Yoo Unryong had been so overwhelmed with the endless stream of Death Shadow Corps duties that he couldn’t even lift his hips from his seat. But as the captains gradually became proficient in everything, and Myo Cheonwoo took over some of the tasks he had been handling, he finally gained a bit of breathing room.
“It’s finally done.”
Yoo Unryong let out an emotional cry in his office.
He had at last completed the Ten-Section Staff Manual—a comprehensive compilation of the techniques of the Ten-Section Staff that he had been writing for some time.
“If this book spreads, in the future the martial world will have more masters wielding the Ten-Section Staff than swordsmen using swords.”
Yoo Unryong smiled with great satisfaction.
In truth, the Ten-Section Staff he used was even less known in the martial world than the chain sickle, one of the representative strange weapons, and it was far more difficult to master.
Yet Yoo Unryong had harmoniously combined whip-handling unconventional techniques with the profound principles of staff arts, creating a systematic training method so organized that even a three-year-old child could learn to use the Ten-Section Staff.
“Thanks to that, I was finally able to comprehend the mysteries of Infinite Qi Flow and Endless Qi Transformation that had been blocked for so long.”
The Ten-Section Staff technique consumed an enormous amount of true energy due to its tremendous power. To compensate for this, it was necessary to incorporate the principle used generation after generation in unconventional whip arts and staff arts:
Uniting the flow of the weapon and true energy circulation so that internal energy cycles endlessly without wasting even a single drop—The profound principle of Essence and Energy Circulation and Perpetual Flow Without Waste.
And at last, Yoo Unryong had applied that principle to the Ten-Section Staff technique,
Completing an entirely new internal energy circulation method that had never existed before: Qi Flow Martial Art and Endless Qi Transformation.
“With this, even an ordinary large army could be repelled single-handedly.”
Smiling brightly, Yoo Unryong took a deep breath and nodded.
“Now that my martial arts are complete, shall I fill my mind as well?”
For a long time, whenever he had spare moments, he would go out to Chengdu, visit old bookstores, and read.
This was because he had already read every book available to him in Majeon.
To properly assist Bu Eunseol, he needed to at least reach a level where he could somewhat anticipate Bu Eunseol’s keen insight in advance.
Though he could never match Bu Eunseol’s distant wisdom and insight, he sought wisdom by acquiring knowledge from ancient and modern East and West through books.
Rustle.
Today as well, Yoo Unryong was browsing for worthwhile books in an old bookstore located on one of Chengdu’s bustling streets. His serious expression as he turned the pages made him look as solemn as an ascetic undergoing penance.
Reading books not only grants the knowledge contained within, but also contains the wisdom that can further develop the reader’s thinking.
Day after day, Yoo Unryong trained his own cultivation in this way by reading.
Creak.
At that moment, a woman entered the bookstore wearing gorgeous crimson robes and a hairpin adorned with crabapple blossoms.
She was a beauty with sharp yet deep and beautiful eyes, like gazing into a vast lake.
“Old sir. Did you manage to get the book I mentioned last time…?”
The woman who had called out loudly for the bookstore owner spotted Yoo Unryong intently reading off to the side and hurriedly hid herself behind a bookshelf.
‘What the—Why is that guy here?’
She was none other than Danri Yuhwa, the only daughter of the Blue Moon Sect and the woman who had once been matched with Yoo Unryong.
Although the Blue Moon Sect was an outer-region sect, it had maintained constant exchanges with Majeon and was steadily expanding its sphere of activity into the Central Plains.
Currently, preparations to establish a branch in the Central Plains were in full swing, and Danri Yuhwa was overseeing and directing that project in place of the sect leader.
―No matter what, you don’t even know the Command Lord’s achievements? Are there no people around you?
Squeeze.
Hiding behind the bookshelf, Danri Yuhwa clenched her fist tightly.
The memory of Yoo Unryong berating her back then came rushing back.
Simply because she hadn’t known much about the Martial Soul Command Lord, because she hadn’t known about his truly monumental achievements and military feats…
She had been deeply wounded by Yoo Unryong, who had raised his voice and relentlessly scolded her.
‘He’s still the same.’
A bookworm.
To others he might be the right-hand man of the great Martial Soul Command Lord and the strategist of the Death Shadow Corps, but in her eyes he was nothing more than a brainwashed, idiotic subordinate of the Martial Soul Command Lord, and a bookworm who even read books during a marriage meeting.
‘Why isn’t he leaving already?’
Danri Yuhwa cautiously peeked out to check on Yoo Unryong again.
Though his features were as fine as jade, dark circles lay under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for three nights; his complexion was pale and his face looked haggard.
It was obvious he had stayed up all night reading and reading.
‘A proud man acting so feeble and limp.’
As a heroine of the martial world, her personality was bolder and more forthright than many bearded men.
She believed the man who would become her spouse must possess martial prowess that intimidates supreme experts and an aura that commands the world.
‘A martial artist should have a heroic spirit. What’s with that sickly appearance?’
She truly detested a man who seemed so frail and sickly.
“Miss.”
At that moment, the bookstore owner, Old Man Seo, blinked at Danri Yuhwa, who was leaning against the bookshelf and hiding.
“What are you doing over there?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Waving her hands hurriedly, Danri Yuhwa spun around.
“I’ll come back next time.”
Afraid of being discovered by Yoo Unryong, she rushed out of the bookstore without looking back.
A few days later.
Worried about running into Yoo Unryong again, she visited a bustling district in Chengdu far from Majeon.
After pleasantly enjoying a cup of daytime wine, she savored the atmosphere of the Central Plains.
In the Blue Moon Sect, located on the extremely barren Mount Xin Yue, she had spent entire days in strict meditation and ascetic practice…
Repeating a rigid, monotonous routine no different from that of a Buddhist sect.
But the Central Plains were so vibrant, full of people and things to see.
“I wish we could just move the entire sect to the Central Plains.”
She muttered with a hint of regret.
“Once the branch is established this time, I’ll definitely be the one to manage it.”
Rather than endlessly practicing asceticism on Mount Xin Yue, she had even considered marrying a man from the Central Plains.
But now that a branch would exist, there would be no need to marry—she could simply become the branch leader managing the branch.
“And once we start accepting Central Plains disciples, eventually the main sect will move here as well…”
Thud.
At that moment, a child holding a stick of candied hawthorn ran through the crowd and smeared the sticky treat onto the clothes of a middle-aged man in blue robes who was browsing the market.
“You little brat!”
A martial artist who appeared to be the middle-aged man’s bodyguard grabbed the child by the scruff and lifted him.
“Can’t you keep your eyes open while walking?”
Dangling in the martial artist’s grip, the frightened child began to whimper.
“Hey now.”
As the middle-aged man shook his head to scold his guard,
“You’re so narrow-minded.” Danri Yuhwa pointed at the martial artist holding the child and glared fiercely. “Why get so serious over something like that?”
“What?”
“If you’re a bodyguard, you should have prevented the child from getting close in the first place. Why take it out on the kid?”
The martial artist’s eyes widened at Danri Yuhwa’s pouting words.
“Do you think I failed to notice the child approaching?”
He had seen the child’s gait from afar and instantly recognized it was not an assassin or someone with impure intentions. He simply hadn’t predicted the child would smear candied hawthorn on his master. Yet she spoke as if his protection had been breached due to incompetence?
“How dare you spout such nonsense to me!”
“Enough.”
At that moment the middle-aged man waved his hand.
“The young lady is right. If we’re going to nitpick, it’s not really the child’s fault.”
At those words, the martial artist bowed his head with a flushed face.
“My apologies.”
Seeing this, Danri Yuhwa nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Well, at least the master is a decent person.”
Then she sighed while looking at the middle-aged man.
“In the future, please properly educate your servants…”
“I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, someone in blue robes stepped forward and bowed deeply in front of Danri Yuhwa.
It was Yoo Unryong.
“My friend isn’t quite right in the head… Whenever the weather is nice like this, she comes out to the market and grabs anyone she sees to start trouble.”
“What? What?”
“Look.”
With an utterly serious expression, Yoo Unryong pointed at the crabapple blossom decoration in Danri Yuhwa’s hair.
“She has a flower stuck in her hair like that, doesn’t she?”
The dumbfounded Danri Yuhwa opened her mouth to speak, but Yoo Unryong bowed once more.
“My deepest apologies. Please be understanding.”
“It’s fine. Go on.” Seeming to grasp the situation, the blue-robed middle-aged man smiled faintly and waved his hand.
Yoo Unryong politely saluted, then took Danri Yuhwa by the arm and led her into an alley.
“Let go!”
Once inside the alley, she tried to forcefully shake off his grip but Yoo Unryong quickly released her arm before her movement could fully unfold.
“What the hell are you doing?” She shouted, furious to the top of her head. “Who are you to butt in? And what’s this about ‘not right in the head’?”
Yoo Unryong sighed and said, “I apologize. It was just something I said to get out of that situation.”
“Get out of it? Over something trivial? It was already resolved, and you turned me into some crazy woman?”
“Miss Danri.”
He shook his head.
“Even if you’re unfamiliar with Central Plains affairs… shouldn’t you at least recognize the people you need to recognize?”
“What do you mean?”
“It was the Seventh Prince.”
“What?”
“The man in blue robes was the Seventh Prince.”
Yoo Unryong let out a groan.
“And the martial artist guarding him was the merciless, cruel-handed leader of the Brocade-Clad Guard—known as Blood Eagle.”
Danri Yuhwa’s mouth fell open.
She had recently prided herself on being quite knowledgeable about Central Plains news but that knowledge was limited to martial world matters; she knew nothing about government officials or imperial figures.
Naturally, she couldn’t recognize the face of a prince dressed in plain clothes.
“Even if the Seventh Prince is magnanimous, do you think the Blue Moon Sect could safely take root in the Central Plains after clashing with that Blood Eagle?”
“That’s…”
Danri Yuhwa knew she should thank him. But pride made her snap irritably.
“That was something I could have handled myself.”
Hmph.
She turned away.
“Don’t interfere in my business anymore.”
Then she stormed out of the alley, fuming.
Watching her leave, Yoo Unryong took a deep breath and shook his head.
“What a crazy woman.”
Considering the relationship between Majeon and the Blue Moon Sect—no, even just because of their past marriage meeting—he had rescued her from a crisis.
Yet all she did was get annoyed and leave?
“Was it unnecessary meddling after all?”
He already had plenty of complicated matters on his plate. There was no need to get involved in her affairs.
“I must have caught it from that guy.”
Demonic path people were generally indifferent to others’ troubles but Bu Eunseol always extended a hand to anyone in difficulty, regardless of righteous or demonic affiliation.
Gradually, all the martial artists of the Death Shadow Corps were beginning to resemble that aspect of Bu Eunseol.
“I won’t pay attention anymore.”
Completely unable to foresee what would come next, he coldly turned away.
A few days later.
Yoo Unryong came out to Chengdu again.
After spending a long time in the old bookstore, he returned to the bustling market streets.
“On the way back, maybe I’ll buy some candied hawthorn for Cheonwoo.”
Myo Cheonwoo had a somewhat peculiar taste—he still enjoyed sweet things like a child.
Especially lately, having abandoned his idle ways and diligently helping at the desk, Yoo Unryong felt a little guilty.
Sniff sniff.
Then, in the distance, a little girl stood with a dazed expression, whimpering.
In such a crowded market street, filled with processions from various sects and factions, she had probably gotten separated from her mother amid the chaos.
But the passing pedestrians, seeing her shabby clothes, paid no attention to the crying child.
‘No helping it.’
As Yoo Unryong clicked his tongue and started to walk on,
“Oh my, how cute. Where did this little lady come from?”
A woman in vivid crimson light robes knelt in front of the child, laughing brightly as she spoke.
It was Danri Yuhwa.
“Where’s your mom? Did you get lost?”
At her question, the girl wiped her tears and nodded.
“Okay, I’ll help you find her.”
But the girl lowered her head with a wary expression and mumbled, “I was told… not to follow strangers.”
“That’s right. You’ve been very well taught.”
Nodding, she turned and abruptly disappeared into an alley.
Perhaps thinking the bright-eyed child didn’t need help?
Tap tap.
Moments later, Danri Yuhwa hurriedly returned through the crowd.
In both hands she carried delicious-looking candied hawthorn on a stick.
“Then is it okay if big sister waits here with you?”
Danri Yuhwa held out the treat and said, “Your mom will come looking for this place soon. I’ll stay with you until then.”
Nod.
When the child nodded, she smiled and stood beside her.
To keep the blazing sun from tiring the girl, Danri Yuhwa raised her wide sleeves to block the pouring sunlight.
Though the posture must have been tiring, she silently stayed by the child’s side.
“Min-min!”
From far away, a sweat-drenched middle-aged woman came running toward the child.
She seemed to have searched every corner of Chengdu looking for her missing daughter.
“Mom!”
The girl beamed when she saw her mother and ran to her.
“Min-min!”
The mother blinked at the candied hawthorn in her daughter’s hand.
“But what’s that?”
“This… that big sister gave me…”
Pointing behind her, the girl blinked her big eyes.
The woman who had been standing beside her—Danri Yuhwa—had vanished at some point.
“Hmm.”
Watching from a distance, Yoo Unryong stroked his chin.
He had thought her an uncontrollable tomboy but seeing how she cared for the child and her gentle demeanor… perhaps she wasn’t entirely like that.
Sparkle.
Suddenly, the fresh smile Danri Yuhwa had worn while shading the child from the sun flashed in his mind.
That smile—white teeth revealed in laughter, crabapple blossoms in her hair—was so beautiful and radiant that it remained engraved in the mind of Yoo Unryong, who had always been extremely indifferent to women.
“Well… it wasn’t entirely worthless after all.”
Recalling the earlier incident with a faint smile, Yoo Unryong shook his head and slowly turned away.
A few days later.
Suppressed Demon Pavilion, Yoo Unryong’s office.
Even as he read through the endless stream of letters, piles of books still towered on his desk. Across from him, at the reception table, Won Semun and Jo Namcheon sat idly chatting.
“Hahaha.”
“That was hilarious, wasn’t it?”
Since Yoo Unryong already knew his office had become the captains’ break room, he quietly continued his work without paying attention to whatever they were saying.
“…Did you see that woman who caused a scene in Daru? She was completely insane.”
“Yeah. First time in my life I’ve seen such a crazy woman.”
Pause.
Yoo Unryong, who had been moving his brush steadily, stopped at the strange story drifting to his ears.
“She’s got guts. No matter what, sneaking into the Human Ghost Party, turning the place upside down, and then running away?”
Human Ghost Party.
Recently rising in prominence among the black path factions, it was a group of fixers that took money to handle all kinds of requests. Despite being newly formed, it had strong connections with the government, and every affiliated martial artist possessed outstanding skill.
In particular, the Human Ghost Party Leader, Ghost-Slaying Sword Jeon Baek-seung, had once been an unremarkable black path master, but recently he had mastered swordsmanship so extraordinary it could supposedly cut down ghosts, and was now displaying tremendous prestige in the rivers and lakes.
Yet some woman had infiltrated such a place and turned it upside down?
“Yeah. The Human Ghost Party chased her all the way to Daru and dragged her back viciously.”
At Won Semun’s words, Jo Namcheon folded his arms and shook his head.
“In the end, since it’s a black path faction, isn’t it all about money? Most of them settle things with cash.”
Won Semun smacked his lips and shook his head.
“Who knows. She’s got a razor-sharp temper and is foul-mouthed, but her face is pretty… Maybe the Human Ghost Party Leader lost his mind over her.”
Yoo Unryong, silently listening, felt an ominous sensation pass through his mind.
A woman with a razor-sharp temper, foul-mouthed, yet pretty.
Those words made one person’s face rise in his thoughts.
“By any chance,”
Setting down his brush, Yoo Unryong looked back and forth between Won Semun and Jo Namcheon with an extremely dark expression.
“The woman who infiltrated the Human Ghost Party… did she have flowers stuck in her hair like a crazy person and wear crimson light robes?”
“Huh?”
Won Semun and Jo Namcheon opened their eyes wide at the same time.
“Captain Yoo, you saw her too?”
Thud.
Instead of answering, Yoo Unryong covered his forehead with one hand.
Danri Yuhwa.
That tomboyish troublemaker had caused another incident.
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