Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 10
>Chapter Title: Martial Talent (1)
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A middle-aged man with an incredibly fierce appearance.
He was Sang Ung-baek, the Outer Hall Leader of Timber Sword Manor.
Known in the northern part of An Hui Province as Merciless Fierce Fist, he was a fist technique master who had served the Mok family since the time of its founder and was the most loyal among the second generation's retainers.
Unlike Inner Hall Leader Jang Myeong-in, who had entered the clan trusting the Clan Head, he was one of the retainers with exceptionally strong convictions.
That was why Great Madam Seok had been unable to win him over.
As a pillar of Timber Sword Manor, he wielded considerable influence among the retainers.
Thus, she had no choice but to tread carefully around Sang Ung-baek.
"It's true, Outer Hall Leader. No matter how you look at it, why would I order someone to harm that child?"
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Despite her explanation, Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek responded with clear skepticism.
This ignited fury within Great Madam Seok.
Not only had things gotten tangled because of that sorceress's blunder, but now she was under suspicion.
'That damned wench.'
She had no idea what had happened.
She had taken a thousand silver taels and then betrayed them just like flipping her palm.
'Gui-yeong Pavilion... Sak...'
She would make her pay dearly for it.
But for now, this man was the problem.
"Hoo."
Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek had a remarkably tenacious personality.
Once he harbored suspicions, he would keep watching and probing relentlessly.
In that case, she would have to keep her distance from Mok Kyung-un for a while.
'Troublesome.'
She needed to seize the manual from that brat Mok Kyung-un.
If Sang Ung-baek's surveillance prevented her from doing so and Second Young Master Mok Eun-pyeong—that spineless fool—took it instead, then First Young Master's position would be in jeopardy.
She needed some other plan.
Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek eyed her suspiciously.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
'What a mess.'
Ever since the Clan Head had been wavering between life and death, Timber Sword Manor had become utterly divided and fractured.
He had thought they would at least keep up appearances until the Clan Head drew his last breath.
But this was the worst.
With the Clan Head still alive, they were openly vying for the next Clan Head position and trying to kill off rival heirs.
'Clan Head...'
If the Clan Head learned of this, the disappointment would be immense.
At the same time, it was regrettable.
If the Clan Head had firmly settled the succession issue from the start, he and the other retainers would have upheld that will and protected the designated heir.
But he hadn't, leading to this disaster.
Now, even the retainers were mostly split in their opinions, so the moment the Clan Head's breath stopped, Timber Sword Manor might truly become a battlefield between blood kin.
'What to do.'
Would he ultimately have to make a choice as well?
By rights, he should support the eldest, First Young Master Mok Young-ho, but this made him disappointing.
It was off-putting, if only because of Great Madam Seok.
For the future head of the household after the Clan Head's passing to resort to such acts.
Yet suddenly, something didn't add up.
'Come to think of it, the second son too...'
Why target Third Young Master Mok Kyung-un?
It would make sense if they were fighting among themselves or targeting the youngest, the heaven-sent martial prodigy most favored by the Clan Head.
But Third Young Master Mok Kyung-un truly had nothing to his name.
He had no talent, and his position had weakened when his maternal family fell.
No retainers supported him, so neither Great Madam Seok nor Second Young Master had any reason to see him as a threat.
Yet they were after his life.
'The easiest target?'
No, it was too early for that.
With the Clan Head not yet dead, such actions would only lose them retainer support.
Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek felt a genuine疑問.
What reason did they have to target Mok Kyung-un?
There had to be something worth their caution, something they prioritized above all else.
'......I need to find out what it is.'
This couldn't be overlooked.
If there was something worth all of them risking their lives to eliminate, it needed confirmation.
* * *
-Sssrrrrk!
Someone slipped through the ceiling into the medicine hall.
Wearing a mask and puffing on a pipe, it was none other than Cheong-ryeong.
Demon Monk bowed respectfully to greet her.
She grumbled in response.
-Is it because I'm stuck as a familiar? Or because I'm a sorceress?
-..........
She had seized an opportunity to take over Sak's body.
But she had failed.
She was confused about what went wrong.
Sorcerers took precautions like spells or talismans to protect their souls in advance.
That was why low-grade wandering spirits couldn't possess such sorcerers or humans with strong energies.
But Cheong-ryeong was no low-grade wandering spirit.
Yet she still couldn't take the body.
-Tch.
She had tried to sever the forced bond of possession but failed.
Was being turned into a familiar really the issue?
With a sullen expression, Cheong-ryeong descended and sat on the bed, gazing at Mok Kyung-un, who was focused on circulating his energy in reverse.
-No way out, huh. But this guy...
A glint appeared in her blood-red eyes.
Through her Ghost Eye, Mok Kyung-un's energy looked remarkably stable.
-Hoo.
Mok Kyung-un had absorbed the ghost maiden's deathly energy using the possession method.
It was darker and purer than the deathly qi produced from a human's death.
She had thought he couldn't control it or would expel most of it, but this was unexpected.
He was stably absorbing it.
-Hmm.
Cheong-ryeong approached Mok Kyung-un.
She thrust her face right in front of his nose as he concentrated on circulating his energy.
'Strange.'
The wound scar on his forehead.
Though freshly inflicted, the area looked like it had been days old.
It seemed it would heal completely in a few days.
'......Beyond human recovery.'
Before becoming a familiar, she had found it odd that he survived what was nearly a fatal injury unscathed.
Now, looking closely, it was clear.
This guy had recovery powers incomparable to an ordinary human.
How could a human do this?
'Something's there.'
He's no ordinary human.
If she hadn't lost control when forcibly made into a familiar, she could have seized the body and investigated, but it was a shame.
Clicking her tongue, Cheong-ryeong stared intently at Mok Kyung-un's face.
'Pretty handsome, isn't he.'
She had noticed before, but Mok Kyung-un's face was strikingly beautiful.
He fit the pretty boy standard perfectly.
She didn't particularly like this mortal, but this beautiful face was at least decent.
Perfect for ornamental purposes.
-Pak!
At that moment, Mok Kyung-un suddenly opened his eyes.
Their eyes met right in front of each other.
She nearly jumped.
This guy even startled a wandering spirit.
"What are you doing?"
-..........
Saying she was admiring his face would bruise her pride.
At his question, Cheong-ryeong pulled back, slyly turning her head away, puffing her pipe, and pretending nothing happened.
-What do you think I'm doing.
"Hmm."
Mok Kyung-un stared at her quietly before asking.
"Did you handle that matter properly?"
-Hmph. Do you doubt this sovereign?
"As expected of Cheong-ryeong."
Mok Kyung-un smiled faintly.
Apparently displeased by his attitude, she raised one eyebrow.
She regretted helping this guy.
She had aided him to watch how he would fare after unexpectedly handling the ghost maiden and sorceress wench on his own, breaking her expectations.
To him, Mok Kyung-un said.
"You were so late, I wondered if you'd left for good."
-......Leave?
At perceptive Mok Kyung-un's words, Cheong-ryeong grumbled curtly.
She desperately wanted to leave.
Separate from her agreement to help, her true desire was to sever the familiar bond at the first opportunity.
-Enough nonsense. Keep circulating your energy. If you want to make even a bit of the energy you took from the ghost maiden your own, don't just lounge aro—
"Ah! I had one thing to check."
"Check?"
"Yes. I was wondering if this is the dantian."
-Dantian? Whether you can form a dantian with deathly qi is still unknown. You mortals must strive endles—
"Isn't this tiny, pea-sized clump below my navel the dantian?"
-......What?
Cheong-ryeong furrowed her brow.
Did this guy just say he formed a dantian?
-No way.
With an incredulous expression, Cheong-ryeong looked at Mok Kyung-un.
Even if he absorbed enough of the ghost maiden's energy, forming a dantian already was incomprehensible.
She had never seen such a precedent, even in life.
Feel energy, circulate a bit, and already form a dantian?
-May I check?
"Yes. I was curious if it's real anyway."
Cheong-ryeong placed her palm toward Mok Kyung-un's abdomen.
The check was simple.
As a formless wandering spirit, she could enter the soul directly to confirm.
But,
-!?
It didn't pass through.
Her palm stopped at the surface, unable to enter the abdomen.
A high-grade wandering spirit like her could briefly materialize her ethereal body.
But this wasn't due to materialization.
-Tap tap!
"What are you doing?"
-It won't go in.
"Why?"
-How should I know?
She didn't know the exact reason either.
Clearly ethereal, yet why?
Wondering if it was her issue, she approached Gam Escort snoring on the adjacent bed.
She thrust her hand into his abdomen effortlessly.
It went in smoothly.
-Works fine? Then...
She briefly materialized her fingertip to lightly touch his dantian.
Gam jolted awake in shock.
"Eek!"
He shuddered violently, eyes rolling back, and fainted.
Cheong-ryeong had forgotten.
Once a dantian formed, it was the body's most sensitive internal spot.
But whether Gam fainted or not, she didn't care.
Instead,
-Tsk tsk, such a wimp. Anyway, not my problem.
She focused only on the conclusion.
For some reason, her ethereal hand collided with Mok Kyung-un without passing through.
It was highly unusual.
-Strange. Is it because I'm a familiar? Hey, monk. You try.
At her words, Demon Monk shuffled over and cautiously touched Mok Kyung-un's body.
Likewise, Demon Monk's ethereal form couldn't pass through the soul.
The two spirits were baffled.
"Do you know why?"
-Hmm. Unless it's ethereal vs. ethereal, it shouldn't collide like this.
"So Cheong-ryeong can't easily check if I have a dantian?"
-Well...... Even so, there are other wa—
Before she could finish,
-Kkiiik!
The medicine hall door opened with a small creak.
Looking over curiously, they saw a fierce-looking middle-aged man entering.
'Outer Hall Leader?'
It was Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek.
He remembered the face from the interrogation.
"Aaah."
Spotting Mok Kyung-un in lotus position, Sang Ung-baek's expression darkened slightly.
Due to the full-body wounds.
Though healing rapidly, the scabs still made it hard to distinguish.
Approaching, Sang Ung-baek said.
"You're still awake, Young Master."
"Ah. Yes."
Now almost upon him, Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek bowed deeply.
"My apologies. If I had been more vigilant, this wouldn't have happened."
To outward appearances, Mok Kyung-un's state was dire.
Believing the assault caused this, Sang Ung-baek saw it as his failure.
Thus, he apologized.
Mok Kyung-un shook his head.
"No, it's fine. These things happen."
"It's not a matter of 'these things happen.' My Outer Hall warriors were guarding, yet you were injured. This is entirely my negligence."
"No need to blame yourself."
Mok Kyung-un smiled as he spoke.
A glint entered Sang Ung-baek's eyes as he regarded him.
As Outer Hall Leader, he occasionally interacted with the young masters and knew their personalities roughly, plus the rumors circulating.
'......Like last time, it's odd.'
Sang Ung-baek knew Mok Kyung-un as picky and cowardly.
Especially after losing his talent and his maternal family collapsing.
Yet now, was it boldness?
Having faced two near-death situations in a row, how could he remain so composed?
It hadn't been long since this incident.
Yet no signs of fear or emotional trauma.
'Was he always like this?'
Sudden doubt arose.
Even adults would struggle to stay calm after such injuries and threats.
"Young Master...... are you truly alright?"
At the question, Mok Kyung-un inwardly realized his mistake.
He had treated it too lightly; he should have acted a bit more shaken.
Lowering his head slightly, he said.
"To be honest, I'm worried I might die unnoticed like a rat or bird."
Sang Ung-baek's eyes narrowed further.
His suspicions deepened.
Claiming worry only after the question was too late.
'......Troublesome.'
Mok Kyung-un noticed his doubt too.
He hadn't faced major suspicion before, but now from this unexpected person, things were complicating.
Not yet to the point of questioning his identity, but tangling further with someone this perceptive wasn't ideal.
Then Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek spoke.
"Young Master...... You don't look well. May this subordinate check your internals for severe injuries?"
At the question, Cheong-ryeong whispered nearby.
-Better be careful. If a dantian really formed as you say, no matter how small, that energy is utterly unrelated to vital qi cultivation.
Mok Kyung-un glanced at her puzzled.
She sneered.
-Might get misunderstood as demonic path.
'What's that?'
Mok Kyung-un's martial knowledge was still limited.
But from her tone, he roughly grasped the warning.
Shaking his head, Mok Kyung-un said.
"It's fine. Tomorrow when the physician comes..."
"Young Master. Forgive my impertinence."
-Paak!
Before he finished, Outer Hall Leader Sang Ung-baek swiftly seized Mok Kyung-un's right wrist with Capturing Hand technique.
Faster than Gam Escort or Great Madam Seok.
No chance to dodge.
Grabbing the wrist, Sang Ung-baek even struck pressure points on the chest.
-Papapak!
He instantly sealed the numbing acupoints to stiffen the body.
With acupoints sealed, Sang Ung-baek infused qi through the wrist to probe the dantian.
Sending qi, he scanned the meridians, organs, and down to the dantian.
But,
-Sssrrrr!
The qi entering the body suddenly dispersed.
'!?'
Sang Ung-baek furrowed his brow.
Thinking it cut off midway, he sent more.
Same result.
-Sssrrrr!
His qi flowed along the meridians then scattered.
Something was wrong.
Sang Ung-baek hesitated briefly.
Normally, internal checks used mild qi to avoid strain.
But with dispersion, he needed more qi.
This method carried some risk.
"Young Master...... Forgive me, but I'll infuse more qi. Acupoints are sealed, but please endure any discomfort..."
"Mm. No choice. Cheong-ryeong."
"Cheong-ryeong? What do you—"
-Puk!
That instant.
Sang Ung-baek froze.
A bizarre sensation gripped him—as if something clutched his heart.
"Hk...... Hk......"
Instinctively, he knew.
It gripped softly, but any tightening would burst his heart.
What unholy event was this?
Dumbfounded, Mok Kyung-un spoke as if conversing with someone.
"No no. Bursting the heart would be trouble. Wait a moment."
'!?'
Sang Ung-baek's eyes widened in shock.
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