Just as Eun Ha-In fainted, a masked man entered the room. He immediately tried to heal Eun Ha-In's wounds using mysterious techniques.
"Please come to your senses, young lady! Please try to focus and circulate your internal energy."
Eun Ha-In was barely able to expel the poison from her body.
"You threw out the poison... I was just in time... If I had been even a second late, you would have been dead, miss."
Eun Ha-In barely opened her eyes and looked carefully at the man in front of her:
"Sun-Ryung...? You're alive!"
Sun-Ryung lowered his mask:
"I apologise for being late, my lady, I never thought you would be hiding in a place like this, I'm sorry I couldn't protect any of you after that great battle, I'm so sorry..."
"No, it's okay, if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. Besides, we were ambushed, there was nothing you could do in such a situation, Sun-Ryung. Where were you all this time?"
"I was wounded and hiding, madam. I was just able to locate your position."
"Huh?! Why didn't you go looking for our master first?"
"Our master is not someone we need to worry about.I'm sure he's safe.My priority right now is to help the young lady recover.It was a wise decision to hide in this sect.Those bastards can't find the young lady hiding here if they think for forty years.So for now, our goal is your recovery.So stay here for a while, I'll go look for our master.Soon...I'll be back with our master's orders." said Sun-Ryung and left the house.
....
Jin went to the workshop to forge iron as usual. As he started to forge the iron, he was trying to practice a technique:
"Feel the whole area..." he said with his eyes closed.
"There's no one around." he said while feeling the space.
....
The first teaching from the gathering of ten thousand shadows was the "Inner Shadow".The first sect leader "Baek Mu-Jin" was a very careful person.He was a genius swordsman who was able to create these martial arts after so many years of wandering.Since the nature of these martial arts is dark...Most martial artists would have a hard time telling if Jin Hwan learnt martial arts or if he had inner energy just by looking at him.
....
Jin picked up one of the swords he had made and started to focus on it, suddenly he swung his sword beautifully into the void.
"That's enough for today, I'm hungry." he said and walked out of there.
"It's so cold."
As Jin was heading towards his house, he saw Eun Ha-In outside and called out to her:
"Ah? You look good today. You haven't left the house for a few days, I was worried that something happened to you. I'm going to eat, you can join me if you want." Jin went into his own house.
Eun Ha-In also entered Jin's house.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"I want to thank you for what you did..." she said with a flushed face.
"Are you thanking me?"
"I was thanking you for saving my life."
"Haha, it's okay. Let's eat."
"Ah...I'm full...!" suddenly his stomach started rumbling.
They sat at the dining table together. Eun Ha-In wasn't eating anything.
"Don't hold back, I didn't poison it."
"Hey...why didn't you ask anything...?"
Jin said with a puzzled expression:
"What should I ask?"
"For example, who I am..."
"Well...I wasn't really curious."
"Why not?"
"I thought it was right not to wonder. If I knew who you were, I had a suspicion that I wouldn't be able to enjoy our time together like this anymore."
"Are you stupid?" Eun Ha-In said sarcastically.
"STOP QUESTIONING MY DECISION AND EAT YOUR FOOD! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR STOMACH GROWLING ANYMORE!"
They continued to eat together.
....
"I can feel it, my body has started to change...There is another secret in the wall of a hundred thousand souls...It's time for me to learn the mysterious sword...A mysterious sword technique that has been forgotten and created for killing...I've been studying the basics to be able to use it." said Jin, looking at the sun.
....
It had been 3 months since Eun Ha-In came.Everything was almost always the same.Jin went to forge iron every day, and afterwards he had dinner with Eun Ha-In.On this day, Jin went to the workshop to forge iron.He forged iron until the evening and finally got tired.Just as he was wiping his sweat, he suddenly saw Eun Ha-In in front of him.
"OH SHIT! I'M SCARED SHITLESS!"
"I'm not sure if you have bad feelings or good focus, but I've been here for a while. Anyway, I'm hungry, give me some food."
"IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS!! I SAY THREE MONTHS!! HOW MUCH MORE CHEEKY CAN YOU BE?! AREN'T YOU PLANNING TO GO BACK HOME?!?!?!"
"Hey, feed me."
"Why am I doing this for a girl I don't even know...Oh well, let's go!"
While Jin was getting ready, Eun Ha-In was thinking to herself:
"Hmm...No matter how I look at it, it doesn't make any sense...Not only does the heir of the sect not know martial arts, he doesn't even seem to have basic knowledge of martial arts...All he does is waste his time with blacksmithing..."
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET'S GO! WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO SAID YOU WERE HUNGRY?!"
"Anyway, let's go eat."
They went home together, sat down and had dinner.
....
"So this is...Hope Sky Sect."
"Yes, sir."
The visitors were Shim Won-San, son of Red King Shim Mu-Lee of the Eight Heavens, and his daughter Shim-Soo-Ah. And right next to them was Hye Hwang, the grandson of the Knowledge Monarch from the Eight Heavens.
"Is anyone here?"
From afar, they saw the captains and assistants from the sect arriving.
"H-WELCOME,MASTERS!!!"
"They only show themselves..."
"Hello, I'm the captain of the third group."
"Have you prepared our rooms?"
"Of course, with my own hands."
At that moment one of them recognised Hin Mi-San and called out:
"Ah...? Isn't that Hin Mi-San?"
Hin Mi-San turned his head the other way.
"Hin Mi-San!!! I never thought we'd meet again, here. Don't you remember me, huh? It's me, Yeop Wul! Hey!!! Hin Mi-San!!!"
Hin Mi-San said to herself:
"Fuck..."
....
The third mate was leading the guests to their quarters.
"It's a shame, really. The once glorious sect is now a ruin."
"That's how the world works. Lose your power and you die."
"You always use harsh words, brother."
Just then, Jin and Eun were passing by. They looked at each other. Hye Hwang said:
"He must be Master Jin, the heir to the Sect."
Shim Won-San called out to Jin and said:
"I can say that you are the heir of the sect, I am Shim Won-San. On my right is my brother Shim-Soo Ah, and on my left is the other family's granddaughter, Lady Hye Hwang.
"My name is Jin Hwan, and the person next to me is... a distant cousin."
The third captain suddenly turned towards Hin Mi-San:
"What? He has a cousin?"
"We didn't know, sir, we were focused on repairing the palace."
"Tch...forget it, fuck! Find out who she is tomorrow."
Shim Won-San replied:
"Nice to meet you...Do you know who we are, Jin Hwan?"
"Yes, I've heard rumours about you, your names are well known in the murim world."
Shim Won-San said sarcastically:
"Ohoo~Such a shitty...Excuse me, our names have reached even this far away? Then we can skip the formal part, let's chat some more afterwards."
The third captain interjected:
"Please come this way, sirs. We've prepared very nice rooms for you in the palace."
They all went towards the palace. Eun Ha-In looked at Jin and said to herself:
"He's not as stupid as I thought, I guess he can be smart like that sometimes. He lied without blinking an eye, what a deceitful boy."
Jin and Eun went home after that.
....
"General Yeop."
"Yes, sir."
"I came here to gain experience, but this place is even more pathetic than I thought."
"I understand, I'll do my best to help you do what you want."
"I can make a fresh start here, but first I'll take care of something that's bothering me." said Shim Won-San with a sly expression.
....
Jin was forging iron as usual. This time he was very focused. Suddenly a sound came from behind.
"Ohoo~I didn't know the sound of a hammer was so soothing!"
Jin thought to himself with a surprised reaction:
"How?! Ever since I started forging iron, I've been practising the technique of sensing the entire area...Why couldn't I detect it."
"W-When did you come here?"
"This place is so depressing...It feels like time doesn't flow at all...How can you bear to live in a place like this? And...Can I have a look at that sword?
Jin nodded slowly.
"Wow...What beautiful craftsmanship...A sword like this would sell for a lot of money in other sects." he said, then held the sword towards Jin.
"N-N-N-What are you doing?"
"The heir of the Sect doesn't know any martial arts? Keep that bullshit to yourself."
"Is this guy...trying to test me? Should I fight back? Shit...I don't know what to do!"
"Now...If you want to live...Show me what you have." he said, swinging the sword towards Jin.
Jin clenched his fist, Shim Won-San was very surprised to see this.
"Huh?"