Chapter 46

"Of course. To anyone else. To no one... It's our secret."

"I understand. Do you want me to swear? Shall I put this sword on the line?"

Danmok Cheongi pointed at his cherished sword with his fingertips.

It was a sword with a history, one that had accompanied him even in the Dongjeong Bloodshed. Selling this sword alone might be enough to rebuild the Danmok family mansion. It was a cherished sword imbued with the sorrow of the greatest swordsman, so it was worth whatever price was asked.

Yeon nodded with a bright smile.

"Yes!"

"What? No, this... I understand. I swear on this sword that I won't tell anyone."

"You can't give it to me and then go around telling others."

"I won't, I won't!"

Danmok Cheongi joked. Yeon finally relaxed and smiled.

Danmok Cheongi, seeing the smile spread across his young and innocent granddaughter's face, chose his words carefully.

"Yeon."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"The energy you possess... is the same kind of energy that humans slowly refine and accumulate to create inner strength."

"Huh? Yes..."

It was a story she already knew, but given Danmok Cheongi's serious expression, Yeon only nodded quietly.

"But the fact that you, who possess this energy, cannot use inner strength, means that you cannot wield the corresponding power, which doesn't make sense, does it?"

Yeon scratched her cheek. She had thought a lot about this herself.

"I... thought that inner strength is like a stream. You cultivate a small pond in your dantian. But in my case, it's like there are waves, so it doesn't work."

"But the purpose of that stream is to turn a water mill, to pour a deluge, and to extinguish fire. Shouldn't it be possible to do the same with seawater?"

"Huh?"

Yeon, who had been listening to her grandfather in silence, widened her eyes and tilted her head.

Upon reflection, it made sense.

What do you do with that inner strength? Run faster, use sword qi, and swing sword beams, right?

It's not like you use inner strength to eat and drink. What difference does it make whether it's seawater or stream water?

'Huh? Maybe it really doesn't matter?'

"There might be a way to align your power with the principles of martial arts, but no one knows it yet. I'm just starting to think that there might be a way somewhere."

"......!"

"Let's try to find a way together."

Yeon's eyes widened.

Danmok Cheongi, looking at his granddaughter's face, felt the vitality he had suppressed over the years slowly returning.

He had been sitting in the shadows for a long time. There was no reason to get up.

His granddaughter had now given him that reason. Danmok Cheongi's eyes shone brightly.

Yeon nodded, meeting his gaze.

* * *

When Jin Jige returned to the Jin family estate, he stroked his chin as he read the paper that Danmok Yeon had written about the sparring match.

"Is this it?"

"Yes..."

Jin Zhongha, who answered, looked utterly dejected. Jin Jige glanced at his son.

He had always cherished his only son, who was also exceptionally talented.

He had never seen his son cower anywhere, and even when he gave him a severe scolding, his son would be back to his usual self by the next afternoon, ready to argue. But after this sparring match, his son had been dejected for days.

"Does losing the sparring match bother you so much?"

"It's... I wanted to explain that Father's reputation is a misunderstanding, but I realized late that I don't have a father like you, and I felt guilty. The second sparring match, which we did in secret, left a deep scar on my heart."

Moreover, in the second sparring match, Danmok Yeon had almost toyed with him.

It was as if his father, Jin Jige, was teaching him a lesson. He had attacked his weak points over and over again, like a ghost, and made him fall to the ground.

During this time, he had to write a long letter filled with the content that he had lost because he was not good enough, and when he returned, he received a scolding from his mother, Song Yinglang, for his impulsive decision to spar with the Danmok family.

Naturally, Jin Zhongha was not happy at all.

But Jin Jige, not paying attention to his son's expression, unfolded the paper. He thought it was better that this happened when Jin Zhongha was still young.

Danmok Yeon had just turned eight this year, and while her control of strength was still immature, her handwriting was unexpectedly neat. He could see a future where she would become a famous calligrapher as she grew older.

"Hmm..."

Most of the paper described how she had faced Jin Zhongha in the sparring match, with almost no mention of the Danmok family's sword techniques, only a summary of how to see through the Jin family's sword techniques.

"Ahem."

Jin Jige furrowed his brow.

He could understand why his son looked so unhappy.

The words were written in simple terms—probably within the range of the Thousand Character Classic—and read smoothly, but many of them strangely touched his heart.

"Father?"

Jin Zhongha, who had been watching his father read the paper three times, tilted his head.

"Ah."

"Father? Why are you doing that?"

Jin Jige rubbed his goosebumps with his fingertips. The paper rustled, and he held his breath, then exhaled.

It was natural to feel hurt when one's weaknesses were pointed out, but seeing them thoroughly analyzed as if from a bird's-eye view made his spine tingle.

This was what Jin Jige was feeling now. The writing delicately suggested a way to enhance the Jin family's sword techniques without losing their essence, and it felt almost affectionate.

This letter was like a legendary ancestor of the Jin family, who had never existed, appearing to arrange everything for Jin Zhongha from one to ten. And perhaps even for Jin Jige himself.

'Did she hear something from her father before he died?'

Jin Jige thought, but then realized the timing didn't match. Danmok Yeon was only two years old then. So did Danmok Hyunseong leave any documents? Did she memorize and write them?

For a moment, complicated thoughts swirled in his mind, but as he read the words, they dissipated, and he became engrossed.

* * *

Jin Jige's Enlightenment 1

Jin Zhongha's Learning 2

Current Luck Value: 21/100 (3▲)

* * *

The day after the sparring match with the Jin family, Tai Xu Zhenren and Ye Yun stood in front of the Yueling Pavilion. It was time for them to leave Hangzhou.

"We came this far down the Yangtze River, so we plan to take the canal to explore the north a bit before returning to Kunlun Mountain."

"Can't you stay a little longer...?"

Yeon, looking quite disappointed, said. Tai Xu Zhenren chuckled and patted her head.

"As the old saying goes, guests and fish become tiresome after four days. We've stayed too long. And we have to visit various places on the way to Kunlun Mountain, so we are quite busy."

The distance from Hangzhou to Kunlun Mountain was nearly ten thousand miles, so it was understandable that they had to hurry. Yeon felt a bit sad.

She didn't think she would ever go that far in her life.

In fact, it was already a surprising event that Tai Xu Zhenren had come this far.

Ye Yun also had a visibly regretful expression.

"It would have been nice to have more time to talk... "

The regret was evident in his eyes as he looked at Yeon.

Since arriving at the Danmok family, Ye Yun had achieved what would normally take years in a single stroke.

Eating sweets wouldn't be as sweet, and eating an entire cow wouldn't be as satisfying as this.

"I feel guilty for not being able to help you much."

"You helped a lot! Before Ye Yun Daoist came, I had only seen the Danmok family's sword techniques. Without Ye Yun Daoist, I wouldn't have been able to prepare for the sparring match with the Jin family."

"The preparation was actually... well."

Almost none, right?

She had been busy making Qinglian Shui day and night. But being the perceptive Daoist he was, Ye Yun left the sentence unfinished. Yeon quickly changed the subject.

"Here, take this as a gift. It's Zhen Qinglian Shui."

It was a fairly large jar.

"Really? This precious thing..."

Ye Yun was flustered, and Tai Xu Zhenren was surprised and tried to refuse, but Danmok Cheongi held down Tai Xu Zhenren's hand.

"Accept it as a gesture from the child."

"But..."

Tai Xu Zhenren decided to decline. He knew from the wind that it was a high-priced item that could help scholars focus on their studies, and it was not something he would use himself. He thought Danmok Cheongi meant to sell it to fund their journey.

"Apply a little to your temples and practice qigong every morning and evening."

At that moment, Yeon, as if she understood his thoughts, added and handed the jar to Ye Yun.

"Really? Qigong?"

"It will help. Now, we will make everyone in our family use it when we take new disciples."

Ye Yun glanced at Tai Xu Zhenren. Danmok Yeon never made idle claims or boasted about herself. If she said it would help, it really would.