Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: The Wind of Chaos Blows from the North (2)
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“Do you know me?”
At Dam Ho’s question, Myeong Cheon flashed a peculiar smile.
His jet-black eyes sparkled as if they contained all the blessings of the world. For a boy still so young, their depth and mystery were far beyond what one might expect.
“Brother Dam is more famous than I thought. And…”
Myeong Cheon’s gaze shifted toward Dam Ho’s leg.
In that brief moment, he had discerned that Dam Ho’s leg was prosthetic.
Dam Ho’s eyes darkened deeply.
The boy’s expression and speech were anything but childlike, and those eyes that seemed to pierce straight into a person’s soul felt strangely disconcerting.
Myeong Cheon was a genius. A once-in-a-generation prodigy who could hear one thing and understand a hundred—聞一知百.
Such geniuses were exceedingly rare. He was truly a being one could only describe as sent from the heavens.
Yet, despite his brilliant mind, his body was far too frail. He could stay awake for barely two shichen a day. Any longer, and the strain on his heart meridians would cause him to spit blood from all seven orifices.
Heaven had granted him a mind capable of dominating an era, but denied him the body to support it.
Thus, those who knew Myeong Cheon called him the “genius who never awakens.”
His only hope was Jong Ri-yeon.
Myeong Cheon smiled.
“I’m glad. Big Sis kept her promise. I was starting to feel overwhelmed anyway.”
“I told you. I’d definitely heal you.”
“Thank you.”
“But you have to keep the promise you made with me, too.”
“Of course.”
Jong Ri-yeon smiled at Myeong Cheon’s reply.
Dam Ho realized their bond stretched back quite some time.
“When do you plan to start the treatment?”
“Right now!”
“So soon?”
“Better to pull out the iron while it’s hot.”
“Then I’m all for it. I’ve been waiting for this moment forever.”
Jong Ri-yeon looked at Dam Ho.
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
“It was a promise.”
“Many in the world make promises lightly, but few actually keep them. In that regard, you’re a very special person.”
“I didn’t bring you here to hear flattery.”
“I know. Still, thank you.”
Jong Ri-yeon gave him a warm, gentle smile.
Dam Ho gazed at her for a moment before turning away.
“I’ll head out.”
“I’ll show you to your room.”
The old man led Dam Ho to his quarters.
Watching Dam Ho’s receding figure, Myeong Cheon murmured,
“He’s a big brother who gets embarrassed easily.”
“He’s got that side to him.”
“He reminds me a bit of our eldest brother.”
“You have an older brother?”
“You didn’t know? I have a few older brothers above me, and one older sister.”
“Why didn’t I know that?”
“Because I never told you.”
“Huh?”
“Hahaha!”
Myeong Cheon burst into hearty laughter. But it didn’t last. His face soon paled.
It had been ages since he laughed so hard, and now his heart meridians ached. Blood trickled from his nose. Truly a cursed body.
‘But it’s okay now! Soon, I can finally help Big Brother.’
This was the moment he had waited his whole life for.
For this day, his older brother had forged ties with Jong Ri-yeon’s master and provided support in every way possible. And after over a decade, those efforts were finally bearing fruit.
He had waited so very long.
Even on Southwild Island, her primary focus had been devising a cure for Myeong Cheon. Her master had laid the foundation, but it was incomplete.
She had desperately researched ways to refine it, ultimately perfecting her master’s insights.
“Make it hurt as little as possible, Big Sis.”
“Don’t make me laugh. I’ll be using the largest needles, so it’s going to hurt like hell.”
“That sounds scary.”
“You’re like an old man in a kid’s body.”
“Hehe.”
Myeong Cheon chuckled softly.
Jong Ri-yeon shook her head at the sight.
She had come to know Myeong Cheon through her master’s connections. But she didn’t know much about him. That made it hard to get used to this old-soul-in-a-child’s-body vibe.
“Let’s go inside. It’ll be a long night. And very painful.”
“Yes!”
Myeong Cheon replied energetically.
The two walked side by side into the room.
As soon as they entered, Myeong Cheon stripped down to his undergarments, shedding everything else. His emaciated frame, skeletal to the point where his bones protruded, came into Jong Ri-yeon’s view.
Pity flickered across her face.
“I told you to eat more.”
“No matter how much I eat, I don’t gain weight.”
Myeong Cheon smiled wistfully. That expression only made her heart ache more.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes!”
“It’ll hurt a lot.”
“I’m ready.”
Myeong Cheon gritted his teeth.
Jong Ri-yeon nodded and took out her needles.
“Huu!”
After taking a deep breath, she began the acupuncture.
The old man guided Dam Ho to the most remote room.
“Please rest here.”
“Mm.”
“Thank you. For safely escorting our young master here.”
“…”
“Thanks to you, he’ll live. We’ll never forget this grace.”
“You’ve known Myeong Cheon a long time, haven’t you?”
“Since the moment he was born. He’s no different from my own child.”
“I see. He’s fortunate.”
“Pardon?”
“To receive such devoted care from a warrior as strong as you.”
“…”
The old man’s expression stiffened for a moment. But the awkwardness vanished in an instant, replaced by a relaxed smile.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“…”
“I’ll take my leave then. Rest well.”
The old man hurried out.
Left alone, Dam Ho murmured quietly,
“Everyone has their secrets.”
Dam Ho crossed his arms and gazed out the window.
The mansion had a peculiar style. The northern siheyuan layout blocked external views while opening all spaces toward the central courtyard.
In contrast, the room assigned to Dam Ho had its view of the courtyard obstructed, but featured a small window overlooking the street.
One could see outside, but nothing inside could be seen from without. The space had been deliberately arranged this way.
Darkness was settling over the streets.
Then, from deep within the mansion, he sensed a faint flow of internal energy. Jong Ri-yeon had begun the treatment.
Dam Ho leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
A multitude of thoughts flitted through his mind.
He did not try to control them. He simply observed as they branched out and grew on their own.
Self-observation.
By gazing inward, one accurately grasps the self.
It was a cultivation method he had realized while staying on the island last winter.
By coldly examining oneself, one clearly identifies one’s limits. No emotions interfere.
Like swinging a sword to draw a line, it distinctly separates what can be done from what cannot.
Repeating this process allows one to maintain razor-sharp reason in any situation.
It was the most efficient way to temper oneself in a civilian home without worrying about prying eyes.
Time flowed endlessly.
His senses, once focused inward, now turned outward.
One zhang, two zhang… They expanded without end, until the entire mansion fell under his sensory domain.
Countless walls blocked the way, but none could halt his senses.
He sensed distinct breathing patterns.
One deep, ceaseless breath.
It belonged to the old man who had guided him.
‘Tortoise.’
Dam Ho envisioned a massive sea turtle plunged into the ocean depths. Its breath suggested profound internal energy, capable of swimming dozens or hundreds of li on a single inhalation—like a gigantic turtle.
Another breath entered Dam Ho’s senses.
Steady and unchanging—it was Jong Ri-yeon’s. Hers was just enough to aid her medical arts.
His senses detected yet another.
Faint and feeble, as if it might snap at any moment—Myeong Cheon’s.
A breath so weak it was miraculous he had survived this long surged turbulently with each needle prick.
Dam Ho pictured a carp in a drought-stricken pond. The water level so low its body was nearly exposed, gills barely submerged as it gasped desperately.
Any further drop, and the carp would die.
Jong Ri-yeon’s acupuncture was replenishing the pond’s water. Whatever the principle, that’s how it felt to Dam Ho.
Water trickled into Myeong Cheon’s pond bit by bit. Vitality slowly returned to the massive carp that had only been gasping before.
Crisis struck.
The inflow dwindled to a trickle, while a drain burst, spilling out the precious water that had accumulated.
Jong Ri-yeon’s hands moved busily.
Her once-steady breathing grew ragged, sweat pouring ceaselessly from her brow.
Her efforts paid off. The outflow slowed, the inflow surged. The parched pond refilled.
Jong Ri-yeon’s hands danced.
She reinforced the crumbling pond walls, widened the inflow channels. The process demanded utmost mental focus.
She executed it flawlessly.
Water filled Myeong Cheon’s pond. It rose endlessly, soaking his back, swelling the vast basin.
The carp gained freedom, swimming wildly as if fearing its last breath. But the pond was too small for it to thrash freely.
The carp yearned for a larger pond. And Jong Ri-yeon expanded it for him.
Roar!
Water poured in like a river.
The pond grew beyond recognition, becoming a lake. The carp felt no confinement.
To taste greater freedom, the carp shed its body. Scales fell away one by one, revealing its true form.
Freed from binding scales, its body writhed eagerly. It lengthened, expanded. Its mouth protruded, teeth grew. Whiskers lengthened dramatically, new scales sprouted on its slick torso. Four legs emerged.
The carp became a dragon.
The dragon ascended to the heavens.
Dam Ho witnessed it all without missing a beat.
In that instant, Myeong Cheon was truly casting off the tormenting curse that had plagued him, reborn anew.
Bones cracked and shifted to optimal positions, skin sloughed off. Fresh flesh sprouted, muscles formed on his once-pitifully withered frame.
“Sh-Shedding form and changing bones?”
Jong Ri-yeon cried out in shock.
Her acupuncture was meant to cure his illness. It held no mystic power to induce such a transformation.
“Th-This isn’t from my acupuncture. What on earth…”
Someone had laid a hidden mechanism within Myeong Cheon’s body. Her acupuncture had served as the catalyst to awaken it.
Bewildered, Jong Ri-yeon could only gape at the spectacle.
Dam Ho expanded his sensory domain.
Something he hadn’t detected before snagged on his senses.
A presence as massive and unyielding as a mountain.
Dam Ho’s eyebrow twitched.
The moment he sensed it, it sensed him in return.
Wooong!
A resonance erupted.
It spread far and wide, and within it, Dam Ho heard a call directed at him.
His eyes deepened.
He leaped through the open window, landing on the rooftop of the opposite house.
He wasn’t alone up there.
A hulking giant over seven chi tall, with a simple, honest face ill-suited to his massive build. Yet even in the darkness, his eyes gleamed like lanterns.
A large sword wrapped in coarse cloth dangled from his waist.
Woooong!
Facing him, the resonance between them amplified uncontrollably.
Resonance occurs only when two entities of equal magnitude meet. This meant the man before him possessed a vibration as vast and powerful as Dam Ho’s own.
The air between them heated up.
He spoke first.
“To meet like this, Fist Demon.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Geom Yul-cheon.”
The man, Geom Yul-cheon, smiled.