Chapter 61: Spiritual Herbs
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: Spiritual Herbs
"Jackpot!"
Splaaaash!
The hot spring water began to gush out, quickly forming a pool.
His hard work digging the tunnel had paid off. By channeling his Extreme Yang Qi into the earth, he had mapped out the subterranean structure. Furthermore, the underground spring water was bound to carry Yang Qi as well. As long as the two energies resonated, finding the hot spring was a simple task for Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
"I didn't think you would actually find it."
"As expected of the Young Master!"
"Ow, hot!"
"Warrior Tae, be careful!"
"To think such a hot spring existed in the North Sea..."
The members of the Little Snow Unit began to explore the spring in their own ways. Meanwhile, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was busy pestering the Sword Venerable.
'This seems to be the vein of the hot spring. Where do I go now?'
-Ahem. Just because hot spring water came out doesn't necessarily mean the secret cave is nearby...
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had searched for the spring specifically because the Sword Venerable claimed his secret cave was right next to one.
-Master, didn't you even leave a marker?
The Demon Empress scolded the Sword Venerable, who was tilting his head in confusion, perhaps because three hundred years had passed.
-It's a secret cave! I hid it with the intention of it never being found. How am I supposed to remember? Besides, after several hundred years...
It was only natural that it would be difficult to find. The Sword Venerable sighed and approached the spring, feeling guilty for giving the boy false hope. But the moment he saw his reflection in the water, he froze.
-Ah!
-What is it?
'Did you figure something out?'
-I remember! I remember now!
A smile spread across the Sword Venerable's face.
-It's inside!
'What?'
-I just remembered that I built the secret cave inside the hot spring so that no one could ever find it!
-Are you sure you just remembered? You weren't just trying to keep it for yourself, were you?
As the Demon Empress prepared to nag him again, the Sword Venerable defended himself.
-I really did just remember! I thought to myself, who else but someone with Extreme Yin Qi like us could dive deep into a hot spring? That's why I built it there on purpose!
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom stared at the water after hearing the Sword Venerable's explanation.
'So... you're saying I have to dive into that hot spring right now?'
-Exactly.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom let out a long sigh.
"You look like you've just lost a fortune instead of finding a gold mine. What's wrong?"
Cheon Deung-jin noticed Hyeok Ryeon-yeom's expression darkening.
"Ah, I think I've figured out roughly where the herbs to treat the Young Palace Lord are."
"Really? Then we should look for them immediately..."
"Well, it's not certain yet, so give me a moment."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom left Cheon Deung-jin behind and turned to look at the Divine Physician. He had noticed the physician's expression shifting constantly for a while now.
-It seems you've given that fellow some sort of enlightenment.
'Pardon?'
-Let him be for now.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, who had been about to approach the Divine Physician, stopped in his tracks at the mention of enlightenment. In the midst of this uncertain situation, he looked toward Seol Yerin.
'She looks like she'd be warm.'
She must be feeling the cold terribly.
"What should we do now, Captain?"
If the Sword Venerable was right, he had to jump into the spring immediately.
'Are you absolutely sure?'
-I told you I am!
At the Sword Venerable's insistence, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom made his decision.
"Let's bring her here."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom turned back toward the Ice Palace.
*
'Where... am I?'
The world was nothing but darkness. It was strange; she had never felt this way before.
Shiver—
'Cold?'
Her body began to tremble. For the first time in her life, she felt the cold. Even as she struggled to believe it, the sensation was undeniable.
'It's cold...'
Seol Yerin began to realize just how bitter the cold could be.
'I want to be warm.'
It felt sudden, but she missed Hyeok Ryeon-yeom's warmth.
'Miss him?'
She felt alone again. Like the time she was trapped behind ice walls, experiencing a hell where everyone she touched turned into an ice statue. Back then, she had locked herself away. The one who had 'saved' her was a man from the Demonic Cult.
'Why again...'
Why had she ended up like this? They were supposed to have their engagement ceremony soon. She had wanted to tell him that after the ceremony, they should travel to Dongting Lake together. She wanted to tell him that the ring he gave her as a gift was so beautiful, so lovely.
'Am I going to die like this?'
In this pitch-black darkness. Was she to be left alone once more?
'I don't want to.'
Save me. I want someone to save me. And if possible...
I want it to be Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
Seol Yerin thought into the darkness.
Splash—
'A splash?'
Swoosh—
'Huh?'
It was warm.
'Why is it warm?'
Her eyes fluttered open of their own accord.
Flash—!
A brightness so intense it was almost blinding pushed back the darkness.
"Oh?"
As she regained her senses, she saw him.
"Are you feeling better?"
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was right in front of her. And...
"It's warm. Where... am I?"
Steam was rising all around them.
"It's a hot spring."
"What?"
A hot spring in the freezing North Sea?
"A gift I prepared for Lady Seol."
"What do you mean..."
"I'm glad you seem to like it."
At his words, Seol Yerin looked around. She saw the pure white snow piled high. There really was a hot spring in the middle of the North Sea.
"A hot spring..."
"Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, so just soak for a bit and melt away the fatigue."
With those words, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom took a deep breath.
"What are you going to do...?"
"There's something I need to find. I'm going to head down there for a bit."
Down? He meant inside the spring. Seol Yerin looked down at the water. Her clothes were completely soaked, clinging to the curves of her body.
Whoosh—
Her face instantly turned as red as a beet. If he went into the water now, wouldn't he see everything?
"No, you can't!"
It was too late.
Splaaaash—
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom dove into the water, going deep enough to send the spring water flying.
'Ah?'
Watching him dive much deeper than she had expected, Seol Yerin submerged herself up to her shoulders. She didn't like the sensation of her lower body being warm while her upper body remained cold.
'So this is what it feels like to sense heat and cold.'
Now that she was in the spring and could observe her own body, she understood. She could feel a foreign energy inside her. It was poison.
'I was poisoned.'
The shock of it had prevented her Extreme Yin Qi from moving properly, causing her to lose consciousness. If the Extreme Yang Qi coiled within her hadn't burned away the poison, she would have been in grave danger.
'I'll have to build up a resistance to poison.'
If she wasn't careful, she might have become a maiden ghost before she could even get married. With those thoughts, Seol Yerin kept a close eye on the water. She had to be ready to cover herself when Hyeok Ryeon-yeom came back up.
'...'
However, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom did not emerge for a long time.
'Just what is he doing down there?'
Seol Yerin began to wait for him.
*
'Is it really in here?'
-I told you it is!
-Let's look for it together!
After returning to the Ice Palace to carry Seol Yerin back to the spring, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had dove to the bottom and was now scanning the area. He had to find the secret cave the Sword Venerable had left behind to find the Dark Yin Myriad Woman Herb and the Clear Brightness Water.
The Sword Venerable and the Demon Empress also began to scour the depths of the spring. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, on the other hand, closed his eyes. Using spatial perception to find something was a specialty he had honed since his past lives.
Swoosh—
The space within the hot spring unfolded in his mind. Threads of Extreme Yang Qi, formed from his senses, spread out from his body. Just as he had sensed the underground water...
'The Dark Yin Myriad Woman Herb and the Clear Brightness Water are spiritual herbs that have aged for three hundred years.'
Such herbs were bound to possess a mystical aura. If so, he just had to find it—the 'space' where that mystical aura was concentrated.
Throughout his three lives, what Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had always felt was a sense of longing. Just as he had craved success as a top-class baseball player, just as he had frantically devoured the martial arts of the Demonic Cult elders to survive in the Murim, and just as he had desperately wished to use magic while serving as the Master of the Demon Tower's attendant...
'I long for it.'
That aura, distinct from ordinary energy, which only a spiritual herb could possess!
Flash!
He snapped his eyes open.
Zing—!
His Extreme Yang Qi condensed into a single point and shot forward. It passed the Sword Venerable and the Demon Empress, striking a specific spot.
劍尊秘洞 (Sword Venerable's Secret Cave).
Glowing red characters appeared. To think he had left such an obvious marker and hadn't said a word.
-See! I told you it was there!
-Ugh, it's not like you found it, Master!
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom walked toward the entrance of the cave.
'How do I open it?'
-It's easy. Just inject your True Qi.
'It doesn't have to be your True Qi, Elder?'
-I left it so that any descendant who could find it could open it, hoping they would take my treasures after I passed.
He must have done it knowing that finding it would be harder than dying. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom placed his hand over the inscription. His Extreme Yang Qi was instantly sucked in.
Rumble—
With a heavy vibration, the entrance to the Sword Venerable's Secret Cave began to open.
'Huh?'
Strangely, the hot spring water did not flow into the cave.
-Hahaha! It seems my Extreme Yin Qi still remains even after three hundred years!
He had coated the cave with enough Extreme Yin Qi to repel the water.
-Master, you were quite serious about building your secret stash.
-Ahem.
Ignoring the bickering between the two ghosts, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom entered the cave. Perhaps because he was the one who had injected the True Qi, entering was not difficult.
"Phew!"
Once inside, he could breathe again.
"To think there's still air in here. Truly remarkable."
Marveling at the fact that he was standing in a three-hundred-year-old cave, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom began to look around.
Sparkle— Sparkle—
Gold and silver treasures were scattered everywhere.
"Did you not leave any secret manuals?"
-The place where I rest is elsewhere. This was merely my private retreat.
Perhaps that was why most of the items were of monetary value. There were also several jars, as if he had intended to stock up on food. It was essentially a hideout. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom chuckled, imagining the Sword Venerable lounging here alone inside a hot spring.
'Where are the herbs?'
-Over there.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom approached the jar the Sword Venerable pointed out. As he lifted the lid...
Whoosh—
A divine fragrance began to waft out. He looked inside the jar.
He saw small, indigo leaves about the length of a palm, covered in frost flowers. And at the end of the stem, dark blue fruits were glowing brilliantly.