Grandfather’s Warm Welcome and the Weight of the Unknown
After his conversation with Su Hwa-seon, Yoo Eunhyeon had fallen asleep near dawn, so he slept straight through until noon. He woke with a dazed look and rose from his bed.
Sensing his presence, Su Hwa-seon offered a morning greeting.
“Son. You’re up? You must have slept more deeply than I expected. Aren’t you hungry?”
“A bit…… I think I’m a little peckish.”
“I thought so.”
As if she had anticipated it, Su Hwa-seon brought over a wooden tray. On it sat a full spread of dishes that looked to be her own cooking. Yoo Eunhyeon immediately dove into his mother’s food, which he had not tasted in so long.
After the simple meal, he headed straight to meet his maternal grandfather.
Servants he still encountered along the way continued to stare at him with curious eyes, though he was beginning to grow used to it.
“You’re only going to see Grandfather? What about Grandmother?”
“Mother is out. She won’t be back anytime soon.”
“And the others?”
“One older brother and two younger siblings…… so for you, that means one maternal uncle and two aunts. But they’ve all married and left, so none of them live here. Still, you’ll get to meet them all later.”
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded at Su Hwa-seon’s words.
Before long they reached the family head’s quarters.
“I’ve already spoken to Father, so just treat him normally. Father. I’m coming in.”
With that, Su Hwa-seon opened the door and stepped inside. Compared to her relatively natural entrance, Yoo Eunhyeon’s heart pounded quietly in his chest.
“Hwa-seon, how many times have I told you to knock before coming in? That habit of yours hasn’t changed even after thirty years.”
Inside, an old man with a long white beard was tending orchids. Seeing Su Hwa-seon enter, he clicked his tongue and frowned at the corners of his eyes.
“Aigoo. Father. If telling me doesn’t fix it, you should know when to give up.”
“My educational philosophy is that if words don’t fix it, you stop using words…… but I have a principle of never laying a hand on my daughter. That’s why you’re still in one piece.”
Yoo Eunhyeon flinched at the old man’s words, unsure whether they were joke or earnest. Only then did the old man seem to notice him; he slowly turned his head toward Yoo Eunhyeon.
“So. Is this child my grandson?”
“Of course. What do you think? Isn’t he fine?”
“Nice to meet you. I am your maternal grandfather, Su Gyeong-tak.”
As if weighing Su Hwa-seon’s words, Su Gyeong-tak examined Yoo Eunhyeon’s face and form while he spoke. Yoo Eunhyeon bowed his head deeply in greeting, trying to escape that burdensome gaze.
“I am Yoo Eunhyeon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Reading the room, Yoo Eunhyeon bowed even lower. In that instant Su Gyeong-tak, who had approached without a sound, patted his shoulder.
“Hahaha! Kid. No need to be so wary. Yes. So you’re Eunhyeon. To think I’d finally see in person the boy I’d only heard of through words and letters for twenty years. I’m glad.”
“…….”
“Yes. As Hwa-seon said, you take after your father and look manly. But those fine eyes make our family’s bloodline certain. Come, sit comfortably. Hwa-seon, go fetch some tea.”
When Su Gyeong-tak sat, Yoo Eunhyeon took a seat nearby. Soon Su Hwa-seon received the tea a servant had brought and joined them.
“Well then, this is a reunion between grandfather and grandson after twenty years, so I’d prefer a more cheerful atmosphere. But from what I heard from Hwa-seon, it isn’t all cheerful stories. Would you like to tell me yourself? Afterward we can talk about the things you might be curious about.”
Having already heard the rough outline from Su Hwa-seon, Su Gyeong-tak listened to Yoo Eunhyeon’s account with a calm face.
Even so, the parts concerning the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade were no light matter; a groan inevitably escaped him.
“Huh…… To think the root of the recent movements of the Heavenly Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult lay here.”
“Will it be all right?”
“We must prepare thoroughly. Soon a blood wind will rage through the Murim.”
“When?”
“That I don’t know. But according to information that arrived today from Outer Commander Yeo, the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade have entered closed-door training.”
At Su Gyeong-tak’s words, Su Hwa-seon’s expression changed sharply.
“Closed-door training? Don’t tell me…… they really gained enlightenment from Eunhyeon?”
“There’s no other reason to enter closed-door training. That’s why we have no idea how long it will take. They are clearly challenging the realm beyond Yeonhwagyeong—the Hyeonwongyeong—but no one can say how long that will require.”
At the mention of Hyeonwongyeong, Yoo Eunhyeon covered his mouth. He did not fully understand, yet it seemed the realm Sa Unsik and So Biwon sought was the Hyeonwongyeong.
They’re going to get even stronger from there?
Su Hwa-seon also seemed startled by the name; her eyes widened as she asked again.
“I heard Hyeonwongyeong is a realm only passed down in legends…… Is that truly possible?”
“There are many rumors, yet it is also a realm that clearly exists. It is distant, but I myself am certain of the Hyeonwongyeong.”
Su Gyeong-tak spoke gravely. After a moment of thought he relaxed his expression and turned to Yoo Eunhyeon.
“You said the Thousand-Year Dark Demon taught you an internal energy method, correct? Hold out your hand a moment.”
When Yoo Eunhyeon extended his hand, Su Gyeong-tak took his wrist and began examining his body with his own internal energy.
“The quantity of internal energy is considerable, yet there is nothing particularly special.”
“Really? Even though it is an internal energy method transmitted directly by the Thousand-Year Dark Demon……”
“There is one internal energy method whose very lack of special features is its characteristic.”
“What is that?”
“Mahon Cheongong.”
“Mahon Cheongong? That’s the Thousand-Year Dark Demon’s unique internal energy method!”
When Su Hwa-seon asked back in surprise, Su Gyeong-tak nodded and elaborated.
“Despite its fierce name, Mahon Cheongong possesses a flexibility that can harmonize with anything. Judged by the internal energy alone it can seem a colorless, odorless Samryu with no features at all, yet it is a peerless method that matches any martial art under heaven.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“It is good. Precisely because there are no special features, if I had not known in advance that Eunhyeon received the method from the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and been looking for it, I would never have noticed either.”
“So no one can detect Mahon Cheongong through ordinary sensing?”
“If someone has cultivated the same Mahon Cheongong, they can recognize it through the unique resonance of the method, I am told.”
Hearing that, Yoo Eunhyeon finally understood Sa Yeo-un’s reaction.
The reason she had stopped him, and the reason she had said he felt similar to Sa Unsik, must have been that she had unconsciously recognized he cultivated Mahon Cheongong.
Yet Su Gyeong-tak still wore a dubious look and tilted his head.
“Eunhyeon. From what I can sense, it seems you learned this internal energy method from the Thousand-Year Dark Demon less than fifty days ago.”
“Yes, about that long, I think.”
When Yoo Eunhyeon nodded after roughly counting the days, Su Gyeong-tak nodded as well.
“Mahon Cheongong has the advantages I just described, but in exchange it is known to be extremely difficult to raise its realm. Yet your current level feels as though you have trained for several decades at the least.”
“How is that possible…… Eunhyeon. What happened?”
That an internal energy method like Mahon Cheongong would not be easy to master was obvious. Su Hwa-seon pressed for an explanation again, yet Yoo Eunhyeon had no clear answer.
“I just practiced as I was taught and modified it a little to suit myself.”
“What? You arbitrarily altered an internal energy method and trained with it?”
Su Hwa-seon asked back as if dumbfounded. Su Gyeong-tak’s expression showed he felt the same. Both of them knew full well how dangerous such a thing was.
It was easy to say, but most who tried it fell into qi deviation; if unlucky they died, and if lucky their meridians were ruined so they could never cultivate martial arts again for the rest of their lives.
“Don’t tell me…… our son was a once-in-a-millennium genius?”
“Haha. I wouldn’t go that far, but it is certain he is lucky. If not that……”
Su Gyeong-tak let out a hollow laugh as if the whole matter were absurd, then his eyes wavered as though something had occurred to him. He soon shook his head and dismissed the thought.
There was no way Sa Unsik had foreseen matters to this extent. Even if he had, there was no reason to voice it and agitate those around him. Simply keeping the possibility in mind was enough.
“Wait a moment—then what about Mudong Hwanmu? Eunhyeon. You clearly said you only learned Mudong Hwanmu and not Hwandong Simgong, correct?”
“Yes, so I said it was clearly half-baked……”
At Su Hwa-seon’s question Yoo Eunhyeon answered while looking to Su Gyeong-tak. The old man shook his head at that gaze.
“Even if it is Hwandong Simgong, Mahon Cheongong should be able to substitute for it. Have you tried?”
“Come to think of it, I was told it wouldn’t work at all, yet it seemed to work a little.”
“Even without recognizing it as Mahon Cheongong, a fragment of its function seems to have manifested unconsciously.”
“Then if I train properly, Mudong Hwanmu might be able to display its full power?”
“The possibility is high. No—I believe it will be so.”
When Su Gyeong-tak nodded, Yoo Eunhyeon started to look pleased, then grew gloomy again.
“But it’s only three basic forms.”
“No matter how excellent a form may be, it is better to focus on mastering a complete form than a half-baked one. And when that form belongs to Mudong Hwanmu, the unique martial art of the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade, there is nothing more to say. In the end it depends on how you apply yourself.”
With a kind expression Su Gyeong-tak lightly stroked Yoo Eunhyeon’s head. Watching them, Su Hwa-seon let out a deep sigh.
“This is exactly why I hoped he would never learn martial arts and simply live by farming……”
“Children never grow up the way their parents wish. Surrounding circumstances refuse to allow it. Did you think I wanted to stick my own daughter away in the mountains like that? In the end one makes the choice for the child’s sake.”
“That’s true…… Looking at the current situation, I can’t even guess what will become of Eunhyeon, so if he is to avoid being swept up in things, we should build up as much strength as possible.”
Listening to the two of them, Yoo Eunhyeon suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. Unable to hold the question back any longer, he asked them both.
“What do you mean I might get involved?”