Knees
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong."
As Jeok Hanseong lowered the hand that had been taking Seomun Hwi's pulse, everyone gathered in the room finally let out breaths of relief.
"Then why did he scream in the middle of the night?"
Namgung Cheon asked with visible displeasure, and Jeok Hanseong shook his head in disbelief.
"You should ask the one who screamed that, not me."
At that, every gaze in the room turned to Seomun Hwi.
He hesitated for a moment, his face caught somewhere between embarrassment and confusion, before speaking.
"I apologize. While I was circulating my inner energy, I felt something strange and, without meaning to..."
"Explain it in more detail. How else are we supposed to help you?"
Dang Hyeongeuk's brows drew together slightly.
He had already taken great care to confirm several times that nothing was wrong with Seomun Hwi.
"It was... as if my inner energy kept trying to flow where it shouldn't. Even when I forced it to stay put, it kept wanting to burst out on its own."
When Seomun Hwi finished speaking, Jeok Hanseong, who had been listening quietly, let out a breathy laugh.
"And here I thought it was something serious. You really do have a talent for scaring people."
"...Pardon?"
Jeok Hanseong tapped his own forehead lightly with a finger.
"Use your head for a moment. Since the blocked passages have opened, isn't it only natural for your inner energy to try to flow through them?"
"...You're speaking of the Conception and Governor Vessels?"
"So you have finally come to your senses."
Seomun Hwi stared blankly at Jeok Hanseong, then tilted his head again.
"Then why was my inner energy not moving as I wished?"
Jeok Hanseong lifted the corner of his mouth and glanced at Dang Hyeongeuk and Namgung Cheon.
"Because the immense inner energy those two clan leaders passed into you has settled in your dantian. And since it merged in with almost no loss, you'll have some hardship ahead before you can make it fully your own."
At his words, Seomun Hwi jerked his head around, and Dang Hyeongeuk wore a faint smile while Namgung Cheon scowled deeply.
"I am deeply indebted to you both."
"Don't fret over it. Just take care of your body."
"At least that's a relief."
Though unintentional, Namgung Cheon's blunt remark ended up easing the unease that had been hanging over everyone else completely.
"I'm glad it wasn't anything serious."
"With all that screaming, I thought he'd gone into qi deviation. But now it seems Young Master Seomun is rather prone to making a fuss."
"I thought some assassin had come after me."
"Unless a person has lost their mind, why would they put out a contract on someone in the Tang Clan? In any case, we should be going now. Dawn is still a long way off."
At Hong Chilsong's words, everyone slowly began to file out of the room, but one person alone still stood frozen in the corner, unable to move.
"Do you intend to keep staying here?"
When Namgung Cheon asked the question with a hint of pressure beneath it, Im Cheongwol finally stopped fidgeting with her hands and glared at him.
"Why does it matter to you whether I stay here or not?"
Her tone was disrespectful to a degree even she did not fully understand, yet Namgung Cheon showed no anger at all. If anything, he looked flustered.
"Men and women should keep proper distance. If you remain here together until such a late hour and bad rumors start spreading, what then?"
"I don't care."
One of Namgung Cheon's brows twitched.
"No matter what others say, it doesn't matter."
Then, as if to prove her point, she took a step forward and carefully perched herself on the edge of the bed where Seomun Hwi was lying.
"Hwi is my dearest friend. Even if nothing happened this time, that doesn't mean nothing will happen next time. So I'll stay here too. I want to be by his side when he needs me."
The more Cheongwol spoke, the more blood drained from Seomun Hwi's face.
Namgung Cheon and Cheongwol.
The exact nature of their relationship remained unclear, but one thing was obvious to anyone with eyes: Namgung Cheon doted on Cheongwol unilaterally.
And yet she was willing to go against his wishes and remain with Seomun Hwi.
"Cheongwol."
Before things could spiral further, Seomun Hwi caught her arm.
Startled by the sudden contact, Cheongwol gave a slight jolt.
"Clan Leader's words are correct. Go back for tonight."
"But...!"
Cheongwol rushed to protest, but Seomun Hwi cut her off with a firm expression.
"Go back. If you're here beside me, I don't think I'll get even a moment's sleep."
Not only Cheongwol, but Jeok Hanseong, who had been about to step out the door, also halted and stared at Seomun Hwi with a shocked expression.
"...?"
Seomun Hwi blinked at them, not understanding their reaction, and then his face suddenly flushed red.
"I-that's not what I meant. I only meant I didn't want to see you having to struggle beside me..."
But by then it was already far too late.
Namgung Cheon was looking at him with a gaze so unnervingly calm it seemed almost cold.
"Is that so. If you still wish to stay with him after hearing that, I won't stop you."
He had heard that a martial artist's body, after Reconstitution / Rebirth, would transform into the most suitable form for unleashing martial arts.
For example, a spear user would find their upper body stretched long and their shoulders moving as smoothly as gliding water, making thrusts flow without obstruction. Those who used sabers would awaken the twisting strength of the waist, and their footwork along diagonal lines would become as natural as breathing. As for sword users, their center of gravity would become as immovable as Mount Tai itself, allowing them to embody the dignity of the king of all weapons in every stroke of the blade.
Yet nowhere had he ever heard that even one's appearance could change.
Im Cheongwol quickly looked Seomun Hwi up and down as he ate a spoonful of meat porridge with his own hand.
Perhaps because of the Reconstitution / Rebirth, his shoulders were a little broader and the muscles across his back more clearly defined, turning the once slender body into something sturdy, like a martial artist who had trained external techniques for many years.
His sharp features remained the same, but the cold edge that had sometimes lingered in his eyes was no longer there.
Nothing had changed very much, and yet he somehow felt like an entirely different person.
Had she stared too openly?
As Cheongwol's gaze kept pressing against him, Seomun Hwi quietly set down the bowl he had been holding.
"Do you have something you want to say?"
Cheongwol still didn't look away from him.
"No. It's just... you really have changed, all of a sudden."
"...In a bad way?"
"In a good way."
Seomun Hwi bit his lip, pressing down the corner of his mouth before it could rise.
"I'm relieved. I had been worrying what I ought to do if you found it strange."
"My opinion doesn't really matter, does it? Right?"
Cheongwol propped her chin on her hand with a lazy expression, and Seomun Hwi felt an inexplicable discomfort creep over him.
"It matters."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Looking into Cheongwol's strangely indifferent eyes, he finally understood.
They had kissed countless times, sharing each other's warmth, but Cheongwol had no intention of moving beyond a relationship that was merely that of close friends.
She had clearly behaved as if she would accept anything he said before he received treatment from Jeok Hanseong, and now she was once again trying to draw an iron line between them. It was infuriating.
"Cheongwol."
When he had tried to push her away, she had drawn closer; now that he was trying to approach, she was retreating again.
So what else could he do?
He would simply have to cross the line so far beyond reason that there would be no way for her to ignore it.
"Come to Anhui with me. I want to introduce you to my family."
"...What?"
Cheongwol's eyes widened as she tried to pull back, but a powerful hand yanked her in and pinned her against the bed.
"You...!"
She tried to wrench herself free, but the struggle was futile.
The moment their eyes met in the air, Cheongwol knew what he was going to say.
If she heard it now, there would be no way she could pretend not to know, no way she could go on as before.
"I love you. More than anything in this world."
At first, it had been nothing more than a thin shred of guilt.
To leave a friend who had waited for her for two whole years alone once more...
And this time, there would not even be a promise of when the waiting would end. So Cheongwol gave him one thing he wanted.
She still didn't know why he had come to cherish a man like her, but what of it?
If this could ease even a little of his pain, then it didn't matter.
And when their lightly touching lips parted, Cheongwol looked into his sorrow-filled eyes and silently told herself she had done the right thing.
The problem came after that.
When Seomun Hwi insisted on following her and kissed her again, it was with the kind of stubbornness that left no room for refusal.
His kiss was entirely different from before, rough and forceful, and she felt as if her mind were sinking helplessly into the bottom of a dark swamp.
If she thought about it now, she should have pushed him away more cruelly then.
But while she hesitated, unable to decide one way or the other, Seomun Hwi was struck down by the suddenly appearing Namgung Cheon and left as good as ruined.
And it was because of her.
Fortunately, with Ak Seo-ah's help, the Divine Doctor examined him, but if they were to heal his body, there was still a more than sixty percent chance that he might lose his life instead.
When she saw Seomun Hwi hesitate even though he had nothing left to lose, she thought that was just like him.
Even in that moment, he was probably worrying less about himself than about the people who would be left behind.
So she had answered in his place.
"I'll accept it."
One slight misstep, and he could lose his life.
Even though he tried to stay calm, his anxiety still seeped through his eyes, and Cheongwol kissed him again and again without hesitation.
This was the only thing she could do for him.
She pressed her lips to his, tangled her tongue with his, and swallowed his saliva. This time, she held his waist so he would not collapse, and when he leaned into her arms, she embraced him carefully, afraid he might be hurt.
Even so, she made the selfish decision to keep going.
For two years, she had written letters that never received replies.
He had become ruined trying to protect her from someone he could not bear.
Now, this was simply the price that had to be paid for the one who might even lose his life.
So...
This was nothing more than the karma that a coward like her deserved.
Otherwise, there was no reason she should be feeling this way toward Seomun Hwi, who was still the same man as before.
"...Move aside for now. I'm scared someone will see."
When Cheongwol tried not to meet his eyes, Seomun Hwi gave a slight smile and parted her legs with one knee.
"Answer me first."
It was clearly revenge for before, but Cheongwol could not resist at all.
Because now his kiss was being poured over her body with a thick, unmistakable hunger that was utterly unlike anything before.