Chapter 157: The Nine Yin Witch (2)


    TL: FoodieMonster007


    Upon reaching the Nine Yin Witch’sir, the students shuffled uneasily, casting nervous nces at one another.


    <em>Why did she bring us here?</em>


    <em>She won’t suddenly turn on us and kill us… will she?</em>


    In stark contrast to the Bloody Ripper’s opulent mansion in the heart of the Valley of Evil, the Nine Yin Witch’s dwelling was destion incarnate. She lived alone in a cave carved into a cliff, with no stairs or ropes in sight, only essible using advanced movement arts. Inside, the cave was spacious but barren, devoid of any real furnishings.


    “Are you just going to stand there? Sit wherever you want,” the Nine Yin Witch snapped.


    Awkwardly, the students settled themselves. The male students, in particr, avoided the Nine Yin Witch’s gaze, their eyes darting anywhere but at her.


    Yeo Min stepped forward and addressed the Nine Yin Witch on behalf of the group. “We have a poisonedrade. May we tend to him here?”


    “Suit yourselves.”With the Witch’s consent, the students gentlyid the unconscious Wiji Cheon on the floor, taking turns channeling qi into him and massaging his limbs.


    “Wiji Cheon! Snap out of it! Are you seriously going to die here?”


    “His body’s on fire…”


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    BAM!


    Hyonwon Kang punched the ground in frustration. “Damn it! We can’t do anything without the antidote.”


    “Precisely. Now move aside,” Yeo Min said coolly, pulling the antidote from within her robes.


    Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok stared, mouths agape.


    Hyonwon Kang blurted, “W-Where did you get that?”


    “I swiped it earlier when no one was looking,” Yeo Min replied as she propped Wiji Cheon up, pried his mouth open, and administered the antidote. cing her palm on his back, she channeled her qi to help it circte swiftly, but with her own reserves nearly drained, it was an uphill battle.


    “The poison has spread too widely. We need to use our qi to help him absorb the antidote more quickly,” she said wearily.


    Ya Suhyeok groaned, “Sorry… I’m out of qi.”


    “Fuck, me too,” Hyonwon Kang cursed.


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    They were all in the same predicament.


    Noticing their struggle, the Nine Yin Witch stepped forward. “Allow me,” she offered, cing her hand on Wiji Cheon and channeling her qi into him.


    Almost immediately, color returned to Wiji Cheon’s face, and i no time, he began to stir.


    “Ugh…” he groaned, shivering.


    “Are you alright? How are you feeling?” Yeo Min asked.


    “C-Cold…”


    Without hesitation, Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok stripped off their ragged coats and draped them over him.


    Seeing the boys’ bared upper bodies, the Nine Yin Witch clicked her tongue, “Tsk. You should tend to your own injuries before fussing over others.”


    With a casual flick of her wrist, a chest in the cave’s corner creaked open, and ointments and bandages floated toward them.


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    The students gaped in astonishment. <em>Telekinesis!</em>


    Telekinesis, the ability to move distant objects using qi, demanded an exceptional level of control. However, the Nine Yin Witch performed it with ease, demonstrating her formidable prowess.


    Amazed, the students began tending to their injuries with the provided supplies.


    “By the way… why did you save us?” Yeo Min asked again.


    For a long time, the Nine Yin Witch gazed intently at Yeo Min, saying nothing.


    Feeling uneasy under her stare, Yeo Min repeated herself, “Why are you…”


    “Unnie…”


    “W-What?”


    The Nine Yin Witch appeared as if she wanted to say something important, but eventually shook her head. “Forget it. What am I doing, saying such things to a child?”


    <em>A child?</em> The students exchanged puzzled looks. No one knew the Nine Yin Witch’s true age, but she didn’t appear much older than them. In fact, she and Yeo Min resembled each other so much, they could be mistaken for sisters.


    Unable to join the women’s conversation, Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok began a telepathic exchange.


    [Don’t you think the Nine Yin Witch and Yeo Min look oddly simr? Their faces are different, but they give off the same vibe…]


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    [You noticed that too, Senior? I was thinking the same thing.]


    [Maybe crazy girls get along because they have something inmon. Didn’t you see just now? Yeo Min carries a bomb around. A BOMB.]


    [I heard the Nine Yin Witch kills any man she sees… Are we safe here?]


    [If she nned to kill us, why bother saving us?]


    [Maybe she lures men here to drain their vitality. Remember what the Seclusion Training Freak said earlier?]


    [Don’t even joke about that… Besides, if that were true, why did she help Wiji Cheon?]


    Unfortunately for them, someone of the Nine Yin Witch’s caliber could easily detect their secret conversation.


    “You two. If I catch you two using telepathy around me again, I’ll freeze your mouths shut permanently,” she snapped coldly.


    Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok mped their mouths shut and bowed their heads in unison.


    Even Yeo Min scoffed at them. “Hmph, you men are just soooo predictable. It’s obvious what you were gossiping about. Is that sort of thing all boys ever think about?”


    Ashamed, their faces flushed with embarrassment, but they couldn’t help but feel a little misunderstood. After all, the rumors surrounding the Nine Yin Witch in the jianghu were notoriously bad. There were many ounts that she had mastered ice arts only essible to those with immense Yin energy, and that her beauty and white hair were maintained by feeding on the Yang energy of men.


    Well, rumors aside, it was an undeniable truth that the Nine Yin Witch had just saved their lives.


    “We’re sorry! It was disrespectful of us to misjudge our savior,” Hyonwon Kang said, bowing deeply. He then grabbed Ya Suhyeok’s head and forced him to bow as well, urging, “You too! Hurry up and apologize, you idiot!”


    “…I’m sorry,” Ya Suhyeok mumbled.


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    The Nine Yin Witch gazed at their bowed heads for a moment. “…Apology epted. It’s not the first time I’ve been called a harlot anyway.”


    “……”


    “When you’ve patched yourselves up, leave immediately. That is the extent of my benevolence. Most of the viins here wouldn’t daree near my house, but the Bloody Ripper is different. If that old man shows up, I won’t hesitate to hand you over to him.”


    The Nine Yin Witch didn’t borate on why she was helping them, and since she seemed unwilling to discuss it, they refrained from asking.


    However, as Yeo Min stretched her stiff limbs, she cautiously asked, “…Could we stay a bit longer? Our teacher hasn’t arrived yet.”


    The Nine Yin Witch frowned. “Teacher?”


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    Yeo Min hesitated, realizing she might have said too much, but eventually decided there was no point in hiding it. “Actually, we’re students from the Azure Dragon Academy.”


    “What? The Azure Dragon Academy?”


    “Yes…” Yeo Min began recounting their journey to the Valley of Evil, detailing everything from the start. Her face lit up, resembling a child sharing her day with a parent.


    <em>Someone like her being called a witch… It’s ridiculous. She seems like a genuinely good person,</em> she mused.


    A good person among the Ten Great Viins? It might sound absurd to others, but Yeo Min trusted her instincts over the tainted rumors of the jianghu.


    <em>It might sound odd, but she reminds me of my mother.</em>


    Yeo Min’s mother had passed away more than a decade ago. Even though her mother didn’t look much like the Nine Yin Witch except for her white hair, talking to the Witch made Yeo Min feel at ease, like she was interacting with her mother.


    “I see. So that’s how it happened,” the Nine Yin Witch murmured, a faint smile softening her icy demeanor. Soon, though, her expression hardened and she abruptly stood up. “I don’t mind if you rest a bit longer before you leave, but don’t expect any more kindness from me.”


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    “Um…” Yeo Min wanted to continue the conversation, but hesitated. The Nine Yin Witch wore a peculiar expression, as if battling internal turmoil, which unsettled her.


    “Still… it would be best if you just left as soon as possible,” the Nine Yin Witch advised softly, before disappearing deeper into the cave.


    Once the Nine Yin Witch was out of earshot, the students whispered among themselves.


    “She doesn’t seem like a bad person at all, does she?” Yeo Min eximed.


    Hyonwon Kang nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she’s definitely not as bad as the rumors suggest.”


    “You, of all people, should know not to believe in rumors, right, Senior? You too, Ya Suhyeok,” Yeo Min said pointedly.


    Both boys nodded sheepishly. They knew all too well how baseless gossip could spiral out of control.


    Yeo Min bit her lip in frustration. “It’s awful that someone so kind isbeled as a public enemy of the murim… She must have been falsely used!”


    “Maybe so. Anyway, we should get some rest as well. Look, he’s already out cold,” Hyonwon Kang said, gently poking Wiji Cheon’s cheek.


    With the Nine Yin Witch gone, their tension began to ease, and the umted exhaustion of the day washed over them.


    “Man…”


    “I’m dead tired.”


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    “I’m going to pass out the moment I lie down.”


    One by one, they copsed to the floor, falling asleep almost instantaneously. It had been an excruciatingly long day.


    “Sniff… sob…”


    Yeo Min awoke to the faint sound of sobbing. Groggily opening her eyes, she murmured, “Mmm… what’s that noise?”


    Looking around, she saw Hyonwon Kang and Ya Suhyeok sprawled out nearby, while Wiji Cheon was curled up like a shrimp, probably from the cold.


    ZZZ… SNORE…


    The boys’ loud snores echoed throughout the cave, but what caught Yeo Min’s attention was the distant, ghostly wailing of a woman.


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    “Uwaaaah…”


    Almost as if in a trance, she rose and followed the sound, venturing deeper into the pitch ck cave, feeling her way along the walls. Finally, she came upon the Nine Yin Witch, sitting alone and weeping.


    “Nine Yin Witch?” she whispered.


    Noticing her, the Nine Yin Witch hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve. Her eyes were red and puffy, evidence of prolonged crying. “Why are you here?” she snapped.


    Yeo Min settled down across from her. “Were you crying?” she asked gently.


    “……”


    “Why?”


    “……”


    “Is it because of those people who call you a witch?” Yeo Min asked. To her, the Nine Yin Witch looked profoundly sad. She felt an overwhelming urge to hear her story, to share in her sorrow. It was odd to connect so deeply with someone she’d just met, yet it felt entirely natural.


    <em>Is this what it means to feel empathy?</em> she wondered.


    Perhaps equally perplexed by the affinity, the Nine Yin Witch whispered, “Are you Hayeon-unnie’s daughter?”


    Yeo Min’s eyes widened in shock. Eun Hayeon was her deceased mother’s name, but she had never told this to anyone before. “D-Did you know my mother? H-How?” she stammered.


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    The Nine Yin Witch reached out and gently touched Yeo Min’s face. With a distant and pained look, she murmured, “So it’s true. No wonder I felt that you looked strangely familiar the moment I saw you. You’re Hayeon-unnie’s daughter, huh…”


    “How did you know my mother?” Yeo Min pressed.


    After hesitating for a moment, the Nine Yin Witch began, “Your mother and I grew up together in a ce where orphaned girls like us were gathered and forced to train in martial arts.”


    “Ah…” Having never heard about her mother’s past before, Yeo Min hung onto every word, utterly captivated.


    “In that ce, if you didn’t learn martial arts properly, you were beaten and starved. Each week, several children died. Back then, Hayeon-unnie helped me a lot. She always shared her food with me, even though she must have been hungry too.”


    “Mother never told me any of this…”


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    “I suppose she wouldn’t. It’s not the kind of story a mother would share with her daughter.”


    Overwhelmed by these revtions about her mother, Yeo Min was momentarily speechless.


    The Nine Yin Witch continued, “By the way, what happened to Hayeon-unnie?”


    “She passed away more than ten years ago…”


    “I see. So that’s how it is.” The Nine Yin Witch nodded sadly, as if she’d anticipated the news. Gently stroking Yeo Min’s cheek, she said, “You really do look like Unnie. I recognized you the moment I saw you, so I tried to chase you out of the Valley of Evil, but that stupid Seclusion Training Freak got in the way.”


    “Do I really look like my mother? I’ve never been sure…”


    “You do. But even if you didn’t, I would have known. Because…” The Nine Yin Witch’s fingers brushed Yeo Min’s hair, instantly turning it snow white.


    Startled, Yeo Min recoiled. “I haven’t learned the Ice Arts,” she stammered, feeling the chill of the Witch’s ice qi.


    “Apparently not. Why didn’t you learn it? Didn’t Unnie teach you?”


    Yeo Min shook her head. “Mother told me never to learn the Ice Arts. She said that if I did, I wouldn’t live very long… just like her.”


    “……”


    “But it’s okay,” Yeo Min smiled brightly. “I take medicine instead. It keeps my hair from turning white and stops the cold energy from overwhelming me.”


    “I see. Well, if you haven’t learned it, then it makes sense.” The Nine Yin Witch smiled gently, caressing Yeo Min’s cheek. “ You and I both have the same constitution. I know better than anyone how painful it is, even if you suppress it with medicine. You’re remarkable, truly.”


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    “Thank you… sniff…” Tears welled up in Yeo Min’s eyes. Since her mother’s death, this was the first time she’d met someone who understood her secret.


    The Nine Yin Witch pulled Yeo Min into a tight hug. “It’s okay to cry. Let it all out.”


    “Sob… Waaah!”


    Yeo Min wept in her arms, and the Nine Yin Witch held her close like a motherforting her child.


    Gently stroking her back, the Nine Yin Witch whispered softly into her ear, “Your Yin energy must be incredibly pure. Suppressed for so long without learning the Ice Arts… So pure and… delicious.”


    “Huh?” rmed, Yeo Min sensed something was amiss and tried to pull away, but the Nine Yin Witch’s grip tightened.


    “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you,” the Witch murmured.


    “W-What…” Still trapped in the Witch’s embrace, Yeo Min’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.


    That was when she noticed figures glued onto to the walls.


    Realization dawned upon her.


    “Ah… EEEEEEEEEK!” she screamed.


    Bugs, birds, animals, even people—they were all frozen onto the walls, their faces twisted in agony.


    The Nine Yin Witch whispered into the struggling Yeo Min’s ear, “I gave you a chance. I reminded you again and again to quickly leave the Valley of Evil. I didn’t want to hurt Unnie’s daughter. You should’ve left the moment you woke up. Why did youe deeper into the cave? In the end, you sought me out…”


    The Nine Yin Witch leaned in and gently licked Yeo Min’s pale neck. “Ahh… I can’t hold back any longer,” she murmured, even as tears streamed down her face.


    Yeo Min trembled violently. “P-Please…”


    “I saved you once, so don’t hate me too much for killing you.”


    “You… witch!”


    A wave of unbearable cold surged through her, and Yeo Min fell unconsciousness.<hr>


    <strong>Trantor’s Note:</strong> Perhaps the rumor about Yeo Min being a thief wasn’t entirely unfounded…