Did I Just Read This Title Right?

"Did I just read this title right?"

Joint cultivation? As in, that which men and women did in bed? She wondered if this was some kind of novel prank. There was no way a manual with such a name actually existed in this world.

Frowning, Yeongso set down the brush and notebook she had been holding. It was only natural for a martial artist to have their attention captured by a secret manual they had never heard of before. But the moment she flipped open the first page, she was confronted with illustrations that put even the most scandalous erotic paintings to shame.

"W-what on earth..."

Startled, she quickly flipped to the next page, only to find a naked man and woman in a completely different posture. It was just as explicit. Without even reading the text, Yeongso hurriedly turned the page again. To her utter astonishment, the book consisted of nothing but illustrations of a couple coupling from beginning to end.

Front, back, up, down, sideways, upside down, right side up, standing, sitting, lying down, face down—as she stared at the drawings of the man and woman intertwining their bodies in every imaginable way, Yeongso muttered, "And they called this a martial arts manual...?"

Well, the title did openly call it a Joint Cultivation Manual, so it wasn't as if she had been deceived. But what could anyone possibly learn from this? "At first glance, it just looks like an ordinary book on bedchamber arts," she murmured.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Yeongso fell into deep thought. Since returning a gift would be rude, she decided she would have to hide it away somewhere deep and out of sight. Just as she reached this conclusion, the parlor door swung open, and Banya walked in.

Of all the people to catch me looking at a book like this, it had to be the one person I wanted to hide it from most! Normally, she would have sensed someone approaching long before the door opened, but the sheer shock of seeing such an absurd manual must have dulled her senses. Even though she knew it was already too late, Yeongso frantically flung the book behind the curtain.

There was no way Banya would just stand by and watch a book fly through the air with such terrifying momentum. "It seems a bird has flown into the room," her husband remarked smoothly, reaching out toward the book. No!

"It's certainly no sparrow. A pigeon, perhaps, given the size? Quite a big one, too." By the time he finished speaking, the manual was already firmly in Banya's grasp. If it hadn't been a gift, she would have blasted it to pieces in midair. Yeongso watched him with anxious eyes.

"I didn't buy that; it was a gift. Several female disciples from various sects came to visit earlier, and I was just sorting through the presents." Yeongso's voice grew smaller and smaller. "I had no idea what was inside..."

"Secret Manual of Union Training," Banya read the title aloud. Then, he held the book up so the cover faced Yeongso. "A remarkably straightforward title."

"..."

"Unless one is illiterate, it's quite impossible not to know what this is about." Having been lured in by the word "manual" despite seeing that title, Baekri Yeongso had absolutely no excuse. In any case, how could she divert her husband's attention as he casually flipped through the pages? If she left him to his own devices, he would tease her relentlessly until she begged him to stop.

"By the way, my lady, have you decided to stop hiding your martial arts now? The door wasn't even closed yet, and you threw that book right in the open." When she weakly protested that her hand had simply slipped, Banya laughed. "If your hand slips twice, I might end up dead."

Yeongso pursed her lips tightly. She had to admit, even she found her own excuse incredibly flimsy. "I was just... so startled."

"By what? For instance, something like this?" Banya flung the book wide open. The moment an illustration of a male member—rendered in almost life-sized detail—caught her eye, Yeongso whipped her head away. "Yes, exactly like that."

"Did you only look at the pictures and skip the text?" Banya added, looking highly amused. "That's usually my line of work."

"...Regardless, it's a bizarre manual. In fact, I don't even know if it can truly be called a martial arts manual at all," Yeongso muttered. "I'll just consider it a mischievous prank gift."

She was about to ask him to return it, but Banya sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "If you had read the text, my lady, your opinion would have been quite different."

"I highly doubt—"

"It is absolutely something that would interest you. In fact, I'm the one who wants to hide it away from you." Banya's tone suddenly shifted. Pointing to the final page of the book, he continued, "The alternative name of this manual is the Yin-Yang Unity Heart-Connecting Art. It says that once you complete all thirty-six stages of training, you can share everything with your partner."

Yeongso's ears perked up. Control his killing intent?

Banya flipped through the pages rapidly, seemingly focusing on the text now. Watching him mutter to himself about what a bizarre martial art this was, Yeongso felt a sudden wave of anxiety.

"Was that really what it said? I didn't get a proper look earlier..."

"It also says it's possible to transfer all of one's internal energy to the other and then take it back. And the pain felt by one can be shared with the other?" Banya let out a dry chuckle. "They claim that once you reach that level, you can signal a life-threatening danger without needing carrier pigeons or signal flares. What's the point of that?"

He tapped his finger against the page containing that passage. He didn't just do it once; he tapped it several times in succession—tap, tap, tap—making Yeongso's heart sink for some reason.

"You're going to damage the book if you keep doing that."

"But it's hilarious." This time, Banya shook the book. "I am the strongest man in the Unorthodox Path, and you are a master capable of killing me. Even if we were to learn this, when would we ever have cause to use it?"

"Besides," Banya added, "neither of us is particularly afraid of dying."

"W-who says?" Yeongso retorted. She stammered in her haste to lie, but she pushed on. "I am terrified of dying."

"Ha! As if someone who fears death could have killed me so easily." Banya laughed incredulously. "My lady, anyone who is truly afraid of dying wouldn't dare cross Hwa Banya in the first place. And while you might not know how you conducted yourself during my countless regressions, I certainly do. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw it all."

"...Saw what?"

"Just how stubborn Baekri Yeongso can be." The expression on Banya's face as he spoke was peculiar. Was it possible for pleasure and irritation to coexist so perfectly?

"No matter how much you were tortured, you never opened your mouth, yet you never took your own life either. Of course, I wouldn't have allowed you to commit suicide anyway, but still... And yet, the moment I actually resolved to kill you, you would close your eyes as if you had completely accepted your fate. After going through that about seventeen times, even the great Hwa Banya was driven nearly mad."

Banya paused mid-rant and scowled. "Wait, what was I saying before I got sidetracked? Ah, right. My point is that you are not someone who fears death."

Banya nodded to himself and closed the book. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He muttered that it would be far better to get some extra sleep than to learn such trivial tricks, yet he still made to take the book with him.

"That is a gift I received. Give it back."

"Didn't you just say you doubted whether it was even a real martial arts manual?"

"That was...! That was just a prejudice I formed from looking at the illustrations. Regardless, it is my property, so please return it."

"Absolutely not. I think I'll toss this to Chocho on my way out and tell her to use it as firewood."

Yeongso was now thoroughly frantic. She rushed over to her husband, whose lips were twitching with a suppressed smirk, and reached out. She couldn't bring herself to use her martial arts to snatch the book back, knowing Banya would find it far too entertaining. Besides, he was a man who would gladly reduce the book to dust just for a moment's amusement.

"If you won't give it back, at least let me read it...!"

"No. Such an obscene and wicked book does not suit my virtuous wife. You should go sit at your desk and paint chrysanthemums instead. Fidelity and integrity! Isn't that what you love so much?"

"And what about you? Since when did you care so much about books that you're trying to steal mine?"

"Are you looking down on your husband now? How dare a lowly, uneducated scoundrel covet a book belonging to the precious daughter of the prestigious Baekri Clan?"

"Don't twist my words! When did I ever say that?"

The bickering between the Alliance Leader and his wife continued for quite some time after that.

Meanwhile, Ma Ryun, the Heavenly Killing Star, had spent the last half-day rummaging through the treasure vault of Cheonsaryeon. While this vault was packed with treasures that even the Leader of the Murim Alliance would covet, it suffered from one major flaw: it hadn't been organized in generations. He was tasked with finding a single, dusty old book in this vast ocean of clutter.

Ma Ryun turned to Banya, who was rummaging through a nearby display case, and asked, "Renju, what did you say the title of the book was again?"

"The Secret Manual of Union Training."

It wasn't that Ma Ryun had actually forgotten the title. He had simply asked to double-check because he still couldn't believe his ears.