-Can you feel it? That's the subtle principle of the Ritual of Binding. It can pull and attach anything. Even qi is no exception.
"Qi?"
Is that the internal energy that martial artists talk about?
Cheong-ryeong looked at Mok Gyeong-un with an incredulous expression.
-Don't tell me you didn't even know about this?
In response to her reaction, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders.
Until just a short while ago, he had been living without even knowing what martial arts were.
'So this is what it was.'
However, feeling this was definitely a first for him.
But why did it feel like it wasn't the first time he had felt it?
There was a time when his grandfather had gently rubbed his back and stomach when he was first poisoned by the noxious herbs.
'…It was warm like this back then too.'
It wasn't just that his palms were warm, but his insides felt warm just like now.
Could it be that his grandfather had also cultivated this internal energy?
A small doubt arose.
Just then, the warm energy, no, the qi that had been entering through his palms suddenly felt cold.
Unlike before, it felt chilly and foreign.
"It suddenly turned cold."
-It turned cold?
Cheong-ryeong furrowed her brows at Mok Gyeong-un's words.
-Why is that?
"It's cold. Maybe the qi was depleted?"
-Hmm. That shouldn't be the case.
"It's cold. Just like…"
It was close to the unique death energy or yin energy emitted by the dead.
Mok Gyeong-un, who had killed numerous people to find his grandfather's killer, was closely acquainted with death.
That's why this unique feeling felt similar to him.
However, it soon ceased.
-Bulge!
The veins on the back of Mok Gyeong-un's hand bulged.
Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong nodded her head as if she understood.
The energy must have been depleted. Try stopping your breath and cease using the Ritual of Binding.
"Alright."
Mok Gyeong-un, who remembered the sensation he had stopped earlier, held his breath and concentrated.
Then, the suction into his palms stopped, and the bulging veins soon subsided.
"Phew."
Having calmed the Ritual of Binding like that, Mok Gyeong-un could feel something else.
It was that the qi that had entered his body was rapidly dispersing.
"The warm energy is scattering?"
-The basic nature of qi is to disperse. It's like the air you breathe in.
"Oh, is that so?"
-Why do you think martial artists are so obsessed with breathing methods and qigong? It's to gather the scattered qi from the air they breathe in.
"Ah!"
Mok Gyeong-un showed an interested expression at this basic knowledge about internal energy that he learned for the first time.
It seemed that martial arts were not simply about moving the body like ordinary martial arts.
As if he had realized something, Mok Gyeong-un asked Cheong-ryeong.
"Then can the energy pulled and attached by the Ritual of Binding also be gathered like the qigong you mentioned?"
-No.
"What?"
-Even if you absorb the opponent's qi with the Ritual of Binding, you cannot make it your own.
"What do you mean you can't make it your own?"
-Qi, when oxidized like this, may be unnoticeable, but it takes on unique attributes according to each sect's breathing methods, qigong, or qi circulation system.
"What are attributes?"
-It means it takes on unique properties. However, once it takes on those unique properties, if the person is not adapted to or trained in it, their danjeon cannot endure it.
"That means…"
-Yes. Absorbing someone else's internal energy is useless for making it your own.
"Ah, that's a bit unfortunate. I thought it would be a way to quickly increase qi."
-You think becoming a master is that easy? Well, don't be disappointed. The uses of the Ritual of Binding are endless.
At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked with a puzzled look.
"Isn't it meaningless if the absorbed qi dissipates anyway?"
-The absorbed qi may disperse, but it can still be utilized temporarily as it flows due to the Ritual of Binding. For example, try focusing that dispersing energy into your fist.
"How do I do that?"
-By circulating qi…ah.
Cheong-ryeong took a puff from her pipe with an exasperated look.
She seemed frustrated because Mok Gyeong-un knew absolutely nothing about martial arts.
Exhaling a thick smoke, she said.
–Phew. I can't believe I'm sitting here teaching this kind of thing to a mortal.
"…"
Mok Gyeong-un silently scratched his head.
-Tsk tsk, let's exclude complicated things like qi circulation methods for now. The important thing is visualization.
"Visualization?"
-Yes. If you remember how it moved when you absorbed the energy with the Ritual of Binding earlier, focus on moving that sensation to the desired part.
Visualization (心想).
Although Cheong-ryeong spoke of it casually, this was a method used by masters who had reached a certain level when seeking a higher realm of ascension.
Introspecting the mind is visualization.
Strictly speaking, this was not a concept that a novice who had never learned martial arts could do.
However, Mok Gyeong-un had something different from ordinary people.
'Extreme concentration.'
Cheong-ryeong judged that Mok Gyeong-un possessed that.
She didn't know if his talent was outstanding or not since he had never started martial arts, but his unique concentration was unbelievable.
That's why she suggested trying visualization.
'Will it really work?'
He doesn't know the concepts of meridians and qi circulation methods.
However, it was the first time she had told someone to try moving true qi to a desired location with just visualization.
If done incorrectly, it could lead to qi deviation, but since the qi wasn't fixed in the danjeon in the first place and was originally dispersing qi, it was worth a try.
'Hmm.'
Mok Gyeong-un closed his eyes and focused on the dispersing qi.
He tried to recall the sensation of how the qi entered his body through the Ritual of Binding when it first came in.
Then, in Mok Gyeong-un's eyes, blood vessels were traced along his palms and wrists.
'Naegwan…Onyu…Geukmun…Gongchoe…Susamni…Sohe…Hyeopbaek[1]…'
Surprisingly, Mok Gyeong-un knew the acupuncture points and meridians.
This was because he had learned it from his grandfather along with herbology, so he could remember it even with his eyes closed.
Therefore, Mok Gyeong-un could also recall the path through which the true qi absorbed by the Ritual of Binding had flowed in and expanded his danjeon.
'Then in reverse…'
The warm energy moved along Gihae (Sea of Qi), Eumgyo (Ren meridian), Hwangyu (Du meridian), Geogwal (Stomach meridian), Gumi (liver meridian), Seongi (Spleen meridian), and Yeomcheon (Gallbladder meridian).
The small amount of remaining qi flowed backwards along Gisa and Hyeopbaek towards the wrist.
The qi that reached the Naegwan acupoint in the wrist concentrated in the fist.
-Clench!
Mok Gyeong-un clenched his fist.
It felt like some strength had entered it.
'With this kind of power…'
Mok Gyeong-un approached the wall of the cave.
And he drove his fist, in which the warm energy had gathered, into the wall.
-Thud! Crack!
At that moment, the part of the cave wall where Mok Gyeong-un's fist was driven in caved in about two finger joints deep, and cracks spread around it.
'Oho.'
Is this the power of internal energy?
-!?
Seeing Mok Gyeong-un like this, a glint of surprise flashed in Cheong-ryeong's eyes.
She really didn't expect him to be able to do this in one go.
He said it was visualization, but moving internal energy is nearly impossible if one doesn't know the qi circulation paths.
Yet he really did it.
'…what the …. is this guy?'
Cheong-ryeong was genuinely curious.
She had seen numerous talents in her lifetime, but this was the first time she had seen someone who had such outstanding instincts despite not having learned martial arts until the age of sixteen or seventeen.
-Hah…
What if this guy had started learning martial arts from a young age?
It made her wonder.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un turned his head towards Cheong-ryeong and said.
"I think I understand now why people talk about martial arts so much. If you learn this, it would be much easier to kill people."
At Mok Gyeong-un's nonchalant words, the corners of Cheong-ryeong's lips twitched for a moment.
This guy knew exactly what the essence of martial arts was.
Achieving enlightenment through martial arts and such was all nonsense.
The essence of martial arts was how efficiently one could kill the opponent.
Cheong-ryeong put the pipe in her mouth, crossed her arms, and said.
-The first technique, the Ritual of Binding, is just the foundation of the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques[2]. Even mastering one technique has endless subtleties.
"Excellent. I want to properly learn these endless subtleties. Can you teach me like now?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Cheong-ryeong's expression froze for a moment.
She had no intention of teaching him in the first place.
However, she had become talkative without realizing it due to Mok Gyeong-un's unbelievable concentration and innate talent.
-Ha, I almost fell for it, you damn mortal. How dare you try to trick me.
"What?"
-You think I would do you a favor? No way.
"But we'll have to continue working together, so wouldn't it be better to cooperate?"
-That won't happen.
Then she swiftly turned her head away.
Seeing her suddenly change her attitude, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.
"Cheong-ryeong?"
-…
She doesn't even pretend to listen.
There was no other way.
Since he wasn't the type to go out of his way to appease someone, Mok Gyeong-un didn't call out to Cheong-ryeong anymore.
Rather, he was more interested in these Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.
According to Cheong-ryeong's words, there were seven more techniques like this Ritual of Binding, but how was this possible with just thirty characters?
Whoever created it must have been truly amazing.
However, no matter how brilliant Mok Gyeong-un was, he didn't know much about martial arts, so it was difficult to create other techniques with just thirty characters.
'What a pity.'
For now, he had to be satisfied with the Ritual of Binding.
Since he wasn't familiar with it yet, it seemed like it could be used in various ways if he studied it well.
Having organized his thoughts, Mok Gyeong-un was about to take steps to dispose of Jo Il-sang's corpse.
But then,
'!?'
Mok Gyeong-un frowned and looked down at his lower abdomen.
'What is this?'
When he had the warm energy, no, the internal energy absorbed from Jo Il-sang, he hadn't noticed, but that chilly energy remained as it was.
'Why is this?'
The internal energy had clearly dissipated, leaving no trace behind.
But this chilly energy remained intact.
Although the amount was significantly smaller compared to the absorbed internal energy, it remained intact below his navel.
'Strange.'
Even Cheong-ryeong didn't properly know about this cold energy.
He thought about asking her, but soon gave up.
She didn't seem like she would answer even if he asked now.
'It's not bad to find out for myself.'
This kind of trouble was a form of interest.
Mok Gyeong-un raised the corners of his mouth.
***
In an empty room with only one lantern lit.
-Clang!
The female warrior with one eye placed a pouch full of silver coins on the table.
She was Ho-aeng, a guard warrior of Lady Seok, the wife of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor's master.
"This is consolation money sent by Madam."
"…"
"As I mentioned earlier, if you can handle the matter, she said she will pay four hundred silver coins."
After saying that, she looked at the lantern on the table.
The lantern still showed no reaction.
It might be because of the death of her colleague Myo-sin.
The waiting woman opened her mouth.
"If this is insufficient…"
-Swish!
Before she could finish her words, the lantern suddenly went out.
Seeing this, Ho-aeng gulped and stood up from her seat and went outside.
The extinguished lantern was a signal that the request was accepted.
Therefore, there was no reason to stay any longer.
-Tap tap!
She, who had come out with quick steps, looked at the dilapidated building that seemed like it would collapse at any moment.
This place was the headquarters of the diviners, the Ghostly Pavilion.
Every time she came here, she felt chills and uneasiness for no reason.
She hurriedly mounted her horse.
Shortly after she left, voices were heard from inside the Ghostly Pavilion.
"It must've been Sal (殺, murder)."
The first was an old man's voice.
Next, a middle-aged man's voice was heard.
"It's certain. Sect Leader."
"What do you think, Sak?"
At that question, a woman's voice was heard.
"If Sal is certain, then Elder Myo-sin must have been devoured by an evil ghost. But that third young master concerns me."
"The sect leader also feels the same. Sal (殺) is originally an act of cursing or possessing someone with a vengeful ghost. But it is said that the maid was summoned by the third young master's call. That means…"
"Doesn't it mean he is controlling the vengeful ghost?"
"Hmm. This is no ordinary matter."
The reason they were taking this seriously was as follows.
"If it's to the extent of summoning the maid and feeding Sal, the vengeful ghost must be at least of the Yellow ghost level. Is it possible to use such a high-level vengeful ghost as a familiar?"
Vengeful ghosts cannot be used as familiar.
That was the orthodox view of the diviners.
Supernatural beings or the benevolent souls of creatures with pure energy could be used as familiar, but fallen vengeful ghosts were beings that needed to be exorcised or sealed.
"Vengeful ghosts are beings that cannot be controlled in the first place. The third young master may have had his soul seized by the vengeful ghost."
-Bang!
"Then we cannot leave him be! Sect Leader, please entrust this matter to me."
"You will go, Sak?"
"Yes. I will appease Elder Myo-sin's vengeful ghost and deal with the third young master."
At those words, the sect leader issued an order that it was decided.
"I grant you permission. With you, who can control the Guyeo (armadillo with a bird's beak)[3] as a familiar, exorcising it should be easy. Go."
"I accept the sect leader's order."
With the answer, a beautiful woman with one white eye appeared from the darkness.
The woman who appeared naturally took the pouch of silver coins on the table.
***
-Thud!
The sleepy-eyed guard Go Chan brought a small brazier in front of Mok Gyeong-un's bed.
He, who had stayed up almost all night keeping watch, was exhausted.
When he asked if he could just close his eyes for a bit since dawn was approaching, he was a little annoyed at being asked to do this.
Go Chan asked with a puzzled look.
"Why did you have me bring this out, young master?"
"I have something to burn."
"Something to burn, you say? If there's something like that, you can just have me…"
"I want to see for myself that it's completely burned."
"What in the world are you trying to burn…!?"
Suddenly, Go Chan's eyes went wide.
What Mok Gyeong-un pulled out was none other than,
[Ignited Wood Sword Formation]
'It, it was real after all.'
So it was true that he found out the location of the secret manuals from the sect leader through the evil ghosts.
To think that the sect leader's exclusive martial arts manual, the Ignited Wood Sword Formation, was in Mok Gyeong-un's hands.
Go Chan gulped and frowned.
"No. Young master. Don't tell me you're going to burn that?"
In response to Go Chan's anxious cry, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and replied.
"I'm going to burn it."
At this, Go Chan was startled and tried to dissuade him.
"B-Burn it, you say? Young master, what you have in your hands is an exclusive secret manual that only the sect leader can learn. How could you…"
"I'm burning it because I need to."
-Rip!
With those words, Mok Gyeong-un left only the cover and the second page of the Ignited Wood Sword Formation manual and threw the rest into the brazier.
It happened before he could even say anything to stop him.
-Crackle!
Go Chan looked at Mok Gyeong-un in disbelief.
Does this crazy guy really not know the importance of this secret manual?
To the dumbfounded Go Chan, Mok Gyeong-un nonchalantly said.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I don't quite like the look in your eyes."
"…Young master. Even if it's difficult for you to learn martial arts at your age, if you have that, you could make use of it somehow."
"That's all the more reason to burn it."
"If you burn it, then how will you…"
"I have it here, you know."
Mok Gyeong-un smiled and tapped his head with his finger.
'!?'
Seeing that, Go Chan's eyes widened in surprise.
Does he mean he's burning it because he memorized the entire secret manual?
No, then he should have told me from the beginning.
He was just surprised thinking he was throwing away that precious manual.
As he was about to say this, Mok Gyeong-un took out the secret manual of the Ignited Wood Heart Transformation Technique (然木化心法) this time and, just as he had done before, tore out everything except the cover and the first two pages and put them in the brazier.
-Crackle!
At this, Go Chan asked with an expression of utter incomprehension.
"What in the world are you doing?"
In response to this question, Mok Gyeong-un handed him the secret manuals of the Ignited Wood Sword Formation and Ignited Wood Heart Transformation Technique, with only the unburned covers and two pages of content remaining.
"What do I do with these?"
"Take one of those secret manuals each to the madam and the second young master. Oh, at dawn."
"Pardon?"
"Just deliver them and come back. Without saying anything."
Go Chan furrowed his brow.
what the …. is this guy trying to do?
He couldn't fathom it at all.
But what could he do? With his life on the line, he had no choice but to do as he was told.
"…I understand. Then, before I go, may I get some sleep until morning?"
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
"Oh, I forgot to mention. I just killed that guard warrior sent by the second young master."
"…"
Go Chan was wide awake now.