CHAPTER 57: THE BEGINNING OF THE SWORD EMPRESS’S OBSESSION

Still Sword Empress’s POV

...Now that I think about it.

I’d nearly confirmed he was Dan Yuseong, but doubt lingered. I hadn’t asked his name or seen his face clearly.

Now was the perfect chance.

He was asleep, vulnerable. If I slipped his hood back briefly, I could confirm his identity.

It wasn’t polite, but this might be my only opportunity. If I asked him to show his face when awake, I’d struggle to mask my emotions. He’d also question why I’d been searching for him.

While he slept, I could check and give myself time to process.

I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...

My hand trembled as I reached for his hood. As I pulled it back, a strange resistance halted me, as if the cloak itself fought to stay in place.

Coincidence or enchantment, I couldn’t tell, but this felt like my last chance.

I made my choice—

Slide...

I pushed through the resistance, forcing the hood down.

His face lay bare.

A young, delicate face, matching his fragile frame. An aura that stirred a woman’s protective instincts.

And—

"Ah... ahh..."

The face I’d sought for ten years.

It was almost unchanged, as if time had barely touched him. No imposter could mimic Dan Yuseong so perfectly.

"Ahhh..."

The greatest sin of my life lay before me—the child I owed a debt I’d spend my life repaying, the one I’d searched for relentlessly.

"Why..."

Tears streamed down my face. I wanted to believe they were tears of joy, but I knew better.

"Why... why him, of all people..."

Why did the first man I’d ever loved have to be him? Why did the one I’d come to cherish bear the weight of my deepest sin?

"Ahhhhh...!!"

Revulsion surged within me, a wave of self-loathing. I’d vowed to atone, to repay my debt for a lifetime. Yet I’d dared... I’d dared

to feel this way.

Because of my disciple’s twisted love, I’d left an indelible scar on him. And now, I’d fallen into the same trap.

It was unforgivable.

My mind spiraled in chaos. I didn’t know what to do, couldn’t forgive myself.

Cough...

His weak cough snapped me back to reality.

I have to save him first.

No matter my feelings—apology, atonement, or love—he had to live for any of it to matter.

I checked his clothes, dried by the fire, and hurriedly dressed him once I confirmed they were ready. Standing here, agonizing, wouldn’t help his condition.

I needed a village. A doctor.

Hoisting him onto my back, I ran, following the traces of people I’d found earlier.

I had to save him. No matter what.

+

"Hey! Is there a doctor around here?!" I shouted, spotting a villager.

"A-a doctor? Head that way—"

"Thanks!"

I didn’t wait for more, rushing toward the direction they pointed.

The village was small, which worried me, but relief washed over me when I learned they had a doctor.

"Owner! Are you there?!" I called, bursting into the clinic.

"Is it an urgent patient? Come inside!"

A young, strikingly beautiful woman emerged. I assumed she was the doctor’s daughter or assistant, but no one else appeared.

"Do you run this place alone?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, I’m the doctor," she replied.

Most might doubt her skills, but urgency left no room for skepticism. If she was the only doctor here, she was my only hope.

"Even if I don’t look experienced, I’m confident in my abilities," she said, sensing my hesitation.

"No, I trust you," I said firmly. "If I can’t trust a doctor, who can I trust?"

I wasn’t unfamiliar with female doctors, and her confidence eased my doubts.

Cough...

"Please lay the patient here," she instructed. "His breathing sounds rough."

I carefully placed Yuseong on the cloth spread out in the room, exhaling in relief. Finding a doctor in this small village was a stroke of luck.

But her next move sent a jolt of panic through me.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" I cried.

"Huh? I need to remove his cloak to examine him..."

"That’s..."

She was right. His cloak, with its enchanted hood, hid his face entirely. Removing it was necessary.

But...

"There’s a reason he keeps his face hidden... Can you examine him without seeing it?"

"That... would be difficult," she said, hesitating.

"...Yeah, I suppose so."

It was obvious. Even the most skilled doctor couldn’t treat a patient shrouded in darkness.

"I’m sorry," she said. "I’m not skilled enough to examine someone without seeing their face."

"No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have asked something so unreasonable."

I didn’t know why he hid his face, but there had to be a reason. Still, with his life on the line—

His life comes first.

Slide...

Vowing to apologize later, I gently pulled down his hood.

The face that had been shrouded in mystery was now fully exposed.

"Ugh..."

I couldn’t bring myself to look directly at him. Each glance sent a wave of guilt crashing over me.

"...Hmm... this is quite..." the doctor murmured.

"Hm?" I glanced at her.

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself," she said, brushing it off.

I let it pass as she began the examination.

Cough...

"I’ll start now. Please wait a moment," she said, her hands moving expertly. She checked his nostrils with a stick, inspected his mouth, and listened to his heartbeat. On the surface, she was every bit the competent doctor.

But as the examination progressed, her expression grew increasingly troubled.

"Is something wrong...?" I asked, my voice tight.

"Hmm... If it’s not too much trouble, could we remove his clothes as well?"

"W-what...?"

"Please don’t misunderstand," she said quickly. "It’s purely for medical reasons. I need to check something. Just the upper garments will suffice."

"...Alright."

I had no right to decide whether his body should be exposed, but my resolve to save him overrode any hesitation. A doctor removing a patient’s clothes for an examination was only natural.

"Hmm... How do you take this off...?"

She lifted his cloak, hesitating as she examined the inner garments, then—

Slide...

"...It comes off easily?"

With a single tug on a cord, the clothes slipped off effortlessly. Despite their intricate appearance, they were surprisingly simple to remove.

"Mmm..."

She placed her hand on his stomach, her brow furrowing with concern.

"Has this person ever been in an accident?"

"...Ugh..."

Her words pierced my heart like a blade. I knew exactly what she meant.

"An accident... damaged his dantian..."

"No wonder..." she murmured.

"...Is his condition that bad?"

"Yes... Let me explain," she said, covering Dan Yuseong with a blanket before turning to me.

"The symptoms are what you’d call a common cold—a light illness that strikes when the body’s defenses are down, regardless of the season. But as the name suggests, a cold disrupts the body’s energy. For some, like the elderly or infants, even a mild cold can be life-threatening."

"I understand," I said, nodding.

"In this patient’s case, his body is extremely frail. Once he falls ill, it’s nearly impossible for him to recover on his own. The best approach would be to prevent illness altogether, but life doesn’t always cooperate. He’s already sick. Now, here’s the issue..."

She sighed heavily.

"With his dantian damaged, we can’t use medicine recklessly."

"...!"

"As a martial artist, you know the dantian isn’t just for storing internal energy in training. Even for those who don’t practice martial arts, it’s the core where the body’s energy gathers. It’s less critical for common folk, but still vital."

"..."

I buried my face in my hands, her words cutting deeper with every sentence. She was right—flawlessly so.

"But in his case... with his dantian destroyed, the energy in his body is severely disrupted. If we administer medicine carelessly, it could tangle in his broken system and fail to work—or worse, cause harm. Honestly, this is my first time treating someone with a destroyed dantian..."

"Then... is there no way...?"

Once again, it was my fault.

He’d fallen ill because I failed to protect him, and now, because of the sin I committed years ago, we couldn’t even treat him.

"Please, any method... I’ll pay any price... Isn’t there something?" My voice trembled uncontrollably.

I’d never felt so powerless, despite my mastery.

"...There is one method," she said.

Hope flickered. "W-what is it?!"

"Please don’t get upset and hear me out. The reason we can’t use medicine is because his dantian is damaged, right?"

"Yes."

"Well... this might not apply to women, but for men, there’s another place where strong energy gathers."

...Wait.

"W-w-what... Are you saying what I think you’re saying...?"

"...If I mention where yang energy gathers, you know what I mean, don’t you?"

"..."

My jaw dropped.

"It’s commonly called the union of yin and yang," she continued. "By transferring energy this way, we could safely spread it through his body, despite his damaged dantian."

"No... I mean, that makes sense, but..."

It was intercourse, plain and simple, dressed up as the "union of yin and yang." I’d heard of unorthodox martial artists who cultivated through such practices, but I’d never trained in anything like that—never.

"..."

"..."

Silence fell, our faces flushed. She spoke first.

"...I’ll do it!"

"...What did you just...?"

"This is treatment!" she declared, her cheeks red. "If I call myself a doctor, I have to do everything to save a patient!"

"No... even so..."

"Physical contact is part of being a doctor. If I swore to my master to live as one, then something like this..."

Blushing and breathing heavily, she moved to climb over him, but I grabbed her arm.

"...I’ll do it."

"...Pardon?"

"Since this is my fault... if anyone’s going to do it, it should be me."

"But you’re a martial artist..."

"Lust invites heavenly punishment, but intercourse itself isn’t evil," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "It’s an act of love between a man and woman, bringing new life into the world."

"Your face is awfully red... Are you sure you’re okay...?"

"...I’m fine. Please, could you step out for a bit?"