‘Speaking of which, I was just about to look for her.’
In the memories of Yeon Wol that Bu Eunseol had glimpsed, he finally saw the face of the mother he had longed for so deeply.
Astonishingly, his mother’s appearance resembled Manwol almost exactly.
From that day onward, Bu Eunseol made every effort to find Manwol. Every night, her face rose in his mind.
It was an instinctual, bone-deep longing.
Since she looked so much like the mother he had yearned for, he wished—even in dreams—to meet her once more.
But mountains of unfinished business piled up, and no matter how relentlessly he mobilized his intelligence networks, Manwol could not be found.
He had been half-resigned to giving up inside, yet suddenly she appeared?
An unprecedented impatience stirred in Bu Eunseol’s heart.
Crack crack.
Restoring his original appearance, he raised his internal energy.
Whoosh.
The fabric shop owner—still tightly bound in twisted metal—floated into the air, then—
Bang!
He clung to Bu Eunseol’s side as both soared into the sky together.
Rumble rumble!
Moving with lightning speed, Bu Eunseol headed endlessly southeast.
His sensory domain extended only about a hundred jang yet strangely, whenever Manwol appeared, he could clearly sense her presence even from dozens of li away.
Whirrr!
Bu Eunseol landed atop a sheer cliff deep in the mountains and scanned the surroundings.
He could distinctly feel Manwol’s aura, but her figure was still nowhere in sight.
Paaah.
Bu Eunseol spread Crystal Divine Energy in all directions.
Ripples.
The entire world wavered like water… and at the very edge of the cliff overlooking an abyss, the silhouette of a woman in red robes appeared.
Her pale skin seemed to hold a soft glow; her hair, reflecting moonlight, swayed gently with the wind. Her eyes were brimming with starlight from the night sky and her lips shone like pale pink roses.
Yet her gaze and expression carried a certain shadow, giving off the aura of a flower blooming alone in darkness—sinking endlessly into melancholy.
It was Manwol, presumed to be a shrine maiden of the Abyssal people.
“Lady Manwol.”
Even at Bu Eunseol’s call, Manwol kept her long lashes lowered, staring down at the world beneath the cliff.
“Have you been well?”
Bu Eunseol’s face was filled with genuine gladness and joy.
In all his life, the greeting he now gave to a woman was the brightest and most warmly affectionate he had ever spoken.
“Do you not remember me?”
Only then did Manwol turn her gaze toward Bu Eunseol.
When her eyes fell on the fabric shop owner floating behind him, she let out a deep sigh.
Stretch.
She extended a pale finger, and—
Srrrr.
The fabric shop owner—who had been writhing against the metal bonds—closed his eyes and fell limp, unconscious.
“They are called Ghosts.”
Manwol spoke while gazing at the unconscious man’s face.
“Those who use sorcery to turn ordinary people into killers.”
“First Ghost Children, now Ghosts.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been smiling brightly, let out a heavy sigh.
He had suspected as much, but it was indeed the work of agents sent by the Abyssal people.
“Since the Infinite Realm took charge of the Ghost Children, then the Ghosts must be handled by another faction within the Three Realms.”
Manwol gave a light nod.
“The Clear River Realm.”
“Clear River Realm.”
A fleeting thought brushed past.
The Three Realms.
Something about them felt unnaturally connected—too strange to be mere opposition.
“The Ghost Children were boys, yet they possessed terrifying power. Almost exactly like the Bound Asuras that the Infinite Realm so desperately wanted to complete.”
“…….”
“And now these Ghosts use bizarre evil arts to easily seize control of people’s minds and souls.” Furrowing his brow deeply, Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice. “Just as though the Clear River Realm is creating powerhouses by manipulating others’ minds.”
When Manwol remained silent, Bu Eunseol stared straight at her, eyes flashing.
“Then the Three Realms are not conducting such research to oppose the Abyssal people…”
He paused briefly, then shook his head.
“…but rather imitating and replicating the things the Abyssal people originally created. Isn’t that right?”
Manwol did not reply, but she gave a faint nod.
She seemed quietly pleased that he was constantly thinking and analyzing the relationship between the Three Realms and the Abyssal people.
“What exactly is the purpose of the Abyssal people?”
“…….”
“The one I met before said their affiliation was a Heaven. Does that mean the Abyssal people themselves belong to some larger organization?”
When Manwol continued her silence, Bu Eunseol pressed on, frustration mounting.
“Fine. Then tell me about the Ghost Children and Ghosts. Since the Three Realms are divided into three, are there yet more entities?”
Still she said nothing.
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
“If you refuse to answer, from this day forward I will halt everything and pursue only you.”
“…….”
“You might have stayed hidden if you never appeared. But now that you’ve revealed yourself, concealing yourself again won’t be easy. I possess the power to break your sorcery.”
Until now, Bu Eunseol had always maintained courtesy toward every woman; he had never been overbearing.
But with Manwol, he made an exception.
“You’re right about everything. The Abyssal people are merely one faction among those belonging to the Human-Heaven.” She spoke with a sigh. “And there are no more after the Ghost Children and Ghosts. All the experiments have now reached their final stage.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
“What is this Human-Heaven? Experiments?”
“You will learn the answer to that question soon enough anyway.”
Manwol gazed at him with mysterious, star-filled eyes.
“It may take a little time… but you will learn it through someone by your side.”
“Through someone by my side?”
Manwol spoke like a true shrine maiden.
“Who exactly is that person?”
“I don’t know either. Only that it will be someone close to you, and it will be soon.”
She spoke in a gentle, soothing voice as though comforting a child.
“Do not be impatient. Wait calmly. You will surely come to know everything you wish to understand.”
“One last question.”
Bu Eunseol asked with utmost seriousness.
“My Lady. Are you on my side? Or on the side of another faction?”
His eyes burned intensely.
To an outsider unaware of the context, it might have looked like a hot-blooded young man confessing passionately to a woman.
“How pure you still are.”
Avoiding his blazing gaze, Manwol spoke in a low voice.
“What does that matter? In this world there are no eternal enemies, nor eternal allies.”
“…….”
“Everything changes with time.”
“I despise riddles. If you’re going to speak, answer clearly.”
Anger flickered in Bu Eunseol’s eyes yet when he saw her sorrowful expression, he could not bring himself to raise his voice.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry at you.”
“No. I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t come here just to stir up your curiosity.”
Looking at Bu Eunseol, Manwol gave a lonely smile.
“I simply… wanted to help you.”
She glanced at the fabric shop owner and continued.
“To save those captured by Ghosts, the power of the Taoist lineage is required.”
“Taoist lineage.”
“Yes. That is the message I came to deliver.”
Bu Eunseol asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you helping me?”
“You always try to save ordinary people first.”
Manwol said, “Killing Ghosts is not particularly difficult. But you are the one thinking first about how to save the civilians.”
Was it because she was a shrine maiden?
Manwol seemed to read Bu Eunseol’s innermost thoughts as though she had been watching everything from his side.
“How do you know that?”
“Wouldn’t anyone see it if they looked?”
Manwol pointed to the unconscious fabric shop owner collapsed on the ground.
“With a single finger you could end him. Yet you are doing everything possible to restore him to his original self.”
For the first time, Manwol showed not a dark smile, but a bright one.
But in contrast, Bu Eunseol’s face grew extremely somber.
‘Is there any need to drag this out any longer?’
Manwol clearly knew secrets he did not and truthfully, he was exhausted.
He had still not peered into every abyss of the martial world.
They were like riddles that grew more endless the more one tried to solve them.
As long as he could not unravel them all, revenge had somehow become a distant, almost unattainable thing.
‘She is someone affiliated with the Demon Cult.’
If he hardened his heart?
Could he not capture or detain Manwol and force her to reveal everything she knew?
If he used force just once, might he not uncover every secret?
Clench.
Bu Eunseol gripped his fist tightly and shook his head.
‘How could I do such a thing?’
But he could not.
Manwol had committed no evi and she had appeared out of nowhere to help him.
And she gently told him that with time, he would come to know everything. How could he possibly use force against such a person and demand she spill every secret?
“My Lady.”
In the end, Bu Eunseol showed a bitter smile.
“Do you know? All this time I’ve been hesitating while looking at you.”
“…….”
“I wondered—should I detain you, rip open all those damned secrets, all those nauseating abysses?”
His gaze, fixed on empty air, grew hollow.
“I know.”
Manwol gave a gentle, consoling expression.
“That you are very tired. That you have walked an endlessly long road.”
Bu Eunseol was startled.
Even though he had reached the level of penetrating insight that not even the greatest master of the Demonic Path could breach—had she shattered the barriers of his soul and peered inside?
“You can look into my mind?”
“Of course not.”
Manwol’s eyes, gazing at him, sparkled like pouring starlight.
“It’s just… your face gives everything away too clearly.”
“…….”
“As though your heart is laid completely bare.”
Bu Eunseol was shocked.
Now that he thought about it, he had always maintained a poker face and never shown emotion.
But looking back… in front of Manwol, he had constantly revealed his feelings.
When something surprising happened, his eyes widened and he reacted passionately.
His voice always carried emotion.
“My words may sound strange. Or perhaps unbelievable. But I am absolutely not someone who shows emotion easily.”
Bu Eunseol wanted to explain so she would not misunderstand his character.
But as he spoke, he could clearly feel how utterly disordered his own emotions had become.
“I understand.” Manwol nodded. “Then I will take my leave.”
As she turned away, Bu Eunseol hurriedly spoke.
“My Lady. May I ask just one more thing?”
When Manwol turned back, Bu Eunseol asked with utmost gravity.
“Do you know of Saha Manor?”
She blinked her large eyes and shook her head.
“I don’t.”
“You may not know the name.”
Bu Eunseol spoke quickly.
“The greatest martial artist of the martial world. Do you know anything about the manor where Baekri Muha lived in seclusion while hiding his identity or about his death?”
After thinking for a long while, Manwol shook her head.
“Other than the fact that Baekri Muha was from the Baekri family…”
“I see.”
Bu Eunseol forced a smile.
He had wondered whether her resemblance to his mother might indicate blood ties or some connection.
But it seemed it was merely an extraordinary coincidence of appearance.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me that with time, I will come to know all the truth.”
Bu Eunseol was not the type to entertain hopeful speculation.
Yet for the first time, he wanted to believe.
In her sweet prophecy.
“I will excuse myself first.”
Bowing respectfully, Bu Eunseol lifted the unconscious fabric shop owner into his arms.
Then, with a single burst of qinggong, he vanished into the distant sky.
Manwol stared in the direction Bu Eunseol had disappeared, her gaze dazed.
“…I’m sorry.”
She murmured in an extremely low voice.
Then she, too, vanished into a radiant halo of light.
***
The Wudang Sect had long sensed dark clouds gathering over the martial world. They diligently trained their disciples and accumulated strength.
But it turned out the forces disturbing the martial world had roots far deeper than Wudang’s own history—and crouched endlessly in the abyss.
Moreover, those forces were diverse, and each pursued entirely different goals.
—This time, an entity called Ghosts has been discovered.
Amid all this, astonishing news reached Wudang.
The Martial Soul Command Lord of Majeon, Bu Eunseol, had secretly contacted the Wudang Sect.
In the past, through Wudang, he had helped rebuild the Beggars’ Sect after its sealing, and when destroying the Heavenly Blessing Medicine Forest, he had set aside personal gain and greatly preserved the face of the righteous sects.
Of course, that had not been to curry favor with the righteous path, but rather the result of his efforts to prevent harm to ordinary people.
—The Martial Soul Command Lord. He can be trusted.
The Wudang Sect knew well that Bu Eunseol possessed the qualities of a great hero and had long protected the martial world from evil forces.
For such a man to contact them secretly—they could not help but listen.
—To save civilians captured by Ghosts, the pure power of the Taoist lineage must be infused.
Having received Manwol’s advice, Bu Eunseol immediately sought out nearby Taoist temples.
But the Taoists in village temples had neglected their cultivation so their qi was impure.
Thus, he eventually located a Wudang-trained Taoist and barely managed to expel the evil qi from the fabric shop owner.
—Helping ordinary people is always welcome. However…
The Wudang Sect, upon receiving the message, showed reluctance.
—We cannot openly join forces with Majeon.
No matter how good the cause, their paths were fundamentally different; they could not mix.
If Wudang complied with Bu Eunseol’s request, they would be branded as a sect colluding with the Demonic Path.
—Instead, we will send Song Ak and allow him to investigate the matter.
After careful deliberation, Wudang sent a reply in the name of the Sect Leader, Yeong Cheongja.
—Song Ak has mastered our sect’s Jade Dew True Qi. Expelling evil qi should be well within his capability.
As a candidate for the next sect leader, Song Ak had indeed mastered one of Wudang’s supreme Taoist secret arts, Jade Dew True Qi.
—And if our disciple uncovers information, then at that point our sect can step forward openly, can we not?
If Song Ak personally uncovered the true identity and nature of the Ghosts’ force, Wudang would gain legitimate grounds to intervene.
Thus, Wudang dispatched Song Ak into the martial world to assist Bu Eunseol indirectly.
Step. Step.
Deep in the mountains, two young men walked side by side.
They appeared to be itinerant merchants peddling sundries, each carrying a large cloth bundle laden with various goods on their backs.
But in reality, the two represented the young elite of the Demonic and Righteous paths.
They were none other than Bu Eunseol disguised as Seolso, and Song Ak.
Bu Eunseol had met Song Ak at the Bullet King’s suggestion and since he had visited Wudang in the identity of Seolso when resolving Wudang’s strange incident, he could now transform into Seolso without hesitation in front of him.
Step. Step.
Walking shoulder to shoulder with Bu Eunseol, deep furrows etched Song Ak’s brow.
“Huu…”
Even while walking, he repeatedly let out labored breaths.
Sweat drenched his forehead; his complexion looked as haggard as if he had not slept for days.
“It really isn’t easy.”
Song Ak muttered, shaking his head.
It had been ten days since he left Wudang Mountain and entered the martial world.
During that time, Bu Eunseol had mobilized his intelligence networks to hunt down and eliminate Ghosts, while Song Ak treated the civilians who had been turned into killers.
As Manwol advised, merely infusing Jade Dew True Qi was enough to eradicate the evil qi that had invaded their bodies.
But whether the number of Ghosts was increasing, or the victims were multiplying rapidly, the number of people possessed by evil qi had surged dramatically.
Thus, the two eventually began traveling together.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Looking at the exhausted Song Ak, Bu Eunseol took out a small medicine bottle from his robes.
It was filled with Blood Life Divine Pills, capable of replenishing qi and blood and restoring internal energy.
“Would you like one?”
“No need.” With a weary face, Song Ak took out a spiritual pill of his own and swallowed it. “The Sect Leader already generously bestowed plenty of our sect’s spiritual pills.”
Yet even so, his complexion did not improve.
Spiritual pills could restore internal energy, but they could not recover the physical stamina and mental strength consumed through continuous use.
Nevertheless, Song Ak uttered no complaints.
Driven solely by the single-minded determination to save ordinary people, he pressed on relentlessly, forgetting even fatigue.
“I wonder when we’ll finally catch the ringleader committing such vicious acts.”
At Song Ak’s words, Bu Eunseol gazed into the distant sky.
“The experts of the Martial Soul Society and the mercenaries are tracking the traces. We should find them soon.”
Currently, the public pursuit of Ghosts was not being conducted by Majeon, but by the Martial Soul Society.
This was partly to avoid any suspicion of collusion between Majeon and Wudang, and partly because deploying Majeon’s forces openly might provoke strong backlash from the Demonic Path.
Above all, the Martial Soul Society needed to expand its influence in the martial world.
Resolving this incident would provide an excellent opportunity for the Martial Soul Society—an alliance bridging righteous and demonic paths—to rise prominently once more.
“In the end, it really is the Command Lord moving the Martial Soul Society after all.”
Song Ak gave a sly smile.
“You denied it, yet here we are.”
Officially, the Martial Soul Society had drawn a clear line stating it had no connection to Bu Eunseol.
But from what could be seen now, the Society was clearly moving according to Bu Eunseol’s will.
“Nonsense.” Bu Eunseol said firmly. “The Martial Soul Society was created to protect the martial world. I merely requested their assistance.”
“Do you really need to say that even to a poor monk like me? Be honest.”
But no further reply came.
Song Ak, interest waning, looked off into the distant sky.
“Ah, by the way.”
As though something had occurred to him, Song Ak rubbed his nose and spoke.
“Do we really need to slaughter those Ghosts so mercilessly?”
When Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow, Song Ak continued.
“Even though they committed heinous acts, is there really a need to kill them so indiscriminately?”
Over these ten days, whenever Bu Eunseol located a Ghost who had injected evil qi into civilians, he had taken their lives without mercy.
Wudang was not as strictly merciful as Shaolin, but it emphasized refraining from killing and guiding evildoers toward redemption.
Yet seeing Bu Eunseol cut down every Ghost in sight so brutally, Song Ak—who had to watch it happen—could not help but feel some dissatisfaction.
“Command Lord. Regardless of rank or status, may this humble monk offer one piece of human-to-human advice?”
Over these ten days traveling together, Song Ak had realized that while Bu Eunseol’s face might be cold, his heart was not harsh—he was full of compassion.
Thus, he felt a desire to grow a little closer on a human level.
“I seem to be a bit older, after all.”
Song Ak spoke with a warm expression,
but
“I decline.”
Bu Eunseol turned his head coldly.
Yet Song Ak did not give up. With an easygoing grin, he sidled closer and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone.
“I know you do good deeds and show no forgiveness to evildoers. But even villains were not born evil.”
Like a teacher instructing children in a school, he continued with utmost seriousness.
“Have you ever heard of the ‘heart of compassion’?”
Bu Eunseol wrinkled his nose in clear displeasure.
Even as he watched Bu Eunseol’s brows rise slightly in irritation, Song Ak simply bared his white teeth in a bright smile.
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