'Kneel, you say?'
As Bu Eunseol unleashed his power, Ok Yuha could not conceal her astonishment. For a mere youth in his early twenties to boldly summon his inner energy and counter her move?
Boom!
When her finger-sword clashed with his fist, a resounding explosion echoed.
Yet, an unexpected outcome unfolded.
"Ugh." With a stifled groan, Ok Yuha, who had initiated the attack, staggered back four steps.
'Her martial arts are this refined, yet her inner energy is so lacking?' Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the surprising result.
From just that single move, it was clear that Ok Yuha’s swordsmanship had reached the pinnacle of mastery.
Yet her inner energy was barely equivalent to a single jiazi (sixty years of cultivation)?
'Has her energy been depleted?' Bu Eunseol shook his head.
Inner energy is like water—once lost, it drains away entirely. It’s impossible to retain exactly one jiazi’s worth with such precision.
"You…" Ok Yuha, equally stunned, her expression hardened.
She hadn’t even dreamed that Bu Eunseol could counter her attack within the Sword Pavilion.
"Elder! Pavilion Master!" At that moment, the door swung open, and a disciple rushed in urgently.
"The Young Pavilion Master’s condition is critical."
"What did you say?"
"Chunghyeon Jin, who is treating her, says it’s beyond his power alone…"
By a stroke of fortune, Chunghyeon, an elder from the Wudang Sect, was staying in the Sword Pavilion. Not only was he a martial arts master, but he was also renowned for his medical expertise. Upon hearing that A-Yeon had not regained consciousness, he had been treating her alongside the Medicine Stone Pavilion Master.
"Beyond his power alone? With so many disciples in the Medicine Stone Pavilion?" Ok Yuha snapped sharply, striding swiftly out of the hall.
Her demeanor, as if nothing had happened, and her irritable, reckless tone were unbecoming of the Sword Pavilion’s master.
'What a frivolous woman. She acts like a twenty-year-old child,' Bu Eunseol thought, shaking his head as he watched her leave.
Just as he was about to depart from the Unyeon Hall,
"Young Master." Elder Nengyin, who had been standing silently, spoke to Bu Eunseol. "Please try to understand the Pavilion Master."
"Understand her? Why should I?" Bu Eunseol replied brusquely.
Originally, because of A-Yeon’s upright character, he had held the Sword Pavilion in high regard. But after witnessing Ok Yuha, the former Sword Empress and current master of the Pure Heart Hall, his opinion had completely shifted. Naturally, his tone and demeanor grew cold.
Elder Nengyin, seeming to sense his feelings, spoke cautiously.
"To be honest, she has long suffered from a sickness of the heart. That’s why she harbors an extreme aversion to men."
Bu Eunseol’s expression showed his disbelief. A woman of her stature, a master of the orthodox sects, suffering from a sickness of the heart?
"That can’t be true." When Bu Eunseol expressed his skepticism, Elder Nengyin murmured in a low voice.
"It’s true. Because of that sickness, she was never able to ascend to the position of Pavilion Master." With a bitter expression, she continued. "That’s why the position of Pavilion Master has remained vacant for decades."
Bu Eunseol felt a sense of puzzlement.
'The Pavilion Master is in seclusion,' A-Yeon had told him when they first met. But it turned out the position of Pavilion Master had been vacant all along?
'She must have been trying to keep it a secret.'
Since the appearance of the Sword Empress, the identity of the Sword Pavilion’s master had remained undisclosed. A-Yeon likely saw no need to reveal the pavilion’s internal affairs to an outsider, which explained her words.
This raised another question.
Who, then, was currently leading the Sword Pavilion?
As Bu Eunseol sank into deep thought,
"When she sees men, she can’t help but speak harshly. Please try to understand," Elder Nengyin said softly. “In fact, the Sword Pavilion hasn’t allowed men within its walls for decades."
Bu Eunseol responded with incredulity.
"Are you saying the Wudang elder isn’t a man?"
"The Wudang elder is a Taoist, a cultivator of the Way," Elder Nengyin said, shaking her head. "Monks and Taoists are considered part of the Sword Pavilion sects, so they aren’t viewed as men in the traditional sense."
'She truly has a sickness that makes her despise men?' Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his astonishment.
Judging by Elder Nengyin’s expression, she wasn’t lying. The Sword Empress, so revered by the orthodox sects, was afflicted with a condition that made her hate men?
'Even if it’s true, it’s not my concern.'
Bu Eunseol nodded calmly and said, "I see. Then I’ll take my leave."
"Wait." Elder Nengyin extended her hand and spoke. “Don’t you understand why this elder shared such a shameful secret of the pavilion with you?"
"I don’t."
"I’m asking you to help A-Yeon."
From the moment she appeared, Elder Nengyin had taken Bu Eunseol’s side, her words and actions gentle and kind. As the highest elder of the Sword Pavilion treated him with such respect, Bu Eunseol suppressed his irritation and said,
"What could I possibly do to help?"
"Chunghyeon Jin said earlier that his power alone is insufficient." Elder Nengyin spoke calmly. "Despite the thousands of disciples in our pavilion, he said ‘alone’ because what’s needed is the strength of a man—specifically, the Yang energy."
Bu Eunseol nodded.
Elder Nengyin not only seemed wise but also remarkably insightful.
"In that case, you’re the only one in the pavilion capable of wielding Yang energy, aren’t you?"
The Great Sword Mountain is far from Chengdu, located at the edge of a towering peak that ordinary people can hardly ascend. Bringing a martial artist with strong inner energy here on short notice was impossible.
Elder Nengyin was likely keeping Bu Eunseol here as a precaution.
'Hmm.' Lost in deep thought, Bu Eunseol’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he said,
"Didn’t I mention earlier? I’ve trained in Ice Arts."
Those who practice Yin-based techniques cannot generate Yang-based energy. Since Bu Eunseol had infused A-Yeon with Ice Energy, he naturally couldn’t wield Fiery Yang Energy.
"That’s not possible." But Elder Nengyin smiled faintly. "Haven’t you mastered a technique that allows you to wield both Yin and Yang energies?"
"What do you mean?"
When Bu Eunseol feigned ignorance, she said calmly, "When you clashed with the Pure Heart Pavilion Master just now, didn’t you use ordinary inner energy instead of Ice Energy?"
If Bu Eunseol insisted he had only mastered Ice Arts, he would have needed to use Ice Energy when countering Ok Yuha’s attack. But instead, he had employed ordinary inner energy to unleash his power.
Elder Nengyin, having observed this, deduced that Bu Eunseol had mastered a technique capable of wielding both Yin and Yang energies.
'Impressive.' Bu Eunseol gave a faint nod.
'If that’s the case…'
As his thoughts began to coalesce into a conclusion,
"Until we reach a resolution regarding A-Yeon’s condition, could you stay in the pavilion for a while?" Elder Nengyin spoke again.
"This elder humbly requests it."
As she approached, her aged frame bowing so low it nearly touched the ground, Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
'Didn’t I come all this way to save her in the first place?'
Swish.
At that moment, the door burst open with urgent footsteps, and Ok Yuha stormed in, her eyes blazing with ferocity.
"You! Take responsibility!" she shouted, striding toward Bu Eunseol.
"What are you talking about?" Ok Yuha bit her lip, her voice sharp as she said, "Because of your Ice Energy, that girl is dying!"
"Calm down and explain. What do you mean?" Just as Bu Eunseol was about to respond,
"Amitabha."
A middle-aged Taoist in robes stepped forward from behind her. Though his body was gaunt, his eyes sparkled with the clarity of a child, and his face had a faint rosy hue.
It was Chunghyeon Jin, the Wudang elder staying at the Sword Pavilion. Having exhausted his energy treating A-Yeon, his complexion was pale, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Pavilion Master, is it right to berate a young man who has done a noble deed?"
"A noble deed? Isn’t it because of his Ice Energy that A-Yeon is dying?"
"Pavilion Master, if this young man hadn’t infused her with Ice Energy, she would have perished before reaching this place, her meridians melted away." Chunghyeon Jin looked at Bu Eunseol with a faint smile.
"This young man, despite having no ties to the Sword Pavilion, carried her in a coffin with care, sustaining her with his energy across thousands of li."
Then, turning to Ok Yuha with a sigh, he continued, “That alone is reason enough for the Sword Pavilion to bow in gratitude. How can you berate him so?"
Chunghyeon Jin’s words were logical and just.
Ok Yuha surely knew this in her heart.
But perhaps because of her heart’s affliction, her words veered toward irrationality.
"The Sword Pavilion has always protected the martial world. Isn’t it only natural to bring an injured heir of our pavilion here?"
Chunghyeon Jin, refusing to engage with her irrationality, turned to Bu Eunseol and said, "A-Yeon has long been plagued by a subtle demonic affliction. When exposed to a mind-control technique, it deepened, ultimately harming her body."
He calmly explained A-Yeon’s condition.
"With the Pavilion Master’s help, I assessed her energy flow and prioritized restoring her damaged body. But your Ice Arts were so potent that I failed to fully heal her."
"Is my Ice Arts related to her condition?"
"A-Yeon was born with a Yang Radiant Body, imbued with True Yang Energy tied directly to her life force." Chunghyeon Jin sighed and continued, "But your powerful Ice Arts froze her blood vessels, causing her True Yang Energy to fade entirely."
In short, the Heavenly Glacial Secret had prolonged her life, but it was now preventing her from awakening.
"However, the techniques practiced by the Sword Pavilion’s disciples are all Yin-based, so we cannot reignite her True Yang Energy."
Wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Chunghyeon Jin added, "Because of this, I’ve exhausted so much energy that I’ll need to enter seclusion for forty-nine days to recover."
With earnest eyes, he looked at Bu Eunseol.
"If we cannot rekindle her True Yang Energy within a few days, she won’t survive past four days."
Bu Eunseol fell silent.
Elder Nengyin’s prediction had proven entirely accurate.
"With so many masters in the Sword Pavilion, why is it only you, Master, who must expend your pure energy?"
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Chunghyeon Jin replied calmly, "Let me ask you, young man. Why did you travel thousands of li from the plains to Great Sword Mountain to save A-Yeon?"
When Bu Eunseol didn’t answer immediately, Chunghyeon Jin smiled warmly.
"I share the same heart as you." Clasping his hands together, he said, "For the sake of our sect and my honor, please lend her your energy…"
But he staggered, unable to finish, his body swaying from the extreme depletion of his energy. Even standing was a struggle.
"Master!"
As Elder Nengyin and Ok Yuha rushed to his side, Chunghyeon Jin waved them off.
"I’m fine. I only regret that my strength wasn’t enough to save her." He was entirely focused on A-Yeon, heedless of his own condition.
Seeing this, Bu Eunseol was reminded of Song Ak, a great master of Wudang he had met around the same time as A-Yeon. Song Ak was a pure, untainted man who had shown him kindness, transcending the divide between orthodox and unorthodox.
'Wudang’s people are generally admirable,' Bu Eunseol thought.
At that moment, Elder Nengyin pointed to the disciples and said,
"What are you standing around for? Hurry and escort the Master to the Medicine Stone Pavilion!"
"Yes, yes!" The disciples, snapping out of their daze, supported the exhausted Chunghyeon Jin and led him out.
"What are you doing?" Ok Yuha, glaring at Bu Eunseol, shouted, "You’ve heard everything! Hurry and treat A-Yeon!"
'Truly incorrigible.' Bu Eunseol let out a deep sigh.
No matter how youthful her appearance, Ok Yuha was nearing sixty. Yet she was throwing a tantrum, unable to distinguish right from wrong? Bu Eunseol was beyond anger—he nearly burst into laughter.
'Must I even accommodate her illness?'
Bu Eunseol had no ties to the Sword Pavilion.
Even if Ok Yuha were dying tomorrow, he had no obligation to show her leniency.
"Pavilion Master, in a situation like this, you still speak so recklessly?"
"What did you say?"
Ignoring her reaction, Bu Eunseol continued in a stern voice, "Even the Wudang elder sacrifices his own well-being for others, yet you, a senior of the Sword Pavilion, speak such foolish words?"
"Foolish?" A murderous glint flashed in Ok Yuha’s eyes.
"You dare insult me?"
"Listen to me!" Bu Eunseol’s commanding shout silenced her as he continued, "I will treat A-Yeon. But not because you’re bullying me into it—it’s because I don’t want the Wudang Master’s efforts to go to waste."
"You think you’re qualified to lecture me?" Enraged, Ok Yuha attacked again.
Swish!
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, her finger-sword aimed for Bu Eunseol’s throat.
But as if he had anticipated the move, Bu Eunseol unleashed the power of the Self-Obliterating Unity technique from his left fist.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, Ok Yuha’s body trembled violently.
Though he had used only thirty percent of his power, Bu Eunseol had preemptively countered her sword’s trajectory, putting her at a significant disadvantage.
"If you can’t discern right from wrong at your age and act so recklessly, who will truly follow you as Pavilion Master?"
At that moment, an aura of solemnity and majesty, capable of overwhelming mountains, emanated from Bu Eunseol.
It was not the presence of a mere mercenary.
'You still can’t discern right from wrong. And you call yourself the next heir of the Sword Pavilion?'
In that instant, Ok Yuha seemed to hear the voice of someone who had sternly rebuked her decades ago.
"You…" Ok Yuha stared at Bu Eunseol, her expression dreamlike, as his overwhelming presence subdued the room.
His face, with its topknot, appeared ordinary, but his eyes were long and stern like a phoenix’s, and his entire being radiated the majesty of a dragon.
His image transcended time and space, overlapping with the unforgettable figure of a man buried deep in her heart… a man she loathed yet could never forget—the unrivaled swordsman of the demonic path.
"Bu Zhanyang."
'Bu Zhanyang?'
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
Why had his grandfather’s name suddenly come from her lips?
"Why didn’t you keep your promise?" Her voice trembled as she spoke, barely audible.
Her eyes seemed to gaze not at Bu Eunseol but at a distant place.
"Why did you so cruelly…"
"Pavilion Master!" Elder Nengyin shouted, delivering a resounding slap to Ok Yuha’s cheek.
With a sharp smack, she said sternly,
"Get a hold of yourself!" Snapping back to reality, Ok Yuha looked around.
"I…" Realizing her mistake, she turned abruptly and fled the room in haste.
As an awkward silence lingered, Elder Nengyin spoke to Bu Eunseol.
"I’m sorry." She glanced at the door through which Ok Yuha had left and shook her head. "Her illness has never been this severe. To lose her composure and act so unreasonably…"
With a bitter smile, she added,
"On behalf of the Pavilion Master’s rudeness, this elder apologizes."
Bu Eunseol, deep in thought, finally spoke.
"The Seven-Finger Demon Blade." Staring intently at Elder Nengyin, he asked, "Is Ok Yuha’s heart sickness caused by Bu Zhanyang, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade?"
It was a logical deduction.
In the past century, the only person in the martial world known as Bu Zhanyang was the Seven-Finger Demon Blade.
"Yes." After a moment of silence, Elder Nengyin nodded.
"When she was traveling the martial world, she was gravely injured while dealing with the Northern Desert Blood Sword. By chance, she was saved by the Seven-Finger Demon Blade passing through."
Her brow furrowed deeply.
"As you know, men of the demonic path are cunning and sly. He likely conspired with the Northern Desert Blood Sword to manipulate her heart."
Bu Eunseol gave a wry smile.
"At that time, wasn’t Bu Zhanyang, the Seven-Finger Demon Blade, an unrivaled master of the demonic path? Would such a man resort to schemes to sway the heart of the Sword Pavilion’s heir?"
"The Sword Pavilion has always eradicated evil. Its sword techniques are the bane of the demonic path. He sought to bring down the pavilion, which could threaten him in the future."
Elder Nengyin’s voice was filled with resentment.
"Using Ok Yuha, who was the heir at the time, he met the pavilion’s seven great elders and slaughtered them mercilessly in an instant."
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
"He killed the Sword Pavilion’s elders?"
Comments