Book 14 Chapter 10

The Awakened Eunseolan

"…Seol…ran…"

"…Unnie!"

"…Eun… So…jeo!"

"…Eun… Sojeo…!"

Eunseolan was floating in a strange sense of buoyancy. She couldn't even distinguish whether she was dreaming or awake.

She heard voices calling her from somewhere. Strangely, none of the voices were from people in her original hometown. All of them were from people she had met as an investigator, people she would never have been close to in normal circumstances. Before she knew it, a smile spread across her lips.

'Where is this place….'

Her body felt as heavy as lead, and she couldn't move a finger. The surroundings were engulfed in complete darkness, making it impossible to discern any direction. No, she felt abandoned in a space where she doubted if there was even a sky or earth. Her body felt like an anchor, sinking into an endless abyss.

'Will I never wake up like this?'

Suddenly, Galhyo-bong's face flashed before her eyes. Then, the despair and heartache she felt when she lost him returned.

'Would I be happy if I never woke up again?'

Even if she woke up here, she would have to live in a reality where he was no longer by her side.

'Yes, that might actually be happier. I won't have to experience the absolute emptiness of loss that leaves a hollow in my heart again.'

It was an unbearably alluring temptation.

'Yes, it might be more peaceful….'

It was at that very moment, as she surrendered herself completely to the darkness and slowly closed her eyes.

"Eun… So…jeo!"

Piercing through the fog of darkness and crossing the abyss, there was a voice shaking her awake. Among the many voices calling her, it was the most desperate one.

She recalled the image of a man, always neat, dignified, polite, and diligent in everything he did. The way he constantly refined himself to do his best was incredibly beautiful. And she felt like there was another side to him that he had shown her. What could it have been? Her heart suddenly swelled, and tears welled up in her eyes. That desperate heart. That heart that should never be forgotten.

'…Protect …protect …her …life…….'

She couldn't recall it clearly. But she knew for sure that whatever it was, she had to remember it.

'…Hwi…….'

And then, she slowly opened her eyes.

The sky was high and clear, fitting for an autumn sky. The sun sprinkled dazzling fragments of light, invigorating the earth, and a cool breeze from the blue sky danced, shaking the branches of mysterious red plum blossoms that bloomed oblivious to the season. It was a peaceful and leisurely afternoon.

"Huh?"

The first to sense it was Bi Ryuyeon, who was leisurely strolling through Hongmaegok. The next to feel it was Na Yeririn. Coincidentally, she was near him. Of course, neither of them was engaged in the immoral act of strolling together, a shameless act that infuriated many men. They were simply coincidentally close. Moreover, Bi Ryuyeon and Na Yeririn each had their own companions.

The energy appeared suddenly, as if it had fallen from the sky. Its location was precisely at the entrance of Hongmaegok.

Na Yeririn couldn't help but be surprised. The energy of a person entering the valley through the entrance of Hongmaegok was recognized by her. Her gaze naturally shifted.

"What is this feeling?"

She couldn't believe it. To possess such an overwhelming presence at such a young age…

Shiver!

Suddenly, goosebumps ran down her spine. Her slender shoulders trembled. Her complexion was as pale as someone about to collapse.

A chill that seemed to freeze her blood, accompanied by an unbearable nausea, washed over her. In an instant, darkness descended before her retina. It felt like thousands of snakes and scorpions, crawling out of the swirling abyss of chaos, were coiling around her mind.

A dark shadow, stirring deep within her chest. It was hidden so far beyond the deep, dark abyss that its identity was impossible to discern. But even without knowing, her body trembled. Something, something that her consciousness couldn't perceive, kept sending her warnings.

Swish!

Bi Ryuyeon's eyes momentarily turned golden, as if embracing the sun. He stood directly in the path of the being entering the valley, emitting an energy that stimulated his nerves. His surprise was for a different reason than Na Yeririn's.

'This feeling! I definitely remember it!'

Suddenly, the wound on his chest burned as if scalded.

'Could it be him?'

Thanks to his peculiar stealth technique, he couldn't see the face directly, but sometimes what the heart sees is more accurate than what the eyes see. However, another question immediately followed.

'But why is he here?'

Even Bi Ryuyeon, who was ignorant of the martial arts world's affairs, hadn't buried his common sense in a corner of his mind (whether others believed it or not). Even an enemy is human, would they go and stick their head into a tiger's mouth and say, "Eat me!"? If it was him, this place would be the heart of enemy territory.

'Am I mistaken? Or is it someone else?'

He quickly dismissed this assumption. Even if they were from the same sect, they couldn't emit such similar energy.

'Tsk, if only Miss Eun's memory were intact….'

However, it was a futile hope.

The black, beautiful eyelashes of the beauty, whose mere presence made her heart pound, trembled like silk in a gentle breeze. At the same time, her eyebrows, as straight as a painting, twitched. And finally, the black lake, holding countless secrets, slowly revealed itself. Eunseolan, who had been losing consciousness for some unknown reason, finally opened her eyes.

"Are you awake, Miss Eun?"

"Wh-, where is this?"

The princess, finally awake, looked around with a bewildered expression and said.

"Miss Eun, this is Hongmaegok in Cheonmu-bong, where the Huashan Accord meeting is being held. This is the infirmary within it. I'm glad you're awake."

Mo Yong-hwi, who had intercepted Bi Ryuyeon, replied in a polite voice. Although he tried to hide it, the traces of his desperate anguish were not entirely gone.

"Cheonmu-bong…?"

And Hongmaegok, where the Huashan Accord meeting was being held? The circumstances she found herself in were hard to comprehend. Was she possessed by a ghost? Or was she still wandering aimlessly in a dream? Everything suddenly became confusing. She was sure she had been in Hwa-eum Hyeon…

However, her thoughts couldn't continue.

"Oh my, Young Master Mo, what is that wound?"

Eunseolan turned her gaze to Mo Yong-hwi and asked in a surprised voice. The white bandages wrapped around his body caught her eye.

"Ah, it's nothing. A wound sustained during excessive training. …It's a sign of my immaturity."

Mo Yong-hwi vaguely brushed it off. But the last words were a bitter truth.

"It's strange that Young Master Mo would be injured during training."

He was so meticulous in everything he did that he was sometimes called "terrible," so he always took good care of himself. For him to be injured during training… It was unthinkable for the Mo Yong-hwi she knew.

She couldn't know that the wound was sustained when he carried her and escaped, attacked by a monster in the darkness.

Mo Yong-hwi, for his part, was suffering mentally due to the self-reproach that his weakness and immaturity had put her in danger. The pain of that wound was nothing compared to the pain of the flesh. Eunseolan sensed something unusual in his demeanor but decided not to show it.

"You really don't remember? About being kidnapped?"

Seeing her still bewildered and flustered, Bi Ryuyeon asked. Normally, he should have asked that immediately upon waking.

"Ah!"

Only then did she remember what had happened to her.

"You remember?"

"Yes, I remember now."

She replied as if it were a story from a long time ago. But as she concentrated, yesterday's events began to surface more clearly in her mind.

"I cannot express my gratitude. I owe you a great debt. Thank you so much."

She bowed her head and expressed her sincere gratitude. What would have happened to her if they hadn't risked danger and ventured to save her? The mere thought sent chills down her spine. She knew well how difficult it was for someone to go save a person from another faction without even caring for their own safety.

"But why did you go to Pungmaegak Inn yesterday?"

"Yes, where?"

She asked in a bewildered voice. Bi Ryuyeon, assuming she was still confused from just waking up, repeated slowly.

"Pung·Mae·Gak Inn!"

"Ah, that's right! Pungmaegak Inn! The place where the Jungwon Express Company is staying! I definitely went there."

"Jungwon Express Company?"

Suddenly, pushing through the crowd, Jang Hong chimed in. He seemed intrigued by the sudden mention of the name.

"I heard from Han-no that people from the Jungwon Express Company are staying there."

"Hmm…"

Jang Hong folded his arms and fell into thought. Although there was no connection yet, his intuition told him not to dismiss this clue lightly. The appearance of the Cheonji Ssalsal alone indicated that the shadow of Cheon-geop, presumed to be their mastermind, was already encroaching on their territory, so he couldn't afford to overlook even a single word.

"Why did you go there?"

To Bi Ryuyeon's question, she shook her head.

"I don't know… I definitely saw someone and followed him… Ah!"

As she tried to recall, she suddenly clutched her head and screamed. A splitting headache struck her.

"Kyaak! Unnie!"

"Miss Eun!"

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

Worried exclamations erupted from all around. Mo Yong-hwi, in particular, felt a jolt of shock, and his face turned as white as a sheet of paper.

"Haaak, haak, haak…"

After taking a few breaths, she finally managed to relax the furrow in her brow. She said with a bewildered expression,

"It's strange."

"What is?"

"I can't remember. If I was following him, he must have been someone important I know, but…"

That part of her memory was blank, as if stolen. And every time she tried to retrieve that blank part, a splitting headache tormented her. She felt like the path to that memory was completely blocked by some obstacle.

"Someone tampered with her memory!"

Bi Ryuyeon, searching her with strangely flickering eyes, said. What was he seeing?

"No way…!"

Yeom-do and Mo Yong-hwi exchanged glances. Then, they exclaimed in unison,

"Mind Control!"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded.

"Correct! That's it."

"Wh-who would do such a terrible thing…"

Mind Control was an incredibly dangerous technique that could have fatal side effects on a person's mind. Moreover, its failure rate was astronomically high, so it was tacitly forbidden in the martial arts world. If not careful, one could become an idiot or go insane. To use such a perilous and cruel technique on such a delicate beauty… It was an act worthy of a thousand slashes.

"There's a scoundrel over there who could do such a thing. That enemy, whom I'd happily tear to shreds, must be involved. Didn't you meet him directly yesterday! This is the second time we've clashed with those scoundrels."

Grind!

Hyo-ryong said in a voice filled with hatred, grinding his teeth to the point of shattering.

"Cheonji Ssalsal!"

The assembled people exclaimed in unison. Indeed, if it was the soul-summoning and spirit-capturing technique of Cheon-sal, the highest art of the Ssalsal, it was certainly possible. It was a monstrous evil art that, if performed properly, allowed the caster to control the target's mind at will.

"He did that to my brother… and now to Miss Eun too…"

For both the lovers to be mentally robbed by one person, it was an unparalleled fated connection.

"I should have dismembered him yesterday… If only I had more time…"

Hyo-ryong spat out, grinding his teeth. The reason they couldn't engage in a life-or-death battle yesterday, despite having them right before their eyes, was not only due to the unfavorable circumstances but also because they had to rush to meet the appointment time. He seemed to regret not being able to chew them up bit by bit, even thinking about it made him resentful and indignant.

"Next time I see them, I'll give them the most gruesome death!"

Mo Yong-hwi swore in a voice filled with hatred. It was rare for this young man to burn with such intense hatred.

"Don't forget, they have a prior engagement, my friend!"

Hyo-ryong said in a voice full of coldness. He was looking at a green headband in his hand, which had been cut before but was now perfectly repaired by Jin-seol's care. Although it wasn't a perfect repair, he, who knew nothing about sewing, could feel the sincerity poured into every stitch.

Even now that he had regained his senses, Hyo-ryong was still leaving his hair unbound and unkempt. This was because it made it easier to hide his face. He had a reason why he absolutely could not let the other side see his face. Furthermore, he felt that he shouldn't wear this green headband, a relic of his brother, until he had defeated those cursed enemies.

'Cheonji Ssalsal! May you be cursed!'

His resentment and hatred towards the two were already etched deep into his bones. However, he did not let his hatred blind him and commit the foolish act of damaging his friendship with excessive greed.

"However… I'll leave your share for you too!"

"Thank you!"

Mo Yong-hwi honestly expressed his gratitude for his friend's deep consideration.

"This is strange…"

Bi Ryuyeon tilted his head. He had been thinking deeply about something for a while.

"What's strange?"

Mo Yong-hwi asked back.

"If they wanted to silence her, there were much easier ways. Why go through the complicated and difficult method of Mind Control?"

There was only one much easier way.

Mo Yong-hwi exclaimed indignantly,

"Are you saying Miss Eun should have been a victim of murder to silence her?"

The assembled people were surprised to see their usually gentle(?) friend react so intensely! He seemed to have lent his reason to someone since last night, as he was acting overly emotional in everything he did, which was unlike him.

"Don't get worked up! Of course, I never thought that. Losing such a beautiful woman would be a cosmic loss!"

It seemed like the martial arts world alone wasn't enough for him.

"I'm sorry! I think I got too worked up!"

Mo Yong-hwi calmed down and apologized. In fact, looking at it, Bi Ryuyeon was their life-saver. He had no objection to the fact that his previous actions were excessive.

"There are two possibilities: either there's a reason she shouldn't be killed, or he fell for her!"

"What?"

Fell for her? What kind of out-of-the-blue remark was that?

"Anyone would fall for a beauty like that. Indeed, killing such a beauty would be a great cosmic loss. It's an act that goes against the will of the universe."

It was a typical argument from him.

"However, one thing is certain."

"What is it?"

"She saw or learned something that must not be known, something they absolutely don't want revealed. And that person is likely someone Eunseolan knows. She said she was attacked after following someone she suspected of being the culprit—though she can't remember it now because her memory is sealed. She probably went after someone famous enough to pique her curiosity but not someone she was too close to! Someone they know but maintain a distance from!"

Bi Ryuyeon's words were unwavering.

"What is the basis for your certainty, Ryuyeon?"

When Jang Hong questioned him, Bi Ryuyeon answered without hesitation.

"Because the moment she saw him, she didn't go in directly, but waited for the cover of night when no one was watching to stealthily approach him! If it were someone she was close to, she wouldn't normally do that! He must be someone of considerable status! Strange to be on this street bustling with martial artists!"

Bi Ryuyeon's deduction this time was so reasonable, for him, that the assembled people couldn't help but be surprised. The fact that the embodiment of recklessness could think was beyond wonder, it was a mystery of the universe, the Jujakdan members unanimously thought.

"Then we must be careful in the future!"

Jang Hong opened his mouth after a moment of thought.

"About what?"

"Because if the enemy is 'them,' as we suspect, they won't give up this easily!"

Everyone gathered there inwardly guessed who Jang Hong's 'them' referred to, without needing him to mention it directly. They just didn't utter the words because of the ominousness of the name. If it were them, they were certainly persistent enough. They were the dark forces that had plagued the martial arts world from the shadows for the past hundred years.

'Beware the shadow of Cheon-geop!'

Hyo-ryong's brother's last words echoed vividly in his mind. It felt like a snake of ill omen had coiled around his neck, flicking its dark red tongue.

"Although this is Cheonmu-bong, a place of martial arts where the Huashan Accord meeting is being held, I believe complacency is forbidden."

"Hmm…"

As Jang Hong cautiously expressed his opinion, everyone nodded in agreement.

'This time, I will definitely protect her!'

No more mistakes. I will become even stronger. I refuse to endure such humiliation again. Mo Yong-hwi secretly vowed in his heart.

"Alright, we've talked too long. She's still a patient. Trying to force her to remember while under restraint will only worsen the side effects. She must be tired, so let her rest today."

Yeom-do, for the first time in a while, showed his demeanor as a master. Only then did the assembled people remember that they had kept a tired person up for a long time.

"Let's go!"

As Yeom-do led the way out the door, the others also busied themselves getting up. As he was about to leave, Eunseolan bowed her head and said.

"Thank you for saving me, Master!"

Yeom-do waved his right hand and said without looking back.

"It's nothing. Besides, I was just a bystander! Instead, give a kiss to the young friends who worked hard for you! Especially the fool who's covered in bandages trying to protect you. He's probably eagerly waiting, hahaha!"

"Master!"

Mo Yong-hwi, whose face turned as red as a ripe persimmon from the master's teasing joke, shouted back, but Yeom-do had already left the room.

"Young Master Mo!"

Eunseolan's eyes widened, and she looked at Mo Yong-hwi again. The red bloodstains dotting the white bandages wrapped around him were clearly visible. So, that wound…

Suddenly, something hot surged up from deep within her chest.

"Uh…"

Eunseolan tried to say something, but her intention failed.

"Then, I'll be going!"

Mo Yong-hwi fled the scene as if running away, without saying a word. The martial arts he displayed as he left was truly peerless. It seemed he no longer had the courage to stay there.

"Young Master Mo!"

She called out to him belatedly, but there was no way he could hear.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Even the renowned younger generation of the martial arts world and successor to the Sword Saint can't stand up to a beautiful woman. The nickname 'Seven Absolutes Swordsman' is wasted on him, truly wasted!"

Jang Hong clicked his tongue in dismay, looking at the now empty space.

"Perhaps 'woman' isn't included in the 'Seven Absolutes'!"

"What a useless 'Seven Absolutes'!"

To so easily let go of an opportunity to strongly assert his presence… He was clearly still far from reaching true mastery.

"That's just him! Why else would he be called 'Mo Yong the Pure Guy'?"

Bi Ryuyeon, who had been teasing Mo Yong-hwi with Jang Hong for a long time, delivered the final verdict. It was the moment another nickname was added to the upright young man, Mo Yong-hwi.