Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 34 - Martial Talent (1)

Chapter 34 – Martial Talent (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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A middle-aged man with an extremely vicious-looking face.

He was Sang Ung-baek, the Outer Hall Lord of Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

In northern Anhui Province he was called the Ruthless Fierce Fist, a master of fist arts and, from the days of Mok family father, the most loyal of the loyal retainers who served the second generation.

Unlike Jang Myeong-in, the Inner Hall Lord who had entered the sword manor trusting the Manor Lord, he was among the retainers one of the strongest in conviction.

That was why Madam Seok had been unable to win him over.

As a man who could be called one of the main pillars of Yeon Mok Sword Manor, he had considerable influence even among the retainers.

So from her side, she could not help but be careful around Sang Ung-baek.

“It is true, Outer Hall Lord. Even so, why would I order harm done to that child?”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Despite her explanation, Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek reacted as if he did not quite trust it.

At that, heat rose inside Madam Seok.

As if it were not enough that things had become tangled because of what that occult-practitioner wench had done, she was now being suspected.

‘That damned wench.’

She had no idea what had happened.

To think she took a thousand silver taels and then betrayed her as if flipping over the palm of her hand.

‘Ghost Shadow Pavilion… New Moon…’

She would certainly make her pay the price.

For now, this man was the problem.

“Hoo.”

Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek had a very tenacious personality.

Once he grew suspicious, he would continue watching and observing her.

If things became like this, she would have no choice but to keep some distance from Mok Gyeong-un for a while.

‘This is troublesome.’

She had to snatch the secret manual away from that boy Mok Gyeong-un.

Because of Sang Ung-baek’s surveillance, if that sly brat Mok Eun-pyeong, the second son, took it first, Yeong-ho’s position might become precarious.

She needed some other method.

Sang Ung-baek looked at her with suspicious eyes.

Inwardly, he clicked his tongue.

‘It is a mess.’

Ever since the Manor Lord had become so close to death that one could not tell whether he would live or die from one day to the next, Yeon Mok Sword Manor had become utterly fragmented.

Even so, he had thought that at least until the Manor Lord breathed his last, they would still watch one another’s eyes.

But this was the worst.

The Manor Lord was still alive, yet they were openly trying to kill the other heirs while fighting over the seat of the next Manor Lord.

‘Manor Lord…’

If the Manor Lord learned of this fact, his disappointment would be great.

At the same time, it was regrettable.

If the Manor Lord had firmly settled the succession matter from the beginning, he and the other retainers would have upheld his will and protected the designated heir.

But he had not, and that was why this calamity had broken out.

Now even the retainers were mostly split in opinion, so the moment the Manor Lord’s breathing stopped, Yeon Mok Sword Manor might truly become a battlefield among blood relatives.

‘What should I do?’

In the end, would he too have to choose?

Ordinarily, it would be right to support the eldest son, Mok Yeong-ho, but judging from this, the man was disappointing beyond measure.

He was reluctant even because of the First Madam.

To think the person who would become the eldest elder of the household once the Manor Lord passed away would commit such a thing.

And yet, suddenly, there was something he could not understand.

‘Come to think of it, the second young master as well…’

Why were they targeting Third Young Master Mok Gyeong-un?

If they had fought among themselves, or if they had targeted the youngest young master, who possessed the martial talent the Manor Lord cherished most, then at least he could have understood it.

But Third Young Master Mok Gyeong-un truly had nothing at all.

He had no martial talent, and his standing had weakened after his mother’s side of the family collapsed.

Since none of the retainers supported him, neither the First Madam nor the Second Young Master had any reason whatsoever to be wary of him.

And yet they had aimed at his life.

‘Because he was the easiest target?’

No. For that, the timing was far too early.

The Manor Lord had not even died yet, so doing such a thing now would only lose them the retainers’ support.

Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek was struck by a serious doubt.

Just what was it that made them target Mok Gyeong-un?

Surely there was something he possessed worth fearing, and that was why they had set everything else aside and aimed at him first.

‘……..I need to find out what it is.’

This was not something he could just let pass.

If there truly was something worth all of them going so far as to seek his life over, then it needed to be confirmed.

* * *

-Srrrk!

Someone passed through the ceiling and entered the inside of the medicine hall.

Wearing a ceremonial crown and holding a smoking pipe in her mouth, she was none other than the Blue Spirit.

The demon monk respectfully bowed in greeting to her.

At that, she grumbled,

-Is it because I became a damned shikigami? Or because she is an occult practitioner?

-……….

She had tried to seize New Moon’s body when she saw an opening.

But she failed.

She found herself confused over what the problem was.

Occult practitioners took measures beforehand to protect their corporeal souls with spells or talisman arts.

That was why lower-ranked vengeful spirits could not seize the bodies of such occult practitioners or of humans with strong energy, even if they wanted to.

But the Blue Spirit was not some low-ranked vengeful spirit.

And yet even she had been unable to seize the body.

-Tch.

She had tried to sever the forced bond through possession, but failed.

Was becoming a shikigami really the problem after all?

Wearing a sulky expression, the Blue Spirit came down and soon sat on the bed, looking at Mok Gyeong-un, who was focused on reverse-circulating his qi.

-There is no way out. But this brat…

A different light flashed in her blood-colored eyes.

The energy of Mok Gyeong-un, as seen through ghost eyes, had become quite stable.

-Ho.

Mok Gyeong-un had absorbed Gudiao’s energy as a demon and monster through the Form of Attachment.

That energy was more yin and of higher purity than the death aura produced when a human met death.

She had thought he would be unable to control it or would even have to discharge a considerable amount, but unexpectedly enough, he was stably absorbing it.

-Hmm.

-The Blue Spirit moved closer to Mok Gyeong-un.

Then she pushed her face right in front of Mok Gyeong-un, who was concentrating on his cultivation.

‘How strange.’

The wound mark on his forehead.

It had not been long since it was cut, yet the wounded spot had taken the form of something several days old.

At this rate, it seemed it would close up within a few days.

‘…….That exceeds a human’s power of recovery.’

She had already thought it strange that he had remained unharmed even after suffering injuries that could almost be called severe before becoming a shikigami.

But after looking carefully, she was sure.

This brat possessed a recovery ability incomparable to that of ordinary humans.

How could such a thing be possible for a human?

‘There is something there.’

He was absolutely not an ordinary human.

If only she had not been turned into a shikigami by force and robbed of the initiative, she could have stolen the body and found out why, so it was a pity.

Clicking her tongue, the Blue Spirit stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

‘He is rather pretty.’

She had felt it before, but Mok Gyeong-un’s face could indeed be called exceptionally handsome.

It fit the standard of a beautiful boy.

She did not particularly like this sentient being brat, but at least a beautiful face like this was acceptable enough.

It was perfect for ornamental viewing.

-Pak!

-At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un suddenly opened his eyes.

As a result, their eyes met right in front of each other.

What a start.

This brat startles even vengeful spirits.

“What are you doing?”

-………

-If she said she had been admiring his face, it would damage her dignity.

At the question, the Blue Spirit pulled back, then slowly turned her head aside and pretended nonchalance with the pipe back in her mouth.

-What do you mean, what am I doing?

-“Hmm.”

After looking quietly at the Blue Spirit, Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“Did you handle that well?”

-Hm. What kind of being do you take me for?

-“As expected of the Blue Spirit.”

Mok Gyeong-un gave a faint smile.

As if displeased by that attitude, she raised one eyebrow.

She felt as though she had done wrong by helping this brat.

She had said she would help because she wanted to see what would happen when, against expectation, he resolved Gudiao and the female occult practitioner on his own, but now she regretted it anew.

To her, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“You were away so long that I wondered if perhaps you had left for good.”

-………Leave?

-At Mok Gyeong-un’s quick-witted words, the Blue Spirit muttered bluntly.

The truth was that she wanted nothing more than to leave.

Quite apart from having promised to help, her true feelings were that if any chance came, she wanted to sever the bond of shikigami at once.

-Stop your useless chatter and continue circulating your qi. If you want to make even a little of the energy you stole from Gudiao your own, then instead of idling like this…

-“Ah. There is one thing I wanted to check.”

-Check?

-“Yes. I was wondering whether this is what is called a dantian.”

-A dantian? Whether or not a dantian can be formed with death aura is not yet known. You, sentient being, must diligently…

-“Is this tiny little knot below my navel not a dantian?”

-…….What?

-The Blue Spirit frowned.

Had this brat just said he had formed a dantian?

-Impossible.

-She looked at Mok Gyeong-un with an expression that could not believe it.

Even if he had secured a sufficient amount by absorbing the energy possessed by a demon and monster, it made no sense to say he had already formed a dantian.

Even in life, she had never seen such a precedent.

He sensed the energy, performed qi circulation for only a short time, and already produced a dantian?

-May I confirm it?

-“Yes. I was curious whether I was right, in any case.”

At that, the Blue Spirit brought her palm toward Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen.

The way to confirm it was very simple.

Because she was a bodiless vengeful spirit, she could directly enter the corporeal soul and check.

However,

-!?

-It did not pass through.

Her palm did not go inside the abdomen, but stopped at the surface.

Vengeful spirits of high enough rank like her could temporarily materialize their spirit bodies.

But this was not because she had materialized.

-Tap tap!

-“What are you doing?”

-It will not go in.

-“Why?”

-How should I know that?

-Even she did not know the exact reason.

Clearly her hand was in spirit-body state, so why was this happening?

Thinking perhaps the problem was with herself, she went over to Guard Gochan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed beside them, snoring.

Then she thrust her hand straight into Gochan’s belly.

It went in with complete ease.

-It works. Then…

-She briefly materialized her fingertips and lightly touched his dantian.

The moment she did,

“Hiiik!”

Gochan jolted awake in shock.

Then his whole body trembled, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The Blue Spirit had forgotten for a moment.

From the instant a dantian is formed, it is the most sensitive place inside the body.

But whether Gochan fainted or not, she did not care.

Rather,

-Tsk tsk. What dramatics. In any case, it is not a problem with me.

She was focused only on the conclusion.

For some reason, her spirit-body hand struck Mok Gyeong-un instead of passing through him.

It was an extremely strange matter.

-How strange. Could it be because I became a shikigami? Hey, monk. You try too.

At that, the demon monk shuffled over and carefully touched Mok Gyeong-un’s body.

Just as before, even the demon monk, too, found that his spirit body could not pass through the corporeal soul.

At that, both vengeful spirits could not hide their puzzlement.

“Can you tell why?”

-Hmm. Unless it were between spirit bodies, there is no reason they should collide like this.

“Then it will be difficult for you to check whether I have a dantian or not, Blue Spirit.”

-Well… even if that is not possible, there are other…

She had not yet finished speaking.

-Creeeak!

The door of the medicine hall opened with a small sound.

Wondering who it was, he looked that way and saw a middle-aged man with a vicious face entering.

‘The Outer Hall Lord?’

It was Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek.

Because he had been interrogated once, he remembered the face.

“Ah.”

On finding Mok Gyeong-un sitting in a lotus posture, Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek’s expression darkened somewhat.

That was because he saw he was covered in wounds.

Though he was recovering quickly, it still could not be clearly distinguished because of the scabs.

As Sang Ung-baek came closer, he said,

“You were still awake, Young Master.”

“Ah. Yes.”

After coming almost right up to him, Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek bowed his head deeply and said,

“I am ashamed. If I had paid more attention, something like this would not have happened.”

From outward appearances alone, Mok Gyeong-un’s condition looked terrible.

Thinking that he had ended up like this after being attacked, Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek truly considered this his own failing.

That was why he was apologizing.

At that, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head and said,

“No. It is all right. Such things can happen.”

“This is not a matter of such things happening. Fighters of the outer court were guarding you, and yet you were injured. This is entirely my own failing.”

“There is no need for you to reproach yourself.”

Mok Gyeong-un spoke with a smile.

A different light appeared in Sang Ung-baek’s eyes as he looked at him.

As Outer Hall Lord, he did not have frequent contact with the young masters, but enough to know roughly what kind of personalities they had.

There were also the rumors floating around the manor.

‘…….Last time as well, and now again, this is strange.’

Sang Ung-baek knew Mok Gyeong-un as someone rather fussy and timid.

After his martial talent proved poor and his maternal family collapsed, that had become even more so.

But looking at him now, should he call him bold?

He had now gone through two consecutive situations in which he could have lost his life, yet how could he be this calm?

This latest matter had not even happened long ago.

Yet there was no sign of fear, nor any emotional aftereffect.

‘Was he always like this?’

Suddenly, a question arose.

Even adults found it difficult to remain so calm and composed after being injured this badly and having their lives threatened.

“Young Master…….are you truly all right?”

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un suddenly realized inwardly that he had made a mistake.

He had not thought much of it, but perhaps he should have shown some exaggerated weakness.

So he lowered his head slightly and said,

“To speak honestly, I am worried that I might die without anyone even noticing.”

At those words, Sang Ung-baek’s eyes narrowed further.

His suspicion had deepened.

To say only after hearing the question that he was worried, now of all times, was already too late.

‘……..This has become troublesome.’

Mok Gyeong-un also noticed that suspicion in him.

He had not yet been heavily suspected, but unexpectedly things seemed to be tangling because of the wrong person.

It did not yet seem to have reached the point of questioning whether he was real or fake, but with a man this sharp, there was nothing to gain from continued involvement.

Then Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek opened his mouth.

“Young Master……you do not look well at all. Would it be all right if this subordinate checked inside your body once, to see whether your internal injuries are severe?”

At that question, the Blue Spirit whispered from beside him,

-You would do well to be careful. If, as you say, a dantian has truly formed, then no matter how small it is, that energy will have nothing whatsoever to do with life-nurturing qi.

Mok Gyeong-un glanced at her with puzzled eyes.

Then she said with a mocking sneer,

-What I mean is, you may be mistaken for someone of the demonic path for no reason.

‘What is that?’

Mok Gyeong-un still did not have much knowledge of martial arts.

But judging from her tone, he roughly understood in what sense she was warning him.

At that, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head and said,

“It is all right. When the physician comes tomorrow, then…”

“Young Master. Forgive my discourtesy.”

-Papak!

The moment those words ended, Outer Hall Lord Sang Ung-baek swiftly seized Mok Gyeong-un’s right wrist with a grappling-hand technique.

Sang Ung-baek’s hand movements were far faster than Guard Gam’s or Madam Seok’s.

There was no time at all to avoid it.

Not stopping at gripping Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist, Sang Ung-baek struck acupoints around the chest.

-Papapapak!

In an instant, he sealed the numbing acupoints that made the body stiffen.

After sealing his acupoints like that, Sang Ung-baek sent true qi in through the wrist in order to inspect Mok Gyeong-un’s dantian.

Having sent the qi in, Sang Ung-baek quickly meant to inspect Mok Gyeong-un’s organs through the qi circulation pathways and sweep down to the dantian.

But then,

-Srrr…

The true qi traveling through his body suddenly dispersed.

‘!?’

Sang Ung-baek furrowed his brow.

Thinking perhaps the qi had broken off partway in, he sent it again.

Yet the same thing happened.

-Srrr…

His true qi flowed in along the circulation pathways, then promptly scattered away.

Something was strange.

Sang Ung-baek considered for an instant.

Ordinarily, when inspecting the inside of a body, one sends in true qi only to the degree that does not burden the other person’s body.

But if it scattered away like this, he had no choice but to send in still more qi.

That method, however, could be somewhat dangerous.

“Young Master……forgive me, but I will send in a little more true qi. I have sealed your numbing acupoints, but even if it is uncomfortable, please endure it a little…”

“Hmm. There is no helping it. Blue Spirit.”

“Blue Spirit? What do you mean by th…”

-Thrust!

It happened that very moment.

Sang Ung-baek suddenly became unable to move in the slightest.

That was because he had been seized by the bizarre sensation that something was gripping his heart.

“Huk….. huk……”

Instinctively, Sang Ung-baek could tell.

It was holding him very softly, yet if just a little strength entered that hand, it felt as though his heart would burst.

What kind of bizarre thing in the world was this?

While he was bewildered, Mok Gyeong-un said something as though speaking with someone.

“No, no. Bursting your heart would be troublesome. Please wait a moment.”

‘!?’

In an instant, Sang Ung-baek’s eyes widened as if they would tear apart.

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