Chapter 35

After a long while, unable to continue speaking, Taeho massaged his brow.

"Like a lever propelling a stone... if the sword were not a wooden one but one crafted by a master..."

As Taeho muttered to himself, Ryeon's eyes widened in surprise.

Taeho's Enlightenment

Current Luck Value: 13/120 (2▲)

Taeho, pondering to himself, seemed anxious and amazed as he asked hurriedly,

"Then you positioned the swords to clash at a specific point and swung them?"

"Yes? Yes. It's like the valley in a mountain path."

"Valley?"

"Hmm, like the form you showed me just now..."

Ryeon moved her arm to simulate a sword. A gentle breeze rustled through her arm.

"Right at this moment, by positioning the sword at this point, I lifted the inner energy used in the sword technique as if drawing it out."

"...Isn't it difficult to handle someone else's inner energy? Especially since Yeon's learning is still shallow, it would have been just a release of force."

"That's by putting all my strength and doing it well..."

"Putting all your strength and doing it well..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

* * *

Although she had consistently trained with Danmok Cheon-gi, this was the first time Ryeon had engaged in a sparring match in front of others.

Despite her efforts to appear calm, Ryeon's entire body was tense.

Moreover, halfway through, she kept exchanging words with Taeho—this was the real sword discussion—making her mouth dry. She kept drinking tea, but it didn't help.

While the nursemaid was fussing over getting hot towels and some light snacks, two young boys peeked their heads out.

Ryeon, who had been lying limply, suddenly sat up.

"Ryeon, Bia."

"Sis!"

Danmok Bia threw himself at her, whining.

"What did you two do today?"

In response to Ryeon's question, Danmok Bia recounted how he had run around all day, studied hard to catch up with his sister, and argued with Hwa-ryun despite being teased by him. He then fell asleep as if collapsing, even though Ryeon hadn't patted him a few times.

While Ryeon came out of the bed and covered Danmok Bia with a blanket, Hwa-ryun stood behind her, scanning the surroundings. Then, he stared at Ryeon, narrowing his eyes as if gauging the thickness of a piece of paper.

"What... what is it?"

"You've become... so thin in just one day."

"That's a harsh thing to say, Hwa-ryun."

"U... Hwa-ryun?"

"Ah."

Ryeon covered her mouth without realizing it, but Hwa-ryun looked genuinely puzzled and curious about where the "U" surname had suddenly come from.

"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking to myself..."

"Thinking about what made me suddenly become 'U Hwa-ryun'?"

Ryeon felt extremely embarrassed and apologetic as she spoke awkwardly.

"A few days ago, I wrote a poem with my uncle."

"Oh, the deputy head of the medicine hall was so happy, saying a genius had appeared in our family."

"Don't mention that. I'm so embarrassed. My uncle calls me a genius just for breathing."

"Anyway, what poem did you write? You didn't even tell me, saying you were embarrassed."

Ryeon's face turned bright red as she buried her face in her sleeve, trying to cool down.

"월영부용적운려 (Moon Shadow Lotus Accumulates Clouds) ... 소조우야대우래 (Desolate Rainy Night Awaits Rain)..."

Under the moon's shadow, lotus blooms, and amidst them, rain clouds slowly drift.

On a desolate rainy night, I await the rain.

"... You're waiting for rain on a rainy night?"

"Exactly! The rain you're waiting for isn't the rain that's currently falling... It's important to clearly know what you want among the many things in the world... No, that's not the important part."

While Ryeon's face turned beet red with embarrassment, Hwa-ryun mulled over the poem.

"Is it the 'rain' in '소조우야 (desolate rainy night)'?"

No, you fool! It's the 'rain' in 'awaiting rain'."

"Hmm."

Hwa-ryun currently only has the name 'Hwa-ryun.' He has no parents, no surname, nothing.

He was supposed to become Cheon Hwa-ryun, catching the eye of the leader of the Ma Chien Sect, but if he doesn't go to the Ma Chien Sect, that surname will never exist.

So, it seemed like having a new surname might be good for him.

While thinking about what would be good, his mind wandered to the 'rain' character in the poem he had written, rolling it around in his mouth.

"Ah, um... Is this character used as a surname? Anyway, it was just something I thought about."

"I like it."

"Huh?"

Ryeon tilted her head.

"U Hwa-ryun. I like it."

The boy said this, closing his eyes and smiling softly. The teardrop at the corner of his left eye fluttered. Just as Ryeon's eyes widened in surprise, the door opened, and Nursemaid Zhang entered.

While Nursemaid Zhang sat Ryeon on a long chair, massaged her limbs, and brought her a cooled cup of tea, Hwa-ryun watched silently from the side.

* * *

Yeon-won, still caressing the scratch on his cheek, sat on his knees, reviewing today's sparring match.

He had only sparred with Ryeon once, and after that, the discussion of sword techniques between Taeho and Danmok Ryeon continued, leaving no room for him to join.

'I clearly said I came to help...'

He had mentioned that Danmok Ryeon had special circumstances and had only been learning sword techniques for a few months.

In such a situation, facing another family's sword technique would help her gain experience.

Of course, Taeho had said he would also learn from the process.

But the sparring match ended in a flurry, and it was unclear whether he had helped. Was there even a chance to help from the losing side? Probably not.

'How did she block my wooden sword?'

At first, he couldn't believe the outcome of the match. He was so talented that Taeho had decided to make him the successor to the head of the sect, yet he had lost to a frail young girl without any room for reconsideration.

He felt so ashamed that he wanted to leave the place immediately. He thought the word 'defeat' had no power since his peers who had lost to him acted as if nothing had happened, but that wasn't the case.

He couldn't accept the defeat, but the shattered wooden sword proved the result, and later, Danmok Ryeon's words confirmed it.

Each of her words.

'How did she do it?'

The inner energy he had used during the match was not at the level of sword qi but a weak release of his strength.

How did Danmok Ryeon gather and block that scattered energy?

Yeon-won recalled the conversation between Taeho and Ryeon.

'Using a lever?'

The little girl's words were vague, almost incomprehensible. The feeling was elusive.

'Positioning the sword at the exact point and controlling the force? But how did she handle the inner energy?'

The girl had explained it to him.

— With all my strength...

Yeon-won slumped and made a grimace.

With all my strength.

Yes, with all my strength. But he didn't have the nerve to ask how to do it with all his strength. He knew Ryeon wasn't deliberately hiding anything; she just didn't have more to say.

'With all my strength?'

Suddenly, Yeon-won straightened his back.

With all my strength. Using all my strength.

At the exact moment, at the exact point, using all my strength.

Yeon-won slowly moved his arm from his seated position. His sleeve began to flutter with his movements.

* * *

Early in the morning.

Ryeon stretched lazily and gently fanned herself.

One of the advantages of having more people coming and going in the estate was that there were more areas to purify.

As she was sending spiritual energy into the air, she suddenly saw ink spread across her fan, forming words, making her eyes widen.

Taeho's Enlightenment 2

Yeon-won's Learning 3

Current Luck Value: 17/120 (5▲)

The luck value had risen significantly overnight. What could they have done all night...?

And she soon found out what they had done.

She saw two people in the distance.

Taeho

Traits: Recovered the Sword / Walked a Long Path / Eternally Floating / Glimpsed Beyond

Taechung Sword: 9th Rank (10th Rank) (▲1)

Yunryong Daebalshik: 12th Rank

Taechung Shin-gong: 10th Rank (▲1)

Talent and Five Elements: Upper-Lower (上-下)

Concerns: Guilt towards Danmok Cheon-gi, awkwardness about the timing of his arrival, contemplation of enlightenment

Advice: There are times when a hawk must perch on a branch in the sky.

Yeon-won

Traits: Unchanging Heart / Soaring / Reaching Beyond / Bamboo

Yunryong Daebalshik: 3rd Rank (5th Rank) (▲1)

Taechung Shin-gong: 1st Rank

Taechung Sword: 3rd Rank (▲1)

Talent and Five Elements: Upper-Middle (上-中)

Concerns: How to form a master-disciple bond, how to repay a favor, embarrassment over yesterday's events

Advice: Proof is not necessary between master and disciple.

Both of them looked as if they had trained all night, with dark circles under their eyes, but their eyes shone brightly.

'They were just talking about sword techniques... Just talking, and Yeon-won has improved in Yunryong Daebalshik? How did Taeho even advance in his cultivation technique?'

Ryeon thought seriously.

'Do you need talent to absorb things like that?'