Chapter 157: The Nine Yin Witch (2)

Chapter 157: The Nine Yin Witch (2)

TL: FoodieMonster007

Upon reaching the Nine Yin Witch’s lair, the students shuffled uneasily, casting nervous glances at one another.

Why did she bring us here?

She won’t suddenly turn on us and kill us... will she?

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 desolation incarnate. She lived alone in a cave carved into a cliff, with no stairs or ropes in sight, only accessible 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 particular, 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 poisoned comrade. May we tend to him here?”

“Suit yourselves.”

With the Witch’s consent, the students gently laid 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. Placing her palm on his back, she channeled her qi to help it circulate 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, placing 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. Telekinesis!

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?”

A child? 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 similar? 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 in common. 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 planned to kill us, why bother saving us?]

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

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.

Is this what it means to feel empathy? 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 place 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 place, 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 revelations 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 mother comforting 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?” Alarmed, 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 you come 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.

Translator’s Note: Perhaps the rumor about Yeo Min being a thief wasn’t entirely unfounded...