Since There is a Master ⑵
Why is Nangong Bia lying in my room.
Seeing that, Shin Noya speaks to me as if in disbelief.
[...Just how far did you go while I was gone...]
'Where else would I have gone.'
I ignored Shin Noya, who was lamenting as if disappointed he couldn't see it.
Lest she wake up and become troublesome, I grabbed my clothes and slipped out quietly.
Afterward, I finished washing and changed clothes.
I wrapped my injured shoulder with cloth to stop the bleeding, and burned the blood-soaked clothes before burying them in the ground.
The servants might cry later when they realize a set of clothes is missing, but...
I couldn't just leave them as they were.
After hastily finishing my preparations, I entered the room again.
The problem starts now.
"What should I do with this kid."
I couldn't hide my trouble looking at Nangong Bia, who was rubbing her face against the blanket for a while.
I couldn't just throw her somewhere.
"...Why are you sleeping here instead of your own room."
I heard she usually takes naps in my room if she doesn't train during the day, did she slip in while I was away?
I didn't think that was it.
'Do I have to sleep among the guards then.'
Normally, skipping a day's sleep wouldn't be a problem. But the fatigue I felt now was to the point where I couldn't endure it without sleeping.
Is this also an aftermath of Shin Noya controlling my body?
[If so, it wouldn't be physical fatigue.]
Just as Shin Noya said, I was feeling it to some extent.
Even if I used muscles I don't normally use, since I have trained parts of my body, it wouldn't be to this extent even if I was tired.
Then the exhaustion must be mental.
'I wonder if sleeping will replenish this, though.'
It seemed I absolutely couldn't endure without sleeping.
I couldn't sleep next to her, and I couldn't not sleep, so I dragged the remaining pillow out to the porch and just lay down.
[...The part where you can't have what's given to you hasn't changed much even now.]
'...Must you nitpick the moment you come out after a long time?'
[I thought it was because you were young back then... but since you went back in time, you aren't a kid, and seeing you act like this even after living through all those years, how do you think I feel?]
'You, who speak like that, didn't really do much anyway...'
I was saying that and then realized I made a mistake. Because it felt like I said something too harsh.
'Noya...?'
[...]
'I'm sorry. I think I was a bit too harsh just no...'
I called out a few more times, but Shin Noya continued to give no response.
After apologizing a few times with no reply, I decided to just sleep in the face of the rushing sleep demon.
As of today, the schedule at Huashan is over.
The only thing left is meeting the Plum Blossom Immortal before leaving, and I plan to depart for the estate no later than three days from now.
The true finale was slowly approaching.
Probably before long, the Murim Alliance side will discover the basement of the branch and contact Huashan.
If that happens, can today's Jehwajeon be held?
I don't know in detail since I didn't have much interest in the Huashan Sect, but if they hear about it, they might postpone or not hold the Jehwajeon at all.
Because that damn blood pit was practically human sacrifice in a way.
'Still, if it is held.'
The number of cases where that could happen was two, in my view.
One is holding it even after hearing the news.
If I were to find a reason here, it would probably be because they don't want to inform the Huayin County side about this kind of incident.
Because the death of the Plum Blossom Sword Master would be something that amplifies anxiety here.
Actually, even when the branch was first discovered, it seemed they tried to sweep it under the rug as quietly as possible.
'It might be different regarding the Jehwajeon, though.'
The second is.
When the information isn't delivered, or is delivered late. The latter was the most fucked up case and an unwanted part.
It was a part where I could see their reach went deeper than I thought, so I could only hope that wouldn't happen.
'...For now, let's sleep.'
Even if I thought more about it, it didn't seem like proper thoughts would come to my hazy mind.
Overwhelmed by the sleep demon, I quickly lost consciousness and fell asleep.
And not long after, I was able to wake up from my sleep.
I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids. Thankfully, the ceiling wasn't unfamiliar this time.
How long did I sleep? Judging by the sunlight, it didn't seem like I slept for that long.
As I struggled to raise my body, someone's hand pressed down on my head, stopping me from getting up.
"...!"
At the sudden situation, my half-awake sleep completely vanished. Looking now, I was leaning on something other than a pillow.
The soft and squishy part, I could let that slide.
But the touch against my cheek carried a subtle scent of flesh.
"It's okay to lie down a bit more."
The monotonous tone that reflected her personality coming from above, there was no need to ponder who it was.
I was resting my head on Nangong Bia's lap.
I asked with a dumbfounded voice.
"...What are you doing?"
"...You went to sleep late."
"What does that have to do with this...?"
"...Seol-a... was here until just now and left."
She lightly ignored my question and told me Wi Seol-a's whereabouts.
"She waited for you to wake up, so she'll be disappointed..."
"I'm awake now, so it'll be fine. Move your arm, let me get up."
Even though she clearly knew I was awake, Nangong Bia was pressing down on my head to stop me from getting up.
Just as I was wondering if I should use force to get up, Nangong Bia asks.
"...Where did you go at night?"
"..."
"You... said you'd tell me."
It wasn't an easy part to answer. Who would have known that Nangong Bia would come to my room while I was sleeping.
Moreover, I don't think I firmly promised to tell her.
"That..."
"It smells like blood..."
"...!"
I shut my mouth at Nangong Bia's words. I even washed and burned it away with heat, did I fail to erase the scent of blood entirely?
Or maybe.
'...Is it because of the flower in my embrace?'
The flower that grew by eating blood. Since it wasn't big, I wrapped it in cloth and put it in my embrace.
I didn't particularly feel it, but Nangong Bia had a somewhat sensitive sense of smell.
As I hesitated to answer, Nangong Bia let out a small sigh and continued speaking.
"I had a nightmare... I wanted to see you... but you weren't in the room."
"That... isn't my fault, is it..."
"I'll still let it slide."
"Hmm?"
She won't blame me for disappearing without a word, and won't ask where I went to smell this much like blood.
"...Just stay like this for a moment..."
At Nangong Bia's quiet whisper, I couldn't give any reply and just relaxed my body.
The hand that was using force to stop my body from getting up gradually changed to be gentle.
I felt the touch of her stroking my hair.
Eventually, I half gave up and decided to just lie there.
[...If there is a god, please send this son of a bitch to hell.]
I almost burst out laughing at the sudden curse.
It was Shin Noya's swearing, which felt like I hadn't heard in a while.
Released from Nangong Bia's hands, I immediately went up to the training ground. Because I was held up longer than I thought, I had to move in a hurry.
I had to think about the Jehwajeon, and what to do with the flower in my embrace.
But before that, what I had to do was review the battle I had with the Asura.
In a way, it was an enlightenment.
Before I forgot, I had to recall the sensation Shin Noya had tried so hard to teach me.
The Dao Qi Shin Noya used wasn't a lot.
To be precise, it means a smaller amount compared to the internal energy I possessed.
Of course, it was true that the energy contained in the Guimul was pure and clear.
Furthermore, recalling Shin Noya's life, I could understand how my body could show such a form.
But that wasn't the reason for the method Shin Noya showed.
Because I, too, shouldn't be any different.
'There is a difference between a martial artist who uses weapons and a bare-handed fighter.'
Unlike those who put their will into their beloved weapons and use them, the difference of a bare-handed fighter who contemplates the body itself is clear.
If I were to nitpick, there would be hundreds of reasons.
Ultimately, the biggest difference is the change according to the realm.
Because the body itself being a weapon meant it was exposed to a lot of danger.
Of course, I couldn't use this as an excuse either.
'From the position of the Gu family's bloodline, it's meaningless.'
Using fire cultivation was like that.
Furthermore, because I had to apply flames, fist armor was just cumbersome.
In the end, just as Shin Noya said, it was the difference in how well I could compress it and how efficiently I could use it.
[I am different from you.]
As I was standing on the flat ground and circulating my internal energy, Shin Noya spoke.
[I also had a realm I experienced, so the internal energy I possessed wasn't small, but I couldn't fight by filling it up and spewing it out like you.]
Just as Shin Noya said, the way I originally used martial arts was like that.
Spouting the endless demonic energy obtained from the Modao Tianxigong.
Making up for insufficient parts with quantity, and breaking through where I had to go with force.
I did that knowing there was no way it wouldn't be enough.
And the habit solidified like that continued into this life.
'To eat so many fortuitous encounters and still have insufficient internal energy is because of this.'
I had to quickly break the thought that I couldn't help it yet because I hadn't reached the realm.
The words Shin Noya had said came to mind.
That if I did that, the end would be clear, did I not know?
If it were a path I hadn't taken, I might not have listened carefully to Noya's words.
But in my past life, I couldn't reach the completion of the Jiuyan Hualun Gong.
Was it a matter of time? Up until not long after I regressed, I thought it was.
'Let's recall the sensation.'
I was thinking I was using the ultimate technique of the Jiuyan Hualun Gong myself.
Actually, even in this life, I had won fights I couldn't win with this.
Maybe that was why I simply grasped the meaning of containing heat.
[I won't tell you to change your method by force.]
'After showing me something like that?'
[I merely showed you a different path from yours; actually, if your internal energy is sufficient, isn't your method also a fine way?]
If my internal energy is sufficient, that is.
As long as I've decided to use demonic arts no differently from my past life in this life too, my internal energy will increase someday.
Because the authority of the Heavenly Demon is such a bizarre thing.
'But if I do that, it will just be the same as my past life.'
I will eventually hit a wall and won't be able to do anything.
Whether it's the Peak Realm or the Transformation Realm, reaching a high realm wasn't important to me.
The completion of the Jiuyan Hualun Gong.
I had to look toward that place. To do so, I realized I had to find a different method from my past life.
The master for that was, fortunately, closer to me than anyone.
[Who's making you the master? After all this, you're trying to eat me raw now.]
'You use my body as you please, so you should pay the price.'
[Now you're even shameless!]
As I circulated the mental method, I contained the heat inside my body. I felt my body growing hot inside.
'It's the same up to this point.'
Now I had to recall the sensation Shin Noya had made me feel.
The pressure like a typhoon roaring inside my body; if I had only heard it through explanation, it would have taken a long time.
But it was no different from experiencing it firsthand.
Huuuuuk...!
Recalling the most similar sensation, I applied my internal energy.
My shoulders trembled at the pressure felt immediately.
'How... am I supposed to maintain this.'
Maintaining direction amidst the rushing flow of internal energy required an absurd delicacy.
At the same time, I had to keep it from leaking out.
I already felt with my body how to do it.
I just had to endure as my body remembered and let it flow, but even that was actually difficult.
[If you're stealing someone else's rice bowl and eating it raw, you should at least endure that much. How much more do you want to be spoon-fed?]
'I didn't say anything.'
In my view, Shin Noya was still holding a grudge about being teased earlier.
[...Tsk.]
The gale that started from the Dantian rampaged through my body and spread in all directions.
Yet, it didn't leak out on the outside.
I controlled my breathing just in case it leaked out of my mouth.
Enduring the internal energy that felt like it would burst, veins naturally popped out on my neck.
The internal energy condensed to a single point eventually started tapping at the Middle Dantian.
Seuuuuup-
The Middle Dantian I hadn't touched because I thought I wasn't ready.
This time, I gathered my internal energy and pierced through it without hesitation. My instincts were telling me that now was the moment.
Kwaaaaaa—!
As if telling me my prediction was correct, the wall of the Middle Dantian was so easily broken, and internal energy surged into the opened hole like a tidal wave.
Hwak-!
Only then did the internal energy held inside my body burst out, releasing heat to the surroundings.
[...You're really eating it raw.]
"Huu...!"
I raised my hand and wrapped it in internal energy.
The aura that bloomed like a heat haze was stable, as if wrapping the surface.
Looking at that, I spoke.
Thank you.
I couldn't help but say thank you to Shin Noya. Thanks to him, I broke through the Middle Dantian.
[Reaching the place countless martial artists dream of, yet your reaction is so underwhelming. I quite dislike that.]
"...Because it's only this much now."
The Peak Realm.
I stepped into the realm I thought would take about a year.
It was a much faster timing than expected.
The timing was one thing, but somehow it felt like the direction I had to go was properly set.
I wouldn't throw away my original method, but I vaguely knew what I had to mix in.
[Is it okay not to gather your energy?]
"To some extent, it seems to be flowing on its own already, so it's fine."
[That's a relief. Since you originally should know what to do, I don't need to meddle.]
Yes.
[Then. We have something to talk about now, don't we.]
"...Yes."
My heart instantly sank at Shin Noya's words. This was also included in the reason I hurriedly slipped out of the quarters.
Starting from the night, up until now, Shin Noya had been silent.
I knew this was consideration for me.
Even when he didn't know I had regressed, he said he had something to ask me.
Now that it came to this, it might be incomparably more.
[There is so much I want to ask you, but first, I want to ask the most important thing.]
"What will you do if I don't answer or answer falsely?"
[That is also your choice, so I intend to respect it.]
It's heavy.
Shin Noya's trust was heavy.
I had the perception of him being a light-mouthed old man, but on the other hand, I acknowledged that he was a hero who protected an era.
It was too late to deny it, having seen and experienced so much.
[I will ask first.]
Soon, Shin Noya asks me.
[What is the Heavenly Demon (Tianma)?]
It was immediately a story about the Heavenly Demon.