Extra 2 |
Cut the hair and wash the marrows (洗髓伐毛).
To remold the body and cast off one’s old self by ridding the body of all toxins and washing away all the grime accumulated by the body.
It required the ability to handle qi in very fine detail, so unless you were an expert, it was an unimaginable method.
And so it was hard for someone to go through marrow cleansing without being born to a prestigious family.
Moreover, the marrow cleansing that Woon-seong conducted was a little different from those of others.
Generally, marrow cleansing occurred after 1 year of age.
Even so, no matter how finely controlled the energy was, it was not easy for such a young body to handle the energy.
But Woon-seong was different. The moment the child was born, he began to cleanse.
The different energy control abilities of those in the Divine Realm made this possible.
How much time passed?
“Huff.”
Woon-seong let out a long breath and relaxed his hands, which were stretched towards the child.
“Are you done?”
Woon-seong nodded lightly at Ah-young’s question. “Of course.”
With this, all of the veins in the baby’s body had been unclogged.
No, it was not only that.
Not only had the Twin Veins of Control been completely opened, but the bones and muscles of the entire body had been re-molded.
To be a bit exaggerated, Woon-seong had used his own power to transform the child’s body into a Heavenly Martial Body.
Actually, it wasn’t a true Heavenly Martial Body. Still, the baby would show talent comparable to those with a Heavenly Martial Body when learning martial arts.
“So, what will the name be?”
“Hmm…”
At Ah-young’s question, Woon-seong made another awkward expression. He had been so focused on marrow cleansing that he hadn’t even named his child yet.
Ah-young grinned as she seemed to read his innermost thoughts. Although she had been unable to understand him before, she had come to understand him better while living as a married couple and interacting day to day.
Woon-seong was not a person without emotions. He was just a person who had difficulty expressing them.
Ah-young smiled. Of course, I don’t hate that about him either.
“…Yu-seol (留偰).”
Soon, Woon-seong opened his mouth. “I will name her Cheon Yu-seol.”
‘Yu’ (留) as in ‘to stay, to remain’ and ‘Seol’ (偰) as in ‘clear, pure’.
Ah-young repeated over the baby’s name over and over in her head, as she liked the sound of it. Yu-seol, Yu-seol…
Woon-seong coughed lightly. “Ahem. Of course, only if you agree, but…”
Ah-young laughed as he muttered, looking into his eyes. “That is a good name. Yu-seol. Yu-seol…”
“Well, it is good you like it,” Woon-seong said with a relieved expression.
Then he sat down on the other side of the bed.
Unknowingly, he reached out and tried to stroke Ah-young’s cheek, but he paused and said, “Uhm, you have done well.”
Although they had lived together for several years, this kind of expression of affection was still unfamiliar for Woon-seong.
Did she read his thoughts again?
Ah-young reached out her hand. She grabbed Woon-seong’s hand with her own, pulling it towards her and placing it on her cheek.
As Woon-seong’s warmth was transmitted through her cheeks, Ah-young smiled warmly.
He was a person of warm blood, no different from herself.
Why had this person once looked so scary and cold-blooded?
At that thought, Ah-young smiled faintly and asked in a teasing voice, “Isn’t it time to get used to it?”
“Uhm…”
“You can get used to it slowly. Little by little, step by step. That’s all you need to do…”
Just as Ah-young felt Woon-seong’s warmth, Woon-seong could also feel hers.
He nodded.
“I’ll try.”
The birth of Cheon Yu-seol was not only precious to Woon-seong and Ah-young because it was the day that the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon was born.
It could be considered a festival for the entire Cult of the Heavenly Demon.
As if to prove their excitement, the Demonic Cult held a festival to commemorate Yu-seol’s birth.
“Wow!”
“Whoa!”
“That way. Go, go!”
The current commotion was also because of the festival: a hunting competition.
The Demonic Cult was a group with militant characteristics. Thus, a festival celebrating the birth of the next generation was bound to be violent. This festival, reflecting that aggressive tendency, was centered around a hunting competition.
After dividing the participants into groups, they would scrounge the vast mountains and hunt beasts.
In other words, they would pray for the prosperity of the future generations by placing their hunt upon the altar, burning them in the Divine Flame as an offering to the First Heavenly Demon.
And of course, Gwan Tae-ryang was also running about in the mountains.
He swung his sword and roared at the Charred Dragon Unit behind him: “We don’t want mere pheasants, rabbits, or roe deer!”
Although only a few years had passed since the war, the qi contained within his voice was so profound that it could not be compared to before.
Of course, he was not a Demonic Master yet.
Gwan Tae-ryang was a master of the Transcendental Realm; most of the Demonic Masters had reached the height of the Absolute Realm.
But at least Gwan Tae-ryang had the strength and status to speak confidently: he was captain of one of the Twelve Supporting Units guarding the Cult. Despite being in his twenties, he was the best among the captains too.
Gwan Tae-ryang’s nose and brows twitched at this point. Well, maybe I’d have to pay a price against him.
It was a few years after the war now. Gwan Tae-ryang had gotten stronger through hard work and training all day and night, but there was another Demonic King in his twenties who had grown just as much as himself.
Tsk.
Gwan Tae-ryang shook his head, reluctantly acknowledging the existence of a rival while clicking his tongue.
Of course, the man Gwan Tae-ryang was referring to was Sa Ryong-hui, Captain of the White Ape Unit.
I have to recognize him for his efforts and talent.
Gwan Tae-ryang and Sa Ryong-hui had fought once, back when they were on opposite sides during the Orthodox-Demonic War.
At that time, even though it had been a good fight, Gwan Tae-ryang had been slightly ahead.
However, during these few years, Sa Ryong-hui had been narrowing the gap and his sword was now at Gwan Tae-ryang’s chin.
I can’t lose to him.
So he shouted.
“We are after bears! No…,” Gwan Tae-ryang shook his head. “Catch a tiger! If you can’t catch a tiger, don’t even dream of going back to the Cult today!”
As if responding to the call, the Charred Dragon members raised their weapons high and shouted.
“Understood!”
“Ugh.”
Sa Ryong-hui, who was in the midst of tracking down beasts, lightly dug at his ears with his finger.
Seeing that, Kang So-san, who had been quietly following Sa Ryong-hui, came up and asked, “Is something wrong, Captain Sa?”
Sa Ryong-hui shook his head, saying it was no big deal. “It’s nothing. It’s just that my ears itched for a moment…”
Kang So-san, a disciple of Woon-seong and the descendant of the Spear Master Sect, now belonged to the White Ape Unit and was gaining practical experience under Sa Ryong-hui’s guidance.
He was Woon-seong’s disciple, but his skills were not as excellent as his master’s had been.
At a little less than twenty years old, he was able to unleash spear aura.
Compared to the general public, this was quite acceptable for Murim. However, since his master’s achievements were so significant, the two were naturally compared.
Still, Kang So-san was not disappointed. He was not dejected.
Instead, he worked even harder. With the determination to not harm his master’s prestige and achievements, Kang So-san worked as hard as he lacked talent.
Sa Ryong-hui praised Kang So-san’s efforts. It takes time to make a big bowl [1]. As long as you work hard, you will eventually get there.
That’s what martial arts was all about.
Talent could only help to a certain extent. In order to reach beyond that point, what one needed was not talent but accumulated time.
In other words, it was all about effort.
Someday, you will realize that your efforts were not in vain.
Whether or not he knew Sa Ryong-hui’s thoughts, Kang So-san titled his head. “Aside from your ear being itchy, is something wrong?”
Did the boy become uncomfortable because Sa Ryong-hui had been staring at him in silence?
Sa Ryong-hui quietly shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Then, he skillfully gave orders to the people of the White Ape Unit who were following him.
“Divide the group into two. One group will start from the bottom, the other from the top in search of prey.”
He then added, “I will reward anyone who finds big game. It is the Leader’s daughter’s birthday and you don’t want to be bested by other units, do you?”
“No, sir!”
At Sa Ryong-hui’s words, the White Ape Unit responded by brandishing their weapons.
Seeing Sa Ryong-hui, Kang So-san shook his head. You’ve completely assimilated now.
Was it because of their small connection in the past? Even after the war was over, Kang So-san and Sa Ryong-hui worked together on big and small things.
Therefore, when Sa Ryong-hui was appointed Captain of the Charred Dragon Unit, Kang So-san had clear memories of those early days.
It wasn’t like this then.
More than 90% of the members of the White Ape Unit were from the Cave of Latent Demons, just like the Charred Dragon Unit.
Since it was the Heavenly Demon, their master and the living god of the Demonic Cult, who appointed the captain, the White Ape Unit grudgingly accepted a new captain.
So what was the problem?
Perhaps it was because Sa Ryong-hui was very proud of his own abilities. In the early days of Sa Ryong-hui’s tenure, he wasn’t treated very well. It could be said that he was only the captain in name.
That was then.
In the past few years, Sa Ryong-hui had connected with everyone in the White Ape Unit and risen to a point where he could lead them. As of now, none of the members of the White Ape Unit would argue with Sa Ryong-hui’s words.
Of course, the process had not been easy.
Not to mention that he had reached a level that no one in the White Ape Unit could ignore, his achievements also made him a worthy leader. Moreover, he had reasonable judgment from experience.
Kang So-san, who had watched Sa Ryong-hui’s efforts, had no choice but to be amazed.
I think I can understand why Master sent me to the White Ape Unit.
Woon-seong wanted Kang So-san to not only gain practical experience, but also Sa Ryong-hui’s excellent senses.
Kang So-san collected his thoughts and lifted his head, glancing at Sa Ryong-hui’s back.
Then let’s learn from Captain Sa’s good points, just as Master wishes.
Like he had been doing so far.
No, he would learn better by observing even more closely than before.
Thinking like that, he grabbed his spear.
Then, he chased after Sa Ryong-hui, who was a little ahead.
[1] 대기만성, 大器晩成, lit. ‘it takes time to make a great bowl’; means ‘a person who succeeds after a great deal of effort’ or a late bloomer
