Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#066

 

The body of a first-rate martial artist refers to a body suitable for learning martial arts.

 

Blood vessels are flexible and can withstand sudden bursts of energy. The danjeon is large and elastic, capable of containing vast amounts, and it carefully receives even the subtle internal energy filled through mental cultivation methods without spitting it back out like a stiff leather pouch.

 

On the other hand, the more third-rate one becomes, the stiffer the body becomes, and the danjeon and blood vessels become rigid without elasticity, narrow and thin, with a small danjeon.

 

In that sense, my current body was like a sandcastle that could collapse at any moment.

 

My ordinary danjeon had transformed into a massive danjeon like the abyss of the North Sea due to a fateful encounter.

 

It was obvious that my originally inferior and poor blood vessels would struggle with this, but the problem was that due to the brief application of the Gold Gate Prison Needle Technique, my blood vessels had become half-adhered and narrowed.

 

‘Damn it, I knew this was a problem I’d have to address eventually, but it’s too soon. Did the life-and-death battle with Dangmutae really bring me such tremendous growth, both internally and externally?’

 

As Pasabeolsik strengthened, the intensity of the instantaneous burden from energy bursts increased exponentially.

 

The internal energy in my danjeon was also growing abnormally compared to martial artists who steadily built up through ordinary mental cultivation methods, so eventually something went wrong.

 

‘I need to somehow release the adhesion. Improve or repair the weak blood vessels… How exactly should I do this? Is it even possible?’

 

The realistic method to solve my current problem was to find a specialist physician who knew about such things.

 

In this current time period, only one person came to mind.

 

‘Guiryeongseuui. He’s the only one who can solve this problem. While I’m at it, he might also know about the ashes of Cheonsal that even the Tang Family didn’t know about, or about the awakening of the Blood Eye.’

 

Guiryeongseuui was unbiased when it came to treating, improving, and recovering martial artists’ special constitutions.

 

He traveled around practicing medicine regardless of faction, centered around the Sects of the Central Plains and Black Dao, and his skills were so outstanding that he was called a divine physician.

 

‘But Guiryeongseuui is someone who wanders without a fixed residence. From the position of a boatman confined to the Namgung Family’s Annex, there are limits to finding him.’

 

This was something I couldn’t figure out through effort as I had done so far.

 

In the end, not knowing what to do, I continued harsh training as if escaping.

 

With a thread of hope,

 

wondering if my constitution, which was presumed to have resistance to qi deviation, might shine through this time as well.

 

But when I finally coughed up blood with cold sweat on the third day, I realized I was dying irreversibly.

 

Rather, the rapid development of mind and body growing quickly with the assistance of Cheonwangbido and Bukmyeong Singong had become poison for now.

 

“…Damn it… Damn it…”

 

There’s nowhere to ask.

 

I can’t obtain books with the correct answers written in them.

 

I have no master.

 

Suddenly, I felt my life was too suffocating.

 

One problem blocks me, and after much deliberation, when I barely come up with a solution, another obstacle waits as if ready to grab my ankle.

 

As if asking whether I thought others were fools for not walking that path,

 

why I was creating unnecessary hardship for myself,

 

whether I thought I was special,

 

telling me to wake up from my delusion now, countless faceless masks beneath the black surface seemed to be pulling at my ankles and mocking me.

 

“…”

 

I eventually stopped training midway for the first time since starting this life.

 

As if possessed, I went down to the town.

 

-… … …

 

I wandered around the bustling town and market.

 

It felt awkward.

 

After living a life of awl-like concentration, even wandering around felt awkward.

 

Eventually, not knowing where to go myself, I first went to any inn.

 

I ordered food and alcohol I wouldn’t even drink.

 

Feeling unfamiliar with what to order, I ordered food the server recommended.

 

“Your food is ready.”

 

The server placed steaming hot food in front of me.

 

I didn’t even know the name of the dish.

 

Having always eaten food close to fodder with boiled meat, spices, and no salt at all, seeing proper food at an inn made the situation itself quite unfamiliar.

 

The amount of food was naturally enough for two people.

 

“You have a companion, right?”

 

The server also placed a pair of chopsticks in front of me.

 

I looked to the side.

 

Except for me, there was no one sitting alone.

 

There were lovers,

 

families,

 

colleagues from the same organization.

 

Everyone was eating delicious food and talking.

 

“…”

 

I picked up the chopsticks.

 

I flicked the unnecessarily neatly placed chopsticks on the opposite side once, making it look as if someone had just been using them and stepped away.

 

Then I began poking at the food.

 

“…At the very least.”

 

I let out a heavy breath.

 

“A master… if I had even one master I could ask about where I’m stuck without worrying about being betrayed, someone who would give me honest answers, that would be nice.”

 

Of course, I could find a master using my position as boatman in the Namgung Family.

 

But could I really trust them enough to tell them about my special situation?

 

Even if I told them, would they be able to understand and give appropriate advice?

 

It would be fortunate if that process didn’t get transmitted to my enemies and competitors,

 

and lead to an ending where they burned me to death while laughing loudly like in my previous life.

 

I shook my head, wondering if this was the commonly heard ‘blocking cliff’ that those facing great enlightenment inevitably encounter.

 

‘…It’s too grandiose to call it that when it’s just a trivial reality caused by my worn-out, foolish body.’

 

“Customer, it’s closing time.”

 

…Already?

 

When I looked up at the window, the day was ending.

 

In front of me were food and alcohol that had grown cold, which I hadn’t touched even once.

 

“…I enjoyed the meal.”

 

Leaving behind the shocked cook wondering if my food tasted that bad, I went out to the night street and began walking.

 

-Chirp chirp…

 

I could hear the sound of insects that usually come out at night, which I definitely couldn’t hear until recently.

 

Spring coming meant that the third fateful encounter, the banquet with the Jegal Family, was not far away.

 

In the black night, only a red and massive full moon hung eerily.

 

Under that full moon, my shadow walking along the alley stretched endlessly long and swayed.

 

In the distance, white laundry hung over shops fluttered in the night air.

 

‘But I can’t just stay still.’

 

I gritted my teeth.

 

If there really was nowhere to seek guidance, I decided to somehow try it alone as I had done so far.

 

Suddenly, resentment welled up.

 

‘…I’m angry.’

 

My head is burning hot.

 

Maybe it would be easier if I just went crazy.

 

It feels like a fish bone is stuck deep in my throat.

 

It seems like it would get better if I put down this heavy thing I’m carrying.

 

Right, so.

 

Ah, my head is spinning.

 

-Scritch scritch scritch….

 

I roughly scratch my head under the red moon.

 

I feel like I’m going crazy from frustration.

 

Right.

 

This doesn’t seem like my path.

 

I want to take the easy way too.

 

I hate this suffocating feeling too much.

 

It feels like I have my own path.

 

My path? What am I suddenly talking about. Stop this nonsense that even I can’t understand- No. Thinking like this, something in my head feels cool and refreshing, so this seems right. Should I think about it more? Old man, be quiet. Something is coming to mind right now. This isn’t some heart demon or anything. Be quiet. What was I thinking about just before. Ah, my head is too hot. Why did they hang such bright red clothes on the laundry line. What terrible taste. Even that flapping sound makes me angry. Right, it would be good if there was something. Something. So starting with that, something to satisfyingly tear apart and kill everything that gets in the way.

 

So.

 

Ah, why can’t I think of the right word.

 

What was it. What was it.

 

Some…thing.

 

Ah. Right. Yes. That was it. A blade….

 

“Heh, so that’s why you’re crying?”

 

“….”

 

The commotion of the town has disappeared without a trace.

 

In the black night, only a red and massive full moon hung eerily.

 

Under the blood-colored light of the pale red full moon, there was a man sitting on the wall, dangling his long limbs.

 

In my memory, there’s only one person like this in the Martial Arts World.

 

“…Sword Master Hwirong?”

 

“It’s a beautiful moonlit night. By the way, Mount Cheonju’s famous Cheonju dumpling shop just closed, so there’s no point going in that direction anymore.”

 

At that frivolous voice, it feels like the hot steam filling my head is draining away.

 

“…I don’t like dumplings.”

 

“Do humans who don’t like dumplings exist? Anyway Boatman, are you busy? If you’re not going to the dumpling shop, then you’re not busy right now, right?”

 

I frowned.

 

Since I wasn’t in a good mood, I decided to get rid of him before any troublesome situation arose.

 

“No, I’m bus-.”

 

“Right. You wouldn’t be busy. You’ve been holed up in the inn all day with your head down. Couldn’t find work? Come on, these days there’s such a fuss about there being no openings even for charcoal sellers and servers. There’s no way there’d be work left for someone like Boatman.”

 

“….”

 

How long has he been watching me.

 

Doesn’t this guy do his sect master duties.

 

“How would the sect master know that?”

 

“My hobby is being a server.”

 

This bastard really doesn’t work.

 

“Ooh, look at that expression. That’s no joke. Alright. I’ll stop joking around.”

 

-Thud.

 

The tall man chuckles as he comes down into the dark alley.

 

He stands before me with the blood-colored full moon as his backdrop.

 

A dark-colored chain headband covering one eye diagonally.

 

As he lifted the steel headband worn at an angle with his long fingers, the revealed golden eyes looked at me playfully.

 

“I don’t care about the circumstances of someone I’m not even close to, but your expression is so bad it hurts my heart too. As encouragement, I’ll give you one of Mount Cheonju’s famous dumplings.”

 

A dumpling was instantly pressed into my hand.

 

“What kind of ridiculous….”

 

I stopped mid-motion as I was about to throw the dumpling aside.

 

Sword Master Hwirong was crouching beside me.

 

“What are you doing there?”

 

“If you’re going to throw it away, throw it in my mouth. I waited a whole hour to buy this dumpling.”

 

“….”

 

Only I would have noticed.

 

This guy just used the mystery of Instant Step, one of the ultra-high difficulty movement techniques.

 

…Don’t use such grandiose techniques just to catch dumplings.

 

I can’t control my expression.

 

“What… business do you have.”

 

As I barely managed to compose my expression, Sword Master Hwirong spoke while still crouching.

 

“You handled the Sichuan Tang Family matter well, right? Congratulations on being officially recognized as Boatman. I was thinking we could go somewhere together. I came here on purpose to keep my promise with the Master.”

 

Suddenly, after the Sichuan Tang Family incident,

 

I remembered the Master’s words telling me to belong to Hwirong Hall and continue my duties as Boatman once I was officially recognized.

 

“Does that mean you want to perform Boatman duties, a commission, right now?”

 

“It’s nothing that grandiose. I’ll explain the details as we go.”

 

“I need to know the content, or at least the purpose, to be able to move.”

 

“…Hmm. You really are cautious.”

 

Sword Master Hwirong smiled while stroking his chin.

 

“You’re really interesting. You definitely react differently every time from those idiot young masters who take the world lightly and think everything will go according to their thoughts. We’re really going to have trouble becoming friends.”

 

“…That’s an insult, right?”

 

“Insult-compliment. I’ll tell you the purpose.”

 

Sword Master Hwirong Seo Ganghyeok stood up, brushing off his legs.

 

“The purpose is to go deal with some trash cult member to the east from now on. There are companions joining us, so we’ll have plenty of people to help, and you can build connections while you’re at it.”

 

“…Cult member? There’s a cult member to the east?”

 

“That’s right. Boatman, you….”

 

The cold blood-colored full moon.

 

Sword Master Hwirong’s golden eyes gleamed as if seeing through everything.

 

“Do you happen to know about Guiryeongseuui?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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