.'
While Im practicing footwork similar to the Twin Immortals Dance around the edges,
'Hmm?'
In the distance, soone is drifting around like , heading my way.
'Why are you drifting around, too?'
She seed eager to participate in the festival.
I approach Buk Hyang-hwa, who is awkwardly practicing her dance moves.
As I approach her, she recognizes sohow and looks at .
"Is that you, Cultivator Seo?"
"Indeed, it's Miss Buk. Why are you drifting around here? I thought you were eager to participate in the festival."
"Ah, that... the dance is difficult."
She laughs awkwardly. Curiosity strikes , and I ask.
"By the way, how did you recognize with the cotton cloth covering your face?"
She hid her consciousness inside her head, like mortals, to enjoy the festival. She couldn't have used her consciousness but she recognized instantly.
'With the cotton cloth covering the front, you can only see the sides and the feet of the person in front of you...'
"How could I not recognize you, Cultivator Seo? The clothes, the shoes, I made them all. Why wouldn't I recognize them?"
She retorts.
"And how did you recognize , Cultivator Seo? My face IS covered, and there was no feeling of consciousness."
"Ah, that..."
I begin to respond while matching her dance moves.
"I rember your breathing, heartbeat, body shape, scent, shape of your hands, and so on. Even if your face is covered, those things don't change."
At my words, shes taken aback and asks.
"Why in the world would you rember such things?"
"Ah, that's because..."
Im about to say 'it's a habit from when I reached the peak' but realize it sounds odd.
Even if I ant the peak of martial arts, she probably isn't interested in the realms of martial arts.
'It sounds a bit perverted...'
Should I just say it's a usual habit?
'I usually morize people's breathing, heartbeat, body shape, scent, and so on...'
Sohow, that also feels incredibly creepy.
'Why am I even worrying about this?'
It's not only about people, but I also apply this sense to the surrounding environnt, so I never felt it was strange.
'Well, let's keep it simple...'
I choose the most normal-sounding answer I can think of.
"It's just that Miss Buk, you are particularly morable."
'Yes, this should sound normal enough.'
We gradually match our dance steps, moving from the edge of the clearing towards the center.
'Is sothing wrong?'
I glance at her.
Buk Hyang-hwa has said nothing in response to my answer.
'Hmm? Is she feeling unwell?'
For so reason, her neck above her clothes is flushed red.
"Miss Buk, are you alright?"
"......"
"Miss Buk?"
"Stop talking, Daoist Seo. The dance is complicated enough without you confusing ."
"Ha ha, sorry about that."
The tips of the fans we are holding brush against each other.
At the sa ti, my Formless Sword encircles the village, driving away the venomous creatures rushing towards it.
I step to the left three tis, completing a full circle.
Buk Hyang-hwa moves just like , also turning a full circle, and once again, our fan tips brush against each other.
Before we knew it, we had entered the center of the clearing, and the second act of the dance began.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
The young n of the village began to remove the white cotton cloths covering the faces of their dancing partners.
I, following the others, remove the cloth covering Buk Hyang-hwa's face.
"Ah... Finally, I can see."
She seems overheated from the cloth, her face flushed and warm.
Once again, our fan tips brush against each other.
We take another three steps to the right, completing another circle.
My Formless Sword as well circles the village, forming several overlapping rings and scattering in all directions with nurous transformations, repelling the venomous creatures.
In the center of the village, nurous torches, the drumming, the zither, and the plucking pipas resonate, along with the footsteps of the youth.
"Miss Buk, even though you can see, you seem to be struggling with the dance. Are you not good with physical movents?"
"Are you teasing about being uncoordinated, Daoist Seo? Considering how you couldn't even dress properly, you're not one to talk, are you?"
"Ha ha, my apologies."
Our fan tips brush several tis, and we chuckle, teasing each other amidst the unique festival of the mountainous region.
So are laughing, so are crying, and so are beating the drums.
Others are praying in front of the scrolls depicting the two immortals.
On the scroll is an immortal wielding a spear and an immortal with a ribbed fan, depicted after they had defeated the evil demon.
The two immortals, having laid down their weapons, were drawn dancing in a circle, holding fans.
The immortal with cloth covering their face and the other with the ribbed fan were only depicted with their mouths, but both were smiling gently at each other.
Translator Notes: Extra donated chapter by Twisted Umbrella and Lenka. Thanks for your support!
***
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