Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Martial God (44)
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Fatigue Completely Melting Away Circulation Exercise
He was on the verge of fainting from shock.
Until now, he had attempted circulation exercise hundreds of times... no, he had never done it properly, so strictly speaking, he had never truly performed it. In any case, he had sat cross-legged and recited the incantation for Myriad Phenomena Great Heaven Force thousands of times.
He had done it almost every day, so even accounting for unavoidable circumstances—like staying up all night fighting—he must have recited it at least three hundred times a year.
That made three thousand times over ten years. Including before he joined the army, it had to be over ten thousand.
Not exaggerating even a little, he had never once stayed awake through it. He always fell asleep after a short while. But today, he hadn't fallen asleep. No, his mind was crystal clear.
‘This isn't a dream, is it? Let me...’
Ak Muyoo sat cross-legged again and recited Myriad Phenomena Great Heaven Force. It truly wasn't a dream. He recited it, but drowsiness didn't come. With eyes closed, he circulated Myriad Phenomena Great Heaven Force. He also learned for the first time that fully circulating it took one cycle of meals.
The changes in his body...
“Damn.”
There were no changes in his body, and his wounds didn't seem healed either, but oh well, he had to be satisfied that something had happened.
He circulated Myriad Phenomena Great Heaven Force once more. On the second try, a change did occur.
The change wasn't inside his body but on the surface. The water touching his skin slowly moved along it.
He couldn't see the submerged parts, but on the exposed areas, the water moved precisely along the acupoints, as if it were a living creature.
The broadly spread water rose and fell along his body following the acupoints. Some of it even entered through his nose into his body.
But Ak Muyoo didn't notice.
It was because he had entered samadhi for the first time.
* * *
“He's finally out, Family Head.”
A weary-faced man stared ahead and murmured softly. Covered in sweat, he was Sand Wind Spirit Demon Squad Leader Sand Ghost Geo Bu Chi. Thanks to Geo Bu Chi and his squad members unleashing their palm power without rest, they had finally escaped the Sand Death People.
Geo Bu Chi turned to look at his squad.
Three hundred had entered, but only fifty remained. They had lost two hundred fifty without even fighting.
“There are corpses ahead.”
One squad member pointed forward.
“Check them!”
“Yes!”
Several Sand Wind Spirit Demon Squad members rushed forward. They circled around, examining the bodies.
“They look like Sand Death People.”
The one inspecting shouted.
“Sand Death People? The Hell of Ten Thousand Evils' assassins?”
“Yes. And two are Central Plains folk.”
“Central Plains folk?”
“Yes.”
“Central Plains folk...”
He approached the bodies. One was Gun Cheokjeon.
“That... Black River Bullet?”
He spotted Family Head Jeok Yeom-cheon's martial art in the wounds on Gun Cheokjeon's body.
“The Family Head fought here. And the Sand Death People... Family Mother put out a hit.”
Geo Bu Chi immediately realized that Jeok Yeom-cheon's wife had commissioned Hell of Ten Thousand Evils.
“Deputy.”
He called his deputy leader.
“Yes.”
A bald man approached and bowed.
“With our current numbers, reaching Chacha Kingdom is impossible, right?”
“Do you think the Family Head will go that far?”
“The Family Head is determined to eliminate Luha. If we don't catch up midway, he'll go all the way to Chacha Kingdom.”
“We need to request reinforcements.”
“Ask for five hundred.”
“Understood.”
The deputy bowed and left. Moments later, a Great Desert Heaven Hawk rose from the Sand Wind Spirit Demon Squad camp.
“Let's go.”
Geo Bu Chi said quietly and started walking.
“Hell of Ten Thousand Evils won't stay quiet either, will they?”
The deputy asked, catching up.
“Probably not.”
Geo Bu Chi nodded.
“It's me, Demon Lord.”
Cheuk Yeol spoke softly in front of the Demon Lord's quarters.
“What is it?”
“The guest innkeeper has been taken out.”
“Taken out? You mean killed?”
“Yes.”
“Come in.”
Cheuk Yeol opened the door and entered.
“The squad?”
As Cheuk Yeol sat, Tan Ya asked.
“Wiped out.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Only one survived long enough to report before dying.”
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Tan Ya's lips. He had thought this job simple. Objectively, the Sand Death People couldn't lose. In Hell of Ten Thousand Evils, they were second only to the Death Envoys in strength. Yet they had been annihilated.
He couldn't believe it.
“...Really?”
Tan Ya asked again.
“Yes.”
“Did they fight as assassins or as martial artists?”
“They hid in the sand and fought.”
“Even as assassins, they were wiped out.”
“Yes.”
“Where are they now?”
“Heading back to Chacha Kingdom.”
“How much was the advance?”
“We received full payment, including for delivering the heads.”
“Fifty thousand nyang in advance. On failure, we return one hundred fifty thousand.”
“Yes.”
“Prepare all members for deployment.”
“All members?”
“The money isn't the issue. This concerns Hell of Ten Thousand Evils' honor. If we can't handle a Great Bow Dragon, we have no reason to exist. The best way to restore our honor is to annihilate Chacha Kingdom along with Great Bow Dragon Luha.”
“...”
“We depart at dawn.”
“Yes.”
Cheuk Yeol bowed and withdrew.
* * *
Ak Muyoo opened his eyes after one cycle of meals.
“I don't know about internal energy, but the fatigue is gone.”
He grinned. Whether from the circulation or the hot spring water, his condition felt much better than before.
Then Ara opened her eyes.
Their gazes met.
“You'll check my wounds, right?”
Ara said.
“Yeah. How's your body?”
“Just like you said. This hot spring water is like a miracle drug.”
Ara grinned.
“Good.”
“I'll go out first.”
Ara stood and turned.
“How did she hide a body like that?”
Luha, finishing circulation and opening her eyes, said in admiration. Ara's front was impressive, but her back was even more so.
“Only possible because she's a general.”
Ara turned her head while walking out and said to the two.
“Could be.”
Luha nodded. Bathing was the biggest issue, but as a general, she could bathe alone. Her aides must have thought her picky and sensitive from always bathing solo.
“Shall we go out too?”
Luha said to Ak Muyoo.
“Yeah.”
Luha stood first and exited.
‘She's no slouch either.’
Luha's back view was just as good as Ara's.
“Stop gawking and come out. I'm starving.”
Ara, drying her clothes with Samadhi True Fire, said.
“Gawking? I'm coming, coming.”
Ak Muyoo jumped up and walked out of the lake. Ara and Luha, dressing, froze and stared at him.
“What are you doing right now?”
Ak Muyoo stopped and asked.
“Paying off a debt.”
“Debt?”
“My father said never to leave debts unpaid.”
“Oh, come on...”
Ak Muyoo rushed out and dressed.
His clothes were already dried by Ara, who had gone out first.
As he headed into the ger, four camels approached. Two had riders, the rear two carried loads. They were Seo Haran and Mok Bu-seong.
The three watched the camel riders tensely. Up close, they recognized the faces.
“Aren't you Fire Non-Dragon?”
Luha asked the woman.
She had seen her once long ago, but wasn't sure.
“You remember? Yes, it's Seo Haran.”
Seo Haran nodded.
“And this is...”
“I'm Mok Bu-seong.”
“Ah! Sea Dragon. I'm Luha.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
Mok Bu-seong cupped his hands toward Luha.
“Nice to meet you. But why are you two...”
“We came to deliver this.”
Seo Haran raised the Dark Current Arrow.
“So you two were the ones following us.”
Recovering, Luha's voice was more relaxed. Truth be told, they had left the Dark Current Arrow as a warning to pursuers.
Seo Haran had pulled it out and brought it.
“We happened to see you fighting Four Evils Bandits, half curiosity half interest, so we followed. But you wiped out even the Sand Death People and Jeok Yeom-cheon. We couldn't help wondering who you were to do that, so we came all this way. And those two...”
Seo Haran looked at Ak Muyoo.
“I'm Black Wind. This is Heaven Region General.”
Ak Muyoo introduced himself.
“Not hiding it?”
Seo Haran's eyes widened slightly. She thought he'd conceal his identity.
“No reason to.”
“Oh? Casual speech too?”
“Ex-Ten Thousand Commander, not used to honorifics yet. Bear with me. If not, turn the camels around or talk casual too.”
“Pft!”
Seo Haran chuckled. He seemed fun.
“Got any food?”
Ak Muyoo asked.
“Food?”
“Seriously debating whether to butcher a camel.”
“You're going to eat camel?”
Seo Haran's eyes widened. Many Border Wastelands folk believed killing a healthy camel brought misfortune to family or self; she was one.
“No matter how vital camels are, starvation comes first.”
“I have some, but nothing to share.”
“You?”
He looked at Mok Bu-seong this time.
“I don't care for casual speech.”
Mok Bu-seong said, displeased.
“Got it.”
Ak Muyoo nodded and untied one camel's reins.
“I'll give.”
Unable to watch him butcher it, Seo Haran said.
“I eat a lot.”
“Enough with what I have.”
“You rode today.”
Ak Muyoo patted the camel's cheek.
Moo!
“Know that, man.”
Ak Muyoo unloaded firewood from the camel and stacked it well-like in front of the ger.
As he prepared the fire, Seo Haran and Mok Bu-seong dismounted. Seo Haran watched Ak Muyoo with interest.
“Ara, light it.”
He said, grabbing the flint toward the petrified wood.
“Got it.”
Ara went to the firewood.
“This size is perfect.”
Ak Muyoo stood before the one-and-a-half-chi-diameter petrified wood. Unlike other dead-tree fossils without branches, this one had none extending left or right.
“Can I cut it?”
He glared at the petrified wood.
Petrified wood, but a one-and-a-half-chi-thick stone pillar. Fossils are harder than regular stone.
A guy without internal energy, what guts to try cutting this? Maybe the first successful circulation bred pointless bravado.
“Even if I fail, it's not a total loss.”
He said that, but it would be. He'd be back to despair for days.
‘Still, gotta try.’
He gripped the flint tight, raised his arm. He regulated his breath but couldn't swing easily. Truthfully, he'd never cut a log this thick.
“What are you doing now?”
Seo Haran asked Ara.
“That's a stone pillar in front of him.”
“I know. Is he trying to cut it?”
“Seems so.”
Ara nodded.
“Forgot he has no internal energy?”
“He never forgets.”
“But... huh?”
Seo Haran's eyes widened. Not just her—Mok Bu-seong watching curiously, Luha and Ara pitying—everyone's eyes bulged. An indescribable energy began flowing around Ak Muyoo's body.
“Taha!”
A thunderous shout burst from Ak Muyoo's mouth.