Chapter 351

Waiting was nerve-racking, and time passed slowly.

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

I would have had to survive ten days in a dark underground prison without a smartphone or Wi-Fi.

But I had something 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 was 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?”

“Phewww.”

“Benefactor, are you hurt?”

“……”

Why did this guy keep ruining my concentration?

He looked ready to keep asking questions 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 chanted about losing muscle.

Finishing circulating my qi didn’t mean I could simply get up the moment the process ended. I also needed time to gather the 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 how have you been doing it until now?”

“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 even if you gathered dust, all you’d have in the end was dust. He said it was more important to do what you wanted with that time. Apparently, things like that eventually become the starting point for enlightenment.”

Was this some kind of YOLO cultivation method?

The more I heard stories like this, the more certain I became that Sword Saint Mae Jonghak was definitely 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 Gang committed itself to supporting them.

And I had only managed that because I had gained the Blazing Flame Divine Pill and 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 had received their help, it wasn’t impossible.

But Cheongpung’s answer to my 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 about it for a while before opening his mouth.

“It just sort of accumulated on its own.”

“……”

“Oh, and when I was little, I often had my sinews cleansed and marrow washed. 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 naturally to him, as if it were all perfectly normal.

I almost felt that the phrase I just did it and it worked had been invented specifically for Cheongpung.

“What a rotten world.”

“Benefactor, what is?”

“Nothing. Just something.”

“Yes.”

As if my chest hadn’t already been feeling stifled lately, it now felt like someone had piled a hundred sweet potatoes on top of it.

I had reached the wall that Murim warriors often talked about, and I had been thinking about asking Cheongpung for advice.

But there’s no point asking him.

That was when I let out a small sigh.

Grrrrrind.

“……Huh?”

“……Benefactor?”

A heavy scraping sound bored into my ears. Cheongpung stared past my shoulder with his eyes opened wide, and my heart sank as it began 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 appeared, 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.

They were bright enough to light up the dark underground prison.

“The treatment was a success. We encountered several difficult moments along the way, but we managed to get through them safely, and we finished the treatment sooner than expected…”

The Divine Physician’s voice continued, but it sounded as though it were coming from far away. Only one sentence kept echoing in my ears.

The treatment was a success.

Yes, the treatment had ended successfully. I had heard the words I had 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. The age spots had vanished, his wrinkled skin had tightened, and flesh had returned to his body, which had been growing thinner 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 were a great help to 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.”

I was startled and quickly waved my hands. These two men had successfully completed the difficult treatment without a single complaint. It would have been rude to show such an expression.

“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. Your words 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 he needs time for his qi to settle properly. You need not worry too much.”

“Three days at the latest.”

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

“He should. He has an abundance of energy, after all. 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 finally let out the breath I had been holding. A feeling of exhaustion washed over me, as if all the energy had drained from my body, followed by the sensation of floating weightlessly.

How long had I waited to hear that answer?

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, one of those things. Young Hero Cheongpung knows what I mean, right?”

“I don’t know!”

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

The Divine Physician’s laughter grew louder.

He looked at us with a fond expression, as though he were watching his grandchildren put on a show, then patted me on the shoulder.

“Everything is fine now. This old man will remain here just in case. So if you have any remaining worries, put them away for good.”

“What?”

When he saw my face, the Divine Physician 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 said that from the beginning.”

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

Mungyeong, who had been grinning at his momentarily flustered Master, spoke up.

“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 did not do very much, anyway. If I still have energy to spare, then I, as the younger one—even if only by a year—should be the one to go. Isn’t that right, Master?”

“You little rascal!”

“Hahaha.”

I was worried about him, but it seemed their decision had already been made.

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 formed at the corners of his mouth.

“That is the finest thing a medical apprentice can hear.”

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

Ssssss.

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

Tang Sadok frowned when one of the few peaceful moments in his day was interrupted.

“Jin Taekyung, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“For what reason?”

“He says the treatment is over. And…”

The guard’s voice continued, filled with confusion.

“He said he would like to use 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.”

As he sensed the guard’s footsteps fading away, Tang Sadok tapped the table.

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

He had lent Jin Taekyung the clan’s sacred heirloom through a bargain, but it was only natural for him to continue keeping a close watch on Taekyung.

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

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

The only reason they had let him go was that his identity was guaranteed. If he had been a Disciple of some ordinary lesser sect, he would not have been allowed to take even a single step outside.

In any case, the Fire King’s successful treatment is good news. The Divine Physician really is something.

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

He also knew that Jeok Cheongang’s pride was so strong that he would repay any gratitude or grudge he incurred, no matter what it took.

You bastard…… your life is almost over.

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 physical disability stood out anywhere.

Run. Try running wherever you can. The Sichuan Murim will chase you until the day your breath stops.

Grind.

Tang Sadok was quietly grinding his teeth when—

“Uncle!”

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

It was not the sudden intrusion of the Master of the Gatekeeper Pavilion that caused his expression to change, but the martial artist standing beside him.

The green martial uniform was torn and stained with blood from top to bottom. The two characters meaning Tang Family had been embroidered into it with thread.

“You…”

There was no doubt.

It was a member of the Green Shadow Squad.

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

Facing Tang Sadok’s rigid expression, the Green Shadow Squad martial artist cried out in a voice choked with blood.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!”