Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Piercing the Conception and Governor Vessels
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"You crazy bastard!"
Dang Ha-ryeong ground her teeth.
Poison her out of nowhere and then say he'd save her?
"Was that bizarre phenomenon on Blood Gate Mountain your doing too?!"
Dang Ha-ryeong demanded sharply.
Lee Seon scratched his head.
"I don't know how you heard about this mountain, but I had nothing to do with it."
"Don't lie!"
Dang Ha-ryeong tried to hide the tremble in her voice.
As a woman navigating the martial world, she had always known danger could strike at any moment.
But she never imagined it would be something this absurd.
Yet her body was already starting to freeze bit by bit.
Even controlling her rattled internals left her unable to twitch a finger.
"Should've just killed you when I first saw you."
"Yeah? And did you? If you were gonna kill me, you should've done it right."
Lee Seon brushed off her words indifferently.
Patients in pain were always unstable in body and mind.
He gave no thought to the fact that it was the poison he had fed her causing this.
'Can't she just shut up for a bit?'
No matter how kind he was, he had no desire to treat someone snarling at him.
'Should I just seal her pressure points?'
Her condition was too dire to risk sealing her mute acupoint.
He bore some responsibility for this mess, sure.
But tears from pain and sweat pouring out were trivial compared to surviving.
Like the saying, even rolling in shit was better than the afterlife. Right now she was fierce as a wild beast, but once saved, she'd be grateful.
Just like all those who came seeking the old man.
He tore a long strip from the clothes he was wearing and gagged Dang Ha-ryeong's mouth with it.
Mmph! Mmmph!
For patients who got too noisy, this was how it was done sometimes.
The old man had said nothing beat it for muffling the natural screams during treatment.
It slashed the noise dramatically while handling side issues like spit or curses in one go.
That's why they called it experience, experience.
Lee Seon marveled at the wisdom of age.
"Excuse me for a sec."
He slipped a hand under the armpit of the rigidly lying Dang Ha-ryeong and hoisted her up effortlessly.
Dang Ha-ryeong's eyes trembled violently.
She wasn't used to outsiders touching her body so freely.
Of course, Lee Seon paid no mind to her reaction.
'I already poisoned her, so she won't freeze solid right away, but I can't treat her here.'
Above all, he lacked the tools.
"Let's head to my place."
Dang Ha-ryeong writhed atop the shoulder of the man striding forward without hesitation.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
Lee Seon met her glaring eyes and gently curled his lips.
"Want another dose of poison?"
Her struggles ceased.
"Mm-hmm-hmm~"
With his necessities packed, Lee Seon's steps toward Dang Ha-ryeong were light.
He opened the door, then halted his humming at the sight inside.
The sight of her lying there was utterly bewildering.
"...What are you doing?"
Dang Ha-ryeong was gnawing at her gag with her teeth, rolling across the floor.
She should have just focused on tending her internal injuries.
Her yin and yang energies were already tangled, causing excruciating pain.
"Tough. Real tough."
Lee Seon lifted her and sat her upright, straightening her back.
After bringing Dang Ha-ryeong to his dwelling, he had combined acupuncture with various treatments.
That was precisely why she could now flop vigorously on the floor—her condition had improved.
But it wouldn't last.
He kindly explained to the woman glaring daggers at him.
"You know your insides are a total mess right now, right?"
Her belly could swell like a frog's and burst any second without surprise.
All because of you!
Ignoring her furious glare, Lee Seon continued.
"That'd be a problem. You're fine dying, but cleanup's on me."
Dang Ha-ryeong's eyes twitched.
Catching it, Lee Seon offered advice.
"Warning you—if you die and make me go through that hassle, I won't let you off easy."
He twisted one corner of his mouth.
"Corpses have surprisingly many uses. A chance to toy with one all alone in this deserted place doesn't come often. Hope you're thinking about how I'll dispose of your body. Don't assume I'll kindly bury it in some sunny spot in these endless mountains where food's scarce."
You crazy bastard. Crazy bastard!
Dang Ha-ryeong trembled with rage.
What sin had she committed to encounter this freak in the vast mountains?
Lee Seon clapped to lighten the mood.
"Right now, your yin and yang energies are clashing wildly inside, on the verge of shredding your meridians and channels along with your body. But I fed a precious poison to you, on the brink of death. And for days, I nursed you diligently, improving your state. Why would I go to such lengths for a total stranger?"
How the hell should I know?
Dang Ha-ryeong cursed with her eyes.
"To save you, obviously. I've done everything I can. Now it's up to you."
Lee Seon answered his own question.
"So prove it. Show my efforts weren't wasted."
Dang Ha-ryeong furrowed her brow.
"Conception and Governor Vessels, open."
What weighty words was he about to drop?
This mad bastard.
Talking about piercing the Conception and Governor Vessels like a casual stroll to the village tavern.
The Conception and Governor Vessels referred to the two greatest meridians in the body: the Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel.
They ran vertically through the body.
Blocked by the Life-Death Barrier between them.
Breaking through that wall transformed the body into one ideal for martial arts, far sturdier than before—a phenomenon called Shedding Mortal Body and Exchanging Bones.
Every martial artist dreamed of it, but not everyone could attempt it.
Without sufficient insight or inner energy, forcing it could mean instant death.
To the frowning woman, Lee Seon said coolly.
"You die if you don't pierce them anyway."
Dang Ha-ryeong knew he was right.
She had studied medicine to some degree for handling poisons.
She could accurately assess her own state.
With internal injuries already sustained, forcing power via poison had accelerated the damage. Her only path to recovery was Shedding Mortal Body and Exchanging Bones.
Her true energy was rampaging wildly.
Whatever trick he'd pulled had temporarily improved things, but it wouldn't hold.
"Start."
With no choice, Dang Ha-ryeong began circulating her inner energy.
Ughhh!
Her energy rampaged violently through every corner of her body.
Its ferocity tore at passing blood and energy meridians.
Blood streamed from her eyes, nose, and mouth.
Amid the agony of her body shredding apart, Dang Ha-ryeong clenched her teeth.
Fail and die!
Beads of sweat formed on Dang Ha-ryeong's forehead.
Yin and yang energies alternated from her body.
Frost suddenly blanketed the room, only for heat to melt it next.
The aftermath ignited her clothes, which then froze again in cycles.
The fabric covering her body naturally dwindled.
Pale skin peeked through here and there, gradually revealing the sensual curves hidden beneath.
Ooh.
Lee Seon casually covered his eyes with his fingers.
No one could fault him for looking, but staring openly would be rude.
Peeking through the gaps, he closely monitored her condition.
Dang Ha-ryeong desperately circulated her energy.
Compared to the complex chaos inside her, the blood from her features was minor.
Forcing open sealed paths without injury or pain? Unnatural.
A perfectly normal phenomenon.
But the problem was her state was worse than expected.
Normally, piercing the Conception and Governor Vessels required full preparation.
Yet Dang Ha-ryeong's body was fatigued, invaded by two poisons of opposing natures.
In a word, ruined.
To survive this, only Shedding Mortal Body and Exchanging Bones to restructure her flesh remained.
Considering even talented martial artists attempted it no earlier than their thirties, her try was reckless.
Dang Ha-ryeong, just entering adulthood, was far too premature.
No wonder she hesitated.
But after some time, the energy emanating from her began stabilizing.
Her ragged breaths steadied, her wildly fluctuating temperature normalized.
From the gaps in her torn clothes, black impurities oozed from her skin.
Only then did Lee Seon rise.
To improve her state, he'd needled her, brewed medicine—endless care—and barely slept fearing she'd worsen.
He closed the door and stepped out.
When he'd arrived home, the sun was high; now it was midnight.
"I'm exhausted."
Lee Seon yawned, gazing at the night sky.
Wonder what the old man would've said seeing me save someone.
Probably try to kill me the moment I fed extra poison.
"But I saved her. Cheers."
Lee Seon spread his arms wide, savoring the particularly crisp night air.