Hand
Paeng Yu-gun's steps as he left the special training hall weren't exactly light.
That gaze.
Anyone else might have dismissed it as simply "sharp" or "piercing," but to Paeng Yu-gun, who had advanced a step beyond Super Peak, it felt like something more.
What the hell was that?
Something perilously dangerous lurked behind those eyes, enough to send chills down even the Dao King's spine.
It had flashed by in an instant, and when he looked again, there was no trace of it—but still.
So, he is hiding something, after all.
There was an old saying in the jianghu: to survive, you had to conceal at least thirty percent of your true power.
And it didn't mean just any thirty percent—it meant hiding your core strengths, your aces in the hole.
Dong Yun must be doing the same.
The good news is, it doesn't feel like Blood Cult energy.
As long as it wasn't from those who defied heaven's will and sowed chaos in the jianghu, Paeng Yu-gun didn't care.
In fact, in the turbulent times ahead, having someone with that kind of power on their side was a relief.
As he stepped through the doorway, Paeng Yu-gun's gaze shifted to a shadowed corner. Under the dim wall of the training hall.
"Aigoo."
He spoke to the empty space.
"I know you're there. Come out for a moment."
From the shadows, a figure slipped out smoothly.
It was Sa Wol, who had been providing covert protection.
"How old are you now?"
"……."
"Can't speak?"
Sa Wol shook her head.
"Trained to stay silent, eh? So it's true what Sword Dragon said about you being high nobility even in the East."
Nod.
"You can't be much past your early twenties at most, and already at Super Peak? Incredible. Truly astonishing talent."
Sa Wol bowed her head politely. Paeng Yu-gun watched with a pleased smile and continued.
"Do you have a betrothed already?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"Good! There's a handsome lad among my Paeng clansmen. What do you think?"
Shake, shake.
"Not interested? Even as a guard, you won't be one forever."
Paeng Yu-gun pressed on.
"Then... do you have a lover?"
Sa Wol hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Paeng Yu-gun let out a long sigh.
"Figures. The exceptional ones are always different—"
He cut off mid-sentence.
His head snapped back toward the training hall he'd just left.
―――――!
Paeng Yu-gun's eyes widened in shock. Goosebumps prickled across his skin.
An immense energy was erupting from the training hall.
Or could it even be called mere energy?
It was something unprecedented, so vast it warped the flow of all qi between heaven and earth in an instant.
Like something descending from the sky, a colossal vortex of energy formed a pillar and plunged down.
The vortex—the pillar of qi—engulfed the entire training hall.
It was more like a massive storm of qi.
Paeng Yu-gun's body trembled with electric prickles. Even he, who had reached Super Peak and was eyeing the next realm, couldn't fathom challenging it.
"!?"
Through his shock, he saw Sa Wol charging into the training hall without a hint of hesitation or doubt.
When the qi storm hindered her movement, she summoned her simsang. Regaining her freedom, she pressed forward.
A simsang shaped like the sun.
Even amid the chaos, Paeng Yu-gun felt a wave of relief.
Someone protected by a guard with such a sacred, reverent simsang couldn't be pure evil, no matter how wild Dong Yun's energy seemed.
I need to get in there and assess the situation.
Paeng Yu-gun hurriedly followed her.
What met his eyes upon returning to the training hall was...
"……Please... help him."
Sa Wol, supporting Dong Yun as he collapsed, vomiting blood.
[-Da--mn!]
A distant, faint voice echoed from afar. It felt muffled, like speaking underwater.
But why the cursing?
[Snap out of it!]
Oh, not cursing. Just telling me to snap out of it.
[Snap out of it, you yokai! The physician's coming! We can't let them take your pulse!]
Right.
This body I'm possessing has blocked meridians, so normal qi flow is impossible.
Any skilled physician would notice something's off right away—
"Where is Young Master Fenggong?"
A raspy old voice rang out as I opened my eyes.
I was lying in what looked like a medical ward, surrounded by a few people: Dang Mugi, Paeng Yu-gun, and Sa Wol.
For a moment, I couldn't grasp the situation.
Why was I lying here in the medical ward? I was clearly sparring with Paeng Yu-gun in the training hall.
[Yokai! You awake?]
Pa Cheon. What happened to me?
You pulled up Heavenly Demon Divine Art qi to heal your injuries and passed out.
I did that?
You don't remember?
Yeah. Nothing.
It wasn't a foggy amnesia like forgetting something important.
My memory was simply blank, as if nothing had ever happened.
Without Pa Cheon, I wouldn't have even realized there was a gap.
If Sa Wol hadn't been guarding you, Paeng Yu-gun or Dang Mugi might've checked your pulse.
That really was lucky.
Then Sa Wol noticed my eyes open.
"Young master! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
The group's serious conversation halted as their gazes turned to me.
"You're awake?"
Dang Mugi asked with concern. I tried to sit up, but he stopped me.
"Yes, elder."
"What happened?"
Paeng Yu-gun pushed past Dang Mugi and approached, his face grave.
"What was that qi flow we saw before you collapsed?"
The moment you raised Heavenly Demon Divine Art qi to your head, a massive qi surge formed and dispersed.
What the hell happened?
Get through this first.
True enough.
But what was I supposed to say?
I had no memory of it, so fabricating a story from nothing would be ridiculous.
Fortunately, Paeng Yu-gun spoke first, his expression deadly serious.
"Was that... the Apothecary Immortal?"
"Apothecary Immortal?"
Dang Mugi echoed from the side.
"That qi flow felt like heaven and earth communing. Qi from the sky descending to the land."
"I saw it too. It was so massive, I felt it from far away."
"No human could produce that. Nor is it a natural phenomenon."
Paeng Yu-gun's gaze returned to me.
"So what else could it be but the ascended Apothecary Immortal descending briefly to the mortal world?"
Another misunderstanding?
This Murim Returner world did have the concept of ascension—not metaphorical death, but literal immortals.
The lore mentioned ancients descending to the mortal realm, doing something, then ascending again.
Having lived so long, Paeng Yu-gun would know more about ancient tales than most.
From his perspective, that's the most plausible explanation.
But now that I knew the Apothecary Immortal was the First Heavenly Demon, it was clearly a mistake.
The First Heavenly Demon hadn't ascended; they'd returned to the original world.
It's not some foolish Paeng clan delusion. The power manifestation was so immense, it truly seemed like an immortal descending. No human could produce that, just as he said.
If I remembered the details, I could confirm it better.
Anyway, my response was obvious.
"Yes."
Affirm it.
Whether it was protagonist intelligence nerf or not, if they were jumping to conclusions on their own, no need to correct them.
"I knew it! So the Apothecary Immortal descended personally to deliver a message?"
"Brother, hold on. We need to check Yun-i's condition first. He spat blood from internal injuries because of you and passed out!"
"Ahem, it wasn't because of me."
"Look at the blood on his collar, blood."
Before the two elders could banter further, I sat up.
"I'm fine. The blackout was just from encountering that massive power briefly."
"Still, you need a proper diagnosis."
"No. Actually..."
I placed a hand on my chest.
"Thanks to that qi, my internal injuries are completely healed."
Of course, I hadn't really been injured. The minor damage from Paeng Yu-gun's test had healed ages ago, and just now I'd only bitten my tongue.
Even that had healed perfectly during my memory lapse.
You can use Yokai-style Tongue Bite again now.
Where'd you pick up that weird crap?
Who else but you to corrupt me?
Shut it.
Anyway, judging by Paeng Yu-gun and Dang Mugi's reactions, we'd dodged the bullet.
"Hah! Of course. The Apothecary Immortal masters all medicines and poisons—such healing powers are only natural."
"A fated encounter, a true fated one."
I emphasized I was fine, and the physician left without checking my pulse.
"Then, do you know what message was delivered?"
I put on a grave, hesitant expression, even sighing thoughtfully.
"Never mind. You don't have to say."
Paeng Yu-gun said exactly what I wanted to hear.
"It might disrupt heaven's will if others heard."
"Thank you for understanding."
"If the Immortal descended personally to speak... there must be much for me to do in my later years. My leisure days are over."
Tsking his tongue, Paeng Yu-gun turned to leave.
"Where are you off to?"
"To train."
"Train?"
"Formless Sword Gang, immortals... To catch up to those ahead, I have no choice."
"You're relentless."
"Not words I'd expect from someone bearing the Dang name."
As he passed Sa Wol, Paeng Yu-gun paused and patted her shoulder.
"Must be tough on you, mentally."
"……No."
"Hahaha! Youth!"
What nonsense was that? Something must've happened between them while I was out.
I dismissed everyone, including Sa Wol, to rest, then spoke with Pa Cheon.
You said I lost my memory, right?
Yes. You seemed to see something.
Saw something?
Your eyes rolled back mid-sentence, so I didn't catch it all.
Pa Cheon continued.
I think you said "hand." Something about a hand.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon