Chapter 177: Regrouping (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Regrouping (1)
"Ugh..."
I opened my eyes to a familiar ceiling. As I stared blankly upward, a familiar weight settled over me.
This is...
It was a comfortable pressure pressing against my chest, accompanied by a snug warmth. I could feel the tickle of soft breaths seeping through my clothes.
Tilting my head slightly, I looked down at my stomach. Chun-bong was fast asleep, drooling as she used my belly as a pillow.
"Chun-bong."
"Mmm..."
She muttered in her sleep, rubbing her face against my stomach as if trying to burrow deeper. However, I noticed her eyes were red and swollen.
Startled, I hooked my hands under her arms and gently lifted her.
"Why was our Chun-bongie crying?"
Blink, blink. Chun-bong rubbed her bleary eyes. She stared at me blankly for a moment before—pop!—her large eyes flew wide open.
"Oppa...?"
Her face crumpled instantly. She squeezed her eyes shut as bead-like tears began to tumble down her cheeks.
"O-Oppa-aaa..."
Chin trembling, Chun-bong wailed and buried her face in my chest. It was a rare sight, leaving me a bit flustered as I patted her back.
"What's wrong? Hmm? Did someone bully you?"
"I, hic..."
"Yeah. What about our Chun-bong?"
"I thought... I thought something really bad happened to you..."
Burying her head deeper into my embrace and soaking my shirt with tears, Chun-bong sniffled loudly. She clung to me, pressing herself as close as physically possible.
"Oh, my poor Chun-bong."
I rocked her gently, my voice low and soothing.
"Why would anything happen to me? Your Oppa won't die even if his head gets cut off."
"But... your body exploded right in front of my eyes... And when I came to, you were unconscious again... I thought... I thought I was going to lose you again..."
Listening to her muffled mumbling, I realized she had no memory of the time the Sword God possessed her.
From her perspective, my body had just gone bang! and exploded, only for her to wake up later and find me unconscious and battered.
Hmm.
That would definitely be traumatizing.
She had already lost her entire family when the Geum Family was annihilated. It wouldn't be strange if this incident had triggered those horrific memories.
I realized I needed to pay closer attention to Chun-bong's mental state.
Click—
Just then, the door opened, and Namgung Su-ah stepped inside. She was carrying a basin with a wet towel and a bowl of rice porridge.
"Seo-jun...!"
Seeing me awake, she hurried over, setting her things aside to sit beside me with a deep sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness..."
"What's with that reaction? Was I unconscious for a month or something?"
"Not quite... Just a full day?"
"That's not long at all."
Based on her reaction, I would have thought I'd been in a coma for months.
"It was the kind of injury that should have kept you down for that long, you know."
Namgung Su-ah pouted as she blew on a spoonful of porridge and brought it to my lips.
"Here, eat."
I ate the porridge without a word of complaint. It tasted quite good.
"Is the seasoning okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. Did you make this, Noona?"
"It wasn't that hard."
Namgung Su-ah stroked my cheek once before standing up.
"I'll go tell the others for now. Everyone has been worried."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Geum Mae can feed you the rest, right?"
"I can eat by myself, though."
"Ahem."
She gave me a cute, playful glare before leaving the room.
I smacked my lips and reached for the spoon. Or rather, I tried to.
Snatch!
Chun-bong quickly intercepted it.
Grumbling something under her breath, she scooped up a full spoonful of porridge and blew on it to cool it down.
"...Don't you move."
"Yes, ma'am."
I obediently let her feed me.
* * *
As time passed, several people came to visit.
I felt far too healthy for it to be called a "sickbed visit," but since Namgung Su-ah had strictly ordered me to rest for a few days, I quietly accepted the guests.
"Oh, Young Master...!"
Namgung Yeong-bo, the Medicine Hall Master, was particularly enthusiastic, bringing a literal mountain of various elixirs. Surprisingly, it wasn't an abuse of his power; apparently, he had received proper authorization to empty the vaults for me.
I waved my hand dismissively while snacking on a Yosang Pill—a high-grade medicine for treating internal injuries—as if it were candy.
"No, really, I'm perfectly fine."
"Even so, you must absolutely rest for a few days."
Chief Steward Jin Ga-wi also came by.
After urging me several times to rest, he spoke with a faint smile.
"While you were away, I managed to acquire a few Divine Weapons."
"Pardon?"
"I couldn't get anything legendary, but... please stop by the Golden Pearl Hall once you've recovered."
I nodded for the time being.
Divine Weapons... I'd heard the term, but I'd never actually seen one in person. I was curious to see what they were all about.
Once the round of visitors ended, I stood up and stretched my stiff body.
"Where are you going?"
Chun-bong, who had been nestled in my arms, slid to the floor and seamlessly clung to my arm.
"To wash up."
"Okay."
I started walking. Chun-bong naturally walked right alongside me.
"I said I'm going to wash."
"I know."
"You need to let go for that..."
As I tried to pull my arm away, tears immediately welled up in Chun-bong's eyes.
"Don't go..."
"Okay."
I gave up on washing. At my level of cultivation, I didn't really need to bathe anyway, as my body produced almost no impurities.
A quick burst of internal energy was more than enough to shake off any dust from the outside.
The room grew dark as the sun set.
Namgung Su-ah, who had repeatedly nagged me to rest quietly, finally returned to her own quarters. Left alone with me, Chun-bong clung even tighter.
"...Oppa."
"Yeah."
"You're going to stay by my side, right?"
Looking down into those fearful eyes gazing up at me, I had no choice but to nod.
"Of course."
I had intended to do so even if she hadn't asked. At least until she no longer wanted me around.
A day might come when Chun-bong found having an "Oppa" hovering over her to be a nuisance, but until then, I had no intention of leaving her side.
"You have to stay right next to me. Always."
"I told you I would."
"Forever."
"You better remember this later. Don't you dare complain about your Oppa being annoying."
Chun-bong stared into my eyes without a word. Her gaze was sunken with a depth that was almost chilling. I shifted my eyes nervously.
"...I guess our Chun-bongie would never do that."
"That's right."
Chun-bong hugged me tightly.
"You're mine."
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, I shut my mouth and stayed quiet.
* * *
The next day, I left the room with Chun-bong still dangling from my arm. My destination was the Family Head's palace.
However, I never made it that far.
Whether he had sensed my presence in advance or not, Namgung Jin-cheon met me halfway—actually, quite far from his palace—and led me right back to my room.
"Father-in-law! You really saved me back there."
"Don't say that... I should have arrived sooner..."
"Hey, even Senior Sword God only showed up after everything was over."
Since I'd already had a long—very long—conversation with Chun-bong last night, she knew exactly how things had played out.
After some light conversation with Namgung Jin-cheon, I suddenly asked, "By the way, do you happen to know who that 'Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven' guy was?"
"The situation was already over by the time I arrived, so I am not sure..."
"Ah, right."
Come to think of it, the guy had turned into dust and vanished. There was no way my father-in-law would know.
"However, my grand-uncle did mention something..."
"That old man?"
"Yes... He said the man appeared to be a martial artist from the Sichuan Tang Clan..."
The Sichuan Tang Clan? I furrowed my brows.
"Are they insane? Should I go over there and drop a Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art on their heads?"
"That man, Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven, likely wasn't currently affiliated with the Tang Clan... He was probably a former member... This is just my intuition, but I suspect he belonged to a separate organization..."
"Aha."
"I will look into this matter personally... It might even be connected to what happened to the Geum Family..."
Namgung Jin-cheon stroked his chin thoughtfully. His mind seemed a bit cluttered, but it wasn't something he could reach a conclusion on right away.
After a small sigh, Namgung Jin-cheon asked, "By the way, son-in-law..."
"Yes."
"How strong was he...?"
"Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven?"
"Indeed..."
I pondered for a moment. It didn't take long.
"He was strong, but... I don't think he was quite on the level of the Giryeon Sect Leader I saw before."
"Is that so...?"
"Yes. And of course, he's nothing compared to you, Father-in-law."
I wasn't just flattering him. Although I hadn't officially reached the stage yet, having briefly touched a realm similar to the Transcendent Realm, my perspective had widened significantly.
If the current me were to fight Namgung Jin-cheon?
I'd be damn proud of myself if I could even last three moves.
"I see... That is not surprising... Most of the leaders of the Seven Evil Black Sect are exceptional even among those in the Transcendent Realm..."
"True. Thinking about it, someone who could be successful in their original home wouldn't really need to join a weird organization."
As I nodded, a thought occurred to me, and I narrowed my eyes.
Wait, that's not right.
If someone is at a level similar to the Transcendent Realm, they are successful.
Even if Corpse-Blood Filling Heaven was weaker than the Giryeon Sect Leader, that didn't mean he was weak.
With that kind of skill, he wouldn't just hold a high position in the Righteous Faction; he could live like a king. So why bother?
I thought about it for a moment and then gave up. Maybe it was because I hadn't used my brain much lately, but my head started to ache if I focused on something for more than ten seconds.
"Anyway... I realized something through this incident."
"Something you realized...?"
"I think I've been a bit complacent lately. I realized I need to get stronger, and fast."
"Son-in-law... You are already becoming strong faster than anyone in the history of the Murim..."
"There are plenty of people who have lived much longer than me. This isn't enough. I need to reach at least the Transcendent Realm. I feel like I need to be at that level to actually get anything done."
"Hmm... Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes. I'm planning to head over to the Demonic Cult soon, so if you have any info—urk!"
Chun-bong grabbed me by the collar. I rolled my eyes toward her. Tears were welling up in her eyes again.
"...You said you weren't going anywhere."
"...Is what I almost said."