Chapter 463 : Reaching the Sword of the Heart (2)
Chapter 463: Reaching the Sword of the Heart (2)
Yong Hwarin couldn’t let the women down, so he made up his mind to show Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens, one of the techniques of Azure Dragon Stance Art.
Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens was, as its name suggested, the most flamboyant and intense among its techniques.
It was also a move he had envisioned countless times in his head.
Because it was a technique that couldn’t be executed indoors, inside the isolated training room.
Yong Hwarin opened the window and pointed toward a plum tree.
Behind the side building stood a plum tree about three jang tall.
“Watch that plum tree closely.”
Yong Hwarin gripped the Azure Dragon Three Marbles and swiftly thrust forward.
Because the formulas of the Nine Dragons Heavenly Ascent Technique and Azure Dragon Stance Art were already naturally embedded in Yong Hwarin’s True Qi, as soon as his will was set, Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens was activated.
Whoosh!
A blue aura struck the plum tree, but the women couldn’t clearly see what it was.
The Dragon’s Energy and the strength of the Five Gaps were amplified through his Tai Chi Dantian.
That True Qi, following the formula of Azure Dragon Stance Art, passed through the Laogong Point and entered the Azure Dragon Three Marbles, and at Yong Hwarin’s will, Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens unfolded.
The plum tree trembled for a moment before suddenly catching fire.
Fwoooosh!
It didn’t just ignite—within an instant, the three jang-tall plum tree had turned into pitch-black charcoal.
“Wow!”
No matter how strong a fire-based technique was, it might be able to burn an object, but turning such a large tree into charcoal in an instant was unheard of.
They’d never even heard of a martial art that could do such a thing.
“That’s amazing!”
All five women let out gasps of admiration.
“It’s not over yet.”
No sooner had Yong Hwarin finished speaking than the plum tree, now turned to charcoal, suddenly exploded and scattered in all directions.
And its force was so intense that the exploding charcoal fragments embedded themselves into the wooden pillars and walls of the side building.
“Hwarin-nim! What is that?!”
Namgung Yoo asked in shock.
“Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens doesn’t just burn something—it detonates the object it burns and devastates the surrounding area.”
“Something like that should only be possible with explosive orbs!”
“That’s the nature of this technique. It converts True Qi into flames to burn the object, then transforms into Nascent Qi and causes an explosion.”
“That’s an incredibly frightening martial art.”
“But compared to other techniques, Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens isn’t necessarily that strong.”
“You’re saying this technique is weak?”
As Yong Hwarin smiled faintly, the five women shook their heads, looking at him as if he were a monster.
But they weren’t the only ones who had seen the display.
By chance, someone had entered the side building and witnessed the scene.
Since Yong Hwarin had been focused on executing Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens, he had failed to detect the presence of the new arrival.
‘Damn, looks like I made a mistake.’
Yong Hwarin knew very well what could happen if someone unrelated to him found out he could use such martial arts.
If someone was ridiculously strong, it could actually instill fear and resentment in others.
Yong Hwarin’s face suddenly hardened as he looked toward the person who had entered the side building.
Namgung Yoo recognized the visitor and spoke.
“Elder Jaegal Yugyeol, what brings you here?”
At the name Jaegal Yugyeol, Bukri Sehee asked,
“He’s from the Jaegal Clan? But why do you all look so serious?”
Among the five women, Bukri Sehee was the only one who didn’t know who Jaegal Yugyeol was.
Yong Hwarin stepped out of the side building.
“Uncle, it’s been a long time.”
As Jaegal Yugyeol and Yong Biyang had a sworn brotherhood, Yong Hwarin had called him uncle since he was young.
Jaegal Yugyeol gazed at Yong Hwarin with eyes filled with regret for a moment before speaking.
“Yes, it’s been a while. I’ve always heard of your reputation. I came to the Hundred Justice Alliance briefly because of the children and stopped by when I heard you were here.”
“Please, come inside.”
Jaegal Yugyeol shook his head.
Seeing the five women staring at him from inside, he somehow felt reluctant to enter.
“No, let’s walk for a bit.”
Without waiting for Yong Hwarin’s answer, Jaegal Yugyeol took the lead and began walking.
With a helpless sigh, Yong Hwarin stepped to his side and followed.
Once the two disappeared, Bukri Sehee turned to the remaining four with a look of genuine curiosity.
“Who is that person, for Hwarin-nim to treat him so politely? He doesn’t seem like a martial artist.”
Namgung Yoo, who knew relatively well about the Jaegal Clan and Yong Hwarin’s situation, began to explain.
“Bukri, you know Miss Jaegal Cheongyeong, right?”
“Yes, of course. I know she was once Hwarin-nim’s fiancée and that they later broke it off.”
“That man is Jaegal Cheongyeong’s father.”
“Oh!”
Bukri Sehee exclaimed, her eyes following the two men’s receding figures.
“Don’t tell me I’m getting another sister now, am I? If Jaegal Cheongyeong’s father came personally to see Hwarin-nim, isn’t that because he’s thinking of making a deal or something?”
Mo Biyoung gently stroked Bukri Sehee’s head.
“Don’t worry. Among the women Hwarin-nim embraces, there’s not a single one he did so out of pity. If he were to take in Miss Jaegal Cheongyeong, it would only be out of sympathy. To him, Miss Jaegal Cheongyeong is nothing more than a childhood memory now.”
“How do you know that, Sister Mo? Did Hwarin-nim tell you?”
Mo Biyoung looked at Bukri Sehee and replied.
“His eyes say everything. When Hwarin-nim looks at us, it’s with a loving gaze. But when he looks at other women, his eyes remain calm. Even when beautiful women are nearby, he treats them like paintings. I still don’t understand how a young man can be like that. That kind of gaze is something you only see in middle-aged men who’ve been with countless women.”
Bukri Sehee nodded repeatedly as she listened to Mo Biyoung’s explanation.
Namgung Yoo opened her mouth once Mo Biyoung finished speaking.
“Now that I think about it, I did see Hwarin-nim look at another woman with a gaze similar to the one he gives us.”
At those words, the other four women simultaneously turned their attention to Namgung Yoo.
“Who?”
Flustered by the sudden attention, Namgung Yoo gave an awkward smile.
Even though they had all said it was fine if Yong Hwarin took in another woman, they were all secretly uneasy about it.
“Hohoho, don’t get so tense.”
Namgung Yoo laughed aloud, as if she were holding a big secret.
“Tell us. Who is it?”
As Mo Biyoung pressed with a challenging look, Namgung Yoo shook her head.
Then, when a name finally came from her lips, the four women simultaneously held their breath.
“Mmm!”
It was because they, too, had sensed a similar feeling from Yong Hwarin when he looked at that woman.
“That might be true. Hwarin-nim always seemed to look at her with a somewhat ambiguous gaze.”
When Hoi Unkyung spoke, Jeong Minji nodded.
“Yes, after being involved with her in many ways, it’s possible some affection developed. Hwarin-nim is a very affectionate person.”
Jeong Minji couldn’t help but acknowledge that part.
*
Jaegal Yugyeol stopped walking after some time.
From earlier, he had tried to say something, but it had been grinding between his molars, unable to escape through his lips.
“Hwarin.”
After a moment, having seemingly ended his inner conflict, Jaegal Yugyeol looked at Yong Hwarin.
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Would you reconsider your broken engagement with our Cheongyeong?”
When the words Yong Hwarin hadn’t wanted to hear finally came from Jaegal Yugyeol’s mouth, he closed his eyes.
It was a matter he had long resolved to clarify one day, so he steadied his heart and opened his eyes.
“Uncle, Cheongyeong is like a younger sister and a friend to me. I broke off our engagement not only because I believed she needed to be free to pursue the ultimate peak of martial arts, but because I knew she would never be happy if she married me.”
“How can you be so certain of that?”
Yong Hwarin looked Jaegal Yugyeol in the eyes and spoke.
“Uncle, Cheongyeong has outstanding martial talent. If someone like her diverts her interest from martial arts to anything else, she’ll never reach the ultimate heights that she or the Jaegal Clan seeks. And I know better than anyone how much Cheongyeong wants to reach the peak of martial arts. Someone with that kind of resolve cannot become the wife of a man. If a woman finds happiness with a man, she will naturally drift away from martial arts. I don’t want to see Cheongyeong burdened after marriage. And she has already come to terms with it. When we meet, she always greets me comfortably, just like she did when we were children. Neither of us desires marriage anymore.”
Jaegal Yugyeol looked at Yong Hwarin silently before slightly nodding.
“Hearing you say that... leaves me with nothing more to say.”
Truthfully, Jaegal Yugyeol had thought that pushing for a re-engagement was disgraceful.
But under constant pressure from Jaegal Cheok, who claimed that they must win over Yong Hwarin—now rising as a sacred star of Murim—if the Jaegal Clan wished to regain its former glory, he had come this far.
However, after hearing Yong Hwarin’s resolve, he realized he could no longer act disgracefully.
“Hwarin, even if you’ve broken off your engagement with Cheongyeong, I hope you won’t forget that I’m still your uncle.”
Yong Hwarin smiled.
“Of course. Cheongyeong is like a younger sister to me, and you will always be my uncle.”
Jaegal Yugyeol replied with a lightened expression.
“Yes, that’s enough for me. That’s all I need. It was our lack of foresight that drove you away, so who can we blame? Had I not agreed to the annulment so easily, things might not have come to this. But looking at the outcome, it’s not so bad. For both Cheongyeong and you, Hwarin. A bond between a man and woman can never be forced. If you try to force it, it becomes a bad fate, not a good one.”
Jaegal Yugyeol patted Yong Hwarin once on the back and said,
“I’ll take my leave now.”
As Jaegal Yugyeol turned away, Yong Hwarin called out.
“If the Clan Head scolds you for this, just tell him I said this—That I would help Cheongyeong become the Martial Flower Lord. Then the Clan Head won’t hold it against you.”
Jaegal Yugyeol smiled kindly.
“You haven’t changed a bit since you were young. Still so warm-hearted. Thank you.”
Jaegal Yugyeol walked away, slowly fading from sight.
With his relationship with Jaegal Cheongyeong now fully resolved, Yong Hwarin felt as though a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest.
*
All five women were smiling.
After Yong Hwarin shared the conversation he had with Jaegal Yugyeol, their expressions were full of relief.
Yong Hwarin could clearly see from this moment that the women weren’t exactly fond of the idea of more women joining.
Seeing that they were in a good mood, he decided it was best to bring this up now.
“There’s something important I need to do. I’ll have to go alone to the Southern King’s Residence.”
At those words, the expressions of the five women turned cold.
It was because Princess Gyeongseon resided in the Southern King’s Residence.
They assumed he was going to see her, and their faces stiffened.
Yong Hwarin burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha, it’s not because of Princess Gyeongseon. I have a request I need to make of the Southern King. And don’t worry—things are already clear between me and the Princess.”
“Really?”
Bukri Sehee asked, her face brightening.
“Of course. Why else would the Princess leave the main house where she was learning martial arts and return to the royal residence? It’s because I told her I couldn’t accept her. She was disheartened and left because of that.”
Jeong Minji made a sorrowful expression.
Of all of them, she had been the closest to Princess Gyeongseon during their time at the Heavenly Central Sect.
“Oh, so that’s what it was. That must be why she told us we were lucky women before she left…”
Now that the issues of Jaegal Cheongyeong and Princess Gyeongseon were resolved, the five women finally looked at ease.
“If it’s not about something like that, then we don’t mind. Go ahead and take care of it.”
Bukri Sehee said brightly.
“Hwarin-nim! Should I go with you?”
But Hoi Unkyung stepped in.
“Hwarin-nim gathered us to tell us this because it’s something he needs to do alone. So let’s respect that.”
At Hoi Unkyung’s words, Bukri Sehee pouted.
“I still want to go…”
“If you do, it’ll delay things. I have to finish this before the Murim Reorganization Tournament begins.”
“All right. We’ll stay here.”
As Jeong Minji answered, the other women had no choice but to remain silent.
Yong Hwarin gave Jeong Minji a glance and stood up.