I don’t have the courage to face Abbess A-bi again.

Having witnessed that face, which was less like a nun and more like a Vajrayakṣa guarding the gates of Buddhism, Jin Cheon-hee vowed never to anger her again. Besides, how could he possibly know how much stronger the nun would become after emerging from her seclusion?

Right. Not that I think she’d be angry with me, anyway.

It wasn’t in Abbess A-bi’s nature to blame him.

If anything, she’d probably say this, too, is just another worldly defilement that she must endure.

“By the way, to earn my keep,” Do Baek-ha said, “there have been at least a hundred missing persons cases in this city. And every single one of them has been a ‘untainted youths and maidens’.”

“What…?”

‘Untainted Youths and Maidens’. The term referred to young boys and girls.

In the world of wuxia, children were useful for many things. It wasn’t just the Hao Sect buying children to raise them as they saw fit; it was also common for children to be kidnapped to create special jiangshi or to be trained as elite assassins.

“What’s more, the grandchildren of the Righteous Sword Sect Master, who holds considerable power in this city, were also taken. Isn’t that disturbing?”

They even kidnapped the children of an influential family?

That changed the nature of the case. Poor children or orphans, who were easy targets, could be raised as jiangshi or assassins. But to deliberately provoke an influential family, one that certainly had bodyguards? That meant the kidnappers had a goal so important that they were willing to accept the risk.

Do Baek-ha continued, “So, as we narrowed down the potential groups, we’ve come to suspect the Demonic Cult. It would take an organization of exceptionally high-level masters to dare touch the children of a house that powerful. That’s why I was invited here.”

“Are you in the middle of your investigation?”

“Something like that. Tracking isn’t something you can just do haphazardly.” She gulped down her wine. “By the way… this is a ridiculous question, but would you answer just one thing for me?”

Jin Cheon-hee nodded. “What is it?”

“Are you… by any chance, a virgin?”

Jin Cheon-hee’s face flushed crimson. “What kind of…!”

“Judging by your reaction, you are.”

“I don’t want to answer… huh?”

Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened slightly. Do Baek-ha watched his expression change and burst into laughter.

“Quick on the uptake, aren’t you? I truly apologize for the offense. But this is a matter of life and death. I’m starting to think the targeting of the ‘untainted youths and maidens’ isn’t for brainwashing, but for some ritualistic purpose. Meaning, they’re kidnapping children with pure vital essence.”

Jin Cheon-hee calmed his startled heart and replied coolly, “If it’s for a ritual, the children might still be alive until the day of the ceremony.”

“That’s the hope I’m clinging to. I’d much rather resolve this than simply get revenge.”

Jin Cheon-hee nodded. “Do you, the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger, believe this is the work of the Demonic Cult?”

“Half and half. For one, there aren’t many groups with the power to kidnap the children of a noble house.”

“Meaning, you’re half-certain it’s not.”

“But that’s not what’s important. Even if it isn’t the Demonic Cult, it just means there’s another insane, powerful organization out there.” She rubbed her chin, then added, “This is the first time I’ve ever found myself wishing it was the Demonic Cult.”

Thud.

She set down the empty wine bottle. “Well, I believe I’ve earned my drink. I’ll be staying here for a while, so if you find any information, just let the attendant know.”

“Why did you tell me all this? Was it really just for the alcohol?”

At his sharp question, she smirked. “You’re asking, but you already know. The fact that you’re seeking confirmation from my own lips must mean you share the same intention.”

“…”

“In the Murim, who’s better at gathering information than a doctor? Not to mention, there isn’t a martial artist in the world who wouldn’t be stirred by the name ‘Little White Dragon’.”

“I see.”

“Please, if you learn anything, let me know. I feel like I’m thoroughly backed into a corner here.”

Jin Cheon-hee replied, “If you have any of the kidnapped children’s belongings, could you give them to me?”

“Hm… anything will do?” She rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out a small, pony-shaped pendant.

***

Jin Cheon-hee returned to his room.

He unpacked his things and sat in a meditative posture, thinking for a long time. Soon after, Hwang-gu padded into the room.

‘Woof! Grrr… Master, I couldn’t find a similar scent.’

“What?”

This, he had not expected. Hwang-gu nudged his head against Jin Cheon-hee’s hand, begging for a pat. As Jin Cheon-hee obliged, scratching the dog’s head, Hwang-gu continued.

‘Sniff! The scent… it’s been cut off.’

“Cut off?”

This was the same Hwang-gu who could track polluted water sources and sniff out the traces of various elixirs and spiritual beasts. They had taken measures to ensure that even he couldn’t find them?

There certainly aren’t many groups capable of that.

A headache was already setting in.

In that case, is the only option left to scour the novel?

He had already confirmed that the Profound Primordial Complete Foundation Divine Art didn’t directly mention this incident. His next step was to search for any indirect references within the novel’s text. Jin Cheon-hee pulled a stack of letters from his medicine chest.

It was all low-grade intelligence sent from the Three Murderous Tracking Rats, the Hao Sect, and the Beggar’s Sect. Most of it was likely false, but if there was a grain of truth hidden within, he might find a match by cross-analyzing it with the original novel.

My hair is going to fall out from all this.

Jin Cheon-hee let out a small sigh.

‘Untainted Youths and Maidens’…

He hadn’t answered her earlier, but Jin Cheon-hee was, in fact, a virgin. He had been solo since in the womb in his past life, and his current life was no different. His work had been his life.

This is why I got shot and killed by rebels.

He felt a surge of resentment, but part of him also felt it was inevitable. Even on modern Earth, half of humanity was starving. The concept of children’s rights had only been protected for a minuscule fraction of human history, and only in a few countries. The fact that a child died of starvation every five seconds was surprisingly unknown.

The medical techniques used to eradicate cholera were born from that reality.

In the world, countless people died for lack of money for IV drips and antibiotics. In some places, people died because they couldn’t even afford the ingredients to make an oral rehydration solution. That was why so many scholars searched for substitutes, driving down costs lower and lower in a desperate attempt to save lives.

It was no different in this world.

I hate seeing kids sick, I hate seeing kids hurt…

Jin Cheon-hee chided himself for being a fool.

Ah, damn it. I could just shut my eyes to this, let the kids die or whatever, and just go take my elixir…

He scratched his head for a moment, then scowled.

He might have been more at ease if he knew for certain that they were already dead. But the thought that they might still be alive until the ritual… that very idea had unfortunately stimulated the instincts of a passing citizen of the Republic of Korea.

Right. Since it’s come to this, I’ll just make sure to extort a ridiculous amount of money from the Righteous Sword Sect Master.

In that instant, Jin Cheon-hee recalled a passage from the novel.

It’s the Blood Cult. This is… the Blood Cult. And… Yeo Ha-ryoon is supposed to pass through here?

Jin Cheon-hee called for Hwang-gu.

***

There was a passage in the novel related to this time period.

—The road to his destination was quite desolate. Yeo Ha-ryoon heard from Silent Dark Blood Demon that the local sentiment was grim due to the recent disappearances of young boys and girls. The people were resentful, suspecting it was the work of the Demonic Cult.

—Yeo Ha-ryoon didn’t bother to reply, but he felt they deserved it. It wasn’t as if the Demonic Cult had no precedent for such things, and the people simply needed someone to blame. What could be more natural?

—Ultimately, everything follows its predetermined course. Yeo Ha-ryoon possessed an intuitive sense that the Sun and Moon Divine Cult, also known as the Demonic Cult, would eventually face a significant calamity.

It was a description that spanned only a single paragraph. It didn’t name the village, nor did it name any of the missing children, so he normally would have paid it no mind. It wasn’t a major incident, just a minor plot device to show how bad the Demonic Cult’s reputation was. The passage itself was short.

But…

When he cross-referenced the distinctive geography and climate mentioned in bits and pieces throughout the novel, their travel routes overlapped. On top of that, there was the brief mention of rumors about missing ‘untainted youths and maidens’ and the grim public sentiment. The season also roughly matched.

Of course, this is all just speculation, a combination of what I read in the novel and my own calculations…

The best way to confirm his guess would be to find Yeo Ha-ryoon.

“I can’t fight the Blood Cult’s elites on my own, Ha-ryoon. Your hyung needs some help.”

Jin Cheon-hee had Hwang-gu sniff Yeo Ha-ryoon’s scent and sent him off with the Heavenly Thunder Hawk. By pointing out a few of the major roads Yeo Ha-ryoon was likely to have passed, he drastically reduced the search radius.

In the meantime, Jin Cheon-hee headed for the Righteous Sword Sect.

***

Tinkle. Tinkle.

A cold, metallic chiming echoed through the stone space, a room where no light entered. At the sound, figures began to enter one by one through an opening on one side of the stone chamber.

They were short and small-bodied.

A closer look revealed their eyes were unfocused, as if they had lost all sense of self. They were all children, ranging from ten to fourteen years old. The children walked like dolls, devoid of all reason, and took their seats at a dining table set within the chamber.

“Good. Good. You must eat well. That is how your blood will be purified and you will become healthy, is it not?”

An old man dressed in the refined robes of a Taoist priest stroked his beard and smiled. In one hand, he held a small bell.

If Jin Cheon-hee had seen this, he would have identified it immediately.

The Blood Cult!

Indeed. This old man was the true culprit behind the kidnappings in Tangbai, the city where the Righteous Sword Sect was based.

“Immortal Master, the Little White Dragon has appeared at the Righteous Sword Sect.”

“The Little White Dragon? You mean the White Qilin’s disciple?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Is the boy also a virgin?”

“According to the spy who witnessed his conversation with the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger, it was revealed that he is.”

“Keuk, keuk, keuk.“

The old man chuckled and shook the bell.

Tinkle. Tinkle.

“Chew your food well. You must digest it properly.”

At his words, the children began to move. They slowly ate and drank the food set before them. It was a scene that would have made any onlooker’s skin crawl, but the old Taoist priest, seated at the head of the chamber, merely smiled.

“That whelp must possess the purest essence of all. Bring him to me.”

“As you command.”

A dark, shadowy figure standing behind the old man vanished.

“Heh, heh, heh. That fool Thunder Spirit Reverend Elder is still off chasing a Heavenly Thunder Hawk and hasn’t reported back… Once this is done, I will be far ahead of him. If I do well, the Ten Heavenly Lords themselves might just pass on their Way to me…”

The old man muttered to himself as he watched the children eat.

***

Thanks to the name of the Little White Dragon, gaining entry was exceptionally easy. He had simply stated that he wished to witness the renowned swordsmanship of the Righteous Sword Sect.

The Righteous Sword Sect replied that while they were pleased to host the Little White Dragon, they were currently suffering a terrible misfortune and found it difficult to receive guests.

‘My, this is a terrible loss. Is there anything I can do to help?’

All it took was that one furrow of his brow, and the Mistress of the house burst into tears, telling him everything. It had been a day like any other, she said. But when she went to wake the children in the morning, they were gone.

In the end, Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t find a single clue.

Hmph. As I thought, their tail isn’t easily caught.

He had mobilized both Hwang-gu and Noe-jin, his two spiritual beasts, and still couldn’t find a lead. It wasn’t as if Jin Cheon-hee himself was a master tracker like the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger, nor did he know this region well.

Aigoo, being a “passing scholar” isn’t as easy as it looks.

Still, there was one last method available to him.