Chapter 91: Chapter 91
“Pant, pant.”
Cheon-hwi, who was performing breathing exercises by the stone wall, frowned as he looked at the Divine Physician, who showed obvious signs of exhaustion from climbing the mountain path.
“How did you know I was here?”
“The Hall of Medicine Lord told me.”
“The Hall of Medicine Lord?”
Cheon-hwi’s face distorted drastically.
‘He’s no help at all.’
Just as Cheon-hwi’s evaluation of the Hall of Medicine Lord plummeted to the very bottom.
“Huu, huu.”
The Divine Physician, who was slowly catching his breath, looked at Cheon-hwi and spoke with emphasis.
“It is a great loss that you do not learn medical arts.”
The Divine Physician spoke with a serious expression, but.
“There are times when there are losses.”
Cheon-hwi waved his hand as he spoke.
He could have tolerated hearing that once or twice.
Having heard it to the point of losing count, he was now absolutely sick of it.
Despite the rejection, the Divine Physician clung to him again and spat out words.
“Didn’t the Sect Leader also agree?”
That was exactly the problem.
Cheon-hwi narrowed his glabella.
He thought the Sect Leader would refuse, but whatever he had heard, he was instead urging him to learn medical arts.
“Ah, yes, yes. I got it.”
The Divine Physician reacted to the positive response.
“Then which one…”
“I’ll learn when I have time.”
“…What?”
Cheon-hwi spoke as he uncrossed his legs from the lotus position.
“I have to practice martial arts today.”
“T-then when will you be finished?”
“I don’t know about that.”
The Divine Physician was slightly flustered.
“Then how about learning for a brief moment before you practice martial arts?”
“I need to do breathing exercises first.”
Just as the Divine Physician was flustered by the completely unexpected method of refusal.
“Elder.”
Princess So-hui and her party approached.
Why did they come again?
Falling Goose Peak was a peak where the elders of the Mount Hua Sect generally stayed.
So only precious guests visited, but.
‘Every dog and cow is coming here.’
At that time, Princess So-hui caught her breath.
Perhaps it was because she had climbed a quite high peak.
She swept up her sweat-soaked hair once, tied it again, and then slowly approached the Divine Physician.
“Elder.”
“I told you I’m not going.”
Cheon-hwi stared at the Divine Physician with an expression of disbelief.
It was just like him and the Divine Physician from a moment ago.
“Hmm?”
Then, for a moment, he stroked his chin.
The Divine Physician was unable to move a muscle under the persistent offensive of Princess So-hui’s words.
“Wouldn’t it work out if I stuck those two together?”
Just when he thought it was a good method.
“Stick what together?”
Suddenly, a voice was heard from below.
When he lowered his head, a young girl was looking up with sparkling eyes.
“Ah!”
Soon, she looked backwards and spoke.
“Wi Jin! It’s that person from back then!”
Wi Jin hurriedly ran over and politely bowed his head.
“I apologize. The child is still young and does not know manners well.”
“Because she’s young?”
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
‘Not knowing manners because she’s young, my foot.’
He didn’t believe his words at all.
Right now, the girl’s appearance looked about fourteen or fifteen, but the martial arts she had displayed back then were no ordinary matter.
‘They probably just didn’t teach her manners.’
What she had deployed were the martial arts of the Black Sand Courtyard.
The dirty tasks of the Imperial Family.
It was because the Black Sand Courtyard was precisely a place that raised abandoned women to primarily conduct espionage and assassinations using honey traps.
Therefore, at such a young age, they focused on training martial arts rather than manners.
‘And if it’s those martial arts…’
He recalled the martial arts the girl had deployed.
The unique martial arts deployed with silver threads.
‘Since it’s a supreme technique learned only by the Lord of the Black Sand Courtyard.’
Cheon-hwi scrutinized So-ryeong in detail.
‘Hmm, then is this girl the person who will become the new Lord of the Black Sand Courtyard? She certainly has skill, but she is incomplete.’
At that moment, he met eyes with So-ryeong.
“Hmm? What is it?”
So-ryeong, who had raised her head feeling his gaze, smiled innocently.
“It’s nothing.”
Cheon-hwi immediately cut off the conversation.
Since ancient times, there had never been a single good thing that came from being involved with the Imperial Family.
‘They were bastards who lived off the taste of their own superiority.’
Thinking about it made him sick to his stomach.
‘They caused such a huge fuss just because I didn’t submit.’
He recalled past events.
At one time, the Imperial Family, feeling a threat from the Jianghu, sought to borrow the power of the Outer Realms in order to reduce their numbers.
And the Heavenly Demon Cult refused.
The Heavenly Demon Cult was a cult that served the Cult Leader.
Serving the Emperor of the Central Plains was utterly absurd.
However, the other Outer Realm sects were not all like the Heavenly Demon Cult.
They wanted to conquer the Central Plains.
Even if it meant entering under the Imperial Family.
‘But why did they attack our cult.’
He shook his head.
He expected that perhaps the existence of the Heavenly Demon Cult was offensive to them, but he couldn’t say for sure.
‘Well, because of that, we showed the strength of our cult and managed to live peacefully.’
That time was precisely the days when he became the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult and spread his infamy.
Since he completely destroyed the alliance of the Outer Realm sects that attacked after falling for the Imperial Family’s enticement and forced them to seal their gates.
The title he obtained at that time, Absolute Heavenly Demon.
Not to mention the Outer Realms, he came to be called the Absolute Ruler of the Nine Provinces and Eight Wildernesses even in the Central Plains.
‘But I suffered again because of that.’
The Imperial Family, perhaps not wanting to admit that they had lost, tenaciously harassed them.
And not openly, but secretly.
‘They even severed transactions with the merchant guilds, to the point where we suffered quite a bit for a time.’
Thinking about it made him boil with anger.
Forget it. Forget it.
He calmed his anger.
He wasn’t the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult anymore, either.
He would no longer have any reason to get involved with the Imperial Family.
“By the way, Young Hero, no. I didn’t know that the Young Daoist was a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect.”
Wi Jin spoke with a smile.
Looking at him asking as if he wanted to build friendship, he spoke softly.
“Because I wasn’t wearing a Daoist robe back then.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Wi Jin tried to speak but trailed off at the end.
Then he looked around, stuck close to Cheon-hwi, and whispered in his ear.
“The fact that you ate meat and drank alcohol…”
“Let’s bury that.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m saying let’s pretend it never happened.”
Cheon-hwi spoke confidently.
“Didn’t you say you would repay the favor last time?”
“That is true, but…”
“So let’s pretend it never happened.”
“…”
Wi Jin’s mouth hung wide open.
He thought there would be some circumstances or that he would make an excuse, but it wasn’t the case at all.
He was confidently saying they should cover it up.
“Hahaha!”
At the honest appearance that was hard to see in the Imperial Family, Wi Jin burst into a hearty laugh.
“Understood.”
“Ah! And please keep your mouth shut.”
Cheon-hwi’s gaze headed towards So-ryeong.
Realizing what that gaze meant, Wi Jin nodded his head greatly.
“Do not worry.”
Wi Jin stepped back after those words.
Meanwhile, just as he was about to return to the hut.
“Where are you going?”
The Divine Physician followed closely.
Princess So-hui also came following behind him.
“I beg of you.”
“That’s enough. This is more important than that.”
The Divine Physician spoke without even giving Princess So-hui a glance and stuck to Cheon-hwi.
“I will teach you from the easy things. You just need to spare a very brief moment.”
Princess So-hui’s eyes narrowed as she saw the Divine Physician speaking desperately to Cheon-hwi.
‘Why are you looking at me?’
The moment Cheon-hwi saw her piercing gaze that seemed to be deep in thought.
“Elder!”
The Hall of Medicine Lord ran over while waving his hand.
“Didn’t you say you would help the Hall of Medicine today?”
The bridge of the Divine Physician’s nose twitched.
“Already?”
“Everyone is waiting right now.”
The Divine Physician pressed his forehead.
While doing so, he looked at Cheon-hwi and spoke.
“If you wish to learn, come to the Hall of Medicine.”
“Yes.”
Cheon-hwi, who was even annoyed to reply, gave a half-hearted answer and then stared fixedly at the Hall of Medicine Lord.
“Senior Martial Brother.”
“Why do you call me?”
“Did you tell him my residence?”
The Hall of Medicine Lord, looking at Cheon-hwi’s dry and emotionless eyes, broke into a cold sweat.
“He said he would help with the work of the Hall of Medicine if I told him Junior Martial Brother’s residence, so…”
Cheon-hwi looked at him rolling his eyes as if he knew his mistake, and gave up.
“I will tell the Sect Leader.”
“…Junior Martial Brother. Please overlook it just once.”
“Tell it to the Sect Leader.”
“J-Junior Martial Brother!”
The Hall of Medicine Lord spoke desperately, but Cheon-hwi ignored him and moved his feet towards his residence.
While going down the mountain path like that.
Stop.
Cheon-hwi stopped his footsteps.
Princess So-hui and her party had been continuously following closely behind since earlier.
“Do you have business with me?”
“Is it possible to talk for a moment?”
Princess So-hui looked at Cheon-hwi and spoke.
“I don’t really have anything to talk about.”
“By any chance, are you interested in Qinghai Province?”
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
Trying to entice me?
He grasped her purpose at once.
Since she had failed to entice the Divine Physician, it was obvious that she was trying to pull in him, the target of his interest, and take him away.
“No.”
Despite the words of refusal, Princess So-hui didn’t waver at all.
“If you come to Qinghai Province, you can eat all kinds of delicacies and drink fine liquors.”
Oh, delicacies and fine liquors?
He wavered slightly for a moment.
However.
‘It’s not quite enough to make me go for just that.’
He had no desire to go to Qinghai Province, which was related to the Imperial Family, for just that much.
“I am a Daoist, you know?”
Princess So-hui was flustered by the lie he spat out without batting an eye.
“But back then…”
“Pardon? Me?”
Cheon-hwi spoke brazenly.
“Have we ever met before?”
Princess So-hui shut her mouth.
If she said they had met here, it would be retracting the words she had spat out earlier.
As a member of the Imperial Family, that was a great embarrassment.
‘I should find another way.’
Left with no choice, she stepped back.
“…I understand. We will go for now today.”
Along with her words, she left with her party.
“Tsk.”
Cheon-hwi, who was clicking his tongue, narrowed his glabella as he looked at them walking farther away.
“Another annoying leech has appeared.”
* * *
A moment later, there was someone greeting Cheon-hwi from inside when he returned to his residence.
“You returned in one piece.”
It was none other than Hyeon-cheong.
“…It’s been a while.”
Just when he was about to rest a bit.
“What is the matter?”
Cheon-hwi looked at Hyeon-cheong, who was looking up with gentle eyes, and then flopped down to sit.
“It can’t be that you came just to ask how I was doing.”
“Hoho, as expected, you figured it out.”
Hyeon-cheong smiled bitterly.
“I came because I wish to receive help.”
“Help?”
Hyeon-cheong did not beat around the bush.
“Can you help with the disciples’ training?”
“Pardon? Training?”
He was slightly flustered by the unexpected words.
“I heard that the Pavilion Lord of the Martial Training Pavilion received your help.”
Help?
“He said it was a unique external Qigong…”
“Ah! The Body Transformation Art?”
“Yes, that is the one.”
“You want me to teach it?”
“No, rather than the Body Transformation Art, I want to receive help with teaching. Perhaps because it is my first time teaching disciples, I am having some difficulties. If you have time, can you help me?”
Teaching, huh.
Normally, it was a request he would have ignored, but today he was slightly inclined.
‘I have roughly grasped the skills of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, but how about the other disciples?’
The goal Cheon-hwi had established, the number one sect in the world.
In order to achieve that goal, the skills of the disciples were essential.
‘Should I grasp what level they are at?’
After pondering for a moment, he nodded his head.
“Let’s go.”
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