The Great Heavenly Sword Emperor - Chapter 24

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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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#024 Chapter. Seeping Poison (4)

Beigong Danya opened his eyes slowly.
His consciousness had returned, but he was so drained that even lifting his eyelids took effort.
His mouth and throat were parched with terrible thirst, and his body was so weakened that he could barely move his fingers.
His vision remained hazy, as though a veil had been drawn across his eyes.
Creak.
Even the sound of the door opening reached him muffled and distant.
“You’re awake. Thank goodness.”
It was Yubaek Hyeon’s voice.
“I have… no strength… at all. My throat… is so dry.”
The words came out barely, his voice severely cracked.
“That’s to be expected. You’ve been unconscious for ten days.”
Yubaek Hyeon brought a cup of water he had prepared beforehand to Beigong Danya’s lips and spoke.
As the water entered his mouth, he could feel the moisture spreading throughout his entire body with vivid clarity.
“Ten days?”
After drinking, Beigong Danya’s voice recovered somewhat.
“Yes. It’s natural that you have no strength. Now that you’ve regained consciousness, you need to take tonics to restore your vital energy.”
At Yubaek Hyeon’s words, Beigong Danya stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Though I have no strength in my body, I feel strangely refreshed.”
“Your meridians have been properly aligned, and the blockages in your Qi-Blood have been completely cleared. Now that your Qi flows freely, it’s only natural you’d feel such clarity.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Yubaek Hyeon chuckled softly at Beigong Danya’s gratitude.
“In truth, it was all Cheon Mugyeol’s doing. There were critical moments, but without his quick thinking and ability, we wouldn’t be talking face to face like this.”
“Is that so.”
Beigong Danya managed a faint smile.
So it was Cheon Mugyeol, after all.
That thought crossed his mind.
“In any case, now that you’re conscious, I should prepare the Bowon Gwizin-tang. Rest now.”
Yubaek Hyeon left, and the room fell silent again.
Though he felt refreshed, it was hard to truly believe he had recovered.
He thought he would only feel it once he regained more strength and gripped a sword in his hand.
“I owe him thanks.”
Beigong Danya’s thoughts turned to Cheon Mugyeol.
He was a man who kept his true feelings hidden, making his thoughts difficult to read.
With few words, there were times when he seemed painfully aloof.
But in whatever he set his mind to, he gave his whole heart.
That was surely why he had treated him so carefully.
It wasn’t a warmth shown through affectionate gestures, but even so, he felt oddly pleased to have drawn a little closer to Cheon Mugyeol’s side.

* * *

Just as he had carefully brewed the Cheong-tak Haedok-tang, Yubaek Hyeon also prepared the Bowon Gwizin-tang with meticulous care and administered it to Beigong Danya.
After drinking it once daily for two weeks, his body regained considerable strength and his energy returned.
Though Yubaek Hyeon said it was still too soon, Beigong Danya’s fingers itched to grasp a sword again.
But Yubaek Hyeon was firm in his refusal, leaving Beigong Danya unable to take up a blade.
Instead, he devoted himself to cultivating his inner art.
With his meridians corrected and his Qi-Blood refined, his Energy Circulation grew far more potent.
If he concentrated now on training the Jinmu Jeongsim-gyeol and the Tae-Ak Jin-gyeong, he was certain he would advance to the next level.

Beigong Danya’s recovery meant Yubaek Hyeon’s departure was drawing near.
Though Yubaek Hyeon had endured more hardship at Bojeonsa Temple than expected, he showed no sign of lingering resentment—his exhaustion seemed forgotten in the face of Beigong Danya’s healing.
The night before Yubaek Hyeon left Bojeonsa Temple.
He made his way to the Mountain God Hall.
Gwang An and Cheon Mugyeol were there.
“May I enter?”
By now, Yubaek Hyeon had come to understand the Mountain God Hall’s purpose, so he knocked carefully before entering.
Click.
The door opened, and Gwang An appeared.
“You needn’t announce yourself—just come in.”
“I thought it best to do so.”
“Please, enter.”
Gwang An ushered Yubaek Hyeon inside.
Cheon Mugyeol, who had been studying a thick sheaf of papers, quickly covered them and pushed them aside.
“Do sit. I’ve just brewed fresh tea.”
“Thank you.”
Yubaek Hyeon accepted the cup Gwang An offered and spoke. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I see. You’ve done much for us during your stay.”
“Not at all. I simply did what a physician ought to do—there is no hardship in that.”
“Yet doing what one must is hardship in itself. So too is maintaining conviction and living by it to the end.”
At Gwang An’s words, Yubaek Hyeon smiled and turned to regard Cheon Mugyeol.
“I owe you a great debt, truly.”
“I did nothing.”
Yubaek Hyeon shook his head at Cheon Mugyeol’s reply.
“No. In truth, it was your role that proved most vital in Beigong Danya’s treatment. I could not have managed it. My eyes have been opened.”
Cheon Mugyeol offered no response to this.
“That is why I envy you.”
Cheon Mugyeol regarded him steadily at those words.
“I am a physician and a martial artist both. I genuinely envy you—someone who has cultivated such formidable martial arts and reached such heights.”
“You envy me as a martial artist?”
Cheon Mugyeol asked as though seeing through something.
Yubaek Hyeon let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
“Not quite. I’ve always felt it, but this time—more keenly than ever—I understand that medicine and martial arts together can save far more lives than either alone.”
Yubaek Hyeon paused, then continued. “Medicine and martial arts are different, yet the same. What medicine alone cannot achieve becomes possible when martial arts joins it. That is why I envy you, and why I am grateful.”
“Grateful for what reason?”
“You have given me another purpose to pursue.”
“A purpose.”
“Yes. I will devote myself to martial arts as earnestly as to medicine. It will be difficult, but I mean to do it—to reach the ideal I envision. I am grateful because you helped me conceive of this goal and kindled the resolve to pursue it.”
“Walking two paths at once is a difficult thing.”
“It will be. I harbor no illusions about it. Still, I intend to try.”
Cheon Mugyeol, watching him, opened his mouth to speak.
“I know nothing of medicine, but I know martial arts as well as anyone. To reach higher heights, one must drive oneself to the brink of one’s limits. Can you, as a physician, drive yourself to such extremity now?”
Yubaek Hyeon did not answer Cheon Mugyeol’s question.
To drive oneself to the limit.
Right now, he thought it would be difficult.
“I understand your meaning.”
“I am not urging you to abandon the path.”
“I know that as well.”
Yubaek Hyeon answered with a smile on his face.
“Still, my gratitude remains unchanged, so there is one thing I wish to tell you.”
“Yes. Please, speak.”
“Jeog-Eum Poison is not rare, but neither is it common. Few places deal in it.”
Cheon Mugyeol watched Yubaek Hyeon carefully as he spoke with the air of one who knew something.
“I mention it only because it seemed you might have need of it. I have nothing more to say, and nothing more to know.”
Yubaek Hyeon had drawn a line.
Though it seemed to concern Jeog-Eum Poison, what he truly meant was: ‘I have no interest in what you intend to do, and I know nothing of it.’
“I understand. Thank you.”
Cheon Mugyeol gave Yubaek Hyeon a brief farewell and turned to regard Gwang An.
Reading his gaze, Gwang An nodded faintly.
“Well, I should be going. I need to prepare if I’m to leave in the morning.”
Yubaek Hyeon drained the last of his tea and rose to his feet.
“Rest well. I will see you off in the morning.”
Gwang An walked Yubaek Hyeon to the door and closed it behind him.
“I will look into the Jeog-Eum Poison.”

Gwang An stepped closer to Cheon Mugyeol and lowered his voice.
“Should we send word to the young master of the Beigong Clan as well?”
“No. This is the time to focus on recovery, not to burden him with such matters. It would be better to wait until his body has fully healed and the truth about Jeog-Eum Poison becomes clear before we speak of it.”
“Understood.”
Gwang An nodded.
The collapse of Gwigok and Cheon Geom-jang, the fall of the Beigong Clan, Jeog-Eum Poison—and now the Dongbang Clan too.
Though these events appeared separate on the surface, he felt a stubborn, invisible thread binding them together.

* * *

The next day, Yubaek Hyeon departed with Gwang An and Beigong Danya seeing him off.
Though Cheon Mugyeol did not show himself, he watched from a distance as Yubaek Hyeon set out.
After Yubaek Hyeon had gone, Beigong Danya, whose body had recovered considerably, came to see Cheon Mugyeol.
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Gwang An spoke warmly to Beigong Danya, who offered an awkward smile at the brief reply.
“The poison has been completely purged, and your body has been fully healed of the damage it suffered. Now you need only rest and allow yourself to recover completely—there is nothing to worry about.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Beigong Danya answered shortly, and for a moment seemed to hesitate before fixing Cheon Mugyeol with a resolute gaze.
“I must track down Jeog-Eum Poison.”
At Beigong Danya’s words, Gwang An glanced toward Cheon Mugyeol.
Cheon Mugyeol, his expression unreadable, spoke to Beigong Danya.
“You cannot. This is not the time for such exertion—you must dedicate yourself to recovery.”
“I understand. But the memory of that past incident torments me endlessly, and I cannot simply lie idle.”
Since regaining consciousness, Beigong Danya had held onto hope that he could move forward once more.
Yet because his body could not move properly, he spent long hours lying down, and in that stillness, painful thoughts he had briefly forgotten kept surfacing unbidden.
From this, the resolve to track down Jeog-Eum Poison had grown almost of its own accord.
“I will see to it myself. When the time comes, I will inform you. For now, focus only on your recovery.”
At Cheon Mugyeol’s words, Beigong Danya shook his head firmly.
“It is work that I, as the victim, must do. And it may well be connected to my clan’s downfall.”
“If this is about revenge, then you need only identify the perpetrator and settle it with them directly. Until then, build your strength.”
Cheon Mugyeol would not yield either.
“Physician Yubaek said something similar.”
Beigong Danya composed himself and spoke more evenly.
“That one cannot move forward while clinging to the past. It is an old wound, yet I remain trapped in it still.”
He met Cheon Mugyeol’s eyes directly once more.
“Only by breaking free from the chains of the past can I move forward, and only then can I restore the beliefs and mission of the Beigong Clan as a Protective Household. I cannot entrust this first step to another.”
Beigong Danya’s resolve was steel.
This was a bearing he could never have shown when Cheon Mugyeol first met him.
Confronted with this entirely transformed determination, Cheon Mugyeol found his own convictions wavering.
“Very well. We are investigating the matter; when information comes to light, I will share it with you. Until then, recover as fully as you can.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Beigong Danya rose from his seat, clasped his fist in salute, and left the hall.
“I understand the young master’s intentions, but surely it would be better to discourage him further?”
Gwang An ventured his opinion carefully.
“With such resolve on display, I cannot turn away from him.”
Cheon Mugyeol replied only tersely.

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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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