Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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A year had passed since then. During that time, I handled several missions, perfectly fulfilling my role as a bodyguard for the Jeong family. I had also become completely accustomed to the late Goryeo era. While not quite at the level of a native, I could now speak the Goryeo dialect quite fluently. Lee Joo-hee, who had been teaching me speech and writing, closed her book and said.
"It's over today. It was fun while it lasted."
"Why the sudden farewell declaration?"
Lee Joo-hee stared at me blankly, then suddenly reached out and pinched my cheek. I sat there dumbfounded, not knowing what was happening, and she burst into laughter.
"You're such an idiot~ But cute."
"......"
"I'm kidding. I have to return to my main family now. I've been stubborn and stayed with the Jeong family this whole time."
"You mean the Lee family?"
"Yeah."
I had once heard from Lee Joo-hee about the secret history between the Jeong and Lee families.
Originally, the founder of the Lee family, known as Yi Seong-gye, was said to be one of the greatest generals and divine archers in Goryeo history. He had joined forces with the rising new scholar-officials, who were harboring deep resentment against the abuses of the powerful clans, to overthrow Goryeo. There was even a theory that Yi Seong-gye had plotted rebellion at the time.
But for some reason, Yi Seong-gye did not launch the rebellion. Instead, he set aside his own views and advanced into Liaodong with General Choi Young, dealing a major blow to the Ming Dynasty, which was attempting to strike at the Northern Yuan's base. Though part of the Southern Expedition Army's 150,000 troops under the Great General Nanok had moved to attack Goryeo, they inexplicably halted.
As a result, the Liaodong campaign was largely successful, and Emperor Hongwu canceled the establishment of the Iron Ridge Garrison. Goryeo's territory expanded all the way to near Geumsan, effectively controlling more than half of Liaodong.
The reason why Emperor Hongwu, who as the Ming founder possessed immense power and ambition, abandoned interference in Goryeo remained a mystery. The prevailing opinion was that the intense pressure from the White Lotus Cult Leader at the time left him unable to focus on foreign affairs.
What followed was even more shocking. Yi Seong-gye, having achieved brilliant merits, seized power in Goryeo a few years later and purged most of the powerful clans. In the process, General Choi Young and his clan fell from grace and retired to the countryside. Yi Seong-gye and Jeong Do-jeon shared power, rising as the two dominant families ruling Goryeo. King Gongmin lamented that in driving out the wolves, two tigers had entered, and Goryeo ended up with a system where three major forces—the royal authority included—maintained a balance.
When Lee Joo-hee told me that story, she had crossed her arms and said.
[The elders in my family say Jeong Do-jeon reached his current position by abandoning his ideals and compromising with reality. Well, in the end, he purged all the corrupt powerful clans, and Goryeo regained its era of great peace, so it's not bad, right?]
"Does that mean..."
[Maybe Goryeo would have fallen by then, and a new kingdom would be standing on this land by now.]
Lee Joo-hee casually dropped that bombshell and giggled.
[Kyahaha, but that's just a hypothesis, isn't it? Assumptions mean nothing in history. Goryeo is enjoying its greatest golden age right now, and that's what matters.]
"......"
Snapping out of the recollection, I said.
"It'll be hard to see you again once you return this time. You're the pearl of the Lee family, the greatest house in Goryeo."
Lee Joo-hee puffed out her cheeks sulkily.
"Hmph, why do you always say such disappointing things? Seeing each other is no big deal anytime. I thought we'd gotten really close, but was that just my illusion?"
"......"
"Kyahaha, kidding~ You take things too seriously~"
Watching Lee Joo-hee laugh uproariously, I found myself unable to distinguish between her sincerity and jokes. Despite appearing so frivolous, she was the talented daughter of a noble house, possessing the greatest scholarship and wisdom in all Goryeo. She had mastered the Four Books and Three Classics by age four and, by around ten, could rival great sages in knowledge—a genius. Though limited by being a woman, she was undoubtedly one of the noblest beings in this land.
Deep down, I felt reluctant to part with Lee Joo-hee. She now exuded the grace of a full-fledged adult woman, and every time I saw her face, romantic feelings between man and woman stirred. It seemed I had quite fallen for her during this time.
'I want to marry her.'
But I shook my head inwardly. Lee Joo-hee held no affection for me beyond that of a 'young friend.' Moreover, our statuses were far too mismatched in reality. The mountain of tasks I had to accomplish played a part too. Still, feeling regretful, I sighed inwardly.
'Damn it... At least once, during my reincarnations, I want to romance the women of the world to my heart's content.'
The erotic dream that fox spirit showed me must have been intensely vivid, as the desires I had forcibly suppressed were now boiling over. Lately, it was quite hard to calm those thoughts. And with my body passing through adolescence, my sexual urges were growing stronger.
Suppressing those emotions, I said.
"Have you ever met the Twelve Laws Lord, by any chance?"
"Hmm? You mean the supreme sovereign of the Twelve Laws? Of course. The Twelve Laws are closely tied to our family, so the Twelve Laws Lord visits us every New Year to pay respects."
"......!!"
"From what I remember, he was incredibly handsome. Like Song Yu or Pan An? And he looked about twenty-something, young. I don't know his name. He never reveals it—just goes by Twelve Laws Lord."
Lee Joo-hee spoke quickly, then beamed at me. Her eyes held a shrewd, seasoned glint beyond her years, making me flinch involuntarily.
"You're interested in the Twelve Laws? I knew it. So I told you everything I know~"
She seemed to understand why I was prying information in an interrogative tone. After spending nearly two or three years so closely, how could she not? She had seen through my question about the Twelve Laws Lord as my attempt to ask something difficult at the end.
Embarrassed, I turned my head.
"Sorry."
Lee Joo-hee smiled brightly.
"Hehe, what for? Even Uncle Cheol-uk knows you're not just here to naturalize in Goryeo. It's just that you're not a bad guy and helpful to the family, so we're living peacefully together~"
"Hmm."
"But I'm a little disappointed. You could've asked questions like that anytime."
A genuinely sad look clouded Lee Joo-hee's face. As I panicked, unsure what to do, she burst out laughing.
"Kyaha! Kidding!"
"......"
"Take care. I'll come play if I get bored~"
"Farewell. It was fun while it lasted."
Lee Joo-hee didn't visit starting the next day. She had been staying as a guest of the Jeong family partly to escape the stifling atmosphere of her own, and when I joined the Jeong family, she taught me speech and writing out of boredom. Now, as the daughter of Kaegyong's greatest noble house, the Lee family, it would be hard for her to visit.
'She had exceptional talent in martial arts too.'
I had taught her martial arts for just over two years. Yet in that short time, she reached a level where she could take down second-rate martial artists alone. She had mastered not only the forms of Thunder Shadow Swordsmanship but even their hidden meanings—far surpassing my own progress. Eventually, I worried about whether to teach her the Ten Thousand Cavalry Sword Arts. Had she been a martial artist, she might have become one of the world's rare female peak experts.
A sudden gloom settled over me. Why was I even here?
'If someone as powerful as the Twelve Laws Lord is protecting Haein, do I really need to dig in?'
Of course, that was just idle thought. Regardless, I had to confirm if Haein was the Seven Essentials and locate the materials. Otherwise, I might lack strength when confronting the Brocade Guard later. But despite that, the thought of spending time as a bodyguard in this foreign land tormented me greatly.
Jeong Cheol-uk must have noticed my melancholy. About three days later, he called me aside and said.
"I know you're sad about not seeing Joo-hee anymore. But seeing you mope makes me uneasy too. Pull yourself together."
"It's not that. I just feel frustrated because I'm not accomplishing anything right now."
"Not accomplishing anything... Then cultivate your martial arts."
I shook my head.
"My martial arts have entered the ascent stage and are now in gradual refinement. I'm hitting a wall, so personal training yields little progress."
That was the biggest problem.
I had learned most of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall's advanced techniques, but they all presupposed the peak realm and required exceptional comprehension. Bluntly put, I understood only the forms of the Ten Thousand Cavalry Sword Arts or Heavenly Thunder Ultimate Spear, not yet reaching their unique secret techniques.
That was why Lee Gwang had despaired and raged at my talent. It was obvious it would take decades to master them again to great completion, yet he had accepted me as a disciple thinking I was a genius.
There was no reason for a transcendent expert like Lee Gwang to nurture me for decades. That's why I had endured his savage scoldings for years, to the point of wanting to die.
Of course, if I returned to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall now and showed my achievements, I might somehow pass the death trials and enter. But even if I did, the same talent limit would show again. Then Lee Gwang might suspect how I mastered the advanced secrets and kill me.
Jeong Cheol-uk, watching my frustration, said.
"You went to Haein Temple during that vacation I gave you before. How did that go?"
"Yes. It was a good mental respite."
A lie.
After the fox spirit incident, I took a three-month vacation, using it as an excuse to visit Haein Temple in Hapcheon. Though the fox spirit said it had no connection, I had to check. I couldn't meet the abbot, but I inspected every corner of the temple. It was just an ordinary temple—no divine artifacts, no extraordinary martial artists or sorcerers anywhere.
Jeong Cheol-uk pondered, then said.
"How about this? Why don't you learn some medicine or acupuncture?"
"Pardon?"
It was out of left field. As I questioned, Jeong Cheol-uk explained.
"Actually, I didn't tell you, but among the guests staying in the annex, Old Man Hua is from a Central Plains medical family. I've benefited from his help with health issues many times. His medicine and acupuncture are at a profound level. How about becoming his disciple?"
"Old Man Hua?"
"Yes."
I had seen Old Man Hua a few times in the annex. The Jeong family's annex consisted of twenty buildings, housing not only bodyguard dormitories but also quarters for esteemed guests. Old Man Hua was a white-bearded elder in his sixties whom Jeong Cheol-uk treated specially, and it turned out he was a physician.
Jeong Cheol-uk chuckled.
"Who knows? Learning to save lives might boost your martial arts."
There was logic to it. I had heard that among Central Plains physicians skilled in medicine, many had peak-level martial arts themselves. Medicine dealt with qi and blood points, often leading to powerful secret arts. I thought learning medicine or acupuncture could only help, but cautiously said.
"I'm not sure if he'll accept me as a disciple."
"Don't worry. If I mention my debt to him, he'll take you."
It was just as Jeong Cheol-uk said.
The next morning, when I visited Old Man Hua, he glared at me displeased for a moment, then gruffly said.
"Baek Woong warrior. I owe the Jeong lord a debt, so I'll teach you some medicine and acupuncture. Don't go babbling nonsense to the lord later."
He spoke in Classical Chinese. Being from the Central Plains himself, he saw no need for Goryeo dialect. Feeling a strange kinship, I replied.
"Yes."
He scanned my body and grunted.
"Hmm... Even looking again, your internal energy is terrifying. No human lifespan could achieve this without consuming transcendent elixirs multiple times. What fortuitous encounter did you have?"
"Do I have to tell you?"
"If you don't want to, fine. I was going to point out your fatal flaw, but without knowing the type, I can't advise. You think I'm going to lick the shit from your elixirs or something?"
"......"
Old Man Hua's outburst was incredibly coarse and aggressive. But he seemed genuine about the advice, so I reluctantly answered.
"I consumed Millennium Snow Ginseng and Black-and-White Lotus."
"Millennium Snow Ginseng...!! What's Black-and-White Lotus?"
"There were black and white lotuses blooming in a pond next to the Millennium Snow Ginseng. Feeling extreme yang energy in them, I neutralized it with the extreme yin of the Millennium Snow Ginseng and consumed them."
"What... That must be..."
Old Man Hua's face paled suddenly. He urgently asked.
"You've already eaten the Millennium Snow Ginseng, but do you have any Black-and-White Lotus roots or stems left?"
"Why?"
"Answer quickly. Do you have them?"
I realized what the fox spirit meant. When someone you don't like pries for information so abruptly and interrogatively, no good feelings arise. Vowing to fix my speech habits, I curtly replied.
"No. Why do you need them?"
Old Man Hua seemed to snap to attention at my response. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he said.
"I misspoke. How about a deal with me?"
"A deal? What kind?"
"I was going to teach you only the Eight Extraordinary Meridians' locations, basic medicine, and acupoint striking. But if you give me those Black-and-White Lotus roots or tell me their location, I'll teach you all my knowledge, including the essentials of the Hua Family's One Hundred Eight Needles."
"What's the Hua Family's One Hundred Eight Needles?"
"You don't know the Hua family?"
'No, I don't.'
"......"
Old Man Hua looked stunned at my answer, then saddened.
"Once the foremost noble house in Hebei, now decayed so pathetically!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm young and inexperienced in the martial world, so I don't know well. Forgive my rudeness."
"No matter. That's normal. Sigh..."
Sighing as he sat on a chair, Old Man Hua said.
"Anyway, choose. What do you want?"
I pondered inwardly.
'I have two Black-and-White Lotus roots secretly hidden in my bundle. Should I use them here?'
Assuming reincarnation, handing over the roots was fine. Knowledge once learned doesn't vanish. This could even be an opportunity gained from the lotus.
But I hesitated because Old Man Hua might sound plausible, snatch the roots, withhold the secrets, and keep me as an indefinite slave disciple.
I had already experienced with Lee Gwang how thoroughly a 'master' could hide knowledge. The martial world's sects were places where recklessness could cost you your liver—or worse.
Still, I made my choice.
"Please wait a moment."
I retrieved the Black-and-White Lotus roots I had hidden in my bundle's secret compartment for years. Old Man Hua examined them closely, then exclaimed in awe.
"Indeed...!! This is the Sacred Lotus. Indeed...!!"
"What?!"
I was shocked by his words.
Sacred Lotus!
It was an elixir cultivated by the White Lotus Cult through special methods. Even a child consuming it could gain terrifying internal energy. The state hesitated to touch the White Lotus Cult not just because of the cult leader's might, but because no one knew how many peak experts they had raised with Sacred Lotus.
But I had never imagined this Black-and-White Lotus was Sacred Lotus. As I panicked, Old Man Hua said.
"You know what Sacred Lotus is, then."
"Please answer. Is this Black-and-White Lotus the White Lotus Cult's Sacred Lotus?"
"Exactly. I've seen it directly in the White Lotus Cult, so I know."
"You've seen it in the White Lotus Cult? Elder, are you a White Lotus Cultist?"
My question trampled etiquette, but I couldn't help it. The matter was too grave to ask slowly. Old Man Hua, understanding my urgency, didn't get angry and replied.
"No. But my family's decline is because of the White Lotus Cult—and me too..."
"......?"
"I'll explain details later. First, I, Hua Xu-ming, stake my name that this is Sacred Lotus. The scent, form, and ecology of growing black and white together... It matches the White Lotus Cult's Sacred Lotus perfectly."
I didn't care about Hua Xu-ming's reputation, so I shook my head.
"That can't be. The Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader, who faced White Lotus Cult experts directly, said I carry no Sacred Lotus scent. How could that be if I consumed it?"
"It's because of the Millennium Snow Ginseng. One alone might differ, but absorbing their energies in Taiji form, the Sacred Lotus's overflowing scent was masked by the biased extreme yang qi. Your internal energy far surpasses the White Lotus Cult's Sacred Lotus-raised White Lotus Practitioners."
"Hmm..."
"More importantly, you harvested the Sacred Lotus wrong."
"Pardon?"
"The root has strong power, but the true essence is in the flower. Eating both flower and root would yield far greater internal energy than root alone."
No way!
I had left the lotus flowers because they seemed inconvenient to carry and would wilt quickly, thinking the roots were the main part. Who knew the flowers held the essence?! As I reeled in shock, Hua Xu-ming said.
"I'll use this root you gave me to revive my family. If you become my disciple and promise to help me later, I'll pass on all my knowledge and acupuncture as I said."
Rather than rushing to the martial world with the lotus, he wanted me as an ally. Naturally, having a peak expert with immense internal energy as a disciple would be far more reassuring.
"Can I trust you?"
"Urgh... I, Hua Xu-ming, was once one of the Five Great Physicians of the martial world, and you dare doubt me."
Hua Xu-ming's face flushed with anger. Realizing I had touched his deep-seated pride, I hurriedly smoothed it over.
"No! Of course not. Physician Hua is the best. I just asked to confirm."
"Really? Good!"
Hua Xu-ming instantly beamed. As the saying goes, elders simplify— he seemed straightforward and hot-blooded. Then Hua Xu-ming said.
"Let's start today, then. I'll teach you the Hua family arts, originating from Ancestor Hua Tuo!"