CRD 15

Chapter 15

The dreams were chaotic.

Sometimes, they showed her father, sickly and frail, playing with her. Sometimes, it was her mother serving meals.

The image of young Via, calm and mature even as a child, and little Suhyang, who often cried and threw tantrums, also appeared.

The dreams showed many things, but they didn’t fabricate events that hadn’t happened.

All of it was her own past. The countless memories, now faint, surged like a flood, then scattered like wind.

Moyong Sujeong stared blankly at the rapidly changing scenes in her dream.

“So many…”

Twenty-one years.

It didn’t seem like a long life, but so much hardship had filled it since her childhood. Perhaps that’s why the fleeting, fragmented dreams felt so long and complicated.

Then, she saw it.

“Via?”

Her younger sister had appeared in her room.

Her lively, radiant face smiled warmly at her—a final image of her sister.

“No! Don’t go over there!”

The dream respected her plea.

Then, the conversation with her sister became clear.

“Go to Myeongjin Hall. Go there and heal your body.”

“Myeongjin Entry Token? Wh–where did you get this?”

“I received it from a Taoist. I was lucky.”

“…Is it genuine?”

“I asked Chief Seok to be sure. He said it’s authentic.”

“…!”

“You’ve been through so much. I think Heaven hasn’t abandoned us yet. Once you’re healthy again, our main family can rise again.”

“Via…”

“You must heal.”

Moyong Sujeong shed tears.

Since losing their parents at a young age, she had struggled every day to take care of her siblings.

Yet, the ones who truly supported her were her siblings. Especially Moyong Bi, who never caused trouble and even cheered her on and helped her.

Such a kind and mature younger sister…

Time passed.

On the day she returned after three years, Sujeong saw a sibling so broken it couldn’t even be described as “twisted.”

And Suhyang, who had revered her own elder brother like a father, now glared at the damaged sibling with eyes full of disgust.

“It’s my fault.”

Moyong Sujeong felt despair.

“I shouldn’t have left.”

She wept, over and over. The dreams showed countless scenes, but nothing else mattered.

Amid the overwhelming regret, the mystical light of the fleeting images faded.

Some time later,

“Rest well. We’ll talk again in the morning.”

The voice of her smiling little sister awakened Sujeong’s weary soul.

Wiping her tears, she looked at her sister.

Her sister’s expression was slightly awkward, but her eyes were warm.

Those eyes reminded Sujeong of her father’s, now almost forgotten.

“If you forgive me, I want to talk with you again under the mid-sky sun.”

Sujeong closed her eyes.

Even with her eyes shut, the world was full of light.

Then,

“G–Gajoo-nim!”

Seok Woong’s watery voice brought Moyong Sujeong back to reality.

Slowly opening her eyes, her exhausted face spoke.

“…Deputy Gajoo.”

“Crrrhhk!”

Seok Woong grabbed her hand, tears streaming down. Kwak No wiped his own tears beside them.

“Sister.”

“Suhyang.”

Moyong Suhyang forced a smile.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Though just regaining consciousness, her body felt surprisingly energetic. She was only a little drowsy, and the chest pain from constant coughing had vanished.

“Did Physician Yang come?”

“Yes, he’s outside right now.”

“I’ve received another great favor.”

Suhyang, moving her lips, smiled again.

“If you rest and take the medicine given by the physician, you should be fine for now.”

“I think I’d be fine even without it.”

Though she said it jokingly, there was truth in her words.

As her mind cleared, she was astonished.

‘My blood channels?’

Most of the blood vessels in her upper body had been shrunken or damaged by the cold. But now, almost all were back to normal.

Though it might worsen over time, the feeling of refreshment was overwhelming.

Especially near her heart and lungs, she felt a strong yang energy, mild yet dense—something even her cultivated internal strength from the One-Yang Mind Method couldn’t detect.

‘Such pure yang energy…’

Sujeong felt not relief, but a sense of burden.

“It seems Physician Yang used some powerful elixir. Because of me, it’s a bother…”

“No, that’s not it.”

Seok Woong wiped his tears and smiled.

“The one who healed Gajoo-nim’s body is Master Doryeon.”

“W-What?!”

“Hoo…”

Moyong Bi gathered her internal energy through a series of exercises, frowning.

‘No energy at all. Damn it.’

Restoring depleted internal power isn’t easy. When internal power is exhausted, energy circulation slows. Once it gradually replenishes, the speed of energy accumulation increases.

Even so, the pace of circulation was far too slow.

‘It’s because the vital energy was transformed into mixed primordial energy.’

The original vital energy had been turned into mixed primordial energy, so its density was extremely high.

To fully regain it, even three full days of continuous practice wouldn’t be enough. Even with the help of the Brain-Pattern Mind Method, it would take over two days.

‘This is really painful.’

Since her internal power was built from life energy, depletion naturally caused extreme exhaustion. Using vital energy to restore internal power is like returning to the state before mastering the Mixed Primordial Mind Method.

‘If you can restore life energy and internal power using vital energy, anyone could expand their energy center this way.’

That’s why most martial arts that rely on vital energy are classified as magical arts. They can make someone temporarily strong, but over time, life energy depletes, often leading to sudden death or madness.

‘Well, lifespan isn’t important.’

She had already lived intensely once and died.

Being alive again was a blessing, but having it parasitize the family heir’s body was uncomfortable.

‘As long as I remain healthy until the family is restored, it’s enough.’

She had little attachment to life.

Someone reincarnated with memories of a past life didn’t come back to live long and happily, but to accomplish what they couldn’t before.

Especially when the family was in this state.

‘If I just focus on my tasks, I don’t care about the rest.’

Sujeong might be sad, but that was beyond control.

“At least for now, it’s fine.”

Having nearly exhausted the mixed primordial energy and stored some internal power in the blood vessels via the Trans-Body Energy Transmission, she would be free from the cold syndrome in the throat and pulse for at least a year, possibly two.

“But the Trans-Body Energy Transmission isn’t a cure. We need to pass on the Mixed Primordial Daily Skill as soon as possible.”

Thankfully, Moyong Sujeong’s internal power and talent were remarkable.

With help, she would recover from the blocked pulse syndrome far faster than her elder sibling.

“At least one hurdle is cleared.”

Moyong Bi stood up energetically.

Unlike before, rapid movements no longer caused stars to flash before her eyes. Though her vital energy was damaged, her internal power allowed her body to respond normally.

‘Roughly thirty percent recovered.’

About thirty percent of her exhausted internal power had been restored.

‘Enough.’

With the chief physician present, and Seok Woong and Suhyang caring for Sujeong, she would be safe. The Fire-Sword Group was also guarding the Gajoo Residence.

‘Let’s finish this quickly.’

She was busy, very busy.

Leaving her quarters, Moyong Bi headed straight for the main gate.

At that moment, Kwak No called out.

“Master Doryeon!”

“Hm?”

“Uh, where are you going?”

Kwak No approached, limping, joy written all over his face.

“I’m stepping out for a bit. Sister is fine, right?”

“She’s perfectly fine! She looks the healthiest she has in two years. Physician Yang was also surprised at the improvement.”

Moyong Bi smiled.

It was just a temporary improvement, and the blocked pulse syndrome would likely return, but seeing her healthy for now was reassuring.

“Take good care of her.”

“Instead of that, why don’t we all go to the Gajoo Residence together? Both Deputy Gajoo and Physician Yang want to see you.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

“I’m just stepping out for a walk. You take care of my sister in the meantime.”

A hint of unease crossed Kwak No’s face.

Though her body had been restored in a mysterious way, it wasn’t enough to drastically change her appearance. He feared the trouble-prone Master Doryeon might get into trouble outside.

“Don’t worry. I won’t cause any incidents.”

She meant hunting, of course.

Smiling, Moyong Bi suddenly brightened.

“By the way, Kwak No.”

“Yes, Master Doryeon?”

Ever since checking the secret scrolls of Musoka Hall before mastering the Mixed Primordial Mind Method, she had been curious about Kwak No.

“You…”

“Yes.”

She hesitated to continue.

‘Strange.’

Kwak No was indeed a skilled martial artist. Not quite her elder sibling’s level, but enough to earn praise anywhere, especially as a personal guard—he could be considered one of the ten top martial artists.

She wondered how he had lost his martial skills and injured his leg, but that aside.

‘Why didn’t he teach me his techniques?’

Though not a Musoka Hall secret art, the skills he mastered were top-tier.

If the family hadn’t been in crisis, he could have passed on his skills and even guided her training personally.

But Kwak No’s loyalty was genuine. Not a simple guard, but someone who would jump into hell for Musoka Hall.

‘Given the family’s downfall, if he were as I know him, he would have taught me his martial arts and trained me directly.’

That was the biggest mystery.

Yet Kwak No’s eyes were clear and sincere.

She could read his intentions—she had known him and her elder sibling like family.

There had to be some reason he hadn’t acted, but Moyong Bi trusted him.

“Anyway, he should return by evening, so don’t worry too much.”

“If you insist… understood.”