Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 242 - Turning Misfortune into Blessing (1)

Chapter 242 – Turning Misfortune into Blessing (1)

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

‘!!!!!!’

Blood drops running down from the sword-fingers of Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin’s left hand.

And beyond that, Mok Gyeong-un standing some five zhang away, breathing roughly.

Ju Un-hyang’s expression as he looked at the two of them was close to shock.

‘How can this be…’

He had expected to see Mok Gyeong-un utterly beaten by Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin, yet the opposite result had occurred.

The peerless move that unfolded from her hand had been thoroughly broken.

One could tell that from the intense whirlwind of sword force that had vanished in an instant.

Of course, he was not the only one startled.

‘…He broke the move.’

Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin too was so shocked that she lost her words.

There had been those who had blocked this consecutive True Pursuing Rival Returning Sword, but never before had anyone broken the move itself.

From the beginning, that Pursuing Rival Returning Sword was a move that maximized power and compensated for weakness through true rotation and reverse rotation.

Yet Mok Gyeong-un had shattered it.

And he had done so by unifying all sword intent into a single point.

‘How can such a thing be possible?’

Even So Ye-rin herself could not do such a thing.

Gathering sword intent into a single point was a realm that even she herself could not yet reach.

And yet he had entered that supreme realm for a brief instant?

Even though she had seen it with her own eyes and personally experienced it, she could not believe it.

‘…A talent like this exists in the world?’

It surpassed imagination.

Had the talent of her great-grandfather, once called the summit of the old murim, been like this?

No matter how outstanding one’s martial talent, this was not merely a matter of going beyond one’s limits in the midst of sparring, but of reaching for an instant a realm one should not even be able to enter.

That was something she simply could not accept.

-Trickle.

Cold sweat ran down her cheek.

Her left hand already had no strength in it because of that move of Mok Gyeong-un that had unified all sword intent.

She was even beginning to wonder whether she could block it if he displayed such a move, one that transcended the limits of his realm, one more time.

‘No. At a time like this, fighting spirit matters.’

He too would find it hard to unleash such a move again.

He had already used a move that far exceeded his own limits, so there had surely been strain on his body.

If she aimed for that point, he was still within a level that could be sufficiently subdued.

Besides, she herself had not yet used her secret art.

-Pak!

Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin flicked away the blood that had been flowing down her left sword-fingers and firmly clenched the sword-fingers of her right hand.

Then, turning her body, she said,

“Impressive. But I as well…”

-Thud!

It was then.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been breathing roughly, suddenly collapsed to the ground.

As he fell, pale steam flowed from his body.

-Shuuuuuu!

Seeing this, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin furrowed her brow, unable to hide her confusion.

So she walked closer to the collapsed Mok Gyeong-un.

She could even feel heat, as though his body temperature had risen sharply.

-Srrk!

So Ye-rin placed a finger against one of Mok Gyeong-un’s acupoints.

Then she looked over the exposed parts of his body and clicked her tongue with trembling eyes.

His entire body was bruised and swollen as though all the muscles had ruptured, and even the strange qi within his body was running wild as violently as someone suffering qi deviation.

‘This goes beyond the degree of his body being overworked. Is this the price of that one sword, which went beyond his own capacity and limits?’

His condition was more serious than she had expected.

That said, it was not incomprehensible.

From the start, that one sword was not something the current Mok Gyeong-un should have been able to display.

Since he had handled a sword his body could not endure, perhaps this was only the natural price.

“Ha.”

So Ye-rin let out a sigh.

With internal injuries and external wounds of this degree, it would be impossible from the outset for him to continue in the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection process, and participation itself seemed beyond him.

If he could not manage his blood vessels, sinews, and internal qi here and now, he might lose his martial arts forever.

But he had brought all of this upon himself.

‘This man tried to kill Un-hyang and trainee Wi Bu-cheong. In the end, he has to pay the price for what he did.’

There was no real value in helping him.

Rather, in this state, turning him over for discipline…

“Deputy Thousand-Household Commander!”

At that moment, hearing Ju Un-hyang’s voice, So Ye-rin turned her head.

* * *

-Thud!

The sound of a window opening was heard.

Then the cold autumn wind struck his cheek and made him come to his senses.

Ju Un-hyang slowly opened the eyes that had been shut.

It was hard to tell what in the world had happened.

He clearly remembered losing consciousness while in the middle of telling Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin about what had happened with Mok Gyeong-un.

‘Kkh.’

His insides stung as though they had been churned into a mess.

Dizziness came over him, but once he regulated his breathing, it soon passed.

‘Where is this?’

Along with the cold air, the smell of medicine filled the place.

Apparently, this was not the lodgings.

While he was wondering, a clear voice reached his ears.

“You are awake.”

“Deputy Thousand-Household Commander!”

The owner of the voice was none other than his master, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin.

Ju Un-hyang hurriedly tried to raise his upper body from the bed.

But perhaps because of his internal injuries, he could not even raise himself halfway.

To him, So Ye-rin said,

“Do not overdo it. Your internal injuries were quite severe. Fortunately, I regulated them with qi, so if you restore yourself for about two days through breathing regulation, you will be all right.”

“Was it you who treated me, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander?”

“…Because I am the only one who can treat you.”

“Ahhh.”

At her words, admiration slipped from Ju Un-hyang’s mouth.

Because she possessed the same innate true qi, she had been able to regulate his internal qi and treat him.

Ju Un-hyang slowly circulated innate true qi and examined the inside of his body.

‘!?’

At once, Ju Un-hyang furrowed his brow.

The innate true qi in his body had increased far beyond what it normally was.

It was enough that, if only enlightenment were granted, he could reach the fourth star.

Ju Un-hyang looked at her in astonishment.

“Deputy Thousand-Household Commander, how could this…”

To his bewilderment, So Ye-rin shook her head and said,

“Since you too have cultivated innate true qi, you know that it is on a completely different track from internal energy.”

Of course he knew that.

An ordinary internal-energy master could not handle innate true qi.

Only she could help heal his internal injuries.

“The amount of innate true qi I had to inject in order to treat you was simply greater than I expected. This injury merely turned into a blessing in disguise for you.”

At her calm explanation, Ju Un-hyang clicked his tongue inwardly.

She spoke as if it were nothing, but it had been a very great amount of innate true qi.

Of course, in her realm it might not have been all that much.

-Pak!

Enduring the pain, Ju Un-hyang forcefully clasped his hands in salute and said,

“You have my thanks, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander. I do not know how I can repay this favor…”

Before he could even finish speaking, So Ye-rin shook her head again.

Then she let out a faint sigh and said,

“That is enough. More importantly, it seems what you said was true.”

“If you mean what?”

“As you said, it seems trainee Wi Bu-cheong really had planted a poison needle in the neck pillow by the bed. The toxic-substance investigation squad has already confirmed it.”

“Ah!”

Before losing consciousness, he had done his utmost to defend Mok Gyeong-un.

In truth, even if he had not defended him, it would have been fine.

Though Mok Gyeong-un had changed his mind halfway through on a whim, it was still true that he had tried to kill him.

But he had owed him a debt, and for some reason he had not wanted it to go that way.

So he had tried to help So Ye-rin clear up her misunderstanding.

“Therefore, because trainee Mok Gyeong-un saved your life, and because what you said was taken into account, the matter ended with suspended prosecution.”

In the middle of his defense of Mok Gyeong-un, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had arrived at the scene.

Even if he had sealed and knocked unconscious the acupoints of the nearby Imperial Guard Bureau warriors, after a fight that violent it would have been stranger if the nearby duty Embroidered Uniform Guard had noticed nothing.

However things had happened, Mok Gyeong-un, who had caused the matter to escalate, had been turned over to the disciplinary office, but in the end the decision had been suspended prosecution.

“Thank you, Deputy Thousand-Household Commander.”

“No. But even if the disposition was suspended prosecution, trainee Mok Gyeong-un may have to voluntarily withdraw from the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection.”

“What?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Could it be because of Mok Gyeong-un’s injuries?

He had indeed guessed as much when Mok Gyeong-un suddenly collapsed after breaking Deputy Thousand-Household Commander So Ye-rin’s move.

So Ju Un-hyang asked,

“Are his injuries serious?”

“Yes. Because he drew out power beyond his own capacity.”

At that, she recalled the conversation she had shared the previous night with the imperial palace physician attached exclusively to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

[How is he? Even if I wanted to regulate his qi, I could do nothing because his qi is completely opposed to mine.]

[…Haa. I do not know how to tell you this.]

[What do you mean by that?]

[As a physician, I have not learned martial arts, so it is difficult for me to speak about qi, but far too many muscles and blood vessels throughout his body have ruptured.]

[I know that as well. What I want to know is whether he can recover…]

[With injuries of this degree, it is absolutely impossible for him to recover in the near future.]

[Then would it be possible if time were given?]

[I cannot answer with certainty. The major sinews in many places are torn and ruptured, so even if he recovers, it may be difficult for him to move as he once did.]

[Ah…]

It was unfortunate, but serious.

The circulation of internal qi within his body was also in utter disorder, and since it was not ordinary internal energy but a qi completely opposed to innate true qi, she could not regulate it as she had done for Ju Un-hyang.

From the outset, continuing the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection in such a state was impossible.

Once he awakened, she might have to advise him to withdraw of his own accord.

* * *

The following night, late.

Within the Imperial Medical Bureau of the imperial palace as well, there were several ranks.

Among them, the very lowest rank, the chambong of junior ninth rank, had to remain on duty constantly and observe patients’ conditions, even if not to the extent of an apprentice physician.

Jo Chambong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard medical bureau clicked his tongue as he looked at a patient covered in needles from head to toe.

He had never seen a patient bruised black and blue all over the body like that.

[There are not many chances to examine a patient in such a critically grave condition. So study him in detail and make a record.]

[Yes, Deputy Director-nim.]

Deputy Director Bae, seventh rank, a marksman who was treating the patient after receiving the order of an Embroidered Uniform Guard Deputy Thousand-Household Commander, had given him the chance to examine the patient as well.

Deputy Director Bae had concluded that this patient was effectively beyond full recovery.

In truth, Jo Chambong had felt the same after taking his pulse and examining the wounds.

If the sinews and blood vessels were damaged to this degree, it would be only natural if he could not even move properly for the rest of his life.

‘Tsk, tsk. What in the world did he do to end up like this?’

It was impossible to understand.

Thus Jo Chambong took the medicinal decoction and sat beside the patient.

Then he dampened a cloth with it little by little and placed it into the patient’s mouth.

For an unconscious patient, one places a wetted cloth on the tongue so that even a little of the medicinal essence can be absorbed.

-Srrk!

After placing the cloth to the tongue, Jo Chambong took the pulse again to confirm.

But while taking the pulse, one of Jo Chambong’s brows twitched and then rose.

‘What is this?’

Something was strange.

Even the previous night, the pulse had been very irregular and faint.

But now it was beating evenly.

Finding that strange, Jo Chambong checked not only the pulse at the wrist but also the pulse at the neck and at the major acupoints.

Then he suddenly stood up with a shocked expression.

‘How can this be? How could it become like this overnight…’

Thinking he had to report to his superior in the quarters, Jo Chambong immediately asked one of the apprentice physicians to continue feeding the medicine and hurried out.

Not long after he left,

the door opened and someone entered.

When that person came in, the apprentice physician who was holding the cloth soaked in medicine to the patient’s mouth sprang up in surprise and bowed.

“What brings a Junior Supervisor of the Western Depot here this late at night?”

An old eunuch in red official robes, with powder on his face.

He was none other than Junior Supervisor Beom Jeung of the Western Depot.

As Junior Supervisor Beom approached the apprentice physician, he asked,

“I came to look in on the patient’s condition.”

At those words, the apprentice physician inwardly could not hide his puzzlement.

That was because, as he understood it, this patient was a trainee of the Imperial Guard Bureau currently taking part in the Embroidered Uniform Guard selection.

Why, then, would a eunuch of the Western Depot come to look in on such a person?

Though puzzled, the apprentice physician stepped aside and said,

“The patient’s condition is not very good, so it will likely take several more days before he wakes.”

“That serious?”

“That is what the attending Deputy Director-nim said.”

“Ah. Is that so? It seems he is in very grave condition.”

“I heard that even if he wakes through good fortune, it will be difficult for him to move for quite some time, and he may never walk properly again.”

At those words from the apprentice physician, the corners of Junior Supervisor Beom’s mouth lifted slightly.

At that sight, the apprentice physician grew even more suspicious.

They were saying the patient’s condition was poor, so why did it feel as if he were pleased?

While he was finding it strange, Junior Supervisor Beom said,

“Could you step outside for a moment?”

“However, I am in the middle of administering the medicine…”

“It will not take long.”

With those words, Junior Supervisor Beom drew out a bundle of silver coins from inside his robes.

Seeing it, the apprentice physician swallowed.

Then he quietly accepted the bundle of silver, bowed his head, and left the room.

Once the room had been vacated, Junior Supervisor Beom approached the patient, who still had his eyes closed and needles all over his body.

“Huhuhu.”

Junior Supervisor Beom let out a laugh, unable to contain his delight.

He had never expected things to go so well.

As recently as yesterday, because that person had shown interest in this man, he had been sweating and pleading that the person reconsider, saying this was the fellow who had aimed at the Lady Sovereign.

But that person’s judgment had been different.

Even if he was someone who had endangered the Lady Sovereign and himself, if he was talent of this level, that person wanted to take him in somehow.

That person had even ordered that contact be made with him and that a meeting be arranged.

For Junior Supervisor Beom, it had been an order beyond troublesome.

Yet heaven had helped him.

‘Was your name Mok Gyeong-un?’

Junior Supervisor Beom looked down at Mok Gyeong-un and grinned.

He had thought that a monster like this would hardly ever be defeated by anyone, so was it not truly marvelous coincidence?

This was an opportunity granted by heaven.

For the sake of the Lady Sovereign, himself, and that person as well, a fellow like this must never be allowed to come close.

So without fail,

‘I will shatter your dantian.’

If that happened, any faint possibility of miraculous recovery would disappear completely.

With that, Junior Supervisor Beom reached his hand toward Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen.

The instant his palm was about to touch the skin below the navel,

“What are you doing?”

‘!?’

At once, Junior Supervisor Beom’s body stiffened as he was about to lay down his palm.

What had that just been?

Had he heard wrong?

He had clearly been told the injuries were so serious that the man would not awaken for several days.

Then what was this?

‘Surely not?’

Junior Supervisor Beom’s eyes slowly moved from the abdomen up over the chest, then the neck, and finally the face.

-Thud.

At that moment, his heart lurched.

That was because Mok Gyeong-un, who had been lying there with his eyes closed like a dead man, was now glaring at him with both eyes wide open.