A Child Born with a Heavenly Fate
The child was born with a heavenly fate.
“...Because she’s a seven-month baby?”
At Namgung Woo’s question, the shadow of worry on Paeng Ha-ryeong’s face grew even darker.
“It’s not that simple. If it were just because she was born premature, then every other seven-month child would have had their upper dantian open as well. But… that’s what my mother believed.”
The Paeng family’s love for their own ran deep. That same fierce affection extended even to the sons- and daughters-in-law who had married into the clan.
“If the upper dantian remains open indefinitely, the person will eventually become an imbecile. They cannot control the external cosmic energy that floods in and lose their minds to it.”
Even after two full years, Paeng Ye-ryeong’s Heavenly Gate showed no sign of closing. The moment the Hebei Paeng family witnessed it, they were thrown into utter shock. Their beloved youngest daughter—born so late to the family head, showered with every ounce of love imaginable—had been cursed with the fate of becoming a mindless child. It was a future they simply could not accept.
From that day forward, the Hebei Paeng family began walking the path of defying heaven itself.
“They tried everything. Cleansing her marrow and washing her tendons, opening her blocked points, teaching her heart methods even though she was barely three years old… and of course, they fed her countless medicinal herbs.”
“They must have found it impossible to accept.”
“Exactly. Being born premature already made things difficult. They had to be extremely cautious with marrow cleansing and point opening, and there was a limit to what medicine they could safely give a child that young.”
The Hebei Paeng family had exhausted every option available to them. In the end, they even turned to sorcery, but it proved futile. The Mt. Mao Sect, which possessed the deepest knowledge of Taoist arts among the righteous sects, was notoriously reclusive. They refused to perform any sorcery unless the petitioner formally joined their order. The family invited other sorcerers as substitutes, but most of them simply shook their heads and left without offering any real help.
They sought out physicians, sorcerers, martial artists—people from every walk of life—yet all they could manage was to buy a little more time. Around that point, the Hebei Paeng family turned their eyes in a new direction.
The Ghost Gates. Those rifts that spewed forth demonic beasts and monsters, occasionally leaving behind mysterious artifacts. The Paeng family shifted their gaze toward them. If the power of this mortal world could not change fate, then they would borrow the power of another realm to save their child.
Among all the great martial families, the Paeng clan was especially known for their intense familial devotion. With that single-minded resolve, they willingly threw themselves into danger again and again. Yet even now, they had still not found an answer.
“The reason my father is currently away is because he received word of a white-ranked Ghost Gate appearing.”
While speaking of her family, Paeng Ha-ryeong unconsciously referred to the family head as “Father” rather than by his formal title.
“White rank… The Ghost Gate that appeared in Muan County last time was blue rank, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. They clearly said it was below blue rank, so it was quite strange.”
“Then a white rank must be considerably dangerous.”
The technique Namgung Woo had used to bisect the Soul-Stealing Ghost Net was one of the profound secrets of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Forms. It wasn’t quite his absolute strongest strike, but it was no exaggeration to call it a full-powered blow. If the entity behind a white-ranked Ghost Gate was even more powerful than that, even Namgung Woo wondered whether he could truly prevail.
“It’s all right. The family head of the Shanxi Yang Clan has gone with him. With both of them together, they should be more than enough to handle even a white-ranked Ghost Gate.”
Though Paeng Ha-ryeong’s voice carried clear concern for her father, an even stronger current of absolute trust ran beneath it.
“Young lady.”
“Yes?”
“By any chance… are you hoping that I would take a look at that child named Ye-ryeong?”
Why had Paeng Ha-ryeong revealed such a deeply personal family story to him? The reason was rather obvious. Namgung Woo had not only cured her blocked meridians but had even refined her entire body’s energy pathways. Perhaps she had sensed something about him that even he himself had not revealed. She couldn’t possibly know about Changnyeongmanan, but it was reasonable for her to suspect he possessed some extraordinary ability.
At his words, Paeng Ha-ryeong slowly lowered her head.
“…I know it’s a shameless request.”
Namgung Woo had already given the Paeng family far more than they deserved. In the martial world, anyone who reached the Peak Realm before the age of thirty was hailed as a rising star of the new generation, a genius destined to dominate the future of Murim. Yet here he was—at only twenty-four years old—already at the late stage of the Peak Realm. That was enough to place him at the very pinnacle of the younger generation, worthy of being called a dragon-phoenix talent.
He was the one who had elevated Paeng Ha-ryeong from the early-to-middle stage of the Peak Realm straight into the late stage in a single leap. If the family head and his wife personally treated him as their benefactor, no one would bat an eye at such gratitude. And yet, to then ask—Since you’ve already healed and empowered our eldest daughter, could you please take a look at our second daughter as well?—was undeniably brazen.
Of course, they would offer suitable compensation, but considering their dignity, it was not a request easily voiced.
“I am not a physician. I am a martial artist.”
Paeng Ha-ryeong tried hard not to look discouraged.
I knew it might turn out this way.
The two of them had only known each other for a few days at most. And even then, it had been a one-sided relationship in which Namgung Woo had taken care of her. She told herself she had no right to feel disappointed.
At least until Namgung Woo continued speaking.
“If it’s something even I can do, then other supreme experts should have been able to do it as well. So why are you making this request specifically to me? May I hear the reason?”
“Your aura was different.”
“My aura?”
Paeng Ha-ryeong recalled the first time she had seen Namgung Woo. His aura had been as calm and still as a mirror-like lake. She remembered how deeply shocked she had been. Now that she had witnessed his true strength, it felt even more miraculous.
“Your aura, my benefactor, was incomparably stable. Normally, the aura that leaks outward is never like that. Because the density of internal energy and the primary meridians used differ from person to person, there are always stronger and weaker areas. But your aura was perfectly uniform from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.”
“What if I was intentionally controlling it?”
“That is possible. If one uses protective energy techniques, qi wraps around the skin to shield the body, so the aura would appear even. But who would maintain a protective energy field at all times in daily life?”
“…Indeed.”
If it had simply been protective energy, she probably wouldn’t have described it as an “aura” in the first place. If he had covered his skin with true qi, anyone with functioning eyes would have noticed immediately.
“And the most decisive factor was the area around your head.”
“The head?”
“Yes. As you surely know, the Gate of Life and Death lies in the head. Unless that gate has been opened, the aura around the head is inevitably far weaker than the rest of the body. Yet even there, your aura maintained the exact same consistency.”
“To be able to discern so much just from sensing someone’s aura… that’s impressive.”
Namgung Woo had only considered the act of revealing his aura; he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“Not everyone can perceive it. My uncle and I have spent years watching Ye-ryeong and others with open upper dantians, so we recognized it at a glance. Most people probably wouldn’t notice the difference even if they observed you all day.”
It seemed that Namgung Woo’s efforts to avoid drawing attention had not been entirely in vain.
“But the aura was only what first caught my interest. No matter how remarkable it was, I thought you might simply have learned some unknown supreme art. My uncle even mentioned the possibility of the Reverse Muscle and Tendon Changing Classic.”
What had truly convinced Paeng Ha-ryeong that Namgung Woo might be able to heal Paeng Ye-ryeong was what happened after she herself had been saved by his hand.
“Just as you said, expelling foreign energy and cleansing the marrow are things even high-level martial artists can do. But I have never heard of anyone purifying eroded demonic qi while simultaneously refining the entire body’s meridians. There is something special about you. Just like Ye-ryeong. That is why I dared to make such a shameless request.”
Having finally laid bare the feelings she had been holding inside, Paeng Ha-ryeong wore a bittersweet expression as she asked,
“Did that… help at all?”
“It helped a great deal.”
Simply learning how to blend into ordinary life was valuable enough. Moreover, he now understood just how sincerely she had placed her hopes in him.
To those who give their sincerity, I shall return sincerity in kind.
Using the same logic with which he had accepted the Yang twins, Namgung Woo extended his hand to Paeng Ha-ryeong as well.
“Since I’ve received a good answer, I’ll give you one in return.”
Watching the question mark float above Paeng Ha-ryeong’s head as she failed to grasp his meaning, Namgung Woo spoke.
“We are a band of wanderers.”
The next day.
Namgung Woo and the Yang twins left Beijing after staying only a single night.
“Look at this. There’s nothing for us to do at all. The captain went and brought the job himself. As squad members, we’ve got no face left.”
At Yang Kvae’s words, Yang Jeong immediately shot back with a sharp rebuke.
“Why wouldn’t we have anything to do? If the captain tells us to go fetch something, we go fetch it. If he tells us to help from the side, we help. Are you saying you don’t want to run errands now?”
“Who said I didn’t want to? Running errands would be a blessing at this point. The captain’s request is to take a look at the Paeng family’s precious youngest daughter. You really think the Paeng family would entrust something like that to the likes of us?”
“Ah……”
“This idiot has completely lost his mind ever since the captain took him in. Captain, I think this guy needs some proper mental discipline, don’t you?”
When the twins’ endless bickering turned toward him, Namgung Woo casually tossed the rope to the other side.
“Well. From what I see, you’re both about the same. The saying ‘equally difficult brothers’ fits you two perfectly.”
“No way. I’m still better than him, right?”
“That’s what I was going to say, brother.”
Leaving the two brothers to resume their squabbling, Namgung Woo carefully guided the horse the Paeng family had provided for him. The Paeng family members acting as guides rode a little ahead, but when Namgung Woo approached, they naturally moved their horses aside to make room for him.
“My benefactor?”
“You said it would take three days to reach Tianjin, correct? I’d like to hear a bit more during the journey. Would that be all right?”
At his words, Paeng Ha-ryeong broke into a bright, refreshing smile and nodded vigorously.
“Of course!”
Deep within Beijing.
In a city filled with magnificent pavilions and Taoist and Buddhist temples that had grown in the shadow of the imperial rear gardens, a small hermitage sat tucked away in a quiet corner. Inside, a man was solemnly casting a divination.
The thick fragrance of incense. The low, resonant sound of scripture chanting. The faint shadows cast by flickering candlelight. In the midst of it all, the man’s hand, which had been turning the prayer beads, suddenly stopped.
“She has left.”
When he opened his previously closed eyes, his pupils were revealed. The hazy, whitish irises made him look almost blind, but they soon returned to an ordinary dark brown.
“What has left?”
A clear, ringing voice came from behind the man. Without even turning his head, he answered.
“The last impurity has departed from Beijing.”
Though his tone was flat, an unmistakable note of ecstasy could be felt in his words. Yet the uninvited guest remained indifferent.
“Oh, really? Is that a good thing?”
“Of course it is. Though I have no desire for you to understand why. Nor will I explain it.”
“You know me well.”
The uninvited guest stepped closer to the man. The figure that had been hidden in shadow was faintly illuminated by the candlelight. She wore a loose Taoist robe, but the unmistakably feminine curves beneath it could not be concealed.
“I’ve finished everything you asked me to do.”
At the woman’s words, the arc of the man’s lips deepened.
“As expected of the Dead Spirit Order. Thorough as always.”
“Enough. Just hand over the payment. You haven’t forgotten our contract, have you?”
“Hehe. Where has the dignity of a female Taoist gone? If Hwa-ran Seonja saw you now, she would be quite heartbroken.”
“…You’d better watch your mouth, Lee Ja-ryong.”
Even at the woman’s threat, the man—Lee Ja-ryong—remained perfectly composed. In a relaxed tone, he replied,
“I will honor the contract. Breaking an agreement made through sorcery would be burdensome even for me. Don’t worry. The payment has already been prepared.”
“You should have said that from the beginning. Where is it?”
When the woman began acting as if she would tear the hermitage apart at any moment, Lee Ja-ryong finally wiped the smile from his face.
“I left it at the place we agreed upon last time. You can retrieve it there.”
“You really are a sneaky bastard.”
Just how many hidden safe houses had he established inside Beijing?
“Is this the end of it?”
Her question openly revealed her desire to leave this unpleasant place as quickly as possible. Lee Ja-ryong gave a short affirmative reply.
With that, the woman proved that her words were not empty. As soon as she departed, the hermitage regained its former silence.
Lee Ja-ryong calmly gathered his chilled consciousness, which had been disturbed by the woman’s intrusion, and completed the ritual.
“It is almost time. Soon… a new world shall open…”