Chapter 851
The secret chamber was filled with aged parchments and books.
Esoteric symbols and intricate diagrams, inscribed in unknown languages, adorned every corner.
At the glossy table sat a young man with eyes as clear as an endless sky.
He was a figure who had not only mastered knowledge in all fields but also possessed mysterious, prophetic abilities, thanks to his extraordinary intellect.
The Heavenly Secret Star—Chu-so.
He was deep in thought.
"Lord, it's Bang-il."
A low voice called from beyond the door.
"Come in."
At Chu-so's response,
Click.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man in scholarly attire entered, bowing respectfully.
This was Bang-il—Chu-so's trusted aide, a strategist who occasionally commanded troops or relayed missions on his behalf.
Though he could never compare to Chu-so, Bang-il was a rare master of strategy and tactics in the Murim, well-versed in astronomy and geography, capable of deciphering the phenomena of nature.
Yet, despite his talents, he had withered away without ever realizing his ambitions—until Chu-so recognized his genius at a glance and appointed him as his chief strategist, valuing him highly.
"The Absolute Demon Saber Project seems to be nearing completion," Bang-il began cautiously.
"Candidates are steadily passing the Eight Gates. They're so confident they no longer even bother hiding their movements."
Chu-so let out a soft chuckle as he listened.
"That undying old monster is still up to his useless antics."
Shaking his head, he spoke again.
"What about Yang Seol-rin?"
"She has changed, just as you predicted."
Bang-il continued his report carefully.
"And she has been in close contact with the Martial Soul Lord of the Demon Hall. As you anticipated, she shared the information we discreetly leaked with him."
His voice lowered.
"From what I've observed, she treats him with excessive familiarity. It's clear their relationship goes beyond mere cooperation."
"Hmm."
A thoughtful hum escaped Chu-so's lips.
There was nothing in this world he couldn't comprehend, and much of what was to come was within his foresight.
But this matter was entirely unpredictable.
Just like the affair with Gongson Dan-gyeong.
He couldn't see the path ahead at all.
"Strange. The Heavenly Favor Star was born with a temperament utterly indifferent to romance..."
Chu-so stroked his chin.
Long ago, he had laid plans to take over not just the Jungson Clan but the Yangseol Family as well.
As part of that scheme, he had cast numerous Great Arts upon Yang Seol-rin, manipulating her memories.
Even her abduction by the Jungson Clan had been meticulously orchestrated.
Moreover, like Gongson Dan-gyeong,
the Heavenly Favor Star was fated to live alone, never forming a romantic bond—an Absolute Solitary Star.
As if to prove this, neither woman had ever given their hearts to another, even past the age of thirty.
Yet suddenly, Gongson Dan-gyeong had fallen for Seon-u Jin,
and Yang Seol-rin had her heart stolen by the Heir of the Demon Hall.
"Should we not cast another Great Art to tighten our grip on her?"
"No more."
Chu-so shook his head.
"Tampering further with her Spirit and Mind risks turning her into a fool. If that happens, all our efforts thus far will be for naught."
He nodded as if reaching a decision.
"It seems I must meet him in person."
Chu-so tilted his head curiously.
"The Martial Soul Lord. What charm does he possess, to steal the heart of Yang Seol-rin—an Absolute Solitary Star?"
"Are you saying you will eliminate him?"
Most who saw Chu-so's face died.
Because his true identity and appearance must never be revealed.
Indeed, nearly all who had seen or known of him had been silenced.
"Of course not. He is the successor of the Demon Hall. It's too soon to kill him."
Chu-so grinned brightly.
"I truly mean to see him."
His pearly white teeth gleamed even in the darkness.
The Heavenly Secret Star, Chu-so.
The shadowy architect of the world was finally reaching out directly—to Bu Eun-seol.
Bu Eun-seol enjoyed drinking.
Whenever he had time to spare, he would roam with the Death Shadow War Unit's chiefs or the Peak Realm Members.
But ever since learning of the Executioner's existence, such indulgences had become impossible.
He could no longer visit the Demon Hall, the Martial Soul Society, or even the Azure Heaven Alliance.
If Man-wol's prediction was correct, he had a sixty-day grace period.
If he failed to resolve this problem within that time? The closest person to him would die by his own hand.
Until he found a solution... he must not grow close to anyone.
After safely escorting Seong Su-ryeo to the Seong Family Manor, Bu Eun-seol found himself in an inexplicably somber mood.
Because of his affairs, innocent commoners had nearly been sacrificed.
The dark clouds over the Murim grew ever thicker, and events were unfolding beyond the reach of his martial arts and influence.
Under normal circumstances, he would have raced across the Murim like a madman or devised schemes to resolve this matter.
But following Man-wol's advice... he intended to first sort out the tangled threads of his own heart.
'Was life not meant to be lonely from the start?'
For once, he wandered the Murim without purpose.
Then, by chance, he found a small guest inn tucked away in a secluded alley and entered to drink alone.
Ever since the old man had died,
he had always kept himself isolated.
Though chance encounters had briefly filled his life with clamor and noise,
he had always spent the long stretches of time alone.
—Time spent alone is immensely precious and brings tremendous benefits.
Suddenly, the words his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had once spoken to him resurfaced in his mind.
Bu Jan-yang had advised him that solitude was invaluable and that he should never waste it.
—In the quiet moments free from external stimulation,
it is the only time when humans can engage in truly creative thought.
Bu Jan-yang had spoken with a benevolent expression.
—Humans are creatures who expend mental power just by being with others.
But when alone, they can recover the fatigue of their spirit and mind,
and find emotional stability.
But the young Bu Eun-seol had shaken his head.
—I still prefer being with you, Grandpa. I don't like being alone.
At that, Bu Jan-yang had chuckled warmly and nodded.
—This old man will always be by your side, Seol.
Grandpa...
Snapping out of his reverie, Bu Eun-seol stared blankly into the empty air.
As a child, he hadn't understood those words.
But now, having cultivated high-level martial arts,
he fully grasped the meaning behind his grandfather's teachings.
Humans forge their will through their spirit,
and through that will, they act.
To achieve any goal, one must first move their spirit and mind.
If the heart is not at peace, the body grows weary.
If the heart is not firm, wounds are inflicted.
If the heart cannot be controlled, one cannot exhibit their true abilities.
In the end, time spent alone—
is a precious respite to regulate and refine the spirit and mind,
the very origin of human existence.
Was Miss Man-wol also considering this when she gave her advice?
In truth, the appearance of the Executioner had left Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind in an extremely depleted state.
Even if that hadn't been her intention,
he truly needed this time alone, just as he was now.
As he drank quietly, lost in thought...
the impatience stirred by the Executioner faded away,
and before he knew it, his spirit had returned to the tranquil state of his peaceful daily life.
Night had deepened without notice.
Most of the patrons drinking at the guest inn had already left,
leaving only three:
a young man sitting in the corner,
a middle-aged man dressed in fine silk robes,
and Bu Eun-seol.
The young man's features were pure yet carried a decadent beauty,
as if light and darkness coexisted within him.
The middle-aged man in silk robes bore the appearance of a typical wealthy merchant.
He wore a ring studded with diamonds,
and his body was adorned with expensive jewelry.
Their common trait must be that they all love alcohol.
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly to himself.
Those who truly enjoy drinking
pay no mind to fires breaking out or brawls erupting around them.
The time spent drinking is sacred—
a moment wholly dedicated to oneself,
never to be wasted.
As if proving this, the silk-robed elder and the young man showed no interest in each other,
completely absorbed in their drinks.
Sip... sip...
Bu Eun-seol drank from his cup in measured portions,
Gulp!
while the silk-robed elder used a large bowl as a cup, downing his liquor heartily.
The young man in the corner drank straight from the bottle like a man possessed.
The world was silent,
and the only sounds in the guest inn were those of three men drinking.
From the innkeeper's perspective,
guests lingering late into the night were hardly welcome.
But since all three were consuming alcohol at an astonishing rate in their own ways,
he couldn't very well complain.
Still, one thing nagged at him—
the young man drinking in the corner.
Though his face was handsome,
his clothes were stained with grime,
and his shoes were worn out.
Something feels off...
Solo innkeepers were always wary of shabby-looking patrons who drank heavily.
A penniless drunkard could easily wipe out
an entire month's earnings in one go.
Especially since this innkeeper had worked in guest houses since his youth,
saving up to open this small inn, which he now ran alone.
Thus, he had considerable experience in handling such situations.
"Young Master."
After much deliberation, the innkeeper approached the young man guzzling alcohol,
speaking in an exceedingly polite tone.
"Excessive drinking harms the body.
Wouldn't it be better to stop now?"
Thud.
Instead of answering, the young man pulled out a large silver tael from his pocket.
He knew full well that the innkeeper's concern stemmed from worries about payment.
"Oh my!"
The innkeeper's face brightened at the sight of the hefty silver lump,
and he promptly scooped it up.
"Well, liquor in youth is as good as a tonic!
Would you like more side dishes?"
"Side dishes are also liquor."
"What a splendid saying!
Then I shall bring out my finest accompaniments!"
Beaming, the innkeeper brought out not cheap baijiu,
but the well-aged yellow rice wine he had stored in the cellar.
The young man drank the liquor without comment, even though it had been changed.
"There's a valley nearby with exceptionally clean water—perfect for brewing remarkable liquor."
Despite being served fine liquor.
The young man still gulped it down all at once, like a horse drinking water.
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"
Somewhat disappointed, the innkeeper subtly sought his opinion. The young man wrinkled his face in displeasure.
"What does the taste matter? Liquor is just medicine."
"What do you mean, medicine?"
"Physical pain can be numbed with medicine, but the pain in one's heart can only be eased with a drink."
The young man emptied the bottle again as he spoke.
"Who in this world would be fool enough to savor and critique medicine while taking it?"
Realizing the young man wasn't entirely sober, the innkeeper humored him with a vacant nod.
"Ah, yes, yes. Drink up, drink up."
But the old man in gray saw things differently.
He sensed something profound hidden in the young man's words.
"So, you're saying liquor can heal the heart?"
The young man chuckled dryly.
"If it didn't have that effect, why else would anyone swallow this bitter, astringent thing?"
Amused, the old man in gray spoke in a low, measured tone.
"This old man is merely curious about liquor being medicine for the heart."
But the young man turned his head away, avoiding the question as if uninterested.
Undeterred, the old man pulled out a banknote from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
"If you answer me, this money is yours."
"No, thanks."
The young man grinned.
"Fortunately, I lead a satisfying enough life that I don't need to beg from others."
When the young man refused, the old man added another banknote.
"But this money could make your life far more abundant and comfortable."
"Tsk, old man, you've lived this world all wrong."
Seeing the staggering sum written on the banknote, the young man clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"What use is that scrap of paper anyway?"
"Scrap of paper, you say."
The old man in gray sighed and shook his head.
"Only those with inexhaustible wealth can afford to speak like that."
Then he added calmly,
"But those who truly understand money's worth would never say such things."
"Not at all."
The young man waved his hands frantically, as if warding off a plague demon.
"Drunkards like us are content with just a drink. Having that kind of money would only bring trouble."
"Trouble?"
"What good is a fortune to a powerless drunk? It'd only invite disaster."
The young man shook his head.
"Who might steal it? How could I protect it? Nothing but endless worry would follow."
The old man in gray looked disappointed.
"Then I suppose all the rich in this world live miserable lives, while the poor live in bliss."
He stood up from his seat.
"For a moment, I thought there was wisdom in your words... but you're just a drunk who enjoys sophistry."
Shaking his head, the old man left a sizable silver tael on the table and walked out.
The young man paid no mind to his departure.
He emptied another bottle and muttered under his breath,
"That old man wasted his life. The more you possess, the more worries and burdens weigh you down... And they call that being rich...?"
Shaking his head again, he grabbed a fresh bottle.
"When you're drunk, only the present moment exists—what greater happiness is there than this...?"
Then, in a thin, quiet voice, he murmured,
"A true rich man is one who understands this truth."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol, who had been silently drinking, paused his hand.
The young man's mutterings had struck him deeply.
"'When you're drunk, only the present moment exists'... is it?"
Unconsciously, he repeated the words aloud.
The young man glanced at him and smirked.
"You, a drunkard, can actually savor my words?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
In truth,
he had understood the young man's meaning far more profoundly than the old man in gray ever could.
"That old man earlier interpreted your words as mere obsession and suffering brought by wealth."
He continued his explanation.
"But you weren't just speaking of the burdens of wealth... You meant the desires and ambitions that grow the more one possesses."
Human desire is infinite.
Yet, tragically, the means to fulfill it are finite.
And the young man had claimed he lived a satisfying life.
Meaning, possession could shatter that satisfaction,
and he was wary of being trapped in an inescapable cycle.
"Hmm, you're absolutely right."
The young man exhaled in admiration at Bu Eun-seol's interpretation.
Then he uttered an enigmatic remark.
"No matter how tightly locked one's heart may be, a single cup of wine can open it. Wouldn't you agree?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded in apparent agreement before studying the young man's sparkling eyes and asking,
"Most young men make mistakes when they drink, but you don't seem to be that way."
"If one fears drunkenness in their youth, what will they ever learn?"
The young man shrugged his shoulders as he spoke.
"Wine is the very elixir that transforms folly and mistakes into wisdom. Don't you think so?"
"Indeed."
When Bu Eun-seol slapped his knee in admiration, the young man gave him a skeptical look.
"Did you truly understand what I meant?"
"Young men make frequent mistakes when drunk."
Bu Eun-seol spoke impassively.
"But conversely... isn't the enlightenment gained through those mistakes the true path to wisdom?"
"Hoh."
The young man suddenly let out a deep sigh before looking at Bu Eun-seol and saying,
"I've searched the world over and never found... a drinking companion so versed in the Way of Wine as you here."
"Is there truly a need to seek out drinking companions?"
Bu Eun-seol replied calmly.
"Wherever you go in this world, you'll never be lonely as long as there's wine. It's like a friend who always comforts you with kind words."
"Hahaha, that's true too. Well said."
Pleased, the young man extended his thumb.
"Some sage once said of life's joys: 'People find happiness in many ways, but true joy comes when sharing a cup of wine.'"
The young man brought over a bottle of yellow rice wine he'd been carrying and sat at Bu Eun-seol's table.
"'Without wine, neither joy nor pleasure can be fully experienced... for what resides within the wine cup is the purest happiness,' or so they say."
Then he pushed his wine cup toward Bu Eun-seol.
"And when this joy and pleasure are shared, they double. Will you join me?"
"Joy and pleasure, you say."
Bu Eun-seol gazed down at the clear liquor in his cup.
What he saw reflected there seemed less like merriment and more like the passage of his own life.
"When light disappears, so too do the shadows."
Bu Eun-seol lightly clinked his cup against the young man's.
"Just as the ripples from clinking cups eventually still... so too does life flow onward."
It meant that since even this chance meeting and drinking together were part of life's journey... he saw no reason to refuse.
The young man smiled contentedly at Bu Eun-seol's response and, instead of replying, drained his cup in one go.
Bu Eun-seol watched him before emptying his own cup as well.
Thus the two drank and conversed until dawn.
The innkeeper watched them for a while before nodding off.
Eventually, even the young man succumbed to drunkenness, dropping his head onto the table with a thud as he began snoring.
Silently.
Bu Eun-seol rose quietly from his seat.
Leaving behind enough silver taels to cover several times the cost of their drinks, he stepped soundlessly out of the inn.
"..."
For a while, silence filled the empty inn.
Slowly.
The supposedly sleeping young man gradually raised himself up.
The eyes that lifted from the table no longer held the bleary confusion of a drunken fool—instead, they shone with a brilliance capable of illuminating the entire world, as clear as well water reflecting the autumn sky.
Creak.
He stood and walked outside.
"Not even the greatest Master could detect a technique like Spiritual Energy Concealment."
The young man had been using this legendary technique—long thought lost to the martial world—to perfectly conceal his inner energy all along.
Thud.
When he released the concealment, profound radiance flowed from both eyes.
Though it was merely a glimmer in his pupils, his entire countenance grew more mystical, beginning to emanate an auspicious glow—as if a celestial immortal had descended to the mortal realm in human form.
Heavenly Mechanism Star.
The young man was none other than Chu-so.
Just then, a low, bleak voice sounded from the empty air—belonging to the subordinate who always guarded him.
"Why did you let him leave?"
When Chu-so found someone useful,
He either killed them outright or used the Great Art to turn them into puppets.
Yet with Bu Eun-seol, he'd employed neither method.
"His martial arts were truly remarkable."
Chu-so murmured in a low voice.
"Having achieved Spiritual Aperture Breakthrough, recklessly using the Soul-Stealing Great Law would have invited a counterattack."
Then he smiled strangely.
"Still, it would have been a waste to kill him."
"Why do you say that?"
"His martial arts were impressive, but his wisdom... it was like that of an old man who'd lived a hundred years."
Until now, Chu-so had viewed most people—with rare exceptions in the martial world—
As little more than monkeys unworthy of conversation.
But Bu Eun-seol was different.
He possessed wisdom and insight rivaling Chu-so's own, and most importantly, they conversed effortlessly.
It had been an exceptionally pleasant exchange.
"Is that so?"
The subordinate couldn't hide his surprise upon seeing Chu-so's bright smile as he sat in the inn.
Chu-so typically treated humans as interchangeable tools to be used.
Yet after just one brief conversation, he was making such an expression?
"Let's leave him be a while longer."
Chu-so turned with a pleased laugh.
"I suspect he'll prove quite useful going forward."
The subordinate's expression darkened.
That smile of Chu-so's—
It contained a pure joy free from Heavenly Mechanism Star's fate... something he'd never once shown since childhood.