Days passed.
It was time for the usual practice of Array Formation, but Miss Yeo Il-ye had yet to appear.
Seo Mun-yeon watched Hyeok Gi-rin as he seemed to be venting his complaints to Seo Gong, who he was petting. It looked like he was clearly unhappy.
Seo Gong, familiar with Hyeok Gi-rin’s words he couldn’t understand, was showing signs of tuning out the chatter.
Seo Mun-yeon, lying comfortably and smoking a cigarette, glanced at Tang So-yeol, who was trying to appear calm, and thought to herself,
“You were right, Yeong-myeong.”
Seo Mun-yeon had finally realized Jegal Yeong-myeong’s intentions.
Jegal Yeong-myeong understood that they needed an Array based on the Fusion Heart Method. By sending Ho Cheon-an and the others to Seo Mun-yeon, he devised a scheme of hitting two birds with one stone.
First, providing the Array to Ho Cheon-an’s group.
Second, he wanted to show Seo Mun-yeon how they solved the issues arising from the Fusion Heart Method.
That was probably his way of trying to win her over.
“You seem to want me to remarry Seong-chan…”
If it were that easy for hearts to connect, she would have never considered divorce in the first place.
The evidence of that was right in front of her.
The expectations of those born with the Qi of the Gumsung had proven inaccurate, and the heroes of Sacheon, despite trying various measures, couldn’t stop the conflict between the two.
“What it means for hearts to meet… is like this, Yeong-myeong.”
Should she inform Jegal Yeong-myeong of the current situation if Ho Cheon-an and the others left quietly?
As Seo Mun-yeon pondered, her gaze locked onto one spot.
From afar, Yeo Il-ye finally appeared.
Upon sensing her arrival, Ho Cheon-an waved his hand. Yeo Il-ye and Dokgo I-seol, shaking their heads as if saying they couldn’t help it, took their usual positions against Oh Seong-jin.
Yeo Il-ye hesitated before forming the formation. The last one was Hyeok Gi-rin, still petting Seo Gong.
“Meow?”
For some reason, Seo Gong, trying to dodge the gathering gazes and the heavy atmosphere, felt defeated under Hyeok Gi-rin’s grip on his fur.
“Didn’t you say you hated it yesterday?”
“When was I ever calling for you?”
In the suffocating silence, Hyeok Gi-rin, who had been staring at Yeo Il-ye, rose to his full height.
“Let’s see just how grand your intentions are.”
“Joo Jin.”
At Ho Cheon-an’s command, the Array activated. The team slowly began to build momentum in its basic form.
Seo Mun-yeon, who thought Yeo Il-ye would never come, finally regained her senses as she looked at Ho Cheon-an and the others moving flowingly with the Array.
“…Daeseong.”
The Array shifted, and Yeo Il-ye’s intentions started to flow into Hyeok Gi-rin.
Ho Cheon-an, realizing Hyeok Gi-rin’s true feelings, secretly felt relieved for a moment upon witnessing his bewildering reaction.
Then, the absurdity of having felt joy over Daeseong’s sorrow kicked in.
And finally, the realization that Hyeok Gi-rin would sulk and be upset if he found out this thought flashed through her mind.
The contrasting sense of taking control of the stable Array while anxious over everything spilling out felt palpable through Yeo Il-ye.
Hyeok Gi-rin, glaring at Yeo Il-ye with an angry expression, shifted his gaze to Seo Mun-yeon.
A strong pressure to switch to Ilseong.
Upon confirming Ho Cheon-an’s nod, Seo Mun-yeon altered the Array.
“Ilseong.”
As the Array transformed, they had to face Hyeok Gi-rin’s wrath. The group collectively flinched from the overwhelming fury.
– Did you throw a fit over something this trivial!
– I’ve already been disappointed many times since the days in the Jeomchang Faction!
– It’s a wonder you can’t manage even one thing consistently!
Leading such feelings, a downpour of nagging fell upon them. Faces of Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin, caught in the blunt force of each other’s fury, flushed red from the onslaught.
The flow of the Array began to shake violently.
The strongest flow within the Array, Yeo Il-ye’s Qi, attempted to shape it into that of Daeseong’s.
The group tried to match Yeo Il-ye’s actions, but Hyeok Gi-rin, still wanting to voice his grievances, resisted being swept away by the flow, yet could not break the Array, ultimately transforming it into Daeseong’s rhythm.
– Do you think meeting Daeseong’s expectations is easy!
– I’m incredibly grateful for Daeseong’s dedication, but you must occasionally realize when it can’t be so!
– How desperate do you think I must be to feel this way!
From Ilseong to Daeseong, and back. The form of the Array kept shifting. They fought, sometimes pleading with each other and sometimes rebutting each other’s hearts, as the two continued to clash.
Until the remaining three were too exhausted to sustain the Array.
“Hmph!”
“Tch!”
Turning their backs on each other were Hyeok Gi-rin and Yeo Il-ye.
The three who had stood with them shook their heads at their stubbornness. They felt that the two had already understood each other’s hearts and positions, yet couldn’t overcome the momentum of their previous arguments.
“Once the practice is done, shall we have a meal together?”
“Sounds good. Let’s eat.”
With Tang Do-yeon’s call, the Black Cat began to drag Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin along.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Neither am I.”
“Oh! Seriously! I let you both quarrel throughout the Array training, so this time it’s my turn!”
At the Black Cat’s annoyance, the two exchanged a glimpse of surprise as they were dragged along.
Watching the three, Ho Cheon-an sighed in relief.
“Did you anticipate it would resolve like this?”
“Well… not really…”
As Seo Mun-yeon asked, Ho Cheon-an glanced at the two. Despite being at each other’s throats and furious, neither mentioned Hyeok Gi-rin’s rank nor anything about Yeo-ga Mountain Villa.
“I just believed in them.”
Even though they were both furious, they had not forgotten to consider each other, so Ho Cheon-an simply held onto hope for that point.
“…Is that so?”
While muttering the word ‘belief’, Seo Mun-yeon let out a long sigh.
Why did Seo Mun-yeon and Jegal Seong-chan falter before the Fusion Heart Method, while Ho Cheon-an’s group advanced towards completion?
Was the difference merely that they believed?
Seo Mun-yeon wanted to know the real reason.
If she could understand why Ho Cheon-an and his group were overcoming the Fusion Heart Method… she would perhaps discover why she and Jegal Seong-chan had failed.
“My mind has changed.”
“Excuse me?”
“I want to see you complete the Array.”
From Ho Cheon-an’s perspective, it was an obscure statement from Seo Mun-yeon, but soon, a smile spread across Ho Cheon-an’s face.
“With your help, I feel more secure.”
“Don’t get too comfortable. Since you’ve changed the form of the Array on your own, it’s safe to say it’s over 80% complete, but even if you can see the end, it doesn’t mean you have reached it.”
“Yes.”
“The issues with your group are merely overcoming one obstacle. New problems will arise, so tackle them diligently.”
“Haha, of course.”
Seo Mun-yeon chuckled at Ho Cheon-an’s confident expression.
“There are some things that cannot be navigated solely with belief.”
“…?”
“You’ll understand once you’ve experienced it.”
As Ho Cheon-an began to soothe Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin, he soon realized why Seo Mun-yeon had smiled that way.
It was the turn of the Black Cat.
Observing Ho Cheon-an comfort Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin, Dokgo I-seol’s thoughts began to flow.
If they quarrelled with the team and became isolated, wouldn’t Ho Cheon-an surely come to comfort them, based on his personality?
At that moment, if they showed a weak side and snuggled up to him for comfort…
Upon receiving that thought, Ho Cheon-an immediately felt the power of the Array begin to waver. Yeo Il-ye, Hyeok Gi-rin, and the Black Cat were all trying to become the center of the Array to issue a warning to Dokgo I-seol.
To maintain Yeo Il-ye’s Qi for Dokgo I-seol’s sake, the three pulled Ho Cheon-an’s energy wildly, and Ho Cheon-an felt a tight sensation as if each of his limbs was being grasped by the four.
With their efforts, they believed they had overcome major difficulties in their training.
The Array might have stabilized, but Ho Cheon-an’s suffering was just beginning.
*
It had been a long time.
To tempt me, Dokgo I-seol kept leaking her dark intentions. The Black Cat and Yeo Il-ye were furious with her behavior. Hyeok Gi-rin struggled with whether to take a daring approach or not.
Yeo Il-ye and the Black Cat looked on at Hyeok Gi-rin’s dilemma with complex expressions.
A barrage of reprimands.
And in the midst of that, Dokgo I-seol tried to close the distance with me.
It had truly been an endless series of trials.
And today.
It was finally the day that capped those efforts.
The final Array practice was over.
The group, breathless and entangled in Qi, looked toward Seo Mun-yeon. After observing them slowly, Seo Mun-yeon finally nodded.
“Perfect.”
“Ah…!”
“Then.”
“Yeah. Oh Seong-jin has been perfected.”
I clenched my fist tightly!
Finally!
I had found a way to stand against the Blood Sect’s Entity!
A sense of liberation surged within me.
The practice of the Array would continue, but it wouldn’t be an all-consuming daily affair as before.
The group, too, wore expressions tinged with joy over their accomplishment, layered with mixed emotions.
Well… during Array training, enduring each other’s intentions led to confrontations, so it’s only natural to feel drained.
Were we just fighting?
In the end, those arguments stemmed from seeing others’ true feelings, so it was also a profound time to deeply understand one another.
“You have all worked hard.”
Seo Mun-yeon smiled lightly and congratulated us.
When she first visited us, she had shown a skepticism about our success, but she had now become a helpful ally in every way.
Why had she changed her attitude halfway and become our supporter?
Though I had no way of knowing the precise reason, given her relieved expression, it seemed she had resolved some issue of her own.
“Thank you, Miss Seo Mun-yeon.”
I bowed respectfully and presented one of my tokens.
It was my Gratitude Plaque.
It may have seemed like I was gilding my face, but I, Ho Cheon-an, was now a recognized figure in the Martial World, complete with the skills to match it.
Rather than vague promises or low-grade Spiritual Medicine, or pathetic financial compensation, my one-time usage ticket had gained significant worth.
“If there’s anything you want, I’ll find it personally.”
“That’s enough.”
Seo Mun-yeon accepted my Gratitude Plaque and tucked it away.
“Don’t let the Blood Sect’s schemes knock you down, and survive long. Only then will this token hold value.”
“Haha. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Are you thinking of leaving right away?”
“Yes.”
I was almost ready to set off.
It had nearly been two months since our encounter with the Blood Sect’s envoy.
If the Blood Ancestor were indeed targeting me, it would not be unexpected for their threat to manifest at any moment.
So I needed to move even faster.
“Thank you, Miss Seo Mun-yeon. I owe you greatly.”
“Ho Ho. I hope you achieve what you seek, Miss Hwang So-wol.”
After exchanging farewells with Seo Mun-yeon, the group boarded the Bicheongmacha one by one. Once she confirmed everyone was on board, Seo Mun-yeon swung her sword and released the Array.
With the remnants of the Array practice dispersing, the trampled grass from their sparring transformed back into the serene scenery of Waryong Mountain.
As the Bicheongmacha started to move slowly along the mountain road, a messenger pigeon flew in.
Was it a message from Wolbok-dang?
The Black Cat took the message, read the note, and spoke up.
“It seems there are no signs of activity from the Blood Sect.”
“What could they possibly be thinking?”
What on earth is the Blood Sect doing? They have been strangely quiet for someone who announced vengeance.
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but this silence felt like the calm before a storm.
There were certain ominous signs.
First, the experiment on spiritual techniques conducted by the Shengsu Faction.
Why was the Blood Sect keen on creating Entities?
It was merely a guess, but perhaps they had the means to handle Entities but lacked actual Entities to tame.
Second, the fact that I was being used for the Blood Sect’s envoy.
Sending a Blood Person accompanied by an Entity to me, someone bound to be antagonistic, could imply they didn’t value Entities highly.
In the worst cases, it could mean losing an Entity just in sending a single messenger.
While it was possible the Blood Ancestor cared deeply about establishing a successor… looking at how they had left me alone until now, they didn’t seem to think so.
Lastly, they had left me alone until now.
The Blood Ancestor, having invested decades trying to claim me.
Even if they couldn’t seize the full Ho Cheon-an, they should strive to hold onto at least a fragment.
After realizing my existence, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Blood Sect to mobilize all their resources to capture me, yet they remained quiet, which felt more like a prelude to a coming storm.
So, it became even more crucial to prepare thoroughly.
Having obtained a level of mastery in Array tactics through the assistance of Seo Mun-yeon, the next step to prepare for the Blood Sect was almost predetermined.
Just as one must experiences real combat after mastering martial arts, with the new Array in hand, we’d naturally need to gain experience in facing Entities.
Our next target would be hunting Entities.
