Jingle— Jingle— Through a vision thick with fog, the sound of a bell could be heard. Like congealed blood, the sound clung stickily to her feet, pulling her down. At this rate, she felt like a frog caught in a swamp, about to be submerged and swallowed by that sound.
When her hands and feet were bound so tight she couldn't move, Seolhwa grabbed hold of it. In that moment, she opened her eyes.
“Ha… haah….”
A cool breeze blew in through the open window. The gentle glow of the sunset filled the room, making her vision languid. Feeling a dampness, she looked down at her hand.
Blood was seeping from her small hand.
‘Oh dear…’
Seolhwa looked down at the shattered flower vase around her feet. Soon, she heard the sound of someone rushing over.
“Young Lady, there was a loud noise. Are you alright? Did something happen?”
It was the urgent voice of a young maidservant. Seolhwa, looking at her bleeding hand, hastily wrapped it with a nearby cloth and opened the door.
“Oh my…!”
The maidservant quickly assessed the situation in the room. Spotting the broken vase, the bloodstains near it, and the blood-soaked cloth in the child's hand, she gasped.
“I broke the vase by mistake.”
“I-I'll go get the Medicine Hall Master right away!”
Just as the maidservant was about to turn and rush out.
“Where did my father go?”
She didn't want to show him such a mess, knowing he would worry. He might also find it strange that she kept getting hurt.
“The First Young Master was summoned by the Family Head and went to the Family Head's Hall! I'll send someone to him right away!”
“No. Don't tell him.”
“Pardon…?”
Seolhwa looked around the messy room.
“Did he say when he'd be back?”
“He said he would be back before dinner…”
“Alright. Then, please clean up the room. Before my father returns.”
“But…”
He will worry…. A wound deep enough to bleed isn't a small one, is it really okay not to tell him?
‘I can see exactly what you're thinking.’
Come to think of it, this was the same girl who had burst into tears when she hurt her arm last time, even though she was the one who was injured. Before that, she had explained about the food.
‘She's a child with rich emotions.’
She thought how different the girl was from her, who was dull to emotions. For a maidservant, she seemed a bit too concerned with others' affairs, but it wasn't entirely bad.
“What are you doing? I'm bleeding.”
“Ah, yes! I'll be right back!”
The maidservant, who had been hesitating with a worried expression, finally scurried away when Seolhwa held out her hand and spoke. Letting out a small chuckle at the sight, Seolhwa sat in a chair and waited for the Medicine Hall Master. The teacup prepared on the table was warm.
It seemed Namgung Cheongun hadn't been gone to the Family Head's Hall for very long.
‘When did I fall asleep?’
She remembered having a small chat with Namgung Cheongun after their outing, but at some point, she had drifted off to sleep. She wasn't sure if it was because she was in a child's body, or because she had been sleeping poorly since learning of the suggestion.
‘A child's body… more troublesome than I thought.’
“This can't keep happening, Young Lady.”
The Medicine Hall Master, Choryeon, said as she wrapped a clean cloth around Seolhwa's palm. Her voice was firm.
“At your request, I have been keeping the matter of the suggestion a secret… but if you keep getting hurt like this, I will have no choice but to speak up.”
“Then I will speak up too.” —The Blood King's Poison.
“Young Lady!”
Startled, Choryeon anxiously glanced around and whispered lowly.
“What will you do if someone hears you!”
“That's why I used a mental transmission.”
“…Did you?”
It was so natural that Choryeon hadn't even realized it. Choryeon tilted her head in confusion, then put on a stern expression again.
“Really… I don't know what's going on in that little head of yours. Are you a tiger, not a stray cat?”
“Who knows. Won't we have to wait and see how I grow up?”
A kitten, or a tiger cub? At Seolhwa's smiling face, Choryeon let out a short sigh.
“Sometimes, you don't seem like a child at all. It's not in my nature to be swayed and used like this…”
Just then, Choryeon finished her treatment.
“There, all done. Be careful for a while so the wound doesn't reopen.”
“Thank you.”
“More importantly, how long are you really going to hide this?”
Seolhwa, who was examining the tightly wrapped cloth, looked at her. Her indifferent expression made it impossible to know what she was thinking. Choryeon continued, watching her reaction.
“How about you try telling the Family Head? The Family Head… he might know a way to solve this…”
“He probably would.”
The Heavenly Dragon Sword Sovereign, Namgung Mucheon.
‘He might know.’
He is one of the ten great masters under the heavens. As one of the few masters in this world who have reached the Transformation Realm, even if he doesn't know the method, he might be able to nullify the suggestion with his power. It wasn't that she hadn't considered it.
However.
‘The suggestion is a problem I must solve myself.’
It is a tenacious, ill-fated connection with the Blood Sect that should have been dealt with before returning to Namgung, a karma she must sever with her own hands. She knew Namgung Mucheon would help if she asked.
But, having declared that she would live for Namgung, she didn't want to show herself being helplessly swayed, unable to cut her ties with the Blood Sect.
‘This is something I must resolve on my own.’
“Oh, by the way, I have some good news.”
Seeing Seolhwa's expression grow more serious, Choryeon quickly changed the subject. Seolhwa finally broke from her thoughts and looked at her. In a more excited voice, Choryeon continued.
“The Family Head said he will perform a Marrow Cleansing for you.”
“…Marrow Cleansing?”
“It seems he was concerned after learning there was a problem with your Meridians. He even came to me this afternoon to confirm that there would be no issues. Young Lady, you are truly loved.”
Choryeon let out a soft laugh. Seolhwa was surprised. Marrow Cleansing is a great technique where a person of high realm infuses their Inner Energy into another's body to expel impurities and open their meridians.
In short, it is when a master uses their Inner Energy to cleanse another's meridians and remold their constitution to be suitable for learning martial arts. However, the master performing the Marrow Cleansing also consumes a considerable amount of inner energy, so no matter how high their realm, few would readily offer to do it.
A single misstep could cause both the performer and the recipient to fall into Qi Deviation, and the performer might never recover their lost inner energy. Manipulating another person's meridians at will also required considerable skill in circulating energy, so among the people of the Martial World, receiving a Marrow Cleansing was considered a heavenly fortune or a fateful opportunity.
‘They say receiving a Marrow Cleansing as a child has an effect superior to any elixir.’
To change an ordinary body, before it has even fully grown, into the body of a warrior—how much higher would one's martial arts achievements become as time passed? Furthermore, they say the effect is even greater when the performer is a blood relative, and Seolhwa fit both conditions. Her heart pounded in her chest.
Seolhwa carefully placed a hand on her chest. For the first time since returning to the past, she felt she understood where this sensation came from.
‘Anticipation.’
It was a Marrow Cleansing from none other than the Heavenly Dragon Sword Sovereign. Her meridians would become incomparably cleaner than when she had used the Great Rebirth Pill to expel her Blood Energy. Perhaps her Inner Energy, which was merely second-rate, could ascend to the ranks of the first-rate in a single stroke.
Moreover, with a body that has undergone a Marrow Cleansing….
‘I could become far stronger than in my previous life.’
Seolhwa recalled the energy she had briefly felt from Namgung Mucheon at dinner. It was as if a blue dragon was coursing through her meridians; everywhere the energy flowed, she felt a sense of refreshment. It was only for a moment, but it was the energy of a peerless master that one could not help but admire.
“Are you that happy? A moment ago, you looked like you didn't want to receive any help at all.”
Seeing Seolhwa's eyes widen and sparkle, Choryeon stifled a giggle.
“For a tiger cub, you're quite cute.”
It was a cuteness unbelievable for a child who held another's weakness over their head.
Namgung Cheongun, who was supposed to return before dinner, did not come. Instead, a group of maidservants suddenly rushed in. The maidservants said that dinner with the Family Head was ready and began to dress Seolhwa up.
She couldn't understand why she had to be dressed up for dinner, but Seolhwa obediently entrusted herself to their hands. She was bathed cleanly, her hair was neatly combed and adorned with a pretty hair ornament, and she was dressed in a skirt.
It was her first time wearing a skirt, but it was also her first time wearing clothes of such vibrant colors, so it felt quite new. The feel of the silk against her skin was as soft as if she were wrapped in clouds. The skirt, which reached just past her ankles, was also more comfortable than she had expected.
“My… you're so pretty, Young Lady!”
The young maidservant was moved, her eyes welling up with tears. She didn't know the standard for being pretty, so she couldn't tell if the maidservant was being sincere or not.
“Thank you. Is my father there too?”
“Yes. The First Young Master is also with them.”
‘Perfect.’
She had just been about to say she wanted to learn the Namgung's martial arts. She wanted to at least learn the cultivation method to put her meridians in some order before receiving the Marrow Cleansing.
“Ah. And.”
She was about to say they should go, but the maidservant's words continued.
“Not only the First Young Master, but the direct family members are also present.”