My mind went blank at the Great Doctor’s words. They were words I thought I would never hear.
My dantian was still damaged not long ago, so I was stunned at this news.
“I guess you didn’t know. Well, that is why you asked for your dantian to be healed.”
My reaction must have seemed funny. He smiled, then he took his hand, put it on my abdominal muscles, and pushed.
Clench!
“… why are you doing this?”
“This is where the dantian is located.”
“…”
“I don’t know about you, but if you touch this place, there should be a weird feeling, like something is moving.”
“Something moving.”
“The pieces of a damaged dantian.”
“Ah…”
It was said that even a broken dantian would have pieces remain.
“However, there is a small flow within, as if the embers were revived like a burning bonfire. It is quite rare. The dantian is reviving itself.”
“You are saying my dantian has healed itself?”
“For now, I can only guess.”
This was something I never expected. The dantian which didn’t heal all my past life was now being healed after my rebirth.
-Ahh. I feel drunk.
-Well, congratulations. Wonhwi.
Both of the swords liked this.
“You said it was rare, so were there such cases like me?”
“It is rare to be able to come across one like this. In the first place, if their dantian is broken, most people give up. So it is rare to see it healed.”
Even the Great Doctor hadn’t come across such cases. Having said that, the Great Doctor placed the plaque on the table.
“I didn’t treat you, so here is the plaque. Take it.”
He was honest. If all people were like him, the world would overflow with trust.
Either way, I was lucky. In this case, I even got a plaque from the Great Doctor. Even if I had gotten two without being healed, I could have used one to get the dantian treated.
-Can it be useful?
‘Yes.’
The Great Doctor placed his plaque on the table. Putting it there meant I should take it, and I thanked him.
“What are you so thankful for?”
As he said that, he smiled. It would be the best thing if I had a good relationship with this man.
After confirming the dantian inside me, I left the hall and returned to Hae Ack-chun.
I requested the Great Doctor not to let others know about my dantian getting better. Recognizing my intention, he nodded.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the kind of man to speak about his patients. It is better for me to hide the truth because Hae Ack-chun might covet the plaque of the Great Doctor.
-But, how about your dantian?
Short Sword asked, puzzled. I had a few guesses.
-What?
‘Do you remember the cultivation I did in the waterfall?’
After the fangs pierced my foot, I performed cultivation, and my body felt clean.
Within a short period of time, the qi in my body changed, and even my wound began to heal. I didn’t realize that my dantian was also healed then.
-Oh. Right. That could be. If that is true, you should be thankful to the demonic spirit for doing that.
Honestly, I was thankful. If he hadn’t attacked, all of this wouldn’t have happened.
-Why aren’t you talking?
Iron Sword said to Short Sword.
-A healed dantian is definitely good. There is, however, a concern.
‘Concern?’
-My former owner could only learn the cultivation method after he destroyed his dantian.
‘So?’
-Can you do it now? Practice without internal damage?
Ah… come to think of it, the cultivation technique I was taught worked with a broken dantian. I somewhat understand what the iron sword was saying.
I was the same.
Was it possible for innate qi and internal qi to coexist? I couldn’t give a sure answer. I had no such skills.
-Hmm. That makes sense.
-I think it is better to be careful. Wonhwi. If we try to hold everything in our hands, we might lose everything…
-Did your former owner also say that?
-… Yes.
As Iron Sword said, there was a need to be careful. There was no such thing as bad luck if one learned internal qi, and it then affected innate qi.
However, if it didn’t affect me, then it was different. I hoped for both to work together. Before long, I arrived at the cave where Hae Ack-chun was.
‘Uh?’
But as I climbed the cliff, I heard a voice from inside.
“Please, elder, give me strength…”
“Wait!”
The voice stopped as I climbed closer. All I heard was a moment of conversation.
And then two people walked out.
It was Hae Ack-chun and Miss Ha Yeon.
-When did she get here?
It was only her. The twins seemed to be training at the top of the peak, as I couldn’t feel their presence. Then Hae Ack-chun said,
“I was wondering who it was, it was you? Why are you back this quick? Was there something wrong?”
He asked me one thing after another. It felt like he was deliberately changing the topic. Of course, no one would question him.
And what could Miss Ha Yeon’s request for strength mean? It must have had something to do with what Bloody Hand Witch was attempting to ask Hae Ack-chun.
“Why is there no answer?”
“No. The Great Doctor said I am fine.”
Everything is put into one line. Then the expression on Hae Ack-chun’s face changed.
“Kuahahahaha. I see. If he has the name of the Great Doctor, he should be able to do that much.”
“Congratulations, young master.”
Miss Ha Yeon smiled.
She seemed genuinely happy.
“Right. How long did he say it would take to recover perfectly? Still, I know it will take a while to cure it.”
I could never be careless with this old man, but I was ready to answer as I came prepared.
“When the Great Doctor performed the procedure, he said I should follow the method he showed for a fortnight, and it would be completely cured.”
“A fortnight. Hahaha! Truly as expected of him!”
Fortunately, the old man didn’t doubt it. Instead, he was satisfied that it took shorter than he must have thought. Looking back, maybe I had been too sensitive about this.
“Good. But right now, I am… talking with the miss, so go up and train.”
“No, elder.”
Ha Yeon shook her head and said.
“Since the young master has come, I will head down.”
“No. You don’t have to…”
“It is fine. I already said everything I had to.”
She politely bowed and moved.
Hae Ack-chun frowned at that.
‘… she revealed her identity.’
I could tell by the change in Hae Ack-Chun’s attitude. Not long ago, he was looking down at her. Now that she had revealed her identity, he was being careful.
After all, was this all related to the red-eyed woman who came before?
“Please consider what I said.”
“Huh…”
Saying those, she bowed to me and then began to walk down. Her movements were as light as a feather.
Her footwork was as excellent as Hae Ack-chun’s.
“Phew.”
Looking at her moving away, Hae Ack-chun sighed. He seemed like someone who wouldn’t worry about things but seeing this, I was wrong.
After her form completely vanished, he turned back and asked.
“How far did you hear?”
“Uh?”
When I was confused, he asked with an annoyed face.
“Don’t drag this out.”
Was he trying to find out how much I heard?
But I heard nothing! Because he ended it and came out!
“I only heard what the teacher said and about giving strength…”
It wasn’t that I couldn’t lie, but I chose to tell the truth. I wondered what the reaction would be as Hae Ack-chun sat on the cliff.
“This is annoying. It is bothering me.”
He looked over the mountain peaks covered in snow and mumbled.
What was bothering you?
Was it the request of Ha Yeon or the granddaughter of the former cult leader? Hae Ack-chun, who repeated the same thing again, sighed as he said.
“Did you see her in the main hall yard?”
“… her, you mean the woman with red eyes?”
“Red eyes? Huh, you went that far?”
Hae Ack-chun clicked his tongue. Seeing his unusual expression, was it possible that something had happened?
He kept looking at the mountain and said.
“You are quite strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not just one, but you witnessed two.”
‘Two?’
At Hae Ack-chun’s words, I realized I was right. That red-eyed woman had something to do with the Blood Cult, after all.
And she looked so much like Ha Yeon. If I pretended to not know, this old man would kill me.
“What does it mean to see the two?”
Hae Ack-chun didn’t answer and mumbled.
“That woman is right. Maybe I need to make a choice?”
Now I understand.
Hae Ack-chun was thinking about who of the two women he had to support. No, looking at the way he spoke, he had no interest in it, but he seemed to be worried about something that Miss Ha Yeon had said.
Hae Ack-chun, who looked troubled, said,
“Once upon a time, it was good enough to be called the best and strongest in the Forces of Evil.”
It… did he mean the Blood Cult?
“A relentlessly raging storm. I thought getting Kangho in our grasp wasn’t a dream with him. But no matter how strong we were, if there were large powers and forces on the other side, we could be broken. It was the same with him.”
“…”
“After going through so much, everything felt useless.”
A voice of despair.
He showed a different side from his usual eccentric one.
“The other ones speak about how to revive the cult, saying it is a revival or revenge, but it all looks meaningless.”
Hae Ack-chun got up and stood on the cliff as he continued to talk.
“So I put down everything and wandered around doing nothing. I’d rather finish things I couldn’t in the past and live my life.”
He was talking about revenge against the South Heavenly Swordsman. I used to think of this old man as crazy, but he wasn’t that.
Now I know his story.
“But you know. I was going to live like that, but the seeds he left have grown like weeds and are ready to bloom.”
The flower blooming had to be the red-eyed woman.
The last blood of the Blood Cult leader.
These are the women who would play a vital role in the cult.
Sh!
Hae Ack-chun strode to me. He looked surer as he looked at me and said.
“At a time like this, what would you do?”
Looking at him, he had come to a decision. I don’t know why he was asking me despite already having clearly decided.
I thought it was better to express my true intentions.
“If you are going to wait for the flowers to bloom, it is better to leave them as it is, as the teacher said. Otherwise, maybe prepare the manure to help the flowers bloom faster?”
Hearing that, Hae Ack-chun frowned and then,
“Prepare manure. Hahahaha!”
He laughed out loud and then mumbled.
“Right. No matter which flower we choose, we must manure it right.”
It seemed like he hadn’t chosen one yet. It meant that he probably liked both, as he said.
“I will have to raise all three.”
‘…!!’
A simple statement that meant a lot.
Unlike the other Four Venerable Dignitaries or the Seven Blood Stars, this monster was moving with the will of not raising his own position but developing his own power.
If this happens, the history I knew about this Ghastly Monster will change.
“From now on, you will have a lot of work to do. Kulkul.’
“Work to do…”
With a smile, he said.
“There are still six months left. Turn into a leader in those months.”
Six months?
Come to think of it, six months from now is when the trainees will be given their first official position after testing.
