Chapter 48
The Imperial Swordmaster, Yeocheong, once had a beloved.
It was only natural.
Unless a woman had walls of steel, seeing a handsome or capable man would make her heart race, and during her most radiant years, Yeocheong had such a man.
However, Yeocheong chose the path of a warrior.
As the sword of the Imperial family and a member of the Golden Guard, she opted for the path of “Warrior Yeocheong,” not that of a woman, as her lineage had protected the Imperial family for generations.
From the age of seven, while other girls frolicked in flower festivals, she grasped a sword, risking her life to defend the Imperial family.
Then, Yeocheong suffered a grave injury.
There had been a madman who attempted to assassinate the Emperor, and during the process of eliminating him, she sustained a serious wound to her abdomen.
Miraculously, Yeocheong survived.
The person she saved with her life was none other than the current Emperor, thus all the physicians of the Imperial family were mobilized to save her life.
Warrior Yeocheong lived.
Fortunately, the lower dantian, the source of her internal power, was not severely injured.
Though there was some damage, Yeocheong’s middle and upper dantians were already open, allowing her to mitigate some of the injuries.
As a warrior, as long as she prioritized recuperation and treatment, Warrior Yeocheong could recover from what were essentially minor injuries and return to the battlefield.
However, the physicians stated.
Though they did not know the assassin’s reasoning, the assassin did not aim to kill Warrior Yeocheong.
Instead, while dying, the intention was to kill the “Woman Yeocheong,” and indeed the blade pierced the abdomen of Woman Yeocheong.
Thus, Yeocheong became unable to bear children.
Though she could grasp a sword, she could no longer hold the tiny hand of a child birthed from her own womb.
She gave up many things.
The man she loved from afar sought another woman for a lifetime after learning of her condition, and one by one, those who had expressed affection for Yeocheong began to lose interest.
Whether they admired Warrior Yeocheong or sought to take a high-ranking position within the Imperial Palace, ultimately the issue of being unable to bear offspring drove men to turn their gazes away from Yeocheong.
In this way, Yeocheong sacrificed and relinquished many things.
Just like a severed arm cannot regenerate, her damaged insides could not be restored.
Literally, it was ‘incurable.’
Thus, although it wasn’t the same affliction, she wished to attend the funeral of Mo Yongseol, the beloved of the Mo Yong Family—who was nearing death from an incurable disease.
As someone who shared a similar pain to some extent, she wanted to offer solace to those who could not experience the happiness of life as a woman, even though she continued to live.
But what was this?
The incurable disease was gone.
At first, she could not believe it.
Yet, a miracle occurred, and Yeocheong resented the heavens.
Why was such a miracle not bestowed upon her?
Why could some give birth while young, and why did some regain their lost hair?
It could be considered petty, yet she could not help but feel jealousy.
Anyone in her position would feel such envy; among a hundred, at least one would think that way.
-If I cannot have it, I will crush it.
It might sound like a thought stemming from the offspring of the Heavenly Demon, but in Yeocheong’s heart, a whisper of desire kept echoing like that.
And the moment Yeocheong faced the one responsible for this miracle.
-I will make you capable of giving birth.
Upon hearing those words, Yeocheong’s heart cried out.
-I will become a mother!!
It felt as if the long-dormant Woman Yeocheong was awakening from a deep slumber.
Ah.
She could give birth.
Even if all those she loved departed and no one saw her as a potential partner anymore.
Wasn’t that Sword Mistress also seeking a new man?
Ah, indeed.
It was not foolishness but a reward and mindset for her new self.
A tribute to a girl who had neglected the life of a warrior, living differently from her previous self, one who had to turn away.
To meet a good man, build a family, give birth, and lead a happy, harmonious life—a normal life like that.
The mere chance to choose such a life again was, in itself, a miracle that others could never carelessly experience.
-I will make you capable of giving birth.
Tears streamed down Yeocheong’s face.
* * *
While they said to make her capable of giving birth, I felt the need to clarify for any misunderstanding.
“I mean that Lady Yeocheong will be made capable of bearing children. If anyone misinterprets, I will be in serious trouble.”
“…….”
Without a word, Yeocheong nodded her head, shedding tears, and I felt a mix of emotions watching her.
‘The patient has certainly suffered greatly.’
Even the strongest of the world must have endured a lot of anguish and pain internally.
‘An illness does not only affect the body.’
A mental ailment.
It could be described as that ‘heart disease’ spoken of by martial artists, and even an ordinary person, once afflicted, would find their entire being devastated.
This applies to someone like the Heavenly Demon as well.
In the case of the Heavenly Demon, the ailment of the heart was ultimately the inability to accept the difference between his twisted desires and his actual limitations.
In contrast, the heart disease possessed by the Imperial Swordmaster Yeocheong was understandable and one could feel sympathy for it.
“Before you consume the Extreme Yang Reversal, I’d like to ask one thing.”
“Please, go ahead, Physician Seok.”
Even before consuming the Extreme Yang Reversal, Yeocheong was already speaking as if she had been cured.
Miracles can manifest in unpredictable ways, so it was vital to accurately determine the course of that direction.
“Is it enough to have just the ability to bear children?”
This is akin to a ‘prescription.’
“Or do you wish for the reversal of aging like the Sword Mistress…?”
“This Yeocheong is not so devoid of conscience as to wish for that.”
Yeocheong placed her hand on her chest and chuckled.
The tears flowing from her eyes lightly caught on her lips, creating a somewhat contradictory scene, yet it struck me that laughing while crying is precisely what described Yeocheong.
“Wishing for reversal of aging like the Sword Mistress means worrying about wrinkles, skin aging, a hunched back, and loss of skin elasticity, I presume.”
“…….”
“I am sufficiently satisfied with myself, Physician Seok. Just one thing, if my insides return to how they originally were, then I can build new connections based on that.”
Yeocheong gently caressed her abdomen.
“Someone who can love even me, just like this.”
“…Understood.”
I took out the box I had prepared in advance and handed it to Yeocheong.
“This is the Extreme Yang Reversal. It’s straightforward; simply swallow the pill and its effects will take effect immediately.”
“Do I need to sit in a lotus position…?”
“Rather than sitting cross-legged, lying flat seems preferable. The Sword Mistress also consumed it that way.”
“…Got it.”
Yeocheong obediently lay flat there and opened the box.
“Ah….”
Her gaze at the Extreme Yang Reversal was akin to that of someone beholding a treasure.
Both the Emperor and Sword Mistress, whether it be the Extreme Yang Reversal or Extreme Yang Essence, they did not regard the medicine just as simple pills.
It was the very wish to resolve their discomfort.
Though I merely created it in the form of a pill, the fervent gazes they directed towards that elixir sent shivers down my spine.
‘The Sword Saint was right in his judgment.’
Yes.
The Sword Saint was correct.
If such intense gazes were directed at me instead of the elixir, I would be torn apart and devoured by all.
Thus, I had to control it.
Sword Mistress, the Emperor, and the Imperial Swordmaster Yeocheong.
Ever since Yeocheong, those holding the ‘potential’ of the Extreme Yang Reversal, despite benefiting from it, possessed a formidable will to not carelessly discuss that miracle with others.
Even as those beneath them yearn for miracles, they required someone to ensure they revert to the traditional methods of offering water to the gods and praying, considering the Extreme Yang Reversal solely as a treatment for the Sickness of Absolute Meridians.
For the sake of myself, Mo Yongseol, and the peace of the Mo Yong family and the martial world.
Gulp.
Yeocheong swallowed the Extreme Yang Reversal.
And soon, radiant light began to shine from her body, and I internally prayed while witnessing the scene.
Please.
‘Let it not be someone with fearsome acting skills who can deceive even the Sword Saint.’
In cases like that of Son-gun, what we wish for and what the individual desires do not perfectly align.
What Yeocheong wished for was to return to the ability to give birth—
Crack, crack.
“Hah.”
Seeing Yeocheong change, Sword Master, who had been watching her, let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, there it is.”
“…….”
Though the Sword Mistress spoke teasingly, I tried to maintain my expression as best as I could while recording Yeocheong’s transformation.
Yeocheong.
Her skin became clearer, her pelvis widened, and most importantly, her bones were audibly cracking as they grew—
“Excuse me, Physician.”
Mo Yongseol reached for the hypothesis I had noted down.
“About Senior Yeocheong’s wish.”
“It was to become capable of giving birth, Mo Yongseol.”
“…Can we also view it as wanting to be a good mother?”
“Hmm.”
Feeling Mo Yongseol clinging to my arm, showcasing her maternal instincts, I finally realized Yeocheong’s true wish.
“Indeed. If raising several children, having a larger physique is certainly better than a smaller one.”
Yeocheong.
She transitioned from a ‘warrior’ to a ‘woman.’
“A great mountain has risen in the vast plains.”
Yeocheong will become a good wife and a mother.