Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Martial Arts (2)
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“Why did he do that?”
I had asked about Soyul once.
“I don’t know.”
That was Oho’s answer.
He thought it was the right one.
Soyul was a Paeng too. Having grown up in one of the Six Great Clans, in this era of the martial world, his birth alone meant half the battle was won. If he’d lived in poverty, he wouldn’t even worry about it. It’s because he had so much. Kids who chased only the heights from a young age always ended up broken somewhere. Like Soyul. Probably himself too. Maybe even Oho. And of course, Danmun to some degree.
Let’s just live moderately.
Cheonwi lived without any goals.
Who knew about Oho. He’d excel at anything he did.
Danmun had declared he wanted to become the world’s greatest fiend. The son of the clan head, and a madman to boot.
People were sly.
Whether Cheonwi himself truly counted as a person was another question.
The black witch. Lucia. Lu.
After meeting her, he realized he could grow stronger too.
Circumstances changed one’s way of life.
Something had to give.
He’d known about the Unnamed Blade for a long time.
It hadn’t stirred much in him.
Because even perfected, it wouldn’t be his.
As he delved into the Unnamed Blade, he saw Oho and Danmun anew.
They possessed dazzling talent.
Refining the Unnamed Blade alongside them just might reveal a path forward for him too.
He’d used the grandiose phrase “Central Plains Greatest Sword.”
The problem was their pace of progress.
Restoring the Espionage Squad variant aptitude diagram hadn’t actually been that difficult. Both of them had exceptional senses.
What they lacked was internal energy. Unlike other issues, that was something no amount of short-term effort could fix.
The gap in combat prowess between the Espionage Squad and Heaven-Destroying Squad stemmed ultimately from internal energy cultivation.
The Espionage Squad wasted far too much time on miscellaneous tasks.
The errands dragging Oho and Danmun around were, in the end, those kinds of trivial duties.
The Heaven-Destroying Squad, by contrast, was a dedicated combat unit, so training time was fully guaranteed. Individuals could even apply for periods of secluded cultivation if they wished.
That was exactly what Oho and Danmun needed.
Or something that could shorten their training time.
That must have been why.
The reason Cheonwi—who’d flipped day and night—had that dream when the sun hung high in the sky.
As his sealed memories vividly unlocked, Cheonwi saw the past in his dream.
“Why isn’t it working?”
“I’m not sure. Who could know?”
“Your answer’s so irresponsible.”
“…….”
“Right. There’s no precedent. But I didn’t bring you here just to say you don’t know, did I?”
“I’ll examine it more carefully.”
“Forget it. Seems pointless.”
“No, but young lady.”
“He’s my flesh and blood, born from my womb. You can’t just drain him dry.”
“His blood more than doubled the efficacy of the Dream Awakening Pill. It’s not a guess—his blood has special properties. It doesn’t just boost internal energy; bleeding stops with mere pills, and lacerations heal in half a double-hour. There must be something unique in your son’s blood too...”
“It lost potency because he’s a mongrel mixed with my blood. That’s what you’re getting at, right?”
“Young lady, that’s not what I meant.”
“His blood’s too diluted to be of use.”
“No, young lady. We’ve already confirmed your son’s regenerative ability, which means his body possesses...”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear it.”
She cut him off.
“We need pure blood. Find their kin.”
“You don’t even know what clan they are or what they’re called. No need to search far...”
“So you want to keep using my son as an ingredient?”
“That’s not my intent...”
“Want to die?”
Her single word froze everything.
Even the child lying there flinched and stiffened.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Don’t lie. Everyone knows why you earned the title Mad Physician.”
“I’ll always, always watch my words.”
“See that you do. Your very presence in the Paeng Clan is a taboo. Don’t forget you’re staking your life on this job. And I hear there’s been some other progress?”
“Yes? No, what...”
“Seok Physician.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we cut off a leg and talk?”
The physician broke out in a drenching sweat, despite the cool night.
“It’s still too tentative to call an achievement...”
“Seok Physician. Seok Physician? Pull yourself together.”
She snapped her fingers, prodding the Mad Physician Seok Jeong.
“You’ll really die at this rate. The Espionage Squad has eyes on you at all times.”
“Ah, I know. But we’ve only confirmed a bit of internal energy enhancement, with no other effects...”
“The Water Star Pill, right?”
The physician squeezed his eyes shut.
The Paeng Clan knew everything.
Nothing could be hidden.
“A universal healing pill with internal energy boosting? And that’s not progress?”
“Well, it requires a lot of blood...”
“How much?”
“Nearly all from two blood draws, just to make...”
“The formula?”
“No real formula. The Water Star Pill is a dried pill, so it absorbs blood readily.”
“Stumbled onto it?”
“Y-Yes, exactly.”
“Seok Physician.”
“Yes.”
“Record the Water Star Pill as a failure.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“But...”
“Side effects or whatever—conclude it’s unusable!”
“Ah, understood, young lady.”
“Thuno.”
“Yes.”
“Record it that way in the Espionage Squad logs too.”
“The Espionage Squad logs are their domain.”
*Ching.*
She flicked her thumb against her saber sheath.
The three-inch drawn black gold blade glimmered with candlelight on its edge.
“Why is everyone so dense with words today?”
If it came fully out, he’d really die.
Thuno bowed his head.
“I’ll see to it.”
She raged like a beast.
“If those old fogies at Wa Emperor Pavilion found out, would any of the kid’s blood be left? He’s my son! Every drop of blood, every bone fragment is mine!”
The Mad Physician Seok Jeong went pale, dripping cold sweat.
They called her the Evil Flower.
The Flower Tiger too.
The Paeng Clan’s secret tiger killed without hesitation.
Survival demanded absolute submission.
“Get out.”
No words could have been sweeter. The Mad Physician Seok Jeong hurriedly withdrew.
Everything went dark.
Cheonwi awoke from the dream.
‘Water Star Pill...!’
He had boasted to Oho and Danmun.
Internal energy was no issue. He could raise it.
Deep in his subconscious, he’d already known.
This was it.
Oho and Danmun entered the cave.
Aptitude diagram sparring day.
Starting today.
Cheonwi spoke.
“Don’t stop your blades. Cut and thrust for real.”
“What?”
Oho’s eyes widened.
“Keep your limbs intact. Moderate saber wounds are allowed.”
“Sounds good.”
Danmun grinned.
Their reactions differed, but the sparring was equally ferocious.
Blood sprayed in the dark cave.
* * *
“We request Water Star Pills.”
Oho and Danmun stood before Paeng Jun-ui.
“You two fight?”
Paeng Jun-ui frowned, his affable face creasing.
Oho and Danmun stood side by side, wrapped in bandages.
Not just one spot. Oho even had a wound on the nape of his neck.
“It was sparring.”
“What kind of sparring leaves you like that?”
“We’re intact.”
Danmun replied.
Paeng Jun-ui frowned again, clearly displeased with the answer.
“Our branch doesn’t have many Water Star Pills. Don’t you think it’s a waste to use them on your sparring, and not even against enemy forces?”
His friendly look was only skin deep, as expected.
Paeng Jun-ui was as prickly as anticipated.
Oho spoke the words Cheonwi had given him.
“The manor you mentioned—I’ll secure it within a fortnight.”
“A fortnight?”
“Yes.”
“Trading Water Star Pills for that?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s the mission I assigned you. I could demand it done in a fortnight even without your deadline. No deal to be made.”
“Then, that plus wiping out Haiu Sect.”
“Both in a fortnight?”
“Yes.”
“You can manage?”
“Just give us the Water Star Pills. We need sound bodies to wrap it up in a fortnight.”
Paeng Jun-ui eyed Oho dubiously.
He soon raised one eyebrow.
“Cheonwi’s brainstorm?”
“He said we can’t refine the Unnamed Blade with our current skills.”
Cheonwi had laid it out.
Be honest.
Suspicious types got rattled when truth was flung in their faces.
Intelligence officers especially.
Paeng Jun-ui’s expression grew complicated.
“So that’s why you sparred so brutally?”
“Yes.”
“Any progress?”
“Has to be. Please relay to the clan head. We’ll perfect the Escape Blade within ten months. Our training’s rough, as you see. If you could secure ample Water Star Pills for us, we’d be grateful.”
“Report to the clan head yourself?”
Paeng Jun-ui’s lip curled.
His mouth smiled, but not his eyes.
There it was.
Paeng Jun-ui wasn’t kind-hearted. He’d trained a lifetime to appear so. Smiling, he continued.
“Fine. I’ll relay it word for word. The clan head will be delighted.”
Oho had gone all-in too.
Paeng Jun-ui couldn’t refuse a direct report to the Espionage Clan Head.
At last, he relented.
“Get the Water Star Pills from the medicine hall. Say I approved it.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Oho and Danmun clasped fists in salute and bowed deeply.
The two left the office.
The smile faded from Paeng Jun-ui’s face.
‘What’s their game.’
Oho had spoken plain facts. Paeng Jun-ui didn’t buy it.
‘Guess I need to see Cheonwi myself.’
He’d let it slide too long.
Time to uncover their schemes.
He had to indulge Oho and Danmun, but Cheonwi was another story.
Whatever hopes the higher-ups pinned on him, Paeng remained skeptical. The reversal duty had been fine up to collecting old texts. The Unnamed Blade was a pipe dream. A guy who couldn’t even cultivate internal energy properly wasn’t crafting supreme martial arts.
Oho requesting a report to the clan head was actually fortuitous.
He needed to gauge the Espionage Clan Head’s true intentions too.
The Espionage Clan Head was a ruthless genius.
If he judged the Unnamed Blade’s utility lacking, he’d scrap it without a second thought.
That was why he’d placed Cheonwi under him.
Ready to eliminate on command.
And he could be eliminated.
Cheonwi was dead anyway. He’d been given an identity easy to wipe clean.
Paeng Jun-ui nurtured killing intent behind his friendly facade.
That was his true nature.