Chapter 77: Chapter 77- A Ghost

While sipping on his wine, Yoon-Jae casually responded.

“Imagine if I was born to the Patriarch of the Huashan Sect, but I have mediocre talent. Of course, there might be people who look down on me, but would they dare say it outright to my face? I might even be able to use the Sect’s resources to cultivate just as fast as any genius. I wouldn’t have to worry about anything as long as Mount Hua is Mount Hua. The Sect’s prestige and strength becomes my prestige and strength to flaunt however I like.”

Sol paused, then said.

“I kind of understand what you’re trying to say, but that’s no way to live.”

“For some spoiled Young Masters, that’s the only way they know how to live.”

Yoon-Jae interjected.

“Then, what about Byeong-Ho? What’s he like?”

Sol paused eating to listen to Yoon-Jae’s response.

After thinking for a moment, Yoon-Jae said.

“He’s not like normal people. He’s extremely ambitious while also seeks to be in control of everything. If things don’t go his way, he’ll completely flip out. I saw it happened once, and it was crazy.”

After Yoon-Jae said this, he suddenly paused having realized something.

“Why did you ask me about Byeong-Ho?”

Yoon-Jae felt Sol had specifically asked him about Byeong-Ho, but it wasn’t done in a way that indicated Sol thought he might not know. It’s as if Sol knew he was able to answer the question.

It was strange.

Sol in response to this smiled and said.

“I feel Brother Yoon-Jae is really good at reading people. So, I thought you would have a good grasp on Byeong-Ho’s personality.”

Sol went back to eating, but Yoon-Jae had to take a few more glances at him.

It felt like Sol was lacking in many areas, but at the same time, he would say and do things that left Yoon-Jae wondering what was really going on in his head.

He claimed Yoon-Jae was good at reading people, but here he was casually analyzing that Yoon-Jae was good at reading people.

It was counter-intuitive if anyone asked him.

“This is so good! What is this?”

Yoon-Jae snapped out of his thoughts to see Sol shoving a half-eaten cooked fish in his face.

“That’s a fish, a sea dish. It’s not common here in Jianghu, it must have cost a lot to get it here from the Land of Shadows.”

“Oh…”

Sol said, but then he tilted his head as he looked at the strange animal before asking.

“What’s a Sea?”

“Pfft!”

Yoon-Jae spat out the wine he was sipping on; having almost choked on it.

“You–Are you serious?”

Yoon-Jae and even Mar-Dule glanced at Sol with dumbfounded expressions.

Sol seeing their reactions paused.

He saw the term before in the old books his Master gave him, but it wasn’t described in them, so he had no idea what it was. Though from the looks of it, it seemed it was common knowledge to know what it was.

’Ah, it’s Master’s fault.’

Sol complained internally.

“Brother Sol, just what kind of hermit life have you been living until now? Have you really been living in the Demonic Forest your entire life?”

Yoon-Jae had heard from his Master that Sol was from the Barbarian Race but had possibly lived in an area of the Demonic Forest that didn’t have the Barrier. He was starting to get curious about Sol’s origins.

“The Demonic Forest? I thought Brother Sol said you were from the Outskirts of the Eternal Desert?”

“Uhh…”

Sol became nervous, but he suddenly changed the topic.

“How many branches of the Huashan Sect are there?”

Mar-Dule and Yoon-Jae knew what he was doing, but Yoon-Jae still answered.

“There should be just over a dozen in Jianghu.”

“Over a dozen?!”

Sol was alarmed and a look of distress overcame his face. He then followed up with.

“Then do you know someone named Son? He’s a Forgotten Genius from a branch of the Huashan Sect.”

Mar-Dule paused eating to say.

“I know most of the top Forgotten Geniuses by name, but not anyone who goes by the name Son.”

Sol turned to Yoon-Jae hoping he would know, but he instead saw him shaking his head, which made him a bit disappointed.

When he heard about the Huashan Sect and the Plum Blossom Gathering he immediately thought of Son and the others.

He promised he would visit them and Sol hadn’t forgotten.

He thought perhaps he would find at least Son here since he was a Forgotten Genius, but Sol realized the people invited here were… how should he put it… You could say the posturing in the air was stifling to a country bumpkin like him.

He had garnered attention by climbing the Heavenly Staircase and his outburst in the Martial Hall Pagoda. If it were not for those things, especially the former, he might not even be considered to attend this fancy-pancy gathering of geniuses.

However, Sol had to admit that even if Son was invited, he might not have found him amidst this many people.

While feeling dejected, Sol could only eat this strange but tasty animal to feel a bit better.

As he was looking around the crowd of disciples in a last-ditch attempt to spot Son, Sol decided on a whim to use his Heavenly Eyes to better analyze the faces in the crowd.

However, as a dark ghostly glow faintly obscured his pupils, his expression suddenly changed.

Not to one of shock, but to a curious expression.

’Who’s that?’

When Sol used his Heavenly Eyes, he suddenly witnessed an old man walking with his hands behind his back among the disciples who were chatting and laughing.

He would stop to listen to one group before moving on to the next.

However, Sol’s face soon became pale, and a creepy sensation caused goosebumps to pop up on his arms, while cold chill went down his spine that made him shiver slightly.

’Is—Is that a ghost?!’

Sol noticed that as the old man walked around, no one could see him. It appeared as if he didn’t exist to these disciples despite standing right next to them.

’So my Heavenly Eyes allows me to see wondering ghosts? I… I don’t know how to feel about that.’

Sol continued to observe this old man with caution but with a hint of curiousness mixed in.

The old man was wearing gray robes and aside from no one being able to see him, he looked ordinary, like someone’s grandpa.

As Sol followed this old man’s movements, he saw that he was beginning to leave the party area.

After thinking for a moment, his eyes flickered with realization, and he hurriedly put down his food to chase after the old man.

Mar-Dule and Yoon-Jae called after him, but he didn’t hear them. Though the two didn’t follow, they perhaps thought Sol was just going to the bathroom or something.

Sol followed the old man along a path until the sound of the disciples laughing and chatting was merely background noise to the loud crickets in the surroundings.

The lights of the party also dimmed and soon Sol was plunged into darkness. However, he could still see in the night as if it was day thanks to his Heavenly Eyes.

After some time, he followed the old man to a secluded area that had a small lake situated in the middle with a small plum blossom tree at the edge.

Sol saw this old man pause at the edge of the lake, and he stopped as well. He was hiding behind a building while peeping out.

He wasn’t afraid of being caught since he was masking his presence, and this was a skill Sol was confident in!

However…

“You’ve been following me for a while.”

“WAH!!”

Sol’s heart nearly came up through his throat. He was like a cat that had been startled as he leaped nearly ten feet into the air. He quickly retreated and then turned to see the old man he was following was now behind him.

“How…”

Sol turned back to the lake to see that the old man’s figure was gone. He was dumbfounded; he was sure he was looking at the old man when this voice appeared behind him.

Truly ghost-like behavior.

Sol shivered and took several more steps away from this old man.

The old man seeing Sol’s reaction chuckled in amusement before he asked.

“Child, what is your name?”

Sol paused and looked at this old man suspiciously. It was only after he deduced that a malevolent ghost wouldn’t ask for his name that he, let out a breath to calm down and answered.

“Senior, my name is Sol.”

“Sol? Is that short for something?”

Sol hesitated.

No one he had introduced himself to had asked for his full name. He knew it was a strange name that wasn’t common in Jianghu, or the Eastern Continent in general.

Though Sol still answered respectfully.

“Senior, my full name is Solovin.”

The old man nodded before he asked again.

“Well, Solovin, do you want to play a game?”

Sol tilted his head when he heard that.

“What kind of game?”

With a small wrinkly smile on his face, the old man replied.

“Nothing difficult, you just have to tell me how many plum blossom trees are on this mountain. If you do, I’ll give you-”

“One.”

The old man froze when he heard Sol’s immediate answer.

“It’s that one.”

Sol said again as he pointed at the small plum blossom tree near the lake.

When the old man saw that, he couldn’t help but release a loud laugh.

Perhaps Sol didn’t know it, but if anyone else on Mount Hua had seen this old man laugh like this, they would have been shocked.

“Brat, tell me, how did you know there was only one tree and that it’s this one?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep