First Attempt
"Urgh."
He barely managed to throw himself onto the bed and bury his face in it.
"Aigoo, I'm dying...."
Cold sweat poured out until the pillow was completely soaked, but he didn't even have the energy to wipe it away. Even trying to circulate his internal energy once brought only sharp pain from his utterly empty dantian.
I've lost my mind.
No matter that he was a supreme expert on the verge of the Hyeonkyeong realm—this was utter madness. He'd poured his true origin true qi into forcibly widening his disciples' energy meridians and expanding their dantians. It had been over a decade since he'd stopped training and begun playing the part of a reclusive elder. For such a rusty old body to expand three dantians at once—naturally, his own body screamed in protest.
"Cough!"
With a cough, pitch-black dead blood trickled out. What a pathetic sight. He wiped it roughly with his sleeve and gave a bitter smile.
Still... seeing their faces brighten up like that makes the ordeal worthwhile.
With their dantians expanded and filled with pure, high-grade internal energy, they wouldn't hit any walls like heart demons for the time being. Imagining them laughing gleefully over their martial progress made his dantian throb as if it might snap—but it was bearable enough.
I can't overdo it for a while. Especially not in front of the kids—never let them see me looking weak.
A master who collapses after tweaking his disciples' dantians and meridians? If word got out, it'd be a humiliation beyond repair. He slowly regulated his breathing, forcing a calm expression onto his face.
Seorin, Chohee, Hwaran.
The three sat in the center of the room, staring intently into each other's faces.
"You all feel it, right?"
Eventually, Chohee spoke first.
"Yeah. That monster's definitely weakened."
Seorin nodded silently.
All three had been peak experts in their respective factions before regression. Even if their current young bodies and low realms dulled other senses, their ability to read energy flows remained as sharp as ever from their past lives.
"He's definitely suffered internal injuries. Serious ones."
Dark killing intent swirled in Seorin's eyes.
As Chohee said, the energy leaking from their master's quarters felt different from usual. That horrifying pressure that had constantly crushed them had lost its edge.
"Of course. He forcibly tore open our three dantians and crammed his qi in."
A cold smile curled on Chohee's lips.
"He carved into his own flesh to use us as top-grade ingredients. His dantian's probably empty right now."
"So, this is our chance."
Hwaran replied in a icy voice, gripping her sword hilt tightly.
"Tonight, at dinner."
Seorin pulled a small, transparent glass vial from her bosom and set it on the table. It contained a clear, sloshing liquid.
"Made by mixing the toxic herbs we secretly gathered climbing the mountain yesterday and today, plus the Cheonil Dokmo I luckily swiped from the corner of the sect leader's warehouse earlier."
Chohee and Hwaran's eyes widened.
In their past lives, both had suffered from Seorin's poisons. Even poisons made from common toxic herbs were invariably lethal in her hands—and now she'd mixed in the infamous Thousand-Day Poison Mother, renowned for its potency. It had to be a deadly toxin that even seasoned experts would struggle against.
Yet even with such a poison, Seorin's expression remained grim. Her hand holding the vial trembled faintly.
"Honestly, I can't guarantee this will kill that monster."
Thinking of his overwhelming might and bizarre demonic arts, a horrifying premonition gripped her: he might endure even this Cheonil Dokmo poison.
But they had no choice. They couldn't just sit idle. And with his overwhelming power momentarily dulled, this might be their one shot.
"If the monster gets poisoned, we all rush him together."
A dangerous gamble they had no choice but to take. Chohee and Hwaran couldn't hide their unease but nodded anyway.
Dinnertime.
Regrettably, the communal dining hall wasn't open. So once, I'd prepared dinner for my disciples every night. From last year, the kids had started taking turns. At first, they'd burn the rice, burn the side dishes. Eventually, they'd cling to me begging to go down the main peak for tasty sweets. Those antics were so adorable, my wallet emptied before I knew it. Seemed like just yesterday.
Savoring those fond memories, I waited for the meal they'd prepare, forcing my back straight despite the agony throbbing in my dantian. Outwardly, I wore my usual kindly master's smile.
Soon, footsteps approached from outside.
"Master. Dinner's ready."
The door slid open, and Seorin entered carrying a large tray. Chohee and Hwaran followed behind.
I gazed down at the neatly arranged dishes on the table, inwardly cheering. The anxious looks on the kids' faces were gone. No more trembling hands, no shaky pupils. Worth every bit of effort. My judgment was spot on. Any martial artist melts away heart demons like snow before the thrill of surging power.
"Master, have some tea before the meal."
Then, my eldest, Seorin, demurely offered a teacup. Among them, she was the one who took care of even her master's tea. Such a dutiful girl.
"Thank you. My throat was parched."
Gulp.
The moment the tea slid down his throat, heat rose in his dantian.
This is...?
As it traveled down, a burning heat followed. Blended from precious herbs foraged on the mountain, its medicinal potency absorbed instantly upon hitting his stomach, surging straight to his dantian.
Could Seorin have noticed my condition?
Nah, no way. She must've brewed this tonic tea out of pure devotion, seeing her master's poor complexion.
This kid...
Tears nearly welled up. His first medicinal tea from a disciple. He wanted to down it in one go, but to honor her effort, he sipped slowly, savoring the aroma.
A moment later.
"Haa."
Having drained the warm tea to the last drop, he set down the empty cup with a pleased smile.
"Hahaha! This tea is incredible! Feels like all the blockages in my body cleared right up!"
"M-Master... are you... okay? The tea you just drank... did it taste alright...?"
Seorin asked in a trembling voice.
"Of course! Thanks to your sincerity, I feel full of vigor."
As he beamed back, Seorin finally lost strength in her legs and collapsed to the floor.
Just a word of praise, and my eldest is always so soft-hearted.
"Come on, don't just sit there—let's eat."
At his urging, Seorin shakily gripped her chopsticks. Truly, endearingly cute disciples. Smiling warmly at her, he piled a hefty chunk of meat atop her rice bowl.
Having endured that hellish dinner, the three returned and flopped to the floor as if by prior agreement.
Eventually, second disciple Chohee broke the silence first.
"...Did I mess up the poison mix?"
At her resentful tone, Seorin's eyes narrowed fiercely.
"What? You saying my mix was wrong?"
"Then how the hell is that monster still fine!"
Seorin ground her teeth and rose.
"The mix was perfect! Didn't you see that black turbid qi he exhaled after setting down the cup?"
"Ugh, this is driving me insane...."
As Chohee rubbed her dry face, Seorin glared at her junior sisters, veins bulging in her eyes.
"And what did you do?"
Her pointing finger sliced the air.
"You just sat there trembling, not lifting a finger—and now you're blaming me!"
At that, youngest Hwaran let out a disbelieving scoff.
"You serious? You expect us to draw swords on a monster who chugged Cheonil Dokmo tea and laughed it off?"
"Exactly! He looked perfectly fine—if we'd tried a sneak attack, our heads would've been on the table first!"
Chohee shot back.
"......"
"......"
In the end, the three fell silent again.
Blaming each other changed nothing. They were all once notable experts in their past lives, but the wall before them now shattered all common sense.
A monster who downed Cheonil Dokmo poison like a tonic.
Slaughter day drew nearer each moment, yet no solution came to mind.
"......What do we do now."
A hollow sigh escaped someone, dissipating meaninglessly into the air.