The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 50

"What is a virgin art?"

At Cheok Sagyeol's question, Lee Cheon-eok wiped the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth and said.

"It is a concept of qi art training devised by the Martial God Buddha, Grand Master Beopryun, a hundred years ago. To explain, it can be said to be the martial art of a person who has maintained their virginity."

"Virginity?"

'Virginity refers to the state of not having had sexual intercourse with the opposite sex.'

'But what does that have to do with martial arts?'

"Yes. In a word, a martial art that requires one to maintain their chastity is a virgin art."

"What happens if you don't keep it?"

"The internal energy you have accumulated up to that point will be scattered."

"What? You're saying your internal energy will be scattered just by doing it once?"

"That's right. That's why the Bodhi Lotus Art was left incomplete. Because it could be a fatal weakness."

"So in conclusion, you're saying that the speed of accumulating internal energy becomes faster in exchange for maintaining your virginity?"

"Yes, Grand Master Beopryun said that if you maintain your virginity, your body will be maintained close to its original pure state. Especially if you maintain your chastity until the age of forty and achieve the absolute virgin body, the speed of accumulating internal energy will increase several times from then on. And the older you get, the faster that speed becomes."

Cheok Sagyeol was dumbfounded.

It was truly a radical concept that only a monk could think of.

'So there was a reason why he had accumulated five sixty-year cycles of internal energy without the help of elixirs... a eunuch...'

'It was a method that he himself would not choose even if he could obtain ten sixty-year cycles of internal energy.'

'No matter how much he revered martial arts and pursued strength, it was useless if he had to abandon that to obtain it.'

'If you're a man, that is.'

"This is a secret that no one knows except for Muheo and me. That friend, Muheo, said it when he was dead drunk, and when he sobered up, he earnestly begged me. Please... keep the secret."

Lee Cheon-eok said, bowing his head.

'He betrayed him because of his life, but he doesn't want to be caught for it?'

Cheok Sagyeol clicked his tongue and shook his head from side to side.

"Anyway, the righteous faction, these two-faced bastards. Different on the outside, different on the inside..."

"..."

Lee Cheon-eok couldn't say anything, like a mute who had eaten honey.

Then, his vision flashed, and his sight turned black.

THUD.

Cheok Sagyeol had suddenly struck his temple's solar plexus and knocked him out.

And then, with the Indian Yoga Divine Art, he touched Lee Cheon-eok's body here and there.

Since he had experience doing it before, the healing was faster than he had thought.

Seeing Lee Cheon-eok's messed-up body, Baili Lin and the Hidden Wind Squad would make a fuss, so he was taking the minimum first aid measures.

TAP, TAP.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had dusted off his hands and stood up from his seat, suddenly let out a deep sigh.

"Do I have to think of myself as a eunuch until I get my body back... right, come to think of it, it was an internal energy that makes you a eunuch, so it was even more unpleasant."

'Anyway, it has become a situation where I have to be as careful as possible with women from now on.'

'If I misbehave and my three hundred years of internal energy fly away, it's only my loss.'

'I'll hold it in and do it once before I give the body back to that bastard, Muheo.'

* * *

Lion Grove Garden.

It is a representative garden of Suzhou, a garden built at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, famous for its strangely shaped Taihu stones.

It was a place that came to be called the Lion Grove Garden because the shape of this Taihu stone was like a dancing lion.

"It's a wonderful place."

Cheok Sagyeol was purely impressed by the scenery of the Lion Grove Garden.

The Taihu stones were too numerous to count, and each and every one of their shapes was full of life and showed an elegant artistic quality.

'And the name is also the Lion Grove Garden. What a magnificent and hegemonic name.'

Gardens are usually given static names, so Cheok Sagyeol found the dynamic feel of the Lion Grove Garden to be unique and to his liking.

"The Lion Grove Garden is a famous scenic spot in Suzhou. So this family head has specially rented it for the day."

Baili Jian said with a pleased smile.

He had rented the entire Lion Grove Garden for his meeting with Jamheoja.

"It's been a while since I've come to the Lion Grove Garden, but it's new every time I come."

Baili Lin said in a tone that was completely captivated by the atmosphere.

Although his daily life was to live leisurely in the Wind Forest, the harmony of the swaying bamboo and the noble old pine trees forming a forest, and the lion rocks playing between them, was another spectacular sight.

"We didn't come to play. We're here, so be tense."

Baili Jian gave a warning, looking at the Heart of the Lake Pavilion that had appeared in front of him.

The Heart of the Lake Pavilion, a pavilion located in the middle of the Lion Grove Garden's pond.

A middle-aged man was seated there.

As if he had discovered Baili Jian's party, he soon got up from his seat and came out to greet them.

"It seems I'm a little late, even though I made a promise. I apologize."

"Hahaha, not at all. I came early because I wanted to see the Lion Grove Garden. Please don't worry."

"I'm grateful that you say so. This is my younger brother, Baili Lin."

Baili Jian first introduced Baili Lin, who was a stranger.

"I am Baili Lin. I have heard of the great name of the True Man."

Baili Lin performed a cupped fist salute and paid his respects.

"It is I who have heard of the fame of the great hero, Baekpung, which is well-known in Jiangsu, and have wanted to meet you once. I am called Jamheo."

"To me, who only takes care of trees and stones in the wilderness, fame? You are overpraising me. Hahaha."

"Just because it has not raised its body does not mean it is not a dragon. Isn't the public's evaluation that the great hero, Baekpung, is the hidden dragon of Jiangsu?"

Cheok Sagyeol, who was watching the two's pleasantries, clicked his tongue inside.

'The righteous faction guys, when they meet, they're busy gilding each other, tsk. They should just get to the point...'

As if he had seen Cheok Sagyeol's inner thoughts, Jamheoja looked at him and said.

"I am called Jamheoja. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I am Jeokun."

"..."

Jamheoja looked at Cheok Sagyeol for a moment with calm, sunken eyes.

"What's wrong? I have no moniker, so there is nothing else to introduce."

"Ah... no. Since we have exchanged names, that is enough. Now, don't just stand there, please sit here."

Jamheoja smiled and extended his hand inward.

Baili Jian, followed by Baili Lin and Cheok Sagyeol, also sat down at the prepared seats in the Heart of the Lake Pavilion.

When the four people were seated around the circular table, Jamheoja spoke first.

"May I ask the reason why the family head wanted to meet this Daoist? Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn't seem to be just for the purpose of promoting friendship."

"I have arranged this meeting because I wanted to hear the True Man's esteemed opinion."

"This Daoist is not that knowledgeable, but I will listen to what it is about. Please speak."

"Have you by any chance heard of something called the Half-Immortal Wine?"

"The Half-Immortal Wine... I have not heard of it."

Jamheoja shook his head and answered, and then asked back.

"What is it that the family head is asking about? Just from the name, it seems to be a kind of wine."

There are countless types of unknown wines in the world.

There were the famous wines of the local distilleries that made use of the regional characteristics, of course, and each famous inn sold their own wine, and there were even personally brewed wines.

It was close to impossible to identify what it was just by hearing the name of an unfamiliar wine.

"It is a wine, but it is not an ordinary wine. That is why I have come to see the True Man."

"Not an ordinary wine? What do you mean by that?"

"If you share it and drink it, your souls will be swapped. To be precise, I want to hear the True Man's esteemed opinion on that phenomenon."

"..."

Jamheoja stroked his beard and was lost in thought, and then he soon spoke.

"Have you heard of the Maoshan Sect?"

"Isn't it a Daoist sect that was called one of the Twelve Daoist Gates before the Nine Great Sects? I heard that it was annihilated while resisting the Yuan imperial family in the past."

Mount Mao in Jiangsu Province. The Maoshan Sect, which had its main base there, was a Daoist gate that had now disappeared into history.

"When I first entered Daoism, I visited the Daoist temples of famous mountains, read the old documents there, and wandered in search of the truth. In the process, I came across an old book that seemed to be from the annihilated Maoshan Sect. And in it, I have read about a magic art called the Soul-Swapping Great Law."

"The Soul-Swapping Great Law? What is that?"

"It is a kind of sorcery that moves the soul. It is said that in ancient times, thousands of years ago, immortals commonly used incantations that caused mysterious phenomena, just like the martial arts of today. It was hard for this Daoist to believe, but it was recorded that at that time, there was a sorcery that could transfer a person's soul into an object."

Baili Jian, without realizing it, slammed the table and said.

"That's it. The identity of the Half-Immortal Wine was that Soul-Swapping Great Law!"

Jamheoja, seeing Baili Jian's indignant attitude and Cheok Sagyeol's changed complexion, asked with a curious face.

"By any chance... did someone among your acquaintances drink something called the Half-Immortal Wine and have their soul swapped?"

"I cannot reveal who, but that is correct."

"Hah... Immeasurable Life Buddha... how can such a thing..."

As Jamheoja closed his eyes and muttered a Daoist chant, Baili Jian asked urgently.

"True Man, is there no way? If you know anything more about that Soul-Swapping Great Law, please tell me."

"Unfortunately, this Daoist has only seen that one line of text and knows nothing more. I am sorry that I could not be of help."

"Not at all. What is it to have learned even that? The True Man has given me great help."

Baili Jian performed a cupped fist salute and bowed his head.

Since it was a matter concerning his son's life, his head naturally bowed.

"I am saying this just in case, but I remember hearing a rumor that the first family head of the Zhuge family had a connection with the Maoshan Sect in the past. I don't know the extent of the connection, but it might be a way for the family head to try to contact them."

"The Zhuge family..."

Baili Jian trailed off.

The relationship between the Five Great Families and the other martial families was not good.

Especially a few families, such as the Zhongli family and the Baili family, who were the representatives of the small and medium-sized martial families, had to be even more mindful of them.

It was because the Five Great Families did not allow other families to interfere in their territory.

"I have one thing to ask."

Cheok Sagyeol, who had been silent all this while, opened his mouth.

"Please speak."

Jamheoja turned his gaze to Cheok Sagyeol again with a subtle look.

"It's strange. It would have been decades ago when you first entered, but you remember a single line of text you saw then? And about an unfamiliar sorcery called the Soul-Swapping Great Law? No matter how good your memory is, objectively speaking, it's hard to believe easily."

At Cheok Sagyeol's words, Jamheoja laughed heartily.

"How can I prove that this Daoist is so great? Even though I look like this, in my youth, there was no one in Yangzhou who didn't know the name 'Six-Scripture Saint.' Hahaha."

'Come to think of it, for a Daoist priest, he has no sense of formality.'

'I felt it earlier, but he was different when dealing with the Baili brothers and when dealing with me.'

'As if he sees through the other person and adjusts himself accordingly.'

'He's different from the quack guys. He's a real character.'

Cheok Sagyeol smirked and nodded his head.

Jamheoja looked at him intently and then said.

"I would like to request a private meeting with you, Great Hero Jeok. Can you spare some time?"

"With me?"

"That's right."

"Well, it doesn't matter."

As Cheok Sagyeol nodded his head, Jamheoja sought the consent of Baili Jian and Baili Lin.

"Since I've heard everything I wanted to hear, I'll leave you to it. Let's go."

"Yes, brother."

The Baili brothers readily left the place.

Thus, only Jamheoja and Cheok Sagyeol remained in the Heart of the Lake Pavilion, facing each other.

"May I ask the reason why you requested a private meeting with me?"

At Cheok Sagyeol's question, Jamheoja smiled slightly and said.

"Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to meet the great master of the demonic path with the great men of the righteous faction?"

"!"

Cheok Sagyeol's eyes narrowed, and his right hand rested on the hilt of Sa-wang.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You don't have to hide it. The appearance you have now. I'm saying it because it's the same as that of Lord Cheok Sagyeol in his youth."

'He knew by looking at my face?'

Cheok Sagyeol asked Jamheoja, who had recognized his face.

"Have we met before? I have no memory of it."

"A long time ago, I only saw you from a distance for a moment. At first, I was half in doubt, but I became certain as we talked about the Soul-Swapping Great Law. Perhaps the Lord's body has also been swapped? And you have changed your appearance with some method like a human-skin mask."

'He read my expression.'

'When I heard about the Soul-Swapping Great Law, I was agitated for a moment.'

'Although I tried to hide it, it must have been revealed on my face without me knowing.'

"Since you know this one, I'll ask again. Why did you want to see me?"

(End of Chapter)