Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel - Chapter 90

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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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Episode 90

Indeed, learning the Hoewuseong-gwangyeong was no easy task.

It was said to be an unparalleled divine martial art, and unlike ordinary Internal Energy cultivation methods, the way to learn it completely defied common sense.

Other cultivation methods value ‘harmony,’ but Hoewuseong-gwangyeong breaks all harmony.

It maximizes the energies of extreme yin and extreme yang separately, causing imbalance within the body.

Then, when the opposition between the two energies reaches its peak, combining them according to the incantation would grant tremendous Internal Energy.

I was now at that final stage.

In other words, ‘the time when the opposition between the two energies reaches its peak.’

Since I could still endure it, it seemed I hadn’t reached the absolute limit yet, but if I stayed here just a little longer, the limit would come.

That’s when I would need to combine the energies with the incantation.

But that ‘incantation’ was missing.

“In my humble opinion, I believe the former Head Priest deliberately left out the incantation when passing it down. The Head Priest always wanted multiple people, not just one person, to observe and decide when judging something.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“It means he entrusted the judgment to Young Master Lee and one other trustworthy person.”

“Then who could that person be?”

“If I had to guess… probably the Head Priest’s closest associates, Gwangjin Left and Right Lions, and Heuk-su Geom-wang who doesn’t belong to any sect. Those three people would be the candidates.”

“Among those people, is there anyone you can contact? Or anyone whose whereabouts you know even a little?”

At my urgent question, Eom Father’s expression briefly darkened. Eom Father hesitated, then soon shook his head and answered in a despairing tone.

“…We don’t know the whereabouts of any of them. All three have had mysterious movements since the internal war.”

It seemed he had given up after saying that.

Of course, if we were lucky, we might find one of the three. But there was no guarantee that person would have the incantation, and if the person who had the incantation was dead…

“…Ugh!”

I suddenly widened my eyes at the pain that felt like my stomach was being torn apart. The two energies had begun clashing in my energy center.

The pain that started from my energy center soon spread throughout my entire body. It felt like my whole body was being sliced to pieces with blades. It hurt so much that I couldn’t even scream properly.

‘No, quickly, quickly…’

With trembling hands, I hurriedly searched inside my clothes.

Soon a familiar medicine bottle was caught in my hand. Without thinking to calmly take out the medicine, I hastily poured the medicine from the bottle onto the Table. Then I grabbed the medicine haphazardly and stuffed it into my mouth.

Chewing the medicine without water, I immediately sat in lotus position. I began circulating my energy slowly while guiding the medicine’s effects.

My mind kept getting scattered due to the pain, but I somehow endured it. Soon, as the medicine took effect, I separated the two energies that had calmed down and began circulating them one stream at a time along my meridians.

When I safely returned the last energy to my energy center, I opened my eyes. My whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

“Haah…”

Only then did I let out a long sigh.

The pain that felt like dismembering my body had barely subsided, but it was only temporary. This kind of pain would come several more times in the future, and I had to endure that pain through the long night.

‘How long can I hold out?’

Lee Sa-hyeon said he would find a way somehow.

He said he would find a way to combine the two energies even if he had to search through all the Martial Arts of every sect in the world, even if he had to dig through every Internal Energy cultivation method.

But I knew. That it was impossible.

Perhaps the former Head Priest had that intention too. If someone he didn’t acknowledge forcibly learned the Martial Arts, they would struggle in pain for their entire life and die.

‘Will I die?’

Before I knew it, death had approached right to my feet. I used to think I wasn’t afraid of death… but now I wasn’t sure.

I eventually reached for the Alcohol bottle.

Instead of filling a cup, I put my mouth to the bottle’s opening and poured the Alcohol down. As the strong Alcohol flowed down my throat, my body’s sensations dulled and my fear also subsided.

I looked ahead with blurred eyes. The sight of the mother and Child I had seen earlier came into my vision.

The two people who were facing each other and smiling harmoniously. The appearance of the two people changed. Before I knew it, the Woman had become our Mother, and the Child had become me.

Seeing that scene, I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘That’s right, I had times like that too…’

Suddenly, the surroundings became noisy.

Before I knew it, I was not in the Inn but inside the Manor Grounds. A familiar landscape spread before my eyes, and beloved faces were happily talking in the distance.

Ah, it’s been so long.

How much I had waited for this…

At that moment, I felt a presence beside me.

At the same time, a beloved person sat next to me. Just from the sound, I felt like I knew who it was. Without looking back at that person, I said.

“You came, Young Miss? Why are you so late? I was waiting. It’s okay, no matter how late you are, I can wait… Oh, do you know what happened today? I have many stories to tell you, so you can’t go anywhere…”

The night was deepening.

* * *

“Ugh, my head…”

I clutched my head that felt like it would split from the hangover.

How much did I drink mindlessly yesterday that there were several Alcohol bottles scattered on the Table.

I had even drunk all of that without leaving any, as there was no Alcohol spilled on the Ground. I muttered while roughly clearing the bottles on the Table with a disgusted look.

“Sigh, I should stop drinking now. At this rate, my liver will rot and kill me before I go crazy.”

Honestly, I could quickly expel the Alcohol toxins by using Internal Energy, but I didn’t do so because I thought this might be the only way to quit drinking.

Really, I wanted to quit drinking.

It wasn’t just because Alcohol was bad for my body, but most of all because when I sobered up, sage time came.

What nonsense did I babble again yesterday? It had already been 10 years, and it was time to become calm, but seeing myself still relying on Alcohol and clinging to the past was frustrating.

‘What would strangers think if they saw?’

If they saw me drunk and talking to thin air, they would surely think I was crazy. Was it fortunate that I had been drinking alone until now?

I should only drink alone in the future too…

‘Ah, no! I shouldn’t drink. I’m really going to quit. If I drink Alcohol again, I’m a dog. …I think I said this before?’

Somehow thinking that I had become a dog in the past, I got up.

I organized the medicine rolling around on the Table and picked up the human skin mask. I applied glue to the human skin mask and put it back on my face, and I had returned to being the ugly Greedy Flower Bird.

When I left the Room and staggered down the stairs, the first floor was bustling. Since it was morning, there were quite a few People.

I found an appropriate place and sat down.

“Server! One noodle soup here…”

“Yes, please wait just a moment!”

While I was wetting my mouth by pouring Tea into a Tea Cup, I heard chattering from the side.

“Did you hear that? About Greedy Flower Bird completely sweeping away those Cheongsa Faction guys.”

“Who doesn’t know that these days? Oh my, it’s so refreshing! How much chaos have those Cheongsa Faction guys been causing?”

An angry voice was heard from the side.

“They make a fuss asking for seat fees, asking for business taxes, asking for protection money. And if you say you don’t have money, they turn the whole store upside down and beat people like they’re going to kill them…”

“Is that all? The First Son leader there has a weakness for women, so he took away all the women who were even slightly pretty. Whether they were virgins or married women, he didn’t discriminate…”

“That’s why Greedy Flower Bird stepped in.”

Suddenly, giggling laughter followed.

“It’s funny though. The one who dealt with those guys wasn’t a Martial Hero from the Righteous Faction, but Greedy Flower Bird who similarly has a weakness for women. In the end, it’s like the Sa Faction guys fought among themselves over women and self-destructed.”

“Is this what they call fighting Poison with Poison… But isn’t it bad for the women? They ended up in Greedy Flower Bird’s hands anyway.”

“Surprisingly, he sent them back quietly. There are rumors that he’s a eunuch, so maybe it’s true?”

‘I am a eunuch though.’

“No way that’s true? He probably just didn’t have any beauties of his taste. I heard he’s extremely particular about faces.”

‘That’s also true though.’

I covered my face with one hand. Most of what they were saying was true, but hearing it directly was quite a blow.

“Anyway, because of Greedy Flower Bird, Sa Faction guys can’t easily touch women these days. Because it becomes troublesome if Greedy Flower Bird gets involved.”

“Well, he appears like a ghost whenever there’s a pretty Woman… Then that place would be dangerous too?”

“That place? Where?”

Suddenly, one man spoke.

“Yongcheok Fortress”

‘Yongcheok Fortress?’

I unconsciously perked up my ears. Suddenly, the man’s voice struck my ears like lightning.

“The fortress lord there brought a Woman he’s going to marry this time, and that Woman is said to be an incredible beauty!”

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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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