Chapter 17: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 17: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (6)
“Using innate, searing heat to transform the very substance of your body—that is what we call Refinement.”
Do (陶) refers to pottery—firing a vessel within the flames.
Ya (冶) refers to metallurgy—forging metal within the fire.
But Yeon So-wol could not answer.
“Hoo… Hooooo.”
Unable to do anything else, he could only focus on his breathing. He couldn't tear his attention away from the transformation occurring inside his own body.
What is this…!
The spot where the tip of your elbow rests when pressed against your side—that hollow where the ribs end is the Zhangmen acupoint. From that single point, Lee Yu-baek’s Gathering Fire was pouring in endlessly.
At first, the sheer heat startled him, but Yeon So-wol was soon stunned by a different realization.
The flames… they can move like this?
It was like watching a master at work.
Gathering Fire couldn't be moved haphazardly. There were specific meridians within the body through which it had to travel. Just as gas flows through designated pipes and causes a disaster if it leaks, Gathering Fire must follow its path. Otherwise, not only would the painstakingly gathered fire fail to be preserved, but areas that shouldn't be heated would be scorched, leading to Qi Deviation.
Therefore, no matter how much scorching fire was shoved into him, it was supposed to take time to spread. Warmth was meant to creep slowly along a predetermined path.
Or so I thought…
Right now, something was happening inside Yeon So-wol’s body that defied everything he knew.
The movement of the fire…
The Zhangmen acupoint belongs to the Jueyin Liver Meridian, one of the Twelve Standard Meridians. As far as Yeon So-wol knew, there were only two paths from that point. One led down the Jueyin Liver Meridian to the big toe, ending at the Dadun acupoint. The other crossed over to the Taiyin Lung Meridian, leading to the thumb and the Shaoshang acupoint.
But Lee Yu-baek took side paths as if Yeon So-wol’s meridians were his own backyard.
The Twelve Divergent Meridians!
Yeon So-wol tried to process the situation using the fundamental theories he had studied in his spare time.
The Twelve Standard Meridians circulate throughout the entire body: from the index finger to the head; from the head down the torso to the second toe; from the second toe to the big toe; from the big toe up the torso to the little finger; and then back to the head. They rotated in a continuous cycle, gradually warming the body evenly. This was the main pathway Yeon So-wol always used.
But the Twelve Divergent Meridians were side paths that branched off from the main circuit, entering the torso, connecting with the internal organs, and then reconnecting with other Standard Meridians. Though the passages were smaller, they formed an intricate network.
Lee Yu-baek delved into those side paths with practiced ease. And he didn't stop there.
Even the Fifteen Collateral Vessels?
The hot flames scattered into the nooks and crannies that branched off from the Twelve Standard Meridians. It was as if he knew the complex routes so well that he had no fear of getting lost.
Crazy…
That confidence was backed by absolute skill. The flames filled every single one of the Collateral Meridians, which branched off from the Fifteen Collateral Vessels to connect all the acupoints like a net.
In perfect sequence. With perfect timing. In the perfect locations.
The fire surged and ebbed.
In an instant, his body grew intensely hot. Centered on Yeon So-wol’s abdomen and thighs, a large flame swept through the Twelve Standard Meridians. Then, smaller flames that had scattered into the Twelve Divergent Meridians followed, scouring the area. The moment they passed, the flames that had dispersed into the Fifteen Collateral Vessels and the tiniest Collateral Meridians gathered, providing a gentle, steady heat.
It struck and retreated, meticulously and exquisitely caressing the Essence that composed his bones and flesh. It felt as if the flames were seeping into every single cell.
His control of the Fire Phase…
Yeon So-wol was dumbfounded.
His control is unbelievable!
He had been fairly confident in his own Fire Phase, especially with his Breath of Smoke and Clouds. Looking at this now, his own control wasn't even on the level of boiling water for noodles. This was a completely different dimension.
As a tremor ran through him, Yeon So-wol had an absurd thought.
This feels… like I’m a piece of meat cooking on a grill…
Seared over the high heat of the Twelve Standard Meridians, tossed and turned over the medium heat of the Twelve Divergent Meridians, and finally, cooked through on the low heat of the Collateral Meridians.
Like I'm being cooked… perfectly evenly…
Just as he was feeling disconcerted by these strange thoughts, Lee Yu-baek’s deep voice declared, “From now on, I will refine your bones and flesh.”
Fwoosh!
Though there was no wind, Lee Yu-baek’s sleeves billowed out. Veins bulged on the back of his hands, his neck, and his forehead.
“Keep breathing.”
The moment he whispered those words—
WHOOSH!
As if all the heat until now had been a mere warm-up, an unimaginably hot energy surged through his Zhangmen acupoint.
!!!
Yeon So-wol bit his lip hard to keep from screaming. A drop of blood welled up where his teeth tore the skin and fell to the ground. But no one paid any mind to such trifles.
Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. What is this!
FWOOOOSH!
Yeon So-wol took back his earlier thought. What meat? This was Refinement.
The kiln where pottery is fired. The furnace where iron melts. That dazzling, orange heat which incinerates all impurities, leaving only what is clear and pure. The brilliant, refined masterpiece completed within the forge.
He wasn't being cooked. He was being refined.
The Essence, once solidified as bone and flesh, flickered in the flames, transforming into clear Essence-Qi. Though it was the lowest stage of Essence-Qi, it was clearly something that preceded matter—something without weight.
A scent like Laoshan White Sandalwood brushed past his nose. The clean, fragrant smell of burning wood. He thought he heard the distant strike of a wooden moktak.
“So-wol. This is the Refinement of the body.”
Whoosh!
Yeon So-wol felt the wind. He could see Lee Yu-baek, now tiny, far below him. Having tossed him into the air with one hand, Lee Yu-baek wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and grinned.
Fwhooooooo—!
He had been thrown at least ten meters high.
“Ah…”
Yeon So-wol felt like a massive kite. The blowing wind pushed his body back slightly.
Hooooo!
He was definitely falling, but for some reason, he wasn't afraid. Yeon So-wol spread his limbs wide, catching the wind. His body rose slightly, his falling speed slowed, and when the ground finally drew near, Yeon So-wol landed lightly, crouching down.
Thump!
Like a cat. Even the sound of his landing was muffled. Yeon So-wol looked down at his own body, filled with wonder.
“…This is.”
“Yes. What you just experienced is our Pungryu Sect’s Qinggong, Flying Wind Drift.”
“Flying Wind Drift.”
“How did it feel?”
“I felt light. So light that I felt like I was being pushed by the wind.”
“That’s why the name uses the character for ‘drift’ (漂). Like a willow leaf floating aimlessly. This is the signature art of our sect. It makes you lighter than the Qinggong of other sects and gives you a distinct advantage when changing directions.”
“Is that so?”
Yeon So-wol’s eyes lit up. Superior to other sects. For someone who had wanted to learn Qinggong and footwork first, this was the best possible news.
Lee Yu-baek saw his reaction and laughed.
“You fool. You didn't know until now? Our sect’s name is composed of the characters for Wind (風) and Willow (柳). Although our martial arts are collectively called the Pungryu Sword, their foundation actually lies in our movement techniques.”
The sect’s unique mental cultivation method, the Soft Willow Art, was the study of becoming like a willow tree.
“By heating and circulating the Essence throughout your body, you gain a flexible resilience like a willow. That makes the Refinement of the body much easier.”
“Ah.”
“After making your body like a willow with the Soft Willow Art, you walk with the Willow Leaf Step that sways like a leaf, and you perform the Flying Wind Drift to ride the wind. That is the path our Pungryu Sect follows.”
“Ah…!”
Yeon So-wol felt a strange pang in his chest.
This is… actually pretty cool.
He had started learning these martial arts simply because they seemed useful, but he found himself increasingly drawn in—to the arts, and to the Pungryu Sect itself.
“Now. Did you feel what you need to do to use Flying Wind Drift?”
Yeon So-wol nodded. He now understood what Lee Yu-baek had meant by ‘heating it well.’
“You have to heat the muscles and bones as uniformly as possible, without breaking the harmony. And it seems the key is not to fully transform them into Essence-Qi, but to maintain a state where they are on the verge of changing, but not quite.”
“As expected, you’re sharp. That’s right.”
Lee Yu-baek opened his fan, cooling his face where sweat was still beading. He was panting slightly; he had expended a great deal of internal energy to forcibly refine Yeon So-wol’s body.
“Hoo. Although we use our internal cultivation method to heat up our cooled Essence and Qi, in the end, we are people with physical bodies. To abruptly turn that body into Essence-Qi would be suicide. It would be a constant loss of the physical form. No, loss would be the better outcome. What if it turns into Essence-Qi, then cools and becomes bone and flesh again? What do you think would happen if it got lodged strangely inside your body?”
“…I don’t want to imagine it.”
“Right. That’s why you must always strive to master your Fire Phase.”
The key was to maintain that borderline state—on the verge of transformation—with a gentle, continuous, and extremely delicate flame.
“If you do that, the refined bones and flesh will settle back into your body smoothly, making you stronger without damaging your constitution.”
It was like heating water, but never letting it reach the boiling point.
“Therefore, what you must learn from now on is the fire control method for that. The Oral Formula for Flying Wind Drift.”
Fire control? The kind he just showed me?
Yeon So-wol flinched. “Can I really do something like that?”
Lee Yu-baek laughed. “Of course you can’t do it like me from the start. What I showed you is the level of someone who has mastered Composition and is on the verge of Great Accomplishment. For now… let’s aim for you to master up to the Third Stage. That should be enough, albeit barely, for you to slip out of those bastards’ grasp.”
Yeon So-wol focused on one specific detail.
“Father, you’re currently at the Composition stage. For me to master up to the Third Stage… I think it will take a lot of time.”
“It would take a lot of time. Normally.”
Normally?
Yeon So-wol’s eyes gleamed. Lee Yu-baek smiled meaningfully.
“I gave you an elixir, didn’t I? Once you reach the First Stage of Flying Wind Drift, you'll take it. You should be able to reach the Third Stage in no time then.”
Yeon So-wol clenched his fists.
Finally. I get to take it. The elixir.
“That mushroom is called a Dragon Scale Mushroom. It’s highly effective at burning away the Turbid Qi accumulated in the muscles and bones and improving one’s constitution. If you take it, refining your body will become much easier.”
“Thank you.”
Yeon So-wol felt a renewed sense of gratitude. It felt as if the problems he had been worrying about were being solved all at once.
I'll take the Dragon Scale Mushroom first, then make a plan for the Great Restoration Pill.
The Great Restoration Pill he had obtained after killing the Demon Slayer was still in his possession. He had originally planned to take it upon entering the Fire Phase, but he had somehow gone a step further and achieved the Breath of Smoke and Clouds. His body was more than ready to handle the pill.
However, Yeon So-wol was still a bit hesitant. Internal cultivation methods were so dangerous that he feared there might be some kind of trap or side effect to the elixir as well.
By taking the Dragon Scale Mushroom, I should be able to get a feel for how elixirs affect me.
Once he organized his thoughts, he felt a surge of excitement. If the Dragon Scale Mushroom could help him reach the Third Stage of Flying Wind Drift, then what about the legendary Great Restoration Pill?
“Um, Father.” Yeon So-wol couldn't hold back.
“Yes?”
“At first, I was told by many that I was too old to be initiated into a sect.”
“I’m sure you were.”
“Back then, I heard that if I took a Great Restoration Pill, even someone like me could learn martial arts and be initiated.”
“Hmm. If it’s a true Great Restoration Pill, it could certainly pave the way for even an eighteen-year-old fool to reach the first-rate.”
Yeon So-wol was shocked. A fool can become first-rate?
How much had he suffered to achieve the second-rate state of Breath of Smoke and Clouds? It was a harsh cultivation that he never would have survived if his will had been even slightly weaker, or if his luck had been bad. But this pill could make even a fool first-rate?
“Th-Then… what would happen if I took a Great Restoration Pill now?”
“Why? Do you have one?”
“No.” Yeon So-wol answered instantly.
“Why such a quick answer? Do you really have one?”
“No.”
“Hmm. If you do, throw it away.”
“Why…?”
“Because there’s no way it’s a real Great Restoration Pill.”
Yeon So-wol was stunned. A fake? He had never once considered that possibility. It did look too ordinary.
It had no particular scent, just a round shape like a common herbal pill. It looked like something found in any apothecary. Thinking about it now, it was a bit strange—especially considering that the Dragon Scale Mushroom Lee Yu-baek had given him exuded a faint, fragrant scent even through its wooden box.
Yeon So-wol swallowed hard. “…Is that so?”
“Yes. The Great Restoration Pill is a legend of the Jianghu. It’s not something you could have just stumbled upon. If you did, it’s surely a fake made by some swindler who just added a nice gloss and a fragrant scent.”
“Then what is a real Great Restoration Pill like?”
“It’s called ‘returning to original simplicity.’ Truly precious things often look ordinary. From what I’ve heard, the real Great Restoration Pill is said to be rather plain. A simple, round pill with no particular scent—the kind you could find at any medicine shop.”
“…”
Yeon So-wol felt a wave of relief. So it is real.
As he calmed his racing heart, he shot a slight glare at Lee Yu-baek.
“Look at this one.” Lee Yu-baek bared his teeth. “I thought you’d be a little shaken after being forcibly refined, but your eyes are still full of life. Good. So you want me to train you harshly, is that it? You must be eager to take that Dragon Scale Mushroom.”
What?
“Alright. Then let’s begin learning the Fire Phase of Flying Wind Drift in earnest.” He beckoned Yeon So-wol with his chin. “Here, come and stand.”
Now, whenever he heard those words, Yeon So-wol broke out in a cold sweat.