Chapter 16: Position Exam (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: Position Exam (1)
My mind went blank at the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments’ unexpected words.
Until recently, my Dantian had definitely been damaged. To hear that it was suddenly perfectly fine left me speechless.
“You didn’t know, I see. Well, I suppose that’s why you asked me to treat it.”
The Divine Healer chuckled, seemingly amused by my reaction. He reached toward my abdomen, just below the navel, and suddenly pinched the area firmly.
Grip!
“...What are you doing?”
“This is where the Dantian is located.”
“........”
“You might not realize it, but when I grip it like this, there’s a sense of foreignness, as if small insects are crawling there.”
“A sense of foreignness?”
“Those are the fragments from when your Dantian was destroyed.”
“Ah...”
He was saying that traces of the rupture remained.
“However, inside, there is a tiny spark of Essence, like an ember reviving within a dying campfire. It is truly a rare occurrence for a Dantian to resuscitate itself.”
“Does that mean my Dantian healed on its own?”
“As of now, that is the only possible conclusion.”
This was something even I hadn’t dared to hope for—no, I hadn’t even imagined it. The Dantian that wouldn't heal no matter what I tried before my regression had now mended itself.
The Lesser Conversation Sword and the Namcheon Iron Sword seemed even happier than I was.
“You said it was rare. Have there been other cases like mine?”
“It is rare enough to be called one in a thousand—no, one in ten thousand. Most people give up the moment their Dantian is destroyed, so such cases are hardly ever seen.”
It seemed this wasn't a common sight even for the Divine Healer of Ten Thousand Ailments. Having said his piece, he placed the Sect Token back on the table.
“Since I performed no treatment, this token is still yours. Take it.”
He was a man of clear boundaries. If everyone in the world were like him, trust would be a far more common commodity.
Regardless, this was a stroke of incredible luck for me. In practice, this was no different from obtaining two of the Divine Healer’s tokens. Even if I had managed to get two, one would have been spent on healing my Dantian anyway.
‘Exactly.’
The Divine Healer’s Sect Token was essentially the ultimate trump card. I put my shirt back on and offered a fist-and-palm salute to express my gratitude.
“What is there to thank me for? I did nothing.”
Though he spoke dismissively, a faint smile played on his lips, as if my politeness pleased him. Maintaining a good relationship with the Divine Healer could only be beneficial for me.
*
After confirming that my Dantian was intact, I left the main hall and made my way back to Haeakcheon’s residence.
I had asked one favor of the Divine Healer: not to tell anyone that my Dantian had healed on its own.
The Divine Healer had clicked his tongue, having seen through my intentions immediately. Fortunately, he told me not to worry, as he never spoke to anyone about the patients he treated. Since Haeakcheon might covet the Divine Healer’s token if he knew the truth, it was better for me to keep it a secret.
The Lesser Conversation Sword was curious, and frankly, so was I. However, I did have a suspicion.
‘Do you remember how the wound on my foot healed after I circulated my energy under the frozen waterfall?’
The Human-Faced Snake’s sharp fangs had pierced right through my foot. Yet, it had healed completely. In that short span of time, my body’s recovery ability had spiked enough to grow new flesh. My Dantian might have healed then as well.
To be honest, I was very grateful. If it hadn't attacked me, none of this would have happened.
At the Lesser Conversation Sword’s question, the Namcheon Iron Sword finally spoke.
‘A concern?’
‘And?’
Ah... Come to think of it, the very first term written in the oral formula of the Innate Heart Method was Self-Sealing Internal Art. I think I understood what the Namcheon Iron Sword was worried about. It weighed on my mind as well.
Was it possible for Innate True Qi and Internal Energy—that is, the Middle Dantian and the Lower Dantian—to coexist? I couldn't give a definitive answer since I hadn't accumulated Internal Energy in my Dantian yet, but the point was valid.
As the Namcheon Iron Sword said, I definitely needed to be careful. There would be no greater misfortune than learning Internal Energy only for it to negatively affect my Innate True Qi.
On the other hand, if they didn't interfere with each other, I would possess two types of Essence, unlike other martial artists. I hoped for the latter.
Before long, I arrived at Haeakcheon’s cave residence.
‘Huh?’
As I climbed the cliff, I heard voices coming from inside the cave.
“I hope the Venerable One will lend his strength...”
“Wait!”
The voice cut off abruptly. The one who said "wait" was definitely Haeakcheon, but the voice I heard before that sounded familiar.
Just then, two people walked out of the cave. It was Haeakcheon and Young Lady Ha Yeon.
I had suspected as much, and it was indeed her. Seeing as there were no other presences nearby, the twin brothers seemed to be training at the summit of the peak.
Haeakcheon spoke to me.
“I wondered who it was, and it’s you. Why are you back so soon? Did something go wrong?”
He fired off questions in rapid succession. It felt like he was intentionally changing the subject in case I had overheard something. A master of his caliber would have surely recognized my presence.
What did she mean by "lend his strength"? It seemed related to the fact that the Blood Hand Witch intended to ask Haeakcheon for a favor.
“Why aren't you answering?”
“It’s nothing. The Divine Healer is truly as great as they say.”
That one sentence summarized everything. Haeakcheon’s stiff expression immediately brightened.
“Bwahahahaha! Of course! If he holds the title of Divine Healer, that’s the least he should be able to do.”
“Congratulations, Young Master,” Ha Yeon said with a beaming smile. She seemed genuinely happy for me.
“Right. How long did he say it would take to fully recover? Even for him, fully mending a Dantian should take quite some time.”
The old man was as sharp as ever. Fortunately, I had prepared an answer on my way up.
“The Divine Healer performed a procedure and said that if I recuperate for about fifteen days using the method he taught me, my Dantian will be fully restored.”
“Fifteen days? Bwahahaha! He is a Divine Healer indeed.”
Fortunately, he didn't seem suspicious. In fact, he looked satisfied, perhaps thinking the duration was shorter than he had expected. In hindsight, I might have been overly sensitive. I felt guilty because of the Sect Token.
“Good. However, I am currently in the middle of a conversation with... the Young Lady, so you go up and train with your junior brothers...”
“No, Venerable One,” Ha Yeon said, shaking her head. “Since the Young Master has returned, I shall take my leave now.”
“No, you don't have to...”
“It is fine. I have already delivered everything I needed to say.”
She then offered a polite fist-and-palm salute and bowed her head. Haeakcheon’s face crumpled into a grimace, unable to hide his awkwardness at her gesture.
‘...She revealed her identity.’
I could tell just by Haeakcheon’s changed attitude. Not long ago, hadn't he referred to her as "that fat girl"? To think she came all this way and even revealed her identity. Was it related to the woman with red eyes I saw earlier?
“Please, give it deep thought.”
“Hmph...”
With those final words, she gave me a slight nod and began her descent down the cliff. Despite her build, her movements as she scaled down the rock face were as light as a feather. Her Body Lightening Method was as exceptional as Haeakcheon’s own secret technique.
“Whew.”
Haeakcheon let out a sigh that sounded almost like a groan as he watched her figure recede. He didn't seem like the type to agonize over things, but he looked quite different from his usual self.
Once he confirmed her figure had completely vanished, Haeakcheon turned to me and asked, “How much did you hear?”
“Pardon?”
When I asked back, Haeakcheon spoke in an irritated voice.
“Don't play dumb with me.”
Was he trying to check how much I’d overheard? But I really hadn't heard much. He had cut her off at the perfect moment.
“I only heard her say, ‘I hope the Venerable One will lend his strength...’ and then Master saying ‘Wait.’”
There was no point in lying, so I told him the truth. I wondered how he would react, but Haeakcheon simply sat down on the edge of the cliff. He had a lot of nerve, sitting right in front of a sheer drop like that.
“This has become troublesome. Truly troublesome.”
Haeakcheon muttered as if venting to the snow-covered peaks. What was so troublesome? Was he talking about the request from Ha Yeon—no, the granddaughter of the Blood Cult Leader?
After repeating the same words several times as if in lament, Haeakcheon spoke to me.
“Did you see her at the main hall?”
“...By 'her,' do you mean the woman with the red eyes?”
“Red eyes? Hmph. Has she already reached that level?”
Haeakcheon clicked his tongue. Judging by his mention of "level," were those eyes related to her martial arts? Haeakcheon, who had been staring at the mountains, turned his head toward me.
“You truly have a strange fate.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“To have seen not just one, but both of them.”
‘Both?’
Haeakcheon’s words confirmed my suspicion. That red-eyed woman was definitely related to the Blood Cult Leader as well. And she looked so much like Ha Yeon.
It would be suspicious if I acted like I knew too much, so I decided to play along.
“What do you mean, I’ve seen both of them?”
Instead of answering my question, Haeakcheon muttered to himself again.
“That woman was right. I have to make a choice.”
I finally understood why he was acting this way. Haeakcheon was likely agonizing over which of the two women to support. No, judging by his usual tone, he shouldn't have cared at all, but the fact that he was contemplating this with such sighs suggested Ha Yeon’s influence.
Haeakcheon, his face twisted in deep thought, finally spoke.
“Once, that person was strong enough to be called the pinnacle of the Evil Faction, beyond just the Blood Cult.”
By "that person," did he mean the Blood Cult Leader?
“He was as relentless as a fierce storm. I thought that with him, the dream of unifying the Murim was not impossible. But no matter how strong one is, like a straight bamboo, one is bound to break when too much force gathers against them. That person was no exception.”
“........”
“After experiencing that, everything felt futile.”
His voice was hollow. It was a side of him completely different from his usual eccentric and irritable self.
“While others were talking about reconstruction and revenge, trying to expand their influence to revive the Cult, even that felt meaningless to me. Hehe.”
Haeakcheon stood up. He continued speaking while standing precariously on the edge of the cliff.
“So I cast everything aside and wandered around doing useless things. I told myself I would spend the rest of my life finishing the things I hadn't achieved.”
He was likely referring to his revenge match against the Namcheon Sword Guest. I had always thought of him as just a cranky, mad old man known as "Bizarre," but hearing his story now, that didn't seem to be the whole truth. He had his own reasons.
“But you see, I intended to live out my days like that, but the seeds that person left behind are growing tenaciously like weeds, and now they are about to bloom.”
Those "flowers" must be Ha Yeon and the red-eyed woman. The last remaining bloodline of the Blood Cult Leader. The women who were to become the next focal points of the Blood Cult.
Step!
Haeakcheon turned around and strode toward me. His eyes, which had looked disillusioned just moments ago, were now sharp and clear. The giant of a man looked down at me and spoke.
“What would you do in my position?”
Looking at his eyes, he had already made his decision. I didn't know what that decision was, but was he testing me by asking such a question? I thought it best to give him my honest opinion.
“If you intend to just watch the flowers bloom, then it is right to leave them be as you said. But if not, shouldn't you prepare fertilizer to help them bloom?”
Haeakcheon’s eyes narrowed at my words. Then, he suddenly burst into a mad laughter.
“Prepare fertilizer? Bwahahahaha!”
After laughing like a madman for a long time, he stopped abruptly. Then, he whispered as if to himself.
“Yes. Whichever flower I choose, I’ll need fertilizer to spread.”
It didn't seem like he had chosen one over the other yet. His words suggested his heart was with both of them. Haeakcheon spoke to me in a meaningful tone.
“I must grow my power.”
‘!!!’
It was a simple sentence, but its implications were enormous. Unlike the other Four Lords or Seven Blood Stars, the "Bizarre" Haeakcheon, who had always acted alone without building a faction, had just declared he would cultivate his own independent force.
This meant the history of the Bizarre Haeakcheon I knew was about to change.
“From now on, you lot will have much to do. Hehe.”
“By 'much to do,' you mean...”
As I looked at him in confusion, the corners of Haeakcheon’s mouth curled up.
“There are roughly six months left. Become a Great Leader within that time.”
Six months?
Come to think of it, six months from now was the day of the training disciples' first position exam and assignment of duties.