LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 20
Chapter 20: The Walking Heart Demon
Inside the corridor.
A pond formed by clear water flowing from a natural cave.
In the cold, transparent water like ice, she was there.
Yujinhwi.
The top disciple of Gongdong Sect and the senior apprentice of Lee Cheol-soo, she was currently submerged in the pond in her natural form.
Embedded in the ceiling were shining Night Pearls, so it wasn’t dark.
‘Thank goodness…’
She let out a sigh of relief and brushed her chest.
Since the day she was taken in by her Master until now.
She had been living disguised as a man.
In the Martial World, it was easier to avoid being disregarded and endure hardships when disguised as a man, which was her Master’s belief for rebuilding the sect.
Yujinhwi faithfully followed her Master, complying without complaint, even with the disguise directive.
And when she couldn’t protect her disciple, she vowed to live as a man.
As a strong older brother her disciple could rely on.
‘The disciple must have found it strange, right?’
But contrary to her vow, Yujinhwi’s feelings were gradually changing, unbeknownst to her.
An orphan from birth, she, like other children in the Central Plains, yearned for the Martial World.
She wanted to become a master who could traverse the world.
Living in the gutter only intensified that desire.
Therefore, she also longed for the kind of fraternal bond she’d only heard about in stories.
Upon entering Gongdong Sect, she gained a Master like a parent but lacked a brother or sister.
For seven years, from when she joined the sect at seven until she turned fourteen, Yujinhwi had been the only disciple.
So, she felt joy when her disciple came in.
At last, she had someone to share a bond with, a younger sibling to rely on, and she was genuinely happy to have gained a brotherly like bond.
She wanted to be a reliable older brother she had only heard of in stories.
‘If I were a real man, could I have bathed with my disciple?’
But she wasn’t.
She was not a man, but a cross-dressing woman.
She couldn’t bathe with her precious disciple and scrub each other’s backs as men do.
Yujinhwi’s gaze fell lower.
Under the surface, there was a pair of white peaches, shining like the moon.
Her chest was already prominent, but it had grown slightly larger after consuming Mita Sacred Water and undergoing the refining process.
Though resembling beautiful droplets in the most beautiful form, to Yujinhwi, they were just cumbersome lumps of flesh.
That wasn’t all.
Her body curves had become more feminine as well.
With skin as fair and firm as the snow of the Northern Sea, the sight of her without the disguise revealed a youthful beauty that every woman would envy, held in her form was an incredible seed of beauty.
This transformation was a result of absorbing Yin energy, maturing her body.
Yet, Yujinhwi didn’t like the reflection of her body visible in the clear water.
‘I wanted to be with my disciple…’
She had heard that among male disciples, they strengthen their bonds by bathing together.
Nude interaction was said to be the fastest way for men to become close.
Thus, she also wanted to quickly bond with her disciple, bathing together like ordinary brothers.
Her disciple might have been looking forward to bathing with her, too.
‘He might have thought it was strange.’
But unfortunately, she was not a real man and could not bathe with her disciple.
So when her disciple initiated conversation about bathing, she preemptively rejected the idea.
Fortunately, her disciple let it pass.
Just like when she saw her own bandaged chest in the fields.
‘…No, maybe my disciple didn’t think so.’
Yujinhwi shook her head again, denying her earlier thought.
She clearly remembered what her disciple had said back then.
That he didn’t find it strange at all.
Her disciple had clearly said that.
The moment she recalled those words, swish.
Yujinhwi’s face flushed red.
Thump.
Her heart began to race.
An unknown but pleasant tickling sensation stirred within her heart.
Having absorbed Yin energy, Yujinhwi, on the cusp of puberty, couldn’t identify the feelings surging from her heart.
‘Ugh…’
Splash!
Yujinhwi struck the surface of the water with her hand.
The cold water splashed onto her hot cheeks.
‘If it were my disciple…’
Perhaps, even me now…
As Yujinhwi thought to that point, she shook her head.
She must live as a man to rebuild the sect.
For her disciple, she would live as a man.
This major premise arose in Yujinhwi’s mind.
With her face submerged in the pond.
Bubble, bubble.
Bubbles floated right in front of her mouth.
For the sake of the sect, for the sake of her disciple, she had resolved to live as a man, thus it was impossible to reveal the truth of her womanly body to her disciple.
But…
Her disciple was precious to her.
Not just an ordinary sibling.
When she consumed Mita Sacred Water, without her disciple’s advice, she might have been overwhelmed by her vital energy and become incapacitated.
Not only that.
Even though he was just a younger brother, her disciple considered her and even cajoled her with elixirs.
He had neglected himself.
‘So… I alone must take care of my disciple in this world.’
She was solely responsible for him.
Thus, even now, as she thought of him, her racing heart… was surely a natural feeling for someone who had resolved to care for him for life.
That was the bond of brotherhood.
And to take care of her disciple, she couldn’t afford to remain a frail woman. She had to live as a man.
Yujinhwi resolved herself and rose from the water.
Swish.
Her graceful figure became sharply defined under the light of the Night Pearl.
Her skin, blushing pink from warmth, and the curve of her shoulders and waist reflected under the glow of the Night Pearl.
She completed washing and infused energy into her clean martial attire and bandages, then wrapped them tightly.
The splendid pair of white peaches was pressed down and disappeared.
Checking her flattened chest under the pressure bandage, Yujinhwi began to put on her clothes.
She draped an ample black martial robe over her body and adjusted it, utilizing the Bone-Wasting Technique and Reverse Transformation Technique; her beautiful curves vanished beneath the clothing, her appearance transformed into that of a neutral young man.
‘Good thing this is a men’s martial robe…’
It was a world dominated by Confucianism.
No matter how relatively free the Martial World was from Confucian teachings, clothing that revealed a woman’s figure and skin was regarded as dirty and promiscuous, something to be avoided.
Whether martial robes or Taoist robes, it was typical to wear generously fitted attire regardless of gender.
Especially in Yujinhwi’s case, she wore slightly loose men’s martial clothing just in case, so her figure was perfectly concealed.
‘The smell must be gone by now?’
Dressed in male attire and transformed into a man, Yujinhwi sniffed her arm against her lovely face.
Fortunately, all the odor of waste had long since evaporated.
The same gentle scent as wildflowers brushed against her nose.
With that, she thought she wouldn’t bother her disciple.
Having completed her bath, Yujinhwi stepped lightly out of the pond.
*
How long had it been since she cut off her hearing?
She sensed a presence approaching.
Her disciple’s bath was finally over.
‘Took a long time for a man.’
Was it due to the refining process?
For that reason, he was washing for so long.
Or could it be…
‘The flower scent that always emanates from my disciple…’
Was that not a natural talent but a product of effort?
Could it be that he was practicing the foundation of attraction and the essence of cleanliness from this age?
She felt an involuntary chill run down her spine.
The caution she had temporarily relaxed due to her disciple’s attractiveness snapped back into focus.
Practicing cleanliness… even with that handsome face; he seemed to have no need to put in any effort.
The gift of a handsome face from heaven also combined with his efforts.
He truly was exceptional.
Whether intentional or not, her disciple was certainly a formidable opponent.
What made her more anxious was…
‘Whether his efforts were directed towards women or men, either way is a problem.’
If directed towards women, it goes without saying he would become her rival.
If he combined that face with effort, her disciple would become an impenetrable prince, monopolizing the hearts of all beauties.
Naturally, her dream of a Three Storey Tea House would be washed away.
Of course, judging from what she knew of her disciple’s past life, where he had lived single without a soulmate, the likelihood was low…
But it wasn’t entirely 0%, so she felt the need to stay cautious.
But if he wasn’t interested in women? If he was interested in men?
That would be a total disaster.
She prayed he would not be the type to attract male admirers.
The more she thought about it, the less clarity she found.
In truth, it was a question without an answer.
‘Get it together, Lee Cheol-soo. Don’t fall into the Heart Demon.’
She shook her head vigorously.
What did it matter what kind of charm her disciple possessed?
He was her disciple and she was herself.
What could she do about the face she was born with? There were no surgeries in the medieval Martial World!
Thus, she had to strive as best she could within her given circumstances.
Therefore, she would tread a unique path, forge her own colors, and captivate the hearts of women to establish a Three Storey Tea House.
After all, didn’t male attraction stem from confidence?
When one has self-confidence and can love oneself, only then can one truly love others.
And only by learning to love others can one capture women’s hearts and share passionately in the morning dew and evening rain.
That was the essence of the charm she sought.
As she shook off the heart demons and tried to seize her own essence at that moment…
Thunk.
Someone tapped her shoulder.
“Disciple!”
Soon, her disciple’s handsome smiling face appeared in her line of sight.
“I’m all finished washing! It’s your turn now!”
Finally done?
Had focusing on overcoming the heart demon caused her to lose track of her disciple’s presence?
“Understood, disciple. Then I’ll go wash up.”
She straightened her shoulders and spoke confidently with a firm voice.
Alright.
From now on, it would be about carving out her own essence.
At that moment, seeing the posture she had taken, her disciple flashed a charming smile.
His bright smile had a deadly charm capable of captivating men and women, young and old alike.
He nodded and said,
“Okay! I’ll wait!”
Seeing the disciple’s deathly charming smile, her confidence dwindled a bit.
How could she possibly surpass that?
He truly was an ecological disruptor.
Just like a walking heart demon!
Hesitantly shrinking her shoulders, she accepted her disciple’s farewell and picked up the soap-filled bucket and towel, heading back into the tunnel.
*
Having meticulously lathered with soap in the icy pond, after putting on the drier martial attire instilled with inner strength…
She emerged from the bathing area, her appearance freshly cleansed as she returned to the secret cave.
“Disciple, you’ve washed up, huh?”
Though called a secret cave, the residence wasn’t all that expansive, suitable for just two or three people to live together?
Bright Night Pearls embedded in the ceiling caught her eye.
How much would all those cost? If sold off, Gongdong Sect wouldn’t have to worry about finances for years.
It seemed the previous greatest hero had indeed indulged in extravagance.
After all, someone of that caliber could likely cover the walls with Night Pearls and still have money left over.
In fact, perhaps due to the actions of the previous Grandmaster Honwon, they had succeeded in avoiding the clutches of the Demon Sect, so these Night Pearls might well be an emergency fund left for us by the previous expert.
As she pondered that…
“Disciple, I’ve organized all the secret manuals.”
Her disciple’s voice reached her.
Seated on a stone chair, he was organizing martial arts books on the table.
The books bore the names of martial arts written in a flowing script.
‘This is the Three Yin True Formula I checked earlier, next to it is the complete version of the Seven Kill Sword, followed by the Mysterious Heaven Sword, Flowing Cloud and Water, Demon Subduing Great Power Technique, Dry Yang Finger, and Wet Yin Finger… totaling seven…’
There were a total of seven secret manuals.
Wait, seven manuals?
Her expression stiffened.
“Disciple, what’s wrong? Is there something up?”
Her disciple asked with a worried expression.
“Is this really the end with these seven?”
“Yeah. I checked thoroughly and this is all. Still, I’m happy that martial arts of our sect have returned.”
Her disciple answered with a bright smile in response to her question.
No, seven manuals isn’t enough.
In her previous life, Yujinhwi had acquired eight ultimate techniques from the secret cave.
The eighth technique that had been lost…
“Was the Demon Sword Technique missing?”
Her disciple shook his head at her words.
Not there?
That can’t be!
Before her regression, the previous disciple had certainly seized the Demon Sword Technique here. Dongchang’s information cannot be wrong; it was undoubtedly clear that the Demon Sword Technique lay hidden here…
So it was essential to acquire its formulas here for the future endeavors to go smoothly.
‘That means Grandmaster Honwon left the Demon Sword Technique not as a secret manual but in another form.’
While creating the secret cave for descendants to inherit the ultimate techniques, it wasn’t uncommon for ancient masters to leave behind their teachings in forms other than martial manuals.
Whether it was engraving the martial arts path on stone walls, encoding formulas into ciphers, transferring them through residual thoughts left in special artifacts, or hiding narratives within mechanisms that react only to specific inner states.
Certainly, unlike the seven martial arts they possessed here, the Demon Sword Technique was the representative ultimate technique of Gongdong Sect.
Leaving it in a form of secret manual that anyone could take would be less secure.
So what method did the Spirit of Life use to hide this ultimate technique, said to be in the boundary of life and death?
As Yujinhwi fervently turned her mind to find clues, just as she was about to look away from her disciple…
“I didn’t find the Demon Sword Technique. But I found a mark that seems to belong to it.”
Her disciple’s words made her halt her thoughts.
He found it?
“Where’s that mark?”
“Follow me.”
Her disciple got up at her words, and she followed him as he moved.
The place they arrived at was…