Chapter 20
“Huh?”
Seol Won-pyeong let out a short sigh when he found out that Un-yeong had formed her danjeon (energy core).
Seol Ja-dan could understand Seol Won-pyeong’s silence. He too had worn the same expression when he witnessed Un-yeong form her danjeon.
“I-Is that really true? Without a shred of falsehood?”
“Yes. I saw it myself, and Head of the Ho Family, Geum Cheong-san, also witnessed it.”
“Incredible… Yes, that might explain it. She must have been frail because of the immense energy stored within her.”
“I thought the same as well.”
“Wahahaha!”
Seol Won-pyeong suddenly burst into loud laughter. Seol Ja-dan, surprised, soon lifted the corners of his lips into a faint smile.
How could he not?
She had always been weak, just recently recovering from a severe fever. And now, hope had blossomed that Un-yeong might be able to live a healthy life.
“Did you keep this under wraps?”
As his laughter faded, Seol Won-pyeong asked in a low voice.
“Yes. Very few witnessed it, and they are all trustworthy. I made sure to keep it tightly contained.”
“Good. Well done. But that alone won’t be enough.”
“What should I do, then?”
“Hmm. They say, ‘The more you try to hide, the more it shows.’ Let just the right amount of rumor slip.”
“Yes, understood.”
It was a strategy the Seol family had used to survive for generations—minimize what is shown, to conceal even more.
“If it becomes known that she’s simply a merchant’s daughter with a bit of talent, it might keep her from attracting too much attention.”
“Indeed.”
Seol Ja-dan agreed smoothly.
“Are you disappointed?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Feigning ignorance doesn’t suit you.”
“No, it’s not that. Unless Young Lady herself chooses differently one day, I believe this is the best course for now.”
Seol Won-pyeong looked at his son with a tinge of pity in his eyes. How could a father not know that his son only wished to live freely?
“Still, we can’t let this go unnoticed. Let’s see… What shall I give her?”
Seol Won-pyeong began going over the rare elixirs the family owned.
“Let’s see… We have the Thousand-Year He Shou Wu from last year, but the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng is too yin-heavy for now. Tsk. No ten-thousand-year-old items… Should’ve prepared in advance.”
“I have one Sohwan Pill in my possession. I’ll give that to her first. Nothing’s better for laying the foundation.”
“Oh? The Daehwan Pill would’ve been better.”
“Her body hasn’t fully matured yet. The Sohwan Pill will suffice. I’ll try to collect other things gradually.”
“No, no. It should be this old man’s job. I’ll instruct the steward to prioritize gathering elixirs.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Bah. I’ll find even better ones.”
Seol Won-pyeong grinned like a child as he spoke. Seol Ja-dan also smiled and added,
“I also plan to build a new training ground in Yeonhongwon for Young Lady.”
“Hmm. Isn’t there already one beneath Yeonhongwon?”
There was a training ground connected to Yeonhongwon. It used to be where her birth mother, Dang Jo-young, trained.
“That place… needs to be cleaned.”
It hadn’t been used in over a decade, since Dang Jo-young’s poison arts training. Cleaning was a mild way to put it.
“Alright. Building a new one sounds like a good idea.”
Pretending not to notice his son’s unease, Seol Won-pyeong readily agreed.
“Check what else she may need, and let me know at any time.”
“If anything comes up, I’ll take care of it. I am her father.”
“Ahem, and I am her grandfather. And the head of the family, no less!”
Thus began the rivalry between father and son to raise Un-yeong into a martial expert—without her knowing a thing.
The secret abode of Elder Deung Noya on Mount Hwangsan was a mystical place. Beyond the illusionary formation lay the entrance to a cave.
Following the path, one would find a space worthy of being called a heavenly realm. The cave ended in a cliff through which sunlight streamed in.
A stream flowed inside the cave, and there was a forest. In the center of a flat area within that forest stood a house—so well-built it was almost unbelievable.
— “This place was created by the founder of my sect. You’ll lack nothing here. Stay as long as you need, until you’re ready to stand on your own.”
Un-yeong and So-gyo had finally found the safety they so desperately needed.
— “Explore the warehouse and library. There should be many useful items. Use whatever calls to you. And try finding a way to cure your condition.”
— “Why would you grant me such kindness, Elder?”
— “Who knows? Just chalk it up to an old man’s whim.”
Though Deung Noya called it a whim, it was a favor Un-yeong could never hope to repay.
— “How can I ever repay this favor?”
— “Tch. So many questions from someone so young.”
Clicking his tongue, Deung Noya turned his back. Un-yeong bowed deeply toward his retreating figure, silently vowing to one day repay the debt.
Un-yeong was astounded as she explored the abode with So-gyo.
The “warehouse” Deung Noya mentioned was more like a treasure vault, and the “library” held so many books it could be called an archive.
Though she had only lived in Yeonhongwon, she was still a merchant’s daughter, raised in the house of Seol. She had an eye for valuable things.
The dusty warehouse was filled with weapons that could be called divine artifacts. Any one of them released into the martial world would cause a bloodbath.
The library comprised three large rooms, each packed with books.
As she scanned their titles, Un-yeong came to understand what Deung Noya meant when he said she must find a way to survive.
There were books from every field: classical wisdom, military strategy, medicine, general knowledge, illustrated manuals… and countless martial arts manuals.
From ones found on the streets to forbidden secret techniques of the Five Great Families and the Nine Schools and Sects.
Even ancient martial arts thought to have been lost were there in abundance.
How such a place existed—or how so many rare treasures had been gathered—wasn’t important.
What mattered was this:
— “Survive.”
Words from Seol Ja-dan, the one who raised the lone survivor, Un-yeong.
— “You were born with the Heavenly Martial Body.”
Through the books lining the library, Un-yeong sought the path to survival that Deung Noya had mentioned.
She began reading the most widely known martial arts first—and was soon deeply absorbed.
Reading martial arts manuals, often called “secret scrolls,” was no easy task.
Martial arts began by surpassing the limits of the human body, mind, and spirit. Those who transcended left records for future generations.
Explaining physical movement and inner energy was already hard enough, but explaining spiritual resonance was like chasing smoke. Hence, martial arts were usually passed down directly.
Martial families passed them to kin, becoming martial clans; exceptional individuals took disciples, forming martial sects.
But Un-yeong didn’t need a master. Just reading was enough for her to fully understand the martial arts manuals.
— “How odd. This is easier than Thousand-Character Classic.”
The education she received at the Seol household hadn’t been lacking. And she enjoyed reading.
But she had never grasped scripture as easily as this. She had to reread them many times, but martial arts manuals were different.
Just reading them once made their meaning clear. And once she read a martial arts formula, it never left her mind.
— “Then… does that mean I can actually learn martial arts?”
If she understood it mentally, it meant she could embody it physically.
— “So this is qi. External qi, right?”
When So-gyo saw Un-yeong sensing qi, she wanted to help.
— “So if you draw qi into your body and refine it into internal qi…”
— “Young Lady, forming a danjeon is dangerous. I should cultivate on your behalf…”
But So-gyo never finished her sentence.
— “So-gyo, this is a danjeon, right? Most martial arts manuals start the same way.”
— “Did you extract only the essences of different martial arts?”
— “Hmm, not quite. The expressions differ, but they’re saying the same thing.”
Upon hearing of Un-yeong’s progress, Deung Noya merely looked at her with an odd gaze and told her to do as she pleased.
From then on, Un-yeong’s daily life was structured around reading martial arts manuals and training. She focused mostly on the foundational arts.
Letting the manuals in the library leave this place would be dangerous. So she focused on selecting only what she truly needed.
— “What’s this?”
One day, she found an old scroll.
Inside was a painting—nothing special, just a typical landscape: mountains, rivers, sky, and sun. No title, no signature. Just a plain painting.
But for some reason, Un-yeong couldn’t take her eyes off it.
— “Something feels… oddly strange.”
Soon, studying that painting became part of her daily routine.
Then one day, Un-yeong came to know the name of the painting.
— “Divine Harmony Scripture
She simply knew. And instinctively understood what kind of help it would offer.
