Chapter 495: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 495: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (2)
Otherwise, I would have died.
For a moment, the Immortal Healer's words sent my mind reeling.
That child possesses an immense amount of Qi. A vast energy that others cannot even perceive.
I had interpreted that to mean she had a vessel of a completely different size than anyone else. After all, that's what having a large amount of Qi usually implied.
However.
You are mistaken.
The Immortal Healer denied it.
That child has no vessel at all.
What did that mean? I couldn't comprehend his words. To not have a vessel—the very source of power for not just martial artists, but for all humans? How was that even possible?
Yes, and that is precisely the problem. That she possesses such vast Qi without a vessel.
In your case, the problem was that your Qi was too great for your vessel, causing it to begin to crack.
But that child… the problem is that she never had anything that could be called a vessel to begin with.
It wasn't that she was empty inside. It was that the space within her was too vast to be comprehended.
If that is the case, what do you think will happen?
I didn't know. I had never even heard of someone having Qi without a vessel.
Qi without a vessel is bound to scatter. If that happens, what do you think will become of the child who could be considered Qi itself?
I had no answer. I had no idea what Wi Seol-Ah's true condition was.
It will scatter.
All I could do was endure the pounding of my heart.
Her body will scatter, or perhaps collapse.
I estimated she had three years. And that was a generous estimate; in truth, no one knew how long she would last. We didn't even know how her Qi was holding on in the first place.
That is why the Sword Venerable asked me to create a vessel for the child.
As I listened, a particular phrase caught my attention, and I lifted my head. The part about creating a vessel. Did he mean it was something that could be made? If so, it seemed like a contradiction. The same Immortal Healer who had given me a death sentence was now saying the Sword Venerable had asked him to create a vessel.
When I asked him about it, unable to understand, the Immortal Healer continued with a somewhat dark expression.
I do not know about fixing a vessel, but creating one is not impossible. I will tell you this in advance: this is not in the realm of medicine, so do not ask.
Creating a vessel. Then what was the Demonic Stone of Seal for?
It was an item for that purpose.
The Demonic Stone of Seal was for creating a vessel? Was it used to seal Wi Seol-Ah's Qi?
Sealing that much Qi is impossible. The role of the Demonic Stone of Seal is indeed sealing, but it was not for her Qi.
Then what was it? What was it meant to seal? The Immortal Healer answered my question.
The Demonic Stone of Seal was used to create a vessel and seal it so it would not break.
In other words, it wasn't used to seal Wi Seol-Ah's Qi, but to seal the very form of the vessel itself. This meant that the vessel Wi Seol-Ah currently possessed was an artificial one.
If so, what do you think was the material for that vessel?
What could it be? The material for a vessel capable of holding that much Qi… To be honest, I had a guess. But I prayed that it wasn't true. If it was, the implications would be too immense.
But, unfortunately, my guess was not wrong.
It was a human's Innate Vital Energy.
I had to bite my lip at the words the Immortal Healer spat out with a grimace. It was what I had feared.
It was the most suitable material to withstand the Qi.
That meant they had extracted a human's Innate Vital Energy to create the vessel. But from whom? From whom did they extract the Innate Vital Energy?
I must have been frowning at him without realizing it, because the Immortal Healer sighed and spoke.
Do not worry, we did not do something like extracting someone's Innate Vital Energy without permission… In fact, if they had suggested it, I would have refused.
Then who was it? I asked the Immortal Healer, and he answered with a rather stoic expression.
To contain such Qi, it required an equally powerful Innate Vital Energy. And wasn't there just such a person right beside her?
Don't tell me he means…
The Alliance Leader.
I swallowed dryly at the Immortal Healer's words.
He poured out his Innate Vital Energy and used it to create the child's vessel.
My mouth fell slightly open at his words. I never imagined the Sword Venerable would go that far. If the vessel is the source of a human's power, then Innate Vital Energy is the source of their life. This meant the Sword Venerable had extracted his own Innate Vital Energy and poured it into Wi Seol-Ah.
If that's the case, what about the Sword Venerable's condition? He had a history of surviving until the Heavenly Demon War in my past life, so he wouldn't die immediately, but…
Losing Innate Vital Energy isn't a permanent loss… but the Alliance Leader's condition is likely not very good.
It was probably true that the Sword Venerable's power was significantly weakened right now. Furthermore, if they used Innate Vital Energy to create the vessel, would that vessel even be stable?
As I said, that too is a temporary measure.
Unsurprisingly, the Immortal Healer said it was not.
Like you, she is in a state where she must take medicine to endure.
And if she doesn't?
I do not know what method you used to create a new vessel for yourself… but your situation and the child's are different. I do not think the outcome will be good.
His words were truly bitter. It meant that Wi Seol-Ah's extremely dangerous condition hadn't changed.
However, if, as you say, you brought about a change in your vessel yourself… then I cannot be certain either. An exception has occurred.
It went from certainty to doubt. Even so, it wasn't as if the situation had improved.
…What should I do?
I thought as I walked quickly. After finishing my conversation with the Immortal Healer, I went outside. He said he would give me the White Demonic Stone later when he checked my condition. I had learned that Wi Seol-Ah was secretly taking medicine and found out about her condition. But there was nothing I could do.
I wondered if perhaps, like me, her vessel might break and a change would occur.
Does an artificial vessel count for this?
The problem was whether this would even apply to Wi Seol-Ah, who had no vessel to begin with. I didn't know. Was The Celestial Sword in my past life in this same situation? Probably. That must have been why.
Jang Seonyeon, that bastard must have used this against me.
I ground my teeth, recalling how he had approached me, practically threatening me with information about Wi Seol-Ah's condition. Dammit. No matter how much stronger I became after regressing, it felt like the fundamental problems hadn't changed at all. That truly pissed me off.
I have to push harder.
I have to work my body to the bone. I will grind and polish myself and produce a result, no matter what. I had to.
[Calm yourself. You are too heated.]
Elder Shin warned me. At his words, I caught my breath and closed my eyes. Just as he said, I could feel myself overheating. I couldn't let my anger make the situation worse, so I used my Qi to cool my emotions. I felt a little better.
…Thank you.
After thanking the elder, I turned to look at those following me. It was overwhelming enough to deal with one thing at a time; thinking about other matters simultaneously was too much. Right now, I was traveling with the others.
I looked at Woo Eehyuk among them and asked.
“…What is that?”
“Hmm?”
While performing his lightness skill, Woo Eehyuk was carrying something on his shoulder. Looking closely, it seemed to be a wild boar.
Hearing my question, Woo Eehyuk grinned and told me.
“Ah, this. It’s a gift for my master.”
“…A wild boar?”
“My master loves wild boar meat.”
“...”
His words made me frown. Aren't you guys Taoists? Why the hell are you always eating meat…? I wanted to shout that at him, but I barely managed to hold it in. It wasn't the first or second time that crazy bastard had been strange, so it wouldn't be strange if his master was strange too. I should just give up. It was easier that way.
Letting out a small sigh, I glanced beside Woo Eehyuk. There was another person there: Namgung Bi-ah.
I looked at Namgung Bi-ah, who was following along with her usual sleepy expression, and asked.
“Why are you even tagging along?”
At my question, Namgung Bi-ah met my gaze.
“…I can’t…?”
Her distinct, dreamy voice reached me.
“No, it’s not that you can’t… I don’t even know if you can in the first place.”
I was about to say it wasn't that she couldn't, but I wasn't sure, so I changed my words. I was currently on my way to meet the Monster of Wudang with Woo Eehyuk. The Monster of Wudang had been the one to suggest the meeting because we hadn't finished our conversation. But was it okay to bring Namgung Bi-ah to a meeting like that?
As I was preparing to go meet the Monster of Wudang, Namgung Bi-ah had seen me and started moving with us, saying she would come along too. Come to think of it, I hadn't even asked Woo Eehyuk if it was okay.
Regarding this, Woo Eehyuk spoke with an unconcerned expression.
“It’ll probably be fine. My master isn’t the type to care about things like that.”
“That’s a relief, but…”
The fact that the Monster of Wudang was born into the Namgung clan bothered me a little. If he hadn't had any problems with his family, he wouldn't have left to join the Wudang Sect…
He did say with his own mouth not to worry about it too much. It should be fine, right?
Since the Monster of Wudang himself had said as much before, I decided to assume it would be fine for now.
However.
As always.
Not a single thing ever went as I expected.