Chapter 119: Enjoy it, Lee An!
Chapter 119: Enjoy it, Lee An!
“Can you feel the stares?”
Lee An and I were sitting in an inn. A crowd had gathered around her, leaving the seats on the opposite side of the room completely empty just to cram closer to us.
Every man in the room was subtly shifting his seat, trying to catch even a fleeting glimpse of her face.
I leaned in and whispered to her.
“The man on the left has looked at you six times. The guy on the right has checked you out seven times while pretending not to. The fellow next to him? He’s just openly staring, completely entranced. Hey, hey, buddy, stop looking! Take care of the lady next to you! Ouch. That’s going to leave a mark.”
Just then, a new customer walked in. As he scanned the room for a seat, his eyes widened the moment they landed on Lee An. He walked toward her as if possessed, only to trip over a table and sprawl onto the floor.
No one paid him any mind, and the man scrambled back up immediately, ignoring his bruised pride. He quickly snatched a seat that offered the best possible view of Lee An. Beside him, another man was so distracted he didn't even notice his wine cup was overflowing as he poured.
“How does it feel?” I asked.
“I like it.”
“You like it? You’re not embarrassed?”
“You probably made me take off my mask and sit here just to tease me when I got shy, but your plan failed,” she countered with a smirk. “I love this. I really, really love it.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“I believe I told you before that I have many hidden charms. I can act shy whenever I want, but I can also enjoy this kind of attention as much as I please.”
Lee An flashed a slight, graceful smile toward the onlookers. Gasps of admiration erupted from every corner of the room.
She leaned closer and whispered back.
“And that man on the left? He’s looked eight times now, not six.”
This was why I liked Lee An. She was flexible. She knew exactly when to show her intelligence and when to hide it. She was a woman who had lived with dignity despite carrying the debilitating side effects of the Full Body Petrification Art her entire life. She possessed both deep scars and unshakable confidence.
“Alright, we’ve enjoyed ourselves enough at this inn. Let’s go buy you a veil.”
“A veil?”
“You can’t wear that mask all the time. Save the White Mask for when it’s absolutely necessary, and wear a veil for daily use.”
“I was planning to do that anyway. Look at me, saving you money.”
“Buy it with your own money!”
“Oh, come on! Buy it for me, Young Master!”
A few men nearby practically collapsed at her playful "Oh, come on," and several others instinctively clutched their purses when she said, "Buy it for me."
As we stood up to leave, a wave of disappointment and heavy sighs swept through the room. Glances of envy and jealousy shot toward me like arrows. Among them were even reproachful glares, silently telling me to just buy the damn woman her veil.
We left the inn and walked together, the White Mask dangling from her waist.
“From now on, there will be those who blatantly lust after your beauty,” I warned. “You’ll encounter all sorts. Some will try to take you by force; others will try to use drugs. You will meet every kind of scoundrel imaginable.”
I had to admit it to myself. Whether intentionally or subconsciously, this was why I had delayed her Body Poison Purification Technique for so long. I hadn't wanted to deal with this headache.
But just because I had finally performed the purification didn't mean I had stopped worrying about her. I would simply address my worries in a different way.
“You need the strength to protect yourself from them. I intend to raise your skills to a level where you can stand toe-to-toe with the Demon Lords.”
I had already made up my mind when I purified her body. Lee An didn't put on any false modesty. Since she was being taught the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, the goal of surpassing a Demon Lord was simply part of the path.
“I’ll work harder so I don't cause you any worry,” she promised.
“Don't do more than you're already doing. Your effort is already overflowing.”
She laughed, and the heart of a middle-aged fruit vendor, who had been staring blankly at her, skipped a beat.
We stopped at a mercer’s shop, and I bought her a bamboo hat with an attached veil. It had the advantage of completely concealing her face, but after trying it on, she shook her head.
“This is too uncomfortable. The field of vision is so narrow that I’d be vulnerable to a surprise attack. I’ll need to become a much greater master before I can use something like this.”
“Then let’s just get a face veil for now.”
I bought her a veil that covered everything below the eyes, much like a mask. It couldn't fully hide her beauty, but it was better than nothing.
“When I form the Ghost Shadow Squad later, I’m going to make the masks look really cool.”
Thinking of her wearing a mask with that signature ghost pattern, I imagined she would look truly mysterious and striking. If Blue Face saw her like that, I doubted he’d be able to keep his composure.
Lee An stopped whenever she found a surface where she could see her reflection. She wasn't expressing it fully, but she had to be feeling incredible right now.
Enjoy it, Lee An!
“Where are we going now?” she asked.
“Can you handle a bit of mountain climbing?”
“The mountains?”
“Your body is lighter now, so let’s scale some peaks. Now, run.”
After running for a long time using Lightness Skills, we arrived at the base of a sheer, rocky cliff.
“Step exactly where I step!”
She couldn't utter a single word as she followed me up the rock face. This was her first time climbing such a dangerous precipice. Only after reaching the summit did she let out a long sigh of relief.
“To be honest, I was terrified coming up.”
Though her swordsmanship had reached a high realm, her Lightness Skill hadn't quite caught up.
“I’d die if I fell, wouldn't I?”
“A master is someone who doesn't die,” I replied. “With your sword skills, it’s only right that you survive.”
“What should I do if I actually fall?”
“Keep your wits about you and do whatever it takes to slow your descent.”
In my case, I would simply release internal energy just before hitting the ground to land lightly, but that was beyond Lee An’s current ability. It would consume a massive amount of Qi, but she would have to kill as much momentum as possible on the way down.
“As you know, it’s hard to survive on swordsmanship alone. You need Lightness Skills, you need guts, you need good judgment, and you need to be a keen judge of character.”
“Ah! The greenhouse was so warm and cozy,” she joked.
She was teasing about how she had lived "comfortably" under my protection and the Cult’s, but I didn't see it that way. She had never lived in a greenhouse. Between the emotional scars of her martial arts' side effects and losing sleep to guard me, her life had been anything but easy. Even after my regression, she was someone who barely slept because she was so focused on training.
“Is it spring outside the greenhouse? Or winter?” she asked.
“The Jianghu has never once seen spring.”
“Just like this scary cliff.”
She looked down the precipice. I leaned in, whispering in her ear.
“Do you remember what I told you just now? What to do when you fall?”
“Of course. Keep my wits about me and slow the descent.”
“Then that’s enough.”
In the next instant, I shoved her off the cliff.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
She plummeted with a desperate scream. I jumped down after her.
I expected her to be a total mess, but Lee An was flailing, trying her absolute best to find her balance and kill her momentum. However, lacking experience, her body was too tense, and she was wasting internal energy unnecessarily.
I accelerated instantly and caught her in mid-air. Only then did Lee An, cradled in my arms, feel a sense of relief.
“Cling to me.”
“Yes!”
Then, I showed her exactly how to use my feet and arms against the cliff face to reduce speed, making sure she could see every movement. Even while holding her, our speed dropped drastically in an instant. Clinging to me, Lee An didn't miss a single detail.
As we descended, I threw our bodies toward the cliffside. There was a small cave hidden halfway down. Only after we landed safely inside did Lee An shout.
“I really thought I was going to die!”
“Liar. You believed I would save you, didn't you?”
“Well, yes, but still! I was so shocked. The falling speed was much faster than I expected, so I couldn't find my balance.”
“The more you fall, the more you’ll get used to it. Eventually, you’ll find your balance instinctively.”
“Yes. I’ve memorized exactly how you did it.”
“Then that’s that.”
“But I had no idea there was a cave in a place like this.”
“Remember this location. If you’re ever being chased in this region, escape to this spot.”
“How did you know about this place?”
“Do you think this cave is the only thing I know?”
“Of course not. That’s why I’ve decided not to ask anymore. But why did we come here?”
“From this moment, I am going to open your Conception and Governing Vessels.”
Because I said it so casually, she just blinked at first. Then, her eyes gradually widened in shock—a shock even greater than when I had offered to perform the Body Poison Purification. At least that had come with a warning; this was completely unexpected.
Opening the Conception and Governing Vessels was a mandatory step to becoming a true master, but it was the ultimate fated encounter that only a tiny fraction of martial artists ever experienced. The process was incredibly dangerous and grueling; many had died trying to force them open. Furthermore, the person performing the procedure could also die if their Qi flowed backward.
I didn't need to look far for an example. As the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline, we had our vessels opened when we were young. I still vividly remember how much my older brother tried to scare me when it was my turn. He probably hoped I’d succumb to fear and fall into Qi Deviation, but I had successfully opened them without issue.
Regardless, opening these vessels was something that should never be done or received lightly. That was why the old masters of prestigious Orthodox sects only risked it for their official successors.
“Are you really going to open my Conception and Governing Vessels?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you being so good to me... Ah, so that’s why you told me not to ask. Because it was a question I’d have to ask again soon.”
I had told her not to ask questions when we finished the Body Poison Purification.
“It’s a gift. A gift to celebrate your new life.”
Lee An couldn't find the words. Tears welled up in her eyes once again.
“I’m someone who hates crying, but you keep making me cry, Young Master.”
“It’s nothing to cry about.”
“You’re right. I’m happy. I’m so happy I feel like I could fly.”
“Well then, shall we begin? Just in case something goes wrong, leave your final words.”
“Please tell my Young Master... that I’m sorry I couldn't serve him until the very end.”
“I’ll have to scold your Young Master then. For keeping you all to himself.”
“It won't be easy to scold him. He’s getting stronger by the day.”
I couldn't help but laugh at her words.
“Alright, let’s start with Qi Circulation.”
She sat in a lotus position and began her mental method. When her True Qi completed one full circulation, I injected my own formidable internal energy into her back. I slowly moved my energy along with hers through her meridians.
“From now on, there’s no need to answer me. No matter what happens, you must not scream or stop your meditation. You must not lose consciousness, either.”
While she governed her mind through meditation, the speed of my internal energy moving through her meridians gradually increased.
The Ren (Conception) Vessel starts from the lip, goes down the chest and abdomen to the Huiyin point. The Du (Governing) Vessel starts from the Huiyin point, goes up the tailbone and spine, passes through the Baihui point, and returns to the lip. The most critical moment is piercing the Baihui point; if anything goes wrong at the crown of the head, one becomes a cripple or loses their life.
I knew well that finishing it in an instant was better than dragging it out. My pure and profound internal energy pushed boldly through her meridians. There was nothing to worry about. This was an opening performed by me, of all people.
Chengjiang, Xuanji, Yutang, Zhongwan... I cleared the meridians with irresistible force. Like debris being swept away by a torrential rain, the impurities blocking her vessels began to break.
Lee An struggled with the unfamiliar pain, but she was someone long accustomed to enduring agony. I was so relentless that one might wonder if it was okay to pierce through so quickly. But in this, hesitation causes accidents. If it doesn't break in one go, you have to turn back and try again, and again. That’s when the collisions become violent.
Yangguan, Lingdao, Shenzhu, Yamen, Naohu, Houding. After clearing all the other points, I reached the critical juncture.
Trust me, Lee An.
I do trust you.
Now!
Rumble!
The most difficult point, the Baihui, was cleared cleanly. As the remaining vessels opened, her Conception and Governing Vessels were fully connected. A smile played on Lee An’s lips as she slowly slumped to the side.
Well done, Lee An.
*
Lee An woke up after sleeping for half a day.
“Young Master? How did it go?”
“Go ahead, try your Qi Circulation.”
With a nervous expression, Lee An sat down and began her meditation. After completing one circulation, her face brightened instantly.
“It’s different. It’s completely different from before. My internal energy is much purer, and the movement of Qi is effortless.”
“Congratulations, Lee An.”
Lee An jumped up to bow to me, but I used my internal energy to stop her.
“I told you before, didn't I? I did this so I can work you to the bone, so there’s no need to be grateful.”
“Just how much do you plan to work me? This level of gratitude is enough for you to tell me to go unify the Murim.”
“We’ll unify the Murim after we eat. You’re hungry, aren't you?”
“Hungry enough to raid the Murim Alliance’s kitchen.”
Standing in front of the cave, she shouted toward the horizon.
“I opened my Conception and Governing Vessels! Aaaaaaaah!”
I pushed her from behind again. Watching her fall with much more composure than before, I jumped off the cliff after her.
An hour later, Lee An and I were eating at an inn in the marketplace again. We ordered all sorts of delicious dishes and ate together, ignoring the stares of the other customers.
“This is truly delicious.”
“Let’s travel around and eat every famous dish in the Central Plains.”
“What if I get fat again?”
“Even if you wanted to, you won't be able to. Once we return to the Cult, you’ll be plunged into a training hell until you achieve Great Achievement in the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.”
“Ah, let’s just never go back!”
She was saying things she didn't mean, but she was clearly enjoying this moment to the fullest. Just then, a young man wove through the crowd and walked toward us. He was quite handsome, dressed in expensive and flamboyant clothes, and followed by four warriors who appeared to be his bodyguards.
Lee An whispered as if chanting a spell.
“Don't come here, don't come here. Just let me eat in peace.”
I smiled as I watched her. This was something she would experience countless times from now on. Now, how would she handle it?
The man stopped in front of Lee An and spoke politely, his face full of confidence.
“My lady, might I offer you a drink?”
Alright, Lee An. It begins.