Chapter 1227
Yeon Ja-mi gave a light shudder before hurriedly shaking her head.
"That won't be necessary."
Then, with a resolute expression, she thrust her left hand forward.
"Who said anything about permitting a marriage?"
"Even if it were a dissolution of engagement, the principle remains the same."
Bu Eun-seol replied courteously.
"There is the matter of face between sects. A one-sided annulment would inevitably cause complications, would it not? Naturally, the elders of both families should arrange a meeting to..."
Yeon Ja-mi cut in firmly.
"No."
"Palace Lord."
"This palace is originally a sacred space forbidden to men. Though circumstances led us to allow you inside... I have no intention of permitting another figure from the Demonic Path to enter."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"Then I shall take this as permission to try changing the Young Palace Lord's mind."
"What did you say?"
"Since the Pavilion Lord cannot come here, I have no choice but to make all the decisions myself, do I not?"
Yeon Ja-mi's brow furrowed deeply.
"Don't push your luck."
"Then grant me a private audience with the Pavilion Lord to settle this matter."
"I said—no, absolutely not!"
Yeon Ja-mi exploded in anger.
Though Bu Eun-seol's martial arts were formidable, she wasn't afraid of him resorting to force.
There were still principles to uphold.
But the Human Demon.
The mere thought of that nightmare incarnate stepping foot into the Divine Maiden Palace was utterly unacceptable.
'That monster must never come here.'
In the past, she had once seen Ak Mu-ryeong with her own eyes.
Because they had touched Langya Pavilion, he had single-handedly annihilated the Black Heaven Sect, which had dominated the Yuanling region.
No—to be precise, he had crushed them to pulp.
By chance, Yeon Ja-mi had witnessed that scene, and for the first time, she learned just how gruesomely a human body could be shattered.
For three days and nights afterward, she was tormented by nightmares.
Even now, twenty years later, those memories would sometimes resurrect in her dreams, jolting her awake with a shudder.
And now, this boy wanted to bring the very source of those nightmares—right before her eyes?
It was absolutely unthinkable.
"Shouldn't all matters follow due procedure? Since the Palace Lord insists on a one-sided dissolution..."
"This Palace Lord—"
"...should, by proper protocol, receive our Pavilion Lord."
As Bu Eun-seol repeatedly invoked the "Pavilion Lord" at every turn,
"I said—that monster is out of the question!"
Realizing she had misspoken, Yeon Ja-mi covered her mouth.
"No, I mean—not a monster, but a muscle-brained oaf..."
"Pardon?"
"No, never mind."
Her pupils had already transitioned from fear to resignation.
If she refused outright,
She knew full well this infuriating boy would drag Ak Mu-ryeong straight to the Divine Maiden Palace without hesitation.
"Fifteen days."
Suppressing her fury, she spoke coldly.
"I'll give you fifteen days. If you can't change that child's heart within that time, you will give up."
"Understood."
Bu Eun-seol bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your permission, Palace Lord."
Without another word, Yeon Ja-mi swept out of the room.
Watching her leave, Namgung Se-a stifled a laugh and remarked,
"You've grasped the Palace Lord's weakness quite well."
Namgung Se-a had seen through it—
Bu Eun-seol had deliberately pressured Yeon Ja-mi by constantly bringing up Ak Mu-ryeong.
"To win back the Young Palace Lord, is there anything I wouldn't do?"
Bu Eun-seol was well aware of Yeon Ja-mi's deep-seated fear of Ak Mu-ryeong.
He had intentionally invoked protocol to corner her.
"But can you really do it in fifteen days?"
Namgung Se-a wore a worried expression.
"We've tried every conceivable method to restore the Young Palace Lord's memories, but nothing worked."
"If her memories cannot be restored,"
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly, as if he had already considered this,
"then we'll simply create new ones."
Fifteen days.
A span that could be considered short.
Yet ample time for young hearts to fall in love again.
"Create new ones?"
"Yes."
Even if all her memories were erased,
Love could always be rekindled.
As long as her heart hadn't been stolen by the Mind Seizing Secret Art, he was certain he could win her affection once more.
The next day.
Having bought an armful of pretty trinkets in Chengdu, Bu Eun-seol strode confidently through the gates of the Divine Maiden Palace.
With Yeon Ja-mi's permission,
He was now free to come and go for fifteen days, courting Yeon So-ha as he pleased.
But perhaps because her memories of him were gone,
Yeon So-ha, who was warm and kind to everyone else, treated him with particular coldness.
No—she didn't even spare him a glance.
'Effort will see it through.'
In the past, such a situation would have plunged him into despair.
But thanks to his study of the Secret Manual of the Heart's Blossoming, he was confident he could win her heart again.
"I've come to see the Young Palace Lord."
Bu Eun-seol boldly made his way to the pavilion where Yeon So-ha was said to be.
Upon reaching the high hill, his gaze fell upon her savoring tea as she admired the scenery.
Atop the open pavilion overlooking the entire Divine Maiden Palace, with the wind tousling the hair at her temples, Yeon So-ha's figure was like a scene from a painting.
'That should do.'
Observing her, Bu Eun-seol unfolded the Immortal Crane Treads the Clouds Step, a movement art befitting the refined atmosphere.
It was a footwork technique meant to evoke a handsome scholar lost in deep thought, strolling leisurely as if marveling at the sublime scenery.
Yet with his overly grave expression, nodding left and right as he walked in contemplation...
He more closely resembled a scholar desperately holding in his bladder while frantically searching for an outhouse.
Watching this, Yeon So-ha spat out the tea she had been sipping.
For a woman who had lived with the discipline of a Buddhist monk, this was the first time she had ever done such a thing.
"Greetings."
Bu Eun-seol offered his salutation while maintaining that peculiar posture.
Yeon So-ha couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze directly and turned her head away.
"You seem to have mistaken the location."
"What do you mean?"
"The privy isn't this way—"
"Privy?"
"No, never mind."
As Yeon So-ha's icy expression softened slightly, Bu Eun-seol smoothly took a seat across from her and asked,
"Young Palace Lord, what are your plans for today?"
Instantly, the sharpness in Yeon So-ha's eyes intensified.
"Why do you ask?"
"I was merely curious."
"Must I explain my schedule to an outsider?"
'The Young Palace Lord was never one to mince words.'
Having finished his thought, Bu Eun-seol replied,
"Wouldn't knowing your schedule make it easier to spend time together?"
"What did you just say?"
"I wish to be with you."
Had this been the past,
Yeon So-ha would have welcomed those words with boundless joy.
But now, a silence as heavy as death settled between them.
As Yeon So-ha stared at him blankly,
Sssk.
Bu Eun-seol lightly covered his face with his right forearm, revealing a row of white teeth.
It was the Enchanting Blossom, Heart-Stirring Smile—a smile recorded in the Jade Wrist Secret Manual, said to captivate a woman's gaze and heart in an instant.
But perhaps because he had strained every facial muscle he seldom used to flash that radiant grin—
Twitch, twitch.
The corners of his eyes and lips spasmed uncontrollably.
Yeon So-ha's pupils, fixed on that smile, trembled faintly before dilating wide.
'Did it work?'
Bu Eun-seol widened his eyes, baring his teeth in a dazzling smile—
"Guards! Is no one there?!"
Her voice rang out sharply.
"Remove this man at once!"
Thud, thud, thud.
Disciples of the Divine Maiden Palace came rushing up the hill.
'Direct emotional expressions don't seem effective with the Young Palace Lord in her current state.'
Restrained by the Divine Maiden Palace's martial artists, Bu Eun-seol
returned to the pavilion the next day, timing his visit to coincide with her tea-drinking hour.
Though Yeon So-ha Bu Eun-seol shamelessly came yet again,
this time, she neither treated him coldly nor dismissed him outright. Instead, she set down her teacup and spoke calmly.
"Many claim... that you and I were once betrothed."
"That's correct. Do you remember?"
"Not at all."
Yeon So-ha shook her head, her voice frosty.
"And yet, despite this so-called betrothal... you never sought me out, nor visited our palace even once. Is that also true?"
Bu Eun-seol did not lie.
"It is."
"But the moment rumors spread that I was involved with Young Master Dam, you came running in a frenzy?"
"Correct."
"I appreciate your honesty, at least."
Yeon So-ha's tone was firm.
"To be blunt, I have no desire to recover my memories of you."
Bu Eun-seol swallowed the bitterness and nodded.
"I see."
"However, many disciples insist you've saved our palace from peril multiple times. That's the only reason I've tolerated your discourtesy."
Yeon So-ha met his gaze squarely.
"But this can't continue."
She was trying to be considerate in her own way.
Yet his relentless, boundary-less persistence left her no choice but to issue a clear warning: from now on, she would respond decisively.
"I understand. I'll ensure all future visits follow proper protocol."
Bu Eun-seol bowed respectfully before turning away calmly.
Yeon So-ha had lost every trace of her memories of him.
Her reaction was only natural.
'The Secret Manual of the Heart's Blossoming advises accounting for a woman's temperament, but...'
After long deliberation, he reached a conclusion.
'With her memories gone, conventional methods won't work.'
Yeon So-ha's condition was anything but ordinary.
Which meant he needed an entirely different approach.
"Brother Bu, how long has it been?"
An unexpected guest arrived at the Divine Maiden Palace—one besides Bu Eun-seol.
A tall, distinguished nobleman with large ears had come to Haehwa Hall.
None other than Namgung Un, the Young Clan Head of the Namgung Family and Bu Eun-seol's sworn younger brother.
"Aunt."
Namgung Un, who had been clasping Bu Eun-seol's hands in delight, turned to Namgung Se-a and bowed respectfully.
"You must have taken another potent spirit medicine, Aunt. You grow younger by the day."
Since becoming the Young Clan Head, his demeanor had grown more composed and cautious.
But returning to the Divine Maiden Palace, where he had once roamed the martial world with Bu Eun-seol,
he reverted to his old brat self, speaking without restraint.
"At this rate, people might mistake you for my younger sis—Ack! Please, not the ears!"
As Namgung Un spouted nonsense, the stiff atmosphere softened somewhat.
"But what brings you here? Summoning me so urgently..."
"Well..."
Bu Eun-seol calmly explained the situation.
After listening in silence, Namgung Un's expression turned grave.
"So even if her memories are erased, love can begin anew."
Recognizing Bu Eun-seol's intent, he grinned.
"You called me here to recreate the day you first met the Young Palace Lord."
He continued with a knowing smile.
"First impressions leave the deepest marks, after all."
"Precisely."
Bu Eun-seol had resolved to reenact the very day they first met—the moment Yeon So-ha had begun harboring feelings for him.
The day he had passed through the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation.
To achieve this, he had urgently summoned Namgung Un with Namgung Se-a's assistance.
He had obtained permission to once again enter the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation—the very trial that had once tested suitors' qualifications as potential spouses for Yeon So-ha.
"Time is of the essence."
Namgung Un rolled up his sleeves, revealing his pale arms.
"Let's begin immediately, without delay."
The Purple Mist Secret Cave of the Divine Maiden Palace
A massive underground cavern within the Divine Maiden Palace, originally used to store the sect's inherited martial arts manuals. However, due to rising humidity, it had eventually been abandoned.
Meanwhile, the courtship letters sent to Yeon So-ha arrived at the Divine Maiden Palace without fail, day after day.
In response, Palace Lord Yeon Ja-mi had installed the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation within the Purple Mist Secret Cave—to select a young hero worthy of Yeon So-ha.
Clank.
As the cave door opened and they stepped inside, torches flickered along the walls.
The stone floor was densely inscribed with lines, resembling a massive game board.
And within it stood twenty-four towering statues, each over eight cheok in height.
Ah, how nostalgic.
Namgung Un smiled faintly as he surveyed the interior of the formation.
Back then, he had attempted to pass through this trial but ultimately failed, nearly losing his life in the process.
Only thanks to Yeon So-ha's intervention—forcing the mechanisms to halt midway—had he barely escaped with his life.
Later, Bu Eun-seol, too, had entered the formation and faced peril, but in the end, he had unleashed formidable inner energy to break through the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation.
Though Heuk-pyo, Bu Eun-seol's attendant at the time, was not present now—
Namgung Un alone was more than enough to recreate the scene from back then.
"Ah, this really does require risking one's life."
Namgung Un uttered the exact same words he had spoken back then as he surveyed the stone chamber.
"You may still back out now."
The veiled Young Palace Lord responded in a low voice.
"This formation cannot be overcome alone. At minimum, two masters well-versed in formations are required to break it."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Un's gazes clashed.
—There's hope!
Yeon So-ha, too—
She had recreated her words from that time without the slightest deviation.
If Bu Eun-seol could properly pass through this trial, enduring countless hardships just as he had back then—
Wouldn't that become the catalyst for Yeon So-ha to regain her fondness for him?
"I'll give it a try."
Drawing the Golden Needle Sword from his waist, Namgung Un strode boldly into the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation.
Whoosh!
The moment he stepped inside, something unsettling wormed its way into his mind, and the Heavenly Generals within the formation swung their massive greatswords.
Hmm.
Namgung Un pressed his lips into a thin line.
His martial prowess had grown far beyond what it once was.
These mechanisms no longer posed the slightest threat to him.
Well, no helping it.
This was for Bu Eun-seol, after all.
Discarding all pretense of dignity, Namgung Un—
"Raaaaah!"
With a loud battle cry, he recklessly brandished his sword and charged at the Heavenly Generals.
Might as well go all out!
Boom! Crash!
With every swing of his sword, dust and stone fragments erupted from the chamber floor.
Rolling around as if giving his all, getting bloodied while executing sloppy attacks—
He barely managed to shatter the greatswords of the Heavenly Generals.
"Ugh."
Groaning, Namgung Un began wildly swinging his Golden Needle Sword.
Back then, he had been unable to regain his senses due to the disorienting power of the formation, endlessly slashing at empty air.
He was now recreating that exact scene.
Finally, as he teetered on the brink of death, blood gushing from his wounds—
"Stop!"
With a sharp command, Yeon So-ha retrieved the Young Palace Lord's Token—the authority to halt the mechanisms.
"Please stop this at once."
She then ordered Namgung Se-a to deactivate the formation.
Just as in the past, the exact same scene had been recreated.
But... the reaction that followed was different.
"I believe I've seen enough."
Yeon So-ha spoke coldly.
"I will not continue this trial any further."
"Huh?"
Namgung Se-a's eyes widened.
This was not something she had said back then.
"I have no intention of determining my spouse through something like this."
"But the Palace Lord established this trial to select a young hero—"
"Let me make myself perfectly clear."
Yeon So-ha pointed firmly at Namgung Un, who was bleeding profusely in a pitiful state.
"I refuse to judge a potential spouse based on a mechanism that inflicts such severe harm on people."
Without hesitation, she turned away.
As she strode out, Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Se-a exchanged stunned glances.
In the end, even their plan to move her heart by recreating past memories had failed.
Drip, drip.
At that moment, Namgung Un, blood pouring from his body, appeared between Bu Eun-seol and Namgung Se-a.
"What... just happened?"
He had pushed himself so recklessly that frothy bubbles now foamed at his mouth.
"Why did the Young Palace Lord leave midway?"
"She said she refuses to judge a spouse based on a mechanism that severely injures people."
Namgung Se-a clicked her tongue.
"In other words, she took one look at your sorry state and left in disappointment."
"That can't be."
"Then why did you make such a mess of yourself, getting hurt and making a spectacle?"
Still gaping in disbelief and frustration, Namgung Un suddenly—
Splash, splash.
"Huh?"
Frowned at the sound of continuous water dripping from somewhere.
"Is the Purple Mist Secret Cave leaking?"
Bu Eun-seol pointed behind Namgung Un.
"Your back."
"My what?"
"Your back."
Blinking, Namgung Un craned his neck so hard it nearly snapped.
There, embedded deep in his back, was an entire greatsword blade.
There was no need for this.
In his frantic flailing to pass through the Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals Formation, one of the shattered greatswords had lodged itself squarely into his back.
"Ah, I see. There's a sword stuck in my back."
"Is it not serious?"
When Namgung Se-a asked with a concerned expression, he let out a hearty laugh and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Of course not."
Thud.
After uttering those words—
Namgung Un's eyes rolled back as he collapsed unconscious on the spot.