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Chapter 90: Healing (2)

As I sat quietly waiting, the Sword Demoness soon opened her eyes.

“I heard you were hurt… Thankfully, you seem fine.”

Her dry voice sounded from her lips.

I could only nod at her worried words, unsure of what to say or how to respond.

First, I had to hide the complicated feelings swelling inside me as I observed the Demon Energy within her body.

“If you were seriously injured, your chest must have hurt a lot. It’s truly a relief…”

“…Thank you for your concern.”

“No, it’s rather my fault for making you come while you were in pain.”

“It’s alright. The Heavenly Demon said I can move comfortably now.”

She said this while her gaze remained fixed elsewhere.

‘The concentration of Demon Energy is too thick.’

It was a heavy and dense energy, a stark contrast to the pathetic aura possessed by Ya Hyeoljeok.

It resembled… the one possessed by the Heavenly Demon far too much.

It wasn’t just similar; it was reasonable to consider it the same.

I couldn’t be mistaken about this part.

‘Could it be that this thing, slowly killing the Sword Demoness, is that guy?’

…

If that Demon Energy is from him, then why does the Sword Demoness harbor something like this in her body?

After returning to life, too many unfamiliar things have presented themselves.

Had she already encountered the Heavenly Demon in this lifetime?

Not everyone harboring Demon Energy becomes a Demon.

Right now, Ya Hyeoljeok and the Black Night Palace lackeys certainly did.

The Sword Demoness in front of me was among them.

The difference was that while Ya Hyeoljeok was slowly accepting it on his way to becoming a Demon, the Sword Demoness was enduring the rising Demon Energy, rejecting it.

‘Despite being so frantically riled up, she shows no sign of it.’

As a master of the martial arts sect, her inner energy must surely have been pure Taoist Qi.

Even so, it seems she’s powerless against the Demon Energy, caught up and overcome by it.

Just by looking, I could tell.

Her body, weakened by the Demon Energy, was now something I could perceive even with my lower level of skill.

The Sword Demoness had little inner energy left.

Moreover, it was evident that she was struggling to fend off the rogue Demon Energy.

Despite bearing that excruciating process, the Sword Demoness didn’t once frown in pain.

Even now, she must be suffering.

With that suffering written on her face, she looked at me with a wistful tone.

“If I had seen you just a little earlier, it would have been great. I’m sorry I couldn’t even buy you a proper meal…”

“…It’s alright.”

The Sword Demoness kept apologizing to me.

What could possibly be worth such an apology? I had no idea.

No matter how familiar she was with my mother, at the end of the day, she and I were still strangers.

Even in such a predicament, she insisted on taking responsibility for Gu Ryeonghwa with me.

For me, that was sufficient.

I just had to endure on my own.

‘Honestly, I didn’t endure that well.’

After hesitating for a moment, the Sword Demoness cautiously spoke.

“…May I hold your hand?”

“Hold my hand?”

It was a sudden request, but considering it wasn’t a big deal, I reached out my hand to her.

Before me appeared her wrinkled hand.

“I’m sorry for my wrinkly hands.”

‘…What’s with the apologies for something like this?’

Perhaps what she really wanted was simply to say sorry.

As I thought this, I carefully took her hand.

With our hands held, the Sword Demoness let out a bitter smile and said.

“If only I looked healthy…”

It was as if she was standing at the end of her life, letting go of her emotions one by one.

I didn’t know what to say in such a moment.

Should I maintain silence?

Should I even say that her current state is acceptable, even if it’s just lip service?

After a moment of thought, it felt wrong to stay silent, so I decided I would say something.

Just as I was organizing my words in my head to speak—

Hissssssssssss!

“.…!”

“Ugh…!”

The hands we were holding jerked apart simultaneously.

Immediately, the Sword Demoness exchanged startled glances between her hand and mine.

It’s understandable; the Demon Energy that had just been in her body was now flowing into mine.

‘…What is this…?’

As I regained my composure, it seemed that the thoughts I considered were right.

Somehow, the Demon Energy I had seen in Ya Hyeoljeok had a resemblance to what was flowing within me.

Now that I looked closely, it wasn’t similar; it was indeed Ya Hyeoljeok’s Demon Energy.

‘…Did I really absorb it?’

Not only a Demon Stone but even someone’s Demon Energy?

‘Is this the power of Demonic Absorption Technique?’

Could it be so?

It was something I had never experienced in my previous life, so it must be a result of some transformation.

The minuscule Demon Energy that flowed into me from the Sword Demoness was immediately purified and burned away by my Gu Ryeonghwa.

It seemed that the Demon Energy absorbed from Ya Hyeoljeok had also completed its purification now.

“…This is.”

The Sword Demoness appeared flustered, struggling to articulate the situation.

She seemed unable to grasp what was happening.

Seeing this, I thought—if I could absorb her Demon Energy.

‘Maybe…’

Could I perhaps save her?

Before I could dwell on that thought, the hut’s door burst open.

“What are you all doing?”

It was the Heavenly Demon.

Swish! Whoosh!

The sound of a wooden sword slicing through the air rang sharply.

What had once sounded blunt and soft now emitted a distinct sharpness.

Even Gu Ryeonghwa was sensing that change, though feeling somewhat sturdy.

‘One step forward, with the sword tip pointing upward.’

Swoosh!

The extended sword tip carried a thin layer of inner energy.

It wasn’t an application of inner energy but an effect arising from precise technique linkage.

Despite the pleasing result, Gu Ryeonghwa’s expression remained poor.

‘…What can I achieve with this?’

Since that day, she had repeated even more grueling training, but her heart had not hardened in the same way.

The memory of herself trembling in front of an enemy lingered vividly.

She could instinctively tell she couldn’t manage this.

Yet, that was a separate matter.

She felt utterly ashamed of escaping from the pride and responsibility that her master had always preached about a martial artist.

Imagining Nangong Bi, who had once stood in front of her holding a sword to protect herself,

she too must have known she couldn’t manage this and would have felt fear before Death.

Even so, she hadn’t hesitated.

‘…I, I…’

Imagining the back of someone who once held a sword to protect herself, Gu Ryeonghwa tightly shut her eyes against the mounting guilt.

‘Am I really going to scatter like this, clueless about blooming the plum blossoms?’

At this rate, she wouldn’t even become a proper martial artist.

Gu Ryeonghwa recalled Gu Yangcheong.

She had heard that the master had resolved a situation that even Nangong Bi couldn’t manage.

How could someone so lazy and so enigmatic accomplish that?

The last time she had seen him was about this time two years ago.

At that time, Gu Yangcheong was still the same.

She could clearly remember him releasing thorns in all directions without doing anything.

It was then that she finally let him go.

‘…How could someone like that…’

The rising energy felt like envy or resentment.

Gu Ryeonghwa swung her sword once again.

This time, she tried to put more strength into it than before.

She needed to concentrate on something to avoid realizing her incompetence.

She lost herself in relentless training until she was on the brink of collapse, stopping just before she had to forcefully cease.

Her arms were trembling, and sweat dripped from her chin when she finally halted her training.

For several days, Gu Ryeonghwa had been pushing herself while sacrificing sleep.

“Now… I must go meet my master.”

She thought of the master who had returned to the Hwasan Sect for safety.

When she heard he had escaped death, her master’s eyes turned red with tears.

The foolish master apologized for being inept.

But the master wasn’t foolish.

The foolish one was herself.

Moving to wash her body and change her clothes, she locked eyes with someone ahead.

“Ah.”

“…”

The person was Yeongpung.

He was someone Gu Ryeonghwa was uncomfortable with in many ways.

Upon seeing her, Yeongpung immediately portrayed respect.

After all, she was the prominent disciple of the inner sect.

“I see you are in training, perhaps?”

When asked by Yeongpung, Gu Ryeonghwa remained silent.

She slightly nodded her head and passed by him.

“Excessive training isn’t good for you, you know…”

“…Mind your own business.”

As Gu Ryeonghwa had intended to simply walk by, she couldn’t help but spout a sharp retort.

She was far too on edge, even by her own estimation.

“I’m sorry! I’ve overstepped my bounds…!”

Hearing her sharp tone, Yeongpung immediately apologized.

Gu Ryeonghwa began to walk away once again.

She did not want to meet Yeongpung’s gaze.

She was a mere disciple who had not even earned true recognition, while he was the youngest Plum Blossom Sword master.

‘…Would he have acted differently from me back then?’

At the very least, he wouldn’t have fled, trembling.

The surging nerves of inadequacy and guilt caused Gu Ryeonghwa’s steps to hasten.

She took the opportunity to scurry away, finishing her errands and changing her clothes.

The thoughts she harbored earlier seemed to ease into the realization that she was off to see her master.

Now, contrasting with her weary body, her steps felt lighter.

Climbing higher and higher, the hut came into view.

Gu Ryeonghwa composed herself, fearing her exhaustion might be detected as she approached the hut.

-…What did you just say?

As she got closer, she heard the voice of the Heavenly Demon.

He sounded awake, given the loudness of his voice.

Just as she was about to knock on the door…

-…I have a method.

Gu Yangcheong’s voice made her stop in her tracks.

She hesitated, wishing to avoid facing the embarrassment of what she had said earlier.

How was it that…?

Unable to simply walk away, Gu Ryeonghwa pondered what expression she should wear as she stepped inside.

‘If I just ignore it and go in, that’ll be fine.’

Determined to open the door, just then—

-You dare to speak such nonsense without understanding your place!

A voice boomed from within.

What was going on…?

-It’s not nonsense.

-Not nonsense? Do you even know what you just said?

-Yes.

Gu Yangcheong answered calmly, undeterred by the Heavenly Demon’s outburst.

And finally, without hesitation came those words.

-Perhaps I can treat the Sword Demoness.

With that, Gu Ryeonghwa had no choice but to burst into the room.

 

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