The Dragon Who Cannot Transform
Mount Bongnae is a place teeming with immortals and demons.
The only reason Seong-jin didn't find it strange that Seo-heun was living there was simply because he lacked the mental capacity to think that far ahead.
He had come here in search of a place to die, after all.
It was hardly surprising that he didn't have the energy to dwell on a girl he had only crossed paths with once.
“I heard you’re going to be taught by Yeo Dong-bin this time? How on earth did you pull that off?”
Whether her earlier talk of "playing house" was genuine or not, Seo-heun immediately changed the subject.
To her, this seemed to be the real issue.
“That damn Yeo Dong-bin. Whenever I ask him for help, he makes all sorts of excuses, works me like a dog, and never teaches me a thing. But for you, he’s actually stepping up to teach you first? Hey, tell me—what kind of trick did you use?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t really use any tricks.”
“Then why is that guy pouring his teachings only onto you!”
Come to think of it, Yeo Dong-bin’s attitude had changed ever since he saw Seong-jin grasp his Sword Qi and mimic the profound techniques.
The most one-dimensional answer derived from that was simple.
“……A difference in talent?”
Of course, Seong-jin was referring to his talent for martial arts, not Taoist arts.
After all, transcendent beings like Yeo Dong-bin and Lee Cheol-goi were those who had polished their martial arts during their time as humans before achieving immortality.
However, to Seo-heun, who was training in Taoist arts under the immortals, that was bound to be a stinging remark.
Seo-heun exploded at what she perceived as a slight, whether intentional or not.
“Are you saying that someone like you has more talent than me? A mere human?”
“You’ve got quite the ego.”
“I won’t accept this! Let’s duel! If I win, I’m the one who gets to be taught by Yeo Dong-bin!”
“Isn’t that something for us to decide?”
“Meet me here at the Hour of the Rat!”
“You really don’t listen, do you.”
He had learned the hard way, through the incident with the siblings, that wandering around Mount Bongnae at night was never a good idea.
He had no intention of indulging Seo-heun’s stubbornness, but it would be troublesome if she spent the whole night waiting for him in the mountains.
'I suppose I should pay for my keep as a guest.'
He decided to handle this on his own so the immortals wouldn't have to worry about such trivial matters.
With that thought, Seong-jin went out to the spot Seo-heun had called him to in the middle of the night.
“I don’t know what this is about, but let’s finish it quickly and go ba—”
“Shh!”
The moment Seo-heun saw Seong-jin, she grabbed his hand and clamped a hand over his mouth.
'What is this? A kidnapping?'
Seong-jin possessed the talent to transform any martial art into a supreme technique. Before he realized the value of this talent, he had often been a target for kidnapping by various factions because he would impulsively fix others' martial arts out of frustration.
It had become so common that he eventually stopped waiting for someone to rescue him and simply taught the kidnappers incorrect cultivation formulas, causing them to suffer from Qi Deviation so he could escape on his own.
He was far too accustomed to this to be flustered by a kidnapping now.
“I don’t even have anyone to pay my ransom anymore.”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? I told you to be quiet.”
Seo-heun whispered, lowering her own voice as well, and the reason soon became clear.
In the middle of the night, music began to drift through the mountains.
As Seong-jin held his breath in the unexpected situation, a procession of hundreds of lanterns appeared in the distance.
The things forming the ranks in the procession were, without exception, not human.
A black bear wielding a massive spear,
A raccoon dog with one eye and three tails,
A carp with chicken feet walking on the ground,
A bird that spewed deadly poison with every flap of its wings,
And even trees with human faces walking on their roots, and snakes with human faces.
It was a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, with all manner of spirits gathered in one place.
It seemed that once night fell, the demons captured from all over the world were throwing a party on Mount Bongnae.
“The immortals are always busy. It’s not unusual for the ones captured on Mount Bongnae to turn into a party whenever they get the chance. The problem is, someone has to clean up the mess, right? So, let’s make it a contest—whoever catches more demons tonight wins!”
For a moment, he suspected she was just dumping her work on him under the guise of a contest, but Seong-jin nodded silently.
Regardless, if it was work the immortals were too busy to handle, Seong-jin was willing to lend a hand.
“Alright, then watch closely!”
Seo-heun said, taking a deep breath.
“I, the daughter of the Yinglong, possess the greatest potential!”
As she exhaled, a bolt of lightning erupted.
In the Immortal Realm, a human who achieves transcendence is called an Immortal, and a demon who achieves transcendence is called a Dragon.
However, Seo-heun, born as a dragon's child, had been a dragon from birth but lacked enlightenment and thus possessed no Yeouiju of her own.
When her mother was banished to the Immortal Realm due to the Investiture Covenant, she could not ascend and was left behind in the mortal world.
The immortals of Mount Bongnae took in the young dragon who had been separated from her mother by the covenant.
The dragon struggled to create her own Yeouiju, but it was an arduous task.
Even as the lives of countless beings are woven and extinguished, those who achieve transcendence are few and far between. Even in Buddhism, it is believed that even after accumulating merit through repeated reincarnation, most souls will not achieve liberation until the Maitreya Buddha descends 5.67 billion years later.
Being born a dragon is one thing; becoming an enlightened being is another.
The young dragon could not overcome the limitations of reality.
Ever since the Investiture Covenant began, she had been trapped on Mount Bongnae, and she still is to this day.
“Hahahaha!”
Having drawn out her power, Seo-heun laughed like one possessed.
She was born with the power of a dragon, but she lacked the enlightenment of the Upper Dantian to control it.
To her, Taoist training was like shackling her entire body.
It was an unnatural act of suppressing instinct, defying heaven's will, and acting against the natural order. Conversely, breaking the shackles that restrained her and running wild according to her demonic instincts was comfortable and natural.
“I am the one who will become an immortal!”
Managing the demons trapped on Mount Bongnae was not work for Seo-heun.
Whenever she felt pressured by the stagnation of her Taoist training, she would relieve it by beating up the demons on Mount Bongnae.
To her, demon hunting was nothing more than the only pastime the immortals allowed her.
-It’s a dragon! A dragon has appeared!
-It’s that girl again!
The demons, greeted by Seo-heun’s breath, fled in terror.
“How was that?”
Seo-heun asked, looking back at Seong-jin with her hands on her hips, looking proud.
Her breath was certainly powerful, and a significant number of demons who were hit directly had collapsed, but naturally, there were more who hadn't been hit than those who had.
Of course, they could only flee in terror because they hadn't been hit.
However, even though she was missing most of the demons, Seo-heun made no attempt to chase them.
As if it were natural that she couldn't catch the ones running away.
“You’ve never properly learned how to hunt, have you?”
“What?”
Hunting is a task that requires professional knowledge.
It’s not for nothing that those without land to farm go into the mountains to gather wood.
Hunting is about observing and studying the mountains and the beasts, aiming for the gaps that human hands can reach.
Simply put, even a master of martial arts, without prior knowledge, would find it difficult to catch a single rabbit that digs holes all over the mountain and runs away.
While a hunter sets a trap on the rabbit’s path and waits, a martial arts master would have to practically plow the entire mountain just to find the rabbit hole.
There is a reason for the saying, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
And in Seong-jin’s eyes, Seo-heun was exactly like that.
“Your method of using the Middle Dantian is wrong. I’ll recite the formula, so follow along.”
“A formula? You mean martial arts? Forget it. Do you really think a martial art used by a human would suit me?”
Martial arts is an art that requires the Heart, Qi, and Body to be in harmony. However, demons have a completely different physical structure, including their Qi channels, so following a human martial arts system would have no effect.
Even if she transformed into a human through Shapeshifting, the effect would be halved.
Ultimately, unless a new martial art was created specifically for demons, it was difficult for them to master proper martial arts.
However, demons preferred to study the innate supernatural powers or magic of their Upper Dantian rather than study martial arts, and naturally, there were no proper martial arts for demons.
Just as a species of humans with two arms has no reason to develop a three-sword style, demons who use magic had no reason to develop martial arts.
But Seong-jin’s perception was absolute, transcending even the differences between species.
“Now, try it again.”
“Hmph, as if I’d follow your advice…… Achoo!”
Seo-heun had no intention of following Seong-jin’s advice.
However, the formula Seong-jin recited was designed to be impossible not to follow the moment one heard it, much like how one reflexively thinks of an elephant when told "don't think of an elephant," or like being told "you must now breathe manually."
In the end, Seo-heun couldn't help but exhale her breath following the formula, and lightning erupted once again.
Unlike before, when it was fired in a straight line, the lightning split into hundreds of branches, twisting through the air to track down the fleeing demons and striking them on the head.
The demons who had fled in all directions collapsed in unison, struck by the lightning.
“W-what is this?”
Her standard lightning breath had gained diffusion effects and homing capabilities.
And all that without any separate practice, just by hearing the formula.
“You, you…….”
Seo-heun’s eyes sparkled.
“You were actually an amazing guy, weren’t you?”
Since ancient times, dragons have been beings that cherish treasures. Among them, there are even anecdotes of Imugi (lesser dragons) who failed to ascend because they were greedy, holding onto multiple Yeouiju, so their greed is practically an innate trait.
The problem was that her parents, who could have taught her how to control such desires, were gone to the heavens.
“I caught them all in the end, so I won!”
“Sure, congratulations.”
Seong-jin, who had no interest in the contest, answered vaguely, but Seo-heun thought otherwise.
“Then since I won, you’re mine from now on!”
* * *
From then on, Seong-jin had to receive Seo-heun’s visits every morning.
“Wake up! The sun is already high in the sky!”
The hut, which had become quite decent after repairs, kept the drafts out at night, but it couldn't stop a dragon who kicked down the door.
“What is this wild boar?”
“Breakfast! You’re so weak because you only eat grass roots all the time. You have to eat meat, meat!”
“I can’t eat things from Mount Bongnae. That’s why Lee Cheol-goi brings me food whenever he goes outside.”
“Why? Even though it’s so delicious?”
Seong-jin, who had opened the door and stepped out, was met with a wild boar the size of a house in the yard—a creature that would have been worshipped as a mountain god in the outside world.
Seo-heun even tried to tear into it raw, forcing Seong-jin to stop her in horror.
“Why are you doing this in human form instead of dragon form?”
“I can’t transform into a dragon! That damn Yeo Dong-bin put a shapeshifting spell on me because I can’t control my dragon power.”
So, Seo-heun being in human form wasn't because she was using a shapeshifting spell herself.
“Does that mean you’ve been living by tearing into beasts with human jaws until now?”
“Yes!”
“……Just stay there, I’ll prepare it.”
Seo-heun, who had always been alone, still possessed the heart of a child, and to her, Seong-jin was no different from the first peer she had ever met.
“Make me food today, too!”
“I can do that much for you. But what are these trees?”
“You never play with me because you’re always looking for wood to boil water! I gathered a ton, so you have free time now, right?”
Once she opened her heart, she quickly showed her affection.
“What shall we play today? What shall we play today?”
She showed it a bit too much.