The Calm Before the Storm
That night, for the first time in a long while, mother and son gathered in Su Hwa-seon's room to rest at ease and talk.
"So, how was Eoheolsangong?"
"Hmm. I'm not entirely sure, but it looked incredibly powerful. And a bit... grotesque, so it seemed hard to counter."
"You saw well. That is one of its characteristics."
"And why there are side effects if you want to learn it."
Muttering this, Yoo Eunhyeon wore a sorrowful expression. To master something that went against the natural order, one had no choice but to train in ways that defied it as well. He could roughly guess how much Su Hwa-seon had suffered because of it.
"That's why so few in the family learn it, and the qualifications are extremely restricted. You have to take Yongseoldan for the rest of your life, so if you're not prepared for that, it's better not to even try."
"That Yongseoldan shouldn't be a problem anymore, right?"
"We drove off the Toryeong Juseo, so it should be fine for a while."
"Then we can go home now, right? There's no reason to stay here any longer. The fields need tending, too..."
As Yoo Eunhyeon said, now that the operation to eliminate the Toryeong Juseo was over, there was no reason for him and Su Hwa-seon to remain. After a moment of thought, Su Hwa-seon spoke.
"We can't go back right away. Since we've come all this way, let's do some training first."
"Training all of a sudden?"
Yoo Eunhyeon still couldn't grasp what she meant and tilted his head as he asked again.
"Once we go home we'll just farm for a living. We don't need training for that. And if we do need it, we can train after we get back."
"Of course it would be nice if things worked out that way, but do you really think they will? I can't rest easy. With you as weak as you are right now, even going home feels dangerous in this situation. This place is somewhere neither the Heavenly Martial Alliance nor the Demonic Cult can easily touch, so let's train a bit, get stronger, and then go back."
"How strong do I need to get?"
"At the very least, stronger than your mother here, don't you think?"
"..."
At Su Hwa-seon's answer, Yoo Eunhyeon fell silent.
Thinking back on everything he had been through on the way here, he was well aware that he was far too weak for the troubles he kept getting dragged into.
If I had been stronger, would those things never have happened?
As Yoo Eunhyeon sank into quiet thought, Su Hwa-seon continued persuasively.
"And once the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade enter closed-door training, I have no idea how the subordinates under them will move. Those two are clearly well-disposed toward you, so until they come out of seclusion, it's safest to assume things will be dangerous."
There was nothing wrong with what Su Hwa-seon said, and Yoo Eunhyeon could see that now. He let out a heavy sigh without meaning to.
When I was just farming, I wanted so badly to quit and leave... but the moment I did, all I got was hardship...
Finishing the thought, Yoo Eunhyeon nodded. Looking at the herb garden here, at least, he didn't think he would get bored staying.
"And we have the Toryeong Juseo's inner core, don't we? Something like that needs to be fully absorbed."
"Even so... is it really all right for me to just take it?"
"Who's going to complain? Go on and take it out."
Su Hwa-seon had a point. After all, Yoo Eunhyeon had contributed the most to capturing the Toryeong Juseo.
Holding the inner core between his fingers, Yoo Eunhyeon asked with a dubious look.
"Do I just swallow it?"
"What are you talking about? In an emergency maybe, but with something like this you refine it first so the absorption is easier and the medicinal effects are enhanced. Have you forgotten where your mother's family is from? We're one of the most renowned medical families in all of Wulin. It'll take some time, but there are plenty of people who can handle it, so don't worry."
Yoo Eunhyeon knew nothing about medicine, so he simply nodded as if that made sense.
Now that he was entangled with Sa Unsik and So Biwon, getting stronger certainly couldn't hurt.
Even if you couldn't predict or stop a natural disaster, preparing for one was the proper attitude of a farmer, wasn't it?
Nodding boldly, Yoo Eunhyeon asked Su Hwa-seon,
"Getting stronger than Mother seems like too much ambition... but how long would it take to get about as strong as you?"
"Well, that depends on you, but since you're my son, I'd say at least a year?"
"What? A year?"
Yoo Eunhyeon asked again, wondering if he had misheard, but Su Hwa-seon raised two fingers as if that might not be enough.
"Should we make it a bit longer? About two years?"
"You're serious?"
"Of course. With intensive short-term training, it's not impossible."
She spread her fingers right in front of Yoo Eunhyeon's eyes and smiled meaningfully.
And so Yoo Eunhyeon ended up staying at Uiseon Suga and beginning martial arts training he had never imagined would be part of his fate.
Before he knew it, a full year had passed since Yoo Eunhyeon began training in martial arts while staying at Uiseon Suga. Even after a whole year, his daily life had barely changed from the days on Mount Taesan.
"They're growing beautifully. Farming is definitely better in a place like this than in some mountain valley."
Looking over the herb garden that was thriving now that the threat of the Toryeong Juseo was gone, Yoo Eunhyeon smiled with satisfaction. But the moment was short-lived; a noise from nearby shattered his good mood.
"Ugh... bleeeegh..."
A short distance away in a corner of the field, Ju Yu-ryeon was throwing up. Frowning, Yoo Eunhyeon walked over to her.
"If you're going to puke, just don't come out at all."
"Urgh... E-Eunhyeon, got any water?"
Her face deathly pale from the hangover, Ju Yu-ryeon demanded water. Still frowning, Yoo Eunhyeon held out his water flask.
"That's why I keep telling you to drink in moderation."
He clicked his tongue. Feeling a little better now, some color returned to Ju Yu-ryeon's face as she let out a sigh.
"If you were that bad off, why didn't you just rest? What made you crawl out here?"
"I had my reasons... Haa. Mom came back yesterday."
"Huh? Auntie? It's been half a year, hasn't it?"
"My good days are all over. Sigh."
"Over, nothing. You only act like a proper person when Auntie's around. Be thankful she isn't the Internal Chief."
"Ugh... just thinking about it is horrifying. Anyway, Mom called for you and Auntie. Let's go together. I'm feeling a bit better now."
Yoo Eunhyeon gave her a look that said he didn't believe a word of it. Ju Yu-ryeon seemed to realize how shameless she was being and stood up with an awkward expression.
"Ulp... standing up so fast made it come back..."
"Just swallow it! Or I'm going alone."
He spoke coldly to Ju Yu-ryeon, who was about to lower her head again, and strode ahead. Sensing he really would leave her behind, she hurried after him.
Yoo Eunhyeon arrived at the residence of Yeo U-hui and Ju Yu-ryeon. He had blended into Uiseon Suga so thoroughly that people passing by the place even greeted him by name.
"Eunhyeon, you're here. It's been half a year, hasn't it?"
When he stepped inside, Yeo U-hui greeted him with a bright smile. There seemed to be a subtle weariness in her expression.
"You're a bit late. What were the two of you doing?"
Su Hwa-seon was already there and asked him that. The tea in front of the two women had gone cold, so quite some time must have passed.
"I came the moment I heard."
At Ju Yu-ryeon's brazen reply, Yeo U-hui pressed a hand to her forehead as if she were about to lose her mind. Beside her, Su Hwa-seon burst out laughing.
"Well, Yu-ryeon, you must have it rough too."
"I wonder who she takes after..."
"Didn't Yu-ryeon used to listen to her father pretty well?"
"Don't even bring that man up. Just thinking about him gives me a headache. I don't even want to think about it."
"Still living like that, I see."
Yeo U-hui frowned with a complicated look, and Su Hwa-seon simply shrugged and didn't press further. Watching them, Yoo Eunhyeon poked Ju Yu-ryeon in the side.
"They're talking about your father?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Auntie and he don't get along well?"
"It's complicated."
"What kind of answer is that? What about you and him?"
"We're on okay terms."
"...That's an okay answer, all right."
Yoo Eunhyeon didn't dig any further. Her answers had been vague, but he wasn't so dense that he couldn't tell she simply didn't want to talk about it.
Su Hwa-seon, who had been smiling at the two of them the whole time, cleared her throat and spoke.
"The reason we called you is because of the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade. Not long ago, the two of them ended their seclusion and returned to Wulin."
The moment Su Hwa-seon brought up those two names, the light atmosphere grew heavy.
As if savoring the shift, she paused briefly before continuing.
"Then Wulin will get even more chaotic, won't it?"
"No, actually the opposite. For a while, with those two out, everyone will be watching their step, so things should stay quiet. But I don't know how long that will last. It's literally the calm before the storm."
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded at Yeo U-hui's words.
That the Heavenly Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult would eventually clash was already a given, and what would follow was as clear as day.
"It seems the time has come for us to leave."
Yeo U-hui accepted Su Hwa-seon's words in silence, then quietly spoke. Yoo Eunhyeon nodded as well, understanding her meaning.
There had been only one reason the two of them had stayed at Uiseon Suga all this time: the Thousand-Year Dark Demon and the Twin Immortals of Sword and Blade had not yet emerged from seclusion.
While those two, who were friendly toward Yoo Eunhyeon, remained in closed-door training, no one could predict what schemes—righteous or demonic—might be unleashed. That was why they had taken shelter at Uiseon Suga.
But now that the two masters had completed their seclusion, there was no longer any reason to remain bound here. If anything, they needed to leave before those two came looking for Yoo Eunhyeon. If the eyes of both the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Martial Alliance turned toward this place because of him alone, it would no longer be a matter of accepting kindness—it would be dragging disaster down upon them.
Seeing that there was not the slightest wavering in Yoo Eunhyeon's eyes, Yeo U-hui took a short breath and nodded.
"Yes... it would be better for the two of you to return. Can Eunhyeon protect himself now, at least?"
She asked with a smile, and Yoo Eunhyeon scratched his head.
"Still a long way to go. I've just gotten proficient with what I already have."
"Even that much makes you a master. You've grown quite humble."
"It's not humility. I'd rather never have to use martial arts at all."
"Yes. That would be best. So when do you plan to leave?"
"Right away, I suppose? From what Auntie says, things are still relatively quiet."
Yoo Eunhyeon said this and looked at Su Hwa-seon, who nodded as well. Ju Yu-ryeon, who had been quietly listening to the three of them, suddenly raised her hand.
"I'm coming too."