Chapter 66
The place Jeok I-geon brought me to was his private training room, surrounded by stone walls on all sides.
Geonyeong Pavilion had two training rooms, and this one was a place no one else could enter.
Not even I, his dedicated maid, nor his guard, Cheon Gang, could set foot in this space.
From a corner inside, I heard the gentle sound of spring water flowing.
‘No way… Could it be?’
Since I had read the original story, I knew exactly what this place was.
That’s why I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding.
“Follow me.”
Jeok I-geon pulled me, who was standing blankly, toward the spring.
‘It really exists!’
I couldn’t believe I was witnessing this in real life.
I marveled internally as I looked at the round-shaped spring, built with stone blocks, and roughly the size of a single square meter.
To others, it would appear as an ordinary spring, but not to me.
This was the place where Jeok I-geon’s history began.
“Do you trust me?”
“…Yes.”
It was a sudden question, but I nodded, guessing his intention.
“If so, don’t hesitate.”
With those words, Jeok I-geon jumped into the spring.
A splash echoed, and ripples spread across the water surface.
I couldn’t believe it.
Jeok I-geon was going this far for me?
Why on earth?
Even if Grandma’s dumplings had moved him, this was excessive.
…No, wait.
I haven’t seen it with my own eyes yet.
‘It couldn’t be…’
I couldn’t get emotional before confirming it myself.
I steadied my excited heart, took a deep breath, and plunged into the spring after Jeok I-geon.
‘What is this? Where do I go?’
The water was deeper than I expected.
Moreover, though it looked clear from above, it was pitch black underneath.
“This way.”
“This way.”
At that moment, Jeok I-geon’s voice transmitted to me, and he pulled my wrist.
I followed his lead, holding my breath for quite a long time as we swam underwater.
Fortunately, I was a master of internal energy; otherwise, an ordinary person would’ve drowned by now.
“Hah!”
The narrow and long underwater cave led to a small natural cavern.
Is this even possible?
Jeok I-geon, are you really taking me there?
As soon as we surfaced, I gasped for breath and frantically looked around with a flushed face.
“Use your internal energy to dry yourself.”
Jeok I-geon, standing a step ahead of me, was already completely dry.
Following his instruction, I quickly circulated my energy to dry my clothes and hair.
“Let’s go.”
Jeok I-geon turned and looked at me briefly before walking ahead.
‘No way, no way, no way!’
Light was seeping in from somewhere not too far away.
I quickened my steps, following Jeok I-geon.
“Wow…”
Even though I expected it, I was speechless for a while.
As soon as we exited the cave, a magnificent sight unfolded, as if we had entered another world.
The area was shaped like a basin.
A vast plain filled with colorful, beautiful flowers and rare herbs spread before us, and at its center, there was a large stone platform carved from a massive rock.
‘Amazing!’
I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Jeok I-geon had really brought me here.
Was this a dream or reality?
‘How high is that?’
Looking up, I saw that the place was surrounded by towering cliffs.
Only a round patch of blue sky was visible above.
I remembered it clearly.
This place was a legendary secret land where yin energy surged at midnight and yang energy rose at noon.
Its name was Majungcheon.
In this place, where the quality and density of the air were exceptionally concentrated, just a short session of Qi Circulation could rapidly increase internal energy.
When Jeok I-geon was nine years old, he questioned the origin of the spring water and discovered this secret training ground on his own.
It was thanks to Majungcheon that he could reach the level of extreme martial mastery at such a young age.
And that wasn’t all.
Something else was left here too!
This was a place Jeok I-geon had never revealed to anyone in his life.
“Do you want to look around more?”
“No! I’m fine!”
At some point, Jeok I-geon approached and asked kindly.
I shook my head vehemently, afraid of seeing something I shouldn’t.
“If you’re curious, just say the word. I’ll show you around personally.”
“Just your offer is more than enough.”
“Then, now…”
Before he could finish, I quickly bowed deeply and spoke rapidly to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
“And please don’t worry! I… I won’t tell anyone about this place! You know I’m tight-lipped, right?”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course! I’ll take this to the grave!”
So don’t even think about silencing me to keep your secret!
I didn’t come here because I wanted to.
You brought me!
If this becomes a problem later, you know what to do, right?
I had so much to say, but I held it in and looked at Jeok I-geon with earnest eyes.
“Thank you for saying that first. I appreciate it. I won’t forget your effort.”
“This kind of effort isn’t even worth mentioning.”
If I could survive, what did any of this matter?
I was truly confident that I could keep my mouth shut until the day I died.
“But why aren’t you asking?”
“…Pardon?”
“The reason I brought you here.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, I had hastily declared my silence before even hearing Jeok I-geon’s explanation.
I had been too shocked and had made a foolish mistake.
How should I explain myself?
As I hesitated, opening and closing my mouth without saying anything, Jeok I-geon suddenly spoke.
“So you’ve already noticed.”
He stroked my head as if he were proud.
“Well, if you hadn’t sensed it, that would’ve been a bigger problem.”
He raised his hand and pointed toward the stone platform.
“Would you like to sit?”
I obediently climbed onto the stone platform and sat cross-legged as Jeok I-geon instructed.
“Activate the Red Jade Bracelet.”
Click. Click. Click.
As I reversed the sequence of the seven jade beads, instead of the usual red glow, a rainbow-colored light poured out.
“Ohh.”
Jeok I-geon looked down at it with curiosity.
Was he coveting it?
Doubt flickered in my mind again, but once more, it was unnecessary suspicion.
“From now on, you will train here every day.”
“…Every day? Here?”
“If you can maximize the Red Jade Bracelet’s effect, you will grow much faster. As the First Young Lady of our cult, shouldn’t you at least make that effort?”
“Well, that may be true… but how am I supposed to come here every day?”
The only way to reach Majungcheon was through Geonyeong Pavilion, specifically through Jeok I-geon’s private training room’s spring.
This training method did not align with my plan to stay as far away from Jeok I-geon as possible.
“I don’t know much… but isn’t this your personal space? Even fleas have pride—I can’t keep imposing on you.”
“Imposing?”
“Yes.”
“What have you imposed on me?”
“Well… if I were to list them all, it would be endless, but most recently, didn’t you help me train for the martial competition…?”
Why was his expression turning stiff again?
As I spoke while looking at Jeok I-geon’s face, my voice gradually diminished to a whisper.
“I did all of that because I wanted to.”
“…?”
“So don’t call it an imposition. I don’t like it.”
“I-I apologize! I had no intention of upsetting you!”
Hearing Jeok I-geon say he didn’t like it made my mind go blank.
A psychopath is called a psychopath for a reason.
They do crazy things based on their moods.
I couldn’t afford to die here.
Majungcheon was a secret place known only to Jeok I-geon within the Demonic Cult.
If I died here, no one would ever find my body.
I couldn’t bear to do that to my grandmother!
I hurriedly gave Jeok I-geon the answer he wanted.
“D-Do you truly mean that I can train here?”
Although meeting Jeok I-geon frequently was burdensome, survival came first.
And if I could stay alive, Majungcheon was indeed the perfect place to enhance the Red Jade Bracelet’s effectiveness.
“We will depart twice a day, at midnight and noon. Come to Geonyeong Pavilion accordingly.”
“Yes, I understand.”
And so, I had no choice but to accept the joint training with Jeok I-geon, despite my reluctance.
Someone once said—
The strong are those who endure.
Yes, for now, I just needed to endure.
If I could hold out, an opportunity to escape would surely come.
…Right?
But the more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was a moth caught in a spider’s web woven by Jeok I-geon.
That made me uneasy again.
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