EP.3 Why Are You Coming Out of There? (1)
Why are you coming out of there?
The rifts that tear through thin air and spew out demonic beasts are called Mojingmen.
How terrifying is it that they spew out countless monstrous beasts, more ferocious than wild animals and craving only slaughter?
When the first Mojingmen was discovered, it was undoubtedly a disaster, and for humanity, it must have felt like looking at the end of the world from a handspan away.
Fortunately, it did not take long to discover that the demonic beasts were weak against the inner qi possessed by martial artists.
Thanks to this, martial artists began to join forces to fend off the disaster.
As time passed, the number of demonic beasts decreased, and people found stability, but unfortunately, they could not completely close the Mojingmen.
Mojingmen continued to open in various places across the Central Plains.
Eventually, over centuries, the primary duty of the sword brigades belonging to the numerous prestigious families and sects spread across the Central Plains became managing these Mojingmen.
The Gu Family's sword brigade was no different.
That was the reason the Gu Family was called the Guardian of Shanxi.
A Mojingmen closes after spewing out a certain number of demonic beasts.
The problem was that the demonic beasts that emerged through the Mojingmen were not docile creatures.
Ferocious demonic beasts not only devastate their surroundings but also devour every living creature in sight.
If there happens to be a village nearby, one could not even dare to imagine the extent of the casualties.
Now, a long time has passed since the appearance of the Mojingmen, and with the establishment of education and systems for closing them, the danger has relatively decreased.
Once every season.
There are times when a gate far larger than a normal Mojingmen opens.
A gate that spews out demonic beasts far larger and stronger than normal ones was called a Zhenmojingmen.
That was the reason the Family Head, the center of the Gu Family, had personally moved.
The return ceremony for the Family Head, who had finished the Fengmen that began at sunset, was quite modest.
The Family Head's iron rule was that he disliked it being treated as something grand, as he had merely done what he was supposed to do.
Of course, since all the blood relatives currently within the Gu Family were gathered, it was far from basically modest... but for me, it was a time where I didn't know if the food was going down my throat or my nose.
Amidst the continuing quiet atmosphere, the first one to speak was Gu Cheol-un.
"I heard you've achieved something in martial arts."
It was a remark casually tossed out during the meal. He wasn't looking at anyone in particular when he said it.
The eldest of the Family Head's four children, Gu Hui-bi, had long been recognized for her high talent and was already out working as part of the Gu Family's sword brigade. The youngest was currently not at the family estate.
And it certainly wasn't me.
That left one person.
"Yes, I gained a small realization and reached the Sanxing level a few days ago."
Gu Yeon-seo answered with a confident smile. It was a completely different expression from the one she had when looking at me earlier.
"Fast for your age, commendable. Continue to strive harder."
"Thank you, Father."
As Gu Yeon-seo turned her head back, our eyes met.
Her bright, smiling face instantly crumpled as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
'She really looks at me like I'm a bug.'
Gu Yeon-seo was only fifteen. The Gu Family's inner qi cultivation method was notoriously slow to progress, so reaching the Sanxing level at that age was remarkable.
It was a part where Gu Yeon-seo's talent and effort stood out.
It was impressive, sure, but with the already uncomfortable atmosphere, my stomach was so bloated I felt like I would really choke.
My inner pocket was full of digestive medicine I had brought during the day.
I would definitely have to take it after this ended.
The only thing that could be considered fortunate was that I could eat the foods I couldn't eat well in my past life because I was rolling around like crazy.
Among the copious amounts of food enough to break the table legs, I picked up a gleaming dumpling.
"The third child."
...Although I wouldn't be able to eat it.
"Yes."
I gently placed the picked-up dumpling back in its place.
Unlike when he praised Gu Yeon-seo earlier, Gu Cheol-un was looking at me.
Was it simply a coincidence?
"I heard you went out to the market street."
"Pardon?"
The market street? Is he talking about the first day I returned?
I stared blankly, not understanding what he meant, but Gu Cheol-un just looked at me without a word, seemingly waiting for my answer.
"Yes, I went out for a bit."
I answered lightly, thinking I hadn't done anything particularly problematic.
If there was a problem, it would be meeting Wi Seol-a, but that was my own problem.
"Hmm."
What is it?
After that, Gu Cheol-un didn't say much, but he seemed to have something he wanted to say. I didn't bother to ask.
Why is he acting like that?
I remembered he wasn't originally the type to agonize like that.
In the end, Gu Cheol-un didn't bring it up to me.
Not long after, the incredibly difficult mealtime ended.
I tried to eat something, but my appetite completely vanished under the subtly felt gazes.
Gu Cheol-un left first, and Gu Yeon-seo glared at me for a long time before leaving.
I considered eating the remaining dumplings but put down my chopsticks.
The family meal I hadn't had in years ended just like that.
Worried that even the little I ate might sit heavy in my stomach, I quickly stirred some digestive powder in warm water and drank it.
And I think it felt a bit better?
Now I can just go and lie down for today.
'Ah... He told me to come to his room later.'
I remembered what he said during the day about coming to the Family Head's office. Why did he call for me?
What did I do around this time? Since it wasn't the first or second time I was called to the Family Head's office for causing trouble, it was hard to guess what it was.
I'll just brace myself and go. It's a mess I made anyway.
The moment I steeled my resolve like that.
"Young Master. The Family Head conveyed that 'you do not need to come to the Family Head's office'."
A servant delivered the message.
In the end, I had no choice but to be left alone at the dining table, looking dumbfounded at the remaining dumplings.
What is this, really...?
**************
My past self longed for 'freedom'.
Not a life without any of my own will, but a life where every single action contained my will.
Even if I lived as a damned demonic practitioner back then, it was clearly my choice to choose the path that prolonged my life.
If I had known it would become a life so riddled with regret, I would have unhesitatingly ended my life right there.
However, as a result of failing to do so, I had to live a life where I couldn't even die on my own terms.
How much did I regret it?
And how much did I realize?
The days I foolishly failed to acknowledge my talent, put in no effort, and yet wanted to become a star.
The days I tried to express my incompetence to others through arrogance and anger.
When I realized that such pathetic things couldn't hide my vileness, I had already come too far.
So all the more, when the opportunity I so desperately wished to return came, I couldn't help but seize it.
I had to live a clearly different life from my past one.
No, I *wanted* to live differently.
Was that why? The very first thought I had after coming to my senses following my regression was.
Can I kill the Heavenly Demon?
Even I thought it was an absurdly vain hope.
A monster who killed all the Sanzun, whose martial arts realms were daringly above the heavens.
How could I kill a monster who single-handedly burned down two of the Nine Sects and One Faction?
It was a fleeting wish.
The Heavenly Demon would be killed by Wi Seol-a in the future anyway, and the Demonic Cult wouldn't last long after that either.
I just wanted to live a peaceful life, and if I were to be a little greedy, a slightly abundant life—just this much.
But in the near future, getting entangled with the Demonic Cult would be unavoidable.
Even if I was a child half-abandoned due to stupidity, the bloodline of the Gu Family is the bloodline of the Gu Family.
Because that's what those bastards did to me in the past.
Could I dare to avoid the Demonic Cult's reach that even the Four Great Families couldn't withstand?
Would it be okay to abandon the family and run away? Probably, if I hid deep in the mountains where the demonic practitioners' hands couldn't reach, it would be fine...
"...You idiot, even after coming this far, you're still thinking about running away."
I feel a surge of disgust at the thought that rose unbidden.
I wanted to slap my own cheek, but I didn't move for fear of ruining my properly held posture.
I desperately ignored my premature fear and erased the floating thoughts from my mind.
How long has it been since I resolved to live upright with a changed attitude, unlike the past, and I'm already thinking of throwing it away?
I chewed on my lips and steadied my mind.
I didn't know how much time had passed, but it was clearly well past the Zi hour (23:00 - 01:00).
In the center of my quarters, I sat in the lotus position and took a deep breath. I soon exhaled the air that filled my lungs.
The exhaled breath carried a faint trace of inner qi.
'Truly a rat-dropping amount of inner qi...'
The small amount of inner qi in one corner of the Dantian that I barely found after searching my body like catching a mouse.
My younger sister, born only a year apart, reached the Sanxing level at that young age, so there couldn't be a worse comparison.
To put it bluntly, it meant I hadn't put in even a rat-dropping's worth of effort.
With inner qi that was barely tangible, there wasn't much I could do right away.
'It's much smaller than expected, but it's still not impossible.'
There wasn't much I could do, but it wasn't completely nothing.
The cultivation method passed down to the bloodline of the Gu Family, the Ju Yanhuo Lungong, was based on fire qi.
It was similar to the Sanmai Shenhuo that kindles fire using immense inner qi, but its essence was different.
The cultivation method, built up slowly and solidly within the body, blooms when the time comes.
The red, undulating inner qi of the Ju Yanhuo Lungong, which successfully bloomed through long training, resembled the shape of burning fire.
As an example, Gu Cheol-un's epithet was Huxia because his vigorous movement with flickering flames wrapped around his entire body was like a tiger, and he was called Huxia after seeing him punish the wicked with such power.
Gu Yeon-seo, who would later be called Hongyanjian, was also called that because the inner qi of the Ju Yanhuo Lungong surrounding her sword resembled flames.
The inner qi contained within my body, however small, was also definitely the Ju Yanhuo Lungong.
Only upon reaching the Sixing level could one emit even a small amount of red inner qi, and only at the Qixing level could one wrap it around their entire body.
Right now, I was at best at the Yixing level.
Compared to Gu Yeon-seo, let alone Gu Cheol-un who had to have reached at least the Qixing level, it was utterly unimpressive.
The reason I was doing such futile things on a moonlit night was partly because of my young body.
It was to gather the qi that had spread throughout my body because I had trained immaturely, before it was too late, and use it as a foundation to reach the Erxing level.
I should have left my indiscriminate greed for martial arts in my past life.
But I needed to build strength to survive.
I didn't even want to imagine living as a demonic practitioner, but contradictorily, I was now using the realizations of the martial arts I had gained back then.
The problem was.
"...If I try any more, I'll really kick the bucket."
I sparingly used the small inner qi I possessed to scour every nook and cranny of the meridians in my body, pulling in the inner qi that was on the verge of disappearing.
It was not an easy task.
Not only did it require intense concentration, but using such a small amount of inner qi in this way was incredibly difficult.
After delicately manipulating my senses for a long time, my back was already soaked with cold sweat.
Just making it this far was impressive, but if I tried to do anything more with this much inner qi, I would really be at risk of Zouhuorumo.
"...Haa."
I exhaled after finishing the grueling routine.
After letting out a breath, a satisfied smile formed on my lips.
It was disappointing that I couldn't do more, but it wasn't without results.
"Not bad."
The slightly increased inner qi and the faint heat directly felt in my body were telling me that.
This was proof that the Ju Yanhuo Lungong had reached the Erxing level.
It was thanks to the fact that there was more qi scattered here and there in my body than I thought, because I hadn't properly trained in the cultivation method.
"I wonder if it's really correct to say it's thanks to my incompetence."
Several hours had passed since I first started training in the cultivation method, but my mood was refreshed because I had successfully reached the Erxing level.
"If I untangle it one by one like this, something will come of it."
Unable to wash my whole sweat-soaked body, I finished a light wash, changed clothes, and lay down on the bed.
I thought it was a not bad start.
'Let's just keep going like this...'
One by one, step by step, but not slowly.
I will stubbornly endure and eventually overcome it.
A life different from my past one, solely for that.
'So that I don't do anything reckless and cause unnecessary influence on the future ahead.'
Let's just live quietly doing what I have to do. Until everything is resolved.
At the very least, I intended to live quietly with my mouth shut until the Heavenly Demon died.
Just this once, I had that kind of resolve.
And then...
"H-hi, I'm W-Wi Seol-a!"
Why are you coming out of there all of a sudden...?