Soyo did not possess super-senses as extraordinary as Bu Eunseol’s but she had the razor-sharp intuition and acute hearing unique to an assassin.
‘Thirty zhang away.’
The moment she sprang to her feet, the distant transmission rang in her ears again.
[He possesses formidable martial arts. If you keep looking around like that, you’ll wake him.]
‘Over there.’
Instead of replying, Soyo pinpointed the direction from which the transmission had come and slipped silently out of the cave.
But in that brief moment, the shadow thirty zhang away had already erased its presence and vanished.
Still, Soyo did not stop. She continued racing in that direction.
Before long, a fork in the path appeared.
[This way, child.]
The one sending the transmission now deliberately revealed their own location to Soyo.
Swish.
Determined, she unleashed her full speed with movement technique and quickly closed the gap.
Yet the movement technique of the figure sending the transmissions far surpassed Soyo’s own body technique.
A chase unfolded in which the pursuer seemed always just about to catch up, yet never quite could.
Chasing the voice, Soyo eventually found herself before a mystical forest she had never seen before.
A faint glow emanated from within; it seemed the forest had been concealed until now by a unique formation.
[Follow the footprints pressed into the ground.]
Passing through the forest, another hidden paradise unfolded before her.
It was as though someone had taken a miniature version of the secluded valley where Bu Eunseol and Soyo had been staying—beautiful scenery in every direction.
Nestled against a small bamboo grove, beside a pond, stood a house built of stone and in front of it waited a white-haired old woman, gazing at Soyo.
“You found your way here well, my daughter.”
The old woman stared intently at Soyo’s face, then nodded.
“Foolish child. Why would someone as beautiful as you let a man deceive you and ruin your life?”
Soyo blinked her large eyes.
She could not comprehend a single word the old woman was saying.
“Who… are you…?”
“Have you already forgotten your mother’s face?”
Soyo had been an orphan from birth and raised by the Hundred-Split Assassin Sect.
Moreover, the old woman’s face appeared well over a hundred years old, and there was not the slightest resemblance.
Yet she spoke affectionately, claiming to be her mother?
“You’re saying you’re my mother?”
“Yes, child.”
The old woman waved her hand dismissively.
“All men are wolves. Never trust them.”
Seeing Soyo’s utterly bewildered expression, the old woman instead uttered something even more absurd.
“The better you treat them and the more you care for them, the more they will simply use you in the end.”
It turned out the old woman had been secretly observing Soyo all this time.
‘An extraordinary master.’
Soyo drew a short breath.
Even if she herself could be fooled, deceiving Bu Eunseol’s senses was no easy feat.
“Have you been watching me all along?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
When Soyo asked, the old woman spoke with pride ringing in her voice.
“Didn’t your mother always tell you? After a lifetime of being hounded by clingy men, the only skill I truly mastered was how to conceal my presence.”
The old woman’s face was deeply wrinkled, her features twisted and distorted.
Even accounting for age, she was far from the kind of appearance that would attract persistent suitors.
‘Her movement technique is impressive, but her concealment art is truly formidable.’
Ignoring the old woman’s rambling, Soyo carefully observed her vital signs.
Yet no matter how much she heightened her senses, she detected nothing at all.
That alone told her the old woman’s concealment art had reached the absolute pinnacle of the martial world.
“Are you currently employing Turtle Breath Great Method?”
“Not Turtle Breath—it is called Colorless Flying Dust.”
Thanks to Bu Eunseol’s guidance, Soyo had studied countless advanced movement and concealment techniques from the Central Plains martial world yet she had never even heard the name Colorless Flying Dust.
“You neglected your martial training for so long, and now you suddenly show interest?”
Pleased that Soyo was paying attention to concealment arts, the old woman spoke with delight.
“If you wish, your mother will teach you this secret art along with qinggong. Once you master Colorless Flying Dust, no man will ever chase you again for the rest of your life.”
“Really?”
Soyo’s eyes sparkled.
Though the old woman’s mind seemed unstable, her movement technique and concealment were undeniably exceptional.
If she could learn them?
She would never again collapse from exhaustion while following Bu Eunseol.
“Of course. Within three years, I will turn you into a master who dominates the entire world.”
“Three years.”
At the unexpectedly long period, Soyo shook her head.
“I have to protect him.”
“Protect? Protect what? I have never seen such a powerful young man in all my life.”
Astonishingly, the old woman had perceived Bu Eunseol’s terrifying martial prowess, which surpassed the Tranquil Clarity realm.
Realizing she was an otherworldly recluse, Soyo asked, “Just who are you, exactly?”
“Who am I? I am your mother—that’s all.”
Soyo sensed that though the old woman’s mind was not clear, her nature was not malicious, so she asked,
“Even so, surely you had some title when you were young?”
“Hmm…”
After a brief hesitation, the old woman looked into Soyo’s large eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“In the past, your mother was known by the title Snowflower Enchanting Swallow. But I was active in the martial world for only a very short time, so almost no one remembers that name.”
She was wrong.
Snowflower Enchanting Swallow—Ji Shuryeon.
Thirty-some years ago she had been a renowned female hero of the martial world.
At that time she was not only a grand master of movement technique at the highest level, but her extraordinary beauty had earned her that very title.
“My mother was Snowflower Enchanting Swallow?”
Soyo was greatly shocked.
A woman whose jade-like radiance and graceful swallow-like movement technique had won countless marriage proposals from men throughout the martial world—how could Ji Shuryeon have become this old woman?
‘The age doesn’t match.’
Back then Ji Shuryeon had been in her twenties. Even at the highest estimate, she would now be in her late fifties or sixties.
Yet the old woman before her had skin like tree bark and hair white as radish roots.
No matter how harshly life had treated her, no one could age so rapidly.
“You’re wearing a face mask.”
Only after staring for a long time did Soyo realize that Ji Shuryeon was wearing an extremely sophisticated human-skin mask.
“Didn’t your mother always tell you? You must always be wary of men.”
Ji Shuryeon spoke coldly.
“And the best way is to hide your face.”
“In this secluded valley where no one ever comes, who would there be to see that you need a mask?”
“Hmph. No one comes to this secluded valley? Didn’t a pitch-black man just enter this very place?”
Soyo shook her head.
“We simply stumbled upon this place by chance.”
“‘We’?”
“I was with him…”
Soyo closed her mouth.
Since the old woman’s mind was unclear, no amount of explanation would help.
“From now on, you are forbidden to go outside.”
Swoosh.
In that instant, Ji Shuryeon closed the distance to Soyo.
“Do you know how long your mother has been searching for you?
The two had been at least ten zhang apart, yet without any preparatory movement she had instantly bridged the gap.
“Your movement technique is impressive.”
When Soyo offered another compliment, Ji Shuryeon shrugged.
“This much is nothing. It’s not even worth mentioning.”
‘It seems the rumors were true after all.’
Not only had Ji Shuryeon possessed stunning beauty, but she had been said to rival the Swift Beyond Shadow technique of Gowol, the greatest movement master of her era.
Yet because few had actually witnessed her movement technique, rumors spread among lovesick martial artists that it was mere exaggeration born of her beauty.
But seeing it now, the rumors were not false. If anything, the emphasis on her appearance had caused people to underestimate her true ability.
“Have you been living here all this time?”
Noticing how the stone house Ji Shuryeon had built had been smoothed by long years of wind and weather, Soyo realized the woman had lived alone here for a very long time.
With such martial prowess and movement technique, if she had remained active in the martial world, she could have built a legendary reputation and even founded her own sect.
So why had she chosen to live in seclusion like a hermit in this remote valley?
“Of course. After searching for you my entire life, I finally waited here.”
The old woman’s voice was filled with desperate longing.
Sensing that she had endured unspeakable hardship, Soyo looked at her with pity.
“Is there anything inconvenient about living here?”
“It’s fine. I occasionally go down to Chengdu.”
Soyo immediately understood.
With the old woman’s exceptional movement technique, traveling from this valley to Chengdu would take less than one mealtime.
She would feel no inconvenience in daily life.
“Stay hidden here until that man leaves the valley. Then you won’t be discovered.”
Ji Shuryeon sighed and said, “And after he’s gone, your mother will teach you martial arts. Then you will master body-movement techniques unmatched in the world.”
“I no longer need to learn more movement techniques.”
“Nonsense. If you learn the movement technique your mother teaches, you will be three times faster than you are now.”
For a moment, Soyo’s eyes sparkled.
Three times faster movement technique than she currently possessed?
That would truly make her the unrivaled master of qinggong in the martial world.
Though Ji Shuryeon’s mind was unstable, she was still capable of transmitting martial arts.
If Soyo closed her eyes and learned the technique from her?
She would no longer fall behind anyone—including Bu Eunseol.
“But…”
After thinking carefully, Soyo shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to protect him.”
“Protect him?”
Ji Shuryeon looked toward where Bu Eunseol was with an expression of incomprehension.
“That man is so strong—what exactly do you need to protect?”
“No. He is weak.”
Soyo spoke softly.
“He pretends to be strong, but in truth he hides a fragile heart.”
She lowered her head.
“He is still a child.”
“You are completely bewitched.”
Ji Shuryeon wore an expression of disbelief.
“Are you speaking sincerely?”
“Of course.”
“Then that… that wolf-like man deliberately showed you such a side. To ensnare you.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Soyo said calmly.
“Because I chose to stay by his side.”
“Even if your mother opposes it?”
“Of course.”
Ji Shuryeon’s eyes flashed.
She realized she could never break Soyo’s stubborn resolve.
“Very well. Then at least have a cup of tea before you go.”
She pointed toward her house.
“Your mother has lived alone here for a very long time, waiting for you. How could I let you leave without even a cup of tea?”
When Soyo hesitated briefly, Ji Shuryeon said, “What are you waiting for? Come inside.”
Soyo was about to deploy qinggong and return to Bu Eunseol… but her gaze met Ji Shuryeon’s, who wore a benevolent smile.
Though the smile was gentle, the eyes beneath it were filled with mingled pain and regret—Soyo could not bring herself to refuse.
“All right.”
The interior of the stone house Ji Shuryeon had built was very clean, with a separate kitchen area for brewing tea.
Not long after entering, Ji Shuryeon served Soyo a cup of warm tea.
“Drink.”
Soyo did not immediately drink. Instead she lightly touched her tongue to the surface.
A habit ingrained from assassin training—always checking food for poison.
“Hehe, did you think your mother would put poison in it?”
Ji Shuryeon laughed lowly and shook her head.
“Quite the opposite. It contains various elixirs that rapidly increase internal energy.”
Having been trained as an assassin, Soyo could distinguish elixirs from poisons with the tip of her tongue.
And the old woman was not lying.
“Then…”
Soyo took a small sip.
Immediately her body grew warm, and a stream of heat rose from her dantian.
It truly contained an elixir of exceptional potency.
“Drink it all while it’s warm. That way the medicinal effect will spread evenly.”
Soyo nodded and took another sip.
Tremble tremble.
But after drinking, Soyo’s body began to shake uncontrollably.
“How…?”
When Soyo asked in a trembling voice, Ji Shuryeon gave a faint smile.
“What you drank was indeed tea with elixirs. Only… far too many were added.”
As with all medicines, the stronger the effect, the stronger the poison.
If one consumed too powerful an elixir all at once, one could often lose consciousness from the overwhelming potency.
“All of it was for your sake.”
Thud.
Unable to resist the surging drowsiness—like a drunkard collapsing—Soyo slammed her head onto the table and fainted.
Ji Shuryeon personally lifted Soyo and laid her on the inner bed.
“She’ll sleep peacefully for about two hours.”
Stroking Soyo’s head gently, a warm light flickered in the old woman’s eyes.
“How could I have searched for you so long, only to hand you over to those demon-like men again?”
Rising to her feet, Ji Shuryeon’s gaze turned venomous.
“With that level of martial arts, he will surely trace the signs that you came this way in an instant.”
Stepping outside, she immediately unleashed her qinggong.
Swoosh.
She headed straight toward the cave where Bu Eunseol was staying.
“Just what is he up to?”
Bu Eunseol slowly opened his eyes.
His super-senses were so advanced that he could faintly eavesdrop on transmissions sent to others.
He had heard the voice sending the transmission to Soyo was extremely gentle and free of malice.
Curious about what was happening, he had pretended to remain asleep.
“It’s taking a while.”
Stepping out of the cave, he discovered the traces Soyo had left and began walking in that direction.
Then suddenly a fierce gust of wind blew, and a white-haired old woman appeared before him.
It was Ji Shuryeon.
‘Remarkable movement technique.’
To approach within this range without his super-senses—extending over a hundred zhang—detecting her?
‘Judging by her appearance, she must be the one who sent the transmission.’
“Who are you?”
“Stop looking for my daughter any further.”
“Your daughter?”
“Yes.”
Ji Shuryeon spoke in a chilling voice.
“Leave this place immediately. Otherwise both of you will die.”
“Both of us? What do you mean?”
“I know your martial arts are formidable. But subduing me in one strike will not be easy.”
Swoosh.
In an instant she retreated three zhang and said,
“And the moment you try to attack me, my daughter and I will take our own lives.”
“Your daughter…”
Bu Eunseol wore an expression of incomprehension.
“Are you saying you are Soyo’s mother?”
“That child’s name is not Soyo.”
Bu Eunseol could not understand.
Suddenly, in this secluded valley, a woman claiming to be Soyo’s mother had appeared?
Moreover, her gaze seemed somehow clouded?
“Tell me what you want.”
“Are your ears blocked? Haven’t I been telling you to leave this place from the beginning?”
“Why are you telling me to leave?”
Ji Shuryeon spoke coldly.
“I know you are using that child. Exploiting her innocence to make her do whatever you want.”
The words were something she had thrown out carelessly, yet unexpectedly they struck Bu Eunseol’s vital point.
Though the phrasing was harsh, a cold analysis of the current situation showed that she was not entirely wrong.
‘I used Soyo’s goodwill to build and maintain the Dead Soul Unit’s information network.’
With a sigh, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“That is… correct.”
“How readily you admit it.”
Ji Shuryeon nodded.
“Then leave this place immediately. And never seek that child again.”
“Elder.”
Bu Eunseol sighed and said, “If Soyo wishes it, I can leave at any time. But I do not even know who you are.”
“So?”
“Let me see her. Then I will leave.”
“Don’t play tricks.”
Ji Shuryeon said, “You need not know who I am. Just let that poor child go.”
Bu Eunseol let out another sigh.
The old woman’s gaze was extremely kind and calm.
Though her mind was not fully sound, he could tell she was not a vicious villain.
“Hmm.”
Suppressing the urge to immediately subdue her with martial arts, Bu Eunseol spoke again.
“If she wishes it, she may leave me at any time. But no third party can force her.”
“Such smooth talk. I suppose that silver tongue is how you seduced my daughter?”
Ji Shuryeon took out a small black pill from her sleeve.
“If your words are sincere, can you swallow this?”
“What is it?”
“A medicine that reveals truth. Can you still say those words after swallowing it?”
Bu Eunseol sighed.
‘She lies so easily.’
Even without swallowing, just smelling it was enough to tell it was a deadly poison pill.
But having reached the initial stage of Poison Saint, he could consume hundreds of such pills without any effect.
‘What should I do?’
At this moment, Bu Eunseol had only two seemingly identical options for resolving the situation.
Subdue the old woman and interrogate her about Soyo’s whereabouts, or subdue her and use Void Heart Command to locate Soyo directly.
“Very well.”
But Bu Eunseol chose a third path.
He would do exactly as the old woman demanded—and thereby find Soyo.
Gulp.
He swallowed the poison pill with its foul stench.
“Is that enough?”
Uncertain whether he had truly swallowed it, Ji Shuryeon hurriedly tossed him an antidote pill and shouted,
“Do you even know what that was?”
“Should I?”
Seeing his gaze remain clear, she finally realized what had happened and snorted.
“So you are a poison user.”
“No.”
“How laughable. You swallow Soul-Destroying Bone-Eroding Pill and stand there perfectly fine, yet claim you are not a poison user?”
“I did as you asked. Now tell me where she is.”
Ji Shuryeon spoke nonsense again.
“Then are you willing to sacrifice a part of your body for her sake?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cut off one of your fingers. Then I will believe your words.”
“My finger?”
Bu Eunseol gave a wry smile.
Why were martial artists in the martial world so obsessed with fingers?
“What would you do with my finger?”
“I told you—I will believe you.”
Ji Shuryeon said firmly.
“If you truly care for that child… you wouldn’t begrudge a single finger, would you?”
“Must it really be expressed with a finger?”
“Of course you cannot cut it.” Raising the corner of her mouth coldly, Ji Shuryeon said, “Because to you, that child is worth less than a single finger.”
Sring.
Drawing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Bu Eunseol immediately swung it down toward his own finger.
Seeing this, Ji Shuryeon was greatly shocked and shot out a wind blade to knock the blade aside.
Clang!
The numbing pain that shot through his finger told him it had been sincere.
Had her internal energy not been profound, that single strike would have caused him internal injury.
“Why are you so hasty!”
Though Ji Shuryeon’s mind was unstable, her heart was kind and gentle.
She had believed him to be a poison user and therefore thought he would never actually sever his hand—provoking him on that assumption.
Because for poison users, losing a limb would cause their poison arts to regress.
Yet he had swung without the slightest hesitation.
“Didn’t you tell me to cut it?”
Seeing Bu Eunseol’s calm gaze, Ji Shuryeon snorted again, convinced she had been tricked once more.
“I see. Since your martial arts are so high, you must have used some trick.”
“…”
“If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have halted the motion immediately, wouldn’t you?”
Of course Bu Eunseol was not fool enough to cut off his finger just because a deranged old woman—who may or may not have Soyo—told him to.
Yet he had swung without hesitation.
Because he could see through people’s hearts like the Demon Emperor, he knew the old woman was not truly evil and had chosen to demonstrate his sincerity.
But Ji Shuryeon stubbornly persisted.
“This time it won’t work.”
She took out a bead from her sleeve.
It was the Soul Spirit Bead, capable of exerting powerful soul-capturing techniques.
“Look at this.”
The moment Bu Eunseol looked at the Soul Spirit Bead, his gaze reflected on its surface—
Crack.
And the bead shattered instantly.
His martial arts and mental power were so overwhelming that no item designed to disturb the mind could affect him.
“Are you a ghost?”
Ji Shuryeon was flustered.
She had known his martial arts were high, but she never dreamed his mental defenses had reached such an unfathomable level.
“Enough now.”
“What?”
“I will speak to her myself.”
Bu Eunseol sighed.
Because Ji Shuryeon was not evil and posed no real threat to Soyo, he could not bring himself to treat her harshly.
If even the slightest malice had been present, he would have subdued her before she could finish a single sentence and forced her to reveal Soyo’s whereabouts.
“Just what are you trying to do?”
“I will persuade her to leave me of her own will. So tell me where she is.”
Deep down, Bu Eunseol also wished for Soyo to leave this blood-soaked martial world and live happily.
‘If this is the chance for her to escape the martial world… that would not be a bad thing.’
“No.”
“Why not?”
Ji Shuryeon shouted.
“Men like you—handsome and powerful in martial arts—always use women and then abandon them cruelly, don’t they?”
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eunseol could not hide his troubled expression.
It is often said that the martial world is full of strange eccentrics as numerous as grains of sand.
Indeed, during his journeys he had encountered countless strange individuals and learned how to deal with them.
But unfortunately, he had never before faced someone like the old woman before him—kind-hearted yet mentally unstable. Thus he had no idea how to handle such a situation.
‘Still, it’s fortunate she is not completely mad—only somewhat clouded.’
Fortunately, Ji Shuryeon did not seem entirely insane—only somewhat mentally hazy.
“Elder. You cannot force your peculiar beliefs on others or claim they are the truth.”
“You speak so well. That’s what he did too.”
Ji Shuryeon’s eyes blazed with anger.
“He always spoke as though sincere, but in reality he played tricks!”
She uttered the most shocking words.
“Using the nonsense excuse of upholding the laws of the martial world!”
“What do you mean?”
Ji Shuryeon took out a small bronze mirror from her sleeve.
“What? This mirror lets you see your true appearance… and keeps you from forgetting who you originally were?”
Zi Shu-ryoen shouted, “They claim to protect the world, yet they are the forgotten ones of the martial world? That they abandoned life and name?”
Then she hurled the mirror to the ground.
Clang.
Looking down at the fallen mirror, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
From the bronze mirror—adorned with strange patterns and jewels—flowed an energy extremely similar to the Mixed Demonic Magic Energy once displayed by the old man of the True Demon family.
‘Sacred Domain.’
Until now, the only ones who claimed to uphold the laws of the martial world were those of the Sacred Domain.
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