Why Did the Yang Brothers Stop Him?
Why had the Yang brothers stopped Namgung Woo? It wasn’t because they harbored any grudge against the Paeng Family. On the contrary, their actions were fundamentally rooted in goodwill—just as Paeng Mu-ho had asked Namgung Woo why he was helping them.
“Young Hero, aren’t you planning to treat her with inner energy circulation? If so, that would be dangerous.”
“That’s right. The nature of the lightning qi we cultivate is explosive. It’s fierce and powerful, but that also means it clashes violently with other types of true qi. On top of that, lightning qi can paralyze the human body if things go wrong.”
“If you’re thinking about its demon-slaying properties, you must be extremely cautious. It might not just tear apart the demonic energy—it could rip open her entire meridians.”
“From the start, lightning qi is far too dangerous for the human body. It’s simply not suited for healing. Unless the patient has also cultivated lightning qi, of course.”
Namgung Woo found the brothers’ words difficult to understand. Their argument was that lightning qi was unsuitable for restoring the human body. And it seemed to be common sense, because even the warriors of the Paeng Family couldn’t refute it.
But that made no sense.
Nothing is better for recovery than electricity.
In the modern world where Namgung Woo had once lived, electrotherapy through electrical stimulation was a cornerstone of physical rehabilitation. The restorative effects obtainable through electricity were considered the core of core techniques within physical therapy. If anything could surpass lightning qi in healing potential, it would probably only be wood qi—qi close to the very essence of life force itself.
Even in Chukrok Murim, lightning qi had been hailed as the most overpowered attribute of all, not only for its devastating offensive power but also for its ability to heal.
The real question is whether I can precisely control the output to match the treatment.
Setting that aside, if left alone, her death was all but certain. Even if she miraculously survived, she would lose her right arm. In that case, wasn’t it better to risk being scorched by lightning qi and treat her first?
Using one’s body as a medium for energy transfer was a technique where a single mistake could inflict severe damage on both parties. That was why the Yang brothers, despite feeling genuine pity for Paeng Ha-ryeong, had stopped their benefactor Namgung Woo first.
It was only natural that the Paeng Family’s gazes toward the brothers turned hostile. Yet even under the murderous glares of four Peak Realm experts, the Yang brothers refused to back down. They remained tense but stood their ground, refusing to give up on persuading Namgung Woo.
To Namgung Woo, however, the entire standoff between the Yang brothers and the Paeng warriors looked like nothing more than a play.
I understand they’re worried about me, but…
Namgung Woo was only human. When someone worried about him with genuine sincerity, he felt grateful even if their concern felt misplaced, and he tried to show consideration in return. Taking into account the Yang brothers’ dignity and the time Paeng Ha-ryeong had left, he cut the discussion short.
In other words: stop wasting time and get out of the way. That was the rough meaning behind his words, though the listeners seemed to interpret it differently.
“Young Hero…”
“Not young hero. He’s a great hero…”
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Even the voices of the Paeng Family warriors mingled in.
The Paeng warriors stepped aside and opened a path for Namgung Woo as he left the Yang brothers behind and approached Paeng Ha-ryeong. Only after reaching her side did the full severity of her condition become clear.
Her breathing is unstable. She’s definitely going to die at this rate.
Simply cutting off her arm wouldn’t be enough. The demonic energy had already reached her lungs. Her qi circulation was blocked, leaving her dependent on others for survival. If Paeng Mu-ho had been uninjured, things might have been different, but he too had sustained internal injuries. As for the other Paeng warriors, their skills were too similar; if they attempted the energy transfer, they would likely end up injuring each other in the process.
From the beginning, there was only one choice.
It was right for him to step forward. Namgung Woo began drawing up his inner energy in earnest.
First, I’ll use the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art to burn away the demonic energy, then stimulate recovery with lightning qi. After that, I’ll use the Blue Sky Divine Art to restore her broken homeostasis and boost her natural healing ability.
Having outlined the general plan, Namgung Woo immediately set it into motion.
“I ask that you stand guard for me.”
“Would a radius of one zhang be sufficient?”
Paeng Mu-ho’s tone had grown even more respectful. When he offered to create a three-meter circular barrier to prevent any interference, Namgung Woo nodded.
“That will be enough.”
“Understood. The four of us will take the cardinal directions.”
“We will assist as well.”
The Yang brothers declared their intention to help now that things had come to this.
“Very well.”
Under Paeng Mu-ho’s command, six warriors took up their positions. Although the Yang brothers were slightly weaker, four Peak Realm experts and two First-class masters were more than enough to dominate the outskirts of Muan County.
Leaving the perimeter entirely to them, Namgung Woo grasped Paeng Ha-ryeong’s wrist.
The Mingmen acupoint on the back would be ideal for a full energy transfer, but since we must save her right arm, I’ll start from the wrist.
His palm enveloped the radial artery at her wrist. Her faint pulse transmitted through his hand.
Enter.
Crackle.
Through the Laogong acupoint in his palm, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art’s true qi flowed into Paeng Ha-ryeong’s body. Namgung Woo’s Heavenly Thunder qi and the demonic energy of the Shapeshifting Ghost Net clashed violently within her.
The pure lightning qi surged like a raging storm, incinerating the invasive demonic energy in its path.
Feeling the powerful qi waves rising from behind them, Paeng Wi could no longer contain his anxiety and spoke to Paeng Mu-ho.
“Vice Commander, are you truly going to let him continue like this…?”
“Trust him.”
“Ugh… If anything happens to the young lady, we’ll all…”
“Is there any other option besides that young man?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Then look forward. They’re coming.”
The warriors of the Yi Family estate, along with the others who had participated in the battle, were approaching. Paeng Wi wiped his sweaty palms on his clothes, then gripped his blade tightly.
It’s not difficult. Her body is remarkably clean, with almost no blockages.
As people lived, waste naturally accumulated within their bodies. The same was true for their meridians. Yet Paeng Ha-ryeong’s meridians showed almost none of that. This was the power of a prestigious clan. From childhood, they tempered their meridians through acupuncture and bloodletting, lived in clean environments, ate clean food, maintained clean lifestyles, and cultivated superior internal cultivation methods from a young age to maximize efficiency. Their starting point was fundamentally different from ordinary people. On top of that, as a direct descendant, she would have consumed spiritual medicines. Even without talent, reaching the Peak Realm would have been only a matter of time.
Of course, becoming a fully mature Peak Realm expert at such a young age like Paeng Ha-ryeong still required talent to back it up.
The situation was so perfect that Namgung Woo could afford to let his mind wander for a moment. Against the Heavenly Thunder qi infused with the power to repel evil, what chance did the demonic energy of the Shapeshifting Ghost Net have? It might have been different if it were the Yang brothers’ lightning qi, which still lacked maturity. A fierce battle between demonic energy and lightning qi? There was no such thing. What was happening inside Paeng Ha-ryeong’s body was not a bloody fight that would tear apart even the battlefield of her meridians—it was nothing more than a one-sided chase.
No, calling it a chase was too generous. It was more like a herding hunt.
As he smoothly drove out the demonic energy, Namgung Woo suddenly noticed a certain phenomenon and reached an interesting realization.
The demonic energy is swelling in size by devouring the turbid qi inside her body… If I use this well…?
No matter how well-managed one’s body was, unless one lived in a place full of spiritual energy far from the mundane world like Mount Song or Mount Heng, surviving only on Bigu pills, turbid qi would accumulate little by little. Even Paeng Ha-ryeong’s meridians contained faint traces of it. While her Twelve Principal Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians were polished smooth, some of the smaller vessels throughout her body were partially blocked by turbid qi.
Shall I give it a try?
Namgung Woo altered the flow of his Heavenly Thunder qi. Instead of chasing and burning the demonic energy, he maintained a delicate distance and guided it in the direction he desired. Doing so clumsily would have been utter madness—weak, untrained smaller vessels could easily be damaged by the demonic energy and cause internal injury. But Namgung Woo’s Blue Serene All-Seeing Eyes perceived the exact size of the energy and the limit of each vessel down to an incredibly fine degree.
The insight of the Blue Serene All-Seeing Eyes combined with near-absolute control over his inner energy. Rather than searching for and removing each speck of turbid qi individually, he optimized efficiency by letting the demonic energy gather it on its own before burning it away. The three elements meshed together perfectly, producing an effect akin to marrow washing and tendon cleansing.
Now I just need to burn it all away at the major acupoints belonging to the Conception Vessel and it’ll be over.
The demonic energy fled from the lightning qi and ran toward a place that suited it—the area containing the Yinjiao acupoint. It was literally the crossing point of the yin meridians, where the Conception Vessel, the Small Yin Kidney Meridian, and the Penetrating Vessel all passed through the Yinjiao point. A little further down lay the Qihai acupoint of the Lower Dantian. It was the perfect spot for the demonic energy to devour Paeng Ha-ryeong’s yin energy and weakened inner power to swell its size. At the same time, it was the very trap Namgung Woo had already prepared as the demonic energy’s final resting place.
Now it’s over…
However, there was something Namgung Woo had not anticipated.
Ah, could it be… that time of the month?
The natural law that women had to face once a month—menstruation. The reason Paeng Ha-ryeong had been so easily overwhelmed was partly because her physical condition had been weakened by it.
This thing noticed the lightning qi I hid at the Yinjiao acupoint and is heading toward the Zhongji acupoint instead.
If she was menstruating, it naturally meant there were wounds in her uterus. Contact with the demonic energy would lead to catastrophic results.
Then I just need to eliminate it before it touches her.
Namgung Woo placed his other hand—not the one holding her wrist—on her solar plexus. He split his consciousness in two. His hyper-focused mind made it possible to manipulate two different types of true qi simultaneously.
Two streams of Namgung Woo’s inner power flowed into Paeng Ha-ryeong’s body at once. Through her wrist, the Blue Sky Divine Art stabilized her disrupted internal balance while maximizing the recovery stimulated by the electrical impulses. Through her solar plexus, the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art poured in to eradicate the demonic energy that was making its final desperate struggle.
Balancing the power was more important than anything else. At that moment, four different types of energy coexisted inside Paeng Ha-ryeong’s body: her own original inner power, Namgung Woo’s Blue Sky Divine Art and Heavenly Thunder Divine Art, and finally the demonic energy that was corroding her.
Even the ever-confident Namgung Woo became utterly serious. The finishing touches were the most crucial part of any task. A mistake here would render everything he had done so far meaningless.
The passage of time and all external noise faded away. Namgung Woo’s consciousness focused solely on the phenomena occurring inside Paeng Ha-ryeong’s body. His sharply honed will began to control the four energies.
And his efforts returned the proper reward.
It’s done.
All the demonic energy had vanished. Her tattered meridians were also being healed through the electrical stimulation of the Heavenly Thunder qi followed by the restorative circulation of the Blue Sky Divine Art. She would need to focus on recovery for some time, but there would be no need to amputate her arm. The recovery period wouldn’t be long either.
The turbid qi and impurities that had accumulated inside her body had been burned away by the Heavenly Thunder qi. The Blue Sky Divine Art flowed through her entire network of vessels, allowing energy to spread unhindered to her four limbs and hundred bones. It wasn’t quite a complete bodily rebirth, but it was certainly worthy of being called a fortuitous encounter.
Now all that remained was for Namgung Woo to retrieve the inner power he had sent into her. However, he did not withdraw all of it. Although the treatment was over, she was not yet fully healed, so he left behind a portion of his Heavenly Thunder qi. Since it was not the inner power she had cultivated herself, it would naturally dissipate over time. Until then, the Heavenly Thunder qi would assist in her treatment and prevent any lingering aftereffects from the demonic energy.
After pulling the remaining true qi back into his body, Namgung Woo slowly withdrew his hands from Paeng Ha-ryeong. Once the state of tension ended, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
“Huu…”
Amid the fatigue, Namgung Woo examined his own condition. The Heavenly Thunder qi in his Lower Dantian had finally hit rock bottom. No matter how good his control was, the inefficiency couldn’t be helped. On the other hand, the Blue Sky qi in his Middle Dantian was still plentiful. He quickly circulated his energy according to the principles of the Blue Sky Great Expansion Divine Art to shake off his fatigue.
“Is it… over?”
The one who asked was Paeng Mu-ho. Yet even as he asked, Paeng Mu-ho already knew it had ended successfully. The deathly pallor that had covered Paeng Ha-ryeong’s face had returned to a clear, healthy glow. The frown that had twisted her features had relaxed into the peaceful expression of deep sleep. No more demonic energy could be felt from her right arm, which had previously radiated an ominous aura.
Seeing Paeng Mu-ho still watching him with unrelenting tension, Namgung Woo nodded.
“Yes. It is finished.”