The Path Forward (1)
Yeon Hojeong regained consciousness on the fifth day after receiving treatment.
“Ugh.”
“Feeling a bit better?”
Yeon Hojeong, who had sat up while holding his head, asked with a deeply furrowed brow.
“Where is this?”
“My room.”
At Ki Woo-hee’s words, Yeon Hojeong looked around.
The room was filled with all sorts of medicinal herbs and various documents.
It was surprising that someone could sleep in a place like this, which wasn’t even an office.
“How much time has passed?”
“Exactly five days.”
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.
“I’ve caused you trouble.”
“Please don’t say that. It’s only natural for a physician to care for a patient.”
“Why didn’t you just throw me in my own room? You probably couldn’t even sleep properly.”
Ki Woo-hee smiled.
“I know the patient’s condition in detail, but even so, no one can guarantee what might happen to a patient who suddenly collapsed. It’s much better to keep him in my quarters and monitor his condition.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Yeon Hojeong rubbed his stomach.
“Even after five days, my body feels light? Though my stomach is a bit hungry.”
“Drink some water first. I just boiled it, so it’s lukewarm and won’t burden your body.”
Yeon Hojeong gulped down the water from the bowl Ki Woo-hee handed him and let out a deep breath. Indeed, with water entering his system, he felt much more alive.
Ki Woo-hee spoke.
“You’ve accumulated a lot of fatigue. You probably didn’t even realize it, did you?”
“I didn’t.”
“That’s just like you, Commander Yeon.”
“I still haven’t trained enough. To faint just because I was a little tired—how embarrassing.”
Ki Woo-hee sighed.
“Don’t underestimate fatigue. Fatigue is the root of all illnesses. If you neglect managing it, a serious disease could strike later. That applies to both ordinary people and martial artists.”
“Advice noted.”
Yeon Hojeong observed his inner self.
“Hmm, you said five days? My internal injuries have recovered much faster than expected.”
“That’s because Commander Yeon has a strong constitution. Such recovery speed would be practically impossible even with the various true energies you’ve cultivated. Because the density of your vital energy itself has increased through extreme training, this rapid recovery was possible.”
“Of course, I can’t ignore the physician’s care who watched over me, right?”
Ki Woo-hee merely smiled.
Yeon Hojeong also smiled and stood up.
“Is there anything else I need to be careful about?”
“I’d like to prescribe some herbal medicine, but knowing your personality, you wouldn’t take it on time anyway.”
“You know me well. Of course, if I were really about to die, I’d take it.”
“Since you’ve recovered on your own, as long as you manage your body well, there shouldn’t be any major issues. I just hope you’ll pay attention to managing your fatigue even when you’re busy.”
“Got it.”
Yeon Hojeong patted Ki Woo-hee’s shoulder and headed for the door.
Ki Woo-hee, who had been quietly watching his back, asked as if tossing the question.
“It’s the Shinhwa Sect, right?”
Yeon Hojeong paused for a moment.
“That’s right.”
Ki Woo-hee’s eyes trembled.
“Don’t you have anything to ask me separately?”
“I already told you everything, didn’t I? About them.”
“Of course, but……”
Yeon Hojeong glanced at Ki Woo-hee.
“Physician Ki.”
“……Yes.”
“You came to the Martial Alliance after cutting ties with the Shinhwa Sect, thinking of your own greater cause. There were many complicated incidents, but in the end, you clearly chose to walk your own path. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Although I was a bit rough in our previous meetings, at least the you I see isn’t skilled at lying. And one of the reasons you’ve settled in the Martial Alliance is probably because of me.”
That was true. Although her temperament was somewhat rough, Ki Woo-hee saw purity in Yeon Hojeong’s eyes.
Being rough with her, cruelly killing the Shinhwa Sect’s experts, and keeping the Moyong family head in check—all of it was for the sake of peace. At least Yeon Hojeong himself thought so, and Ki Woo-hee knew it too.
In other words, Yeon Hojeong was someone who had a significant influence on Ki Woo-hee’s judgment.
“Since you made the choice yourself, you must bear the responsibility yourself. However, Physician Ki, you trust me. So I trust Physician Ki as well.”
“……Yes.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“I’m going. Let’s have lunch together tomorrow. You must have had a hard time because of me, so I’ll treat you to something delicious.”
The place Yeon Hojeong headed after leaving Ki Woo-hee’s quarters was, unexpectedly, a clearing in the forest of the Martial Alliance.
A place where he had sparred with many people in the past. This place, known only to those who knew it, was quiet today as well.
Yeon Hojeong sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing.
Having woken up after five whole days, his stomach was hungry and his body was stiff. In times like this, the best thing was to absorb as much nutrition as he hadn’t been able to intake and get some sleep, but he decided to put that off for a while.
‘Hoo.’
After taking a light deep breath, he focused his mind on the Yeon Family Divine Elixir.
Wooong. Woo-woong.
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir, firmly fixed with tremendous density, emitted a subtle vibration in response to its master’s call.
‘It’s gotten smaller.’
It was evidence that the true energy he had expended in the previous battle hadn’t fully recovered yet. At the same time, since he was constantly circulating energy throughout his body to treat his internal injuries, he would probably need to pay attention to energy circulation for at least ten days.
Yeon Hojeong operated the Biying True Art.
Hwoooooong!
Dense blue true energy surged up, stabilizing his mind and body.
The Biying True Art was always like that. It maintained the body and true energy stably, and when the mind and energy were stable, the heart also became at ease.
There was no martial art better than the Biying True Art for beginning energy circulation. Furthermore, as the Biying True Art operated the energy of Biying that had permeated into the Yeon Family Divine Elixir, the movements of the Yeon Family Divine Elixir were also activated.
After focusing on stabilizing his mind, energy, and body for a while like that, Yeon Hojeong operated the Dragon Robe Divine Art.
Hwaaaak!
The change was clear.
The lush true energy that seemed to cleanse the heart just by looking at it disappeared, and in its place, roughly undulating green true energy surged up.
A deep green light, clearly different from the green-blue of the Azure Dragon Qi, enveloped Yeon Hojeong’s entire body. Although it was an extremely deep green, in another way, it also reminded one of a forest.
Though their natures differed, their roots were the same. Whether it was the Biying True Art or the Dragon Robe Divine Art, there was no difference in that they processed the energy of the great nature to an extreme degree of purity.
‘Thank goodness. The energies of the two divine arts haven’t been disrupted.’
Before collapsing, he had constantly recalled the battle with Beon Jak.
In truth, at Yeon Hojeong’s level, there was no need for that. To be precise, for the Black Dark Emperor Yeon Hojeong, not the Wall Mountain Tiger Chief Yeon Hojeong, Beon Jak’s martial arts might be unique, but there wasn’t much worth learning from them.
However, Yeon Hojeong mulled over each and every one of Beon Jak’s martial arts. Even while unconscious, even while dreaming, he examined his martial arts.
There was one reason.
‘I not only dodged his martial arts but even launched a counterattack.’
The Sasinmu was the ultimate technique of the world.
Each specialized in attack, defense, evasion and counterattack, and thorough killing. Though their forms were established, they were so free that they could be applied in any way.
That was why they could be used well not only with weapons but also with fist and kick techniques. And that was also the reason why the difficulty of the Sasinmu rose vertically.
A martial art whose forms were certain but could be transformed at any time depending on the situation.
In other words, mastering other martial arts to their tenth stage was a prerequisite. For other martial arts, learning the forms was the beginning, but for the Sasinmu, completing the forms was the beginning.
It unleashes the completed forms with creativity according to the situation.
That was why no genius in the world could draw out the power of the Sasinmu to its limit without experience. The more situations one experienced, the more creativity increased, and the utilization of the Sasinmu was maximized.
Moreover, that was why the Sasinmu was called the martial art of the battlefield. Because one had to experience blood and death unconditionally to hone the utilization of true energy and forms.
Yeon Hojeong was a master of the Sasinmu.
After summoning all the Four Gods Qi and perfectly mastering the forms, he had thrown himself into the Black Path martial world and experienced countless battles. And all those battles had made him grow explosively.
However, in the fight with Beon Jak, unexpectedly, Yeon Hojeong did not benefit greatly from the Sasinmu.
Even so, he had been able to not only dodge all of Beon Jak’s attacks but even launch a counterattack.
How?
“Seeing the weakness……”
Yeon Hojeong recalled Ok Cheong’s words.
‘It’s talent. You instinctively see through weaknesses, don’t you?’
‘I know that Commander’s martial arts are still lacking compared to the two of them. Yet you targeted the formation’s weaknesses and gradually broke down the formation’s momentum.’
Eyes that perceive weaknesses.
In fact, that wasn’t something that could be called talent. Yeon Hojeong had cultivated the Sasinmu, which was considered the best in martial history in terms of form, and had roamed the battlefield with that Sasinmu for decades.
If one experienced real battles enough to be called a master, one could dig into the opponent’s weaknesses in any situation. If there were no weaknesses, one could create them and persistently dig in to bring down the opponent.
In other words, identifying the opponent’s weaknesses was not an area of innate talent but an area of acquired effort and experience.
Yeon Hojeong thought so and was convinced of it.
But what about when fighting Beon Jak?
‘I just saw Beon Jak’s martial arts, perceived his weaknesses, and counterattacked. I didn’t use even a single form of the Sasinmu.’
That could be done against the weak. Relatively, in the eyes of the strong, the weaknesses of the weak would be visible countless times.
However, it was difficult against someone stronger than oneself. No, it was impossible. Finding weaknesses in a situation where it was hard to even receive the opponent’s martial arts was absurd.
And Yeon Hojeong had done it.
‘Simply because my enlightenment was higher than his?’
No. That was absolutely not it.
It was instinct, not reason. Yeon Hojeong could tell that the exchange where he had broken through Beon Jak’s martial arts and landed his fist technique had not been possible because of enlightenment.
“……So that’s what it was.”
Yeon Hojeong looked down at his fist as if it were new to him.
“I wasn’t in a position to advise Ji-pyeong. If I really had such talent, that means I’ve been living without knowing it for decades.”
From the beginning, seeing weaknesses itself was relative. That’s why he thought such talent didn’t make sense.
Yet that nonsensical talent had been with him.
Just like when he broke through the Myeolsa Three Kills Formation, just like when he dodged and counterattacked all of Beon Jak’s martial arts that had been difficult to deal with.
‘Talent? I have it too?’
Yeon Hojeong felt his heart inexplicably pounding.
He suddenly recalled a conversation with his master.
‘Yes, you lack martial talent. You don’t have the talent that matches what people call a genius. But you, who are like that, have completely mastered the Sasinmu, which even ordinary talent would struggle to master even after ten years of effort, in less than five years.’
‘……It’s thanks to Master guiding me well.’
‘The Sasinmu is something one learns alone. I merely showed you various paths; it was entirely your ability that followed and mastered all those paths.’
‘…….’
‘Tsk, how can someone who doesn’t even know that the sword he holds is a famous sword of the world discuss the world while only using it to cut meat? You still have a long way to go.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Enough. The only thing I can say is to look deeply into yourself. If you can accurately grasp your own abilities, at least you won’t die on the roadside.’
Could it be that the conversation from back then meant exactly this?
‘Weak points…….’
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.
“I need to find out more. Whether this is real or fake.”
The matter of missing Beon Jak had already disappeared from his mind. Even if regrettable, he no longer paid attention to things that had already passed.
That aspect of his was much more similar to Kang Liang than to Yeon Ji-pyeong. Of course, it was something Kang Liang had learned from him.
Perhaps such a demeanor was still evidence that he was closer to the Black Path than the White Path.
“Che, I have no face to show Ji-pyeong. From now on, I should act appropriately.”