Rest (2)
The Namgoong Juhee who'd been groaning and moaning up until now was dead.
Not actually dead, of course.
She'd eaten the inner dan the bear left behind and fully restored her body's energy.
Figures it'd be that good—coming from a bear that's been around for a few centuries.
The inner dan's effects were impressive. It broke through the tangled mess of her internal energy flows and mended her damaged vitality.
Her stamina was still pathetically low for a Peak realm master, but it had improved, if only by a tiny bit. She'd returned to her pre-fight-with-Geumjeonggeom condition.
Plus, no period this time around, so yeah—Namgoong Juhee was stronger right now than she'd ever been.
And it wasn't over yet.
Riding the momentum, Namgoong Juhee popped the Tae Cheong Dan too.
What kind of elixir was the Tae Cheong Dan? The pinnacle of Wudang's techniques, the ultimate product of their cutting-edge alchemy at the time!
The moment it hit her tongue, a spicy burst of energy exploded in her mouth, then spread to fill every corner of her body.
It felt like pouring water into an ant hill.
The rotten gunk inside her body came scurrying out like ants, and in the gaps, the Tae Cheong Dan's pure, clear energy filled her up.
And her dantian? The Tae Cheong Dan's energy kicked open the doors of her starved dantian and declared,
"Special delivery!"
The mental images rooted in her dantian perked up excitedly and welcomed the energy. Eat up, bulk up, get stronger.
With her body and dantian thoroughly bathed in the Tae Cheong Dan, Namgoong Juhee's state was anything but ordinary.
Dang Hwaeun took one look and gawked in horror.
"Hey! You STINK!"
Of course she did.
The filth inside your body doesn't just vanish on its own.
Every orifice on Namgoong Juhee was expelling impurities, leaving her clothes a total wreck. A foul stench like manure hit the air.
Dang Hwaeun's reaction—looking at her like she was staring at shit—was totally understandable.
"……."
"What? You said I smelled like sweat too. Why the dirty look?"
Namgoong Juhee, of course, felt zero bitterness toward Dang Hwaeun.
She got to her feet and slowly approached her.
"What? Why're you coming over here? Hey! KYAAAH!"
"Heh heh heh… Come here!"
"G-Get away!"
Namgoong Juhee charged at Dang Hwaeun, covered in her filth.
And then—glom!
She smeared shit-water all over Dang Hwaeun as they rolled on the ground.
"KYAAAH! Hey! You're insane hahaha! Stop! Kyaa! Hey! Quit tickling me… hahahaha!"
"What was that? Stink? Say it again, Dang Sojeo. What'd you say?"
"Sorry! Kyahahaha! I'm sorry! Stoooop! Haha!"
"Okay. That's enough for now. Better watch your mouth next time."
Namgoong Juhee, having smeared her full-body grime all over Dang Hwaeun, stood up satisfied.
Both of them were a disaster now.
Reeking of rot that didn't match their looks at all, covered in black smears everywhere.
Dang Hwaeun trudged off with a sulky expression. Toward the river they'd found yesterday.
What they'd do by the river was obvious.
Laundry and baths.
Back when they first entered the formation, getting soaked might've killed her, so they'd skipped bathing. But not anymore.
Namgoong Juhee was fully recovered, and Dang Hwaeun was Peak realm herself.
They could wash off the sweat stink without worry.
"Hmmm… Even as bodyguards, coming into a place like this."
"……? What bullshit is that outta nowhere?"
"Oh, you wouldn't know. Never mind."
With some leeway in her condition, Namgoong Juhee was back to spouting nonsense like old times.
Dang Hwaeun's response: icy glare.
Namgoong Juhee shut up immediately. Ever since that last period, she felt this weird shame in moments like this.
"Hey, what about our clothes?"
"Yeah. The smell won't come out."
"Argh! That's why I said go easy!… Fine, whatever. Just stop."
"No choice. Wanna go naked for a bit?"
"Fuck off for real."
"Kidding. You know how to sew?"
"……A little?"
A little, she says.
Two hours later, Namgoong Juhee thought to herself as she watched Dang Hwaeun sewing.
A few swipes on the bear hide, and she'd whipped up something pretty decent.
Yeah. No one lacks talent entirely, and Dang Hwaeun had a knack for sewing.
Super plebeian for a rich girl, but she seemed pleased. She inspected the bear-skin outfit, then beamed innocently at Namgoong Juhee.
Damn, she really is cute. Namgoong Juhee checked her own reflection in the river.
"……Aren't we straight-up cavemen?"
"Cavemen? It's cute, though."
"Like the ones from the textbook."
"Textbook?"
Whatever, fine.
No one around to see anyway, and clothes just needed to keep you warm.
Now that her body was better, she didn't even need the warmth.
As long as it preserved minimal dignity. In that sense, Dang Hwaeun's bear outfit did the job perfectly.
"I'm hungry."
"Come to think of it, me too… Pretty please?"
"You want me to do it? I did it yesterday too!"
"Then should I? I smoked and dried it all last time."
"Shit… Wait a sec."
With shelter and bedding sorted, food was next.
Eating wasn't a big issue.
Thanks to the generous bear—minus bones, hide, and guts, they still got 700kg of meat.
Drying and smoking it all was a ton of work.
If Namgoong Juhee hadn't read those kid's educational comics, the meat would've rotted for sure.
The first time she'd put her past-life memories to use. Kinda pathetic and amazing that she'd never needed them before.
"Phew… Gone now?"
And so Namgoong Juhee was alone again after a while.
What she'd do alone was obvious.
As a guy, she'd have enjoyed some solo fun, but now she was a girl.
They say men's lust scales with women's gluttony.
Sweet stuff craving hits hard.
And Namgoong Juhee had a serious sugar addiction.
She hadn't noticed in the secular world, but looking back, every meal had been sweet.
Especially post-meal dessert—she got it now, that bullshit her ex-girlfriend spouted: "Dessert has its own stomach." So true.
Namgoong Juhee set out to find sweets.
In these layered mountains, where? But she had a plan.
Bears are super cautious—they flee unfamiliar scents, don't approach.
Molasses smells just like honey.
So there had to be honey nearby. That was her logic.
"Lemme see…."
Namgoong Juhee roamed the valley.
Her activity level was questionable—hadn't found the exit yet, but whatever.
She looked ready to flip the whole mountain upside down.
BzzzZZZ!
Then, wingbeats rang in her ears—heavier than mosquitoes, friendlier than flies. She bolted that way.
There! A beehive!
"Ooh…."
The hive inside the formation was extraordinary from the start.
Natural yet intimidating aura. Gold and black swirled on the surface in strange patterns, honey scent wafting faintly.
So that's why that bear bastard reached Peak realm.
No ordinary hive. At least decades old, maybe more.
Factoring in the formation's unique environment, could be over a century.
BzzzZZZ—!
As Namgoong Juhee stared entranced, the bees circling the hive turned as one.
Yep, knew it'd come to this.
She raised her Noksu sword.
Perfect timing to test her improved body.
Namgoong Juhee blurred, then—pok! pok! pok! pok!—precisely skewering only the bees.
An impossible feat to replicate casually.
Ordinary murim folk would gape: "Stabbing bugs with a thick sword? Like some ancient immortal's feat from a sagemaster dialogue."
Top-tier masters might shrug: "Tough but doable."
Hoo.
In other words, Namgoong Juhee's swordsmanship now rivaled the absolute top tiers.
Astonishing speed. Back-to-back life-or-death fights with elites, a bit of sparring guidance from Yeonhwa Gate Lord and Yi Hayeon, and boom—top-tier swordplay.
Namgoong family elders nailed it. She was a genius. The best in the world kind.
Bzzz… pok!
Namgoong Juhee dropped all the bees.
For displaying world-class skill, her face was beaming.
Sweets! Finally, sweets after days!
"Gotta make some honey water for Dang Sojeo too. She'll cry from the."