Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Something on My Mind (2)
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"Moyong, the great hero. What brings you here?"
"Could we talk for a moment?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Not here... somewhere quieter."
"Somewhere quieter?"
-Is there even a quiet spot around here right now?
The area's already bustling as it is.
And with the prince here, it's even worse.
There won't be any quiet places no matter where you go.
"Let's go to my room."
"Ah. Sure."
The place Dang Yu-wol followed Moyong Cheo to was a large hall.
It must have been borrowed from the Moyong family, as there were plenty of warriors dressed in their attire.
Upon arrival, Moyong Cheo spoke to Seol Ryu-a.
"I hate to ask, but General Seol, would you mind waiting here?"
"Pardon?"
"It's a confidential matter. I hope you'll indulge me."
"Understood."
In the end, Seol Ryu-a sat down with a reluctant expression.
The maids brought by the Moyong family began attending to her.
Seeing this, Moyong Cheo led Dang Yu-wol up to the third floor.
"What we're about to discuss must remain strictly confidential."
"I understand."
"I'm not joking. If word of this gets out..."
"I swear on the Tang family name to keep this secret."
What on earth could he want to talk about that required all this?
"It's about my granddaughter."
"You mean Lady Moyong Hwa-ryeon?"
"She's my direct descendant."
He hesitated for a long while but finally opened his mouth.
"She's seven years old this year."
"Ah... But has something happened to her?"
"...Seol-hwa... Ah, that's my granddaughter's name. That... Haah. I hardly know how to say this."
"Haha. Please, don't hold back."
"...Seol-hwa has a Yin-Cold Body."
Those words surprised even Ye-ui and Dang Yu-wol.
-This is huge.
"That's astonishing. A Yin-Cold Body means someone who possesses only yin energy, doesn't it?"
Though men are described as yang and women as yin, the reality is different.
Humans possess both yin and yang principles.
But a body that has only yin energy?
Surviving until seven years old is already remarkable.
"Is there any chance it's a misdiagnosis...?"
"The Supreme Sect Leader of the Healing Sect, a close friend of mine, confirmed it personally. It's certain."
"But as I understand it, a Yin-Cold Body lacks any yang energy at all."
"...Yes."
"I hate to say this, but..."
"I know. They say no one survives past five years old."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"That's why I've been desperately trying to save my granddaughter."
Even the Blood Cult's records had no mention of this.
Perhaps the child died before those records were made.
"But why tell me all this?"
"You're treating General Ga, aren't you?"
The Healing Sect couldn't treat him.
Yet Dang Yu-wol had succeeded.
Maybe he could be their hope—Moyong Cheo harbored a vague expectation.
"Well, that's a different situation."
Ga Won-seong's condition was like being poisoned by an extreme toxin from overlapping cold energies.
It was simply a matter of detoxification.
"...I see."
Despair crept across Moyong Cheo's face.
'Is there no way?'
-Forget a way; if the Blood Cult finds out, they'll go berserk.
They would indeed.
They'd grind up a body like that to make an immortal elixir.
Left alone, it could end up being a huge boon for the Blood Cult in the worst case.
-There was no such thing in the previous timeline. Even the Blood Cult didn't know about it.
'But things are changing a lot.'
Dang Yu-wol's actions were causing no small shifts.
Which meant the Blood Cult might discover it too.
'Then it's better to treat her.'
The decision came quickly.
Dang Yu-wol's mind raced.
'I can think of a few methods. What about you?'
-Me too. Never tried them, but...
'There are records on Yin-Cold Bodies in the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Illnesses and the Book of Blood Battles.'
-Bodies close to Reverse Heaven are said to suffer outbreaks every five-year cycle from birth.
'The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica has similar accounts too.'
-To treat an imbalanced constitution like a Yin-Cold Body, Reverse Heaven Medicine is required...
Dang Yu-wol and Ye-ui quickly exchanged their knowledge from records they'd studied.
It wasn't impossible.
So it was worth trying.
"The chances of failure are high. Is that alright with you?"
To a man drowning in despair, hope had spoken.
"...Is, is that true?"
"Yes. Though I was wondering why a peak Fusion Realm expert like you was escorting the Healing Sect..."
He had sought their help.
Dang Yu-wol felt his earlier question answered.
"...You can call me a fool if you like."
"Pardon?"
"Being born with a constitution like Yin-Cold Body is no different from a curse from heaven."
"That's the general consensus, yes."
"But could you abandon your family?"
Dang Yu-wol shook his head.
Wasn't he doing all this for the Tang family?
-Just like you.
'Yeah.'
Dang Yu-wol struggling to defeat the Blood Cult and make the Tang family the world's greatest.
Moyong Cheo struggling to protect his granddaughter from heaven's punishment.
There was no difference between them.
"What do I need to do? If you come to Yonyeong right away..."
"Even if I went immediately, there'd be nothing I could do right now."
"So you don't need to come in person?"
"Not at the moment."
"......"
"You said she's seven? She must have had a major outbreak around five..."
"Yes!! She did!"
"If the Healing Sect's physicians are keeping her stable, she should last until ten."
"I see. Heo-seok said something similar!!"
"Heo-seok?"
"Ah, he's the physician treating Seol-hwa. A close friend of mine and the Sect Leader of the Healing Sect."
"I see."
"He mentioned a similar record in the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica... Have you seen it too?"
"Yes. It's also in a medical text called the Treatise on Cold Damage."
Dang Yu-wol took paper and brush, writing swiftly in one go.
Soon, the page was filled with dense instructions for medicine preparation and acupuncture points.
Moyong Cheo's eyes lit up as he gazed at it.
'Incredible.'
He too had pored over countless medical texts for his granddaughter's sake.
He had no small knowledge of medicine himself.
But what was written there was beyond even half his comprehension.
"Jin-hyeong-gal... Isn't that a venomous insect?"
"Poison can become medicine depending on how it's used."
"R-Right. But this Hak-seon-hong... I know it as an extreme toxin. And Cheon-hyeong-bi-rak too..."
"These can also become medicine depending on usage."
Various poisons and hallucinogenic mushrooms too.
Who could tell if this was for medicine or poison?
"Take this to your dedicated physician for now."
He took the paper as if it were a priceless treasure.
"Got it!! What was I even thinking!"
Dang Yu-wol was a poison master acknowledged even by the Healing Sect.
Who would question him on the wonders of turning poison into antidote?
"Just deliver this, and it'll be enough?"
"Yes."
If you're going to trust, trust to the end.
That's why he clutched the paper so preciously.
"And we'll send any needed poisons from the Tang family."
"No need. Really."
He shook his head.
Even borrowing this knowledge was a debt.
No need to go that far.
But at Dang Yu-wol's words, he stiffened.
"A knowledgeable expert might suspect something upon seeing the poisons collected by the Moyong family."
"......!!"
It was chilling.
Because he was right.
"The fact that I didn't know until now means her condition hasn't been revealed, right?"
"Mm. Heo-seok instructed me to keep it that way."
"Among those who practice evil arts, some use people as ingredients for elixirs. And..."
To such people, a Yin-Cold Body would be quite tempting.
Moyong Cheo's face hardened.
"I won't charge much."
Of course, he planned to make a profit.
As they exited the Moyong family manor, Seol Ryu-a glanced curiously at Dang Yu-wol.
"What's that look for?"
"Mind if I ask what you talked about?"
"They asked me to procure some poisons for them."
"Poisons? What would the Moyong family need poisons for?"
"Pests and parasites have been infesting their pastures."
"Ah."
The Moyong family, located in Yonyeong Province, was famous for breeding fine steeds.
The military even rated their horses the highest.
"Truly for the sake of the nation...!!"
"Not exactly... but it's paid work, after all."
"Still, in the long run, it's helpful to the empire, isn't i— Huh? Why are there so many people...?"
"Looks like the Victory Buddha Festival is about to start."
The Shaolin Temple's Victory Buddha Festival began at the Grand Hero Hall.
No matter how vast the hall, it couldn't hold everyone.
"Must be people here to watch the festival."
An altar stood before the Grand Hero Hall.
Items entrusted by the people for this event were placed there.
'The Three-Faced Demon Armor is still there.'
The armor, engraved with anguished faces on both shoulders and the breastplate, sat untouched.
-Would the Blood Cult really give up on that?
'I doubt it.'
Would those ruthless bastards let it go so easily?
Dang Yu-wol calmly scanned the crowd eyeing the relics.
He couldn't tell who might be after it.
'Then I should prepare too.'
Dang Yu-wol subtly stroked the Three-Faced Demon Armor.
"We shall begin the Victory Buddha Festival!! Everyone, please be silent!!"
The Shaolin abbot's shout echoed out.
Lion's Roar.
The Buddhist cry that repels evil energies naturally silenced the chatterers.
-Dooong!!
The great bell tolled, and prayers for the Buddha commenced.
A solemn, majestic, positive energy emanated.
-Buddhist energy.
'Among those who train Buddhist arts, some advance realms just from absorbing this energy.'
-That's why Reverse Heaven arts are so inconvenient.
But what could be done?
They could only work hard.
'I'm a Tang family man.'
What else would a Tang clan member train if not poison arts?
-Did anyone say otherwise?
He grumbled, but the positive energy was undeniable.
Dang Yu-wol watched the festival, freely absorbing the Buddhist energy.
"This concludes the Victory Buddha Festival!!"
The event, starting at noon, didn't end until noon the next day.
They'd pulled an all-nighter.
But most here were martial artists.
Hardly anyone seemed fatigued.
"Move all relics to the Relic Vault!!"
-Is that it?
'No. I heard they inspect them in the vault before sealing them in Shaolin's secret chamber.'
Once safely in Shaolin's secret chamber, it wouldn't open until the temple fell.
For now, they could relax.
-They should just seal it right away.
'That's Shaolin's policy. What can you do?'
Regrettable, but unavoidable.
"Whew. Finally over."
"Let's go."
With the festival ended, there was no more business at Shaolin.
People began streaming out en masse.
"Little brother. His Highness the Second Prince will stay at Shaolin a few more days."
"Is that so?"
"Inns should have vacancies now. How about heading down to one?"
"I'll stay here a few more days."
"Because of the prince? That's..."
"No. It's the Three-Faced Demon Armor."
"...What do you mean?"
Hwan-gyu's expression hardened.
So it wasn't over?
"There are fake divine artifacts, right?"
"You think fake divine artifact wielders will infiltrate Shaolin again?"
"Infiltrate... or rather, there's something nagging at me."