Camellia 31

The term “half-blood fiend” refers to humans who, after having their blood vessels torn by a blood fiend’s fangs and absorbing an excessive amount of yang energy, lose their sanity and go on a rampage. In the martial world, people called this falling into the “Path of Demonhood.” It meant losing one’s humanity, trapped inside the demonic influence created by a blood fiend.

Blood fiends with exceptionally strong Qi gathering in their danjeon could unleash overwhelming martial power as long as they had a steady supply of blood. The Cheonma Divine Sect had once led blood fiend units to infiltrate Jungwon precisely because each blood fiend could take on thousands of martial artists on their own.

Among their abilities, the power to bite someone and plunge them into the Path of Demonhood for a full day brought massive casualties to enemy forces.

The martial world became a sea of blood as former allies, driven mad, launched indiscriminate attacks. When they regained consciousness and realized they had torn apart their comrades with their own hands, many warriors took their own lives in despair. But when the Cheonma collected those corpses and turned them into jiangshi, the leadership had no choice but to start burning the bodies of the dead.

A cremation rite called the “Soul-Dissolving, Gut-Wrenching Fire.”

With the agony of having their guts torn apart, how many warriors had returned to bare bones through that pain…

Recalling that traumatic incident, Seolyeong’s demeanor shifted, and Choseon smacked Seolyeong on the back as if to say stop. Choseon whispered uneasily.

“Hey. You’re making everyone nervous…”

Si Pungjae, who had been watching only Seolyeong, now caught sight of Choseon.

A violet jacket cut short at the waist revealed a sliver of the stomach, and a green skirt, long enough to sweep across the snowy ground, had frost clinging to its hem. Sly, upturned eyes gave the impression of a cat, while the small curve of beoseon shoes suggested a fox. Not quite to Seolyeong’s level, but still, a striking figure with a presence that seemed to glow faintly from behind.

Hwang Choseon smiled as the gaze fixed on them.

“Oh my. If you stare at me like that, this one might get embarrassed, you know?”

Just as Choseon whispered in a flirtatious tone learned in the brothel, Si Pungjae drew a sword. The greatsword slid from its sheath and gleamed as it pointed directly at Choseon. Choseon flinched.

“Eek!”

Si Pungjae spoke coldly.

“My god does not tolerate uninvited guests. Stranger, do you know whose land you’ve stepped into?”

Even the bride had once been forced to climb Sipman Daesan alone. At the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar face, Si Pungjae’s killing intent rose. Choseon quickly ducked behind Seolyeong.

Hwang Choseon cursed inwardly.

‘Whose land, you bastard? Obviously the Madu’s! You think I came here on purpose? I woke up sprawled in the corner of some random building, what was I supposed to do?!’

The view beyond the round window was entirely white, so much so that even Choseon had nearly fainted in shock. A snowstorm in autumn, just as the leaves had fallen? Overwhelmed by the endless white, Choseon had run out of the building, wandered until strength gave out, and collapsed.

Lying face-first in a thick blanket of snow, breathing in ragged bursts, a low hum suddenly echoed from somewhere.

Choseon lifted his head with effort and saw Seonwol-do. That miraculous sword had led the way to Seolyeong.

When Choseon reached the two-story medical hall, Seolyeong, wrapped head to toe in bandages, was seen running off somewhere. Choseon instinctively followed. Seonwol-do, who had brought Choseon to intervene, did not follow and remained in the medical hall.

It didn’t want to risk provoking Sahyeol Amje’s wrath. Even Seonwol-do, with inner power rivaling that of a seasoned warrior, found him difficult to face. Sahyeol Amje seemed to transcend humanity, perhaps even more than beings like Seolyeong. His aura could only be explained by something wholly beyond the human realm.

Seolyeong glanced sideways at the person clinging behind, he asked,

“I’m curious too. What are you doing here?”

Choseon pinched Seolyeong’s side. Muttering under his breath about stopping that lunatic, Choseon was completely fed up.

The wind stirred from Si Pungjae’s sword as he prepared to strike. Uninvited guests were beheaded and sent away. He was ready to enforce Yeonhu’s, but Seolyeong stepped forward to intervene.

“Now, now. Looks like my husband brought this one here personally. Put the sword away.”

Si Pungjae frowned at the bizarre claim. Dense inner Qi pooled between his sharp brows. Seolyeong calmly recounted the chaotic sequence of events.

“Listen, Pungjae. As you know, I left Yeonhu. I went looking for the little one I took in as a disciple after you. But no matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find a trace. Just as I was tearing my hair out, even the friend who was helping me got kidnapped out of nowhere. Ha. And wouldn’t you know it, the kidnapper turned out to be my husband. My head was spinning. And to top it off…”

Seolyeong glanced down at the lower abdomen.

“My danjeon was ruptured by a flying dagger and I lost consciousness. So both my friend and I must have been brought here by Sahyeol Amje.”

Even after the thorough explanation, when Si Pungjae didn’t lower the sword, Seolyeong grabbed the blade and pushed it down. Blood trickled from the palm where it had been sliced.

Choseon hadn’t expected things to go that far and whispered urgently,

“Hey, why are you being so dramatic? What if that bastard snaps and goes wild again? Looks like your lower belly’s torn up and you can’t even use martial arts. Let’s just take it easy, okay?”

Seolyeong ignored the warning and held on to the blade.

Already humiliated and now injuring himself further, Seolyeong’s condition made Yuwon spring up in alarm. She shouted at Si Pungjae.

“What sort of rudeness is this toward a patient?!”

Si Pungjae replied stiffly.

“I act in accordance with the will of the Supreme One, who attained the Pinnacle of Ten Thousand Transformations…”

“And did you just ignore the fact that this guest was brought here by the Supreme One?”

“I cannot verify whether that is true.”

“Did you forget this is the entrance to Gwanju Hall? You could’ve requested an audience. Why would you pull a sword without even trying to confirm the situation, and against someone defenseless, no less?!”

Choseon stared at Yuwon’s side profile in a daze. Even in front of a towering warrior, this unfamiliar figure stood their ground without flinching. Strangely, something about Yuwon settled deep in Choseon’s chest.

Such courage, Choseon thought.

“My apologies, physician. My sword does not distinguish between the weak and the strong.”

Si Pungjae offered a faint smile as he stepped back with his left foot and began a sword form. But just then, crack. The blade split cleanly.

Seolyeong had pulled the weapon from his palm and shoved the torn flesh back in along with it. He muttered,

“Externally it’s still intact, again. Though my danjeon strength seems weaker than usual…”

Martial arts can be divided into two broad types:

External techniques and internal techniques.

External techniques refer to the degree of training of the physical body. Internal techniques involve gathering Qi in the lower, middle, and upper danjeon to cultivate and channel energy for martial feats. Specifically, Qi is gathered in the lower danjeon, reinforced in the middle, and projected through the upper. If the upper danjeon is fully opened, one may reach the Hyeongyeong realm. Those who surpass even that may ascend to immortality.

Perhaps due to being a blood fiend, Seolyeong maintained extraordinary external strength even with a shattered danjeon. Truly a monstrous body.

Si Pungjae caught a something strange in the mad bride’s mutterings.

“‘Still intact… again’?”

Seolyeong smirked.

“This is the third time my danjeon’s been destroyed. Doesn’t even surprise me anymore. Why is everyone so obsessed with it?”

He swept back his hair and sighed deeply.

“Must be because I’m too powerful. Life really is full of trouble.”

As Si Pungjae looked between the broken blade and Seolyeong’s smug face, confusion overtook him.

His danjeon had been destroyed before? Twice? And he was still walking around?

Considering how he’d beaten up Pungjae and his sibling on the wedding night, the previous injuries must have healed completely. But is that even possible? The danjeon isn’t like a fingernail or hair. Everything Si Pungjae thought he knew was unraveling before his eyes.