Chapter 22: The Unlikely Encounter and Lingering Doubts

“Cheon Sojin! Let’s go together!”

From behind the building, Pang Gayun waved her hand and ran toward me.

“Wow, ah! What a coincidence to meet here!”

She might have thought it was perfect acting, but to me, it only made me want to laugh in disbelief.

Is it really a coincidence that we met again less than five minutes after we parted?

“Pang Sojeo, why are you following me?”

As a delicate white hand reached out toward my waist, I turned my head for a moment to look at her.

“Huh…? Following you? It’s just that we’re going in the same direction. I have to go this way too.”

Pang Gayun quickly avoided my gaze while her hand fidgeted.

Whether she realized it or not, her thoughts were written all over her face.

If she wanted to act, at least do it convincingly.

She had already followed me for three blocks, yet she pretended otherwise, turning her head away.

“Why, what’s the matter?”

I needed to quickly take the medicine and increase my martial skills, so I wasn’t in the mood for such a friendly gesture.

Since she has her grandfather, Ohho Doje, backing her, I didn’t think she’d give up easily.

‘If she was planning to leave, she wouldn’t be giving me such awkward excuses.’

Still, there were many ways to shake her off.

“Sojeo, then you go ahead first. I will follow later.”

“Huh? No, there’s no need for that…”

Pang Gayun looked up at me with a blank expression.

You said the directions were the same, right?

Then, go ahead.

“It’s fine. I will leave after Sojeo does.”

“…Alright.”

After hesitating for a while, Pang Gayun slumped her shoulders and walked away weakly.

KWAANG!

Just as she disappeared from my sight, a loud noise was heard from the training grounds.

Even though it was quite far to the training grounds, I could faintly feel the ripple of energy and intent.

‘Is she a scholar capable of using an absolute technique?’

During the 10-match martial arts tournament, the opponents were all top-tier scholars, but I had never seen anything like this.

It would probably just be a technique between peak and super-peak levels, but curiosity still arose.

However, curiosity was just that, and my steps were already headed toward the training hall.

I couldn’t afford to confuse the order of things.

The most important thing was my own martial power.

“Cheon Sojin!!!”

A voice, filled with sorrow and anguish, distinctly reached my ears from the direction of the training grounds.

Since I could hear it from this distance, it was a cry mixed with energy.

‘Is it Han Seol-a?’

It was definitely her voice. I couldn’t have heard it wrong.

‘Why is she calling me?’

Such questions arose, but my steps did not stop, and I continued walking toward the training hall.

It’s none of my business. I don’t have time for that.

She’ll handle it herself.

PAANG!

The girl with blue hair was sent flying by the shock.

“Keulk…”

KUDANG-TANG!

She couldn’t even brace herself and fell awkwardly to the ground of the training hall.

BANG!!

Then, Lingling stomped hard on her abdomen.

Very brutally.

“Kuuh… ugh…”

Han Seol-a tried to shake off her foot, but the damage from the first strike hadn’t healed, so she couldn’t escape.

It was because she took the full blow of the Moon Lady Fist’s Moon Tooth Heaven Fist.

Lingling, delighted by Han Seol-a’s suffering, pressed harder with her foot.

“Why? Are you angry? Then show me that renowned technique of the Hundred Snowflakes… what was it again? Cheon…?”

“Cheon-nyeon Bing Baek (Thousand Years of Ice Hundred)! Unni!”

Lingling smirked, curling one side of her mouth.

It was a look of mockery, no doubt about it.

‘Cheon Sojin…’

“Yeah, you must have made it to the top 100 with that empty-name technique, right? But what’s this? I’m not even scared!”

By now, Han Seol-a’s eyes were bloodshot.

Tears fell from her eyes like dew on the leaves in the early morning.

“Hu… h-huk.”

“Wow, crying again? How annoying. Keep crying. Let’s see how long you can keep it up.”

Lingling stomped on Han Seol-a with all her might, kicking her repeatedly.

“Keu… keuk.”

Every time Lingling kicked, the only thing Han Seol-a could do was curl up her body and endure.

“Such a useless girl!”

Since the training grounds were in a secluded area, no one would come to this place.

Lingling smiled slyly as she grabbed Han Seol-a’s hair and lifted her face up.

“Ah, it hurts… it hurts! It hurts!!!”

“Han Seol-a. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. If you beg like this, I’ll stop, okay?”

That’s something I could never do.

Because I’m a daughter of the Han family.

“Why are you being so stubborn today? Are you waiting for someone? Oh… is it Cheon Sojin? Cheon Sojin, right?”

Her pupils trembled slightly.

It was because she had hit the mark.

“Ahahaha! Really? Are you mentally ill or something? He already left.”

…What? What did you say?

I couldn’t believe it.

It couldn’t be true.

“Earlier, you ignored what I said and ran out. I wondered why, but… why? You don’t believe it because I said he left? There’s no way he would come. Don’t you get it?”

‘Cheon Sojin… Why, why isn’t he coming?’

Lingling started kicking again.

Peurk!

“Ugh… stop… stop it…”

“Then get out! Go! There are plenty of people who want to come here even without you!”

As she spoke, her anger seemed to grow, and her kicks became fiercer.

…!

Seol-a’s body became more and more ragged.

‘Cheon Sojin… I’m in so much pain… When is he coming? He didn’t really leave, right?’

“Han Seol-a. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Begging like this is your last chance. The great master you’re waiting for isn’t coming. He left long ago.”

That couldn’t be true.

There’s no way Cheon Sojin would abandon me.

‘Ah, that’s right! He… probably didn’t hear me. He was far away…’

Everything went dark in front of my eyes.

“I’ll give you 10 seconds. This time it’s the Moon Tooth Heaven Fist. There’s no way you can block it in this situation, right? Look forward to it.”

‘What should I do? Then, what about me?’

The thought of getting hit again made my body tremble.

It was such a horrible pain.

“5 seconds left.”

I don’t want to feel pain.

…But I can’t lower my head.

“3 seconds.”

What should I do?

Help me…

“1 second… it’s over…!”

As Lingling’s fist glowed brightly, someone shouted loudly and blocked her path.

“Stop it!!”

In the moment I was about to lose consciousness from fear, the last thing Seol-a saw in her eyes was…

A blonde girl.

She locked herself in the training hall, tirelessly practicing the Sun-Moon-Yin-Yang Divine Art.

A green aura swirled around her body and scattered.

After a week of training without sleep, thanks to the Gangjindan, the pure Sun-Moon energy was steadily accumulating in her lower dantian.

The achievement was truly miraculous, given that it wasn’t the successor’s expertise.

The heart is free, and so, in his right hand, he held the moon, and in his left hand, he held the sun.

The Sun-Moon-Yin-Yang Divine Art is a martial art that achieves harmony and balance through opposing forces.

The purer the energy, the more explosive its power in response to stimulation.

‘Just a little more…’

The energy was unstable and constantly fluctuated.

For a long time, one side was filled with Yin energy, and the other side with Yang energy, moving as if they would devour each other…

But eventually, balance was achieved.

‘It’s done.’

All the effort throughout the day paid off.

As the fifth flower bloomed in the lower dantian, the energy gradually settled, and he shook his body and stood up.

“Ha.”

His entire body was filled with vitality, and his skin and hair glowed with luster.

As a human, achieving success in martial arts quickly brought him great satisfaction.

‘Definitely much better than before.’

Of course, since it was a martial art already ingrained in his body, it was bound to progress quickly, but even with that in mind, the speed was impressive.

As he clenched his fist, the energy channels inside his body stirred, and in an instant, the Sun-Moon energy focused in his hand.

“Good.”

He could easily defeat someone like Namgungjin.

‘Now, it’s time to practice footwork.’

The Sun-Moon-Yin-Yang Divine Art has a special, peerless footwork that starts from the Yin-Yang Five Elements…

Drrrk-

Boom-

“Ugh… Ah!”

What is it?

As he opened the door to the training hall, a blonde girl slammed her head into the floor.

The loud noise made him feel a little guilty.

“Ah…! S-Sojin-nim, good morning!”

Due to the shock, Pang Gayun quickly jumped up in surprise.

‘Morning, huh?’

Turning his head, he noticed the sun had already set beyond the mountains.

She must have slept soundly, as there was a white drool mark on the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, it is. Good morning. …Pang Sojeo, by the way, what brings you here?”

“Uh, well, I was just passing by and got a little tired, so I was resting for a bit.”

“Really?”

Did she think I would believe that?

This is so typical of the Hubei Pang family.

She looked down at the ground and fidgeted with her feet.

It’s so easy to read her.

It’s been more than a week since I entered the training hall, but seeing her now, it seems like the timing matched.

She couldn’t have been waiting here the whole time.

Pang Gayun awkwardly fidgeted with her hands.

This is frustrating.

At this rate, she wouldn’t say anything even after an hour.

“Pang Sojeo, is something wrong?”

It’s possible that Oh Ho Dojae returned.

“Huh? Oh… well, yes…”

“Isn’t it the comrade who helped save the village with you, Sojeo? Don’t hesitate, just speak freely.”

“Comrade? That’s right. Comrade… Well, I tried making it once…”

Pang Gayun reached into her chest.

What is she pulling out?

“Huh? This, this isn’t it?”

Upon closer inspection, it was all crushed rice balls.

No, should I call it pizza now instead of rice balls?

She had crushed it while slamming her head into the floor just now, causing it to break from her chest.

“Are you giving this to me?”

She had a strange expression on her face, like a raccoon that had eaten cotton candy, as she looked at the crushed rice ball in her hand.

The training hall was full of Bigo Dan (辟穀丹), but Pang Gayun was probably unaware of it.

‘This is going to take a while.’

“I was hungry, so this works out. I’ll eat it.”

“Eh? W-wait a minute. Sojin-nim…”

Crunch-

It would be better to quickly finish this back-and-forth and head to the training ground.

I want to practice my footwork as soon as possible.

Chomp-

It tasted just like it looked.

I don’t know what she put in it, but it had a profound taste, like the bitterness of life.

I’d rather not eat it again.

“It’s delicious. Sojeo, do you have any business left?”

“Ah, no. …But was it really that delicious?”

I nodded silently.

Sometimes, a little white lie is necessary.

“That’s a relief.”

She smiled with the freshness and brightness of a spring flower.

The stars shone brightly in the dark night sky.

Since this was the furthest training hall from the academic building, no one else was around.

The lower-tier footwork of the Sun-Moon Step, called the Wind God Step (风神步), starts from the Yin-Yang Five Elements…

“Not bad.”

We haven’t even started yet, so what nonsense is that?

Then, someone slowly walked out of the darkness.

“You are… Cheon…?”