Chapter 193: Father and Daughter’s Encounter

Mu Iso looked at Deung Hwaun, who had drawn her sword, and spoke.

“You’re a guest, after all. We can’t go on bickering like this forever, can we? A guest fighting in someone else’s inner quarters—what a disgrace that would be. Let’s end it in just one move.”

Go Ram leaned in close to Son Yang’s ear.

“Isn’t she starting to sound just like Young Master?”

“Right? From behind, you’d think it was Young Master talking.”

It sounded like praise, but when one thought about it carefully, it felt more like it was scratching at the nerves.

“That’s a fine idea.”

Deung Hwaun grinned as she infused her sword with true qi.

She didn’t intend to kill, but she certainly meant to punch a hole somewhere in that woman’s body.

The two took up their swords, putting a distance of three jang between them.

Then, at the same time, they both dashed forward, kicking off the ground.

Five crimson strands shot from Deung Hwaun’s sword toward Mu Iso.

“Gasp!”

Go Ram and Son Yang, watching from the side, widened their eyes.

They hadn’t expected a middle-aged woman to be a master capable of drawing sword qi to the level of qi thread.

‘This is dangerous. Even Squad Leader Mu can produce qi thread, but that only became possible recently after taking the elixir given by Bukri Sogun—his control is still immature.’

The two gulped dryly.

Mu Iso’s eyes sank deeply as she watched the five crimson strands.

And at that moment, Yong Hwarin’s words resurfaced in her mind.

It was what he’d said when she had first succeeded in forming a qi thread with her sword.

‘To counter an opponent’s qi thread, one method is to wrap your sword in your own qi thread. That can sever theirs. But to wrap a sword in qi thread, you have to draw qi from all five fingers and weave it into the blade—only then will the qi thread not scatter and stay bound to the blade as sword qi.’

They had named it qi thread because of its nature to extend in all directions like strands of thread.

That’s why she had never been able to wrap her sword in it.

The realm where qi could be formed into a wrapping around a sword began with Qi Net Mastery (기망)—the level just above qi thread.

And when that sword qi truly fused with the blade and became solid, it was called Qi Clot (기단). True sword qi began at that point.

In truth, for Mu Iso, sword qi had been an unattainable dream.

But after taking Bukri Sogun’s elixir and reaching the first gap in cultivation, she had become capable of forming qi thread.

Not just herself—half of the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect had now manifested qi thread.

Among them, Mu Iso, who was closest to Yong Hwarin’s teachings, had reached the realm of wrapping her sword in qi thread.

She had advanced her qi thread to the level of Qi Clot, and that had only been possible because of Dragon Claw Five Fingers.

Even before this, after manifesting qi thread, her body had itched to fight someone stronger.

But out of regard for Young Master, who had left her in charge of Hoi Unkyung, she had held herself back.

Now, when Deung Hwaun picked a fight, it was the very fulfillment of her long-held wish.

So far, even when Hoi Soyu’s aides hovered around and provoked her, she had held back—but with Deung Hwaun stepping forward first, there was no reason for Mu Iso to refuse.

Just by sensing the murderous aura she exuded in one burst, Mu Iso could tell at a glance that Deung Hwaun was a master from a higher tier.

One could judge the maturity of a martial art by the density of its killing intent.

‘Even if Young Master scolds me severely later, I can’t stay quiet now.’

Watching the needle-thin strands of sword qi fly at her in a calculated arc, Mu Iso wrapped her own sword in qi thread.

Then, using the technique of Dragon Scale Finger, she moved her sword.

As five strands of red energy were cleanly severed by Mu Iso’s sword, Deung Hwaun was struck with shock.

Mu Iso was far stronger than she had anticipated.

Skeuk!

A subtle sound, like something being cut, rang out as the two crossed paths. But only the Middle-aged Demonic Master noticed it.

The Demonic Master squinted his eyes.

Mu Iso turned around and offered a clasped-hands greeting.

“It was truly a fascinating experience. And next time, you should consider your opponent before provoking them.”

Deung Hwaun’s hand trembled uncontrollably.

But she had no words to refute him. At a glance, it looked as though the match had ended in a draw, but Mu Iso, who had sliced through the energy strands, merely smiled and walked past after seeing Deung Hwaun’s exposed opening. As if he were going easy on her.

She realized then that had he thrust his sword into that gap, she would have died on the spot.

Turning sharply, Deung Hwaun spoke.

“Let’s go!”

Her face burned with shame, but the darkness of night thankfully concealed it.

As they passed by Dongwolru, a young woman stepped in through the entrance.

Overwhelmed with rage, Deung Hwaun pushed past the gate, bumping into a young girl who looked like a maid and raised her hand.

She thought slapping the girl would ease her fury.

At that moment, the Demonic Master grabbed Deung Hwaun’s wrist.

Blood trickled down Deung Hwaun’s shoulder into the Demonic Master’s palm.

She had been slashed by Mu Iso’s sword qi.

That she had endured it until now—it was unclear whether to call it impressive patience or intense malice.

“I’m sorry.”

The girl bowed her head.

“‘Sorry’ is all you’ve got?!”

Still furious, Deung Hwaun pulled her hand free and raised it again to slap the girl.

Thwack!

Just then, the Demonic Master, upon seeing the girl’s face, struck Deung Hwaun in the chest.

“Keuk!”

Deung Hwaun staggered back from the light strike, glaring at the Demonic Master in disbelief.

When Seok Unjeong turned to look at the man who had struck the woman about to slap her, he had already turned his back.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Deung Hwaun snapped, but the Demonic Master replied coldly.

“If you dare do anything more foolish here, I’ll just cut you down.”

In the dark of night, a flash of blue killing intent glimmered in the Demonic Master’s eyes, instantly extinguishing Deung Hwaun’s boiling rage.

Because she knew well—no one had ever survived after hearing the Demonic Master speak like that.

She also recalled that the man at her side was no ordinary person, but the Middle-aged Demonic Master.

She had forgotten, simply because he had been at her side for so long.

Forgotten just what kind of man he was.

A man like a beast—dangerous beyond compare.

The Demonic Master was startled when he realized the girl was his daughter.

Fortunately, Deung Hwaun didn’t recognize her.

Because his daughter had been kidnapped by the Third Young Master Eum Sajeok, Deung Hwaun had never seen her before.

Seok Unjeong tilted her head as she looked at the middle-aged man who had stopped the woman—he seemed oddly familiar.

But since it was a face she had never seen, she dismissed the thought and approached the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect.

The Demonic Master saw his daughter approach the Ten Prodigies and speak kindly to them, but he couldn’t bring himself to reveal who he was.

‘How is Jeong-ah here? How?’

The Demonic Master had been thoroughly restricted by Eum Sajeok and hadn’t even known that his daughter had been rescued from Ihwa Fairy Man Inhwa.

‘If she’s familiar with the Ten Prodigies, then it means Yong Hwarin was the one who saved her. And given the Moon Yin Meridian Blockage, she should look utterly worn out, yet she seems perfectly healthy. I’ll have to meet her and hear everything for myself.’

The Demonic Master decided to wait for now and secretly meet his daughter later that night.

Overwhelmed by the Demonic Master’s fierce aura, Deung Hwaun could only stop the bleeding on her wound—she didn’t even dare respond.

“Since Yong Hwarin resides here, it’s difficult to deal with Hoi Unkyung. I’ll need to eliminate Yong Hwarin first to move freely.”

The Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun placed a small jade bottle on the table.

“What is this?”

“The poison you requested.”

“Ah.”

Hoi Soyu smiled as she picked up the Jiangshi Poison.

“With this, I can eliminate Yong Hwarin.”

“But I didn’t see him on my way here.”

At the Demonic Master’s question, Hoi Soyu tapped her temple with a troubled expression.

“He hasn’t left his room, claiming he’s circulating qi. Says it’s some meditation for enlightenment.”

“That dog dares to seek enlightenment!”

Deung Hwaun cursed, enraged that Yong Hwarin was advancing to a realm she couldn’t reach.

Even his subordinates were now beyond her grasp—it was unbearably humiliating.

The Demonic Master and Deung Hwaun handed over the medicine and exited the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

On the way back, the Demonic Master spoke to Deung Hwaun.

“You go ahead first.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I just want to be alone for a moment.”

Deung Hwaun nodded.

“Then I’ll head back first.”

Before Deung Hwaun had left for the Sky Ocean Merchant Union, Eum Sajeok had secretly summoned her and given a few instructions.

One was to pick a fight with anyone from Yong Hwarin’s group. Another was that if the Demonic Master said he wanted to be alone, she was to leave without a word.

Following that command, Deung Hwaun had deliberately released killing intent upon seeing the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect to provoke Mu Iso.

Though her plan backfired and she ended up in a humiliating situation, all of it had been under Eum Sajeok’s orders.

‘Hmm, what’s this about?’

Even if she was curious, Deung Hwaun couldn’t ask the Demonic Master the reason.

Eum Sajeok had only told her to withdraw under those circumstances.

Since Eum Sajeok held her fate in his hands, Deung Hwaun had no choice but to obey him.

She glanced at the Demonic Master with uneasy eyes before turning away.

The Demonic Master infiltrated the pavilion where Hoi Unkyung was staying.

He believed that Seok Unjeong wouldn’t have come to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union alone, and that she must have arrived with Yong Hwarin.

The Demonic Master suppressed all signs of his presence as much as possible.

While watching the pavilion where Hoi Unkyung resided, he searched for a place his daughter might be staying.

There was light leaking from the residence where the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect were lodging.

Half of the Ten Prodigies were guarding the rooms of Yong Hwarin and Hoi Unkyung so thoroughly that it was nearly impossible to approach.

Because of this, he could identify the room next to the Ten Prodigies’ quarters as Seok Unjeong’s.

From the light spilling through the door, he saw someone working on embroidery.

Just from her embroidery posture, he could tell it was unmistakably his daughter.

That sight alone caused a flood of long-suppressed longing to surge within the Demonic Master—an emotion he had barely ever felt in his life.

Even one who had lived cold-heartedly as a demonic practitioner was moved by just her silhouette in the lamplight.

Having lost his wife and raised his daughter alone, the bond between them ran deep.

To the Demonic Master, his daughter was someone he had to protect with everything he had.

After checking his surroundings, the Demonic Master quietly slipped into Seok Unjeong’s room.

Seok Unjeong was embroidering an image of a soaring blue dragon.

From the rafter above, the Demonic Master looked down and could tell immediately who the embroidery was for.

Anyone could see it was for Yong Hwarin’s garment.

The Demonic Master silently landed behind Seok Unjeong.

Though he made no sound, Seok Unjeong noticed the candle flame flickering and turned her head.

“Ah, Father.”

Realizing that the ghostly figure behind her was her father Seok Jamyung, Seok Unjeong let go of her embroidery and rushed into his arms.

The Demonic Master held back his sobs in silence, patting his crying daughter’s back to console her.

“It’s okay. It’s okay now. Everything’s okay. Father’s here now, so everything’s okay.”

At some point, his daughter had learned to cry without making a sound.

Afraid that her father might suffer if he heard, the grown daughter no longer let her sobs escape her lips.

And the pain caused by the Meridian Blockage—she had learned only to endure it inwardly, unable to express it outwardly. Watching his daughter like this tore at his heart.

Knowing that all of it was his fault made it feel like his arm had been ripped from his body.

She trembled silently as tears streamed down her cheeks, until finally Seok Unjeong managed to stop crying and spoke.

“I thought you were dead, Father.”

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