Chapter 13: Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments (1)
The night I became the disciple of the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon, we held a drinking session for the first time in a long while.
Hae Ak-cheon, in high spirits because he had taken his first disciples, went down the mountain himself to bring back a jar of liquor. He threatened that he wouldn't let us sleep until it was empty.
But to my surprise...
Hae Ak-cheon was a much weaker drinker than I expected.
He hadn't even finished a few cups before he was drunk and acting out.
He rambled on about his heroic deeds from his youth, and then he even started shedding thick tears while talking about the women he had loved and been rejected by.
Usually, a master with deep internal energy can dispel the effects of alcohol.
However, this old man insisted that alcohol was meant to be enjoyed for the intoxication, and his drunken antics made life miserable for us, his disciples.
That was the reality of drinking with a superior.
Occasionally, there were some funny stories mixed in.
And that was the trap.
"Pfft."
"You laughing?"
"!?"
Song Jwa-baek, who had let his guard down and let out a chuckle, was pummeled on the spot.
After waking up with a dark bruise around his eye, he finally came to his senses and began drinking the liquor as if it were poison, his body stiff with tension.
Seeing how he still let his guard down after all that, he still had a long way to go.
*
The next morning.
Hae Ak-cheon, who I thought would be passed out from the alcohol, was nowhere to be seen.
Since he was a man who did whatever he pleased, I didn't think much of it.
Taking advantage of the quiet, I decided to sharpen the Namcheon Iron Sword to soothe its mood.
Shhhk, shhhk!
The rusted parts would likely require a blacksmith's help, but sharpening the edge wasn't a difficult task.
This guy was sulking at first, but now he was enjoying it, his breathing sounding like flared nostrils.
I wanted to tell him to shut up, but I endured it for the greater good.
Creeeak!
Ah, sorry.
My hand slipped for a second while sharpening.
Fortunately, the blade wasn't damaged; it was sturdy, likely because it was forged with cold iron.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?"
I turned my head at the voice from beside me.
Song Jwa-baek, his face swollen from emptying the liquor jar, was staring at me with a scowl.
One of his eyes was bruised like a dark plum. Tsk, tsk.
"Why are you speaking so informally to your Senior Brother?"
At my words, Song Jwa-baek’s lips twitched as he shouted.
"Hey! What do you mean 'Senior Brother'? With such a small gap, we're just fellow disciples."
He hadn't been able to argue yesterday because Hae Ak-cheon was right in front of him.
It seemed he had been feeling wronged all night.
"So, who became a disciple first?"
Whether it's by half an hour or a full day, the one who enters first is the Senior Brother.
What's there to complain about?
"Hey, are you going to be that petty? You owe me your life."
"Ah, a debt?"
"Yeah. You're alive thanks to me, so let's just be fellow disciples."
He really didn't want to call me Senior Brother.
"I suppose that's true."
"Right? Hehe. Then it's settled. You tell the Master."
I gave him a bright smile and said, "Sure. Then call me 'Lord' instead."
"What?"
"We made a bet."
"No, that was basically a draw."
"If the Master hadn't intervened, you'd be crossing the Three Rivers to Heaven by now. You know that, right?"
"Th-that's..."
The Three Rivers to Heaven is the river one crosses on the way to the afterlife in Buddhist tradition.
At my words, he looked like he wanted to grab the back of his neck in frustration.
Since his internal injuries hadn't fully healed yet, his insides were probably boiling.
"But I was ahead in terms of internal energy!"
"Why keep bringing that up so pathetically? Did you lose or not?"
Grind!
He gnashed his teeth in frustration.
Still, seeing as he didn't insist until the end that he had won, he seemed to clearly realize that he would have definitely lost if the situation had continued.
After glaring at me for a long time, Song Jwa-baek muttered while trembling with rage.
"...Brother."
"What?"
"Senior Brother."
"Ah... My ears haven't been great lately, so I didn't hear you. What was that?"
"Argh! I said 'Senior Brother'!"
He let out a roar and then flopped down on the spot, unable to contain his anger.
A chuckle escaped me.
Perhaps we were developing a strange bond.
Even his behavior seemed almost cute now.
To think this guy would become one of the notorious Black-White Twin Ghosts in ten years.
"Dammit. My internal energy was higher..."
He was grumbling, clearly feeling very wronged.
He was probably saying it loud enough for me to hear on purpose.
Song Jwa-baek would have been shocked if he could hear the Lesser Conversation Sword.
Because at that time, I had fought using only half of my Innate True Qi.
If Hae Ak-cheon had intervened just a little later, I would have been forced to go all out by raising the Life Bright Divine Art to the 3rd star.
'Who knows.'
He had nearly twenty years of internal energy, and I had the equivalent of fifteen years of Innate True Qi.
Innate True Qi is a power stronger than ordinary internal energy.
I was pushed back with only half, but if I used it all, wouldn't we be equal or would I be superior?
As the Namcheon Iron Sword said, I was still only at the beginning of the 3rd star.
Up to the 3rd star, it was a matter of time, as it could be achieved through the sheer amount of Innate True Qi and constant refinement without needing great enlightenment.
However, from the 4th star onwards, it was said to be on a completely different level.
From that point, it required an understanding of Qi, so it could take a long time, or it could be shortened depending on one's innate talent.
'I wonder how long it will take to reach the 6th star?'
The realm reached by the Namcheon Sword Guest.
With only the 6th star realm, he had reigned as the hegemon of Yunnan Province.
Although it hadn't been long since I officially started, the Life Bright Divine Art might be one of the top divine arts in the martial world.
'I'll have to work myself to the bone then.'
At the very least, I couldn't let myself tarnish the reputation of the Namcheon Sword Guest.
"Cluck, cluck."
Just then, a familiar voice echoed from the cave entrance.
"You're awake."
Hae Ak-cheon had returned.
Wherever he had been, he looked even more pleased than usual.
"You're a lucky brat."
"Pardon?"
"Let's go."
"What do you mean?"
While I was still confused, Hae Ak-cheon strode over, hoisted me up, tucked me under his arm, and headed out of the cave.
How much longer do I have to keep smelling this man's armpit?
Carrying me like a piece of luggage, Hae Ak-cheon began to descend the mountain instead of going up.
Most people would have been terrified, but by now I was used to it, so I asked in a relaxed voice as if I were riding a horse.
"Master, where exactly are we going?"
"To fix your dantian."
"What?"
Fixing my dantian now?
Is that even possible right away?
*
Before my eyes stood a pavilion with black roof tiles and red pillars.
This was the entrance to the main hall of Six Blood Valley.
It was the place where Bloody Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung, the man in charge of Six Blood Valley, along with his subordinate Great Leaders and official warriors of the Blood Cult, resided.
It had been a long time since I'd been here.
The first and last time I came here was when I was assigned to the Blood Wolf Unit.
The two low-rank warriors guarding the entrance were startled to see the massive Hae Ak-cheon and bowed hastily.
"Blood Tax! Blood Tax! Eternal Blood Tax!"
While they were surprised to see Hae Ak-cheon, they looked at me with questioning eyes.
Well, it was only natural to be curious when a boy in a training disciple's uniform appeared alongside Hae Ak-cheon, one of the Four Venerables.
"Follow me."
"Yes."
I followed Hae Ak-cheon into the pavilion.
As we entered, a wide courtyard and a two-story main hall building came into view.
'Huh?'
In the courtyard, there was an elegant-looking carriage, and around it stood six women with their faces veiled in bamboo hats.
In addition to the women, about twenty mid-level warriors were also standing guard.
Judging by the atmosphere, they didn't seem to be members of the Blood Cult from Six Blood Valley.
Those from Six Blood Valley usually recoiled in fear at the sight of Hae Ak-cheon, but these people didn't recognize him immediately.
Patter, patter, patter!
Just then, someone came running hurriedly from behind the pavilion.
It was Hae Ok-seon, the female Great Leader under the Bloody Unit Leader.
Approaching us using lightness skills, she spoke with a troubled expression.
"Elder! Didn't I tell you that now is a difficult time?"
It seemed Hae Ok-seon had rushed over to stop us from entering the main hall.
At this, Hae Ak-cheon shouted irritably.
"Hmph! What do you mean 'difficult'?"
"Th-that is..."
She hesitated at Hae Ak-cheon's question, unable to say anything.
Her opponent was Hae Ak-cheon, one of the four absolute masters of the Blood Cult.
Although a Great Leader wasn't a low rank, she could never defy him from her position.
"Are you planning to block my path?"
"No, Elder. It's not that, but..."
"Hmph!"
As expected of the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon's reputation.
He was relentless.
Ignoring the distressed woman, Hae Ak-cheon shouted toward the main hall.
"Is the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments inside?"
'!!!'
The Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments?
Only now did the mystery of why Hae Ak-cheon had brought me here unravel.
'It was today!'
The Lesser Conversation Sword seemed to remember my words as well.
'That's right.'
Recalling my past life, they had arrived a little over six months in, so the timing was exact.
If so, the method Hae Ak-cheon mentioned to save my dantian was the same as what I had planned.
I was standing right at the scene I had only heard about through rumors.
"Elder... if you do this, I..."
Rattle!
Just then, the doors to the main hall opened, and two people appeared.
One was the Bloody Unit Leader, Gu Sang-ung, and the other was a woman I had never seen before.
At first glance, she looked like a grim reaper.
Her face was pale to the point of being white, her lips were purple, and her eyes were dark and sharp.
With such a face and dressed entirely in black, most people would have been too startled to even approach her.
As the Lesser Conversation Sword said, she looked to be in her mid-to-late forties.
Yet, perhaps because she had taken good care of herself, her appearance was beautiful despite the eerie vibe.
Thud!
The woman with the cold gaze performed a fist-and-palm salute toward Hae Ak-cheon and spoke.
"It has been a long time, Venerable One."
At her greeting, Hae Ak-cheon let out a chuckle and said, "Cluck, cluck. So you were the VIP? You're still as graceful as ever despite the passing years, Blood Hand Witch."
'Th-the Blood Hand Witch?'
I couldn't help but be shocked upon learning her identity.
Blood Hand Witch Han Baek-ha.
She was one of the Seven Blood Stars of the Blood Cult, ranked sixth as the Sixth Blood Star.
High-ranking officials of the Blood Cult, who were so hard to see in my past life—I had already encountered three of them since my regression.
Knowing her identity, I instinctively tried to show respect.
The moment I was about to bend my knees...
Grab!
Someone grabbed the collar at the back of my neck.
Thanks to that, I couldn't kneel.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The person who grabbed my collar was Hae Ak-cheon.
Hae Ak-cheon looked at me with a dissatisfied expression, shook his head, and said, "Where do you think you're kneeling when I am right beside you?"
"Ah!"
I almost made a mistake for a moment.
Then, the Blood Hand Witch, Han Baek-ha, spoke.
"He was merely showing the etiquette that a training disciple of our cult should naturally possess, so do not scold the child too much."
At her words, Hae Ak-cheon chuckled and said, "Scold him? Are you telling me to let my own disciple show respect to someone lower than me while his master is standing right here?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, the courtyard in front of the main hall fell silent in an instant.
Everyone was staring at me with shocked eyes.
Even the Blood Hand Witch, Han Baek-ha, who looked like her expression would never change, slightly furrowed her fine brow and muttered.
"The Venerable One... has taken a disciple?"
Ah...
Unexpectedly, this had become the place where it was publicly announced.
That I was the first disciple ever taken by the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon, one of the Four Venerables.
The Lesser Conversation Sword chattered.