The Price of Soul Subjugation Art (1)
Cheon-geuk led him to Daroo Tea House, located near the Murim Alliance headquarters.
Na-sa-rin was there, sipping tea and waiting. She greeted them warmly.
"Brother! Hello!"
She had once revealed her true gaze to Jong-sun, the teacher, but now Na-sa-rin had completely concealed her presence. She truly looked like nothing more than a child to anyone watching.
"Yeah, hello."
Baek So-cheon responded reflexively and glanced at Cheon-geuk.
"She's my little sister."
"You have a sister?"
"Why? Worried I'd pick up some orphan and raise her as an assassin?"
"No, it's just unexpected. You having a sister?"
As he spoke, Baek So-cheon examined Na-sa-rin closely.
"What's wrong, brother? Something on my face?"
Baek So-cheon turned back to Cheon-geuk.
"Who is she?"
"I told you, my sister."
"Cut the crap."
"How'd you know? Even if I try to hide it, some things just can't be concealed, huh?"
"No. You don't look anything alike."
"……."
Baek So-cheon's gaze shifted back to Na-sa-rin.
By now, she had dropped the playful act, her eyes returning to their original depth.
"Baek the Great Hero, I am Na-sa-rin."
Though over eighty years old, she was exceedingly polite.
Her profound gaze prompted Baek So-cheon to return a formal cupped-fist salute.
"I am Baek So-cheon."
Baek So-cheon generally dismissed assassins. But Na-sa-rin's presence, now openly revealed, was truly formidable. And when someone of such stature showed respect, it demanded a respectful response in kind.
Cheon-geuk introduced her.
"She's the highest elder of our alliance. The one I respect most. She helped tremendously with acquiring that spirit elixir."
"No need for such praise. The Alliance Lord went to great lengths this time. This old woman merely made an introduction."
The two passed credit back and forth.
Baek So-cheon said to Na-sa-rin,
"You're well aware of my relationship with your alliance, then."
"Indeed, I am."
"I regret what happened before."
Baek So-cheon didn't apologize outright. His views hadn't changed. Assassins shouldn't exist in the world. If they were a necessary evil that had to persist, then someone like Cheon-geuk—who at least upheld basic principles—should lead them.
"How could that be your fault, Great Hero Baek? It's simply the savage fate of those who live off taking lives."
"Thank you for understanding."
The two shared a mutual understanding. Baek So-cheon didn't dislike his first impression of her. He sensed the wounds and sorrow of a lifetime lived in a child's body, transcended into that profound gaze, which moved him deeply. It was complemented by the reassuring maturity of one who had walked to the end of the path.
Cheon-geuk elaborated on the introduction.
"The elder is the supreme master of the Soul Subjugation Art."
At the mention of Soul Subjugation Art, Baek So-cheon was startled.
"Why so surprised?"
"Just... makes me wonder if fate really exists."
"What do you mean?"
Baek So-cheon said politely to Na-sa-rin,
"Elder, if I may, I'd like to have a word with Alliance Lord Cheon via transmission."
"Of course. Go ahead."
Baek So-cheon sent a transmission to Cheon-geuk.
—If she introduced the elixir merchant, she must know I've recovered my dantian.
—Yes, I told her. Where else would I get an elixir? I had to ask for her help. When she inquired who it was for, I told her honestly—it was you. You might not trust me, but you can trust her. No matter what, she won't betray the secret I asked her to keep. I stake my life on it.
—So she's that trustworthy?
—Of course.
—Alright, then.
She had dismissed even her four guardian assassins to make the request, and now apologized for involving Na-sa-rin without prior notice.
—Sorry.
—It's fine.
Ending the transmission, Baek So-cheon cautiously asked Na-sa-rin,
"I have a question regarding the Soul Subjugation Art."
He had double-checked with Cheon-geuk via transmission precisely for this. Recovering his inner power was personal—if it went wrong, only he would die.
But anything involving the Soul Subjugation Art concerned the entire Murim world. A mishap could have catastrophic repercussions.
"What would you like to know?"
"First, please speak casually. If even Alliance Lord Cheon trusts you more than herself, it's more than warranted."
Baek So-cheon subtly praised Cheon-geuk in the process.
"Is that alright?"
"Of course."
"Then let's drop the formalities. So, what's on your mind?"
"If someone has been ensnared by the Soul Subjugation Art, how can one detect it?"
Baek So-cheon had read a book on the Soul Subjugation Art from the library archives. But it focused on its effects and power, with little on dispelling it. The author had uncovered its might through various incidents but never its countermeasures.
"That's quite a broad question. Shall we narrow it? How strong is the victim?"
"Transcendent Peak?"
At the words Transcendent Peak, both Cheon-geuk and Na-sa-rin grew serious. There weren't many in the current era worthy of that title.
"Even at Transcendent Peak, ensnaring someone with the Soul Subjugation Art isn't easy."
"What if the caster is equally skilled?"
"Still not simple……."
Na-sa-rin shook her head, then asked again.
"How long has the Soul Subjugation Art been active?"
"Two or three years?"
He was speaking hypothetically throughout.
Na-sa-rin and Cheon-geuk would likely suspect this was happening now, but Baek So-cheon had to tread carefully regardless.
"People think once applied, the Soul Subjugation Art persists indefinitely—but that's not true. Its effects are very brief. Even a master caster might sustain it for mere days at best, a month or two at longest. Two or three years? Impossible."
"What about a particularly powerful Soul Subjugation Art?"
"Impossible."
Na-sa-rin answered firmly.
It was unexpected. The book had mentioned short duration too. Yet reading that, he'd vaguely assumed supreme masters could sustain it for years.
Na-sa-rin explained an exception.
"Unless the caster remains nearby, continually maintaining it."
That possibility was negligible. No such expert would linger around the Alliance Lord.
In the midst of their conversation, a sudden doubt struck Baek So-cheon.
If someone ensnared the Alliance Lord with the Soul Subjugation Art, why?
The Lord is the same as before. Only his attitude toward me has changed. If ensnared for my sake, then why?
To kill me, why bother with the Lord? Just kill me directly.
Someone capable of sustaining it on the Lord could easily kill me.
Baek So-cheon sensed this might not be simple—or perhaps too simple, hence concealed.
"Elder, if you saw them, could you tell if someone was under the Soul Subjugation Art? Or if they wield it themselves?"
"Unless cast by someone superior to me, yes. Same for whether they've mastered it."
Cheon-geuk interjected definitively.
"No such expert exists in the world."
Baek So-cheon requested of Na-sa-rin,
"Could you help me?"
The nature of the help was clear: verify if someone was ensnared or had mastered it.
Na-sa-rin glanced at Cheon-geuk. For her loyal service, Cheon-geuk's permission was required.
"If the elder is willing, please assist."
At Cheon-geuk's words, Na-sa-rin accepted readily.
"I'll help."
"Thank you. Then I'll take my leave."
As Baek So-cheon turned to go after a bow, something occurred to him.
"Ah, do you know if the Soul Subjugation Art causes red dots in the eyes?"
She pondered briefly, then shook her head.
"Not sure. There are so many variants……."
"Understood. I'll contact you soon through Alliance Lord Cheon."
Baek So-cheon bowed deeply and exited.
Cheon-geuk saw him off to the front of Daroo.
"Stay here with the elder for a few days."
"Sure."
Baek So-cheon, as if it just hit him, asked her belatedly,
"By the way, your request?"
She had agreed to one favor in exchange for the elixir.
She hesitated, then deferred.
"Later."
"You know how this might go. Eat it while you can."
"Isn't there fun in savoring it?"
"Do as you like. I'll contact you soon on timing and movement."
With that, Baek So-cheon departed.
Cheon-geuk stood watching his retreating figure.
Na-sa-rin emerged and stood beside her.
"What do you think of him, elder? Worth our investment?"
Na-sa-rin knew Cheon-geuk had already decided yes—treating Baek So-cheon with more than mere calculation.
Na-sa-rin added her gaze to the distant figure.
"Trust your instincts, Lord. Aren't we assassins who live and die by them?"
Baek So-cheon headed straight to Je-gal Hyeon.
He waited in the office while Je-gal Hyeon was briefly away.
With time to spare, Baek So-cheon circulated the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method.
His entire bloodstream now served as his dantian, allowing circulation anytime, anywhere. He could halt the method, storing energy directly in his meridians without returning it to a dantian.
A faint smile never left Baek So-cheon's face throughout.
Proper circulation felt incredible. How had he endured without it? The past three years now seemed admirable.
It dispelled accumulated fatigue, smoothed his movements. He could minimize sleep now—gaining more time.
Even if accumulation was only a third as efficient, he couldn't forgo circulation.
Baek So-cheon strove to add even a handful of inner power. In crisis, that final squeeze could save his life.
The door opened; Je-gal Hyeon returned. Baek So-cheon halted circulation and greeted him.
"Strategist."
"Captain Baek, what brings you?"
"I have a question."
"Ask away."
"Who is closest to the Alliance Lord currently? Someone who can meet him freely even after official duties?"
Je-gal Hyeon had already heard from Baek So-cheon about the possible Soul Subjugation Art on the Lord. This question related to that.
"Hm. First, Pung-geuk-an, head of the secret bodyguards."
A figure Baek So-cheon knew. Long-time protector of the Lord.
"What kind of man is he?"
"If it's about trust, I vouch for him completely."
Baek So-cheon agreed. Though taciturn and not deeply conversed, he'd never sensed malice.
"Anyone else?"
"The Lord's second son, Ak Seo-pyeong."
Ak So-gun's second son assisted the Lord. Young for the "Great Hero" title, but as the Lord's son, he bore it.
"Last one?"
"The Bi-gak Lord."
On Byeok-hwa, whom the Lord had brought from outside to lead Bi-gak.
"These three enter the Lord's chambers freely."
Speaking, Je-gal Hyeon felt a pang of self-reproach. He was excluded. He could enter freely too, but after the awkwardness from escorting Baek So-cheon, he'd visited less.
Come to think of it…….
Once seen multiple times daily, now once a month if lucky, post-war.
How did it come to this?
War had kept them together before, but lately, he'd been too neglectful.
"I have a request."
"What?"
"Arrange a meeting with the Bi-gak Lord."
To check for Soul Subjugation Art ties. Pung-geuk-an was trustworthy, Ak Seo-pyeong blood kin. On Byeok-hwa was most suspect.
"With the Bi-gak Lord?"
"Yes. At a place I specify."
Curious, but Je-gal Hyeon trusted Baek So-cheon fully.
"Fine. When?"
Baek So-cheon's recent answer was consistent.
"As soon as possible."