*Whirr-!*
I circulated my qi to check my body's condition.
It made one or two rounds through my meridians before returning to my heart.
That alone was enough to ascertain my condition.
‘A minor internal injury, and a crack in my shoulder.’
It seemed I had sustained the internal injury when sealing her martial arts, and my shoulder had cracked when I took the hit while attempting the Heocho.
I had defended it with gangqi, so it was only this bad; had I failed to do even that, my shoulder would have shattered.
‘Nothing else, I suppose.’
I hadn't used even a quarter of my internal qi, and the crack would heal before the day was out.
The internal injury would recover before long as well.
That was the extent of it.
Pain and wounds one could sustain even during training.
‘So this is…’
Are these the marks left on my body after trampling one of the Ten Great Masters of the Central Plains?
I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fists as I looked straight ahead.
“Cough.”
The old woman, Bunwol Gwonseon, was sitting slumped over, bleeding.
It was black blood.
It wasn't dangerous; it was the result of me giving her some minor treatment for her internal injuries.
“I've roughly realigned it, so you won't die.”
Her internals were a complete mess from the fight.
With her qi severely twisted and no small amount of external trauma, she would have died if left as she was.
Hence, I took some measures.
“Hah… hah…”
Gwonseon was repeatedly steadying her breath. I looked at her and gave a slight nod.
I recalled the duel just now.
Honestly, there wasn't much to recall.
‘Bland.’
Uninteresting.
It was a duel that only evoked such thoughts.
‘What is this?’
Full of disappointment.
Was it because I was comparing it to the duel with Paejon? There wasn't a shred of desperation.
‘Did she let her guard down?’
Could it be that Gwonseon had let her guard down, resulting in this?
I pondered it for a moment before quickly dismissing the thought.
‘No, it wouldn't be. I made sure she wouldn't.’
I had planned for her to be sufficiently on guard.
I had even pushed back her qi barrier and displayed my realm to a certain extent.
Even if Gwonseon was a senile old crone, having been shown this much, she couldn't possibly not know.
‘If she still didn't know after that, she deserves to die.’
For someone who had risen to the position of the Amipa Sect Leader to not realize even this and let her guard down, it would be better for her to just step down and disappear.
Gwonseon hadn't let her guard down.
Or rather, even if she had let her guard down to some degree, it wasn't to the extent of being defeated so helplessly.
Then what was it?
‘Am I just that strong?’
Have I grown that much stronger?
I looked at my clenched fist and thought.
‘I expected to win.’
Just how strong was I? I always strived to judge my own strength objectively.
I had to know exactly where my limits lay so that there would be no disruption to my plans.
Therefore, I never once thought I would lose against Gwonseon.
I would win against someone of her caliber. I was definitely confident of that, but...
‘I didn't know I would win this easily.’
The margin was a bit too extreme.
That's why it was strange.
‘There's no way she's this weak.’
I am strong.
I am definitely not weak.
I might not know about Maehwaseon or Geomje, who are said to be close to the Three Venerables, but I wouldn't lose to the average Ten Great Master.
However, I couldn't possibly win this easily.
‘Even if I didn't use Dragon Words or Demonic Qi, I was planning to use Seongchang.’
To think it ended with merely igniting a few sparks and using Gwijjeong.
It was strange, beyond just strange.
I approached Gwonseon and knelt on one knee.
I met her gaze and asked her.
“Sect Leader. Why are you so weak?”
“…!”
At my unfiltered question, Gwonseon's face contorted.
“…Are you trying to humiliate me?”
“No. I knew I was going to win anyway. I'm not mocking you. I'm genuinely curious.”
At my somewhat tactless words, Gwonseon smiled bitterly.
“…I am the one who is curious.”
*Trickle.*
Wiping away the flowing black blood, Gwonseon asked me.
“Just how… did you reach the realm of Heart Image?”
The realm of Heart Image.
The great realm that all martial artists strive to reach.
Not realms like First Rate, Peak, or Transformation Realm, but a place where one's realizations of life accumulate until a Heart Image finally takes form.
Gwonseon was staring at me with wide eyes, having seen me reach that place.
‘Hmm.’
There was a reason she was reacting like that.
The martial art Gwonseon had attempted to use just before.
The energy contained within it wasn't just internal qi; it was mixed with her Heart Image.
Therefore, to seal it, I had to mix in my Heart Image as well. It seemed that was how Gwonseon had noticed.
How did I reach it...?
Well.
“I survived so desperately that it just happened.”
“...”
Unsurprisingly, she didn't seem to believe it.
It wasn't as if I had said it expecting to be believed anyway.
A brief silence passed before Gwonseon spoke, her tone filled with suspicion.
“By any chance… did you achieve Rejuvenation...”
“I didn't do such retarded nonsense.”
“...”
I immediately shut down her baseless suspicions.
“Living in this world, sometimes nonsensical things happen, don't they?”
I had no intention of making up excuses or giving reasons.
So what if she doesn't believe me? Right now, Gwonseon was in no position to be suspecting such things.
“Please just answer my question. Sect Leader.”
I asked, looking into her eyes.
“Why are you so weak?”
“...”
“I'm not mocking or humiliating you. I'm genuinely curious.”
As I mentioned earlier, I have a very objective understanding of my own level.
While I might not know the full extent of the Ten Great Masters, I could defeat most of them.
‘I would lose against the Three Venerables level and those right below them.’
Excluding Paejon, as that was a special circumstance.
I had observed Cheonjon from the sidelines, so while not exact, I would likely lose within twenty exchanges. As for Geomjon, I hadn't seen him in a long time so I couldn't be sure, but he would likely defeat me even faster.
That was exactly where I stood.
Then what about Gwonseon?
‘When I saw her earlier, she was at a similar level to Geomje.’
The presence and aura she exuded felt that way.
Thus, I had expected as much and faced her accordingly.
‘But this is...’
Honestly speaking, the Divine Dragon that fought Wi Seol-ah.
It seemed like she might just barely surpass that level... It appeared to be only about that much.
‘At this level, if I fought Dang So-yeol in the dead of night, I might actually lose.’
If the right circumstances were provided, Dang So-yeol, the Dark Guest, might win.
That was how shabby the power Gwonseon displayed was for one of the Ten Great Masters.
Hence, the doubt.
“It doesn't seem to be an issue of internal injuries. As for the physical aspect, aging could explain it, but your qi isn't affected by that, is it? What exactly is the problem?”
Skills far too shoddy compared to her apparent power.
It wasn't simply a matter of me being overwhelmingly stronger and trampling her.
“Your qi wasn't flowing properly. Is there some other issue?”
“...”
At my words, the wrinkles between Gwonseon's brows deepened.
Did she still think I was mocking her?
‘What? Does she really not know?’
Gwonseon merely frowned, as if she genuinely didn't know what the problem was.
‘She doesn't know, even in this state?’
I tapped my forearm with the tip of my crossed fingers.
Something had flashed through my mind regarding this bizarre situation.
“Ah.”
So that's it.
I let out a breath and smirked.
“What… Why are you laughing?”
“It's nothing. I just found it a bit pitiful.”
“What?”
Gwonseon questioned my words, but I had no intention of continuing the conversation.
‘I had a feeling.’
I roughly figured it out.
It was an obvious matter, so there was no need to dig deeper.
‘I'll have to check later if this is tied to the Alliance.’
I brought my thoughts up to that point and organized them.
“Anyway, since I won, please honor our bet.”
Gwonseon glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
I looked at her and asked.
“What is your goal?”
“...”
“The reason you're looking for Pi Yeon-yeon. Is it a Specter? Or Pi Yeon-yeon herself?”
At my casual question, the glaring Gwonseon let out a hollow laugh.
“…You don't consider defeating me to be of any importance at all.”
“That's because it's not something worth considering important.”
Should I be elated or something?
“Like I defeated some great figure.”
“...”
“I feel absolutely no thrill, so just answer the question.”
*Cough.*
*Drip. Drip.*
Blood dripped from Gwonseon's mouth.
The white uniform she had neatly worn was already thoroughly soaked in blood.
It was a desolate sight, but my expression didn't change in the slightest.
“And if… I refuse to answer…?”
“Since I didn't place a half-baked restriction on you, you may do so if you can withstand the backlash. Even if you can't, though...”
My eyes and heart grew chillingly cold.
“There are plenty of ways to make you talk. Most of them won't be peaceful, of course.”
Try it if you want to test it.
As I spoke with that underlying intent, Gwonseon's eyes wavered for a moment.
“…You're serious… You really intend to torture me.”
“If necessary.”
“Are you truly a member of the Orthodox Faction…?”
Haha.
I let out a laugh at Gwonseon's words.
“I hear that quite often. Isn't that a truly hilarious question?”
“What do you mean?”
“The era where one could take pride in the Orthodox Faction passed long ago. The roots they claimed to have planted are mostly rotted away, yet you still hide behind that pathetic honor.”
“...”
What does it matter if I'm not Orthodox?
In my eyes, the Orthodox Faction and the Demonic Faction were one and the same.
If there was any difference between the two to me,
‘The Demonic Faction kills first and asks questions later. The Orthodox Faction will at least try to talk.’
Of course, even with that, most of them still ended up dead.
“If we must discuss Orthodoxy and Demonic paths and declare an affiliation, then yes, I am Orthodox. Because my father is Orthodox. However.”
I lifted Gwonseon's chin with my finger.
“That isn't particularly important to me. If I had to define it, it's just a nametag attached to me?”
A value so trivial it could be peeled off at any time.
To me, the Orthodox Faction held exactly that much meaning.
“So, whether I'm Orthodox or whatever, just answer properly. That was our agreement, wasn't it?”
The finger I had raised could be driven into her neck at any moment.
With that implication, I moved my hand slightly toward her neck.
And I asked again.
“Pi Yeon-yeon. What is her connection to the Amipa?”
I let the words out and counted to five inwardly.
I passed one, and just before I reached five—
“…Pi Yeon-yeon. It concerns that child's mother.”
I stopped the force I was about to apply.
“Her mother? Who is she? Are you perhaps referring to Madam Mok?”
I feigned ignorance and slightly redirected the conversation.
Madam Mok was the matriarch of the Seoan Pi Family.
Hearing my words, Gwonseon stared at me with a peculiar look in her eyes.
Had she realized I was probing her? I offered an eye-smile in response to her gaze.
Seeing this, Gwonseon flinched, her body shivering.
“…N-No, the child's mother… is not the person you mentioned.”
“Then who?”
“That child is…”
Gwonseon hesitated for a moment. But she soon continued.
“…Eulryeong Geomhu. That child is the bloodline of the previous Sword Queen.”
“Wh-What? Gasp. Such an astonishing truth…!”
“…I knew it. You already knew.”
“I just acted surprised. Why are you so certain?”
I was sure my acting was perfect… So why the immediate contradiction?
Unbelievable, seriously.
‘Well, I wasn't planning on hiding it anyway, so whatever.’
Still, it left a rather foul taste in my mouth.
“…Then, does that mean you sponsored the child knowing her true identity?”
“Sorry, but I'm not taking questions.”
I cut off Gwonseon as she subtly tried to probe me.
Let me reiterate: I am the only one who gets to ask questions.
“Whether Pi Yeon-yeon is the Sword Queen's bloodline or whatever. That's not the background I'm asking about.”
“...”
What could be the Amipa's reason for seeking Pi Yeon-yeon?
That was all I was curious about.
As I laced my voice with irritation and asked, Gwonseon's answers began to shift slightly.
“…It is because Eulryeong Geomhu was originally a member of the Amipa.”
“Oh?”
Now we were getting to the interesting part.
‘Eulryeong Geomhu was from the Amipa?’
Yes, this was the kind of information I needed.
If her words were true, this was information I hadn't known.
‘I was certain Eulryeong Geomhu was an independent.’
A martial artist with no background.
The previous Sword Queen was neither born into a specific clan nor was she a martial artist from a sect.
And such a woman was a disciple of the Amipa?
‘But how could that have remained unknown?’
No matter how generic the Amipa's martial arts were, some traces of it were bound to remain.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to erase them entirely.
The Sword Demon of my past life, unlike the current Seong Yul, had completely erased all habits of the Kunlun Sect.
However.
‘That was because his killing intent had completely devoured his internal qi.’
The Cheonsalseong of Seong Yul had entirely consumed the tranquil and soft energy unique to the Taoist Gate, making it impossible to know that his mental cultivation was based on Taoist cultivation.
‘It's an incomprehensible part.’
I'll pass over this for now.
There was something I was more curious about.
“If that's the Amipa's reason for seeking Pi Yeon-yeon, it's a bit strange.”
Fine.
Let's assume Eulryeong Geomhu was from the Amipa.
Then there's an inconsistency here.
“So why are you looking for her?”
The crucial part is missing.
What does it matter that she was from the Amipa?
Considering she lived as an independent, she either hid her background or had left the sect long ago.
“For the Amipa to desperately search for the daughter of such a person is strange, isn't it?”
They must be searching for some other reason. Searching simply for that makes no sense.
Gwonseon spoke up in response to my doubt.
“Do you… know what became of Eulryeong Geomhu?”
“Roughly.”
A lie. Not roughly, I knew very well.
Think of all the information I gathered to use this; of course I knew.
The end of Eulryeong Geomhu that Gwonseon spoke of.
The previous Sword Queen, an Orthodox woman who once received praise bordering on eulogy from heroines.
The end of the woman expected to shine until the very end was more wretched than anything else.
‘Eulryeong Geomhu's plot was exposed, she was branded as the Demonic Faction, and was put to death.’
Eulryeong Geomhu, the dream of heroines and once called a hero, had surprisingly been plotting to swallow the Central Plains whole.
She had gathered members of the Demonic Faction in secret from the Murim Alliance and formed a faction.
The fallout from that actually triggered the Great Orthodox-Demonic War.
The tale of how the current Sword Queen, Maehwa Sword Queen So-i, and Baekryeon Sword Moyong Bi-yeon clashed against Eulryeong Geomhu remains famous to this day.
The Great Orthodox-Demonic War was a long yet short war.
In terms of time, it was a period lasting less than two months.
That time passed, and the war finally concluded with the victory of the Orthodox Faction.
Eulryeong Geomhu, accused of starting the war, was captured by the Alliance and executed.
A woman who was once a hero of the Orthodox Faction, but in the end, became a member of the Demonic Faction.
That was the Eulryeong Geomhu remembered by history.
However.
‘The story doesn't end there.’
The truth within such a tale is dark and murky.
If that history had been the end of it, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to utilize Bongseon.
Still.
“…The truth is not that.”
It seemed Gwonseon was aware of it as well.
“In truth, Eulryeong Geomhu never tried to start a war. She wasn't someone who could be branded as the Demonic Faction, either.”
“Is that so?”
“…There is clearly something hidden behind this.”
I couldn't tell if she was playing dumb while knowing the exact truth, or if she genuinely only knew it vaguely. However, it was clear she knew something.
“So you're saying Eulryeong Geomhu was framed.”
“…You.”
Was it my reaction? Gwonseon's expression changed peculiarly.
“Could it be, you knew about this as well…!”
“Perhaps your memory has severely degraded due to your age. As I said earlier, Sect Leader, you have no right to ask questions.”
I moved a little closer to Gwonseon.
The answer wasn't over yet.
“But so what?”
“What…?”
“So what is the Amipa's reason for seeking Pi Yeon-yeon?”
I've heard the circumstances.
So now it's your turn to talk.
Having heard my words, Gwonseon's eyes widened for a moment before she replied in a rather urgent tone.
“…That is only natural. She may not be one now, but Eulryeong Geomhu originated from the Amipa. We must clear her unjust name.”
“And to do that, you're looking for Pi Yeon-yeon?”
“That's right.”
“Why? Her being here wouldn't change anything.”
“…Because if we can just prove that child is the Sword Queen's bloodline, there is a way.”
“Ah. I see…”
If Bongseon's identity as the previous Sword Queen's daughter could be proven, there was a way to clear the Sword Queen's false charge.
I nodded at Gwonseon's words.
They were more or less reasonable.
After hearing it all, I gave a slight nod and spoke.
“Well, well.”
“What is it?”
*Grab.*
“…!”
“Do you think I'm a pushover because I'm listening quietly?”
I clamped my hand over Gwonseon's mouth, stopping her from speaking.
She struggled in panic, but I applied heavy pressure and subdued her.
“If you're going to scheme, at least do it without being so obvious. It's pissing me off listening to it.”
“Mmph… mmph!”
Gwonseon's wrinkled eyes widened to the size of lanterns.
I applied enough pressure to restrict her breathing. Her already poor complexion rapidly turned ashen.
The reason I was acting like this was simple.
As I listened to her words, a certain thought kept boiling up.
I looked at the terrified Gwonseon and spoke.
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“Mmph…”
“You're the ones who framed the Sword Queen in the first place. Why omit that part?”
“…!”
Gwonseon's trembling body stiffened.
The groans she had been letting out also stopped.
Seeing this, I was certain.
“Haha. Fuck, so it's true?”
It was the right answer.