Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: A Fragmentary Copy
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Yeon Jeokhwa had observed Hyeok Mulin closely up until now and come to understand two key facts.
The first was that his stamina was extraordinary.
He had spent three full days standing in place without eating or drinking a thing, yet not the slightest hint of fatigue showed on him.
The second was how deadly serious he was about martial arts. She could feel the atmosphere shift dramatically the moment he picked up the manual.
Unlike before, when he had chatted with her and seemed indecisive, the man analyzing the martial arts technique was as lofty and serene as a leaf floating on a still pond without a ripple of wind.
"Does that even make sense...?"
His concentration was beyond imagination.
Worried he might collapse midway through his analysis, she sometimes drew near to observe him up close, but he wasn't affected in the least by her presence.
As if he had erased the entire existence of the world, leaving only the martial arts manual behind.
After studying it intently in that spot for three days straight...
Thud.
He closed the manual. Yeon Jeokhwa couldn't help but halt her steps.
Gulp.
The sudden tension from his first change made her set down what she held on a nearby table.
She approached Hyeok Mulin cautiously and asked,
"Are you done?"
Hyeok Mulin turned to look at her.
His eyes held no clear emotion, so Yeon Jeokhwa couldn't tell if he had succeeded or failed in his analysis.
Thus, she asked him directly.
"What was the result...?"
Though tense, she harbored a subtle expectation.
Given his ability to transform the Ice Stone Palm into a divine art and the focus he had shown on martial arts so far, it was clear he understood them far better than ordinary warriors.
'Otherwise, it'd be unfair.'
He was the first friend—and man—she had ever brought to her residence, after all.
Shouldn't some accomplishment follow from that?
As Yeon Jeokhwa stared at him intently, Hyeok Mulin finally parted his lips.
"This..."
Slide.
He turned his gaze back to the manual and continued.
"I'm not entirely sure."
At those words, a wave of emptiness washed over Yeon Jeokhwa's face.
Of course. What had she been expecting?
Countless experts of the main palace, who had reached the pinnacle through the Blood Heart Method over hundreds of years, had poured their efforts into analyzing it—and all failed.
She knew it was an unsolvable enigma, having failed at it herself.
So why had she handed such a thing to an outsider from the main palace?
Hearing "I don't know" from Hyeok Mulin only made her disappointed in her own judgment, not him.
As a deep shadow fell over her face, Hyeok Mulin, watching her, spoke up.
"With just this..."
"...Pardon?"
Yeon Jeokhwa's mouth gaped open like a baby bird's at the unexpected words.
Hyeok Mulin set the manual down on the table with a thunk and said,
"This isn't the martial art itself—it's just a transcription of a portion. There must be several more volumes like this to complete it."
Yeon Jeokhwa stared blankly in response.
It was news to her as well.
She had never imagined this book contained only a fragment of the martial art.
He must not have known either.
"...Yes, that's right. It was just one volume the Palace Lord gave me to decipher when I ascended to Little Palace Lord. Of course, even she didn't expect much..."
She felt ashamed for not noticing until now, but Yeon Jeokhwa stated the facts plainly.
Hyeok Mulin nodded.
"As I thought."
"'As you thought'...?"
Even from analyzing just this fragment, he could tell it was a divine art surpassing the Blood Lotus Divine Art they had desperately sought at the auction house. The Palace Lord wouldn't have handed such a rarity to the Little Palace Lord so casually.
"This manual is a copy, not the original."
"How did you...!"
Yeon Jeokhwa's pupils dilated like a startled rabbit.
That was something the Palace Lord had told her alone when handing it over personally.
Yet Hyeok Mulin explained his reasoning matter-of-factly.
"There are traces of someone copying it by hand. Since they didn't understand the martial art, the script's flow deviates in places."
"Heavens."
Yeon Jeokhwa looked at him as if he were a ghost.
She had read plenty of martial arts manuals herself but hadn't sensed anything amiss.
But Hyeok Mulin wasn't done.
"Even this portion isn't fully complete."
"What? Is that true?"
"Yes. Parts were intentionally left blank. Probably as a safeguard against leaks."
Yeon Jeokhwa was so shocked she lost her words and actions.
She had hoped for some partial analysis at best. Even that would have been enough, but to realize it was merely a fragment—and that even then, sections were deliberately omitted—in just a few days?
Deciphering something like this was several times harder than learning the art itself, yet the man before her had done it effortlessly.
'Just who is this man...?'
Yeon Jeokhwa had brought him here precisely to analyze the martial art.
Solving this enigma given by the Palace Lord would solidify her position as Little Palace Lord in one fell swoop.
Yet even as she drew closer to that goal, joy gave way to an inexplicable fear toward Hyeok Mulin.
Confirming his abilities had only heightened her wariness of him.
'But I can't let this opportunity slip away.'
After the auction house blunder, her position as Little Palace Lord was in peril. This was her only way to secure it.
Interpreting the manual from the Palace Lord.
An impossible feat no one else could achieve—solving it would be the surest reversal.
Thus, despite her caution, Yeon Jeokhwa couldn't keep her distance from Hyeok Mulin.
She looked at him carefully and asked,
"What should I do?"
Hyeok Mulin pondered for a moment.
Even from this fragment, he couldn't fully gauge the art's depth.
But it was clearly a divine art containing principles beyond the Blood Lotus Divine Art.
'I'd like to check the rest.'
Researching such a divine art was an experience even the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault rarely offered.
Having only tasted this much left him wanting more.
With that, Hyeok Mulin handed the manual back to her and said,
"Take this back to the Palace Lord."
"To the Palace Lord?"
"Yes. And say exactly two words there."
He extended his index and middle fingers in sequence.
"Blank. And partial. The moment you say them, she'll catch on."
"Understood."
Yeon Jeokhwa started to say something but gave up.
Any warrior in the martial world would know the Palace Lord's fame.
Yet unlike others, he spoke of her without a trace of worry or fear.
'Wonder when the Palace Lord will emerge.'
She had been told upon returning to the main palace that she was in secluded meditation.
The duration varied wildly by timing and condition, so no one knew when she might reappear.
What if they had to wait longer and he left out of impatience?
Unable to read Hyeok Mulin's mind, Yeon Jeokhwa didn't know how long he'd stay.
Anxious, she racked her brain for ways to keep him longer.
Glancing at him, he spoke first.
"Something to say?"
"Well..."
She dragged it out, desperately thinking of a way to hold his interest.
Nothing came to mind, so she continued slowly.
"Are you... perhaps hungry right now?"
Walking down the street, Yeon Jeokhwa wanted to slap her own cheeks.
'Even if I had nothing to say, asking if he's hungry in that situation? What was I thinking...!'
Her quick thinking had failed her so pathetically she felt self-loathing.
Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
Yet...
'...He followed.'
Surprisingly, Hyeok Mulin had nodded and agreed.
Now, he trailed behind her toward the inn.
What an inscrutable man.
In their short time together, Yeon Jeokhwa had glimpsed many sides of him.
But the more she saw, the deeper into a labyrinth she felt, far from understanding him.
"The inn's far."
"Don't worry—the food's worth it. You have to put in some effort for good eats."
She said that, but truth be told, she found it inconvenient too.
Not the distance, though.
"Is that him?"
"Has to be, walking with the Little Palace Lord."
"Heard he finally left the residence after three days."
"Hm, looks like the Little Palace Lord fancies him."
It was the palace servants' stares and whispers pouring toward them.
Most focused on Hyeok Mulin, not her.
What if the attention overwhelmed him and he decided to leave the main palace?
Yeon Jeokhwa was somewhat accustomed to eyes on her, but he might not be.
She worried he might change his mind from the scrutiny.
But...
'...Doesn't it bother him?'
It was all needless worry.
Hyeok Mulin accepted the attention as naturally as breathing.
As if he had lived in such an environment for decades.
Observing him sidelong, she shook her head.
The more she knew, the less she understood.
Best to just accept it.
With that resolve, her mind eased a bit.
As she pushed through the crowd's gazes...
Tap.
Yeon Jeokhwa stopped.
Someone blocked her path.
Recognizing the familiar face, she opened her mouth.
"You..."
But the man's gaze wasn't on her—it fixed on the figure behind.
His fury-filled eyes pierced straight at Hyeok Mulin.
He openly bared his hostility.
"Who the hell are you?"
At that single phrase, the street's clamor vanished, replaced by dead silence.