Chapter 31
Dokgo Ryeong felt like she was going mad.
Even before this, she’d nearly lost her mind over the red hair that made her look like a madwoman after her transformation, but she’d held it in.
And now her hair had turned pink.
“No, damn it… What kind of crazy shit is this?”
Watching Dokgo Ryeong fall into confusion, Wi Ilcheong spoke.
“…It seems I may have misjudged your condition, Miss Dokgo.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Perhaps… you don’t have the Nine Yin Absolute Meridians.”
“What?”
Wi Ilcheong folded his arms and pondered.
“…I think you may have a different illness that resembles blocked meridians.”
“Then what is it?”
“…How would I know?”
“You bastard…!”
As Dokgo Ryeong burst into curses, Eun Gwan-yeong stood and waggled a finger coyly.
“Oh? What did I say happens when you use bad language?”
“No… Come on! You little b—”
“What was that?”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong started grabbing at her own hair.
“Kyaaaah!!!”
“P-Please calm down, Miss Dokgo. There’s a way to deal with this….”
“What way?!”
“…If we head south from Shandong into Jiangsu, there’s the Medical Maidens’ Sect.”
“Ah… the disciples of the ‘Divine Physician’?”
“Yes. I have ties with them, too, and since we’re on our way to the Putuo Sect, why don’t we stop by and have them properly diagnose you?”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong was irritated by the sudden changes to her body, but she forced herself to endure them.
‘…Come to think of it, there is the Divine Physician.’
The Divine Physician was one of the few people Dokgo Jin knew.
Perhaps he could explain her current situation and help her find a way to become a man again.
Maybe she could even find a way to become a man without going all the way to Tianzhu.
Once she’d thought that far, Dokgo Ryeong nodded.
“…Then let’s do that. We’re going that way anyway.”
“Yes. Then let’s eat together.”
“Eat? How can I possibly eat right now?!”
“Oh! Are you getting angry right now?”
“Kyaaaah!!!”
Every time Eun Gwan-yeong opened her mouth, Dokgo Ryeong felt she was going to go mad with frustration.
‘Damn it… I’m going to make that woman pay! I swear!’
She was afraid that if she spoke, yesterday’s ordeal would happen all over again, but staying silent wounded her pride.
Afraid she’d lose her temper again if she stayed, Dokgo Ryeong finally headed outside.
Watching her go, Wi Ilcheong looked at Baekri Sohyeon.
“Haa… Miss Baekri, please look after Miss Dokgo.”
“…Yeah.”
After Baekri Sohyeon followed Dokgo Ryeong outside, Wi Ilcheong lifted Eun Gwan-yeong onto his lap and asked,
“So, what happened that made Miss Dokgo so obedient?”
“Hehehe… Well, you see….”
“Oh?”
Wi Ilcheong listened to Eun Gwan-yeong’s story with great interest, not missing a single word.
“…Sister Ryeong.”
“What?”
“…Did something happen?”
“Nothing, damn it.”
“…There you go again. You don’t use bad language in front of Gwan-yeong….”
“Haa….”
When they reached a quiet clearing, Dokgo Ryeong shook out her arm and drew her flexible sword.
Clang.
“I should get some exercise. I want to swing a sword without thinking about anything.”
“…All right.”
Baekri Sohyeon faced her and drew her own sword.
“…Want me to let you have the first move?”
“Heh… heh…”
“…Hm?”
A hollow laugh escaped Dokgo Ryeong.
‘Ah… maybe I should just bite my tongue and die.’
In the Murim, offering the other person the first move meant, ‘I’m stronger than you, so you attack first.’
It was a courtesy shown by a senior who had learned martial arts before the other person.
Dokgo Ryeong had become so weak that even a young woman like Baekri Sohyeon pitied her.
Just last night, Eun Gwan-yeong had even toyed with her.
The one consolation was that none of them meant her any harm.
But if she ever came across someone who did…
‘…I can’t see any way I’d survive.’
The Poison Venerable, head of the Tang Clan, and the Sword Venerable, head of the Murong Clan.
If Dokgo Ryeong ever faced either of them, she’d be dead before she could even move a finger.
‘I have to get my strength back somehow… and fast…’
Just then, Baekri Sohyeon snapped Dokgo Ryeong out of her reverie.
“…Should I go first, Sister Ryeong?”
“Ah… Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment….”
“Mm….”
As Dokgo Ryeong took her stance, Baekri Sohyeon rushed at her first.
“Hah!”
Dokgo Ryeong blocked Baekri Sohyeon’s clean strike and admired her skill.
‘Not a single wasted movement. Straight and true. Ah…’
A self-deprecating laugh escaped Dokgo Ryeong as she realized she was still judging Baekri Sohyeon as though looking down on her.
‘Am I Dokgo Jin, or am I Dokgo Ryeong?’
Was this body just a temporary stop, or was it a new body she’d spend the rest of her life in?
Even as she watched Baekri Sohyeon’s swordsmanship, Dokgo Ryeong sank into thought.
‘…Am I a man or a woman? What if I can’t turn back into a man?’
Deflecting Baekri Sohyeon’s sharp thrust, Dokgo Ryeong swung her arm.
Baekri Sohyeon quickly retreated and watched for an opening to close in again.
‘…Should I think of the once-powerful Dokgo Jin as already dead?… Am I weak now?’
As her thoughts reached that point, Dokgo Ryeong suddenly sensed something was off.
“…Why aren’t you attacking, Blockhead?”
“S-Sister Ryeong.”
“Hm?”
“…Why did you suddenly get so strong?”
“What?”
Dokgo Ryeong stared at Baekri Sohyeon in disbelief, and she said,
“…Your movements have gotten incredibly good.”
“Huh?”
“…Why can’t I land a single hit?”
“…”
Thinking back, she hadn’t let a single one of Baekri Sohyeon’s attacks land, even while distracted by other thoughts.
“I guess so?”
“…Did something happen, Sister Ryeong? Your hair changed color all of a sudden, too….”
“…Hey, Blockhead.”
“Big Sis Sohyeon.”
“Forget that. Stand guard for me a moment.”
“Hiiiing… All right.”
Once Baekri Sohyeon stood beside her, Dokgo Ryeong sat down on the ground with her legs crossed.
She’d been too flustered at the inn to examine herself properly, but now she could calmly check the state of her body.
‘…My minor meridians have opened.’
Her major meridians were still blocked except for the Yang Linking Vessel, but the smaller ones had opened up.
And the most astonishing thing was…
‘…I can circulate my yin energy?’
She could now circulate the yin energy in her lower dantian, which had refused to obey her until now.
It seemed she’d been able to draw on her inner energy and fight as usual while sparring with Baekri Sohyeon moments ago.
‘…No, why is it moving all of a sudden?’
Ever since the day she’d turned into a woman, she’d tried countless times to move the yin energy lodged in her lower dantian, but it had never worked. Now, all of a sudden, it was moving.
Although she could only circulate it through the Yang Linking Vessel, the energy was so pure that she could wield enough inner power to take on an ordinary first-rate martial artist.
And even more surprising was the yang energy.
‘…The yin energy isn’t devouring the yang energy?’
The yang energy settled in her Tianhui acupoint and the yin energy located in her Huiyin acupoint weren’t fighting each other.
Before, she’d avoided circulating her qi for fear that as soon as they touched, the yin energy would run wild and flood even her Tianhui acupoint. Now, the two energies seemed to pay no attention to each other.
The two energies still hadn’t merged and remained separate, but it was a welcome development that her upper and lower dantians were in balance.
‘…My body’s become downright bizarre.’
She had no inner energy stored in her middle dantian, yet her upper dantian, which was said to open only after achieving the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, was already open. Meanwhile, her lower dantian, supposedly far too unstable to hold inner energy, was packed with pure yin energy.
Dokgo Ryeong opened her eyes again, stood up, and tested her new abilities.
“…Sister Ryeong?”
“Give me some space.”
“…Okay.”
Dokgo Ryeong drew her flexible sword and let it hang limp toward the ground.
“Hoo….”
She steadied her breathing, then sharpened her focus.
Swish.
She swung her sword.
‘Shura Rakshasa Saber Art’
It was originally a saber art performed with a horse-cutting saber about the size of an adult woman, but Dokgo Ryeong performed it with her flexible sword without a second thought.
‘…It works!’
Since she was performing a saber art with a sword, many parts felt awkward, but she could manage five of the ten forms.
“…What was that? It didn’t look like a sword art….”
Baekri Sohyeon, who’d been watching from the side, asked. Dokgo Ryeong grinned and replied,
“Shura Rakshasa Saber Art.”
“Ah… Senior Mad Demon’s signature martial art?”
“Yeah. Hoo….”
After swinging her sword once, Dokgo Ryeong was drenched in sweat.
“I can use inner energy now.”
“You said your Yang Linking Vessel had opened before, didn’t you?”
“…Not that. The inner energy gathered in my lower dantian moves as I will it to.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. So, Blockhead, I have a favor to ask.”
“Hm?”
Dokgo Ryeong bowed her head to Baekri Sohyeon and said,
“Teach me the Sun-Shooting Sword Art.”
“…Was that not enough?”
“No.”
Even if she could use inner energy, she was still far too weak to deal with the people who were after her.
No, the problem was that the people after her were far too strong.
‘I’ll learn everything I can. If there’s a way to prepare, I’ll do whatever it takes!’
She had no intention of settling for merely being able to draw on her inner energy.
She wanted to regain the martial arts she’d possessed in her prime, no matter what.
Besides, no matter how she looked at it, the Shura Rakshasa Saber Art didn’t suit her body now that she was a woman.
In the end, a saber art focused on slashing had limits in how it could be used to attack.
That was why she needed thrusts.
A way to make use of everything a sword could do.
Once again, Dokgo Ryeong bowed her head to Baekri Sohyeon and asked,
“…Teach me the Sun-Shooting Sword Art. Even just a form that includes a thrust will do….”
“Sure.”
“Just like that?”
“I told you I would.”
“…”
When Dokgo Ryeong lifted her head, the sunlight behind Baekri Sohyeon made her expression hard to see.
But she could tell that Baekri Sohyeon wore a warm smile.
“…Thank you.”
Sensing the magnanimity in Baekri Sohyeon, Dokgo Ryeong sincerely thanked her and clasped her hands in a martial salute.
Martial arts could never be obtained easily, nor could they be casually taught to others.
Do not pass it on to the unworthy.
An old saying about not teaching one’s skills to someone lacking in character came to Dokgo Ryeong’s mind.
“…Are you sure it’s all right to teach me?”
“Hm? Why?”
“You know what I might do with that martial art?”
“What’s wrong, Sister Ryeong? You seem unusually unsure of yourself today.”
Baekri Sohyeon stroked Dokgo Ryeong’s head.
Normally, Dokgo Ryeong would have brushed her hand away and told her not to treat her like a child, but there was such kindness in her touch that she couldn’t bring herself to move.
“…Didn’t you say you were going to destroy the Murim?”
“…”
“You said you’d become the Mad Demon, right?”
“Yeah. I will.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
As though she could read Dokgo Ryeong’s thoughts, Baekri Sohyeon spoke.
“Do Not Pass It On. It means you shouldn’t casually teach your skills to someone lacking in character. Have you heard of it?”
“It’s not like I haven’t.”
“But you know… there are a lot of people in the world who can’t live up to that saying.”
“…True.”
“But I don’t think Sister Ryeong is that kind of person.”
Baekri Sohyeon took Dokgo Ryeong’s hand.
“I’ll teach you properly.”
“…Thank you.”
Dokgo Ryeong’s heart ached.
She couldn’t understand why someone like her deserved to be trusted like this.
“So, you see…”
“Hm?”
“…Big Sis.”
“…”
Ah, damn it.
I’d forgotten about that.
“From now on, call me Big Sis. Got it?”
“…Do I really have to?”
“You can’t ignore seniority in the Murim.”
“No… damn it….”
‘By seniority, I’m probably above even your dad,’ was the retort that nearly escaped her lips.
“Hey! Sister Ryeong, is it okay to use that kind of language with your big sister?”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong’s body began trembling bit by bit.
Baekri Sohyeon was a little worried when she saw Dokgo Ryeong’s face turn red, but she pressed on.
She had absolutely no intention of giving in on this matter, either.
“Repeat after me. Big. Sis.”
“Big… Ghh…!”
Dokgo Ryeong kept opening and closing her mouth, then clenching her teeth again and again.
Calling her ‘Big Sis’ once wasn’t a big deal.
She’d even thought she could put up with this much humiliation, since Baekri Sohyeon was willing to teach her martial arts—and it wasn’t like she was dealing with those damn Tang Clan bastards.
But when she actually tried to speak, her tongue wouldn’t move.
Something inside Dokgo Ryeong vehemently refused to say those words.
Just then, Baekri Sohyeon let go of Dokgo Ryeong’s hand.
“…If you hate it that much, you don’t have to call me that.”
“Huh…?”
When Baekri Sohyeon gave up so readily, Dokgo Ryeong’s expression brightened.
But only for a moment.
Seeing Baekri Sohyeon’s downcast expression, Dokgo Ryeong’s face stiffened.
“…You know, not once have the people in my sect ever called me by my name.”
“R-Really?”
When the conversation suddenly turned heavy, Dokgo Ryeong tried to change the subject somehow, but it was already too late.
Baekri Sohyeon was slow, but quick when it mattered.
“They always called me the sect leader’s daughter… Even my father never called me by my name. And that man wasn’t really family to me….”
“I-I see. But now….”
“That’s why I want a family. But….”
Baekri Sohyeon looked dejected as she stroked her lower abdomen.
“…I can’t have Big Brother Wi’s child.”
“…”
“So I wanted at least a younger sister… a sworn sister or a junior sister….”
Only then did Dokgo Ryeong understand why Baekri Sohyeon had been so fixated on such a trivial title.
And at the same time, she felt like she was going insane.
‘No, damn it… Even so…! But damn it!!!’
Dokgo Ryeong’s thoughts were thrown into chaos.
‘Just call her Big Sis once’ and ‘Still, this is a bit much…’ clashed fiercely in her mind.
Just then, Baekri Sohyeon dealt the decisive blow.
Holding Dokgo Ryeong’s fingers with slightly teary eyes, she said,
“…You don’t have to truly think of me as family. Just once….”
“…”
In the end, Dokgo Ryeong gave in.
At this point, she’d be the bad one if she refused.
Finally, with a ragged breath and her face burning red, she spoke, her shoulders trembling as she tried to overcome her shame.
“Big…”
“Sohyeon. Say it with my name.”
“S-Sohyeon Big—”
“Hm?”
“…Big Sis Sohyeon.”