Noticing Mok Gyeong-un's intention, Blue Spirit clicked her tongue inwardly. What kind of person is this? This was the Lee family, who had maintained their devotion to her across generations for over a hundred years.
But watching him try to snatch that loyalty away in such a manner made her anger boil. She felt like shattering the wooden doll she was sealed in right now, jumping out, and beating the mortal's head repeatedly with her long pipe. However, that anger did not last long.
‘What are you trying to do, mortal?’
Instead, she became curious about Mok Gyeong-un's intentions. He could have borrowed the power of the Lee family through her, so was there a need to intercept it like this? Just then, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.
“You know that I am her and she is me, so why do you remain still?”
“That is…”
At these words, the Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, hesitated for a moment. He knew well what the word possession meant. Wasn't it literally being possessed by a ghost?
‘Her vessel for possession?’
Then should he consider this man, Mok Gyeong-un, the master of the Moon Vein? Although the Heaven and Earth Society had consulting Occultists, he had little faith in such anomalies, which made him hesitate. There was also a strangely unsettling feeling.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“You saw the spiritual being with your own eyes, yet you still don't believe it?” -The entire atmosphere is different, yet you expect me to believe you’re suddenly possessed?
Blue Spirit clicked her tongue and interjected. At this, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said, “I was certain that your loyalty would have been passed down through generations, which is why I revealed this secret. This is disappointing.”
“I, no, this subordinate, that is…”
“Then, if I keep the promise from that time, will you believe?”
“That time, you say?”
“The Red Flame Sword Art.”
“Could it be?”
Lee Ji-yeom’s pupils trembled. It was because he remembered what his grandfather had said when he was learning the Red Flame Sword Art.
[The Great Flame Art was originally created by her and this old grandfather together, devising the energy circulation incantations. We sought to create the heart technique that best suited the Red Flame Sword Art. But before we could complete it, that tragedy occurred.]
Like him, Mok Gyeong-un also recalled what Blue Spirit had said.
[Once, this master made a promise with the head of the Lee family, that fellow’s grandfather, a man named Lee Hwa-mun. We promised to complete the unfinished Great Flame Art together.]
However, that promise could not be fulfilled in life. It was fulfilled after death. As her rank rose to that of a vengeful spirit over a long period, she regained her reason and came to understand, one by one, the things she had not realized in life.
One of them was the Great Flame Art for the Red Flame Sword Art.
Mok Gyeong-un extended a hand to Lee Ji-yeom with a smile and said, “I have returned as a vengeful spirit full of regrets, but if the Lee family will follow me once more, I will teach you the completed energy circulation incantations of the Great Flame Art, which I only came to understand in death.”
‘Damn you, mortal!’
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Blue Spirit's irritation flared. She had just told the man what was wrong with the incantations and what needed to be changed. An ordinary person might hear it once and forget, but…
‘This bastard would have memorized it, wouldn’t he?’
Mok Gyeong-un’s memory was beyond common sense. Furious, she had intended to watch and see how he would persuade him without her help. But now, it looked like he was really going to snatch away the loyalty.
‘The completed energy circulation incantations…’
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Lee Ji-yeom’s eyes trembled even more. Three generations, from his grandfather down to himself, had tried to complete the incantations but failed. In truth, it was difficult to complete from the start.
It involved the great risk of sending the fiery yang energy through the vital points to test it directly, which meant one could easily lose their life.
[If I had been with her, we might have completed it.]
‘Grandfather…’
[But you will be able to do it.]
Thinking of his grandfather again, Lee Ji-yeom's heart ached. He looked at Mok Gyeong-un's face, pounded his throbbing chest, and knelt on one knee.
“This subordinate does not kneel because of the completed incantations.”
“Then for what reason?”
“It is because you have not forgotten the promise you made with my grandfather, no, with our family, that I wish to pledge my loyalty once again.”
“The promise…”
“How could this subordinate dare to doubt you, who has returned even as a vengeful spirit to resolve the long-held wish of my grandfather and our Lee family.”
Thud!
Then, Lee Ji-yeom prostrated himself completely on the floor.
“The head of the Lee family and the Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, once again pledges loyalty to the master of the Moon Vein. Please, accept this subordinate’s bow!”
With that, he touched his forehead to the ground three times, showing his allegiance. Mok Gyeong-un, looking down at him, raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. Then, Blue Spirit's voice echoed in his ear. -You crazy mortal.
What are you doing? Is this not a theft of loyalty?
“……” -Now that I'm dead, it’s not like this master will drag him around forever.
Since you’ve become my direct disciple, you would have inherited this loyalty naturally if you just waited. Does forcibly snatching it away feel so refreshing? She must have been quite angry.
He had never seen Blue Spirit talk so much. Well, aside from her grudge, it would be strange if she wasn't angry that he had stolen the loyalty of a vassal who had waited for her for a hundred years. She probably thought of him as trash.
However…
‘Well, I understand how she feels, but my purpose isn’t to be swayed by Blue Spirit's hand.’
Mok Gyeong-un had come here for only one reason. Revenge on the one who killed his grandfather. He had come to find the man called Ghost Sword, who might be related to it.
But if Blue Spirit came to the forefront, moved her old subordinates, and wielded that power, everything would flow in the direction she desired. Mok Gyeong-un did not want the situation to be shaped that way.
‘To me, it's just a secondary matter.’
Resolving Blue Spirit’s grudge was by no means his priority. She was also a vengeful spirit who would have tried to devour him if not for their Spirit Guardian relationship. Although they had now formed a master-disciple relationship due to their absolute bond, Mok Gyeong-un fundamentally never trusted anyone.
Therefore, he had no intention of giving Blue Spirit the initiative.
“Is this… the incantation that my lord has completed?”
The Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, received the paper on which Mok Gyeong-un had written the incantations with a trembling hand. For three generations, they had tried to complete the incantations, and it was one of the family’s long-held wishes, so he could not hide his excitement. As Lee Ji-yeom read through the incantations, a gasp escaped his lips.
“Ah!”
How could one approach the energy circulation technique in this way? Lee Ji-yeom spoke in astonishment.
“Truly amazing. This subordinate never even considered circulating the fiery yang energy directly from Diaphragm Shu to Yang Ridge But if this works, it seems possible to control the energy entering the ninth star. To devise this so easily.” -Easily, my foot.
I only realized it after I died and my spirit eyes opened. Blue Spirit grumbled in an angry voice, still not over it. A heart technique like the Great Flame Art, which directly handles fiery yang energy, was inherently high-risk and could only be completed through numerous trials, errors, and sacrifices.
In a way, from Lee Ji-yeom’s perspective, this was nothing short of a fortunate encounter. As he continued to read the incantations, Lee Ji-yeom’s brow furrowed. Then, he cautiously spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.
“However, my lord. It seems you have not written down all of the incantations.”
“That’s right.”
“Pardon?”
“I only wrote half.”
At those words, Lee Ji-yeom was about to ask why but immediately closed his mouth. Looking at Mok Gyeong-un’s smiling face, he could guess his intention.
“... Did you do this on purpose?”
“That’s right.”
“Why would you…”
“Even though the incantations are complete, one must be careful. I was worried the Valley Master might be too hasty and come to harm again.”
“Ah…”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Lee Ji-yeom let out a small gasp. Was he worried that trying to master the completed incantations recklessly might lead to him being consumed by the fiery yang energy? It seemed he had misunderstood.
He had thought it might be because he was not yet fully trusted. Blue Spirit snorted. -Even after receiving a pledge of loyalty, you still don't trust him. She knew Mok Gyeong-un well.
She was certain that the reason he didn’t share the full incantations was definitely not out of concern for Lee Ji-yeom.
‘Yes. Correct.’
Of course, she was right. Mok Gyeong-un did not fully trust Lee Ji-yeom, even after the pledge of loyalty. That was why he had only provided a moderate amount of bait. -Stop being so suspicious.
This master guarantees it. The Lee family can be trusted. At her words, Mok Gyeong-un gave a faint smile.
Trusting her old loyal vassal was her prerogative. But not his. He intended to maintain a certain level of vigilance until he was certain.
Just then, Lee Ji-yeom put the paper with the incantations into his clothes and opened his mouth.
“However, my lord. If it is not a discourtesy, may this subordinate dare to ask what happened a hundred years ago, on the day of the Spirit Returning Great War?”
‘Spirit Returning Great War?’
What was that? At his question, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the Corpse Blood Valley Master, Lee Ji-yeom, to suddenly ask about an event of Blue Spirit's that he knew nothing about.
At this, Blue Spirit spoke in a sneering voice. -Good luck with that. I won’t help you or give you any advice on matters related to the Lee family, of all things. Since he had stolen the Lee family's loyalty, she had no intention of giving him any information.
It meant she wanted him to suffer through this properly.
‘The Spirit Returning Great War.’
To her, it was a memory she could never forget. That memory was the root of her becoming a vengeful spirit. She had no intention of telling this mortal about it right away anyway, so this was perfect.
Just then.
Mok Gyeong-un casually opened his mouth.
“Do you want to know about it?”
At this, Blue Spirit was dumbfounded. What did he mean, asking if he wanted to know, when he knew nothing? But Lee Ji-yeom answered.
“Yes. This subordinate, no, my grandfather, believed in you to the end, but because of the incident that day, he was demoted from King to Valley Master, and the main family was expelled from the castle and has been confined here in the Corpse Blood Valley for three generations.”
‘Ahhh.’
At Lee Ji-yeom’s words, Blue Spirit felt a pang of pain. The Lee family was a founding family that established the Heaven and Earth Society, yet they were shamed like this. Just how far were they planning to humiliate her and ruin the Heaven and Earth Society?
As expected, she could never forgive him. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.
“How does the Valley Master know what happened at the Spirit Returning Great War that day? I’m curious as to how you or the Society came to know of it.”
‘Ha!?’
At Mok Gyeong-un's question, Blue Spirit clicked her tongue inwardly. This man always found a way through anything. She hadn't predicted he would turn the question back like this.
Or was it because he had no trouble lying and could make up a story no matter what?
‘Mortal, you really are…’
As she was feeling flabbergasted, Valley Master Lee Ji-yeom spoke cautiously.
“... I apologize, but I’m not sure if it is alright to speak of this as it is.”
“It’s fine. You have to tell me exactly what happened for me to be able to tell you what happened at the Spirit Returning Great War that day.”
Mok Gyeong-un said in an unconcerned tone. As he did, he glanced at the wooden doll in his chest and his lips twitched. 'You should have just given me some advice.'
Then this wouldn't have been orchestrated like this. But with this, would he be able to find out what connection Blue Spirit had with the Heaven and Earth Society and what secrets she held?