"So what's the next step then, boss?"
Eun-woo ignored his comment and picked up a stray twig from the ground, twirling it between his fingers. "We will start with qi compression."
Wooyun titled his head. "Compression?"
Eun-woo tapped the twig against his palm. "Imagine your qi is like a stream in a kettle. If you let it disperse too freely, it weakens before it can be useful. But if you contain it, refine it, and control its release, you get something powerful."
He flicked the twig away. "That's what you need to work on—condensing your qi without losing stability. I'll demonstrate." Eun-woo sat across from him and placed a palm on his abdomen. "Focus your qi here," he instructed. "Draw it inward. Instead of spreading it thin across your body, let it pool, condense, but don't let it leak. Hold it just before the point of explosion, then slowly let it circulate."
Wooyun mimicked the motion, closing his eyes. He could feel his qi swirling inside him, no longer sluggish but still raw. At first, it moved in jagged pulses, uneven and clumsy. Then, with careful adjustments, he gathered it inward. Eun-woo watched him intently, and when he saw the beats of sweat rolling down his temple as he struggled to maintain a balance between condensing and circulating, a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips before leaving.
"Not bad," he murmured. "Do this every morning before sunrise. If you do it correctly, you'll be able to store more qi and use it with better efficiency."
Wooyun opened his eyes, suddenly feeling tired before they had even begun. "…And after that?"
Eun-wood stood, brushing off his sleeves. "Physical combat, like I mentioned earlier. Now that your body has gone through reformation, you need to test its limits." He glanced towards the training weapons lined up at the side of the yard. "You'll spar."
Wooyun felt a deep sense of foreboding when he heard those words. "W-With who?"
An amused glint flashed across Eun-woo's eyes. "With the young master, of course. But for now, you'll fight me."
Wooyun tensed as his face darkened. The idea of having to fight Yu-jun the way he was now didn't sit well with him. Losing to that bastard was something he couldn't let happen. Ever. "…That hardly seems fair." He managed to say.
Eun-woo tilted his head. "So?"
Before Wooyun could respond, Eun-woo moved—fast. A blur of motion, then a sharp tap against his ribs. Wooyun barely registered the strike before he stumbled back, his breath catching in his throat.
"Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose our opponents. Real combat isn't about fairness either. It's all about instinct, reaction, and, more importantly, survival." He then extended a hand toward the weapon rack.
"Pick one." He ordered. Wooyun's gaze stayed on the older man before him as he rubbed the area he had been hit. It was painful, but nothing he couldn't handle. His eyes then moved to the weapons, flickering between the options available to him. Swords, staves, daggers. He hesitated. Unsure of which weapon would suit him, but more importantly, which would be the easier to wield.
Eun-woo sighed. He grabbed a simple sword and handed it to him. "Learn to move first. You can find a weapon that suits you later."
Wooyun grabbed the sword, moving around his hand as he got used to its feeling.
"Try to land a hit," he said, breaking Wooyun out of his daze. "If you manage to hit me, I will teach you a real martial technique."
Wooyun was one hundred percent sure he wouldn't be able to land a hit. It was clear just from looking at Eun-woo; the man had zero openings. Wooyun wasn't a novice to fighting as he had been in his share of fights, knocking people out with his fists. His mother had offered to sign him up for boxing or taekwondo after getting in trouble at school. He had taken a few boxing lessons in his freshman year of high school, but stopped once he became a senior. So although he could land a few hits against your average joe, he knew he could never hit Eun-woo. Not even in his dreams.
He exhaled and raised his staff as he faced him. He knew at that moment this wasn't going to be an easy task, and it was going to hurt like hell.
~*~
"We've received yet another letter from Madam Soo wishing to set up another meeting—with you in attendance this time." Jaha said, putting emphasis on the word you.
They were currently in a tea shop; Junghwa was enjoying the leaves that had calming properties that helped to soothe his mind. He looked up at the first guard, observing him quietly before setting his cup down.
"Let's set it up then. In fact, let's go pay Madam Soo a visit. She's the first merchant to ever have the guts to demand my presence." He chuckled. The first guardian agreed, and the two set off to pay the Golden Crane Merchant Group a visit.
The person standing guard of the establishment didn't bother to look up as he gave the standard answer he did to everyone who wished to see Madam Soo. "Unfortunately, the Madam isn't taking any guests at the moment." He said in an almost robotic tone.
This was a daily occurrence for him, people wishing to see her even without setting up appointments. Since the Golden Crane group was such a prominent merchant group in the region, many eager entrepreneurs were always jumping at the opportunity to pitch a grand project or idea, only to be rejected. The guard thought they were the same and didn't even bother to look up at them.
"Is that right? Maybe you ought to check again and see if she really is unavailable." He heard a voice say.
The man's tone was sharp, commanding, and leaving no room for negotiation. The guard looked up with furrowed brows, wondering who would have the guts to utter such words, but his eyes widened when he saw who had spoken. Jaha, tall and imposing, stared the guard down, his eyes icy, making the young man shiver where he stood. He then remembered he was the same man who had been here a couple days ago at Madam Soo's request.
His gaze flicked towards the other man standing next to him. Just as tall and imposing. Though he didn't look nearly as intimidating as the man who had just spoken to him, there was a quiet intensity in the way he stood there in silence.
The guard gulped and didn't waste a single moment as he told them they could head inside. The man dressed in white bowed his head slightly, a light smile tugged at his lips yet the smile didn't reach his eyes. The guard couldn't help wondering who these two men were, with such powerful auras that would send a grown man running for the hills.
As they entered the building, they were greeted with a serene atmosphere, walls painted in delicate floral designs and adorned with refined decorations. A young woman dressed in a pink and white robe looked up from her papers and a light smile painted her face at the sight of them. Without having to be told, she knew who these two men were and what they wanted. "I take it you are here to see Madam Soo?"
Jaha nodded, and she stood up, guiding them to the back of the establishment where she knocked before opening the sliding doors. Madam Soo was sitting, her nose buried in papers as she sipped a cup of tea. Her face lit up upon seeing the two men enter.
She quickly got to her feet and gave them a big smile. "Mr. Lee, I see you're back again. And you've brought the esteemed Lord Baek with you." She said as her eyes flickered between the two. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Is it really a surprise? Jaha tells me you've been rather persistent with your wishes to see me," Junghwa said, his tone light yet carrying a little weight.
His dark irises that carried grey shimmers within their depths bore into hers and, despite how intimidating he looked, the smile on Madam Soo's face did not falter.
"Please excuse me for being too pushy, but you are a hard man to hear from, let alone see." She said as her eyes swept across his face. Madam Soo only had the pleasure of seeing Junghwa's true face only once, and that was many years ago. Now that she looked at him, she could tell he was wearing a disguise—a bone contraction art most likely so he wouldn't alert the other sects of his presence here in the East. Though the mask was pleasant to the eyes, they failed in comparison to his true face.
"I was rather surprised to hear you were visiting the eastern region. Of course I couldn't let this opportunity pass by." She continued. Junghwa nodded, taking a seat across from the older woman. She offered him something to drink, but Junghwa declined as he had already had his morning tea earlier.
"So, what is it you want from me?" He asked, cutting straight to the chase. Madam Soo smiled, pleased that the young lord was a straightforward man. So she matched his energy.
"I wish to make use of the everfrost bone," she said simply. "Lord Baek, the bone is known as a relic of the north, a treasure too rare for ordinary hands. But why let it remain only in the frozen wastes? With the right channels, we could shape it into something far greater—a symbol of power across all the lands."
Junghwa remained silent as he digested her words. He understood why Madam Soo was interested in the bone, like many others. It was a rare and precious resource that could be shaped and molded into many things. However, because it is such a rare resource that only resides in the broken, he knows how easy it would be for the northern regions to be exploited—which isn't something he wants. As the lord of such a large domain, the safety of his lands took priority. Junghwa knew that if it were ever to become widespread, it could finish in its strategic value.
His eyes darkened slightly. "Why should I let an outsider profit off my domain's treasures?"