Jilin (6)

72. Jilin (6)

—And now that I think about it, the Union of Yin and Yang. Since the Five Elements Immortal existed, it truly was an attainable realm. In life, I would never have dared ask about another sect's martial arts, but now that I am a ghost, would it not be all right?

—Heosan, you know about the Union of Yin and Yang, do you not?—

When he received the question, Heosan kept silent for a moment.

—We are dead ghosts. We are already passing our sects' martial arts to children we never knew, so what is there to begrudge? Besides, yin and yang are surely within the Daoist domain. You should at least offer some guidance to a junior Daoist.—

—Th-that... well... Hm. Hwangseong, you explain it.—

The two Daoists had grown markedly closer of late. Heosan had been one of those Wudang Daoists who focused solely on martial studies despite being a grand-disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, only to be futilely killed by jiangshi during the Blood Sect Rebellion. Hwangseong, by contrast, had devoted himself entirely to Daoist learning. Their lingering regrets from life seemed to have drawn them together.

—Hm. The thing is, Yeongmok. It appears you have already found a means by which ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Union of Yin and Yang may be achieved. Discuss the matter thoroughly with your master.—

—What?! How would our master know of the Union of Yin and Yang when even the Martial Grandmaster, Master Flame Emperor, does not?!—

—That... hm. Yeongmok. You should be pleased. In recent days, our Yeongsan Sect has been supplemented by the martial arts of other sects. But does our Yeongsan Sect not also possess a treasure of an internal art? When the Yin-Yang Art reaches its culmination, the Union of Yin and Yang may be attained.—

The Yin-Yang Art? Come to think of it, the Bedchamber Arts had always come with some grandiose explanation about the Union of Yin and Yang. But the problem was...

—H-how does Reverend Heo San know about that?—

—Yeong-ok. That child used to ask me about the Yin-Yang Art constantly. Whether the Yin Blossom Art she had trained in could not be applied to the Great Clarity Internal Art. That child, I tell you, is one who takes truly immense pride in the Yin-Yang Art.—

—C... could it be?—

—Yes. She even told me that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she had already reached the Fourth Stage by practicing the Yin Blossom Art with you. I died an old bachelor, so I would have preferred that she spare me the explicit details of how she reached the Fourth Stage.—

Good heavens.

Master!!!

—The same goes for me. Founding Patriarch or whatever else, I am a fellow utterly ignorant in the ways of women, so I beg you, please ask her not to put such matters to me.—

Ah... my master. She had been meeting the two great Daoists of the previous generation, only to ask them about the Bedchamber Arts. And of all people, to two virgin elders who had never once held a woman's hand.

—The Yin-Yang Art? You don't mean the Bedchamber Arts?—

Moon Immortal abruptly interjected.

—It sounds absurd coming from a Daoist in name only, but Yeongsan Sect's Daoist arts transcend ordinary understanding. Just look at the Spirit-Binding Art that summoned us. The Yin-Yang Art is no less formidable. It heals minor wounds, uses a man's essence to increase a woman's internal energy without harming him as an Essence-Draining Art would, and protects the heart meridian through its own qi circulation even during intercourse. Its effects are so numerous that we have not grasped them all—perhaps even its creator did not—but reaching the Sixth Stage, its culmination, would surely attain the Union of Yin and Yang.—

—It raises internal energy? Excellent! Our Yeong is perfect in every other respect, but her internal energy is the problem. That is why I asked you to bring Medicine Immortal, whom I cannot stand the sight of, so I could at least feed Yeong an elixir.—

Moon Immortal didn't seem to hate Medicine Immortal as deeply as I had assumed. She had said it for Son Yeong's sake. She truly was serious about passing on the Moonlit Divine Sword.

—No. Senior Sister Son has only the First Stage. The effect of converting a man's essence into internal energy requires at least the Third Stage.—

—Why not? The Yeongsan Sect Leader surely knows that our Son Yeong is the sect's hope. Besides, that Yin-Yang Art stores yang energy in men and yin energy in women, does it not? The Sect Leader and chief disciple possess little true internal energy, yet their yin energy alone is as dense as that Ice Palace woman's. The Moonlit Divine Sword is also based on yin energy. Have Son Yeong learn the Yin-Yang Art at once.—

Though the same held true of the other Four Heroes, this woman too was steadily turning into an overprotective grandmother toward Son Yeong. Just as the blunt Flame Emperor had grilled meat for me, in these elders' eyes, we apparently seemed no more than grandchildren.

—That is impossible. She might manage the Second Stage, but to train the Third Stage, she must receive a man's essence inside her body. At the Fourth Stage, she must receive it through every place where intercourse is possible—not only her vagina, but her mouth and anus as well.—

—And the Fifth Stage?—

—Two such women and I must couple at the same time. For the Sixth Stage, four are required.—

—Excellent. In any case, that means you will eventually need two more women who have learned the Yin Blossom Art. Our Yeong is a true martial artist. Her maidenhood may be precious, but she would throw it away like a scrap of straw if it advanced her martial arts.—

That was precisely what made it more dangerous. Son Yeong truly placed no value upon her own body or virginity. Even now, she was willing to offer her body to me, saying it was to repay a debt of gratitude; if there was a slight internal-energy-boosting effect to it, and if the legendary realm of the Union of Yin and Yang lay hidden at the very end, she would pursue it with blazing fervor in her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes.

—No!! Not our Cho-ryeong! Th... that! I shall have her train in the Vajra Art and render her maidenhead and Jade Gate into a Vajra body!!!—

Geo Am's voice came completely out of nowhere. He had gone beyond a kindhearted grandfather and become something close to an obsessive idol fan, so he might truly do it. I agreed with protecting her virginity that way too. I couldn't allow our innocent Cho-ryeong to be seduced by some dog of a bastard and made to do that!

—What are you talking about? She is twelve. That is already marriageable age.—

She truly was someone from the Yuan era. Like the people of Goryeo, the Han Chinese had been forced to offer virgins to those Mongol bastards. That was how the custom of early marriage had arisen.

—No! Our Ryeong is still young!—

—I concur. The Vajra Art that protects her virginity—have her train in it the moment we return.—

Legendary masters were having a mortifying argument about the Bedchamber Arts. Amid the commotion, the Flame Emperor spoke to me in a brisk voice.

—Yeongmok. You have rested sufficiently. The training hall is prepared; it is time to train.—

—What? Again today?—

—In any case, with that child occupying the bed like that, you have no means of sleeping, do you not? Surely you do not intend to take advantage of that child?—

—Of course not. You heard everything earlier. She is my friend. Violating a woman drunk on wine is the act of scum.—

—That was unexpected. Between the Ice Palace woman earlier and this, I assumed a Reverend fallen into lust would certainly take her.—

—Take advantage of what? You heard her. She's my aunt! A woman who's the spitting image of my mother!—

—Master is drunk, and yet...—

—Quiet.—

—Yeongmok, this is no time to relax. You felt it earlier: that Ice Palace girl grabbed your penis, did she not? The scrotum is a vital point. You surrendered it to her. Had she possessed even the slightest murderous intent, you would have died before any of us could intervene.—

The Flame Emperor's words shocked me. He was right. Even with the fraudulent power of the Four Heroes, someone only at her level could still take my life. I had wanted to enjoy the buzz in my own room for the first time in ages, but life mattered more than leisure. Since the training ran on autopilot anyway, I handed him my body without much concern.

He dispelled the intoxication in an instant, took up the sword he had inhabited, and went to the private training ground. Another advantage of Flame Qi was that darkness did not hinder training. The flame, now considerably larger, illuminated the area like a torch while drawing fantastic sword paths through the air. Its drawback was that it looked so spectacular that passing retainers might think a fire had broken out, which was why we trained in private.

—Moon Immortal, receive my sword. Face me with Sword Qi alone, not Martial Aura. I must engrave the experience of real combat into Yeongmok's body.—

—Me?—

—Geo Am's martial art is too destructive. Yet if he controls his power, he will be too slow to be of any help. Heosan's Transforming Force is still too early for Yeongmok to comprehend.—

—Even if I use only Sword Qi, will that body not be injured?—

—It is fine. Did you not say so earlier? That Yeongmok's Yin-Yang Art possesses the effect of healing light wounds in an instant.—

—It cannot be helped. I am the only spirit here who obeys the Reverend, so I shall do my utmost for him.—

Sword Qi surged as though she had been waiting. W-wait! Was that truly Sword Qi? Unlike any Sword Qi I had seen, moonlight gathered into crescent shapes. Moon Immortal's sword reached me in the blink of an eye, clashed dozens of times with the Flame Emperor's blade, and scattered sparks. As those sword forms, too fast for me to react to, crossed before my eyes hundreds of times, I gradually began to recognize them. The problem was that once I did, I understood that every path was a lethal strike aimed at my vital points, and terror froze my entire body.

Moon Immortal's sword grazed my arm. In an instant, a long, thin wound was traced across it.

—Do not be afraid!—

The Flame Emperor's sword blocked Moon Immortal's more than adequately. Because he possessed my physical body, he could use its weight to press her blade back with force, but my subconscious, frozen by terror, obstructed his movements. Under the Spirit Possession Art, the caster's will fundamentally took precedence over the spirit's.

—Kyahahahaha! To be of help to the Reverend, I, Moon Immortal, am overcome with emotion!—

Each time I froze, more bloodstains appeared. The more I forced myself to focus, the more clearly her persistent sword paths came into view. In less than one tea interval, my body became a bloody mess. The wounds were as fine as cuts from a box cutter, barely grazing me, yet I had already been sliced more than a hundred times. As one wound slowly healed, another bloody line was carved over it.

—I do not demand that you block. Merely that you overcome your fear and look squarely at the sword!—

I... I was going to die. I had thought training by the Spirit-Binding Art was nothing but a sweet deal, yet this was outright torture!

—Flame Emperor, restrain yourself. At this rate, he will not overcome his fear; he will drown in it. Switch places with me for a while.—

Moon Immortal's sword stopped at Heosan's voice. Convinced I might truly die at this rate, I quickly switched spirits, and Heosan entered my body.

—Now, do not rush. Begin slowly. Among those countless variations, first learn to read with certainty only what you can already perceive.—

Unlike the Flame Emperor's violent sword, Heosan traced gentle circles. Rather than overpowering Moon Immortal's sharp blade with equal strength and speed, the pinnacle of Transforming Force unfolded through my hands, redirecting it with the least possible force. Whether receiving an attack, advancing one, or searching briefly for an opening, Taiji was drawn with unbroken softness. This was Wudang's Taiji Wisdom Sword, regarded as one of the martial world's highest peaks.

Thanks to the perfect defense, I was able to observe Moon Immortal's sword a little more slowly, bit by bit. But each time I grew accustomed to her blade, I would grasp just how fearsome the meaning behind each of those sword paths was, until in the end my body would once again freeze rigid, the flawless Taiji would distort, and my body would once more become Moon Immortal's canvas.

—That's why the Vajra Art is supreme, is it not? No need to even dodge such light attacks.—

Geo Am muttered from behind.

—Th... that Vajra Art! Teach it to me!—

—With your aptitudes, it is unreasonable.—

—Are you mocking me?!—

Earlier, when I had clashed with that mad aunt of mine, I had for the first time squared off evenly against her without borrowing the Four Heroes' power, and because of it, I had even been acknowledged by the disciples of the prestigious clans. But one must never lose one's original intention. I must never forget how difficult it is to survive in the martial world merely by having grown a little stronger.

And so, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in my old home that I had returned to after so long, I was able to recover that original intention.