Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: No More Detailed Explanations
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It's late at night. Around midnight, a half-moon still hung in the sky.
Millennium Snow Ginseng.
Seo Mun-ha had obtained a spirit medicine so precious that mere words like "rare" fell short. He had it in his hands.
'Ultimately, it's all the same thing.'
Considering the considerable price he had paid, it was closer to mere fateful connection than a stroke of fortune.
Or perhaps, inevitability.
It was simply that the predestined opportunity and reward had arrived sooner than expected. There were surprisingly many ways to obtain spirit medicines in this land.
Just as Sang Man-seok had assured him for some future date. Items like the Millennium Snow Ginseng weren't easy to come by, but in truth, all the vital energies of heaven and earth were spirit medicines. Even deadly poisons could often become medicine.
"Poison..."
Perhaps because Sichuan lay ahead, his thoughts turned to the Six Great Clans, renowned for their poison arts.
Setting aside Seo Mun-ha as an individual, the Seo Mun Clan as a whole was in the midst of establishing a branch hall in Sichuan. Aligning him, Sichuan, and this journey to Sichuan made it a wondrous fateful connection and fortune in itself.
'In the end, it all depends on how you see it.'
The girl's bright smile as she vanished lingered particularly in his memory.
He should have asked her to convey a single word of thanks to the young Gyeong-ah, who had helped despite her humble station.
Three days later, Seo Mun-ha finally found some mental leeway. Uncharacteristically, he had forgotten because his body and mind were already filled to the brim with the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
Yi Mok-yeom, who had reached the Seven Realms.
For him in this new life, the only thing needed after all the twists and turns was time. Time to build up his internal energy. Time to cultivate his martial arts. But he had shortened that precious resource for anyone in one fell swoop.
'According to plan...'
No, even better than planned.
Even before consumption, his heart was overflowing with joy beyond measure. Now settled quietly in the inn as before, he wasted no time crossing his legs in meditation.
Just as poison could become medicine, medicine misused could turn into deadly poison.
Since the Millennium Snow Ginseng contained a vast amount of vital energy, extra caution was required. A single misstep could repeat the fate of the dead Gyeong-won.
Yin and Yang.
Harmonizing the two opposing energies and their properties, then melting them into the vessel of the body, was an exceedingly difficult task.
"Huuu."
But he harbored no hesitation.
Smoothly—
Even knowing full well, joy was joy, and sorrow was sorrow.
Cultivation meant accumulating one's own foundation.
Normally, it required long years and effort in accordance with the natural order, but this spirit medicine, infused with the essence of all things under heaven, would skip the steps and advance the stages.
Northern Bright Heart Method. In place of decades of accumulated insight.
"..."
Seo Mun-ha protected his body with internal energy and swallowed the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
Soon, despite its considerable size, the spirit medicine's vital energy emerged, resonating with his internal energy and crumbling its form.
'Eup.'
The dissolved energy of the Millennium Snow Ginseng spread through him in an instant.
He calmly circulated the heart method, seeking to merge it with his innate internal energy.
The small encompassing the great—'suppressing the strong originates from flow'—this was the reversal of the core principle and basic circulation method.
His personal internal energy guided and tamed the external force.
'Cloud Gate, Central Prefecture, Heavenly Prefecture, Arm White...'
Like a whip spinning a top, it soothed the clashing energies and passed through the open acupoints.
The Twelve Meridians.
Starting from the Lung Meridian of the Hand Taiyin, through the Large Intestine Meridian of the Hand Yangming, to the Liver Meridian of the Foot Jueyin.
Expanding the open acupoints, piercing the blocked ones, extending to fingertips and toes.
'Lung Meridian, Large Intestine Meridian, Stomach Meridian, Spleen Meridian... Heart Meridian, Triple Burner Meridian, Gallbladder Meridian, Liver Meridian.'
From hands to feet. From feet to hands.
Three full cycles, three times as one.
The gradually fusing energy settled in his dantian, completing the Grand Heavenly Circulation as one became ten.
First Realm: All-Passing.
Seo Mun-ha had entered the initial stage of the Pinnacle.
Not a mere nominal pinnacle, but a true warrior who had unified essence, vital energy, and spirit.
And then,
Smoothly—
His internal energy surged unimpeded, rotating endlessly without satisfaction.
'Due to expansion, it hardens.'
Because it widened, it solidified.
'Yang Net, Stomach Granary, Will Abode.'
Altering the sequence and marking the acupoints, he finally broke through the second gateway.
Second Realm: Profound Knowledge.
'And next...'
When his true energy, surging without obstruction, finally paused, Seo Mun-ha stepped out of the side room and set off for Sichuan.
The provincial capital of Sichuan Province.
Chengdu nestled against the Yangtze River, with vast plains stretching out.
Clop clop clop!
The expansive, even terrain required no special paving for the main roads.
Countless footsteps smoothed it perfectly.
Clop clop clop!
The land was so ideal for carriages that their wheels rolled smoothly, punctuated occasionally by the thud of hooves.
"Young master, you must have slept well last night. Your complexion looks great!"
"Yeah?"
Sound without meaning, mere noise all the same.
Not particularly pleasant noise, but with the long journey's end in sight, A-so couldn't hide his excitement and chattered away. Yang Jeong, peering at my face in turn, offered a contrasting opinion with his tousled features.
"Why do you say that, young master?"
The twin-horse carriage charged forward more vigorously than ever, slicing through the rice paddies on either side.
Rattle! Rattle!
Nothing out of the ordinary, yet for some reason, it kept grating on my nerves.
"Nah, the back of my head's been itchy for a while now."
Precisely since entering Sichuan.
'Who is it?'
What business at this hour? An uninvited guest was stealthily tailing us. Yang Jeong, fully awake, eyed me questioningly.
"You mean..."
"For now, enemies."
"Yes."
The guests brimmed with killing intent.
"Yes?!"
Setting aside their blatant hostility, Yang Jeong jolted upright and glanced at A-so.
"No idea who, but doesn't seem like they're here with good intentions."
"...Who could it be?"
"Even you don't know, young master?"
Yang Jeong and A-so asked in turn.
"I'm not omniscient."
Different words, but the youth and boy thought alike.
"Have you two made any enemies along the way?"
"Probably not. I think."
Yang Jeong scratched his head.
"Like Brother Yang Jeong says, we've never caused any trouble. We've only followed your orders to the letter."
"Not even minor scuffles."
I knew that. Just confirming the facts.
"Then the cause is me."
"Not bandits, but horse thieves maybe...?"
"No. They couldn't enter the capital."
Even across the entire Ming Dynasty, horse thieves were rare.
Why steal expensive horses for banditry? Caring for them was a hassle, and it just added mouths to feed.
"Hmm."
The northern horsemen of old had overwhelmed them for one reason: most common folk's lives weren't close to horses.
Coupled with the Central Plains' terrain, the lightfoot skill of warriors rivaling horses and carriages played a big role.
"No clues?"
"Looks like."
Not Shandong's riffraff. Petty grudges wouldn't summon first-rate warriors across such distance for outright murder.
'Not me, but because of me.'
Not Plum Sword Gang or green forest bandits.
With only slim possibilities left, A-so and Yang Jeong shouted.
"Th-they're really coming! They're close!"
"Warriors!"
Their hearing and sight warned of danger in sequence, as they lacked qi sense.
"Should I tell the coachman to stop?!"
"What will you do?!"
"Calm down, both of you."
The coachman would be startled too. Panicking inside and out could make even a seasoned driver err.
'Someone reliable in the capital...'
Not slowing, I sifted through trustworthy options.
In truth, only one connection came to mind.
"To the Tang family."
"..."
"Sichuan Tang Clan."
Whether they'd welcome us was uncertain, but outright rejection seemed unlikely.
Establishing a branch hall in the capital meant an agreement with the Tang Clan.
"And you, young master?"
"I'll follow right behind."
A-so, weary from worry over the long journey, showed utter trust.
"Please be careful."
Yang Jeong too.
Thud.
Stepping from the carriage, I gripped the roof and instructed the coachman to change course.
"Thanks for your trouble."
I leaped lightly onto the moving carriage and landed softly.
Come to think of it, the Kunlun Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms included an ascent circling in midair.
Brushing off the dust blowing from the carriage belatedly, I eyed the guests.
If I didn't know who, I'd face them head-on and find out.
Crunch.
Shy warriors. Not righteous faction, judging by their fierce pursuit—they now hid amid the barley fields.
"You don't seem shy. Mind if I ask your business?"
"Hah, what a joker."
A man of indeterminable age chuckled self-mockingly. Feigning courtesy yet nitpicking my speech, he drawled.
"Our business is simple."
Simple, yet he brought many skilled warriors.
"Hand over the Millennium Snow Ginseng. It's not for the likes of you."
"..."
"Yield it willingly, and you might live a bit longer."
Not a request but a threat—such a bland purpose drew a hollow laugh.
"Really? Doesn't seem timed for our entry into Sichuan. You've been tracking us."
They claimed tight info protection, and Black Point or the Hao Clan seemed reliable on secrecy.
"Cut the chatter."
Latecomers beating the drum.
"Stalling gains you nothing."
Even shameless eunuchs weren't this overt...
"No one's coming to help no matter how long you wait. Even if they did, they'd just die with you."
True, but they were fundamentally mistaken.
"You're... way too late. Not by one step, but many."
"What...?"
"Gone. The Millennium Snow Ginseng."
"Turning down the wine? Or did you sell it already?"
"Consumed it long ago."
The man scowled, then sneered.
"Ghost Flash, the notorious Shandong delinquent? Quite the braggart."
If he'd consumed it, he should still be meditating, he assumed plausibly.
Brief exchange, but circumstances pointed to their identity.
"Officials."
His eyes widened as he unleashed a sword stance instantly.
"Dealt with your kind before. Tiresome."
His action confirmed it. Their lightness resembled the imperial style, but not palace—these were local bureaucrats' men.
Whoosh!
Dodging the rippling sword stance, I drew my iron sword.
'Not prefectural magistrate, maybe provincial governor level.'
A dozen warriors suddenly emerged. Strictly soldiers, the man muttered to himself before them.
"Tch, the lord said handle it quietly."
The man's skill was Second Realm. The rest, Pinnacle First Realm warriors.
"Isn't Official-Military Non-Aggression the principle?"
I channeled modest internal energy into my sturdy longsword.
"Don't you know even five-year-olds that overreaching brings disaster? Treasures have owners since ancient times—blame yours."
At his gesture, the ambush-inexperienced men swung their blades.
"...True enough."
Official-Military Non-Aggression applied only to the living.
'A civil official this persistent... usually means...'
Dead men tell no tales, and those leaving no corpses even less.
"Can't say corrupt officials have vanished even as the world changes."
Ha Eun-ye's words rose: centuries-old stains on officialdom couldn't be fully erased.
"What...?!"
I slipped through their sloppy military formation effortlessly.
"Blame your master."
Then moved along a new sword path.
Mountain Shattering Heavenly Spirit Sword. Fire Festival.
"All of you."
Flame Spirit Asura Myriad Miles.
Roar!
Heat surged along the sword path, devouring them.
"Agh—!"
It consumed vast true energy, gnawing even the foes before his eyes.
Too crude for swordsmanship. This supreme technique, wielded for the first time.
"Argh!"
Ideal against groups, it didn't slash but shaved away, incinerating their auras.
Even trained warriors couldn't endure the screams.
Scree!
A sharp sword tip pierced the flames toward his chest.
"...Impossible."
No sound. Not a drop of flowing blood.
"Even righteous sect juniors weren't this level."
The last man murmured detachedly.
"Third Realm..."
Unable to breach the crude barrier, crumbling slowly.
"Truly consumed the Millennium Snow Ginseng..."
His charred lips stilled as he lost his final breath.
'Eight Extraordinary Meridians were too much.'
Straight sword wound. The lacerated flesh held by the wound, blood seeping as it bulged.
The barrier covering the skin blackened, distinctly outlining left and right.
'Much better than before.'
Mind-body rift lessened. At this rate, Fourth or Fifth Realm soon...
Drip drip.
The man lay rigid as his dead flesh.
"Farewell."
His eyes bulged, pupils bloodshot black.