Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Comprehending the Secret Formula
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"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"In the course of the investigation, it occurred to me that he might be the person the Little Palace Lord is searching for."
The Little Palace Lord, hearing these unexpected words, spat out the tea from her mouth as if choking.
"Really?"
"It's not confirmed yet, but there's a possibility."
"The Third Protector wouldn't mention it to me based on possibility alone. Is there evidence?"
"He has no internal energy, yet he doesn't feel the cold much in winter and doesn't sweat easily in summer. That's why he's been called a prodigy since childhood."
"That could just be his constitution. Rare, but such people exist."
"That's why I looked into Scholar Cheon's mother's condition this time, and I discovered she might be suffering from Blocked Meridians. Some of the herbs match those used for Blocked Meridians."
"Oh! Then the possibility has increased. That he possesses the Solar Meridian."
"Yes. There's a chance he could be the person you've been searching for all these years, Little Palace Lord."
"I've been wandering the continent for five years now, posing as a physician in search of the Solar Meridian. I've gained reputations like Divine Physician or Saintess because of it, but they're all empty titles. If I don't find the Solar Meridian, I have only a year left to live. I need to examine Scholar Cheon's mother myself. To confirm if it's truly Blocked Meridians."
"For you to go that far, Little Palace Lord..."
"This is a matter of my life. Would you take responsibility, Third Protector?"
"N-no, I misspoke."
"When did the scholar say his mother is arriving?"
"Since the scholar is staying at the Nangong Family, she should arrive soon."
"Keep a close watch. So we can examine her the moment she arrives."
"Understood."
Vitality filled the eyes of the woman called the Little Palace Lord.
At that moment, a scene caught her eye.
"But why are those guys making such a fuss lately?"
"They're the thugs from the Dusik Gang who control this street."
"Ah, the ones who got their protection money taken by Nangong Mubaek and that scholar?"
"That's right."
The Little Palace Lord found it odd that she remembered such a trivial matter. She was the type who never paid attention to petty details.
"Why are they checking the faces of passing scholars and students?"
"They've realized their protection money was snatched away by that scholar's scheme, so they're out looking."
"Hmm, they might cause trouble if they're not careful."
"But they say Scholar Cheon rarely leaves the Nangong Family. No need to worry."
"Worry? What nonsense."
"I misspoke."
The Little Palace Lord continued watching the Dusik Gang members scrutinizing the scholars' faces.
For days now, Nangong Mubaek had only glared at me whenever he saw me, appearing only when I studied writing. But today, strangely, he was waiting for me first.
He had kept his promise from the bet.
But since I was nominally his writing tutor and only studied when he felt like it, I couldn't force him.
For me, having more free time was a good thing, so it wasn't bad even if Nangong Mubaek skipped studying.
That said, I hoped he'd devote more effort to martial arts than studies.
Because there was something I could gain from him.
Nangong Mubaek plunked a transcribed book down on the desk.
"What's this?"
"Read it, scholar, and interpret it for me."
"What book is it?"
"It's a secret formula handed down in our family for ages. No one's been able to properly decipher it, but I thought I'd give it a try this time. My scholarly knowledge falls short, so I'm asking Scholar Cheon for help."
So that's why his tone was unusually mild.
"A martial arts secret formula?"
"I don't even know if it's a martial arts formula or just a treatise on martial theory."
I chuckled inwardly.
It was probably the martial art he'd been practicing lately.
The higher the level of supreme martial arts, the more complex the descriptions became, often veering into metaphysics.
Without deep knowledge, even approaching them was impossible.
He must intend to interpret it through me.
"I'll give it a look."
"Ahem. Thanks. I appreciate it. And this book must not leave these premises. If it's lost or leaked on purpose, remember Scholar Cheon won't get off easy."
Nangong Mubaek threatened me and stood up.
His empty threat only drew a snort from me.
I opened the book and began memorizing the secret formula.
Reading it aloud two or three times made it impossible to forget even if I tried.
'As expected. It's full of metaphors and symbols, not easy to interpret. This must be the Nangong Family's supreme martial art.'
After memorizing the formula, I sank into deep contemplation.
Nangong Mubaek left Scholar Cheon Taesan's quarters with a smug smile.
'Let's see you die this time! You scholar bastard. Do you think the formula I gave you is ordinary?'
This martial theory's secret formula was infamous in Nangong Family history for driving many geniuses into qi deviation.
That was why the family treated it as taboo.
In truth, the Nangong Family approached practicing this martial art with great caution.
There were safe, partial interpretations, but they couldn't unleash its full power, so they still sought a proper one.
"While interpreting the formula, his qi will get stuck somewhere, and he'll fall into qi deviation."
In fact, Nangong Mubaek had once crippled his assigned writing tutor this way long ago.
His father had scolded him harshly for it.
He'd saved this as a last resort, never expecting to use it so soon.
"Live the rest of your life as a cripple thanks to that brilliant brain of yours. I didn't want to go this far, but you trampled my pride too much."
He knew a bookish scholar like him would dive right in just from reading the formula.
Nangong Mubaek snickered, imagining Cheon Taesan lost in contemplation over it.
I was certain.
After reading the secret formula.
It was unmistakably the Nangong Family's supreme martial art formula.
In truth, the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques was the highest level of supreme martial art formula I'd encountered.
I'd never seen anything beyond it.
The more supreme martial arts descriptions mixed in, the more my body's meridians reacted immediately.
This time was no different.
Each time I read and understood the formula, the corresponding meridians tingled.
"Do we have a wooden sword in the quarters?"
I stepped out and looked for Eunbi.
After her grandmother and others' families improved with the medicine, I'd grown close to the people working at Nangong Mubaek's quarters.
Afterward, I'd started speaking casually with them.
Things were going as I wished.
That one treatment had won their favor.
When I asked Eunbi, she brought a wooden sword used by Nangong Mubaek.
Since they trained with wooden swords instead of real ones usually, dozens were prepared.
"What for?"
She asked, puzzled, as it was the first time the scholar requested a wooden sword.
"Got bored reading, thought I'd swing it around for exercise."
"Oh, so Scholar even knows swordsmanship? As expected of a martial world scholar."
Now that we were close, we could chat about such trifles.
Eunbi handed over the wooden sword nonchalantly and withdrew.
Then Nangong Mubaek appeared before her.
"Did you just give my wooden sword to Scholar Cheon?"
Having watched Cheon Taesan for two days, Nangong Mubaek thought the moment had finally come.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. The scholar asked for a wooden sword, so I gave him yours."
She gritted her teeth, bracing for a slap.
But instead, he patted her shoulder.
"Good job. Well done. Give him whatever he asks for, wooden sword or real sword. Even my sword if he wants. Got it?"
"A real sword?"
"Yeah. He might ask for a real one. Give it to him then."
Eunbi had never seen the young master so generous.
It only made her more frightened.
"Understood, Young Master."
"I'll bring you wooden and real swords myself, so keep them ready and give them as needed. No need to come find me."
"Yes, Young Master."
The kinder he acted, the greater her fear grew.
I gripped the wooden sword and stood in the room.
The room was spacious enough to swing a sword freely.
With minimal furniture, nothing was in the way.
Moving as I understood the formula turned it directly into swordsmanship.
Forms were merely motions that maximized qi flow through the meridians.
The wooden sword swung up and down, left and right, twisting and turning.
To an outsider, it might look like a madman's dance, but every motion placed hands and feet precisely where qi followed the meridians.
It was my own martial theory, born from comprehending the formula and acting accordingly.
After about half a shichen of swinging the sword, I stopped.
My whole body was drenched in sweat, like a drowned rat. The floor was soaked.
"I was in a trance."
It had been a long time.
Since the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
I'd entered a trance with those too, but only for a geng.
This time, half a shichen in total immersion meant this formula was even more profound than the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.
'Well, the metaphors, symbols, and analogies were far more complex and varied.'
I realized the formula's danger only after swinging the sword.
"Mess this up, and you'd fall into qi deviation easily."
And I understood Nangong Mubaek's intent in giving it to me.
"That scoundrel tried to lure me into qi deviation. But is there anyone in the Nangong Family who can properly interpret this formula?"
I didn't know its name, but failing to grasp the symbols led you astray.
'Surprisingly, it's infused with Esoteric Buddhist philosophy. No wonder it's so prone to qi deviation.'
In the Central Plains, Esoteric Buddhism was rejected as sorcery, so no one studied it. Without teachers or texts, deviation was inevitable.
To be precise, it was a formula based on the Seven Stars Seven Origins concept from Esoteric Buddhism, shaping one's qi.
Taoism had Seven Stars and Seven Origins too, but Esoteric Buddhism's version meant something else.
Among all meridians, focusing qi on those corresponding to the Big Dipper's positions generated seven cycles of primordial qi in the body—that was Esoteric Buddhism's Seven Stars Seven Origins theory.
The formula contained the somewhat absurd idea that each produced new abilities.
It incorporated chakra philosophy, meaning wheel or cycle in Sanskrit.
"By accumulating spirit qi in the Seven Stars Seven Origins meridians, one reaches the essence of this sword art."
After dissecting all symbolism, this was the interpretation left. Without knowing Seven Stars Seven Origins, it was meaningless.
I'd read about Esoteric Buddhism's Seven Stars Seven Origins in the Murim Alliance library long ago, so I knew the meridian positions.
Taoism named the Big Dipper meridians Tamlang, Wengu, Jumen, Lukzun, Yanzheng, Wqu, Pagu. Esoteric Buddhism saw the Conception Vessel as Baihui, Shukou, Tiandou, Danzhong, Zhongwan, Qihai, Huiyin.
Governing Vessel: Baihui same, Houzheng, Naohu, Dazhui, Shenzhu, Mingmen, Changqiang—combining for thirteen total.
Esoteric Buddhism claimed these were spirit meridians.
Probably no one else in the Murim Alliance had read this book.
It was in Sanskrit.
And these spirit meridians didn't use internal energy but vibrations.
The soul generates waves, manifesting power like gong.
'The creator likely wanted to harness these spirit meridians' power. But using internal energy reduced its might to a quarter, losing value. No further path. Spirit meridians offer endlessly expanding power.'
That's why the formula was dangerous.
'Even knowing the seven Seven Stars Seven Origins spirit meridians, injecting qi into all at once leads to deviation. Those who deviated were probably geniuses. How tragic.'
Should I tell them this?
I shook my head.
Hadn't I experienced it in the Murim Alliance?
'They'd brand me a thief who stole their sect's martial arts to protect their pride. They can't tolerate a mere scholar deciphering what their warriors couldn't for years. And now I've comprehended the Nangong Family's supreme martial art?'
Nine times out of ten, it'd be extermination or torture to extract everything before death.
Either painless death or agonizing one—those were the options.
Martial artists' pride ignored black-and-white, ethics, morality.
I changed clothes and stepped out.
"Eunbi."
"Yes, Scholar."
"Clean the room a bit. Sweated so much exercising, the floor's wet."
I handed her some silver coins.
"No need. You're our family's benefactor; how could I take money?"
"Pocket money. Take it."
Eunbi gratefully pocketed the silver.
Human hearts change from morning to evening.
"I'm heading out, so if anyone's looking for me, tell them to come back this evening."
"Yes, Scholar."
Thanks to the silver, her tone was softer.
As if I owned the place.
I needed to buy herbs to prevent Mother's condition worsening.
Rare ones, so I headed to the largest apothecary in the castle.
I set off for Hefei's biggest herbal shop, where the Nangong Family was located.
But in the alley to the shop, burly thugs blocked the front and back, leaving me unable to hide my dismay.