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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Black Peony
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The Black Peony slid down his throat into his stomach.
It had no particular taste, but a faint aroma lingered in his mouth and throat.
"To think the day would come when I'd eat a spiritual herb."
In truth, when he'd first held the Black Peony, his stronger instinct had been to sell it rather than consume it. Dang Mujin's identity as a physician still overshadowed his martial artist side by far.
Yet two things had held him back: the atmosphere and the risk.
If he'd declared he was going to hold onto it and sell it for a high price later, the strange physician might snatch it back amid the tense mood.
Or by evening, the old man might change his mind and say, "You haven't eaten the Black Peony yet? Hand it over."
"That geezer could flip at any moment."
Just as found money should be spent immediately, a rare spiritual herb that fell into your lap should be eaten on the spot. Especially since there were no side effects.
Perhaps because it was such a precious spiritual herb, he already felt like a master. Dang Mujin savored the Black Peony's faint aroma and lifted his head.
That's when he caught sight of something suspicious.
The strange physician, who had been building up such a heavy atmosphere just moments ago, was now staring at him with a face full of curiosity and anticipation.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I told you beforehand—I never said you had to eat it right away."
The moment the strange physician finished speaking, Dang Mujin felt something odd in his stomach.
Like ink dropped into a bowl of clear water, something mist-like began unfurling from his gut.
There was no need to inspect it. At the center of the mist was the Black Peony, and what spread like mist from it was the inner energy it contained.
Vast inner energy—the dream of every martial artist.
But Dang Mujin couldn't simply rejoice. The amount was far too much.
"Hngh!"
Dang Mujin clutched his stomach and doubled over.
The line between medicine and poison is dosage.
Even the deadliest toxin does no harm if the amount is small enough.
Conversely, the right dose makes a medicine, but too much turns it to poison. That was exactly Dang Mujin's situation now.
The energy released by the Black Peony was excessively abundant. He'd swallowed not a spiritual herb, but a poison.
The amount of inner energy spilling out grew steadily. His abdominal pain intensified accordingly.
At first confined to his stomach, the inner energy now sought paths of lesser pressure and spread through his meridians across his body.
The situation was dire. It was like dumping the Yangtze River's flood into a stream fit only for children's play.
His untrained meridians filled to the brim with inner energy.
His meridians swelled as if about to burst. Pain throbbed in his head without respite.
Dang Mujin forced his head up to glare at the strange physician.
"You bastard... Old man! You said no side effects!"
"Ever heard that you grow as much as it hurts?"
"I have, but why bring that up now?"
"Because pain isn't a side effect to begin with."
"What nonsense is..."
"I'm not joking. There's growthless pain, but no painless growth."
"I'm gonna grow right into the grave...!"
Dang Mujin had sunk to his knees before he knew it. He braced his hands on the ground, gasping for breath.
"No way that old man fed me this to kill me."
He knew it was ridiculous, but the pain made such thoughts inevitable.
"Don't worry. You won't die. Has any meridian burst open? It hasn't. The Black Peony isn't precious for nothing."
Dang Mujin scanned his meridians.
As the strange physician said, none had ruptured. They were merely swollen to the bursting point throughout his body. A razor-thin balance. One more drop of inner energy, and they'd all explode.
But that they hadn't burst offered little comfort.
Not dying was one thing; the pain was another.
The strange physician sneered from the side.
"Who'd have thought a guy without a proper heart method—who can barely cycle energy along acupoints—would shove a spiritual herb straight into his mouth. Why'd you eat it now?"
"You gave it to me."
"Did I say eat it right now? I gave it early because I'd worry you'd lose it."
"..."
No rebuttal. Dang Mujin spoke with a strange sense of defeat.
"Anyway, do something! I'm really gonna die..."
"Sigh. You seem smart, then pull some idiot stunt. Can you sit cross-legged?"
Cross-legged.
Dang Mujin's body was fairly stiff. Even normally, folding his legs atop his knees was no easy feat.
Let alone now, amid such agony—could he manage it?
Impossible. Or rather, possible but something he'd rather avoid. Sitting cross-legged might burst the acupoints in his thighs.
"Doesn't look like it."
"Then no choice. The order's off, but we'll skip ahead to dynamic cultivation. You should manage that."
"Dynamic cultivation?"
"Cycling true energy while moving, as the name implies."
It flew in the face of Dang Mujin's common sense. Was that even possible?
"Aren't you supposed to sit cross-legged for qi circulation?"
"No. That's seated cultivation. It's just one method of qi circulation. Static cultivation has three forms: standing, seated, and lying. Dynamic cultivation lumps together the moving forms. It's less efficient than seated, so it's not used often."
Even amid the daze, standing or lying sounded more appealing than moving.
Wouldn't standing still or lying down be easier than moving?
"...No standing or lying?"
"No. The heart method I'll teach doesn't suit standing. And lying down? You gonna sprawl out disrespectfully before an elder...?"
Personal bias aside, there was no time to argue.
Dang Mujin spoke, hands trembling.
"Then dynamic it is...!"
"I was planning to teach it anyway. Listen well, watch well, and follow."
He half-expected bizarre contortions, but fortunately, the strange physician simply walked slowly.
"Keep a uniform pace. Heel to big toe. Let every part of your sole touch the ground in sequence. Raise energy from the Hidden White on your big toe, Three Yin Intersection on your shin, Blood Sea on your knee, up to the Great Surge..."
"Shorter!"
Tch. The strange physician clicked his tongue. He wanted to tease more, but seeing sweat beading on Dang Mujin's forehead and veins bulging, it was clear the pain was severe.
With an ordinary student, he'd drone on without shortcuts, but luckily Dang Mujin knew enough medicine and acupoints. Short versions would suffice.
"First, cycle energy along the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian while walking. Full sole contact. No need for speed."
Dang Mujin walked slowly. But even raising energy from legs to abdomen brought no relief.
"Is this working?"
"You interrupted before I finished. Breathe deep in, then short out in three breaths. Think of keeping as much inhaled breath inside as possible."
Following the instructions oddly eased the pain a bit. The strange physician continued.
"Weave the energy from your lower body and lungs, forming an axis linking the Body Pillar, Spinal Center, and Lumbar Yang Pass—these three acupoints. They are the immutable foundation of the Xuanwu Divine Skill; all else is mutable."
"Xuanwu Divine Skill...? Divine Skill...?"
"Don't fuss over the name. I tacked on 'divine' because 'Xuanwu Skill' felt too plain."
The strange physician answered offhandedly.
From his demeanor, the skill's origins seemed highly dubious. The problem was having no other option.
"With the immutable axis firm, guide the Black Peony's energy to your dantian. Patience—slowly."
Dang Mujin averted his eyes from the pain, observing his inner self to cycle the energy. The sheer agony kept stray thoughts at bay, which was good.
The Black Peony's energy dwarfed his own inner power. Yet it moved far more cooperatively than expected—like a kite lifted by a gentle breeze, flowing smoothly as led.
As time passed, the bursting energy calmed, and the pain subsided.
Only after shoving the Black Peony's energy into his dantian could Dang Mujin halt his steps. From stomach to dantian—a mere three inches—yet he was drenched in sweat.
'My dantian's swollen tight.'
A satisfying pressure filled his dantian. Moreover, his body felt lighter than before absorbing the Black Peony.
Dang Mujin clenched and unclenched his fists several times. Strength seemed to well up.
"This is the Black Peony's immense power...!"
"Nonsense. What you absorbed is a tiny fraction. Like licking an unpeeled apple once."
"Hmm. Still, I feel the difference."
"You've never even licked an apple before. You've just been sniffing it lately."
A mere fraction yielded this much; fully absorbing the Black Peony's energy—what strength would that bring?
Anticipation swelled in Dang Mujin's chest. Returning to Chengdu as a proper martial artist—how would people look at him then?
"Claiming it fully will take considerable time. Practice the Xuanwu Divine Skill diligently in spare moments."
"Understood."
"Take good care of the bodies."
The three dragged four corpses down the mountain.
*
By the time they returned to the village, the sun was setting. Clouds in the sky blazed red.
The flames had spread from the clouds to the village. Tile roofs and thatch alike glowed crimson.
Unlike their first arrival at Zhuul Village, thin wisps of smoke now rose here and there. People, regaining a bit of vitality, were preparing evening meals. Some shuffled about slowly.
Those wandering the streets glanced repeatedly at the streamside.
All eyes in Zhuul Village were fixed on the strange physician and Dang Mujin; no one was unaware they'd headed to the stream.
Then, figures appeared from the west streamside: the strange physician and Dang Mujin, as expected. Hong Geolgae was with them.
But some couldn't walk. Ma Jeon-gae's corpse on Hong Geolgae's back, and the Ja-yang Twin Killers and Yeom Physician dragged along the ground.
Villagers rejoiced at first that the two physicians hadn't left, but their faces hardened upon seeing Ma Jeon-gae and Yeom Physician.
The two unknowns aside, these were men who'd lived among them for decades, now returned as guests who wouldn't leave. Something ominous had clearly happened.
Only then did eyes notice the sword at the strange physician's waist—an item overlooked amid the chaos. A physician carrying a sword? The outside world must be rough—such thoughts had sufficed.
The sharp-eyed spotted blood on Hong Geolgae's staff.
Unable to ask what happened, people trailed the three men and four bodies. At the well, Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae set the corpses down. Faint dust rose.
Villagers milled about, hoping someone else would speak first. Even a simple question stuck in their throats.
Dang Mujin opened his mouth.
"You're all wondering what happened."
No one replied, eyes locked on him.
Dang Mujin faced such a crowd's gaze for the first time in his life.
"The plague that struck Zhuul Village is gone. I'll brew medicine tomorrow. Anyone still breathing will rise from bed within three days."
The news they'd longed for most, stated with utter certainty. Joy lit their faces.
Now attention turned to the four bodies.
"And all this was Yeom Physician's scheme."
"What on earth happened?"
One villager couldn't hold back. Dang Mujin shook his head lightly.
"I'll say only that it was excessive greed. These two outsiders were his recruits. Elder Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Gyeon died fighting them. It was a sacrifice to protect the village."
Shadows fell over faces.
Great sorrow and great joy struck at once. Zhuul villagers hesitated briefly, but the gloom didn't linger.
The joy that no more would die outweighed grief for Ma Jeon-gae's sacrifice. No household lacked a patient.
Some wept; most smiled. Someone tugged Dang Mujin's robe.
"Thanks to you great hero, we're all saved. Stay for dinner at our house tonight. I'll slaughter a chicken."
"Chicken? Hey, step back! I'll do a cow! Elders, this way! I'll empty my savings for a feast that'll bend the table!"
"Can I join in too?"
"Do I look that stingy? Everyone, come!"
Laughter erupted amid the crowd. Dang Mujin and the strange physician were pulled along by eager hands and vanished somewhere.
People kept a transparent wall from Hong Geolgae.
But Dang Mujin didn't notice. Benevolent hands blocked his view, and his experience was lacking.
The strange physician, buried in the throng, glanced at Hong Geolgae and nodded faintly.
Hong Geolgae bowed deeply in thanks to the strange physician and Dang Mujin.
Watching them disappear amid the villagers, he hoisted Ma Jeon-gae's body and headed out of the village.