Chapter 3
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Piercing the Blockages
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Crack, crack.
This cursed body screamed incessantly just from assuming a cross-legged position.
'What a frail shell this is.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok endured the pain steadfastly and once more focused his mind on the surrounding energies.
Whoooong.
Not through internal energy, but sheer will alone—the natural qi stirred once again. It flowed smoothly into Ruyan's body.
But the moment it touched Ruyan's frame, it began to rebel fiercely.
Crackle.
Like opposing forces, they refused to blend, shoving each other away in a frenzy.
The pure energy rejected infiltration into the murky foulness within Ruyan.
'Bear with me. I have my reasons for this.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok soothed the qi as best he could, forcing it bit by bit into the clogged channels of the body.
Flash!
Yielding to his unyielding will, the natural qi finally bowed its head.
It burrowed abruptly into the body, which had been locked tight as a drum.
"Guhk!"
At that instant, pitch-black dead blood gushed from Ruyan's mouth.
A gruesome sight on the surface, but a promising sign.
The foul qi that had dominated the body for a lifetime had been pushed back, if only slightly.
A starting point had been established. Of course, this meant the real work was just beginning.
There was no dantian to house the incoming qi. The absorbed internal energy had nowhere to gather and build strength throughout the body.
'No accumulating it—channel it straight in as it comes.'
With the pathways cracked open, it was time for finer control over the qi.
The energies surging wildly from all directions halted abruptly, then began clustering before Ruyan's lower abdomen.
Not inside the body, but gathered externally and drawn in.
This was the solution Ha Cheol-hyeok had devised.
And one only he could attempt.
The condensed external qi grew agonizingly slowly. The pace was frustratingly glacial.
After a solid thirty minutes of focus, he'd amassed an amount equivalent to a year's worth of internal energy.
Since the goal wasn't mere accumulation, he could stockpile a fair amount even in this short span.
'Still far from enough, but it'll have to do for now.'
Inside, the alarmed foul qi was already lashing out, faster and more vicious than before, threatening his life.
Any more delay, and death was certain.
'No time to waste.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok clenched his molars and yanked the gathered external qi straight into his lower abdomen in one go.
Thud.
The foul qi mounted a last stand, massing defensively in the lower abdomen.
The clash sent his body heaving wildly, excruciating pain wracking every inch.
'Ngh, I knew you'd pull that.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok swiftly withdrew the external qi and shifted its target upward to the Zhongwan acupoint.
'If there's no path, make one.'
Gathering it before the lower abdomen had been a feint anyway. No dantian? No need to fixate there.
Boom.
Another massive shock rocked his body.
The Zhongwan acupoint, unable to withstand it, flung open its stubborn gate, yielding space.
The first meridian point in Ruyan's body to open.
'A successful start.'
As pure qi flowed through, the twisted meridian straightened, carving a proper path.
Though two-tenths of the gathered qi dissipated in the process, the result was more than satisfactory.
But it wasn't over.
The foul qi, hunkered in odd corners, belatedly grasped the situation and charged north to devour the intruder.
'Not on my watch.'
This was fifteen-year-old stubborn foulness. The natural qi couldn't overpower it head-on yet.
Ha Cheol-hyeok avoided a direct clash, sending the natural qi surging upward instead.
Boom.
Another dizzying impact hammered the interior, opening the Shangwan acupoint.
Three-tenths more qi vanished. Now, barely half a year's worth remained.
'Still not enough. Stopping here is too risky.'
These opened meridians were mere footholds for the natural qi to pass freely.
To mount any resistance against the foul qi, he needed a space the size of a fist.
One more!
His final target: the Qihai acupoint. Securing that would give this cursed body breathing room.
'No time left.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok didn't hesitate, even as dead blood dribbled endlessly from his mouth.
He hurled the remaining natural qi upward with all his might. Half a year's energy charged like an enraged bull.
Small in volume but ferocious in momentum, it pierced the twisted meridians and reached the Qihai acupoint.
And collided.
A vibration far fiercer than before savagely shook Ruyan's body.
Thud.
But it failed.
The natural qi bounced off the Qihai's stone-hard walls without breaching them.
'Urk, too weak after all.'
With no path opened, the rebound slammed back, churning his organs.
Splurt.
Blood now poured not just from his mouth, but ears and nose as well.
The agony was so nightmarish that even Ha Cheol-hyeok lost his composure for a moment, screaming inwardly.
'Pathetic. Is this all my training amounted to?'
Self-reproach gnawed at him for failing to save this wretched body.
But truthfully, it wasn't his fault.
Achieving this much was possible only because it was Ha Cheol-hyeok.
And time hadn't been on his side. With just one more year's energy, success would have been his.
Proof lay in the foul qi bubbling from the cracked Qihai.
So close.
'No attacking Qihai again with what's left.'
And time was up.
The massive foul qi had caught up, baring its savage fangs.
'Only one option remains.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok had done all he could. Now, it was up to this frail body.
'If you want to live, endure this once.'
He spread the nearly dissipating qi wide, gently enveloping the Qihai.
Meanwhile, the rampaging foul qi finally engulfed the natural qi.
Kaboom!
The collision detonated an explosion within.
Ruyan's battered body convulsed violently, then collapsed.
Vision blurred, and Ha Cheol-hyeok felt consciousness fading.
It was over.
Yet even as he blacked out, Ha Cheol-hyeok smiled inwardly with quiet satisfaction.
'Well done holding out, Ruyan. Leave the rest to me and rest.'
The final clash had breached the Qihai. That was enough.
Ruyan wouldn't die now.
When Ha Cheol-hyeok came to, a faint warm breeze tickled his senses once more.
Glancing aside, he saw poorly dried firewood smoldering pitifully.
'Not the best wood for firewood.'
Even at a glance, it wasn't market-bought quality. And given the family's straits, they wouldn't have purchased it anyway.
Blanc must have hastily chopped it himself.
The first time Ha Cheol-hyeok opened his eyes in this world, identical firewood had been burning.
'To think he managed with that broken body...'
Felling trees and hauling them would have been no small feat for Blanc.
"Ruyan! You're awake?"
As he surveyed the room, Blanc burst in and rushed over.
In his hands was a pale pink cloth, scrubbed as clean of stains as possible.
He must have wiped Ruyan's body with it all night long.
"What happened? You were suddenly vomiting blood..."
Blanc anxiously checked Ruyan's body, then his eyes reddened.
It was understandable.
Family was his greatest treasure. Seeing his blood-spewing son collapsed couldn't have been easy.
"Oh right! Sorry, hold on. I'll whip up some stew quick."
Before Ha Cheol-hyeok could respond, Blanc scurried out.
Less than five minutes later, he returned with steaming-hot stew.
More meat than yesterday, though slightly mashed.
Boiled, cooled, reboiled—for a son who might wake anytime.
Or perhaps never at all.
'Heh, after tasting every delicacy, a simple stew moves me.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok accepted the stew without a word.
And devoured it ravenously. He shoveled it in until his palate burned.
Seeing Ruyan, who could barely eat normally, wolf it down brought a moved expression to Blanc's face.
Then, snapping to, he spun around hastily.
"Hungry, huh? I'll boil another bowl right away—wait here."
His hunched back trembled as he moved to dash out again.
"No. I'm full now."
Ha Cheol-hyeok called him back—not empty words; he truly was stuffed.
"Really? Want to lie down? Let Dad check you over."
'He means healing magic.'
Advanced healing fell to divine magic, but basic treatment was within any mage's grasp.
An exceptional mage like Blanc could surely manage effective spells.
'No, he's already cast it.'
Observing Blanc closely, Ha Cheol-hyeok noted the near-total depletion of his internal energy.
Magic had already been used.
Despite massive blood loss, his body felt surprisingly light—further proof.
'Sigh, he's overdone it again. His energy's so low, collapsing wouldn't surprise me.'
More magic in that state was impossible. Or at least, suicidally risky.
"I'm fine now. A little rest, and I'll be good."
This wasn't a lie. Rest was all Ha Cheol-hyeok needed.
But Blanc paced anxiously by the bed, uneasy.
Left alone, he'd surely force another healing spell.
"I'm going to sleep."
To prevent further strain, Ha Cheol-hyeok cut the conversation and rolled over.
Blanc fidgeted, lips mumbling, before slumping his shoulders and heading out.
"Alright. Rest well, and tell me if anything hurts."
Blanc's presence faded.
Ha Cheol-hyeok hesitated, words sticking in his throat. But at last, he spoke softly.
"Dad."
The word "Dad" emerged from his mouth for the first time.
Not uttered lightly. Ha Cheol-hyeok had wrestled with it for quite a while.
'Awkward, but anything else would feel stranger.'
He'd felt Blanc's sincerity. Unfamiliar and bewildering, yet heartwarmingly tender.
Whether it was Ha Cheol-hyeok's emotion or Ruyan's, he couldn't say.
But distinguishing now was pointless.
'Regardless, I'm the one feeling it.'
Ha Cheol-hyeok resolved not to turn away from Blanc's heart. Only then could he voice "Dad."
Blanc, oblivious to his turmoil, simply turned with a weary gaze.
"What is it?"
"You rest too, Dad. I'm really okay."
"Worried about me, kid?"
A chuckle escaped Ha Cheol-hyeok at that gentle voice.
'You don't know your own state.'
Truth be told, Blanc was in worse shape than Ruyan now.
How could he not worry?
"Tomorrow, skip work and let's take a walk."
"Sure. Dad'll carry you."
Meant as a bet he could walk by then, but Blanc misunderstood.
Ha Cheol-hyeok just smiled faintly, saying nothing more.
'Once the dantian recovers, I'll look after you too.'