Chapter 22: Ritual of Attachment (2)

Note: Finally, I can assume in this chapter that my guessing of Shaman Myoshin, with Bangsa meaning Shaman and Myoshin being his name turned out to be correct, because in this chapter someone called him Priest Myoshin. Haha! I did a thing!

Note 2: Just finished watching the Grand Tour… now I feel both sad and empty. Sometimes I feel like I resonate with Demon Monk…

Note 3: Sorry for the late chapter. But I am stuffed with irl stuff. Don't get much time to do this. Still, giving power stones, writing comments and writing reviews will help a lot! So far, I have got barely any reviews, 0 comments, and 2 power stones from one person when the novel first came out, nothing after… Please, if anyone is reading, at least comment something if nothing else so I know people are actually reading this. Thank you. Enjoy the chapter.

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"Can you feel it? That is the trick of the ritual of attachment. You can absorb anything by pulling it. Even if it is energy (氣), it is no exception!"

"Gi (氣)?"

'Is this the inner skill that the martial artists were talking about?'

Cheongryeong looked at Mok Gyeongwoon with an expression of bewilderment, "Surely you knew this?"

Mok Gyeongwoon shrugged his shoulders at her reaction. To begin with, until not long ago, he had lived without even knowing what martial arts were.

'This is it.'

But this was definitely the first time he found out about this. What made him think this wasn't the first time he'd felt this? When he first got poisoned by poisonous plants, his grandfather had gently stroked his back and stomach.

'...It was this warm even back then.'

It wasn't just his palms that were warm, but the inside of his body was warm like it was now. Could it be that his grandfather also learned neigong?

A small doubt arose.

As he was doing so, the warm energy, or rather energy, that was coming through his palm soon felt cold. Unlike before, there was something cold and foreign about it.

"It suddenly feels cold."

'Is it getting cold?' Hearing Mok Gyeongwoon's words, Cheongryeong tilted her head.

"Why is that?"

'Cold? Hmm. That couldn't be possible…"

It was close to the unique evil or negative energy emitted by the dead. Mok Gyeongwoon had been close to death, killing countless people to find the enemy who had killed his grandfather. So, he felt that this unique feeling was similar.

But eventually, it stopped.

*Bulge*

The veins on the back of Mok Gyeongwoon's hands bristled. The blue spirit who saw this nodded as if he understood and said, "I guess it's because you are running out of energy. Stop breathing and doing the ritual."

"Of course," Mok Gyeongwoon, who remembered the sensation he had left behind, stopped breathing and concentrated.

Then, the thing that was being sucked into his palm stopped, and the blood vessels that had bristled soon subsided.

"Whoa~" Mok Gyeongwoon, who had calmed down like that, was able to feel something else. This meant that the energy entering the body was dissipating at a rapid rate.

"Is the warm energy dissipating?"

"The basic nature of energy is to disperse. To humans it can be said to be like the air you breathe."

"Ho, is that so?"

'Why do you think those who practice martial arts are obsessed with breathing techniques, that is, Tonap techniques? This is to collect scattered energy in the air you breathe in."

"Ah!" Mok Gyeongwoon showed an interesting expression at the basic knowledge of inner strength that he had learned for the first time. Martial arts did not seem to be achieved by simply moving the body like ordinary martial arts.

Mok Gyeongwoon asked Cheongryeong if she had realized anything, "Then, is it possible to collect energy by pulling it by wearing clothes and gathering it like the Tonap technique?"

"Even if you absorb the other person's energy through the ritual of attachment, you cannot make it your own.

"What does it mean that you can't make it your own?"

"I don't know when energy is released back into the air like this, but energy that is stored by other humans gains its own unique properties depending on the Tonap method, mind method, and luck system of each sect.

"What are the properties?"

"It means that it has unique properties. However, if it develops such a unique characteristic, the Danjeon will not be able to withstand it unless the person has adapted to it or has been trained.

"So what you mean is…"

"You can't make it your own by absorbing other people's energy.

"I see. It's a bit disappointing. I was wondering if there was a way to quickly increase energy."

"Do you think the path to becoming a master will be that easy? Well, don't be disappointed. The uses of the ritual of attachment are endless."

Mok Gyeongwoon looked puzzled and asked back, "Isn't it meaningless to suck up energy if it eventually dissipates?"

"Even if the absorbed energy is scattered, it can be utilized temporarily because it flows through ritual. For example, try concentrating the scattered energy into your fist."

"How do you do that?"

"How…" Cheongryeong took a sip of the smoking pipe as if she was dumbfounded.

It seems that Mok Gyeongwoon was frustrated because he really didn't know anything about martial arts.

She said, exhaling thick smoke, "Whoa. I can't believe I have to sit down to tell you this."

"…"

Mok Gyeongwoon scratched his head in silence.

"Tsk, tsk, let's rule out difficult things like fortune telling and all. What is important is the image."

"Image?"

"Yes. If you remember how it moved when you consciously accepted the energy earlier, focus on moving that sensation to the desired area."

'Mental image…'

Cheongryeong spoke casually, but this was a method used by masters who had reached a certain level when they sought a higher level of advancement.

'Contemplating the mind is imagery.'

Strictly speaking, this was not a concept that a beginner who had not learned any martial arts could do. However, there was something different about Mok Gyeongwoon from ordinary people.

'Extreme concentration.'

Cheongryeong decided that Mok Gyeongwoon had it.

'I don't know if his martial arts potential is outstanding or not because he hasn't even started martial arts training, but his unique concentration is unbelievable.'

That's why she recommended him to try visualizing it.

'Will it really work?'

He don't even know the concepts of blood flow and fortune. This was the first time that he was asked to control the energy using only imagery. If he made a mistake, he could end up in a state of confusion, but since the energy was not fixed to the Danjeon and was dispersed in the first place, it was worth a try.

'Hmm.'

Mok Gyeongwoon closed his eyes and concentrated on the dissipating energy.

'When I first felt the energy coming in, I thought about the sensation of how it was transmitted into the body.'

Mok Gyeongwoon then saw blood vessels along his palm and wrist.

'Naegwan…..Onew…..Geumun…..Gong Choi…..Susam*ri…..Sohye…..Hyeopbaek...'

Surprisingly, Mok Gyeongwoon knew the acupoints and veins.

'I learned this from my grandfather along with herbalism, so I could remember it even with my eyes closed.'

Therefore, Mok Gyeongwoon was able to recall the path through which the true energy that he had consciously accepted flowed into him and caused it to become prevalent.

'Then on the contrary…'

Warm energy moved along Gihae, Eumgyo, Hwangyu, Geogeol, Gumi, Seongi, and Yeomcheon. The little energy that was left followed the knight and the sword and headed backwards to the wrist.

The energy that reached the inner tube of his wrist was concentrated in my fist.

Mok Gyeongwoon clenched his fists. It seems like some kind of force was put into it.

'With this kind of power…'

Mok Gyeongwoon approached the common wall. And then he slammed his fist, filled with warm energy, towards the wall.

*Thud*

'Damn it!'

At that moment, the area around the cavity wall where Mok Gyeongwoon's fist was inserted was dug into the area by about two finger joints, and cracks and cracks appeared around it.

'Hoo~ Is this the power of inner strength?'

'!?'

Seeing Mok Gyeongwoon like this, a strange look appeared in Cheongryeong's eyes.

'He really didn't know how to do this. If you don't know the path of fortune, it's almost impossible to move your inner energy in the first place. But he really did it. …What the hell is this guy?'

Cheongryeong was genuinely curious.

'I've seen many martial artists in my lifetime, but I've never seen a guy with such great sense even though he hasn't been exposed to martial arts until he was sixteen or seventeen. What would it have been like if this guy had learned martial arts since he was young?'

At that time, Mok Gyeongwoon turned his head towards Cheongryeong and said, "I think I understand why people do this. If you learn this, you will be able to kill people much more easily."

Cheongryeong's lips twitched for a moment as Mok Gyeongwoon spoke casually.

This guy knew exactly what the essence of martial arts was. Achieving the Tao with nothing and all? That is just bullshit. The essence of nothing was how efficiently one could kill an opponent.

Cheongryeong said, crossing her arms while holding the pipe in her mouth, "The first ritual, the ritual of attachment, is just the basics of the Pasapal ritual. Even if you learn just one properly, the possibilities are endless."

"That's great. I want to learn this infinite thing properly, but can you tell me about it now?"

Hearing Mok Gyeongwoon's words, Cheongryeong's expression hardened for a moment.

In the first place, she had no intention of teaching it. However, she was so excited by Mok Gyeongwoon's incredible concentration and natural talent that she started talking a lot without realizing it.

"Ha, I almost fell for that human. How dare you try to deceive me."

"Yes?"

"Do you think this position will do a good job for you? Human?"

"…We have to continue to work together, so wouldn't it be better to cooperate?"

"That won't happen."

And then he shook her head and turned away. Seeing her sudden change in attitude, Mok Gyeongwoon shook his head.

"Cheongryeong?"

"…"

'She doesn't even pretend to hear. There was nothing I could do.'

Mok Gyeongwoon did not call Cheongryeong anymore because he was not the type to go out of his way to appease someone. He was more interested in this ritual of attachment than that.

'If we go by what Cheongryeong said, there are seven more expressions similar to this one. How is this possible with only 30 letters?'

He don't know who created it, but it was definitely something amazing. However, no matter how talented Mok Gyeongwoon was, he did not know much about martial arts, so it was difficult to create different phrases with just 30 letters.

'It's a shame.'

For now, it seemed like he would have to be satisfied with the ritual of attachment. Since he wasn't familiar with this yet, he thought he could use it in many ways if he studied it well.

After organizing his thoughts like that, Mok Gyeongwoon tried to take steps to dispose of the dead body of Jo Ilsang.

'!?'

Mok Gyeongwoon frowned and looked below his belly button.

'What?'

He didn't realize that there was an energy, the inner energy he had absorbed from Jo Ilsang was gone, but some cold energy remained.

'Why is this?'

Clearly, the inner energy had dissipated, and now not even a trace of it remains. But this cold aura remained. Although the amount was significantly smaller than the internal energy that had been absorbed, it was still there below the navel.

'Weird.'

Even Cheongryeong was unaware of this cold energy. Still, he thought about asking just in case, but soon gave up.

'Anyway, I dodn't think she will respond even if I talked to her now. Because it's not a bad idea to find out for myself.'

This kind of situation was interesting. Mok Gyeongwoon raised the corner of his mouth.

…

An empty room with only one light on.

*Charang*

A one-eyed female samurai placed a pouch full of silver coins on the table. She was Hoang, the bodyguard of Lady Seok, the great wife of Yeonmok Sword Hall.

"This is a consolation gift from my the great lady, Madam Seok."

"…"

"She said she would pay you four hundred silver coins if you could handle the work as she just said."

After saying that, she looked at the lamp on the table. There was still no response from the lantern. It may have been because of the death of their colleague Myoshin.

As she waited, she opened her mouth, "If this is not enough…"

*Poof*

That was before the words were even finished. The lamp suddenly went out. Hoang, seeing this, swallowed his saliva, got up and went outside.

When the light went out, it was a signal that the request was accepted. So, there was no reason to stay any longer.

*Ta*

*Ta*

*Tak*

She walked out quickly and looked at the shabby building that looked like it was about to collapse. This was Gwiyeonggak (鬼靈閣) in Mongseong, the base of the Shaman group.

Whenever she came here, she felt creepy and uncomfortable. She quickly got on her horse.

Not long after she left, a voice was heard from inside Gwiyeonggak.

"It must be murder!" The first was the voice of an old man.

Then a middle-aged man's voice was heard, "I'm sure."

"Anyway, what do you think?" A woman's voice was heard asking that question.

"The flesh is clear, Shaman Myoshin must have been eroded by a curse. But I am concerned about the third Young Master."

"The same goes for me. Killing is an act that inherently causes a curse or a vengeful spirit. However, it is said that the when the guard came in, the third Young Master was inside. That…"

"Aren't you saying he is controlling the vengeful spirit?"

"Hmm. It's not normal."

"It reminds me of a curse and feeds on flesh, it must be at least a yellow spirit level vengeful spirit. Is it possible to control that much of a vengeful spirit as a summoned spirit?"

Vengeful spirits cannot be treated as summoned spirits. That was the Shaman's correct opinion.

Imaemangryang (魑魅魍魎) or good spirits of animals with clear spirit could be treated as summoned spirits, but corrupted vengeful spirits were objects that had to be exterminated or enshrined.

"A vengeful spirit is something that cannot be controlled in the first place. Perhaps the third Young Master was robbed of his body by a vengeful spirit."

*Bang*

"If it's something like that, I can't leave it alone. Shaman, please leave it to me."

"Would you like to go?"

"Yes. I will deal with the third Young Master while appeasing the vengeful spirit of Shaman Myoshin."

With those words, each state issued an order that it had been decided.

"I allow it. If you use Guyeo as a summoned spirit, you will be able to easily command him. Go."

"We obey the orders of each state."

With the answer, a beautiful woman with one white eye appeared from the darkness. The woman who appeared naturally took the bag containing the silver coins on the table.

…

*Thud*

The sleepy-eyed Guard Go Chan brought a small brazier in front of Mok Gyeongwoon's bed. He was exhausted, having stayed up most of the night, watching.

Since the sun is coming up soon, he had asked if he could sleep for a little while, and he was a little annoyed that he was ordered to do this instead.

Go Chan asked curiously, "Why did you ask me to bring this?"

"I have something to burn."

"You're going to burn it? If there is such a thing, just ask me to do it…"

"I want to see if it's clear."

"What on earth are you trying to burn…!?"

For a moment, Go Chan's eyes widened.

What Mok Gyeongwoon brought out was none other than,

[Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique (然木成劍訣)]

'It is! Well, it is real!'

It was true that he found out the location of the secret book from Jangju through the Shaman. In Mok Gyeongwoon's hand, there was the secret book of Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique, a martial technique exclusively for the Lord of the Hall.

Go Chan, who was swallowing dry saliva, frowned, "No. Young Master. You're not trying to burn it, are you?"

Mok Gyeongwoon smiled and responded to Go Chan's anxious cries, "I'm going to burn it~"

Go Chan was startled by this and tried to stop him, "Young Master, you're burning it? Young Master, the thing in your hand is a secret book that only Jangju can learn. How could you…"

"I'm burning it because I need it!"

'All right!'

With those words, Mok Gyeongwoon left the cover and second page of Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique and put it into the brazier. It happened without any time to stop it.

*Roaring*

Gao Chan looked at Mok Gyeongwoon as if he were dumbfounded.

'Does this crazy guy really not know the importance of this secret document?'

Mok Gyeongwoon spoke casually to the bewildered man, "Why are you looking at me like that? I don't really like the look in your eyes."

"…Young Master. Even if Young Master is at an age where it is difficult to learn martial arts, if you have this, you will be able to use it in some way."

"Then, it is even more important to burn it."

"What can I do if I burn it down…?"

"It's here."

Mok Gyeongwoon grinned and tapped his head with his finger.

'!?'

Go Chan looked surprised at that sight.

'Are you saying that you are burning the secret book because you have memorized it in its entirety? No, then you should have told me sooner!'

He was surprised because he thought he would just throw away that precious document.

As he was about to say this, Mok Gyeongwoon took out the secret book of the Law of Lotus Tree Transformation and, like before, tore off the rest except for the cover and the first two pages and placed it in the brazier.

*Roaring*

Go Chan asked with an expression that he did not understand at all, "What on earth are you doing?"

In response to this question, Mok Gyeongwoon handed him the secret book of Yeonmok Hall Sword Technique and Law of Lotus Tree Transformation, with only the unburned cover and two contents remaining.

"How do I do this?"

"Please take those emergency documents to the first lady and the second prince, one by one. Ah, do it when the sun rises."

"Yes?"

"You just have to bring it to me. Without saying anything."

Go Chan frowned.

'What on earth is this guy trying to do? I can't fathom your thoughts. But what can I do? Since my life is being threatened, I have no choice but to do as I am told.'

"…All right. Then, before you go, can I get some sleep for a little while until morning?"

"Sure~"

"Thank you."

"Oh, I forgot. I just killed the guard warrior sent by the second Young Master."

"…"

Go Chan was no longer sleepy…