Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 75

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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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#075

Whether in fierce combat or daily life, I always moved my body based on observations and judgments made at half-beats of a ryo rhythm.

But while my mind clearly understood and could see how to move, my body would creak and refuse to comply, always creating a subtle sense of misalignment.

So even when I could see the entire situation, I always moved while accounting for my body’s reaction speed.

I moved and judged while considering that my dull flesh would lag behind, and I repeatedly gave up opportunities knowing my sluggish body would obviously miss them.

On top of that, as Sword Master Hwirong pointed out, I laid groundwork through evasion rather than attacks.

But now, for the first time, my body moved exactly as I pictured it in my mind.

How should I express this feeling?

A thrill rising up?

No, even that expression falls short.

Though I didn’t cry out.

What I’m feeling right now is bewilderment beyond joy.

The confusion was brief, then joy enveloped my entire body.

It was far greater than the joy I felt when I first discovered the twenty-year-old inherited internal energy at the start of this life.

“Though I cannot see, I can imagine what your expression must look like right now.”

Leaf Huazi stroked his beard with satisfaction.

“Until now you’ve been running at full speed wearing small childhood clothes that didn’t fit, but now you’re wearing clothes that fit an adult body, so naturally movement becomes easier, wouldn’t you say?”

“Really…”

I looked at Leaf Huazi.

“Thank you. I lack eloquence, so instead, please accept my bow… Ugh!”

I tried to get up hastily but let out a groan from sharp, intense pain.

“I told you not to move since I haven’t finished removing the needles yet… Now I’ll take them out, so really don’t move, alright?”

“Understood.”

As Leaf Huazi removed all the needles, he muttered to himself.

“Hehe, this is truly my first time seeing such a constitution. What should I call this type of constitution? Even while examining your pulse, the way it maintained vast silence while stirring to life kept reminding me of the depths of Buk Hai.”

Every word he casually threw out was hitting the core.

I was inwardly amazed.

This person’s skill is truly real.

“Then when will I be able to move properly?”

“My mind wanders as I age. There’s something related to that I need to tell you.”

The old man’s expression grew serious.

“While treating you, I noticed someone had performed acupoint pursuit along your blood vessels. And very precisely at that. Is it an acquaintance? Or family? It would be difficult to do it so delicately while bearing such risk otherwise.”

Sword Master Hwirong.

It was what Seo Ganghyeok had done for me during our five-day journey.

“A master from the same family did it for me.”

“The reason you collapsed was because your danjeon reacted sharply to the effects of that acupoint pursuit. From the danjeon’s perspective, it felt like the final shackles were released. On top of that, you moved your body vigorously by using lightness skills, so your energy meridians opened up even more. Honestly, if you had run just a little more, you might have died.”

…That damn Seo Ganghyeok. He said it would be fine now.

“Ah, but don’t blame that master at all. For almost everyone in the Martial Arts World who doesn’t have a special danjeon like yours, it was the correct solution. If the person involved didn’t mention having such a unique danjeon, how could the one performing the treatment know? Rather, a physician like me who can recognize it without being told is the strange one.”

Sorry for cursing you, Seo Ganghyeok.

“Then was the acupoint pursuit meaningless and only made things more dangerous in the end?”

“What are you talking about?”

Leaf Huazi jumped up. Then he placed both hands side by side.

“Look here. One side is cleansing and strengthening the blood vessels. Only a master martial artist can do this, not a physician. On the other hand, the overall constitutional adjustment I performed this time – the fine-tuning of misaligned coordination between danjeon and body, and the major supplementation of meridian essence – this is a unique domain that only physicians can handle, which no outstanding martial artist could do.”

Leaf Huazi brought his hands together.

“The sense of bodily liberation you’re feeling now is the result of a martial artist’s procedure and a physician’s treatment coincidentally overlapping at the same time. It’s like adding wings to a tiger’s back – this should be called heavenly fortune and divine opportunity, so what else would you call a divine opportunity?”

“…”

“Even if another person with your constitution existed, they would never achieve the same results you have now. The best physician and the best master, without being aware of each other, simultaneously performed their respective treatments on one person? And one of them recognized the other’s procedure and even matched the timing? Well, indeed…”

Hearing Leaf Huazi’s words, I understand.

I really passed through an extremely rare sequence of events.

In other words.

I wondered if this was the reward for desperately hoping things would work out somehow while trying everything.

Leaf Huazi warned me.

“But when you gain something, you lose something. You probably heard similar words during the acupoint pursuit, but focus on rest and recuperation for about seven days.”

“Understood.”

“Especially, your external energy sensitivity will become extremely dull temporarily. It won’t be enough to narrow your vision, but color distinction will become somewhat dull, and while internal energy use is possible, you’ll suffer hellish pain from extreme reverse blood flow and cough up blood, so don’t force yourself to circulate internal energy.”

“If my body is improving, I can endure that much. But if I use internal energy during that time, will my body regress?”

“Your body won’t break easily now. Bamboo that has overcome its crisis only shoots upward. You’ll feel pain so severe that death would be preferable, so you won’t be able to use internal energy, but unlike when only acupoint pursuit was applied, you won’t need to worry about regression.”

Leaf Huazi, who had stopped mid-sentence, made a puzzled expression.

“But would you really have such urgent need to use internal energy?”

“Just in case.”

“How strange. What an odd person.”

I spoke with sincerity.

“Thank you, Divine Physician Leaf.”

“Hehe, grateful indeed. I’m the one who benefits from having interesting research material.”

The old man rose from his seat.

“You see, I can barely see anything now.”

Leaf Huazi blinked his cloudy eyes and grabbed a walking stick placed against one wall.

“I can only see my own writing when I bring it right up to my nose, and only in bright daylight like this can I make out your form. But even so, when I discover a new constitution like this, I feel like I’m walking into brilliant light again.”

“…”

“In that sense, you’re not a burden to me at all, so you don’t need to feel so sorry, and since you’ve already paid for the treatment, there’s no need to be grateful or pay medical fees.”

Leaf Huazi opened the door and said as he went out.

“Rest a bit more. It’ll be breakfast time soon, and I have things to do, so we’ll talk later.”

“Wait, wait just a moment, Elder!”

I called out urgently.

“What is it?”

“Do you know that the White Dao Alliance has come all the way to the base of Samyeong Mountain pursuing you? I actually temporarily joined them and came here to find you. I even volunteered for the scouting party specifically to treat myself, then deserted.”

“…”

“Before that, I’m really curious. They said they must eliminate you, and the reason they gave was…”

I hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.

“They said it was because you’re a Cult Member. Is that true? Or are you connected to Cult Members, or did you really treat Cult Members?”

The smile disappeared from Leaf Huazi’s face.

After a long silence, the old man spoke.

“…You are.”

Pfft, Leaf Huazi laughed.

“No way.”

“I’m not joking right now! This is urgent. The scouting party is looking for you, and since I was unconscious here for half a day? Nearly a full day, they might have come right up to your hermitage.”

“At least they didn’t come that close today. And though I cannot see.”

Leaf Huazi said calmly.

“Judging by your irregularly slowing breathing, it seems you’re not in a state to continue talking anyway.”

“…?!”

At those words, I collapsed onto the bedding like a rotten tree falling.

“Ugh… urk…”

My consciousness fades in real time.

Now that it’s the second time, I understand.

This is how… I lost consciousness instantly when I first met Guiryeongseuui.

“What… is this… happening.”

“Relax and surrender your body. You’ll wake up again in about an hour. If the first fainting was truly a life-ending process, then from now on, fainting is a normal process where your body recovers following your danjeon’s guidance. Don’t be afraid.”

No… that’s not it.

It’s urgent… I say.

Having heard my muttering, Leaf Huazi spoke.

“This place isn’t easily found, but if you insist that much, there happens to be a warrior from Bicheonhonggun among the patients here who’s skilled in formation techniques. I’ll ask him separately. With Bicheonhonggun’s formations, no one will be able to find this place for quite some time.”

Through my flickering, darkening vision, Leaf Huazi covers me with a blanket.

“Besides, from what I can see, including the past day, you’ll frequently face situations where you suddenly faint like this for about seven days total. Even if you want to move, you won’t be able to anyway. So don’t budge and just lie there. You’ll need rehabilitation too, so don’t think about anything else.”

That’s ridiculous.

Seven whole days?

No way, I absolutely can’t drag around this fainting body for seven days.

When enemies could come charging in within a day or two, what’s this about seven days.

I don’t trust formations or whatever.

They’ll come attacking a hundred times over.

I’d rather contact the White Dao Alliance myself to divert attention elsewhere and buy time…

I try to grasp my consciousness as it fades in real time.

‘This is real. I can’t resist it. What the hell…’

It feels like my body is forcibly blowing out the lamp flame of consciousness to survive.

Like facing death.

Like giant hands grabbing the weeds of consciousness and ripping them out by the roots.

“Elder… this isn’t the time to be at peace… quickly…”

This damn body… bastard.

Danjeon…

I mutter frantically to avoid losing consciousness.

Seven days is bullshit. I’ll definitely shorten it.

I’ll recover quickly.

And I’ll break through.

Just like I’ve done well so far, I’ll accomplish this triumphantly too.

“Kgh…urk…!”

It was like struggling desperately to avoid death.

In my consciousness sinking into a black swamp, I repeated words like spitting them into the abyss, trying somehow to wake myself up.

I’ll get revenge.

Remember the emotions.

Remember the emotions that burned to death.

The bamboo forest in the rain.

The eight cult members looking at me.

My crushed hand.

Yes. I’ll tear them apart.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

The Masked Man who crushed my right hand too.

The enemies blocking my path too. The traitor of the Namgung Family too.

I’ll find them all and definitely repay them.

And at the end of it all, I’ll… the Namgung Family…

Devour… the Namgung… Family triumphantly…

And finally, the last words I spat out while succumbing to the Sleep Demon.

The muttered words I don’t know why I spoke at the end.

…Mo…ther.

“Hehe, truly remarkable willpower. To think you can resist with will even the fainting caused by bodily adjustment comparable to qi deviation…”

Flickering vision.

Through my fading consciousness, Leaf Huazi takes out acupuncture needles.

He mutters while placing needles on my neck.

“…Could this truly be that heavenly talent…?”

“…?!”

The moment I try to open my mouth to speak.

With a sharp sensation in my neck, I lost consciousness.

What came after that,

Was a deep Sleep Demon I had never experienced once since starting this life.

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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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