Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Shivering Fit
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Shiver, shiver.
Namgung Hyeok wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Even with the eight braziers surrounding the bed pouring out waves of hot air, the chill refused to leave him.
“Ugh, I’m dying. Oh man, I’m dying.”
His bluish lips quivered.
His teeth chattered, and the tips of his hands and feet felt frozen solid.
‘Ugh, did I draw out too much innate true qi? Ah, damn it. I shouldn’t have gone for that Soul-Shattering Fist at the end. Got too excited without thinking.’
Should he have skipped opening the middle dantian and just used his signature ultimate technique, even if it was more hassle?
Yeah, then at least he wouldn’t be shaking like this.
‘Ugh, I should’ve just endured it. I was winning anyway.’
Hey, Family Head of the Nangong Clan!
He should’ve just cut the guy’s throat from the start.
The bastard even pulled out Heavenly Thunder Qi.
Heavenly Thunder Qi was a realm achievable only after mastering both Heavenly Thunder Divine Art and Sovereign Divine Art to at least the eighth layer.
‘It’s done. What’s spilled is spilled.’
Namgung Hyeok sucked in a sharp breath and clutched the blanket tighter.
He gripped the warm stone tucked against his chest and gritted his teeth.
‘But isn’t this body weakening again?!’
When the Nine Yin Severed Meridians flared up, wouldn’t his body shatter like porcelain again?
No way—he’d gone through hell to get it to this state!
“Ow, shit!”
Thud!
He lashed out irritably at the edge of the bed, and it collapsed.
...That was made of zitan wood.
“Ow.”
Rubbing his stinging wrist, Namgung Hyeok wrapped the blanket around himself even tighter.
“...Not weakened, then.”
Well, that was a relief, at least.
As Namgung Hyeok blinked in surprise, Geum Cheomsang entered with a tray of medicine.
Geum Cheomsang tilted his head while setting the tray on the bed.
“Why’d this collapse? Young master, did you hit it?”
“No? I didn’t?”
“Why are you so touchy...”
“...I’m not?”
Namgung Hyeok shook his head, wriggling under the tightly wrapped blanket.
Geum Cheomsang narrowed his eyes at the bed’s edge and sighed lightly.
“Ah, jeez! What’s all this about? You were fine yesterday, and now sudden chills. The Nine Yin Severed Meridians really are terrifying!”
Namgung Hyeok rolled his eyes to look at Geum Cheomsang.
Geum Cheomsang stuck a straw into the medicine bowl, stirred in some honey, and held it out.
“Are you okay? The Medicine Hall Head says there’s no internal damage. Seems like it’s from overexertion. Plus, winter’s making the Nine Yin Severed Meridians act up. After all that dashing around in Heavenly Bow Hall...”
It’s not that, you idiots.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Namgung Hyeok sucked on the straw with effort.
But Geum Cheomsang wasn’t done.
“Why’d you dive into such a dangerous spot! You should’ve slipped out quick! Hell, you were already winning!”
“...This mouth of yours is too loose.”
“Here’s more medicine.”
“...”
Slurp, slurp! Slurp slurp slurp!
Namgung Hyeok groaned miserably as he sucked on the straw Geum Cheomsang offered.
A bitter, clear scent mingled with sweetness flooded in.
Namgung Hyeok narrowed his eyes.
“...You put spirit pills in this?”
Geum Cheomsang coughed awkwardly, embarrassed.
“What else would you spend money on? Melted one down good and proper. Do some qi circulation before bed and...”
She thinks I pop spirit pills like candy just because I do.
This is the same guy who used to nag me to take them with the Medicine Hall Head around.
Slurp, slurp, slurp!
‘Sweet.’
Anyway, he’d achieved all his goals.
He’d protected his foundation and cleared out the annoying obstacles.
And Namgung Jangcheon, Namgung Ryong, Geum Cheomsang, the Thunder Dragon Squad—all the people under his wing had survived.
A faint ache bloomed in his chest.
‘Yeah, what’s solved is solved. What needed tidying is tidied.’
Slurp, slurp, slurp! Ptoo!
He spat out the straw with a pop and subtly furrowed his brow.
The sweet elixir-laced medicine was nearly gone.
But no vitality returned to his body.
Just a slight return of strength to his limp form.
‘What the hell is this? A bit of innate true qi and I end up like this? I controlled the amount perfectly. This is beyond imagination, seriously.’
In the past, he wouldn’t just have formed a core in his middle dantian—he’d have opened the crown of his head to draw in the qi of heaven and earth.
‘Innate true qi my ass—it’s always been this body. I can’t live like this forever.’
Opening one meridian had improved things a bit, but that was it.
Winter still brought the cold, and even slight overexertion caused problems.
He needed to find a way to fix this chronic issue.
...Enough reminiscing about the past.
With Nangong Family matters mostly wrapped up, it was time for his own business.
‘I need to raise the realm of the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art.’
It was essential not just for body ascension, but to overcome the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
And now, he had to recover his innate true qi and develop his middle dantian.
Lose one, gain one.
He’d expended his innate true qi but opened his middle dantian in exchange.
It created the opportunity for the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art to advance another step.
‘The problem is my internal energy is still lacking.’
The Soaring Heaven Bright King Art’s circulation method had vastly improved how he built and used internal energy, but it was still slow.
Too slow to satisfy Namgung Hyeok’s thirst to surge to the next level.
The path to ascent was open, but he lacked the power to charge forward.
An unbearable thirst arose.
It had ballooned enormously while facing Ghost Shadow and the Heavenly Bow Squad Leader.
Going slow would make his insides burst first.
‘Anyway, I need to recover the innate true qi first.’
The solution to this was surprisingly simple.
Advance the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art another step and recover the innate true qi.
‘Spirit pills!’
Top-grade great return pills, at that!
The Soaring Heaven Bright King Art was like a filter.
It strained out impurities and turbidity, leaving only the purest qi.
But filtering so rigorously applied to spirit pills too.
Ordinary spirit pills had impurities, and the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art filtered them so thoroughly that only a tiny amount became internal energy.
But great return pills were different.
Packed with utterly pure, refined qi, the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art had nothing to filter—it all turned straight to internal energy.
“Frustrating. I’m dying of frustration here.”
“Should I loosen the blanket? That’s why you’re like this, all wrapped up tight.”
Geum Cheomsang pulled back Namgung Hyeok’s blanket.
“...Cold. Close it.”
“Oh.”
“Close it, I said.”
“Yes, I thought you said it was stuffy.”
Geum Cheomsang quietly closed the blanket.
Namgung Hyeok subtly furrowed his brow, then eyed the bowl he’d been slurping from.
‘About time to get them.’
He’d been thinking about it for a while.
Now was the time to act.
A way to fix this damned body fast and elevate the Soaring Heaven Bright King Art’s realm.
And Namgung Hyeok had the ultimate method in mind.
‘Pill refining!’
So he could make spirit pills whenever needed!
Like emergency meds he could whip up himself.
In this era where mid-grade spirit pills were treated like top-grade, pill refining was worth more than any divine art.
Asking the nearly halved Nangong Family for spirit pills was pointless.
‘This is something only I can do anyway.’
A concrete plan formed in Namgung Hyeok’s mind, and he clenched his fist.
Just then, a small commotion outside led to a servant entering.
“Young master, the Family Head summons you. He’s waiting in Heavenly Bow Hall.”
The Family Head?
Namgung Hyeok’s face lit up.
“Perfect timing. I was just about to go see him.”
Geum Cheomsang gathered the medicine bowl and said,
“I’ll get your things ready.”
“No need.”
Namgung Hyeok bolted upright and headed out.
“Young master! You can’t just go like...”
No sooner had he spoken than the door flew open again, and Namgung Hyeok returned.
“...C-cold.”
Shivering violently, Namgung Hyeok carefully rewrapped himself in the blanket and shuffled toward Heavenly Bow Hall in tiny steps.
“...”
Geum Cheomsang shook his head as Namgung Hyeok toddled off.
“Young master, you’ll fall and get hurt! Take it slow!”
With a deep sigh, he chased after Namgung Hyeok.
* * *
In Heavenly Bow Hall, Namgung Jangcheon and the elders had gathered.
Discussions on the aftermath of the Harmony Alliance rebellion were wrapping up.
After hearing reports from the elders and Geum Gwangmo, Namgung Jangcheon spoke.
“No need to worry about the Hefei Ten Great Sects. I met their sect leaders recently and settled things smoothly. Got their promise of cooperation.”
Color returned to the elders’ previously grim faces.
The rebellion could have weakened the Nangong Family’s influence in Hefei.
In that situation, securing cooperation from the Ten Great Sects not only preserved but strengthened their hold on Hefei’s sects—a huge relief.
The elders nodded.
Namgung Jangcheon glanced at them and said quietly,
“The inside is stabilized, but it’s true the main family’s power is more diminished than before.”
“Hmm!”
“There’s much to do. Not only restoring the family’s power, but to reclaim past glory, we must eliminate the forces targeting the main family.”
The Black Dragon Sect in Zhejiang Province eyed Anhui greedily, and unidentified shadowy forces had emerged during the rebellion.
The Nangong Family still had mountains of issues to sort.
Namgung Jangcheon put strength into his voice.
“To root out those shadowy forces, I need the elders to unite your strength. The main family will emerge from this even stronger and more solid.”
The elders nodded solemnly.
They felt it keenly too.
Silent until now, Namgung Wuigyeong spoke up quietly.
“Family Head.”
“Speak.”
“This incident has taught this old man much.”
Namgung Jangcheon watched him steadily.
“Elder Hall will unconditionally back the Family Head’s words from now on. We elders share blame for how things turned out.”
“...”
“Of course, it’s because we trust in the Family Head’s abilities.”
“Thank you.”
“The Harmony Alliance affair pains the heart, but I see it as a chance for the main family to leap higher. We’ve seen new blood more than capable of carrying us forward.”
Led by Namgung Wuigyeong, the elders smiled warmly.
“Hyeok, he’s really... ha ha!”
“Half a year to this point—what’ll it be in a year or two?”
“What fortune, what fortune.”
“Every time I hear of Hyeok, my mood lifts. Ahem!”
“It’s the Family Head’s blessing! With both brothers so outstanding! I’m full without eating.”
As the elders praised, Namgung Jangcheon’s lips curved up briefly, then down.
The heavy mood lightened in an instant.
Amid the blooming smiles, a servant’s shout came from outside.
“Family Head, the Second Young Master has arrived!”
Namgung Jangcheon stroked his beard vigorously and said,
“Let him in.”
Bang!
The door opened, and all eyes turned to it, grins spreading.
“Ha ha ha ha! Our Hyeok, well done coming all this way!”
“Come on in! We were just talking about you.”
“Our future pillar!”
The welcoming faces turned strange.
“Uh, what’s...?”
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
Shuffle, shuffle.
Namgung Hyeok entered, wrapped head to toe in a thick quilt, shivering nonstop. He looked nothing like a future pillar.
“Ugh, cold. Ughhh.”
Geum Cheomsang chased behind, holding up the dragging blanket and cheering him on.
“Just a bit more, hang in there. Almost there, see? Right there.”
“Achoo! Close the door, it’s cold.”
“Yes, closed it. Hurry now. The elders see you.”
“Ugh!”
Shoulder shaking with every step, sneezing every other, he crawled like a turtle to his seat and plopped down.
Namgung Jangcheon and the elders stared blankly.
...What the hell happened to him while we weren’t looking?
Namgung Jangcheon called out blankly.
“Hyeok-ah?”
Namgung Hyeok clutched his blanket and buried his head like a hedgehog.
“...Achoo, don’t mind me. Get on with it.”
How could they not?
Settling among the elders, Namgung Hyeok stole everyone’s attention.
‘Gotta wrap this up quick and head back. Ugh, cold.’
The elders were speechless at the scene so out of place in the warm Heavenly Bow Hall.