Chapter 40. Azure Spirit Pill (3)

The reason I had hastily twisted my body was not to dodge his sword.

The half-sized sword blade, split in two by his sword qi.

That blade was strangely flying towards his right shoulder.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

At the very last moment, the blacksmith I had met in Huaihua had saved me.

This was why one should live a good life.

The Captain, having confirmed the blade that had dug into his neck, belatedly finishes swinging his arm.

To cut my side.

However, in that moment he flinched.

Grab.

I threw away the broken sword I had originally held in my right hand, and with my now empty right hand, I grabbed his hand.

After a brief power struggle over the sword that was touching my side.

“Krrrrk.”

With a gurgling sound, bloody foam flowed from his mouth, and soon after, the strength drained from his right arm, which had been in a power struggle.

Thud.

I looked at his collapsing body.

He was a truly foolish man.

At the last moment.

If he had finished swinging his sword instead of checking the blade that had dug into his neck, we probably would have died together.

“Huu.”

Right after confirming his death, the tension subsided, and extreme fatigue rushed in.

There wasn't a single unscathed place on my entire body.

Perhaps because of the movement that had surpassed my limits, all my muscles and bones ached, and the dozens of wounds from being grazed by his sword were constantly making their presence known.

“Tsk.”

But the work was not over yet.

“I should have kept him alive.”

I needed to find out about the Black Market, but I ended up killing him without even being able to torture him.

This too was a problem that arose because my skills were still lacking.

I slapped my cheek to wake my dazed mind.

Slap.

Yes. There were still two more left.

I hastily turned my head.

There was not two, but only one left.

The coachman had already been hit by Nam Geon’s sword and had turned into a lump of minced meat.

“C-Captain!?”

The remaining man’s face turned pale as he confirmed the Captain’s death.

“Haat!”

Soon after, Nam Geon swung the Mother’s Affection Sword at him.

“Oh dear.”

It would be troublesome if that one died here too.

“Heek.”

Fortunately, the man who had been looking away belatedly threw himself aside.

Crack!

Only one of his arms was moderately shattered.

“Aaargh!!”

I rushed towards the screaming man and shouted.

“Nam Geon! Don't kill him!”

“Uh, huh?”

Nam Geon looked at me with a 'what's going on' expression.

After appropriately ignoring him and passing by, I thrust my fingers at the man who had become an arm-cripple.

Pak, pak, pak.

After pressing a few paralysis points in a surprise attack, I asked the man whose tongue was still intact.

“The Black Market?”

“Keeeeuk.”

I moderately broke one of the still intact fingers of the man who was groaning in pain and asked again.

“The Black Market?”

Only then, as if he had understood his situation, the man, while enduring his groans, answered.

“Keup!! D-do you want to know about the B-Black Market?”

“Yes. Where and when is the Black Market held?”

“E-every month on the eighth day. O-on the night of the f-first crescent moon. A-and the place is……. Z-Zunyi! It's a back mountain near Zunyi!”

Zunyi was a village located about a seven-day journey from here.

After getting some information about the Black Market, something suddenly came to mind, and I asked.

“The Azure Spirit Pill?”

“...…Th-there isn’t one. W-we had no intention of g-giving it to the Hegemonic Tiger Gang Leader from the s-start.”

Circumstantially, the statement that he had no intention of giving it made some sense.

However, I willingly broke another of the man’s fingers.

“You still haven't come to your senses.”

The man's attitude of answering after a moment's hesitation. Furthermore, even in this situation, greed momentarily flickered in his eyes.

“Aaargh!”

As I broke another of the screaming man’s fingers, he finally spoke up quickly.

“I-it's in the carriage!”

“Huu. Nam Geon, keep an eye on this guy.”

After entrusting the man to Nam Geon, I approached the carriage.

His words were indeed true. A small box was left inside the carriage.

When I peeked inside, a strong, refreshing scent wafted out.

Since the energy might escape, I quickly closed the box again and came out of the carriage.

To think he would try to lie about an item that was not even hidden, but was openly placed inside the carriage.

That slave trader was quite a character.

Since I had more or less achieved all my objectives, I said to Nam Geon.

“Finish him.”

“O-okay, Big brother.”

“F-finish me? Wh-what do you mean? A-are you letting me g-Aaargh!!”

The man who had been spouting nonsense was crushed by Nam Geon’s Mother’s Affection Sword.

“Haa.”

As soon as I thought that the last task was finished, a deep sense of fatigue washed over me again.

Slap.

After slapping my cheek again, I tore off my half-tattered top and wrapped it tightly around my side.

In addition, I selected only the places with particularly severe bleeding and first wrapped them tightly with cloth to stop the bleeding.

“Let's go back.”

While dragging my body, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, back to Dongin.

I suddenly felt my head spin.

I hastily slapped my cheek to try and come to my senses, but my vision suddenly went dark.

***

On the way back to Dongin.

Nam Geon hastily approached Jin Yuseong, who had suddenly swayed and fallen forward.

“Bi-Big brother!?”

Jin Yuseong didn't open his eyes.

Nam Geon, his face ashen, lifted Jin Yuseong onto his back and ran towards Dongin.

In the dead of night.

Nam Geon arrived at a pharmacy in Dongin.

In front of the place, which was of course already closed, Nam Geon pounded on the door and shouted.

“H-help me! S-save my Bi-Big brother!”

A sudden shout in the middle of the night. At the noise, which sounded as if the door was about to break, the pharmacy owner rushed out.

“What is all this commotion!”

The owner, who was about to get angry at the uninvited guest who had disturbed his sweet sleep, shut his mouth at the huge shadow that fell upon him as soon as he opened the door.

Nam Geon's huge build and formidable fists captured the owner's attention.

“Wh-what b-brings you here? Ha. Hahaha.”

At the owner’s question, Nam Geon held out the unconscious Jin Yuseong.

He was covered in blood.

Although he had hastily stopped the bleeding with cloth, a considerable amount of blood had already flowed out.

“S-save my Big brother.”

“F-first, come inside!”

The pharmacy owner moved quickly.

Both the large man and the now unconscious boy were familiar faces.

The terrifying people who had single-handedly taken care of the vicious Hegemonic Tiger Gang.

But, at least they didn't harm the residents. On the contrary, they even returned the wealth that had been extorted by the Hegemonic Tiger Gang.

They were scary, but there was more than enough reason to help them.

The pharmacy owner quickly gathered clean water, cloth, and medicinal herbs and returned.

He first ground the medicinal herbs. They were herbs that were effective in stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation.

“P-please untie the cloths one by one and wipe him clean with this cloth.”

As his condition seemed critical, he also requested Nam Geon’s help.

Urgent treatment followed.

Nam Geon untied the knots that Jin Yuseong had tied so tenaciously. He also wiped the area around the wounds with clean water and cloth.

Soon after, the pharmacy owner applied the ground medicinal herbs to the wounds, and then re-bandaged the wounds with clean cloth.

After covering all the wounds with medicinal herbs and wrapping them with cloth, the pharmacy owner said.

“Huu. The wound on his side was a little deep, but not to the point of exposing his internal organs. As long as the wounds don’t get infected, he should be fine.”

“Th-then my Big brother will live?”

“We’ve put out the immediate fire, but there are too many wounds. His body will probably burn up like a ball of fire as it fights the wounds. So, please keep wiping the unbandaged areas with a cloth soaked in cold water.”

“I-I understand. Th-thank you, ahjussi.”

As Nam Geon bowed his head and spoke, the pharmacy owner smiled awkwardly and stood up.

He handed Nam Geon the cold water and a new cloth he would need, and soon after, he came back with a boiled herbal medicine.

It was a herbal medicine that had the effect of reducing inflammation.

After trickling the herbal medicine down the throat of the unconscious Jin Yuseong and consistently wiping his body with a cold cloth for some time.

Around the time the sun rose, the eyes of the unconscious Jin Yuseong opened.

“Keeeung.”

He let out a groan, looked around, and then tried to get up.

Nam Geon was startled and stopped him.

“Bi-Big brother is hurt badly. You n-need to rest.”

“I can heal from this while moving. We need to go to the Black Market right away.”

As Jin Yuseong insisted, Nam Geon fell into thought.

Before long, Nam Geon, having thought of something, made a resolute expression.

He flicked the forehead of Jin Yuseong, who had just managed to sit up.

Thwack!!

A sound too brutal for a flick erupted.

Jin Yuseong, who had just woken up, felt his mind go blank.

Grit.

Jin Yuseong, who had barely held on by clenching his teeth, glared at Nam Geon with murderous eyes.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

He was suspicious that Nam Geon was trying to knock him out and leave him here.

However, Nam Geon’s reply was unexpected.

“Bi-Big brother. You usually dodge all my punches. Y-you couldn’t dodge this time. Bi-Big brother is hurt. Big brother. You’ve become weak.”

“…….”

A shock similar to when he had been flicked by Nam Geon struck Jin Yuseong’s mind again.

This time, Nam Geon’s words were right.

Was I careless? Was I hit by a cheap surprise attack?

That was bullshit.

At least, that's what Jin Yuseong thought. All the more so because he was someone who had hunted the evil sects by any means necessary.

Jin Yuseong, whose head had cooled down, calmly made a calculation.

Today was the full moon. And the day the Black Market opened was the eighth day of the next month, the day the first crescent moon rose.

There were a little over twenty days left.

It meant that he could arrive at Zunyi before the Black Market opened even if he rested for a few days.

It was just a pity that he couldn't stop by other regions in the meantime to clean up some more evil sect members.

As soon as he recognized that fact, as if the tension had been released, he felt a stiff pain and heat all over his body.

“Huu. Yes. It would be better to rest until the wounds heal.”

“Hehet. G-good thinking, Big brother.”

Jin Yuseong looked at the brightly smiling Nam Geon, and then, as if he had remembered something, he asked.

“Come to think of it, what happened to the Azure Spirit Pill?”

“I-I have it.”

“Give it to me. Since I’m resting anyway, it would be better to at least practice my breathing exercises.”

As Nam Geon held out a small box, Jin Yuseong sat up and accepted the Azure Spirit Pill.

With Nam Geon’s help, Jin Yuseong sat in a cross-legged position, opened the box, and tossed the Azure Spirit Pill into his mouth.

A refreshing energy filled his mouth.

Afraid that even a single speck of energy might escape, he swallowed it without even chewing a few times.

The Azure Spirit Pill, sliding down his throat, melted and continuously emitted a clear and bright energy.

“Ssssup. Huuuu.”

Jin Yuseong operated the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, repeating his deep breaths.

Jin Yuseong's internal energy, flowing from his dantian, guided the energy of the Azure Spirit Pill and rushed through his acupoints.

The turbid energies stuck in various parts of his acupoints melted away as they came into contact with the energy of the Azure Spirit Pill.

It wasn't just the turbidity.

The fever that had been raging throughout his body subsided, and the pain that had felt like it was searing his wounds also lessened.

Even the evil energy that was trying to cause inflammation in his body was being washed away with it.

Thanks to the subsiding pain and the refreshed mind, it became much easier to continue the breathing exercises.

“Ssssup. Huuuu.”

After continuing to use the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art and cleaning his acupoints with the energy of the Azure Spirit Pill for some time.

Jin Yuseong, who had succeeded in melting all the hardened turbidity in his acupoints and the evil energy that had clung to his wounds and pushing them out of his acupoints, opened his eyes.

“Huu.”

Despite being covered in wounds, his body felt as light as a feather.

A laugh escaped him on its own.

It wasn't just because his physical condition had improved.

“Now, even the pinnacle is not just a dream.”

Most of the turbidity had disappeared.

Moreover, thanks to the effects of the Ten-Thousand Year He Shou Wu he had eaten before and the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, accumulating a Gapja of internal energy was no longer a distant future.

The same went for Sword Unification.

With these eyes I have now, I could definitely reach it someday.

I had lived my whole life without knowing.

“Hahaha. Hahahaha.”

That I could reach a realm that had felt so far away.

That something that had just seemed like a pipe dream could become a possibility.

“Hahahahahaha.”

That it was such a joyful thing.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.