Chapter Text
Baek Cheon has a problem. A very big problem. And the problem is his soulmate. Although the term 'soulmate' and 'problem' don't typically go together but his soulmate defies convention, hence he is the embodiment of Baek Cheon's problems.
And the name of the problem is Chung Myung.
As you see some people have soulmates and the the soul mark is a way to identify them. However Soulmark is not always present on the skin. Contrary to popular belief soulmates are not determined by destiny or higher power but is choosen by 'us', our very own soul. When there exists a love, that is soo great that it leaves mark on your skin. An extraordinary Love that transcends words. Love that resonates so deeply and strongly within our entire mind, body and soul. Our subconscious imprint on that person and our qi yearns to unite with theirs, trying to reach out to that person, to engulf them. Unable to do so they leave a mark on skin as a testament to our desperation, love, desire and longing. This intense, all consuming love is rare and that's why soulmates are so scarce. It's challenging to love or desire someone to the point where our own bodies are beyond our control.
Commoners believe that soulmates are mere fantasy, as they don't possess qi beyond their their true innate qi (life force), However, there are extremely rare cases, where people's true innate qi can reach out due to profound love, resulting in a soulmark on their skin. Such extraordinary love stories become the stuff of folk lore and legends.
Cultivator and martial artists are a different matter altogether. As they cultivate their mind, body and qi the probability of developing Soulmark in them are more. However, for them, Soulmates aren't necessarily romantic partners. A soulmark can represent a deep platonic connection, a cherished dream, a burning desire, an unshakable belief, or even inanimate object that drives their cultivation. For cultivators, a soulmark and soulmate are akin to enlightenment. While they cannot consciously create a soulmark, they cannot deny it's presence either. Sometimes, they may not even realize that their love or desire is strong enough to form a soulmark. But the soul never lies, once a soulmark appears, it confirms that your soul has acknowledged a profound connection and no amount of denial and resistance can undo it.
Baek Cheon has also developed a soulmark, and he is well aware that it's not platonic. He has already acknowledged his attraction towards Chung Myung and recently he's come to realize that his feelings have blossomed into romantic love.
But he can't fathom the possibility of Chung Myung reciprocating his feelings, making the prospect of confessing his love a daunting and nerve-wracking experience. He is terrified of Chung Myung's wrath and is hundred percent sure that if he confesses, Chung Myung will definitely break his head.
Aside from that, he is Chung Myung's sasuk and deputy sect leader of the mount hua sect. Call Baek Cheon crazy or selfish for even thinking about it, but If Chung Myung felt the same, he might be able to justify his feelings But the problem is that his feelings are unwanted, making it inappropriate for someone in his position to harbour such desires for his 10 years younger sajil. So he has decided he has to keep his feelings hidden and he can't indulge in them no matter how much he yearns to express them.
He vowed to never bring it out of his lips, suppressing his emotions so deeply that he wouldn't even allow himself to think about them consciously, and take this secret to his grave. But Sometimes, when he drinks with Chung Myung on the roof or atop a mountain under the moon light, his heart still races, his skin tingles and mind becomes dizzy. However, he blames it on alcohol and pretends to forgets about it the next morning.
Despite his efforts to suppress his emotions, Baek Cheon's love remained unwavering. He could count thousands of reasons not to love Chung Myung, but being a stubborn person, once he made up his mind, he can't change his heart. He could supress his feelings, but he can't stop loving Chung Myung. And the truth was that he didn't want to stop loving him, because deep down he knew that loving some one wasn't wrong. Loving Chung Myung wasn't wrong, and he was prepared to love him silently for the rest of his life until his dying breath.
But his plan backfired. He didn't expect that it was already too late and his suppressed love had becomes so deep that it had developed a soulmark.
Now you might wonder, what's the problem? Soulmate or not if he had already decided to not pursue his love, shouldn't he be able to act like before?
For cultivators and martial artists, Soulmates are serious matter. As soon as a soulmark is developed, their emotions become heightened and their qi becomes unstable. Whenever they can't control their emotions about their soulmate, their qi tries to reach out in a way that their soulmate can sometimes even feel their qi. This causes severe side effects such as qi leakage, qi deviation, unconsciousness, body freezing, and numerous other unforeseen phenomena. Moreover the scarce and intricate nature of soulmarks means their side effects are still unknown. So, Baek Cheon was unaware of what specific side effects his soulmark would manifest, making his situation even more precarious
If love is reciprocated, these side effects will all disappear, but that's not possible for Baek Cheon. And while a soulmark isn't life-threatening, its side effects can never be fully eliminated, and their lingering presence poses a significant hindrance. However, it can still be diminished as long as he can endure and learn to control them, they can be managed.
Therefore, he must not lose his rationality and maintain mental clarity, self control and emotional balance ensuring that his mind remains in full command of his emotions .
See, that's why its a problem- A VERY BIG PROBLEM.
Yesterday night was one of those days when Baek Cheon's heart ached with familiar longing , carving for just a flicker of affection form Chyung Myung, while drinking drinking with him. After drinking he went to sleep feeling a little lonely, thinking tomorrow would be same and that he would be fine in the morning. But he woke up with a burning sensation in his right hand. When he checked, he found a mark like a tattoo, and he immediately recognized it as a soulmark mark.
He was completely bewildered by soulmarks sudden appearance, as he never thought he would ever develop soulmark. He stared at his mark in wonder for a long time. The Mark's design was as wierd as Chung Myung but undeniably beautiful.
While Baek Cheon couldn't claim to be an expert on soulmarks, he had seen his fair share. In Jongnam, he had met an old elder who proudly wore a soulmark of a 'sword surrounded by snowflakes' on his neck, reflecting his obsession with the Twelve Movement Snow Blossom Sword. He had also glimpsed the Shaolin banjang's soulmark peeking out from under his sleeves, though he hadn't gotten a good look. And then there was the Paegun, Jang Ilso. He didn't even want to think about it but During the intense battle at Dragon Fortress and Hangzhou, Jang Ilso's robes were torn, revealing a surprising sight: a large, red 'world' soul mark etched in Chinese hanji on his chest, a constant reminder of his megalomania." As Baek Cheon pondered this, he realized that every person he knew with a soulmark was a little unhinged. And, to his dismay, he was now counted among them - a madman with a soulmark of his own.
His soul marks represents, A moon engulfed in plum blossoms alongside an alcohol bottle and mooncakes between which a small sword with a thin green ribbon wrapped around it in such a way, forming the initials 'CM' when examined closely. A unique blend of elements that seems to capture Chung Myung's essence. And yet, this very detail, too, was one of the problems.
if someone were to see his Soulmark, they would likely assume he is an alcoholic, who loves eating moon cakes under the moonlight, surrounded by plum blossom so much to make it manifested on his skin. It just sound like something a certain punk always do.
Baek Cheon sigh sadly, thinking that even loving him was embarassing. And yet, it was also his fault. The Soulmark also represent his feeling towards Chung Myung. He understood plum blossom as it represents mount hua , by extention, Chung Myung. He cherished their late night drinking sessions under the moon. He always found Chung Myung's cheeky smile, when he was drinking or munching like a total goofball, something very precious and endearing because that was one of few moments when he seemed truly carefree, unburden by the weight of carring mount hua and everyone. Although Baek Cheon deeply admired Chung Myung's sword, he felt that it was only one aspect of Chung Myung. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort whenever Chyung Myung referred himself solely as Mount hua's sword, because to Baek Cheon, Chung Myung is so much more than a sword, he is a precious disciple of mount hua and his sajil. That's why, Although the sword was prominent, its size was small, reflecting the greater importance of Chung Myung's inner strength, courage and heart.
He turns his head towards his window. The sun is already up in the sky shinning brightly, indicating he was already late for the training. But he cannot go yet, as his soulmark is still burning and his emotions are overwhelming him, making it impossible to face Chung Myung.
Knock knock
Suddenly, the sound of the door knocking turns his attention towards it.
"Sahyung, are you there? You're late for training, Chung Myung is really grumpy about it," Baek Sang's voice came from the other side of the door.
"I'm not feeling good today, I think I'm catching a fever or something."
"What? Sahyung, are you okay? Open the door, let me check, then I'll call Soso immediately."
"NOOO! DON'T COME!"
" "
"I mean, it's just a cold nothing to worry about but I don't want to spread it to you so don't come here. And don't disturb Soso, she is traning right now, I will go to medical hall later to take some medicine"
"Ok Sahyung. But please take care of yourself. Call for me if you need anything. I will come to check up on you latter and if I find you didn't go to medical hall, I will release soso after you with needles"
" Oo..ok Sang-ah." Baek cheon smiled every one has become wierd because of that thug.
First, he needed to clam down. His mark is still burning, his heart his beating loudly, goosebumps and tingles are all over his body and he is sweating so much that his cloth has become wet.
He sat cross-legged and started meditating. Focusing on stabilizing and circulating his unstable qi through out his body. His mind keep repeating 'Concentrate on the overwhelming feeling and just accept it as they are without thinking anything.'
After sometime he relaxes and his body temperature ,qi and heart beats become little stable. However, his mark still burns slightly due to accumulation of excess qi at a single point and it will take same time for burning sensation to subside. Although he wore full-sleeved robes, he didn't want to take the chance of accidentally exposing his soulmark. So, he wrapped a white bandage around his mark to conceal it.
However, he knew he wasn't fully recovered and could still become unstable at any moment. He needed more time to stabilize his condition before facing Chyung Myung and the others. With this in mind, he came to the decision and he is now going to meet the Sect Leader.
------------------🌸-----------------
Knock knock
"Sect leader may I come in? This disciple wishes to speak with you"
"Ahh Baek Cheon come in" replyed Un Am
Baek Cheon entered the Sect leader's room. Great Sect Leader Hyun Jong was also present, and he bowed to both of them in greeting.
"Sorry to interrupt, are you discussing something important?"
"No, no, sit down, join us," replied Hyun Jong with a smile. "I'm just brewing some plum tea for your Sect Leader."
Baek Cheon sat down, and Hyun Jong passed him a cup of tea as well. After hesitating for a while, he sipped the tea and said:
"Sect Leader, I think I've hurt myself a little, which is causing my qi to become unstable. Can you..."
"WHATTTT?! are you okay Baek Cheon? Let's go too medical hall immediately "
"No, Great Sect Leader, no need to go there let me call Un Gak and soso here directly to check him"
"Yes you are right and call Tang family lord too if the problem is serious"
Seeing their outburst Baek Cheon started sweating slightly and thought to himself ,'I can't let them observe and diagnose me in my unstable state. I don't know about anyone else, but if Tang family lord gets involved then he will definitely discover my condition.'
Baek Cheon interrupted them and said,
"No no, Sect Leader, Great Sect Leader, it's nothing serious, I swear, it's just that I got a little hurt during traning. if I cultivate for some time my qi will become stable again."
"But it still necessary to check if there's really nothing serious" said Un Am
"Ok then please don't call Soso, you know how she can be with needles when someone is hurt, Un Gak sasuk is ok," Baek Cheon replied, his expression a mix of concern and unease.
They accepted his request ,also sharing the same concerns about Soso and her enthusiastic use of needles. They called for Un Gak who arrived promptly.
After checking Baek Cheon's dantain and qi Un Gak's expression turned grave.
"How did you managed to hurt yourself internally while training to the point that your qi got so unstable?"
"Chung myung" Baek cheon replied while smiling.
"Ahhh..I see. "
"That's explain it."
"If it's Chyung myung then it's possible. "
Replied the three of them simultaneously. Baek cheon felt a little guilty listening to them, but thought to himself, 'I really didn't lie, it's really is because of Chyung Myung's and immediately buried his guilt.
"Is the problem really serious?" Hyun Jong asked, concern etched on his face.
"Actually, it feels a little weird," Un Gak replied, furrowing his brow. "Baek Cheon doesn't seem to be physically injured, but his internal energy is in disarray. His qi is rampaging out of control, causing internal damage. But I still can't understand why his qi became unstable in the first place."
"Actually, during training, I was deeply stimulated and was on the verge of enlightenment, but I got impatient and rushed it, causing my qi to become unstable. Sorry, Sect Leader and Great Sect Leader, this disciple was careless."
"Ah, I see, it's okay I can understand that enlightenment doesn't come every day. But, Baek Cheon, remember that we follow the Tao, and it has its own natural flow. What is meant to come will come, so you don't need to force the process. Let things unfold naturally."
"Yes, Great Sect Leader, I will remember it. But I think I need some closed-door cultivation to stabilize my qi, so please grant me permission." Baek Cheon bowed.
"I also think this is necessary, Sect Leader and Great Sect Leader. We can't stabilize his qi, only he can do it, so closed-door meditation would be best."
"How much time will be needed?" inquired Un Am.
"At least a week to stabilize it," replied Un Gak.
Hearing that, Baek Cheon became a little desperate. No, he needs more time. Every Soul Mark has different side effects, he needs time learn and control it.
"Sect Leader, please grant me at least one month. I believe I can break through and achieve a higher realm," requested Baek Cheon.
"Alright, Baek Cheon, permission granted. But remember, no need to rush, let things unfold naturally."
"I understand, Sect Leader. I will head to the plum blossom Caves immediately and begin my cultivation" Baek Cheon bowed.
------------------🌸-----------------
Chung Myung's push-up rhythm broke, a momentary slip causing the big rock on his back to crash to the ground. The traning ground fell silent, the onlookers collective breath held in suprise at the rare side of Chyung Myung's uncharacteristic fall.
"What are you all gawking at?! Do your training! If any of you fall back even a little, you'll be training double what you did today." Everyone averted their eyes and resumed their training. '"And where is that Sasuk bastard? Does he think he can now bunk training just because he became deputy sect leader?" Chung Myung grumbled.
"I will go check up on him" said Baek Sang, and walked away.
"You all continue your training, I will be back shortly." Chung Myung pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at the disciples, his gaze piercing, as if to say "I'm always watching." All disciples tremble, thinking he has surpassed even Asura.
Upon the mountain's summit, a place stood where the whole Mount Hua could be seen. Near the edge, a grave was covered with grass and small wildflowers.
Chung Myung's mind was a little disarrayed, so he came here to calm himself down. He sat beside the grave, drinking from the bottle of alcohol and gazing out at the scenery spread before him. The wind was blowing slowly, and even though it wasn't that cold, his body shivered slightly. He didn't know what was happening. One second he was training, and the next, he felt goosebumps all over his body, which made him slip. He sensed something strong for just a few moments, but it was gone, and he couldn't figure out what it was, as he had never felt something like this before.
He shifted his gaze towards his left thigh. Since then, his thigh had been tingling slightly, which he found weird, as it generally didn't react much during normal training. Chung Myung folded up his pants to check his thigh, revealing a sight he was all too familiar with. His Soulmark, usually a subtle presence, was now slightly red and throbbing, a sign that something was amiss. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this unexpected development.
------------------🌸-----------------