Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Cheon Yeoseol's Constitution
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'What is this?'
The moment my spiritual energy brushed past Yeoseol's meridians, I felt a dizzying shock.
I thought my spiritual energy had gone wrong.
'No meridians?'
No human lacked meridians.
Even in newborns, where they felt faint and almost nonexistent, the meridians themselves were there.
So I injected more spiritual energy.
'Huh? This is...'
I realized why it had felt like there were no meridians at all.
'They're too vast. The meridians are so expansive that they seemed nonexistent. But is this even possible?'
If they were so immense that even injecting spiritual energy made them hard to detect...
I sifted through every piece of knowledge in my memory, searching for what kind of meridians could be like this.
Then I pulled out one perfect match.
"My god. It's the Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian?"
The Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian was neither a blocked meridian condition nor a diseased one. It was one of the legendary constitutions passed down in Daoist lore.
A meridian achievable only by celestial immortals among immortals.
I was now encountering a meridian that no human should possess.
'My own Heavenly Martial Sacred Body appears once every century at best, but the Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian is so rare, no one even knows if it appears once every millennium.'
Chills ran down my spine.
The Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian existed only in theory; no human could be born with it naturally.
Not even through complete body transformation or returning to youth.
'Could Yeoseol have no memories because she never had any to begin with?'
I considered the possibility that her constitution had been created from childhood.
'Which organization made Yeoseol? If she was lost or misplaced, there'd be an uproar searching for her by now.'
If an evil group had created her, she could become a calamity for the martial world.
'If Yeoseol learns martial arts, she'll surpass humans by leaps and bounds. The Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian naturally converts ambient spiritual energy into inner power without any breathing exercises.'
In other words, it was a constitution where simply breathing generated inner power.
Her constitution was definitely the Heavenly Immortal Divine Meridian, but the idea that it had been artificially created was just a hypothesis.
'If I watch the people from the north searching for Yeoseol, I can uncover their identities.'
I released her wrist and spoke to Yeoseol, who was staring at me blankly.
"Yeoseol, listen carefully to what I say from now on."
"Okay."
"For the time being, don't go outside. Stay here. I'll give you lots of delicious food, so eat plenty, sleep well, and build up your strength. Look at you."
Her slender limbs and gaunt features masked Cheon Yeoseol's appearance.
"Got it. I'll stay here like big brother says for a while."
I stroked her head, finding her obedience adorable.
"Hehe."
She stuck out her tongue with a smile, utterly endearing.
I'd never thought about having a little sister before, but if she was this cute, one might not be so bad.
"First, go wash up. A warm bath will feel great. Then get some good rest. Big brother has somewhere to go for a bit."
"I wash?"
With that, she suddenly started undressing right in front of me.
"No, not here. Undress in the bathhouse. From now on, don't take your clothes off anywhere. Got it?"
"Yeah."
Reprimanded, her cheeks puffed out in a sulk.
Her actions suggested strong childish tendencies.
It felt like her memories had frozen at the infantile stage.
She'd followed a stranger just because he promised treats, showing she was far from socialized.
'She needs a lot of education. I'll have to ask Eunbi for help.'
After sending Yeoseol to the bathhouse with Eunbi, I headed to the Family Head's quarters.
It was only polite to give advance notice that my cousin sister would be staying at my residence.
I was, after all, a guest of the Nangong Family.
Upon arriving at the Family Head's quarters and requesting an audience with Nangong Hak, I was granted entry immediately.
"Come in. Scholar Cheon."
As I entered, there was a guest present.
Normally, with a guest, they'd schedule me later, but since he allowed it, this must be someone connected to me.
"I planned to see you separately, but this guest here said he's close to you, Scholar Cheon, so I called you in."
I looked at the man waving a hand placed on the table.
His hooked nose and sharp eyes left an unfavorable impression.
"Didn't expect to see you here."
I gave a wry smile.
This man was a former colleague from my days in the Murim Alliance's Inspection Unit.
But we shared space more as enemies than allies.
He had even sided with Elder Gal during that scandal with the corruption, harassing me instead.
His name was Gu Jinha, but in the Unit, they called him "Bat Gu" behind his back.
Bat for his bat-like tendencies.
"What brings you here, Scholar Gu?"
I replied calmly.
"Oh, you haven't heard? I've been promoted to Deputy Chief Inspector."
I was slightly surprised by that.
The hierarchy under the Unit Leader was Deputy Leader, then Chief Inspector, then Deputy Chief Inspector. Climbing to Deputy Chief meant pulling strings; it wasn't possible on merit alone for someone with our years of service.
Fourth in the Inspection Unit's power structure—a position out of reach for short-term scholars like us.
'Rumors said he was a Murim Alliance elder's grandson. Is that true?'
Otherwise, no way he reached Deputy Chief Inspector so quickly.
"You've advanced far. Congratulations."
I replied perfunctorily.
I had no sincere felicitations for the man who'd tried to drag me into ruin multiple times.
"Thanks."
He responded casually, switching to informal speech abruptly.
"Since I'm your superior now, Scholar Cheon, you can drop the formalities, right?"
Technically, as a still-active scholar in the Unit, he was my superior.
But I had no intention of tolerating his condescension outside the Alliance.
"Sorry, but that's not appropriate. It might fly inside the Alliance, but speaking down to someone on rotation duty as your 'subordinate' is poor etiquette."
"Tch! How dare you ignore Alliance rules and Unit discipline, Scholar Cheon?"
Gu Jinha, who had always felt inferior compared to Scholar Cheon, lost his temper seeing the stiff scholar act the same now.
This was his chance to crush that inferiority with his newfound authority.
Yet the scholar wouldn't even give him that, so he momentarily lost his reason.
"Look at you, getting all arrogant. There's a clear hierarchy in the Unit, and you're refusing to respect it?"
Gu Jinha smirked, anticipating the scholar's cowed expression.
"Deputy Chief Inspector Gu Jinha."
A low, resonant voice.
Nangong Hak's subtly laced anger filled the room.
"Are you scolding Scholar Cheon, whom I invited as an honored guest, right in front of me? I never knew you had such gall. Just how mighty is a Deputy Chief Inspector's authority that you act so brazen before the Nangong Family Head? I'll have to ask the Alliance Leader himself. Even he doesn't raise his voice before me."
Nangong Hak's suppressed fury permeated the chamber.
He had granted this rare visit from an Alliance official out of courtesy, only for the man to strut like he owned the place.
Only then did Gu Jinha realize his mistake and correct his posture.
"My apologies, Family Head. Please quell your anger. I acted foolishly for a moment."
Nangong Hak openly showed his displeasure.
"Scholar Cheon is an honored guest of our house, a man I myself respect. He's not on Alliance Inspection Unit duty now; he's tutoring my youngest son at my request. If Inspector Gu disrespects him, isn't that the same as disrespecting me?"
Gu Jinha bowed even lower.
His back hunched, his neck craning subserviently.
"I didn't realize you held Scholar Cheon in such high regard, Family Head. I've transgressed against propriety. Please forgive me generously."
Nangong Hak nearly continued berating him but grimaced at Gu Jinha groveling so spinelessly.
Rubbing his hands and begging forgiveness—scolding him further would only tarnish the Family Head's dignity.
Cheon Taesan stepped in on his behalf.
"Scholar Gu, be more careful next time. Flaunting authority everywhere is a bad habit."
As Cheon Taesan offered calm counsel, Gu Jinha's cheeks twitched.
He was so furious his face flushed beet red, as if it might burst.
Cheon Taesan savored the reaction briefly before asking,
"So, what brings you all the way here?"
Gu Jinha's expression shifted instantly, as if the scolding never happened.
Emphasizing how vastly superior he was, he declared,
"I'm on an important mission this time."
It was classified, meant only for the Family Head, but to show his superiority, he began rambling.
"There were reports of Blood Cult and Demonic Cult riffraff stirring in Anhui, so we tracked them here to Hefei. Seems they're plotting something in Hefei—don't you think the Nangong Family should know?"
"That's usually other organizations' work. Why is the Inspection Unit stepping in?"
It should be the White Tiger Unit, specialists in pursuit, or the Alliance's Strike Force.
Especially with potential clashes against Blood Cult or Demonic Cult.
Gu Jinha's skills were third-rate, not even matching a regular in a combat unit.
"Some Hefei martial clans are linked to the Blood Cult, so we came with the White Tiger Unit for inspection."
As he spoke, Gu Jinha lifted his chin, implying his stature.
Cheon Taesan focused on the words "Demonic Cult" and "Blood Cult" in his statement.
"Blood Cult and Demonic Cult, huh? Be careful out there. Though you'll handle it fine, I'm sure."
At the nonchalant tone, Gu Jinha's face twisted in indignation.
"They're small fry anyway. With the White Tiger Unit Leader here, wiping them out is just a matter of time. As you know, the White Tiger Unit Leader is..."
His boasting about working with such greats grated harshly.
Nangong Hak nodded perfunctorily, as if tired of trivial talk, then cut him off and turned to Cheon Taesan.
"So, what brings you to see me, Scholar Cheon?"
Gu Jinha bristled at the sudden shift.
But having erred himself, he held his tongue.
What shocked him more was elsewhere.
Nangong Hak's gaze toward him was purely businesslike, his tone icy.
But toward Scholar Cheon, his eyes and voice dripped with warm honeyed softness.
Even after becoming a Deputy Chief Inspector—something Cheon could never dream of—he still felt inferior. It made him seethe.
Cheon Taesan spoke quietly.
"Nothing major. Just stopped by to say hello."
With Gu Jinha present, he avoided mentioning Yeoseol.
No need to give him ammunition.
"It's been a while. Can't have you visit daily, but do come by more often, Scholar Cheon."
The Nangong Family Head was known for his humanity, but only among the Five Great Families' heads.
The Three Great Swordsmen were idols of the martial world's swordsmen, exuding natural dignity.
Gu Jinha fumed inwardly. He still held his breath carefully around Nangong Hak, yet those two conversed like old friends.
Especially after the harsh tongue-lashing earlier.
Thus, he blurted out something unnecessary.
"Scholar Cheon handled incidents brilliantly back in the Alliance. Everyone praised his insight."
At Gu Jinha's sudden praise, Cheon Taesan listened on, wondering at his intent.
"In that vein, could you help find the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult groups that entered Hefei? With your skills, Scholar Cheon, locating their hideout should be easy."
Cheon Taesan immediately grasped his scheme.
"That's beyond my authority. Meddling in a major Alliance mission wouldn't look good. I refuse."
At Cheon Taesan's firm rejection—something he hadn't expected—Gu Jinha panicked.
'Think I'd let you use me?'
Thinking he'd witness something unsightly if he stayed longer, Cheon Taesan bid Nangong Hak farewell and left the quarters.
Staring blankly at his retreating figure, Gu Jinha soon turned to Nangong Hak with a request.
"May I stay at the Nangong Family residence during my time in Hefei?"
To make such a request after that scolding showed Gu Jinha was no ordinary man.
"Sorry. As an Alliance matter, we'd love to support you fully, but we can't accommodate outsiders right now."
With Scholar Cheon gone, Nangong Hak dropped all respect, speaking plainly.
Flatly rejected, Gu Jinha faltered and countered with,
"Isn't Scholar Cheon residing within the family?"
"Hm, seems Inspector Gu misunderstands. Scholar Cheon is our honored guest, personally invited by me. How could we let such a man stay outside?"
No retort left.
"Ah, my mistake."
"There are plenty of inns outside the family grounds; lodging won't be hard. If it's tough, doesn't the Alliance have its own quarters?"
The tone screamed "find somewhere else," confirming Gu Jinha had thoroughly earned Nangong Hak's disdain.
And rightly so—Nangong Hak despised him. A classic petty villain, raw envy toward brilliant talents on full display.
Thinking of Scholar Cheon enduring such a man in the Alliance fueled his anger.
'Stay here? In your dreams.'
Nangong Hak's voice was not just cold—it chilled the air.
"Pity I couldn't help. Next time, go through the steward instead of me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business."
At Nangong Hak's glare, Gu Jinha flinched and rose at the dismissal.
No matter his grievances, he couldn't show them before Nangong Hak.
Once Gu Jinha left, Nangong Hak muttered,
"What a waste of good eyes. Comparing him to Scholar Cheon shows the difference between tiger and dog. Tch, tch, tch."
Irked at having seen something distasteful, Nangong Hak downed his cold tea.
Exiting the Family Head's quarters, Gu Jinha stared at it for a long while.
"This humiliation—I'll repay it. No matter what it takes."
Evening sunlight shattered across Gu Jinha's vengeful face, laced with chilling malice.