Chapter 119
Chapter 119
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That night, it was late, past midnight, by the time Lee Gwang returned to our hideout.
I approached him, and he looked somewhat weary and drained—an expression unlike him. Startled by it, I hesitated, but then he spoke.
“What is it?”
“Master. I have something to tell you.”
“Can’t it wait?”
Normally, a disciple would back off when their master said that. And indeed, Lee Gwang’s face showed clear irritation and exhaustion, enough that anyone with even a shred of tact would realize he wanted time alone to gather his thoughts.
But I knew there wouldn’t be another chance if not now. So I said firmly.
“I must tell you now.”
“...Fine. Speak.”
A fierce glint flashed across Lee Gwang’s face, as if he might strike me down if it wasn’t important. My past memories made me tremble, but I steeled myself, then pulled out the Millennium Snow Ginseng I’d been secretly keeping.
Swish.
Lee Gwang stared at it blankly for a moment, as if unsure what it was. But soon, he recognized its shape and size, his eyes widening in shock as he looked at me.
“......!!”
“It’s Millennium Snow Ginseng.”
“I thought... you ate it?”
He was so stunned that even the great Lee Gwang stuttered. Feeling a strange sense of satisfaction, I replied.
“I ate one. This is the other, for you.”
“Impossible...”
“With the big operation ahead, you or Brother Jin should take it.”
At my words, Lee Gwang seemed to snap to attention. He set the Millennium Snow Ginseng on the table and stared at it intently. Then he said.
“Give it to So-cheong.”
“What?”
I was caught off guard.
It was true Lee Gwang cherished Jin So-cheong like a son. But this was the ultimate elixir any martial artist dreamed of. To give it to his disciple instead? Unthinkable for most. Especially for Lee Gwang, whose power would skyrocket if he took it—I couldn’t understand.
Lee Gwang didn’t explain and simply called for Jin So-cheong. My senior brother was equally stunned at the sight of it on the table.
“This is...”
“Baek Woong gave it.”
“...What?”
Jin So-cheong glanced back and forth between me and the ginseng, bewildered.
Lee Gwang stated firmly.
“Take it.”
“......!!”
“We meet the Half-Heaven Alliance Leader soon—no time. We rescue General Hwang Yeon at dawn before sunrise. Decide now.”
I’d rarely seen Lee Gwang so insistent. Jin So-cheong sensed it too, his face hardening. He stared at it for a long while before saying.
“I’ll take it.”
“Before you do, thank Baek Woong. He yielded it to you.”
Jin So-cheong looked at me, his face filled with gratitude. He pulled me into an embrace.
“Thank you, junior brother! I’ll never forget this favor.”
“Y-Yeah...”
I wondered if this was right. I’d figured Lee Gwang had over ninety percent chance of taking it, but it went to Jin So-cheong. Fair enough, maybe, but something felt off—like hidden dynamics or psychology at play.
“No way...?”
A suspicion crossed my mind, but I shook it off.
No, it couldn’t be.
Rumble!!
Soon after consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng and sitting in meditation, a massive energy poured from Jin So-cheong’s body. He circulated his qi rapidly, calming the ginseng’s icy aura. Eventually, visible lightning crackled across his entire form.
The sparks flared brighter. I could feel the power within him growing vast and overwhelming. At last, Jin So-cheong’s eyes snapped open, and his inner energy erupted like an explosion.
Kuuu.
“Whoa...”
Lee Gwang, watching, let out a sigh of admiration.
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and murmured.
“Now... it’s done...”
“......?”
“Jin Cheon-hwi... I’ve repaid my debt...”
I had no idea what he meant.
Jin So-cheong gathered his energy and stood, his presence utterly transformed. Before, he’d felt like a reservoir of profound depth. Now, a domineering aura surged from him, as if it could rend heaven and earth. It wasn’t quite my level, but his power had reached absolute heights.
It made sense. Even a genius like Jin So-cheong had limits to accumulating qi. He’d far outstripped his peers in his twenties, matching major sect elders. Absorbing and amplifying that with the Millennium Snow Ginseng had vaulted him forward in one leap.
Jin So-cheong said.
“Thank you again, junior brother.”
“Haha, no big deal.”
I pushed aside stray thoughts and smiled.
‘Good enough.’
Now Jin So-cheong was powered up too.
My chances of dying just got even slimmer.
About half an hour after Jin So-cheong finished, Lee Gwang headed straight to Mang Ryang’s base. The waiting Mang Ryang bowed respectfully.
“Did your visit go well?”
“No.”
“Any idea why?”
Lee Gwang replied bitterly.
“The Pure Stream Society claims to advise the emperor for upright rule and aid the common folk. I thought Brother Deng Gwak would help, but I misjudged him.”
Mang Ryang’s eyebrows twitched in surprise.
“Did he side with the Imperial Guard?”
“No. Probed him a few times—no suspicious signs.”
“Then it’s political safety and self-preservation.”
“Maybe.”
Lee Gwang looked utterly deflated. He’d gone expecting success with Deng Gwak, but got rebuffed—maybe even insulted, from his demeanor.
Mang Ryang pondered, then said.
“No... it’s more complex. Something’s behind it. Deng Gwak’s not the type.”
“I agree, but no time left. Convincing him would take too long.”
“No choice, then. We move now.”
“Everything ready?”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Impressive. Let’s go.”
Whoosh.
Soon, Half-Heaven Alliance warriors and Thunder God School elites slipped out of the base and mobilized in secret. The Half-Heaven experts Mang Ryang gathered included several Peak Experts with exceptional qi, likely from Black-and-White Lotus pills. Lee Gwang praised them admiringly.
“To build this force so young... the Half-Heaven Alliance Leader is remarkable.”
“You flatter us.”
“They’ll be a big help. Let’s move.”
The operation began.
The Great Thunder Prison wasn’t in the capital Luoyang or the palace, but a canyon a bit outside. First, slip out of the city quietly.
It was deep night, easy to avoid eyes. Especially before reaching the prison, we moved in pairs, aiding each other’s concealment.
My partner was Geuk Ho, a new Thunder God School disciple. He skittered across rooftops like a cat, chuckling.
[Little kid, you’ve got quite the eventful start. An all-time epic adventure right off the bat.]
[Ignore it.]
Geuk Ho transmitted.
[Hey hey! Your Thunder Shadow Step’s tangled. Loosen up more.]
[I’ve got it.]
[Aw...]
Geuk Ho kept transmitting whenever he could, full of curiosity about me. Annoying, but I endured, focusing on the task. No response, so he grumbled.
“Should’ve paired with So-cheong.”
Thud.
Before he finished, he shot ahead and downed a guard. A blur tapping acupoints— to normal eyes, just a gust of wind. I followed over the wall, and Geuk Ho lounged atop it, grinning.
“How’s that, kid? Not bad, huh?”
“Impressive.”
I rated him flatly. He was strong, no doubt. Geuk Ho barked irritably.
“Ugh... kid talks like he’s seventy, all serious and gross! Act your age, punk.”
“Why are you like this? Let’s just do the job.”
Why was this guy so obnoxious?
Pre-op, I couldn’t smack him, so I pleaded.
Geuk Ho spat casually.
“This big bro wants to be friends, got it?”
“......”
I ignored him and leaped off the wall. It was four zhang high, but I floated down like a feather and ran. Geuk Ho matched me effortlessly beside. Laughing mid-stride, he said.
“Hahaha! Race to the Great Thunder Prison?”
“What...”
“Catch me if you can, Baek Woong!”
Fwoosh!
He accelerated, leaving an afterimage ahead. Competitiveness flared—I wouldn’t lose. Chasing that white blur for ten extra li, I realized something.
‘What?! That’s possible?!’
I nearly yelped in disbelief.
Not human lightness skill!
I’d mastered Thunder Shadow Step with my vast qi reserves. For long-distance, I could outpace even Lee Gwang or Jin So-cheong. But Geuk Ho? After fifteen li, I couldn’t close the gap.
At least twice my speed!
Faster than arrows, not just horses—and sustaining it long-distance? Unheard of.
Clop clop...
Finally near the Great Thunder Prison, Geuk Ho waited leisurely, first arrival. It loomed in a treacherous mountain gorge; he lounged by a rock wall.
“Looks like we’re first.”
He snickered. From here, we’d neutralize sentries en route—no enemies yet. Even if there were, nothing we couldn’t handle.
“Haa...”
Spotting no fatigue in him, I was baffled. I compensated stamina with near-bottomless qi, but how did he sprint that far unscathed?
Geuk Ho said.
“That face! Exactly what I wanted. Now you look like a kid.”
“What a shitty personality.”
“What~? So what~? Jealous? Fight me~”
He grumbled like a street punk. Curiosity won; I asked.
“How do you pull off lightness skill like that? Even Master Lee Gwang can’t...”
Geuk Ho snorted.
“Hmph. Lee Gwang’s the strongest in current Thunder God School, but that doesn’t mean he knows every technique.”
“What?”
“Hehe, secret! Offer a beauty, maybe I’ll spill more.”
I scowled.
“From pillar man to degenerate.”
Geuk Ho’s eyes bulged.
“Degenerate? Listen to this brat. You’re too young to know how beautiful man-woman pleasures are.”
“Beautiful or not, not pillar-man talk.”
“Ungrateful twerp, take this.”
Whoosh.
He tossed a book from his bosom. I caught it, read the cover by moonlight.
[Spring Flower Album]
“......”
Contents obvious.
Geuk Ho intoned solemnly.
“My treasured secret weapon... Makes even husbands with aching morning backs bolt up. Drawn by Chang’an’s top erotic artist.”
“......”
Geuk Ho looked enlightened, like a sage.
“I hope you grasp this senior brother’s wish: learn man-woman ways well and enjoy them fully.”
“Bullshit!!”
I yelled, hurling the album. He was messing with me. Geuk Ho snatched it midair, smirking.
“Too early for a kid?”
“Cut it out, or no more senior treatment!!”
“Kahaha! Whatcha gonna do?”
Shhh!
I snapped, charging with Thunder Shadow Step and unleashing Thunder Cloud Palm. Secret op, so light qi—just acupoint strikes to thrash him. Geuk Ho grinned and blurred into lightness skill, form fading.
Splash!
“......!!”
In that instant, I spotted twelve bluish Thunder Shadows hovering in the air. Like facing the Wind God School’s guardian spirits, I couldn’t tell the real Geuk Ho. Tense, I froze. He dispersed them, laughing.
Swish.
“Puhaha, scaredy~”
“Who’s scared?”
“You...”
Geuk Ho gleefully teased more when a deep voice echoed from afar.
“Geuk Ho. Using your secret technique again.”
Not loud, but crystal clear. We knew the owner. Geuk Ho flinched guiltily and stood.
Soon, Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong arrived—third and fourth. Lee Gwang eyed Geuk Ho coldly; he knelt on one knee, performing Thunder God School rites.
“My apologies.”
Lee Gwang, mood lifted from earlier, waved it off.
“Your call to use it, but overuse before mastery harms you. Remember that.”
“...Yes.”
Geuk Ho replied flatly, inwardly sulky.
Moments later, Mang Ryang and a dozen Half-Heaven Alliance elites arrived. Lee Gwang said.
“Then, we proceed as planned.”
Mang Ryang bowed.
“We’ll secure the escape route nearby.”
“Good. Hope Yun Gwang and Ji Pyeong help.”
“Wishing you all fortune in battle.”
The Great Thunder Prison rescue began.
============================ Afterword ============================
Please leave favorites, recommendations, and comments!