What do you want to do?
Despite waiting late into the night, the Poison King and Dang Yu-Ji did not return.
Dang Yu-Hwa and Seo Yoon decided to head to Seo Yoon's residence after leaving a message for the Poison King.
Upon arriving at the residence, the atmosphere felt oddly tense.
"Alright! Shall we continue? Let's start with the Vice Chief."
"Ah, yes."
Seo Yoon seemed to be forcing himself to focus.
He trained with the Vice Chief as usual.
The speed of his movements was decent.
Was it because he had built up his internal energy?
Or was it because his meridians had expanded?
Perhaps he had gained practical experience through his one-on-one battles.
"Good. If you keep this up, you'll reach a five-star level with the Vice Chief! For your lightness skill... practice walking like you did today every day. I've taught you how to manage your internal energy, right?"
"Can I try it now?"
"Sure."
Once she gave her permission, Seo Yoon stepped forward according to the internal energy formula.
One step of the Exit Skill.
The immense power that erupted from his feet propelled Seo Yoon forward.
"Whoa!" "The Exit Skill is a top-tier lightness skill, so mastering it won't be easy."
Dang Yu-Hwa demonstrated the technique.
Seo Yoon nodded in admiration at her swift movements.
"So that's why training the lower body is so important."
"Exactly. The Exit Skill is a powerful lightness technique and also a footwork method. The most crucial aspect is the strength transmitted through your lower body. Both internal energy and physical strength are important."
"Endurance?"
"Right."
After tilting his head in thought, Seo Yoon attempted the Exit Skill several more times.
Seeing him awkwardly mimic the technique, Dang Yu-Hwa nodded in approval.
"Good. Practice like that every day. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to fight while using the Exit Skill."
"With this, I'll have an easier time catching that skeleton!"
"That's right?"
Dang Yu-Hwa smiled weakly at that comment.
Feeling her smile, Seo Yoon scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I don't know when you'll leave, so I need to learn as much as I can."
"Exactly! So you know there's no time to waste? Hurry up!"
"Yes, yes."
Training resumed once again.
While Seo Yoon was training under Dang Yu-Hwa's urging, applause suddenly rang out.
"Huh?"
"Excellent!"
When had he arrived?
Sword Master looked on as Seo Yoon trained, speaking with heartfelt admiration:
"To think you wouldn't stop working hard even at this late hour! You're a hundred times better than my foolish disciple! No, a thousand times better!"
"Seo Yoon's talent and physique are average; he has no choice but to work twice as hard as others."
"And what you're teaching is impressive too! You're teaching him with careful consideration of his abilities. He might just become a great martial artist of the Justice Alliance!"
"Oh no, I must decline that offer! The Justice Alliance? The Dang Clan maintains balance in justice; I have no intention of joining them! Of course, I can't forgive the Black Lotus Society either…"
With thoughts of the Dang Clan occupying his mind, there was no room for considering joining the Justice Alliance.
As she waved her hands dismissively, Sword Master smiled brightly.
"The Exit Skill is quite an excellent lightness technique; make sure to learn it well since I'm practicing it too."
Sword Master slowly raised his sword wrapped in cloth; each step he took emanated a powerful aura from his body.
'This is the pinnacle of martial arts…'
It was different from the Poison King's movements.
The Poison King's movements were stealthy and elusive; however, Sword Master openly displayed his own movements as if he were determined to shatter anything obstructing him.
As Sword Master demonstrated the Exit Skill, Dang Yu-Hwa pointed to his footprints left behind.
"That footwork is the most ideal form."
"Hmm…"
Whether intentional or not, deep footprints were left in the ground beneath him.
Sword Master smiled gently and took a step back.
"With such eagerness to learn and improve, how could I not be impressed? Hahaha!! Well then, I shall take my leave... or rather, have you seen my disciple? That rascal disappeared after telling me to secure accommodations…"
"He hasn't come here."
"Oh really? I thought he might have run away to drink with you instead… Ugh…"
It seemed Mu Yeong was causing quite a bit of trouble again.
As Sword Master sighed gloomily, Dang Yu-Hwa smiled brightly at him:
"But why did you come here?"
"I told you before; that rascal…"
"Oh no, I meant what about the Justice Alliance?"
"The Justice Alliance? Ah… Right! There's also that monster issue… And due to some conflicts with the Black Lotus Society, I came here for a brief meeting on my way there; my final destination is He Fei."
"He Fei…"
"I heard there will be a meeting between the Nangong Clan and Justice Alliance held there; they asked me to participate while I was on my way here. Isn't your clan going?"
"No, we won't be participating."
Unless it was a meeting between clans—there was no reason for them to attend a Justice Alliance meeting since they weren't part of it.
When Dang Yu-Hwa replied in a gentle tone, Sword Master clicked his tongue in disappointment:
"This is unfortunate; I hoped for good company on my way."
"What good company could I possibly provide?"
"Hmmm… No! You're good company because you can stimulate that rascal! Especially when teaching him!"
"Excuse me?"
Seo Yoon looked puzzled as Sword Master smiled broadly at him:
"You should be very grateful to Miss Dang from your clan; even if she's your disciple, there aren't many who teach with such affection."
Seo Yoon turned to look at Dang Yu-Hwa.
She met his gaze confidently without flinching.
"What? Why?"
"Hah! Do you like her or something?"
"Who would?" said Seo Yoon dismissively.
A look filled with pity pierced through him.
As Seo Yoon shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, Sword Master chuckled heartily:
"Not all affection between men and women has to be romantic! Anyway, I hoped that rascal would feel inspired by how hard you're working… Tsk tsk… If he doesn't come along then so be it; take care!"
Just like that—he vanished like wind.
As Sword Master disappeared into the distance, Dang Yu-Hwa let out a sigh:
"What are you doing? Don't stop!"
"Oh right! Yes!"
---
Even after eleven days had passed, neither Poison King nor Dang Yu-Ji came down from Shaolin Temple.
If it weren't for Shaolin Temple being involved—Dang Yu-Hwa would have gone looking for them herself.
"It's good we can buy time... but it worries me how little contact we've had."
"I agree."
While riding on Seo Yoon's back during their training session—Dang Yu-Hwa gently ruffled his hair with her small hand.
"Left side."
"Ugh."
As she applied pressure—Seo Yoon struggled to hold on.
She was strengthening his lower body for training purposes.
Dang Yu-Hwa quickly adjusted her balance—forward, backward, and side-to-side.
She deliberately moved around while practicing maintaining balance with Seo Yoon; when he managed to hold on well enough—she jumped off:
"You should be able to master the Exit Skill soon enough! The Vice Chief has reached five stars now; we need to teach you Sam Yang Su next…"
Dang Yu-Hwa pointed toward one corner of their residence with a wry smile.
Since their previous escape attempt—Sword Master had set up a tent near Seo Yoon's residence where he was teaching Mu Yeong.
"Damn!! Stop hitting me!! Damn it all!!"
"If you don't want to get hit then dodge! You idiot!!"
"Aaaah!!" "I'm dead!!"
The clash of swords echoed through their training area.
Watching Mu Yeong and Sword Master swing their swords at each other as if trying to kill one another made Dang Yu-Hwa chuckle softly:
"Should we try something like that too? Learning Sam Yang Su's first form should be easy enough!"
"I'll pass," replied Seo Yoon coldly as Dang Yu-Hwa laughed and raised her hands in surrender:
"Well then let me teach you Sam Yang Su's first form first! Sam Yang Su consists of three forms total—the first one is Il Yang Su which suppresses opponents' movements! Now follow me closely!"
The training after demonstrating once was rigorous.
Perhaps due to thoughts about not knowing when they would leave—Dang Yu-Hwa pushed Seo Yoon harder than usual.
He accepted everything silently.
After finally learning Il Yang Su of Sam Yang Su—Seo Yoon headed toward a stream for some rest.
Walking beside him—Mu Yeong muttered in disbelief:
"Wow… this guy's insane."
"What do you mean?"
"How can he practice so much and train like that?"
Even while heading toward the stream—he moved according to Exit Skill's footwork pattern.
Impressed by this—Mu Yeong sighed:
"It's not easy though…"
"The Exit Skill isn't simple at all; even I still can't use it properly yet! And considering your progress—you're actually learning pretty fast! It hasn't even been a year since you started practicing martial arts!"
Though five years had passed since becoming Sword Master's disciple—Mu Yeong was still only at an average level.
After dipping into the stream—he kicked some stones toward Seo Yoon:
"Oof!"
"You're weak on direction changes; if you fix that—it'll help immensely."
While watching Seo Yoon train—Mu Yeong casually remarked.
Hearing this—Seo Yoon focused on strengthening his ankles before suddenly leaping across the stream effortlessly:
"Oh? Did you succeed?"
"…Looks like it."
[Mission Complete: You have successfully learned a new martial art.]
[You have received a free elixir lottery ticket as mission reward.]
[A new mission has appeared.]
[New Mission: To He Fei]
[Traveling to He Fei.]
[Mission Reward: 200 Diamonds]
[Mission Complete: You succeeded differently than anyone else.]
[You have obtained 50 years' worth of Baek Soo Oh as mission reward.]
[A new mission has appeared.]
[New Mission: Investigate Bi Dong]
[Explore Bi Dong of Salma among six Bi Dongs existing in Wei Xian.]
[Mission Reward: 600 Diamonds, Low-grade Night Shadow Wine, Salma's Bi Go Map]
'What is this?'
There wasn't even time for him to celebrate learning Exit Skill.
He didn't even know who Salma was!
But receiving 600 Diamonds was significant!
And on top of that—a Night Shadow Wine!
It seemed like an excellent reward—but Seo Yoon couldn't feel joy over it.
'The missions are logical... It must be an incredibly difficult task.'
Simple tasks yield small rewards while difficult ones offer larger ones.
Perhaps this mission would surpass previous limits making it exceptionally challenging!
"I'll go ahead first."
"Huh? Hey! Aren't you going to wash up?"
"I'm busy!"
After stowing away 50 years' worth of Baek Soo Oh earned from completing missions into his sleeve—Seo Yoon activated Exit Skill once again.
Now understanding why it's considered top-tier lightness skill—it only requires minimal internal energy usage for rapid movement!
In an instant—he arrived back at their residence where he found Dang Yu-Hwa talking with one of their clan's servants.
"A lady?"
"Oh… are you back?"
A wry smile lingered on Dang Yu-Hwa's lips as she spoke:
"We're preparing to return home… They say we'll depart tomorrow."
Seo Yoon felt something tighten around his throat like he couldn't breathe properly:
"…So you're not going to He Fei?"
"That seems likely… right? Hehe… Why? Do you want to go there?"
"Yes."
"You should go then."
"If possible—I'd love for us both to go together but…"
Scratching his head awkwardly—Seo Yoon replied:
"A good companion? Something like that…" "Not just friends but companions too."
Dang Yu-Hwa chuckled while shrugging her shoulders playfully:
"Well anyway—they say grandfather has arrived so let's go see him."
She playfully tapped Seo Yoon's arm before leisurely adding:
"You know we'll need our Exit Skills while walking there right? Hurry up and keep up!"
"Yes!"
Even if it's just one star—it should still be practiced continuously after succeeding once.
Since they were moving at her pace—she continued guiding him along:
"Put strength into your legs! Power! With skills like this—you'll surely find yourself an excellent wife someday!"
A single young woman shouting such things made nearby men blush deeply along their path.
However—until they reached Justice Alliance—Dang Yu-Hwa kept urging him onward until finally arriving where he became accustomed enough with using Exit Skill by then.
"To be honest—I usually don't care about others' opinions but… how should I say this?"
"What?"
"For goodness sake please watch your words."
"Hah! How can one live life worrying about such trivial matters?"
Lightly patting Seo Yoon's back—Dang Yu-Hwa walked inside.
Once inside—the martial artist waiting for them guided them toward Poison King's room.
"Grandfather—we've arrived."
"Ah."
Taking a sip from tea poured by Dang Yu-Ji—the Poison King looked back and forth between them before speaking:
"You must have heard—I plan on returning home tomorrow."
And then pointing towards Dang Yu-Ji:
"And Yoo-Ji will not return but instead head towards He Fei where she will attend meetings held by Justice Alliance."
Yoo-Ji smiled softly while both Dang Yu-Hwa and Seo Yoon stiffened in surprise:
"My sister has...to go?"
"Yes—and Seo Yoon—you will take on Yoo-Ji's protection."
From Seo Yoon's perspective—it wasn't bad news at all.
Yoo-Ji was also skilled within their clan; she could teach him Sam Yang Su without issue!
Since he'd reached one star with Exit Skill already—it would only get better through practice!
Plus—they'd be heading together towards He Fei!
He could complete missions more easily alongside her!
And this was an order from Poison King himself!
To gain backing from Justice Alliance—they needed comply with orders issued by Poison King!
It was indeed reasonable proposal thus accepting it made sense.
Yet deep within Seo Yoon's heart—a strange feeling gripped tightly around him commanding otherwise:
Refuse.
There were no grounds or justifications nor benefits whatsoever—but still refuse.
Throughout his life thus far—there had been many occasions where faced similar situations yet never once did he make an unreasonable choice.
But now…
For the first time ever—he rejected what his mind commanded:
"I refuse.
I serve neither Justice Alliance nor Poison King nor even Lady Yoo-Ji standing over there.
I am bound by contract only with Lady Dang Yu-Hwa here.
Therefore…"
Seo Yoon met Poison King's indifferent gaze directly without flinching:
"If Lady Yoo-Ji returns home—I will follow her."
It wasn't typical behavior for him—but something within compelled such decision.
Having learned so much from Lady Yoo-Ji thus far—and following her felt right in heart guiding towards making this choice possible!
"How could one claim servant status refusing orders given?"
Even if they arrived at Justice Alliance—a place wouldn't exist for him anymore.
Seo Yoon shrugged nonchalantly as if unfazed by threat posed against him:
"Well then—I'll resign my servant position altogether!
Following personally seems acceptable doesn't it?"
"You dare refuse my command?"
"Well… not intentionally but seems likely."
At hearing response—the Poison King smiled knowingly as if expecting such outcome all along...