Chapter 52: More Precious Than Gold
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: More Precious Than Gold
The doctors who examined Ki Mu-hyeok's condition all shook their heads in disbelief.
“While a martial artist’s recovery speed is incomparable to that of ordinary people… Mr. Ki Mu-hyeok is a subject worthy of study even among those I’ve seen.”
Even with the top-grade internal and external medicines and spiritual elixirs sent by the Sun Moon Sect used in his treatment, considering how he looked when he was first brought in, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to be bedridden for at least a week.
Yet, in just three days, Ki Mu-hyeok had recovered enough to move around perfectly fine, and decided to transfer to a hospital where he could commute from home.
‘I feel like I’ll be fully recovered in another day or two.’
The spiderweb-like wounds all over his body had visibly healed, and his internal injuries had also significantly improved.
The doctors and nurses, astonished by his monstrous recovery, stressed repeatedly:
“Even if you feel fine, don’t skip your hospital visits. And absolutely no training, exercise, especially Internal Energy cultivation, for a while.”
“The leg wounds seem almost healed. Can I do lower body exercises?”
“Absolutely not!”
“What about a simple run…?”
“Perhaps I should call your guardian and tell them.”
“……”
“Don’t look at me with such a disappointed expression. You need absolute rest. Patient? Are you listening to me?”
He went through the discharge procedures, enduring a barrage of nagging, but Ki Mu-hyeok didn’t give up easily.
‘A simple bodyweight workout should be fine, right?’
Push-ups or pull-ups, and depending on his condition, maybe light warm-up exercises like muscle-ups or planches? Wouldn't those be okay?
Ki Mu-hyeok was excited at the thought of exercising at home after a long time, but that very day, Choi Geon caught him, gave him a good smack, and forbade him from training.
“You’re practically begging for a chronic injury in your old age!”
“I was just going to do some light rehabilitation…”
“Nonsense. Do you think I don’t know how martial artists get antsy if they miss even a day of training, and then end up wrecking their bodies? Stop talking nonsense and just lie still!”
Choi Geon didn’t just end his warning with words.
He confiscated all of Ki Mu-hyeok’s practice swords and wrapped blue tape around the few exercise machines in his room, making them unusable.
“……Master. Isn’t this too much? What if my body stiffens up? Mom and Dad, don’t just stand there, say something!”
It was the first time Ki Mu-hyeok had felt rebellious towards his master.
However, Choi Geon snorted dismissively, telling him not to be cheeky, and his parents, who always trusted their son, weren’t on his side this time.
“It’s great having Master here. Please scold this rascal more!”
“Just listen to Master. You’ve had it good, training however you wanted all this time, haven’t you? There’s a reason experts tell you not to do something.”
With the three of them standing side-by-side, arms crossed, glaring at him, Ki Mu-hyeok felt alone in his own home for the first time.
Pouting, Ki Mu-hyeok grumbled.
“Since when did you three get along so well?”
“Didn’t you know? We have fun on our own now, even without you!”
In the end, Ki Mu-hyeok recuperated for a few more days under the strict, watchful eyes of his master and parents, and only began simple training after receiving permission from the hospital to start rehabilitation.
As soon as his son received a clean bill of health, Ki Chan-ho, as if he’d been waiting, pushed for a celebration party.
“It’s a little late, but we have to have a party to celebrate getting your license!”
“The First-Rate License Exam is still coming up, though?”
“Well, we can do that one next time. This time, it’s to celebrate becoming a formal Martial Arts Practitioner, and next time, it’ll be to celebrate your promotion to a First-Rate Martial Artist.”
“A celebration.”
Park Ji-yeon, who usually reined in her doting husband, also showed a firm expression, insisting that a party to celebrate getting the license was absolutely necessary.
It was no exaggeration to say that the entire family had been waiting for this day since Ki Mu-hyeok was a child.
But because their son had suddenly been injured and hospitalized in the Korean Martial Alliance, they had eaten the celebratory cake they’d bought beforehand, just the two of them at home.
“Should we invite Kang Heon and Bok-ja too?”
“Why would you state the obvious?”
“You don’t even ask your son anymore?”
A few days later, a celebration party for obtaining the Martial Arts Practitioner License was held at Ki Mu-hyeok’s house.
“Uncle, Auntie! I brought expensive whiskey as a gift!”
“Oh my! Our Bok-ja truly is a lucky charm, just like her name!”
“I brought a department store Hanwoo gift set.”
“Hahaha, thanks to Kang Heon, we’ll feast tonight!”
Kim Bok-ja naturally joined the party, and Shin Kang-heon also arrived, his cast removed, carrying gifts.
“To Mu-hyeok and Kang Heon, congratulations on obtaining your Second-Rate Martial Artist Licenses!”
Clink!
It was a boisterous time, from evening until late into the night.
Kim Bok-ja, who had been awkward when she first came to Ki Mu-hyeok’s house, was now practically inhaling the food, and Shin Kang-heon was elaborately recounting his exploits during the License Exam.
“But I couldn’t see Ki Mu-hyeok at all, so I thought, ‘Did this guy get disqualified for beating up his teammates because he didn’t like them…?’”
“Do you think I’m like you?”
“Auntie… this is really delicious…”
The two bickered and squabbled non-stop, while on the side, Kim Bok-ja, oblivious to them, stuffed her cheeks with food, exclaiming how delicious it was, making them look like three siblings.
Park Ji-yeon, watching the three with a fond smile, asked Shin Kang-heon.
“So, Kang Heon, have you made up your mind? Is there a Martial Sect you want to join?”
Shin Kang-heon scratched his head and replied.
“My uncle says I should choose one of the Eight Great Sects with good conditions, but honestly, I’m not sure.”
Although the First-Rate License Exam was still ahead, it was time to seriously consider his future plans.
However, Shin Kang-heon just grinned, saying he hadn’t thought much about it.
“There’s nowhere I particularly want to go. I might just go wherever my uncle tells me to.”
“……”
Everyone knew that Shin Kang-heon’s uncle was his only family since his parents had passed away, so even though they didn’t particularly like Shin Jun-hyeon as a person, no one said anything.
“It’s your decision, so I won’t nag you one way or another…”
At that moment, Choi Geon, who usually didn’t join such conversations, also smiled and subtly added.
“But know this, Kang Heon. Your father was an excellent saber master.”
Shin Kang-heon’s eyes widened at this new information.
“You knew my father?”
“Shin Jae-hyeon. Didn’t he serve as the Vice Leader of the White Tiger Corps in the Korean Martial Alliance? We weren’t close, but we’d exchange greetings when we ran into each other.”
“Why are you only telling me now?!”
“You rascal. When did you ever ask me?”
Choi Geon chuckled, asking back. With a slight tipsiness, his eyes softened more than usual as he looked at Shin Kang-heon and continued.
“The son seems to have more talent… To think that the son of the upright Shin Jae-hyeon would be such a wild colt. At first, even after hearing the name, I wasn’t quite sure.”
Choi Geon rarely spoke of his past.
It was the first time he had mentioned his time in the Korean Martial Alliance in front of others.
It also meant that he was opening his heart to the people here, blending in, and becoming part of the family.
“Master! Can you tell me a little more about my father?”
“I don’t know much myself… Hmm. Do you know anything about the White Tiger Corps?”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
For a while, old stories flowed from Choi Geon’s lips: what various organizations in the Korean Martial Alliance did, what they did for the weak, and how much they sacrificed to uphold justice.
‘This kid seems to have developed an interest in the Korean Martial Alliance, huh?’
During that time, Shin Kang-heon’s eyes sparkled more than Ki Mu-hyeok had ever seen before.
“White Tiger Corps…”
He mumbled that, and perhaps feeling thirsty, he subtly reached out to grab a bottle of alcohol.
Smack! Smack!
Ki Mu-hyeok and Kim Bok-ja both smacked Shin Kang-heon’s back hard from either side.
“Ow! I’m an adult too! Can’t I have some alcohol?”
“What are you talking about? The youngest drinking?”
“You’re going to ruin the body you worked so hard to build with alcohol?”
Shin Kang-heon, tears welling up, glared at the two nagging him, then pouted and reached for a soda instead.
“Hmph. I’m everyone’s punching bag, aren’t I?”
Ki Chan-ho and Park Ji-yeon burst into laughter simultaneously at his grumbling yet obedient demeanor.
And so, many conversations continued late into the night.
“Thanks for the meal!”
“Tell us more stories next time!”
As Kim Bok-ja and Shin Kang-heon returned to their respective homes, the house suddenly grew quiet.
“With those two gone, the house suddenly feels empty.”
“Well, they have such a strong presence.”
“Should I have packed them some more side dishes?”
“It’s fine. How much can kids living alone eat? It’s better to give them small amounts frequently.”
Ki Chan-ho and Park Ji-yeon cherished Shin Kang-heon and Kim Bok-ja, who were their son’s age, as if they were their own children.
Coincidentally, both of them had no parents, so they tried even harder to be affectionate.
Perhaps that feeling was conveyed to them, as Shin Kang-heon and Kim Bok-ja often visited first these days.
In Kim Bok-ja’s case, when she visited last time, she had even asked them to call her Bok-ja instead of her nickname, Rerae.
The son of the house, however, looked bewildered at his parents, who seemed to care more for his friends than for him.
“How did our house become their hideout?”
“I like it. They’re both good-hearted and pure, not like kids these days.”
“I like it too. How common is it to find friends for an unsociable kid like our son?”
“Sorry for being an unsociable son…”
Ki Mu-hyeok grumbled softly, then let out a small laugh.
This was the life his past self had yearned for.
Just then, Choi Geon smacked his lips and asked.
“I’d like another drink. Would an old man staying on be a nuisance?”
“The kids are gone, so the drinking party starts now!”
“Shall I bring out the ginseng wine?”
As Ki Chan-ho, Park Ji-yeon, and Choi Geon clinked glasses and chatted, and Ki Mu-hyeok poured himself a cola, enjoying the relaxed time.
“Hmm?”
Choi Geon’s eyebrows twitched as he conversed with the three, then he turned his head and looked at Ki Mu-hyeok.
“Mu-hyeok. You must be tired, so go to your room and rest.”
“Huh? I’m not tired at all.”
Ki Mu-hyeok’s eyes widened as he looked at his master.
Since being discharged, his daily routine had been eating and sleeping, and he hadn’t trained, so he wasn’t tired at all.
Choi Geon then practically pushed his disciple’s back.
“Ahem. It means the adults have something important to discuss, so you should discreetly excuse yourself.”
“……?”
Though bewildered, Ki Mu-hyeok obediently headed to his room as instructed.
The moment he stepped into the room, he froze at the sight of a presence sitting on his bed without a sound.
“Shh.”
As Ki Mu-hyeok tried to react, the opponent swiftly approached, grabbing his wrist and pulling it down.
“Good reaction.”
Softly curved eyes gazed at Ki Mu-hyeok’s fingertips. If he had been a moment slower, his sword finger would have already struck him.
“……Martial Alliance Leader?”
Ki Mu-hyeok, finally recognizing the opponent, murmured in a low voice and relaxed his body.
Fist King Yeo Pil-geuk.
To think the Martial Alliance Leader of the Orthodox Martial World would be hiding in his room, waiting.
“It wasn’t easy to slip out quietly, you see. It’s a good thing these are chaotic times; normally, someone would have already noticed.”
The Martial Alliance Leader, smiling like a mischievous child, took a couple of steps back.
Ki Mu-hyeok closed the door and entered, lowering his voice as he asked.
“Did you come all this way because of me? If you had told me the place and time, I would have gone to you…”
“I thought this would be better for keeping it a secret. However, I don’t have much time, so I should get straight to the point.”
Yeo Pil-geuk pulled out an old book from his sleeve.
Ki Mu-hyeok swallowed hard as he saw the words Five Elements Divine Art written on the spine in a single, flowing stroke.
“That’s…!”
“I heard from that friend that you are a Five Elements Affinity user. I knew what you needed without you having to say more.”
Over the past few days, Choi Geon had been tasked with interrogating the Assassins in the Korean Martial Alliance to uncover their mastermind.
In the process, he had told the Martial Alliance Leader about his disciple, and Yeo Pil-geuk understood why Ki Mu-hyeok had requested a private audience with him.
“It’s the original. Since there’s no one who can learn it anyway, and no one would look for it if it disappeared, I believe I can lend it to you for a long period.”
The Martial Alliance Leader, who had handed Ki Mu-hyeok a gift more precious than a thousand pieces of gold, winked.