Chapter 163
For Yeil, there was no choice but to find Jin Cheong-ak’s sharp reaction puzzling.
Had he ever, until now, so strongly insisted that someone must be killed? And it wasn’t even a random person—it was someone like the second son of the Cho family, whose aftermath would undoubtedly be troublesome.
Yeil supposed there must be a good reason.
After all, it was Jin Cheong-ak.
But Yeil had more important matters to attend to, so he let the thought end there.
“Settle your personal grudges later.”
He quickly passed by Jin Cheong-ak, but a slightly lower voice came from behind.
“You used a sword style I’ve never seen before.”
Yeil stopped in his tracks.
“Well… it was only for a brief moment. To be precise… even though I’ve experienced it before, it felt like I was facing it for the first time. If I were to describe it as your sword, yet not your sword, would you understand?”
The words were subtly twisted to account for those around them, but Yeil understood immediately.
It’s Cheon Muryeong.
Jin Cheong-ak was clearly speaking of his presence. For just a short moment, Cheon Muryeong had inhabited Cho Ihyeon’s body.
“He must die. You never know when he’ll fall into that state again. Cho Ihyeon displayed it proudly. He certainly knows it himself.”
Cho Ihyeon might become Cheon Muryeong’s puppet again at any time?
Right, that’s true. But…
At least for now, it wouldn’t happen. He couldn’t cast the puppet technique again in such a short time.
In other words, Cho Ihyeon had wielded the sword himself, independent of Cheon Muryeong.
“…The crime can be punished later. Leave now.”
“Have you already forgotten that I said no?”
“Leave.”
Jin Cheong-ak’s sword was sheathed with a distinctly irritated movement at her unwavering stance. His neatly furrowed brow crumpled mercilessly.
“I told you no! Are you telling me to leave you and that bastard’s puppet together? Are you insane? Absolutely not! At the very least, I must crush that bastard’s leg—”
Tap.
It was a light touch.
Yeil pressed her hand gently against his chest, and the rage that had been building without pause instantly dissipated.
“Disobedient student.”
“….”
“Trust your master.”
Then, slowly, she raised her hand and lightly patted his shoulder.
“…I’ll give you credit for blocking his sword, even if only briefly.”
This was sincere.
Yeil, as if waiting for the surprised Jin Cheong-ak to spout nonsense, hoisted Cho Ihyeon onto her back and swiftly departed.
She called for the cult leader repeatedly, but again, no reply came.
So even if the spiritual line is visible, the transmission doesn’t reach…
She vaguely understood why. This too was Cheon Muryeong’s doing. Within the Cheonmashin cult, the leader’s power affected only the Cho family. The leader had a reason to set this restriction.
“Mumyeong.”
At Yeil’s call, Bang-woo emerged from the shadows.
“Deliver my words exactly to the cult leader.”
“Yes.”
“Leader.”
“….”
“How far do you intend to be useless?”
“….”
“That’s enough. No need to get a response.”
“….”
Yeil left the bewildered Bang-woo behind and resumed walking, seeking the matter at hand.
Cho Ihyeon awoke late that night, after the sun had set.
Having to live with only one arm for at least several dozen days, he had been sleeping deeply, snoring even, yet the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Yeil and blinked in a daze.
“…Master?”
“Do not push yourself. The wound is deep.”
It didn’t take long for Cho Ihyeon to regain his senses, though he had been breathing aimlessly, lost in thought.
“I apologize… for showing such a pitiful sight on the very first day.”
Whether Cho Ihyeon sulked or not, Yeil, having finished inspecting the room thoroughly while he slept, gestured toward one wall.
“Have you gathered all the practice wooden swords you’ve used?”
From child-sized to adult-sized, Cho Ihyeon looked toward the well-worn blackened swords and nodded awkwardly.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“One of them has a different engraving.”
If Yeil’s memory was correct, that engraving must belong to the Jin family.
“…It has no special meaning. I simply kept it because he left it behind. It’s from my childhood, so I barely remember it.”
Though they bickered like cats and dogs now, they had apparently been quite close in childhood.
“How did you end up spilling blood with Jin Cheong-ak?”
At the mention of Jin Cheong-ak, the adult Cho Ihyeon pursed his lips tightly.
At times like this, Yeil preferred a slightly different approach.
“That fellow was surprised. He said your swordsmanship has changed.”
“…Did he really say that?”
“Yes. Did you have some great realization while I wasn’t around?”
A little flattery coaxed a hesitant reply from Cho Ihyeon.
“Perhaps, faintly, I reached a new level.”
Yeil’s gaze sharpened.
“Interesting. Explain in detail.”
“It’s embarrassing to say… but I think I discovered ‘Chim Geom-sul’ without realizing it. Yes, the sword technique you perform while asleep. I originally wanted to demonstrate it to you first, but the timing was bad. Chim Geom-sul requires that you consciously relax your body and mind…”
“So your body automatically wields the sword and performs unfamiliar techniques as if they were your own?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. However, after a while, I forget everything…”
“Your stomach won’t handle it. You’ll vomit everything you ate, your insides turning upside down.”
Cho Ihyeon nodded in surprise.
“You understand! Master, did you experience it too? Could it be part of the process leading to transformation…?”
“You foolish boy!”
Yeil’s voice, as if shaking the air itself, startled Cho Ihyeon into silence.
She glared at him.
“Never use that technique again! Chim Geom-sul? What nonsense. If you continue that state for even a few more days, you will…”
He would die.
Not just die.
Under the influence of the puppet technique, fragments of Cheon Muryeong’s memory linger in his body. Cho Ihyeon would be controlled by those remnants, soon becoming nothing but a shell, losing all rationality, turning into a beast.
He would forget how to eat, forget how to sleep, wandering endlessly until death. A tragic, untimely demise.
“…If it’s not Chim Geom-sul, then what sword technique have I truly discovered?”
Cho Ihyeon asked, deeply confused, seemingly unaware that Cheon Muryeong had cast the puppet technique on his body.
Perhaps just acting.
Yeil, maintaining her composure as if to not lose her initial resolve, glanced at the wooden swords lined up along the wall.
His dedication to the sword is not fake.
So, when he boasted of Chim Geom-sul, he must have been showing off his pure, personal skill.
Yeil had no choice but to make the judgment accordingly.
Cho Ihyeon did not know he had become Cheon Muryeong’s puppet.
“Listen carefully, Cho Ihyeon. Those ignorant of the sword show countless forms of behavior, but those familiar with it move in similar patterns.”
Cho Ihyeon, eyes filled with confusion, listened obediently.
“Could you name even one master of Chim Geom-sul? No, you couldn’t. No such master has appeared. If you differ from others, don’t rejoice—be cautious. Especially if it seems convincing.”
“….”
“Lately, haven’t you felt heavier, sluggish, with constant fatigue and mysterious wounds?”
“How did you…? Yes, my servant said I developed sleepwalking…”
“You’re not really thinking it’s sleepwalking, are you?”
After a pause, Cho Ihyeon spoke, clearly tense.
“What on earth is happening to me, Master?”
“I will explain soon. But first, you must make a promise. Today’s conversation must not be revealed to anyone.”
After a long hesitation, Cho Ihyeon nodded.
“I will remember.”
Rising from the chair, Yeil left one last instruction.
“Also, convey my message to Grand Prince Cho Il-ryang. Tell him that I, Wi Dan-oh, will come again tomorrow morning to keep my promise with the Grand Prince.”
Though it might upset Jin Cheong-ak, this approach would reach the Grand Prince more directly and achieve the desired outcome.
