I Just Want to Block Them

After Jin Soya left, Ye Hajun didn't have long to himself before his next visitor arrived—Namgung Gyeom.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"See for yourself."

Hajun lifted his heavily bandaged right arm a little so Gyeom could take a look.

"Still, the Principal stopped by earlier and left me an elixir."

The moment he showed the wooden case, Namgung Gyeom let out a soft note of admiration.

"A Baekgyeol Johwadan… With something of that caliber, you'll recover without question. Can you walk?"

"Probably? Honestly, aside from the right arm, it's just muscle soreness."

"Then how about returning to the dormitory at once? There's a cultivation chamber there, so you can take the elixir and circulate your qi immediately."

From what Gyeom went on to explain, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠since Hajun's meridians were already damaged, the sooner he took it and sped up recovery, the better.

When Hajun checked with Physician Sado Myeong as well, the answer was that so long as he came by daily to have the arm examined, there was no problem with going back.

In the end, Hajun returned to the dormitory leaning on Namgung Gyeom's support.

Left alone in the cultivation chamber, he put up a post on the gallery.

When it came to internal force and elixirs, Cheonma was the gallery's highest authority—no further thought required. Hajun popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed.

Oh?

The first thing he felt was a clear, dense medicinal fragrance flooding his mouth.

Even opening the box had given off an unusual scent, but once it was on his tongue the aroma surged so fiercely it seemed to pour from every pore in his body.

And at the same instant—

Holy shit. No wonder he said not to run a full Small Heavenly Circuit all at once.

Internal force cascaded into his lower dantian like a waterfall, and his whole body burned hot.

Compared to the first time he'd circulated with a Yeongseok, this was an entirely different scale—an enormous quantity of internal force.

Trying to move all of it through a full circuit in one go was clearly out of the question.

Alright. Just work with whatever amount I can actually move.

He eased the force along little by little, and once he had a manageable volume in motion, he began a gradual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Small Heavenly Circuit.

Having practiced steadily ever since first learning qi circulation, he knew the routes well by now.

Even so, he finally understood why the gallery spirits kept saying that after burning through your internal force, you needed proper recovery.

Yeah… moving the force catches in places way more than before.

Where the pathways had once been clean thoroughfares, they now felt like rough dirt roads.

Every time he shifted the force it snagged and stuck, making the circulation harder in a completely different way than before.

But the Baekgyeol Johwadan the Principal had given him lived up to its reputation for healing damaged meridians. Each pass down a route widened it, smoothed it, and cleared the obstacles away.

So this is why they said elixir pills beat spirit stones. He kept the circuit going until the heat warming his body finally settled, then opened his eyes.

"Pulled another all-nighter. Guess that's what that much volume will do to you."

Grumbling, he rose from his seat—and sure enough, his body felt easier in every way. The clearest proof was the faint itching returning to a right arm that had had no sensation at all.

Even if some of the muscle ache is still hanging around, I feel better overall.

It had taken a long time, but it had been worth it.

Moreover, a considerable amount of still-unabsorbed internal force remained in his qi sea, and both the quantity and quality of what had gathered in his lower dantian after the circuit had grown.

Unlike martial arts techniques, every single circulation session lets you feel the growth a little. That's nice, at least.

At his first circulation it had been maybe a handful of water; now it felt closer to a small pond.

The moment he posted a review that he'd finished circulating, replies flooded in.

Seeing the gallery starting to catch fire again, he hastily tuned it out.

I'm growing fine compared to that first circulation. It'll happen eventually.

Thinking he'd wash up and grab something to eat, he stepped outside—only to find an unexpected figure waiting for him.

"Han Yumae?"

"Ah—Hajun."

The moment she saw him, Han Yumae looked him over from head to toe.

"Your body? Are you okay? You're already up and moving? What about the arm?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I just overused my internal force, that's all. The arm—can you move it?"

"Thanks to the elixir the Principal gave me, the sensation's starting to come back little by little. I think it's alright."

"I'm so glad…"

Watching her press a hand to her chest in relief, Hajun finally voiced the curiosity he'd been holding back.

"More importantly—why are you here? How did you even know where to find me?"

The answer came not from Yumae, but from the house's owner—Namgung Gyeom.

"Ever since you were laid up at the infirmary, the Scattered Plum Sword has been at your side every day looking after you. That's when she and I became acquainted."

"Thunder Sword sunbae! You're supposed to keep that quiet!"

"I should have kept it quiet. My apologies."

With that, Gyeom looked at Hajun and asked,

"In any case, I'm glad to hear your arm is healing. For a martial artist, losing a hand is fatal no matter the circumstances."

At those words, something clicked for Hajun, and he turned to Yumae.

"That reminds me—I heard you were the one who asked the Principal. Thank you."

"…I was just trying to repay a debt. I'm the one who should be more grateful. I've seen that you're alright, so that's enough. I'll be going."

She spun on her heel and was about to head out when yet another guest arrived.

"Yo, rookie. Heard you fucked up your arm. You good?"

"Gal Hyeonsang too…"

"Close the door behind you, Gal Hyeonsang. And I believe I forbade you from coming here."

"What, just 'cause you say stay away, I'm supposed to stay away? And I'm not here to spar today—I'm on an errand from my sister to check on the freshman."

Gal Hyeonsang strolled right up to Hajun as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and the moment he reached to jab at the right arm, Han Yumae stepped between them.

"…And you are?"

Ignoring her completely, Gal Hyeonsang spoke to Hajun.

"Sensation back in the arm?"

"Yeah. So don't touch it—it hurts."

"A grown man, and you're already whining…"

"Shut up, you bastard. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let's see how you talk when your own arm's wrecked."

"Only someone as lacking as you gets hit with that. Not happening to me."

Hearing that, Han Yumae answered him in a voice edged with irritation.

"Hajun was injured trying to help me."

"And who the hell are you, butting in this whole time?"

For a split second Hajun felt a sharp sense of déjà vu.

Their first meeting—when Gal Hyeonsang had suddenly launched an attack under the pretense of a test.

"Gal Hyeonsang, sto—!"

Before the words were even out of Hajun's mouth, Gal Hyeonsang reached for Han Yumae.

Papapak!

But Yumae had been ready. She took his opening strike as if it were nothing, and a short exchange of blows followed before Gal Hyeonsang laughed and stepped back.

"Damn. A lot of strong new academy students these days. Mount Hua Sect?"

"The Demonic Cult…! What business do you have with Hajun?"

"Not the Demonic Cult—Shin-gyo."

Gal Hyeonsang ground the words out between his teeth, and Yumae fired right back without giving an inch.

"From the way you act, Demonic Cult seems perfectly accurate."

At that, Gal Hyeonsang bared his teeth in a grin.

"Hey, Namgung Gyeom. Lend us the training grounds. Otherwise we're fighting right here."

"Haa… Could you not just leave? This is my dormitory, and Hajun is still a patient."

"If Thunder Sword sunbaenim would simply allow it, I would very much like a match with this young master of the De.mon.ic Cult myself."

Yumae deliberately broke the title into pieces to needle him, and Hajun stepped in.

"No—Yumae. Gal Hyeonsang and I already know each other. You don't have to go that far…"

Despite both of them trying to intervene, the fire between Han Yumae and Gal Hyeonsang was already lit.

Hajun looked to Namgung Gyeom, but Gyeom only shook his head.

And then—

Even with orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions forced to join hands, old grudges still ran down the generations without fading.

This didn't look like a situation an outsider could step into and break up.

In the end Namgung Gyeom let out a long sigh and took a step back.

"Haa… I'll lend you the training grounds, but as far as I'm concerned you two occupied them on your own. I know nothing about this."

"You say that, but your hands are itching for a fight too. Mount Hua's Phantom Sword is famous for a reason."

"That's a separate matter. I simply have no desire to create a situation I'd be held responsible for. And you, junior Scattered Plum Sword—you have no objection?"

"I have none either."

"Then it's decided."

Should I still try to stop them?

Just as the thought crossed Hajun's mind, posts went up on the gallery.

I just want to block both of them…