Chapter 892
A flash of light streaked across Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
'That man might be capable of handling Soul-Demon Magic Energy.'
The old man he had encountered before, the one who took the form of a young boy.
He was undoubtedly connected to both the Baekri Clan and the True Demon.
That mysterious figure had freely wielded the parchment imbued with the power of both factions.
'But right now, I need to find So-yo.'
What mattered now wasn't Ja Su-ryeon's past or her lover—it was So-yo.
That old woman wouldn't have harmed her, so if he just followed the traces, he should be able to find her easily.
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol did not extend his Empty Mind Spirit Perception but instead unleashed Wind & Cloud Divine Qi in all directions.
No matter how much she had erased her tracks or used a Movement Technique to fly through the sky—
She would have had to push through the wind to get here. If he traced those disturbances with Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, that would be enough.
Rumble—whoooosh!
As the divine energy surged outward like a storm sweeping in from all directions, the old woman's face twisted in fear.
"What in the world are you doing?!"
Hiss—
But then, at that moment, a faint Sound of Breaking Air echoed, and a dim shadow gradually descended from the distant sky.
Tap.
The shadow, landing gracefully with an exquisite Movement Technique from the heavens, was none other than So-yo.
"How did you—?"
At the sight of So-yo, Ja Su-ryeon's eyes widened in unconcealed shock.
"If one consumes both the Profound Yin Pure Essence and the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Fruit at the same time, no matter how deep their Internal Energy is... they absolutely shouldn't be able to regain consciousness for at least four hours."
The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Fruit and the Profound Yin Pure Essence were not only elixirs that drastically amplified Internal Power—if a woman consumed them, her Yin Qi would surge violently.
With such potent medicinal energy, it should have been impossible to regain consciousness for at least four hours.
So how had she recovered so quickly and come here?
"So-yo!"
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol, having noticed something, gasped in alarm and immediately examined her thigh.
Blood was trickling steadily from it.
"It's fine, it's nothing."
So-yo waved her hand dismissively, offering a reassuring smile as if to ease his worry.
"Child!"
A startled Ja Su-ryeon immediately pressed on acupoints to stop the bleeding.
Then, tearing off a piece of her sleeve, she tightly bandaged the wound.
"Why in the world would you do something like this?"
Originally, So-yo had intended to no longer treat Ja Su-ryeon kindly—after all, she had deliberately made her lose consciousness.
No matter how unhinged a person was, rendering someone unconscious was unforgivable.
But seeing how genuinely concerned she was, fussing over her wound like a mother would for her daughter—
She couldn't bring herself to be harsh.
"This was the only way to wake up quickly."
"Why did you need to wake up so urgently?"
"Who knows what might have happened to him while I was unconscious?"
So-yo had been on the verge of losing consciousness due to the medicinal energy.
But the thought that Bu Eun-seol might face danger in her absence—
So she had stabbed her own thigh with a dagger to jolt herself awake and rushed here in a panic.
"Why...?"
Ja Su-ryeon stared at her with an expression of utter incomprehension.
"Just what is he to you? That you would go to such lengths?"
"..."
"That bastard will betray you sooner or later anyway."
"Why do you think he'll betray me?"
Ja Su-ryeon declared firmly.
"Because he doesn't love you!"
Even in her muddled state, she had seen through it.
The way Bu Eun-seol looked at So-yo held no deep affection—none at all.
In stark contrast, So-yo's gaze was filled with nothing but profound, boundless devotion.
"So what?"
So-yo replied calmly.
"That doesn't matter. I'm the one who loves him."
"Are you saying you'd sacrifice your life for that bastard?"
"If I thought of it as a sacrifice..."
So-yo shook her head.
"Then it wouldn't be love—it would just be weighing pros and cons."
Ja Su-ryeon's mouth fell open as if struck by a revelation.
"If I thought of it as a sacrifice... it wouldn't be love, but a calculation?"
Her expression flickered between clarity and confusion, as though she had been dealt a tremendous shock.
"But there's one thing you don't realize."
Ja Su-ryeon spoke with a devastated expression.
"If you give unconditional love, your own life will be ruined."
Her face contorted as if haunted by unspeakable memories.
Knowing that clumsy consolation or sympathy would only torment her further—
So-yo remained silent, saying nothing.
Then Bu Eun-seol stepped forward and spoke.
"If such a thing happened, wouldn't the greater fault lie with you, old woman?"
Crossing his arms, he continued.
"Either you clung to obsession so fiercely that you drove your lover away—or something else."
From this point on, Bu Eun-seol needed to extract information about the Old Man of the Sanctuary.
So far, almost no one in the Murim knew anything about the Sanctuary. That was why he was deliberately provoking her.
"What did you say?"
A blazing fury ignited in Ja Su-ryeon's eyes.
"What would a scoundrel like you—who exploits a woman's heart and treats her like a tool—possibly understand?"
"You're right. I am a scoundrel who uses women's hearts. But at least I don't drive them away."
Bu Eun-seol deliberately adopted an insolent expression.
"But what if a woman who isn't even loved clings shamelessly without an ounce of shame? Naturally, I'd send her away."
"Enough of your nonsense!"
Ja Su-ryeon roared in fury.
"We loved each other! And as proof of that love, I even bore a child who resembled him!"
Her face twisted in unbearable anguish as she screamed.
"But then he spouted absurd nonsense and fled, stealing only the child! So tell me—what exactly did I do wrong?!"
As her sharp outcry echoed, Bu Eun-seol's expression turned solemn.
He had deliberately provoked Ja Su-ryeon to force her to spill the truth.
But he hadn't expected her to have been betrayed by her lover and robbed of her child.
'If I apologize now, she'll just clam up again.'
The situation had already reached a point of no return—like riding a tiger, unable to dismount.
With no other choice, Bu Eun-seol deliberately adopted an even more arrogant expression and asked,
"Then why not just find the child?"
"Of course I tried. I scoured every corner of the Central Plains and Beyond the Frontier to find them."
Ja Su-ryeon spoke as if wailing.
"I spent a fortune hiring assassins and mercenaries. But no matter where I searched, I couldn't find a single trace."
Suddenly, she yanked So-yo into a fierce embrace and cried out in despair.
"But after endless suffering, I did find my child. So stop wasting my time and leave!"
Bu Eun-seol's expression turned blank.
She had been deceived by a man in her youth, bore his child, and then had that child stolen from her.
The fact that she hadn't completely lost her mind was nothing short of miraculous.
"Papa."
At that moment, So-yo pushed Ja Su-ryeon away and met her gaze squarely.
"I'm sorry... but I'm not your daughter."
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
So-yo's pupils emitted a white energy.
It was the Mind-Seizing Secret Art, a technique used by assassins of the White Rank Assassination Sect—meant to steady the mind when a comrade was in shock,
or to help endure extreme pain or fear.
"You're... not my daughter?"
"That's right. But we can help you find your real daughter."
Was it because So-yo, whom she had thought was her daughter, had used the Mind-Seizing Secret Art?
Or was it simply that her madness wasn't as severe as it seemed?
Despite being a simple technique, Ja Su-ryeon's gaze sharpened as if she had regained some clarity.
"Then... where is my child? Where did they go?"
Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
"I run a fairly capable intelligence network. If you give me the features or clues of the person who took your child, I might be able to track them down."
Since the child had been taken in her youth,
even if she remembered a few details, too much time had passed—it would be useless.
So it was better to focus on finding the abductor instead.
"It's no use."
Ja Su-ryeon stood dazed, her expression resigned.
"I spent millions hiring every intelligence network in the Central Plains. None could find them."
"..."
"The clan he claimed to belong to, his status, his family background—all of it was a lie. Maybe he just made up nonsense because he had nothing else to say."
"Nonsense? What do you mean?"
Ja Su-ryeon's face twisted in pain.
"He said he was a guardian of the Laws of Murim, that he could traverse the Boundary of this world. And that was why he took the child."
Then, as if she still couldn't comprehend it, she spread her hands and added,
"He said a child of his blood must never fall into the hands of the people of Murim."
Ja Su-ryeon struck her chest in furious indignation and screamed.
"What kind of insane drivel is that?!"
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's face hardened.
'A guardian of the Laws who can traverse the Boundary of this world...'
Murim did have laws governing the world, and there was a faction—the Sacred Realm—that claimed to protect them.
And until now, they had never revealed themselves to the world.
'It's certain.'
Bu Eun-seol was convinced.
The man Ja Su-ryeon had loved was undoubtedly from the Sacred Realm.
Watching her collapse into sobs, Bu Eun-seol spoke again.
"It might not be a lie."
"What are you talking about?"
"There really are such people in Murim."
Ja Su-ryeon's eyes flared as she shouted.
"More nonsense? Are you seriously telling me to believe that drivel?!"
The affairs of the Sacred Realm and the Executioners were not to be carelessly disclosed to ordinary martial artists—knowing of them invited retaliation.
The man from the Sacred Realm likely couldn't tell her the truth to protect her.
'I can't be the one to reveal the secrets her lover kept hidden until the end.'
Undoubtedly, that man had withheld the full truth to shield Ja Su-ryeon.
If Bu Eun-seol carelessly blabbed now, he might only be putting her in danger.
"Perhaps he couldn't tell you the full truth to protect you."
"And what good does that do me?!"
Ja Su-ryeon bellowed.
"Even if that's true, does abandoning the woman he loved and stealing a newborn make any sense?!"
With a look of deep injustice, she pointed at her house.
"This is the home he built so we could live together, free from worldly affairs! But he never came back!"
Her scream echoed in all directions, saturated with resentment and blood.
After maintaining silence for a while, Bu Eun-seol spoke again with empathy.
"You must have been deeply heartbroken."
"But if he is from the place I suspect, I doubt he would have handled things so simply."
"What are you talking about?"
"He must have prepared some kind of contingency plan..."
Then, with an utterly composed expression, he continued.
"By any chance, did you break a promise with him back then? Or perhaps failed to listen carefully?"
Ja Su-ryeon's eyes widened in an instant.
"How do you know that?"
"From what I know, the people of that place are all extraordinary masters. It's hard to believe such a man would flee recklessly without any plan or consideration."
"Just where is this place you're talking about?"
I can't reveal the name 'Sacred Realm.'
That name itself was akin to a grave secret. Carelessly telling Ja Su-ryeon might only bring her harm.
"It's just a secretive organization unknown in the martial world. Even I don't know its name."
Bu Eun-seol pressed further.
"So tell me. What exactly was the promise he made?"
Ja Su-ryeon closed her eyes with a devastated expression.
Around the time she learned she was pregnant, her lover had made one request.
Until the child was born, she was never—under any circumstances—to reveal his whereabouts to anyone.
Not even to his estranged clan, from whom he had severed ties.
But Ja Su-ryeon couldn't comply.
Once the child was born, she wanted to contact his family, reconcile, and receive their blessings.
Yet the manor he had called his home didn't even exist.
And somehow, he found out.
Having grasped the entire situation, her lover returned with a heavy sigh and said:
—I pleaded with you, yet you still revealed my whereabouts to others.
—Others? I contacted your family—how are they 'others'?
—Did I not tell you? Not even to my own kin.
Ja Su-ryeon was furious.
She thought he was refusing to take responsibility for her.
—I trusted you, carried your child without even a proper wedding! Shouldn't we announce it to everyone and receive their blessings now?
—Was ten months so unbearable? I gave up everything to stay by your side.
Her lover shook his head with a pained expression.
—But because you exposed my true identity and whereabouts, I can no longer remain in the martial world. And neither can this child.
He lifted the child and said:
—Please forgive me.
Then, without hesitation, he left.
Ja Su-ryeon wanted to stop him, but his movements were so mysteriously swift—she couldn't even discern which direction he had gone.
"...That's how it happened."
After hearing her story, Bu Eun-seol pieced everything together.
He was likely a figure from the Sacred Realm.
And through some means, he had resolved to leave it behind and spend his life with her.
But Ja Su-ryeon couldn't fully trust him, and in the end, breaking her promise drove him away.
Yet I can't blame her.
At the time, Ja Su-ryeon was pregnant, and her lover had lied about being estranged from his clan.
Naturally, she would have thought it right to contact his family for the sake of the man she served as her husband.
"It must have been hard," So-yo said softly.
"You wanted to believe him, but you were afraid your child would grow up without blessings."
Even So-yo understood Ja Su-ryeon's heart back then.
"It wasn't that you didn't trust your lover—you were being brave for your unborn child."
"Exactly! I did nothing wrong!"
Ja Su-ryeon cried out indignantly.
"I was deceived by him, my life ruined! What exactly did I do wrong?!"
Her bitter scream turned into a heart-wrenching sob that shook the Secluded Valley.
"That man was a fraud. I was tricked by a scoundrel and spent my whole life in misery."
"You're being dishonest."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was low.
"If you truly believed that, would you have stayed in the place you shared with him?"
Struck by his cold remark, Ja Su-ryeon trembled violently.
Deep down, she had known for a long time.
That her mistake had left her lover with no choice but to leave.
But to admit that?
It would mean she was the foolish woman who cornered him and forced him away.
So even as she clung to her twisted resentment, even as she cursed him... she waited here.
Believing that someday, he would come back for her.
"Even if I made a mistake!"
Ja Su-ryeon shouted in anguish.
"No matter what, not coming to see me even once in decades—isn't that too cruel?!"
That was her true heart.
Even if she had been wrong.
She believed time would eventually bring him back.
That he would return with their beloved child, ready to forgive her.
But he never came.
In the end, her hatred for him—
And the torment of not being able to find her daughter had driven her mind to the brink of instability.
"Perhaps there were circumstances that prevented him from coming."
So-yo comforted her sincerely.
"If he had been a cold-hearted man, he wouldn't have given Papa such deep affection that she remained here for a lifetime."
Hearing these earnest words, Ja Su-ryeon finally shed tears.
And then, she brought out the words that had been lodged in her heart all this time.
"I still believe. I can wait for him my entire life."
Ja Su-ryeon was still waiting.
At the place where she had met her beloved by chance, where they had promised to spend their lives together.
"But you are my daughter, aren't you? Right?"
With trembling hands, Ja Su-ryeon pulled So-yo into an embrace.
"Don't you have his eyes and the bridge of his nose?"
If the daughter she had lost long ago had grown up, she would surely have become as beautiful and lovely as So-yo.
Moreover, those mysterious blue eyes and the delicate slope of her nose were identical to her lover's.
It was no wonder she had mistaken So-yo for her own child.
Then that means the Old Man of the Sanctuary isn't him.
The Old Man of the Sanctuary she had seen before had the typical features of a Han Chinese man.
Her lover wouldn't have hidden even his true face from her.
Just as Bu Eun-seol was sinking deep into thought—
"Papa, calm down."
So-yo warmly embraced Ja Su-ryeon and soothed her.
At that, she too stopped crying and her expression eased.
So-yo's voice and embrace have the power to comfort others.
Just as they had comforted him before.
Ja Su-ryeon also seemed to find great solace in her voice and arms.
Given that she can communicate to some extent, her madness shouldn't be too difficult to cure.
He had deliberately provoked Ja Su-ryeon's resentment, coaxing out the grievances buried in her heart.
Only then could he help her.
Above all, he had seen that the long-suppressed anguish in Ja Su-ryeon's heart was on the verge of erupting.
If he had made her vent her bitterness—
Then he had to console her so she could shake it off.
Strangely enough, So-yo was doing exactly that, step by step.
It was because her nature and voice—
Possessed a mysterious ability to heal people's hearts.
And most of all, because she understood Ja Su-ryeon's heart better than anyone else could.
"My child."
Ja Su-ryeon wiped her tears and smiled brightly at So-yo.
"Your eyes and nose resemble him, but everything else is just like me."
"I look like Papa?"
When So-yo widened her eyes in surprise, Ja Su-ryeon let out a soft ah.
"Didn't your mother ever wear a veil?"
Then she hastily removed her own.
Whoosh.
What was revealed was the face of an elegant and dignified middle-aged beauty.
Though faint wrinkles lined her eyes, her gaze was deep and clear, and her skin was as pure as snow blossoms.
She—
Bu Eun-seol's expression stiffened in shock.
Not because, as Ja Su-ryeon had said, her aura and features resembled So-yo's—
But because Ja Su-ryeon's face bore an uncanny resemblance to the Demon Hall's Upper Flower, Jin Seol.
"Elder."
Suppressing his astonishment, Bu Eun-seol asked,
"By any chance, was your lover's surname Jin?"
"Jin? No."
Though surnames could be changed at will.
Bu Eun-seol pressed further.
"Do you know the Number One of the Demonic Path, the Demonic Heavenly Emperor?"
"Sado Mu-myeong? Is there anyone in Murim who doesn't know him?"
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor doted on his adopted daughter, Jin Seol. That was why he had asked.
Then she has no connection to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"Then, what did your lover look like?"
At that, Ja Su-ryeon's gaze grew distant, as if lost in a dream.
She seemed to be recalling his face.
"He was as tall as you. And extremely handsome."
Judging by age, her lover would have been in his fifties or sixties by now.
Unlikely to be someone of the same generation as the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"Then... by any chance, were your daughters twins?"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
"One child took after their father, and the other resembled you exactly."
Ja Su-ryeon wore a dazed expression.
"How did you know?"
Bu Eun-seol smacked his forehead.
Because her mind was unclear, Ja Su-ryeon had failed to mention the most crucial fact—
The daughters she had given birth to were twins.
"Do you know where those children are now?"
When Ja Su-ryeon asked in a trembling voice, Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"No, but I've seen someone who looks very much like you, Elder."
"Someone who looks like me?"
"Yes. A woman around twenty years old."
"Who is that child?"
After a brief hesitation, Bu Eun-seol sidestepped the question.
"I only saw her by chance, so I don't know her identity. But if that's the case, do you remember any distinguishing traits about the child who resembled you?"
Ja Su-ryeon pondered deeply before shaking her head.
"No."
Bu Eun-seol fell into thought.
There were plenty of people in the world who looked alike.
If he rashly mentioned Jin Seol, he might only give her false hope.
And above all—what if Jin Seol was her daughter? Her opinion mattered greatly too.
"You mean Jin Seol, the Upper Flower, don't you?"
So-yo also seemed to sense Bu Eun-seol's hesitation and whispered softly.
To her eyes as well, Ja Su-ryeon and Jin Seol bore a striking resemblance.
"That's right."
"We should be cautious. She must have suffered for decades."
But since there were no distinguishing features to go by, and the child had been lost as an infant—
Even if they were her parents, they might not recognize her as an adult.
"You're right."
If Ja Su-ryeon didn't know any identifying traits about the child, there was no way for her to confirm.
In that case, the clue would have to come from Jin Seol's side instead.
"You know the whereabouts of the other child, don't you?"
Ja Su-ryeon, sensing something, pleaded with Bu Eun-seol.
"Please, tell me. I'm begging you."
Bu Eun-seol hesitated briefly.
What if he revealed Jin Seol's identity outright?
—The Demon Hall? I'll go there myself right now.
Given her temperament, she would say exactly that and stubbornly rush to the Demon Hall.
But Jin Seol might be uncomfortable with it—or worse, might not even want to meet at all.
More importantly, Ja Su-ryeon's mental state was unstable, and the Demon Hall was teeming with Great Demonic figures who schemed ruthlessly.
Even if Jin Seol turned out to be Ja Su-ryeon's daughter, that revelation alone could put her in grave danger.
"That's not it. I was just asking in case."
Then he turned to So-yo and said,
"We've rested enough. Let's leave now."
"Wait."
Ja Su-ryeon spoke up then.
"Are you really taking my daughter away?"
"Elder."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head with a pained expression.
He had thought she had accepted that So-yo wasn't her daughter, but she had reverted to her previous state.
"I may not be the real Papa's daughter, but..."
So-yo spoke up then in a gentle voice.
"I'll come visit you often."
Ja Su-ryeon's pupils trembled violently for a moment.
So-yo's voice carried no pity or forced consolation—only sincerity.
Even without a clear mind, one could feel the warmth in her words.
"Even if you're not my daughter... that's fine."
Ja Su-ryeon pulled out a martial arts manual from her robes.
"Take this. It will greatly enhance your Movement Technique."
It was an astonishing offer.
Martial artists only passed down their secret techniques to formally acknowledged disciples.
If one taught their martial arts to someone outside that relationship?
There would be no restrictions—
That person could spread the techniques recklessly throughout the Murim, and no one could say a word against it.
Even if Ja Su-ryeon's mind wasn't clear—
She couldn't possibly be unaware that one shouldn't teach their martial arts to someone not formally taken as a disciple.
Why, then, was she offering such generosity?
"I can't accept this."
When So-yo refused, Ja Su-ryeon shook her head.
"It's fine. This mother— no, this elder of the martial world is giving it to you."
Then, with an expression of utmost kindness, she added,
"If you master this Movement Technique, no man will ever dare trouble you again."
Even though Ja Su-ryeon knew So-yo wasn't her daughter—
She was willing to pass down the insights and secret techniques she had honed over a lifetime without reservation.
"A small, pretty girl like you... how much more hardship will you face in the future?"
Even now, it seemed Ja Su-ryeon disliked the idea of So-yo following Bu Eun-seol around.
Just from that alone—
One could guess how much she had despised men and how desperately she had longed to find her two daughters.
"So-yo."
Bu Eun-seol spoke then.
"Why don't you stay and learn the Movement Technique directly from the elder for a while?"
"But I..."
"It's fine. I'll be staying at the Demon Hall for some time anyway. You can deepen your Internal Energy and build up some more stamina and muscle in the meantime."
So-yo realized Bu Eun-seol intended to meet Jin Seol—
To ask about this matter—and nodded.
"Alright."
Then she bowed deeply to Ja Su-ryeon.
"Disciple So-yo greets her master."
Ja Su-ryeon beamed and helped her up.
"Disciple? What nonsense. Since when do parents and children bow so formally?"
Her mind seemed to have slipped again—she was treating So-yo as her own daughter.
But So-yo didn't correct her this time.
Tears of joy shimmered in Ja Su-ryeon's eyes.
It was as if her fully grown daughter had truly returned alive and bowed before her.
'Perhaps this is for the best.'
Even if she never found her daughters—
If she could live peacefully like this, bound to So-yo as master and disciple?
Her life would be filled with more joy than if she had found them.
"Then take care, Elder."
Bu Eun-seol bowed respectfully to Ja Su-ryeon.
Though her mind wasn't entirely clear, her nature was undeniably noble.
And now that she had become So-yo's master, she deserved that much courtesy.
"Come here."
Ja Su-ryeon ignored Bu Eun-seol's bow and instead took So-yo's hand, smiling brightly.
"First, let's eat the meal this mother made, and then we'll talk."
Then she quickly led So-yo into the stone house.
She looked as if she feared someone might steal away this precious treasure of hers.
Bu Eun-seol watched them with a faint smile.
Such was the nature of bonds.
Some disguised themselves as good, only to bring misfortune.
Others appeared ill-fated but became lifelong blessings.
Ja Su-ryeon, who had lived a life of suffering and solitude, might finally heal her wounded heart through this bond.
Of course, whether it would be salvation—
Or another form of torment, remained to be seen.
But at the very least, she was no longer alone.
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol activated Ultimate Speed Shadowless and left the mysterious Secluded Valley in an instant.
'Come to think of it, why would someone like the Demonic Heavenly Emperor take Jin Upper Blossom in as his adopted daughter?'
No matter how extraordinary her talent was—
For a man as ruthless and cold-blooded as the Demonic Heavenly Emperor to adopt a complete stranger, an orphan?
The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
Bu Eun-seol intended to return to the Demon Hall quickly and uncover the truth.