Ilhwa and Seop Mugwang arrived in the Anhui Province area at a swift pace. Since Ilhwa wouldn’t be able to use light footwork once she expelled her Inner Energy, they decided to first move near Hefei and then begin her breathing and energy circulation.
The place where the two stopped was a valley in the eastern part of Anhui Province, near Mount Huangshan. Seop Mugwang led Ilhwa to the front of a cave.
“This is the place where I’ve been training. There’s no path, so it’s hard to get to, and the thick forest makes it hard to find. You won’t find a better place than this!”
Ilhwa looked around. It was indeed a place that had all the conditions she had been looking for. There weren’t even any animal tracks nearby, suggesting that even beasts avoided the area.
“Alright, kid. Time to be born again.”
Ilhwa looked up at him. After spending the past few days together, she realized Seop Mugwang was more considerate than he seemed. He always checked if she was sleeping well, if she was in pain, or if she was having a hard time.
Though he grumbled a bit, he always made sure she was okay. He even hunted animals and cooked them for her meals. Thanks to his knowledge of shortcuts to Anhui, Ilhwa had arrived faster and more comfortably than expected.
“Thank you.”
Ilhwa expressed her gratitude sincerely. Perhaps sensing her sincerity, Seop Mugwang’s eyes widened slightly. He chuckled and patted her head.
“Don’t die, kid. It won’t be easy, but just focus on your breathing.”
Ilhwa nodded.
Seop Mugwang stared at her for a moment.
“Want help?”
Ilhwa shook her head.
“I can do it alone.”
He shrugged and lowered his hand.
“Alright. I figured you could….”
Though he said that, his eyes were still full of worry. He let out a short sigh at the sight of the child calmly facing something that could lead to death, then walked over to a nearby rock and plopped down.
“When you’re reborn, try to do something about that stiff way of talking. You look like a thirteen-year-old kid, but there’s nothing cute about you.”
He plucked a stalk of grass nearby, stuck it between his teeth, and chewed on it as he continued.
“When you go back home, you’ll meet your parents, right? If their child talks all stiff after such a long time, they’ll just end up worrying.”
He was right. Having suddenly returned to the body of a child at the age of thirty, Ilhwa had been speaking in a way that clearly didn’t match a thirteen-year-old.
‘They might think it’s strange. I should fix it.’
Ilhwa nodded.
“Yes. I understand.”
Seop Mugwang smiled in satisfaction.
“Good. Let’s meet again alive, kid.”
Ilhwa bowed politely to the man chewing on grass and swinging his legs, then walked into the cave. Just as her figure was half swallowed by the darkness— “Got a favorite food?” After a brief silence, her lips moved under the shadow.
“…Candied fruit skewers.”
Though her voice was small, Seop Mugwang heard it clearly. He waved his hand as if to tell her to go on. Ilhwa’s figure soon disappeared completely into the shadows of the cave.
As soon as the child’s presence faded completely— The smile on Seop Mugwang’s face vanished, replaced by a cold expression. Behind him, figures dressed in black martial robes with blue sashes appeared. They were the Secret Wind Sword Unit, a hidden force of the Namgung Clan.
“Did you take care of all the rats?”
“Yes, Captain.”
One of them handed Seop Mugwang a torn headband. It was embroidered with a Red Crow.
“Take this back and inform the Clan Leader that the child has arrived in Anhui.”
“Yes, sir!”
Just as the man was about to use light footwork and leave— “Oh, right. Bring back some candied fruit skewers when you return.”
“…Candied fruit skewers, sir?”
“Yeah.”
A smile returned to Seop Mugwang’s face.
“Since you’re going anyway, grab every kind they have in the market.”
Inside the cave, a mat just big enough for one person to sit on was laid out. It seemed Seop Mugwang hadn’t lied about training his Inner Energy here from time to time. Ilhwa sat cross-legged on the mat.
She took out a pouch from her clothes, and the moment she opened it, a powerful energy burst out, making it hard to breathe. It felt as if a brilliant golden light was shooting out.
‘This is… the Great Rebirth Pill.’
A legendary elixir said to heal even fatal wounds instantly and grant immense Inner Energy just by consuming it. Even in the Shaolin Temple, it was so rare that it was only used in special cases.
That such a pill was in her hands was likely due to the hidden influence of the Blood Demon, but that was something to think about later.
Gulp.
Ilhwa swallowed the Great Rebirth Pill in one go. The moment it entered her mouth, it melted instantly and vanished. Whoosh— An immense, unfathomable force poured into her like a vast ocean, like an endless wind.
Just putting it in her mouth made her feel as if she had glimpsed the next life.
‘Focus…’
If she got swept away by the power of the Great Rebirth Pill, there would be no turning back. No matter how good a medicine is, it can become poison depending on the situation. Especially for Ilhwa right now, as Seop Mugwang had warned, she couldn’t afford to lose herself in the pill’s energy.
Ilhwa closed her eyes and slowly felt the power taking over her body. The pure energy of the Great Rebirth Pill spread through her blood channels without resistance. Ilhwa’s body flinched.
Perhaps sensing the threat of the sudden surge of energy, the Blood Energy flowing through her blood channels began to stir.
‘Inner Energy rooted in blood can never become one with other types.’
Blood Energy, rooted in blood, is insatiably greedy. It devours other types of Inner Energy to grow stronger. But that only happens when the devoured energy is weaker or at least equal in strength.
Rumble— The Blood Energy that had occupied her blood channels began to be pushed back, unable to withstand the overwhelming force.
‘If Blood Energy is a river, then the pure energy of the Great Rebirth Pill is the ocean.’
Not only could it not devour it, it was being completely overwhelmed. So even if she let it flow naturally, the Blood Energy would be pushed out eventually.
‘But just pushing it out isn’t enough.’
What Ilhwa wanted was to return her blood channels and body to a pure state, as if she had never practiced Blood Arts. To do that, she had to remove every trace of Blood Energy clinging to her blood vessels.
‘Faster, stronger. Like a storm, without hesitation…!’
As Ilhwa began to circulate the energy of the Great Rebirth Pill more aggressively, the energy that had been spreading naturally suddenly surged through her blood channels like a whirlwind. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her temples.
Huff, rumble—!
Like a massive storm, the energy surged and began to devour her body. The remnants of Blood Energy clinging to her blood channels couldn’t withstand the violent force and began to be swept away. Like a cornered rat biting a cat— Twitch!
The Blood Energy gathered in her Dantian began to thrash wildly, as if it would shatter it. The resistance of the Blood Energy was growing stronger.
‘Huff…!’
Ilhwa gasped.
A stream of dark red blood trickled from her mouth. The pure energy of the Great Rebirth Pill trying to conquer, and the Blood Energy trying to defend its ground. The two forces clashed fiercely, and her Dantian trembled dangerously, as if it would shatter at any moment.
If she wasn’t careful, her Dantian could be destroyed, or she could fall into Qi Deviation.
‘I… will not lose…!’
Ilhwa clenched her fists tightly.
Night had fallen. In front of the cave entrance, on a rock. Seop Mugwang, the leader of the Secret Wind Sword Unit of the Namgung Clan, stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
Though his expression was calm and relaxed, his legs were constantly shaking.
‘She should be out by now.’
Surely nothing went wrong? Maybe her blood channels twisted during energy circulation, or she couldn’t withstand the energy of the Great Rebirth Pill and fell into Qi Deviation? The more such thoughts crossed his mind, the faster his legs trembled.
Then, at some point, Seop Mugwang’s eyebrows twitched, and he opened his eyes. He stared into the dark cave, then let out a low chuckle.
“What a remarkable kid.”
He jumped down from the rock and walked to the cave entrance. In his hand was a paper bag filled with children’s clothes and candied fruit skewers.
“Glad to see you alive, kid.”
With the sound of soft footsteps, a small figure emerged from the darkness of the cave. Seop Mugwang raised his eyebrows when he saw her. A pure energy, completely different from before, was radiating from her body.
‘Oh? Not only did she expel the foul energy, she even built up Inner Energy.’
It was only second-rate at best, but considering her age, it was an impressive result. He had only hoped she wouldn’t fall into Qi Deviation, but she had even made the remaining energy her own.
“Well done.”
Seop Mugwang handed her the clothes and candied fruit skewers. Ilhwa looked up at him as she accepted them. The silver moonlight sparkled clearly in her black eyes.
Having expelled the impurities from her body, even her gaze had become clearer.
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
For staying alive. Ilhwa tilted her head, not understanding his words, and Seop Mugwang patted her head.
“Let’s go. You haven’t bathed in three days, so let’s get you into some warm water first. You stink.”
During the energy circulation process, the impurities in Ilhwa’s body had been expelled. A sticky black liquid had oozed from her body, giving off a terrible stench.
“Three days?”
“Yeah. It’s been three days since you went into the cave. Didn’t you know?”
Ilhwa nodded.
She had been so focused on circulating her energy that she hadn’t noticed the passage of time. Three days, huh.
‘He stood guard for three days?’
Staying still in such a quiet place for three days couldn’t have been easy. She owed Seop Mugwang a debt. Her stomach let out a small growl.
As she rubbed her belly, Seop Mugwang burst into laughter.
“Haha! Of course you’re hungry! Since you’re back in your hometown, I’ll introduce you to a local specialty of Hefei!”
Seop Mugwang suddenly picked Ilhwa up in his arms. After three days without food or sleep, her body was as light as a feather.
“…!”
Ilhwa looked up at him in surprise.
“Hold on tight, kid. I won’t notice if you fall.”
Chuckling, Seop Mugwang used light footwork and moved swiftly. Held in his arms, Ilhwa felt the cool wind on her face and looked out at the mighty flow of the Yangtze River under the moonlight. Beyond that, the lights of the city sparkled brightly, as if welcoming her.
‘Finally… Hefei.’
It was a night when the sweet scent of candied fruit skewers tickled her nose.