The Place to Return To

The final lesson.

-Swish!

A single faint sea breeze sliced through the silence, brushing across the sandbar. In that instant, Hyeon-wol’s form, which had vanished like heat haze, surged forward, cleaving through the sandy shore.

A thousand golden afterimages bloomed in the shape of an enormous lotus. Beautiful and sacred, yet just as lethal—the deadly sword forest poured down toward me.

‘I’m simply awakening it. The memories engraved in this body.’

There was no way to track a thousand sword energies with the eyes. Before the mind could even register the shape of the blades reflected in them, my neck would already be rolling across the ground.

I severed all complicated thoughts and sank deep into the abyss of sensation that Seol-hye’s body remembered.

-Clang-clang-clang! Clang-clang-clang!

The moment the golden downpour collided head-on with crimson sword energy, a deafening roar tore through the air and bright red sparks scattered across the sand.

In that fleeting exchange where a single misstep could cost a life, from the instant our blades met, the noise around me strangely faded away.

Forgetting even the self known as Wi Yeon-seol, I entrusted my body to the single sword in my hand and plunged into the downpour of blades in a state of no-self.

‘It’s coming.’

Five razor-sharp strikes aimed simultaneously at my neck from the upper right. They carried killing intent, but they were nothing more than feints.

At the same time, chilling trajectories swept in from both sides to cut my waist—cleverly mixed changing moves. Blocking with the sword would collapse my stance. I twisted the tip of my foot and stepped into a footwork that barely evaded the blades by a hair’s breadth.

Amid the ceaseless barrage of sword energy, a stealthy strike aimed at the tendons of my wrist. That was the real move meant to sever my breath!

-Kaaang!

I instantly pulled the extended sword back toward my chest and flicked away the incoming golden blade with the flat of the retrieved sword.

‘There’s no need to be faster.’

Don’t try to surpass a speed you can’t catch up to. Simply become the reflection in a clear mirror.

-Clang, clang, clang!

Don’t be fooled by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the illusions. Among the thousand sword energies, I had to distinguish and deflect only the real moves that carried true killing intent. Minimize movement and protect only the vital points.

-Slice. Crack.

Every time a sharp blade grazed me, thin red lines were drawn across my body.

Blood sprayed and skin tore, yet my concentration didn’t waver in the slightest. On the contrary, it sharpened like ice.

My neck was still attached. My heart was still beating. My hand still gripped the sword firmly…!

‘As long as I don’t die, an opportunity will come.’

Hundreds of exchanges blurred into a dizzying dance of afterimages. A suffocating barrage that felt like an eternity even as breath burned in my throat. In that moment stretched into forever, a single, razor-thin gap appeared clearly between the countless golden sword strikes—like a single grain of rice buried in the vast desert sands.

‘…There!!!’

Instinctively, I abandoned my defensive posture for what might be the only perfect chance. I unfolded my crouched body and swung a full-powered, confident strike toward the only path of survival I believed I saw—but—

-Kaaang!

With a heavy metallic ring, the sword in my hand was knocked flying into the air. In the space that should have been empty, Hyeon-wol’s blade now stood like a mountain.

‘What?!’

The moment the strike I was certain would land was blocked, my mind froze.

The dull shock transmitted through my fingertips and the wave of terror that crashed over me like a tidal surge. I lifted my face, twisted in shock, and looked up at Hyeon-wol with trembling eyes as she stood blocking my sword.

"..."

The gaze Hyeon-wol returned was as deep and still as the ocean abyss.

In the emotionless void reflected in her eyes, a lightning-like realization flashed through my mind. The razor-thin gap I had thought was a path of survival. The realization that what I had seen was not a flaw in the Thousand-Hand Thousand-Sword Form.

The gate of death that Hyeon-wol had deliberately left open—I had mistaken it for the only gate of life and willingly walked into the jaws of the beast.

"Ugh!!!"

But even though I realized it, it was already too late.

My posture was in complete disarray, my chest wide open.

It was the exact image of prey with its throat fully exposed before a wolf’s fangs.

There was no way Hyeon-wol would miss such a fatal opening.

-Shiiik!

Her dark blade sliced through space, shooting straight toward my neck in a perfect, inescapable checkmate.

‘…Damn it…!!’

There wasn’t even time to struggle. The moment a chill ran down my nape, I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut.

".......?"

Yet even after what felt like an eternity, the terrible pain of the blade piercing my throat never came. In the silence, all I could hear was my own ragged breathing, rough with the terror of anticipated death.

‘What… the…?’

Swallowing my fear, I slowly opened my eyelids.

What filled my vision was the ink-black blade steeped in absolute darkness.

The sword that had been flying toward me with the intent to sever my head had come to a perfect stop right in front of my Adam’s apple.

It was so close that not a single strand of hair or sheet of paper could slip between us.

The cold energy radiating from the edge was so palpable that the fine hairs on my nape stood on end. It felt as though the slightest movement of swallowing would slice open my throat.

The flawless control that had turned a lethal technique raining down like lightning into complete stillness in the blink of an eye. Faced with a divine skill that only those who had surpassed the pinnacle could wield, my entire body was paralyzed. I couldn’t move a muscle.

All I could do was stare, dazed, at Hyeon-wol’s deep eyes beyond the chilling blade.

"..."

Hyeon-wol gave me a single deep glance, then withdrew her sword without the slightest hesitation.

-Shing.

The instant the blade left my throat, the taut string of tension that had been holding my body upright snapped.

"Haaah……."

Strength drained from my legs as if by magic. I collapsed to my knees on the sand and slumped down.

-Clack.

Hyeon-wol sheathed her dark sword with a graceful motion and looked down at me with unreadable eyes.

"Ha, haha, hahahaha…."

With a completely drained face, I looked up at her while letting out a helpless, foolish laugh.

The moment the chilling killing intent that had weighed down the space vanished, relief at still being alive surged over me like a wave along with the breath I had been holding.

"Huuuuh…!"

I was alive, at least.

She had withdrawn her sword right in front of my throat. It was clear proof that she had never intended to kill me in the first place.

I had been completely fooled by her ghostly killing intent and the sword path that targeted only vital points, thinking she truly meant to kill me. But thinking about it now, it had been strange from the start.

There was no way a high monk of the Buddhist sect, who forbade unnecessary killing, would sever the neck of her direct disciple just because the girl had secretly decided to venture into the martial world.

I looked up at her with the innocent eyes of a gentle lamb, wearing a pure and guileless expression.

"M-Master…!"

I called out to Hyeon-wol in relief, but for some reason she didn’t answer. Instead, she clenched her right hand into a tight fist.

-Squeeze.

"M-Master—?"

Before I could even question her incomprehensible behavior, the heavy fist—laden with inner energy—slammed down on the crown of my head like a thunderbolt.

-Thwack!

"Gwaaak!"

The pain was so intense it felt like my skull might crack. Clutching my head, I rolled across the sand while letting out a miserable scream.

"Foolish child! If you had held your defense firmly until the very end, you could have easily received a strike of that level!"

As I curled up, letting out faint groans, Hyeon-wol’s sharp rebuke rang loudly in my ears.

"The moment you saw an opening, you became blinded by that single point and thrust your sword without considering what lay ahead or behind! Is that what I taught you?!"

Her eyes narrowed fiercely as she looked down at me.

"If you wield a sword with such shallow intentions that you’ve even forgotten the teachings of patience, how are you any different from the street thugs or the heretics of the unorthodox path?!"

"...Ugh…!"

With tears welling up in my eyes, I rubbed my throbbing crown but couldn’t bring myself to lift my head. Even if I had ten mouths, I would have had nothing to say. Her reprimand was an irrefutable truth.

After a long while of huffing to calm her anger, Hyeon-wol delivered a stern final command.

"How long do you plan to stay sprawled there? Get up. Now!"

"Y-Yes, Master!"

It was a firm and strict scolding. Yet by then, the ferocious killing intent that had been tightening around my throat had vanished from her voice as if it had never existed.

"Ugh…!"

I forced strength into my trembling legs, which felt like those of a newborn foal, and staggered to my feet.

The moment I straightened my knees, which had been deeply embedded in the sand, an intense wave of exhaustion washed over my body as the tension finally released.

‘Ugh…. It hurts…!’

On top of that, the crown of my head where Hyeon-wol had struck me square on still throbbed as if a bell were ringing inside it. Every time I touched it, a sharp pain pulsed through me, making my shoulders flinch involuntarily.

"..."

Hyeon-wol gazed at me quietly as I finally managed to stand straight. Her eyes were like moonlight hidden behind thick dark clouds. Her expression was completely different from the fierce, yaksha-like face she had worn just moments ago.

Deep within her eyes, behind an inexplicable bitterness, a profound sense of relief rose in contradiction.

"Still… it seems your stagnant heart has finally found a place to flow."

"……Pardon?"

What was she talking about now?

As I stood there in confusion, Hyeon-wol continued in a low voice mixed with a soft sigh.

"After the recent incident, I was deeply worried. It seemed the spirit of the sword had left your eyes. Your form remained, but your intent had scattered. You looked like an empty puppet whose soul had departed."

Her gaze slowly traced over my features. It felt less like a simple look and more like an invisible hand.

I felt a heavy pressure, as if she were trying to pry open the tightly locked door of my heart—where Wi Yeon-seol hid within Seol-hye’s body—and confirm the true feelings crouched inside.

"I saw it. What dwelled in the two eyes that turned their sword toward me was not hesitation, but an unshakeable resolve that would never break no matter how many times it was shaken."

Hyeon-wol silently gazed at the distant sea. Then, the cold reason in her eyes toward me gradually melted away, replaced by a warm tenderness that worried for her disciple’s future.

"If you wish to step into the martial world, then go. If that is truly your will."

What did she just say?!

"M-Master…?"

"Engrave the exchange of swords we just shared deep in your heart. In the harsh storms of the martial world, the sword I showed you today will become the lantern that protects you."

Her permission fell so casually that I was struck speechless. Even if heaven and earth were to flip over right now, nothing could be more shocking than the permission that had just left her lips.

She had been swinging her lethal blade with such murderous intensity that I thought she would rather cut my throat than let me leave for the martial world. And yet here was such a simple, straightforward approval.

"....???"

Stiff as a lightning-struck old tree, I stared blankly at Hyeon-wol with a completely dazed face.

"Heh."

My ridiculous appearance must have been quite amusing, because the corner of Hyeon-wol’s smooth lips twisted elegantly. It was the first clear smile I had seen from her since we met.

"How unsightly. What is that vacant look? Did you truly think I would stand in your way?"

"I thought you weren’t just standing in my way, but were about to cut off my lifespan entirely."

At my honest answer, Hyeon-wol let out another soft laugh.

She adjusted her grip on her scabbard and spoke to me in a gentle voice.

"Since your heart has already left this place, what use would it be to bind your body here?"

Hyeon-wol stared at the horizon with hazy eyes, as if tracing old memories. It was as if her own youth stood there.

"It was the day I received the title of Little Sword Empress from my late master. Even I, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was still immature, set out into the martial world at your age with nothing but a single sword and a travel bag. However…"

Hyeon-wol’s gaze slowly returned to me.

"The achievements of the current Hye are so shallow compared to even my inexperienced self back then. How heavy must my heart be, sending you out?"

"Ugh…."

Her painfully direct words pierced my chest. I swallowed a dry cough and groaned inwardly.

‘Even the martial prowess of Seol-hye, who had reached a mature pinnacle, looks nothing but immature in her eyes.’

It hurt even more because it was an undeniable truth. But the voice that followed was far deeper and gentler than the sound of breaking waves.

"However, the sky inside a well is not the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entirety of the world. There are truths that can only be realized by experiencing and clashing with the winds and waves of the vast martial world yourself. Go. Fill those two eyes completely with the world and return."

Those words landed heavily upon my chest.

In either of my lives, I had never had anyone I could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠truly call a master. The brothel where I was born and raised, the unorthodox world where only strength mattered—everyone else had been nothing but competitors and enemies aiming for my neck.

Having someone genuinely worry about my path, comfort me, and firmly push me forward when I hesitated. The unfamiliar, ticklish sensation caused something hot to rise from deep within my chest.

‘So this is what it feels like to have a master.’

It was a strange warmth, but not at all unpleasant. It filled my heart.

"Th-Thank you."

"Mmm."

When I bowed my head deeply with a trembling voice, Hyeon-wol pulled something from her sleeve and tossed it to me.

"Take it."

"H-Huh?!"

What I caught in reflex was a heavy silk pouch. When I untied the string, a considerable amount of silver ingots gleamed inside.

"M-Master?! This is too much. How could I possibly…."

"Now, now. No more words. Take it. If the Little Sword Empress of the Sword Pavilion were to be seen wandering homeless and starving, what would become of your master’s dignity?"

"Ugh… U-Understood…."

Her stern expression left me no choice but to tuck the pouch into my robes. Once she confirmed this, Hyeon-wol’s eyes grew heavy once more.

"And remember this well. The current state of the Central Plains is far from peaceful. The Fire Demon attacked the imperial palace and threatened the Emperor’s safety. Taking advantage of that chaos, sinister forces are stirring everywhere. It means invisible cracks have begun to form in the martial world we once believed to be a time of great peace."

She paused for a moment, then pointed toward the northern sky and added in a low voice.

"If a crisis you cannot handle ever befalls you, do not look back. Head straight to Shenyang. Go to the main headquarters of the Murim Alliance there and give them my name. They will protect you."

Shenyang.

It was thousands of li away from Luoyang, where Heukryeonsan—my destination—was located. However, the strange light in Hyeon-wol’s eyes as she stared at me was so grave that I simply nodded and answered.

"I will engrave it in my heart."

After bowing my head for a moment, a sudden vow slipped from my lips.

"I will definitely… return. Master."

Even I didn’t know why I had said those words.

But the moment she heard them, a soft smile spread across Hyeon-wol’s lips like spring snow melting away.

"How foolish. You say something so obvious with such solemnity. Seol-hye, the only place in this world where you belong is here—only the Sword Pavilion."

-Rustle.

Having finished speaking, she roughly stroked my head.

I had expected her touch to carry a chilling coldness because of her usual emotionless demeanor, but the hand that rested on my crown was surprisingly warm.

‘The place to return to…….’

Those words she had spoken lingered in my ears and refused to fade.

I knew full well that all the concern she had poured out until now was not directed at Wi Yeon-seol, but at the owner of this body—Seol-hye.

The bittersweet, warm energy spreading from deep within my chest was also undoubtedly not my own emotion, but a remnant of Seol-hye’s. I wasn’t foolish enough to fail to realize that.

Still. Even so.

"..."

I thrust the sword I had been holding heavily into the sand.

-Shhh.

Then I brought my palms together in a formal salute toward the silently standing Hyeon-wol and bowed deeply at the waist. With a sincerity more pure and heavy than any I had ever shown in my life as Wi Yeon-seol, I paid my respects.

"I will be back, Master. Please… take care of Jin."

Having delivered my final farewell, I finally turned around.

I could feel Hyeon-wol’s heavy gaze clinging to my back. Forcing myself to ignore those eyes that refused to let go, I quietly stepped onto the white sand.

-Crunch. Crunch.

Deep footprints were clearly etched into the sand.

The world that lay ahead of these steps was the martial world of thirty years before my death.

A strange sense of déjà vu suddenly swept through my entire body.

‘Now that I think about it…….’

It had been around this same time that I had obtained the Heavenly Color Illusion Art and first stepped into the murim.

‘Does fate turn so cruelly once again?’

It was a strange twist of fate.

The Lustful Demon, who had been branded a public enemy of the murim and driven to death by a subjugation force, was now stepping into the martial world as the noble Little Sword Empress of the Sword Pavilion.

"Ha."

With a twisted smile, I gripped the hilt of the sword at my waist tightly and kicked off the ground without hesitation.