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Chapter 30
“Kyaaaaah!”
“You crazy—!”
Whoooosh.
A savage gust of wind sliced past his ears.
‘Goddamn it!’
Truthfully, Yang-hwi had no problem dealing with cliffs of this height.
His current martial arts might’ve only been third-rate, but the cultivation he’d achieved in his past life made this far from a real challenge.
The problem was—
“Kyaaah! Kyaaaaaah!”
Each time Jegal Seolha screamed, her aura of Peach Blossom Constitution rippled out like shockwaves.
“Seolha, quiet!”
“Kyaaaah!”
It might’ve been too much to expect a fragile girl who’d lived her whole life in self-imposed silence to suddenly shut her mouth while freefalling off a cliff.
He switched to plan B immediately.
As soon as he reached out and touched her, Jegal Seolha, drifted into unconsciousness.
Yang-hwi frantically activated Heavenly Harmony Art.
The Harmony energy, a force born to embrace all, merged seamlessly with the invasive Peach Blossom energy inside her body.
‘Got it!’
Now to slow their descent by anchoring something into the cliff wall—Damn it. No sword.
With no other choice, Yang-hwi prepared to slam his bare hand into the rock.
Shwaaak!
A blur fell from above, even faster than they were.
He swiftly reached out and caught it.
‘At least you have some sense of honor.’
It wasn’t a steel blade but a wooden sword. Still, it kept his hands from turning into bloody pulp. That alone was a relief.
Cradling Jegal Seolha in his arms, he drove the wooden sword into the cliffside to slow their fall.
Screeeeech!
Even so, the ground was racing up to meet them.
He could use a falling technique to break the impact—but that meant throwing Jegal Seolha away.
If he landed like this, he was guaranteed at least a few fractures in his legs.
Gritting his teeth, Yang-hwi drew up his Harmony energy and flooded it into his legs.
‘Seolha, this might shake a bit.’
Ten jang to the ground. Five. Three.
Finally—one.
“Haaaah!”
He planted both feet solidly onto the earth. A jolt of pain burst up from his soles.
Instantly, waves of impact rippled up from his ankles.
Yang-hwi threw both arms over his head.
And in that fleeting moment, just as the aftershock reached his fingertips, he gently pushed Jegal Seolha upward.
She shot into the air, over ten jang high. He had dispersed the force of the fall using his energy, and just a light push sent her soaring.
‘With the impact absorbed, catching her will be the easy part.’
As she descended, Yang-hwi safely caught Jegal Seolha in his arms—and only then finally let out a breath.
“Whew. That really could’ve killed us.”
No exaggeration—it honestly felt like he’d brushed past death.
Sweat had beaded and rolled down his face during those few short seconds of free fall.
“……”
‘She didn’t hear that, right? No way. Even if she did, I can’t help it.’
’Just ’cause you’re a master, you think you can do whatever you want, you… you…’
‘You wrinkly old hag in a young girl’s body!’
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the thought. It really did feel like she’d hear him somehow.
’Damn it. And I’m only holding back ‘cause she threw me that sword.’
Yang-hwi gently laid Jegal Seolha down and sat cross-legged.
He’d used up all his internal energy cushioning the fall—his dantian was completely empty.
Even if his current dantian was barely the size of a grain of rice compared to his past life, it still needed refilling to feel safe again.
“Ssssshh, haaaa…”
With deep, deliberate breaths, he focused all his attention on circulating his energy.
That’s when he noticed—the air was getting colder.
“Ugh…”
Seolha stirred faintly, letting out a soft moan as her consciousness began to return.
Considering how much energy he’d infused into her while supporting her earlier, she should’ve stayed unconscious longer. The chill must have roused her faster.
‘Well, I’ve recovered enough energy, at least.’
His energy control was excellent, and his small dantian meant quicker recovery.
The problem now was once Jegal Seolha woke up fully, the Peach Blossom energy’s resurgence could become an issue.
“……”
Yang-hwi recalled the thought he’d had when he first realized her condition.
‘Maybe… If it’s the Heavenly Harmony Dual Force Technique, it might be able to suppress the side effects of her Peach Blossom Constitution Physique.’
The foundational martial technique of the Baek Clan had always been the Sixfold Harmony Art—a method combining internal and external cultivation, channeling energy in accordance with the principle of Six Harmonies.
In his previous life, Yang-hwi began with that very technique, eventually developing a true divine method—one that ascended to the ranks of legendary martial arts.
That method was called the Heavenly Harmony Art.
It was a self-crafted inner art rooted in the concept of harmonizing all energies beneath the heavens to benefit the origin of life.
‘All energies have their own nature and temperament. And the nature of Harmony energy… is acceptance.’
To embrace and harmonize. To unify all into one and make it his own.
If wielded correctly, even the Peach Blossom energy—infamous for its volatility—could potentially be neutralized.
However…
Teaching Jegal Seolha the Heavenly Harmony Dual Force Technique would be pointless.
Because it didn’t include the method to control the Upper dantian, the spiritual energy center in the upper body.
Unless she reached a transcendental state where she could naturally link all three dantian points herself, there was no way she could manage the Peach Blossom Constitution energy housed in the Upper dantian.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can’t lend her my energy.’
Normally, interfering with someone else’s Upper Dantian was no different from trying to kill them.
But Yang-hwi had confidence.
In his past life, he had reached the pinnacle of martial cultivation—even opening the Upper dantian himself.
What’s more, his inner energy—being Harmony energy of harmony and fusion—posed minimal risk.
“Ssssshh… huuuh...”
He took a deep breath and gently pressed his hand against the center of Jegal Seolha’s forehead—specifically, the Indang point.
The channel to the heavens might be the Baekhoe point at the crown, but the Upper dantian, the vessel holding divine energy, was centered around the Indang.
From the Laogong point in the middle of Yang-hwi’s palm, Harmony energy began to flow into Jegal Seolha’s forehead.
‘Even with Harmony energy, directly invading the Upper dantian is too dangerous.’
Instead, he opted to form a thin membrane of energy just outside it—a protective buffer.
It required exquisite control of internal energy, but it was the safest method.
And then—
‘Hmm? Her Elixir Seed…?’
From the center of her dantian, the dantian of spiritual energy, a clear and serene current began to flow outward.
The immortal energy from her Celestial dantian mingled with the Harmony energy, traveling the exact path between her forehead and the center of Yang-hwi’s palm.
‘This… shouldn’t be possible at this level of cultivation. What’s going on?’
“Where the heart leads, energy follows.”
The principle of Simsaeng Jonggi—a state where one’s mind commands energy—was manifesting here.
Yang-hwi’s Harmony energy, now entwined with immortal energy, moved exactly as he willed, surrounding and protecting Jegal Seolha’s Upper dantian.
He had just perfectly reproduced a key tenet of Will-Energy Unification—a phenomenon only achievable by martial masters at their absolute peak.
“Fuuuu…”
Finishing the process, Yang-hwi let out a long breath and withdrew his hand.
‘Hah. Didn’t expect to walk away with a bonus like this.’
To think he could grasp the essence of Simsaeng Jonggi from a mere third-rate level.
It was like someone who didn’t even know how to hold a brush suddenly mastering a calligrapher’s finest script.
He had sensed something unusual about Jegal Seolha and immortal energy from the very beginning.
Now, he was even more certain—it had something to do with turning back time.
Feeling the weight of that realization, Yang-hwi gently called to her.
“Seolha. Jegal Seolha. Wake up.”
“Mmgh…”
With a faint moan, her eyes fluttered open.
“…Where am I? Ah—”
Jegal Seolha, who had spoken without thinking, clamped her hands over her mouth in wide-eyed shock.
Watching her, Yang-hwi chuckled softly.
“Good. That means it worked. You can speak. It’s okay now. You can lower your hands.”
“Mmm, mm!”
Still skeptical, she refused to budge.
Scratching his head, Yang-hwi suddenly shouted loudly.
“KYAAAH!”
“MMH! Ah—?”
Startled, Jegal Seolha instinctively screamed—then realized—and quickly covered her mouth again, only for her eyes to go wide moments later.
“You can feel it too, right? The Peach Blossom energy isn’t spreading.”
Nod. Nod.
“It’s going to stay like that for a while. So don’t worry—you can speak freely.”
“…Really? Mmph.”
Jegal Seolha, who had instinctively covered her mouth again, slowly lowered her hands and opened her mouth once more.
“…It’s really… mmph. It’s really true…”
Her voice trailed off, shrinking in volume—until it broke into a trembling sob.
“Huuuk… It really is… sniff… it’s really true…”
The sobs soon turned into full-blown weeping, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“Waaah… Hic… Father… Mom…!”
Yang-hwi watched her, an ache in his chest.
‘I was planning to suggest we move out right away, but… there’s no helping it now.’
“You’ve had it rough, haven’t you? Cry it all out. Let everything go.”
He gently patted Jegal Seolha’s shoulder.
If it had been his younger sister Yeon-ah, he probably would’ve pulled her into a hug—but considering the propriety of boys and girls keeping distance, a pat would have to do.
And so, about half an hour passed before Jegal Seolha finally stopped crying.
“…Baek Young master. What exactly happened?”
Yang-hwi scratched his head sincerely this time.
“Weren’t we supposed to be same-age friends? If you keep being formal like that, I’ll end up sounding like the rude one here.”
“But… you stopped the Peach Blossom energy for me. Speaking casually to someone who saved my life feels… wrong.”
“It’s not even permanent. It’s just a temporary seal.”
“Still.”
Huh. Seems like Uncle did a stellar job raising her.
As expected of a noble family.
“Still, being called ‘Young master’ feels awkward. Now that we’re martial siblings, just call me Sahyung instead.”
“That’s not necessarily correct.”
“…Huh?”
Jegal Seolha looked him straight in the eyes.
“Forgive me, but may I ask for your date of birth?”
“…Why?”
“In cases where martial siblings are the same age and entered the sect at the same time, we determine seniority by birth date. I might be your older sibling, you know?”
“…When’s your birthday, then?”
“February.”
February, huh? Out of all twelve months, that’s a tough one to beat.
Looks like I’ll have to cheat a bit.
“Well, mine’s January. So I’m older. Call me Sahyung.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
“Would you stake the honor of the Baek Clan on it?”
“….”
Yang-hwi didn’t answer right away. Instead, he just gave her a long, steady look.
Despite her innocent expression, Jegal Seolha didn’t avert her eyes.
She didn’t seem like the bold type before… so why was she being so forward now?
“I was an orphan and a beggar. I picked my own birthday. Coincidentally, that day happened to be the first of the new year—so my birthday’s January 1st.”
“….”
Leaving Jegal Seolha speechless, Yang-hwi grinned.
“So, I’m definitely the Sahyung, right?”
“…Understood, Sahyung. Once again, thank you for everything.”
“Good girl.”
Now then… time to figure out where the hell we are.
Even as they chatted, the temperature kept dropping.
‘Wonderful. Now it’s snowing.’
That’s when it happened.
Like a mirage, the scenery ahead began to shimmer and shift.
Though the base of the cliff had been filled with green foliage, everything around them was suddenly blanketed in snow.
In other words, the location had changed—into a snowy mountain.
“Sahyung, this looks like a formation.”
“Agreed.”
A formation—a technique that distorts nature’s flow using special objects, creating illusion-like phenomena.
“When it comes to formations, your Jegal Clan is legendary. Any chance you can spot a way to break it, Samae?”
“…Sorry. My studies haven’t gone that deep yet.”
“That’s fine. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much.”
“….”
Jegal Seolha tried to stay composed, but she couldn’t completely hide the pout forming on her face.
‘Now that’s more like a kid. Kinda cute, actually.’
Smiling faintly, Yang-hwi turned his gaze toward the snow-covered mountain trail stretching into the distance.
“I think I get the gist of it. We’re supposed to endure the cold and climb to the top.”
Most likely, no matter how far they walked, the summit would never get any closer.
It was a trial—testing endurance and will by forcing them to march through endless winter.
Man… times like this really make you feel that Eumhu is over a hundred years old.
‘What a tired, old-fashioned method. Even outdated wuxia manuals wouldn’t include something this cliché anymore.’
Yang-hwi raised his wooden sword.
“Sahyung, what are you planning?”
“You’ll see, Samae.”
Unfortunately for Eumhu, Yang-hwi had no intention of respectfully playing along with this kind of ancient initiation rite.
[TL: Sahyung- It's a respectful Korean term used by martial artists to refer to an elder male disciple under the same master.
Samae - It's also a respectful Korean term, but used by a male martial artist to refer to a younger female disciple under the same master.]
---The End Of The Chapter---
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