When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 157
Chapter 157
He couldn’t understand what she meant.
Elder Simjung asked, his eyes wide with disbelief, “W-Wake up… my daughter…? You’re saying… you can wake her up?”
He couldn’t believe his ears.
His daughter had been unconscious for over ten years.
He had been feeling guilty even for keeping her alive artificially.
Was that even possible?
“Is that… is that even possible?”
Even the strongest spiritual power couldn’t bring back the dead.
His daughter, with her Core destroyed, was practically dead, her life force barely clinging to her frail body.
Yet…
A faint glimmer of hope bloomed within his heart, despite his doubts.
This Ju Clan young lady had already demonstrated incredible healing powers in the chasm.
And he remembered the terrifying power she had displayed during her sword dance.
A sliver of hope pierced through his despair, his lips trembling.
“Is it… really possible?”
“May I see your daughter first?”
“O-Of course! Please!”
He hurriedly led the way to his daughter's room in Baekseok Residence.
So many thoughts raced through his mind as he walked through the dark hallway…
He wasn’t even sure if he was walking straight.
“We’re here.”
He opened the door.
The spacious room was slightly messy, as they had been preparing to leave.
Sehwa, glancing around the dimly lit room, walked towards the woman lying on the bed.
She gently lifted the woman’s thin, frail wrist.
Flash!
A deep blue light, as dark as the depths of the sea, as rich as fine wine, erupted from Sehwa, momentarily eclipsing the candlelight.
The rich, blue spiritual power of the Jang Clan flowed into the woman’s wrist.
Like a waterfall cascading into a tranquil lake, the spiritual power surged into Elder Simjung’s daughter.
“......”
Elder Simjung watched, his breath caught in his throat.
The blue light filling the room intensified, as if burning brighter.
Drawn by the strange phenomenon, more and more people gathered outside the room.
Among them were Baek Giha and Baek Manyong.
The blue spiritual power continued to blaze around the woman's body.
But even after the light faded…
…the woman, lying still as death, showed no reaction.
“......”
A thousand words swirled in Elder Simjung’s mind.
But he swallowed them, afraid of disturbing Sehwa’s concentration.
“Hmm…”
A soft groan escaped Sehwa’s lips.
It wasn't working.
Elder Simjung’s head bowed, his jaw clenching.
He hadn't even realized he had been gripping his hands so tightly that his nails were digging into his palms.
It was a predictable outcome. The Jang Clan Head had already told him that it was impossible to heal someone whose Core was destroyed.
He hid his trembling hands in his sleeves.
He was about to force a smile and tell her it was alright, that his daughter was already beyond saving… when…
“Hmm… Elder Simjung, I need your help,” Sehwa said, tilting her head slightly. “Your granddaughter’s life force is very weak, it’ll take some time to heal them both safely.”
“…?”
No one in the room understood what she meant.
What was she talking about? Granddaughter?
How could there be a child in someone whose Core was destroyed?
As silence filled the room, Elder Simjung blinked, wondering if he had misheard.
“Granddaughter? Are you saying… there’s a child in my daughter’s womb?”
“Yes. So, if we want to save her, we have to save them both.”
“!!”
Everyone in the room, including Elder Simjung, gasped.
As Sehwa called Elder Simjung to her side, Baek Giha, who had been watching anxiously, hurriedly approached.
“Should I do it?”
“It’s alright. I have to do this.”
“I’ll help.”
“It’s okay. I’ll do this with the Elder.”
“......”
“It’s not that I don’t need your help. It’s just that… I can’t accept anyone else's help for this. You understand, right?”
“Ah… yes… I understand.”
“Just wait a little while, okay?”
“......”
Baek Giha's eyes drooped slightly, his expression crestfallen.
‘…Is that really our Clan Head?’
‘It seems like him, but… are we allowed to see this?’
Their Clan Head rarely smiled.
They exchanged bewildered glances, witnessing such an unexpected side of him.
“Be careful and come back soon.”
“I will.”
Sehwa smiled at his worried tone.
Then she took Elder Simjung’s hand.
She needed his spiritual power because it was his spiritual energy that had been sustaining his daughter’s life all these years.
“Close your eyes, Elder. Don’t be surprised by what you see, and focus on circulating your spiritual power. Understand?”
Elder Simjung swallowed nervously.
What was he going to see?
But he simply nodded. “Yes, I will.”
“Good.”
To do this, Elder Simjung had to reabsorb the Spirit Orbs he had expelled.
And as soon as the spiritual power settled within him, he circulated it with all his might.
His pure, white spiritual power flowed into Sehwa through their clasped hands.
Just as a gentle, blue light, like grass swaying in the wind, began to emanate from Sehwa’s body…
…Elder Simjung's consciousness plunged into darkness.
“…!!”
When he opened his eyes, he was in a strange place.
He seemed to be in the middle of a busy street, filled with pedestrians and carriages.
What was this? He should be in the Baek Clan residence, how did he end up here?
“You’re inside your daughter’s memories.”
“!”
Startled by the sudden voice, the elder turned around.
Sehwa, standing behind him, gestured towards a certain direction.
His daughter was there, walking happily with someone.
“It was your spiritual power that sustained her life all these years.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I have to retrieve all of it to restore her life force. Her weakened body can't absorb the foreign spiritual power within her.”
“S-So… this vision… it’s a result of my spiritual power returning to me from her body?”
“That’s right. It’s a necessary process to retrieve all of your spiritual power, so just watch for a while.”
“Y-Yes…”
Elder Simjung’s expression relaxed slightly, realizing that what he was seeing wasn't real, but a projection of his daughter’s past.
Then his gaze hardened.
If he had to see his daughter’s past, he wanted to know what had happened to her after she married into the Ju Clan.
The man walking with his daughter was his former son-in-law.
They looked quite happy.
They were considerate of each other, their gazes warm and affectionate.
“He loved her so much back then. But it’s the way of the world for hearts to change.”
The way his son-in-law was holding his daughter’s shoulder… he couldn’t believe that was the same man who had given him such a cold response.
Elder Simjung, mesmerized, followed the vision of his daughter.
Then Sehwa's voice stopped him. “Look over there.”
A luxurious carriage was parked there.
The curtain covering the window was slightly raised.
Someone was watching his daughter from inside the carriage.
But it was only for a moment.
A slender hand lowered the curtain, and the carriage, as if nothing had happened, drove away.
And then, his daughter's image disappeared before his eyes.
The surroundings vanished as well, as if a shutter had been closed.
His son-in-law's voice suddenly echoed in the darkness.
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