Episode 66

“Why is he considered a noble person?”

Cheon Sohee gazed at the man deemed her noble person, who was currently undergoing a doctor’s examination.

He seemed like an average man, devoid of any martial arts prowess.

Cheon Sohee couldn’t fathom why he had just employed an internal energy technique, yet it was clear at first glance that he was deficient in internal energy.

Even if he truly was her childhood friend, a person who knew her uniquely, that alone wouldn’t make him a noble person.

Then why?

Cheon Sohee remembered the words of Cheon Gija.

“One who defies the fate decreed by the heavens. Who has fulfilled their heavenly destiny and returned from the brink of death. One who can even alter the fate of others. The day you encounter such an individual will arrive just once.”

“Were you also graced with a heavenly destiny?”

Cheon Sohee scrutinized Kang Yun-ho intently. Like her, who was burdened with the fate of the Heavenly Death Star, he too must have been assigned some divine destiny. And he had managed to challenge that fate.

“Is that even conceivable?”

She, who had spent her life battling against the fate of the Heavenly Death Star, understood more than anyone the ludicrousness of such an idea.

He had conquered his own destiny in the past to become a noble person. What could have transpired?

“I don’t know anything about Yunho.”

To Cheon Sohee, her history was paramount. Not Kang Yun-ho.

She had yearned to listen to childhood tales from Kang Yun-ho’s lips and through them, reconnect with bygone days. Thus, the stories Cheon Sohee exchanged with him centered solely around their shared youth.

His life journey up to this moment held little significance to Cheon Sohee.

“I’m intrigued.”

The life he led. Why was he her noble person? Which heavenly destiny he had challenged.

For the first time, Cheon Sohee found herself genuinely curious about another’s existence.

“May I question him?”

“I am the Heavenly Death Star, and when I’m near you, my murderous intent disappears. Have you ever defied the heavens’ fate?” If she were to ask that, she would have to reveal her destiny as the notorious killer known as the Heavenly Death Star.

Cheon Sohee was beginning to accept Kang Yun-ho in her heart, but she feared revealing her identity as the Heavenly Death Star.

“I want to know about Yunho’s past.”

She desired to know his history. To learn more about him. Her interest in him grew as much as her fear of disclosing the truth.

“How should I ask?”

For her, who had barely engaged in proper conversation with a man, let alone others, this predicament posed a greater challenge than any assassination.

Cheon Sohee recalled something her master had once said.

“One, it’s a bad habit to only say what you want. To understand others, you should start with a small common interest.”

“I don’t need that. Practicing martial arts is enough.”

When was that? It seemed like something her master had offered after she had made someone cry with her words.

A common interest.

The first thing that came to mind was the internal energy technique he had just demonstrated.

She knew more about martial arts than that. To start getting to know him from the small things, she decided to ask about that first.

Cheon Sohee inquired about the internal energy technique Kang Yun-ho had studied, striving to maintain a light tone while concealing the caution in her heart.

My wife taught me.

I narrowly restrained the words that were on the verge of spilling out. For some reason, it felt like something I should never disclose.

Should I claim it’s a Tonap Technique passed down through generations of the Kang family?

It’s a Tonap Technique that doesn’t accumulate internal energy, used as a health cultivation method in our family. Similar to how the Joseon army uses the 8th guerrilla exercise of full-body twisting for health management. Is that what I should say?

No, I couldn’t. To say such a thing would be an unwise decision.

The Tonap Technique I learned was a secret of the Moyong Family’s head.

If she realized this technique belongs to a certain family, I’d be caught lying.

A small lie could shatter the trust in our still-fragile relationship.

Then what should I say?

To explain the origin of the internal energy technique in detail, I would have to reveal my marriage, the downfall of the Kang family, and our secret escape.

It’s like when a female friend asked about your MBTI, and you ended up telling your entire life story, including childhood experiences, traumas, and so on.

“I learned it after helping a woman in trouble.”

I chose to neither lie nor reveal the whole truth.

“A woman?”

Cheon Sohee’s voice dropped in tone as she asked.

“She told me this technique would keep me healthy. It doesn’t build internal energy, but if used consistently, it can prevent minor illnesses. Indeed, after mastering it, my health noticeably improved.”

I stroked the area around my dantian as if in an NTR drama where the woman meaningfully caressed her lower abdomen towards the ending.

It really helped a lot. When I was injured and couldn’t afford treatment, I relied on the Tonap Technique. It improved my health, giving me an advantage in fights against ruffians.

Without it, I might have ended up a disabled beggar.

That reminds me, how was Moyong Sang-ah doing now?

Suddenly, that night flashed in my mind.

In this martial arts visual novel world, a deep kiss with her, the only woman who rivaled the heroine in beauty. And she initiated it, not me. Even a sly touch on her chest.

It could have cost me my life, but looking back, it was a valuable experience.

To have an even more valuable experience, I would have needed to risk my life, but I cut my losses at the right time.

Pleasing, indeed.

“Yunho.”

As I fondly reminisced about my memories with Moyong Sang-ah, Cheon Sohee’s cold voice brought me back to reality.

“Huh?”

Looking at Sohee, her worried expression had turned indifferent. What’s wrong?

“That Tonap Technique. Can I take a look at it for a moment?”

“I didn’t learn any specific movements, so I only know how to perform it physically.”

“Then let me place my hand on your back and observe the flow of internal energy. Try it.”

Suddenly, her tone turned commanding. What’s with her? Her demeanor was intimidating. If I refused, it felt like something bad would happen.

As she placed her hand on my back, I obediently sat cross-legged and began performing the Tonap Technique.

“Yunho.”

Even after I finished the Tonap Technique, Cheon Sohee’s cold voice didn’t change. She removed her hand from my back and came around to face me again.

“Yes?”

“You lied to me.”

My heart sank for a moment. What? What did she notice?

“Why do you say that?”

Since I hadn’t lied to her about anything during our time together, I couldn’t figure out what lie she had caught onto.

“The Tonap Technique Yunho used. It’s not something that could just be taught because of a predicament.”

Her expression demanded the truth, her eyes seeming to shoot heat vision that could burn me.

Was that it? I had already thought of a way to handle such an interrogation.

“It wasn’t just a predicament. She was in a life-threatening situation. I sincerely helped her escape death.”

Gumyeongji-eun (救命之恩) - A life-saving grace.

In reality, many people who have their lives saved offer no gratitude, but in the world of martial arts, where gratitude (eun) and grudges (won) are clear, it’s a great favor, sometimes repaid by dedicating one’s entire being.

Saving a life for a Tonap Technique that doesn’t even build internal energy. That’s worth teaching, right? And there wasn’t a single lie in this story.

I looked at her with a smile, expecting her suspicion to vanish instantly, but the doubtful gaze did not fade at all.

Why was that?

“Even for the grace of saving a life, it’s impossible to teach this Tonap Technique.”

A shadow fell across her face as if she had seen something forbidden.

“But I learned it.”

Rather than clarifying, I regarded her as if she were odd.

Why not? When I awaited her explanation with anticipation, she briefly pursed her lips before speaking.

“The Tonap Technique Yunho learned isn’t just any technique. It’s taught exclusively to the most talented disciples among the direct heirs of the prestigious orthodox factions within the Nine Sects One Union. Outside the Union, it’s a secret technique imparted only to direct heirs or successors of the enigmatic sects in the martial world.”

“Such an incredible Tonap Technique, I see.”

Odd. Moyong Sang-ah had described it merely as a technique for body strengthening to be learned before martial arts training.

“Incredible? It’s far more than that. It’s an internal energy technique that prepares the body for martial arts training. This Tonap Technique can open all the body’s meridians. And it doesn’t just accumulate internal energy but also aids in recovery, a martial technique of ascension.”

I didn’t divulge that it also fortifies bones and muscles. Revealing that would leave her even more dumbfounded.

What had Moyong Sang-ah really taught me?

I had believed it to be a straightforward technique, even for a clan head’s direct heir, but could it be a deeply guarded secret of the Moyong Family?

Thank you, Moyong Sang-ah. It wasn’t solely our first kiss that you gave me.

“Are you certain it was taught in return for saving a life?”

Her skeptical gaze remained locked on me, seemingly demanding further explanation. Even with my confirmation, she would remain unconvinced.

“I also presented her with a gift.”

I had relinquished the entire Kang family fortune.

“Yunho might not grasp this as a non-martial artist. The technique Yunho learned is something a martial artist wouldn’t impart even under torture or the threat of death. Teaching it in exchange for saving a life and a gift is inconceivable. Unless the woman was deranged, it’s simply not feasible.”

Why so intense? Sohee seemed unusually hostile. If the technique was so incredible, it made sense not to teach it.

Cheon Sohee was also a martial artist. She must have shown hostility because she couldn’t believe it.

Then, let’s reveal a bit more.

“It went beyond saving a life; we developed a different relationship.”

I spoke nostalgically, as though lost in past memories.

Sohee’s eyes flickered slightly at my words.

“A lover… are you talking about a lover?”

“A lover, you say… I don’t think so. What kind of relationship did we have? I’m not quite sure. After a brief encounter, we decided to go our separate ways.”

I wore an expression like a young man bittersweetly reminiscing about an unfulfilled love.

We were married, but it wasn’t a relationship based on love. So, I wasn’t lying.

“… Were you closer to her than to me?”

She asked in an uncharacteristically cautious voice.

Huh? Why would she ask that?

Could she be jealous?

No, that’s too much self-consciousness.

Going any further would be like the time I dressed up and went out to meet a junior colleague for dinner, only to find she had brought her boyfriend along to get a free meal. It would turn into an embarrassing memory.

It must feel like finding out a friend has other closer friends.

The bitterness when you realize you’re just one of many friends to someone whom you thought was your best friend.

‘Is this an opportunity?’

A brilliant idea struck me. A way to fulfill a desire I’d harbored in this world.

“Ha-ha! How could she be closer than Sohee? She was just one of many passing connections.”

First, I downplayed the significance of my relationship with her.

“… Really?”

I could sense a slight but definite brightness in her voice.

“Even though she willingly taught me such a precious martial art. I thought she was just a passing connection, but thanks to Sohee, I realize how much she valued me.”

Our relationship was light, but she taught me this.

You see, Sohee?

“That woman must have been foolish.”

She spoke with displeasure.

“Don’t say that. Thanks to this Tonap Technique, you wouldn’t believe how many times it saved my life. Just earlier, if not for this martial art, I might have been seriously injured.”

“…”

She looked at me with a betrayed expression, unable to argue.

“Sohee. There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I have a favor to ask.”

I had prepared all the groundwork.

It was time to get to the point.

“Hmm?”

“Like how she taught me the Tonap Technique, could you teach me some martial arts, Sohee?”

Please. I want to learn martial arts too.