Seo-jun casually caught the flying cup without a care.
He was feeling immensely excited. This delightful reaction—it was definitely the Geum Chun-bong he knew.
His mind was swirling with things he wanted to say, but his tongue felt twisted.
So, instead of talking, he simply stretched out his hand.
Chop, squish-squish
‘Have these cheeks surpassed even the Absolute Stage…!’
As Seo-jun kneaded Chun-bong's cheeks, he came to a realization.
‘It was a good idea to skip the Fairy Arts ...’
He knew as soon as he saw Chun-bong. Her body had achieved perfect balance, but her cheeks were slightly out of proportion.
The absence of the Fairy Arts combined with Chun-bong’s natural wishes had maintained the volume in her cheeks...!
"Aww, our Chun-bong...!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Seo-jun grabbed Chun-bong and lifted her into a hug.
Chun-bong, who had accepted Seo-jun’s touch with a sullen expression, began to flail wildly the moment she was lifted into the air.
"Hey…! Put me down, you bastard...!? What's with the cheek obsession? Are you trying to get killed!?"
The men around them, who had only seen her cold, womanly demeanor before, gaped in shock at this completely different side of her.
But Seo-jun, ignoring the onlookers, continued to toss Chun-bong in the air.
"Our Chun-bong is a baby. She needs to be hugged a lot."
"Let go of me!"
"Awww."
"You bastard! Aaaah!"
Finally, Chun-bong, who had been struggling vigorously, went limp. With perfect timing, based on his accumulated experience, Seo-jun placed her on his shoulders like a child riding on a parent’s back.
The sight of a grown woman riding on a man’s shoulders was strange.
However, Chun-bong, already accustomed to it, didn't think much of it, and the men who had been shocked by the scene soon accepted it as natural.
"Let’s go, Geum Chun-bong!"
After paying for the food, Seo-jun walked out of the inn with Chun-bong still on his shoulders.
Pa Jin-gwang, Namgung Chang-hwi, and the martial artists following them stared blankly at Seo-jun.
Only Jang Geuk, suspecting Chun-bong’s true identity, marveled at the scene.
“What the...?”
Pa Jin-gwang asked, and Seo-jun grinned widely.
“She’s the best in the world.”
"What?"
“Our Chun-bong.”
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"If you don’t know, just memorize it."
"Crazy bastard."
Pa Jin-gwang looked at Seo-jun like he was insane. Seo-jun clicked his tongue at the ignorance and proudly showed off Chun-bong, still riding on his shoulders.
"Uncle Jang Geuk, take a good look. Our Chun-bong is seriously adorable."
"Lord...? It looks like your younger sister is about to kill you with her gaze."
"Our Chun-bong always has a fierce look in her eyes."
"I don’t think that’s it..."
"What do you know about our Chun-bong!"
At Seo-jun’s sharp retort, Jang Geuk clamped his mouth shut.
And so, the group made their way to the Namgung family estate, with Seo-jun leading the way, Chun-bong perched on his shoulders.
Chun-bong, still on Seo-jun’s shoulders, moved through the streets, fuming inside.
‘This bastard, always with the cheek obsession the moment we meet. He never changes.’
She had hoped Seo-jun would be flustered by her grown-up appearance, but it seemed like he wasn’t interested at all.
Her heart was a bit conflicted, and her lips jutted out in a pout.
‘Still... I guess it's a relief?’
The anxiety she had been harboring about him reacting differently to her grown-up appearance had vanished without a trace.
Fortunately, her brother was not a creepy man obsessed with children, but a true connoisseur of Geum Chun-bong.
When they arrived at the Namgung estate, Namgung Jincheon was waiting at the main gate.
"You’ve arrived."
“Head of the household!”
Namgung Chang-hwi and the martial artists following him bowed deeply. Jang Geuk followed suit.
Only Pa Jin-gwang looked at Namgung Jincheon in admiration.
“Wow, Namgung Jincheon. You’ve really grown, huh? They say improvement comes with each passing day, but you’ve grown so much I almost didn’t recognize you.”
"You, on the other hand, haven’t changed at all."
"Is that an insult?"
"It wasn’t meant to be."
After a brief exchange with Pa Jin-gwang, Namgung Jincheon turned his gaze to Seo-jun.
Seeing his son-in-law carrying the daughter of the Geum family on his shoulders like close siblings brought a slight smile to Namgung Jincheon’s face.
“I heard it was dangerous. The Master of Giryeon Sect got involved, didn’t he?”
"Oh, that? It wasn’t too bad, really."
Jang Geuk, watching Seo-jun reply so nonchalantly, let out a snort of laughter.
"Our lord says such things even after having his neck nearly severed."
“Hey, you...!”
Seo-jun spun around in shock, but it was too late.
Chun-bong, sitting on his shoulders, squeezed her legs tightly around his neck.
"...What? Your neck was almost severed?"
“W-wait, Geum! I can explain!”
“How are you going to explain this, you bastard!”
Feeling the murderous intent emanating from Chun-bong, Seo-jun quickly glanced at Namgung Jincheon, but he, too, was wide-eyed.
“Hm… It seems we should talk about this later…”
“Father-in-law!”
Namgung Jincheon averted his gaze.
Chun-bong, having dismounted, grabbed Seo-jun by the collar and began dragging him away.
“Come with me. We need to talk.”
“Jang Geuk...! I won’t forget this...!”
Jang Geuk roared with laughter as he watched Seo-jun being dragged off.
"Take care, Lord."
"I trusted you...! I trusted yooou...!!"
Seo-jun’s voice gradually faded into the distance.
Once inside, Chun-bong roughly shoved Seo-jun to the floor.
“Oof...!”
Chun-bong climbed on top of him and began patting his body.
Arms, legs, neck, head. She even started ripping off his clothes, inspecting his chest and lower body.
“Kyaaaa...!”
“Stay still.”
“Yes, ma’am...”
Chun-bong’s expression grew serious as she examined his scars.
There was a scar on his shoulder as if his arm had been severed and reattached, another on his neck, and strange, claw-like marks on his side. Even his temples bore scars.
There were too many small scars to count.
When Chun-bong stared at Seo-jun, he gave a sheepish smile.
“Aww, our Chun-bong. You’ve gotten heavier.”
When he started babbling nonsense again, Chun-bong bounced on his stomach with her hips.
“Ugh…! Why is your tailbone so sharp...?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Seo-jun, glancing around for an opening, stealthily reached out and hugged Chun-bong.
This time, Chun-bong didn’t resist. She nestled into his arms, and Seo-jun chuckled.
“You’ve grown a lot. You’re really an adult now.”
“Aren’t I a child?”
“I was joking.”
“Shut up.”
“No, really. Our Chun-bong has gotten so beautiful!”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Chun-bong snorted, and Seo-jun sat up, placing her across from him.
He stared at her for a while before smiling gently.
"It seems like your meridians are fully healed."
"...Yeah. I’m fine now."
"Nothing feels off?"
"Aren’t you the one who should be worried about your body right now?"
"I’m perfectly fine."
Seo-jun spread his arms wide with a grin.
And it wasn’t a lie. He felt no pain, and all his limbs were functioning normally.
Though his body was covered in scars, they would disappear soon enough. Besides, most of the large scars weren’t from injuries, but from transforming into a demon.
‘Come to think of it...’
He wondered how Chun-bong would react to seeing his demonic form—six arms and horns, a literal demon.
When he had used the Sovereign Sword Form earlier, a three-headed, six-armed figure had appeared. He might even become a monster with three heads in the future.
As he mulled over these thoughts, he felt something tickling his neck.
"Heehee!"
"Don’t laugh."
"Yes, sir."
"...You’re really okay, right?"
Chun-bong, still tracing the scar on his neck, let out a deep sigh. Her eyes, slightly reddened, were full of worry.
Seo-jun nodded vigorously.
“I’m totally f—”
Suddenly, the door burst open. Namgung Sua stood in the doorway, her normally thin, closed eyes now wide open, revealing her bright blue irises.
“Oh my...”
Her blue eyes reflected the image of Seo-jun, completely naked, with Chun-bong nestled against him, gently caressing his neck.
After a moment of hesitation, Namgung Sua awkwardly smiled.
“Can I… join in too?”
Clearly, his sister-in-law wasn’t entirely normal either.
"Father told me. Seo-jun, they said your neck was cut? What’s that about? He’s even considering attacking the Giryeon Sect right now."
"Oh, no! You’ve got to stop him from doing that!"
After a long time, the full group had gathered together.
Seo-jun quickly dressed himself and began recounting his adventures, promising to explain everything in detail.
The first part of the story was something Namgung Sua had already heard, but she listened intently, her gaze fixed on Seo-jun’s face without a hint of boredom.
Chun-bong’s reaction became intense when Seo-jun mentioned the Northern Ice Palace.
"Northern Ice Palace? You said its energy was almost identical to the yin energy I have inside me?"
"Yeah. But when I dealt with it, it turned out they didn’t know anything."
"Ugh..."
Chun-bong, fidgeting in frustration, suddenly had a sharp look in her eyes.
"But that's not what’s important right now."
"Then what is?"
"A one-on-one fight? Do you think you’re some kind of Hwagyeong master?"
Slap slap slap slap! Chun-bong smacked his back repeatedly.
The familiar "Chun-bong therapy" instantly relieved Seo-jun's fatigue.
"Hey, your big brother totally whooped them!"
"How many times have I told you not to do dangerous things!"
He was smacked again.
Seo-jun didn’t mention his demonic transformation. It wasn’t that he was trying to hide it, but he didn’t particularly want to bring it up either.
Chun-bong’s expression became conflicted when Seo-jun talked about learning the Sovereign Sword Form , and when he mentioned his battle with the Master of Giryeon, her face grew furious.
"The Master of Giryeon? Where is that bastard!"
Chun-bong stomped her feet, glaring at Seo-jun with an expression full of frustration.
"And you, Seo-jun! Why haven’t you been training the Hwang Un-shingum sword technique?"
"What?"
"If you had focused on that technique, you could’ve sliced off that bastard’s head!"
"Well, it wasn’t quite like that."
The Master of Giryeon was seriously strong. To be honest, Seo-jun thought the only reason he was still alive was because the Master had let him live.
"Anyway!"
Whack whack whack! Chun-bong pounded Seo-jun’s arm before snuggling into his embrace.
Her body had grown, but her behavior was still childlike.
"Aww, our Chun-bong."
With his chin resting on top of her head, Seo-jun looked at Namgung Sua.
"What have you been thinking so deeply about?"
"Hm? Oh, well, since there’s been such a big incident, we need to squeeze everything we can out of the Murim Alliance. Some of the sects didn’t even show up to help after receiving the request for support… and, well, a few other things."
Namgung Sua’s faint smile had a slightly sinister edge to it, which made Seo-jun awkwardly chuckle as he quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, since everyone’s grown so much, don’t you think it’s time we test how much progress we’ve made?"
He had been preparing for this moment.
The name? "The Definitive Guide (Not Really) to Overcoming the Gates of Life and Death."
He couldn’t just magically turn someone into a Supreme Master , but he could make the path a little easier.
However, if someone unqualified stepped into the realm of the Supreme Master , they would lose balance in their energy and likely perish.
Since it was dangerous, he wouldn’t reveal it to anyone who didn’t meet the standards.
But for those who did?
“I’ll guide you safely to the Supreme Master stage.”
It was a technique Seo-jun had been developing ever since Chun-bong entered seclusion.
The Gates of Life and Death were obstacles that even qualified martial artists often couldn’t overcome without risking their lives.
He had devised a way to pass through them without much difficulty.
At least, in theory.