The Affectionate Blossom Sect was an absolutely forbidden sect for men.
No man was ever permitted inside, and they were extremely wary of outsiders.
In particular, in the past, when Chae Hwa-eum had an illicit affair with one of their disciples and leaked secret techniques into the Affectionate Blossom Sect, it ultimately led to the Young Lady, Geuk Hyebin, being taken hostage by the sound thief and suffering the horrific tragedy of having her vocal cords severed.
After that incident, the Affectionate Blossom Sect invested an astronomical sum to further reinforce the Repelling Stone Field, making it so that no one could enter or exit without the Lord’s explicit permission.
But another disaster struck.
When they tried to block the visit of the Ten Demon Warrior Bu Eunseol, the Repelling Stone Field was completely shattered. From that day onward, the sect lost the very core of its ability to perfectly block outsiders.
Having grasped this situation, Bu Eunseol worked together with Hyeok Sojin to provide the martial manuals of the Heaven and Earth Severing Sect so that the Affectionate Blossom Sect could bolster its combat strength.
At the same time, he personally revised the martial arts passed down through generations and taught them to the Hundred Flower Maidens.
He made it so that the sect could protect itself without relying on external help ever again.
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol healed the heart of the Young Lady Geuk Hyebin, whose emotions had been obliterated, obtained the honey of the Jade Bee, and even restored her severed vocal cords.
Moreover, recently he located the pond containing the restoration water and once again rebuilt the Repelling Stone Field…
In every sense, Bu Eunseol was nothing less than a great benefactor who had given the Affectionate Blossom Sect a new birth.
“Command Lord.”
Upon Bu Eunseol’s arrival at the Affectionate Blossom Sect, not only the senior members but even the Lord Geuk Hyeryeong herself was waiting in advance at the main gate.
Regardless of rank or status, Bu Eunseol was the greatest guest and benefactor of the Affectionate Blossom Sect.
“Sect Leader.”
Bu Eunseol bowed respectfully.
“There is no need to welcome me so extravagantly.”
“This is not my personal wish.” Geuk Hyeryeong smiled as she spoke. “The disciples gathered here of their own accord because they wanted to see the most handsome man in the world—the Command Lord.”
Because Bu Eunseol rarely appeared in public and moved through the martial world in secrecy, very few people had actually seen his true appearance.
However, since he had stayed at the Affectionate Blossom Sect for a long time during his days as one of the Ten Demon Warriors, every disciple knew well that Bu Eunseol possessed a noble and transcendent beauty, as if he had descended from the realm of immortals.
That was why, the moment they heard he was coming, they had rushed out in droves to wait in advance.
“Oppa.”
Beside Geuk Hyeryeong stood a beautiful girl who appeared to be about twelve or thirteen years old, bowing politely toward Bu Eunseol.
It was the Young Lady, Geuk Hyebin.
“Have you been well all this time?”
Thanks to the Jade Bee Honey, Geuk Hyebin had partially recovered her vocal cords and could now speak aloud in a normal voice like ordinary people.
“Good, have you been well?”
When Bu Eunseol asked, Geuk Hyebin nodded shyly with a smile.
“Yes.”
At that moment, Geuk Hyeryeong asked, “Who is he?”
She had been curious about the identity of Han Sangja, who had been standing beside Bu Eunseol the entire time, dressed in attire that made him look like either a daoist or a scholar.
“He doesn’t seem to be from the Demonic path.”
With so many disciples surrounding them, Bu Eunseol could not openly reveal that he was a sage of the Sage Forest, so he gave a vague answer.
“He is a friend helping me with my current matter.”
Han Sangja stepped forward and bowed politely to Geuk Hyeryeong.
“My name is Han Sangja.”
Perhaps thinking he was not someone particularly noteworthy, Geuk Hyeryeong nodded indifferently.
“I see.”
“Sect Leader, actually, there is something I must discuss with you…”
“First, come inside. A banquet has been prepared, so let us talk there.” Geuk Hyeryeong personally tried to lead Bu Eunseol inside.
“Sect Leader, this is an urgent matter that cannot wait. I believe we must discuss it right now.”
“Discuss?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eunseol glanced briefly at Geuk Hyebin and spoke again.
“I need the Young Lady’s assistance.”
Noticing Bu Eunseol’s grave expression, Geuk Hyeryeong nodded.
“I understand. Let us move to a private place first.”
Affectionate Blossom Sect, Secret Chamber Pavilion.
In the completely isolated inner chamber of the Secret Chamber Pavilion were Bu Eunseol, Han Sangja, Geuk Hyeryeong, and Geuk Hyebin.
“Now speak. What exactly is going on?”
At Geuk Hyeryeong’s words, Bu Eunseol nodded and began to explain.
“I came because of the matter concerning the Executioner.”
He calmly recounted everything he knew about the Executioner.
The Affectionate Blossom Sect’s intelligence network was among the best even in the Demonic path, and ever since Bu Eunseol’s days as one of the Ten Demon Warriors, it had provided him tremendous help.
Moreover, now that it fully shared its intelligence network with the Death Spirit Corps, Geuk Hyeryeong was also aware to some extent of the grave situation unfolding in the martial world.
“To think that bizarre legend was true…”
Geuk Hyeryeong was nearly a hundred years old and had long led one of the foremost intelligence organizations in the martial world.
Thus, she seemed to have heard rumors about the Executioner to some degree.
“This is serious indeed.”
Geuk Hyeryeong’s expression darkened.
The so-called laws of the martial world and that bizarre being called the Executioner—there was virtually no force in the Demonic path capable of stopping him.
“But how did you know that the remaining time is running short?”
No information whatsoever about the Executioner circulated in the martial world. So how could Bu Eunseol have such detailed knowledge—and even know how much time was left?
‘I cannot speak of Manwol’s words.’
But at that moment, Han Sangja stepped forward.
“This Forest possesses information about the Executioner. We know that if the first attack fails, he grants a certain grace period before attacking again.”
“This Forest?”
Bu Eunseol explained Han Sangja’s background.
“He is a descendant of the Sage Forest, which vanished from the martial world.”
“The Sage Forest.”
Geuk Hyeryeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
In the martial world, sages had disappeared as if evaporated decades ago.
The only person currently called by that name was the Divine Mountain Sage.
Yet the Sage Forest still existed and had produced such a young sage?
“In truth, this plan was proposed by me to the Command Lord.” Han Sangja stepped forward confidently and explained everything. “Although you, Sect Leader, were born with the Heavenly Fragrancer, your constitution’s characteristics have likely changed somewhat with age.”
After clearing his throat, he continued.
“Fortunately, the Young Lady was born with the same constitution as you… If the Young Lady assists, the plan to confront the Executioner can succeed.”
He then honestly laid out the entire scheme he had devised.
Even if Geuk Hyebin agreed, nothing could proceed without Geuk Hyeryeong’s permission.
“I understand what you mean.”
Geuk Hyeryeong’s sharp gaze quickly scanned Han Sangja’s body.
“But how did you know that Hyebin possesses the Heavenly Fragrancer? That is something no intelligence organization should know.”
True to her role as the leader of the Affectionate Blossom Sect, she did not let even the slightest questionable point slip by.
“In the past, this Forest conducted investigations into the leadership of both the righteous and demonic martial worlds.” Han Sangja answered frankly. “And during that time, we learned that you, Lord, were born with the Heavenly Fragrancer.”
He did not explicitly say they had infiltrated the Affectionate Blossom Sect, but he admitted to having investigated Geuk Hyeryeong.
“I see.”
Geuk Hyeryeong had been expected to take offense, yet she nodded with remarkable calm.
“The Sage Forest in the past had an extraordinary intelligence network, after all.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
As Han Sangja bowed his head,
“Hyebin.”
Geuk Hyeryeong quietly asked her beloved granddaughter, who was sitting still.
“Will you do it?”
“Yes.” Geuk Hyebin nodded without hesitation. “If it helps the Command Lord, there is nothing more I could wish for.”
Geuk Hyeryeong nodded.
Though the Affectionate Blossom Sect was a women-only sect, its sense of loyalty ran deeper than that of men.
In the past, even when invaded, the Affectionate Blossom Sect had staked the very survival of the sect to repay Bu Eunseol’s kindness and aid him.
“Thank you.” Bu Eunseol spoke as if making a vow. “If a dangerous situation arises… I will stake my life to protect her.”
“Yes.”
At Geuk Hyebin’s radiant smile, Han Sangja nodded.
“Then it seems we should begin now.”
There was no time left.
Moreover, this matter could not be resolved with vast numbers of troops or enormous wealth.
They could only trust Han Sangja’s plan.
Three people would have to risk their lives.
***
The Heavenly Fragrancer.
It referred to a mystical constitution capable not only of imitating the “fragrance of the heart”—called soul fragrance—but also of fundamentally understanding and comprehending another person’s soul state, and even mimicking it.
Han Sangja had summoned Bu Eunseol and Geuk Hyebin to the inner chamber and was explaining how the Heavenly Fragrancer manifested and how it could imitate another’s soul fragrance.
“The Heavenly Bird Divine Book of this Forest contains a method that allows perfect mastery of the Heavenly Fragrancer’s power.”
Han Sangja took out a single book from his robes.
“I have already excerpted the relevant section. If you follow this method, Young Lady, you will be able to perfectly replicate the Command Lord’s soul fragrance.”
Geuk Hyebin nodded and quickly began reading the method.
The contents included techniques for analyzing everything hidden deep within the heart—emotions, temperament, experiences—and sensing or imitating another’s soul fragrance.
“However, this method alone is not sufficient.”
Han Sangja spoke to Bu Eunseol.
“You must tell the Young Lady everything about the life you have lived so far, including all the emotions you felt at each moment.”
“Why is that?”
“Your current emotions are the result of all the emotions from your past combined.”
True to his origins in the Sage Forest, Han Sangja was eloquent.
He spent a long time explaining to Bu Eunseol why it was necessary to recount every detail of his life and experiences to Geuk Hyebin.
“From now on, I must research the formations we will use for this plan based on the Heavenly Bird Divine Book. In the meantime, please do your best to align.”
With that, he immediately left the room.
“Hmm.”
After pondering for a long while, Bu Eunseol let out a low groan.
“I don’t know where to begin or how to explain it, but…” He gave an awkward smile and said, “I’ll tell it calmly, whatever comes to mind.”
In truth, this was the first time he had to verbally convey to someone else the traces of his past life, the fragments of emotions he felt in each moment, the shards of those memories.
But in order for Geuk Hyebin to emit the same soul fragrance as him, he told her everything—every step of the path he had walked until now, and the thoughts and feelings he experienced every single day.
Drip, drip, drip.
After hearing it all, Geuk Hyebin shed tears.
To others, he was an unparalleled genius who had mastered martial arts that ordinary people could never hope to achieve in a lifetime.
A beauty more exquisite than any woman, wisdom rivaling the incarnation of Zhuge Liang.
As the Command Lord of Majeon, he commanded countless wise and valiant generals who staked their lives in absolute loyalty.
A man with perfect conditions, envied by none in the world.
The young grandmaster who lacked nothing under heaven… yet in reality, it was completely different.
He was the loneliest person in the world.
He had met a single ray of light that made him forget his painful memories and see a warm world, but in the end, a demon-like fiend had taken everything away.
As he rushed forward for revenge, loyal followers had gathered around him before he knew it.
They gave him absolute support, never doubting anything he did.
But that absolute faith was, for Bu Eunseol, an inescapable burden.
For the sake of those who believed in him, he could never afford to lose, never afford to waver.
Only then could he keep his followers from losing their lives.
Whatever he set out to do had to be accomplished perfectly, without fail.
Moreover, because he had reached such an impossibly high and profound realm at such a young age… there was no one who could fully empathize with what he felt.
Only battles against supreme powerhouses that threatened his life could momentarily soothe his loneliness and make him feel truly alive.
Thus, he had forsaken the joy of victory and the splendor of honor… living solely for revenge, abandoning friends, and sometimes even himself, without limit.
Because of that… no matter how peerless a beauty approached him, he could never form a genuine bond.
He tried to bear everything alone.
He could not place such a burden on someone he loved.
“Hic… hic…”
Geuk Hyebin grasped Bu Eunseol’s hand.
After hearing everything, she clearly understood where Bu Eunseol was ultimately headed.
“Don’t go, Oppa.”
She held both his hands tightly, tears streaming down her face.
“There are still so many beautiful things in this world.”
Though it seemed he was deeply involved in the affairs of the martial world, though it seemed he mingled with countless people in this dusty realm, in truth, Bu Eunseol was living alone in a gray, severed space, utterly desolate.
His eyes looked at reality, but in actuality, they were fixed only on the place where his grandfather was.
In the end, he was an existence that did not belong to this world.
He was merely living day by day, prolonging his life for the journey that would one day take him far away.
“I’m fine.”
Bu Eunseol patted Geuk Hyebin’s back with a calm smile.
“That’s just a fragmentary impression. In reality, it isn’t so.”
That was true as well.
Just because something was held in his heart did not mean it fully represented the being called Bu Eunseol.
“And I made a promise with the Bullet King.”
Bu Eunseol showed a gentle smile.
“I swore never to take my own life.”
They were soft words meant to comfort her, but to Geuk Hyebin, they only made her sadder; she shook her head violently and wept even harder.
“From now on, I will make sure you never have such thoughts again.”
Geuk Hyebin hugged Bu Eunseol tightly.
“I will definitely make it so.”
Bu Eunseol quietly comforted Geuk Hyebin as she sobbed.
His life had not been in vain.
If someone asked what fate was, he could answer like this:
An ember engraved deep in the heart.
Because that flame existed, he could endure this cold and bitter world.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, the sound of knocking came, followed by Han Sangja’s clear voice.
“Have you memorized the method?”
When he entered shortly after, he saw Geuk Hyebin crying with tears and snot streaming down her face and froze with his mouth open.
***
“…This won’t work.”
After hearing the entire situation from Bu Eunseol, Han Sangja stroked his chin with a troubled expression.
“The Young Lady respects the Command Lord far too much. This is a completely unforeseen circumstance.”
Because of Geuk Hyebin’s young age, she had called it “respect,” but in reality, it was closer to deep affection.
Realizing this, Bu Eunseol rubbed his nose and changed the subject.
“Is there perhaps another Heavenly Fragrancer?”
Han Sangja let out a deep sigh.
“Even if there were, would it make a difference?”
Even if they found another person with the Heavenly Fragrancer, there was no way they would risk their life for Bu Eunseol.
Understanding the implication, Bu Eunseol cleared his throat.
“Then let us look for an alternative.”
“No, it’s all right. I can do it.”
At Geuk Hyebin’s words, Han Sangja shook his head.
“You cannot.”
“Why not?”
“One cannot easily control one’s own emotions, Young Lady.”
“But it’s my heart—why can’t I control it?”
Han Sangja explained calmly.
“Then if I told you right now to resent the Command Lord, could you immediately start resenting him?”
People think they can control their emotions but that is nearly impossible.
Even if one forces sadness or laughter, the actual emotion does not change.
Let alone emotions like hatred or affection… they can never be manipulated at will.
“No, I can do it.”
But Geuk Hyebin looked at Bu Eunseol and said something unexpected.
“Oppa, do you remember? When I was little, I pretended to follow people like an emotionless doll.”
Bu Eunseol nodded.
In her childhood, having lost her parents early, she had been raised under the protection of Lord Geuk Hyeryeong. But because Geuk Hyeryeong was so busy, she had invited famous figures from various fields solely to educate her, without giving her proper love.
As a result, Geuk Hyebin had become like a doll, unable to feel emotions at all.
If Bu Eunseol had not noticed this when he visited the Affectionate Blossom Sect back then, by now she might have become a witch of the martial world, or lived on with a shattered soul, merely acting.
She would have been the most emotionless person imaginable.
“But now you already have emotions.”
The current Geuk Hyebin had become someone so passionate she could shed tears and snot. She could never calmly understand and imitate Bu Eunseol’s inner world.
“No. In truth, I’m still similar.”
“Similar how?”
“I was born innately emotionless. It was only thanks to Grandmother’s love and attention that I was able to learn emotions.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
She had not said she “felt” emotions—she said she “learned” them.
“That’s right.”
Geuk Hyebin spoke calmly.
“I am still emotionless.”
As if to prove her words, the passionate light in her eyes had already become utterly serene.
“How is that possible?”
When Han Sangja asked in astonishment, Geuk Hyebin answered calmly.
“Grandmother and the Command Lord are special to me, so I can empathize with you both.”
She spoke with utmost coldness.
“But toward everyone else, I am extremely indifferent. The compassion and pity others speak of—I simply learned to imitate them.”
Geuk Hyebin continued calmly.
“For example, helping someone drowning in water or rescuing animals caught in traps—I don’t do it because I feel pity. I do it only because I was taught that it is the right thing to do.”
Bu Eunseol and Han Sangja stared at each other for a long time.
Then they both struggled to suppress their laughter, lips twitching.
Though she spoke so grandly… in the end, Geuk Hyebin possessed emotions no different from ordinary people.
“Young Lady.”
Han Sangja forced back his laughter and spoke solemnly.
“In truth, most people in the world live exactly like that.”
“What?”
“When people perform good deeds, it is not because they empathize with others’ feelings. They do it simply because they were taught it is the right thing.”
Geuk Hyebin’s face turned bright red.
At such a young age, almost everyone harbors the grand delusion that they are always a special existence.
“Hmm.”
After pondering deeply for a while, Han Sangja’s eyes began to sparkle like stars.
Then, as if struck by an idea, he clapped his hands and said,
“But thanks to the Young Lady’s purity and warmth, another method has occurred to me.”
“Really?”
When Geuk Hyebin opened her eyes wide, Han Sangja nodded.
“Because of the Young Lady’s pure heart, imitating the soul fragrance failed… but that purity carries a warmth that can envelop another’s heart as well.”
“Warmth.”
“Yes. If we apply the method of Warm Heart Protecting Soul and Gentle Affection Moistening Heart written here…”
He pointed to a portion of the method he had written and explained calmly.
“…In other words, instead of following the Command Lord’s soul fragrance exactly, we overlay the Young Lady’s clear and warm energy onto the Command Lord’s soul fragrance.”
“What an astonishing method.”
Geuk Hyebin clapped her hands in admiration.
“Teacher Han, it seems you are truly proficient in methods that move the heart.”
“The disciples of this Forest memorize entire books from the Scripture Pavilion. This is nothing.”
Even as he spoke, Han Sangja looked slightly embarrassed.
Because Bu Eunseol kept calling him “Brother Han,” she too had mistakenly thought his surname was Han.
“Then shall we try again?”
At Han Sangja’s suggestion, Geuk Hyebin nodded.
The Heavenly Fragrancer could perfectly imitate another’s soul fragrance.
That is, being able to look into another’s soul fragrance also meant being able to overlay one’s own energy onto it.
Instead of mimicking Bu Eunseol’s loneliness and sorrow, she would envelop his loneliness and sorrow with her own fragrance.
But watching the scene, Bu Eunseol felt a chill run down his spine.
‘This is not something one can simply think of just because they are intelligent.’
The methods passed down since ancient times were profound arts created through the research of countless sages.
To instantly modify them was nearly impossible.
Moreover, the approach Han Sangja proposed was an innovative method no sage had ever conceived before.
For an ordinary person, even a lifetime of study and practice would not dare attempt it.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Feeling Bu Eunseol’s piercing gaze, Han Sangja scratched his cheek.
It was the very picture of a simple young man who had studied in a rural village and come up to the capital.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Bu Eunseol brushed aside the thoughts rising in his mind.
Even if his suspicions were correct… now was not the time to dwell on such things.
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