Chapter 90: Treatment (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 90: Treatment (3)
“What did you just say?!”
The door flew open and Gu Ryunghwa burst into the room.
Of all the times for her to show up… now?
Damn.
I’d been hoping she wouldn’t appear today.
The moment she saw me, her words tumbled out in an excited rush. “Is it true? Can you really heal my master?”
“…I can’t be sure.”
“How is that possible? Even… even the Immortal Healer gave up…” She trailed off, suddenly remembering the esteemed physician was standing right beside her, and chose her next words more carefully.
To be honest, there was no guarantee that absorbing the Demonic Qi inside the Sword Queen would actually cure her. Even after suggesting I might be able to help, I couldn't stop the doubts from swirling in my mind.
Was it really the right move to get involved?
I knew that if left alone, the Sword Queen would die. Even if a miracle occurred and she survived, she would end up living in seclusion, hidden from the world. I knew this because it was exactly what had happened in my past life.
The future had already shifted slightly due to my actions, but this… this was on a completely different scale. The survival of the Sword Queen was a variable of monumental significance.
So, is it truly right to alter the future to this degree?
Then again… having her as an ally when disaster strikes could be invaluable…
My thoughts were a tangled mess. Part of me knew I was just using this line of reasoning as an excuse to save her. I was trying to justify my actions to myself, no matter the cost.
I’m being selfish, even now.
I understood that changing the world required decisive action, yet I kept hesitating.
My eyes fell on Gu Ryunghwa. Nervousness was written plainly across her face, her eyes trembling. She knew my claim was absurd, but the faint glimmer of hope my words had ignited was unmistakable. It was a stark reminder that beneath her tough exterior, Gu Ryunghwa was still a soft-hearted young girl.
Seeing her like that, I spoke again, my voice firmer. “If you will allow me, I would like to attempt a treatment.”
The Immortal Healer immediately rebuked me, his displeasure evident. “You overstep your bounds! How can you speak of healing when you possess no medical knowledge? Do you have any idea how cruel it is to offer false hope to a dying patient?”
I understood his reaction. From his perspective, my words were sheer madness. Had our positions been reversed, I likely would have said the same thing.
Throughout this, the Sword Queen remained silent, her calm gaze fixed on me. Despite the Demonic Qi raging within her, her expression was serene, not pained. She finally spoke. “Explain this clearly.”
“Sword Queen!” the Immortal Healer exclaimed, shocked that she was even entertaining my proposal.
I took her request as permission to continue and voiced the explanation I had prepared. “The Qi of the Gu Clan allows its user to purge turbid energies from the body.”
No one interrupted. Encouraged by their silence, I pressed on. “From what I can see… the illness killing the Sword Queen is a type of malignant Qi festering inside her. Is that not correct?” I directed the question to the Immortal Healer.
His expression shifted to one of shock, but he didn’t deny it. In fact, his look suggested he agreed.
He couldn’t detect the Demonic Qi in me, but he can see it in her? I filed that thought away for later; the present situation demanded my full attention.
“When I held the Sword Queen’s hand earlier, I confirmed that I can purify this turbid energy within her.” It was more accurate to say I was absorbing it, but revealing that would only complicate things unnecessarily. At the mention of the hand-holding, the Sword Queen fell into deep thought, evidently recalling the strange sensation she had felt.
The Gu Clan’s Qi didn’t actually have this ability, but I needed a plausible story.
-Grab.
I felt a tug on my clothes. Gu Ryunghwa was holding onto my sleeve, her hands shaking. “…C-Can you really save my master?”
“As I said, I’m not cert—”
“Save her…” she pleaded, her voice breaking. “My master… Please, brother… save her.”
I sighed inwardly as I saw tears welling in her eyes. I knew exactly what she was feeling.
Tch. She only calls me ‘brother’ when she wants something.
But her desperate plea solidified my resolve. Getting involved no longer felt like a mistake.
The Immortal Healer turned his skepticism back to me. “…I have never heard of the Gu Clan’s Qi possessing such a power. And you believe you can accomplish what even Dohwa—what the Celestial Plum Blossom could not?”
He was right. The Celestial Plum Blossom, a supreme taoist, had been unable to expel the turbid energy, which was why the Immortal Healer had been summoned. And here I was, claiming I could cure her out of nowhere.
Just as I was about to respond, the Sword Queen, who had been quietly contemplating, spoke. “Would it not be acceptable to let him try?”
“You…!” the Immortal Healer started.
“Action is preferable to inaction. And as the young man said, I felt a change in my body when we touched.”
“Even if there is a chance he can remove the energy, I cannot entrust such a critical procedure to a novice! The little time you have left could be wasted!”
The Sword Queen merely smiled at his concern, a gesture of acceptance. “I am already aware my time is short. I wish to trust my intuition.”
The Immortal Healer let out a deep, resigned sigh. He wanted to warn her of the dangers, but her mind was made up. Seeing the finality in her expression, he knew he could not dissuade her.
He turned to me, a trace of doubt still in his voice. “…Can you truly do it?”
My answer remained unchanged. “I cannot be certain. I must try.”
“…It may sound arrogant, but I, a master healer, failed. I say this not only out of doubt, but so you understand the burden and responsibility you are taking on.”
To save a life is to embrace the joy of success, but also the crushing weight of potential failure. The Immortal Healer was asking if I was prepared to bear that pain.
His words, and those of the Celestial Plum Blossom before him, reminded me of the Second Elder. They shared a similar aura.
“I believe I cannot stand by and do nothing when there is a chance I might save her,” I said, speaking more to myself than to him. I was telling myself I could not turn away, not after coming this far.
The Immortal Healer stared into my eyes for a long moment before looking away. “…If I sense anything going wrong, I will intervene immediately.”
He had given his conditional approval. I had managed to convince him with a mixture of truth and lies.
The Sword Queen then asked, “What position would be most comfortable for you?”
“Just sit comfortably.”
Gu Ryunghwa helped her master sit upright. I moved behind the Sword Queen and settled myself at her back.
I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind as I looked at her frail, curved back. Fear and anxiety threatened to overwhelm me as I reached out. Overcoming these emotions in such a short time was difficult, but necessary.
I have to do this.
If I don’t, everything will fall apart.
It was a thought I’d had in my past life, one I had run from countless times.
My hand finally made contact with her back. I had worried I would need a special method to absorb the Demonic Qi flowing within her, but that fear vanished instantly. The moment my palm touched her, I felt the corrosive energy surge into me.
Simultaneously, my destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art roared to life within my dantian.
Holy—!
An overwhelming torrent of Demonic Qi flooded my meridians, so violent it felt like my body was being torn apart. I clenched my teeth, stifling a scream.
I realized the truth immediately.
One wrong move, and I’m finished.
If my concentration slips for even a second, it will overflow.
The Demonic Qi cycled wildly through my body, clashing with my destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art. It was like a storm raging inside me. Purifying something as violent as Demonic Qi should have been impossible, but my Gu Flame Wheel Art, augmented by the power of Mount Hua I’d gained from the treasure, made it feasible. The pure, calming Qi of Mount Hua helped temper the wild Demonic Qi, guiding its chaotic flow.
Even so, the process was excruciating.
…Shit.
The pain was even worse than when the Heavenly Demon had forcibly turned me into a demonic human. The Sword Queen, despite her weakened state, didn’t utter a single groan. Her body was likely weaker than an average person's now, yet she endured the agony silently. Knowing that gave me the strength to endure my own.
* * *
How much have I absorbed?
Subjectively, it felt like an eternity, but only a short time had actually passed. I felt the Demonic Qi slowly being purified, but the rate of purification was falling dangerously behind the rate of absorption.
It was too much. Far too much.
And she was containing all of this…?
It was a sobering reminder of the Sword Queen’s immense power and the purity of her foundational Qi.
I felt my consciousness wavering as the Qi crashed into me like tidal waves.
I have to hold on.
I couldn’t give up. Not only was the Sword Queen’s life at stake, but I also doubted I could survive the backlash if the Demonic Qi overflowed.
Why do I keep finding myself in situations where foreign Qi invades my body?!
Such an occurrence was supposed to be incredibly rare. Yet, wherever I went, I seemed to attract these situations, and the consequences were always brutal.
I guess this is just my shitty luck.
Just as I felt I was reaching my absolute limit from the endless influx…
[…Ugh.]
A sound echoed from somewhere deep within me.
…What?
[Oof… Ough… Ugh.]*
This voice…
Suddenly, the agonizing pain vanished.
I’ve heard this voice before.
It was the same unknown, disembodied voice I had heard during my fight with Ya Hyeoljeok. The voice I had forgotten now surfaced in my mind with startling clarity.
[…I’m… full… but… but…]
The voice, which initially sounded ancient and robotic, began to gain vitality with each passing moment. The change filled me with a sense of dread.
…What are you?
[But this time, it’s… delicious?] The voice ignored my question.
[This… is very delicious.]
It was accompanied by what sounded like a soft giggle.
Then, without warning, the Demonic Qi surged into my body all at once, explosively.
…!
The violent influx instantly filled every meridian and began to press into my dantian. The pain was no longer the main concern.
I’m going to die.
This was a matter of life and death. I felt blood trickle from the corner of my mouth. My consciousness flickered, threatening to extinguish itself, and I found I couldn't pull my hands away from the Sword Queen's back. I had lost control of both my body and my mind.
What… the hell is this!?
-Kwoosh!
Just as the Demonic Qi felt like it was on the verge of ripping me apart…
[Ah.]
It stopped. Just like that.
[That was tasty.]
The voice sounded deeply satisfied.
My body went limp, and darkness consumed me.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, sunlight was streaming into the room. I sat up with a jolt and found myself still in the hut where the Sword Queen had been treated. Thankfully, my body was intact; there had been no Qi deviation explosion.
…Was it all a dream?
That thought was quickly dismissed as I checked my internal state.
…There’s a fuck-ton of it.
A massive amount of Demonic Qi now circulated within me, rivaling the volume of my own Qi.
Looking around, I saw that the Immortal Healer and Zhuge Hyuk were gone. Gu Ryunghwa was curled up under a blanket, still asleep.
Is it morning?
Had I been unconscious for two days again? It didn’t feel like it. My anxiety spiked when I couldn't see the Sword Queen or the Immortal Healer. I worried something had gone wrong.
I stepped outside the hut.
-Swish-! Swish~Swoosh!
The sound of a sword cutting through the air met my ears. Under the morning sun, a figure was practicing their sword forms. The sight made me sigh in relief.
Even the lightest swings carried the faint, elegant scent of plum blossoms. The movements seemed gentle, almost weak, but the sharp sword trails lingering in the air after each motion told a different story.
…Impressive.
Outwardly, it looked subdued, but a chill ran down my spine as I watched. This was power contained with immense control.
The sword art ceased. The morning sun haloed the figure, making it hard to see clearly, but I could feel their gaze on me.
“You’re awake.”
“…Yes.”
The hair that had once been stark white now flowed black and lustrous in the breeze.
“It feels different, seeing you like this,” she said.
I felt I should have been the one saying that. The transformation from the frail woman I’d last seen to the person before me was nothing short of astounding. Though the sun obscured her features, I knew.
…Did her bones revert to their original state? Is that even possible?
Had all of this really happened just from me absorbing the Demonic Qi?
-Creak.
The hut door opened behind me. Gu Ryunghwa stepped out. “…Master…?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
As her eyes focused on her master, they widened in disbelief, then filled with tears. A moment later, she was sobbing openly.
The Sword Queen laughed softly. “If you keep crying like that, your pretty face will become all puffy.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Ryunghwa ran forward and threw her arms around the Sword Queen, weeping into her embrace.
I averted my gaze, feeling intensely awkward.
Ugh, I hate sentimental scenes like this.
I scratched the back of my head uncomfortably. This kind of emotional display was outside my comfort zone.
I knew I still needed a proper explanation from the Sword Queen, but for now, it seemed my primary goal had been achieved. I would have to carefully monitor the Demonic Qi now residing inside me, and I’d undoubtedly have to account for everything to the Celestial Plum Blossom later.
However…
…I feel like I’m forgetting something important.
A nagging sense of discomfort settled in, the feeling that I had overlooked something crucial.
* * *
The moment I returned to the lodge, I remembered what it was.
Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah were waiting for me, their arms crossed as they fixed me with identical glares.
Namgung Bi-ah spoke the second she saw me. “You told me to come back before the meal… and then you disappeared for the entire night?”
…Right.
That.