Chapter 189: Chapter 189

Dan So-mi slowly opened her eyes.

She exhaled with a “Haa” at the inexplicable cold, and a puff of white breath leaked out.

She quietly got up from her bed and looked out the window.

Looking at the sky in the dark night, not a single speck of moonlight could be seen.

When she lowered her head and looked around, pure white snow was piled up.

The entire yard was filled with snow, showing how much had fallen.

“Pee…”

Although it was cold, she could not sleep like this, so she had to go relieve herself. This was because she could easily picture what kind of nagging she would get if she wet the blanket.

Getting out of bed as if kicking off the blanket, she hastily put on her clothes. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she regretted not having brought in a chamber pot.

Perhaps because her already small stride was shrunk from the cold, she moved toward the outhouse, which felt even further away.

As she opened the door and stepped out, a cold wind blew fiercely, making her shiver unconsciously. Due to that cold wind, which even chased away her sweet sleep, she scurried along with the thought of getting back as quickly as possible.

It was right then that she heard a strange sound.

The sound coming from beyond the wall was quite sorrowful. Dan So-mi clenched her hands at the sound, which made even the listener’s heart sink.

“What is that?”

Tilting her head, she opened the front gate and went outside. However, let alone a beast, there was only pure white snow with not a single footprint left behind.

The moment she let out a groan and tried to turn back, a sorrowful cry echoed from behind once again. Dan So-mi unconsciously moved toward the sound.

She did not know if it was a ghost or a beast, but her mind became uneasy at that incredibly sorrowful crying sound.

Eventually, after walking for quite a while, something came into view.

Looking at it, her eyes widened in surprise.

A small creature about the size of a palm, it was definitely the cat she had seen last time. Its appearance, having climbed up a tall tree and burst into tears, was extremely pitiful.

Gazing blankly at it, she unconsciously took a step forward.

Startled, the cat quickly looked at Dan So-mi.

Kyaaa!

The cat bared its teeth threateningly.

It seemed so startled that the fur on its tail stood on end.

Soon, it leaped between the trees with swift movements and disappeared from Dan So-mi’s sight.

“Ah! Wait!”

Dan So-mi chased after it without realizing.

Actually, she could barely see where it went. In part because the fog had suddenly grown so thick, chasing after a small cat moving here and there with nimble movements was no easy task.

She fell while running, got back up, and searched for it.

The tiny cat quietly watched the fallen Dan So-mi, and only when she stood up again did it disappear as if hiding itself once more.

Feeling as if she were being teased, Dan So-mi puffed out both her cheeks.

Normally, she would have given up the moment she fell and turned back upon realizing she was getting far from home, but right now, Dan So-mi burned with the determination to catch the cat no matter what.

Meow-

A small mewing sound was heard.

Turning her gaze to the right, she saw it looking down at Dan So-mi from a tree.

‘Are you not going to chase me anymore?’

Dan So-mi laughed at the look that seemed to ask just that.

“Wait right there!”

She ran quickly once again.

The moment it saw her chasing, the cat also ran. It was so fast that it disappeared from before her eyes in an instant, but Dan So-mi moved toward the correct direction as if she could see its movements.

And at some point, a large clearing appeared.

“Wow…”

This was a place she also came to often.

Because it was the place where Namgung So-hye trained with Dan Woo-hyun. However, because the place she was seeing now felt quite different, she fell into the illusion that it was a completely different place.

Perhaps because of the sight, which felt like looking at a different world, Dan So-mi stood frozen for a while and just stared blankly around.

Then, something caught her eye.

A cat was lying on the ground.

Compared to the one she had seen in front of the house, it seemed slightly larger. Though their appearances were similar, they felt different, so she tilted her head and approached it.

Dan So-mi approached stealthily.

Soon, she came before it and realized the moment she touched its body.

“It’s dead…”

Its body was already cold.

Although decay had not started because the weather was so cold, it seemed to have drawn its last breath a long time ago. However, the strange thing was that food was laid out around it.

Just as Dan So-mi tilted her head in wonder.

Meow-!

A small crying sound was heard.

Startled, Dan So-mi turned her head. She saw that small cat, which had disappeared earlier, creeping closer while warily reading Dan So-mi’s expression.

In its mouth, something was held, which was a tiny minnow that she did not know where it had obtained.

The small cat laid it down in front of the dead cat’s mouth. It nudged it with its paw as if telling it to eat, but there was no way a cat that had already died and become a corpse could eat.

Tears streamed down Dan So-mi’s face at that sorrowful sight.

That little one did not even seem to know that the big cat was dead.

Or perhaps, it simply did not want to admit it.

“Is it your mother?”

In response to the question, it let out a short meow. Only then did Dan So-mi realize that the dead cat was the small cat’s mother.

Her heart ached even more.

“Hold on…”

With a rip, Dan So-mi tore the hem of her skirt. No matter how much it was a corpse that could not feel any sensation, she did not want to leave it lying on the ground like this.

Spreading the torn hem of her skirt on the ground, she carefully placed the corpse on top of it.

Then, after looking around to find something, she picked up a small stone in her hand and began to dig the ground at a suitable spot.

“It’s okay! So-mi will take care of it somehow!”

Forcing a bright smile, she began to dig the ground. However, digging the frozen ground with a child’s hands was by no means an easy task.

* * *

Meow-!

Dan Woo-hyun opened his eyes at the faintly heard sound. Realizing there was an uninvited guest in the yard, he carefully got up from his bed and opened the window.

It snowed.

A landscape like a pure white blank sheet of paper stimulated his vision, but his gaze naturally rose toward the sky.

“New moon…”

The moon was not visible.

It seemed the moon itself had disappeared, rather than simply being hidden by clouds. It was commonly called the dark moon or the new moon, meaning a day when the moon was not visible.

On such days, ghostly energy was overflowing.

There was also a saying that it was because the ghostly energy, which had been blocked by the moonlight, was released.

As it was a day when yin energy flowed that strongly, it was a day to be more careful with one’s conduct than ever.

Dan Woo-hyun slowly went outside.

A child’s footprints were all over the pure white snowfield.

Seeing this, he frowned.

Because the ghostly energy and yin energy were so strong, his senses had dulled. To think he had not even noticed Dan So-mi going outside?

He walked while sighing unconsciously.

After moving slowly at first, he was suddenly moving at the speed of an arrow. Following the tiny footprints for about fifteen minutes, a thick fog enveloped Dan Woo-hyun.

The fog filled with yin energy could by no means be considered natural, and it gave off an alien feeling. Dan Woo-hyun realized the true nature of the phenomenon at once.

“Is it a dark moon cat?”

A spiritual beast that grew by consuming yin energy from the moment it was born.

That was precisely the dark moon cat.

Nights of the dark moon were the favorite days of these cats, because yin energy, richer than at any other time, greatly helped their growth.

Of course, there were also spiritual creatures that targeted such dark moon cats.

Just then, a rustling sound was heard nearby.

Dan Woo-hyun heightened his five senses to the extreme.

Without revealing itself, something was rapidly circling around Dan Woo-hyun like a beast of prey targeting its quarry. Dan Woo-hyun stopped walking, turned his gaze, and stared intently at one spot.

A flashing golden pupil was visible through the bushes.

An ordinary person would not have discovered it due to the fog.

The hidden creature, perhaps thinking that Dan Woo-hyun stopping was an opportunity, leaped out from the bushes and rushed at him with its massive maw wide open.

Swoosh-!

Dan Woo-hyun took two steps to the left with light movements.

The massive claws, which seemed completely unavoidable, sliced through the air, and the entity that lost its target landed nimbly on the ground and licked its lips.

Grrr-

Soon, a growling sound was heard.

That low, sinking growl made goosebumps break out all over one’s body.

If it had not been for Dan Woo-hyun, one would not have been able to stand properly.

“Is it a white tiger?”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at the white tiger with a quite interested expression.

Although it did not reach the level of the commonly mentioned Guardian Beasts of the Four Directions, encountering a white tiger was also quite surprising.

Not only was their population small, but a white tiger as large and strong as the one right before his eyes was not something commonly seen.

Although its power did not yet reach the legendary divine beasts, it seemed it would rank among the very top of spiritual creatures.

“Was this place your territory?”

Grrr-

Dan Woo-hyun nodded while stroking his chin.

He now realized that the reason why the energy felt somewhat strong in many places near the clan was none other than because it was the white tiger’s territory.

The thought occurred to him that it would be quite nice to catch it, feed its inner elixir to So-mi, and hang its pelt in the room.

But he soon chuckled.

“Step aside.”

Right now, Dan So-mi’s safety was the top priority. Seeing no trace of blood on the white tiger’s mouth, it seemed it had not eaten or harmed anyone.

Though that was a relief, tonight was the night of the dark moon.

A night full of yin energy was by no means a good environment for a young child, so he was in a situation where he had to find So-mi as quickly as possible.

Hence, his voice was colder than ever.

Step aside, or you die.

That was the warning.

However.

Roaaar-!

A massive roar that shook the earth spread fiercely. At that cry, small insects held their breath, and sleeping birds fluttered up and fled.

Dan Woo-hyun could also feel that power tinglingly.

“You are quite something.”

But his cold voice remained the same.

Not even a single trace of agitation was visible.

Perhaps it was because, though it was a very long time ago, he had experience fighting for days and nights against a spiritual creature stronger than this.

“I will say it once more. Step aside.”

The white tiger blocked Dan Woo-hyun’s path.

As if it had no intention of standing idly by when a human entered its territory, or perhaps as if trying to protect something, the white tiger did not move an inch, standing like a pillar.

In the end, Dan Woo-hyun’s hand reached out.

Bang-!

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