The Forbidden Men's Zone (3)
"Eh? How do you know me?"
When I asked if she was Seol Ye-rin, she jumped in shock and looked up at me. Her appearance was refined beyond her years, with silver hair and crystal-clear eyes—how had I not recognized her sooner?
Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin!
The Moon Maiden Palace had been barreling toward ruin due to the wave of spirit medicine from the Manryeon Snow Ginseng in the fifth year of the Jincheon Emperor. From that very palace emerged a super first-rate swordswoman who, in a woman's body, earned the title of divine sword—a true master among masters. Not only were her sword skills exceptional, but as the lesser palace lord of the Snow Maiden Palace, her beauty was said to rank among the top five in the world. She had it all, truly enviable.
But unfortunately, she suffers from the incurable Taiyin Severed Meridians and dies young before thirty.
In Seven Falls, Eight Rises: The Invincible Fist King, the Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin was depicted as a flower that bloomed too briefly. Readers always lamented that if she'd lived, the Moon Maiden Palace could have revived. It was one of those regrettable parts.
"Do you ever get chills surging through your whole body, or feel dizzy?"
"Oh my! How did you...?"
She opened up to me like a child her age would, amazed at how I kept hitting the mark. Sometimes, a stranger feels more comfortable than family—perfect for spilling one's secrets.
"Yes. The palace elders and my sisters hush it up, but I know. Taiyin Severed Meridians... They say it means I won't live a full life and will die young."
Seol Ye-rin wasn't just skilled in martial arts; her intelligence and perceptiveness were extraordinary too. Kids her age often saw through things faster than adults expected—I couldn't overlook that.
"I see."
I could guess why Seol Ye-rin had sneaked out here. The adults, doting on this poor child, probably kept her locked away from the world. The more they did, the more her curiosity writhed, drawing her all the way to this remote Manseol Peak.
"You were playing alone and slipped, huh?"
She looked so adorably self-reproachful that I couldn't help but grin like a dad.
"You still need to be careful, though."
I brushed the snow from her clothes, about to lead her somewhere safe, when—
"Ye-rin!"
Unfamiliar footsteps approached from afar, along with the auras of formidable experts.
Oh no!
Only then did I realize the Moon Maiden Palace masters had arrived. I'd let my guard down talking to Seol Ye-rin—that was the mistake.
I might escape if I shook her off and bolted now, but a thought struck me.
Wait! The world's greatest physician, Chiwu Gaui, who fixed my leg, said the only cure for Taiyin Severed Meridians is...
With that realization, I decided to win her over and alter the tragic fate of this character I'd always pitied.
"Who are you?"
"This is the men's forbidden zone!"
"Ye-rin! Come here right now!"
As expected, the beautiful experts from the Moon Maiden Palace, searching for Seol Ye-rin, bristled with hostility the moment they spotted me. Their future palace lord—their precious ailing girl—was clinging to a strange man. They must have feared I was holding her hostage.
"No, it's not like that. I..."
I tried to explain, but—
"Don't move!"
"One twitch, and we attack."
"Release Ye-rin now."
Finding a man in the heart of their men-forbidden zone had them furious beyond reason. Normal conversation was impossible.
What now?
Should I force my way through? Just then—
"Wait! He's not a bad person."
Seol Ye-rin hopped between me and the Moon Maiden Palace women, her eyes wide with surprise.
They hadn't fully trusted her words at first, but when she left my side without me stopping or attacking her, their anger finally eased a bit.
"I'll explain everything. See, I was bored with my routine and sneaked to Manseol Peak for a thrill. I slipped on the snow and nearly fell off a cliff, but he saved me!"
Seol Ye-rin spilled it all, even adding,
"And he already knew about my Taiyin Severed Meridians!"
She blinked with her signature innocent eyes. I wished she'd skipped that part, but her purity made it inevitable.
Whoosh!
The Moon Maiden Palace women instantly leveled their weapons at me, blades gleaming.
"Who the hell are you?"
"How do you know about Ye-rin's Taiyin Severed Meridians?"
I'd expected those questions. Telling the truth—that I knew the future from reading the novel—wouldn't fly. I needed a plausible fabrication.
"I'm Cheon Myeong, a disciple at Cheonmu Academy. While training in martial arts, I've also studied herbs and medicine."
"Cheonmu Academy?"
"Cheon Myeong?"
I showed them my academy badge. Once they confirmed it, their glares softened. The Moon Maiden Palace was reclusive but part of the orthodox sects, and Cheonmu Academy had a solid reputation. At least I wasn't some evil outsider.
"Why's a Cheonmu Academy disciple all the way in Henan Province?"
"And on our sacred Mount Geum, no less."
Their rapid-fire accusations had me momentarily flustered, but I composed a calm response. Then it hit me.
"I've heard rumors that the Moon Maiden Palace heir suffers from a grave illness."
In truth, they'd summoned every renowned physician in the land to treat lesser palace lord Seol Ye-rin. When those confirmed the Taiyin Severed Meridians as incurable, they'd even resorted to shamans and fortune-tellers in desperation. Proof of how badly they wanted a cure.
"You're a Cheonmu Academy disciple, right?"
"And one with a keen eye for herbs. I suspected the cure for Taiyin Severed Meridians might grow nearby, so I came searching. The moment I found it, I rushed here to treat the lesser palace lord."
I wove in a necessary white lie.
"Then why not follow proper channels?"
To her sharp question, I quipped back,
"I wasn't sure it grew here. And I doubted I'd get permission formally."
My improvised answer held water.
"So... what herb cures Taiyin Severed Meridians? Have you obtained it?"
A middle-aged woman, likely Seol Ye-rin's nursemaid, stepped forward.
"Of course."
She stared me down at my bold claim, then replied in a steely voice,
"Very well. We'll allow you to treat Ye-rin out of mercy. But if you fail... you'll pay dearly for trespassing our sacred grounds."
Her threat was chilling, but I felt no fear. The one who'd taught me the cure was Chiwu Gaui, the supreme physician who'd fixed my legs.
"Of course. Just provide someone to tend the decoction."
I was confident.
* * *
And so, unexpectedly, I ended up at the Moon Maiden Palace with Seol Ye-rin. There, women with fierce, glaring eyes awaited—each one a heavenly fairy in beauty, yet they shunned me so coldly it hurt.
Most intimidating of all was—
"You claim you can cure Taiyin Severed Meridians?"
Seol Ye-rin's mother and the Moon Maiden Palace lord, Moonlit Ice Sword Seol Jo-yeong. Her allure belied her role as a mother, and she glared daggers at me.
"Even the greatest physicians deem Taiyin Severed Meridians incurable. How dare a mere Cheonmu Academy disciple, not even a proper doctor, claim he can heal it?"
Even after hearing the full story, Seol Jo-yeong's glare terrified me.
"He must've used that pretty face to seduce our Ye-rin!"
Her words explained her extra venom toward me. Still, I didn't cower.
"Give me a chance to treat her. You're already resorting to shamans and fortune-tellers, aren't you?"
"Th-that's..."
I'd struck a nerve, and she fell silent, deflated. With nothing left to grasp at, the argument ended.
"Fine. You'll have everything you need. Give it a try."
Her invitation rang hollow amid the fury in her eyes—my legs nearly buckled. But I wasn't scared.
I remember clearly.
In the latter half of the original story, the physician who healed my leg, Chiwu Gaui Un-yeop, gazed at the long-dead Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin and said:
—To think Moon Spirit Herb was found so late... If it'd been discovered while Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin was alive, it would've been an easy fix...
He'd lamented it while treating protagonist Cheon Myeong's leg—the memory was fresh. And the decoction recipe was ridiculously simple: just crush three roots of Moon Spirit Herb and boil them.
Whoosh!
The moment Moon Maiden Palace lord Seol Jo-yeong gave permission, I cranked up the fire under the cauldron. Proper heat control was key in decoctions.
And not just that—
Whoosh!
I pulled out three precious roots of Moon Spirit Herb from my bundle. I'd harvested eight from Manseol Peak's hidden cave—three was a small price.
No, saving Moon Maiden Palace's favor and the life of supreme swordswoman Seol Ye-rin? That's a bargain.
Unlike Baek Muhon, born with everything, Invincible Fist King Cheon Myeong started with zilch—no home, no wealth, no friends. Getting stronger alone mattered, but building a faction was crucial.
With Little Dragon Peng Jincheon and the Northern Peng Clan already allies, adding the Moon Maiden Palace's potential would be ideal—and prevent their downfall.
I'll heal her. No doubt.
Above all, Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin was too good to flicker out early. Meeting her like this—couldn't it be my creator uncle's will, urging me to save her and the palace?
Drip, drip!
I strained the decoction through fine silk, wasting not a drop to produce a perfect elixir. Sweat beaded my forehead from the effort.
Finally, I presented the fruit of my labor—the Taiyin Severed Meridians cure—to Seol Ye-rin.
"Lesser palace lord. Please drink this."
With utter confidence, I offered the bowl. It wasn't mere medicine. It was the key to changing Moon Goddess Sword Seol Ye-rin's future—and the Moon Maiden Palace's.