Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: A Desperate Proposal
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‘If I die anyway, everything becomes meaningless. Rather than that, this one body of mine...’
After carefully deliberating and voicing her proposal, she stealthily glanced at Cheonhwi.
This was the greatest offer that Danmokrin of the Danmok family could put forward.
‘Unlike the Daoists of the other Nine Great Sects, Mount Hua Sect allows marriage as long as one doesn't aim for Sect Leader...’
Her face flushed slightly.
‘But will he accept me?’
It was a gamble of a lifetime.
His cultivation might be so profound that he had no interest in romance, or if he desired the Sect Leader position contrary to her expectations, it could all come to nothing.
She waited tensely for Cheonhwi's response, and finally, his mouth opened.
“Everything, huh... Sounds good.”
Unlike her tension, Cheonhwi responded indifferently, almost anticlimactically.
He hadn't expected much anyway.
What grand thing could she offer, even if she gave everything?
He just needed one thing.
The name of the Danmok family was a force he could call upon if something happened to Mount Hua Sect in his absence.
‘Well, if his daughter asks for help, the family will come. Especially after seeing their heir arts.’
Unlike Danmokrin's complicated thoughts, what Cheonhwi wanted was something very simple that she had overlooked.
Meanwhile, having received his positive reply, Danmokrin's expression grew complicated.
‘Yesterday it was a struggle just to survive tomorrow, and now... I might even get engaged...’
She let out a faint laugh at how quickly things were moving in just one day.
At that moment, Cheonhwi spoke.
“Lie down on the floor.”
“Pardon?”
“You asked for my help, right?”
“Ah, got it.”
Danmokrin hurriedly agreed and removed her hat first.
Her black-and-white streaked hair cascaded down as it escaped the fabric, revealing the face of a girl who looked about fourteen.
Her intelligent eyes and high nose bridge made it clear to anyone that she would grow into a beauty.
‘Her growth must have stopped, though.’
But Cheonhwi's impression was calm.
Having seen countless women from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who tried to seduce him, Danmokrin's appearance didn't particularly captivate him.
Just a young girl. That was all.
Danmokrin set her hat aside and looked up at Cheonhwi.
‘So utterly indifferent.’
She was surprised by his gaze.
Any man who had ever laid eyes on her before had shown either strong affection or pity.
But what of the Cheonhwi before her now?
There was no affection, not even a shred of sympathy.
It was as if he were looking at a pebble scattered at his feet—zero interest.
Strangely, this brought her a sense of relief.
‘If it's him...’
As her fondness began to deepen...
“Alright, let's begin.”
Cheonhwi sat down beside her and slowly placed both hands on her lower dantian.
Whoooong—
As he stimulated the Plum Blossom Divine Art, a powerful surge of qi flowed out, enveloping both him and her.
Cheonhwi extended his qi sense and stared piercingly at the reclining Danmokrin.
Having fallen into the Plum Blossom Divine Art's qi, she lay there gracefully with her eyes closed.
‘She's immersed in the flow.’
The flow of meridians beneath her skin.
Her body was in a heterogeneous and chaotic state.
Her meridians were thinner than a normal person's, her muscles and bones frozen solid, and her lower dantian as empty as a hollow cave.
It was clearly abnormal.
No, it was like a frozen corpse.
The yin qi that had invaded her body seemed to have spread all the way to her bone marrow.
‘She could die any moment.’
Upon closer inspection, he realized it for sure.
She would die soon if left like this.
Confirming the severity, Cheonhwi scanned Danmokrin meticulously.
‘Treating this will take days.’
A considerable amount of internal energy in her lower dantian was frozen by the frigid yin qi, piercing her insides like sharp thorns.
‘This must have been extremely painful even on normal days.’
As if to prove his words, spasms began at the corners of her closed eyes.
Even her breathing was unnatural.
Watching her chest heave dramatically, Cheonhwi urgently channeled his qi inside.
The Plum Blossom Divine Art's qi seeped into her meridians and muscles, flowing smoothly at first.
Thud!
Danmokrin's body jolted violently.
The yin qi that had overtaken her body like rigor mortis reacted convulsively, as if wary of his qi.
‘Resistance?’
Perceiving the yin qi opposing his qi, Cheonhwi extended his index finger toward it.
Bang!
The moment his fingertip touched her abdomen, the fiercely resisting yin qi shattered like an illusion and rapidly dissipated.
‘One meridian packs this much...’
Cheonhwi's eyes deepened.
It was far too profound and intense for the energy in a single meridian.
As he moved to address the yin qi elsewhere, the dissipating energy suddenly rampaged.
Whoosh!
There was no time to react.
The yin qi that had permeated her body went berserk like an avalanche.
Crackle—
The rampaging yin qi tore her clothes to shreds and scattered in all directions, baring its ferocity toward Cheonhwi.
Freezing the surroundings as if it had a will of its own, it transformed into a spear and shot toward Cheonhwi's neck.
Cheonhwi's eyes turned icy.
‘Targeting me?’
He didn't like that mere yin qi dared to aim at him.
He immediately infused his internal energy into his finger.
Then, he slowly thrust it into the oncoming spear of yin qi.
Shatter!
It suddenly shattered like glass, and the remaining yin qi scattered everywhere.
‘Where do you think you're going?’
Cheonhwi immediately pulled the yin qi toward him.
‘It's mine now.’
The corner of Cheonhwi's mouth curled up.
The yin qi from a Taiyin Ultimate Earth Body was purer and more potent than any spirit medicine.
If he absorbed it all...
He licked his lips.
‘Heh, nice.’
He immediately circulated the Plum Blossom Divine Art, drawing in all the surrounding yin qi.
A moment later, Cheonhwi ended his circulation with a satisfied smile.
‘A lot accumulated.’
As he appreciatively contemplated the internal energy piled up in his lower dantian...
“Ah! Is the treatment done?”
He belatedly recalled what he had been doing and turned his gaze.
Danmokrin lay there just as before.
But she was markedly different from earlier.
Her clothes were shredded and scattered, exposing her bare body.
Yet Cheonhwi's gaze on her pristine white skin was utterly calm.
He had seen plenty of women's naked forms, and his cultivation wasn't so shallow as to be swayed by mere feminine charms.
“Hm.”
He calmly scanned her from head to toe and nodded.
“Looks good.”
The face that had twitched faintly was now serene, and her irregular breathing had become natural at some point.
As if she were simply asleep.
At that moment, her eyelids fluttered.
“Ugh...”
She awoke with a groan.
The startled woman touched her body all over and murmured.
“Ah, it doesn't hurt.”
He approached and spoke to her.
“You're awake.”
“Young hero?”
She froze as her outer robe, which she had been covering herself with, slipped off while sitting up.
“Kyaa!”
Letting out a short scream, she hurriedly turned away and clutched the front of her robe desperately, lest he see.
Cheonhwi looked at her pitifully.
‘Making such a fuss over that.’
He couldn't understand.
His sense of morality was a bit different from others'.
Watching her blush like a ripe persimmon in embarrassment, he said indifferently.
“Well then, I'll head out first.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Twenty days later, the carriage passed through Hubei Province and arrived in Wuchang.
“Haha, thank you for seeing us all the way to Wuchang.”
“No trouble at all.”
Damok Jinkang waved his hand as he spoke.
Through the journey, the two had grown much closer, conversing amiably now.
“How could I leave midway after saving Rin’s life?”
Damok Jinkang glanced ahead.
A smile formed on his lips as he looked at Danmokrin sitting side by side with Cheonhwi.
Originally, she had sat next to Cheonhwi, but from the next day onward, it changed.
‘Haha, to think she'd want to sit together.’
At Danmokrin's subtle request, he sat with Hyeondo, while she slyly took the seat next to Cheonhwi.
He had been tense at first when Danmokrin sat beside Cheonhwi, but after twenty days, it felt natural like now.
Watching Danmokrin and Cheonhwi, whose distance had notably shortened, he felt pleased.
‘Hm. They suit each other well.’
Forgetting his initial impression of Cheonhwi, he nodded, designating him as Danmokrin's future husband.
‘Even a Mount Hua Sect Daoist can marry, as long as he doesn't become Sect Leader or inherit the orthodox Dao lineage.’
Thinking of Mount Hua Sect's relatively free marriage customs compared to other Nine Great Sects, he smiled contentedly.
From the day they first met, seeing Cheonhwi eat meat and drink alcohol, he seemed worldly.
Such a man wasn't likely to become Sect Leader or adhere strictly to precepts.
“It's a swift sword like this.”
Danmokrin extended her index and middle fingers, creating a bizarre flow.
A gesture dropping straight from above.
Yet the martial essence contained in that simple motion was profoundly deep.
“A sword art that severs meridians and muscles.”
Cheonhwi instantly grasped the essence, and Danmokrin smiled brightly.
“Exactly. The Yaksha Beast Soul Sword pins down the opponent by severing their meridians and muscles, rendering them immobile...”
Cheonhwi watched Danmokrin explain enthusiastically.
‘Her personality's changed a lot.’
And it wasn't just her personality.
Even her deathly complexion had improved.
“It became famous when an infamous assassin in the jianghu used it.”
“And the incantation?”
“The incantation is...”
Danmokrin recited the incantation.
‘Hm. An assassination sword? Being from a clan, it's different from Daoist arts.’
As Cheonhwi pondered...
Swish—
Danmokrin secretly glanced at his profile.
His sharp nose and sparkling eyes.
Normally so apathetic, he showed such interest in martial arts.
Delighted by his reaction, she demonstrated and explained the techniques she knew.
‘He's to be my husband, so I should build affection for the engagement...’
As she blushed thinking of the future...
Neigh!
The carriage jolted to a halt.
The coachman pulled back the curtain dividing the driver's seat from the interior and said.
“We've arrived.”
“Already?”
Danmokrin said sulkily.
She had been chatting excitedly just moments ago and glanced at Damok Jinkang.
“No.”
Damok Jinkang said firmly.
The place they had arrived was none other than the front yard of the Murim Alliance—practically enemy territory.
If their identity as the Danmok family were revealed here, they could be in danger.
Danmokrin said with a bitter expression.
“...That's a shame.”
Cheonhwi met her eyes as she looked at him and nodded.
“It is a shame.”
“Right?”
Danmokrin's face brightened instantly.
Thinking that Cheonhwi shared her reluctance to part made her heart flutter, and for some reason, her mood lifted.
But Cheonhwi's regret was quite different from hers.
‘Tch. She seemed to know a lot of other techniques too—such a shame. And I didn't absorb all the remaining yin qi in her body. Well, can't be helped.’
As Damok Jinkang watched the two with a pleased smile, Hyeondo cupped his hands and chanted.
“Amitabha. Where there is meeting, there is parting. We shall look forward to our next encounter.”
“Hahaha, well said.”
Damok Jinkang slowly formed a fist salute and bowed politely.
“We await our reunion in the future.”
Danmokrin followed suit, bowing her head.
“I too shall await it. And when that time comes...”
She gazed intently at Cheonhwi.
“I will definitely repay your grace.”
“You should.”
As Cheonhwi responded as if it were obvious, Damok Jinkang grasped his hand.
“If anything happens, find me through the Lower Filth Gate.”
“Lower Filth Gate? What's that?”
“Haha, the Lower Filth Gate is...”
As Damok Jinkang began to explain...
“We're short on time.”
The coachman urged.
“You'll learn later.”
Damok Jinkang said hastily, and Hyeondo and Cheonhwi hurriedly disembarked.
Neigh—
The carriage soon departed again.
Inside, with the two gone, Damok Jinkang felt the space awkward and empty.
Staring blankly for a moment, he shook his head vigorously and collected himself.
“Mount Hua's Divine Sword and Cheonhwi... No wonder it's one of the Nine Great Sects, Mount Hua Sect.”
Damok Jinkang held goodwill toward them but also felt worry.
The appearance of an absolute expert and a prodigy at Mount Hua Sect—not one, but two successors—would stir up waves in the current jianghu.
“We must maintain ties with Mount Hua Sect.”
“Yes. We will.”
Damok Jinkang chuckled at Danmokrin's immediate reply.
“You fancy the young hero?”
Danmokrin nodded slightly, her cheeks flushing pink.
Was it because he saved her life, or because his attitude toward her differed from others'?
She felt affection toward Cheonhwi.
Watching her unable to tear her eyes from the window, Damok Jinkang spoke.
“Parting is regrettable, but let's postpone our reunion. First, we must meet the Divine Physician.”
He reminded her of their journey's purpose.
Cheonhwi had said her condition improved before leaving, but she still needed treatment.
‘He said a local physician could restore her vitality, but...’
Damok Jinkang decided otherwise.
It would be better to meet the Divine Physician if possible.
“...Understood.”
Danmokrin gave a perfunctory reply, half-listening, and glared sharply at Cheonhwi's receding back through the window with sticky, dangerous eyes.
Originally, she had been cheerful and bright.
But the events of the past two years had left her desolate and disillusioned with the world.
‘Just a few days ago, my world was pitch-black darkness without a glimpse of light.’
She hadn't told Damok Jinkang, but her condition had been dire.
Her internal energy had escaped her control, and even walking properly was a struggle.
She had endured on mental fortitude alone, but even that was reaching its limit.
She had contemplated ending her own life more than once or twice.
Then, light pierced the darkness.
A fateful light named Cheonhwi.
As she recalled him with blood-red lips parting slowly...
“...I'll definitely come find you.”
At that moment, Cheonhwi, heading toward the Murim Alliance, stopped in his tracks.
‘What was that?’
A sudden chill crept up his back, only to vanish instantly.
Tilting his head, he frowned.
‘Is someone watching me?’