Chapter 467: The Peerless Grand Festival (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 467: The Peerless Grand Festival (2)
Jeong Yeon-shin flinched inwardly.
His mental intent had just leaked from his body.
He hadn’t spoken a single word while rushing to Mok Manor, and he certainly hadn't uttered the words "true physician" aloud. He had merely thought them with all his heart, for a learned man’s tongue should be guarded.
‘Is this the aftermath of the Great Taiji?’
The spiritual energy within his body was out of control. It was the same principle that allowed other peerless masters to announce their techniques via mental intent when unleashing a Unified Martial Transcendence.
It had been this way ever since he activated Enter the Way: Unified Transcendence. It was the backlash from pouring every ounce of his being into his martial arts. The Unified Martial Transcendence was a life-saving technique that could be used, at most, once per battle.
His body had overheated from the Divine Art, and spiritual energy was now overflowing from the acupoints all over his body, though it was gradually beginning to subside as time passed. It was thanks to this gradual calming that his mental intent had only echoed faintly.
‘In any case…’
He was not in his usual perfect condition.
It was only natural, considering he had just crossed blades with the First Sword of the Outer Paths.
Jeong Yeon-shin engraved the experience into his mind. He had only just stepped into what the world called the Peerless Realm; there was still an infinite amount to learn, adapt to, and master. Enter the Way: Unified Transcendence was, quite literally, just the introductory technique to the martial path he would build from now on.
It was then.
"And you are?"
The voice belonged to the Divine Doctor, who had just been scornfully dismissing the people of the Jianghu. In that instant, his eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin's.
The eyes of the Divine Doctor, who had the appearance of an impossibly young Brightfolk man, were as blue as a clear sky.
"I see. I could have guessed from the rumors… but for that wet-behind-the-ears brat to become like this…" he muttered to himself, his words carrying a strange, profound air.
Soon, the Divine Doctor’s flawless eyes curved into a slight smile.
"I've never seen a gentleman thief with muscles as evenly developed as yours. It’s also quite bizarre to see you walking around so proudly with a body battered bloody from a sword fight. Ah… despite my appearance, I am quite old. Don't be offended by my informal speech."
"I am indeed a gentleman, but…"
"Your lips didn't even move just now…?"
"I have business with the Divine Doctor."
Speaking aloud in a low voice, Jeong Yeon-shin leaped lightly from the wall.
As his feet touched the ground with a soft thud, the martial artists in the courtyard silently backed away, creating a circle around him. Every single one of them wore a look of utter bewilderment.
His state of Return to Simplicity had long since unraveled.
He was no longer hiding the waves of his internal power. Instead, he was fully exposing the achievements of his Internal Cultivation, which had been honed to the Purple Rank. This was the aftermath of his battle with the First Sword of the Outer Paths; even the precious lessons he had gained from the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon Jin Myeong-jo paled before the aftershocks of that fierce clash.
‘Senior Jin maintained his dignity even after clashing for five hundred and nineteen exchanges with the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect.’
In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin keenly felt his own shortcomings.
The corner of the Divine Doctor's mouth twitched upward.
"Let's hear your reason for climbing over the wall when there is a perfectly good gate."
He spoke casually, even as he faced Jeong Yeon-shin, who had his own severed arm slung over his shoulder. Was his personality truly as the rumors described? It was said that the Divine Doctor had a deep-seated aversion to those who wielded blades.
"If you would bestow your skills upon me, I would be deeply grateful."
While making his polite request, Jeong Yeon-shin exchanged nods with Jegal Cheong-a and Gongson Min.
At that moment, not only Gongson Min, who was younger than Jeong Yeon-shin, but even Jegal Cheong-a, who rarely showed her emotions, was gaping in disbelief. Their faces showed utter shock at both Jeong Yeon-shin's survival and his current state. They were lost in a tempest of relief and bewilderment.
"Unit Commander… Unit Commander…"
"Could the rumors on the streets actually be true…? Then, that means the Lord of Heaven's Bane was defeated as well…!"
"Old Master Hyeon will wake up. Do not worry," Jeong Yeon-shin comforted Jegal Cheong-a with a brief reply before locking eyes with the Divine Doctor once more.
The elderly Brightfolk man, who possessed the appearance of a handsome youth, was already scanning the area around Jeong Yeon-shin's left shoulder with interest.
"Let's see. The Hand Greater Yang Small Intestine Meridian and the Hand Lesser Yang Triple Burner Meridian are completely severed right through the acupoints. Only the very end of the Yangming Meridian is dangling, hidden in your shoulder. Yes, the Three Yang Meridians that connect the arm have been cleanly sliced. Yet, despite this, the muscles and blood vessels are still alive and pulsing…"
As he muttered, the Divine Doctor's expression turned peculiar. He looked utterly dumbfounded.
"Neither the one who cut it nor the one who was cut is human. Even if one strained to sever it in a way that makes it easy to reattach, achieving this would be nearly impossible."
"I know many desperately seek your medical skills, Elder. As a latecomer, I fully intend to wait my turn."
"Are you saying you won't throw a tantrum over the patients who have flooded in from all over the world? You won't just have to wait a little while, but an extremely long time."
The Divine Doctor spoke with a faint smile.
The masked men, who had been stealthily backing away, flinched at those words. They had completely lost the will to fight the moment Jeong Yeon-shin had stepped down from the wall.
"Yes."
Thud!
Jeong Yeon-shin flicked his fingers, striking their paralyzing acupoints with a burst of finger force. At the same time, he sensed something in the Divine Doctor’s eyes that went beyond a mere Brightfolk. He was subtly different from the noble clans Jeong Yeon-shin had encountered in the Jianghu so far.
It wasn’t an aura like green leaves or a cool breeze, but something far more fundamental. There was a bizarre, divine quality to him, akin to rough tree bark.
There was no sense of him having trained in martial arts, either.
"A tree…?" Jeong Yeon-shin muttered to himself.
The shoulders of the Divine Doctor, who had not lost his smile, twitched minutely. He soon clasped his hands behind his back and turned away. Though his demeanor was carefree, unlike when he dealt with the masked men, it was by no means warm.
"With your Dynamic Cultivation Art, that arm of yours will easily last three or four days. Don't think I'll be favorable to you just because you're from the Desolate Fortress. I don't deny your role and sacrifices, but fundamentally, I have an immense aversion to blades. The same goes for those who make a living killing people."
‘You want me to hold on to this for several days and nights…?’
"What did you just say?"
"I didn't say anything."
"Since it is not an immediate matter of life and death, I shall ponder your treatment. As I said, there is no shortage of commoners suffering from acute indigestion throughout Hangzhou. Besides, another martial artist registered his name on my ledger first. A mere beggar, yet they call him the Divine Beggar…"
Just then.
BOOM!
A wide crater was suddenly gouged into the ground where the masked men had been standing, the earth sinking into a hemisphere in an instant.
"Elder."
A low voice echoed from within the faint smoke.
A gaunt figure walked out of the haze. Instead of martial robes, he wore a common yellow robe with a worn knapsack slung over one shoulder. Colorless light blazed in his eyes. He was a man enveloped in a silent, heavy aura.
"Please keep your promise," the Silent Dawn Lord, Shin Hwang, spoke.
The Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit of the Desolate Fortress.
A rare look of delight washed over Jeong Yeon-shin's face. Conversely, the Divine Doctor, who had been walking away, raised his eyelids in distaste.
"You said there would be a patient whose identity would be difficult to reveal. Were you referring to this young Jeong here?"
"Yes."
"…A promise is a promise." Shaking his head, the Divine Doctor glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin. "I shall move you up to second in line. Since this is a medical examination I conduct personally, come to the inner courtyard at daybreak."
* * *
It was an incredibly long night.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not sleep. He had to catch up on unfinished conversations with the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit. His closed-door cultivation with the Songmun Ancient Sword had been brief, but in that short time, the world had shifted.
Abbot Beomheo, Lady Yul-ha, and Ak Su-rim had parted ways with him to locate the Dark Sky Emperor's hiding place and prevent the completion of the Dragon Summoning Formula. The Jianghu seniors had been reluctant to let Jeong Yeon-shin go alone, but the Flood Dragon Manifestation was a threat on an entirely different level. Every peerless master who had traveled to Hangzhou might have to pour out all their skills. He had heard that the Qingcheng Sect Leader was also scheduled to join them.
There were already three individuals present who had achieved the Unified Martial Transcendence. If they included the Seventh Apostle and the Dark Sky Emperor, that made five.
For now, what was important for Jeong Yeon-shin was rest and recovery. Abbot Beomheo and Lady Yul-ha had praised him highly before leaving, telling him he had more than done his part simply by driving the Lord of Heaven's Bane out of Hangzhou.
And then, there was Mok Manor.
Jeong Yeon-shin and Shin Hwang sat facing each other across a small tea table.
"You anticipated my survival. It is difficult to match the foresight of the seniors from the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall."
"They, like me, do not possess any special foresight."
"Pardon?"
"We simply believe in the Purple Rank."
"..."
"More importantly, although we have moved your examination with the Divine Doctor to second in line, there is a problem."
"Please, tell me."
"According to information from the main fortress's Hangzhou branch, the Divine Doctor has rarely bestowed his medical skills upon martial artists. His level of martial arts is also unknown."
"I heard his Body Protection Scripture is so elusive that he has never been caught by martial artists."
"Yes. It was the same when the lineage of the Desolate Ma Clan was severed. The letters from our fortress requesting a diagnosis were ignored. Even when the former Commander pursued him, the Divine Doctor was not caught. Unparalleled medical skill… it is not a talent that can be obtained through coercion."
"The Divine Doctor mentioned the Beggar Sect Leader earlier."
"To my dismay, he was faster. He had over forty stitches in his abdomen from a sword wound that no ordinary human should have survived. According to our fortress's intelligence, he is as hot-tempered as he is the fastest under heaven… yet he backed down without causing a scene despite the Divine Doctor's polite refusal."
"Where has he gone now?"
"Since Hangzhou is the territory of the Taemo Mountain Fortress, we could not track his destination. I understand he left word that he would return."
Including the Beggar Sect Leader, that made six peerless masters. It was a battlefield that had not yet erupted. If Jeong Yeon-shin finished his recovery in time and joined them, it would be seven.
Though a temporary lull had settled after his clash with the Lord of Heaven's Bane, the gathered momentum of the peerless masters was silently enveloping Hangzhou like a distant winter cold wave. Furthermore, several prestigious sects, capable of trapping even a peerless martial artist with a Combined Attack Formation, were entangled in this situation.
It was extremely urgent. The air of Hangzhou was nothing like a tranquil evening.
"I am glad you are safe, Senior Shin."
"It was thanks to the Perfected Ancient Sword. He asked me to look after Lord Jeong…"
"What…?" Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly raised his head and asked.
It was an evening where the events that had transpired were summarized in low whispers, and several truths were gestating yet another tempest.
Swoosh—
Outside the slightly open window, the night sky raced forward in pitch blackness. Toward the morning.
* * *
There is a saying: "eccentrics and masters." It refers to those who possess either bizarre personalities or astounding talents.
The Divine Doctor of Yeongchon was renowned for possessing both. He was famous for asking a few questions before taking the pulse of not only Jianghu martial artists but also anyone known to have committed major transgressions.
"You committed theft? For what reason?"
"My children were starving, sir… I have already been flogged at the magistrate's office…"
"Get out of my sight."
Whoosh!
A violent gust swept across the ground, and the man who had been receiving his examination in the inner garden of Mok Manor vanished without a trace, blown all the way back to the main gate.
"Next."
At the Divine Doctor's call, another patient stepped forward hesitantly.
Thus, the examinations repeated. If an answer didn't please him, he kicked them out; otherwise, he administered acupuncture on the spot. Occasionally, those in critical condition regained their health through sorcery-like martial arts accompanied by brilliant light. It was, quite literally, a place where an immortal dwelt.
All sorts of Jianghu sects constantly drifted in and out to win the Divine Doctor's favor, as the main gate remained open by his command. It was no different now.
Having realized after several covert attempts that their martial arts had no effect on the Divine Doctor, groups of martial artists, each carrying brilliantly flashing weapons, stationed themselves throughout Mok Manor. They watched the examinations to prevent martial artists from other regions from taking him away, and to have their acupoints properly diagnosed to enhance their Internal Cultivation. Their numbers exceeded one hundred and fifty.
Yet, no one dared to speak.
It was because of the old man crouching with his back against the wall.
"..."
Nine cords hung from his waist. They were extremely worn knots, but unlike the old man’s small build, they were large and thick. The straw sandals on his feet, however, were fitted perfectly to his soles. Though the tight fit must have been uncomfortable, his expression was entirely serene.
He was the Dragon Head Leader.
A peerless master who, like the head of a dragon, was the first to receive news directly linked to the state of the world. In terms of both status and martial arts, he was a transcendent being. With the master of the Beggar Sect—one of the Nine Sects and One Gang—sitting comfortably in a corner, the other martial artists, who were closer to local gentry, had no choice but to remain silent.
And it wasn't just the Beggar Sect Leader.
Even as Taemo Mountain Fortress and Heaven's Bane openly dominated Hangzhou, figures like stars shining in broad daylight arrived one by one. A cheerful man in a blue Desolate Fortress robe with a hero's headband; a young girl of mysterious age also clad in blue; and even a young Plum Blossom Swordmaster of the Mount Hua Sect with a relaxed air stepped into the inner courtyard. Furthermore, even the Tang Clan Leader, the Poison Lord—said to have defeated the Blade-Net Venerable of Heaven's Bane in a distant village—took his place, clutching a silver hammer.
It was impossible to know what messages had passed between them. In any case, Mount Hua, the Tang Clan, and the Beggar Sect were bound to be acquainted. After they exchanged brief greetings, a suffocating silence fell over the area. The martial artists of the local sects, who acted as the powerhouses of Hangzhou, broke into cold sweats but did not back down.
Perhaps he didn't care for the atmosphere.
"Why are you just standing there blankly like a stone pillar?" the Divine Doctor asked casually, having just helped a crippled man to his feet.
The Beggar Sect Leader didn't even make eye contact as he moved his wrinkled lips. "I am currently tying flowery words together like knots in my head."
"What?"
"I simply do not know what kind of words would satisfy the Divine Doctor. Especially since the sword wound I received from that outer path swordsman is growing increasingly severe."
"Why don't you just attack me with your martial arts instead? Who knows, perhaps I will throw up my hands in defeat against your dog-beating staff technique."
The Divine Doctor provoked him with a smirk. At those words, the Beggar Sect Leader merely offered a faint smile from his seated position.
"An orthodox beggar does not use a club to beg for food."
"You are still just a martial artist of the Jianghu, yet you put on such airs. Since you, the first in line, are keeping your mouth shut, all these sword-wielding fools are just trying to look important. If you intend to keep silent, then give the next person their turn."
"I don't see why not. As long as I can step in whenever I wish."
"So he says. You heard him, right? Let's have a chat."
No sooner had the Divine Doctor's words fallen than a one-armed man suddenly appeared on the wooden bench opposite him. It was a Body Protection Scripture that traversed the distance in an instant, as if he possessed the Earth-Shrinking Art. Sharp gasps echoed from all directions.
"..."
Sunlight, filtering through the barren branches in the courtyard, flowed along his dreamlike features. The young man, who had his own arm slung over one shoulder like a knapsack, straightened his back in the very spot where countless martial artists had tasted bitter defeat.
In that instant, a strange emotion flickered in the Divine Doctor's eyes before vanishing just as quickly.
"Indeed… young man of the Jeong clan."
"Please, ask."
"I dislike blades. I also detest fighting immensely."
"I have heard and know this well."
"I believe that great power inevitably invites further challenges. The sight of a blade slicing through human flesh, and the man who blocks it only to split open the head of his attacker—both evoke the same aversion in me. This is not a matter of logic or reason, but an innate repulsion I have harbored since birth. Because I am a physician."
"..."
"Since being born into this world, I have lived my entire life exactly as I pleased. I have never stubbornly endured something that made me sick to my stomach. What does it matter if the rabble of the Jianghu call me eccentric? This old man merely traveled around practicing medicine because I love living, breathing people."
Shrugging his narrow shoulders with an air of absolute indifference, the Divine Doctor continued his tirade.
"The Desolate Fortress is no different from the rest of this wretched martial world. Even if I were to painstakingly stitch together your severed blood vessels, carefully reconnect your torn muscles, meticulously align the fine capillaries of your entire body, and flawlessly restore your Twelve Meridians stitch by agonizing stitch, the end result would remain exactly the same. The sickening scent of blood clinging to your hands would only invade my nostrils and turn my stomach. Frankly, I would rather smell the milky, innocent scent of a newborn baby born into some third-rate martial family that has never taken a single life—I would choose that a hundred times, no, a thousand times over. My nose is sharper than even that filthy old beggar's over there, so I can sniff out the foul stench of blood accumulated by you martial artists as easily as a ghost hunting the living."
"I understand what you mean," Jeong Yeon-shin replied, his voice steady and completely devoid of the shame or anger one might expect.
The Divine Doctor smiled broadly at Jeong Yeon-shin's words, his eccentric features brightening for a fleeting moment. "At least you are quite reasonable, young man. Because my senses are so unusually sharp, those ignorant martial artists with their dull, unrefined senses of Qi would actually fly into a blind rage when I told them the honest truth."
"However," Jeong Yeon-shin interjected, his tone shifting imperceptibly.
"Hmm?"
"You must reattach my arm."
"...I take back what I said about you being reasonable," the Divine Doctor muttered. An extremely deep, heavy frown etched itself deeply between his brows, carving lines of ancient irritation into his face. "Are you trying to force my hand now?"
In an instant, the air in the courtyard froze icy cold. The ambient temperature seemed to plummet as the oppressive aura of a transcendent being descended upon the space.
Those bystanders who had already recognized Jeong Yeon-shin's striking features and had been whispering amongst themselves immediately fell dead silent. The faces of those acquainted with him stiffened gravely, draining of all color.
It was a known truth that no mere mortal flesh could calmly withstand the unbridled wrath of a living Brightfolk immortal. Furthermore, this was no trivial dispute; it was a critical, highly volatile matter involving the severed arm of a prestigious Purple Rank of the Desolate Fortress. Yet, even amidst this suffocating tension, the Divine Doctor's harsh scolding continued unabated.
"I deliberately poured out all these words, wasting my precious breath so that you would understand my position perfectly! So tell me, why on earth should this old man endure the vile nausea rising to my throat just to treat a swordsman's arm? Why should I lower myself to treat a person like you? Give me a reason! For what grand purpose should I go out of my way and suffer such disgust?"
"The world."
The Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps replied calmly, his voice ringing out with an absolute, unshakable certainty that defied the heavens themselves.
"..."
The Divine Doctor's words abruptly ceased.
A deathly, suffocating silence spread rapidly through the expansive courtyard. That single-word reply was like a jagged shard of glacial ice thrown violently into a pot of boiling water, instantly freezing the turbulent atmosphere.
Within that swelling, heavy silence, the Divine Doctor stared at Jeong Yeon-shin without uttering a single word for a very long time. His ancient eyes began glowing with an eerie, piercing bluish light, a hallmark trait shared by any other Brightfolk. The two men remained locked in this silent contest of wills, an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force.
Meanwhile, the dazzling, golden sunlight flowed across the paved ground of the courtyard like gentle, rippling waves of an ethereal ocean.
* * *
After only a single cycle of day and night had passed since that tense confrontation, Jeong Yeon-shin stood beneath the open sky. He raised his arms, shielding his face from the pouring, radiant morning sun with both hands.
It was an exceptionally bright, beautiful day, the kind that promised new beginnings and endless possibilities.
Both of his arms were completely, flawlessly whole.