Chapter 26
"So-hee. Are you all right?"
While I was staring blankly at Jin Seo-yoon's battle, I heard Mother's voice.
Jin So-hee could not hide her surprise at seeing her mother approach. Her usual neat and elegant bearing was nowhere to be seen, and the aura she gave off was completely different.
She held a sword stained with fresh blood in one hand. She looked as though she had just slaughtered every Black Dragon Sect martial artist. Her silk clothes were spattered with blood.
"Mother…? What…."
"So-hee. Take your father and return with the family's martial artists for now."
Jang Seo-yeong's gaze turned toward Jin Seo-yoon, who was fighting. Her shadowed eyes wavered with complex emotions. It was almost as if she were worried about Jin Seo-yoon.
Watching the battle in the gorge, Jin So-hee found both Jin Seo-yoon and her mother utterly unfamiliar now. They seemed like completely different people.
"Don't just stand there. Hurry."
At Jang Seo-yeong's cold voice, Jin So-hee came to her senses.
"Ah. Yes…"
Unable to hide her confusion, Jin So-hee helped her father along. Her gaze remained fixed on the battle between Jin Seo-yoon and Chu Hyung-pae. An unbelievable scene was still unfolding before her eyes.
After her daughter left, Jang Seo-yeong watched the battle from close by. The sparks that flew each time the blades clashed seemed to dance.
Though the fight appeared evenly matched, Jin Seo-yoon was being pushed back slightly.
Before arriving here, she had tried to dissuade him from facing Chu Hyung-pae with only his own strength, but she had been unable to stop him from insisting on fighting alone to improve his skills. Jang Seo-yeong's eyes wavered with complex emotions. They could have won easily if they joined forces, but she could not break his stubborn resolve.
'Where did he learn that stubborn personality…'
Biting her lip, she could do nothing but watch the battle. She knew very well that Jin Seo-yoon was testing his limits. But the fear that he might lose his life in the process tightened around her heart.
-Clang!
The sword and axe collided, sending sparks flying. Chu Hyung-pae's frenzied axe strikes grew increasingly fierce.
'At this rate…'
Jang Seo-yeong's grip tightened. The overwhelming force of Chu Hyung-pae, who attacked madly with tremendous power, was terrifying.
Jin Seo-yoon's sword was driven back again. Blood flowed from his shoulder. But his eyes remained cold.
'Gaga…'
Jang Seo-yeong bit her lip. She was displeased by Jin Seo-yoon's stubborn insistence on fighting with his own strength. His rash pride might cost him his life.
"Hahahaha! Is this all you've got? Iron Dragon Twin Axes - Blood River Berserk"
Chu Hyung-pae's axe cleaved through the air. Jin Seo-yoon barely twisted his body aside to evade it, but his movements were growing slower.
Jang Seo-yeong's hand tightened around her sword hilt. She could not simply keep watching any longer. But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred.
"What…?!"
Chu Hyung-pae's eyes widened at the sudden change in Jin Seo-yoon's aura. The sword force that had been pushed back changed in an instant.
The energy pouring from Jin Seo-yoon's sword had changed. A scorching force flowed along his blade like boiling lava.
Jang Seo-yeong sensed the change as well.
'This is… that energy we shared…?'
In that instant, she recalled the moment they had shared their vital essence through Yin-Yang Union.
"Grrk!"
Chu Hyung-pae's axe was forced backward by Jin Seo-yoon's sword. For the first time, fear flickered in his crazed eyes.
"That is…"
Jang Seo-yeong inhaled sharply. The power Jin Seo-yoon displayed surpassed anything she had expected.
***
The moment had come. Chu Hyung-pae's attacks were growing increasingly berserk, but everything looked slow to me.
The vital essence I had shared with Jang Seo-yeong flowed through my meridians, creating new power. I could not maintain it for long.
‘I’ll finish this quickly.’
Through training with Elder Gu, I had realized that the forms of the Iron Origin Qigong were actually quite useful. I felt like a fool for ignoring them until now.
I unleashed the Jin family's martial arts that I had dismissed until now.
"Iron Blood Chaotic Dance"
The blade sliced through the air, tracing an arc. After reaching the First-Rate realm, I finally understood the meaning behind the forms Elder Gu had taught me. Every movement traced by the blade had a reason.
The blade moved as smoothly as water, coiling around Chu Hyung-pae's axe. The sword's trajectory, drawn as though in a dance, neutralized his savage axe strikes. His mad strength scattered as though swept away by gentle waves.
"Grrk… Where did you suddenly get this from…!"
Chu Hyung-pae's pupils trembled. Even through the madness caused by the elixir, he could feel his attacks being nullified. For the first time, bewilderment flickered in his crazed eyes.
I continued without stopping, flowing into the next form.
“Iron Waterfall Descent”
As I planted my foot with heavy force, the earth shook.
Sword energy formed white waves and crashed down from above, as though an iron waterfall were pouring from the sky.
Chu Hyung-pae hurriedly crossed his axes to block, but the overwhelming force of the cascading sword strikes made his knees buckle. The red aura faded as though it were being extinguished.
'It’s about time I ended this.'
The inner power gathered in my dantian flowed through my meridians and emitted an even more intense force through my sword.
The final form was too taxing to use at my current level.
“Iron Mountain Splitting Heaven“
The blade slowly traced three circles in the air.
The first circle shook the earth with a heavy, immense force like an iron mountain. The second severed the vitality of all things with a sharp and deadly momentum, as though cutting through everything in its path. The final circle covered heaven and earth with an overwhelming sword light that seemed to tear the sky apart.
Chu Hyung-pae's eyes filled with shock for an instant. For the first time, fear flickered in the eyes reddened by the elixir's madness. Before he could move, the sword light flew toward him.
"This…"
With a sharp sound, the sword light cleaved through his axe. The axe, which had been emitting a red aura, split in two and flew through the air. The last traces of red energy faded from the broken pieces.
"How can this be… I, I… Cough.“
Red blood flowed from Chu Hyung-pae's mouth. His eyes, once filled with madness, gradually grew cloudy, and he collapsed helplessly.
The moment he fell to the ground, blood surged up from my own mouth as well. It was the price of forcing the vital essence I had gained through Yin-Yang Union beyond its limit.
'Did I push myself too hard…‘
A sudden bout of dizziness darkened my vision. The energy within my body roiled violently because I had recklessly drawn out the vital essence I had shared with Jang Seo-yeong.
As my steps staggered, the backlash from that vital essence battered my entire body. Jang Seo-yeong hurriedly approached and grabbed my shoulder.
"Gaga! Are you all right?"
I heard Jang Seo-yeong's worried voice. A gentle inner power flowed from her hand, enveloping my body and calming me.
"Whew… Thank you, Mother.“
Thanks to her inner power, the vital essence rampaging within my body gradually began to stabilize.
Her inner power slowly calmed the energy running wild inside me.
'Is this my limit…'
I realized that the power I had gained through the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual was not yet under my complete control.
“Mother, I’m going to circulate my qi for a while.”
"Yes, Gaga. I’ll stand guard for you.“
I sat down and began circulating my qi. As I slowly circulated my inner power and formed a Small Heavenly Circuit, I subdued the violent energy.
As I continued circulating my qi, I reviewed the battle.
Chu Hyung-pae's skill had been similar to mine. He had raised his realm through an elixir, while I had done so through sexual cultivation—we were both incomplete practitioners. But one thing I had gained from the battle was clear.
The ability to circulate inner power quickly during combat, the precise timing for stepping through footwork, and the sense needed to judge distance.
All of it was valuable experience that would raise my realm another level.
Along with the lessons I had learned from the battle, my energy gradually stabilized.
‘Do I really need to cut down on sex.’
This battle had once again taught me the cold reality that I could not become stronger through the quantity of my inner power alone.
But I could not give up sex. In the end, the only answer was to train more diligently.
I finished circulating my qi and slowly opened my eyes.
“Gaga, are you finished?"
Jang Seo-yeong approached and looked at me with worried eyes.
“Yes. Mother, thank you for standing guard.“
Her hand gently wrapped around my shoulder.
“You mustn’t push yourself this hard again, Gaga, all right?"
I swallowed my words and instead quietly took her hand. That was answer enough.
“Did Father and So-hee return safely?"
Even as I spoke, the taste of blood remained in my mouth.
"The Jin family's martial artists are escorting them, so don't worry."
I nodded quietly at Jang Seo-yeong's answer, but a greater worry settled in a corner of my heart.
Black Dragon Sect Master Man Chu-sam. He was a formidable expert utterly incomparable to Chu Hyung-pae, whom I had just fought.
'I’m still… not strong enough.‘
Feeling Jang Seo-yeong's warm touch as she rested in my arms, I fell into deep thought.
As I was now, I could not face Man Chu-sam.
The longing to become stronger burned in my chest.
But as I had felt during the battle, recklessly drawing out my power was dangerous.
The wind blowing through the gorge was bitterly cold.
The premonition that the coming battle would not be an easy one weighed heavily on my heart.
“Gaga… I think we should head back now."
Jang Seo-yeong's gentle voice brought me back to my senses.
I slowly rose to my feet. I was still slightly dizzy, but I could walk.
***
After tending to the surviving martial artists and gathering the corpses, we returned to the Jin family estate.
The rain-soaked gate slowly opened, and the gloomy atmosphere seeped into the estate. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still gray. A heavy silence had descended over the manor.
A cart carrying Elder Gu's corpse entered slowly at the front. The martial artists following it wore expressions of profound loss.
The retainers gathered before the gate came out to welcome us. Anxiety and unease were plain in their eyes. With the core of the family shattered by the Black Dragon Sect's attack, no one could guarantee what the future held.
“Young Family Head, have you returned safely.”
I gave a slight nod and asked the retainer standing before me.
“Where are Father and So-hee?"
“The Family Head is receiving treatment in the west wing. Miss is nursing him at his side."
“I see…"
I dragged my weary body toward the west wing.
The manor was still filled with a heavy atmosphere. The retainers' gazes followed me. Their eyes held a mixture of expectation and anxiety.
I headed to the west wing with Jang Seo-yeong. When I opened the door and entered, the physician treating the Family Head looked up.
“Ah, Young Family Head. You’re here."
Following his gaze, I saw my father lying on the bed. His right shoulder was tightly wrapped in bandages, but the arm itself was gone. His pale face made it clear that his condition was serious.
“Physician Wang, how is Father’s condition?"
The physician's voice sank low.
“…It isn’t good. His right arm has been completely severed, and his spinal injury is severe… He probably won’t be able to walk again."
At that moment, silence descended upon the west wing. Jin So-hee, sitting beside the bed, silently shed tears. Jang Seo-yeong's face had also hardened.