IDMV 10

Chapter 10

Yeom Riri steadied her breathing as she followed the voice.
When the surging flames scattered, only a woman with clear eyes remained, looking at her.

“Miss Jeok?”

Jeok Heerin—who should have been in her quarters—was standing right before her.

❖ ❖ ❖

Her complexion had been poor throughout her training, and in the end Yeom Riri had fallen into inner demons.
The qi inside her body grew turbid and swelled, eventually bursting forth into dazzling flames.

If left as it was, Yeom Riri would fall into qi deviation and become crippled—or, in the worst case, die.
Action had to be taken before that happened. If it was delayed, the demonic fire would soon devour her.

I stepped forward without hesitation.
When I grasped the arm holding her sword, the heat of her overheated skin touched my fingertips.
It felt like sparks were jumping at my touch.
True energy poured from my heart and flowed into my fingertips.

As qi and blood surged, my whole body shuddered, as if a snake made of fire were crawling through my veins.
Suppressing a groan at the unfamiliar heat, I embraced that momentum.

“Stay still.”

Wiryŏng Heupgi (威靈吸氣).

A technique that absorbs the surrounding qi and temporarily makes it one’s own—one taught to only three people even within the Sangcheon Hall.
Used recklessly, it carried the risk of reversing the meridians, but there was no time to worry about that now.

Yeom Riri looked at me with trembling eyes, confused beneath the grip of the demonic fire.

‘I can’t let her die like this.’

She still didn’t know what had been taken from her. That ignorance made it all the more pitiful.
But that wasn’t why I helped her. I helped because I needed her.

“Follow my heart-method formula.”

Breathing slowly, I suppressed her inner energy and immediately began reciting the incantation of the Jeil Heart Method (霽日心法).

The Flame Demon Art was a martial technique created to generate heat and explosive force.
By contrast, the Jeil Heart Method cultivated clear yang energy, purifying yin fire.
It had originally been devised to subdue fire-based arts, making it the right choice for a situation like this.

Yeom Riri adjusted her breathing in time with the formula I recited.
As we repeated it, the previously reversed inner power settled, and her movements grew natural again.

But the Jeil Heart Method wasn’t complete with breathing and qi circulation alone.
It had to be combined with footwork.

“Move with me.”

After confirming that her inner power had stabilized to a degree, I slowly stepped through the footwork. Yeom Riri followed the flow, and before long our movements meshed perfectly.

‘The problem is that the inner power gained through Wiryŏng Heupgi doesn’t last long…’

Before I could no longer maintain the Jeil Heart Method, Yeom Riri had to completely shake off qi deviation.

Fortunately, even while drenched in sweat, she followed me to the end.
Her footsteps overlapped with the wind, igniting flames.

In the instant sword qi and heat intertwined and surged, a dull boom sounded as golden flames burst forth.

It wasn’t a simple explosion of qi.
It was proof of self-control.

While following the Jeil Heart Method’s incantation, she had broken through the wall of fire arts that had been blocking her.

‘I knew her aptitude was exceptional… but to break through to the next realm while escaping qi deviation?’

I couldn’t help clicking my tongue at Yeom Riri’s growth.
If she learned advanced martial arts, she would soon catch up to her two older brothers.
Someday, she might even reach the realm of Extreme Demonic Mastery.

‘Now I see why Yeom Jo kept Yeom Riri shut away at home instead of properly teaching her martial arts.’

On the surface, he raised her like a precious jewel—but deep down, he must have hoped her talent would never fully bloom.

Thinking that way made Yeom Riri before me seem all the more pitiable.

“Miss Jeok….”

Yeom Riri was staring at me with a refreshed expression, as though she had just woken from a dream.

“How did you get here? I really did fall into inner demons earlier, right? And that heart-method formula—what in the world was it…?”

Only then did she narrow her eyes suspiciously as she questioned me.

“How can you use such martial arts?”

Since Heerin had abolished her own martial arts, it was only natural for her to be suspicious.

“I don’t really know either. My body just moved on its own.”

Amnesia is such a convenient excuse.

At that moment, Yeom Riri’s eyes flashed and she suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly—to check whether I possessed inner power.

She pressed my wrist and sent a probe of inner energy inside, then fell silent for a moment.
Her expression grew serious as she looked at me.

“There’s none.”

Fortunately, because the amount of inner power I had left was almost nonexistent, I wasn’t discovered.

The suspicion in Yeom Riri’s eyes eased considerably, though confusion still lingered.

“…You really don’t know why?”

“I have amnesia. I want to know too.”

At that, Yeom Riri let out a resigned sigh.

“Ah—come to think of it, one old memory just surfaced. That’s actually why I came all the way here to see you, Miss Yeom.”

“What is it?”

“Long ago… the Madam came here once, didn’t she?”

“She did, at my sixteenth birthday banquet. I remember showing my swordsmanship before my grandmother. But why?”

“That day, the Madam told her maid that your sword forms were sharp because you resemble your mother.”

“My sword resembles my mother’s?”

Yeom Riri tilted her head, puzzled.

“That can’t be.”

She pressed her lips together, looking as though a crack had appeared in the world she thought she knew.

Lady Yeom Jo had learned martial arts only for self-defense and possessed shallow attainment; she didn’t even use a sword. Of course it would sound strange.

“I thought it might be important, so I mentioned it… but I guess I was mistaken. Just forget it.”

After saying goodbye and taking my leave, I departed.
For quite a while, Yeom Riri’s gaze lingered on my back.

She must have been confused.

What I told her today was a mixture of the contents of Heerin’s notebooks and information I had obtained during my time at the Sangcheon Hall.

‘The head of the Yeomhwa Clan, Yeom Jo, had an elder brother—Yeom Jik—whose martial arts were far superior.’

However, he died in the Orthodox–Demonic War and never inherited the position of clan head.

Yeom Riri was Yeom Jik’s daughter.
In other words, she wasn’t Yeom Jo’s biological daughter, but his niece.

‘After today’s conversation, Yeom Riri’s doubts will only grow.’

Seeds of suspicion grow from the smallest triggers.
I found myself curious about how she would change because of it.

The next day.

Steaming xiaolongbao, a vegetable-based broth, and sliced pheasant meat were set on the table.

“Breakfast is lavish today?”

“A new cook was assigned to the quarters. It seems we also received plenty of ingredients.”

The new cook’s skills were decent—the food tasted good.

“We also got new tea leaves. Until now they gave us damp, heavy leaves, but today—strangely—they gave us well-dried ones. The aroma’s nice.”

“Then shall we drink it together after the meal?”

“Is that okay?”

Just as we were enjoying breakfast, there was a knock at the door outside.

When Sawol opened it, a familiar figure entered the quarters.

“Miss Riri sent me. She said you’ll be busy preparing for the wedding, so I’m to assist you at your side.”

“Miss Yeom did?”

“Yes. From now on, I—Okhyang—will also serve you.”

Another maid had been assigned to quarters that previously had only one dedicated attendant.
Yeom Riri gave marriage preparations as the reason, but it was probably her own way of expressing gratitude.

Okhyang’s gaze briefly swept the room—from the table, to the cracks in the wall, and finally to my fingertips.

“If you need anything, please let me know,” she said, emphasizing the words.

“Sawol, guide Okhyang to her lodging and teach her the duties.”

“Yes, miss.”

Sawol left the quarters with Okhyang.

Yeom Riri might have sent Okhyang to keep an eye on me, suspecting something about yesterday.

‘Still, choosing Okhyang of all people—this can’t be a coincidence.’

Okhyang belonged to Eleventh Brother.
Being assigned to my quarters would make surveillance easier, so there was a good chance she volunteered.

For my part, having Okhyang nearby was also beneficial. She was quick-witted and agile, and seemed to have learned lightness skills.
Moreover, she could serve as a bridge to Eleventh Brother—helpful for me, stuck within the Yeomhwa Clan.

As I rose after finishing the meal, Sawol and Okhyang returned, each carrying teacups and tea leaves.

“This is tea Miss Riri sent as a gift.”

A teacup was placed before me. I took a sip, and a familiar freshness filled my mouth.

‘White Rooster Crown from Fujian Province.’

It was a tea I often drank during training at the Sangcheon Hall to clarify inner power. It seemed Yeom Riri enjoyed it as well.

“And Miss Yeom Riri said she’ll be going out in three days to buy accessories for the wedding, and asked you to come along.”

She meant to take me outside. For someone who hadn’t been allowed to go out at all, it was a welcome proposal.

“Alright. Let’s all drink tea together today.”

I shared tea with Okhyang and Sawol.

They weren’t perfect allies yet—but handled well, they could become my hands and feet.

After holding the tea in my mouth and organizing my thoughts, I told Sawol to clear the cups.
Then I wrote a letter to Eleventh Brother.

Decipher Sangcheon Hall’s secret record: Demon Flame, Sequence One Hundred and One.
The target is the Yeomhwa Clan’s Madam.

“Secret records” referred to top-secret intelligence accessible only to high-ranking agents.
The moment Eleventh Brother read this cipher, he would understand my intent.

I handed it to Okhyang.

“Deliver this to Eleventh Brother.”

“Yes.”

Okhyang slipped the letter into her robe without hesitation.

Watching her, I hesitated briefly.
Even with Eleventh Brother’s help and every scheme laid out, simply breaking off the marriage would be impossible.

Neither the Yeomhwa Clan’s head nor the Cult Leader would let go of me—the bloodline of the Seolsan Jeok family.

So I decided to change my approach.

I would use the uniqueness of my bloodline—and marriage within the Demonic Cult itself.