Setting One’s Resolve (3)

The next morning.

“Patriarch, Teacher Jin has arrived.”

“Oh? Show him in.”

“Yes!”

Seeing Seol Hong-baek brighten, Seol So-ha said,

“Looks like you’ve completely fallen for him.”

“Hmm?”

“With Teacher.”

“Heh, you rascal. He’s granted us a favor we couldn’t repay in a lifetime.”

If one were to call that a ‘debt,’ ordinary people might find it burdensome.

But Seol Hong-baek felt none of that. If anything, he’d have liked to take Jin-hyeon in and host him at home.

Seol So-ha could understand her father’s heart.

‘It’s because of the Mighty Tiger Merchant Guild.’

Not merely because he toppled the merchant guild that had threatened the Seol Clan.

After witnessing his chivalry in bringing down a merchant guild steeped in crimes, Seol Hong-baek now saw Jin-hyeon as more than a great benefactor.

To Seol So-ha, Jin-hyeon wasn’t a saint like her father, but neither was he wicked. He was hard-edged and exacting, yet a good person.

And he had restored the Seol Clan’s lost legacy, making him an incomparable benefactor to her as well.

“Patriarch, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

The door opened and Jin-hyeon entered.

Seol Hong-baek greeted him with a smile.

“Have you eaten?”

“I ate breakfast.”

“Up at dawn for training, I take it.”

“You can tell?”

“Your Tianshan internal energy feels more polished. An educated guess, that’s all. Please, sit.”

Tianshan internal energy.

What was a destination for the Seol Clan was Jin-hyeon’s starting point. Once he perfected the Body-Refining Art, he’d turn to the Eight Wastes Martial Art.

Jin-hyeon didn’t bother to say so.

“It’s been a while, Lady Seol.”

“Have you been well?”

“Me, well, I’m fine. But what’s with your condition?”

“Pardon?”

“You haven’t mastered the divine art yet, have you?”

“Ah.”

So-ha glanced at her father.

Seol Hong-baek gave an awkward smile.

“I’d like her to start right away, but the Radiant Sword Festival isn’t far off. Rushing the conversion could hamper her current form.”

“I’m curious—what is the Radiant Sword Festival?”

“Ah, you didn’t know.”

Seol Hong-baek explained briefly.

The Radiant Sword Festival is a traditional Sichuan martial tournament. After the fall of the Eight Wastes Alliance, sects mired in defeat began holding it to test themselves and build strength—a kind of celebration.

It began as a sword-art meet among sword sects, but grew into a festival open to all skilled Sichuan martial artists, regardless of weapon.

Although it started as a local event, after the Heavenly Will Alliance took charge of the world, the Sichuan Branch began officially overseeing it.

Veterans once joined, but now it’s a contest for those forty and under.

Winners and runners-up receive rich prizes and fine weapons—and, if they wish, a chance to join the Heavenly Will Alliance for swift advancement.

“It’s held every three years. So-ha took a run at it three years ago.”

“I see. How’d she do?”

So-ha shook her head.

“I lost as soon as I reached the main bracket.”

“If it was three years ago, then you were seventeen?”

“Yes.”

“Advancing to the main bracket at that age is impressive. The prodigies of the later generation must have swarmed in.”

She dipped her head. Her face was neutral, yet faintly bashful.

Seol Hong-baek cleared his throat.

“I’m not saying this because she’s my child, but she was remarkable. At her age I got knocked out in my second qualifier.”

Jin-hyeon smiled.

They say parents live to brag about their kids. Seol Hong-baek was no different.

He figured he could lend a hand to make those boasts bigger.

“When is the festival?”

“In three months. Less than a hundred days.”

“That’s good enough.”

“Hmm?”

“I came for lunch, but it seems I’ve found something to do.”

He jerked his chin toward Seol So-ha.

“Mind if I take her on? With hands-on guidance, I can adjust her form to fit within a month.”

Seol Hong-baek’s eyes widened.

“Truly?”

“I don’t lie, Patriarch.”

“N-no, of course.”

He looked at Seol So-ha.

She looked surprised as well.

“Is it possible?”

How wonderful it would be if that was possible.

A flicker of excitement rose beneath her calm face. She, too, wanted to master the Tianshan arts soon.

“I’m weaker than you, Lady Seol, but I understand Tianshan arts far better. You can trust me.”

Her expression turned awkward for a beat.

Martial artists rarely declare their own weakness. She didn’t know how to respond.

Seol Hong-baek nodded.

“Naturally you’d understand it best. You restored the original form, after all.”

“Well, that…”

“If you have the time, we’d welcome it with both hands. Wouldn’t we, So-ha?”

Seol So-ha bowed her head.

“It would be an honor, Teacher.”

“Honor, nothing. I’m just repaying a debt.”

Seol Hong-baek’s expression got awkward like his daughter.

“What debt are you talking about, Teacher? If anything, we owe you.”

“My life isn’t so cheap. I haven’t repaid it all.”

“Call it a debt if you like. I don’t help family because of debts.”

Aren’t we beyond that now, we’re as close as family aren’t we?

Seol Hong-baek’s words moved Jin-hyeon somewhat.

But there was bitterness too. Having been stabbed by a brother he trusted, the word family remained complicated.

“They say even family shouldn’t lend money to one another. Family is family, and a debt is a debt.”

“Ho ho ho.”

“Which is to say, may I see the Seol clan’s secret art manual? To judge Lady Seol’s condition, I need to review the cultivation method.”

However close they may be, a family’s secret art manual is not shown to outsiders.

Seol So-ha glanced at her father, flustered.

Unbothered, Seol Hong-baek said,

“Of course you should. Wait here—I’ll fetch it.”

“F-Father?”

“You fool, he brought us the Tianshan art which is even higher than our own, and the original at that. He’s no longer an outsider.”

Seol So-ha’s cheeks colored.

Jin-hyeon waved a hand.

“That’s the normal reaction. If anything, Patriarch, you’re the odd one. What if I spread your manual across the realm?”

“Our main lineage is Tianshan, not the White Sword, isn’t it?”

“Looks like you took a hit there, huh?”

“Ho ho, wait a moment.”

When Seol Hong-baek left, Jin-hyeon reached a hand toward Seol So-ha.

“Your pulse.”

“Eh? Ah…”

She slowly rolled up her sleeve. Beyond manuals, offering one’s pulse to another required deep trust.

She did trust him, but with few real friends, such closeness felt awkward.

He took her pulse.

Seol Seo-ha flinched. Jin-hyeon’s fingertips were hot.

He closed his eyes and focused.

She calmed and watched him.

‘He’s changed.’

Looking closely, the hair on his left side was almost entirely white.

And his jawline was sharper, oddly more chiseled despite filling out.

His skin was fine and pale, much like those from the Seol lineage.

Compared to the first time at the inn, he looked quite different. She realized it only now.

As his appearance changed, so had his bond with the Seol Clan. The awkwardness was gone, and a family-like closeness took its place.

‘What on earth has Teacher Jin lived through?’

Even without knowing his past, they’d grown close. It struck her as wondrous.

After a moment—

“…Hmm.”

He opened his eyes.

She moved to withdraw, but his hand still held her wrist.

“Lady Seol.”

“Yes.”

“Is it the Red Haze Daoist Temple? The one you visit sometimes.”

“That’s right.”

“You go to manage your frenzy, right?”

Frenzy.

A harsh word for a young lady.

“Yes.”

She admitted it plainly.

He’d seen that savage frenzy when she beat Lee Yong-do, so there was no point in hiding it.

Embarrassing, perhaps.

“Don’t go there anymore.”

“Pardon?”

“Skip the temple. You’ll overcome it without them. Slowly, but surely.”

“H-How…?”

“Their treatment is meaningless. If anything, it’s not good. You feel fine right after, then it gets worse, right?”

“…That’s right.”

He released her wrist.

“The Tianshan Light-and-Shadow Divine Art doesn’t suit you. Practice the Ten-Thousand-Year Only-White Art without fail. You may learn the Two Great Sword Arts of Moon Kingdom Down, but the Moonlit Snow Shadow Sword fits you better.”

“?!”

“I’ll explain the details later.”

After reviewing the Seol Clan’s secret art and offering pointers, Jin-hyeon headed home after having lunch.

Walking, he thought,

‘It makes sense.’

Over the meal, he’d heard of the Seol lineage’s “curse.”

Those of Seol blood lived short lives. Even the longest-lived hadn’t reached sixty. They died young, without illness or injury.

This was even more so for the direct heirs.

‘How could they not see it?’

After checking their secret cultivation method and So-ha’s body, the answer was clear.

‘Does this mean they didn’t realize that their martial art was shaving their lifespans?’

Yes. The art itself.

Though misshapen by lost mnemonics, the martial arts of the Seol Clan remained first-rate.

The problem was that their altered cultivation method tampered with their Origin Vital Qi.

‘To be fair, they could have missed it.’

Even a great master would struggle to discover it since the internal energy itself looked fine.

Unless a top master from the martial world dissected the manual, it wouldn’t be found. The Seol Clan had no such expert, and couldn’t show it to outsiders.

The physicians would miss it too. There was nothing wrong inside Seol So-ha’s body. On the contrary, she was healthy—almost excessively so.

And that was the problem. The fact that it was excessively so.

Seol Hong-baek is likely the same. With a good lineage and diligent training, even a physician would find nothing amiss with him.

‘Without my deep Tianshan art knowledge, I’d have missed it too.’

Especially for Seol So-ha—without the Soul-Refining Art, the frenzy’s cause would still be unknown.

‘Still, they might’ve suspected the art…’

Beneath his kindness, Seol Hong-baek is perceptive.

Jin-hyeon shook his head.

‘There must be circumstances I don’t know.’

Shaking off the thought, he saw his lodgings ahead.

The growth of the Body-Refining Art, having recently gained momentum, was remarkably fast. As a result, his internal energy increased day by day, and even the quality of his True Qi was improving.

He now noticed things at a distance he hadn’t before. Jin-hyeon could feel his own progress.

‘Still, it’s lacking.’

He couldn’t fully own the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s enlightenment. They were one, yet they were different. With different bodies, their insights were different.

But if he channeled that knowledge well, his growth would accelerate.

‘Today I’ll settle in and train…’

It was just then.

‘?’

He stopped and glanced around.

The street was quiet. It was the same scene as always. The expressions and mood of the passersby were no different from yesterday.

But he felt a subtle dissonance.

Something he couldn’t name, like an invisible line tugging toward his home.

Jin-hyeon started walking again. He walked on, pace unchanged.

After a short while—

A woman leaned against a large tree by his lodging, watching him with indifferent eyes.

He flashed a grin and kept walking toward the door.

The woman spoke.

“Excuse me, young hero—do you have a moment?”

Her voice was radiant.

It was a voice so refreshing to the ear that merely hearing it cleared the mind. And yet, it carried a subtle note of allure. It was a captivating voice.

Jin-hyeon dug at his ear.

“You talking to me?”

“Yes, you young hero.”

“You need something?”

“If you have time, would you come somewhere with me?”

“A sage once said, accept an unknown lady’s invitation and you might ruin your life.”

“Which sage said that?”

“Someone must have.”

“You’re amusing.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“But couldn’t you ruin your life even without coming with me?”

She swept her gaze over his place.

“Though calling it a house is generous.”

“So, that’s why I should go?”

“Yes.”

“And I’ll regret it if I don’t?”

“That’s for you to decide.”

“You know that place is under the White Sword Seol Clan’s name?”

“If I feared the Seol Clan, I wouldn’t be here in broad daylight.”

“I hear Head Instructor Seo Jong-dam will be staying at the Seol estate for a while.”

“…”

“What’s wrong? The Loyalty and Righteousness Academy’s number two scares you?”

Her face hardened as she looked at him.

Jin-hyeon snorted.

“Try something that works, you lot. If you have business, send word, get the owner’s leave, then come properly—not with threats. You want to die?”

“…….”

“Come back with manners. And tell whoever’s behind you to come in person—not to send a pawn like you.”

He waved her off and went inside.

“And don’t come empty-handed next time.”