Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Stealing Internal Energy
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His dantian suddenly paused for a moment before vanishing into one of the pavilions.
"What the hell? It's moving like it's alive."
It was my dantian, but since I'd obtained it through the second ability of the Seven Stars, I didn't fully understand its functions.
I looked at the plaque on the pavilion where my dantian had entered.
"Yongmu Hall."
This was where the Nangong Family's elite experts stayed and trained.
I unleashed the Nine Phantoms Ghostly Shadow Divine Art to its utmost and perched on a beam inside the pavilion.
Dozens of Nangong Family warriors lay sleeping on their beds within the hall.
My dantian darted back and forth inside, seemingly searching for something.
'This is incredible.'
When a guard patrolling the hall entered a room, the dantian fled to a corner of the ceiling.
The guard passed right under it without detecting its presence overhead.
'Unbelievable.'
Soon, the dantian slipped into the open mouth of one sleeping warrior.
'Ugh!'
I nearly cried out in disgust at the sight of my dantian entering someone else's mouth.
'Even if he's asleep, something that size going in should wake him up. I definitely felt a foreign sensation when it returned or when I swallowed.'
I wondered if it shrank or changed form upon entering a person's mouth, becoming imperceptible.
'Damn it, dantian. Come back! Return to me!'
Even with my focused will, there was no sign of it returning, so I left the pavilion.
"Whoa! This is insane. My dantian went into someone else's mouth without my say-so?"
No Esoteric Buddhist text had ever mentioned anything like this.
I slipped out of the pavilion first and returned to my quarters.
It was late at night; getting caught spying on another hall would leave me without an excuse, so I moved stealthily.
Waiting for my dantian to return, I eventually dozed off.
In the dim dawn light, a familiar sensation woke me.
My dantian floated above my head.
With my mouth closed, it hovered there, unable to enter.
I parted my lips slightly, and it dove straight in.
"Ugh!"
It had been inside someone else's mouth, and the thought turned my stomach.
But it had already slid down my throat and settled into the Mingmen acupoint.
"You little bastard."
I started cursing in disbelief, then burst out laughing.
"Huh?"
But the energy emanating from my dantian felt different.
It had clearly been a five-year dantian, yet overnight it had grown by about a year's worth.
"No way... Did it steal someone else's internal energy?"
I recalled it entering the mouth of that warrior sleeping in Yongmu Hall the night before.
"I've accidentally become an internal energy thief. Now I feel guilty."
I decided I shouldn't carelessly send my dantian out anymore.
If it stole other people's internal energy every night while they slept, that would be a problem.
Stealing a warrior's lifeblood—his internal energy—was no different from a grave sin.
"Haah, really."
Stepping outside, I marveled at how versatile my dantian was, following my hand gestures and all.
But the realization that it stole others' energy filled me with guilt.
"I need to be careful. Very careful."
I pondered how to compensate the warrior from whom my dantian had taken a year's worth of energy.
"Oppa."
Yeoseol approached me as I was about to head out.
"Oh, Yeoseol."
"I hardly see you these days."
"I've been busy."
"Too busy to study with me?"
Her eyes sparkled playfully as she chided me, and I realized her verbal skills had improved a lot.
'Come to think of it, she's grown taller too.'
I stroked Yeoseol's head and gauged her height.
'Definitely taller.'
She seemed to be growing faster than kids her age.
"Who've you been playing with lately?"
I was curious about who was keeping her company now.
The household staff had started avoiding her, so she must be hanging out with someone else.
"Sometimes with the owners of this house."
"The owners?"
"The Family Head and the Matriarch."
"You little rascal."
"And the Dusik Gang too."
"Dusik?"
"Yeah."
I wondered how she even connected with Dusik.
"How'd you meet Dusik?"
"I stepped out briefly, and he found out I'm your little sister, so he bought me lots of treats."
A lot of people had seen us eating noodles at that street stall, so word must have spread.
"Dusik's my subordinate now."
"You rascal. You can't do that. He's way older than you. Call him 'uncle'."
"No way. Once a boss, always the boss."
"Where'd you pick up that nonsense?"
"Huh? I learned it from you, Oppa."
She no longer lost to me in verbal spars.
"Hyungnim."
Nangong Mubaek emerged from the quarters, spotted me, and approached.
Calling me "hyungnim" still felt surreal coming from him.
"Hey, you scoundrel young master. Who told you to call my oppa 'hyungnim' so casually?"
"Scoundrel? This brat!"
"Oh ho, gonna hit me? Look at this. Pure, innocent, fairy-like little me—only a scoundrel would try to hit someone like that."
Nangong Mubaek, about to flick her forehead, slowly lowered his hand.
"It's my choice to call him hyungnim. Who are you to boss me around?"
"Scoundrel young master, you know one but not two. If you call my oppa 'hyungnim', it'll mess up the family tree. Then what do I call you?"
"I'll be your oppa too, obviously. More precisely, Mubaek oppa. Say it: Mubaek oppa."
"What bullshit is that?"
"Heh. This brat really..."
"You're messing up. Me, who'll become the world's greatest beauty—calling me a brat?"
"Whoa. What does this kid think she'll be when she grows up, acting like this? I made a name as a scoundrel myself, but you? Nah."
"What nonsense. From what I hear, you're quite the notorious scoundrel young master with a colorful history."
"Hyungnim, when did this brat get so good with words?"
I couldn't answer Nangong Mubaek's question.
Her speech, her learning ability—it was all uncanny.
"Don't call my oppa 'hyungnim' anymore."
"It's my choice, you pest. Hyungnim, hyungnim, hyungnim, hyungnim, hyungnim."
Nangong Mubaek kept yelling "hyungnim" at me to tease Yeoseol, while she kicked his shin hard.
"Ow! You little brat!"
Thwack!
In the end, Nangong Mubaek flicked her forehead, and Yeoseol fumed.
"I'm telling the house owners on you. Stay right there, you scoundrel."
"Hahaha. I'm the owner here. Who you gonna tell?"
Yeoseol, who'd been teasing Nangong Mubaek, suddenly vanished somewhere.
I figured I shouldn't stick around and slipped away.
Moments later, as Yeoseol returned through the Moonlight Gate holding someone's hand, Nangong Mubaek shouted.
"You really brought someone? Kids are kids—one hit and you fetch backup. I win. Borrowing others' strength is against murim rules. Uhahaha!"
"You punk! Did you hit our Yeoseol?"
"Huh? Father."
"You bastard! I never pegged you for this, but now you're hitting little kids too?"
Nangong Hak, led by the hand by Yeoseol, began scolding Nangong Mubaek.
"House owner sir, this scoundrel young master hit me. Please punish him."
Nangong Mubaek blinked awkwardly.
Nangong Hak sent his son a transmission.
-I'll pretend to hit you, so yell that it hurts.
-Even so...
-Hey, she's like a daughter to me.
-...
Nangong Hak infused his palm with energy and struck the air. A drum-like boom echoed.
Nangong Mubaek reluctantly grimaced and played along.
"Aigoo! That hurts. Go easy."
"House owner sir, harder. Make him cough blood. Use this chance to fix his habits for good."
"Got it, Yeoseol. I'll hit him till he passes out."
Yeoseol planted her hands on her hips and burst into haughty laughter.
"Uhahaha! This is the law of murim. Dare challenge the strong as a weakling, and this is what you get!"
From the rooftop, I watched and shook my head.
'I need to drill some manners into her harder.'
Left like this, she'd turn into a little witch queen.
Nangong Cheolwoong was diligently training at the Yongmu Hall practice ground today as well.
Nangong Family warriors who mastered the Vault of Heaven Sword Technique and Lightning Flash Sword Technique entered the elite realm, then learned the Great Derivation Sword Technique.
All the warriors in Yongmu Hall were elites practicing the Great Derivation Sword Technique.
Among them, Nangong Cheolwoong lagged the most, so he always stayed after sessions to continue training.
Even after morning practice ended, he swung his sword alone, seeking to grasp the sword principles.
I watched him silently before approaching.
I'd already learned about him through others—his name, his background, roughly everything.
'A collateral branch member with talent and effort that got him to Yongmu Hall. But without backing, his progress is slow.'
That was what I'd uncovered about Nangong Cheolwoong.
Talent alone wasn't enough without a good master or guidance; true advancement was hard.
From the Great Derivation Sword Technique onward—higher arts—self-study hit limits quickly.
Unless one had genius to break through.
'Nangong Cheolwoong doesn't grasp the meaning of "Great Derivation" well.'
I wanted to impart insight into the Great Derivation Sword Technique as compensation for taking a year's energy from him.
The Nangong Family's Three Great Sword Arts:
Great Derivation Sword Technique, Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique, Emperor Sword Technique.
Some called the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword one of the three, but it was just a flashy name for a typical swift sword any clan might have.
Unaware of my gaze, Nangong Cheolwoong wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
The soaked sleeve showed how intensely he'd trained.
"Young warrior Nangong Cheolwoong."
At my voice, he startled, then bowed with cupped fists upon seeing me.
"Ah, Scholar Cheon."
It was unexpected.
A man holed up training in Yongmu Hall knew me.
"You know me?"
"Of course. You're a distinguished guest at the main house, famous too. I've seen you from afar a few times."
His face said it was obvious.
"Me? Famous?"
He looked hesitant, so I spoke first.
"Ah, the rumors."
"Yes."
"All nonsense."
"Is that so?"
He responded, but his eyes doubted my words.
'What do they think I am to spread these misunderstandings?'
The more I denied, the worse it got.
Lately, I just chuckled at the absurd tales.
'Heard I'm Nangong Hak's hidden son too. My mother would freak.'
Nangong Cheolwoong asked,
"Waiting till my session ended... Do you have something to ask me?"
"Have you felt any weakness in your energy or diminished internal power?"
"Hm, this morning I sensed a slight drop in my inner force."
He answered calmly.
'As expected.'
To ease my guilt, I analyzed his training.
"Don't misunderstand. I passed by and saw your practice—seemed stuck. May I offer advice?"
Nangong Cheolwoong looked shocked.
"I hope I'm not overstepping."
Advising a warrior on his arts could bruise pride, so I treaded carefully.
He shook his head vigorously.
"Nonsense! Didn't you turn Young Master Nangong Mubaek into the Nangong Soaring Dragon Swordsman? An honor to receive your guidance."
He'd always craved martial insights and couldn't refuse Scholar Cheon's offer.
"If it's not too bold... Enlighten this dullard."
Refusal would be one thing, but eagerness meant sharing his hurdle was fine.
"First, do you know the meaning of 'Derivation' in Great Derivation Sword Technique?"
A basic question, yet he answered earnestly.
"Of course. Overflowing, flowing, circulating—many meanings."
"You know, yet you practice wrongly. I don't get it."
"Pardon?"
"What mental image do you hold while executing the forms?"
"The feeling of flowing water, as per the manual."
"Just flowing?"
"What else is there?"
Here his scholarly depth showed lacking.
"Do you know the Water's Seven Virtues?"
The Water's Seven Virtues—seven properties of water.
"What's that?"
"Know them, and you'll grasp Great Derivation Sword Technique."
Nangong Cheolwoong listened reverently.