Ch.2810. Ancient Gear Ruby (2)

I was flustered.

She said she would help me. And then Soso, who had entered with an extremely embarrassed expression, suddenly told me to lie down on the bed.

‘She said it wasn’t for any strange purpose, but…’

The Cheonma Divine Sect and the Yeon family have maintained the Great Gate Faction for generations. For deeply rooted families, continuing the lineage is extremely important.

Considering what I had discussed with Yeon Mun-woo earlier, it might actually be what he had mentioned.

‘Soso may be extraordinary as a swordswoman, but she’s far from being clever.’

Yeon Mun-woo is an elder of the family. So perhaps he was considering me as Soso’s match.

In the dead of night, he might have arranged for Soso and me to be alone like this to continue the bloodline. He seemed to hold me in high regard.

‘No, that’s too much of a stretch.’

There are countless martial arts sects in the Martial Nation. And unusual things often happen in large sects, but the idea that such a ridiculous thing would happen to me—I’m not some breeding stallion—was absurd.

But suddenly, I wondered what I should do if Soso really wanted me that way. It might just be my vain imagination, but…

During my time at Aince, I had exploited her feelings. I still hadn’t properly apologized for the pain I caused her because of that.

‘And Soso still…’

Just like how she firmly held my hand on the plane earlier today. She still has feelings for me.

So if Soso wanted to bind me to her, even forcefully, because of my guilt… I probably wouldn’t be able to hurt her again in the same way.

So I quietly lay down on the bed as she instructed. And in that moment of unconscious tension, Soso spoke.

“There’s no need to be so tense…! I will clear your blood channels for tomorrow’s secret technique. It’s just a massage.”

At those words, I immediately felt deflated. It was indeed too much of a stretch. The anxiety before the secret technique must have created these idle fantasies.

‘Soso is a good person. I misunderstood her intentions.’

Rather, I felt sorry for thinking of her kindness in a strange way.

As I lay there in an awkward position, Soso spoke, seemingly embarrassed and stumbling over her words.

“For stimulating blood channels and meridians, clothes get in the way. It would be better if you removed your top.”

I obediently took off my top as she suggested. Then Soso’s hands soon touched my body.

*

*

Soso could hardly calm her racing heart.

Her small grandfather and Minsu had talked for quite a while. After their conversation ended and Minsu left to take a bath, Yeon Mun-woo called for her.

“That young man Minsu, perhaps due to recovering from a major injury, has stagnant and uneven qi flowing through his body. So I’ll try to stabilize his dantian with that secret technique tomorrow. Would you help, Soso?”

Soso nodded vigorously. If it was for Minsu, she would do anything.

But soon after hearing the method explained by the old man Yeon, Soso was horrified.

“Minsu has to… undress?”

“Of course. To sense another’s qi, there is no more accurate method than skin-to-skin contact. And since the dantian is in the upper body, he only needs to remove his top. So there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, is there?”

“But… still…”

At that moment, noticing Soso’s unusual reaction, the old man Yeon finally seemed to understand.

“Oh. I see now, Soso, you have feelings for that young man Minsu, don’t you?”

“What? Grand… Grandfather, what are you saying…”

“I can tell just by your expression. Hmm…”

The old man Yeon wore a pleased expression, but then suddenly his face turned somewhat grave.

“Well, it would be presumptuous for an old man like me to meddle in the affairs of young people. But Soso, even in youth, time is fleeting. There are things that cannot be recovered if the moment is missed. If your heart is with that young man, there’s no need to hesitate.”

“What do you mean?”

“The room I’ve given to Minsu is clean, and the night is long. Spend some intimate time together, that’s what I’m saying. If such an excellent young man… if his bloodline continues, it would greatly benefit the future of the Cheonma Divine Sect.”

“Grandfather!! Don’t say such things, even as a joke!!”

“Haha. It’s not a joke. The Cheonma bloodline is very important. Not just for strength, but for intelligence as well.”

Yeon Mun-woo was right. Soso’s father, Yeon Se-hwi, was not only overwhelmingly skilled in martial arts but also capable in managing the sect, expanding its influence several times over.

‘But I’m a fool…’

Though Soso had belatedly improved her martial prowess rapidly, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get better at using her head.

That’s why Soso had fallen for Minsu, who was kind and intelligent. But continuing to listen to the old man’s meddling was extremely embarrassing.

‘Minsu isn’t a breeding stallion, and he has nothing to do with the Cheonma Divine Sect. It’s disrespectful to even say such things.’

So Soso made up an excuse to the old man and left.

Time quickly turned to deep night. With her excited feelings still not calmed, Soso eventually entered this room where Minsu was staying.

And hiding her true feelings, she said to Minsu:

“There’s no need to be particularly tense. I’ll correct your turbid blood channels and mana through my qi. Just relax your body and accept the qi.”

“I’ll be in your care, Team Leader Yeon.”

Finally, her hands touched Minsu’s upper body. At that moment, it was Soso, not Minsu, who tensed up. Her skin touched his.

It wasn’t strange or embarrassing, but remembering how she had firmly held his hand on the plane earlier made her face feel hot.

‘And was Minsu… always this fit?’

He must have diligently worked out. His shoulders were broad, and his upper body was well-muscled.

Being the daughter of a martial family, Soso wasn’t seeing a man’s upper body for the first time. And normally, such men’s bodies would feel no different to her than roadside stones.

But now, strangely, her heart was pounding intensely.

– That’s called lust.

– Shut up!

– Love is ultimately the same as carnal desire. Since you have feelings for Minsu, it’s not particularly strange. No need to deny it.

She barely ignored the demonic whispers of the Blood Demon. And trying not to reveal her inner thoughts, she traced Minsu’s main meridians with her fingertips.

And she was shocked.

‘To think his fire qi is in such a turbulent state…’

Just as her small grandfather had said, the qi and mana flowing through Minsu’s blood channels were running wild. This fact was shocking to Soso.

‘Minsu’s mana control far exceeded student level… but now it’s like this?’

With his precise mana control, he used to create blue flames that only high-level fire mages could produce.

For a moment, guilt about awakening the Blood Demon shook her again, but she focused her senses on her fingertips now.

‘I need to help Minsu.’

So she purified Minsu’s turbid mana through her own qi.

“Now turn over.”

“… Alright.”

Fortunately, her stimulation seemed to be working well, as Minsu’s voice became drowsy. It meant he was finding her current massage very comfortable.

By the time Soso’s qi had finished purifying all the meridians on his back, Minsu had already fallen asleep.

“Phew. This should be good enough.”

Though she wasn’t smart, Soso’s concentration on martial arts wasn’t bad. Even that fact she had learned thanks to Minsu.

Soso brushed away the hair that had stuck to her forehead with sweat. Minsu’s upper body was also drenched in sweat.

Since her qi had moved considerably to suppress the fire energy, it wasn’t particularly strange.

Sitting in a chair beside the bed, she checked the time and found that two hours had already passed.

In the deep night, almost dawn, the moon was visible through the window. In the Martial Nation, there’s a custom of making wishes upon the moon, especially regarding the person one loves.

Whether during her time at Aince or now, there was always only one person Soso thought of when looking at the moon. She lay down on that person’s back and buried her face.

Minsu’s warmth and scent all reached Soso.

‘Like a bird. With broken wings.’

The legendary divine beast Zhuque in the Martial Nation’s legends. Minsu at Aince was like that Zhuque.

He was completely different from her, who couldn’t do anything, weighed down by being the junior sect leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect, avoiding her given fate. Minsu was free, strong, and warm.

But now, having lost all that power, even this well-trained body seemed like the desperate flapping of a bird that could no longer fly, and it made her heart ache.

And she was the one who had broken those wings. After all, the Blood Demon was her, and she was the Blood Demon.

‘Carnal desire, huh.’

While her heart was breaking with pain at seeing Minsu like this, part of her was also relieved. If Minsu had become this weak, and if he was desperate enough to need help from the Cheonma Divine Sect’s connections…

Even if Soso became his cage and ensnared him, perhaps Minsu wouldn’t be able to escape from her.

If there was anything Minsu needed from her, she could give him everything. And in return, she wanted to bind Minsu.

‘I’m tired… of unrequited love.’

She didn’t want to give Minsu to Yuri or Arin. She never thought she could have Minsu, but now he was here, defenseless and close to her.

As her small grandfather had said, she wanted to make Minsu hers right now.

‘And the Blood Demon said that Minsu feels guilty toward me.’

That guilt would make the door of the cage even more solid.

But at the same time, Soso inwardly shouted:

– Be quiet, Blood Demon.

Because she knew how base and cowardly her desire was. If Minsu knew her true feelings, he would surely despise her.

So Soso kept telling herself that these emotions and thoughts were all because of the Blood Demon, constantly shouting inwardly for it to shut up.

But Soso knew well. The Blood Demon hadn’t spoken a single word to her since the stimulation began in earnest.

The now silent Soso embraced Minsu’s back more tightly.

***

The next day.

Yeon Mun-woo’s secret technique, which began as soon as the sun rose, was completed by noon.

“The secret technique has ended successfully. From now on, dealing with further seals will be your responsibility. However, the fire energy won’t backflow up to the second-stage seal. Even if you unlock the third-stage seal, your dantian won’t collapse immediately.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

As he said, I could feel the mana and fire energy characteristic of fire mages stabilizing around my mana heart.

And I confirmed that the first-stage seal unlocked by Yeon Mun-woo’s secret technique had made fire spells usable.

‘This is much better than a lighter.’

The flower of fire spells, Fireball, could be activated while maintaining blue flames. Of course, it was much weaker compared to my graduation from Aince, but that power would become possible as more seals were unlocked.

I bowed to Yeon Mun-woo to express my gratitude. And when I tried to give him the expenses provided for this business trip, he refused.

“No need. What would an old man like me need money for? I have no children to leave it to, so I don’t need it.”

It seems Yeon Mun-woo never married, having devoted his life to Ancient Gear and formation arrays. And then he handed me an unexpected book.

“Ahem, and this is a record of the ancient divine artifacts and formation arrays I’ve researched throughout my life. Take it.”

“You’re giving me such a precious item?”

It was something I never expected.

Yeon Mun-woo was a master craftsman known even to Professor Seong Chae-rin. And he was handing over his lifetime research so casually.

“Yes. It’s nothing special, so there’s no need to be surprised.”

“But this…”

If put up for auction, many hunter-related corporations would immediately rush to acquire it. It was definitely not something insignificant.

“Don’t say your lifespan is short. This research would have been forgotten anyway. If so, it’s much better in your hands, as you understand the principles of formation arrays. It will help with what you need to do in the future.”

I carefully placed the book in my chest.

“I will use it valuably.”

“Good. Anyway, I’ve talked too much because you two came. Now go down. I like the quietness of this mountain.”

Though he seemed somewhat regretful, Yeon Mun-woo saw us off to the foot of the mountain.

And during that descent, Yeon Mun-woo, who was well-versed in the legends of the Martial Nation, the ancient Eastern Empire, gave me very valuable information.

A clue to what the Suspicious Dark Ghost had called “the vessel.”