35. My Heart is Racing (2)
A thick purple mist poured out densely from both my body and the girl's. Though it came from me, it carried an eerie energy that sent chills down my spine.
The energy circulated through my body at an unbelievably fast speed, completing a full small heavenly circulation.
I'd cultivated the Three Calamities Heart Method in my previous life, so I knew what this was. It was an abnormal qi flow.
Normally, inner energy rises from the dantian, descends to the perineum, surges up the Du Meridian along the spine, reaches the crown at Baihui, then flows down the Ren Meridian along the front of the body back to the dantian.
Depending on the heart method, a single circulation with the Three Calamities Heart Method took about fifteen breaths. It was said that orthodox martial arts circulated slowly and steadily, while unorthodox ones were fast and rough.
So what martial art was responsible for this circulation that completed a full lap in the blink of an eye? As my inner energy spun too quickly, it felt like my meridians were tearing, heating my entire body.
A burning lump scorched my throat, making me want to open my mouth and scream, but instinct told me I couldn't. This was my innate qi.
Instead of swallowing the fire, blood poured from my eyes, nose, and mouth. It dripped steadily onto the girl's body.
"Junior brother, junior brother!"
Myeong-gyeong's faint voice seemed to echo from afar.
By now, nothing around me registered. Only the blisteringly fast-spinning inner energy and my heart, pounding like it was about to burst, filled my senses. Charred flesh even seemed to tickle my nostrils, and my body felt like a single blazing flame.
In the storm of unimaginable pain, I teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. But I knew passing out now would mean death.
'Pay-to-Win Shop, I need to buy something from the Pay-to-Win Shop.'
At least my money pouch was full right now. I could probably buy something from the shop.
Fortunately, even in my dazed state, the shop's interface stood out crystal clear. I quickly scanned the list.
There was a Grade 7 talent called Sturdy, but in my current state, I was one step from death. I didn't want to skimp and take unnecessary risks. Besides, there were limits to how many talents I could equip anyway, so better to go for the pricier one.
I bought Indomitable without hesitation, and immediately felt my mind clear. The pain remained, but at least my thoughts sharpened.
With my wits back, I could finally observe the state of my body and the girl's.
Something I'd missed amid the sudden agony hit me: the qi inside the girl was similar to mine but different. Same energy, but vastly different density. My inner energy was far purer.
The qi in her body was gnawing at her internals, but mine wasn't harming me—it was just circulating rapidly.
Her qi clearly yielded to mine, struggling to keep up. I gently guided it.
This energy inside me was mine, after all. As long as I stayed conscious, I could control it fully.
'Maybe I can draw it out.'
This energy spreading through me had undoubtedly worsened the girl's condition. I didn't know what it was, but it was harmless to me, so I decided to pull it in.
I carefully drew in only the qi similar to mine, avoiding her innate qi as much as possible.
How much time passed? Naturally, my hand slipped from her wrist. I collapsed backward with a thud.
"Puha, haa, hngh."
Rough breaths expelled the blood pooled in my mouth. The room was smeared with stains matching my qi color, plus the blood I'd splattered— downright ominous.
Looking around, Myeong-gyeong was nowhere. Had he run? I shouldn't feel disappointed... After becoming a merchant, I'd never trusted anyone. It was instinct. No trust, no disappointment—yet it left a bitter aftertaste.
"Tch."
Still, the girl's breathing had stabilized. No sweat, pulse steady.
I opened the door and stepped out. My sweat-soaked body felt chillingly cold in the breeze.
There, I spotted a small back in the courtyard, sword drawn and aimed forward—like blocking entry.
"Senior brother?"
At my call, Myeong-gyeong turned and ran to hug me.
"Junior brother!"
"Ugh. I'm kinda beat right now."
"Wasn't it qi deviation? Your energy suddenly surged, so I stood guard."
Not fled—guarding. Shame washed over me for doubting him, even briefly.
"Anyway, all good now! You pulled through, right?"
Myeong-gyeong patted my back. I returned the gesture, impressed.
"What kinda senior lets that happen."
He grinned sheepishly despite saying it. He'd known I might die. Given that qi storm, even one death wouldn't have been surprising.
Then a man shot past us into the room—Hyeong Tae-seong, the girl's father, no doubt.
"Se-eun-ah, Se-eun-ah!"
His anxious cries echoed inside. Myeong-gyeong and I followed.
"The child's fine now."
I said from behind. Hyeong was already checking her limbs and pulse. The once pale, cold-gray skin now glowed with healthy warmth. Her pulse matched what I'd felt—normal.
Hyeong, disbelieving her sudden recovery, checked the pulse repeatedly before scooping her up.
"Oh, you're alive. My daughter. My daughter's alive!"
"Daddy?"
The commotion woke her. Big, clear eyes— a pretty girl.
"You okay?"
"...Yeah, I feel fine?"
"Thank goodness, thank goodness!"
"Daddy, can't... breathe..."
Hyeong hugged her tight. She complained but didn't look unhappy. A good father-daughter bond, clearly.
Once freed from hug hell, I became the next prisoner. Hyeong spun and crushed me in an embrace.
"Thank you, thank you! How can I ever repay this grace!"
"No need. Just did what anyone should."
I chuckled inwardly. With his head on my shoulder, he couldn't see my face.
"Daddy, that uncle looks kinda weird..."
"You brat. He saved your life."
"No, but his face..."
Kids' intuition was scary sharp. Hyeong ignored it, thanking me profusely.
As he pounded my back, I pondered. My treatment hadn't failed—progress was real. But what was that energy? Mine, yes, but no small girl naturally gains something like that.
"By the way, when exactly did this epidemic start?"
"Hmm, about a month ago. Reports came in suddenly, all at once."
"All at once? Any odd details?"
I'd been elsewhere in my past life—not Hebei—so details were fuzzy. Just hearsay.
"There was something unusual when the first cases were reported."
"Unusual?"
"But this is a secret not for common ears."
Hyeong hesitated, then continued.
"Nothing major. Folks who ate at the big market in Wuhan got sick. Then it spread to those who contacted them."
"That's no big deal."
Food poisoning at markets? Common as dirt. But I guessed why the secrecy.
"Blaming market food would kill trade, so they hushed it."
"...Spot on."
Hyeong scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
Merchant guilds probably paid to silence it. From the government's view, good thing—shrinking markets meant less spending, less tax.
"Not my call, of course."
"I know. Grade 6 Magistrate isn't that high up."
"...True, but still stings."
"You should've investigated properly."
"We did. But the food sellers? All ghosts. Merchants must register at the yamen to set up stalls. Their identities were murky."
"How? Yamen wouldn't approve unknowns."
"...It was weird. Clerks said their memories blurred when registering them—like bewitched. Total nonsense, so we fired them."
I froze. Mind Enthrallment Technique from the Demonic Cult? Explains memory loss.
Similar energy to the Divine Demon Pill in the girl, simultaneous outbreaks, clerks forgetting merchants. No coincidence. I don't believe in them.
'Demonic Cult spreading plague?'
They'd been active this early? Surprising.
No more to learn. Investigating alone, especially Demonic Cult, was tough.
"Anyway, truly grateful. Should throw a feast for you."
Embarrassed by the scandal, Hyeong boomed. I waved it off.
"Too drained now. Need rest."
"Right. I'll prep a room."
His home was modest. For a magistrate—who could rake bribes if crooked—being clean proved integrity.
I shooed Myeong-gyeong away too, citing fatigue. Hyeong was generous enough for separate rooms anyway.
Inside, I sat cross-legged for my first meditation. Eyes closed, I scanned inward.
Shockingly, my empty dantian now held something. The Divine Demon Pill's energy—tiny but dense. Demonic qi, the Demonic Cult's power.
I drew inner energy for a small circulation. Insanely fast—done in a blink. Compared to Three Calamities' fifteen breaths, absurd.
One lap normally grew qi slightly. At this speed, would it accumulate proportionally?
"Hoo."
I gazed out the window.
'Demonic qi.'
A Wudang lay disciple with demonic qi? Caught, I'd be executed as a Demonic spy by the Murim Alliance. No excuse about the pill would fly.
Where was my life heading? No clue.