“Ahh…”
As she painfully opened her eyes, an unfamiliar yet strange ceiling came into view. The iron ceiling was half-consumed by darkness.
And the narrow closet-like space surrounding her.
It was the basement of the Namgung family estate.
“Have you awakened?”
“…”
“Do you have any chronic illness?”
“No.”
In response to the voice faintly reaching her, Soeun Yu shook her head in denial. She had no particular chronic conditions.
Only then did she manage to recall what had happened to her.
Hemoptysis… and fainting.
“That lady of the Namgung family wouldn’t possibly ignore the administration of tonic medicine.”
“…”
“What… did you mistakenly consume something like an internal elixir incorrectly?”
“It’s not that. Please stop your unwarranted speculations.”
“I thought I’d be lenient since you were possessed by demonic influence, but you’re quite prickly. Your eyes have developed venom in just a few days.”
As the Blood Demon said, Soeun Yu’s eyes held a previously unseen kind of killing intent. Her hollow eyes revealed the extent of her current mental anguish.
‘…’
Soeun Yu maintained a certain distance from the Blood Demon, ensuring she never came too close. Even though they met daily in the basement.
The reason was simple.
‘You too… are an enemy who tormented my late husband.’
She had seen the Blood Demon’s appearance while he battled Byul Rak inside the Qing Guang Bao Jian sword.
His blood-red hair and eyes, which appeared like rivers of congealed blood, and his unique sharp yet frivolous aura resembling a snake.
Given her current state of self-loathing due to her role in troubling Byul Rak, her grudge against those like the Blood Demon and Bin Namgung was no less intense.
However, that wasn’t the most pressing concern at the moment.
‘Am I… dying?’
Hemoptysis.
Heavenly Qi.
Soeun Yu no longer failed to see the connection between these two words.
Shiver-shiver-shiver.
She was afraid. Remaining calm in the face of death is impossible for anyone who hasn’t been honed by countless deaths like reincarnators or grown weary of life through longevity like immortals.
Especially Soeun Yu, whose character was far from resolute. She had always been delicate mentally since her youth, thus always relying on someone else – first her father, then her husband.
Even now, while trying to stand on her own for the sake of her daughter, it’s not easy to change a lifetime’s worth of habits in an instant.
‘Death…’
During this time when her trembling limbs were beyond her control.
‘What should I do?’
Various worries and concerns surfaced in her mind.
In fact, she hadn’t avoided contemplating death before.
Lately, especially after uncovering her husband’s secret, her life had been akin to a peaceful hell.
Every breath felt like guilt stabbing at her chest, and her restless heart kept her from sleeping.
As a result, the already sleep-deprived Soeun had recently become like a living corpse.
“Do you properly apply makeup these days, missy?”
“Uh…?”
“Even if we set aside how skeletal you’ve become, aren’t your dark circles obvious?”
“Ah…”
“People from the Central Plains haven’t seen martial techniques before, so they can’t distinguish between dark circles and spots. But as the wife of the Sword Sage, you should know better, right?”
Soeun Yu approached the mirror. The reflection of a woman so emaciated it was barely recognizable as herself was shown in it.
‘This is… me?’
Her pale skin and prominent dark circles revealed her present condition. The thought naturally arose that she should put on makeup.
Thanks to her natural beauty and reserved character, except for her youth, Soeun Yu rarely used makeup or adorned herself. However, her current appearance was so poor that it was impossible not to take action.
‘My mental suffering has been too severe… No, it wouldn’t have worsened this much with just that.’
Soeun Yu circulated her unused inner energy throughout her body for a long time. A warm sensation flowed through her entire system of fine meridians.
The inner energy that had smoothly swum through the twelve main meridians touched her innate energy and then weakly dissipated.
‘I… don’t have much time left.’
The once vague concept of death was now drawing closer. As the deathly aura soaked in, Soeun swallowed a dry lump in her throat.
‘Not yet…’
Just then, Blood Demon’s clear voice penetrated her ears, reinforcing her conviction.
“It’s terminal. You won’t last much longer. Without some divine elixir like Ishenghuan, there’s no hope.”
“Hmph…”
Soeun Yu had much to do. Setting aside other matters, it simply wouldn’t be proper to die so futilely after the Sword Sage himself went to such lengths to save her.
Wasn’t he the one who even forgave and embraced that Jade Flower in the end? If she were to die, it would be evident that he would fall into immense despair.
While one might think a transcendent expert wouldn’t have such weak mental fortitude, that was exactly how Byul Rak was. Having cultivated both his mental power and spiritual refinement simultaneously, his mind was like a castle of sand, always at risk of collapse.
At the very least, Soeun Yu thought this way.
And.
And…
‘…Su-a.’
She had a reason not to die, in fact, a reason she shouldn’t die.
‘Without me… Su-a would become completely isolated.’
Truthfully, it wasn’t that she merely feared death. Half of her life had been devoid of happiness, and recently, she had suffered to the point of contemplating suicide.
She still endured despite all that, both out of respect for Byul Rak and most importantly, for the existence of her daughter.
‘Even if I don’t ask for forgiveness for myself…’
The precious fruit of love with her husband. The priceless treasure she’d cherish above all else. The happiness that supported her life.
‘I won’t beg for myself to be accepted…’
The daughter who was beyond comparison in the world. The most precious daughter in the universe. The most beloved daughter in the world.
‘But please… at least take care of Su-a.’
For Namgung Su-a, she could do anything. No, she must do anything. Because she was a mother.
‘Su-a is still a child… Even if she made a mistake… it’s only proper for parents to forgive and accept her…’
Soeun prayed. She even forgot about the Blood Demon’s presence beside her. She prayed and prayed.
‘I’m an adult, so I can’t clean up my own mistakes… But please take care of Su-a. She’s just a child. If you tell her to die, she’ll gladly die, and if you tell her to disappear, she’ll never show her face again…’
Among the vast martial world, to which place do the common people regard as the greatest?
There are several candidates. Hubei province where Wudang is located, Anhui province where the Namgungs reside, and Sichuan province protected by Ami and the Tang Family Clans, etc.
However, ultimately, all martial origins trace back to one place.
The Mount Tai and the Northern Dipper of the martial world.
The Thousand-Year Shaolin.
Henan where Shaolin resides, and Mount Song.
That place is the sacred site of the martial world and essentially the teacher to all Buddhist and Taoist sects.
Starting from Zhang Sanfeng who founded Wudang Sect, to the lay disciples of Shaolin, it’s not surprising at all.
Even the infamous Seventy-Two Bandits of the Green Forest dare not come near Mount Song where Shaolin resides. To the point that even the low-ranking Green Forest Venerable among the Twelve Dignitaries was strictly ordered not to set foot in Mount Song.
Shaolin’s rules are so strict they diverge from other places. The fact that there’s significantly fewer corruption and scandals within the Shaolin Temple compared to other sects is due to this.
Breaking just one rule results in being confined in the Meditating Cave for half a year. Breaking it twice results in three years of confinement, three times results in ten years.
Breaking it a fourth time results in your channels and dantian being sealed before banishment. Not even the Shaolin Abbot is exempt. Shaolin is a severe place.
Then, what kind of place is this Meditating Cave? How strong must it be to confine Shaolin monks, who are counted among the best of the martial world?
Originally, the Meditating Cave was a place for cultivation. Like Banya Cave or Vajra Cave. Or like sitting cross-legged in front of a cliff and cultivating meditation.
The difference is, the Meditating Cave is a massive cave. A completely enclosed cave made of unbreakable rock.
Without someone opening the entrance from the outside, it’s impossible to enter or exit, and since light doesn’t properly reach inside, it’s perfectly suited for confining criminals.
However, there’s a child who walked into the Shaolin Meditating Cave of their own volition.
The Celestial Supreme Holy Monk asked.
“Have you truly resolved your heart?”
“Yes. Revered Great Ancestor.”
“Must you undergo seclusion here in the Meditating Cave? Moreover, your body hasn’t even fully grown yet, has it?”
“Revered Great Ancestor, do you know the reason why I entered Shaolin?”
The child answered without hesitation. The child’s eyes emitted a green spiritual light.
“After the war between the Blood Sect and the righteous martial world began… I saw a sword that I cannot forget.”
“Your father’s words?”
“Yes, my father was a great swordsman. He was a sword that protected all, a sword that never knew defeat. The sword my father wielded while single-handedly blocking the waves of incoming Blood Sect disciples while on a family mountain excursion with my mother and younger siblings is something I will never forget.”
The Holy Monk knew the child’s father. It was impossible not to know.
The meteor-like hero of the martial world, the Sword Sage Namgung Cheolbin.
During the year the war began, he had written countless legends.
“Great Ancestor would not understand how hard Father worked with his sword.”
“…”
“My reason for coming to Shaolin was the vague dream of protecting my father. He was always working hard for my mother, myself, and my younger sibling. Though I cannot help him right now, I want to become someone who can support my father someday.”
“The child has an extreme piety. The purpose of martial arts should stem from good intentions. However, was there a particular reason to forsake the Namgung family way and choose our sect?”
“Swords cut people. Palm techniques protect people. The Middle Swordway of the Namgungs is unsuited for defending unless one achieves the level of my father.”
The Holy Monk looked at the child with a sorrowful gaze. The child possessed a resoluteness far beyond their peers.
Witnessing the massacre at such a young age, and becoming so mature far too early.
While one might think maturing quickly is a good thing, for some reason, the Holy Monk only felt a twinge in his heart.
“I see. I understand well your intentions.”
“I offer my deepest gratitude for Great Ancestor’s consideration.”
“I’ve prepared an ample supply of Bi Gu Dan (wall-gazing pills), one Xiao Huan Dan (life-prolonging pill), and transcriptions of all the best manuals from the Scripture Repository for you. May your seclusion be without regret.”
“Yes, I will never forget this grace.”
For the day he could protect his father, the child resolutely entered the Meditating Cave with grand aspirations.
Thirteen years passed since then.
While the landscape changed many times during this long period, the Meditating Cave remained steadfast and unchanging all this while.
Until now.
Boom!
The rock blocking the entrance of the Meditating Cave trembled. A fissure spread dramatically across the rock’s surface.
Boom!!
The rock shook again. Not just the rock, but the entire peak trembled. The wild beasts sensing the change hurried down the mountain, and the birds fled in droves.
With the third occurrence,
Boom-Boom-BOOM!!!
The rock exploded as if struck by artillery. Deafening booms followed in succession, and behind them came thick smoke and dust.
As the smoke gradually dispersed little by little, a male figure slowly revealed his form to the world.
“Ah… it’s been ages since I’ve seen the sunlight. It’s warm, so warm.”
The man’s tightly clenched fist prominently displayed calluses and scars that attested to his years of hard work.
A man who once lived under the Namgung name and received the monk’s designation Zaping thirteen years ago.
In the man’s eyes, green spiritual light flickered and shone.
