Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Shadow Under the Eaves (2)
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Murong Bi shook his head even as he gasped for breath.
"I can't do that."
"What a shame. Your recovery would speed up considerably."
"I've got things to do."
"I see."
His breathing finally seemed to be settling down.
He drew in air through his nose and slowly exhaled through his mouth. It wasn't the breathing technique from any internal energy method. It was simply a way to trap as much air in his body as possible.
Was he starting to feel okay now?
Old Man Gwak asked with a serious expression.
"Young master."
"Hm?"
"How do you know about the Blunt Tiger Form?"
Murong Bi neither startled nor panicked.
"Yeah? How did I know?"
"...By any chance, do you also know the Horned Dragon Throw?"
Murong Bi didn't bother hiding it.
"There's some overlap with the way those guys train."
"...!"
"I'd love to pass them on as-is, but their foundations are too rigid. Give it about four or five days to stick in their bodies, and then I can teach them."
Old Man Gwak's eyes twitched.
"No way... Were the Horned Dragon Throw and the Blunt Tiger Form both in the secret repository?"
He had heard from Seok Ung that Murong Bi had found the secret repository.
Murong Bi looked at Old Man Gwak with a blank expression.
Old Man Gwak felt an inexplicable surge of emotion.
He had certainly sensed the young master's changes himself. But this was different somehow.
Murong Bi's eyes held a strange sense of kinship, as if they shared the same era, flowing with the passage of time.
"Would anything change if they weren't?"
"... ."
"Haha, just kidding. Of course they were there."
It was an enigmatic answer.
If those two training methods had truly been in the secret repository, he wouldn't be reacting so meaningfully now.
"You're heading to the secret repository soon?"
"Yeah, once I sort out the mess."
"I know it's presumptuous, but could I ask one favor?"
"What presumption between us?"
Old Man Gwak spoke, inwardly tense.
"If I may accompany you to the secret repository?"
He meant he wanted to see it himself.
Murong Bi patted Old Man Gwak's shoulder.
"Your muscles are really knotted up. Especially around the shoulder joint."
"... ."
"Your waist and core aren't solid either. Can't help the legs, though."
"Young master."
"The Hong Sword Clan will move soon too. Maybe they already have."
"... ."
"Once I've confirmed what they're up to and it's safe, that's when I'll go. Take care of yourself until then."
Confusion clouded Old Man Gwak's face.
He had permission to go to the secret repository together. That meant the young master saw no reason to hold him at arm's length.
'This is strange.'
The past few days had been so chaotic he hadn't dwelled on it deeply.
But the suspicions piling up like snowballs since the ancestral rite the other day wouldn't leave him.
'How did the young master know about that?'
He could chalk up other things to coincidence.
But knowing the long tradition of offering blessings to the ancestors? That made no sense.
'Even the previous patriarch had only seen it a few times. Our lord abolished it in his forties.'
No way were there historical records of the Murong clan's traditions in the secret repository too?
'Impossible... .'
As Old Man Gwak sank into thought alone, Murong Bi's gaze on him was equally meaningful.
'He's definitely strange.'
He hadn't noticed during the past few days.
Now that strength had returned to his body and the Mixed Origin Heart Method had taken root, the Brain Gate Heart Technique was gradually fleshing itself out on its own. Was that why? Murong Bi could sense the 'strangeness' in Old Man Gwak that he hadn't noticed until yesterday.
'...There's something around his head.'
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what.
'Too much for now, maybe.'
Even if the Brain Gate Heart Technique was a legendary method, peering into another's body at a glance was beyond his current level.
At best, Murong Sujing's Nine Yin Absolute Meridian had been so unique that he could spot it with just the first technique of the Brain Gate Heart Technique. Honestly, even without it, he would've suspected from her complexion and symptoms.
'Once I reach the second technique, it'll be clearer? Though asking directly might be faster... .'
One thing was certain: Old Man Gwak had some unspeakable circumstance.
'I can take it slow.'
If the situation were dire, he'd press for answers. But not now. The secret repository had justified passing on the martial arts, and the Ten Sword Sect matter was settled for the moment.
'Handle the Old Man Gwak issue calmly. That's best.'
Just then, Murong Suhyang brought over a rice bowl the size of a basket.
"Here."
"Whoa! That's a ton."
"Leave some if you're full. I'll eat it."
"Can't do that."
"Piglet."
Only after regulating his breath did Murong Bi sit on the ground and start shoveling rice.
Murong Suhyang's face soured.
'He can eat it, sure.'
The basket-sized wooden bowl held five servings of rice mixed with various vegetables, well-stir-fried meat, and special seasonings.
She'd added water just in case for hydration, turning the mixed rice into something like thick porridge.
And her brother was devouring it in rapture.
'It doesn't taste bad... but that much?'
With an appetite like that, why had he only been drinking before? Didn't his stomach hurt?
Murong Bi, munching away sloppily, waved his spoon toward the training ground.
"Hey, Yeonpyeong! Still not stretching those ankles?!"
"Urgh! S-sorry!"
"Don't apologize to me—apologize to your conscience!"
"Ughhh."
"What's Ungpae doing? Dancing on your back?"
"M-my head hurts too much... ."
"I told you to rest if it hurts! Don't be stubborn or you'll snap your neck!"
"Sorry!"
"Save your sorry for that thick skull of yours!"
Amazingly, even while yelling, not a single grain of rice flew out.
Murong Bi shoveled more rice as he mumbled.
"Still, they've got senior disciple credentials."
Gwan-hyeon had his legs splayed wide left and right, hands pressing the ground, slowly shifting his upper body's weight.
His legs must hurt like they were being torn off. Yet he didn't leak a single groan, regulating his breath to the end.
Jin-gwang was even better.
Balancing on just the big toe of his right foot, he slowly bent and rotated his upper body without changing expression.
"Good poison."
The most sweat pooled around Jin-gwang and Gwan-hyeon.
Murong Suhyang said.
"That training actually effective?"
"Basics always look ineffective."
"Hm."
"Can you do that?"
"Why? Wanna see?"
"Nah."
Her raw stamina matched Jonghwan's, while her flexibility and elasticity crushed the Flower Sword Squad.
She might not match Jin-gwang in martial arts, but her physical utilization and potential were the clan's best.
"Oh, Old Man Gwak."
"Yes? Ah, what is it?"
"Is big sis in the patriarch's quarters now?"
"No, she's in her residence. The Chief Steward said she's recuperating with an energy method."
Murong Bi nodded.
"Guess I should check on her."
He handed the bowl to Murong Suhyang.
"What? When'd you finish?"
"Just now."
"Lord... Did you even chew?"
"About 3,750 times?"
Murong Bi sprang up, brimming with vitality. He didn't look like the guy who'd been gasping like death moments ago.
By operating the Mixed Origin Heart Method amid nutrient intake, he'd maximized his recovery.
"Suhyang, watch over these squad members' training. I'll head to big sis."
"M-me?"
"Just keep an eye on them. They'll stop slacking if they know you're watching."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hoo."
A strange tremor laced his exhale.
Murong Sujing's face clouded.
'This is weird.'
It was just a stopgap, but her body wasn't just okay—it was healthy.
Maybe that's why she could now feel things she hadn't before.
'My true energy's flow isn't efficient.'
The One Yang Heart Method was the internal method she'd learned from the moment she first sensed qi.
The best one the Murong clan possessed, so she'd diligently practiced it every day. She prided herself on having inner energy rivaling anyone's.
'Not just efficiency—why does it feel awkward?'
It felt like jamming a key that didn't fit into a lock.
'Can't recklessly touch the incantations or formulas. But it's too... .'
That was when it happened.
"Big sis."
"Come in."
The door opened, and Murong Bi entered.
Murong Sujing smiled and unfolded her legs from the lotus position.
"How was training?"
"Thought I was gonna die."
Sweat stench wafted off him for real.
The smell of effort and grit. Murong Sujing liked that scent from martial artists.
Because she was one too.
"Eaten? We can eat together if not... ."
"Just did. Felt like I'd die if I didn't."
"I see."
"How's your body?"
"Great."
The One Yang Heart Method suddenly felt awkward, but her condition was genuinely good.
Letting go of anxiety filled her with vitality moment by moment. More energy than yesterday—her hands and feet were warm.
"Hm, really?"
Murong Bi extended his hand.
"Let me check your pulse."
Murong Sujing didn't refuse.
As she watched him quietly take her pulse, she asked.
"He's still locked in that warehouse, right?"
Asking while pulse-taking distracted the mind.
But she believed her brother was skilled enough not to be fazed.
She was right.
"Locked up tight. Not even a sip of water."
"What're you planning to do?"
"Whatever the acting patriarch decides."
"Acting, you say."
"Quit stubbornly holding out and become patriarch already."
"Anyway, I'm curious about your thoughts."
"If the patriarch leaves his treatment to me, yeah, there's a few things I need to find out first."
Murong Bi released her wrist.
"Your condition's improved a lot. Your qi is much more active than two days ago."
"I feel it too."
"Still not optimal. Your yang energy will strengthen more over time."
Even as he spoke, Murong Bi thought.
'She's absorbing my vital energy at a frightening speed.'
Her yang energy would grow steadily, reliably. To the point where the Nine Yin Absolute Meridian seemed unlikely.
But peaks always descend.
'Natural law.'
The issue was the heart method.
'The altered One Yang Heart Method can't properly utilize yang energy. No, even the original couldn't.'
Her innate energy was so good that the vital energy transferred via direct infusion was growing far faster than expected.
'Thought it'd take longer... Maybe this is better.'
Then Murong Sujing spoke.
"How's your body?"
"Yang energy's advancing faster than expected. Not bad, but... ."
"Not you."
"Hm?"
"Your vital energy's damaged."
Murong Bi smiled.
"I'm fine. Getting better."
It was true.
With the blood stagnation cleared by the hemostatic pills and true energy activated, his overall functions improved, vital energy included. That was why he hadn't tired fighting Hwang Gyu.
Of course, depleted energy wasn't filled.
Remaining vital energy would fill the void—density lowered, in other words.
Still, with diligent inner energy cultivation, he'd live healthily till his days ended.
"I asked Physician Yang for vital energy tonics. Should arrive tomorrow."
"I'll take them well."
She didn't refuse or humble herself needlessly.
Murong Bi's straightforwardness eased her burden instead.
"Afternoon training too? Chief Steward's handling today's stuff—wanna train together for old times' sake?"
"No, big sis can't."
Question marked Murong Sujing's face.
"Why not?"
"Study the heart method. Physical training comes after mastering qi."
"I am studying the heart method now... ."
"Not that one."
Murong Bi smiled wryly.
"The real clan heart method. A bit early, but I think you're ready to learn it."