The glory of the Yeop family of Cheongseong had vanished long ago. No, now the family itself stood on the brink of extinction. When their power had been rising, the Yeop family had committed many acts that drew the collective anger of other forces. The Yi family, the Jang family, and the Lord's Manor were all carrying out relentless retaliation against the Yeop family.
The territory once under the Yeop family's control had long since been absorbed by other noble houses. Now, members of the Yeop family scarcely dared to walk along the streets. If they were noticed, they would likely be beaten to death.
The Yeop family's Great Elder was imprisoned in a state no different from a living corpse. Upon hearing the news that Yeoprang had been assassinated, he had lost all hope and fallen half-mad.
Yeop Chang, the head of the Yeop family, went to visit him.
"To think that the Yeop family, to which I devoted my entire life, would fall by our own hands. I never imagined it."
The Great Elder spoke with bitter sarcasm.
"Yeop Chang, people point their fingers at me and say my vision was too narrow. What about you?"
"I am the same. But the Yeop family will not end like this. One day… there will surely come a day when we raise our heads again."
The Great Elder laughed coldly.
"Are you hoping Yeop Hyeon will show mercy to the Yeop family? You are still wandering in a dream. You know Yeop Hyeon's personality better than anyone. The Yeop family treated him harshly, so he will never again involve himself in the affairs of the Yeop family!"
Yeop Chang remained silent for a long while, then let out a snort and spoke.
"But there is one thing you should remember. According to rumors, when a martial artist reaches a certain realm, a mutation occurs in their bloodline. When that happens, those who share a blood relationship with them also undergo mutation and become stronger."
"What insane nonsense is that!"
The Great Elder scoffed.
"How strong would one have to be for such an ability to appear? Even if you searched the entire kingdom, there is no one powerful enough to create such a fortuitous opportunity!"
Yeop Chang stepped even closer to the Great Elder.
"Do you know why I defied all opposition and made him the heir?"
The Great Elder looked at Yeop Chang without speaking.
Yeop Chang smiled.
"Of course, it was partly because of his talent and ability, but the real reason was his mother."
"Yeop Hyeon's birth mother?"
The Great Elder raised his eyebrows. Yeop Hyeon's mother had disappeared when he was ten years old and never returned. Yeop Chang could never forget the scene of Yeoprang's mother and a man in a black robe leaving through the rear gate of the Yeop residence.
It had been truly terrifying. Both of them were floating in the air with their feet completely off the ground. It was said that experts of the Aerial Realm could fly through the sky, but in truth they could only remain suspended in the air for brief moments. Yet there was no fluctuation of energy at all in their levitation. What was more, in the final instant, they tore open space itself and vanished into it.
Space rending.
It was something one would only ever find in legends.
From that day on, Yeop Chang immediately appointed Yeop Hyeon as the heir. That was because he believed that one day Yeop Hyeon's mother would return to look for her children. When that happened, he expected the Yeop family to gain an enormous reward.
Ten years passed, yet not only did she not return, there was not even the slightest news of her. Yeop Chang began to suspect that Yeop Hyeon and his sister might have been abandoned. That was the reason his attitude toward Yeop Hyeon changed so drastically.
Yet after Yeop Chang emerged from his closed-door cultivation, Yeop Hyeon had unexpectedly become a sword cultivator.
And not just any sword cultivator, but one so strong it defied description.
It was undoubtedly connected to his mother. Yeop Chang looked at the Great Elder, who was imprisoned, with cold eyes.
"The stronger Yeop Hyeon becomes, the greater the ridicule toward our Yeop family grows. But I will endure until the day Yeop Hyeon becomes a supreme expert and his bloodline changes. When that happens, the members of the Yeop family who share his blood will surely also grow stronger. The possibility is slim for now, but one day he might repay the Yeop family that raised him."
Lost in his own delusions, Yeop Chang stared icily at the Great Elder.
"But Great Elder, there is not even a shred of hope for you. I will keep you alive only to show Yeop Hyeon that you have repented. Therefore, you will remain imprisoned until the day you die."
As soon as Yeop Chang left, the Great Elder began to laugh like a madman.
"Yeop Chang… you are far more foolish than I thought!"
The Great Elder knew Yeop Hyeon's character all too well. Once he made an enemy, he would never forget and would always exact revenge. Yeop Chang's expectation that Yeop Hyeon might repay the Yeop family was nothing more than a delusion he clung to alone.
"Yeop Chang, you are still harboring such futile hopes."
Three days later, Yeop Hyeon and Yeop Ryeong arrived at Cheonsan Fortress. As a great city, Cheonsan Fortress was surrounded by many mountains, which was why it bore the name Cheonsan, meaning a thousand mountains.
Cheonsan Fortress was a bustling place, home to Chwiseonru, the largest merchant guild in the kingdom. Chwiseonru was a mysterious force that operated hundreds of branches across the entire Cheongju region, and wherever they were present, the area inevitably prospered. That was because they possessed a powerful means of transportation known as cloud ships.
Cloud ships were vessels that literally sailed atop the clouds, drastically reducing the distance between cities and nations. From Cheonsan Fortress, one could board a cloud ship bound for the Imperial Capital. The carriage carrying the Yeop siblings arrived before the city gate. Yeop Ryeong blinked her eyes as she looked at Cheonsan Fortress.
"Wow… it's really huge… it doesn't even compare to Cheongseong…"
"It really is big."
Yeop Ryeong shook Yeop Hyeon's arm and spoke in a coquettish voice.
"Brother, can we look around the city later?"
Yeop Hyeon pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
After driving the carriage without rest for several days, Yeop Hyeon himself had been feeling bored. Taking a stroll through the city for a change of pace did not sound like a bad idea.
Yeop Hyeon and Yeop Ryeong entered the city. The interior was vast and wide, and the streets were filled with passersby.
It was far livelier than Cheongseong could ever compare to.
Yeop Hyeon first found an inn and rented a room. Given Yeop Ryeong's condition, he could not leave her alone. After roughly setting down their luggage, the siblings went out together into the streets. Yeop Ryeong, brimming with excitement, began poking her nose into everything without pause.
In the blink of an eye, her arms were full of various trinkets. Seeing how happy his sister looked lifted Yeop Hyeon's spirits as well. As they passed by a street stall, Yeop Hyeon suddenly heard the voice of the Heavenly Maiden.
"Wait, stop!"
At the Heavenly Maiden's cry, Yeop Hyeon halted his steps.
"Heavenly Maiden?"
He asked in his mind.
"Look at the stall beside you. There is a purple ring there. Ask for that."
Yeop Hyeon turned his gaze and scanned the stall. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, there was a purple ring. A middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner approached Yeop Hyeon and asked,
"See anything you like, young man?"
Yeop Hyeon pointed at the purple ring.
"How much is this ring?"
Yeop Hyeon did not question the Heavenly Maiden about why he should buy such an utterly ordinary-looking ring. He believed there must be a reason for her instruction. The stall owner pointed at the ring in Yeop Hyeon's hand and said,
"Ten gold coins."
Ten gold coins was a large sum for him. Yet Yeop Hyeon did not hesitate and took out ten gold coins from his pouch, placing them into the owner's hand. Seeing Yeop Hyeon pay without bargaining, the owner felt as though he were on cloud nine. In truth, the ring would have been fine even at five gold coins.
As Yeop Hyeon turned to leave, someone called out to stop him.
"Wait!"
Yeop Hyeon turned his head to see a young girl about Yeop Ryeong's age, wearing padded clothes, walking toward him. The girl, with cherry-red lips and her hair tied back, looked quite cute. Stopping in front of them, she pointed at the ring and said to the stall owner,
"I will buy it for twenty gold coins."
For a moment, the stall owner looked flustered. He had already sold the ring to Yeop Hyeon. Yeop Hyeon smiled at the girl.
"Little one, this ring is already…"
"Who are you calling little one?"
The girl cut him off coldly. Yeop Hyeon froze on the spot, unable to say another word. Beside him, Yeop Ryeong spoke to the girl with clear displeasure.
"Why are you talking to my brother like that? He did not mean anything bad!"
The girl turned her head toward Yeop Ryeong.
In that instant, the bold girl's gaze changed to one of shock.
"No, that is…"
Her eyes widened as she stared fixedly at Yeop Ryeong. Feeling the intensity of the girl's stare, Yeop Ryeong awkwardly asked,
"Why… why are you looking at me like that?"
After a brief pause, the girl spoke with a serious expression.
"What is your name?"
At her unarrogant tone, Yeop Ryeong replied,
"Yeop Ryeong."
Clinging to Yeop Hyeon's arm, Yeop Ryeong added,
"And this is my brother, Yeop Hyeon."
The girl glanced indifferently at Yeop Hyeon, then turned her gaze back to Yeop Ryeong.
As the girl continued to stare at Yeop Ryeong, Yeop Hyeon tried to take his sister and leave.
Suddenly, the girl took out a red stone the size of a fist and held it out to Yeop Ryeong.
"Take it."
As the siblings stood there dumbfounded, the girl placed the red stone into Yeop Ryeong's arms.
"It is called Cheonhwa Nanyeok. If you carry it with you, it will suppress the cold energy in your body for a while."
Yeop Hyeon's expression changed drastically.
"You…"
But the girl ignored him entirely and continued speaking.
"I have urgent matters to deal with right now, so I cannot take you with me. At the latest, I will come find you within three months."
Only then did the girl turn her cold gaze toward the still-stunned Yeop Hyeon and say,
"For the sake of your sister's face, I will yield the ring to you."
After giving Yeop Ryeong one last look, the girl left. A moment later, Yeop Hyeon snapped back to his senses and tried to chase after her, but she was already dozens of paces away. Not long after, the girl completely vanished from their sight. For a long while, Yeop Hyeon stood there blankly, staring in the direction she had disappeared.
In a corner of the outskirts, beneath a stone wall, the girl came to a stop. At some point, a martial artist in a black robe appeared soundlessly and knelt on one knee behind her.
"Honored Lord!"
A cold voice spread from the girl's lips.
"Keep a close watch on those siblings. No, you are too conspicuous. Find someone with weaker cultivation and attach them to those two. Under no circumstances must anything happen to that girl."
The man asked in a low voice,
"Do you intend to take that child in?"
The girl slowly closed her eyes and answered in a somewhat excited voice.
"To think that such a talented child would exist in this small kingdom. If it were not for the Dongbu of the Changye Sword Lord, I would take her away immediately!"
"It has been quite some time since the Dongbu was discovered, but we still have not been able to destroy the sword formation at its entrance. They say a carried sword is needed to remove the formation, yet the Changye Sword Lord disappeared a thousand years ago. Where could we possibly find such a sword?"
The girl replied,
"There is no need to worry. Is that not why we gathered? If we all exert our strength, we will soon be able to break the sword formation and enter the Dongbu."
The man nodded. Then, suddenly, he spoke again.
"Then do you also intend to take in the girl's elder brother?"
The girl shook her head.
"His foundation is not bad, but he has no dantian, and his talent and spiritual root are ordinary. Taking him in would only waste food."
With those words, the girl turned and disappeared.