Chapter 73: Obtaining the Dual-Mind Inner Art (2)

Yong Hwarin nodded repeatedly as he listened to the explanation.

This must have been the reason why Ha Cheolryeong chose the Dual-Mind Inner Art over other types of split mind techniques.

The Tai Chi Dantian required two opposing energies—good and evil, yin and yang—to be stored in separate dantians, thus necessitating the Dual-Mind Inner Art.

Aside from that, Chouhui and Yong Hwarin exchanged questions and answers to clear up their doubts about the technique. Thanks to that, Yong Hwarin felt grateful to Chouhui, thinking he wouldn’t struggle much during cultivation.

On the other hand, as time passed, Chouhui grew increasingly anxious.

She felt as if they might never meet again if they parted now, and she kept wanting to prolong the moment.

It was truly strange.

Even though he wasn’t better-looking than Namgung Soomyung, who had challenged the Five Martial Gates, Yong Hwarin kept appearing more and more attractive.

Having experienced many storms in life, Chouhui found herself drawn not to childish men, but to someone who gave off a mature aura. It was the expectation that such a man could protect her.

What surprised Chouhui even more was that she never thought she would come to like someone she had met only so briefly.

Sensing it was time to leave, Yong Hwarin stood up.

“Having passed the Five Martial Gates and even seen the face everyone in the world longs for—Miss Cho—I must be the luckiest man in Henan. And I shall keep it a secret that I passed the Five Martial Gates. I will also keep the memory of seeing your face as my own secret.”

Chouhui felt a deep sense of regret toward Yong Hwarin, who continued to be thoughtful of her until the very end.

‘He seems to know how to draw a woman’s heart.’

He seemed to understand that a woman’s heart could be touched by the smallest gestures—and from that, trust and affection could grow.

There were few men who knew that winning a beauty’s favor didn’t come from grand gifts given once in a while, but from frequent, even small, offerings.

If he had demanded her body, she would never have felt such lingering regret toward Yong Hwarin.

He even seemed to understand the curiosity a woman had for a man who didn’t show any desire toward her.

“Do you have nothing left to say to me?”

What regrets might he have?

Chouhui hoped that Yong Hwarin would leave her with some words.

Something like, “I’ll come find you again,” or even a vague promise like “Let’s meet again somewhere.”

Yong Hwarin looked at her and smiled gently.

“Of all the Dreamful Pills I’ve tasted, today’s was the most delicious. And of all the Fragrant Elixirs I’ve smelled, this one was the most aromatic. I’m sure it’s because you were here, Miss Cho. Please don’t dwell on those things.”

Seeing Yong Hwarin smile as he respectfully cupped his fist in farewell, Chouhui suddenly had the urge to fall into his arms just once.

It was the first time she had felt a romantic attraction to a man.

But she couldn’t let herself show it so crudely.

Grabbing the hem of her skirt, she tried hard to shake off such indecent thoughts.

Though she had tried to seduce Yong Hwarin using the Soul Possession Technique, it felt instead like she had been seduced by his smile, leaving her with a bitter taste in her mouth.

*

After Yong Hwarin left Kangseon Dowonru, the maid Ihwa entered.

“Heavens. He saw your real face and just left? Could it be that Young Master Yong is…”

She glanced at Chouhui and then muttered softly.

“…a eunuch?”

“What? He’s just a pure-hearted person!”

At Chouhui’s sudden outburst, Ihwa jumped in surprise.

As girls, they’d occasionally joked like this, but it was the first time Chouhui had gotten angry.

“He didn’t want anything from me.”

“But he wanted martial arts, didn’t he? It’s not like he wanted nothing.”

“Well, that’s not about me personally—it’s something external.”

“Still… women’s hearts are a mystery.”

Even as a fellow woman, she couldn’t understand Chouhui’s reasoning that because he didn’t want her, it meant he wanted nothing.

‘Then again, a man leaving after seeing our lady’s face… even a monk would have a hard time pulling that off.’

Chouhui quietly recited a line of verse.

“Chunjam dosasabangjin (春蠶到死絲方盡)  

Napchok seonghoerusi geon (蠟燭成灰淚始乾)”

Spring silkworms spin silk until death,  

Candles burn to ashes before their tears dry.

“When I read this poem, I used to wonder if anyone could ever long for another with such feeling. But now… perhaps someone might.”

Chouhui recalled Yong Hwarin’s desolate back as he left, even though their meeting had been brief, it had left a deep impression.

These lines, often praised as immortal verses, had long been recited for their heartfelt expression of longing.

Once more, she recited the lines and gazed in the direction where Yong Hwarin had disappeared.

Yong Hwarin, having left Kangseon Dowonru in Kaifeng, headed straight for the Shangguan Clan.

“How did it go?”

They had tried everything to get him to talk after he left Kangseon Dowonru, but Yong Hwarin kept his mouth shut like a locked chest.

“Your silence only makes us more curious.”

Even Nan Myeonggwak joined in, and Yong Hwarin responded with a lie.

“Unfortunately, I failed at the Office of Affairs Gate.”

“Really?”

“If I had passed, would I be out this quickly? Had I passed, I would have stayed the night there.”

Knowing exactly what that meant, the two of them nodded.

If he had passed the Five Martial Gates, it was only natural he would have slept with Chouhui.

“But didn’t you say you went there not to meet Chouhui, but to obtain martial arts?”

“Yes, I obtained it. Upon passing the Three Martial Gates, they granted me the martial art I desired as a courtesy.”

“But I’m curious—how did you know Miss Cho had the martial art you were looking for? And what martial art was it?”

Faced with this fundamental question, Yong Hwarin suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

As his answer grew vague, he turned to his usual general response.

“Escort Nam, trust me and hold back your curiosity. That’ll serve you well when it comes to eating the Gold Essence Pill.”

Namwook rolled his eyes briefly and then burst out laughing.

“Haha! I’m not one to get curious in the first place. And I’ll always support whatever you do, Little Lord, so don’t worry.”

Watching Namwook change his tune so quickly, Nan Myeonggwak clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk! To see you swayed by that Gold Essence Pill… You might as well rename yourself after it.”

“You dislike me that much, Teacher Nan? Then I won’t call you ‘Teacher’ anymore.”

Namwook replied seriously, and Nan Myeonggwak smiled obsequiously.

“Hahaha! Why take my words so seriously? I was only teasing. I was just envious that Escort Nam seems to truly enjoy the pleasures of wine. You, Escort Nam, are a true connoisseur of the drink. I deeply respect that.”

Slightly appeased, Namwook responded in his usual carefree tone.

“Hrmph. In that case, let’s drink together tonight.”

As Yong Hwarin made a toasting gesture, Nan Myeonggwak responded with a wide smile. Watching them all become one under the Gold Essence Pill, Yong Hwarin let out a bitter smile—not just a smirk, but a genuinely bitter one.

Even if they had to sleep outdoors, as long as they had Gold Essence Pill, these were people who would be content even if their shelter was nothing more than a latrine.

While the two of them raised their cups, Yong Hwarin remained engrossed in practicing the Dual-Mind Inner Art.

As he returned to the Shangguan Clan, he, as always, stayed overnight at an inn along the way to focus on cultivating the Dual-Mind Inner Art. Once he had memorized everything, he burned the secret manual.

He had no intention of passing this martial art on to anyone else.

Having heard about it from Chouhui and read the manual himself, his conclusion was clear: the Dual-Mind Inner Art, if practiced incorrectly, was a martial art that could easily lead to Qi Deviation.

For martial arts to be passed down through generations, safety had to be prioritized above all.

Even the Nine Great Sects or prestigious martial clans, no matter how powerful a martial art they created, would declare it a forbidden technique and not pass it down if it was flawed or unsafe.

That was because they feared the damage it could do to the many talented individuals of future generations.

This was why safer techniques were preferred, even if they were less powerful.

However, the Dual-Mind Inner Art was dangerous to the point where, out of ten practitioners, two or three could not avoid falling into Qi Deviation.

‘It’s probably inevitable. You’re practicing martial arts with opposite properties on the left and right sides. Only if the energies don’t conflict and manage to coexist can the technique succeed. It’s too dependent on luck to be called a good martial art.’

And Yong Hwarin believed this was why Chouhui had gone out of her way to explain the technique to him so thoroughly.

If he had tried to learn it on his own, he might not have been able to avoid falling into Qi Deviation.

Just before reaching the Shangguan Clan, Yong Hwarin attempted to form the Tai Chi Dantian while staying at an old inn.

Now that he understood the essence of the Dual-Mind Inner Art, he used it to try and create another dantian in his lower abdomen.

‘The dantian I’ve already formed can be considered one of goodness. So the new one must be formed by gathering the inherent evil energy within my body.’

Using the Dual-Mind Inner Art, he circulated dantian energy on his right side and attempted to gather evil energy on the left.

After trying for about two hours, Yong Hwarin came to a realization.

‘Ah… of course, creating a new dantian isn’t something easy.’

Even when he formed his first dantian, it had taken a considerable amount of time.

Only when energy was gathered densely enough could it form a field of internal power.

But in Yong Hwarin’s body, there was no energy that could truly be called evil, and thus he couldn’t form the Tai Chi Dantian.

‘I have the Demonic Master’s internal energy, so why doesn’t it work? Isn’t his energy from the demonic path?’

Yong Hwarin’s thinking was slightly mistaken.

The Demonic Master’s energy was from the demonic path, yes—but that didn’t make it evil energy.

Nor was it yin energy, and so it couldn’t serve as the foundation to create the Tai Chi Dantian.

If the Three Cycles of the Demonic Master’s energy had been evil energy, he could have created the Tai Chi Dantian in an instant. But Yong Hwarin, still lacking a proper understanding of internal energy, was stuck on that point.

‘Should I just summon the Demonic Master’s soul and ask for help?’

It wasn’t a thought he hadn’t considered.

However, he had resolved to keep the Tai Chi Dantian a secret even from the Demonic Master. If he succeeded in forming it, he didn’t know if the Demonic Master would accept it without resistance.

In the end, since the soul of the Demonic Master would have to be sealed within the Tai Chi Dantian, there was a strong chance he would oppose it.

That was why Yong Hwarin deliberately didn’t awaken the Demonic Master’s soul, which resided in his upper dantian, so as not to let his thoughts be known.

‘I didn’t expect to complete the Tai Chi Dantian overnight anyway.’

Though he tried to comfort himself with those words, the lingering frustration didn’t easily fade.

A troubling thought crossed his mind—that forming the Tai Chi Dantian might take his entire life.

If that happened, then learning the Dual-Mind Inner Art and acquiring the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra would have all been meaningless.

‘Should I act like a villain to activate the evil energy? Maybe if I commit enough murder, I’ll be able to create it.’

Yong Hwarin even considered gathering evil energy through killing.

But he soon shook his head.

‘If gathering evil energy were that easy, how nice would that be? Then I’d just go around killing evildoers. But if it doesn’t work, then I’ll just become a murderous fiend.’

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