Chapter 366: The Path Forward (1)
Yeon Ho-jeong regained his consciousness on the fifth day since he received treatment.
“Ugh.”
“Are you coming to your senses a bit?”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who woke up holding his head, frowned as much as possible and asked.
“Where is this?”
“It is my room.”
At Gi Wu-hui’s words, Yeon Ho-jeong looked around.
The room was full of all sorts of medicinal herbs and various documents.
It was not an office, yet the room was at this level. It was to the point of wondering how one could sleep in such a place.
“How much time has passed?”
“Exactly five days have passed.”
Yeon Ho-jeong sighed.
“I caused a nuisance.”
“Do not say such words. It is natural for a physician to take care of a patient.”
“Why didn’t you just throw me in my room? It seems you could not sleep properly either.”
Gi Wu-hui smiled.
“I know the patient’s condition well in detail, but even so, no one can guarantee what will happen to a patient who collapsed out of the blue. It is much better to keep you in my residence and check your condition.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Yeon Ho-jeong rubbed his stomach.
“Five days have passed, but my body is light? Even though I am a bit hungry.”
“Drink water first. It is water boiled a while ago, so it is lukewarm and will not burden your body.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who gulped down the water in the bowl handed by Gi Wu-hui, let out a deep breath. Indeed, since water came in, it felt much more livable.
Gi Wu-hui spoke.
“A lot of fatigue had accumulated during that time. You probably did not even know that well, did you?”
“I didn’t know.”
“It is like Army Commander Yeon.”
“I am still not fully trained either. To think I fainted just because I was a little tired from that, I’m dying of embarrassment.”
Gi Wu-hui sighed.
“Do not look down on fatigue. Fatigue is the root of all diseases. If you neglect management, a big disease might break out later. That does not distinguish between ordinary people and martial artists.”
“I will keep your advice in mind.”
Yeon Ho-jeong contemplated his interior.
“Hmm, you said five days? The recovery of the internal injuries is much faster than I thought?”
“That is why Army Commander Yeon has strong bones. Even with the various true qis that the Army Commander has trained, this kind of recovery speed is practically impossible. Because the density of the vital energy itself has increased through extreme training, such a fast recovery was possible.”
“Of course, the merit of the physician who looked after me from the side cannot be ignored either, right?”
Gi Wu-hui merely smiled.
Yeon Ho-jeong also smiled and stood up from his seat.
“Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?”
“If it were up to my heart, I would want to brew a decoction for you, but with Army Commander Yeon’s personality, you won’t even drink it on time.”
“You saw it well. Of course, if I feel like I’m really going to die, I would eat it.”
“Since you shook it off and got up with your own strength, there shouldn’t be a big problem if you just manage your body well. I only hope that you will make an effort to manage fatigue even if you are busy from now on.”
“I understand.”
Yeon Ho-jeong patted Gi Wu-hui’s shoulder and headed to the door.
Gi Wu-hui, who was quietly watching his back, asked as if throwing it out.
“It’s the Divine Fire Cult, right?”
Yeon Ho-jeong paused for a moment.
“That’s right.”
Gi Wu-hui’s eyes shook.
“Don’t you have anything else to ask me?”
“You told me everything, didn’t you? About those bastards.”
“Of course, that is true, but…”
Yeon Ho-jeong glanced at Gi Wu-hui.
“Physician Gi.”
“…Yes.”
“You thought of the great cause in your own way, cut ties with the Divine Fire Cult, and entered the Murim Alliance. There were various complicated incidents, but in the end, you made a clear choice to walk your own path. Am I right?”
“You are right.”
“I treated you a bit roughly in the past few meetings, but at least from what I see, you have no talent for lying. And one of the various reasons why you settled in the Murim Alliance is probably because of me.”
It was the truth. Although his nature was somewhat rough, Gi Wu-hui saw purity in Yeon Ho-jeong’s two eyes.
Treating her roughly, cruelly killing the masters of the Divine Fire Cult, and keeping the Murong Clan Head in check were all for the sake of peace. At least Yeon Ho-jeong himself thought so, and Gi Wu-hui also knew that.
In other words, Yeon Ho-jeong could be seen as a person who had a profound influence on Gi Wu-hui’s judgment.
“Since you chose it yourself, you must also take responsibility for it yourself. However, Physician Gi believes in me. If so, I also believe in Physician Gi.”
“…Yes.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“I am going. Let’s have lunch together tomorrow. You must have suffered because of me, so I will buy you something delicious.”
* * *
The place Yeon Ho-jeong headed to after coming out of Gi Wu-hui’s residence was unexpectedly a clearing in the forest of the Murim Alliance.
The place where he had sparred with many people in the past. This place, known only to those who knew, was still quiet today as well.
Yeon Ho-jeong sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing.
Since he woke up after a whole five days, he was hungry and his body felt heavy. At times like this, it was best to take in as much nutrition as he couldn’t consume during that time and take a nap, but he decided to put that off for a moment.
‘Hoo.’
Taking a light, deep breath, he concentrated his mind on the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir.
Vwoong. Vwoooong.
The Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir, firmly fixed with an immense density, emitted a subtle vibration at its master’s call.
‘It has gotten smaller.’
It was evidence that the true qi poured out in the previous battle had not properly recovered yet. At the same time, since it was constantly circulating qi throughout his entire body to treat his internal injuries, it seemed he would have to pay attention to circulating his qi for at least ten days.
Yeon Ho-jeong operated the Jade Gauze True Formula.
Hwooooong!
A deep blue true qi surged up and stabilized his mind and body.
The Jade Gauze True Formula was always like that. It stably maintained his body and true qi, and as his spirit and qi stabilized, his mind also became comfortable.
There was no martial art like the Jade Gauze True Formula to start the qi circulation. Furthermore, since the Jade Gauze True Formula operated the qi of the Jade Gauze, a martial art that permeated inside the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir, the movement of the Yeon Clan’s Divine Elixir was also activated.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been engrossed in the stabilization of mind, qi, and body for a long time, operated the Dragon Robe Divine Art.
Hwaaaak!
The change was clear.
The blue true qi that seemed to cleanse the mind just by looking at it disappeared, and in its place, a roughly swaying green true qi surged up.
A deep green light distinctly different from the blue-green light of the Azure Dragon Qi wrapped around Yeon Ho-jeong’s entire body. It was such a deep green color, but in another way, it also reminded one of a forest.
Although the nature was different, the root was the same. Whether it was the Jade Gauze True Formula or the Dragon Robe Divine Art, there was no difference in the fact that they processed the qi of Mother Nature into an extremely pure form to use.
‘Thank goodness. The qi of the two divine arts did not scatter.’
Before collapsing, he constantly recalled the battle with Beon Jak.
In fact, if one reached the level of Yeon Ho-jeong, there was no need for that. To be precise, not for the Tiger General of Green Mountain, Yeon Ho-jeong, but for the Dark Emperor Yeon Ho-jeong, Beon Jak’s martial arts might be unique, but it could be seen that there were no major aspects worth learning.
However, Yeon Ho-jeong chewed over every single one of Beon Jak’s martial arts. Even while he was fainted, he looked into his martial arts even while dreaming.
There was one reason.
‘I went beyond dodging the bastard’s martial arts and even launched a counterattack.’
The Four Gods Martial Arts was an absolute art of the world.
They were martial arts specialized in attack, defense, evasion and counterattack, and thorough killing respectively, and although the form was set, it was so free that it could be applied in any way.
That was the very reason why it could be used well not only with weapon techniques but also with fist and leg techniques. And that was also the reason that skyrocketed the difficulty of the Four Gods Martial Arts.
A martial art whose routines were certain but could be transformed at any time depending on the situation.
In other words, attaching it to the body up to the tenth star stage of other martial arts was a prerequisite task. While other martial arts began with learning the techniques, the Four Gods Martial Arts could be said to begin with completing the form.
He unwound that completed form with creativity to suit the situation.
That was the reason why no genius under heaven could draw out the power of the Four Gods Martial Arts to the limit without experience. Because the more situations one went through, the more creativity increased, and the utility of the Four Gods Martial Arts was maximized.
Also, that was the reason why the Four Gods Martial Arts was called a martial art of the battlefield. Because one had to unconditionally experience blood and death to polish the utilization of true qi and techniques.
Yeon Ho-jeong was a master of the Four Gods Martial Arts.
After summoning all four types of qi and perfectly mastering the routines, he jumped into the Black Path Murim and went through countless fights. And all those fights made him grow explosively.
However, in the fight with Beon Jak, unexpectedly, Yeon Ho-jeong did not see much benefit from the Four Gods Martial Arts.
Nevertheless, he went beyond dodging all of Beon Jak’s attacks and could even dare to counterattack.
How?
“Seeing weaknesses…”
Yeon Ho-jeong recalled Ok-cheong’s words.
‘It is a talent. Don’t you instinctively see through weaknesses?’
‘I know that the Army Commander’s martial arts are still lacking compared to the two of them. Even so, you attacked the weakness of the formation technique and gradually broke down the formation.’
Eyes that see through weaknesses.
In fact, that was not something worthy to be called a talent. Yeon Ho-jeong had trained the Four Gods Martial Arts, which was considered the best in the history of Murim in terms of form, and he roamed the battlefields for decades with that Four Gods Martial Arts.
If one experienced real combat enough to be called a master, they could dig into the opponent’s weakness in any situation. If there was no weakness, they could persistently dig into it even by creating one to break down the opponent.
In other words, grasping the enemy’s weakness could be said to be not a realm of innate talent, but a realm of acquired effort and experience.
Yeon Ho-jeong thought so, and he was so convinced.
But how was it when he fought with Beon Jak?
‘I just saw Beon Jak’s martial arts, saw through the bastard’s weakness, and counterattacked. I didn’t use a single technique of the Four Gods Martial Arts.’
For a weak person, that could be so. Because from the eyes of a relatively strong person, the weaknesses of a weak person would be seen countlessly.
However, against someone stronger than oneself, it was difficult to do so. No, it was impossible. Finding a weakness in a situation where it was hard to even receive the opponent’s martial arts was absurd.
And Yeon Ho-jeong had accomplished that.
‘Simply because my enlightenment was higher than the bastard’s?’
No. That was absolutely not it.
It was not reason but instinct. Yeon Ho-jeong could tell that the exchange where he destroyed Beon Jak’s martial arts and landed his fist technique was absolutely not possible because of enlightenment.
“…My, oh my.”
Yeon Ho-jeong looked down at his fist as if it were new.
“I was not in a position to advise Ji-pyeong. If I really have such a talent, it means I lived for decades not even knowing that.”
In the first place, seeing weaknesses was relative itself. So he thought such a talent made no sense.
However, that nonsensical talent existed within him.
Just like when he destroyed the Evil-Annihilating Three Killing Formation, just like when he dodged all of Beon Jak’s martial arts that were overwhelming to deal with and counterattacked.
‘I have talent? Even I?’
Yeon Ho-jeong felt his heart pounding for no reason.
He suddenly recalled the conversation with his master.
‘Yes, you lack martial talent. You don’t have the talent that corresponds to what the people call a genius. However, such a you has completely attached the Four Gods Martial Arts to your body in less than five years, which would be hard to attach to the body even with ten years of effort with a decent talent.’
‘…It is thanks to Master guiding me well.’
‘The Four Gods Martial Arts is something you learn alone. I merely showed you various paths, and it is entirely your ability to have followed and mastered all those paths.’
‘…’
‘Tsk, how could one who doesn’t even know that the sword he possesses is a famous sword of the world and is just slicing meat discuss the world. You also have a long way to go.’
‘Yes?’
‘Never mind. However, what I have to tell you is to look into yourself well. If you can accurately see through your abilities, at least you won’t die on the side of the road.’
Could it be that the conversation from that time meant exactly this?
‘Weakness…’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
“I need to find out more. Whether this is real or fake.”
The matter of missing Beon Jak had already disappeared from his head. Even if it was a pity, he no longer paid attention to a matter that had already passed.
Such a side of him was much more similar to Gang Ryang than to Yeon Ji-pyeong. Of course, Gang Ryang probably learned it from him.
Perhaps such an aspect might be evidence that he was still closer to the Black Path than the White Path.
“Tsk, I have no face to see Ji-pyeong. From now on, I should act out moderately.”