Chapter 895
Before she knew it, a black rat had swiftly approached and leaped onto her lap.
Squeak.
But when Jin Seol let out a startled shriek, it jumped back down to the floor, its reddish-brown eyes darting around as it sniffed the air.
Its sharp front teeth twitched, its nose twitching incessantly, and a foul stench wafted from its fur, reeking of decay.
And as if it had taken a liking to Jin Seol—
Far from running away, it began circling around her feet.
"Eek!"
As the rat scurried around her legs, Jin Seol let out a scream unlike any she had ever made before.
Considering her usual composed demeanor in any situation, this was nothing short of a reaction teetering on the brink of fainting.
"Why would you play such a prank?"
Jin Seol snapped at Bu Eun-seol in anger.
She, too, had trained in martial arts.
Even if she hadn't noticed the rat beforehand, she should have at least sensed its approach.
But she hadn't been able to detect its presence—
Because Bu Eun-seol had deliberately masked it with his true qi.
To be precise, he had used his internal energy to place the rat there.
"Did you want to scare me?"
"It wasn't to scare you."
"What?"
"Do you truly believe you've lived the life of a vagrant?"
Bu Eun-seol spoke with an utterly grave expression.
"If you had truly lived as a beggar, how could you possibly be afraid of rats?"
The life of a wandering beggar isn't just about begging for food.
It's a life where, every day, you see things you don't want to see and eat things you don't want to eat—that's no exaggeration.
Especially in slums, rats—
Were among the most common creatures one could encounter even while sleeping. So how could she possibly be so terrified?
"My Lord."
Jin Seol's voice carried an unprecedented fury.
"Are you saying you were testing me just now?"
"You said you lived on a farm until you were seven, didn't you?"
The most common sight in a farm's storage shed is rats.
If she were truly a farmer's child—
There's no way she would shriek in terror at the sight of one like Jin Seol just had.
"You don't honestly believe my destiny was written as 'vagrant' from birth, do you?"
"But wasn't that the case back then?"
"Of course not!"
Jin Seol protested with an incredulous expression.
"After joining the Demon Hall, I was raised in a clean environment and taught to carry myself with dignity. Isn't it natural that I'd develop a fear of rats?"
"No."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Human fears are mostly shaped by childhood experiences. The terror learned during that time doesn't easily change, even in adulthood."
Then, with a resolute expression, he continued.
"It would be no exaggeration to say Young Lady Jin lived alongside rats in her childhood. So how could she have developed such a fear of them?"
"Those things aren't solely determined by childhood environment. There are variables—experience, education, changes in surroundings."
"That's also true."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head again.
"But I'm certain the fear you displayed wasn't merely the result of later learning or environmental factors."
And once more, he asserted firmly.
"The way you reacted just now was purely instinctive."
The first reason Bu Eun-seol could be so certain was due to his grandfather's teachings.
For Bu Eun-seol, who had been terrified of the dark and plagued by nightmares every night—
Bu Jan-yang had taught him breathing techniques through the Corpse Game, even imparting secrets to suppress the reflexive physiological responses that arose.
—I don't want to learn.
—Why?
—Because I'll grow out of it when I'm older.
In response to Bu Eun-seol's sulky question, Bu Jan-yang had stroked his head with his rough hand and said:
—Childhood experiences leave deep imprints in the mind. Even as you grow older, even if your environment changes... even when you become an adult, they don't easily fade.
As he continued, Bu Jan-yang's gaze seemed oddly lonely.
—If you don't correct them now... those imprints will never disappear, even when you're grown.
'Moreover, her reflexive response...'
The second reason was her physiological reaction.
Before he knew it, Bu Eun-seol had become as adept as the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself at meticulously reading others' physiological responses.
Jin Seol's reaction just now—
Was akin to that of someone from the Imperial Family, someone who had never encountered a single rat in their entire life.
"So what you're trying to say is..."
As Bu Eun-seol snapped out of his reminiscence, Jin Seol spoke.
"That my memories have been tampered with?"
"I can't say for certain. However—"
Bu Eun-seol stated firmly.
"The reaction you displayed just now is absolutely not that of someone who lived as a vagrant in their childhood."
In other words, the probability that her memories had been altered was extremely high.
The third reason he was so certain was that he, too, had once had his memories sealed away by his father.
And so, when groping through unreliable memories, one could only recount extremely fragmented stories like Jin Seol's.
"I believe instinctive reactions reveal more truth than memories ever could."
Jin Seol remained silent.
Because, perhaps, Bu Eun-seol's words might hold some truth.
"If I was born into nobility and my memories were altered..."
Jin Seol spoke with an expression steeped in stillness.
"Does that mean there's a chance I could be that woman's child?"
"There's no way to know. You were separated at too young an age—no physical traits remain, and even her mind is no longer intact. But..."
Bu Eun-seol cleared his throat.
"If you were truly parent and child, wouldn't there have been some unspoken recognition when you first met?"
"..."
"If, by any chance, you wish to see her... just say the word."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with the utmost caution.
"Whenever you feel ready, Young Lady Jin. No rush."
Jin Seol's expression turned distant.
If her memories had been altered—who else but the Demonic Heavenly Emperor could have done such a thing?
If that were true...
Then the life she had lived, revering and following him like a father, would dissolve into nothing.
Because he understood this all too well,
Bu Eun-seol prioritized Jin Seol's feelings and choices, carefully probing her intentions first.
"Thank you."
Sensing Bu Eun-seol's deep consideration, Jin Seol bowed respectfully.
"For being so mindful of me."
"No need for thanks. It's only natural."
Ja Su-ryeon had her own life.
And Jin Seol had hers.
Even if they were truly mother and daughter—
If even one of them did not wish for this reunion... no one had the right to force it.
"I'll think on it for a few days and let you know, Lord."
"Very well."
With a weary bow, Jin Seol stepped out of the teahouse, her gaze clouded.
Her inner turmoil did not last as long as expected.
A few days later, Bu Eun-seol received a letter from her.
—Even if she is my birth mother, I don't wish to see her now.
Unfolding the letter, he saw neat, deliberate strokes—Jin Seol's handwriting.
—I've lived believing everything I knew to be true.
Bu Eun-seol understood her feelings perfectly.
Because even if he were Baekri Geom-ha, he refused to acknowledge that past.
That time had been far too brief.
He was still Bu Eun-seol.
Even if someday, someone called him Baekri Geom-ha again.
—You must have thought the Demonic Heavenly Emperor took me in as his adopted daughter because of some connection to the faction guarding the Laws.
Jin Seol had guessed his reasoning.
—But that wasn't the case.
He never once demanded anything of me. Never asked for anything in return.
He only said he'd pair me with the finest man in the Demonic Path. Though...
Her handwriting faltered slightly, hesitation seeping into the ink.
—I've realized there might be truth in your words—that my memories could have been altered.
Unlike when she had merely recalled them, speaking aloud made it feel... as if she were recounting someone else's experiences.
After hearing Bu Eun-seol's words, Jin Seol had revisited her childhood memories.
And in voicing them, she sensed that much of them might have been fabricated.
Memories could be rewritten.
But the body's instinctive reactions could not.
—Yet if that was... the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's intention, I believe he must have had good reason.
Jin Seol felt profound gratitude toward the man who had raised her.
He had sheltered her without conditions.
Even if her memories were altered,
Rather than resenting him, she trusted there must have been purpose in it.
—I plan to leave the Demon Hall for a while to rest. Please take care in my absence.
Still, the confusion was inevitable.
In the end, she had resolved to step away from the Demon Hall for a time.
—And perhaps, if I visit this place... I might find some clue.
Since it was where the Demonic Heavenly Emperor first brought me, there may be meaning in it.
At the end of the letter was the location of Ho Family Village—a remote mountain hamlet straddling the border between Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
'She's already left the Demon Hall, then.'
Bu Eun-seol's heart grew heavy.
Jin Seol, who had been living peacefully within the Demon Hall,
Had left—perhaps because of him.
"No. She is facing the truth on her own terms."
She needed time to sort through the chaos.
Confronting the truth required immense courage.
Someday, she would return.
"I'll go to Ho Family Village first."
For now, Bu Eun-seol would follow the lead Jin Seol had given him.
Ho Family Village was once a rather prosperous settlement.
But over twenty years ago, a devastating plague swept through, turning it into an uninhabited ghost town ever since.
"...The timeline still doesn't add up."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head as he surveyed the village.
By the time Jin Seol met the Demonic Heavenly Emperor here, Ho Family Village had already been abandoned.
Meaning—Jin Seol, then a vagrant, supposedly lived alone in this desolate ghost town before encountering the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Such a thing was utterly impossible.
"Could her memories be mistaken?"
It was far more likely that Jin Seol's true memories had been altered or sealed by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
Which meant she might have misremembered the location entirely.
No. That can't be it.
If only it were just her memories.
But the one who had told her about Ho Family Village in the first place was none other than the Demonic Heavenly Emperor himself.
She had mentioned as much in her letter.
Why would the Demonic Heavenly Emperor deliberately reveal a place meant to be kept secret? Why lead her to this ghost town?
As Bu Eun-seol silently examined the village, he noticed something strange.
Abandoned ghost towns usually became havens for wildlife.
Even if not, there should at least be traces of birds' nests, beehives, or rodents scurrying about.
Yet here, there was nothing.
No signs of life whatsoever.
Which meant someone had deliberately maintained this place as a ghost town.
If it had been abandoned for over twenty years, why hadn't animals reclaimed it?
"...Fragrance Poison."
After a long investigation, Bu Eun-seol finally detected a faint, acrid scent seeping into his nostrils.
It reeked like the stench of ten thousand rat droppings left to rot in a single spot for a decade.
By the time he recognized it as poison—
It was already too late.
A lethal, insidious Fragrance Poison had been dispersed throughout the area, potent enough to kill before detection.
"Not even an ant could survive here."
Why go to such lengths?
Why drench an already uninhabited ghost town in poison so vile that not even beasts would approach?
What were they doing here?
Zzzing—
Bu Eun-seol heightened his Empty Mind Spirit Perception, scanning for traces of life.
Yet not even the faintest imprint of an ant's passage could be found.
And this was a technique capable of detecting remnants decades old.
"...Then."
A bizarre thought flickered in his mind.
What if this place contained a space completely severed from the world?
Something like the Absolute Boundary favored by the Three Clans.
Whoosh—
As Bu Eun-seol summoned his Wind & Cloud Divine Qi, a tempest howled around him.
There.
At the village's center, something faintly shimmered.
It felt like... an entrance sealed behind an Absolute Boundary.
Then the only way is the Three Divine Powers.
To break through such a barrier—
The only method was to unify the Three Divine Powers and shatter it.
But this was a gamble.
The Three Divine Powers had yet to achieve perfect synchronization.
Each time he had forced them together in dire moments, it was only by sheer luck—and the stabilizing energy of his Brain Gate Acupoint—that his body had survived.
If he recklessly relied on blind hope now—
His Spirit and Mind could suffer severe damage, or worse, he might sustain Internal Injuries.
"...I'll force my way in."
Bu Eun-seol prepared to summon the Three Divine Powers—
Then paused.
A strange sensation crept over him.
"The Demonic Heavenly Emperor isn't just strong in martial arts..."
A chilling realization struck him.
"He's someone who can pierce through a person's Spirit and Mind and predict their actions."
If he had hidden something here—
Would he really leave it vulnerable to mere detection and brute force?
No.
He was a strategist who exploited psychological weaknesses and manipulated events through unpredictability.
"...I need to inspect this more carefully."
Closing his eyes, Bu Eun-seol calmly channeled his Wind & Cloud Divine Qi once more.
Simultaneously, he expanded his Extrasensory Perception and Empty Mind Spirit Perception.
Gradually, the concealed structure of the barrier became clearer.
"...Breaking it would collapse it instead."
A cold sweat ran down his spine as he finally grasped the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's trap.
If he shattered what seemed like the entrance—
The entire passage would collapse, sealing it off permanently.
"Brilliant."
A trap that left him no choice but to marvel.
If he tried to open the only entrance—
The path itself would crumble, barring entry forever.
A door that seals shut the moment someone tries to open it.
Even the wisest sage, no matter how brilliant—
Could never predict a trap designed to exploit the very act of solving it.
"...A door that closes when opened."
Knowing the trap didn't make it any easier to bypass.
Bu Eun-seol racked his brain for a long time to solve this paradox.
"Demonic Heavenly Emperor..."
He recalled the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's face—that of an utterly ordinary old man.
That plain face concealed both an unspeakably grotesque and sinister underside and the wisdom of a sage who could see through everything.
"He must have known these conditions and still possessed the power to enter."
Because he was the Number One of the Demonic Path.
And with just these conditions alone—
He must have been confident that he could block any outsider's intrusion.
"But I can do it too."
Of course, his martial arts were still incomparable to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's.
But in terms of blending diverse powers, even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor could not surpass Bu Eun-seol.
"Because I possess the power of the Wind God."
Ssssshhh—
As he unleashed the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi at full strength, his body gradually turned transparent.
When he drew upon the most profound power among the Four Divine Energies—the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi—he momentarily achieved perfect harmony with nature.
And in that fleeting moment—
His body became capable of slipping through even the narrowest gap in an instant.
Shwoop.
Finally, Bu Eun-seol's form became completely transparent.
Though he had an ordinary body of flesh and blood, he had now become the Wind God himself.
Ssssshhh—
Transformed into the Wind God, Bu Eun-seol passed through what he presumed to be the gate.
And as expected, the entrance did not collapse.
Carefully stepping inside, he soon found an exit leading back out.
But even with the exit before him, he stopped after taking only a few steps.
Because an utterly unexpected sight had revealed itself.
"Saha Manor."
To his astonishment, wasn't this place an exact replica of Saha Manor—identical in every way to the one he had seen in the dreamworld?
"This makes no sense."
The real Saha Manor was located thousands of li away from here.
And as proof of the Blood Calamity that had occurred, it had been reduced to complete ruins.
Yet this place remained in pristine condition, as if it had just been built.
"The time is different."
Drawing upon Empty Mind Spirit Perception, Bu Eun-seol scrutinized the manor's interior—and his pupils flashed.
If the real Saha Manor had been built roughly thirty years ago, this one must have been constructed about twenty-five years prior.
Which meant someone had known the manor's exact layout, inside and out—
And had perfectly recreated it afterward.
"This makes no sense."
As if entranced, Bu Eun-seol surveyed the manor's interior.
He saw towering bookshelves in the library, and even what appeared to be his own quarters from the dream.
"How?"
He clutched at his hair.
Replicating the manor's exterior might have been possible.
But perfectly recreating even the interior structure and furnishings bordered on impossibility.
In a grand manor like this, each servant had designated spaces they could access.
So to recreate everything—from the private chambers to the storerooms and kitchens—with such precision?
Either the manor's owner had personally overseen every detail—
Or every single servant within the manor had been complicit.
"Did the Demonic Heavenly Emperor infiltrate the manor to spy?"
But Bu Eun-seol quickly shook his head.
If this had been an ordinary manor—
With the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's abilities—
He could have either dominated the servants' Spirit and Mind or slipped inside like a ghost to observe everything.
But the abilities of Baekri Mu-ha, descendant of the Baekri Clan—
Would have matched, if not surpassed, even the current Demonic Heavenly Emperor's.
There was no way he would have allowed him to control the servants' minds or roam freely through the manor.
If not that, then—
"He must have had my father's permission to wander the manor at will."
Bu Eun-seol felt dizzy.
If that were true—
Then the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and Baekri Mu-ha must have known each other.
But Baekri Mu-ha was known solely as a figure of the Righteous Faction, with no known connection to the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
"Could they have had a secret friendship?"
That, too, was impossible.
The Demonic Heavenly Emperor was a Great Demon, whose emotions could not be read.
If Baekri Mu-ha and the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had transcended the divide between Orthodox and Unorthodox to form a close bond—
Then either Baekri Mu-ha was secretly a wicked figure—
Or the Demonic Heavenly Emperor was not truly of the Demonic Path, but a benevolent one—
...Which was utterly absurd.
"In the end, only one thing is certain."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
"The Demonic Heavenly Emperor knew Saha Manor's interior intimately—and replicated it."
Then his eyes flashed with realization.
"Perhaps he was preparing for an assault—running simulations or training for the attack."
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fist.
"In the end, even the Pavilion Lord was mistaken."
The Human Demon, Ak Mu-ryeong, had claimed that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor—
Only learned of Saha Manor's Blood Calamity belatedly and pursued the surviving child.
But with this manor's existence—
There was now irrefutable proof that the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had been deeply involved from the start.
"And this entrance—"
The Absolute Boundary the Demonic Heavenly Emperor had created to conceal this manor—
Was unlike any he had encountered before.
It could perfectly blend into nature and was structured so that only someone who had mastered the pinnacle of the Way of Nature—
Or possessed the Wind & Cloud Divine Qi like Bu Eun-seol—could enter.
This is impossible.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes widened.
No matter how peerless the Demonic Heavenly Emperor's martial arts were, he was undeniably a Grandmaster of the Demonic Path.
He would never pursue the Way of Nature—nor could he have created such a trap.
Even if he had tried... it should have been fundamentally impossible to begin with.