-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
*Cling-clang— Cling-clang—*
A bell chimed through the misty haze.
Like congealed blood, the sound clung to her feet, pulling her down.
She felt as if she were a frog caught in a swamp, about to be swallowed by that sound.
With her hands and feet bound, unable to move, Seolhwa reached out for it.
At that moment, she opened her eyes.
“Ha… Haa…”
A cool breeze drifted in through the open window. The soft glow of the sunset cast a languid light across the room, gently easing her vision.
She looked down at her hands, feeling a damp sensation.
Blood was seeping from her small hand.
‘This is….’
Seolhwa glanced at the shattered flower vase scattered around her feet. Soon, she heard hurried footsteps approaching.
“Young Miss, I heard a loud noise. Are you alright? Is something wrong?”
It was the urgent voice of a young maid.
Seolhwa, seeing the blood on her hand, quickly wrapped it loosely with a nearby cloth before opening the door.
“Oh my…!”
The maid quickly assessed the situation in the room.
She gasped upon seeing the broken flower vase, the bloodstains nearby, and the blood-soaked cloth clutched in the girl’s hand.
“I accidentally broke the vase.”
“Oh, I’ll go call the Medicinal Hall Master right away!”
Just as the maid was about to rush out, Seolhwa spoke.
“Where did Father go?”
She didn't want him to see the mess, knowing he would worry.
He might even find it strange that she kept getting injured.
“The First Young Master went to the Patriarch’s Hall, called by the Family Head! I’ll send someone to him right away!”
“No. Don’t tell him.”
“Pardon…?”
Seolhwa looked around the disordered room.
“Did he say when he’d be back?”
“He said he’d be back before dinner…”
“Alright. Then, please clean up the room before Father returns.”
“But…”
*He’ll be worried…*
*If she’s bleeding, it’s not a minor injury. Should I really not tell him?*
‘I can see what you’re thinking.’
Come to think of it, last time she hurt her arm, this child cried buckets even though Seolhwa was the one injured.
Before that, she had even explained the food to her.
‘She’s a very emotional child.’
She thought the maid was quite different from her, who was numb to emotions.
Though for a maid, she seemed a bit too interested in others’ affairs, it wasn't entirely bad.
“What are you doing? I’m bleeding.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll be right back!”
The maid, who had been hesitating with a worried expression, finally scrambled out when Seolhwa showed her hand and spoke.
Seolhwa let out a soft chuckle at her retreating figure, then sat on a chair to wait for the Medicinal Hall Master.
The teacup on the table was still warm.
It seemed Namgung Cheongun hadn't been gone to the Patriarch’s Hall for long.
‘When did I fall asleep?’
She remembered having a small chat with Namgung Cheongun after their outing, but at some point, she must have dozed off.
Perhaps it was because of her child’s body, or because she had been restless since learning about the Amsi.
‘A child’s body… it’s more troublesome than I thought.’
“This kind of thing can’t continue, Young Miss.”
Choryeon, the Medicinal Hall Master, said as she wrapped a clean cloth around Seolhwa’s palm.
Her voice was firm.
“I’m keeping the Amsi a secret for you, Young Miss… but if you keep getting hurt like this, I’ll have no choice but to speak up.”
“Then I’ll speak up too.”
— Hyeolwangdok.
“Young Miss!”
Choryeon startled, nervously looking around before whispering lowly.
“What if someone hears you!”
“That’s why I used mind transmission.”
“…Did you?”
Choryeon hadn’t even realized it, it had been so natural.
Choryeon tilted her head, then put on a stern expression again.
“Really… I don’t know what’s going on in that little head of yours. Are you a tiger cub, not a stray cat?”
“Well. I guess we’ll find out when I grow up?”
A kitten, or a tiger cub?
Choryeon sighed briefly at Seolhwa’s faint smile.
“Sometimes, I feel like you’re not a child at all, Young Miss. I’m not usually the type to be pushed around and used like this…”
Just then, Choryeon’s treatment was finished.
“There, it’s done. Be careful for a while so the wound doesn’t open.”
“Thank you.”
“But when do you plan to keep this a secret?”
Seolhwa, who had been examining the tightly bound cloth, looked at her.
Her indifferent expression gave no clue as to her thoughts. Choryeon, sensing her mood, continued.
“Why don’t you tell the Family Head? The Family Head… he might know a solution…”
“He might.”
Cheonryonggeomhwang Namgung Mucheon.
‘He might know.’
He was one of the Ten Great Masters of the martial world.
As one of the few Hwagyeong masters in this world, even if he didn't know a method, he might be able to nullify the Amsi with his power.
She had considered that thought.
However.
‘The Amsi is a problem I must solve myself.’
It was a stubborn, ill-fated connection with the Hyeolgyo that she should have severed before returning to the Namgung, and a karma she had to cut with her own hands.
She knew Namgung Mucheon would help if she asked. But she didn't want to show herself helplessly swayed by her ties to the Hyeolgyo after having loudly declared she would live for the Namgung.
‘This, at least, I must resolve myself.’
“Oh, I have good news.”
Seeing Seolhwa’s increasingly serious expression, Choryeon quickly changed the subject. Seolhwa snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her.
Choryeon continued, her voice more animated.
“The Family Head is going to perform Beolmo-sesu for you, Young Miss!”
“…Beolmo-sesu?”
“He seemed worried after learning about the problem with your meridians. He even came to me this afternoon to confirm there were no issues! Young Miss, you’re truly loved, aren’t you?”
Choryeon chuckled softly.
Seolhwa was surprised.
Beolmo-sesu was a grand technique where a high-level master infused their internal energy into another’s body to expel impurities and clear their meridians.
In short, a master used their internal energy to thoroughly cleanse the recipient’s meridians and transform their physique into one suitable for cultivating martial arts.
However, a master performing Beolmo-sesu also consumed a significant amount of their internal power, so even high-level masters rarely volunteered to do it easily.
If done incorrectly, both the recipient and the master could fall into Juhwaimma, or the master might not recover their lost internal energy.
Manipulating another’s meridians at will also required considerable control over qi, so among martial artists, receiving Beolmo-sesu was often called Cheonun (heavenly luck) or Giyeon (fortuitous encounter).
‘They said receiving Beolmo-sesu as a child yields better results than any elixir.’
How much would her martial arts achievement improve over time, transforming an ordinary body, yet to fully grow, into a martial artist’s body?
Moreover, if the one performing Beolmo-sesu was a blood relative, the effect was said to be even better, and Seolhwa met both conditions.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably. Seolhwa carefully placed a hand on her chest.
For the first time since returning to the past, she felt she understood the feeling that arose within her.
‘Anticipation.’
It was the Beolmo-sesu performed by none other than the Cheonryonggeomhwang.
Her meridians would surely be cleansed to an incomparable degree compared to when she used the Daehwandan to expel her vital energy.
Perhaps her current second-rate internal energy could instantly rise to the first-rate tier. Furthermore, with a body that had undergone Beolmo-sesu…
‘I might become much stronger than in my previous life.’
Seolhwa recalled the aura of Namgung Mucheon she had briefly felt during dinner.
It was as if a blue dragon was surging through her meridians, and a sense of clarity spread with every flow of energy.
It was the aura of a peerless master she couldn't help but admire, even if only for a brief moment.
“Are you that pleased? Just a moment ago, you seemed unwilling to accept any help.”
Choryeon stifled a giggle, watching Seolhwa’s eyes widen and sparkle.
“You’re quite cute for a tiger cub, aren’t you?”
She was truly adorable, making it hard to believe she was a child who held others’ weaknesses and manipulated them.
* * *
Namgung Cheongun, who was supposed to return before dinner, didn't arrive, and instead, a group of maids suddenly rushed in.
The maids began to dress Seolhwa, saying that dinner with the Family Head was prepared.
She didn't understand why she needed to be dressed up for dinner, but Seolhwa obediently surrendered herself to their hands.
She was thoroughly bathed, her hair neatly combed and adorned with beautiful hair ornaments, and she also put on a yugun.
It was her first time wearing a skirt, and also her first time wearing clothes of such vibrant colors, which felt quite novel.
The silky touch of the fabric against her skin was as soft as if she were wrapped in clouds.
The skirt, which gently covered her ankles, was also more comfortable than she expected.
“Oh my… you look so beautiful, Young Miss!”
The young maid’s eyes welled up with tears of emotion.
Seolhwa didn’t know the standard for beauty, so she couldn’t tell if the compliment was sincere.
“Thank you. Is Father there too?”
“Yes. The First Young Master is also with him.”
‘Good.’
She had been planning to ask about learning Namgung’s martial arts.
She wanted to learn at least an internal cultivation method to slightly organize her meridians before receiving Beolmo-sesu.
“Ah. And.”
She was about to say, *Let’s go*, when the maid continued.
“Not only the First Young Master, but all direct family members are also present.”
