Inside the temple, Ogyo’s battle continued.
Ogyo was pouring her entire mind into executing the technique, and did not even notice the commotion outside.
The secret art of Yeonyeon Hyeollak: Nine Heavens Silver Threads, Ten Thousand Poisons Converge.
This technique carried not only internal energy, but even consciousness itself upon the threads.
While using it, the practitioner could not move a muscle; in truth, the body was left no different from an empty husk.
All the senses were focused on the tips of the threads to move them, and with those threads, one would seize the opponent or pierce their flesh before pouring poison into them.
Because both consciousness and internal energy were poured into them completely, the threads possessed speed and precision incomparable to their usual state.
It was a technique with enough killing power to offset the drawback of placing the practitioner herself in danger.
However, Ogyo had never fully mastered this technique in the end.
It was a technique performed not with the body, but with the mind.
For a wild dog with neither patience nor concentration, it was far too difficult.
Not long after she began using the form, sweat beaded on Ogyo’s face.
The released Jamnyeong Threads were piercing the sleeping Cheongdam’s body from every direction, but the threads were so fine that from the outside, there appeared to be no difference at all.
The Void Spirit Wind Meridians was an illness in which qi that could no longer be controlled damaged the blood channels.
Neither medicine nor mental formulas could calm the rampaging qi.
And so Ogyo had decided to extinguish the qi instead.
She planted threads throughout the blood channels and sent poison flowing through them, altering the very energy circulating within the body.
With her poison arts, she would swallow Cheongdam’s internal energy whole.
After altering all of that energy, she would then retrieve it again and cure the illness.
That was the principle, but Ogyo had decided it by instinct rather than theory.
It was a method no one had ever attempted before.
For that very reason, there existed a possibility that it might succeed.
However, this method had one great obstacle: Cheongdam had to endure the poison sent through the threads until the treatment was complete.
If the amount of poison was too little, it would not be able to fully swallow Cheongdam’s energy; if there was too much poison, Cheongdam would lose her life.
Exquisite control was required.
But as for exactly how much poison was needed, no one knew the answer.
She could only rely on her own instincts.
Moreover, the greater problem was that Ogyo’s technique was incomplete.
With her usual way of handling threads, she could not delicately control the amount of poison she sent through them. That was why she absolutely had to use this supreme technique.
But it was a technique she had never once properly succeeded with until now.
Drip.
A bead of sweat fell to the floor.
Ogyo kept her eyes closed, focusing with all her might.
She could hear nothing.
Her mind had already left her own body.
As she sent poison flowing through the threads, the poison entered Cheongdam’s blood channels and began to revolve together with her energy.
There was no turning back now.
If she failed, Cheongdam’s life would end tonight.
Her lips trembled with fear, and her heart pounded.
Ogyo focused desperately.
If her consciousness scattered even once, it would be over.
And yet, how could she possibly remain optimistic?
This was a gamble with far too little chance of success.
A soft cough sounded, and a line of blood flowed from Cheongdam’s mouth.
The power of the Void Spirit Wind Meridians was rapidly spreading the poison throughout her entire body.
In the end, this treatment was a double-edged sword.
Poison and medicine shared the same root.
They were only called by different names depending on the situation; the two were one.
— Ogyo, you were there again. I wondered where you had gone.
A gentle, affectionate voice familiar to her ears.
Was it a memory from some time ago?
When she slowly opened her eyes, the world was upside down.
She had been having a short dream while hanging from a tree branch.
— How can you sleep in a posture like that? Come now, get down.
— Yohwa, are you angry?
— I’m not angry.
Yohwa laughed as if she found it absurd.
What a relief. She really didn’t seem angry.
Using the recoil, she pulled herself up onto the tree branch, then leapt down lightly.
— Oh my?
When she ran over and hugged Yohwa, Yohwa stroked her hair as if she had no choice.
From her embrace came the scent of some flower she did not know.
Her heart fluttered.
The two of them walked through the garden together.
Yohwa fed the carp in the pond.
When Ogyo hung from the bridge railing and caught the bait Yohwa tossed with her mouth, Yohwa burst into laughter.
I like that smiling face.
Why is that?
And why am I wondering about such a thing?
If I dislike something, I dislike it. If I like something, I like it.
There’s no need for a reason.
Strangely, you always fill my heart with questions.
You make me realize the identities of emotions I never even knew existed.
— Ogyo, is it fun being with me?
— Yes, it’s so much fun.
— Is training not hard?
— Not at all.
— Then why did you run away today?
That gaze staring straight at her.
What kind of expression is that? Are you angry after all?
She shrank back.
— Because my head hurt.
— Do you have a fever?
— It’s not that. That technique is so difficult it makes my head hurt. No matter how much I practice, I can’t do it well.
— Is that so?
For a while, Yohwa looked down at the pond without saying a word.
Even though she had already scattered all the bait, the carp were still opening and closing their mouths.
At last, Yohwa beckoned her closer.
I climbed onto the railing and sat down.
— Ogyo, we are together right now, aren’t we?
— ……? Yes.
— Then what about now?
Yohwa took one step backward and looked at me.
— Now too.
— Then what about now?
This time, she took three steps back.
The distance between us grew a little farther.
— Uh……
— What about this?
Yohwa retreated even farther and left the pond.
Standing on the grass, she stared at me.
— Are we together right now?
— ……I don’t know.
Yohwa smiled, then returned to my side.
She gently took my hand as I sat on the railing.
— What about this?
— ……We’re together.
— What about this?
She lowered her head and pressed her forehead to mine.
Her breath touched me.
It was clearer than ever.
— We’re together.
— Hehe, is that so?
A mischievous laugh, as if my answer had been wrong.
— In other words, by your standards, if we are pressed together like this, we are together, but if I move just a few steps away, we are no longer together?
— Uh……
There was nothing in particular to deny, but for some reason, when she asked it that way, I hesitated to answer no.
— You see, I feel that we are together even when we are very far apart.
She feels that we are together?
Then which side does that mean?
Yohwa’s words were often difficult to understand.
— Why?
— Because my heart is with you, Ogyo.
Your heart is with me.
— On the other hand, if my heart were somewhere else entirely, then even if we were pressed together like this, we could not say we were together.
— Is that how it is?
— Yes, that’s how it is. And that is the principle of that technique. Do you understand?
I could not understand it at all.
When I shook my head, Yohwa burst into laughter again.
But soon, she stopped laughing and wore a lonely expression.
— Ogyo, if we ever become far apart, send your heart to me. So that I won’t be lonely.
— How do I do that?
— It’s the same as placing internal energy into a thread. Imagine that there is an invisible thread. Let your heart flow along that thread. All the way to where I am.
At the time, I could not understand those words at all.
But now, I feel as though I understand them, if only a little.
As if those words from back then had become reality, you left for a place infinitely far away.
A world without you is as dark as a night without the moon.
I am lonely and afraid.
Because I do not want to forget your face, whenever I close my eyes, I always draw you beneath my eyelids.
Yes.
Sending one’s heart must surely be something like this.
When night falls, I ride an invisible thread and go to meet you.
The greater my longing, the faster I draw close to you, so even if you were on the far side of the moon, it would not matter at all.
— Ogyo, do not be afraid.
“Yes.”
— When the two of us are together, we are invincible under heaven.
“……Yes.”
The sound of coughing came again.
Cheongdam’s complexion had grown even paler, and blood was flowing from her nose and eyes as well.
How much time had passed?
Cheongdam’s pulse was thin and faint.
She had reached her limit.
She would soon die.
But the energy, too, was only one step away.
Soon, all of Cheongdam’s energy would be swallowed by Ogyo’s poison.
Just a little.
Just a little more.
“Endure……”
A rough breath leaked through her clenched teeth.
Sweat flowed like rain, and Ogyo’s complexion was as pale as Cheongdam’s.
“Endure, endure, please endure……”
Please don’t die.
I do not want you to die.
Ah.
Was life such a precious thing?
Had I lived while taking something so precious so easily?
— ……Because I want you to pity me.
With what heart does Yohwa wish to die?
I want to know more about you.
I want to understand your sorrow.
If death is truly the salvation you desire, then I will give it to you.
But if there is another path……
“……It’s done.”
At last, the poison swallowed all of Cheongdam’s energy.
Soon, as the wind ceased, the inside of her body became as still as a lie.
What was flowing quietly through Cheongdam’s blood channels was a new poison unknown even to the wild dog herself.
The energy of the Void Spirit Wind Meridians and Ogyo’s internal energy had mixed, transforming into an unknown poison.
Ogyo swiftly retrieved all the poison through the threads.
A cold wind seemed to pierce her chest.
Was this the poison that had tormented you all your life?
Cheongdam’s breathing gradually stabilized.
When she checked her pulse, it was faint, but maintaining a steady beat.
This was enough.
Since the poison had been retrieved without leaving any behind, if she focused on nourishment from here on, bringing down the fever and replenishing the blood, Cheongdam would become healthy like ordinary people.
She had succeeded.
“Thank goodness……”
The moment Ogyo barely relaxed, her body collapsed weakly to the side.
It was already close to dawn.
She had been sitting in the same place all night without moving a muscle, so it was only natural that her body had stiffened.
Even as she lay fallen, Ogyo reached out and wiped the blood from Cheongdam’s face.
They had passed the crisis, but she could not leave her like this.
Her already frail body had been ravaged by Ogyo’s poison, so she had to hurry and take her to a physician to be examined.
But Ogyo could barely even control her own body.
She crawled across the floor and out of the temple.
Bright light stabbed her eyes.
The smell of blood suddenly wafted through the courtyard.
Soon, when her eyes grew used to the light, a惨惨 scene entered her vision.
Corpses lay strewn all around, and blood had formed pools.
Only one person stood upright amid it all.
Still gripping his sword, he did not move, as though he had become a stone statue.
Ogyo crawled to near the steps and called out to the man.
“Stutterer.”
Im Saun merely stood there blankly.
Without turning around, he soon asked in a faint voice,
“Kid, Sister-in-law?”
“She survived. The enemies?”
“Most are dead. Some fled, but they won’t be a threat anymore.”
Good.
If so, then all the problems were as good as solved.
“Now we just have to take Cheongdam to a physician……”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll leave that to you. I, I’m a little tired……”
“I can’t walk either……”
The two of them collapsed to the ground at the same time.
After coming this far, they could not afford to ruin everything.
But their bodies, having reached their limits, would not move even the slightest bit more.
Both Ogyo and Saun desperately kept their eyes wide open to maintain consciousness, but that was all they could do.
Soon, Ogyo lost consciousness first and struck her head against the steps.
Saun’s vision, too, was growing blurry.
Just then came a splashing sound—the sound of a foot stepping into a pool of blood.
Had the enemy returned?
Saun, collapsed on the ground, gripped his sword, but he had no strength to lift his arm.
The footsteps gradually drew closer.
Someone who had come within arm’s reach looked down silently at the fallen Saun.
Clean white robes.
Those clothes were…
“Second Young Master, be at ease. I am not your enemy.”
“Y-you…”
So it was this person.
Then there was no need to worry anymore.
Feeling relief deep in his heart, Saun let the head he had barely been holding up fall back to the floor.
Now, in the vast temple, there was only one person left awake.
Yang Uisin looked around the courtyard strewn with corpses and let out a deep sigh.
Relief and loneliness coexisted on her face.
“All these people, alone… Impressive. To think there was no need for me to help.”
Uisin checked Saun’s pulse, confirmed that his life was not in danger, and then hurried up the steps.
Halfway up the stairs, she carefully lifted Ogyo, who lay sprawled there, into her arms.
Ogyo was utterly exhausted, showing no sign of waking no matter who touched her body.
“……”
It was rare for the keen-sensed Ogyo to fall into such a deep sleep.
There was no one here but herself. If she committed any act now, surely no one would question her guilt afterward.
For a moment, Uisin’s heart wavered, but in the end she shook her head fiercely.
This was not the time.
When she entered the temple, Cheongdam was still asleep.
Her pulse was thinner and weaker than ever. Her blood and qi were also depleted; though her illness had been completely cured, she was in a weakened state.
“To think she truly cured the Hollow Spirit Wind Meridian.”
Uisin had been watching all of this from afar the entire time.
Of course it was astonishing that Ogyo had cured an incurable illness that no physician had ever managed to heal, but more than that, something else weighed on Uisin’s mind.
‘Ogyo, to think you would risk everything to save another person like this.’
This was not the way of the wild dog Uisin knew.
She really had changed.
She had become an entirely different person from three years ago.
‘When Ogyo fought me, she didn’t use this technique. If she had, even I wouldn’t have been able to respond easily…’
Was it because she hadn’t been certain she could win with this technique?
Or was it because she had never truly intended to harm her?
Uisin hoped it was the latter.
She smiled quietly.
*
Cheongdam suddenly opened her eyes.
It had been a long, deep sleep without even a dream.
When she opened her eyes, the sight of an entirely unfamiliar room spread before her, and she wondered if she had finally died.
However, the feel of the blanket beneath her hand was quite vivid, and from outside the window came the bustle of the street.
She slipped out of bed and walked around the room.
It was spacious and clean, but not particularly decorated.
It seemed likely to be a room at an inn.
When she looked outside through the window, she saw an unfamiliar street.
It seemed to be a fairly large city, but she did not know where it was.
Still, seeing familiar ridgelines in the distance through the mist, it appeared she was still in Hexi.
Which meant this was reality.
“I’m still alive.”
That was not all.
Her body felt strangely light.
Since she had suffered from a serious illness ever since she was born, Cheongdam had found it difficult to imagine what being healthy felt like.
But now she could feel it clearly.
Her muscles did not ache, her bones did not feel chilled, and her stomach did not burn.
Every breath she took in and let out felt refreshing, and her mind was as clear and cool as daybreak after rain.
A clean, comfortable feeling she had never experienced before.
This, without a doubt, must be what it meant to be healthy.
“Why…”
As she stood there dazed, touching her own body, the door suddenly flew open.
Startled, she nearly screamed, but fortunately, the person who entered was a woman.
“Ah, ah…”
The moment Cheongdam saw that face, she was struck speechless.
She was the woman who had said she was Ogyo’s friend, whom Cheongdam had seen on Qilian Mountain.
Was her name Yang Uisin?
“Madam Song, you have awakened.”
“Why are you…? Had you not left?”
Uisin gave a bitter smile, then closed the door and came into the room.
“I will explain the circumstances. Please, sit.”
Cheongdam obeyed as if bewitched.
When Cheongdam sat on the bed, Uisin brought over a chair from nearby and sat across from her at a short distance.
After parting from Ogyo on Qilian Mountain, Uisin had not immediately returned to Beijing.
It had been too early, and when she learned that Jeokha Sect and Bichwi Pavilion would be pursuing Ogyo, she had been too worried to leave.
And so, for a while, she had followed Ogyo’s party, watching them from afar.
“You were watching us the entire time?”
“…Yes. I apologize.”
“It isn’t something you need to apologize to me for… You must care for Sister Gyo very much.”
Uisin seemed embarrassed and held her tongue.
After that, she briefly told Cheongdam what had happened at the abandoned temple.
Ogyo had treated Cheongdam, and while she did, Saun had fought against the martial artists of Jeokha Sect and Bichwi Pavilion, protecting the two of them.
That had been three days ago.
“The two of them have not awakened yet. They are receiving treatment and resting, so there is no need to worry too much.”
“I-is that so?”
“More than anything, it is fortunate that you are safe, Madam Song. According to the physician’s diagnosis, the Hollow Spirit Wind Meridian has completely vanished.”
Even hearing it again, it was still hard to believe.
“I thought it was an illness that could never be cured.”
“I thought so as well.”
“Sister Gyo saved my life. And so did the young master.”
Born with a frail body, she had always had no choice but to live relying on others.
But the grace she had received this time was something she could not possibly take lightly.
The illness she had suffered from her entire life was gone.
Her life had been like a candle before the wind, and yet all her misfortune had so suddenly retreated.
Her hands trembled. She simply could not believe it.
“Then… I won’t die?”
“Yes. Damage has accumulated inside your body over a long period, so you will need to take tonics and recuperate for some time, but it is not enough to call it an illness.”
“I see…”
In the end, Cheongdam could not hold back and began to sob with her face covered in her hands.
Uisin was startled for a moment, not knowing what to do.
She thought of going over and comforting her, but her timid nature made it difficult to act so readily.
In the end, she quietly rose.
“I-I will take my leave now. When the two of them awaken, please give them my regards.”
“You’re leaving without even greeting Sister Gyo?”
“If she learns that I was secretly watching, she likely will not be pleased. Please keep it a secret that I was there that day.”
It seemed those two had their own circumstances.
Even on Qilian Mountain, they had said they would talk, only to suddenly start fighting.
When Cheongdam nodded to show she understood, Uisin smiled gently.
“Madam Song, what do you intend to do from now on?”
“Me?”
The battle that had taken place at the temple three days ago had dealt devastating damage to Jeokha Sect and Bichwi Pavilion.
The sect leaders of both factions had survived, but they had fled with grave injuries, and a considerable number of their disciples had either died or been seriously wounded.
Most of those who had survived had also suffered fatal wounds severe enough that they would never be able to hold a sword again, leaving them in no state to remain in the jianghu.
As a disciple of Jeokha Sect, Lim Saun had acted in defiance of his own sect, so he would never be able to return to it.
Of course, before that, it was unclear whether Jeokha Sect itself could continue to exist at all.
Cheongdam could not answer easily.
Now, she had no desire to return either to Jeokha Sect or to Bichwi Pavilion, her maiden home.
It was undoubtedly true that they had cared for her since she was young, but they had coveted her inner core and revealed their ugly nature in full. She was reluctant to even face them again now.
When Cheongdam remained silent, Uisin spoke softly.
“Though it is not my place to interfere, the world is vast. Since matters have come to this, it would not be a bad thing to take a look around that wide world.”
“…You’re right. I’ll think about it.”
“Then I pray that you take good care of yourself.”
Uisin bowed her head, then left.