Chapter 69
Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Another Heavenly Bond (2)
Pyeong Yu-Ranan opened the door and, upon seeing Yong Yoo welcoming her, couldn't help but break into a wide smile.
Ever since reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, she no longer felt her heart stirred by Yong Yoo's striking beauty. Yet, when a man with such captivating features poked his head in and greeted her warmly, it was impossible not to feel a lift in her spirits.
As she stepped into the healing hall, Pyeong Yu-Ran sensed an intense gaze and swept her divine sense over the surroundings.
Realizing the stare came from the jealous glares of the Yong Young Master Admirer Squad surrounding the hall, she felt a surge of feminine superiority and entered alongside Yong Yoo.
Having used the healing hall several times before, Pyeong Yu-Ran moved with familiarity.
Right after the Sword Leader Tournament, she had become a core disciple of High Heaven Sect, facing the cliquishness of the original core disciples. Far from being bothered, she seemed to relish it, picking Dao Debates left and right.
She had even engaged in five or six Dao Debates in a single day, to the point where the healing hall once protested that they had no more room for her.
For Pyeong Yu-Ran, born in the Blue Cloud Minor Realm, combat was everyday life—a means of conversation and connection.
However, things had changed since coming to the Central Minor Realm.
In the Blue Cloud Minor Realm, Dao Debates or battles always ended with one side dead. Thus, Pyeong Yu-Ran had no true connections to speak of.
No master, senior brothers, juniors, fellow disciples, junior sisters, friends, or Dao companions—the myriad bonds that cultivators shared. She had lived like a bird without a nest.
Human connections were fleeting, lasting only the instant of battle.
But after meeting Yong Yoo in the Central Minor Realm, everything changed.
The first time she met him, she parted without killing her opponent—for the first time ever.
Afterward, she found herself wanting to see someone again and sought them out. This was another first. Even after becoming a cultivator, she had never sought out her mortal family.
Before reuniting with Yong Yoo, she had a peculiar fight with a woman named Do Mun-hyang, both holding back to avoid killing each other.
Reuniting with Yong Yoo filled her with genuine joy, and their Dao Debates were truly delightful.
She realized connections weren't ephemeral, and with that insight, Pyeong Yu-Ran broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
She wished to maintain her bond with Yong Yoo. Accepting his Dao Debate proposal, she fought him a third time, experiencing the novel sensation of losing to the same opponent thrice.
For Pyeong Yu-Ran, her greatest fortuitous encounter wasn't High Heaven Sect or the Central Minor Realm—it was Yong Yoo himself.
The day she met him amid the sect ruins marked the fateful turning point in her path as a cultivator.
That blade brought not death, but connection; not an end, but a path to a better tomorrow.
With their bond deepening to this extent, another thought stirred in Pyeong Yu-Ran.
She wanted to build their connection in ways beyond Dao Debates.
At the root of this desire lay Pyeong Yu-Ran's budding affection for Yong Yoo, but having lived more as a sword cultivator than a woman, she failed to recognize the raw, innocent feelings within her.
"Young Master Yong. I heard you like liquor, so I prepared some."
"Ah, thank you. Junior Sister Pyeong."
With those words, Pyeong Yu-Ran offered side dishes and a gourd bottle filled with liquor.
By rumor, Yong Yoo was a heavy drinker.
A sharp alcoholic tang always lingered near him, and he himself reeked of it constantly.
He drank liquor instead of water—during fights, training, gulping it down relentlessly.
Pyeong Yu-Ran had witnessed him emptying several bottles mid-battle, noting how liquor seemed to surge his spirit power and boost his combat prowess.
Yong Yoo and Pyeong Yu-Ran sat in the healing hall's tea room and set out the drinking spread.
"Oh."
Yong Yoo was surprised at a glance by the evidently luxurious gourd bottle.
The weighty black-tinged bottle was wrapped in fine red silk, its stopper carved from high-grade spirit stone.
'That's some prime spirit stone, used just as a stopper. Part of liquor brewing technique?'
Planning to test making a spirit stone stopper later, Yong Yoo admired the gourd repeatedly.
Next, Pyeong Yu-Ran unpacked the side dishes: a chicken dish deep-fried in oil until the skin crisped, then coated in sauce.
Even eyeing the chicken, Yong Yoo couldn't tear his gaze from the liquor gourd.
Recently, he hadn't touched liquor—not by choice, but because he couldn't brew Nectar Spirit Liquor anymore, leading to unintended abstinence. Hooked on its taste, other spirit liquors felt bland, impossible to stomach.
In that sense, today's drink was highly anticipated.
Yong Yoo pulled out his ever-present storage pouch cup. Wi Ahan, waiting nearby, naturally poured as he did, filling it brimful with deep crimson liquor, which Yong Yoo gazed at in rapture.
"Ah, ahem. Sorry about that."
Realizing he'd ignored his guest Pyeong Yu-Ran, he apologized hastily.
"No, no. Seeing you enjoy what I prepared makes it all worthwhile."
Pyeong Yu-Ran said it was fine and raised her own cup. The two slowly tilted theirs back.
The liquor wrapped heavily around the tongue, leaving a rich aftertaste as it slid down the throat.
The moment it descended, the esophagus heated fiercely, a profound warmth surging from within.
"Whew. It's spicy."
Uniquely, the liquor Pyeong Yu-Ran brought was spicily pungent, clinging to the mouth like sipping spicy broth and liquor together.
'Ah... as the heat fades, the hidden pepper flavors bloom strongly.'
Sensing the pepper's aroma escape with the liquor through his nose, Yong Yoo licked his lips and held out his cup.
Downing a second cup in succession, Yong Yoo, thrilled by the rare delicious liquor, hummed a tune. Wi Ahan and Pyeong Yu-Ran watched him fondly.
Only after savoring the liquor fully and chasing a greasy, umami-packed chicken piece with more drink could the two finally converse.
"So, Junior Sister Pyeong, what's this about?"
"I wanted to discuss the Dao Debate."
"Ah, sure."
Yong Yoo and Pyeong Yu-Ran lightly reviewed the recent Dao Debate, then shared their reflections.
"I got carried away learning divine abilities, making my movements monotonous. Above all, I realized how simplistic my spellwork is."
"Ah... yeah, that happens. You're a rather pure sword cultivator, after all, Junior Sister Pyong."
Pyeong Yu-Ran nodded.
"I'm hanging on thanks to Dharma Body Twin Hands' power, but I've felt its limits creeping in since Core Formation."
Hearing Pyeong Yu-Ran's troubles, Yong Yoo found it intriguing.
'Isn't this the same dilemma Mun Yoo had?'
Pyeong Yu-Ran's concerns mirrored the original protagonist Mun Yoo's exactly.
Mun Yoo, wielding disparate Karmic Force and Meritorious Force, couldn't use most standard spells, divine abilities, or dharma treasures essential for cultivators in battle.
Thus, to the end, he fought almost purely as a sword cultivator, relying heavily on Karmic Force's prowess to navigate crises.
The difference: Mun Yoo was forced into pure sword cultivation by Karmic Force's limits, while Pyeong Yu-Ran simply gravitated that way by nature.
She could learn spells and wield dharma treasures, but when trouble arose, she instinctively relied on her body-refining flesh and swordsmanship.
Recalling how Mun Yoo ascended to the higher realms, abandoning the sword path to evolve into a spell cultivator, Yong Yoo advised Pyeong Yu-Ran accordingly. She listened intently.
As they talked, they naturally sipped liquor intermittently.
This was Nascent Soul cultivator-grade liquor—potent enough to kill a mortal with a single drop.
Liquor that intoxicated not the body, but the soul.
Moreover, both Yong Yoo and Pyeong Yu-Ran loved Dao Debates and took immense pride in their Dao combat talents, fostering an easy camaraderie unlike their usual exchanges with other cultivators.
Do Mun-hyang, Wi Ahan, and Geum So-ryeo were far purer cultivators than Yong Yoo and valued Dao combat highly but not centrally.
Thus, he sometimes regretted not having someone to discuss Dao combat deeply—until Pyeong Yu-Ran perfectly filled that gap.
Starting with mere talk, the two soon grew lively, rising from their seats to brandish chopsticks like swords, dancing about as they chatted.
How would you handle this situation?
What about that one?
Not just Yong Yoo—Pyeong Yu-Ran took immense pleasure in such dialogue too.
Without clashing blades or spilling blood, simply enjoying fine food and liquor while discussing Dao Debates and Dao combat—it delighted her immensely.
Though born in the Blue Cloud Minor Realm, coming to the Central Minor Realm let her explore new paths.
Initially discussing spells from a distance like in a Dao Debate, they gradually drew closer mid-conversation, bodies overlapping.
The sharp liquor scent wafting from each other.
Their flushed faces, beauty heightened.
Especially Pyeong Yu-Ran—her thin-skinned lips and such areas reddened more than usual, turning alluring.
Soon.
"Ah."
Their legs tangled, and the two tumbled to the floor amid spilled liquor and food, staring only at each other, forgetting the world.
Pyeong Yu-Ran's heart felt like it would burst.
She had thought of forging bonds beyond Dao Debates... but like this, in this way...?
She wasn't ignorant of man-woman matters.
During wars, she'd often seen fellow cultivators capture Blue Armor Minor Realm men or women for pleasure.
"......"
As Pyeong Yu-Ran hesitated in turmoil, Yong Yoo lowered himself as if it were natural and stole a kiss from her lips.