Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Obtaining the Third Energy
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He couldn't forget the thrill he felt when laying that trap for Gu Jinha.
Nor the sight of the captured prey writhing in agony.
'A clever bastard like you would never miss my trap. But that very cleverness will drag you into the abyss.'
Gu Jinha had absolute faith in the sturdiness of his trap.
After the humiliating encounter with Cheon Taesan at the Nangong Family last time, even the tiniest shred of guilt had vanished.
And the very next day, he headed straight for the Azure Dragon Sect.
'I didn't plan to use this. But if I have to resort to my contingency, it's all your fault. If this lets me catch two birds with one stone, I won't hesitate.'
Gazing down at the small pill in his hand, Gu Jinha steadied his resolve.
Under the pretext of investigating Yi Mokseong for collusion with the Demonic Cult, he had slipped the pill into Elder Gal Woohun's tea.
'I don't know how Elder Gal got his hands on this, but one pill is enough to drag both the Azure Dragon Sect and that Cheon Taesan bastard down to ruin. Then I'll have achieved my goal in Hefei completely.'
It was the Explosive Demon Pill that fueled such confidence.
The Explosive Demon Pill was a potent elixir that, once ingested, gradually amplified demonic qi within the body.
A deadly poison and spirit pill usable only by the Demonic Cult's high command.
'The Explosive Demon Pill doesn't just amplify demonic qi. The moment it comes into contact with the infected person, it exposes others to that highly dangerous demonic qi.'
That was why even the Demonic Cult banned the Explosive Demon Pill.
Anyone who consumed it was doomed to die.
As Gu Jinha kept glancing at Yi Woong and Yi Mokseong, I watched him closely.
The two were being questioned by other inspectors.
The interrogation grew heated bit by bit.
"It's not true. Why would my son collude with Demonic Cult thugs?"
"His reputation has always been poor, and given what he's done, it's suspicious that he might have learned Demonic Cult martial arts."
Yi Woong erupted at those words.
"I know my son's conduct isn't exemplary. But the Demonic Cult? That's absurd. It's a frame job. Someone's slander!"
"There are even rumors that Yi Mokseong is emanating demonic qi. Denial won't change the facts."
"Then check it! See if my son has any demonic qi right now!"
At that, Gu Jinha quickly shot a glance my way.
"That's why we've brought along an expert who can discern it. He even detoxified someone poisoned by demonic qi back at the Murim Alliance. Isn't that right, Scholar Cheon?"
Gu Jinha grinned at me in a tone that could have been mockery or praise.
He wore a smile utterly out of place for the situation, as if something amused him greatly.
Taking his pulse here felt like stepping into one of Gu Jinha's traps.
'It's not just today. I can absorb the energy another time. Better to refuse now.'
No need to knowingly walk into the trap he'd set.
"That's true, but what authority do I have to take a pulse? We should fetch a physician from the Murim Alliance."
My refusal made Gu Jinha's temper flare.
"Even so, shouldn't Scholar Cheon, whose sense of justice surpasses any warrior's, lend a hand? Otherwise, the Azure Dragon Sect might get branded as Demonic Cult collaborators."
I smirked at Gu Jinha, who was practically shoving me toward the trap.
The more he pushed, the less likely anyone would step in.
That was when it happened.
Yi Mokseong, under interrogation, suddenly let out a guttural scream.
"Kraaaagh!"
Yi Mokseong clutched his head and shrieked.
"What's wrong?"
Yi Woong rushed to his son's side in alarm.
Blue veins bulged on Yi Mokseong's face, and the whites of his eyes showed.
"Qi deviation!"
The surrounding warriors cried out in shock.
It was the textbook symptoms of qi deviation.
In an instant, demonic qi erupted from Yi Mokseong's body like an explosion.
Thick, viscous malice spreads!
White Tiger Squad on high alert
"Eek!"
"Demonic qi!"
The White Tiger Squad, specialists in tracking Demonic Cult and fiends, couldn't mistake it.
A sticky, repulsive energy like sinking into a swamp.
Some White Tiger warriors drew their swords and shouted.
"Demonic qi!"
Yi Woong shook his head frantically.
"Impossible. No way. My son..."
"Parents often know their children the least."
Gu Jinha replied with a triumphant smile.
"Something's wrong here."
"With such clear evidence right in front of you, and still denying it."
Gu Jinha turned to me.
"Scholar Cheon, why don't you take his pulse? That way we can confirm if it's demonic qi."
Yi Woong rushed to me, clinging desperately.
"Please examine my son. It's definitely not demonic qi."
He must have sensed I wasn't in cahoots with Gu Jinha and pinned his hopes on me.
If it was confirmed as demonic qi, the Azure Dragon Sect would bear the exact crimes Gu Jinha accused, so Yi Woong was fighting for his life.
All eyes focused on me. Refusing would cause issues; confirming would too.
After a moment's thought, I approached Yi Mokseong.
"I'll take his pulse. To check if it's really demonic qi."
I saw Gu Jinha's face light up with a broad grin.
'What trick did he pull to be so pleased?'
Knowing it was an obvious trap, I still extended my foot into it.
To confirm the Seven Stars' energy within him.
Plus, I had the ability to dispel demonic qi, so I was confident I could escape his snare.
He didn't know demonic qi could be drawn out with spirit energy, not internal energy.
That's why, back at the Murim Alliance, rumors spread that I was a physician who could treat demonic qi poisoning.
I called on Jong Sobin for help.
"Lady Jong, can you assist?"
Jong Sobin rose to her feet in response.
"Can you use large needles infused with icy chill qi to seal the poison meridians in his head? Without direct contact."
"How deep should I insert them?"
"Three cun at the Baihui acupoint, and one-and-a-half cun for the rest. No hand placement—throw them in. Is that difficult?"
Jong Sobin was uniquely proficient in medicine despite being the Little Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.
She'd learned it originally for memorization poisons but achieved mastery in acupuncture too.
"Not at all."
Jong Sobin infused the large needles with icy chill qi and hurled them at the poison meridian acupoints on his face.
Each needle that struck made Yi Mokseong's body twitch.
Once ten needles were embedded in his face, his screams subsided.
Yi Woong fidgeted anxiously before approaching me.
"Will my son be alright?"
"Sect Leader Yi. If you want to save him, trust me completely. From now on, stay silent and watch."
Yi Woong knew this was a desperate crisis where refusal could brand them Demonic Cultists and doom his son.
Realizing the scholar would decide the fate of the Azure Dragon Sect and their lives, he clung like a drowning man to driftwood.
I glanced at Gu Jinha.
He still wore that smug smile.
I reached out toward Yi Mokseong.
Gu Jinha smirked as he watched Cheon Taesan extend his hand.
'You're finished now. A guy without internal energy touching demonic qi will become a cripple in moments. Then I'll frame you as a Demonic Cult spy and throw you in the Murim Alliance prison. Rot there in agony until you die.'
Gu Jinha tilted his head as Cheon Taesan paused midway.
'What are you up to?'
Cheon Taesan's hand headed not for Yi Mokseong's wrist, but his head.
He placed his palm on the large needle at the crown.
Frost had formed on the needle from the icy chill qi.
I murmured inwardly.
'Demonic qi is sensitive to temperature. Especially unstable energy like this—it loses activity in low temperatures. That's why the Demonic Cult clings to the Divine Realm.'
This was knowledge even Murim Alliance physicians didn't have.
They all tried suppressing demonic qi with internal energy.
Seeing Yi Mokseong's symptoms, I immediately suspected the Explosive Demon Pill.
And grasped Gu Jinha's scheme.
'He thinks I don't know about the Explosive Demon Pill. But I've mastered the Demonic Cult's forbidden arts and elixirs. He hoped I'd get addicted to its qi, but fat chance.'
With icy chill qi coating the needle, demonic qi couldn't invade.
'But spirit energy can't be blocked by it. This way, I can absorb Yi Mokseong's without touching him.'
As the icy chill qi seeped from the needles into the poison meridians, demonic activity plummeted, stabilizing Yi Mokseong.
In that interval, I infused spirit energy to locate the Seven Stars' energy.
'There it is. Good, what luck. Yi Mokseong's is the Tamrang Star energy.'
I'd been tense it might duplicate Pang Soun's Green Lord Star or Nangong Mubaek's Martial Curve Star.
Duplicates would be pointless.
Yi Mokseong's Seven Stars energy was lodged in his lower dantian.
'Stuck in the lower dantian, it won't boost internal energy and worsens madness symptoms. No wonder he turned into such a wastrel.'
I absorbed the Tamrang Star energy from the lower dantian via the needle.
Unaffected by temperature, the spirit energy flowed up the frozen needle into my palm.
"What are you doing? You need to take the pulse properly. Just touching the needle tells you nothing!"
Gu Jinha bellowed, furious that Cheon Taesan wasn't following his script.
"Vice Inspector Cha, quiet down. Isn't Scholar Cheon diagnosing right now? Great physicians can read pulses by tying a thread to the wrist and feeling the vibrations. He must be confident. Besides, it's preventive care—give him some understanding."
Wang Cheong stepped forward and spoke, drawing a venomous glare from Gu Jinha.
Then he flinched at Wang Cheong's cold, indifferent stare.
For a split second, the clear killing intent pierced his mind.
Regaining his composure, Gu Jinha muttered.
"Ah, I just spoke out of worry."
Collecting himself, he recalled his second plan.
Cheon Taesan was too cunning; he might slip away somehow.
So Gu Jinha had prepared a second trap, like baiting a tiger.
He hadn't expected to use it so soon.
"The demonic qi surged so much even the White Tiger Squad felt it. The Demonic Cult or Blood Cult will sense it. They're desperate to find the Little Palace Lord of the Ice Palace."
Wang Cheong asked flatly.
"And?"
"We need to move the Little Palace Lord to the second safehouse."
"......"
Wang Cheong couldn't refute the logic.
"Having Yi Mokseong and the Little Palace Lord together is foolish. Squad Leader Wang, take the White Tiger Squad and escort her to the second safehouse. The sect leader can return to the Azure Dragon Sect."
Wang Cheong scrambled for an excuse.
"No need for that. If the Blood Cult or Demonic Cult shows, we capture them all."
"I believe protecting the Little Palace Lord comes first. The sect leader isn't their target."
Gu Jinha pressed Wang Cheong, who didn't respond.
"Ah, this is an order from me, with full elder council authority. Refuse, Squad Leader Wang, and you'll face severe consequences later. Like stepping down as squad leader. You know."
Wang Cheong's lips twitched at Gu Jinha's words.