After hearing Great Master Jeonghyeon's explanation about my seal, I was walking out of the Main Hall with a blank expression from the unexpected revelation.
As if trying to lighten the mood, Tang So-wol smiled brightly and clung to my side.
Following her lead, the other women took their places on my other side and behind me in turn.
"Young hero Cheon, what on earth did you do in your past life?"
"That's right, that's right. Cheon Hwi, what kind of karma are you paying back?"
"In this one's opinion, you must have saved a nation. How else would you be so blessed with fortune in women?"
Saying this, Seomun Hwa-rin swept back her white hair and tucked it behind her ear.
A sly tone and a confident attitude. He knew it was said half in jest, but even so, the words drew his gaze to Seomun Hwa-rin.
More precisely, his gaze was fixed on one particular part of her.
Swish.
Seomun Hwa-rin quickly covered her chest. Where had her boldness from moments ago gone? Her face flushed red as she cried out.
"Th-this one will grow from now on…!"
"Is that so."
"It's not just empty words! I really am growing, little by little!"
"If Senior Seomun Hwa-rin says so, then of course I must believe it."
"Ow!"
I nodded with as much warmth as I could muster, yet for some reason, Seomun Hwa-rin got angry and started pounding my back.
Naturally, her hands were small and she hadn't put any internal energy into it, so it didn't hurt much.
Well. What Seomun Hwa-rin said about growing little by little was probably true.
Before the regression, Seomun Hwa-rin was half a finger-length taller than now… no, a quarter of a finger-length… Fine. To be honest, she was about one finger-joint taller than she is now.
This was due to the peculiarities of Rejuvenation.
If a typical Bone-Exchange Rebirth remade the body to suit martial arts, Rejuvenation was a phenomenon focused on growing younger.
Things like the mind being swayed by a youthful body, needing to readjust one's senses to shortened limbs, or being slightly behind martial artists of the same rank in the smooth circulation of internal energy—all of these were part of it.
Compared to Bone-Exchange Rebirth, it had its share of minor drawbacks, but in exchange, one gained a far longer lifespan and the potential for growth.
That was right. Setting aside Seomun Hwa-rin's actual age, her body was that of someone matching her appearance, so naturally, not just her height but every other part of her could grow as much as it wanted.
…Of course, that was only in theory.
After all, just because everyone went through childhood didn't mean everyone ended up tall.
Some people were simply born with small frames, and others never grew properly because they didn't get enough to eat.
Seomun Hwa-rin was exactly that kind of person.
She was simply short and slender, so no matter how much she grew, there wouldn't be much difference.
She had probably looked much the same even before her Rejuvenation.
Growth itself was a form of aging, so Seomun Hwa-rin, having reached a high level, was slow to grow as well.
Perhaps it was because only a few years had passed since her Rejuvenation. I watched her for a moment—Seomun Hwa-rin, who firmly believed in her potential without a shred of doubt—then quietly patted her on the crown of her head.
"Wha, what is it! Why are you looking at this lady with such eyes!"
"It's nothing."
"Nothing, you say! You look like you're soothing a child dreaming a vain dream!"
"Oh dear. I've been caught."
"Hmph! Just you wait! One day I'll make you regret this!"
"I'll be cheering you on."
I gave a vague nod, and Seomun Hwa-rin, huffing with indignation, rose onto her tiptoes and began pounding on my shoulder instead of my back.
It felt a little better.
And so, receiving Seomun Hwa-rin's massage (if one could call it that), we made our way back to the guest room—but only for a moment.
From the moment we left the Great Hero Hall, Tang Jincheon, who had been silently lost in thought while expertly ignoring our bickering, finally spoke up.
"By the way, son-in-law. What do you plan to do from here?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The seal. Honestly, I never even imagined it would be this powerful, so I think your opinion matters most here."
"Hmm. First, I think we need to look into it a bit more. Since it also contains the power of the Taoist path, perhaps we should seek the help of a Taoist sect."
"I'll look into it separately. If you have ties with any sect, it would be the Zhongnan Sect or the Diancang Sect… but if the Tang Clan steps in directly, we could also put in a word with Huashan and Wudang."
"I'd rather not have too many people know about this, so I'd like to ask just one place I can trust the most."
"If we're talking about a Taoist sect skilled in left-hand arts, then it would have to be the Maoshan Sect…"
"That sect was exterminated quite a long time ago."
"Right. The Maoshan Sect's legacy was divided among various sects, so it would be best to find out, through someone who can keep their mouth shut, which sect received a legacy related to seals or the Great Luo Immortal."
"So you'll contact the Zhongnan Sect first, then."
"That's right. After all, I have some ties with that friend, the Flowing Cloud Sword Immortal."
Back when a young Tang Jincheon was traveling the martial world, one of the people he had traveled with was said to be the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect.
Though we hadn't spoken face-to-face many times, I could tell he was a trustworthy man.
If he was also a longtime friend of Tang Jincheon's, there was no better choice than the Flowing Cloud Sword Immortal.
As I nodded inwardly, Tang Jincheon let out a deep sigh.
"This is getting more complicated by the moment. Before we proceed, let me get one thing clear. Do you want me to lift the seal, son-in-law?"
"…"
"Ah, that was too direct of me. Let me think… Right. What do you think of the Taoist and Buddhist sects? They were originally people who cultivated to walk the Way and attain enlightenment, yet now they're taking up arms and getting deeply involved in the mundane world, aren't they?"
It was a somewhat sudden topic, but what mattered here wasn't what I answered.
If I gave a positive answer, he'd take it to mean I wanted the seal lifted. If I gave a negative one, he'd understand that I had no intention of having it lifted for now.
After a moment to choose my words, I slowly opened my mouth.
"I…"
My words caught in my throat. The seal had activated, but it felt different from before.
My mouth was stiff, but it was more a strong resistance than the usual complete paralysis.
I could roughly guess why. The topic itself was sensitive, but I wasn't directly mentioning the seal.
Besides, Tang Jincheon had already obtained a great deal of information about the seal from Great Master Jeonghyeon.
I pushed my Intent to its limit and forced my sluggish tongue to move, continuing.
"I… believe there is a problem. After all, it's a matter of straying from the essence."
Though I had stumbled over my words a bit, I managed to finish the sentence somehow.
What one actually said mattered, but Tang Jincheon, having caught on that the intention behind the words was also subject to the seal, let out a hollow laugh.
"You've been through a lot, son-in-law. I understand. Whatever it is, we'll look into it and decide afterwards."
"…Thank you, father-in-law."
"It's nothing. Considering what you've done for the Tang Clan, this is nothing at all."
"It's not just this matter. I may have saved Tang So-wol's life, but you still trusted me when I must have seemed quite suspicious, and accepted me as your son-in-law."
"What are you going on about."
Tang Jincheon curled the corner of his mouth with a snort and shook his head.
"You seem to be under some misconception. How much do you think I knew about my son-in-law back then to have trusted him so readily?"
"But…"
"The reason I made that decision was half my own judgment. And half my belief that So-wol wouldn't have brought home some strange man."
"Pardon?"
"Do you remember? That you'd already practically set up house with So-wol in that cave before you ever came to the Tang Clan."
"Of course I do."
"If you'd been some worthless fellow, So-wol would never have opened her heart like that. In the end, all I did was support what my daughter wanted to do. So if you want to express gratitude, direct it all to So-wol."
Tang Jincheon said this, pointing toward Tang So-wol.
Tang So-wol, catching my gaze, straightened her chest and lifted her chin. The picture of smugness, as if drawn in a painting.
No—as if that weren't enough, she pulled Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin to her sides and wrapped her arms around their shoulders.
As if the three of them were one bundle.
"…"
"…"
For a moment, silence hung between me and Tang Jincheon. No matter how used to this I'd grown, this was a bit much to handle.
Tang Jincheon squeezed his eyes shut as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have, and muttered quietly.
"Sometimes I wonder if I trusted you too much."
"Either way, it's a regret that comes too late now. Stay strong."
"…You're the one saying that?"
Tang Jincheon shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. A rather belated reaction, if you asked me. If not me, who else would say such a thing?
I shrugged once and changed the subject.
"Everything at the Shaolin Temple is finished as of today. When do you plan to return?"
"Hoo. There's no one else around, so there's no reason to linger. Everyone's exhausted from going a full day without sleep, so let's rest well tomorrow and pack, then set out the day after. How does that sound?"
"That works for me."
As Tang Jincheon said, we were the last guests remaining at the Shaolin Temple.
The Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon, having no desire to linger long at Shaolin Temple—called the Mount Tai and North Star of the Orthodox Sects—exchanged their greetings the day after the pact was made and departed at once.
Namgung Dowi also returned home with a sigh full of regret, saying that he had been away from home too often lately and that his affairs had piled up.
The Murim Alliance Leader, upon hearing that suspicious figures had been gathering around the Zhongnan Sect and the Diancang Sect, immediately set off for the Murim Alliance to deal with the matter.
Well, I would be seeing the Murim Alliance Leader again before long.
After this matter was settled, I had promised to stay at the Murim Alliance for a while once I had taken care of my urgent affairs.
I had no idea what scheme the Heavenly Demon would employ to turn the Murim Alliance upside down, but to counter it, staying together would be to our advantage.
"Then I will prepare tomorrow and speak with the Divine Messenger."
Tang Jincheon, who had grown visibly exhausted in the brief moment, nodded his head.
Two days later.
Having finished my preparations, I headed to the Great Hero Hall to pay my final respects to Great Master Jeonghyeon.
"I am grateful, Reverend Abbot."
"It is nothing. Compared to what the White Moon Sword Lord has done, this is hardly worth mentioning."
Great Master Jeonghyeon was jesting, but thanks to him, my plans had been shortened considerably.
He had created a place where the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance could gather in trust, and mediated between the two.
And regarding the seal I had half given up on after seeing that even the Heavenly Demon could not undo it, I had managed to learn a great deal of information.
Only after exchanging brief pleasantries of mutual gratitude did we finally bow our heads.
"I will be taking my leave now."
"Very well. I hope we can meet again next time with good news."
A brief farewell carried out in a warm atmosphere. I was partway down the long stairs of Mount Song with a somewhat lighter heart when—
"Ah."
A memory from before the regression surfaced unbidden.
I couldn't say whether the Heavenly Demon had a hand in it, but a certain incident that had erupted within the Murim Alliance around this time came to mind.
It was an event so tightly hushed up that I only heard of it from the survivors of the Orthodox Sects after the Murim Alliance had already fallen. Since everyone had dismissed it as old news and passed it off as an amusing tale, it was only now that it belatedly occurred to me.
I hurried back up the stairs I had just descended, and Great Master Jeonghyeon turned to look at me with a startled expression.
"What is it? Running back up so urgently… Did you forget something?"
"Yes. By any chance, could you tell me the weakness of the Indestructible Vajra Body?"
"…Has the Shaolin Temple done something to wrong you, benefactor?"
Great Master Jeonghyeon's face turned pale.
It was a misunderstanding.