Setting Destruction
Seo Joo-cheon halted the qi induction on Yu Seong and withdrew his hands. Hak Yu fixed him with a strange, questioning gaze.
“The blood in Yu Seong’s body seems to be drifting slightly from its original position. It’s odd. The rest of the meridians are fine, but the ones in the face and sternum are the only ones shifting a little. That’s why he can’t stabilize the foreign qi. The meridians being out of alignment makes the qi unstable.”
Meridians drifting from their proper alignment meant the qi couldn’t flow smoothly through them and would remain unsteady.
Seo Joo-cheon explained the diagnosis he had just made. Hak Yu’s eyes narrowed in thought, then he let out a startled exclamation.
“Ah! So that’s it! Why didn’t I think of that sooner!”
Hak Yu berated himself, furrowing his brows.
“Is there a problem?”
Seo Joo-cheon asked. Hak Yu looked troubled, stroking his beard as if plucking it out.
“How do I even explain this?”
After a moment of resolve, Hak Yu looked straight at Seo Joo-cheon.
“Young Hero Po, you keep making unreasonable demands. Can you keep the secret of what I’m about to tell you?”
Only now did Seo Joo-cheon understand that Hak Yu truly wanted to speak the truth.
“I promise. From now on, this story will be known only to me. Until the day I die.”
“If it’s Young Hero Po’s promise, I believe you.”
Seo Joo-cheon opened his mouth to begin, but then frowned slightly.
“Elder, I’m sorry, but if this is a long story, could you summarize it briefly? Yu Seong’s condition is urgent right now. We need to seal his qi as quickly as possible.”
Hak Yu was moved by how much Seo Joo-cheon cared about Yu Seong’s well-being from beginning to end.
He had never expected someone who carried the Heavenly Killing Star constitution to harm the child.
So he decided to speak honestly.
“I’m sorry for deceiving Young Hero Po. Yu Seong wasn’t born with a special bloodline. He was born with the Heavenly Killing Star qi.”
“Ah, I see.”
Seo Joo-cheon let out an exclamation of understanding, adding a few interjections.
“I understand your situation, Elder. Anyone in the martial world would try to kill a Heavenly Killing Star bearer on sight.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
As he spoke, Hak Yu carefully observed Seo Joo-cheon’s expression.
Anyone in the martial world would be terrified of the Heavenly Killing Star and try to kill the bearer.
That was the side effect of several Heavenly Killing Star warriors slaughtering hundreds of opponents in the past.
But Seo Joo-cheon’s eyes were filled with nothing but compassion and sympathy.
No killing intent was present.
Knowing that Hak Yu was observing him, Seo Joo-cheon acted accordingly.
He even deliberately misled Hak Yu.
“Even though I’m not one of the elders, do the warriors of Hwang Manor know about this?”
“No. Only the lord knows.”
“That’s fortunate. The lord must keep this secret tightly as well.”
Hak Yu was relieved to see that Seo Joo-cheon was worried about the lord.
“In any case, Yu Seong has awakened the qi of the Heavenly Killing Star. But why are his meridians slightly off?”
Hak Yu’s voice lowered as he answered.
“Actually, when Yu Seong was young, to prepare for the Slaughter King’s search, I used Appearance-Altering Arts to change his appearance.”
Seo Joo-cheon let out a startled exclamation at the unexpected news.
The author must have made changes in this part.
Seo Joo-cheon had never given Yu Seong Appearance-Altering Arts in the original story.
Yu Seong was a late-game character with a deep background, and the author hadn’t needed to set up the Slaughter King’s subordinates in detail.
“That was well done. By now, the Slaughter King might already know Yu Seong’s true appearance, so you handled the situation well. Once the face is completely changed, he won’t be able to track Yu Seong anymore.”
“It’s not just the appearance. Everything changes.”
“What?”
Seo Joo-cheon didn’t understand Hak Yu’s meaning.
“Everything changes?”
“Yu Seong was originally a girl. I used Appearance-Altering Arts to make him look like a boy until now. But soon, as his body grows, he won’t be able to maintain the disguise any longer. I’ll have to remove it soon.”
Seo Joo-cheon’s mouth fell open as he listened.
It was absurd that the author had changed Yu Seong into a girl in the middle of the story.
Who on earth keeps messing with my work like this? This is a complete setting destruction.
Hak Yu misinterpreted Seo Joo-cheon’s reaction.
“You’re quite surprised. That means the Slaughter King has been deceived as well.”
Seo Joo-cheon quickly composed himself and spoke.
“Is Yu Seong really a girl?”
“Yes.”
“Hah.”
Even after hearing it again, the author’s setting destruction was unbelievable.
But why did the author unnecessarily set Yu Seong as a girl? There must have been a reason.
Hak Yu stepped closer to Yu Seong.
“Then I’ll remove the seal on Yu Seong’s meridians. Once the Appearance-Altering Arts is lifted, the blood will return to its proper position.”
Seo Joo-cheon responded.
“If you remove the Appearance-Altering Arts and seal the Heavenly Killing Star qi, even the lord and your wager would have sealed it.”
“Huu. That’s why the lord doesn’t know Yu Seong is a girl. Because I kept the secret from the lord as well, things have come to this.”
“Ah, I see.”
Seeing that Hak Yu had kept the secret even from his subordinate Jang Hyeon-nam, Seo Joo-cheon realized he had been thorough.
Hak Yu tapped Yu Seong’s entire body, and the sound of bones shifting slightly could be heard.
The face itself had become delicately beautiful like a girl’s, and the chest had begun to swell.
“Now, you may induce the qi of the Heavenly Killing Star. With the meridians back in place, it should be easy to seal.”
“Where should I seal the Heavenly Killing Star qi? In the upper dantian?”
“If the Heavenly Killing Star qi enters the upper dantian, it will become filled with madness and turn into true killing energy. You must keep it in the lower dantian so that Successive Shedding of the Body can be performed later.”
Successive Shedding of the Body was a lower stage of body change than Complete Body Exchange.
The skeleton itself would not change, but the body’s senses, nerves, perception, and constitution would transform to the point of becoming a supreme warrior.
If the Heavenly Killing Star qi was used properly, Successive Shedding of the Body could be achieved, turning the bearer into an absolute expert in the martial world.
However, if the qi invaded the upper dantian, it would birth a great disaster in the martial world.
The Slaughter King wanted to guide Yu Seong’s Heavenly Killing Star qi into the upper dantian to create a disaster.
While Hak Yu wanted to turn Yu Seong into a kirin of the martial world.
Half a shichen later.
Seo Joo-cheon wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Sealing the Heavenly Killing Star qi in the lower dantian had consumed a great deal of qi.
“You worked hard, my son.”
“It was stronger than I expected.”
“It would be. The Heavenly Killing Star qi is not easily accepted by others.”
Hak Yu knew the nature of the Heavenly Killing Star qi well, as he had inherited it himself.
“Will you turn Yu Seong back into a boy?”
Seo Joo-cheon asked because he didn’t know.
“No. For the qi to settle completely in the lower dantian, the blood must not change. It may take several dozen days like this. Moreover, as Yu Seong grows, the Appearance-Altering Arts will soon reach its limit and won’t be usable anymore.”
“Then you’ll have to hide somewhere quiet with Yu Seong. This will be helpful.”
Seo Joo-cheon took several banknotes from his pocket.
They were the notes he had received from Kang Chu-mi.
“With this money, you can stay somewhere the Slaughter King cannot find.”
Hak Yu looked at Seo Joo-cheon with a touch of emotion.
Banknotes worth enough to buy a manor.
“No. I have money as well.”
“Even so, you’ll spend a lot because of Yu Seong.”
Hak Yu felt guilty for doubting the man who was offering such a large sum of money to a stranger, even though he wasn’t a blood relative.
I guess I finally understand why he’s called the One Who Acts for the Sake of Justice. Which unorthodox faction would so easily hand over such a fortune for a complete stranger?
Seo Joo-cheon spoke quietly.
“We also plan to have a safe house in Xi’an. We’ll use Yongcheon Sect as a base, but we’ll stay at the safe house often. If things don’t work out later, come find me. You can stay at the safe house.”
“I will. Once Yu Seong completes Successive Shedding of the Body and has some free time, I’ll come find you.”
Hak Yu realized that his connection with Seo Joo-cheon was unexpectedly strong.
“Just like the God-Descended Assassin and Yu Seong, Young Hero Po and we have quite a strong connection.”
“I feel the same. And once we leave here, we’ll have to clean up quickly.”
“I will. In my later years, I owe Young Hero Po a great debt. I will not forget the kindness shown to me.”
Seo Joo-cheon felt that a proper connection had been made with Hak Yu’s words and was relieved.
If the Slaughter King’s subordinates hadn’t attacked, the connection with Yu Seong might have been severed here.
“Once Yu Seong completes Successive Shedding of the Body, we’ll be able to see each other in a few years. Until then, I’ll see you.”
“Yes. I hope Yu Seong becomes a hope in the martial world rather than a disaster.”
Hak Yu felt the sincerity in Seo Joo-cheon’s words and suddenly took his hand.
“Thank you very much.”
One action was enough for Seo Joo-cheon to read Hak Yu’s heart better than a hundred words.
“I don’t know when Yu Seong will wake up. I can’t just wait forever, so we’ll be going now.”
Seo Joo-cheon approached Yu Seong and took her hand.
Then he whispered quietly.
“Your fate will never be smooth. But heroes are not made on smooth paths. Endure the hardships and pain. If the world you live in is unjust, break it and make it a just world. So don’t despair or lose hope. You have the power to change the world.”
It was the author’s inner monologue filled with regret and remorse for placing a harsh fate on young Yu Seong.
It was self-reproach for setting Yu Seong’s life in a too playful dimension.
Thinking about how difficult it must be for the person receiving it, he felt sorry.
He didn’t know why he felt even more attached.
Although no one was watching, Yu Seong twitched her fingers as she listened to Seo Joo-cheon’s words.
***
They placed the two God-Descended Assassins in coffins and loaded them into the carriage.
Hak Yu closed the carriage door and spoke.
“Do you know how to wake the God-Descended Assassin?”
Seo Joo-cheon answered as if he knew but didn’t.
“It’s already a discarded corpse. How could it wake up?”
“Still, just in case, I’ll tell you. If the God-Descended Assassin wakes up, it will become an invincible bodyguard for anyone. By the way, what are you planning to use this for?”
Originally, Hak Yu hadn’t asked the purpose of the God-Descended Assassin and was about to hand it over.
But after empathizing with each other through Yu Seong, there was no need to hide their true feelings as before.
“Actually, there’s a secret manual in the main text. I wanted to test it on the God-Descended Assassin. Whether it wakes up or not, we’ll see.”
“Hah. Since Young Hero Po’s sect is the White Serpent Sect, there must be many secret manuals.”
After meeting Song Yu-yeong, the leader of Chang’an Gate’s Shadowless Squad, Seo Joo-cheon learned about Po Un’s sect, so it made sense that he was interested in the God-Descended Assassin.
If Seo Joo-cheon had been a descendant of an orthodox sect rather than an unorthodox one, simply knowing about the God-Descended Assassin would have been suspicious.
The God-Descended Assassin could only be understood in the shadowy realm of unorthodox sects.
Before the sect was destroyed, the White Serpent Sect had been a strong force in the region.
Even if they didn’t know it in other regions, they couldn’t not know about the White Serpent Sect in Shaanxi Province.
It was partly because of the famous Hukou Waterfall and because the sect had a legend of having caught a dragon at Hukou Waterfall in the past.
Just these two facts were often on the lips of Shaanxi martial artists.
“Then I’ll tell you simply. When waking the God-Descended Assassin, you must feed the caster’s blood. That way, the God-Descended Assassin and the caster can empathize with each other and stay by your side.”
Seo Joo-cheon nodded while secretly sighing.
He changed this part too. The author who keeps changing things eats setting destruction for breakfast. Originally, I set it as blowing a special flute to stimulate the brain with sonic waves, not feeding blood. Now he’s changed it like this.
If he had only known his own setting and hadn’t heard the method from Hak Yu, even if he saved the God-Descended Assassin, it would be useless.
The more the story progresses, the more tense it becomes.
With new stories and settings added, even the original author Seo Joo-cheon felt tense.
He didn’t know where changes were being made.
“I hope Young Hero Po can save the God-Descended Assassin. If saved, there won’t be any stronger ones than these.”
Seo Joo-cheon thought for a moment and said.
“I can test it and save the God-Descended Assassin. Please keep the one in Hwang Manor and take it with you.”
Hak Yu nodded at the confident Seo Joo-cheon.
“I will. I’ll research it too, but if I fail, I’ll keep it.”
Although there was an age difference between Seo Joo-cheon and Hak Yu, after exchanging sincere feelings, parting felt empty.
“We’ll meet again someday.”
Soothing Hak Yu, Seo Joo-cheon left the Hwang Manor.