‘Soyo.’
Only then did Bu Eunseol snap back to his senses. He immediately turned and ran toward where she had fallen.
Fortunately, she had landed in dense forest, and the branches had slowed her descent.
The ground below was cushioned with soft earth and piled leaves, and above all, because her body was as light as a child’s, she had not suffered serious injury.
“Soyo!”
Though the external wounds were minor, a master like her would never collapse for no reason.
Bu Eunseol hurriedly examined her condition.
‘Thank goodness.’
Fortunately, there was nothing seriously wrong with her body.
She had simply exhausted her internal energy by deploying full-power movement technique to chase after him urgently, and unable to overcome the state of depletion, she had fainted outright.
‘It’s because of me.’
With an apologetic expression, Bu Eunseol lifted the unconscious Soyo into his arms.
Not only her internal energy but her physical stamina had been completely drained; her complexion was deathly pale, and her lips were parched.
Bu Eunseol’s internal energy had reached an unfathomable realm.
He could go without food, without water for over a month, without sleep, and suffer no harm to his life.
But Soyo, no matter how outstanding her movement technique, did not possess such profound martial arts or internal energy.
For nearly four days she had not taken a single sip of water, burning her internal energy at full power to keep chasing him, and as a result her body was utterly exhausted.
“I need to find something for her to drink first.”
Carrying Soyo, Bu Eunseol leaped upward in a single bound and began searching for a place where water might be found.
With qinggong as graceful as walking on clouds, he swiftly scanned the surroundings, but no water was in sight.
Rumble.
After pondering for a moment, he deployed land-flight technique and soared straight into the sky.
As he rose endlessly, the surrounding scenery grew smaller and smaller until it finally became faint specks.
‘There’s a spring over there.’
From a distance where the mountain appeared only as a hazy shape, Bu Eunseol—with eyesight sharper than a hawk’s—immediately spotted a clear spring flowing through the forest.
Descending, he found a spring of water as clear as crystal.
Around it bloomed wildflowers that had remained untouched by human hands for countless years, preserving their natural beauty in full splendor.
Whenever the wind gently stirred, the faint fragrance of nameless wildflowers drifted softly through the air.
“This isn’t the time.”
After staring blankly at the scenery for a while, Bu Eunseol scooped clear spring water and fed it to Soyo.
As the pure water trickled into her mouth, Soyo twitched as though consciousness was returning.
To help her recover quickly, Bu Eunseol continuously infused her with pure Ban-Geuk Energy.
“Mmm…”
Finally opening her eyes, Soyo looked around.
“Soyo.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with a guilty expression.
“I was just mindlessly using qinggong… Why did you risk your life to follow me like that?”
Having grasped the situation, Soyo blinked her large eyes and murmured lowly.
“I’m sorry…”
Hearing her apologize instead, Bu Eunseol’s chest ached.
At first, he had merely registered her as a subordinate under Majeon to protect her temporarily from the relentless pursuit of the Hundred-Split Assassin Sect.
But before he knew it, she had become the vice-captain of the Death Spirit Corps, constantly traversing hundreds of thousands of li across the Central Plains to deliver information in his stead.
‘She didn’t need to suffer this much.’
In truth, Bu Eunseol had several times offered Soyo large sums of money, urging her to leave the Death Spirit Corps and live a comfortable life with her sworn younger brother.
But she had refused sharply each time.
She had resolved to stay by his side and protect him until the day her life ended.
Despite repeated persuasion afterward, he could never sway her firm determination.
“I’ll stand guard. Begin circulating your energy immediately.”
“Okay.”
Soyo sat up and closed her eyes.
Thanks to the internal energy circulation method Bu Eunseol had taught her, she had rapidly increased her internal energy depth and could now circulate energy in any posture, including this one.
As she entered a trance of energy circulation, white steam like that from a steamer rose from the crown of her head.
She was immediately burning away the impurities accumulated in her body by moving her internal energy.
Woooong.
When she finished circulating, Soyo rose with a refreshed expression.
Merely by drinking water and circulating once, she had regained her bright complexion and clear gaze.
Conversely, it also meant she had chased Bu Eunseol relentlessly for days without even a sip of water or a single circulation session.
“Now it’s fine.”
Looking into Bu Eunseol’s worried eyes, Soyo showed a confident expression.
“I’ll train my internal energy harder. So I won’t become a burden.”
“No, it’s all right.”
Bu Eunseol said firmly.
“From now on, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Okay.”
As Bu Eunseol turned to leave, he caught a sweet fragrance from somewhere.
Ever since acquiring Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, not only his super-senses but all five senses had become sharply heightened; his sense of smell now rivaled that of a hunting dog.
“Where from?”
“It smells sweet somehow.”
Tilting his head, Bu Eunseol walked quite a distance toward the direction he sensed.
There he saw a rocky cliff with a cave-like entrance.
“It seems to be coming from around here.”
Without hesitation, Bu Eunseol stepped into the cave-like opening.
After walking along the long, straight passage for some time, bright light gathered at the far end.
It turned out this cave was a kind of natural tunnel passing straight through the mountain.
Emerging on the other side, he found a small hill and a lush forest of standing trees.
Among them, several trees bore golden fruits, and from those fruits the sweet fragrance was spreading.
What Bu Eunseol had smelled was precisely the scent of these fruits.
Rustle rustle.
Beneath the tree shade stretched a meadow, where small rabbits and deer played peacefully.
A little farther away, a clear waterfall cascaded down.
The rocks around the waterfall gleamed smoothly, polished by the passage of long years.
The blowing breeze brushed past like a gentle hand, carrying the scents of forest and flowers to the tip of the nose.
“Wow.” Soyo let out an exclamation.
The scenery here was truly an otherworldly peach-blossom paradise, not of the mortal world.
Even Bu Eunseol, who had always maintained a cold demeanor, was momentarily captivated by the beauty and forgot reality.
“To think such a place existed deep in these secluded mountains.”
Like a child, Soyo ran around joyfully, exploring the area.
Unconsciously smiling, Bu Eunseol watched her.
The beautiful scenery, and Soyo melting into it, laughing brightly like a child.
Those tranquil sights seemed to warmly console Bu Eunseol, who had long suppressed his pain.
“Look here.”
Soyo dipped her feet into the flowing waterfall and beamed.
Bu Eunseol found himself smiling and nodding in response.
Bathed in sunlight, Soyo appeared even more beautiful than before.
Though roughly ten years older than him, she still retained the appearance of a girl of thirteen or fourteen.
Perhaps her youth was not innate but the result of long-term consumption of mysterious herbs like those of the Cloud Sea Jade Spirit Palace, or elixirs such as the Vermilion Face Fruit.
Because Soyo’s skin truly possessed the vitality and elasticity of a teenager.
‘Soyo.’
Unrelated to that thought, a sigh escaped his lips.
Separate from her beautiful appearance, he realized her body was far too thin—dangerously so.
‘She hasn’t eaten properly all this time.’
Soyo constantly relayed information, traveling dozens of times farther than a messenger falcon in a single day, often making round trips multiple times.
Otherwise she would have to follow him closely at every moment…
Clearly, she had been living almost entirely without solid food.
‘I’ve made her suffer too much.’
His own qinggong had now reached a level that would make any other martial artist in the world envious.
That was possible only because of his immense internal energy and the Three Divine Energies supporting it.
But Soyo had been circling within a few li of him relying solely on movement technique…
The exhaustion she endured was beyond measure.
Swoosh.
Rising from his seat, Bu Eunseol began picking the golden fruits one by one and gathering them.
He also caught several fish living in the clear water.
Paaang.
Gathering branches, he started a fire and began carefully roasting the fish.
In truth, he could have instantly cooked them with Yeolha Great True Energy, but he deliberately built the fire to stimulate Soyo’s appetite.
“What are you doing?”
Soyo approached with a puzzled expression.
Bu Eunseol was always pressed for time and begrudged even mealtimes, so during his journeys he generally ate only dried rations or fasting pills.
For such a man to leisurely build a fire and roast fish here?
“There’s nothing urgent right now.”
Bu Eunseol showed a calm smile.
“I’m hungry at the moment anyway… and this place has plenty of food and beautiful scenery. Let’s rest here for a while.”
“Okay.”
Soyo smiled brightly like a child receiving an unexpected gift.
She crouched beside Bu Eunseol and helped roast the fish.
After filling their stomachs with fruit and fish, Soyo’s complexion improved further, and a healthy flush returned to her cheeks.
When rosy color bloomed on the moon-white skin of her cheeks, she looked dazzlingly beautiful, as though the spirit of a newly blossomed flower had manifested.
“But where exactly is this place?”
To Soyo’s question, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“I don’t know. Judging by the location, it seems near Changbai Mountain.”
“We came really far.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Soyo looked around and said, “Thanks to you, we discovered a truly beautiful place.”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol showed a genuinely relaxed smile.
When he first entered the martial world, his heart had been filled only with gray scenery.
There had been no one there.
But as he journeyed through the martial world, colors had gradually begun to seep into that gray space.
Countless people had squeezed in and started living there.
And Soyo too… had become one of the people who occupied a large part of that space in his heart.
‘I am no longer alone.’
In truth, ever since childhood, there had been moments when Bu Eunseol felt as though the entire world had vanished and he was the only one left—a terrifying loneliness.
Whenever that happened, his grandfather somehow knew and took his hand, leading him to the back mountain overlooking the village.
—Seol-ah. Can you feel how beautiful this world is?
Bu Eunseol had nodded.
In truth, it wasn’t because the world was beautiful—it was because he was with his grandfather…
That day, Grandfather had shown a benevolent smile and said,
—The world is filled with such beauty… yet this old man has spent far too long lost in darkness.
Life and death. Sorrow and pain.
Grandfather must have wandered the martial world alone, always carrying those things in his heart.
And being lost in darkness probably meant he had once chosen the wrong path or spent long years regretting something.
After that day, Grandfather never once spoke such words again, nor showed him his darkness.
Because darkness is contagious.
He had never wanted to pass that endless, gloomy shadow on to Bu Eunseol.
‘Back then I was too young…’
As Grandfather’s face came to mind, Bu Eunseol swallowed the pain in his heart.
‘…I couldn’t understand or comfort that feeling of his.’
Drip drip.
Unconsciously, hot tears fell from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
Only now did he realize why Grandfather had always looked at him so warmly.
Why he had been able to embrace him so tenderly.
‘Grandfather must have been lonely and in pain too, right?’
A man who had lived his entire life bestowing warmth and kindness on others… had in truth always been writhing in agony and suffering.
That was why he could always embrace Bu Eunseol even more warmly.
Only someone who has endured bitter cold truly understands the value of a warm embrace.
Because such pain can only be healed with love.
Drip drip.
Hot tears fell endlessly.
No matter how cold the face of the demonic grandmaster appeared, Bu Eunseol was still, even now… the same boy who had run and played with his grandfather at the Pyeongan Funeral Home.
Swoosh.
At that moment, warm arms gently embraced the weeping Bu Eunseol.
It was Soyo.
“You’ve suffered a lot all this time, haven’t you?”
She tightly hugged the seated Bu Eunseol’s head to her chest.
And in a low voice she said, “Let’s stay here just a little longer. This place is so beautiful.”
Unconsciously, Bu Eunseol nodded.
Soyo’s embrace was small, yet warm and comforting.
Perhaps because, like Grandfather… she cherished and loved him.
Tightly.
Soyo hugged Bu Eunseol even harder.
For the first time, Bu Eunseol did not reject the warmth of another person and accepted it gently.
As he received that warmth, he unconsciously slipped into a deep sleep.
How much time had passed?
Saaaa.
From somewhere came the faint sound of rain.
Bu Eunseol, who had been sleeping soundly with eyes closed for a long while,
‘Rain?’
Only then did he jolt awake and open his eyes.
Hurriedly looking around, he realized he was lying inside the entrance of the tunnel-like cave they had passed through earlier.
Outside, rain was falling steadily.
Apparently, while he slept deeply, Soyo had carried him into the cave.
“To think I slept like this.”
For a martial expert who had reached his level to fall into such a deep, near-unconscious sleep was unthinkable.
Moreover, large trees had been felled and neatly stacked nearby.
She must have gathered them after moving him here, perhaps to make something.
“Soyo…”
Bu Eunseol swallowed dryly.
Only belatedly did he recall the soft touch he had felt in her embrace.
‘No matter what… to fall asleep the moment she hugged me. Something feels off.’
After pondering for a long time, he realized something and let out a deep sigh.
“Come to think of it… I haven’t slept at all.”
Only now did he realize he had not slept a single time in the past month.
“It’s strange I didn’t collapse sooner.”
Grasping his neck, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
In truth, the sudden wave of fatigue had come less from lack of sleep and more from the enormous mental exhaustion he had endured.
While tracing Grandfather’s whereabouts, he had pondered far too many things and had to handle countless matters.
Moreover, meeting Baek Museong—for reasons he could not explain—had filled him with unbearable, venomous pain and loneliness.
“Soyo.”
When the ever-present Soyo was not by his side, unfamiliar emotions rose.
It was an emptiness he had never felt before.
‘Is it because we’ve spent so much time together?’
Whenever there was no information to deliver or special task, Soyo always stayed within range of his senses and at some point, her constant presence had become as natural as breathing.
But now that the familiar presence was gone, he felt as though something vital had been lost.
“You’re awake?”
At that moment, Soyo approached from afar, carrying an armful of things in both hands.
In her hands were fruits, a bamboo water container, and strips made from tree bark.
Having woken earlier, she had worried he might be thirsty or hungry and, despite the rain, had gathered fruit and collected water.
“Wait a moment.”
Soyo began cutting the stacked wood in the cave to make a simple bed.
Though the cave was fairly clean, the floor was not.
She had gathered the wood to build a bed so Bu Eunseol could sleep comfortably.
“Is that really necessary?”
Bu Eunseol laughed.
“We’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
“Can’t we stay just a little longer?”
Soyo whispered in a small, low voice.
“Just until your heart feels at ease.”
“Just a little longer?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
“Is it okay?”
Bu Eunseol closed his eyes.
Not to think, but to hear Soyo’s voice—melting softly into his ears—even more clearly.
Her voice was very small and low, yet rounded and polished like a beautiful gem.
‘That’s why it puts people’s hearts at ease.’
Soyo’s naturally small and low tone not only soothed the ears but sounded like a whispered song.
“Why?”
Unaware that Bu Eunseol was lost in completely unrelated thoughts, Soyo spoke again.
“Is there something urgent?”
Only then did Bu Eunseol snap back and shake his head.
“No, it’s just that the subordinates will worry.”
“I already told the Death Spirit Corps that we’re resting for a bit.”
While preparing water and food, she had gone down the mountain to relay the message to the Death Spirit Corps.
“Since you went that far, I suppose there’s no helping it.”
Smiling, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Then let’s rest here just a little longer.”
Soyo curved her eyes into crescents and nodded.
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol and Soyo spent their days in this beautiful secluded valley without a single thought.
Every meal consisted of fruit or freshly caught and roasted fish; at night they built a campfire and slept.
The world felt quiet, filled only with beautiful things in every direction.
‘This might be the ordinary life Grandfather spoke of.’
Until now Bu Eunseol had been entangled in countless schemes of the martial world, constantly pondering and resolving them.
It had been an endlessly long ordeal without a single moment of respite.
But for the first time, together with Soyo, he forgot everything and melted into nature.
Chirp chirp.
Before long, the night was filled with the cries of grass insects.
As the night deepened, Bu Eunseol fell asleep.
Two beds lay side by side in the cave.
Originally Soyo had made one large one, but Bu Eunseol had split it into two.
“Because men and women should keep separate?”
When Soyo asked, Bu Eunseol—uncharacteristically—joked.
“I have bad sleeping habits. If you’re next to me, you might get seriously hurt.”
“…It’s fine.”
Clearing his throat, Bu Eunseol deployed Wishful True Binding, creating dozens of sharp blades to neatly trim the split beds.
“See? You could get hurt like this.”
“…”
Night had deepened before they knew it.
Perhaps this was the first time in his life he had slept simply because night had fallen.
Lying on his bed, Bu Eunseol fell soundly asleep.
On the bed beside him, Soyo turned and watched the sleeping Bu Eunseol with contented eyes.
[My daughter…]
At that moment, a strange distant transmission echoed in Soyo’s mind.
[Why are you there?]
At the absurd voice, Soyo pricked up her ears and spread her super-senses.
Then an extremely low and solemn voice reached her ears once more.
[Right now, you are being deceived.]
