Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Full Recovery
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hour of the Rabbit.
Hyeonryeo, who had risen early in the dawn, hastily wolfed down her meal and headed straight to the Medical Hall.
"He should be waking up today..."
Her eyes filled with worry as she walked, but soon she entered the Medical Hall.
She made her way skillfully toward where Cheonhwi lay, but a sense of unease struck her.
The interior was far too quiet.
Not a single breath could be heard.
Thud thud—
Her footsteps quickened. She soon reached the room where Cheonhwi was supposed to be lying and flung the door open with a creak.
"...!"
She rushed to the bed.
Cheonhwi, who should have been lying there, was gone. An empty bed greeted her.
"...You've awakened."
Her expression brightened.
But only for a moment.
"Even so, moving around already..."
Her face hardened as she hurriedly left the room, flinging open the surrounding closed doors one by one to check.
As she opened nearly all the doors...
Whoosh—
She spotted the back door with wind blowing in.
And beyond it, a small shadow in the distance.
Tap!
Without a moment's hesitation, she unleashed the Jade Ring Wondrous Step.
Whoosh—
"Hwi-ya!"
At her booming voice, the shadow turned, revealing Cheonhwi's face.
Her face, which had been panicked at his disappearance, gradually lit up with joy.
And then—
Whoosh!
She embraced him vigorously.
'W-what is this?'
Caught off guard by the sudden situation...
"You've come to your senses."
With his face buried in her bosom, she sniffled, unconsciously tightening her embrace even more.
"G-guh!"
The initially soft hug turned painful, now feeling like his head might split open.
"B-breath..."
"What's wrong?"
"C-can't... breathe..."
Hyeonryeo hurriedly released the hug.
Now able to breathe, Cheonhwi took a deep gulp of air and exhaled.
"Hoo..."
"I'm sorry."
Hyeonryeo wiped her tears and spoke.
'Hm?'
At the familiar voice, Cheonhwi stared at her.
A beautiful middle-aged woman who appeared in her forties.
Her hair neatly tied up, she wore a daoist robe adorned with plum blossoms.
'This woman is Hyeonryeo?'
Since regaining consciousness, hers was the only voice that visited without fail every day, so he immediately recognized her.
As he scrutinized her closely, she brought her face nearer.
Her tear-filled eyes, not yet dry, filled his vision.
"Are you alright now?"
"Of course I am... Ah."
He realized his mistake mid-sentence.
"I-I'm... fine."
He swallowed his rushed words, forcing a smile by lifting the corners of his mouth.
'To think I'd end up speaking politely to a hag daoist like her.'
Chicken skin prickled all over his body.
Watching him, Hyeonryeo asked with worried eyes.
"Are you really alright?"
Seeing her suspicious expression, Cheonhwi forced his smile even wider.
"I... really... tch. F-fine... yes."
Perhaps because it was something he wasn't used to.
His mouth twitched uncontrollably.
'Damn it! This is hell!'
Hearing Cheonhwi's awkward speech, Hyeonryeo narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Still, let's have the Medical Hall Leader check you properly."
The moment she finished speaking.
Whoosh!
His body suddenly lifted.
'This technique... from that hag daoist? No, it's different from what I knew?'
Recalling the graceful hand motion he'd glimpsed for an instant, Hyeonryeo kicked off the ground.
Whoosh—
The scenery retreated in an instant.
Cheonhwi's brows furrowed.
'What? This again? It's definitely the old woman's Jade Ring Wondrous Step, the one who came with the hag daoist.'
The footwork she displayed was mysterious.
It moved softly like scattering plum blossom petals, yet left strangely intricate footprints.
But it didn't sit right with him.
'Why is she executing it so poorly?'
As he tilted his head at the martial art so different from what he knew and tried to analyze her footwork...
Tap.
The shaking stopped, and his floating feet touched the ground.
'Tch, already over?'
Smacking his lips in disappointment...
"Cheongo, Junior Brother."
'Cheongo? Ah! The Medical Hall Leader who treated me?'
Following her gaze, a kindly-faced middle-aged man approached.
"Senior Sister, that sound just now... Eh? Junior Brother!"
As the middle-aged man drew closer, Cheonhwi's gaze lifted higher and higher.
Cheongo's build was impressive.
Over six feet tall with tanned skin.
Unlike his smiling face, the muscles hidden beneath his daoist robe were solid and taut.
Is this really a physician?
As Cheonhwi eyed him skeptically, Hyeonryeo spoke up.
"Can you check his condition?"
"Of course, it's my duty."
He knelt and placed his massive, pot-lid-like hand on Cheonhwi's pulse.
'...No harm in letting him.'
He could have shaken it off anytime if he'd wanted, but he allowed it.
What could someone who couldn't even detect the Yin-Yang Supreme Meridian Seal know anyway.
After a short while of entrusting his wrist...
'Oh ho?'
Cheonhwi's narrowed eyes widened.
It was due to a skill far better than expected.
'Examining the pulses throughout the entire body... His medical knowledge is far more profound than I thought?'
He stared with slightly surprised eyes.
Despite his preconceptions from appearance and the daoist label, the skill was unexpectedly outstanding.
Smooth—
Just then, Cheongo calmly withdrew his hand from the pulse.
Then, stroking his chin, he pondered.
"Hm..."
At that sight, Hyeonryeo panicked.
"Is there a problem?"
"Ah, no."
Cheongo waved his hands hurriedly, then alternated glances between Hyeonryeo and Cheonhwi with a smile.
"On the contrary, his condition is better than anyone else in our sect."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Hearing the repeated assurance that he was fine, Hyeonryeo shed tears and deeply bowed in gratitude.
"Ah, the Heavenly Lord has blessed us."
"Truly, heavenly fortune has favored him."
Watching the two politely bow toward the heavens, Cheonhwi was dumbfounded.
'Heavenly Lord my ass. What Heavenly Lord, heavenly fortune? It's all my own power.'
What Heavenly Lord, heavenly fortune.
Thinking they were dismissing his efforts, Cheonhwi was incredulous.
As he stared at the bowing pair with a ridiculous gaze, Hyeonryeo, who had her head lowered, raised it.
"We must inform the Sect Leader."
Before finishing her words, Hyeonryeo unleashed the Jade Ring Wondrous Step once more.
As Cheonhwi watched her back vanish in an instant...
Grab—
A thick hand gripped his shoulder.
"It's truly fortunate, Junior Brother."
Lifting his head, Cheongo was smiling.
"Now you can roam freely."
Cheongo felt proud.
Every chilling morning, his junior sister had burdened the Medical Hall.
It had pained his heart each time, but now there was no need for such worries.
His meridians were robust and full of vigor, his muscles flexible and tough.
It was hard to believe this was the body of Cheonhwi, who had been sickly every day.
'Fortunately, thanks to the Perilla Seed Pill, my humble medical skills could...'
Recalling the situation then, a sudden doubt arose, and he stroked his chin.
After a moment, he scrutinized Cheonhwi's body from top to bottom meticulously.
'But even with the Perilla Seed Pill, it shouldn't show this level of efficacy. Unless... because Junior Brother hadn't cultivated martial arts, leading to this change? Or perhaps an unknown effect of the Perilla Seed Pill that I don't know...'
Cheongo's eyes gleamed dangerously as they roamed over Cheonhwi unabashedly.
And feeling that gaze, Cheonhwi shivered from his spine.
'What’s with that sticky look? No way... a pederast?'
He quickly put distance between them, frowning.
Chicken skin prickled all over.
Having known the behaviors of pederasts in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult before, he shuddered.
Misinterpreting the curious gaze as Cheonhwi grew wary, Cheongo tilted his head and spoke.
"Hm? Junior Brother? What's wrong?"
As Cheongo sensed something off and tried to approach again...
"Hoho, you've truly recovered."
A white-haired elder appeared.
Cheongo, approaching Cheonhwi, stopped upon seeing the elder and hurriedly bowed.
"Greetings, Sect Leader."
"Hohoho, it's been a while."
The elder smiled softly and turned to Cheonhwi, chuckling.
Seeing the wrinkled-eyed smile of the elder, Cheonhwi's brows twitched.
'This is Mount Hua Sect's current Sect Leader?'
He tilted his head.
'Is he really the Sect Leader? Compared to that hag daoist back then, he's ridiculously weak.'
He compared him to the hag daoist who had visited when tensions between the Central Plains and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult peaked.
The one who claimed to be Mount Hua Sect's Sect Leader had reached the Heavenly Martial Realm, an absolute expert.
And his prestige—what was it?
Thirty years ago, defeated by him and fled vowing revenge, yet still revered in the Central Plains as the Plum Blossom Divine Sword.
A prowess and status that covered the shame of defeat.
'Even Shaolin and Wudang had to yield a step because of that one hag daoist.'
But the Hyeonsang before him now...
His head shook involuntarily.
The current Sect Leader might not match the hag daoist.
But Cheonhwi hadn't expected him to have such a faint presence.
'Mount Hua's Sect Leader is this weak, and one of them's a pederast? Tsk tsk, they said Mount Hua would grow stronger, but they've ruined it completely.'
If the Plum Blossom Divine Sword heard those words, he'd have a fit. As he thought that...
Smooth—
Hyeonsang smiled and stepped forward.
In an instant, his daoist robe fluttered.
His abundant white hair, tied with white cloth into a ponytail, swayed like a horse's tail before he crossed the space in a flash.
Standing before Cheonhwi, he extended a wrinkled hand to stroke his head.
Smooth— Smooth—
"Are you alright?"
Treated completely like a child by Hyeonsang, fury boiled within him, but he endured.
'Right now, I'm Cheonhwi... Yes. I'm Cheonhwi of Mount Hua Sect, damn it!'
His insides twisted, but he suppressed it tightly.
Stabilizing his raging mind and body urgently, he lifted his head to meet his eyes.
"G-greetings... Sect... Leader."
"It's all thanks to Senior Brother permitting the Perilla Seed Pill."
Hyeonryeo, arriving late, interjected.
She gazed at Hyeonsang stroking Cheonhwi's head and smiled softly.
"Without the Perilla Seed Pill, he wouldn't have recovered like this. Isn't that right?"
Seeking agreement from Hyeonryeo, Cheongo clapped and responded vigorously.
"Of course! Moreover, not only has Junior Brother recovered, but by heaven's grace, he'll never collapse again."
"Hoho, fortunate, truly fortunate."
Hyeonsang beamed. Meanwhile, Hyeonryeo subtly signaled Cheonhwi with her eyes.
—Say thank you.
The meaning in her gentle yet resolute gaze wasn't pleasing, but he had no choice but to speak.
The Perilla Seed Pill had indeed helped, after all.
"...Thank you."
"No need. No matter how precious the spirit pill, is it more valuable than our sect's future?"
Speaking, Hyeonsang stroked his white beard grown to his chest.
Then, withdrawing the hand from his head, he said,
"So don't worry about it."
'Obviously. Why would I?'
He hadn't planned to anyway.
'The Perilla Seed Pill was just a tiny, tiny help. Healing my body was thanks to my brilliant knowledge.'
A moment later, Hyeonsang spoke.
"So, Cheonhwi, you're fully recovered now?"
"Yes."
Cheongo nodded emphatically.
"He can move about immediately."
"Hoho, the Heavenly Lord has helped."
Hyeonsang looked down at Cheonhwi.
"What will you do?"
His eyes sparkled instantly.
It was the question he'd been waiting for.
* * *
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Are you really alright?"
'...This is truly exhausting.'
This was precisely the sixth time.
On the way here, Hyeonryeo had repeated the exact same question nonstop.
But he showed no sign of boredom. Staring at her worried eyes, he forced a smile.
"Ha, haha. I'm fine."
"I see."
Hyeonryeo looked pityingly at Cheonhwi and the small pavilion asserting its presence behind him, shaking her head.
"You still haven't forgotten Junior Brother..."
'What?'
Seeming to have a firm misconception, she swallowed her trailing words in frustration.
"Well, go on then."
With that, she departed.
But as if reluctant, she turned back to check, repeating the action nearly five times before finally vanishing.
"Hoo, she's finally gone."
Gazing at the hill where even her shadow was gone, he shook his head.
"Why treat him like such a baby?"
To him, who had lived his entire life in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, it was incomprehensible.
"She'll stop soon enough."
He dismissed the annoying thought.
"More importantly..."
Entering the pavilion, contrary to its shabby exterior, a surprisingly clean interior greeted him.
'I thought it'd be a total mess inside, but it's decently tidy.'
He roughly surveyed the inside before plopping down in the center of the pavilion.
'Let's check my body's condition.'
He slowly regulated his breathing.
Air entering through mouth and nose gradually spread through his meridians, soon making his entire body's interior clear as day.
That was when...
'Hm? What's this?'
Shock burst forth.
His body now was completely different from when he first recovered at dawn.
A state utterly beyond his expectations.