SYM 89

What is the easiest way to defeat a master whose skills are far superior?

A master who has surpassed the level of first-rate, reaching the pinnacle or transcendence, possesses the kind of power that can literally split mountains and divide seas.

The only way for someone without such martial prowess to defeat a transcendent master is to drive them into Qi Deviation.

Qi Deviation was the weakness of all martial artists. If one’s Qi and blood were damaged by being swayed by emotions, even the most powerful martial artist was helpless.

It might seem that the more powerful one’s martial strength, the more detached from human affairs and emotions one would become, but that was not always the case. For example, those who had mastered the Flame Transformation Art were quick-tempered and had extreme emotional fluctuations, following the nature of their Martial Arts.

People of the Martial World families showed weakness towards their families. If their families were taken hostage, killed, or threatened, they were likely to succumb or suffer from Qi Deviation.

In short, even a martial artist with great martial prowess could be undone if they were broken from within.

“Hoo…”

Eun-hyeon hugged his knees on the bed and sighed.

Eun-hyeon had just returned to the lodgings with Cheong-un.

Normally, Cheong-un would have stayed by his side, offering massages and such, but today was different. He told Eun-hyeon to sleep early because they had to leave early tomorrow and left.

This was a first. It wasn’t that Eun-hyeon wanted Cheong-un to stay and do something, but he felt strangely unsettled.

“What did we talk about today that made Cheong-un act like this?”

Eun-hyeon bit his fingernails.

He couldn’t forget the strange feeling he had when he faced his old body.

Seo Eun-hyeon he saw today had the body of a complete martial artist. He hadn’t thought much of it while living in that body, but now that he saw it, it seemed quite large.

Cheong-un had fallen for Seo Eun-hyeon. So, wasn’t Cheong-un’s taste still Seo Eun-hyeon?

Eun-hyeon glanced at his own hands and then lowered his head to look at his body.

He already knew it, but compared to Seo Eun-hyeon, it was a truly useless body.

He couldn’t expect solid muscles or a robust physique. Bones thinner than a woman’s and a face that, though beautiful, looked neurotic.

This body of Namgung Eun-hyeon didn’t seem to be Cheong-un’s taste, who had fallen for Seo Eun-hyeon.

As he pondered this and that, his head became increasingly complicated.

“Eh, I don’t know.”

Eun-hyeon groaned for a while before collapsing onto the bed.

* * *

“Eun-hyeon-ah. What is this?”

“It’s a gift, Senior Brother.”

Eun-hyeon held out the fan he had been treasuring.

The eyes of the Senior Brother widened at the sight of it.

“A gift? For me?”

Eun-hyeon nodded and held out the fan again.

This fan was something Eun-hyeon had received from the Sect Leader for his excellent performance in the last competition.

On the fan, Taoist Wei-Jin, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, had personally written in one stroke, “From the Tao, all things come, and to the Tao, they return,” meaning Reverse Cultivation Returning to the Source.

“Heo, isn’t this something the Sect Leader bestowed upon you directly? How can I receive such a thing from you?”

The Senior Brother smiled and stroked Eun-hyeon’s head.

“Then let’s say I’m lending it to you for a while. Senior Brother is going to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering this time, right? This fan not only has writing directly from the Sect Leader, but it’s also a rare, high-quality item. Senior Brother, you can’t be looked down upon when you go to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so please take my fan.”

“What? Hahaha. Disciple. Does this Senior Brother look so unreliable in the eyes of my young disciple? Alright. Thinking of my disciple’s heart, I will use it carefully and return it.”

Even though its roots were in Taoist temples, Kunlun was one of the Nine Great Sects representing the Martial World, but its livelihood was extremely poor.

After possessing Seo Eun-hyeon’s body for the first time, he was shocked at how the side dishes consisted only of weeds. But as he lived, he became accustomed to this life and found it worth living.

“Senior Brother, you don’t have to return it. It’s a precious item, but I…”

“I know. You mean you’ll be returning someday, right? But I’ll return it after I come back, so keep it until then. Thank you.”

Senior Brother Jang-hyeon ruffled Eun-hyeon’s hair and disappeared.

Among many, Eun-hyeon was especially fond of his Senior Brother, Jang-hyeon. The reliable Senior Brother Jang-hyeon, like a big brother, was the very image of what Eun-hyeon wanted to be.

It was also because of this that he could tell his Senior Brother secrets he couldn’t tell others.

That he came from another world and that this place was the world inside a novel he had read. Even to his own ears, it sounded like crazy talk.

But Senior Brother was different. Even after hearing Eun-hyeon’s crazy talk, he simply nodded with a heavy expression.

Perhaps in his head, he thought, “My youngest disciple has gone completely mad.”

But in any case, Jang-hyeon didn’t show any reaction on the outside and even stroked Eun-hyeon’s head, thanking him for sharing his difficult story.

At this point, he wasn’t just a generous person, but almost like a Buddha.

Eun-hyeon had since followed Jang-hyeon like a real brother.

He diligently did whatever Jang-hyeon asked, no matter how annoying, and he took care of Jang-hyeon’s affairs as if they were his own.

Jang-hyeon was worth it.

He was a rare person of character and someone who could become the next Sect Leader.

“Eun-hyeon-ah, I’ll be away for quite a while when I go down this time, so can I ask you for a favor today?”

“Of course! Anything. I was going to ask you first if you didn’t say anything, Senior Brother.”

“I’m always grateful. Who else would I ask for such a favor if not you, Eun-hyeon?”

Eun-hyeon’s face turned red at Senior Brother’s words.

Jang-hyeon took off all his upper garments and sat upright. Eun-hyeon approached him from behind. Eun-hyeon still couldn’t control the Qi well unless his skin was directly touching.

Eun-hyeon reached out and placed his hand on Jang-hyeon’s back, slowly starting to circulate his Qi.

It had been several years since Senior Brother Jang-hyeon had asked Eun-hyeon to transfer Qi.

Jang-hyeon had told Eun-hyeon that he had a problem with his Qi channels and needed help.

He never knew that his always bright and reliable Senior Brother would have a problem with his Qi channels.

Eun-hyeon had jumped, saying how could he, who was still unskilled in Martial Arts, be of help to his Senior Brother, but Jang-hyeon was adamant.

He said that he had made a mistake while training and didn’t want to tell Master or anyone else.

Eun-hyeon was pleased that his respected Senior Brother was asking him for a favor he couldn’t tell anyone else.

However, as he helped Senior Brother with his Qi Circulation, he kept transferring his Qi to him.

Since he was giving away his already small amount of Qi to his Senior Brother every time, Eun-hyeon’s Martial Arts progress was slow. Not only that, but he seemed to have become weaker, and he fell ill more often.

But he was happy to be of help to his Senior Brother.

Besides, today was the day Senior Brother was going down to the Martial World. He tried to transfer as much Qi as possible to his Senior Brother.

He would be bedridden for a while after this, but he was happy to be of help to his Senior Brother.

“Thanks to you, Eun-hyeon, I won’t have to worry about meeting anyone at this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Disciple, thank you.”

Eun-hyeon mumbled, opening his hazy eyes.

“…You’re welcome, Senior Brother… Huh?”

Eun-hyeon couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality and had a blank expression for a while before shaking his head. His head throbbed as if he had a slight cold.

Could it be that going to the Night market last night had been too much for his body?

“To dream about Senior Brother…”

Eun-hyeon scratched his head a bit and sighed. It seemed to be the aftermath of meeting Seo Eun-hyeon.

Come to think of it, what had happened to Senior Brother?

After waking up in Namgung Eun-hyeon’s body, he hadn’t heard any news about the Kunlun Sect.

“Senior Brother Jeong-hyeon must be Sect Leader Jeong-hyeon by now. It would feel really strange to meet Senior Brother.”

Perhaps because he had had a dream, he kept thinking about those days today.

“No, this is not the time for me to be doing this. They said they were leaving early today, what time is it now? Am I too late?”

Eun-hyeon quickly got up, seeing that it was bright outside the window.

They were supposed to leave Seoan early this morning, and he was worried that the departure had been delayed because of him.

“Young master, did you cough? Shall I prepare some pear juice?”

At that moment, the door opened, and one of Eun-hyeon’s servants bowed his head.

“Uh… Cheong, no, I mean, the Lord…?”

Eun-hyeon stuttered. Since the servants attending him were all members of the Demonic Sect, he felt uncomfortable calling Cheong-un, who was like a religious figure to them, by his name. He almost bit his tongue trying to say “Lord.”

“The Lord departed alone early this morning. He said that Eun-hyeon Young master seemed to have overdone it last night, so he instructed us to help you rest well.”

“…Excuse me?”

So, Cheong-un had left him behind?

Eun-hyeon’s face contorted.