Chapter 96: Meeting the Sword Demon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Meeting the Sword Demon (3)
Blood was splattered everywhere on the way to Cho Maeryeong’s quarters.
Even though Cho Maeryeong’s guards were women, they were martial artists comparable to first-rate masters. Seeing such warriors lying dead made the air thick with tension.
Jeok Yeong used his lightness skill to dash toward her residence.
Crash!
He kicked the door open.
Inside, a shocking scene unfolded.
The female guards were gathered in a circle, and a man who appeared to be a madman was tearing Cho Maeryeong’s clothes to shreds, leaving her nearly naked.
“Hehehe! How dare a wench like you give me orders?”
The man reached out to strip away Cho Maeryeong’s last remaining undergarment.
“Stop!”
As Jeok Yeong shouted with fury, the madman slowly turned his head toward him.
“Kehehe! Who the hell are you?”
“Me? I’m a madman!”
Jeok Yeong said it because he suddenly felt that being in this place made him just as crazy.
“Kehehe, a madman, indeed.”
The madman picked up a sword from the floor.
“Senior brother, stop this! Please, come to your senses!”
Cho Maeryeong pleaded with the man, forgetting for a moment that she was exposed.
“Kehehe! I’ll kill you all!”
The madman lunged at Jeok Yeong.
Jeok Yeong had expected to suppress a mere lunatic easily, but he was wrong. This man was a mad master.
With bizarre and venomous sword forms, Jeok Yeong was instantly pushed onto the defensive. Furthermore, the man’s lightness skill was so peculiar that Jeok Yeong couldn't break away from the onslaught.
What is this?
Only now did the numerous corpses of the guards make sense.
However, Jeok Yeong felt no fear. He had never felt fear in a fight before.
“Begone!”
Jeok Yeong gave a thunderous shout and poured his internal energy into his sword.
A brilliant golden light erupted from the blade. Startled by the radiance, the madman stumbled backward. Seizing the opening, Jeok Yeong rushed in to attack.
Streams of golden luster flowed from Jeok Yeong’s sword.
That looks like a type of sword Qi, but does golden sword Qi even exist? Just what kind of sword technique is that?
Cho Maeryeong stared at Jeok Yeong’s technique as if possessed, forgetting that her chest was exposed.
He is truly a strange man. Both this Jeok Yeong and his sworn brother, Eo Ja-seo.
The madman and Jeok Yeong fought in a trance-like state, their blades clashing repeatedly. Strangely, their sword techniques seemed to resemble each other in some way.
How very odd.
As she had that thought, the madman let out a loud roar. He was screaming like a lunatic because the fight wasn't going his way.
Slash!
Finally, Jeok Yeong’s sword grazed the madman’s side deeply, sending blood spraying in all directions.
Whether the wound was too deep or he had lost his will to fight, the madman could no longer resist. He smashed through a window and fled onto the roof of the pavilion.
“You! Stop right there!”
Fuming with rage, Jeok Yeong pursued the fleeing madman.
As Jeok Yeong reached the top of the pavilion, the madman, who had been crouching, launched a desperate ambush. However, his injury was so severe that he couldn't even flee properly.
Jeok Yeong dodged the man’s blade and landed a heavy blow to his abdomen.
“Urgh!”
It was a strike infused with internal energy. The man collapsed onto the roof, vomiting.
The moment the man tried to stand by gripping his sword, Jeok Yeong raised his blade to take his head.
“No! Don’t kill him!”
Cho Maeryeong, who had climbed onto the roof at some point, pleaded with Jeok Yeong, her eyes welling with tears. She then rushed to the madman with lightning speed and performed acupoint striking.
The madman stiffened and collapsed.
“Take my senior brother inside! This time, lock him in the stone chamber so he can’t escape. Don’t let anyone near him until Master returns—just give him food.”
The female guards immediately took the madman away.
Jeok Yeong felt the strength drain from his body as a sense of futility washed over him.
“My senior brother was originally a master with a promising future in our chamber. He was a martial genius recognized by everyone. But after being compared to Yu Hong, his greed to become stronger grew excessive, and he began practicing a forbidden demonic art. That greed eventually consumed him.”
There was a reason Cho Maeryeong couldn't bring herself to harm the madman despite the humiliation she suffered. He was her master’s cherished disciple—and his only son.
“He used to be such a kind senior brother.”
Cho Maeryeong muttered to herself before turning to Jeok Yeong.
“Thank you for your help. I shall take my leave now.”
Strangely, Jeok Yeong felt a lingering sense of regret. He hadn't helped her just to hear words of gratitude, but the feeling was unavoidable.
After Cho Maeryeong went down, Jeok Yeong stood alone on the roof, trying to calm his turbulent mind.
It was then that a small black booklet near the madman’s vomit caught his eye.
Jeok Yeong reached for the booklet absentmindedly, but as he picked it up, he shuddered as if struck by a bolt of lightning.
“This is...!”
Jeok Yeong quickly fumbled through his robes and pulled something out.
Though he had lost his memories, he had always carried this item because he could feel how precious it was to him. Later, he had realized that the sword technique within was the one he practiced. He had only managed to recall that much after being questioned by his sworn brother, Eo Ja-seo.
He compared the fallen booklet with the one from his robes; they were exactly the same size.
“I had a suspicion, but...”
Jeok Yeong read the characters on the booklet.
“Golden Immortal Demonic Secret: Latter Three Forms.”
Then he looked at the booklet he had pulled from his robes. It was labeled Golden Immortal Demonic Secret: First Three Forms.
Jeok Yeong couldn't understand why he possessed the First Three Forms or how the madman had come to possess the Latter Three Forms. Since his memories hadn't returned, he was utterly confused.
Staring at the secret manuals, Jeok Yeong became intensely curious about his existence and identity. However, even with his memory loss, he could feel that he had put a tremendous amount of effort into mastering this sword technique.
Hadn't he overcome the disadvantage in his fight against Mu Gyeol using these First Three Forms? It hadn't been pushed back at all by the Taiji Wisdom Sword, which was said to have no equal under heaven.
Without further thought, Jeok Yeong immediately went to find Deputy Bu.
Seeing the agitated Jeok Yeong, Deputy Bu asked, “Did you obtain some good information?”
Deputy Bu expected that Jeok Yeong had learned something useful from Cho Maeryeong.
“Is there a private, secluded training room?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s urgent. Is there one?”
Deputy Bu wondered if Jeok Yeong had gained some new martial insight. He figured as much, given how eccentric both Eo Ja-seo and Jeok Yeong were.
“Yes, there is.”
“Then let’s go, quickly.”
Seeing the usually composed Jeok Yeong so anxious, Deputy Bu led him to the secluded training room without another word.
*
The air in the training room was sweltering, as if someone were stoking a fire underneath.
Before I could even register the heat, the pain returned. I had lost count of how many times this had happened.
Ham Jeok’s internal energy repeatedly surged through me and then returned to him.
Here it comes again.
I grit my teeth. Ham Jeok’s internal energy flowed through my wrist acupoint. But this time, it was larger and more powerful than before.
I’m dead.
Previously, I had somehow managed to circulate the energy once and send it back, but this was on a completely different level.
“This is strange. Even if the true Qi is circulating between them, he shouldn't be in this much pain if his Ren and Du meridians are open. Why does he look like he’s at death’s door, drenched in sweat?”
The Mad Doctor seemed to be gauging my condition by my expression. I heard him muttering in confusion.
You damn old geezer.
It’s because my Ren and Du meridians aren't fully open!
“Something is going wrong.”
The Mad Doctor approached me and muttered something else, but I couldn't make out the words. The pain was so intense that I was hearing hallucinations.
The acupoints in my Ren and Du meridians that hadn't been unblocked were being forced open by Ham Jeok’s massive internal energy.
Aaaaaargh!
I screamed internally. Finally, the energy headed straight for the Seungjang point, which is known to be the most painful to unblock.
To be honest, the reason I hadn't unblocked my Ren and Du meridians during my own training was that some acupoints are exceptionally painful. I had only unblocked the relatively less painful ones, leaving the agonizing ones for later.
As a result, quite a few acupoints remained in my Ren and Du meridians, and they were now being forcibly burst open by Ham Jeok’s energy.
It was painful, yet strangely refreshing.
However, the pain of an acupoint bursting was beyond description. It was perhaps most similar to the sensation of being stabbed with a knife and then having that knife slowly twisted.
In the Murim, the Ren and Du meridians were also called the Gate of Life and Death. It was a gateway where life and death intersected; it was common for first-rate masters with sixty years' worth of internal energy to die from Qi Deviation while trying to unblock these meridians.
Thus, unblocking the entirety of the Ren and Du meridians was far more difficult than one might think. If even a single point remained blocked, a martial artist would never truly transcend and would spend their life labeled as a first-rate master who failed to pass the Gate of Life and Death.
The first and greatest wall for first-rate masters was the unblocking of this Gate of Life and Death. Doing it without any mental preparation made me feel like I was dying, made me want to die, and made me feel like I actually was dead.
My body shuddered as the final Seungjang point burst open, and the internal energy completed another full cycle through the Baekhui point at the crown of my head.
In that moment, I felt ecstasy rather than pain. It was a pleasure a thousand, ten thousand times greater than the relief of a long-held bowel movement.
Only then did my ears open, and I could hear the Mad Doctor’s voice.
“Stop now and pull away from the Chamber Leader! Any more and you’ll be in danger!”
Looking at the Mad Doctor’s face, which was flushed with agitation right in front of mine, it seemed he had been repeating this for a while.
Following his advice, I guided Ham Jeok’s internal energy back into his body and closed the acupoints in my wrists. Then, I slowly pulled away from him.
“Whew.”
As I stood up with a long sigh, Ham Bi-hye approached me with a worried face.
“What happened? Are you okay? How is my father?”
“Nothing major happened, but the Chamber Leader’s internal energy was so massive that it was a struggle. I almost died.”
As I took a step and stumbled, losing my balance, Ham Bi-hye, who was nearby, quickly slipped under my arm to support me.
I suddenly found myself with Ham Bi-hye tucked under my side. However, I was so preoccupied with the heat radiating from my body that I didn't have the energy to care, and I didn't even realize my left hand was touching her breast.
This time, Ham Bi-hye didn't scream; she just quietly moved my left hand aside.
“Listen to the brat exaggerate.”
The Mad Doctor said as he examined Ham Jeok.
The Mad Demon asked the doctor, “How is he?”
“His condition has improved significantly. It seems all the destroyed blood vessels have been revitalized.”
“Oh! Oh! That is truly a relief! Does this mean the Chamber Leader will wake up given enough time?”
“That is correct, Elder.”
The Mad Doctor treated the Mad Demon with great respect. This was because the Mad Demon was much older than him.
The Mad Demon approached me and said, “You have done a great service. How can I ever repay this debt?”
“I didn't do much. It was all the work of the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet.”
“No. Your help was still significant.”
Perhaps because the treatment had ended successfully, the Mad Demon had transformed from a hot-tempered old man into a kind one.
“Could you provide me with another training room?”
“Why?”
When the Mad Doctor asked, I replied quickly.
“I’ve exhausted a lot of internal energy and have no strength left. I wish to perform an energy guiding technique.”
Knowing they were too preoccupied with Ham Jeok to pay me much attention, I looked for a quiet place to perform energy circulation practice alone.
The Mad Doctor nodded. “Yes. That would be best.”
“I’ll let you use my personal training room. Come this way.”
As Ham Bi-hye stepped forward, the Mad Doctor remarked, “Oh? Look at this girl. She’s giving up her personal training room, which she wouldn't even let me borrow? Hoho, well now. I feel quite betrayed.”
He said the words, but his face was wearing a smile.
Ham Bi-hye blushed and led me out to the training room. The reason I wanted to perform energy circulation was to sense the changes in my body now that my Ren and Du meridians were open.
“There are Fasting Pills here. Eat them if you get hungry. You can drink from the Clear Water Spring flowing from that wall, and if you need to relieve yourself, go further inside.”
Just in case, Ham Bi-hye even pointed out where the Fasting Pills were kept. She seemed to think I might not come out for a day or two.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“I heard that when one becomes an Acting Squad Leader, there are specific Chamber Rules for the Nine Demons Chamber, and that a new bill was recently passed by the Elder Council. Leave everything else, but I would like you to bring me the regulations concerning the Squad Leader or Acting Squad Leader.”
Ham Bi-hye tilted her head in confusion, as it was strange for someone entering a training room to ask for legal codes instead of a martial arts manual.
“I understand. I’ll bring them right away.”
The reason I asked for the regulations instead of a manual was that I needed to know the exact authority and status of an Acting Squad Leader. If someone like Elder Jang tried to challenge me using the rules, I needed to be able to counter them so I wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
If they persecuted me using rules I didn't know, I would have no way out. Large sects resolved all disputes and issues through their sect rules above all else, so knowing those regulations was vital.
In my experience, the difference between knowing and not knowing how to handle such things was like the difference between heaven and earth. If someone like Elder Jang tried to use the rules against me again, or if someone tried to pick a fight out of ignorance, I intended to strike back using the law.