I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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33.
Crimson blood dripped steadily between my fingers.
It was no ordinary blood.
It was vital essence—the concentrated core of Baek Un-jin’s original spiritual power.
Sharing vital essence was akin to dividing a fragment of one’s very life force.
A single exchange of vital essence cost decades of cultivation, yet Baek Un-jin did not hesitate.
Tilting my head back, Baek Un-jin brought his finger, glistening with vital essence, to his lips.
Yet drained as I was, I could not properly absorb the essence he offered.
“Quite troublesome, aren’t you.”
Despite the words, his tone carried no reproach.
Baek Un-jin brought his hand to his own mouth, drawing the blood inside.
Then he pressed his lips gently against mine.
“Mmh…”
As the vital essence traveled down my throat, the meridians that had been crumbling within me suddenly began to restore themselves.
Soon after, the mysterious force that had tormented me gradually subsided.
“Exhale…”
While my complexion steadily improved, the color drained from Baek Un-jin’s face.
He had expended far more spiritual energy than he had anticipated.
Baek Un-jin laid me properly on the bed and drew the blanket over me.
“If this too is heaven’s will, then so be it.”
Perched lightly on the edge of the bed, Baek Un-jin gazed down at me with conflicted eyes.
***
Blink, blink.
When I opened my eyes, the ceiling above me was not my own room’s.
The ceiling was filled with ornate geometric patterns far more elaborate than those in my chamber.
“Where am I…?”
I lifted myself slightly and surveyed the room around me.
This was not my room—it was Baek Un-jin’s chamber.
‘How did this happen?’
I clutched my throbbing forehead and recalled the events that had transpired.
The warning signs of backlash from forcibly strengthening my body with spiritual power had begun even before arriving at Chingwoo Immortal Sect.
But I had suppressed it as much as possible, not wanting to worry the two of them.
‘I thought I would feel better after resting once I arrived at the Sect…’
Perhaps due to the relief of finally reaching the Sect, my tension had released and I had collapsed.
‘Before losing consciousness, I think I saw my Master’s face.’
Did my being asleep here mean my Master had returned?
‘Wasn’t he supposed to be away on a long-term assignment?’
The memory of being cradled in Baek Un-jin’s embrace was far too vivid to dismiss as mere imagination.
It was just as I tried to get out of bed and place my feet on the floor.
“Your body is still weak. Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ah, Master! Huh?”
I turned my head toward the source of the voice.
But Baek Un-jin was not there.
“What are you looking at?”
My raised head slowly lowered.
“Wh-wh-what?”
Was I still half-asleep?
Or was this a dream?
Standing before the door was a young boy in his early teens—Baek Un-jin.
“Am I still dreaming, perhaps?”
“Get a hold of yourself.”
“Y-you are my Master, aren’t you? Really?”
“Yes.”
Well, um.
In truth, physical appearance held little importance among practitioners of the Way.
The original narrative had depicted form-changing scenes several times.
But nowhere in the original work was there any mention of Baek Un-jin ever appearing younger.
Which meant I was the first person to witness him in this form?
‘First or not, before that…’
He was far too adorable!
What was with that soft, mochi-like appearance?
Baek Un-jin’s youthful form was so endearing it made Eun Hui-gyeom’s childhood pale in comparison.
My master(?) hurried into the room with quick, shuffling steps.
“How is your body feeling?”
“Oh, that’s right! I’m fine now! This was what you did for me…. Ow!”
In an instant, my master climbed onto the bed and flicked a finger against my forehead.
Though his hand was small, the finger that struck my forehead made a sharp sound—it hurt quite a bit.
“I told you to accumulate points by completing missions, so what exactly have you been doing out there?”
“….”
“Sigh.”
“I’m sorry.”
Whether Baek Un-jin was young or not, Baek Un-jin was still Baek Un-jin.
Faced with such an obvious sigh, an apology spilled from my lips before I could help it.
“You should tell me everything that happened.”
“Ah, yes. But I’m not sure where to start with this story….”
“Tell me everything.”
Sensing that hiding anything would not be tolerated, I began by explaining how Kang Jin-heon had a connection with a disciple of the Mudan Sect, then recounted everything that had transpired in Nakryeong City.
After hearing my entire account, Baek Un-jin remained silent for a while.
As I watched his expression, he exhaled another sigh.
“I suppose you deserve another hit.”
“I already got hit! This is too much!”
I retreated, covering my forehead with my hand where Baek Un-jin had struck me.
“Um, but Master.”
“What is it?”
“My body recovered because you helped me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be away on a long-term mission?”
“Circumstances arose, so I returned early.”
“Ah, I see.”
Whatever the reason, I was grateful that Baek Un-jin was at the Chingwoo Immortal Sect.
“Don’t make that relieved expression.”
“But I’ve recovered, haven’t I?”
“For a while, my cultivation energy will remain within you, so you’ll be able to endure. Therefore, advance your rank as quickly as possible.”
At those words, I examined my own body.
I could certainly feel a foreign energy that wasn’t my own flowing through me.
Yet it wasn’t an uncomfortable sensation at all.
‘Actually, it feels better.’
I could sense that Baek Un-jin’s cultivation energy was restoring the balance of my scattered spiritual essence.
As that realization dawned on me.
“Could it be that you’ve grown weaker because of me?”
“….”
No answer came in return.
“I’m so sorry about all this. It’s because of me….”
“Don’t worry about it. Once time passes, everything will return to normal.”
Baek Un-jin seemed utterly unbothered by his transformed appearance.
I turned my body and scrutinized the boy-like Baek Un-jin from head to toe.
“Would it be alright if I pinched your cheeks just once?”
“….”
“Just one time!”
A younger master—this was truly a rare treasure!
“Seeing you spout such nonsense, I suppose you’re—”
“So cute!”
Before Baek Un-jin could finish speaking, my hand had already reached out and pinched his cheeks.
“Mmph—”
“Oh? Ah, I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”
Fearing a real scolding if I did it again, I quickly withdrew my hand.
Then Baek Un-jin’s hand touched my forehead.
I felt his spiritual power flowing through his hand and into my forehead.
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so rest a while longer.”
“Yes. Oh! What about Hui-gyeom and the other monks?”
“They’re still at the Seonmun. They were quite worried about you.”
“Please tell them I’m sorry for worrying them.”
“I will.”
Baek Un-jin left the room, telling me to rest.
Pulling the blanket snugly over myself, sleep came swiftly.
***
“…A whole week has passed?”
“Yes. Master said you were fine, but you have no idea how worried we were.”
When I opened my eyes, it was morning, so naturally I assumed only a day or so had passed at most.
No wonder Eun Hui-gyeom seemed so delighted to see me.
“Nothing serious happened, right?”
“Nothing serious? Sister collapsing was the serious thing! If you had any symptoms, you should have told us beforehand! Do you know how shocked Kang Jin-heon and I were? If Master hadn’t returned at just the right moment, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened!”
Eun Hui-gyeom burst forth with all the feelings he’d been holding back.
“I should have suspected something from when you recklessly fought that monk….”
“I’m sorry.”
I hadn’t anticipated that incident would escalate to this extent.
‘So Yang Ja-han really is resilient.’
In the original story, Yang Ja-han had attempted something similar several times.
Since there were no particular side effects mentioned afterward, I thought it would be safe to try.
“Anyway…. Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“Um, what happened to Master?”
“Oh.”
Eun Hui-gyeom and I exchanged silent glances.
After I fell into an unconscious sleep, Eun Hui-gyeom had apparently met with Baek Un-jin.
At first, not knowing it was Baek Un-jin, he spoke carelessly and was severely scolded for it.
“I don’t know the details either, but it seems something happened while he was treating me.”
“How serious was my condition!”
“Haha. He said he’d be back soon. It should be fine.”
Still, he is Baek Un-jin, after all.
Eun Hui-gyeom and I left Bikyun Pavilion to meet with Kang Jin-heon.
***
Yeonhwa Hall, where the Elder Council convened.
The atmosphere of Yeonhwa Hall was slightly different from usual.
“Ahem.”
“….”
“What is this.”
The elders sat in their seats, sipping tea and casting sidelong glances at Baek Un-jin while exhaling sighs one after another.
Jin Su-ryeon, the elder sitting beside Baek Un-jin, leaned forward and spoke.
“You’re really Baek Un-jin, right?”

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