Chapter 34: Obtaining an Artifact (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Obtaining an Artifact (1)
“Tahat!”
With a powerful burst of internal energy from my right foot, my body soared into the air.
If one could fly this high with just two legs, why would they ever envy winged creatures?
I landed lightly on the roof. My sense of center and balance had become second nature, and my body didn't even wobble.
“With this, wouldn't I be called a martial arts prodigy? If there’s anyone else who could learn such a difficult lightness skill so perfectly in such a short time, tell them to step forward.”
Feeling triumphant, I let out a boisterous laugh toward the night sky. A passing stray cat looked at me and shook its head.
The reason I was able to master the lightness skill so quickly was explained in the manual. While I might not know much else, my Upper Dantian was open, which allowed for exceptional progress in lightness skills compared to other martial arts.
I learned that when the Upper Dantian is open, one's sense of center and balance becomes far more acute than that of an ordinary person, leading to remarkable achievements in movement techniques.
I rubbed the sole of my right foot against the ground. It was a preparatory motion to gather internal energy in the Yongcheon acupoint.
Then, I took flight.
I soared over the roof and landed precariously on the wall of the adjacent pavilion. To move from the wall to the roof of that pavilion, I channeled internal energy into my Yongcheon acupoint once more.
That was where things started to go wrong.
“Heup!”
I kicked off the wall with my right foot, but suddenly, far more internal energy than I had intended surged into the acupoint. The energy erupted with a heat so intense it felt like a burn.
My body shot forward in a straight line, hurtling toward the pavilion's window instead of the roof.
“Wait, wait, wait—argh!”
Crash!
I covered my face with both hands as I smashed through the window. As my feet hit the floor, I flailed wildly, unable to find my balance. My hands grasped at the air until they suddenly caught hold of something.
It felt soft and warm.
This! I’ve felt this sensation somewhere before.
I snapped to my senses, opened my eyes wide, and looked ahead.
Good heavens! I had stumbled into a bizarre situation.
Someone was holding my wrist with a white sleeve, and my hands were covering two breasts.
Gasp!
I had burst in just as a woman was undressing, and in my struggle to find my balance, I had ended up grabbing her chest.
The problem was, the woman had a face I knew all too well.
Cold sweat poured down my spine like a waterfall. I quickly pulled my hands away and stumbled backward.
“Ahaha... My deepest apologies.”
The situation was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped my lips first.
“I truly didn't know Young Hero Eo was such a shameless and lewd person. I never imagined you would insult me this way in the middle of the night. Or perhaps you simply hold me in utter contempt?”
A chill colder than the northern winds overflowed from the woman’s eyes.
The woman, Ham Bi-hye, seemed to have regained her composure as she moved toward the dressing table where her sword lay.
“No, no! It’s a misunderstanding. I was just...”
Ham Bi-hye cut me off.
“I assume this means you are prepared for the consequences.”
To my ears, that sounded like, 'Are you prepared to die?'
In my frantic state, I tripped over a chair and flopped down into it, my hand slamming onto the table for support.
Clack!
What now?
Feeling something cool wrap around my right wrist, I looked down to see a golden bracelet fastened there. Before I could even wonder how this golden bracelet had snapped onto my wrist by itself, I tried to pull it off, fearing I’d be mistaken for a thief.
However, the damn thing wouldn't budge.
There must be a clasp somewhere.
No matter how much I looked, there was no clasp to be found. I looked up at Ham Bi-hye with a sheepish grin.
“This... this is strange. I have no idea how this got on my wrist. Ah, please don't misunderstand. I didn't put it on myself.”
Ham Bi-hye was now draped in a white silk robe, though I hadn't seen her put it on.
Ugh!
That only made things more distracting. The curve of her breasts was clearly visible, and I found myself swallowing hard.
Looking closely, the murderous aura she’d held while reaching for her sword had vanished. She was staring blankly at the bracelet on my wrist, seemingly lost in thought. In that brief moment, various expressions flickered across her face before disappearing.
Regaining her senses, Ham Bi-hye picked up her sword and approached me.
“There’s no need to cut off your wrist just yet. Is there no way to take it off?”
I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it didn't work on her at all. Then again, who would laugh after having their chest grabbed by a thug-like fellow who crashed through their window while they were getting ready for bed?
Maybe someone like Chun Mi or Wol Hwa, but not her.
However, when she spoke, her expression was much softer than before. Moreover, as she leaned against the table, subtly revealing her thigh, the soles of my feet felt itchy with nervousness.
The sudden shift in atmosphere left me at a loss. This wasn't just anyone; this was Ham Bi-hye, the daughter of Ham Jeong, the ninth leader of the Nine Demons Chamber. I knew that someone like her was far more dangerous when calm than when radiating killing intent, so I quickly made an excuse.
“I am truly sorry. I felt my strength returning after being struck by the White Horse Ten Canes, so I was practicing my lightness skill. My internal energy control slipped, and this disaster happened.”
After listening to me for a moment, Ham Bi-hye asked in an alluring voice, “Do you like that bracelet?”
I fiddled with the bracelet, trying desperately to pry it off.
I have to get this off before she decides to cut my hand off to take it back.
Strangely, the bracelet didn't even have a seam. How could something without a clasp have ended up on my wrist? It was beyond bizarre.
“Once that bracelet is on, it doesn't come off. Not unless the wrist is severed.”
“Gasp!”
Surely this woman wouldn't...
As I clutched my arm and stared at her with wide eyes, Ham Bi-hye tilted her white neck back and laughed. Even though she laughed like a man, she was so beautiful that it only made her more charming.
“Hohoho. Do you really think I would cut off Young Hero Eo’s wrist just to get a bracelet back?”
“Then... what should I do?”
As I spoke while watching her reaction, Ham Bi-hye set her sword back down.
“Well, I suppose you’ll just have to wear it for the time being.”
A thought occurred to me, and I spoke up quickly.
“You were the one keeping it, so it makes no sense that you don't know how to remove it.”
“Hohoho. I merely received it as a gift and kept it; I never wore it myself. It seems the true owner of that bracelet is you, Young Hero Eo.”
Looking into her eyes as she spoke, I could see a genuine sense of regret. The way she kept glancing at the bracelet made it clear it was a treasure of immense value.
“It seems precious, so how could I possibly take it so carelessly?”
Ham Bi-hye shook her head. As she did, her pale thigh was exposed again, forcing me to look upward. But even then, the swell of her chest caught my eye, so I ended up staring at the ceiling.
“Just as all things have their rightful owners, that bracelet has found its master. It wasn't originally mine; it was a gift. You can simply consider it a gift from me to you.”
“I can't do that. It was a gift to you, so I must return it. Even if I have to break it, I’ll return it.”
Ham Bi-hye laughed.
“You can't break it. It’s not an object to be handled lightly. If you truly wish to return it, then cut off your wrist and return it whole.”
Seeing the look in her eyes, I flinched, realizing she might actually mean it.
Regardless, her ability to speak so calmly in this situation proved she was no ordinary lady. A typical woman wouldn't be able to remain so composed; her initial wariness had vanished, replaced by a boldness that marked her as a woman of the Black Path Martial World.
I couldn't understand her sudden change in attitude because of the bracelet, but then again, it’s a mistake to think a man can understand a woman when women don't even understand themselves. I might like women, but I certainly don't understand them.
“Anyway, may I leave now? I will definitely find a way to remove this and return it to you. Staying here any longer wouldn't be proper.”
I spoke as I became increasingly conscious of her drawing closer.
“Go ahead. Though, I wonder if you’ll still want to return it once you learn of its utility. And don't forget—I haven't given it to you; I’ve merely lent it because I can't take it back right now.”
To escape the awkwardness, I blustered, “Don't you worry. I am a man of my word. If I cannot return it, I will surely pay the price.”
I made the grand promise with the intention of stopping by a blacksmith to have it cut off if necessary. When Ham Bi-hye merely stared at me without a word, I realized our business was concluded and clasped my hands in a polite salute.
“Then, excuse me.”
I leaped out through the window I had broken.
As I did, I spotted Senior Warrior Woo watching me intently from outside. Once the cool night air chilled my tense body and cleared my head, one thing became crystal clear: my life had been hanging by a thread in those brief moments.
Senior Warrior Woo’s killing intent was strong enough to reach me even from that distance... Perhaps because my Upper Dantian was open and active, I could now sense killing intent with vivid clarity.
If things had gone wrong, my head might have been severed by the Blood Ice Sword today. For some reason, it seemed Ham Bi-hye had held him back, though I couldn't fathom why.
I landed on the roof of my own guest room and looked down at my wrist. Looking at the expensive-looking bracelet embossed with a golden dragon, I couldn't hide my inner distress.
I rubbed my cheeks with both hands.
“You certainly got a treat today,” I muttered, still feeling the lingering warmth of Ham Bi-hye on my palms. “I wonder how Chun Mi and Wol Hwa are doing?”
*
Once Eo Ja-seo had vanished, flying off like a swallow, Ham Bi-hye spoke.
“Warrior Woo, what do you think?”
“About what, my Lady?”
Senior Warrior Woo opened the door and stepped inside.
“About that man, Eo Ja-seo.”
“He is an inscrutable man. However, I do not believe it possible for the Young Lady to fail to notice an intruder entering through the window. Why did you simply let him be?”
Senior Warrior Woo spoke with a stiff voice, clearly displeased that Ham Bi-hye had received Eo Ja-seo while in her undergarments.
“Warrior Woo, even if I am a martial artist, I am still a woman. How could I not have been startled? His lightness skill was too fast for me to detect and block him. I barely had enough time to grab a robe and cover myself.”
Senior Warrior Woo frowned. “Was he truly that fast?”
“If anyone had approached my room, you would have killed them already. But Eo Ja-seo was already inside before you arrived. That’s how fast he was. It’s a truly remarkable lightness skill.”
At those words, Senior Warrior Woo fell silent, unable to argue. He had sensed Eo Ja-seo’s presence from the wall and hurried over, but the man had already smashed through the window before he could reach the room.
He had stayed outside only because of the Young Lady’s sound transmission, but he had never felt more pathetic than in that moment.
Eo Ja-seo was more formidable than he had thought. The distance from the wall to Ham Bi-hye’s room was nearly ten zhang. Even a first-rate master would typically need at least two leaps to cover that distance.
Yet Eo Ja-seo had flown that distance in a single straight line and crashed through the window. If his clumsy appearance was all a calculated act, he was no ordinary fellow. If even someone like Senior Warrior Woo could be fooled, the man’s mental fortitude was extraordinary.
Senior Warrior Woo was a man trusted by Chamber Leader Ham Jeok, not just for his martial arts, but for his exceptional insight.
“Regardless, is it wise to simply give him the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet? Didn't the Medicine Seller leave it in your care, saying he had a use for it?”
“Until now, that artifact had never accepted anyone as its master. The situation is hard to swallow, of course, but the artifact chose him. Shouldn't we acknowledge that? Besides, we can always take it back if we need to. I told him I was lending it, not giving it.”
“Still, how can we trust him? The Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet is no ordinary artifact.”
“Of course, we could recover it even if we have to cut off his wrist, but I found myself unwilling to do that. I thought we might be able to use the bracelet as an excuse to pull him to our side. As you know, we are in a position where we need every master we can get.”
Senior Warrior Woo could understand why Ham Bi-hye felt that way. Currently, Chamber Leader Ham Jeok was in a precarious position, heavily pressured by the power struggles of the other chamber leaders.
Ham Bi-hye suddenly looked at Senior Warrior Woo and smiled brightly.
“But aren't you curious? We’ve only heard rumors of the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet’s wonders; we’ve never seen its true power. Now that it has found a master, its abilities will manifest. I wonder if its power is truly as great as the legends say.”
As she spoke, Senior Warrior Woo could read the lingering regret on Ham Bi-hye’s face.