Chapter 20
Episode 20
Misunderstandings Summon the Sword (2)
[Ugh, how sinister. Even the needles she uses are pitch black, just like her true nature.]
[.......]
[.......]
[......Master? Senior Sister?]
Cheong Yeon could only tilt her head in confusion at the two women who had fallen silent once again.
Her martial prowess had yet to reach their level, so she hadn't witnessed the moment the black needles had materialized on their own.
Meanwhile, Ha-young and Abbess Geumhwa were each stunned for different reasons.
'......I've followed Master around and seen many divine artifacts wielded by extraordinary physicians, but I've never seen anything like this.'
First, Ha-young was astonished by the supernatural ability of the dark gloves adorning Se-woon's hands.
At a glance, they appeared to be nothing more than thin, ordinary gloves—so slim that they couldn't possibly conceal anything inside, like hidden compartments in a typical martial artist's gauntlets.
Which meant those black needles had been summoned purely through the artifact's innate power.
Such a divine weapon would shine brightest on the battlefield, not here.
For now, its use was limited to drawing needles for medical purposes.
'But if this were a real fight... and if those needles could take other forms...'
She couldn't even begin to fathom how terrifying such an ability would be—freely manifesting hidden weapons at will.
'......An opponent who didn't know about this would assume they were fighting an unarmed foe, only to be caught off guard by a sudden barrage of concealed blades, teetering on the brink of death.'
While Ha-young was fixated on Se-woon's Cheonra as a weapon—
'Simply astonishing. The thickness of those needles defies logic. And yet, the energy channeled through them is transmitted with near-perfect precision. How did the Tang Family acquire such a divine artifact?'
—her master, Abbess Geumhwa, was focused on the black needles as medical tools.
To a physician, a needle was like an extension of their own hand.
A thin needle was used when a patient required gentle stimulation.
A thick needle was employed when stronger stimulation was necessary.
The problem was that crafting needles thin enough to withstand internal energy was an absurdly difficult task.
Thick needles could endure the flow of qi well enough, but the thinner the needle, the more drastically its durability plummeted—often melting away under the strain.
That was precisely why they had paid not just a thousand gold, but nearly ten thousand, to the finest blacksmiths in the Central Plains—the White Night Iron Guild—to forge needles for her master, the Divine Doctor, and herself.
'Not to mention, we had to personally gather the silver fur of the Divine Ape just to craft them. I suffered through that ordeal even at my age.'
Yet the black needles in Se-woon's hands were unbelievably thin—so much so that her own silver needles couldn't even compare.
Ssshh—
Moreover, despite the faint flow of dark energy coursing through them, Se-woon's needles remained perfectly intact, their refined form unshaken.
No wonder she was stunned.
"Now, by inserting the needles to stimulate the weakened areas, the blocked blood and energy flow in the paralyzed muscles will circulate again, restoring them in an instant."
"R-Really?"
"Of course. The treatment is already complete."
"......Huh?"
At Se-woon's words, not just the child's mother but all three members of the Emei Sect wore dumbfounded expressions.
The treatment was already over? What did that mean?
Naturally, their gazes shifted to the child—and what they saw left them utterly shocked.
"!"
"—!"
"Huh? Doctor? There are needles in my leg!"
The child blinked rapidly before exclaiming.
Just as he said, needles had been inserted into his leg without anyone noticing.
Indeed—while Se-woon's eyes had remained locked with the mother's, the hand holding the needles had moved toward the child's afflicted area.
So swiftly that the young patient hadn't even had time to feel fear.
So precisely that there had been no pain.
The treatment had been flawlessly completed.
Tap! Tap-tap!
With the same natural motion that had gone unnoticed when inserting the needles, Se-woon withdrew them.
"Alright, So-ha. Try standing up."
At Se-woon's words, the child's expression tensed for the first time.
His worried mother stepped forward to help, but Se-woon shook her head.
Breaking through the suffocating silence that had filled the room—
"Ugh!"
"—!"
Thud!
The child shot upright on his own two feet.
He stood up so effortlessly, without even straining, that he himself was the most surprised of all.
"Wow, Doctor! My leg really moves!"
"Hehe, didn't I promise?"
"Mom!"
"Oh, So-ha! Sob!"
Now able to move freely, the child rushed into his mother's arms.
Watching this, Abbess Geumhwa let out an involuntary sigh.
'......Impossible.'
Through her qi-enhanced vision, she could see the child's blocked nerves and meridians reconnecting.
Without years of study on acupoints and clinical experience in acupuncture—
No, even with those, what Se-woon had accomplished was no easy feat.
'So this is why Master sent me to the Tang Family.'
No longer the leader of one of the Nine Great Sects—
But simply a physician once more, Abbess Geumhwa was genuinely awed.
At this level, there was only one word to describe Se-woon.
"......Genius."
Her eyes dazed, Abbess Geumhwa muttered under her breath.
And—
Hearing that single word from her master's lips, Ha-young's pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
'Hmm, how do I handle this?'
Abbess Geumhwa was at a complete loss.
All the suspicions and doubts they had harbored toward Se-woon earlier had already been dispelled.
The reason the Tang Family's treatments ended as swiftly as lightning—
It wasn't due to fraudulent medicine.
It was because Se-woon would diagnose patients at a glance, complete the treatment, and restore them with acupuncture in the blink of an eye—repeating this process over and over.
Having witnessed it firsthand, their misunderstanding had been entirely cleared.
But that was precisely why she was so troubled.
'......That divine artifact is clearly a treasure of the Tang Family. And now, we've essentially spied on its use while hiding our identities.'
To any observer, it would look like the Emei Sect had come to investigate after losing patients to the Tang Family.
Yet she couldn't reveal their true purpose either.
Admitting they had infiltrated thinking the young master was running a medical scam would be like pouring oil on a fire.
'Ah, why did I do something so foolish......'
—"You must first fix that hot temper of yours."
The words her master, the Divine Doctor Boyeon, had often clicked her tongue and admonished her with now stabbed at her heart.
Regret weighed heavily on her. Her head throbbed.
But her dilemma didn't last long.
'Sigh, what's done is done. The right thing is to confess honestly to the Tang Family's young master and ask for forgiveness.'
Even if it meant her reputation would suffer and she'd face severe consequences—so be it.
She was a member of the orthodox faction, and the Emei Sect walked the path of righteousness.
If she had wronged someone, the proper course was to bow her head in sincere apology—
And accept whatever followed in accordance with reason and justice.
Just as she reached this conclusion—
"I'll come again, Doctor!"
"Yon-seok. Now that you're healthy, don't come back unless you have to."
"But I want to come!"
"Hehe, then come when you're craving some Tang Family sweets."
"Wow, really?!"
Guided by the nurse, the child and his mother left the room.
Silence instantly descended upon the space.
Perfectly timed, only Se-woon and the three Emei members remained inside—
"Actually, about earlier......"
Abbess Geumhwa cautiously parted her lips—
Sshhhk!
A sudden, razor-sharp sound of tearing air pierced the silence.
"—!"
"Eek!"
A horrified Cheong Yeon barely managed to dodge by throwing herself sideways.
Whoosh!
Thud!
Forced into the Lazy Donkey Roll—a move considered shameful among martial artists—her robes were now covered in dust.
But she had no choice.
Two gleaming daggers were embedded precisely where she had been standing.
"I let it slide earlier because patients needed treatment......"
Then, a voice as cold as the bitter winters of the North Sea echoed through the room.
Se-woon had stepped outside the treatment area and was now glaring at them.
His eyes—utterly devoid of the warmth he had shown his patients—were filled with ruthless hostility.
As the three Emei members froze under his oppressive aura—
Shhhhk!
"—!"
"What?!"
The daggers buried deep in the floor suddenly flew back into Se-woon's hands.
The sight left the three women utterly aghast.
'......Impossible.'
'How is that child using Qi Projection?'
The daggers had clearly flown through the air back to Se-woon's grasp.
Qi Projection—a technique where a master martial artist disperses their energy to manipulate distant objects.
A skill only achievable at the Transcendent realm.
'No. That can't be. At best, his martial prowess barely reaches the peak of the second-rate......'
Because what had just happened should have been impossible—
Ha-young stared at Se-woon with disbelief.
"Sneaking in under false pretenses to steal my family's secrets? Don't expect to leave here alive."
"W-Wait, calm down, Young Master! We're actually from Emei—"
"You dare!"
"—!"
Whoosh!
Humiliated by her first-ever Lazy Donkey Roll, Cheong Yeon lunged at Se-woon like lightning.
Swoosh!
Before the other two could stop her, she had already drawn her sword.
"As I thought—ill intentions from the start."
Se-woon also shot forward, his footwork explosive.
A faint golden haze shimmered around Cheong Yeon's body as she activated the Golden Peak Divine Technique.
'I'll make you roll on the ground just like I did!'
But she never got the chance to strike.
Thud!
A blunt impact—and Cheong Yeon's eyes rolled back as she collapsed.
Though she had moved later, Abbess Geumhwa's superior footwork allowed her to reach them first—knocking Cheong Yeon unconscious with a precise chop to the neck.
Thwack!
With a flick of her wrist, Abbess Geumhwa sent Cheong Yeon's limp body flying into Ha-young's arms.
Sshhk!
Se-woon, having already closed the distance, didn't retract his stance.
'Sigh, no choice.'
And so, Abbess Geumhwa found herself forced to face Se-woon in combat.
Having stepped onto the battlefield, retreating was no longer an option.
Shhhhk!
In that instant—Se-woon's qi-infused daggers clashed against her bare hands.
Clang!
The sound of steel striking steel erupted—despite it being flesh against blade.
A testament to Abbess Geumhwa's formidable prowess as an early-stage Transcendent.
Clang!
Clang-clang!
But as their exchanges continued—
Contrary to expectations, admiration began to flicker in Abbess Geumhwa's eyes.
'......This child. His skill is anything but lacking.'
She had heard that the Tang Family's martial artists were masters of hidden weapons—
But the level of precision in his attacks surpassed all expectations.
Despite the clear gap in their strength, he didn't retreat an inch—relentlessly pressing forward with his daggers.
Every second, he exploited openings and lapses in her focus—striking with the precision of a viper.
Only now did she realize her master's interest in this boy wasn't limited to his medical skills.
Sshhk!
Another blade tore through the air.
'One for throwing. One aimed at my upper right.'
Swish!
With a slight tilt of her head, she narrowly dodged the first dagger.
As it whisked past her ear, she pivoted on one foot—twisting her body to evade the second blade thrusting toward her upper right.
"Master!"
"—!"
At Ha-young's sudden shout—
A chill crawled up Abbess Geumhwa's spine.
Swish!
In an instant, a radiant golden aura—far surpassing Cheong Yeon's—erupted around her entire body.
Shhhk!
She spread both hands wide like a peacock's tail.
The Emei Sect's secret technique—Tiger-Subduing Hands.
Thud!
Her right hand moved like a living serpent—snatching the incoming dagger just inches from her face.
'What?!'
From behind—another dagger, veering wildly off its trajectory, was hurtling toward her.
But before she could even process it—
Swish!
Just as she had predicted earlier, Se-woon was plunging a dagger down from her upper right.
Sshhk!
Instinctively, her left hand shot out.
Forged through thousands—no, tens of thousands of repetitions, her Tiger-Subduing Hands struck along the shortest, most optimal path.
Thud!
Her palm slammed into Se-woon's abdomen.
Propelled by the force, Se-woon's body skidded backward, carving a long line into the ground.
'......Did I stop him?'
Yes. The Tiger-Subduing Hands hadn't landed cleanly.
Se-woon had crossed his arms in an X-shape, absorbing most of the impact.
Drip.
A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his lips.
Though he had defended successfully, the energy behind the strike had still shaken his internal organs.
"Ah."
Seeing this, Abbess Geumhwa finally snapped back to her senses.
Her pupils trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
She had unconsciously used her qi.
But she had no choice.
The level of that ambush—far beyond what a mere second-rate martial artist should be capable of—had genuinely threatened her.
No—how had he even performed Qi Projection?
Her gaze shifted to the dagger still clutched in her hand.
'......A thread?'
A thin black thread was coiled around the ring at the dagger's hilt.
Finally understanding his trick, Abbess Geumhwa's expression remained grim.
'Just what kind of child is this......?'
She had never even heard of a martial art that utilized threads.
Which meant he had developed this level of skill entirely on his own.
Was it even possible for someone—without a proper master—to reach such heights?
Even if she had held back her qi, he had nearly succeeded in ambushing her.
"Again."
Thud!
Se-woon, still refusing to back down, prepared to charge once more—
Just as Abbess Geumhwa's bewilderment became impossible to hide—
"Warriors of the Tang Family—subdue the intruders!"
At the shout of the family head, Tang Mu-yeol—
Clang!
Clang-clang!
In an instant, the surrounding area was flooded with Tang Family warriors—all pointing their blades at the women.
The Sichuan Conqueror had arrived.