“Nonsense.”
Bu Eunseol, still asleep on Bu Zhanyang’s back, suddenly opened his eyes.
In a voice filled with disbelief, he said, “There may be countless martial arts in the world, but a secret that lets you understand another’s energy circulation? That’s impossible.” Pouting, he continued, “If such a secret existed, one could steal the inner energy techniques of every sect in the world.”
Bu Zhanyang smiled.
“You think it doesn’t exist?”
“Of course.” Bu Eunseol nodded firmly. “I’d bet on it.”
Teaching an inner energy technique is akin to raising a child to adulthood.
If one could steal such intricate and profound energy circulation in an instant, that sect would either dominate the martial world as the greatest or be destroyed by the combined forces of the orthodox and demonic paths.
That’s how crucial inner energy techniques are to a sect.
“Heh heh. Seems like you’ve studied inner energy techniques quite a bit since becoming a martial artist.” Bu Zhanyang chuckled warmly.
“You’re right. There’s no secret in the world that can steal another’s energy circulation.”
In a low voice, he continued, “But there can be a secret that allows you to synchronize with another’s energy circulation.”
“Synchronize?”
“Yes.”
Bu Zhanyang spoke gently. “If you can temporarily synchronize another’s energy circulation with your own, isn’t that the same as understanding their technique?”
“Synchronize… I see.” As if enlightened, Bu Eunseol’s body faintly glowed.
His consciousness stepped out of the illusion, observing himself carried on his grandfather’s back.
The conversation he had with Bu Zhanyang upon waking wasn’t real.
It was merely a self-questioning dialogue created by Bu Eunseol’s mind as he observed the illusion. Because, in his mind, the Cheonui Heart Secret, etched by Bu Zhanyang through the Wisdom Light Heart Language, truly existed.
‘The Cheonui Heart Secret…’ Recalling the teachings his grandfather had unconsciously implanted, Bu Eunseol began to emerge from the demonic affliction, reclaiming his sense of self.
Clang. Shatter.
The illusion—his grandfather and the Pyeongan Funeral Home—began to break like a mirror.
Bu Eunseol’s consciousness fully returned to reality.
Opening his eyes, he saw A-Yeon, suffering as if her body were burning.
‘This secret will make it possible.’ Emerging from the illusion, Bu Eunseol activated the Cheonui Heart Secret.
He extended his hand and gently grasped her pulse.
The energy flowing within him began to mimic the energy circulation happening in A-Yeon’s body.
Humm!
The energy previously circulated through the Ban-geuk Method instantly shifted to the method of the Enlightenment Milyeon Divine Art that A-Yeon had mastered.
At the same time, a faint light began to shimmer at Bu Eunseol’s brow.
Unlike typical orthodox techniques, the Sword Pavilion’s method cultivated both the lower and upper Dantian simultaneously, accumulating immense inner energy while fortifying the mind.
‘This technique is overly ambitious.’
But such a technique was nearly impossible for disciples with ordinary talent to master. Without a solid foundation in inner energy, forcing its circulation could split not only the body’s energy but also the mind into two.
‘A women’s sect would need greater power.’
The history of the martial world has been particularly harsh on women’s sects. Yet, the Sword Pavilion stood tall because it devised this wondrously intricate technique that opened both the lower and upper Dantian.
‘This is where it’s blocked.’ While synchronizing with A-Yeon’s energy circulation, Bu Eunseol felt discomfort in her lower abdomen.
It was the Qihai acupoint, the sea of energy, where unexpelled Ice Energy had accumulated, obstructing the smooth flow of her True Yang Energy.
Humm!
Bu Eunseol swiftly activated the absorption technique of the Heavenly Glacial Secret. The Ice Energy deep within her Qihai acupoint began to be drawn back into his body.
Whoosh.
As the cold energy vanished, A-Yeon’s Dantian warmed, and her complexion slowly regained color.
‘Two days should be enough for a full recovery.’ Watching A-Yeon, Bu Eunseol smiled.
With the cold energy removed, by dawn, A-Yeon should fully recover.
‘But there’s no need to wait two days.’
Focusing his mind, Bu Eunseol once again activated the Enlightenment Milyeon Heart Technique. By infusing Ban-geuk Energy in a manner similar to the pavilion’s technique, her condition would recover even faster.
Humm.
A majestic light began to emanate from Bu Eunseol’s forehead.
He relentlessly infused powerful energy into A-Yeon’s Dazhui acupoint.
***
A-Yeon was dreaming.
To be precise, through the illusion of the Soul-Seizing Spirit Words, she was reliving past memories like a dream.
Her first memory was in front of an old inn.
Creak.
Opening the inn’s worn door, A-Yeon fixed her gaze on a man sitting by the window.
He had thick eyebrows, a sharp nose, and long, unbound hair. His appearance was dazzlingly beautiful, yet there was a solemn and melancholic air about him.
Meeting his gaze, A-Yeon felt as if lightning had struck her mind.
Fate.
Looking into his eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of destiny.
‘What am I thinking?’ Steeling herself, A-Yeon walked toward him and said coldly,
“Are you Bu Eunseol, the Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion?” The moment their eyes met, her breath caught.
His unfathomably deep eyes were filled with sorrow. At the same time, a strange sensation crept up her spine, unsettling her mind.
To face him, she had to summon her mysterious arts.
“Since emerging in the martial world, you’ve been slaying righteous masters. Do you admit to this?” At the time, A-Yeon had ventured into the martial world to deal with the Ten Demon Warrior, who was killing righteous masters.
After great effort, she had finally tracked him down.
But this man was impossible to reason with.
“A-Yeon, disciple of the Sword Pavilion, challenges you.” She boldly issued a challenge, but,
“I refuse.”
His response was unexpected.
“Go to the Martial Alliance Leader and ask why the Ten Demon Warrior has no choice but to fight righteous masters.”
It turned out there was a story between the righteous masters and the Ten Demon Warrior that she didn’t know.
Reluctantly, she decided to accompany him to understand the situation.
But that journey was not easy.
It was a path of blood.
Despite being the Ten Demon Warrior, he was pursued by masters of the White Horse Temple and Hell’s Blood Fortress.
Yet his martial arts were exceptional, and he never yielded to any crisis or trial. Whenever he defeated an enemy, he always examined their wounds, refining his own martial arts.
‘What a strange man.’ At first, she thought he was a vile demonic sect member.
But observing him, she realized his demeanor was cold, yet his heart burned with the true spirit of a martial artist. Moreover, his martial arts were no less impressive than hers.
“I am Song Ak, disciple of Wudang.” Having broken through the encirclement of Hell’s Blood Fortress and White Horse Temple, he was now challenged by Song Ak, a righteous master of the Wudang Sect.
‘I don’t want to watch.’
This demonic man was not a bad person.
And Song Ak was as pure and clear as an autumn breeze. For the first time, A-Yeon hesitated to observe another’s swordsmanship.
She didn’t want to see either of them die in a duel.
‘I’ll return.’ In the end, she returned to the Sword Pavilion.
She immersed herself deeply in swordsmanship.
To become as strong as that demonic man. So that one day, if they met again, she could compete with him.
‘The heir of Majeon destroyed the Five Poisons Sect and found traces of organized child abductions.’
By then, that man had become the heir of Majeon.
Coincidentally, the Sword Pavilion was investigating the child abductions.
‘I’ll go to Majeon myself to request information.’ Without hesitation, she headed to Majeon.
And there, she saw him again.
Though time had passed, his appearance hadn’t changed.
Despite his high status, his sad eyes and lonely demeanor remained. His solitary warrior spirit, steeped in blood, was unchanged.
The only difference was his martial prowess.
Unlike before, it was now unfathomably advanced, impossible to bridge in a short time.
‘I challenge you.’ She thought that by facing him again, she could uncover the secret to his astonishing progress.
But he told her to spar with his subordinates first.
She willingly fought them, but in the end, she only achieved a narrow victory over Yoo Unryong. If she couldn’t even easily defeat his subordinates, a duel with him would be a certain loss.
The gap was so vast that there might be nothing to learn.
‘Was I not even worthy to face him?’
Deep down, she already knew.
She would surely lose in a duel against him.
But she pressed forward with the challenge. There was no hope that facing him would yield great enlightenment. She simply wanted to stand face-to-face with him, crossing swords.
After recovering her energy and waiting a full day, he didn’t show up at the appointed place.
‘I’m already betrothed to Lord Bu.’ When she went to find him, a beautiful woman was weaving a sinister plot with two others.
‘He’s betrothed?’ In that moment, something in her heart seemed to shatter.
She couldn’t explain why, but pain and frustration surged within her.
‘That’s a lie.’ But she soon realized.
There was no trace of emotion in his eyes.
If he were truly betrothed, even without showing affection, he would have acknowledged the statement publicly.
‘Then what betrothal gift did you receive?’ Unable to stand by, A-Yeon intervened in the conflict.
For some reason, that alluring woman irritated her.
‘Even if the Lord kneels and proposes?’ When one of the surrounding women asked this, A-Yeon imagined him kneeling with a serious expression.
Her breath quickened, and she felt dizzy.
But such thoughts were forbidden for a disciple of the Sword Pavilion.
‘Of course.’
In the end, she lied and fled Majeon.
But from that day, his image haunted her mind.
‘Am I someone who shouldn’t have entered Kangho?’
She felt stifled and pained.
She channeled that pain and frustration into her swordsmanship.
Instead of sleeping, she circulated energy; when awake, she devoted herself solely to sword techniques. Her power grew like a snowball, and her swordsmanship advanced.
Her martial prowess grew stronger, but her heart felt increasingly empty and hollow.
When she closed her eyes, that man still appeared.
‘The Black-and-White Witch has appeared!’
It was a perfect excuse.
Whenever a crisis arose in the martial world, the Sword Pavilion sent its disciples. This was her chance to roam the martial world, deal with evildoers, and clear her mind.
And forget him.
Forever.
A-Yeon swore to herself.
Chirp, chirp, chirp.
With the sound of birds chirping outside the window, A-Yeon opened her eyes.
Something was strange.
Her last memory was fighting the Black-and-White Witch, so why was she lying in the Sword Pavilion’s quarters?
Was everything up to now just a dream?
Staring blankly into the air, she gradually felt her senses returning.
A warm sensation lingered at her Dazhui acupoint.
Turning, her eyes met those of a man touching her Dazhui acupoint. He had a topknot, slightly small, elongated eyes, and an ordinary appearance seen anywhere.
“You’re awake.” As their eyes met, the warm hand on her Dazhui acupoint withdrew.
A-Yeon felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness.
“You are…”
“Lie down and rest. You must be exhausted.” His voice carried an undeniable authority. A faint golden light shimmered around him, and A-Yeon felt her body warm again.
‘Physical energy transfer?’ She realized he was using physical energy transfer to infuse powerful energy, aiding her recovery.
“You.” In her hazy consciousness, A-Yeon spoke.
She saw red pupils hidden within his slender, elongated eyes.
Weren’t those the eyes of the man she always saw in her dreams?
“Why are you here?”
No answer came.
But his eyes were filled with concern and care for her. It was clear he had been treating her until now.
‘Why are you…’ A-Yeon tried to speak again, but no sound came out.
The warm energy flooding her body made her feel languid, as if floating on a cloud. As her eyes slowly closed, the warm energy spread through her limbs and meridians.
A-Yeon fell into a deep sleep, as if her soul had been sealed.
When A-Yeon opened her eyes again, two hours had passed.
Raising her body, she felt vitality coursing through her, and her meridians overflowed with energy.
“You’re awake.” As if waiting, a white figure approached slowly. With beautiful features and white hair at her temples, it was Ok Yuha, her master and the Pure Heart Pavilion Master.
“Master.” As A-Yeon tried to rise, Ok Yuha stopped her with a gesture.
“Stay lying down. Your energy has only just recovered. You have no strength left.”
“I’m fine.” A-Yeon sat upright and looked around.
But the mysterious man she had seen earlier was gone.
“How’s your body?”
A-Yeon circulated her energy once and shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong at all. But what happened?”
“You don’t remember?”
“After wielding my sword against the Black-and-White Witch… I remember nothing.”
“I see.” Ok Yuha sighed and said, “You lost consciousness due to the Black-and-White Witch’s illusion technique. You woke up after two full days here.”
“How did I get here?”
“I sent a disciple to secretly follow you.”
“I see.” Hearing the explanation, A-Yeon’s expression darkened.
She had trained diligently, confident she wouldn’t lose to anyone, yet she was defeated by the Black-and-White Witch.
“But who was he?”
“Who?”
“When I woke earlier, a man was infusing me with energy.”
“That was Chunghyeon Jin.” Ok Yuha forced a smile and said, “Chunghyeon Jin, staying at our pavilion, exhausted much of his energy to restore your body.”
“He… was a young man.”
“A young man? There was no such person. You must have seen something in your unconscious state.”
“I see.” A-Yeon touched her forehead and shook her head.
‘Did I see another illusion?’
She had long shown signs of a demonic affliction.
As a disciple of the Sword Pavilion, she had entertained forbidden fantasies multiple times.
But something was strange.
The sensation of that hand on her back still lingered.
Was it truly just an illusion? Shaking her head, she suddenly widened her eyes.
Her gaze fell on the bed beside her. A blanket was spread out, bearing the marks of someone having sat there.
“Chunghyeon Jin infused energy here, didn’t he?” Pointing to the blanket, A-Yeon prompted Ok Yuha to nod.
“Yes.”
‘It was a lie.’
A-Yeon realized she hadn’t seen an illusion.
Chunghyeon Jin was gaunt, weighing barely a hundred geun. But the mark on the blanket was that of someone over a hundred thirty geun.
‘He was here.’ A-Yeon’s heart swelled.
A burning emotion filled her mind, overwhelming her and heating her eyes.
Bu Eunseol.
The man she could never forget, even in her dreams, had treated her and stayed by her side.
