“Brother Bu. Why… did you not even permit him to take his own life?”
At Hyeok So-jin’s lamenting question, Bu Eunseol replied with a cold, detached expression.
“If they had witnessed him taking his own life, the remaining members of the Soul Scorching Squad would have fought to the death.”
Only then did Hyeok So-jin let out a sound of realization.
If Yo Bul-beom had laughed heartily and ended his own life with unyielding spirit?
The morale of the Soul Scorching Squad would have soared to the heavens, and they would have resisted desperately, fighting to the death.
“Thank you.”
At that moment, Guk Hye-ryeong walked out from among the lined-up disciples of Momentless Fleet.
“Supporting you was a choice I will never regret.”
When a formidable enemy invaded, Bu Eunseol willingly stepped forward alone to protect Momentless Fleet. That act was tantamount to displaying trust worth his very life.
“Whether you become the successor of the Demonic Palace or not… this Fleet will stand by your side forever.”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol lightly bowed with clasped hands. That dignified and solemn posture alone demonstrated a trust deeper than hundreds of oaths, revealing the majesty of a future Great Grandmaster of martial arts.
Standing tall and sweeping his gaze around, Bu Eunseol slowly turned his body. having completed all the orders given by the Divine Demonic Emperor, he intended to return to the Demonic Palace.
***
Leaving Guilin, Bu Eunseol rested at a nearby inn before boarding a ship. He decided to travel north along the banks of the Three Rivers to reach Changsha, where the Demonic Palace was located.
In truth, both Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin had suffered significant injuries in the battle with the Soul Scorching Squad. Hyeok So-jin, in particular, had sustained considerable internal injuries from unleashing his Divine Splitting Demonic Energy at full power throughout the fight.
After staying at the inn with Bu Eunseol for three days to recuperate slowly, his internal energy gradually recovered. However, to achieve full recovery, they decided to use a boat and travel leisurely without rushing.
Buzz buzz.
The village near the port where ships came and went was bustling with people from all over.
As they entered the marketplace, Bu Eunseol used the Face Changing Bone Altering Art to alter his appearance slightly. His exceptionally handsome features were too conspicuous, and most of the weapon-carrying martial artists filling the marketplace were from the Orthodox Factions.
Crack.
With a light sound, Bu Eunseol’s face changed into that of an ordinary-looking man in his prime.
“I won’t change mine.”
Watching him, Hyeok So-jin spoke with distaste.
“I haven’t been active in the Gangho and have been stuck with old folks all this time. There won’t be anyone who recognizes me.”
“Suit yourself.”
Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin wandered around looking for an inn with empty seats. However, through the windows, they saw only inns packed with customers.
“There are no seats.”
Just as Hyeok So-jin sighed while looking around…
“Let’s go there.”
Bu Eunseol pointed to an alley slightly away from the main market street.
There sat a small tavern. At a glance, it looked shabby and small, likely serving cheap food, but they were in no position to be picky.
“Hmm.”
Hyeok So-jin groaned as he looked at the empty window seat. He was not only picky about taste but also placed great importance on the atmosphere of where he dined. In the past, he would have insisted on finding a high-class inn, but now he shrugged as if he had no choice.
“Let’s do that.”
Entering the single-story tavern, they found merchants with bundles mixed with weapon-carrying martial artists.
As soon as they sat down, Hyeok So-jin called a server.
“Bring all the best liquor and dishes you can serve here.”
It was a clear order that one would typically never make in a cheap tavern.
The young server bowed and soon returned carrying plates, setting down food and alcohol on the table where Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin sat.
“Huh?”
However, an annoyed voice drifted from a group at the next table.
“Hey, didn’t we order first?”
When Hyeok So-jin turned his head, he saw two twin young men, a sickly and haggard-looking young man, and a young woman of marriageable age sitting there. None of them possessed outstanding beauty, but their features were upright and their eyes were full of vitality. Judging by their attire and the atmosphere they exuded, they seemed to be children of a prestigious family.
“Looking at the dishes, it seems to be what we ordered, doesn’t it?”
When one of the twins frowned and spoke again, the server looking around the tables scratched his head and spoke cautiously.
“I apologize. It is true that you came first, but this guest here ordered first.”
Bu Eunseol’s group had arrived later, but Hyeok So-jin had ordered immediately upon sitting down. The other group, after much deliberation, had also ordered ‘Everything you can serve here!’, leading to this misunderstanding.
“Is that so.”
Only then did the young man, realizing the situation, smack his lips. He hadn’t even considered that the order might be delayed because the inn was crowded. With many customers still waiting for food, it would likely take a long time for their order to arrive.
They must have traveled a long way.
Bu Eunseol realized that the young group was exhausted and extremely hungry.
“We are in no hurry, so serve them first.”
Bu Eunseol had come to the inn not to satisfy hunger, but to listen to the rumors of the Gangho.
When he yielded, the server and the group of young people at the table waved their hands with surprised expressions.
“No. There is no need to go that far…”
“It is fine. We are not in a rush.”
When Bu Eunseol calmly waved his hand, the young people all bowed lightly to express their gratitude.
“Thank you.”
Bu Eunseol nodded calmly and turned his gaze out the window again.
At that moment, the conversation of martial artists sitting some distance away reached his ears.
—Did you hear that rumor?
—What rumor?
—The Mad Physician of the Soul, Gongsun Gu-reung. The story that the madman has reappeared in the Gangho.
The Mad Physician of the Soul. Gongsun Gu-reung.
A lunatic murderer who dressed like a traveling doctor but dissected perfectly healthy, living people. The number of civilians killed by his hands so far exceeded three hundred. Furthermore, he crossed the line increasingly, attacking and slaughtering young martial artists. At this point, not only the Orthodox Factions but also various sects of the Demonic Path had issued kill orders.
However, he easily evaded the pursuit of various sects and continued to stir up the Gangho. Eventually, when even the Demonic Palace and the Martial Righteous Alliance showed signs of intervening, he suddenly disappeared without a trace ten years ago.
To think such a maniacal murderer had reappeared in the Gangho?
‘The Mad Physician of the Soul.’
Recalling the biographical records of past martial artists he had seen at the branch of the Nine Assassination Squad, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
The Mad Physician was known for flaying and dissecting healthy young people alive for no reason.
‘But they said he was crazy about martial arts, not slaughter.’
However, the reality was different.
According to the information from the Nine Assassination Squad, the Mad Physician did not rummage through human bodies alive because he felt joy in slaughter. He dissected people alive to research the principles of martial arts and the weaknesses of the human body. Just like Bu Jan-yang and Bu Eunseol, who studied causes of death by looking at scars on corpses.
“We should be careful too.”
Hyeok So-jin, hearing the martial artists’ conversation, smirked.
“Doesn’t that madman like dissecting the bodies of young experts of the Gangho the most?”
The decisive reason Gongsun Gu-reung became a public enemy of the martial world was because he captured and dissected young rising stars of both the Orthodox and Demonic paths alive. Perhaps examining the bodies of martial artists was much easier for researching martial arts.
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol nodded, silently listening to the ongoing conversation.
However, aside from the reappearance of the Mad Physician, there were no other significant rumors.
‘The Mad Physician of the Soul. Gongsun Gu-reung…’
Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes.
A maniacal murderer who dissects young people alive to enhance his martial arts.
Although his skills were known to fall short of the Transcendence Realm, according to the Nine Assassination Squad’s information, he was a tremendous expert who had entered the Transcendence Realm long ago. Furthermore, possessing elusive movement techniques and secret methods to hide his traces… he could be said to have achieved mastery in the art of escape as well.
‘Why is he smiling?’ Hyeok So-jin tilted his head as he saw Bu Eunseol smiling faintly while lost in deep thought. ‘What is he planning now?’
He could now be called an expert on Bu Eunseol. He knew well that when the rarely smiling Bu Eunseol wore a smile, something unpredictable was about to happen.
***
Having finished their meal, Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin arrived at the dock and boarded the ship. The merchant ship, converted to carry passengers and cargo, was large enough to have seats left even after taking on over a hundred passengers.
Due to the sunny weather, most of the passengers were up on the deck enjoying the scenery.
“…”
Bu Eunseol was gazing blankly at the flowing river water.
The recent bloody battle with the Captain of the Soul Scorching Squad had given him immense insight, and whenever he had free time, he ruminated on the situation from back then.
Evil Spirit Sect was not bound by the framework of the weapon called the spear.
Yo Bul-beom of Evil Spirit Sect, like Bu Eunseol’s Supreme Heavenly Flow, was not constrained by the limitations or techniques of his weapon. This fact had presented a great crisis, unlike anything Bu Eunseol had felt from the enemies he had fought until now.
I might have been underestimating the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects too lightly.
The White Demon Monastery and Infernal Blood Fortress had characteristics of unorthodox methods and poison arts. For Bu Eunseol, who finds gaps in the enemy while engaging in combat, such points could be considered optimal prey.
However, seeing the spear art of Evil Spirit Sect, he realized anew that he had incorrectly evaluated the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects until now.
If our internal energy had been equal, I wouldn’t have won easily.
Yo Bul-beom had far richer experience in the Gangho than Bu Eunseol and was an expert who had polished the terrifying supreme art of the Soul Scorching Spear for over twenty years. That proficiency and method of combat management were gaps that Bu Eunseol, who had just passed the age of twenty, could not bridge quickly.
Before long, night fell.
A thick fog settled over the river where the wind had died down. The fog, rising high on all sides, seemed to turn the whole world into a distant dream.
“Brother Bu.”
At that moment, Hyeok So-jin, standing beside him, spoke up.
“The river water flows endlessly, and its flow does not cease, so why can’t people improve endlessly?”
It was a completely unexpected question. If an ordinary person had heard it, they might have burst out laughing or been dumbfounded. However, Bu Eunseol fell into thought with a serious expression, because Hyeok So-jin’s question pointed to a profound aspect of martial arts.
“If one could improve limitlessly, one would no longer be human, but could be seen as a part of nature.”
Finishing his thought, Bu Eunseol lowered his voice.
“Humans are born incomplete in both spirit and body. Therefore, they strive to overcome that incompleteness.”
His gaze followed the flow of the ripples below the railing as he spoke.
“Of course, river water cannot become a person. But a person can transform into not just river water, but anything.”
Hyeok So-jin furrowed his brow as if thinking deeply, then shook his head. “I cannot understand. How can a person transform everything into something else?”
“Everything you see is a phenomenon that appears through your spirit.”
Bu Eunseol explained calmly.
“If you are obsessed with martial arts, the river water will appear in the shape of martial arts. If you are obsessed with a beautiful woman, the river water might appear as a woman’s body.”
Every word Bu Eunseol spoke contained profound meaning.
“Those who master supreme martial arts sometimes fall into frustration or despair, or are seized by fear. Do you know why?”
When Hyeok So-jin shook his head, Bu Eunseol answered, “Because even if the body has reached its limit, the spirit has not yet reached that realm.”
His voice was utterly stoic. However, Bu Eunseol’s gaze looking at Hyeok So-jin was extremely sharp, as if piercing through his very lungs.
“You have continuously learned excellent martial arts and raised the perfection of your body. But the steadfastness of your spirit has not yet caught up.”
“!”
“Your martial arts have just entered the early stage of the Transcendence Realm. To reach a stable realm, you must temper not only your martial arts but also your mind firmly.”
In that instant, Hyeok So-jin trembled as if realizing something.
Bu Eunseol is strong.
The reason is partly due to his excellent martial arts, but also because his spiritual steadfastness is unmatched by anyone.
Brother Bu has tempered his own spirit as harshly as his martial arts.
If not, even if his body became strong, he could not have shown such rapid martial progress.
“Thank you, Brother Bu.”
Hyeok So-jin bowed his head deeply.
He had excellent martial arts teachers, including the Illusion Demon, but he had only learned martial techniques and scriptures; he had not yet received the profundity of martial arts.
But Bu Eunseol, while traveling the Gangho, was teaching Hyeok So-jin how to fathom all phenomena beyond objects through martial principles. It was also a process to make Hyeok So-jin realize the ultimate principles of martial arts on his own in the future.
“Ah?”
At that moment, the young men who had come out of the cabin and were standing there discovered Bu Eunseol and Hyeok So-jin and approached with bright smiles.
“We meet again here.”