Chapter 144: Chapter 144
Cheon-hwi, who came out of the room where the Lord was, sat facing Princess So-hui.
“Was all the business at the Nine Dragons Gang done by you, Young Hero?”
“That’s right.”
“Then the disappearance of the Nine Dragons Gang Leader and the traces of martial arts left on the Surveillance Commissioner’s body…….”
“That was also done by me.”
Looking at Cheon-hwi, who calmly admitted it, Princess So-hui’s eyes deepened even more.
What those words meant was considerable.
First of all, it meant he possessed the martial prowess to easily deal with the Nine Dragons Gang Leader.
Secondly, it meant he was at a level where he could immediately imitate the Nine Dragons Gang Leader’s martial arts.
And at the same time, a question also arose.
“Why did you do such a dangerous thing……. Because of that incident, the Murim Alliance and the Imperial Family clashed, causing a huge uproar…….”
She swallowed her latter words.
The Mount Hua Sect currently belonged to the Murim Alliance, but to cause them to clash with the Imperial Family, she could not understand it at all with her head.
At that time, Cheon-hwi opened his mouth.
“So thanks to that, you came comfortably, didn’t you?”
“That is true……. No way!”
Lightning struck in her mind.
“You purposely drew attention.”
“That way, they can’t move carelessly.”
It was an extraordinary insight.
No matter how much of a Commander of the Eastern Depot he was, since the government and Murim clashed, it would be hard to think of bringing in another sect.
Since they would get caught by the tail if they did that.
“But will it be okay? I heard the Murim Alliance is in an uproar over this incident…….”
“They will take care of it themselves over there.”
Cheon-hwi spoke insignificantly.
Whether there was an uproar in the Murim Alliance or whatever, what did it matter?
Let them deal with it themselves.
“Then the mission is over now, so…….”
When Cheon-hwi tried to stand up from his seat.
“Where are you going now…….”
Princess So-hui hurriedly grabbed him.
“I have to return to the Mount Hua Sect.”
“Already?”
Her eyes widened.
“You just arrived, so since you’re here, why don’t you stay here for a while before going…….”
Cheon-hwi’s brow narrowed.
Stay in Qinghai Province, my foot.
Because he didn’t want to get involved with the Imperial Family, he deliberately went all the way to the Nine Dragons Gang to deal with it and came back.
“Ah! Don’t do that, and how about going together when the offering is prepared?”
Princess So-hui spoke with shining eyes.
‘If only Young Hero Cheon-hwi is here…….’
The presence or absence of a master named Cheon-hwi was significant.
In addition, if he stayed, the Divine Physician, Jeok-geom, and Seol Ran would also follow him.
She sent an earnest gaze, but.
“I don’t want to.”
Cheon-hwi coldly refused.
Seeing him not showing the slightest sign of being swayed, Princess So-hui shook her head.
With that kind of appearance, she knew he would never listen to her words.
In the end, she had to give up.
“……Then I will get a carriage ready.”
“That’s quite alright.”
Afterwards, when Cheon-hwi, who parted with Princess So-hui who went to get a carriage, came outside.
“Martial Uncle!”
“You’re here!”
Whether they had already heard the news, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran were waiting outside.
‘Look at these guys?’
Cheon-hwi looked the two up and down.
The two must have lived well in Qinghai Province, as their complexion was good and they looked glowing.
“You guys seem to have lived quite well.”
At Cheon-hwi’s words, the two smiled awkwardly.
During their stay in Qinghai Province, they were incomparably happy.
Top-tier food and soft beds.
And most importantly, the being named Cheon-hwi who worked them to the bone wasn’t there.
At that time, Cheon-hwi smiled brightly.
“It was comfortable because I wasn’t here, right?”
“What are you talking about!”
“T-that can’t be!”
The two waved their hands in denial and answered.
“We were waiting with worry every day, wondering when Martial Uncle would come.”
“Senior Brother’s words are correct.”
“It doesn’t seem like you had such thoughts.”
Facing Cheon-hwi’s piercing gaze, the two profusely broke into a cold sweat.
Because it was exactly as he said.
Worry about Cheon-hwi?
They had never done such a thing.
Rather, as they fully enjoyed life in Qinghai Province, there were times they even forgot.
At that time.
Clop… Clop…
The sound of their salvation was heard.
Jeok-geom, seeing the carriage coming from afar, quickly changed the subject.
“Martial Uncle! The carriage has arrived.”
When Jeok-geom made a deliberate fuss.
Creak!
The carriage door opened.
“What are you doing, not coming in quickly.”
Cheon-hwi looked at the Divine Physician, who was already inside the carriage, and let out a chuckle.
“You didn’t get caught by the Lord?”
“Hmph! There is no one in the world who can stop me.”
Around the time the Divine Physician snorted and spoke.
“Hold on a moment.”
A voice was heard from behind.
Turning their heads, Princess So-hui, who had gone in earlier, was approaching while holding two small boxes wrapped in red silk.
“My father said he couldn’t send you off empty-handed, and told me to deliver these items.”
“What are they?”
“They are spiritual elixirs.”
Cheon-hwi took the boxes and opened them.
Click…
A refreshing scent spread in all directions.
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran, who were spacing out, also came to their senses at that scent and looked at the round spiritual elixirs in the boxes with surprised eyes.
At that time, the Divine Physician opened his mouth.
“It’s the White Gold Pill.”
Cheon-hwi approached the Divine Physician, who spoke as if he knew about this, and asked.
“Do you know what it is?”
“It is a spiritual elixir made by mixing century-old fleeceflower root and ginseng.”
The Divine Physician explained fluently.
“As one of the spiritual elixirs made by the Imperial Family for generations, it is a spiritual elixir mainly used when one wants to hastily build up internal energy.”
“How is its efficacy?”
“Excluding the spiritual elixirs made by the Great Sects, it is still among the best.”
After hearing the answer, Cheon-hwi closed the boxes.
“Take it.”
And then he tossed it to Jeok-geom.
“E-eh? Martial Uncle!”
Jeok-geom was startled and narrowly caught the box thrown at him.
“You too.”
Cheon-hwi threw the box to Seol Ran as well.
Seol Ran was also surprised by the suddenly thrown box like Jeok-geom, but she lightly snatched it.
Princess So-hui, who became empty-handed, smiled.
“Are you giving them to those two?”
“Because I don’t need it.”
At Cheon-hwi’s words, Princess So-hui smiled softly, and offered him a farewell greeting.
“Please have a safe trip. Young Hero.”
“Well, take care of yourself too.”
When Cheon-hwi, who gave a rough greeting, got on the carriage, the Divine Physician stuck his face out.
“Elder, please have a safe trip too.”
As Princess So-hui offered a greeting.
“You just take care of yourself.”
The grumbling Divine Physician turned his gaze away from her and added words.
“Well, if anything happens, try sending a carrier pigeon to Mount Hua. If I have time, I’ll take a look at it once.”
Princess So-hui gave an eye smile.
“Thank you. Elder.”
“What thanks. It’s only exactly once.”
The grumbling Divine Physician spoke as if emphasizing.
However, Princess So-hui knew that it wasn’t just exactly once.
Because through their journey all this time, she realized that unlike what he showed on the outside, the Divine Physician was a person with deep affection.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Then that’s it.”
The Divine Physician hurriedly pulled his stuck-out face back in, and flopped down onto the chair.
While Princess So-hui was looking at the carriage.
“Princess.”
Jeok-geom approached and cupped his fists.
“If by any chance anything happens, please contact our sect at any time.”
“Thank you for caring. Young Hero Jeok-geom.”
“Not at all.”
At that time, Seol Ran also approached.
“Are Young Master Sim and So-ryeong not coming?”
“Those two have business, so they couldn’t come.”
“Is that so? It’s a shame we can’t say our farewells.”
“I’ll deliver it separately.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The two looked at each other.
After a moment, Princess So-hui reached out her hands and lightly grabbed both of Seol Ran’s hands.
“Take care of yourself.”
“You too, Princess.”
After everyone exchanged their farewell greetings.
Clop… Clop…
The carriage departed vigorously.
The smile on her lips, watching the receding carriage, showed no sign of drying up.
‘It’s been a long time since I met people I can open my heart to.’
For a long time, the people she could open her heart to were quite limited.
It was understandable since she was a figure of the Imperial Family.
Pandemonium, where one could be stabbed by a sword if they showed an opening for even a moment.
Since the Imperial Family was such a place, how could she live while opening her heart?
However, they were different.
People of Jianghu completely unrelated to the Imperial Family; it was only when she was with them that she could briefly live as a person named So-hui rather than Princess So-hui.
‘But even that is now…….’
The smile lingering on her lips disappeared.
It was now time to return.
As her true self, Princess So-hui.
* * *
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi, who was riding the carriage, watched the two carefully holding the boxes and spoke.
“What are you doing, not eating it?”
Jeok-geom and Seol Ran were startled.
“Eat it, you can’t mean this?”
“Wasn’t it Martial Uncle’s?”
“Mine, my foot.”
Cheon-hwi let out a chuckle.
“I don’t need spiritual elixirs right now.”
Having completely digested all the yin qi obtained from Danmok Rin, his internal energy was now sufficient.
Rather, a spiritual elixir like that mixed with many impurities was just unnecessary.
Meanwhile, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran’s eyes shone.
They had thought the spiritual elixir belonged to Cheon-hwi, so they hadn’t paid much attention to it.
But to say it was theirs.
The two’s hearts began to pound.
“Are you not going to eat it?”
At Cheon-hwi’s words, the two were alarmed.
“N-now?”
“I-isn’t it dangerous to do qi cultivation inside a moving carriage?”
To consume a spiritual elixir, one needed to properly take a posture for qi cultivation and require mental focus.
However, inside a running carriage, not only was it difficult to sit cross-legged, but wasn’t it also hard to concentrate one’s mind?
“Taking the White Gold Pill later after arriving at the Mount Hua Sect is…….”
“If we fall into qi deviation…….”
The two spoke with worry, but.
“Qi deviation? There’s no way you’ll catch something like that. I’m here, and the Elder is also here.”
At Cheon-hwi’s refutation, they shut their mouths.
Just as he said, there was an absolute master named Cheon-hwi, and an illustrious physician named the Divine Physician.
Even so, the two were anxious.
Wasn’t there such a thing as ‘what if’.
Cheon-hwi, watching the two hesitating, narrowed his eyes and spoke as if giving a notice.
“If you’re not going to eat it right now, hand it over. I’ll give it to the other kids.”
“N-no! We will eat it!”
“We will eat it right now!”
The two were terrified.
Because if it was Cheon-hwi, he might really give it to other people.
As the two swallowed the spiritual elixirs at the same time.
Hwaaa…
Feeling the energy of the spiritual elixir slowly rising, the two began their qi cultivation.
“Ugh… “
“Urg… “
They couldn’t concentrate at all.
It wasn’t a proper posture for qi cultivation, and the carriage kept rattling, so their minds also shook every time they tried to concentrate.
When the qi cultivation was about to break.
“Sigh. To not even be able to do this.”
A voice mixed with a reprimand was heard.
And at the same time, they thought they felt the touch of palms on their backs.
Woooong!
An astonishing internal energy flowed out.
And the energy of the White Gold Pill consumed through their mouths resonated with it and circulated through their blood vessels.
It was none other than the Great Heavenly Circulation.
First Circulation, Second Circulation, Third Circulation…….
As the Great Heavenly Circulation was performed at a fast speed inside the rattling carriage, the heads of the two who were concentrating began to get dizzy.
Because of that, their stomachs began to feel nauseous, and their complexions turned completely pale.
The Divine Physician, seeing that sight, shouted.
“S-stop!”
“Why?”
“If you keep that up, those guys will throw up!”
Right as those words ended, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran sprang up from their seats and stuck their faces out the window.
And then.
“Blergh!”
“Blech!”
After throwing up everything inside their stomachs for a long time like that, the two lay down on their seats without even being able to wipe their mouths.
“Tsk.”
Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue and looked pathetically at the two who were sprawled out with exhausted faces.
‘If they can’t even endure this much, when will they…….’
Then, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
‘They just emptied their stomachs earlier, right? Then there shouldn’t be anything left to throw up.’
The corners of his mouth went up.
Meanwhile, Jeok-geom and Seol Ran, who lay down feeling dizzy, felt an unknown chill when a smile formed on Cheon-hwi’s lips.
At the same time, the two made eye contact.
‘S-Junior Sister. I-it can’t be, right?’
‘Senior Brother. S-still, if Martial Uncle is human, doing something like that is…….’
When the two were having a conversation with their eyes.
“Have you come to your senses?”
Words like a bolt from the blue were heard.
“Then we should start again.”
Enjoyed the chapter?
If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!
Support on Ko-fi