The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 45

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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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Episode 45
“What brings you here?”
“Ah.”
A sharp voice struck his eardrums, and the texture of something in his palm jolted him awake.
The first thing Jeong Ishin did upon returning to the waking world was to study the woman’s face.
‘What’s this? Has something good happened?’
Gong Sonyoung’s sharp eyes had softened considerably.
Compared to the killing intent that had saturated her expression mere moments ago, it seemed almost as if today were her birthday.
Still, Jeong Ishin did not lower his guard, and quickly revealed his purpose for coming.
“I’ve come to inquire after Eon Soran’s health.”
“……Inquire after her? Why you?”
“Among the people I know, she’s the only one I haven’t exchanged greetings with.”
It was the truth.
He’d even nodded at Jegal Jeok and Wi Seok. In the jianghu, they said even curses counted as greetings, after all.
“Mmm.”
The corners of Gong Sonyoung’s mouth twitched slightly.
Her gaze, which had been sweeping across Jeong Ishin with those elongated eyes, suddenly fixed on his palm.
Then a faint smile bloomed at the corner of her lips.
“Jinnyeong-go?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a superior wound medicine—not many places carry it.”
Gong Sonyoung took the Jade Box from his hand.
The movement was so seamless it was impossible to tell whether he’d given it or she’d simply taken it.
“The box is high quality too…… Oh! This is distributed through the Cheongun Trading Company, isn’t it?”
“Cheongun?”
As Jeong Ishin tilted his head at the familiar name, Gong Sonyoung finally stepped aside.
“Yes, you’re better than that bandit-like bastard.”
“Pardon?”
“Sister! I’m going to get some food!”
Gong Sonyoung’s voice rang toward the sickroom, and she promptly returned the Jade Box to him before passing by.
“Thank you for looking after Sister. She’ll be delighted that you brought it in person.”
“Pardon?”
And with that, Gong Sonyoung strode away with an easy pace.
Only then did O-seo, who had been hiding in Jeong Ishin’s robes, slip out cautiously.
Wheee―
“……What was that?”
It was as if a typhoon had swept through and passed on.
Bewildered, he stepped into the sickroom and saw Eon Soran leaning back against the pillows.
Seeing the bandages wrapped around her body in places, her Evaluation Tournament match came to mind.
‘She didn’t admit defeat even once, not until she fell.’
It was a match that could only be called harrowing.
Her desperation had only served to heighten the brutality of her opponent’s display.
“Oh, hello there? Goodness, the little one came along as well?”
“Yes, are you feeling any better, ma’am?”
“I’m…… doing fine. But what brings you here?”
A curious person, she was.
Looking at her now, there was no trace of that desperation he’d witnessed before.
Something in her demeanor seemed listless, yet she did not avoid his gaze—so it was not a lack of confidence.
Her speech was guarded, but her words were clear and decisive; she held nothing back.
Then, for a moment, Jeong Ishin swallowed a hollow laugh internally.
‘……A star.’
He was drowning in pointless thoughts. Perhaps her Evaluation Tournament match had simply left a deep impression on him.
Jeong Ishin stepped forward and held out the Jade Box.
“Medicine, I believe? Ah, please, sit here.”
“Yes, what visitor comes empty-handed to a sickbed?”
“……Thank you.”
Unlike Gong Sonyoung, there was no exclamation of delight. Yet she accepted it carefully and smiled, and he felt satisfied enough.
And that was that.
Jeong Ishin, who had been gazing at Eon Soran, rose from his seat once more. With the thought that there was no point in sitting, he bowed his head.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Yes, yes? Already?”
As Jeong Ishin had explained to Gong Sonyoung, the visit’s purpose from the start was simply to see her face and exchange pleasantries.
The Jinnyeong-go or whatever it was amounted to nothing more than an unexpected gift.
“Honestly, neither of us has much to talk about, so let’s not sit here in awkward silence. We’ll see each other again soon.”
A greeting was enough. There was no need for conversation.
Once they’d seen each other, how much more could curiosity demand?
That was when he turned to leave.
Behind Jeong Ishin’s back came a voice he’d hoped not to hear.
“……I do have something to say.”
“……”
* * *
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear!”
“Ah, yes.”
He’d been slipping quietly from the room when her shout made him turn back.
‘Now I understand why she and Gong Sonyoung are close.’
Jeong Ishin added a line to Eon Soran’s profile in his mind and sat back down in the chair.
“What is it you wanted to say?”
“Don’t you have any questions for me, Jeong?”
“No.”
“Then I can’t very well ask you anything.”
“That’s poor logic. If you’re curious, just ask.”
Despite Jeong Ishin’s calm reply, Eon Soran kept her mouth shut.
‘She didn’t seem like someone who’d struggle to speak her mind.’
No matter how many times he pressed her, she shook her head and refused.
By this point, Jeong Ishin was beyond frustrated.
“I’m almost afraid to know what you want to ask. Is it my Mugong you wish to learn?”
“Yelp!”
“……Miss Eon?”
“No, no! It’s not about learning your Mugong!”
And then she clamped her lips shut again, leaving Jeong Ishin unable to let the matter rest.
Now that he thought about it, she’d seen quite a lot from him.
‘I deployed the Daelyok Geumgangshu before her in Mugang County. Did she sense something then? ……Her Oseong didn’t seem particularly exceptional.’
There was no particular gleam in Eon Soran’s eyes as they twitched slightly, as if she meant to stroke O-seo who lay on the bed.
The most peculiar thing, if anything, was how extraordinary her Naegong’s nature had been.
‘I couldn’t sense that kind of temperament in it. Could she possess some unique function related to it?’
There truly were countless types of power in this land.
It was possible Eon Soran had used an ability Jeong Ishin didn’t know about to perceive the Daelyok Geumgangshu and the Cheonroegi.
Though the odds of that were exceedingly slim.
‘This is maddening.’
She was a woman who knew how to drive a man to madness.
In the end, Jeong Ishin raised his hand first.
“My snake keeps eating random things it finds. What should I do?”
“Pardon?”
“That’s my question.”
He was already preparing three alternative questions in case she answered with something like ‘That has nothing to do with me.’ …
“Snakes don’t eat just anything, though. They’re very particular creatures.”
“……Really?”
For some reason, an answer came that he hadn’t anticipated, and it was a plausible one.
“You seem to know a great deal about snakes.”
“Oh, not really. If you’re curious about snakes, you could ask Dang Hyeran—I mean, Professor Dang, who specializes in snakes. She would know.”
Jeong Ishin blinked at the name that had come out of nowhere.
Eon Soran then asked as if puzzled herself.
“Dang Hyeran, the woman who specializes in snakes. You don’t know her? She’s a professor at Cheonmu Academy. If it’s about snakes, even non-venomous ones, she’d know well.”
“……Do you have a connection with her?”
“She stopped by briefly before you arrived. We were close as children.”
“……!”
“Still, language has quite a history, doesn’t it? Haha……”
Eon Soran’s self-deprecating laugh didn’t register with him.
Jeong Ishin seized her wrist.
“Wait, Jeong?”
“Ask away. Whatever you’re curious about.”
* * *
Jeong Ishin left the Medical Hall and immediately kicked off the ground.
His destination was Manmugak, located north of the Great Plaza.
Cutting through the wind, he recalled his conversation with Eon Soran.
‘How do you fight like that?’
It was a question he’d never anticipated.
From Mugang County through the Evaluation Tournament—something she’d been turning over in her mind the whole time she watched him.
Truth was, Jeong Ishin had no ready answer for her.
If it had been Nam Taegang asking, he’d have simply said, “Well enough.”
‘The Poison Master. Dang Hyeran.’
Jeong Ishin had developed a want regarding Eon Soran.
Bang Sijeong had once mentioned that the Poison Master wasn’t meeting with anyone, only conducting research.
But Eon Soran had just said the Poison Master visited her sickbed not long ago.
‘I could find her without asking. But why force my way when an easier path exists?’
It was a natural thought, but Jeong Ishin carried genuine affection for the Sacheon Dang Clan.
And yet, strangely, he held caution toward them as well, both feelings dwelling within him at once.
It was Dang Mujeong who had planted that wariness.
Those of the Dang name knew their own family’s cruelty better than anyone else in the world.
‘The old master never spoke ill of the clan, not to the very end.’
Dang Mujeong had only ever worried about Jeong Ishin’s future.
Even so, how could he distance himself from the old master’s house as a dutiful grandson?
He would use Eon Soran to forge a connection with the Poison Master.
That’s why Jeong Ishin had made her an offer she couldn’t possibly refuse.
‘I’ll teach you through sparring.’
Eon Soran had actually trembled, hands quivering as she asked what price he wanted, but Jeong Ishin never told her.
Following the Jianghu code of conduct—revealing your desire first marks you as inexperienced.
The bait must have been irresistible, for Eon Soran had eventually accepted his proposal.
‘Someone so determined to insist on trading questions with me.’
How desperately she must want this.
While he was exploiting her longing, her untold reasons, Jeong Ishin’s own heart was just as earnest.
Because the four masters of Mujeogaeng took priority over all else for him.
That’s why he ran here.
“Phew.”
Jeong Ishin came to rest before the towering hall and caught his breath lightly.
The vast five-story structure bore a plaque reading “Manmugak.”
And carved into the columns flanking the wide-open doors were words:
Martial arts know no limits; the way lies in moving forward.
The end of martial discipline knows no boundary, and the path lies in advancing onward.
‘Keep improving, then.’
Jeong Ishin offered a terse interpretation of Manmugak’s spirit and crossed the threshold.
The first thing to catch his eye was a weathered table and an old man seated with an indifferent expression.
The old man’s snow-white beard was so thick and full that he resembled an immortal sage, and his eyebrows were equally white and long, making the impression even more striking.
Jeong Ishin’s torso bent instinctively in a bow.
“Respectful greetings, Elder.”
“Hmm? What is this pleasant fragrance? Have you stuffed some sachet full of pine needles?”
“Pardon?”
“Strange. It’s rare for anyone fresh to the Academy to seek out Manmugak, and now two of you have come?”
“Haha. At least you haven’t been lacking for company.”
The old man showed no interest in responding, but Jeong Ishin had long ago trained himself in the arts of attendant work through honoring elders.
He knew that even a foolish smile could pass without drawing the old man’s ire.
Indeed, the old man’s long eyebrows twitched and he clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! That Taoist fellow included, you young ones have no spirit these days. Well, what brings you here?”
“I am Jeong Ishin, admitted this year.”
“……Kreh-kreh-kreh. So you’re worse than that Taoist. I go by Baek.”
Jeong Ishin lowered his head to the old man, who broke into a hearty, unguarded laugh.
“Master Baek, may I use Manmugak at this time?”
“Master? Just call me Elder Baek. So, you’re asking to use Manmugak.”
“Yes, Elder. I wish to examine the Mugong texts.”
This was the reason Jeong Ishin had rushed from the Medical Hall straight to Manmugak.
In truth, what could Jeong Ishin, who had learned only what suited him, possibly teach about combat?
From the start, he was far removed from instruction.
Offering to spar wasn’t charity—it was simply the best he could manage.
Through sparring, wouldn’t Eon Soran come to understand things on her own? Yet he couldn’t simply entrust her to her talent alone.
‘Her aptitude didn’t seem exceptional. My own combat arts were shaped to face Shaolin monks, so I’m not even certain whether she could withstand it.’
He had no choice. Jeong Ishin’s martial arts traced their origins to Gong Sonyoung.
Against a novice like Eon Soran, he needed to find a way to spar responsibly.
He couldn’t simply beat her senseless, after all.
‘They said the first floor of Manmugak alone is crammed with every sort of text.’
Surely he could find some guidance on how to handle a beginner in the martial arts.
To the hopeful Jeong Ishin, the old man spoke firmly.
“You can’t.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“You can’t use it, Ishin.”
“……”
“But there is a way to use it.”
The old man stroked his beard and gave a wry smile, as though teasing Jeong Ishin.
“Each floor of Manmugak requires different qualifications to access. Did you know that?”
“Yes, I’ve heard that each year you’re permitted access to one additional floor. That’s why the first floor is open to everyone, isn’t it?”
Access to Manmugak had two conditions.
Either your year of study matching the floor level, or proof of qualification for that specific floor.
“Exactly. And you’re not yet in your first year.”
There were still two weeks remaining before the term began.
This was also the sparring period Jeong Ishin had proposed to Eon Soran, and simultaneously the point the old man was making.
Jeong Ishin replied at once.
“So there is a qualification requirement for the first floor as well. It’s simply that it’s naturally fulfilled once the term starts, so normally there’s no need to prove it.”
“……You’re quick-witted, aren’t you? Yes—the first floor qualification. Will you prove it?”
When Jeong Ishin nodded eagerly, the old man pointed to the staircase.
“There’s a path leading underground behind the stairs.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go down there and bring back something.”
“I’ll be back in no time!”
He didn’t even ask what. It seemed the old man wouldn’t tell him anyway.
He bowed and headed down the stairs.
Strangely, the stairs didn’t run in a straight line. Instead, they spiraled downward in a circular pattern.
‘Quite a long way down.’
Just as he thought he’d descended far enough.
Tap—
The sound that rang out from his feet was different from before. He had stepped not on stairs but onto a broad floor.
The space ahead remained utterly dark, and as he cautiously moved forward.
Something stirred from beyond the pitch blackness.
“What the—!”
Jeong Ishin, startled by reflex, thrust out his fist.
Crack!
His fist surged forward, faintly wreathed in Cheonroegi.
In that instant, the surroundings brightened, and what appeared before Jeong Ishin became clear.
“……!”
Jeong Ishin hastily withdrew his fist.
Motionless yet swaying gently in place was a man dressed in a blue martial robe.
The character for Martial embroidered on his shoulder was distinct—he wore the same style as Jeong Ishin.
As his gaze slowly rose, the man’s face finally came into view.
“Uhhh……”
“……Hyeon Poong?”
It was Hyeon Poong, the Mudang priest at Rank 3 in the Ipgwanshik.
At Jeong Ishin’s call, he simply stared vacantly into empty space, his mouth hanging open.
“……Thank you for your labor.”
He offered a light bow and passed by him.
With the Cheonroegi dispelled, the underground chamber was revealed to be nothing more than an ordinary stone room.
Its only distinguishing feature was a single stone table placed in the center.
The arrangement reminded him of the first trial of the Ipgwanshik, but only for a moment—he noticed something lying on the stone table.
“A book? A secret manual? Good heavens, look at all that dust.”
It was covered as though buried in ash.
Carefully brushing the cover so it wouldn’t tear, I could make out crudely scrawled characters.
―Taeheoganggang-gong
But the words written above that title were quite amusing.
―Supreme Under Heaven
The thunder I harbor is far too mighty
Author |
Woo San-yu
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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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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