Chapter 351

Waiting was nerve-racking, and time crawled by.

If I had been one of the countless twenty-somethings living in twenty-first-century Korea, I might have been half a wreck by now.

After all, I would have had to endure ten days in a gloomy underground prison without a smartphone or Wi-Fi.

But I had something those ordinary twenty-somethings didn’t.

Martial arts.

System

• Successfully completed Circulate Qi!
• Internal energy rises slightly!

“Phew.”

I slowly drew a deep breath and gathered the qi inside me.

While I’d been circulating my qi, Cheongpung—standing guard, my ass; he’d been snoring away beside me—blearily opened his eyes.

“Oh, are you finished?”

“Phewww.”

“Benefactor?”

“Phewwwww.”

“Benefactor, are you hurt?”

“……”

Why did this guy keep ruining my concentration?

He looked ready to keep asking until I answered, so I reluctantly replied.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Why not?”

“I’ll lose qi.”

There was a reason gym rats constantly went on about losing muscle.

Finishing circulating my qi didn’t mean I could simply get up the instant it ended. I also needed time to gather my qi, savor the afterglow, and meditate.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Come on. You know all this, don’t you?”

Cheongpung scratched the back of his head.

“I didn’t know there was anything like that…”

“Huh? Then what have you been doing all this time?”

“I just got up and went out to play when I finished.”

“From the very beginning?”

“Yes.”

“……Did Great Hero Mae Jonghak never teach you?”

“Grandpa said that no matter how much dust you gathered, all you’d have was a pile of dust. He said it was more important to spend that time doing whatever I wanted. Apparently, those experiences might eventually provide a clue to enlightenment.”

Was this some kind of YOLO cultivation method?

The more stories like this I heard, the more certain I became that Sword Saint Mae Jonghak was an eccentric.

No, wait.

That guy has more internal energy than I do.

I currently possessed just over a hundred years of internal energy.

That put me far above my peers; it was the kind of level someone could reach only if a prestigious great sect on the level of the Nine Sects and One Gang¹ committed itself to supporting them.

And I had only managed it because I’d obtained the Blazing Flame Divine Pill and stumbled into various other fortuitous encounters while repeatedly surviving life-or-death situations in the Murim.

So how did Cheongpung have more internal energy than me?

“Elixirs! You ate Huashan’s elixirs!”

Cheongpung’s official sponsors were none other than the Sword Saint and Huashan. If he’d received their help, it wasn’t impossible.

But Cheongpung’s answer to my entirely reasonable suspicion was simple.

“No, I didn’t. Grandpa doesn’t like people coming to visit him.”

“Oh, right. Then how did you build up that much internal energy?”

Cheongpung thought for a moment before answering.

“It just sort of accumulated on its own.”

“……”

“Oh, and when I was little, I often had my sinews cleansed and my marrow washed.² Hehe.”

What the hell? Why was he talking about cleansing the sinews and washing the marrow as if he were merely washing his face?

I stared blankly at Cheongpung as he smiled awkwardly.

This guy really was born a protagonist.

Natural talent and fortuitous encounters. Everything came so naturally to him that he took it all for granted.

The phrase I just did it, and it worked might as well have been invented for Cheongpung.

“What a rotten world.”

“Benefactor, what is?”

“Nothing. Just something.”

“Yes.”

My chest had already felt stifled lately. Now it felt as though someone had piled another hundred sweet potatoes³ on top of it.

I’d run into the so-called “wall” that Murim warriors often spoke of, and I had been thinking about asking Cheongpung for advice…

But there’s no point asking him.

I had just let out a quiet sigh when—

Grrrrrind.

“……Huh?”

“……Benefactor?”

A heavy scraping sound bored into my ears. Cheongpung stared past my shoulder, his eyes wide, and my heart sank before beginning to pound.

No way. No way.

It’s only been ten days.

I slowly turned my head. At the far end of the corridor, an iron door was slowly opening, filling my entire field of vision.

When two people finally emerged, I asked in a trembling voice,

“How…… did it go?”

There was no answer.

But that was enough.

The Divine Physician and Mungyeong—the exhausted master and Disciple—were looking at me with radiant smiles.

Smiles bright enough to illuminate the dark underground prison.

“The treatment was a success. There were several difficult moments along the way, but we managed to overcome them safely and finish the treatment sooner than expected…”

The Divine Physician continued speaking, but his voice sounded as though it were coming from far away. Only his first words kept echoing in my ears.

The treatment was a success.

Yes, it had ended successfully. I’d heard the words I wanted to hear more than anything, and that was enough.

Old Master.

Without realizing it, I tightened my grip on Jeok Cheongang’s hand.

He still lay there with his eyes closed, perhaps not yet ready to regain consciousness. But I could feel it clearly.

His vitality has returned.

That wasn’t all. Jeok Cheongang’s appearance had changed considerably over the past ten days. His age spots had vanished, his wrinkled skin had grown taut, and flesh had returned to the body that had been wasting away by the day.

Compared to before, he looked a good ten years younger. No, perhaps twenty.

“Could it be…?”

My voice trailed off as I looked at the Divine Physician.

Noticing the question in my eyes, he smiled faintly.

“Unfortunately, it is not Bone Transformation. However, the medicinal ingredients used during the treatment and the energy of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng greatly benefited Sir Jeok.”

“Oh, I see.”

Disappointment and joy washed over me at the same time.

It would have been wonderful if he had used this treatment as an opportunity to advance to an even higher realm, but perhaps I had expected too much for a moment.

“You seem disappointed.”

“Oh, no.”

Startled, I quickly waved my hands. These two had successfully completed the difficult treatment without a single complaint. It would have been rude to look disappointed.

“I was only…”

“Heh heh. I did not mean to blame you. How could I not understand Young Master Jin’s feelings for his Master? Is that not right?”

“Of course. You are absolutely right, Master.”

Mungyeong answered politely, then continued speaking to me.

“Sir Jeok will regain consciousness within three days at the latest. The treatment has only just ended, so his qi needs time to settle properly. You need not worry too much.”

“Three days at the latest.”

“Yes. Of course, even after he awakens, he must avoid exerting himself too heavily for a while. Sir Jeok is renowned throughout the Murim, so he should recover quickly.”

“I’m sure he will. He’s always been overflowing with energy. Then, does that mean everything really is…”

“Yes.”

Mungyeong smiled and nodded.

“The Yin and Yang have regained their balance, and no Formless Ultimate Poison remains. The treatment is over.”

“……Phew.”

I released the breath I’d been holding. All the strength drained from my body, leaving me with the strange sensation that I was floating.

How long had I waited to hear those words?

When my legs gave out and I slumped to the floor, the Divine Physician spoke with a mischievous expression.

“It seems this old quack was not very trustworthy to you, Young Master Jin.”

“N-no, it wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, Old Man Dong. It was just… You know how it is. Cheongpung knows what I mean, right?”

“I don’t!”

“……Never mind. My mistake for asking you.”

The Divine Physician laughed even louder.

He watched us fondly, as though enjoying his grandchildren’s antics, then patted me on the shoulder.

“Everything is fine now. This old man will remain here as a precaution, so put any worries you still have away for good.”

“What?”

The Divine Physician saw my expression and hurriedly waved his hands.

“There is no need to make that expression. I am only staying to watch the patient awaken after treatment.”

“Phew, you scared me. You should have led with that.”

I had thought there was something else left to worry about.

Mungyeong grinned at his flustered Master, then spoke.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think I should leave now.”

His sudden announcement startled me.

“What? Already?”

“Yes. Venerable Myoryeong should have regained consciousness by now, so I would like to go check on her.”

“You must be tired. Stay and rest for a while.”

“No, it is fine. I hardly did anything anyway. If I still have energy to spare, then as the younger one—even if only by a year—I should be the one to go. Isn’t that right, Master?”

“You little rascal!”

“Hahaha.”

I was worried about him, but it seemed they had already settled the matter between themselves.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Mungyeong slung his travel pack over his shoulder. Watching him, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

“Mungyeong.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. Truly.”

Mungyeong gazed at me for a moment, and a smile touched his lips.

“That is the finest praise a medical apprentice could receive.”

“Family Head, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi requests an audience.”

Ssssss.

At the voice from outside the door, the snow-white snake slipped back into Tang Sadok’s robes.

Tang Sadok frowned at the interruption to one of the few peaceful moments in his day.

“Jin Taekyung, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“For what reason?”

“He says the treatment is over. And…”

The guard continued, confusion evident in his voice.

“He said he would like to keep using the item he borrowed for a few more days.”

“The item he borrowed.”

“Yes. Those were his exact words. He also asked to remain in the underground prison for a few more days.”

It was an indirect way of referring to the Myriad-Poison Ring. Tang Sadok let out a short laugh and muttered,

“What a brazen brat…”

“Pardon?”

“I was not speaking to you. Pay it no mind. Tell Jin Taekyung I give him permission, and continue watching him.”

“Yes, Family Head.”

Tang Sadok listened to the guard’s footsteps fade away and tapped the table.

He was neither a Great Hero of Benevolence and Righteousness who helped others without seeking anything in return nor a chivalrous hero who could not tolerate injustice.

He had lent Jin Taekyung the clan’s sacred treasure as part of their bargain, but it was only natural that he would continue keeping a close watch on him.

I am the Family Head of the great Sichuan Tang Clan. I trust no one.

One shichen⁴ earlier, even the young medical apprentice attempting to leave the clan had been thoroughly searched and questioned.

They had only allowed him to leave because his identity was guaranteed. Had he been a Disciple of some ordinary lesser sect, he would not have been permitted to take a single step outside.

In any case, the Fire King’s successful treatment is good news. The Divine Physician truly lives up to his name.

Tang Sadok had already heard from his late father that Fire King Jeok Cheongang was an exceedingly eccentric old man.

He had also heard that Jeok Cheongang was so proud that he would repay any gratitude or grudge he incurred, no matter what it took.

You bastard…… your days are numbered.

A green glint flashed through Tang Sadok’s eyes.

The murderer who had killed his father and the Heaven-Shaking Venerable Nun was definitely said to be one-armed. That was not especially rare in the Murim, but it was not a feature one saw every day, either.

A maimed man stood out wherever he went.

Run. Run wherever you can. The Sichuan Murim will hunt you until the day you breathe your last.

Grind.

Tang Sadok was quietly grinding his teeth when—

“Uncle!”

With an urgent shout, the pavilion doors flew open. Tang Sadok’s face twisted at the same instant.

It wasn’t the Master of the Gatekeeper Pavilion’s unannounced intrusion that disturbed him, but the martial artist standing beside the man.

His green martial uniform was torn and covered in blood, and the words Tang Family were embroidered across it.

“You…”

There was no mistaking it.

He was a member of the Green Shadow Squad.

A member of the Green Shadow Squad who should never have appeared here in such a state.

Facing the rigid Tang Sadok, the Green Shadow Squad martial artist cried out, blood choking his voice.

“They—they’re coming!”