Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Final Hurdle
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Having completed all preparations, Dan Ak-seon smiled at Namgung Hyang, who lay on the sickbed.
“You've endured well so far.”
Namgung Hyang asked, her eyes tinged with worry.
“Can I really be cured?”
“Don't worry. You'll be able to return to your normal life. But could you promise me one thing?”
“A promise…?”
“Please keep the treatment method a secret. And no matter what happens during the process, don't be surprised or flustered. It's no exaggeration to say that the success of this treatment depends on the patient's trust.”
After pondering for a moment, Namgung Hyang gave a faint smile and nodded.
“The fact that I have a secret to keep means my chances of living are that much higher, right?”
Namgung Hyang looked into Dan Ak-seon's eyes and said.
“I trust you physicians.”
“Then, let's begin.”
As soon as Dan Ak-seon finished speaking, Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi took their positions on either side of Namgung Hyang.
Each reached out and held her wrist.
Namgung Hyang's gaze wavered at first, but she soon recalled Dan Ak-seon's words and regained her composure.
“Please stand guard in case anything unexpected happens.”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded at Dan Ak-seon's instruction.
Soon, Dan Ak-seon opened the wooden case containing the Immortal Reverence Needles and the Demonic Spirit Needles.
“Then, let's begin.”
* * *
Deep in the night, near the end of the Hour of the Rat.
Masters from the Martial Alliance surrounded the annex, maintaining a strict guard. Meanwhile, Namgung Baek stood motionless on a high pavilion with a clear view of the annex.
He had been standing there for six hours already.
In truth, with each passing moment, his insides were burning black with anxiety.
All the more so because he couldn't know what was happening inside the annex...
Then, a strange light flickered in Namgung Baek's eyes.
“Hmm?”
He felt a peculiar energy leaking from the distant annex.
A rough and domineering energy of extreme yang, and a delicate yet chilling energy of extreme yin—the amount was so great that even Namgung Baek shuddered.
‘To be able to draw out this much medicinal power!’
Namgung Baek couldn't help but be impressed.
There was a reason they were so confident in their unique secret arts. He didn't regret a single one of the elixirs he had provided.
An uninformed observer might have mistaken it for two supreme masters engaged in a life-or-death internal energy duel inside.
At that moment, the yin and yang energies, which had been gradually increasing in power as if checking each other, seemed to merge at a certain point, transforming into an entirely different kind of energy.
A mist of pure true energy, endlessly warm and immeasurably refined. It was an energy that calmed the heart just by feeling it.
“What in the...!”
A sound of bewilderment escaped Namgung Baek's lips.
He had belatedly realized that he had unconsciously moved right up to the pavilion's railing.
“If it's this strong from this distance...”
Namgung Baek glanced toward the annex and hurriedly sent a telepathic message. It was directed at the Azure Sky Corps Leader, who was commanding the guards.
—Snap out of it!
Namgung Baek saw the Azure Sky Corps Leader startle.
He had just realized his own state, that he had been moving toward the annex.
The problem wasn't just him.
A significant number of the warriors stationed around the annex for protection were breaking formation and moving toward it, as if possessed.
—Have your men fall back immediately.
At Namgung Baek's command, the warriors guarding the annex retreated like an ebbing tide.
A moment later, the Azure Sky Corps Leader, Yang Bul-wi, ascended the pavilion and prostrated himself, his face flushed.
“Forgive this subordinate's disgraceful conduct.”
Namgung Baek didn't particularly scold Yang Bul-wi.
The energy surrounding the annex had that much of a pull on people.
The higher one's martial arts realm, the stronger the temptation would be. But one thing was certain: this was not some deviant, unorthodox technique.
The Namgung Family's traditional internal energy art, the Great Expansive Azure Sky Divine Art, inherently possessed properties to repel evil energy. Yet, he felt no sense of repulsion or resistance whatsoever.
That meant the energy was not malevolent, but pure.
“And yet it displays this level of internal power? What kind of treatment method is this...?”
Namgung Baek stared intently at the annex.
His heart was still pounding with anxiety, but somehow, he felt a bit more at ease.
* * *
As the treatment entered its eighth hour.
“You've held on well. This is the final stage.”
“Yes. I can do it.”
Namgung Hyang replied in an exhausted voice to Dan Ak-seon's words.
Her body was drenched in sweat, and dozens of needles were embedded all over her.
But her gaze hadn't faltered in the slightest.
Seeing the unwavering will in her eyes, Dan Ak-seon nodded.
“From now on, I will remove the needles one by one to let the energy flow there. Very slowly and gradually.”
As he finished speaking, Dan Ak-seon began to carefully remove a needle embedded between Namgung Hyang's neck and shoulder.
“From this point on, you must not open your mouth. Focus on maintaining your breathing as much as possible. Even if there's pain, do not be alarmed.”
Namgung Hyang blinked in response.
When the needle was fully removed, Namgung Hyang flinched. As true energy began to flow through her energy channels, the tingling and itching sensation was an unfamiliar stimulus.
“It's alright. That's a completely normal reaction. It's proof that your senses are returning.”
With those words, Dan Ak-seon continued to remove the needles. Then, he reached for the needles placed between her navel and pubic bone, at the Zhongji and Guanyuan acupoints.
At that moment.
As it was a sensitive area for a woman, Namgung Hyang's gaze wavered slightly.
It was an extremely subtle change, but the result was not trivial.
The brief emotional disturbance led to a breakdown in the breathing she had struggled to maintain. It was then that the true energy, which had been spreading from the Girdle Vessel to the minor channels, lost its balance and began to run wild.
As a dreadful chill and immense heat washed over her simultaneously, Namgung Hyang's vision blurred, and she briefly lost consciousness.
In that instant, a large needle in Dan Ak-seon's hand plunged into the spot below Namgung Hyang's solar plexus.
“Haa...”
A puff of white vapor escaped from Namgung Hyang's lips as she could finally breathe again.
*Crackle.*
The breath, filled with a dreadful chill, touched the ceiling and instantly turned into white frost, spreading in all directions.
At the same time, intense heat erupted from her entire body.
The heat was so formidable that even Dan Ak-seon recoiled in surprise.
In an instant, Namgung Hyang's clothes turned to ash and scattered.
“...!”
As the now-nude Namgung Hyang was overcome with shock, a firm shout anchored her mind.
“Focus!”
When Namgung Hyang's wavering gaze steadied, Dan Ak-seon checked on Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi.
The two of them had already long surpassed their limits.
Sweat poured down their faces like rain, and their fingertips were trembling faintly.
“Hang in there! We're almost done!”
Hearing the urgency in Dan Ak-seon's voice, the two gritted their teeth.
“Now!”
And at Dan Ak-seon's signal, they once again focused all their mind and will on circulating their true energy with every last bit of their strength.
* * *
*Clack.*
The annex door opened, and Dan Ak-seon walked out.
Behind him, Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi appeared in succession.
At the sight, Namgung Baek immediately shot forward. Like a giant roc, he cut through the air and landed in front of the annex.
“What happened?”
At Namgung Baek's anxious voice, Dan Ak-seon, who was staggering with exhaustion, collapsed to the ground.
Only then could Namgung Baek get a proper look at Dan Ak-seon.
A face as white as a sheet of paper.
Streaks of sweat were clearly visible on it.
The sweat had all evaporated, leaving behind only a dry, salty residue.
Moreover, his lips were cracked like a parched field.
Han Seol-hwa and the physician, Beom Gye-wi, were also clearly exhausted.
‘What in the world happened?’
Namgung Baek felt a creeping sense of dread.
He could understand the physician, but it was extremely rare for a master of Han Seol-hwa's caliber to look so haggard.
“Is Hyang safe?”
At Namgung Baek's urgent question, Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi only looked at Dan Ak-seon, saying nothing.
Dan Ak-seon was the same.
He was limp like a wet towel, unable to speak. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Namgung Baek started toward the annex.
*Thud.*
Just then, someone grabbed his wrist.
It was Dan Ak-seon.
With great effort, Dan Ak-seon lifted his head, met Namgung Baek's gaze, and shook his head.
“...!”
Namgung Baek's heart sank.
“Hyang!”
Namgung Baek's body shot toward the annex like an arrow released from its bowstring.
Just then, Pung Jin-seong, who was coming out of the annex, hurriedly blocked Namgung Baek.
“What are you doing?”
Pung Jin-seong, who had been scolding Namgung Baek, was taken aback.
It was because of the formidable killing intent pouring from his eyes.
Namgung Baek growled lowly.
“If something happened to that child...”
“What are you talking about? What do you mean, something happened?”
“...?”
While Namgung Baek was bewildered by Pung Jin-seong's words.
A voice came from behind him.
“The treatment was a success.”
It was Dan Ak-seon.
“Then why just now...?”
Dan Ak-seon sighed at Namgung Baek, who turned around with a surprised look.
“I was about to say that she needs to rest first, so you should postpone your visit, but then you rushed off, Alliance Leader.”
“Then Hyang can live?”
“Yes. As long as nothing out of the ordinary happens, she'll be able to live out her natural lifespan.”
“Out of the ordinary?”
“Like an impatient guardian disturbing the patient's rest.”
“...!”
Namgung Baek hurriedly backed away from the annex. A moment later, Cho Ak-ryang walked out.
He had been standing guard until the very end.
“The patient has regained consciousness.”
At those words, Pung Jin-seong went back inside the annex.
Cho Ak-ryang approached the group and gave them a sympathetic look.
“You all worked hard.”
Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi nodded silently. Dan Ak-seon managed a weak smile and looked at Cho Ak-ryang.
“You worked hard too, Mister.”
“What did I do? Physician Dan had it the hardest.”
It was true.
If Dan Ak-seon hadn't calmly handled the multiple crises that arose during the treatment, it would have surely ended in a terrible outcome.
Though a physician, Dan Ak-seon was still a child.
Nevertheless, the sight of him pouring his physical and mental strength to their limits to save a patient moved Cho Ak-ryang in a strange way.
The harsh martial world, where one had to kill to survive.
It made him realize anew that a completely different world existed.
“It's nothing. It's just what I do.”
The reply was very much like Dan Ak-seon.
It was then.
“Hyang!”
At Namgung Baek's surprised voice, the group's gazes turned to the entrance of the annex. They saw Namgung Hyang walking out, supported by Pung Jin-seong.
Her complexion was still pale and her body frail, but at least her eyes were full of life.
Seeing this, Namgung Baek's face was a mask of turbulent emotion. It was the first time he had seen his daughter walking on her own two feet since she had collapsed from her illness.
Namgung Baek approached her and gently took her hand.
The warmth transmitted through her hand quietly melted his frozen heart.
Her face, always contorted in pain, now wore a serene smile.
Namgung Baek bowed his head to Dan Ak-seon.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you...”
“Let's save the pleasantries for later. Don't these people need to rest?”
“Understood.”
Namgung Baek nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's words. Then, with a reluctant heart, he spoke to Namgung Hyang.
“I'll be back.”
Namgung Hyang replied with a bright smile.
“I'm sorry. You must have had a hard time because of me, right?”
“Not at all. Everything's fine now.”
Every parent in the world struggles because of their children. But no suffering could ever compare to the pain of sending a child off before them.
Although his family's fortunes had declined in the effort to save Namgung Hyang, in this moment, he had no regrets.
That was Namgung Baek's honest feeling.