Chapter 69 – Becoming One (3)

Chapter 69 – Becoming One (3)

So-mu walked through the streets of Hanzhong holding his daughter's hand.

Thanks to the administrative staff's inquiries, they had discovered a master of music residing in Hanzhong. Although she was said to possess skills deep enough to captivate the soul, she rarely accepted disciples. He couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

‘Is it here?’

A clean garden, a pond, and a well-maintained pavilion came into view. A plaque reading "Hyeonhwadang" caught his eye.

It is said that artists are naturally more emotional than ordinary people. Sometimes, this intensity is misunderstood as eccentric behavior. So-mu knew he had to be cautious.

After waiting silently at the gate for a while, a woman who appeared to be the housekeeper approached from behind the garden. She was a young woman dressed in elegant attire.

“What brings you here?”

“I am looking for a music teacher for my child.”

The housekeeper hesitated for a moment and said politely, “I am sorry, but the master does not accept disciples anymore. Please return.”

Disappointment flashed across So-so's face. Still, there was nothing they could do if the host refused to receive guests. So-mu figured he would have to look for the other candidates recommended by the staff.

“Understood.”

Just as he was about to turn around holding So-so's hand, a clear, melodious voice echoed from within the pavilion.

“Let them in.”

The voice itself carried a beautiful, flowing melody.

‘She truly lives up to her reputation.’

As the housekeeper opened the door, the owner of the voice was revealed. Seated in a lotus position was a woman dressed in black cotton clothing, her face covered by a silk veil. Her elegant posture and jade-like hands resting on a seven-string zither exuded a refined grace.

However, such details were of no interest to So-mu.

“Let us go in, So-so.”

Children are honest with their emotions. So-so's expression had already brightened.

“Yes, Father!”

As the father and daughter stood before her, the woman's fingers began to move slowly, plucking the strings of the zither. The melody she produced felt as though it shook the very soul. It was domineering yet full of spirit, and at times, absolutely enchanting.

After a quarter of an hour, the woman's hands came to a halt.

“What did you feel?”

So-so gave a bright, dimpled smile. The music seemed to have touched her heart.

“At first, I felt like I was flying in the sky! Then I was running across the mountains… and then… I felt the waves!”

She was a child who had never seen the sea, only hearing about it from So-mu's descriptions. Yet, she had felt the waves through the melody of the zither.

“Precise. She is indeed a child of great sensitivity.”

The atmosphere seemed to be going well. However, So-mu could not bring himself to smile. He had felt a deep, profound internal energy within the woman's melody.

‘A master of sound arts. Moreover, she is completely concealing her presence. There cannot be many experts of this caliber in the Jianghu… Who is she?’

He had to check. Focusing his gaze, he looked through the silk veil to see her face.

She possessed elegant and distinct features. However, the moment So-mu recognized her face, his pupils dilated in shock. He was so startled that he almost coughed.

Hastily erecting a barrier of qi around So-so to block their voices, he demanded:

“Jade Flower Divine Maiden?”

The veiled woman was equally startled. Flustered, she stared intently at his face.

After a long silence, she gasped:

“S-Sword Saint?”

Her voice carried a hint of dread.

It was a natural reaction. She was Yeon Seo-hwa, the Jade Flower Divine Maiden, who had been a key figure in the Demonic War and a prominent leader of the Demonic Cult. A supreme master of the Demonic Path, she was believed to have vanished after the war ended.

So-mu instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword, but stopped himself. He couldn't kill a woman who was about to become his daughter's teacher right in front of the child.

Seeing his hesitation, Yeon Seo-hwa relaxed and regained her composure.

With a dry chuckle, So-mu remarked, “Incredible. To think you've been hiding your identity here, playing the zither so gracefully.”

Yeon Seo-hwa scanned So-mu from head to toe. Snorting, she retorted, “Aren't you doing the same, hiding your identity to play the role of a government officer?”

It was an unexpected response. He was dumbfounded by her audacity.

“You slaughtered countless Orthodox martial artists, yet you calmly hide among the commoners. What are you plotting here?”

“Look who's talking. The number of Demonic Cult members slaughtered by the Sword Saint is in the thousands.”

She refused to back down. During the war, she would have fled at the mere sight of him.

“What are you plotting here?”

“Do you think a member of the Demonic Cult must always be plotting something? There are far more black-hearted bastards among the Orthodox faction.”

Arguing about the ideologies of the Orthodox and Demonic factions was a pointless debate.

“Are there still remnants of the Demonic Cult left?”

“The Demonic Cult is a name that no longer exists. You must know that most were killed or absorbed in the surprise attack by the Shadow Cult? I barely escaped myself.”

It was surprising to hear that the Shadow Cult was strong enough to make the Jade Flower Divine Maiden use the word "barely."

‘Perhaps I can find a clue about the Shadow Cult that seized the Hui Dynasty.’

However, now was not the time.

Just then, So-so tilted her head in confusion and asked, “Father, what are you doing?”

Since So-mu had blocked the sound with a qi barrier, they must have looked like they were only moving their mouths in silence.

Dissipating the barrier, So-mu said, “So-so, I don't think this is the right place. Let us look for another teacher.”

No matter the past, he couldn't entrust his daughter to the Jade Flower Divine Maiden, who had once terrorized the Jianghu. He reached out to take So-so's hand, but she stepped back.

To think So-so would avoid his touch… Tears were welling in her large eyes.

“Why…?”

Hearing her whimpering voice made his heart ache. But what else could he do?

‘So-so, this woman was a demoness of the Jianghu…’

He couldn't say those words aloud. Just then, Yeon Seo-hwa spoke, making So-mu even more flustered.

“Come sit here, child. You have great talent, so let us learn together.”

“Yes, Master! Hehe.”

To think she would call her Master right away. He was speechless at how easily his daughter had been won over.

So-so quickly ran over and sat facing Yeon Seo-hwa.

“What instrument do you wish to learn?”

“The tung flute!”

“Wonderful. I, too, needed a companion to play the flute with me.”

Watching them, So-mu felt utterly bewildered. He quickly sent a sound transmission to Yeon Seo-hwa.

– What is your game?

She calmly took a tung flute from the display rack. Even as she did, she cast a sidelong glance at So-mu.

– How amusing. The legendary Sword Saint is completely helpless before his daughter. Where is the child's mother?

– That is none of your business. Send her back.

Yeon Seo-hwa handed the flute to the child, a meaningful smile on her face.

“Your name is So-so? Who do you take after to be this pretty? It certainly isn't your father.”

So-so stared intently at Yeon Seo-hwa's face. Up close, she could see her refined features through the veil.

“I don't have a mother. Hehe. You are very pretty too, Master!”

“Unlike someone else, you have good taste. Shall we send your father back first?”

“Yes, let's!”

So-so stood up and waved.

“Father, go home first!”

So-mu stood frozen, dumbfounded. Yeon Seo-hwa chimed in:

“Would the father please return first?”

He had never imagined he would be kicked out by his own daughter. So-so was even waving her hand, telling him to leave.

– If you play any tricks on her, you will pay.

– I am not the Jade Flower Divine Maiden of the past. Although we didn't have a good relationship, there is no reason for that now, so you don't have to worry.

Confronted by her shamelessness, So-mu finally threw up his hands.

– What is your true intention in taking my daughter as a disciple?

– This child understood and interpreted the Melody of Heaven's Encounter in the Jianghu on her first listen. Do you know what that means? In terms of music, she possesses the greatest talent under heaven. Combine that with her purity and her massive internal energy, and she is the perfect student.

It was well known that no one in the Jianghu could match the Jade Flower Divine Maiden in musical expertise. Hearing her praise his daughter's talent, So-mu couldn't help but feel pleased, though he concealed it and asked coldly:

– What does that have to do with you?

– With her talent… we might be able to play the Melody of the True One Heart's Smile together. It has been my lifelong dream. Trust her to me…

The Melody of the True One Heart's Smile. It was a legendary duet played with the seven-string zither and the tung flute. It was said that ordinary musicians couldn't even attempt it, as it required the players' hearts to become one. Rumor had it that the score was left behind by immortals and concealed a great secret.

So-mu could feel the sincerity in Yeon Seo-hwa's voice.

‘There is no distinction between Orthodox and Demonic in music. Perhaps she will make a good teacher…’

The hostility in his eyes softened.

– Remember that I will be watching you until I can fully trust you. You will send her home before sunset, right?

– Playing for a long time doesn't make the sound better. Four hours a day is enough. And… I can teach her some sound arts, right? It is necessary to play the Melody of the True One Heart's Smile.

– Sound arts?

– To follow the breathing of this piece, she must master the Lion's Roar.

The Lion's Roar. Although people often used the term metaphorically for a loud shout, in martial arts, it was a completely different story. It was a supreme sound-based technique that projected immense internal energy through the voice.

The shockwave carried by the sound waves could shatter an opponent's eardrums and cause internal injuries by disrupting their qi. Furthermore, it could induce absolute terror in those who heard it, and at its peak, it could kill crowds of enemies simultaneously.

Yet, a young girl practicing the Lion's Roar?

The absurdity was endless. In any case, it was a technique that could not be practiced without deep internal energy.

– To practice the Lion's Roar, one needs at least two cycles of internal energy.

So-so had accumulated a massive amount of internal energy at her young age because a grandmaster of the Transcendent Realm had cleared her meridians and assisted her daily meditation. Still, it was far from enough to perform the Lion's Roar.

– She seems to have reached a decent level already. I will handle the rest.

– Do you mean you will transfer your own energy to her?

– If I can play the Melody of the True One Heart's Smile even once, I am willing to give up everything.

Ordinary people could never understand the world of masters. To Yeon Seo-hwa, So-so was like a supreme martial arts manual.

– Only sound arts. No demonic techniques.

– Thank you…

It was the first time he had heard such a word from a member of the Demonic Cult. It felt strangely awkward.

Walking out of Hyeonhwadang, So-mu sighed and shook his head.

‘Since we have both left the Jianghu and years have passed, the grudges of the past are meaningless.’

The housekeeper he had met earlier bowed to him. Though he had ignored her at first, he now recalled her identity.

‘That is her younger sister, Yeon Cho-hui.’

Although her martial arts were mediocre, she was known to possess deep expertise in calligraphy and painting.