“I feel those eyes on us, don’t you?”

Ian and I were in the inn. Around her, people had gathered and sat nearby. The seats on the opposite side were empty, but people had moved to the side where we were.

Everyone was slyly shifting closer to get a better look at her face.

I whispered to Ian.

“That guy on the left glanced at you six times, and that one on the right looked seven times while pretending not to. The one beside him is openly stunned. Hey, stop staring! Watch the young master next to you! Oops. That must hurt.”

At that moment, a guest entered. As he looked around for a seat, his eyes widened as he stared at Ian. Like he was mesmerized, he walked toward her but tripped over the table and fell.

No one paid him any mind, and he jumped up immediately. Then he took a seat that had a good view of Ian. The man next to him was pouring alcohol, unaware that his cup was overflowing.

“How do you feel?”

“Good.”

“Good? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You’d have made me wear a mask to stop me from blushing and sat me here to tease me, but your plan failed. I’m really, really happy.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“I told you I have several hidden tails, right? I can pretend to be shy anytime, but I can also enjoy this kind of attention.”

Ian gave a slight smile to those watching. Murmurs of admiration spread around.

She whispered,

“And that man on the left didn’t glance six times, but eight.”

That’s why I like Ian. She’s flexible. She knows how to show her intelligence—and how to hide it.

Despite carrying the lifelong side effects of the Stoneflesh Body Art, she always lived with dignity. She has scars and pride.

“Well, we’ve enjoyed ourselves enough at this inn. Let’s go buy a veil.”

“A veil?”

“You can’t always wear a mask, right? Use that only when necessary, and wear a veil otherwise.”

“I was planning to. Saves money.”

“Buy it with your own money!”

“Aww, please buy it for me!”

Her ‘aww’ made a few men swoon, and some clutching their purses tightened their grip at her ‘please buy it.’

When she and I stood up, disappointment and sighs swept around us. Envious and jealous eyes flew sharply at me. Among them were scolding looks telling me to buy her a veil.

We left the inn and walked together. A white veil dangled at her waist.

“From now on, there will be people blatantly coveting your beauty. All kinds of scoundrels. Some will try to take you by force, some will slip you drugs. Every sort of villain imaginable.”

I admit, whether consciously or not, this is why I delayed giving her the Spirit Purification Technique. I hated worrying about her.

That doesn’t mean now that I’ve done it, I’m free of concern. I’ll chase away my worries in another way.

“You need the strength to protect yourself from those things. I plan to train you to a level where you can face the demon hunters.”

When I was about to perform the Spirit Purification Technique on her, I was already thinking that.

Ian showed no false modesty. Not only was she to learn the Radiant Sword Art, but surpassing the demon hunters was naturally expected.

“I’ll work harder so I won’t trouble you.”

“Don’t push yourself. You’re already doing more than enough.”

She smiled, and only the fruit shop’s awkward young clerk’s heart fluttered helplessly.

We stopped by the cloth shop, and I bought her a bamboo hat with a veil attached. It had the advantage of covering the entire face, but after trying it, she declined.

“This is too uncomfortable. My view is too narrow, so I’d be vulnerable to ambushes. I need to be more skilled before I can use this.”

“Then let’s just buy the veil.”

I bought her a veil that covered just below the eyes like a bandana.

Though it couldn’t fully hide her beauty, it was better.

“When we make the Ghost Guard uniform later, we’ll make an amazing mask.”

Imagining her wearing a mask adorned with ghost motifs felt truly mysterious and cool. If Cheongmyeon saw that, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle it.

She paused wherever there was a place to see her reflection.

Though I can’t express it all, she must have felt great right now.

Enjoy it, Ian!

“So, where to now?”

“Wanna climb a mountain?”

“A mountain?”

“Since your body’s lighter, let’s climb. Come on, run.”

We ran a good distance with lightness skill and arrived beneath jagged cliffs.

“Step where I step!”

As we climbed the cliffs using lightness skill, she didn’t say a word. It was her first time climbing such a steep cliff.

Only when we reached the summit did she sigh with relief.

“To be honest, I was really scared coming up.”

Though her swordsmanship was at a master level, her lightness skill wasn’t up to par.

“If you fall, you’ll die, right?”

“A true master wouldn’t die. With your sword skills, you shouldn’t die.”

“What should I do if I fall?”

“Stay alert and try to slow your fall somehow.”

Of course, in my case, I’d release inner energy near the ground to land lightly, but Ian wasn’t skilled enough for that yet. She would have to try to slow down as much as possible while falling, even if it used a lot of energy.

“You know well enough, swordsmanship alone won’t keep you alive. You need good lightness skill, courage, judgment, and good people skills.”

“Ah! It was warm in the greenhouse.”

She joked about living comfortably under our sect’s protection, but I don’t see it that way.

She was never in a greenhouse. She bore emotional wounds from martial arts side effects and couldn’t even sleep properly guarding me. After I regressed, she hardly slept training.

“Is it spring or winter outside the greenhouse?”

“Jianghu has never once seen spring.”

“Like these terrifying cliffs.”

She looked down the cliff. I whispered in her ear.

“Remember what I told you? How to handle falling?”

“Of course. Stay alert and slow your fall.”

“That’s good.”

The next moment, I pushed her off the cliff.

“Ahhhhh!”

She screamed miserably as she fell.

I jumped after her.

I expected a complete disaster, but Ian flailed and struggled to maintain balance, trying hard to reduce her speed.

Still inexperienced, she was tensing her body too much and wasting inner energy.

I instantly increased speed and caught her in midair.

Only then did Ian relax in my arms.

“Hold on to me.”

“Yes.”

Then, as if to show her, I demonstrated how to slow down using feet and arms. Even holding her, I quickly reduced our speed.

Ian clung to me and watched every move carefully.

We fell and headed toward the cliff face, where there was a small cave halfway down.

Landing there, Ian finally shouted,

“I really thought I was going to die!”

“Lies. You believed I’d save you.”

“Well, yes, but I was really scared. The falling speed was faster than I imagined, so I lost balance.”

“The more you fall, the more you’ll get used to it and learn to balance.”

“Yes. I remember well how you did it.”

“That’s enough.”

“But I didn’t know there was a cave here.”

“Remember this place. If you ever get chased in this area, take refuge here.”

“How do you know this place?”

“You think I only know this cave?”

“Of course not. So I won’t ask anymore. But why did you come here?”

“Now, I’m going to clear your Ren-Du Yang Mai.”

She blinked at me without any forewarning, then gradually her eyes widened in surprise. The extent of her surprise ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) was even greater than when I told her I’d perform the Spirit Purification Technique. At least that was expected, but this was completely unexpected.

Clearing the Ren-Du Yang Mai.

It’s something every true master must experience but only a very few martial artists ever do.

This process is extremely dangerous and painful; many have died trying recklessly. The one performing the clearing can also die from qi backlash.

No need for distant examples. We, as blood relatives of the Heavenly Demon, cleared the Ren-Du Yang Mai when we were young. I still vividly remember how much my elder brother terrified me when I was about to do it. He probably wished for me to fall into demonic possession from fear, but I succeeded safely.

In any case, clearing Ren-Du Yang Mai is never something to be taken lightly, either to attempt or to receive. That’s why venerable grandmasters of orthodox sects risk their lives to do it only for the sect’s legitimate heirs.

“Are you really going to clear my Ren-Du Yang Mai?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you so good to me… Ah, so that’s why you told me not to ask. You knew I’d ask again soon.”

When I finished the Spirit Purification Technique, I told her not to ask.

“It’s a gift. To celebrate your new life.”

Ian couldn’t say a word.

Tears welled again in her eyes.

“I hate crying, but young master, you keep making me cry.”

“There’s no need to cry.”

“True, I’m happy. I’m so happy I feel like flying.”

“Alright, then shall we begin? Say your last words just in case.”

“Please tell our young master I’m sorry I can’t serve him until the end.”

“I’ll scold our young master. He’s monopolizing you too much.”

“It won’t be easy to scold him. He’s getting stronger every day.”

Her words made me laugh.

“Alright, let’s start with regulating qi and breath.”

She sat cross-legged and began circulating her breath. When her vital energy completed one full cycle, I injected my vast inner energy into her back.

Slowly, I moved my energy along her blood vessels.

“From now on, don’t respond to anything I say. No matter what happens, don’t scream or stop circulating qi. Don’t lose consciousness either.”

As she regulated her breath and calmed her mind, the speed of my inner energy moving through her blood vessels gradually increased.

The Ren Mai starts at the lips, goes down through the chest and abdomen to the perineum. The Du Mai starts at the perineum, goes up along the tailbone and spine, passes the Baihui point at the crown, and returns to the lips. The crucial moment is breaking through the Baihui point on the crown—if that goes wrong, one becomes disabled or dies.

I knew well that finishing in one go was best rather than prolonging it. My calm and steady inner energy boldly pushed through her vessels.

No need to worry. After all, I was the one performing the clearing.

Shengjiang, Yan Tian, Xian Qi, Yutang, Zhongwan... like a flood washing away debris, the waste blocking her vessels began to clear.

Ian suffered unfamiliar pain but was well accustomed to enduring it.

I was relentless, almost ruthless. Hesitating here would cause accidents. If it didn’t clear at once, I’d come back and try again, crashing harder each time.

Yangguan, Yingdao, Shenzhu, Amun, Leihu, Houzheng followed. Clearing all other vessels, we reached the critical moment.

“Trust me, Ian.”

“I trust you.”

“Now!”

Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka! Bang!

The most difficult Baihui point cleared cleanly, and the remaining vessels cleared too. Her Ren-Du Yang Mai was opened.

Ian slowly collapsed sideways, a smile on her lips.

“Well done, Ian.”

She only got up after a half-day’s sleep.

“Young master? How is it?”

“Now, try regulating qi and breath.”

Ian sat tensely and started regulating breath. After one full cycle, her expression brightened.

“It’s different. Completely different from before. My inner energy is much purer, and qi flows smoothly.”

“Congratulations, Ian.”

She jumped up and tried to bow to me, but I used inner energy to stop her.

“I told you before, I’m using you. No need to thank me.”

“How much do you plan to use me? I’m grateful enough to unite all martial arts.”

“Let’s eat first, then unite martial arts. Hungry?”

“Hungry enough to rummage through the martial alliance kitchen.”

Standing at the cave entrance, she shouted,

“I cleared my Ren-Du Yang Maiaaaaa… Ahhhhh!”

I pushed her again from behind. Watching her fall this time with less flailing, I jumped off the cliff again.

An hour later, Ian and I ate at an inn in the marketplace again.

We ordered all kinds of delicious dishes and ate together, ignoring the stares of other guests.

“This is really delicious.”

“Let’s travel around to try all the famous dishes of Central Plains.”

“What if I get fat again?”

“You won’t be able to. Once we return to the sect, you’ll fall into hellish training until you master Radiant Sword Art.”

“Ah, let’s never go back!”

Though insincere, she was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

Then a young man walked through the crowd toward us as if pushing his way through.

He was fairly tall and handsome, wearing expensive, flashy clothes, and had four armed guards behind him.

Ian whispered like a spell,

“Don’t come, don’t come. Let me eat in peace.”

Watching her, I smiled.

This is what you will face countless times. Now, how will you handle it?

The man approached Ian confidently and politely said,

“Young master, may I offer you a drink?”

Now, Ian, this is just the beginning.