White Hand Divine Art at Falling Moon Manor (3)
Another five days. The same familiar routine.
A trip to Qing Mountain, a check on the Black Merchant Sect, a stop at the Mount Hua Sect, and then back again.
I spent my time in peaceful idleness at Silent Sword Forest, taking a leisurely look around Chang'an each day.
And then I headed for Falling Moon Manor.
Na-rin had succeeded in altering the structure of her sword qi in just ten days.
Yeah. Reaching the Transformation Realm at her age meant she possessed that level of talent.
I'd figured she could manage at least this much.
"Hey. How old are you, anyway?"
"Oh my? This is the first time this lady has ever been asked that."
"Hm? First time for what?"
"The first time anyone has asked this lady her age."
Now that I thought about it, that made sense.
In the Demonic Cult, there couldn't be anyone who didn't know Na-rin's age. And outside the cult, no one would dare ask. To them, she was essentially an enemy.
"So how old are you?"
"How old do you think I am?"
Na-rin answered with a question of her own. Ah, this was where my response mattered. Should I go with the classic -4? Say she didn't look a day over twenty? Or just shamelessly flatter her?
After a brief moment of consideration, I settled on something pleasant to hear.
"I'd say around twenty?"
"Goodness. For someone with such incredible martial prowess, you have a terrible eye for women."
"What? Did I guess too low?"
"My, my. Are you teasing me right now?"
"What are you talking about? I'm genuinely asking because I don't know. How old are you?"
"Hehe. With the new year, this lady has turned twenty-four."
"Really? Wow. I'm genuinely surprised. Is it because of the White Hand Demonic Art? Does it improve your skin too?"
"You really are an impossible man. I can't tell if you're being sly or sincere."
As she spoke, the corners of Na-rin's lips kept rising higher and higher.
See? I knew it would work. Even if she knew it was empty flattery, she couldn't help but like it.
Anyway, whether it was the lip service or not, Na-rin seemed to be in a good mood.
"So what will you teach this lady next? The White Hand Demonic Art you showed me was truly mysterious. You said there were more, didn't you? You mentioned several techniques."
"Mm. The rest might be difficult for you to learn right away."
"Tell me anyway. Whether it's easy or hard is for this lady to decide."
"Really? Then... let me ask you something first. When you use the White Hand Demonic Art, you employ palm and fist techniques, right? You don't use finger techniques?"
"Usually, yes."
"Then, could you do something like this?"
I raised my hand, activated the White Hand Divine Art, and brought my fingertips toward the wall.
My fingers never actually touched it, yet a hole silently appeared in the wall as if pierced by something.
"What is that? Sword qi...? But I don't sense anything at your fingertips!?"
"That's why I said it would be difficult. This hides both the appearance and presence of the qi while leaving its power intact."
"Hoo..."
"If anyone sees your hands, they'll immediately recognize the White Hand Demonic Art. Once they've experienced it, they'll be wary of that short range. That's the weakness of palm and fist techniques—the limited reach."
"True, isn't it?"
"But what if you could create a blade at your fingertips that's neither visible nor detectable?"
"How terrifying. But... is that only possible with bare hands? Could it be applied to weapons as well?"
"It can. Though it's different from doing it directly with your hands. If you achieve perfect unity between body and sword, treating your blade as an extension of yourself, then yes. But even then, a sword is still a sword. It doesn't have blood vessels or a body through which qi can flow. It's just a lump of iron."
"Hmm..."
"That's why this method is especially useful for those who use palm, fist, or finger techniques. It's much easier to create than a typical formless sword."
"Like this...? No. That's a complete failure."
Na-rin tried it herself, but the energy at her fingertips was clearly visible to anyone looking.
"This isn't something you can master in ten days, so take your time practicing. I've given you the core principle, so you should be able to figure out the rest on your own, right?"
In truth, what I was teaching Na-rin now were things I'd originally wanted to teach Seolha, Yeon-ha, and So-hye.
But to even attempt this, one needed to be at least at the Transformation Realm.
It was still too much for those who couldn't even manifest sword qi.
Still, I hoped they would learn these techniques soon.
Whenever that might be.
"It's difficult. But it doesn't seem impossible."
"Because you've seen it done. That's how humans are. Coming up with something completely new is hard, but following in someone else's footsteps is comparatively easier."
Na-rin nodded at my words, stared at me for a moment, then smiled brightly as she spoke.
"Then..."
"Hm?"
"Now it's your turn. How old are you? This lady cannot guess your age at all. Or perhaps I should say your 'spring and autumn' instead."
"Well, that's understandable. Go ahead and try to guess."
"If I guess correctly, will you give me a reward?"
"Ha. After receiving so much already, you still want more?"
"Desire has no end. Isn't that true for everyone?"
"I like how straightforward you are."
"So please promise you'll give me one."
"How can I promise when I don't even know what you want? Besides, you won't be able to guess it. I guarantee it."
"Oh? Then let's do this. If I cannot guess correctly, I will give you anything you desire."
What was this? Why was she so confident?
A faint suspicion arose. Could this girl already know my true identity?
But that was impossible. The only ones who knew my exact age were Seolha, Yeon-ha, and So-hye.
Even Dang Cheol and the Tang Patriarch only knew I was older than them, not my precise age.
Had So-hye told the Tang Family? Had the information spread from there?
No, that couldn't be. The Tang Clan wasn't an intelligence organization, but they wouldn't handle information that sloppily.
"Fine. So you'll grant me anything at all?"
"Yes. Of course."
"As a woman, wouldn't you be at more of a disadvantage?"
"Oh? That would only apply if I were wrong. There's no need to think about that yet."
Wow. I really couldn't figure her out. Why was she so certain?
"Alright. Take a guess."
"You are ninety-three years old, aren't you?"
The moment I heard "ninety," my heart sank.
Na-rin, seeing my expression, lifted her chin with a triumphant look and continued.
"Hehe. I heard about it from Father when I was young. About an incredible hidden expert. He said that without that person, Father might never have risen to the position of Heavenly Demon Sovereign. That individual possessed unimaginable martial prowess and knew countless extraordinary methods. You are the one who helped Father back then, aren't you? That's why you're helping this lady now as well, right?"
"Wait."
"Haaang. So I was right. Now, what should I ask for~?"
"No. You're wrong. I'm older than that. And I never helped your father."
Na-rin's previously triumphant expression shifted strangely.
But that wasn't what concerned me right now.
"Keep talking about that story. Ninety-three? That person told your father he was seventy-three? When exactly was that? Tell me precisely."
"Y-yes? Suddenly, what..."
"Tell me everything you know!"
When I raised my voice slightly, Na-rin flinched and glanced at me nervously.
Ninety-three. I didn't know how that number had come up, but it struck me as far from ordinary.
"It was... exactly twenty years ago. At that time... Father met a hidden expert and said the man's spring and autumn were seventy-three. I remembered that and thought you must be him..."
Na-rin stammered through her explanation, and only then did I realize I had been unconsciously radiating my energy everywhere.
Whew. I needed to calm down. Calm. Getting worked up over something like this was no good.
"Sorry for the unsightly display. I have something to think about, so leave me be for a moment."
With those words, I pulled out a chair from the table, sat down, and fell into deep thought.
What if someone around twenty-five had been trapped in the Black Wall Cavern like me? If they had trained their martial arts for a long time inside and eventually split the wall to escape?
And what if that person, out of curiosity or some other purpose, had gone to meet the Heavenly Demon Sovereign?
Guessing based solely on the two details of "unimaginable martial prowess" and "extraordinary methods" might be a stretch.
But it was something I'd been pondering for a while.
The question of whether I was the only one who had come to this place.
What was I like at seventy-three? What realm had I reached back then?
I had only fully mastered the Obliterating Origin Divine Art at eighty. And I'd stayed another fifteen years after that.
At seventy-three... I hadn't reached any particularly impressive level yet.
I could have left the Black Wall Cavern. If I'd created sword qi and slowly chipped away at it, I probably could have escaped.
I just hadn't wanted to. That's why I stayed longer.
Moreover, if the person was younger than me or more talented, they could have proudly walked out of the Black Wall Cavern at seventy-three.
Was this line of thinking correct? Was it even reasonable?
Of course, no one could confirm it. Not unless I met that ninety-three-year-old in person and asked.
But possibilities always existed.
Of course, it could simply be one of the many extraordinary masters who filled this vast murim world.
After all, no one who trained in martial arts for that long was entirely normal.
"By any chance..."
"Yes. Please speak."
"Did that hidden expert not give your father anything? Like a spiritual medicine, a black-glowing mineral, or a night pearl?"
"No. Nothing like that..."
"Or could you tell me about those extraordinary methods he supposedly mentioned? Any unfamiliar terms or distinctive features?"
"I didn't hear about them in detail."
Damn it. There were no answers.
Since the Heavenly Demon Sovereign was dead, I couldn't hear the story directly from him either.
"Then was your father the only one who met him? No one else? Anyone who's still alive?"
"I'm not sure about that either..."
Anger surged up, but it wasn't right to take it out on this child.
There was no way to learn more. It had simply been too long.
Having thought that far, I carefully stored this information away.
No matter what speculations I made here and now, they held no meaning.
"I understand. Thank you for telling me. I'll see you in five days. By then, make sure you've fully absorbed all the Magic Spirit Pills."
"Y-yes, I will."
With that, I left Falling Moon Manor. My chest felt heavy with frustration.
Ah. But hadn't I overreacted in the end?
Na-rin had looked completely terrified when I left.