Chapter 103: Master (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: Master (1)
…How did he find out?
The thought struck me like a physical blow. I had never imagined he could be aware of my regression.
Was he merely pretending all this time…?
As if reading my mind, Elder Shin’s voice echoed within my consciousness. When I fell asleep after being devoured by the monster residing within you, I was granted a vision of many things.
[What are you…] I managed to project, my mental voice trembling.
There were far more things obscured from my sight, he continued, but I saw enough—things you could never bring yourself to tell me.
[…] I had no response. Silence was my only refuge.
Now that I have returned, I have countless questions for you, Elder Shin pressed on, but this is hardly the time or place for such a discussion. For now, simply observe and focus.
Had I control over my own body, my legs would have surely given way. Elder Shin’s revelation was utterly staggering.
Instead of wasting your energy on shock, his tone turned stern, watch closely and learn.
His words were harsh. What had he witnessed? What conclusions had he drawn to speak to me this way?
My dantian quivered involuntarily.
Even as I resisted, the sensation flooded through me with unmistakable clarity. It was all the more pronounced because it was so foreign; my own fighting style was fundamentally different.
Was this the fabled sensation of ‘blossoming with plum flowers’? It truly felt as though ethereal plum blossoms were swirling around me.
The dream of every martial artist who called Mount Hua home.
And yet, to feel this phenomenon stirring within my own body was profoundly strange.
It is not merely about the blossoming, Elder Shin’s lesson continued, cutting through my perception of the bizarre sensation. If you stop at the bloom, all your effort is rendered meaningless.
This wisdom came from none other than a legendary hero of Mount Hua’s past.
Once the flower has bloomed, you must sustain it. That is where the true path begins.
Only after Elder Shin’s explanation did I become aware of it—the endless currents of wind howling within my body.
From the outside, my form appeared tranquil, but internally, a storm of plum blossoms raged.
Now do you understand why I always instructed Mount Hua’s disciples to first forge a perfect physical body?
Despite his flawless control, I sensed a minute leakage of energy. I attributed this to the imperfections of my own vessel.
I believe you are already aware of this to some degree, Elder Shin noted. The Gu Clan’s art operates on a similar principle.
He was correct. I knew the process of summoning flames required maintaining intense heat within the body. The Gu Clan’s art essentially involved using Qi to cultivate and contain this internal heat, then channeling it to empower one’s attacks.
Did you truly believe it was solely a matter of possessing vast reserves of Qi? he chided. No. That perception arises only because an excessive amount of Qi is perpetually leaking from your body.
Then, my body moved.
It felt less like I was lifting the sword, and more like the sword was being carried aloft by the wind itself. My body began to float, its movements becoming unnaturally light and fluid. I was astounded by the sheer grace my own form could exhibit.
Tsk… To think I must impart these secrets to some mantis-like outsider, when I never had the chance to teach them to my own children…
Despite his grumbling, the sword was swung.
Nachal, seeing this, instantly recoiled, creating distance. “You…!” he cried out, his voice a mixture of shock and fury.
Even missing an arm, his speed was still evidently superior.
Yet, the blade of my sword was already arcing toward the space Nachal was destined to occupy.
-Swish-! Swish!
“Ugh!”
The sword cut into Nachal relentlessly. Each strike was shockingly precise, aimed deliberately at his remaining arm and his legs.
In stark contrast to the overwhelming shower of plum blossoms Yung Pung could manifest with his sword, Elder Shin’s technique produced only fragile, drifting leaves.
Do not misunderstand, Elder Shin’s voice intoned. If one maintains the blossom after it has bloomed, its essence is inevitably drawn back to them.
There was no need for a flamboyant display of flowers. A single leaf, shining brighter than any blossom, was sufficient.
I felt that was the profound lesson Elder Shin was imparting to me.
Your current, brute-force method of combat is only feasible with an ocean of Qi to waste, and the end result is painfully obvious. You know this yourself, do you not?
In my past life, I had never exhausted my Qi, thanks to the boundless Demonic Qi I possessed. But even with that advantage, I had never managed to reach the very pinnacle of martial arts. A towering wall had always loomed over me, and the memory of it now eroded my confidence.
Watch and learn.
After just a few swings of the sword, Nachal, a peak-realm assassin, was completely and utterly neutralized.
The one-armed man collapsed to the floor, all strength drained from his body. He looked up at me with eyes wide with trepidation.
He had been faster. He had been stronger. And if that weren’t enough, the reserves of Qi within him far surpassed my own.
And yet, in the end, he had been toyed with and defeated by what appeared to be a mere child wielding an ordinary sword.
“Monster…” he whispered, his voice devoid of spirit. “You… are a monster…”
I understood his words more deeply than anyone else could. Not a single strand of Qi had been wasted. Furthermore, Elder Shin had completely disregarded the Qi native to my body, utilizing only the minuscule amount I had absorbed from the treasure.
I comprehended the lesson Elder Shin was demonstrating, but understanding it conceptually and truly learning to embody it were two entirely different matters.
Every joint in my body ached. It was a stark reminder of the many untrained muscles I had neglected until now. I couldn’t even use the excuse that Elder Shin had employed sword arts while my body was specialized for fist techniques. The simple, undeniable truth was that I had never been using my body to its full potential.
Do not obsess over the quantity of Qi.
[So you went through all this trouble just to tell me that?] I projected, a hint of exasperation in my mental voice.
You were about to die if I didn’t intervene! What else was I supposed to do? he retorted, irritation flaring. Goddammit, you should be on your knees in gratitude, not complaining, after all the trouble I went through to save you!
[…Thank you.]
He was right. He had saved me, and he had genuinely tried to teach me something vital. Thanks to this experience, the arrogance I had carried since my resurrection was thoroughly shaken.
Whatever level I had attained in my past life was irrelevant. The path ahead was still long, and I was forced to realize that once again.
Hmph.
Elder Shin let out a dismissive snort and then approached Nachal’s prone form. Although he claimed his intention was to teach me, I could feel the deep, simmering fury within him.
The corpses of Mount Hua disciples were strewn across the ground, all dead. It was honestly shocking to witness how he prevented his emotions from affecting his actions.
“Kill me…” Nachal pleaded in a feeble, broken voice.
He had tried to flee earlier, but his escape had been seamlessly blocked by the sword. Now, his eyes were utterly devoid of hope. He didn’t even attempt to beg for his life; he was acutely aware that such pleas would be futile.
“It’s a shame… that I cannot report you to the leader,” he rasped, a hehe laugh escaping his bloodied lips. “Hehe… Don’t grow too conceited. The Heavens… are on our side!”
“It was the same in the past,” Elder Shin’s voice, using my mouth, was cold. “The members of your faction have always been sick in the head.”
-Stab-!
Without another word, Elder Shin drove the sword directly into Nachal’s heart.
For a martial artist who had reached the peak realm, it was an almost pitifully lame death.
“I’ll ask just in case,” Elder Shin said, turning his attention inward to me. “Do you have any complaints that I killed him before any interrogation could take place?”
[It feels strange to hear my own voice sound like an old man’s.]
“You do realize I could simply choose not to return your body to you, correct?”
[I have no complaints.]
Interrogating an assassin of that caliber was practically impossible from the start. He would have undoubtedly remained silent, and even under torture, he would have found a way to end his own life. While I felt a twinge of disappointment—there was always a chance, however small, of extracting information—allowing Elder Shin to deliver the killing blow, considering his feelings, was only right.
The old man moved my arms around, testing the limbs as if disappointed. “To grow tired after moving only this much… What a waste of a fine body.”
[How much longer do you intend to use it…?]
“Do not worry. I am already at my limit,” he replied.
After saying this, he began to walk slowly toward a specific spot. Elder Shin trudged over to where the corpses of Mount Hua’s disciples lay.
Ignoring the putrid smell of death, he knelt amongst them and closed his eyes. I didn’t know what thoughts were passing through his mind in that silence, but I knew I could never fully comprehend the depth of emotion he was experiencing at that moment.
After sitting in quiet contemplation for a while, he spoke up again, his voice soft. “I am done now. Just like you, I have many questions, but… let us save them for later.”
…!
A sudden sensation of impact jarred me, and my vision snapped back to normal. I could move my body again without any hindrance. The feeling of my consciousness being displaced and then returning was far more disturbing than I had ever imagined.
“Elder Shin…”
[Yes.]
Thankfully, he had not disappeared this time. I moved my body a little more, checking for any lingering issues, but found none. Relieved that I wasn’t seriously injured, I surveyed the grim scene. “Should I… bring them back to Mount Hua?” I asked aloud.
Elder Shin responded to my question without a moment’s hesitation. [There is no need to go that far. This matter was never your responsibility to begin with, and you know perfectly well that you cannot possibly do it.]
“…”
He was right. I couldn’t possibly transport all those corpses with me. Of course, given enough time, it might have been physically possible, but I had no conceivable way to explain the situation to anyone.
[That flower… bring that with you.]
I looked behind me. Nachal had said his main objective here was that flower, hadn’t he? I walked carefully toward the peculiar bloom. The pool of blood made sickening splashing sounds under my feet. The blood, which had been boiling moments before, was still hot, though not enough to harm me.
As I drew closer, the air grew denser, more oppressive. How can a flower possibly bloom in the center of a pool of blood?
“These bastards…” I muttered under my breath. “What in hell did they create here?”
There were probably dozens of flowers in the world with red hues, but I had never heard of a flower that bloomed by absorbing energy from blood. However, if I had to hazard a guess, one possibility came to mind.
“The Abyss, huh?”
A hellish place that defied all reason and natural law. It was entirely plausible that this flower originated from there. After all, no ordinary flower would emanate such a vile and potent aura.
What truly piqued my curiosity was what they intended to use this flower for after creating it. I reached out and touched the red plant with my hand. Thankfully, nothing adverse happened, and my absorption ability did not activate.
[You aren’t going to ask me if it would be better to simply leave it here?] Elder Shin inquired.
Even if I did leave it… The Murim Alliance would inevitably discover it. There were many reasons for this, but the thought of the Alliance getting their hands on this thing was deeply unsettling.
-Snap-!
Even with minimal effort, the flower and its root were pulled from the bloody soil with surprising ease. The moment the flower was plucked, the boiling blood instantly calmed, becoming still and placid. It seemed everything had been orchestrated for the sake of this single, sinister bloom.
[Are you not afraid?]
“Afraid of what?”
[You just grabbed something you know nothing about, yet you show no sign of fear.]
“…”
The Abyss. Merely thinking its name made me feel sick, but it was also a term I had heard so often that I had become almost numb to it. Regardless, my actions had been reckless.
I need to be more careful.
I examined the flower. Apart from its leaves and even its roots being a deep, unsettling red, it looked deceptively normal. That is, until you felt the insane amount of Qi that tingled against the skin of the hand holding it.
Normal medicinal herbs would lose more than half of their energy shortly after being picked. Furthermore, their roots would typically lose strength and color faster than the leaves, which is why it was always advised to consume them immediately.
“But this one… it isn’t losing any Qi at all.”
That fact alone makes it even more terrifying.
I had been prepared to incinerate it with flames if any problem arose after touching it, but for now, I simply stored it safely in my pocket.
I stepped out of the blood pool and began cleaning myself off. The blood had reached up to my ankles, thoroughly soaking the hems of my pants. Furthermore, my body felt sore and bruised, likely due to the unfamiliar and intense way Elder Shin had utilized it earlier.
“Is it really alright… to just leave them here?” I asked again, my voice softer.
[…It is fine.]
Elder Shin’s terse reply carried a heavy weight of unspoken meanings and emotions behind it. At the very least, I wanted to dispose of that disgusting pool of blood, but I lacked the strength to generate enough heat to vaporize the entire thing. In the end, all I could do was walk away.
I offered a silent prayer for the souls of the dead and then walked over to Nachal’s body. I reached out my hand…
[What are you doing…?] Elder Shin’s voice held a note of disbelief.
-Ssssss…!
A familiar sensation began as Demonic Qi started flowing from Nachal’s corpse into my hand. Setting aside its quality and considering only the sheer volume, it seemed he had possessed less than Ya Hyeoljeok.
Witnessing this, Elder Shin spoke up, his tone suggesting he found my actions preposterous. [You went on and on about how much you despised doing this. So why do it now?]
“It seems you really did see a lot,” I replied quietly. I didn’t recall ever explicitly telling Elder Shin about this aspect of my ability, but even when he saw me absorbing Demonic Qi directly, he hadn’t reacted with shock or condemnation. Just how much did he witness while he was trapped within my body? Furthermore, I couldn’t begin to fathom why the monster inside me had chosen to show him such things.
[This is merely one of the many questions I will have for you later,] he stated.
“It’s only now that I’ve truly realized… I’m not in any position to be picky or make up foolish excuses,” I admitted aloud.
If I wanted to keep the monster inside me subdued, I had to absorb Demonic Qi. I had come to the stark realization that I was not in a situation where I could afford to be selective. The world was not going to remain peaceful for much longer. If I didn’t do what was necessary, I felt with chilling certainty that I would lose everything.
Even though it hadn’t been long at all since I had absorbed Demonic Qi from the Sword Queen, I now found myself needing to quickly fill my body with even more. Despite knowing that my hand was being forced, I couldn’t help but frown at the necessity.
Nonetheless, I absorbed all the Demonic Qi from Nachal’s body and left the cave behind.
* * *
The sun was rising by the time I arrived back at Mount Hua.
Far too many things had happened during the night; both my body and mind were completely spent. On one hand, I desperately needed to train, to solidify the sensations I had felt when Elder Shin used my body. On the other hand, exhaustion was a heavy blanket smothering my will.
In the end, fatigue won. I had disposed of Nachal’s body amongst the other corpses after erasing any identifiable traces. Since I had left the cave entrance open, the Murim Alliance would discover the gruesome scene soon enough. It would undoubtedly become a major point of discussion and investigation.
[Have you thought about what you will do with that flower?] Elder Shin’s voice sounded weary. It seemed the ordeal had taken a far greater toll on him than I had initially thought.
I don’t know, I projected back. I was considering giving it to Mount Hua, since it was technically found on their land.
After hearing my response, Elder Shin responded with a sigh. [Do not do that.]
It was an unexpected answer. I had assumed that, given his connection to Mount Hua, he would want the flower returned to them.
[We do not know why all those disciples were sacrificed for the sake of this flower.]
Isn’t that all the more reason to give it to them? I reasoned.
[You have no way to explain how you came into possession of it. And giving it to the current leader of Mount Hua would only plunge him into deeper despair at this moment.]
Then what did he want me to do with it? Eat it?
[Yes. Just consume it.]
Are you insane?
Despite its ominous energy, I could sense that it also contained a significant amount of pure, Taoist energy. Furthermore, I had seen firsthand how incredibly dense this energy was; Nachal himself had referred to it as ‘liquid’. However…
[You idiot. You’re still looking for excuses even after claiming you had realized something.]
Hearing Elder Shin’s words felt like a massive hammer striking the top of my head.
[Do not use the guilt you feel as an excuse to hesitate. You know better than anyone how you can truly atone for your sins.]
“…”
How much had he seen to say such pointed words to me? My mouth remained shut, sealed by a fear of what the answer might be.
Did Elder Shin… know about the fact that I was responsible for the destruction of Mount Hua in my past life?
[…You should rest for now. It will do you no good to be caught in your current state.]
“…Yes.”
I had already bandaged the wound on my arm from Nachal’s attack, but I still had to deal with my legs, which were stained with dried blood. I carefully opened the door to my room, intending to wash up and find a change of clothes.
“…Hmm?”
[Huh?]
Something was moving inside my room, which was supposed to be empty. The suspect seemed to be a restless sleeper; their white skin was being exposed because their clothes had become thoroughly disheveled from all the movement.
“Why is she sleeping here again?”
The girl curled up asleep under my blanket was none other than Namgung Bi-ah.