Darkness Returns (7)
Five days later.
Hmm.
Things had been so hectic lately that he hadn’t even managed a proper family meal.
With a rare moment of free time, he suggested the four of them gather for a quiet dinner together. Thanks to that, the table was now shared by the eldest son, the second son, and Muk Bi.
It was during that meal that Yeon Wi could immediately sense the change in Yeon Hojeong.
“Hojeong-ah.”
“Yes?”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been picking at finely shredded meat with his chopsticks, looked up at his father with a puzzled expression.
……?
Yeon Wi’s face grew strange.
The face of his son looking back at him appeared remarkably innocent. Those distinct black-and-white eyes of his were also impossibly clear and transparent.
How curious.
Ever since the battle with that man known as one of the Twelve Martial Generals of the Shinwha Sect, something about his son had changed.
If he had to put it into words, it was as if the true nature he had been hiding was finally revealing itself. The demonic nature of madness, forged through the hellish asura realm of his past life, now seemed to be lifting its head.
That was why Yeon Wi had been so worried. Physical wounds could be treated by calling a physician, but turmoil of the heart and mind could only be overcome by the person themselves.
He had arranged this gathering today in hopes of helping to clear away the darkness lingering in his son’s eyes. Yet unexpectedly, those eyes were now clear and profoundly deep.
Did something happen in the meantime? Or perhaps…
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Your portion seems smaller than usual.”
“Does it?”
“Weren’t you always eating enough for three or four grown men?”
Yeon Hojeong scratched the back of his head.
“I haven’t been pushing my body too hard lately. This amount feels just right now.”
There was a common misconception among people. They thought martial artists of the murim spent their days eating and fighting.
But the truth was different.
While the murim was undeniably a dangerous world of blades and spears, far more people had never experienced real combat than those who had.
And among those who did fight, more died in a single battle than those who survived and grew stronger.
Real combat, by its very nature, was built upon someone’s death. Though there were exceptions, those who stepped into true battle rarely considered survival in defeat.
In other words, real combat was an act of staking one’s entire life. Beyond simple physical exhaustion, the mental strain was enormous. It was the very definition of extreme tension.
In that sense, Yeon Hojeong was an extremely unusual case.
He had experienced more real battles than any martial artist of his generation and had suffered countless defeats. Yet he had survived to the end and now sat here.
A life marked by immeasurable victories and defeats.
To him, concepts like real combat or life-and-death struggles were no longer stages to be climbed with determination.
Life itself was a continuous series of life-and-death moments, real battles, and tension. That was why his mind remained calm, why he could treat real combat like a spar, and why he felt no nervousness.
The incarnation of real combat.
Because he was a man of ghostly skill, one of the few in the world, he could adjust everything—his training volume, meals, rest, and duties—in perfect proportion.
“How are your wounds? I heard you were injured during the spar with the soldiers.”
“We have a skilled physician in our residence, don’t we? They healed cleanly.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
It was fortunate that his body had recovered, but what truly put Yeon Wi’s mind at ease was that his son seemed to have returned to the wise and confident young man he once was.
Yeon Wi suddenly turned to Yeon Ji-pyeong.
“Are you not bored?”
“Pardon? Ah, me?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Ji-pyeong replied with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“I’m so busy chasing the path of the sword every day that I don’t have time to feel bored. But I worry that I’m only consuming food without contributing anything. Father, Elder Brother, and even Sister are all so busy, yet I seem to be the only one doing nothing.”
“Do not think that way. The Martial Alliance is the union of the righteous murim. You too are a member of the righteous path and a descendant of the Yeon family. It is only right that you train diligently every day in preparation for when the murim calls upon you. Sharpen that sword of yours well.”
“Understood.”
“The reason I did not stop you from coming to the Martial Alliance was not only because the family had stabilized, but because I wanted you to broaden your perspective in a larger world.”
Yeon Wi gestured toward Yeon Hojeong and Muk Bi.
“Your elder brother and Bi-ah are not simply strong in martial arts, nor are they merely busy. You should carefully observe what they see, what they experience, and how they resolve conflicts and incidents.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Yeon Hojeong’s expression remained calm, but Muk Bi’s face flushed for no reason. She felt embarrassed because it seemed like he was praising her far more than she deserved.
Yeon Wi smiled as he looked at Muk Bi.
“By the way, congratulations.”
“Pardon?”
Muk Bi blinked.
“M-me?”
“Yes.”
“For what…?”
Yeon Wi frowned slightly and glanced at Yeon Hojeong.
“You didn’t tell her?”
Yeon Hojeong answered calmly.
“I thought it was important for her to realize it herself. Since she can simply continue as she has been doing, I didn’t think it was something to make a fuss about from the perspective of martial cultivation.”
“You fool. She is a genius who has already halfway demolished the wall that signals the first major milestone of the martial path. Even celebrating for three days and nights would not be enough.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled awkwardly.
“I’m still in the process of breaking it down. It’s not completely demolished yet.”
“Even so, that is no small feat.”
It was a strange conversation. At least to Muk Bi, it was.
Yeon Ji-pyeong looked at Muk Bi in astonishment.
“Sister!”
“Y-yes? What?”
“Congratulations!”
“……For what?”
“You’re breaking through the Mujongji-byeok! That’s incredible!”
Muk Bi blinked again.
“Mujong… Huh? Breaking through what? Who? Me?”
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face was filled with genuine admiration.
“I thought your true qi felt strangely deeper lately. So that was why.”
“Eh?”
Muk Bi looked at Yeon Wi in confusion.
Yeon Wi nodded.
“You are in the process of breaking through the Mujongji-byeok. If you continue as steadily as you have been, it seems you will ascend to the higher realm before this month is over.”
“Huk!”
Muk Bi was genuinely shocked.
“I-I’m breaking through the Mujongji-byeok?!”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“You need to speak accurately. You’re in the process of breaking through. You haven’t broken through yet.”
“That’s basically the same thing!”
“It’s different, you idiot. So don’t get overly excited and push yourself. Just do exactly as Father said—continue as you have been.”
Muk Bi’s face turned bright red with excitement.
Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.
“This is exactly why I didn’t say anything.”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“She has every right to be happy. Not only you, but Bi-ah is still young. It is extremely rare for someone her age to break through the Mujongji-byeok.”
“Well… that’s true, I suppose.”
Muk Bi swallowed hard.
I’m breaking through the Mujongji-byeok…!
Overwhelmed with joy, her fists clenched involuntarily.
But that only lasted a moment.
“By the way.”
“Hm?”
Muk Bi’s face suddenly turned dazed.
“I didn’t even notice the change in myself… So how did you all know I was breaking through the Mujongji-byeok?”
“Ah, that?”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“In truth, breaking through a realm is an extremely personal sensation, so it’s not easy for outsiders to judge. However, there is one common ‘gate’ that nearly everyone experiences right before reaching a similar level.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Of course, the process of passing through that gate varies greatly from person to person. In Hojeong’s case, he passed through it in one go after fully awakening all the arts of Sasinmu and reaching the tenth and final stage of the Biying True Art. In my case, I struggled quite a bit at the gate of the martial end.”
His sons’ talents were so exceptional that it was easy to overlook, but Yeon Wi himself was a man of unmatched talent. Even a swordsman of his caliber had found it difficult, so the complexity of the Mujongji-byeok was truly beyond imagination.
“The methods of breaking through the wall differ for everyone, but once one reaches the pinnacle, everyone encounters a similar barrier. Naturally, even those pinnacle walls take different forms and present different levels of difficulty.”
“Yes… So what I’m asking is…”
“However, there is one characteristic visible in those who break through that wall and advance.”
“A characteristic?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of characteristic?”
“True qi.”
“……?”
Muk Bi tilted her head.
Yeon Hojeong let out a small chuckle.
“The density of your true qi changes. If I just say it like that, it might not sound impressive, but it’s completely different.”
“How so?”
“When the density of true qi changes, the dantian you originally possess rapidly shrinks. That’s obvious. You have to increase the density, after all.”
“……!!”
“Although the dantian becomes smaller, the true qi it contains becomes harder and more condensed. Depending on the practitioner’s method of operation, its efficiency is also maximized.”
Yeon Wi continued from where Yeon Hojeong left off.
“Furthermore, once you break through the wall and the density of true qi increases, even the qi residing in your muscles and bones begins to gather into the dantian.”
“What?!”
“You must empty before you can fill, no? When the emptied muscles and bones are filled with the pure and thick qi of nature, both the dantian and the body itself develop more perfectly and without gaps.”
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong ignited a single chopstick with flame.
The chopstick burned pitch black in an instant, then turned pure white.
Crack.
He crushed the charred chopstick with powerful grip strength, then enclosed it in his fist. This time, he raised his Hyeonmu qi.
Hsssss!
With a wisp of white smoke, a small bead formed in his palm. It had been compressed so intensely that it was no larger than a thumbnail.
“An ultra-refined body with impurities removed, and a dantian with increased density.”
“……!!”
“It is the reconstruction of the body to attain even greater enlightenment. The current body cannot fully contain the supreme enlightenment that people speak of. That is why both the internal and external aspects of the body begin to change from the very root. To contain a stronger martial art.”
Muk Bi’s eyes trembled.
“……Are you talking about the hwangol taltae?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s different. But if we only consider the aspect of transformation, it can be viewed as a form of hwangol taltae. Though the bones and muscles themselves aren’t being replaced.”
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“Anyway, I was planning to keep quiet until you realized it yourself, but it turned out this way. Congratulations.”
“Eh? Ah, yes!”
Normally, Muk Bi would have grumbled at Yeon Hojeong even if it was just in jest.
But right now, she couldn’t. She was dazed, overjoyed, and her mind was in complete chaos.
Yeon Hojeong chuckled softly.
“Since we’re all gathered like this, shall we have a drink?”
“That sounds good. You and Ji-pyeong go prepare the drinks. Since the topic has come up, I should take a look at Bi-ah’s internal energy.”
“Understood.”
It was the moment Yeon Hojeong stood up from his seat.
Hm?
Almost simultaneously, both he and Yeon Wi turned their gazes toward the window.
Yeon Wi tilted his head.
“Goodness, what brings him here at this hour?”
“Indeed.”
“Did you ask him for some kind of favor?”
“I did, but it’s not something that would yield results in just a few days. It seems he’s here for a different matter.”
“Hmm.”
Yeon Wi spoke to Muk Bi.
“Wait here with Ji-pyeong for a moment.”
“Yes!”
Her reply carried an unusually strong sense of energy. Yeon Wi stood up with a slightly awkward expression.
Thus, Yeon Wi and Yeon Hojeong opened the main gate of the Pagun Pavilion.
There stood Dang Gwan.
Yeon Wi offered a fist salute.
“Welcome.”
Dang Gwan returned a brief fist salute as well. There were no further greetings.
Yeon Hojeong asked directly.
“What brings you here?”
Dang Gwan glanced at Yeon Hojeong.
After staring at him silently for a moment, he spoke to Yeon Wi.
“Patriarch Yeon.”
“Speak.”
“May I borrow your son for a short while?”
Yeon Wi asked with a puzzled look.
“For what matter…?”
Dang Gwan smacked his lips.
“I’ll tell you after we return. This matter seems better suited for this rude brat than for Patriarch Yeon. Well, since it’s his own mess, he should be the one to clean it up.”
“Hmm?”
Dang Gwan turned around.
“Follow me.”
Yeon Wi and Yeon Hojeong exchanged glances.
For the first time in a long while, the father and son’s eyes looked remarkably similar.