A vivid glow of qi surrounded Seo-jun’s clenched fist.
No matter how small the village Seong had grown up in, even he could tell this was no ordinary power. In fact, it was because of his simple upbringing that he recognized its extraordinariness. After all, how often did one see blue energy swirling around someone’s hand?
"W-why are you doing this to me…?" Seong stammered.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Seo-jun countered, his voice dripping with irritation. "It seems you’ve got a real talent for making people miserable just by being around."
"This is… this is a matter of my family."
"Your family’s business, huh? Well, guess what, buddy? I don’t give a damn about your family’s crap. What I do care about is how pissed off you’ve made me! Got it!?"
Anyone listening would think Seo-jun belonged to the darker side of the martial world, a true rogue martial artist. But no one in the room, not even Chun-bong, attempted to stop him. Even Wang Daesan, who was from the orthodox martial sects, shook his head and looked away.
"How can a father be such a disgrace?" Wang Daesan muttered under his breath, patting his daughter, Soryeong, gently. His hand was trembling with barely restrained fury. The young girl, whom Seo-jun clearly cherished as much as a real sister, also wore an expression of deep discomfort.
Wang Daesan, noticing the bond between Seo-jun and Chun-bong, placed a comforting hand on her head.
"Stay strong—"
Slap!
"Don’t touch me," Chun-bong snapped coldly.
"My apologies," Wang Daesan mumbled, embarrassed. He quickly refocused on Seo-jun.
Seo-jun stared at the trembling Seong, deep in thought.
‘How should I deal with this?’
Should I just kill him?
No, that would be a bit much. After all, I’m not a murderer.
If I start killing every jerk who pisses me off, I’ll become public enemy number one before I know it.
Of course, I could do it quietly… but still.
"Hmm…"
Watching Chun the old woman’s expression, as well as Seong I-hyang’s, Seo-jun sighed and placed his qi-laden hand on Seong’s head.
"Arrrrgh…!!"
Oh, stop overreacting, it’s just a bit of qi that should feel like a cool breeze in your mind.
Seong shuddered violently, his body shaking as if he were having a seizure. Seo-jun removed his hand and leaned in close, his voice low and menacing.
"Listen. You’re going to stay out of trouble for now. If I so much as hear a peep about you causing problems, your head is going to go boom. Got that?"
"Y-yes! I understand!"
"Good. Now, let’s get out of here."
"Yes, of course!"
Seong replied enthusiastically, but there was still something unsatisfying about the situation.
"Ugh, fine."
Thump!
Seo-jun lightly tapped Seong’s head with his qi-coated fist.
"Arrrgh…!!"
Seong collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in exaggerated agony.
This guy is such a drama queen, Seo-jun thought. I don’t even feel like hitting him anymore.
"Go on, get out of here."
"Y-yes…"
Seong glared at Seo-jun for a moment, but when their eyes met, he quickly lowered his gaze and ran off.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue in annoyance as he straightened up and turned to Seong I-hyang.
"Hey."
"Y-yes…"
"Just curious, but do you still care about him because he’s family? I mean, do you still love him?"
Seong I-hyang looked up at the sky, her eyes distant. Then, with a faint smile, she let out a quiet chuckle.
"I’m not sure. I don’t really know how I feel anymore."
"You’ve got a strong spirit," Seo-jun remarked, genuinely impressed.
"Hardly," she replied, her smile faint as she bowed and walked away, her steps unsteady and tired.
"This leaves a bad taste in my mouth…"
As Seo-jun scratched his chin, Chun-bong approached him.
"What are you getting all worked up over?"
"You’re one to talk. Do you even know what your face looks like right now?"
He reached out and pinched her cheeks, tugging them back and forth. Chun-bong growled in frustration.
"Cut it out!"
"Aww, does it hurt?"
"Raaah!"
Cute.
Letting out a long sigh, Seo-jun turned to Old Lady Chun and asked, "It’s getting late. Mind if we crash here for the night?"
"Go ahead. We’ve got plenty of empty rooms. Pick whichever you like."
"Thanks."
Seo-jun began walking toward one of the vacant rooms, waving over his shoulder.
"See you tomorrow, old man."
"Have a good night, benefactor," Wang Daesan called after him.
Chun-bong immediately sprawled out in the room they had chosen, lying down like a starfish on the floor. Her hair, which had grown quite a bit longer since they first met, spread out around her like a black-and-white carpet.
It kind of looks like a rug, Seo-jun thought as he stared at her. Maybe it’s because of the two-tone hair.
"I’m going to sleep," Chun-bong muttered, her eyes closed.
"Okay, sleep well."
"I said I’m going to sleep."
"Yeah, I heard you."
Chun-bong opened her eyes, glaring at him before closing them again with a click of her tongue. What the heck is she trying to do?
Thinking he might as well play along, Seo-jun moved closer and gently patted her stomach while humming a lullaby.
"Sleep tight, my Chun-bong—"
"Ugh, you really can’t sing."
"Hey! I’m trying here!"
"Keep going. You might as well practice while you’re at it."
Why would I need to practice singing in a martial arts world? Is she expecting me to learn some sort of sound-based martial technique?
Regardless, Seo-jun kept humming.
It didn’t take long before Chun-bong drifted off to sleep.
That was fast. Maybe I have a knack for lullabies after all?
Chuckling to himself, Seo-jun brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face and quietly left the room.
"Hmm…"
Peeking back inside, he saw Chun-bong’s lips twitching, as though she were eating something in her sleep. Smiling softly, he gently closed the door.
"The moon’s dark tonight."
Must be behind the clouds.
Wandering the courtyard, Seo-jun leapt onto the roof. Just as he sat down, the clouds parted, allowing a sliver of moonlight to shine through.
He crossed his legs, settling into a meditative position atop the roof. As he began circulating his qi, the Merged Origin Divine Art ran smoothly through his body.
‘There’s still so much I need to improve.’
A martial art technique wasn’t something you could just create by circulating qi randomly. The human body had countless meridians, and the route qi took made all the difference.
The Merged Origin Divine Art borrowed most of its pathways from the Golden Cloud Divine Art. But since the technique had evolved, it wasn’t quite as efficient anymore, and sometimes it felt like there was something blocking the flow of qi.
"Hmm."
After a moment of consideration, Seo-jun decided to stick with his usual routine and continued circulating the Merged Origin Divine Art.
Inhale… Exhale…
With each breath, he absorbed the energy of nature, purging the impurities from his body with each exhale. The qi flowed through his meridians, gradually blending into the Merged Origin Divine Art.
As Seo-jun silently observed the murky flow of his internal energy, he suddenly altered one of the pathways.
Gahk!
Blood spurted from his mouth, accompanied by a searing pain in his chest.
Well, that wasn’t the right path.
He casually reverted the qi flow to its original route, feeling his body gradually recover.
‘Just as I thought.’
Seo-jun had long suspected that his body healed faster than normal, but now he was certain of it.
Why? He didn’t know. It wasn’t like he had any special knowledge on the subject.
The only reasonable explanation was that it had something to do with qi. That was the only difference between his current body and his body from the previous world.
When in doubt, blame qi. Nine times out of ten, it’s the cause.
In Seo-jun’s case, his absurd talent had some effects even he didn’t fully understand. Every now and then, something unexpected would happen.
‘Well, no point in overthinking it. It’s a good thing, after all.’
If his body didn’t heal quickly, he probably would’ve died on his first day here. The fact that he survived with his guts practically hanging out was nothing short of a miracle.
Of course, Chun-bong’s knowledge of the human body had helped, but still.
Now that he’d confirmed his fast recovery, there was only one logical conclusion.
‘Unlimited retries.’
As long as I don’t cross the line and die, I’ll just keep trying until I get it right. Sooner or later, I’ll succeed. That’s how progress works.
Blood? I can handle spitting up a little.
Pain? It sucks, but I can deal with it.
Qi deviation? As long as I’m careful, I can avoid it.
As long as I don’t push too far and stay smart, I’ll advance my martial arts. Who could pass up that opportunity?
"Tonight’s the night."
With that resolve, Seo-jun continued circulating the Merged Origin Divine Art until dawn.
"Whew… That was close."
By the time morning came, Seo-jun had a newfound respect for self-preservation. Testing your body like this was complete madness.
Next time, I should probably hold back a bit.
Then again, it’s always the risky stuff that offers the biggest returns.
Just like now.
‘This is amazing.’
The flow of qi inside him was significantly more refined. In just one night, his internal energy had undergone a complete transformation.
The optimization was on a whole new level.
Even better, it was easier to circulate qi while moving.
What does that mean? Well, it means I’ll hardly ever run out of internal energy.
‘I’ve got practically unlimited qi now. Nice.’
Well, maybe not literally unlimited, but who cares? The important thing is that it feels awesome.
Now I need to rethink my martial arts strategy. If I have this much qi, I need to start developing techniques that use a lot of it.
Maybe I should come up with some high-consumption moves?
"Yaaaawn… What are you doing up there…? Ugh, seriously. Hey! What kind of crazy crap have you pulled this time, you maniac!?"
Seo-jun grinned and waved as Chun-bong shouted up at him from below.
"Morning, Chun-bong. Guess what? I’ve been reborn."
"Cut the crap! Why is your shirt covered in blood!?"
"Huh?"
Seo-jun looked down at himself.
"Oh…"
Despite wearing black martial robes, the bloodstains were obvious. I guess people really can lose a lot of blood and still survive. That’s… another interesting discovery.
"I was just training."
"Training!? How does training make you bleed this much!? Ugh, you idiot!"
Why is she being so scary?
Seo-jun hopped down from the roof, but before he could walk away, Chun-bong grabbed him by the collar.
"Ugh!"
"Come here. Are you sure you’re okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine."
"You always say that, but I can never trust a word that comes out of your mouth."
Grumbling, Chun-bong started poking and prodding Seo-jun, checking him over.
"Hahahah! Stop! That tickles!"
"Hold still!"
"No, not there!"
"Shut up! I’m not even touching anything weird!"
In the end, Chun-bong’s thorough inspection revealed no serious injuries.
"Whew… You nearly gave me a heart attack."
And once again, she was adorable.
After goofing around with Chun-bong for a while, Seo-jun noticed Seong I-hyang approaching them, dressed neatly.
He waved at her, and she bowed politely.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. Where are you off to?"
"Ah…"
Seong I-hyang’s lips curled into a small smile, but her eyes remained blank, giving her an eerie look.
"I’m heading home. There’s nowhere else for me to go."
"Ah, I see."
She’s heading back home… That doesn’t sit right with me.
I can’t just leave things unresolved like this.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, a great idea popped into Seo-jun’s mind. If she has nowhere else to go, why not give her somewhere?
A sly grin spread across Seo-jun’s face.
"Hold on a second."