CHAPTER 61: TREATMENTS SHOULDN’T INVOLVE THESE. . .FLUIDS

Sword Empress’s POV

Slurp—

He licked his lips, the gesture dripping with seduction.

"Is it okay if we do it one more time?"

"..."

It was a fleeting temptation. What happened earlier was a necessity, a unique circumstance to heal him. As a martial artist steeped in the Hwasan Sect’s teachings, succumbing to lust was a sin that invited divine retribution.

Smack!

"...Now that I think about it, your energy does seem lacking."

This wasn’t indulgence. It was duty.

+

After two more "treatments," he slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep, mumbling softly now and then. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him as he rested.

It was unmistakably Dan Yuseong. His face, almost unchanged from ten years ago, bore the same delicate features. I found it odd that in a decade he’d only progressed from a boy not yet at the jihak stage to one barely touching it, but I attributed it to slow development.

How will I explain this when he wakes?

The consensual—questionably so—treatment had concluded without issue, but I wrestled with whether to reveal my true identity. He’d yielded to me as "Lady Shin Yuwol," not as the Sword Empress, master of Han Soyeon, his sworn enemy.

"...I have to tell him."

I couldn’t conceal the truth forever. For ten years, I’d searched for him to repay my debt.

"Mmm..."

He stirred, rubbing his eyes groggily and sitting up. I braced myself, steeling for his reaction as clarity returned to him.

Prepare for his anger. If he strikes, let him. As long as I can deliver this apology, I’ll endure anything.

I pushed aside my feelings for him.

Tap, tap—

Knocking my chest to steady my resolve, I faced him as he glanced around, bewildered.

"Dan Yuseong."

"...?"

His head tilted, confusion etching deeper lines into his face. He was likely startled that I knew his name.

"It may seem overdue, but... I have a confession."

"...Yes?"

"This will be sudden, but please listen. It’s important for you too."

Hoo... hoo...

Taking a final deep breath, I closed my eyes and spoke.

"My name is Shin Yuwol, known as the Sword Empress... and I am the master of Han Soyeon, the Sword Flower."

I clenched my teeth, anticipating his reaction. Would he scream? Curse me? Raise his hand? Whatever came, I’d accept it. I’d prepared for this moment. Even if my heart felt torn apart, I could bear it. I’d searched for him all these years for this.

Come on. Whatever his response, it was my karma—I’d take it all...

"...Who’s Han Soyeon?"

...Huh?

Who’s Han Soyeon?

His response was beyond anything I’d imagined. For a moment, I wondered if Soyeon had never revealed her identity to him, but that was impossible. I vividly recalled her joy, bubbling over as she told me they’d exchanged names. Ten years wasn’t short, but he couldn’t have forgotten the woman who’d ruined his life—his mortal enemy. He’d spoken of drowning the pain of betrayal by a trusted woman in alcohol, his sleep-talk revealing the deep scar of his destroyed dantian.

So I’d assumed he’d know Han Soyeon...

"I don’t know who that is, but I don’t have any acquaintances in Hwasan... I’ve never even been there..."

"..."

He genuinely seemed to have no recollection. Wait.

"You’ve never been to Hwasan...?"

This wasn’t just about forgetting Soyeon. Claiming he’d never visited Hwasan meant he had no memory of his past at all.

Memory loss?

I’d heard of it before. Severe trauma could erase specific memories. If he’d forgotten everything about Soyeon—no, about Hwasan—it must have happened recently. In Hanam, he’d constantly shown the pain of betrayal by a woman from his past. If a shock great enough to erase his memory had struck after that...

While he was unconscious?

It could only have been in Anhui. Had the Blood Cult subjected him to something horrific before I rescued him? Had he endured brutal torture? And to cope with that pain, had he craved physical pleasure just now?

"...Ah..."

The possibility felt chillingly plausible. As someone familiar with the Blood Cult’s methods, I knew their torture could shatter a person’s psyche without a single mark. A peak-level master had once taken his own life after just a week under their torment. For an ordinary person like Dan Yuseong to endure such horrors... memory loss and a craving for physical release weren’t unthinkable.

And I exploited that...

Nausea surged, and I pressed a hand to my mouth, swallowing the disgust and self-loathing that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Um... you don’t look well. Are you okay?"

"Ah..."

He gazed at me with genuine concern.

+

Dan Yuseong’s POV

Blank stare—

I woke, my eyes scanning the room in a daze. The medicine and needles nearby suggested a clinic. I couldn’t recall exactly what had happened, but I’d evidently escaped that basement...

What was that earlier?

The "treatment" sex was shocking. I’d read about yin-yang unions in martial arts novels on Earth, used to ascend realms or heal ailments, but experiencing it myself was surreal. Even more bewildering was something else.

...

I didn’t feel like myself. My foggy mind struggled to issue commands, yet my body moved on its own.

It felt like that with Dang Ahyeong too.

I frowned at the inexplicable sensation. As I grappled with how to navigate this awkward situation—

"Dan Yuseong."

"...?"

Lady Shin called my name, which she’d never used before.

"It might feel long overdue, but... there’s something I need to confess."

"...Yes?"

What was she about to reveal? Her hesitation was palpable as she took a deep breath before continuing.

"My name is Shin Yuwol... known as the Sword Empress... and I am the master of Han Soyeon, the Sword Flower."

"...?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. Why the sudden formal introduction? Wait—the Sword Empress? She had a disciple?

How old is she?

Her youthful appearance clearly belied her true age. Living with my master for a decade, watching him barely age, had me thinking, This is the martial world, alright. But I hadn’t expected to encounter another ageless figure out here. I knew reaching the realm of rejuvenation was no small feat.