Chapter 890
'Soyo.'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol regain his senses and immediately turned to dash toward where she had fallen.
Fortunately, she had landed deep within the dense forest, and the tree branches had slowed her descent.
The ground was cushioned with soft earth and layers of fallen leaves, and above all, her body was as light as a child's, so she hadn't been seriously injured.
"Soyo!"
Though her external injuries were minor, a master like her wouldn't collapse without reason.
Bu Eun-seol urgently examined her condition.
'Thank goodness.'
Fortunately, there was no major damage to her body.
However, in her haste to follow him, she had pushed her Movement Technique to its limits.
Her Internal Energy had been completely exhausted, and unable to withstand the Collapse State, she had fainted outright.
'Because of me.'
With a guilty expression, Bu Eun-seol lifted her unconscious form into his arms.
Not only her Internal Energy but her stamina had been utterly drained—Soyo's complexion was deathly pale, her lips parched and cracked.
Bu Eun-seol's Internal Energy had reached an unfathomable realm,
where neither food nor water for over a month, nor even sleep,
posed no threat to his life.
But Soyo, though her Movement Technique was extraordinary, had not cultivated her Martial Arts or Internal Energy to such depths.
For nearly four days, she had chased after him without a single sip of water, pushing her Internal Energy to its limits—
until her body had completely given out.
"First, I need to find something to drink."
Cradling Soyo, Bu Eun-seol leaped up in a single bound and began searching for a water source.
With a Movement Technique so light it was as if he walked upon clouds, he swiftly scoured the surroundings—but no water was in sight.
Rumble.
After a moment of deliberation, he unleashed the Land-Flying Technique and shot straight into the sky.
As he ascended endlessly, the scenery below grew distant, until it became nothing more than a faint speck.
'There's a spring over there.'
Though it was a distance where even mountains appeared as mere hazy shapes, Bu Eun-seol's vision—sharper than a hawk's—instantly spotted a clear spring flowing through the forest.
Descending, he found a spring with water as transparent as crystal.
Surrounding it were flowers untouched by human hands for ages, blooming in their natural beauty.
And with every gentle gust of wind, the subtle fragrance of nameless wildflowers wafted through the air.
"This is no time to linger."
After staring blankly at the scenery for a moment, Bu Eun-seol scooped up the clear spring water and carefully fed it to Soyo.
As the cool water trickled into her mouth, Soyo twitched slightly, as if regaining consciousness.
To hasten her recovery, Bu Eun-seol continuously channeled pure Reverse Polarity True Qi into her.
"Mmm..."
Finally, Soyo opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.
"Soyo."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with a remorseful expression.
"I was just thoughtlessly using my Lightness Skill... Why did you chase after me at the cost of your life?"
Soyo blinked her large eyes as she grasped the situation, then murmured softly:
"Sorry..."
When she was the one apologizing, Bu Eun-seol's chest ached.
At first, he had merely registered her as a temporary subordinate of the Demon Palace—
to protect her from the relentless pursuit of the White Rank Assassination Sect.
But before he knew it,
she had become the Deputy Unit Leader of the Evil Soul Squad, tirelessly traversing the Central Plains to deliver messages on his behalf.
'You didn't have to suffer this much.'
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had offered Soyo large sums of money several times,
urging her to leave the Evil Soul Squad and live comfortably with her sworn siblings.
But she had refused without hesitation.
She had vowed—
to protect him by his side until the day her life ended.
Even after repeated attempts to persuade her, her ironclad Determination never wavered.
"I'll stand guard. Focus on your Inner Training first."
"Okay."
Soyo sat up and closed her eyes.
Thanks to the Internal Energy Method Bu Eun-seol had imparted to her,
not only had she rapidly elevated her Internal Energy Level of Severity,
but she could now perform Inner Training in any posture.
As she sank into the State of Circulatory Meditation, white steam rose from her crown like a boiling cauldron.
She was burning away the Impurities accumulated in her body by circulating her Internal Energy.
Hummm.
Once her Inner Training was complete, Soyo rose with a refreshed expression.
Just by drinking water and performing Inner Training, she had regained her bright complexion and clear gaze.
Conversely, this meant—
she had chased after Bu Eun-seol without a single sip of water or a moment of Inner Training.
"I'm fine now."
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's worried gaze, Soyo wore a confident expression.
"I'll train my Internal Energy harder. So I won't be a burden."
"No, it's alright."
Bu Eun-seol spoke firmly.
"Just don't push yourself like this again."
"Okay."
As Bu Eun-seol turned to leave, a sweet fragrance suddenly wafted through the air.
Ever since obtaining the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi,
not only had his Extrasensory Perception sharpened, but even his five senses had grown exponentially more acute—his sense of smell now rivaled that of a hunting hound.
"Where is it coming from?"
"I think I smell something sweet."
Tilting his head slightly, Eun-seol walked for a while toward the source of the scent.
There, he spotted a rocky cliff with an entrance carved into it like a cave.
"It seems to be coming from around here."
Without hesitation, Eun-seol stepped inside the cave-like opening.
After walking down a long, straight passage, he finally reached the end, where a bright light pooled.
As it turned out, this cave was a kind of passageway cutting straight through the heart of a massive mountain.
When he emerged on the other side, a small hill came into view, along with a lush forest of towering trees.
Among them, several trees bore golden fruits, their sweet fragrance suffusing the air.
The scent Eun-seol had detected was coming from these very fruits.
Rustle.
Beneath the shade of the trees stretched a grassy meadow, where small rabbits and deer frolicked peacefully.
And a little further away, a waterfall cascaded down, its clear waters glistening.
The rocks around the waterfall had been polished smooth by time, gleaming faintly.
The breeze that brushed past was as gentle as a caress, carrying the mingled scents of the forest and flowers to his nose.
"Wow."
Soyo gasped in awe.
The scenery before them was nothing short of a Peach Blossom Paradise, a realm untouched by the mortal world.
Even Eun-seol, who had always maintained an icy detachment, found himself momentarily lost in the beauty of the landscape, forgetting reality itself.
"Who would've thought such a place existed deep within this Secluded Valley?"
Soyo, beaming like a child, began skipping around to explore.
Unconsciously, Eun-seol found himself smiling as he watched her.
The breathtaking scenery, and Soyo—laughing brightly like a child, melting into it all.
The serene sight before him...
somehow soothed the pain he had long suppressed.
"Come look at this!"
Soyo dipped her feet into the waterfall's pool, grinning widely.
Without realizing it, Eun-seol chuckled and nodded.
Bathed in sunlight, Soyo seemed even more radiant than before.
Though she was roughly ten years older than him, her appearance remained that of a girl in her early teens.
Perhaps her youth wasn't natural—
maybe she had consumed mystical herbs like those of the Cloud Sea Azure Spirit Palace, or perhaps she had taken an Elixir such as the Youthful-Complexion Fruit.
After all, her skin truly had the vitality and elasticity of a teenager's.
'Soyo.'
Despite her beauty, a sigh escaped his lips.
Because beyond her lovely appearance,
he realized just how emaciated she had become.
'She hasn't been eating at all this whole time.'
Soyo had been tirelessly relaying information,
traveling back and forth several times a day over distances dozens of times farther than even the Pigeon Message Service could cover.
If she hadn't, she would've had to stick to his side every second...
It was clear she had been surviving on next to no sustenance.
'I've made her suffer too much.'
His Lightness Skill had now reached a level that would shame even the second-best in Murim.
And that was only possible because of the immense Internal Energy and the Three Divine Powers supporting it.
But Soyo had been circling within a few li of him using nothing but lightness martial arts...
The exhaustion she must have endured was unimaginable.
Swish.
Rising from his spot, Eun-seol began plucking the golden fruits one by one, gathering them.
Then he caught a few fish from the clear waters nearby.
Crackle.
After gathering branches and lighting a fire, he carefully began roasting the fish.
Truthfully, he could've cooked them instantly using the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi,
but he deliberately took his time, hoping to whet Soyo's appetite.
"What are you doing?"
Soyo approached, her expression puzzled.
Eun-seol was someone who valued every second, to the point where even mealtime was a luxury—
on the road, he usually relied on dry rations or Grain-Avoidance Pills.
So why was he lighting a fire here and leisurely roasting fish?
"There's no need to rush."
Eun-seol gave her a calm smile.
"I just happened to be hungry... and this place has plenty of food and beautiful scenery. Why not rest here a while?"
"Okay."
Soyo grinned like a child who had just received an unexpected gift.
She crouched beside him and helped roast the fish.
Once they had eaten their fill of fruit and fish, Soyo's complexion brightened, and a healthy flush returned to her cheeks.
A rosy flush bloomed across her cheeks, which were as pale as moonlight.
Like a flower spirit that had just blossomed into existence, her radiance was dazzlingly beautiful.
"But where exactly are we?"
At So-yo's question, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"I don't know. Judging by the location, it seems to be near Mount Jangbaek."
"We've come so far."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
So-yo looked around as she spoke.
"Thanks to that, we've discovered a truly beautiful place."
"Yeah."
Bu Eun-seol smiled, genuinely at ease.
When he first ventured into the Martial World, his heart had been filled with nothing but gray, desolate scenery.
And in that place, there had been no one.
But as he traveled the Martial World, color had gradually seeped into that gray space.
And countless people had begun to carve out their places within it.
And So-yo too... was now one of those who occupied a large part of the space in his heart.
'Now, I'm not alone.'
In truth, ever since childhood,
Bu Eun-seol had sometimes felt a fear as if the entire world had vanished, leaving him utterly alone.
Whenever that happened, his grandfather—somehow knowing—would take his hand and lead him up the back mountain overlooking the village.
—Seol-a. Can you feel how beautiful this world is?
Bu Eun-seol would nod.
In truth, it wasn't because the world was truly beautiful, but because he was with his grandfather...
And back then, his grandfather would smile with deep benevolence and say:
—The world is filled with beauty like this... yet this old man has spent far too long living with his soul trapped in darkness.
Life and death. Sorrow and pain.
His grandfather must have wandered the Martial World alone, always carrying those things in his heart.
And to have his soul trapped in darkness...
Meant he had either chosen the wrong path or had spent long years regretting something.
And after that day,
his grandfather never spoke of such things again, nor did he ever show his darkness.
Because darkness is contagious.
His grandfather had never wanted to pass that boundless, shadowed abyss onto him.
'I was too young back then...'
As his grandfather's face surfaced in his mind, Bu Eun-seol swallowed the ache in his heart.
'...I couldn't understand his pain, nor could I comfort him.'
Plip. Plip.
Without realizing it, hot tears spilled from Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
Only now did he understand why his grandfather had been able to look at him with such warmth.
Why he had been able to embrace him so tenderly.
'You were lonely and suffering too, weren't you, Grandfather?'
The grandfather who had spent his whole life showing kindness to others, living virtuously...
Had in truth been writhing in agony and pain all along.
That was why he had always been able to hold Bu Eun-seol even more warmly.
Because only those who have endured bitter cold know the preciousness of a warm embrace.
And because such pain can only be healed by love.
Plip. Plop.
Endless hot tears fell.
No matter how much he wore the face of the cold-hearted Grandmaster of the Demonic Path,
Bu Eun-seol was still—even now—
the same boy who had once played with his grandfather at Peaceful Burial House.
Whoosh.
Then, a warm embrace enveloped Bu Eun-seol as he wept.
It was So-yo.
"You've been through so much, haven't you?"
She pulled the seated Bu Eun-seol close, tightly cradling his head.
Then, in a soft voice, she murmured:
"Let's rest here a little longer. This place is too beautiful to leave just yet."
Without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
So-yo's embrace was small, yet warm and comforting.
Perhaps it was because, like his grandfather...
she cherished and loved him.
Squeeze.
So-yo hugged him even tighter.
For the first time, Bu Eun-seol did not resist another's warmth and accepted it wholeheartedly.
And as he embraced that warmth,
without realizing it, he sank into a deep sleep.
How much time had passed?
Pitter-patter.
Somewhere, the faint sound of rain echoed.
Bu Eun-seol, who had been fast asleep with his eyes closed for a long time,
'Is it raining?'
finally startled awake, his eyes flying open.
Frantic, he glanced around and realized he was lying inside the entrance of the cave they had passed through earlier,
while outside, rain fell in a steady drizzle.
It seemed that while he was deep in slumber, So-yo had carried him into the cave.
"To think I fell asleep like that..."
For a Martial World Master of his level to lose consciousness and sleep so deeply was unthinkable.
Moreover, large felled trees were neatly stacked nearby.
Likely, after moving him here, she had gathered them to build something.
"So-yo..."
Bu Eun-seol swallowed dryly.
The sweet scent and soft touch he had felt in So-yo's embrace rose belatedly in his memory.
'Even so... to fall asleep the moment she held me. Something's strange.'
After pondering for a long while, he let out a sigh of realization.
"Now that I think about it... I haven't slept at all."
Only then did it dawn on him that he hadn't slept even once in the past month.
"It's a wonder I didn't collapse sooner."
Bu Eun-seol gripped his neck and shook his head.
Truthfully, the sudden exhaustion wasn't just from lack of sleep—it was more because he had drained his Mental Power far too much.
Tracking his grandfather's movements had forced him to consider far too many things, and he had to deal with countless matters.
And then there was his encounter with Baek Mu-seong...
For reasons unknown, it had left him with unbearable agony and loneliness.
"So-yo."
With So-yo—who should always be by his side—now absent, unfamiliar emotions welled up inside him.
It was a hollowness he had never felt before.
'Have we spent so much time together that it's come to this?'
Unless delivering information or handling a special task, So-yo always lingered within the reach of his senses.
And before he knew it, her presence had become as natural as breathing.
But now, with the familiar Presence gone, he felt an emptiness, as though something had been lost.
"You're awake?"
From a distance, So-yo approached, her arms laden with something.
In her hands were fruits, a bamboo water flask, and a rope made of tree bark.
Having woken up, she had worried—Would he be thirsty? Hungry?
Even in the rain, she had gathered fruit and fetched water.
"Wait a moment."
So-yo began cutting the stacked wood in the cave to fashion a makeshift bed.
Though the cave itself was clean, the ground was not.
She had piled the wood earlier so Bu Eun-seol could sleep comfortably.
"Is that really necessary?"
Bu Eun-seol chuckled.
"We'll be leaving soon anyway."
"Can't we stay just a little longer?"
So-yo whispered in a small, quiet voice.
"Just until your heart feels at ease."
"Just a little longer, you say?"
"Mhm."
"Hmm."
"No?"
Bu Eun-seol closed his eyes.
Not to think—
But to hear So-yo's voice, melting softly into his ears, just a little clearer.
Her voice was faint and low, yet polished smooth like a precious gem.
'So that's why it soothes people's hearts.'
So-yo's voice was naturally soft and deep, not just comforting to the ears but also like a whispered song.
"Why?"
Unaware of Bu Eun-seol's wandering thoughts, So-yo spoke again.
"Is there something urgent?"
Snapping back to his senses, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"No, it's just... the subordinates will worry."
"I already told the Evil Soul Squad. That we'd rest a little before leaving."
While preparing the water and food, she had gone down the mountain to relay that very message to them.
"If you've gone that far, I suppose there's no choice."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly and nodded.
"Then let's rest just a little longer."
So-yo's eyes curved into crescents as she nodded back.
"Mhm."
Bu Eun-seol and So-yo spent their days in this beautiful Secluded Valley, free of all thought.
They ate fruits for meals, caught and roasted fish, and at night, they lit a bonfire before sleeping.
The world was silent, and all around them, only beauty seemed to exist.
'Perhaps this is the ordinary life Grandfather spoke of.'
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had been entangled in countless conspiracies of the Martial World, deciphering and dealing with them all.
It had been an endless, grueling ordeal.
But for the first time, he had forgotten everything, melting into nature with So-yo.
Chirp, chirp.
Before he knew it, the night was alive with the sound of crickets.
As the night deepened, Bu Eun-seol drifted into sleep.
Inside the cave, two beds lay side by side.
Originally, So-yo had made one large bed, but Bu Eun-seol had split it into two.
"Because men and women should be separate?"
When So-yo asked, Bu Eun-seol—uncharacteristically—joked in response.
"My sleeping habits are terrible. If you're next to me, you might get seriously hurt."
"...I don't mind."
Clearing his throat, Bu Eun-seol took the two split beds and—
Swiish!
Unleashed the Willful True Binding, shaping dozens of sharp blades to neatly refine them.
"Like this. You could get hurt."
"..."
Before long, the night grew deeper.
This was likely the first time he had slept simply because night had fallen.
Lying on his bed, Bu Eun-seol soon fell into a deep slumber.
On the neighboring bed, So-yo turned over, watching him sleep with quiet contentment.
[My daughter...]
Then, a strange Thousand-Li Voice Transmission echoed in So-yo's mind.
[Why are you there?]
Startled by the bizarre voice, So-yo pricked up her ears and spread her Extrasensory Perception.
Then, an exceedingly deep and solemn voice reached her ears once more.
[Right now, you are being deceived.]