Chapter 54
“How are you feeling?”
Seol Jadan asked cautiously, looking at Seol Wonpyeong lying on the bed.
After visiting the ancestral tomb, Seol Wonpyeong’s health had deteriorated. He had overexerted his vital energy.
Seol Wonpyeong was an exceptional martial artist, always showing a strong and robust appearance. Seeing him weakened like this was a first, so it was natural for Seol Jadan to worry.
“…I’m fine now. I’ll get up tomorrow.”
“Yes. You will.”
It wasn’t so much a physical problem as a matter of the spirit. Although Seol Gajang’s path had been determined, his heart hadn’t fully accepted it yet.
Seol Jadan looked at Seol Wonpyeong with concern and spoke. What was needed now was to talk about tomorrow, to look toward the future.
“…Tonight, I will give Yeong-ah the Summoning Pill.”
At this, Seol Wonpyeong sat up. A pleased smile appeared on his face.
“Yes. The child has grown much healthier now. She can even go to the mountains, can’t she?”
“Yes. The Grandmaster Geum has praised her highly. He said every day is different. Once she starts formal martial arts training, her accomplishments will be extraordinary.”
“What do you think?”
“It’s a shame I can’t personally observe her martial skills. We’ll need to find a good teacher for her.”
“Ah. How is that going?”
“A man named Mo Jong-baek from Taeseonmun came….”
“You don’t seem satisfied with him.”
“Yes… not quite.”
“Ha ha. That’s how it is with your children. We’ll keep looking.”
Seol Wonpyeong let out a hearty laugh. Seol Jadan smiled softly.
“Will you personally guide her in taking the Summoning Pill?”
“Yes. That is the plan, but will you be doing it, Father?”
“No. It’s better if you do it. Tonight… you plan to give it while she sleeps?”
“Yes. I think it’s best she doesn’t know for now.”
Seol Wonpyeong’s gaze darkened slightly.
No matter how good the elixir, absorbing all its energy is not easy. Therefore, when children took such elixirs, a martial artist at a high level would often help channel the energy for them.
Seol Jadan was saying he would give the elixir without Yeong’s knowledge. They hadn’t revealed that all three of the men were martial artists. If revealed suddenly, it would surely shock her.
Until Seol Gajang’s path was firmly set, they had agreed not to inform her.
“Hmm. You said your perception is excellent, but the child won’t feel it?”
“That’s why I plan to circulate the energy through the three meridians first, spreading the elixir’s power. Later, when Yeong-ah’s accomplishments deepen, she’ll truly absorb it.”
“Yes. But you must be careful.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Summoning Pill from Shaolin was relatively safe, carrying gentle energy. For a child, it could lay a solid foundation.
For Yeong, who was about to start martial arts, it was perfect.
Yet, how could one say it was completely safe given its immense energy? Forcing vitality with elixirs always carried risk.
Even though Seol Jadan was a high-level martial artist, directly manipulating another’s energy was no easy feat.
“Go now. It will be a long night.”
Seol Wonpyeong waved his hand and lay back down.
“Yes. I will. Rest well, Father.”
“Very well. Work hard. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, Father.”
Stepping out of Seol Wonpyeong’s room, Seol Jadan walked slowly.
He stopped in the garden of Yeonhongwon, bathed in moonlight. A warm breeze brushed his cheek.
He took out the Summoning Pill he had kept with him for over ten years.
Shaolin elixirs were precious. Only once every few years would the Great Pill be made, and it rarely left Shaolin.
Even the small Summoning Pills, made two or three times a year, were rarely given outside, usually only to close friends or benefactors.
This particular Summoning Pill had been painstakingly obtained by Seol Jadan for Tang Joryeong.
When Seol Jadan had reunited with Tang Joryeong, her dantian was already damaged, beyond repair by any means.
Yet Seol Jadan could not give up. He gathered countless elixirs and herbs.
He had sought the Great Pill but failed, and the only thing he could obtain was this Summoning Pill.
When Tang Joryeong saw it, she shook her head.
Father, you know even the Great Pill cannot repair the damaged dantian.
You won’t know until you try.
Father, there’s no need to insist. Is this for the child? For now, it’s fine.
It’s not insistence. Let’s try. Let’s see….
No, no. Keep it. If the child wishes to learn martial arts, then give it to her. It will lay a foundation.
This Summoning Pill carried Tang Joryeong’s heart for Yeong.
“Finally… I can fulfill your request. Did you foresee this day?”
It was impossible to know. But what was meant to happen, happens.
Years ago, they had tried to give it to the weak Yeong, but the physician had opposed it.
The Summoning Pill was good even for non-martial artists, but for a weak child, immense energy could be harmful.
Yet Yeong’s innate talent had proven extraordinary.
A bitter smile appeared on Seol Jadan’s face.
“…Yes. It was destined to be so.”
Seol Jadan put the Summoning Pill back in his chest and entered Yeong’s darkened bedroom.
Yeong was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly.
Seol Jadan looked at her sleeping face. She seemed much more comfortable than when she had been sick.
Relief filled his heart. Just knowing the child was no longer in pain brought him warmth.
If she practiced martial arts, she would only grow stronger.
Seol Jadan quickly located Yeong’s sleep acupoints, pressing them to ensure a deeper sleep.
When he confirmed her breathing was more relaxed, he checked her pulse.
‘Her energy and blood seem normal… even Father didn’t recognize her talent…’
Very few could see Yeong’s constitution. Not the physician, nor even high-level martial artists like Seol Wonpyeong or Seol Jadan.
Her veins were unusually broad, yet densely filled with unique energy, making them feel narrower than normal.
Had she been ordinary, she would not have survived birth.
Seol Jadan opened the Summoning Pill box. A clear, pure aroma filled the room.
Carefully, he placed the pill into Yeong’s mouth and guided it down her throat along the acupoints.
‘From now, give it everything.’
He drew a deep breath, held her wrist, and began directing his energy into her body.
He needed to capture the spreading energy of the pill inside Yeong.
Seol Jadan’s vitality approached the pill’s energy, which was pure yet powerful.
It was more than her body could easily absorb.
‘Capture this energy, circulate the Minor Microcosmic Orbit, refine with true energy, then distribute through the three meridians.’
Just as he tried to push more energy in, something happened.
Suddenly, Yeong’s own dantian began to move. Her energy grabbed the pill’s force and began circulating it.
‘…I must stop it. This cannot continue.’
Seol Jadan tried desperately to control her energy, raising his own to intervene.
Yet his energy was gradually repelled, as if the space belonged solely to her.
The pill’s energy had been greedily absorbed by her, transforming into massive energy, flowing through her acupoints.
Yeong’s energy was defensive but overwhelmingly domineering. Not a single foreign energy was allowed.
Seol Jadan could do nothing. And he shouldn’t. Her energy was naturally creating the proper path.
‘Is this possible… a child’s energy moving and refining itself?’
All he could do was ensure no problems arose.
Round one, round two… her energy circulated the Minor Microcosmic Orbit. It was immense. Seol Jadan shivered at its majesty.
Her body began to stir, slowly rising.
Rounds five, six… twelve. The grand flow ended, and her energy returned to the dantian, calm and complete.
Seol Jadan gently placed her back on the bed.
Her face remained peaceful, sleeping quietly as before.
‘Like the parable of blind men touching an elephant. I was just as blind.’
Seol Jadan’s gaze darkened.
