Chapter 23

The Reckless One's Karma

Wolyeong's stir-fried mushrooms were special.

Even though it was just mushrooms, they carried the rich taste of premium meat.

'There really was a reason the reckless Eldest Young Master, who only ate meat, liked this dish so much.'

Once again, Wolyeong's effort to create this flavor felt truly remarkable.

Of course, that effort hadn't been enough to change the reckless nature itself.

"As expected, it's delicious."

"Did you know?"

"Hm?"

"That was the first day you ever told me it was delicious."

By that day, she meant the day Mu-myeong's soul had taken residence in Cheon Muyang's body.

"Was it?"

"Yes. From that day on, Young Master, you changed completely."

Wolyeong smiled.

Suddenly, Cheon Muyang found himself wondering.

'Why didn't Wolyeong ever leave the Eldest Young Master?'

The moment that question arose, Cheon Muyang noticed her hands.

"Ah...."

Wolyeong hurriedly tried to hide her sleeves.

Instinctively, Cheon Muyang grabbed her wrist.

Snap!

As he caught it, the sleeve rolled up, revealing the wounds that had been hidden beneath.

"...."

"Y-Young Master!"

Cheon Muyang was at a loss for words.

The moment he saw the wounds, he understood who had done this.

"Was this my doing?"

A past he couldn't even remember.

It was probably something Cheon Muyang himself hadn't deemed worth remembering.

To that reckless man, the injury of a mere servant would have been no more than a scratch on a passing stone.

But to Mu-myeong, it was different.

"I asked if this was my doing."

"T-That was... it was just an accident. I-I'm really fine."

Crunch.

It was always like this.

Wolyeong had always stood there in silence.

And because of that, he had never once thought about the wounds she must have endured.

'I was a fool as well.'

He reproached himself.

How could he ever compensate Wolyeong for pain that had left scars that would never fade?

"I'm sorry. I should have thought of you first...."

How absurd it was.

Cheon Muyang had asked Wolyeong to organize the evil deeds he himself had committed.

Yet he hadn't even realized who he should have apologized to first.

"Are there any other injuries...?"

"T-That is...."

Wolyeong hesitated.

But under Cheon Muyang's cold gaze, she shut her eyes tightly and removed her clothes.

Then she turned her back.

The disgrace she never wanted anyone to see was revealed.

"...!"

Cheon Muyang was struck dumb.

A large burn scar was etched across Wolyeong's back.

"It's not your fault, Young Master."

"No. All of this is my fault."

"Young Master...."

Clench!

Cheon Muyang clenched his fist.

He squeezed so hard that his nails dug into his flesh.

Drip.

Drip, drip.

Several drops of blood fell.

Yet neither Wolyeong—

nor Cheon Muyang—

could say a single word.

A long silence followed.

"This scar is my fault. You've done nothing wrong, Young Master."

Wolyeong stood up.

As she looked at Cheon Muyang in pain, her gaze was filled with pity, sorrow, and apology.

"So please don't blame yourself because of me."

"...."

Wolyeong knew.

From that day onward, Cheon Muyang himself had changed.

'It's fine even if you don't remember.'

In fact, that was better.

The scar on her back was like Wolyeong's original sin.

"I'll be going now. The materials you asked for, Young Master..."

They had been completed long ago.

She had simply used training as an excuse not to show them yet.

It was because she didn't want to see Cheon Muyang blaming himself.

"Here."

Yet she realized that forcibly hiding it would only wound Cheon Muyang even more.

'Please... endure it well.'

Just as always, she would continue standing right there.

Wolyeong quietly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Cheon Muyang's clenched fist.

"You don't have to force yourself to remember."

"...."

Wasn't it best to simply brush away bad memories?

"I'm really fine."

"...."

After lowering her head slightly, Wolyeong left the room, leaving behind the bloodstained handkerchief.

From here on, it was Cheon Muyang's burden to bear.

"You truly carry so much karma."

But that karma was his to shoulder.

Because Cheon Muyang was no one else but himself.

"How could I ever repay it?"

Even a lifetime would not be enough.

With trembling hands, Cheon Muyang read through the documents Wolyeong had left behind.

Though they were deeds he himself had not committed, he wanted to remember them and embrace everything.

That night, the candlelight did not go out.

Not until dawn broke.

***

Several days passed.

The scenery of the training grounds changed.

For the past three days, Cheon Muyang had not shown himself at all.

"He's showing his true colors again."

Seizing the opportunity, Lee Seok-gi and a few others were quick to badmouth Cheon Muyang, but no one agreed with them.

They simply assumed there must be another reason.

And so, no one noticed.

That Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak were also nowhere to be seen.

"The Eldest Young Master hasn't been seen."

Cheon Seon-hak asked casually while correcting Wolyeong's posture.

"I'm not sure either."

"Your posture is wavering."

"Ah, yes!"

She corrected herself, but she couldn't escape Cheon Seon-hak's sharp gaze.

"You don't seem focused at all."

"T-That is...."

"Are you worried about that child?"

"...!"

"Sometimes, simply trusting in silence is the best thing you can do."

"I know. I know, but...."

Wolyeong was worried.

She feared that Cheon Muyang's resolve might collapse.

She worried that he might return to his former self, wandering aimlessly after losing his purpose again.

"He won't return to the past. That child has changed. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

"Yes. That's right."

Just as Cheon Seon-hak said.

No one's faith in Cheon Muyang was stronger than Wolyeong's.

"I believe he'll overcome it."

Wolyeong smiled.

Hwoong!

With that, her sword stance regained its stability.

'She's strong.'

Cheon Seon-hak admired her inwardly.

The body could be strengthened through training.

But the heart was different.

Wolyeong possessed an unshakable mental fortitude.

"It's time to move on to the next stage."

"Yes?"

Cheon Seon-hak felt a subtle thrill.

Wolyeong was like a blank sheet of paper.

Yet she was absorbing his teachings as if starving for them—how strong would she become?

"Didn't you say you wanted to be a source of strength for that child?"

"Ah, yes!"

Just at the mention of Cheon Muyang, Wolyeong's resolve hardened, making Cheon Seon-hak smile repeatedly.

'The bond between those two will become a great strength for the Cheon Family.'

Cheon Seon-hak realized he had been wrong.

Just as Cheon Muyang said, Wolyeong was a swordsman destined to hold a blade.

"Watch carefully."

"Yes!"

The two continued their training.

***

A few more days passed.

A strange rumor began circulating within the Cheon Family.

"Did you hear?"

"H-Hear what?"

"Well, you know how Hwayeong's younger sibling has been sick lately."

"Ah, right. I heard the medicinal herbs were so rare they couldn't be obtained even with money."

"But listen to this. Someone left those precious herbs at their doorstep—and with money too!"

"Oh my! Really? That's wonderful!"

"And that's not all. At Buyong's place, apparently...."

The rumors were mysterious.

Someone had somehow learned who needed help and left exactly what they needed.

"I-I received money."

"Me too!"

"They even got back the money I was cheated out of! You know that vicious bastard? He came crawling on his knees, all bruised up, begging me for forgiveness—it was so satisfying."

Money for those who needed money.

Medicine for those who needed medicine.

They even recovered stolen money on others' behalf.

Such strange occurrences continued day after day.

"Is that really true?"

Wolyeong had heard the rumors as well.

Naturally, through Maehong.

"Yes, it's true!"

"Everyone must be happy."

"What are you saying? Everyone's in an uproar right now."

"Really?"

Wolyeong smiled softly.

"You can look forward to more."

"What? Do you know something?"

"Well? I don't really know?"

Wolyeong looked with tired eyes at Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak, who had begun appearing at the training grounds again.

"What a letdown."

"And you? Nothing for you?"

"Me? Well... I wish a pile of money would just drop on me."

Flinch.

Wolyeong didn't miss the way Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak flinched.

"You can look forward to it."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you have time now, go take a look. You never know."

"Should I?"

Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak's expressions stiffened.

Unable to hold back her laughter, Wolyeong stopped Maehong.

"No. I'm joking. Go check it out later."

"I wasn't planning to go in the first place, you know?"

Wolyeong's ever-smiling face suddenly turned serious.

"How about Young Master?"

"Ah, that was… two days ago, I think?"

"Two days ago?"

Two days earlier, Wolyeong had asked Maehong to look after Cheon Muyang.

"Yeah. You asked me to. So I went to see him. But—"

"But?"

"He told me, with a really serious expression, not to knock and not to come in at all."

"What?"

"He even stressed that if he still hadn't come out after a week, then I should open the door… so I don't really know."

"Why are you only telling me this now?!"

"Well, I was busy too."

Wolyeong shut her eyes tightly.

She wanted to check on Cheon Muyang immediately, but she forced herself to hold back.

"Haa… okay. Still, check on him whenever you have time. Please."

"Yeah, of course. You can trust me."

Maehong left.

Left alone, Wolyeong glanced at Neung Ryeo-un and Cha Myeong-hak, both with hollow eyes, then immersed herself back into training.

***

Cheon Muyang sat in a lotus position, fully focused on circulating his energy.

Heat and cold alternated as they spiraled around him.

'I have to stay conscious…'

Cheon Muyang consumed the Azure Clear Stone Oil.

An unprecedented energy flowed into his dantian, beginning to melt and absorb the medicinal energies already residing there.

'They're merging into one.'

Yin and yang energies, using the Azure Clear Stone Oil as a medium, were transforming into a single force.

A grueling span of time passed.

'It's done.'

At last, the power of the Azure Clear Stone Oil, the residual energies of past elixirs, and the internal energy cultivated through the Cheon Yang Divine Art became one.

'Hm?'

Yet that unified energy did not move according to Cheon Muyang's will.

'This is bad…'

Like an unbridled colt, the massive energy raged wildly, expanding the dantian beyond its limits and then bursting outward.

Splitting into two streams, the energy surged like merciless tidal waves.

'Kgh…!'

One stream rushed toward the Baihui point.

The other toward the Huiyin point, violently widening Cheon Muyang's meridians as it advanced.

'I have to stay alert! If I lose consciousness now… it's death.'

Cheon Muyang desperately clung to his awareness.

The two raging currents soon collided with immense barriers.

Those colossal walls towered like the heavens themselves.

KWAANG!

For the first time, the two forces were stopped.

The shock violently shook Cheon Muyang's consciousness.

KWAANG!

They were the Baihui and Huiyin points—known as the Gate of Life and Death.

'This really is hell.'

It was something that demanded crossing the boundary between life and death.

KWAANG!

Each collision sent agonizing pain tearing through his body, forcing Cheon Muyang to spit blood.

'If it's come to this… it's all or nothing.'

He had to break through.

Failing to do so meant death.

And Cheon Muyang had confidence.

'After all, I'm someone who's already crossed life and death.'

Life and death.

Cheon Muyang had already experienced that cycle.

In that sense, he had already crossed the Gate of Life and Death once before.

'So don't block me.'

At that moment, the wall that had seemed as high as the sky began to lower.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar audible only to Cheon Muyang, the barrier collapsed.

The two divided streams reunited and faced one another as one.

'Ah…'

At that instant, Cheon Muyang's consciousness faded.

PAAAT!

Blue and red energies wrapped around Cheon Muyang's entire body.