Chapter 104: Master (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: Master (2)
Why is Namgung Bi-ah in my room?
The sight was so absurd that Elder Shin felt compelled to comment.
[Just how far did you two go while I was away…?]
What are you talking about?
Elder Shin ignored my question, his tone thick with the disappointment of someone who felt he’d missed out on the main event.
Waking her up would be problematic, so I quickly gathered my clothes and slipped out unnoticed. I wrapped a cloth around my injured arm to staunch the bleeding, then incinerated my bloodstained garments and buried the ashes.
The servants might worry when they notice some clothes are missing, but I couldn’t just leave the evidence lying around.
After cleaning up and changing into fresh clothes, I returned to my room. Now came the real problem.
“What should I do with her?”
I couldn't help but sigh as I watched Namgung Bi-ah nuzzle her face into the blanket. I couldn't just throw her out.
“…Why does she insist on sleeping here when she has her own room?”
I’d heard that whenever she wasn't out training during the day, she usually napped in my room. Did that mean she waited for me to leave before sneaking in? I doubted it.
Should I just sleep with the servants tonight?
Normally, skipping a night's sleep wouldn't be a big deal, but the fatigue weighing me down now wouldn't lift without proper rest. Was this another side effect of Elder Shin using my body?
[Then it's probably not physical fatigue.]
Elder Shin was right; I could feel it too. Even if he had used muscles I normally neglect, it didn't explain this level of exhaustion. That could only mean it was mental fatigue.
I'm not sure if sleep can even help with that.
But I wasn't confident I could stay awake much longer; I was on the verge of passing out. Since I couldn't sleep beside her nor afford to go without rest, I took a pillow and lay down on the floor outside my room.
[It seems that stubborn part of you, the one that refuses to accept a gift laid on a silver platter, hasn't changed a bit since I've been gone…]
Do you really have to nag right after your grand return?
[I understood it back then because I thought you were just young… but now that I know you're from a different time, and I see you acting like this despite your true age, how do you think that makes me feel?]
Well, you say that, but you never actually got to—
I cut myself off. I’d gone too far.
Elder Shin…?
[…]
I'm sorry. That was out of line…
I called out to him a few more times, but the old man didn't respond. In the end, I offered a few more apologies before deciding to get some sleep.
* * *
My business here at Mount Hua concludes today.
My only objective was to see the Celestial Plum Blossom, so I had planned to spend at most four days before returning to my clan. My journey was truly nearing its end.
Soon, the Murim Alliance would discover the basement of the Black Palace's hideout and contact Mount Hua. If that happened, could the tournament festival possibly continue?
I hadn't paid much attention to Mount Hua's affairs in the past, so I wasn't sure. But upon hearing the news, they would likely either postpone the tournament or cancel it outright. That blood pool was essentially a tool for human sacrifice.
But if it does go on…
There were two scenarios that could allow the tournament to proceed.
First, if they decided to suppress the news of the discovery to prevent it from reaching Huayin City. Announcing the deaths of Mount Hua's swordsmen would only incite panic. For that reason, I believed they would try to keep it quiet, at least initially.
Though they might find some other pretext to cancel the tournament anyway, without raising suspicion.
The second possibility was that they might not find the cave at all, or find it too late. The latter was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario, one that no one wanted. This intelligence was crucial to demonstrating the severity of the situation, so I prayed the second option would not come to pass.
…For now, I should just sleep.
Trying to think through this with my fatigued, muddled mind was pointless. I could barely string two thoughts together.
The moment I closed my eyes, I drifted off…
…and woke up shortly after.
I forced my heavy eyelids open. Thankfully, this time I wasn't greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. How long had I slept? Judging by the sunlight, it couldn't have been long.
As I tried to sit up, someone pressed down on my head, preventing me from rising.
“…!”
The sudden shock jolted me fully awake. I realized I was using something as a pillow—and it definitely wasn't a pillow. Setting aside its softness and smoothness, a faint, fragrant scent wafted from the direction of my left cheek.
“You can lie down a little longer.”
Hearing that monotone voice above me, I didn't need a second to guess who it was. I was using Namgung Bi-ah's lap as a pillow.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice thick with confusion.
“You fell asleep.”
“What does that have to do with anything…?”
“Seol-Ah was here… but she left just a moment ago.”
Instead of answering, she changed the subject, informing me of Wi Seol-Ah's whereabouts. “She waited for you to wake up. She’ll be disappointed…”
“Well, I'm awake now, so it's fine. Move your arm so I can get up.”
Despite knowing I wanted to rise, Namgung Bi-ah kept pressure on my head, holding me down. Just as I considered using brute force to break free, she spoke again.
“Did you go somewhere last night?”
“…”
“You… said you would tell me everything.”
I couldn't give her a straight answer. I never expected her to come to my room in the dead of night.
Plus, I'm not sure I actually promised to tell her everything.
“Uh… I smell blood…”
“…!”
I remained silent. I’d washed thoroughly and even used heat to burn away the scent, yet she could still detect it. Or perhaps…
…Is it the flower she smells?
The flower that had bloomed after soaking up blood; it wasn't very large, so I’d carefully wrapped it and tucked it into my pocket. While I couldn't sense it, Namgung Bi-ah possessed a keen sense of smell.
Seeing my hesitation, Namgung Bi-ah let out a soft sigh and continued. “I had a nightmare… I wanted to see you… but you weren't here.”
“That… can't really be my fau—”
“But I’ll let it pass.”
“Huh?”
“I won't complain about you leaving without telling me, and I won't ask where you went that left you smelling of blood.”
“…”
“…So just stay like this for a little while…”
After hearing Namgung Bi-ah's quiet whisper, I relaxed. Since I couldn't answer her, the least I could do was not resist. The hand that had been forcefully holding me down now became a soft, gentle touch, stroking my hair. I gave up and decided to lie there a while longer.
[…If there is a God, please send this bastard straight to hell.]
I almost laughed aloud at the sudden curse. It was the first time I’d heard Elder Shin speak like that.
* * *
After finally freeing myself from Namgung Bi-ah, I headed to the training grounds. I needed to hurry, having been detained for so long.
I had to figure out what would become of Mount Hua's tournament and decide what to do with the flower in my possession. But before that, I needed to mentally review my fight against Nachal.
The bout had been enlightening. Before the memory faded, I had to recall the sensation Elder Shin had shown me.
He hadn't used much Taoist Qi. To be blunt, he couldn't use much because my reserves were small compared to the other types of qi within me. Of course, the qi I’d absorbed from the treasure was pure.
Furthermore, while it was understandable that Elder Shin could control my body so deftly given his lifetime of experience, that was no excuse for my own inability. It shouldn't be that different for me, since it was my body.
A fist fighter's approach differs from a weapon user's.
Unlike martial artists who channel their understanding through their weapons, fist fighters focus on their entire bodies, making the two styles fundamentally different. I could list a hundred differences, but the most significant was how they evolved after breaking through their limits.
A fist fighter is more exposed to danger, using their body as a weapon, but again, that was no excuse.
None of that matters anyway, since I am a blood relative of the Gu Clan.
That’s what it means to use the Gu Flame Wheel Art.
Armor just gets in the way when you have to control fire from within your body. In the end, what mattered most was my control over the flames, just as Elder Shin had said, and how efficiently I could use them.
[You and I are different.]
Elder Shin spoke up suddenly as I circulated my qi.
[I, too, had considerable experience in the past, so my qi reserves weren't small. Still, I could never fight like you, recklessly expending qi as if it were trash.]
As Elder Shin said, that was indeed my style. To rely on the endless supply of Demonic Qi provided by my ability. I covered my flaws with overwhelming quantity, brute-forcing my way out of any predicament because I knew my qi would never run out. Even this nasty habit had carried over into my second life.
The fact that I still run out of qi even after absorbing so much is because of this.
I had to discard the notion that this problem was unsolvable just because I hadn't broken through my limits yet. I remembered Elder Shin's warning. If I continued like this, the outcome was inevitable.
If this hadn't been the path I’d chosen, I might not have taken Elder Shin's words to heart. In my past life, I never reached the pinnacle of the Gu Flame Wheel Art. I’d blamed a lack of time, but in the first few days after my resurrection, I began to suspect otherwise.
Let me recall the sensation I felt.
I had honestly believed I was using the Gu Flame Wheel Art correctly, especially since I’d won battles I should have lost. Perhaps that was why I’d taken the process of maintaining heat for granted.
[I didn't tell you to change your style.]
You say that after showing me all that?
[I merely showed you the difference between us. If your qi were truly endless, then your way of fighting wouldn't be so bad.]
Yes, if my qi were endless.
If I chose to rely on Demonic Qi as I had in my past life, my reserves would only grow. That was the monstrous power of the Heavenly Demon, after all.
However, if I do that, I'll end up exactly as I was before.
I would eventually hit a wall I couldn't surmount. Reaching the Peak or Fusion Realm wasn't my true goal. The highest rank of the Gu Flame Wheel Art was my focus, and I realized that to achieve it, I needed a different path from my past life.
Fortunately, the master who could help me was closer than anyone else.
[Who gave you permission to call me master? Now you're just trying to use me.]
You should pay rent if you're going to use my body without permission.
[Now you're just being shameless!]
After circulating my qi, I focused it to generate heat within my body.
So far, it's the same.
I had to concentrate on the sensation Elder Shin had shown me—the feeling of a storm raging inside my body. It would be difficult to describe in words, but having experienced it firsthand, I knew the feeling intimately.
-Whoosh…!
Trying to replicate the sensation as closely as possible, I circulated my qi again. The resulting pressure made my shoulders tremble.
How… How can I maintain this?
I needed insane control to keep that raging storm contained, ensuring none of it leaked out. My body already remembered how. I just had to recreate the feeling, but it was incredibly difficult.
[You should at least be able to do that much if you're going to use my name. How much help do you expect from me?]
I didn't say anything?
It seemed Elder Shin was still upset about our earlier conversation.
[Hmph.]*
The storm originating from my dantian began to spread throughout my body, yet not a wisp escaped. I even controlled my breathing to prevent any leakage. The strain of containing qi that felt ready to erupt at any moment made the veins in my neck bulge.
The condensed qi surged upward toward my middle dantian.
-Sssss-
My body burned, as if unprepared for the intensity. I gathered more qi and channeled it relentlessly into my mid-abdominal area. My instincts screamed that now was the time.
-Kwaaaaa-!
As if confirming my instincts were correct, the barrier of the middle dantian shattered with surprising ease, and the qi flooded in like a tsunami.
Wooosh -!
The qi I had built up within my body erupted, discharging heat in all directions.
[…You really do like to use me.]
“Phew…!”
I raised my hand, focusing my qi. The heat aura shimmering around my palm appeared calm and stable. Seeing this, I said, “Thank you.”
I couldn't help but express my gratitude to the old man. It was thanks to him that I had broken through that barrier.
[I don't like how casually you treat a feat most martial artists can only dream of achieving.]
“…This is where it truly begins, after all.”
The Peak Realm. I had reached a level I thought would take me at least another year. My progress was far faster than I’d anticipated. More than saving time, I now felt I knew which path to take. I wouldn't abandon my old fighting style, but rather incorporate new techniques into my existing foundation.
[Don't you think you should inspect your qi?]
“I think it's fine. All the different types of qi are flowing together harmoniously on their own.”
[That's good. I probably don't need to tell you anything else. It seems you know what to do now.]
“I do.”
[However, don't we have something to discuss?]
“…We do.”
My heart grew heavy. This was another reason I had left the lodge. Until now, Elder Shin had remained silent on the matter. I knew he was being considerate. Even before he knew about my resurrection, he’d said he had many questions. Now that he knew the truth, there was undoubtedly much more he wanted to ask.
[I have far too many questions, but I would like to ask the most important one right now.]
“What will you do if I refuse to answer, or if I lie?”
[I will accept it as your choice and respect it.]
The weight of his trust felt heavy on my heart. I had always known him as a nagging old man, but I also knew he was a hero of a bygone era who had saved his generation. Denying that was impossible after all he had shown me.
[I will begin my questions now.]
And so, he did.
[What is the Heavenly Demon?]