Wuji at Falling Moon Manor
Five more days passed.
Time flowed on unchanged.
Qing Mountain remained tranquil, the Black Merchant Sect quiet. Mount Hua stood serene, and Chang'an was peaceful as ever.
When I arrived at Falling Moon Manor, Na-rin greeted me with notable formality.
"Oh, you've arrived, sir."
"What's this? Why the sudden deference?"
"I learned that you are a noble guest... of advanced years. How could I behave otherwise..."
"Goodness. Noble guest? Young lady? Enough. Just act as you always have."
"But..."
"No buts. Just do it. After all, you'll become the Heavenly Demon someday, won't you? The seat of the supreme. Will you grovel like that even then?"
Na-rin wore a troubled expression, looking perplexed, then spoke again.
"Then at least tell this humble one how I should address the noble guest."
"Just call me Great Hero."
"Yes. Understood, Great Hero."
She was still hesitant, but that couldn't be helped.
The man before her was a ninety-six-year-old monstrous old man, so tension was natural.
Besides, I had released my energy the last time.
So it wasn't strange for her to act this way after sensing it.
It must have been shocking for the girl.
Probably, after thinking it over alone for five days, she ended up like this.
"You've absorbed all the Spirit Demon Pills?"
"Yes, Great Hero."
"Good. Then sit again. This time I won't just put in the Spirit Demon Pills. You have much to do, so you need to become stronger. If it were just passing by casually, maybe, but once I've given my affection, I must take full responsibility."
"Hup. Affection... responsibility..."
"What? Don't like it? Think an old monster is making advances on a young woman and feel reluctant?"
"No! Not at all! It's just... I'm so happy..."
"Your face doesn't look particularly happy."
"That's not true! I was simply surprised that the Great Hero thinks of me that way!"
"Don't know what you're thinking. Do you think I kiss just any woman? This girl. I have eyes and a heart too."
Na-rin blushed, looking embarrassed.
Really, this kid was easy to read.
Perhaps only such girls gathered around me because I kept only such girls close.
Honestly, even after coming to this world, I didn't want to rack my brains over women.
I disliked anything sordid or messy. I simply wanted to keep upright, honest girls by my side.
Probably any man would feel the same. I wasn't special.
Still, this girl was a woman of the Demonic Cult, and for the daughter of the Heavenly Demon Divine Monarch, her nature didn't seem particularly bad.
Of course, I didn't know how she behaved when I wasn't watching.
"Here. This is the Great Return Pill. Shaolin's Great Return Pill. Now I'm going to mix this with the Spirit Demon Pill to create something called Wuji and give it to you."
"G-Great Return Pill!? Great Hero!? This one is a woman of the Divine Cult! Have you forgotten that what this one learned is the White Hand Demonic Art!?"
"Would I forget that? And do you think I'd do this without knowing? Don't worry. I'm doing all this for your sake."
With that, I tossed both the Great Return Pill and the Spirit Demon Pill into my mouth.
Na-rin looked startled, her expression dumbfounded. Everyone reacted the same way when they saw it.
Regardless, I created Wuji and thinned my internal energy so she could sense it.
"Here. Can you feel it? What kind of energy it is?"
"Whoa..."
As a woman who had reached the Demon Transcendence realm, she would understand the nature of Wuji energy better than anyone.
Na-rin stared blankly at my chest, her mouth slightly agape in a dazed expression.
"What are you spacing out for? I'm going to pass it to you, so get ready."
Na-rin snapped to attention, straightened her posture, closed her eyes, and lifted her chin slightly.
Her eyebrows trembled, and her lips wouldn't stay still.
I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She probably thought I was going to kiss her again.
"I'm not giving it through the mouth. Don't get your hopes up."
I climbed onto the bed, sat behind her, and placed my palm on her back.
She seemed a little disappointed just now. Anyway, these easy-to-read women were truly amusing.
I transferred the Wuji. I moved my internal energy.
Since Na-rin had reached Demon Transcendence, she would absorb this much faster.
So I adjusted the amount I released.
"Done. You can open your mouth now."
When I removed my hand and spoke, Na-rin spun around and glared at me with narrowed eyes.
"You could have done it like this from the beginning!?"
"So? Are you upset that this old man stole your lips?"
I had never once called myself an old man since coming here.
Because I hadn't aged. Because I still thought of myself as a twenty-eight-year-old youth.
But now, perhaps because mischief had taken hold, the word "old man" slipped out naturally.
Honestly, how could I resist? I could tease her as much as I wanted.
"W-Who said I was upset... And who would call the Great Hero old..."
Her heart was so transparent it might as well have been invisible.
Enough to make me laugh without trying.
"Besides... Since you've taken this one's lips, you must take responsibility..."
She even said that and then shyly averted her gaze.
I was going crazy. What was I supposed to do with this adorable creature?
"Even though I already have three women by my side, you still say that? Is it all right for the woman who will become the Heavenly Demon of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"
Na-rin's expression upon hearing those words was priceless.
She looked utterly stunned, as if struck by lightning.
But soon she returned to normal, her face turning serious before she spoke.
"Since you've wandered the world for so long, it wouldn't be strange for you to have that many women..."
I was so amused I nearly burst out laughing.
Right. This era was that kind of era.
A place where heroes being lustful was ordinary. A place where one could proudly speak of three wives and seven concubines.
"Enough. Let's talk about that later. It's not urgent right now."
"D-Does the Great Hero not like this humble one!?"
"Young lady" had returned again. Moreover, she no longer seemed to have any intention of hiding it.
So I grabbed the back of Na-rin's head, pulled her in, and kissed her.
The woman offered no resistance. Her lips parted on their own.
Tongues entwined, breaths grew hot.
When our lips parted, Na-rin looked completely dazed as she gazed at me.
Her eyes seemed to expect more. But for now, I stopped here.
Even though I could have embraced her with just an outstretched hand, I suddenly wanted to make her yearn a little longer.
"Didn't I say there was much to do right now? I've given you everything I can for the moment, so go do what you must. Then, when the time comes, I'll see you as a woman."
Her expression was a mix of joy and regret.
Even so, Na-rin was a woman who controlled her emotions well.
She regained her composure, drew a deep breath, and looked at me.
"Understood. This one has a great undertaking to accomplish. Thus, I will strive to be of help to the Great Hero."
I nodded and rose from the bed.
Na-rin did the same, straightening her martial robes.
"Ah. And about the Wuji in your body."
"Yes. Please speak."
"You should understand that well too. Whether Buddhist, Daoist, or demonic, it doesn't matter. You saw how the Wuji in your body was created, didn't you?"
"Yes, Great Hero."
"The Great Return Pill of Shaolin, which excels at suppressing demonic energy with the power of breaking evil. The Spirit Demon Pill is its antithesis. Yet how do they blend so perfectly?"
"...Is it the return of all things to the origin?"
"Right. As expected of a child who has reached Demon Transcendence, you have insight. Buddhist, Daoist, demonic—these are divisions and distinctions made by humans. All of them share the same root. That is called Honwon, the primordial chaos. To be precise, they aren't even mixed, but for now it's better to think of it that way."
"Honwon..."
"Here. Look at this."
With that, I lightly circulated my internal energy.
My right hand held the extreme yang energy of the White Hand Divine Art. My left hand held the White Hand Demonic Art that Na-rin had cultivated.
Na-rin's eyes widened to their limits.
"You must be wondering how this is possible. It's because they share the same root. Rather, operating both is easier. Because you only need to divide them."
"Incredible..."
"Want to step outside?"
Thus, I led Na-rin outside and moved to the adjacent building.
Then I showed her both the White Hand Divine Art and the White Hand Demonic Art at their weakest, reduced to the minimum.
"What happens when yin and yang mix?"
"It becomes Taiji."
"Right. And right now, I happen to have yin and yang in my hands. Isn't that so?"
Na-rin's eyes widened once more as she realized what I was about to do.
"Want to step back a bit? There'll be some dust."
Na-rin immediately retreated, and I grinned as I brought my hands together as if in prayer.
Yin and yang collided. Energy ran rampant.
There was no sound or light. Only the spreading energy and the belated noise of the building shattering and collapsing.
The ground was gouged around us, the building completely destroyed, dust billowing everywhere.
After a moment, Na-rin surveyed the surroundings and stared blankly at the power on display.
"You saw how little energy I put into each hand, right?"
"Extremely... little."
"That's right. There's a problem with this. More energy goes into protecting myself than destroying the surroundings. So I can't put much power into it. If I did, I'd end up like this building first."
"Even the Great Hero... cannot block it?"
"No. I can block it."
Na-rin's expression turned slightly odd. She hadn't expected that answer.
"Now, a question. Why do you think I showed you this?"
"Because of the Wuji in this one's dantian."
"Correct. There's no need to use such excellent energy only for smashing things. And one more thing. You don't need to obsess over pure energy or demonic energy. If it's you, you'll understand what that means. If you hadn't reached Demon Transcendence, there would have been no need to say this much. Isn't that right?"
"Yes... I understand. I think... I understand."
"Good. So think deeply. Reflect a lot, gain much enlightenment. That is the path you must walk."
Demon Transcendence.
A realm one could never reach if obsessed with demonic energy.
Giving this much of a hint was cheating.
But I didn't know how long it would take the girl to realize it on her own.
So I would only tell her this much. The rest was up to her.
"Now then, go. When you've finished what you must do, come back. How long will it take?"
"About a month, I think."
"Is that so? Then return by the full moon next month. We'll meet again then."
"Understood, Great Hero."
She was now a completely softened woman.
Na-rin bowed politely to me and returned to the building.
Then the woman, once again dressed in her black palace robes, glanced my way before vanishing in a flash.
I watched her until she disappeared from sight, then returned to Silent Sword Forest.