Chapter 117 - Your Eyes Will Swell, Don't Cry

Yi An was stunned. I had surprised her many times since we met, but never like this. Her eyes, half-hidden by the flesh around them, began to tremble.

"Yi An, the day has finally come."

She couldn't say a word. Though she had never shown it, I didn't need to ask to know how desperately she had waited for this moment.

"When will you perform the procedure?"

"Now."

"Right now? The moment I've waited so long for is just... here, all of a sudden?"

"Things that change your fate always come unexpectedly. That's why, looking back, they all seem like luck or coincidence."

"I'm shaking."

"That's all right. You can shake. As long as I don't."

I made my hand tremble violently and pretended to place a needle incorrectly. It was a joke meant to ease her nerves, but Yi An was so anxious and excited that she stared blankly, barely registering whether I was joking.

I would have liked to open a beautiful space with the Art of Space-Time Transposition and perform the procedure there, but the internal energy required to maintain it made that impossible.

"Lie down on that bed."

Yi An obeyed and lay down, taking several deep breaths. When she woke that morning, she couldn't possibly have dreamed that she would be lying here for the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure today.

I began inserting needles into the prescribed pressure points, putting everything I had into each one. To an observer, it might have looked like something any village physician could do, but appearances concealed the supreme skill involved.

I had to infuse each needle with a precise amount of internal energy, and sometimes recite an incantation as I inserted it. A single mistake would mean failure—and severe internal injuries for her.

Between needles, I infused her body with internal energy to bring her rampaging qi and blood under control. Her body burned with heat, and sweat poured off her like rain. She groaned as waves of pain swept over her.

"It hurts a lot, doesn't it? The pain is normal."

She said something about being able to bear it, but I could barely make out her words. That was how taxing and painful the procedure was. I remained careful to the very last moment.

Once all the prescribed needles were in place, I stepped outside for a moment. I sat cross-legged with my eyes quietly closed and regulated my internal energy. The mental exertion was truly immense.

One round of needling wasn't enough. After removing every needle, I started over, inserting them in a different sequence. As the procedure progressed, the strain on my mind grew, and so did her pain.

"Uuugh!"

A cry escaped her lips. Patient and stoic as she was, this pain seemed beyond even her endurance.

'Stay strong, Yi An.'

It hurt to watch, but she had to overcome this herself.

After the second round, I filled the tub I'd bought with water, crushed the medicinal herbs, and mixed them in. Both the quantities and the blend had to be exact. Then I began needling her again.

This was her last hurdle too. Unsure whether she could hear me, I spoke softly.

"This is the last round. Hold on."

She gritted her teeth and endured. During the procedure, I infused her with internal energy to soothe her qi and blood, doing everything I could to ease her pain.

'Bear with it, Yi An.'

Only after those three arduous rounds of needling did I immerse her in the medicinal bath. I fitted a long tube into her throat and secured it so she could breathe.

I had done everything I could. All that remained was to hope the procedure would end successfully.

* * *

Yi An dreamed. It was a dream of her early childhood.

["Will you learn the Whole-Body Petrification Art for the Young Master's sake?"]

What was the Whole-Body Petrification Art? She wanted to ask, but the atmosphere didn't permit questions. Her master had always frightened her.

["Yes."]

["Learning the Whole-Body Petrification Art has a side effect. Your body will swell."]

She didn't quite understand what swelling meant.

["The swelling will never go down. Ever."]

Back then, she hadn't understood what it meant for the swelling never to subside either. Nor had she known how much the weight of that single word—ever—would torment her throughout her life. She had been only eight years old.

["Will you still do it?"]

["Yes."]

It had felt as though saying no wasn't an option. But fear wasn't the only reason for her decision. She wanted to stay by Geom Mugeuk's side. She had liked him from the first moment she saw him.

Had she truly never regretted it?

Time passed within the dream.

She stood before a broken bronze mirror. An unfamiliar girl glared at her from within it. The girl had grown so fat that she could no longer tell whether it was herself or someone else, and that girl was angry.

'Why are you angry? You're the reason I'm so sad.'

Time passed again. She was watching a drunken Geom Mugeuk from behind.

["Damn it!"]

She knew what he wanted to say.

What makes me any worse than my brother!

Those must have been the words he couldn't bring himself to utter. The cult leader placed greater trust in the First Young Master, and rumors that the elder son would become his successor circulated openly.

After Heavenly Demon Hall announced that anyone with the ability could become the successor, some began openly treating Geom Mugeuk with contempt. Others thought belittling him would win them favor with the First Young Master. Everyone believed Geom Mugeuk would lose the succession struggle and die.

Only she knew how hard he had worked to win his father's approval.

BANG!

Geom Mugeuk slammed his hand onto the table. It broke, and the liquor bottle fell from it and shattered. She went over to clear away the broken bottle.

Stay strong, Young Master.

At some point, he had stopped giving her even a single warm look. His mind was consumed entirely by whether he would become the successor. Still, she liked him.

The dream carried her to another day—the fateful day when everything began to change.

Geom Mugeuk had returned from the New Demon Tournament and stood before a bronze mirror. The way he looked at her had changed. He asked,

["How do I look?"]

It had been so long since his gaze was that warm. Was he in a good mood because he'd won his match?

["You're the most handsome man in the martial world."]

["Boring."]

["Questions from the person paying your wages always have a predetermined answer."]

When had they last exchanged jokes like this? In the mirror, Geom Mugeuk was staring intently at her.

["Why are you looking at me like that?"]

At that moment, she woke and opened her eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling came into view. Only after a little while did she realize this was the place where she had undergone the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure.

'Is the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure over?'

She slowly sat up. Her body felt different. Then she saw her hands—white and graceful, with long, slender fingers.

'!'

Her heart lurched, then began pounding. She squeezed her eyes shut.

'I might still be dreaming.'

Please, let this not be a dream!

With desperate hope, she opened her eyes again. Her hands were no longer the enormous, bear-like hands she'd once had. All she had dreamed of was for them to become just a little smaller. Now they were exquisitely delicate.

Suppressing the urge to scream, she slowly pulled back the covers. The legs beneath them were unfamiliar. Her two long, straight, pale legs were so beautiful.

In the end, she did scream. For the first time, she learned that overwhelming happiness could make a person cry out without even realizing it.

She climbed out of bed. Fear washed over her: the instant her feet touched the floor, her legs might swell to their old enormous size, and she might wake from the dream.

But nothing of the sort happened. She had taken the first step into her new life.

She walked slowly from the bed to the bronze mirror.

"Ah!"

An unfamiliar woman stood in the mirror. Unfamiliar, yet familiar too—there were traces of her childhood self. How long had it been since she'd last seen her true appearance?

Her face was lovely, her figure perfect.

How could one face hold both such dazzling beauty and such innocence? Her open, gentle eyes looked intelligent, while a proud air made her seem unapproachable.

No other description was needed. In a word, her beauty was overwhelming.

She felt as though tears would spill, but surprisingly, none came. She was still too dazed to know whether this was a dream or reality.

Then she noticed the underwear and white court-style gown laid out for her beside the bed. At the sight, emotion welled in her chest, and she finally felt that none of this was a dream.

["Who are these for? They're for a very slim woman."]

["There's someone I want to give them to."]

["If you're giving her underwear, she must be someone very close to you."]

["She is."]

The clothes Geom Mugeuk had bought for someone close to him were for her.

She put on the underwear and gown, then stood before the mirror again. She looked even more beautiful than before.

She was so happy that he had bought clothes for this very moment. His thoughtfulness felt wonderful. At least in this moment, the care he had shown her meant even more than being cured of the side effect.

She walked slowly outside. The person she longed so much to see stood in the courtyard with his back to her. Yi An softly called to him.

"Young Master."

Geom Mugeuk slowly turned toward her. His eyes widened as he saw her in the gown.

He had already witnessed her beautiful transformation when he laid her on the bed after completing the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure. But seeing her awake and standing before him was different again. She was so beautiful that he was at a loss for words.

"The Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure was a success. Congratulations, Yi An."

At last, tears ran from her eyes.

"Your eyes will swell. Don't cry on a day like today."

"They can swell. I've spent my whole life swollen."

"Now you should live differently."

"No. My life hasn't changed. Before the Bodily Toxin Purification Procedure or now, I'm still the same Yi An."

"Yes. You're the same Yi An to me too."

Yi An ran into his arms and cried there for a long time. She didn't say thank you. Putting her gratitude into words felt as though it would diminish it.

"May I ask you again?"

"Ask what?"

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Don't ask. You'll have to ask that again before long."

"Pardon?"

With an inscrutable smile, Geom Mugeuk took her hand and tugged her along.

"Come on. Let's go show you off."

"To whom?"

"Who else? We'll start with the worst bastard in the world, the one who called you an ugly heart."

Yi An beamed at his words.

* * *

I walked down the street with Yi An. People parted to either side as though water were dividing. Everyone stared at her in a daze. Not only men, but women too. Children looked, and so did the elderly. Monks looked, and Daoist priests too. Even a barking dog fell silent to stare at her.

"They're all looking at you. How does it feel?"

"It's so overwhelming."

"Enjoy it."

"How can I enjoy it when they're staring like that?"

"Enjoy the attention. Ah, I wish they'd look at me like that."

"Please, take it all!"

"You won't say that once you get used to it."

It was no different when we arrived at Thousand Flowers Pavilion. Every gaze focused on her, and exclamations of admiration rose all around.

Some of the courtesans were renowned beauties, but there was simply no comparison. They were all beautiful, yet Yi An possessed a noble elegance. Without a trace of makeup, her face shone.

We entered the room where the Wicked Laughing Demon and the mistress of Thousand Flowers Pavilion were waiting. He was lying with his head in her lap.

"Fortunately, you're still here."

"I've been waiting for you. What kept you so busy?"

The Wicked Laughing Demon glanced at me, then was startled by the sight of Yi An beside me. He sat up.

I thought that settled the matter of her beauty: beautiful enough to make even the reclining Wicked Laughing Demon sit up.

"Who is she?"

"My new heart."

"What happened to the old one?"

"I threw it away."

"Did you kill that ugly heart, by any chance?"

I laughed, knowing he was asking in earnest.

"Yes. With my own hands."

"How could you kill her?"