Single-Instant Blade

Chapter 71 : One Step Up (1)

Bone Marrow Cleansing purified the body.

It purified the blood, hardened the bones, and made the flesh lustrous. It cleanly washed away evil qi such as demonic qi and evil qi from the true energy. It washed the internal organs, and raised the senses to the highest level.

It felt as if the filth had been washed away. It felt as if he had thrown off his old clothes and had put on new ones.

One day, he had indifferently closed his eyes and had opened them to find that the world had changed.

The difficult, frustrating, and turbid world had disappeared, and a clear and clean world had rushed in.

Mongseol sank into her true energy.

Generally, when you said dantian, you referred to the lower dantian. But in medicine, two more dantians were treated. There was the middle dantian and the upper dantian. There were a total of three dantians.

A martial artist operated their true energy using the lower dantian.

Mongseol had also done so until now. But from now on, it was different. It wasn’t that the world had changed, but her body had changed. From an energy circulation centered on the lower dantian, it had become an energy circulation of mutual exchange between the lower dantian and the upper dantian.

There were two rooms of true energy in her body.

When she operated her true energy, it accumulated in the lower dantian, and it also accumulated in the upper dantian.

With one energy circulation, she could accumulate true energy in two dantians. Her internal energy increased more than twice as fast with the same effort.

That was not the only effect. The true energy of the two places acted like magnets, attracting and repelling each other. It circulated endlessly from bottom to top, and from top to bottom.

This circulation did not stop until the moment of death.

Since elasticity had already been applied to the circulation, it continued until the moment her life was cut off.

Even when she ate, when she slept, when she leisurely read a book, her true energy circulated.

What was true energy circulation? It was energy circulation.

Even if she did not deliberately sit in a cross-legged position and practice energy circulation, it happened on its own.

Even if she was injured, if time passed, the same effect as having done energy circulation for healing would occur. The healing was quite fast. It was especially effective for acupoint strikes or poison injuries.

Mongseol enjoyed energy circulation.

She sat in a cross-legged position, quietly closed her eyes, and watched her true energy circulate.

She was not practicing energy circulation. When she watched the energy circulation happen, her mind became peaceful. Her mind became clear, and if she thought of a complicated matter in that state, a solution would pop out at once.

Since the dantian in her head, the Mud Pill Palace, was working, her brain also moved actively.

There were many effects obtained from energy circulation.

It was peaceful. It was quiet. It was refreshing. There was no depression or anxiety. It was full of vitality. She could not feel better than now.

“Should I say thank you?”

Mongseol said, staring at Ah Geol.

“No, it’s fine.”

“I think so too. I’m grateful, but I don’t think I need to say it.”

“…?”

Ah Geol looked at her.

He didn’t quite understand what Mongseol was saying. No, there was some meaning in her words.

“I’ve made up my mind.”

“…”

“The engagement can’t be broken. Our engagement will continue.”

“It’s not that we’re maintaining the relationship because we have no choice. I don’t know if we’ll really get married, or if it will end like this… but nothing will change.”

“…”

Ah Geol became a mute who had eaten honey.

Although many words were swarming in his head, not a single word came out of his mouth.

“…Let’s talk later.”

“No. I don’t think it’s something to be done later. I’ve said what I have to say, so if you have something to say, say it.”

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“When I thought about it, our engagement is not ordinary, is it? Our parents, did they not know that we would go on this path? I’ve never seriously thought about who my parents were while living until now. I just thought that they must have abandoned me because they had their reasons. But my parents, they put the Blood Sword Sutra in my arms and sent me to the Drunken Flower Garden. When they sent me to the Drunken Flower Garden, it means that something had already gone wrong. They must have expected that we would go on this path. So we shouldn’t separate. We have to go together no matter what.”

“Alright, let’s do that. Then let’s go together.”

Ah Geol said without thinking deeply.

“…Aren’t you answering too easily?”

Mongseol asked back.

“I’m your fiancé, you’re my fiancée. You’re saying that we should continue this relationship, right? Let’s continue this relationship.”

“No.”

“…?”

“I’m your wife, you’re my husband. Although we’re not married… our relationship is this kind of relationship.”

“…Pfft!”

Ah Geol looked at Mongseol and smirked.

It didn’t matter what kind of relationship Mongseol had mentioned. Any relationship, human relationships were the share of the living. The dead, or those whose death was promised, could not form any relationship.

What was his relationship with Mongseol?

He had never thought about it. He had thought a lot about the woman named Mongseol. But he had never thought of linking Mongseol and himself. Engagement? Engagement was just a fact that had happened in the past, and he did not think that he had to be bound by such a thing.

Mongseol was his master’s daughter.

She was the daughter of his benefactor who had saved him, and who had eventually met his death because of his connection with his father.

So he had to take care of her.

If he had to throw his life away to save her, he could throw it away with a smile. Because his master and his master’s wife had also done so.

Taking care of her was a moral duty.

If he closed his eyes and said, ‘I don’t know’ about this duty, that was the end of it. Or if it was an indelible duty, and he had to take care of her, that was also one way.

It didn’t matter what choice he made. There was no absolute binding force that he had to take care of Mongseol.

However, Ah Geol had chosen the latter.

He wanted to move her to a safe area where blood would not be splattered. He wanted to push her to a distance where a sword or a blade could not reach, and tell her not to come any closer.

That was all his feelings for Mongseol.

But Grandpa went a step further from that thought. He regarded the engagement made when they were young as a fact. He thought that Ah Geol and Mongseol had to meet, love, and build a family.

That was why he had deliberately pulled her out, who was doing well, and had made her kill Gangjo. He had dragged a gentle deer into a fighting pit where demons were swarming.

Mongseol had the same thought as Grandpa.

He knew why Mongseol was saying this.

The Drunken Flower Garden, Mongseol, and Ah Geol and Grandpa… they were trash that had been thrown away by the world. From the world’s perspective, they were a nuisance that had to be cleaned up as soon as possible.

Now they were bound together as a community of fate.

The end is obvious? They will eventually die? They have to be fugitives from now on? These things didn’t matter. Although he didn’t know how far they would go, they would go together as far as they could.

For Mongseol, the engagement was also an excuse.

How long had it been since they had met, how could they be in a relationship where they would die if they couldn’t live? What was so good about a man who had only a desperate future, that she would bring up a past connection and ask to form a marital bond?

Ah Geol held out his hand and took Mongseol’s hand.

Mongseol flinched and immediately tried to pull her hand away. But she did not pull her hand away. Rather, she also took Ah Geol’s hand.

Her hand trembled.

Her trembling was transmitted through her hand.

She said, “Our relationship… we’re continuing it, right?”

“Yes. We’re continuing it.”

“Then we have to sort out the titles, right? What should I call you from now on? Kaka? Eh, this is too embarrassing. Husband? Old man? They’re all awkward. They don’t stick to my mouth.”

“Ah Geol.”

“You’re telling me to just call you by your name? Even though you’re my fiancé?”

“It’s just a common name, so it doesn’t matter. My real name is Seori Heun. When you get the Single-Instant Blade, you use the Seori surname, but I received the surname in advance because of unavoidable circumstances.”

Ah Geol did not mention the name Heo Heun.

Another surname that existed besides the Seori surname. Ah Geol disliked the name Heo Heun. So he did not say it.

“Seori Heun. It’s a good name. Alright, then I’ll just call you Ah Geol. You can just call me Mongseol too. It’s just a killing name anyway. You know my name is Oh Bia, right? I also just found out that my name is Oh Bia a while ago because the Garden Master told me.”

Mongseol smiled brightly.

Her white teeth sparkled, reflecting the sunlight.

‘A woman, a wife… I didn’t think of this.’

Ah Geol looked at Mongseol.

Not a fiancée bound by a promise, but a fiancée who had promised her future was in front of him.

The feeling was completely different.

He had saved her simply out of duty, but now he felt that he really had to take care of her with all his body.

She had changed from his master’s daughter to his woman.

Although it was just a feeling, a short change of thought had changed her into a completely different person.

“How did my father die? Tell me what you know. Anyway, we have to do everything together from now on. I also have to get my revenge. I also have to know who my enemy is.”

Mongseol said abruptly.

He had known that this would come up. Rather, it was not without a feeling that she had asked too late.

Ah Geol opened his mouth.

“First… Grandpa caused a scene, but he caused it wrongly. We’re in a really difficult situation now.”

He had no intention of hiding it. She also had to know what she had to know. And… Mongseol was ready to face her fate. Now that she had achieved Bone Marrow Cleansing, she was also qualified to face her fate.

* * *

Tak tak! Tak tak tak! Tak tak tak tak!

Ah Geol and Mongseol exchanged hand swords continuously.

The exchange of hand swords was for the purpose of training. It was definitely not for a duel. Since it was for the purpose of training the precision of the forms, there was no reason to use internal energy.

They only exchanged forms with hand swords that had no strength.

Tak tak tak! Tak tak tak tak!

Ah Geol struck with a hand sword. Mongseol received the hand sword, and counterattacked again.

Tak tak tak! Puk!

Mongseol could not receive the continuous hand swords until the end and was stabbed in the shoulder.

“I made a mistake.”

Mongseol said, frowning.

“Did you see it coming?”

“Yes. I saw it. I was thinking of blocking it, but I couldn’t…”

“Let’s do it again. This time, you take the initiative.”

“…Can I ask you one thing?”

“Ask.”

“That time. Fifteen days ago. How did you know that I needed an upper dantian and helped me? You hadn’t seen the Blood Sword Sutra, so you didn’t even know the Mud Pill One Sword, right?”

“There’s a saying, ‘One Qi Three Fields’.”

“One Qi Three Fields? I’ve never heard of it. The three fields must refer to the three dantians… what does it mean?”

“That’s right. The three fields are the upper dantian, the middle dantian, and the lower dantian. The one qi is the energy that arises from the three fields. The energy that arises from the three places is one. One is three, three is one. The three dantians are originally one, so the energy that arises from the three dantians is also one. The One Qi Three Fields is also called the Heaven Connecting Qi.”

“Then I…?”

“You’ve opened two places now. You still have to open the remaining middle dantian, but I don’t know when it will open.”

“Do all Single-Instant Sect disciples use the One Qi Three Fields?”

“Probably?”

“Tsk! Then you use it too? I would have been embarrassed if I had been showing off about achieving Bone Marrow Cleansing.”

“There’s also this saying. The One Qi Three Fields is not as good as the True Heart One Art. Circulating your energy with a true heart is the best, the most optimal, the best method. Now, again.”

Ah Geol raised his two hands.

Tak! Tak tak!

Mongseol attacked Ah Geol with her two hands. As the sword that stood tall in her upper dantian, the Mud Pill One Sword, instructed, she moved her hands. She saw Ah Geol’s opening and attacked quickly.

Tak tak! Tak tak tak!

Although she had thought it was an attack that could not be blocked, Ah Geol blocked it really well. He used his hands leisurely without any effort. He moved smoothly, as if he were dancing.

The moon rose outside the window.

It was the twenty-fifth moon they had seen in Sugujin.

(End of Chapter)