A flash passed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘If it’s him, he could very well handle Mixed Demonic Magic Energy.’
The old man he had once encountered—the one who appeared as a small child. He had clearly manipulated a mysterious parchment containing the powers of both the Baekri family and the True Demon with complete ease.
‘But right now, I need to find Soyo.’
What mattered most at this moment was not Ji Shuryeon’s past or her lover—it was Soyo.
The old woman would not have harmed her, so if he followed the traces she left, he should be able to locate her quickly.
Swish.
Instead of using Void Heart Command, Bu Eunseol extended Wind-Cloud Divine Qi in all directions.
No matter how thoroughly she erased her tracks or used flight-like qinggong, she would have had to push against the wind to come here. Tracing that residual flow with Wind-Cloud Divine Qi would be enough.
Rumble. Paaaaa.
As Wind-Cloud Divine Qi surged outward like a storm sweeping in every direction, Ji Shuryeon’s face filled with fear.
“Just what are you doing?!”
Swoosh.
At that moment, accompanied by a faint sound of breaking air, a dim shadow slowly descended from the distant sky.
Tap.
The figure that landed gracefully from the heavens with elegant movement technique was none other than Soyo.
“How did you…?”
Seeing Soyo, Ji Shuryeon’s eyes widened in shock, unable to hide her astonishment.
“Even someone with profound internal energy… if they consume both Mysterious Yin Pure Essence and Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Seed at the same time… they cannot possibly regain consciousness for at least two hours.”
Both Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Seed and Mysterious Yin Pure Essence were elixirs that dramatically increased internal energy; when taken by a woman, they caused a violent surge of yin energy.
Due to the overwhelming medicinal power, one should remain unconscious for a minimum of two hours.
So how had she recovered her senses so quickly and come all the way here?
“Soyo!”
At that moment, noticing something, Bu Eunseol was greatly startled and examined her thigh.
Blood was pouring from it.
“It’s fine, it’s nothing serious.”
Soyo waved her hand reassuringly toward Bu Eunseol and gave a smile that said everything was all right.
“Child!”
Shocked, Ji Shuryeon immediately pressed her acupoints to stop the bleeding.
Then she tore her sleeve and began tightly binding the wound.
“Why on earth would you do something like this?”
Originally, Soyo had intended to stop treating Ji Shuryeon kindly after the woman had caused her to lose consciousness.
No matter how mad she might be, forcing someone unconscious was unforgivable.
But seeing how tenderly—truly like a mother—she worried over and examined Soyo’s wound, Soyo could not bring herself to treat her harshly.
“It was the only way to wake up quickly.”
“Why did you need to wake up so quickly?”
“Because while I was unconscious, something might have happened to him.”
Soyo had been losing consciousness from the medicinal power.
But the thought that Bu Eunseol might encounter trouble in the meantime had driven her to stab her own thigh with the dagger she carried, force herself awake, and rush here desperately.
“Why…?”
Ji Shuryeon looked at Soyo with an expression of incomprehension.
“Just what is that man to you? Why do you care so much?”
“…”
“In the end, he will betray you too.”
“Why do you think he will betray me?”
Ji Shuryeon shouted confidently.
“Because he does not love you!”
Even with her clouded mind, Ji Shuryeon had seen through it clearly.
There was no deep affection in the way Bu Eunseol looked at Soyo.
In contrast, Soyo’s gaze toward him overflowed with profound, boundless love.
“So what?”
Soyo said calmly.
“That doesn’t matter. I like him—that’s enough.”
“Are you saying you would sacrifice your life for that man?”
“If it ever felt like a sacrifice…”
Soyo shook her head.
“Then it wouldn’t be love. It would just be calculation.”
Ji Shuryeon opened her mouth in shock.
“If it feels like a sacrifice… then it isn’t love—it’s just weighing pros and cons?”
Ji Shuryeon’s gaze flickered between clarity and haze, clearly struck deeply by the words.
She seemed profoundly shaken.
“But there is one thing you do not know.”
Ji Shuryeon spoke with a devastated expression.
“If you give unconditional love, your own life will fall into ruin.”
Her face twisted as though she carried an unspeakable story.
Knowing that clumsy comfort or sympathy would only deepen her pain, Soyo remained silent and said nothing.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol stepped forward and spoke.
“If such a thing happened, doesn’t that mean the fault lies even more with you, Elder?”
He folded his arms and continued.
“Perhaps your extreme obsession drove your lover away.”
From now on, Bu Eunseol needed to dig into the truth about the old man of the Sacred Domain.
Until now, almost no one in the martial world knew of the Sacred Domain. That was why he deliberately provoked her.
“What did you say?”
Flames of heart demons blazed in Ji Shuryeon’s eyes.
“How dare a man like you—who exploits a woman’s feelings and uses her as a pawn—say such things?”
“You’re right. I am a playboy of the world who exploits women’s hearts. But I do not abandon a woman who loves me.”
Bu Eunseol deliberately wore an arrogant expression.
“However, if a woman who does not love me clings to me without any sense of shame? Of course I would send her away.”
“Nonsense!”
Ji Shuryeon shouted in fury.
“We loved each other! And the fruit of that love was a child who resembled him!”
She cried out in utter anguish.
“But he spouted ridiculous nonsense and stole the child away! What did I do wrong?!”
Her sharp cry echoed through the valley, steeped in resentment and blood.
After a long silence, Bu Eunseol spoke again.
“You must have suffered greatly.”
Showing empathy, he continued.
“But if he truly was someone from the place I am thinking of, I doubt he would have handled things so simply.”
“What do you mean?”
“I suspect he must have prepared some kind of contingency…”
Then, with an utterly calm expression, he went on.
“Elder, is there perhaps something you failed to keep—a promise you broke with him—or something you refused to listen to at the time?”
In that instant, Ji Shuryeon’s eyes widened.
“How do you know that?”
“As far as I know, the people from that place are all extraordinary masters. I find it hard to believe someone like that would flee without any plan or forethought.”
“Just what place are you talking about?”
‘I cannot reveal the name Sacred Domain.’
That name itself was a grave secret. Speaking it carelessly could bring harm to Ji Shuryeon.
“Just a secret organization unknown to the martial world. Even I do not know its name.”
Bu Eunseol continued.
“So tell me—what promise did he speak of?”
Ji Shuryeon closed her eyes with a devastated expression.
Around the time she learned she was pregnant, her lover had made one request.
He asked her never—under any circumstances—to reveal his whereabouts or identity to anyone until the child was born.
Not even to her own family, with whom she had become estranged.
But Ji Shuryeon could not do that.
Now that the child had been born, she wanted to contact his family, reconcile them, and receive their blessings.
Yet the estate he had claimed as his family home did not exist.
And somehow—he found out.
Having grasped the entire situation, her lover returned to her with a deep sigh and said,
—I begged you so earnestly, yet in the end you revealed my whereabouts to others.
—Others? I only contacted your family—how are they ‘others’?
—Did I not tell you? I said not to speak to my family either.
Ji Shuryeon became furious.
She thought he was ultimately refusing to take responsibility for her.
—I trusted you and conceived a child without even holding a proper ceremony! Now that the child is born, shouldn’t everyone know and give their blessings?
—Was enduring ten months so unbearable? I gave up everything for you and decided to stay by your side.
With a devastated expression, her lover shook his head and said,
—But because you disclosed my identity and whereabouts, I can no longer remain in the martial world. And neither can this child.
He lifted the infant and said,
—Please forgive me.
Then he left without hesitation.
Ji Shuryeon wanted to stop him, but he vanished with such mysterious movement technique that she could not even tell which direction he had gone.
“…That is what happened.”
After listening to Ji Shuryeon’s story, Bu Eunseol pieced everything together.
The man had most likely been someone from the Sacred Domain.
And through some means, he had left the Sacred Domain and resolved to live the rest of his life with her.
But Ji Shuryeon had not fully trusted her lover and ultimately broke the promise, causing him to leave.
‘Yet I cannot blame her.’
At the time, Ji Shuryeon was pregnant, and her lover had lied about being on bad terms with his family.
Naturally, she thought she should contact them—for the sake of the man she intended to marry and for the child.
“It must have been hard.”
At that moment, Soyo spoke.
“You wanted to believe him, but you were worried the child might grow up without ever receiving blessings.”
Soyo fully understood how Ji Shuryeon must have felt back then.
“It wasn’t that you didn’t trust your lover—you mustered the courage for the sake of the child who was about to be born.”
“Yes! I did nothing wrong!”
Ji Shuryeon cried out in grievance.
“I was deceived by him and ruined my life. What did I do wrong?!”
Her sorrowful cry became a wretched wail that shook the entire valley.
“That man is a swindler. I was tricked by a scoundrel and have suffered my entire life.”
“You are not being honest.”
Bu Eunseol spoke in a low voice.
“If you truly believed that, would you have remained in the very place where you lived with your lover?”
Struck by the cold, direct words, Ji Shuryeon trembled.
Deep down, she had always vaguely known.
That it was her own mistake that forced her lover to leave.
But if she admitted it?
Then she would become the foolish woman who drove her lover into a corner and made him abandon her.
In the end, she clung to her warped resentment, blamed him endlessly… and waited here.
Believing that one day he would return to her.
“Even if I admit I made a mistake!”
Ji Shuryeon cried out in grievance.
“Even so—isn’t it too cruel for him to never come looking for me even once in decades?!”
That was Ji Shuryeon’s true heart.
Even if she had been wrong, she had believed that given time, he would surely return.
That he would come back with their beloved child to forgive her.
But he never did.
In the end, hatred toward her lover and the pain of being unable to find her daughter drove her mind into instability.
“He must have had circumstances that prevented him from coming.”
Soyo comforted her sincerely.
“If he had truly been heartless, he could never have given you affection deep enough to make you wait here your entire life.”
Hearing those genuine words, Ji Shuryeon finally shed tears and she spoke the words that had long been lodged in her heart.
“I still believe. I can wait for him my whole life.”
Ji Shuryeon was still waiting.
In the place where she had met her beloved by chance—the place where they had promised to spend their lives together.
“But you are my daughter, right? Aren’t you?”
With trembling hands, Ji Shuryeon embraced Soyo.
“You have his eyes and nose exactly, don’t you?”
If the daughter she lost long ago had grown up, she would surely have become as beautiful and lovely as Soyo.
Moreover, those mysterious blue-gray eyes and perfectly shaped nose were identical to her lover’s.
That was why she could not help but mistake Soyo for her daughter.
‘Then the old man of the Sacred Domain cannot be him.’
The old man of the Sacred Domain Bu Eunseol had seen before had a typical Han Chinese appearance.
He would not have hidden his true face when meeting his lover.
While Bu Eunseol was lost in deep thought,
“Elder, calm down.”
Soyo warmly embraced Ji Shuryeon and comforted her.
At that, the old woman stopped crying and her face became peaceful.
‘Soyo’s voice and embrace have the power to comfort others.’
Just as she had once done for him, Ji Shuryeon too seemed to find great solace in Soyo’s voice and embrace.
‘Judging by how well the conversation is flowing, it seems her madness can be healed without too much difficulty.’
He had deliberately provoked Ji Shuryeon to make her pour out her resentment and reveal her story.
Only then could he help her.
Above all, he had seen that the heart demons accumulated in Ji Shuryeon’s heart were on the verge of exploding.
Now that she had vented her resentment, she needed comfort to release those heart demons.
And somehow, Soyo was naturally fulfilling that role perfectly.
It was because of her nature and voice—which possessed a mysterious ability to heal people’s hearts—and above all, because she understood Ji Shuryeon’s feelings better than anyone.
“My child.”
Wiping away her tears, Ji Shuryeon looked at Soyo and smiled brightly.
“Your eyes and nose resemble his, but everything else is exactly like me.”
“I resemble you, Elder?”
When Soyo widened her large eyes in surprise, Ji Shuryeon let out an “Ah.”
“Your mother was wearing a face mask, wasn’t she?”
And she hurriedly removed the mask.
Slaaash.
A graceful and dignified middle-aged beauty was revealed.
Though faint wrinkles touched the corners of her eyes, her gaze was deep and clear, and her skin was pure as snow blossoms.
‘She…’
Bu Eunseol wore a startled expression.
It was not merely because—aside from the eyes, nose, and mouth—her overall aura and appearance resembled Soyo’s.
Ji Shuryeon’s face was strikingly similar to the Flower of Majeon—Jin Seol.
“Elder.”
Suppressing his shock, Bu Eunseol asked,
“Could it be that your lover’s surname was Jin?”
“Jin? No.”
Well, surnames could be changed at will.
Bu Eunseol asked again.
“Do you perhaps know the supreme master of the demonic path, the Demon Emperor?”
“The Demon Emperor? Is there anyone in the martial world who does not know him?”
The Demon Emperor cherished his adopted daughter Jin Seol dearly. That was why Bu Eunseol had asked—just in case.
‘She has no connection to the Demon Emperor.’
“Then… what did your lover look like?”
Ji Shuryeon’s gaze turned dreamy as though she were recalling him.
“He was as tall as you. And extremely handsome.”
Considering her age, her lover would now be somewhere in his fifties or sixties.
He would not belong to the same generation as the Demon Emperor.
“Then… could it be that you had twins?”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
“One child resembled the father, and the other resembled you perfectly.”
Ji Shuryeon wore a dazed expression.
“How did you know?”
Bu Eunseol pressed his forehead.
Because Ji Shuryeon’s mind was unstable, she had failed to mention the most crucial fact.
The daughter she bore had been twins.
“You know where those children are?”
When Ji Shuryeon asked in a trembling voice, Bu Eunseol answered honestly.
“No, but I have seen someone who resembles you greatly.”
“Someone who resembles me?”
“Yes. A woman around twenty years old.”
“Who is that child?”
After a moment of hesitation, Bu Eunseol changed the subject.
“I only saw her by chance, so I do not know her identity. But do you perhaps remember any distinguishing features of the child who resembled you?”
Ji Shuryeon thought hard, then shook her head.
“None.”
Bu Eunseol fell into brief contemplation.
There are quite a few people in the world who resemble one another.
If he carelessly told Ji Shuryeon about Jin Seol, he might give her false hope.
Moreover, if Jin Seol truly were her daughter, Jin Seol’s own opinion would be extremely important.
“The Majeon Flower Jin Seol, right?”
Soyo, sensing Bu Eunseol’s thoughts, whispered softly.
From her perspective as well, Ji Shuryeon and Jin Seol resembled each other considerably.
“Yes.”
“We should be cautious. She has suffered for decades.”
But since there were no distinguishing features and the child had been lost as an infant, even a parent might not recognize their grown child.
“That’s true.”
Since Ji Shuryeon did not remember any features, there was no way for her to confirm.
In that case, it would be better to seek clues from Jin Seol’s side.
“You know the whereabouts of the other child, don’t you?”
Ji Shuryeon realized and pleaded with Bu Eunseol.
“Please tell me. I beg you.”
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment.
If he told her Jin Seol’s identity outright?
—Majeon? I will go there myself right now.
Given her personality, she would say something like that and head straight to Majeon without listening to reason.
But Jin Seol might feel uncomfortable, or might not wish to meet at all.
Above all, Ji Shuryeon’s mental state was unstable, and Majeon was filled with great demons plotting all manner of schemes.
Even if it were proven that Jin Seol was Ji Shuryeon’s daughter, it could instead become a great danger to Jin Seol.
“That is not the case. I was merely asking just in case.”
Then he turned to Soyo and said, “We’ve rested enough. Let’s go.”
“Wait.”
At that moment, Ji Shuryeon spoke.
“Are you truly going to take my daughter away?”
“Elder.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head with a regretful expression.
He had thought she had accepted that Soyo was not her daughter, yet she had reverted to her original state.
“I may not truly be your daughter, but…”
At that moment, Soyo spoke in a gentle voice.
“I will come visit often.”
In an instant, Ji Shuryeon’s eyes trembled greatly.
Soyo’s voice contained no mere consolation or sympathy—only pure sincerity.
Even with a clouded mind, one could feel that heart clearly.
“It’s all right even if you are not my daughter.”
Ji Shuryeon took out a secret manual from her sleeve.
“Take this. Your movement technique will rise dramatically.”
It was an astonishing offer.
Martial artists always established a formal master-disciple relationship before transmitting their exclusive supreme arts.
To teach one’s secret techniques to someone who was not a formal disciple?
That person could then spread the art freely throughout the martial world without any restraint.
Even if Ji Shuryeon’s mind was unstable, she could not possibly be unaware that one should never transmit martial arts to someone outside a proper master-disciple bond.
So why offer such generosity?
“I cannot accept it.”
When Soyo refused, Ji Shuryeon shook her head.
“It’s fine. This is… no, this is a gift from your senior in the martial world.”
Then, with an infinitely tender expression, she said,
“If you master this movement technique, no man will ever trouble you again.”
Even though Ji Shuryeon now recognized that Soyo was not her daughter, she was still willing to pass on without reservation the insights she had cultivated her entire life and her exclusive secret art.
“A small, pretty child like you—how much more trouble will you face from men in the future?”
Even now, Ji Shuryeon seemed deeply displeased at the thought of Soyo following Bu Eunseol.
That alone showed how much she had hated men all her life, and how desperately she had longed to find her two daughters.
“Soyo.”
At that moment, Bu Eunseol spoke.
“How about staying here for a while and learning movement technique directly from the Elder?”
“But I…”
“It’s fine. I will be staying at Majeon for some time anyway. Use that time to train your internal energy more, and build up your stamina and strength a little.”
Soyo understood that Bu Eunseol intended to meet Jin Seol and inquire about this matter, so she nodded.
“All right.”
Then Soyo bowed deeply to Ji Shuryeon.
“Disciple Soyo greets Master.”
At that, Ji Shuryeon smiled broadly and raised Soyo to her feet.
“Disciple? What formalities are these between parent and child?”
Her mind had become hazy again; she was treating Soyo as her own daughter once more.
But Soyo no longer refuted her words.
Tears of joy brimmed in Ji Shuryeon’s eyes.
It was as though her long-lost grown daughter had truly returned and was bowing to her.
‘Perhaps this is for the best.’
Even if she never found her real daughter, if she could form a master-disciple bond with Soyo and live peacefully together like this, Ji Shuryeon’s life would become happier than if she had actually found her daughter.
“Then take care, Senior.”
Bu Eunseol bowed respectfully to Ji Shuryeon.
Though her mind was somewhat unstable, her nature was exceptionally kind.
Above all, now that she had become Soyo’s master, he intended to treat her with proper respect.
“Come here.”
Ignoring Bu Eunseol’s greeting entirely, Ji Shuryeon took Soyo’s hand and smiled brightly.
“Let’s eat the meal your mother made first, and talk while we do.”
Then she hurriedly led Soyo into the stone house.
She looked as though she feared someone might steal away this precious treasure.
Watching the scene, Bu Eunseol smiled.
Such is fate.
Sometimes what appears to be a good connection brings bad results.
Sometimes what seems like a bad connection becomes a lifelong blessing.
Ji Shuryeon, who had lived her entire life in pain and solitude, would now be able to heal her wounded heart through this bond.
Of course, whether it would become true salvation or another source of pain remained to be seen.
But at least now, she was no longer alone.
Rumble.
Bu Eunseol unleashed Swift Beyond Shadow and instantly left the mystical valley.
‘Come to think of it, it’s strange that someone like the Demon Emperor would take Jin Seol as an adopted daughter.’
No matter how exceptional her talent, for a man like the Demon Emperor—utterly devoid of blood ties or tears—to adopt a complete orphan as his daughter?
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
Bu Eunseol intended to return to Majeon quickly and uncover that truth.
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