Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Shard of the Sky
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A month passed, then two, and Song Myeong-cheon's health continued to deteriorate.
He was clearly being consumed by the Red Dream Great Law to a devastating degree.
Now, he couldn't endure without resting every other day.
In contrast, Han Ibi's martial arts were improving by leaps and bounds.
This was all thanks to the excellent guidance from his master, Song Myeong-cheon, and the system's subtle assistance.
Anyway, that day, Han Ibi set out alone once more.
Anything done long enough builds up proficiency. By now, Han Ibi could be called an outstanding herb gatherer who exceeded the work of a single ordinary person.
That day too, Han Ibi dangled from the rocks to pluck the Four Radiance Flowers precariously growing at the base of a cliff.
Without expanding his foraging range, the herbs would inevitably dwindle. That was the natural progression.
So, he had no choice but to venture into even more treacherous terrain... more treacherous terrain.
Such acrobatic feats had once been unthinkable, but as he gained the ability to circulate his internal energy and his muscles strengthened, his confidence grew.
Now, he could cling to a cliff with one hand and work.
The sensation of infusing electric power into every minute muscle fiber.
This exhilarating feeling was so addictive that even the grueling harvesting process became enjoyable.
Wasn't this in itself another form of excellent training!
Then, suddenly, he spotted a single flower blooming on the opposite cliff across the gorge.
'Gasp!'
He nearly lost his grip on the precarious rock edge at the cliff's rim.
A flower blooming vivid purple-red.
A beautiful bloom in primary colors, out of place at the tail end of autumn.
And its leaves and stem.
Ah! The shape matched exactly the description of the 'Golden Radiant Herb' that Song Myeong-cheon had taught him last time.
Han Ibi's heart swelled with overwhelming joy.
'I... I think I've struck gold here.'
He felt like shouting "Jackpot!" three times, just like in the dramas he'd seen.
But just in case... Tak Bu-yong's lackeys might hear, so he held back.
However, the location was tricky. He was working right where the cliffs faced each other... but still, they were cliffs.
Looking down, thick mist shrouded everything, and the valley stream flowed thin as a hairline.
There was a safe way.
Climb back up, descend the mountain, find a path to the other side's cliff, reach the top, and rappel down.
But... what if someone took it in the meantime?
Han Ibi calmed his pounding heart and pondered for a moment.
Then he decided.
'Damn it. Let's give it a shot.'
Clinging to the cliff with one hand, he took a deep breath and began circulating his qi.
He'd practiced diligently without fail. There was nothing else to do anyway, and boredom was suffocating.
'Will this work on a cliff? If I die here... it'd be such a stupid death. Not even in a fight...'
But the delusion of someone else harvesting the Golden Radiant Herb during his hesitation drove him on.
Han Ibi gripped the rock edge with both hands. Then he activated the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step.
Like on a horizontal bar, he began swinging his body back and forth in the air.
A kind of... hand-assisted approach run, so to speak.
With continued motion, Han Ibi's face flushed red. His body seemed to rise a bit.
Still, he hesitated...
'Yeah. Damn it. Just leap like in guerrilla training on the mock tower. There are instructors up top. Instructors. Instructors.'
Suddenly, he channeled qi into his legs, invoked the essence of the Zhongli Swift Leopard Step, and kicked off the cliff.
'Owl Jump Number One!'
His empowered body launched into the air. Like a diver, he twisted midair toward the opposite cliff.
Those two-odd seconds felt eternal.
Han Ibi reached for a landing spot. A tree branch protruding from a cliff crevice.
'Got it!'
His arms seized the branch like a lifeline.
But...
Crack.
Of all things, the branch was rotten.
The seemingly sturdy exterior shattered his expectations instantly, its roots failing to support him.
He plummeted straight down.
"Arghhh-!"
A scream escaped his lips unwittingly. His body plunged toward the mist-shrouded stream below.
'I'm screwed.'
In the chaos, Han Ibi flailed midair. He was drifting farther from the cliff.
Perhaps from poor balance in the fall, his head tilted downward.
'Is my head really that heavy...'
As useless thoughts flashed, he spotted a tangled mass of vines and plants.
Like grasping at straws, Han Ibi reached for them.
Whoosh!
But already too far from the cliff, his fingers clawed only empty air.
'It's over.'
Instinctively, he thrust out his right leg. Some vines snapped.
But in the thickly entwined section...
Thud.
The fall halted with a sound.
His leg had caught in the vines.
"Huff. Huff."
In the silent mountains, only Han Ibi's ragged breathing echoed.
He dangled upside down.
'Ah...! Damn it. That was way too close to death.'
Tears welled up unbidden.
But... something was right in front of him.
Small, bluish fruits protruding from the vines.
Sight of them stirred his hunger.
Having escaped death's grasp, the gnawing emptiness he'd forgotten hit hard.
Without thinking, Han Ibi reached for the fruits, still dangling inverted.
Their appearance was bizarre.
Five walnut-sized fruits hung there, each irregularly shaped.
Their color wasn't deep blueberry blue but closer to sky blue.
'What are these weird fruits?'
The hue didn't seem natural. No artificial dyes existed in this era.
'Not poisonous, I hope?'
He hesitated, then carefully plucked them and cupped them in his fist.
That was when it happened.
Eh? What's this? Why now?
Is this the wrong popup? Like the 'Herbal Encyclopedia' instead?
Anyway, curiosity killed the cat. Yes.
That was when he noticed blue liquid dripping from the fruit in his hand.
'No... is it melting?'
Han Ibi panicked, unsure what to do.
Throw it away? Eat it?
But...
'Ah! W-what's happening?'
His palm felt icy cold, as if gripping ice.
Startled, he looked down to see his hand absorbing the Sky Shard Fruit at rapid speed, like a sponge.
No, rather, the fruit was absorbing into Han Ibi.
'I-is this okay? Any side effects? Hey, DB. Continue with the rest quick.'
[...turning into pulp. Its greatest trait is extreme yin qi...]
Wait! What?
[...An ordinary woman becomes a beauty; a beauty becomes a celestial fairy...]
Han Ibi worried he should wash his hands fast.
[...Even if a man consumes the Sky Shard Fruit, it may instill icy essence, producing a peculiar sensation—use with caution.]
Oh no... this is bad.
[Despite the side effect of converting one's internal energy entirely to yin qi due to its extreme yin nature, it rapidly enhances cultivation during training, making it a top-grade spiritual medicine highly prized in the jianghu.]
I... ate, no, absorbed it already...
Was it his imagination? His whole body felt profoundly cold.
Chills ran down his spine, goosebumps rising.
No way... like in some wuxia novel, turning feminine after eating it?
No. It won't. Haha. Those guys castrated themselves voluntarily; this is different. Whatever. Let's climb up and get the Golden Radiant Herb.
Han Ibi slapped his cheeks a few times, pulled his upper body up, and untangled the vines from his legs.
He jammed his fingers into rock crevices and began climbing the cliff upside down.
News articles about 'chemical castration' kept popping into his mind.
'Jeez. I'm overreacting.'
The terrain was so rugged that lightness skills were useless. Only proper rock climbing would do.
Falling was quick; ascending was grueling. It took a full half hour to reach the initial drop point.
'Phew. If not for that weird fruit earlier, I'd have collapsed from exhaustion.'
And finally...
He reached the Golden Radiant Herb.
Of course, no one had taken it; it remained untouched.
'Damn it. Should've just turned back.'
Han Ibi approached the Golden Radiant Herb and carefully prepared to harvest it, just as Song Myeong-cheon had taught.
Song Myeong-cheon sat meditating.
The stabbing pain in his lower dantian had morphed into a nagging ache.
Phantom pain, perhaps.
All because he'd overexerted his incomplete body with qi usage.
He intuitively sensed his fate wouldn't be long.
His dream of vengeance seemed distant... Would this hard-won new life end so futilely?
As he drowned in thought,
A familiar voice called from outside.
"Master!"
Excited, as if something great had happened. Shameless brat.
Han Ibi poked his head into the cave.
"Master!"
Song Myeong-cheon scowled irritably.
"Why the fuss?"
Han Ibi grinned broadly.
"I found it."
"What?"
"The Golden Radiant Herb. It matched your description perfectly. I recognized it at a glance!"
Han Ibi reached into his bosom. The herb, wrapped in cloth rather than a pouch, nestled there.
He carefully lifted it out and began peeling back the cloth layers. Tension filled the quiet cave.
Song Myeong-cheon's face stiffened as he stared.
Peeling the final layer, Han Ibi held it aloft with both hands, presenting it like tribute to an emperor.
For a moment, joy lit Song Myeong-cheon's face too.
He gently lifted the Golden Radiant Herb from the cloth and examined it closely.
Suddenly, he burst into booming laughter.
"Well done! Excellent!"
Han Ibi laughed along. The cave rang with their echoing mirth.
But something felt off.
Song Myeong-cheon's laughter sounded plaintive, like sobs.
(To be continued in the next chapter)