The Weight of a Dragon Heart
The atmosphere at the Golden Lotus Manor had grown profoundly somber.
The melancholy ran as deep as the joy that had filled the past couple of months—joy that Han Yujin himself, along with everyone around them, had celebrated with equal fervor.
How Eun Miryeong had smiled. The way her face had glowed with happiness. The tiny garments she had sewn with her own skilled hands, preparing for the child who would soon arrive.
Recalling each detail, one by one, would only be like digging into an open wound.
The sole silver lining amid the misfortune was that both husband and wife were cultivators, their bodies and minds tempered by discipline. The grief had not spiraled into physical decline. Moreover, in this world where death was commonplace, they possessed at least some measure of immunity to its sting.
Late that night.
In a pavilion on one side of the garden, Han Yujin sat lost in thought, gazing at the moon reflected on the surface of the pond. He had slipped out after confirming that Eun Miryeong had fallen into a deep sleep.
This can’t be because the world is merely a simulation.
At first he had suspected it as one of the causes, but as the days passed, that possibility felt increasingly unlikely.
If anything, the opposite made more sense. If every aspect of this world was simulated, there should be no reason a new life could not be born safely. Creating one additional living being should not be beyond the system’s capabilities.
Is it because I’m an outsider who came to this world through my awakening ability?
This seemed more plausible.
Outwardly, he appeared no different from the people here, but on a microscopic genetic level there were slight discrepancies. It was possible those differences had caused complications during the child’s formation.
Among the miscellaneous knowledge from Earth was the fact that humans and chimpanzees share 98.8 percent of their DNA. A mere 1.2 percent difference creates the vast gulf between the two species.
Therefore, even if his own genes differed from those of the people here by less than 0.1 percent, it could still trigger problems in the delicate process of creating new life.
Yet there was an even more suspicious factor.
It’s because I’m refining the Dragon Heart.
More precisely, because the refinement process had already begun to separate him, in part, from pure humanity.
First, one obvious truth needed to be acknowledged.
The soul and the body are not separate. Here, the soul is the heart and qi, while the body is the form and qi.
In short, the heart, qi, and body are inseparable. This meant that from the moment he had begun refining the Dragon Heart using the Samgyeong Johwa-gyeol, even at the first stage of heart refinement, it had already begun influencing his qi and body, laying the foundation for the subsequent stages.
Otherwise, how could he have intuitively sensed the increase in dharma power and lifespan even during the heart refinement stage?
What came to mind, then, was the conversation he had overheard between the Archmage and Casarnox when he first obtained the latter’s Dragon Heart. They had provoked and mocked each other.
When the Archmage said something about creatures born of human flesh and soul, Casarnox had simply replied that it only raised the egg’s survival rate.
In other words, without human flesh and soul, the survival rate of a dragon egg was extremely low.
So that is the weakness of the mighty dragon race…
And Han Yujin had been refining and assimilating the Dragon Heart of precisely that race.
Just as he had received positive effects, negative ones might have come along as well. The ways of the world were never purely benevolent.
As always, fortune and misfortune were two sides of the same coin.
In that case, it seems I won’t be able to have children through ordinary means.
He let out an unconscious sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.
It appeared this was an inevitability he could not avoid.
He had known nothing about the side effects. Even if he had vaguely guessed at them, he could not have been certain. In such a situation, how could he have continued avoiding the act of conceiving a child with Eun Miryeong?
Besides, since I came to this world specifically to refine the Dragon Heart, I couldn’t have postponed it anyway.
He could not have planned around the possibility of developing this kind of relationship with her.
In the end, this was not a mistake or a sin. It was simply a tragic accident.
How long had he sat wrapped in the silence of the night?
Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching from afar. He opened his eyes. It was the steward, accompanied by one of the maids directly serving Eun Miryeong. They carried a modest tray of late-night refreshments.
“……”
He waited in silence. Soon they arrived, bowed quietly, and set the tray down.
“My heart is grateful, but I have no appetite.”
The steward bowed his head to Han Yujin and spoke.
“The madam sent this.”
“…Just now?”
“No. She called for me yesterday and asked me to prepare it.”
He had confirmed she was deeply asleep before leaving, yet it seemed she had woken at some point yesterday or earlier and realized he had gone outside.
In her own painful situation, she’s still looking after me.
The contents of this tray were surely more than simple comfort. She must also be conveying that she would not remain sunken in sorrow forever—that she too would gather her strength and overcome this.
“Then I cannot refuse. I will thank her in person.”
“If you need anything, please call for us at any time.”
As he watched the steward and maid withdraw, Han Yujin suddenly realized he had barely paid them any attention.
It was not particularly strange, nor could it truly be called a problem. Still, considering how much they helped both him and Eun Miryeong in countless ways, it seemed he ought to show them at least a little care.
The more he thought about it, the more he noticed genuine devotion in their attitude—far beyond what one would expect from mere hired servants.
It was a night filled with many thoughts.
The gloom over the manor gradually lifted with the passage of time. The saying that time is the best medicine was not empty words.
Two or three years later.
Seogwang Gahu had reached the Peak realm and could no longer be called a promising junior. Because his achievement came through the Wonryeok Sim-gong, his skill far surpassed that of ordinary Peak experts.
Around that time, Han Yujin sent him out into the martial world. As a member of the Seogwang Clan, he could not remain secluded in the Golden Lotus Manor forever.
Afterward, whenever rumors of his exploits reached them, Han Yujin felt deeply satisfied. Eun Miryeong, who had once been something like a fellow disciple but was now his wife, seemed to feel the same.
Dok Junseong continued his training while diligently managing Okhan Province. As expected, judging by his rate of dharma soul sublimation, he would likely reach the Dharma Soul stage before he died.
Unlike Eun Miryeong, he possessed talent in the middle-upper range of the current generation.
On the other hand, Eun Miryeong showed almost no progress in her cultivation. Nevertheless, she displayed no signs of discouragement. She also showed no desire to conceive another child. This was because, through a serious conversation with Han Yujin, she had come to understand the situation.
Perhaps for that reason, she began sewing far more clothes for Mu-yong. As a result, Mu-yong spent so much time with her that Han Yujin, her original owner, occasionally felt a vague sense of threat.
Then, on a pleasant day.
While they were enjoying light refreshments in the garden, he spoke without much thought.
“I don’t know when it will happen, but someday Mu-yong will be able to transform into human form.”
“…Pardon? Is that truly possible?”
Eun Miryeong, who had been playing with Mu-yong in her arms, looked up at him in surprise.
“The cultivation realm names for beasts like Mu-yong are slightly different from those of human cultivators.”
In particular, what humans called the Nascent Soul stage was known as the Transformation stage for beasts. The same applied to the Yao race.
The very name “Transformation stage” meant the ability to assume human form.
When Eun Miryeong realized that Mu-yong would need to reach a realm equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage before she could transform, she looked momentarily dazed. But seeing Han Yujin’s confident expression, she soon smiled.
“You are certain she will reach that realm?”
“It’s only a matter of time.”
And he had more than enough time. This was a fact Eun Miryeong now understood as well.
“Husband.”
Suddenly she called him in a slightly stern tone.
“…Yes?”
“Is the meaning of Mu-yong’s name truly ‘martial valor’—the characters for martial arts and bravery?”
“…It is.”
“Really?”
“Partially.”
Eun Miryeong let out a short sigh.
“I know how much you cherish and adore Mu-yong. But the way you sometimes speak of her… saying she is useless… If she learns the meaning of her name after becoming human, won’t she be heartbroken?”
“Hmm……”
Unable to outright deny it, Han Yujin looked slightly awkward.
“It wasn’t given with any bad meaning. I named her that to mean that even if you are completely useless to me, it’s perfectly fine.”
He finally revealed the true meaning for the first time. Fortunately, Eun Miryeong’s reaction was one of surprise and deep emotion.
At least for a very brief moment.
“The intention is truly wonderful, but still……”
“Still?”
“When I think of Mu-yong being called that even after she takes human form……”
“Hm.”
“May I give her a courtesy name?”
A courtesy name, simply put, was another name used alongside one’s given name.
Whether due to the special affection people held for their true names or for some other reason, this custom existed on Earth as well. Even in the famous Romance of the Three Kingdoms, every character had a courtesy name—Liu Bei was Xuande, Guan Yu was Yunchang, Zhang Fei was Yide.
The same practice had existed in Joseon on the Korean peninsula. As far as he remembered, Yi Hwang’s courtesy name was Gyeongho and Yi I’s was Sukheon.
Of course, using courtesy names was not especially common here, but the important point was that while rare, the practice was not nonexistent.
“Do you already have one in mind?”
It seemed Eun Miryeong had brought this up because she had already prepared something. Sure enough, she nodded immediately.
“I was thinking of Baek-neung.”
“Baek-neung……”
It would roughly mean someone possessing bright, pure talent and equally clear ability. It also shared meaning with her own title, Clear Stream White Phoenix.
It felt completely opposite to the original name Mu-yong, but that contrast actually made it rather nice.
By the time she starts using that name in earnest… she will have reached the Transformation stage. She should possess at least one clear ability by then.
Even if she didn’t, it was fine. Wasn’t cuteness itself a kind of ability? When one considered how many animals survived purely on the strength of being adorable, it was clearly a legitimate power.
“It’s good. Let’s go with that.”
At Han Yujin’s approval, Eun Miryeong looked delighted. She turned to Mu-yong and spoke affectionately.
“Did you hear? Your courtesy name has been decided.”
“Jjik! Jjik—!”
Whether she fully understood or not, Mu-yong simply squeaked happily and twitched her nose.
Despite her appearance, she was not without intelligence. Even without being directly linked through the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol, she understood a great deal of what was said and acted accordingly. She occasionally did silly things, but they were all so funny and adorable that it didn’t matter.
It was truly a peaceful and happy time.
The days passed like a swift arrow as he devoted himself to training and spent joyful moments with those around him.
Roughly seven or eight years later.
Seogwang Gahu had accomplished so many feats that he was now called not the Jade-Faced Sword Dragon, but the Jade-Faced Sword Saint. He had proven his transcendent peak-level strength in various situations enough times to fully earn that reputation.
Dok Junseong had come to be called Okhan Cheongwi instead of Seomroegeom. The new title had been given because he effectively ruled the entire Okhan Province in place of the rarely-moving Peerless Supreme. He no longer used lightning-resembling sword arts either.
Meanwhile, martial artists throughout the jianghu who had learned the Wonryeok Sim-gong created by Han Yujin began to appear, displaying its formidable power.
It was a slow but unmistakable shock that seemed to raise the power level of every martial realm by half a step, shaking the entire martial world.
As the aftershocks of that shock grew clearer, more and more people began visiting the Golden Lotus Manor.
Although Han Yujin had already visited the Imperial Secret Archive several years earlier and his standards had become extremely high, he did not raise the trading conditions for the Wonryeok Sim-gong. After considering many factors, that was the most moderate path.
If he had raised the threshold based on his elevated standards, there was no telling how the resulting dissatisfaction might have erupted.
Being a little more generous caused neither loss nor danger. There was no reason to knowingly invite such unnecessary trouble.
It was around that time.
Han Yujin suddenly declared that he would travel with Eun Miryeong. This was not a short trip of a few days, but a very long journey that would take them across the entire martial world.
It was not for any urgent purpose, but purely for enjoyment and to create memories. The preparations required were considerable.
Fortunately, when all the capable people at the Golden Lotus Manor—including the steward—pitched in, it was not overly complicated.
Their movements were carried out very quietly at first. No one had expected the Peerless Supreme, who had not stirred for nearly ten years, to move so suddenly.
However, because Han Yujin continued refining the Dragon Heart even while traveling, news of their whereabouts spread rapidly through rumors.
Of course, it only became slightly annoying as the rumors spread. There was no danger whatsoever. On the contrary, the rumors led to several interesting incidents that enriched what might otherwise have become a tedious journey.
Just like the current situation.
“Peerless Supreme—!! I, Tae-geon of the Un-hae Sect, known as the Blue Cloud Dragon Sword, challenge you to a duel—!!”
As they were about to leave after resting at the best inn in a small village.
A young man stepped forward, drew his sword, and shouted.