Chapter 62 Nine Dragons Strife (7)

Chapter 62: Nine Dragons Strife (7)

The moment I saw the flying sword, I instinctively knew.

Even with the Dragon Scale Armor, if I couldn’t dispel the force behind that sword, I could die.

The problem was, in my current, worst-case physical state, that was impossible.

“······!”

But he couldn’t just stand there and die.

Desperately trying to parry the sword, he pulled back the hand that had been about to gouge out Baek Muha’s eye.

‘Damn it······.’

This seemed utterly hopeless.

It was merely a matter of dying 0.5 seconds sooner or later.

Just as the shadow of death drew near.

Clang! CRASH!

With a sound like tearing air, the Sunlight Sword was deflected.

“……?”

It was North Palace White, who had flown in from somewhere, deflecting the sword.

He glared at the target who had hurled the sword at me, his eyes carrying a faint glimmer of anger.

“Are you okay?”

Only upon hearing those words did I barely regain my senses and follow North Palace White’s gaze.

A middle-aged man with long white hair stood holding a single white long sword.

It was Baek Ryong-dang, the Sun-Moon Divine Sword, Baek Jung-cheon.

Bukgung Baek spat out in a low voice.

“Are you mad?”

“······I only stepped forward to protect my child. ”

“But your sword was dripping with murderous intent.”

Bukgung Baek was right.

If he’d meant to protect Baek Muha, he should have aimed for my hand.

Not my chest.

“Guess the sword slipped in the heat of the moment.”

“The Sun-Moon Divine Sword missing its mark…”

When naming the greatest swordsman of the Nine Dragon Fortress, one name always comes first.

The Azure Dragon Sect’s Grandmaster Taecheong.

And the name that follows him is none other than the Sun-Moon Divine Sword, Baek Jungcheon.

For such a renowned, peerless swordsman to miss his mark?

Isn’t that excuse a bit pathetic?

It would be more honest to just say he tried to kill me for defeating his son.

Heh.

Bukgung Baek seemed to think so too, letting out a sneer.

Thud.

He thrust his hand toward Baek Muha’s head.

“……!”

Baek Joongcheon’s figure shot forward like lightning, unleashing the Sunlight Sword.

Kwaaang! Whoosh.

Dust billowed across the entire battlefield before quickly dispersing.

Gaining a clear view, he saw Baekgung Baek and Baek Jungcheon facing off with Baek Muha between them.

“My hand slipped too.”

“Do you want to die?”

Bukgung Baek stared at Baek Jungcheon with icy eyes, and Baek Jungcheon returned the gaze with eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Bukgung Baek twisted one corner of his mouth upward and said.

“How about we just take over the kids’ fight? Each of us takes care of our own lives.”

A sudden, blunt proposal.

Given his position as the leader of the White Dragon Sect, Baek Jung-cheon couldn’t easily refuse such an offer from Baekgung Baek.

As the head of an organization commanding countless warriors, he couldn’t afford to look like a coward.

But Baek Jung-cheon’s mouth wouldn’t open easily.

Of course not.

Even if he was the second-best swordsman in Guryongseong, Baekgung Baek was a warrior who had reached the pinnacle of his art. The odds of winning a fight against him were slim.

“Why? Afraid?”

“Hmph!”

Baek Jung-cheon flushed at Baekgung Baek’s light provocation.

The atmosphere felt as if they might charge at each other any moment.

But this commotion ended when one person intervened.

“Cease this. The eyes of the entire martial world are upon you two.”

It was the Immortal of the Azure Sky.

“······Greetings, Immortal.”

From Baek Jung-cheon’s perspective, he was practically a benefactor, so he bowed respectfully.

“Long time no see.”

In contrast, Bukgung Baek, seemingly deflated, didn’t even glance in that direction as he replied.

Taiqing Immortal gave a slight nod, looked down at Baek Muha, and urged him in a subtle voice.

“It seems the outcome is decided. What do you think?”

Baek Muha readily admitted defeat.

“I… lost.”

And I, who had been watching all this unfold.

“Shit…”

The energy I’d barely managed to hold back began to surge back, and I lost consciousness.

Thud.

You’ll catch a cold sleeping here.

* * *

The moment Wutian collapsed, Qingxiao and Miaohuang screamed.

Qingxiao’s expression was particularly grave.

She instinctively knew how serious Wutian’s condition was.

“Master!”

She strained her voice, calling out to the familiar figure of Taecheongjin.

Taecheongjin, seemingly understanding the situation, picked up Mujeon and descended from the stage.

He then addressed Bukgungbaek.

“I need you to guard him. Is that alright?”

“Anytime.”

Bukgungbaek nodded, and before long, the outer hall warriors who had rushed over surrounded them.

Once the perimeter was completely sealed, Taecheong Jin-in placed a hand on Mujeon’s back.

And then.

“Ugh…”

A small groan escaped him.

Mujeon’s internal injuries were worse than expected.

The meridians spreading throughout his body were torn in multiple places, and the acupoints unable to withstand Jeon Wanggi’s attack were either blocked or ruptured.

His internal organs seemed damaged too; even unconscious, he was gushing blood from his mouth in choking gulps.

It was a miracle he was still alive.

Still.

“I’ll try.”

He had to save him.

Even though he wasn’t an enemy of the Black Dragon Sect, he was his elder brother’s only grandson.

Resolved, he channeled his qi into Mujeon’s body.

Crackle. Snap.

Tae Cheong Jin-in first identified the rampaging Zhenwang Qi within Moo Jeon’s body.

The Zhenwang Qi was traveling along the torn blood vessels, scattering its energy everywhere.

This placed an enormous burden on his already torn internal organs and meridians.

He had to calm this down before any treatment could begin.

Whoosh.

He poured his true essence energy like the torrent of the Yellow River.

The Heavenly Dragon Boundless True Qi, vast as the ocean, began to seize the rampaging Zhenwang Qi within Wutian’s body.

It was no easy task, for the Zhenwang Qi was incredibly swift and powerful. But if Taicheng Zhenren couldn’t do it, no one under heaven could.

He was, after all, one of the two sole masters of the Fire Scripture residing within the Nine Dragon Fortress.

Shhhhh.

His body and Wujian’s were enveloped in a blue light.

Storm-like heat haze rose from various points on Wujian’s body.

This was because every time the Zhenwang Qi was captured by the Celestial Dragon Qi, it ignited a burst of energy.

This continued for a full hour.

Taoqing Zhenren finally captured the last strand of Zhenwang Qi.

Now it was time to carefully place the captured Zhenqi back into the Gihyeol穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴穴

Tae Cheong Jin-in removed his hands from Mujeon’s back and exhaled a sigh.

“The vital energy is stabilized. From here on, it’s in your hands.”

“Thank you, Jin-in!”

As Cheong So-so bowed his head, Tae Cheong Jin-in smiled benevolently.

“He’s like my own grandson. I only did what was natural.”

Bukgung Baek bowed his head to the man who stood up.

“Thank you for saving my subordinate.”

“Heh heh, since he’s clearly more than just a subordinate, I’ll accept the greeting from the head of the North Palace.”

The Great Immortal of the Azure Sea left the room.

Picking up Moojeon, North Palace Baek asked Cheong Sosho.

“Can I take him home now?”

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the clinic attached to the house, Cheong Sosho checked Moojeon’s condition.

Any other clinic might be uncertain, but she knew she could save him.

That was how much she trusted the medical skills of the Cheong family.

Myohyang and Cheongso-so worked together to strip Mujeon completely naked.

Once all his clothes were removed, his entire body was covered in blood, except for the area protected by his dragon-scale armor.

“Ugh…”

Seeing the severity of the wounds, Myohyang began to choke back tears.

“Sister! This isn’t the time for that. First, sprinkle the hemostatic powder on the wounds and prepare hot water.”

Cheong So-so barked coldly.

“Ah, got it.”

The treatment that began immediately resembled modern surgery.

She sprinkled powder to reduce inflammation and stitched Mujeon’s wounds with sterilized needles and silk thread.

The treatment of lacerations and fractures was precisely why Cheongja-jang was considered the top physician in the martial arts world.

After nearly half an hour of treatment, the bleeding finally stopped. Myohyang began wiping the blood from Mujeon’s body with a cotton cloth she had soaked in hot water.

They could breathe a sigh of relief, but they couldn’t let their guard down.

Certainly, the internal injuries would be more serious than the external ones.

Cheongso and Miao Xiang looked down at Mujeon with expressions that said they would save him no matter what.

“Ugh…”

“Mmm…”

For some reason, their gazes naturally gravitated toward the center of Mujeon’s body.

* * *

The next day.

Tweet. Tweet.

The chirping of sparrows woke him.

“Ugh.”

Agonizing pain radiated throughout his entire body.

Lifting his head to check, he saw bandages wrapped around various parts of his body.

He tried to raise the Jeonwanggi slightly to examine his internal injuries.

“Kreeh…”

Pain like being stabbed by needles shot through his entire body.

Judging by how poorly the sword moved, it seemed certain that everything from the blood vessels to the meridians had been destroyed.

And then.

“Guh! Ugh.”

Blood surged up from the back of his throat, making it clear that some internal organs had ruptured.

“You’re awake······. Oh my?! Blood, blood!”

Myohyang, who had opened the door and entered, gasped in shock and rushed over.

At that, Cheongso, who had been collapsed asleep in the corner of the room, quickly sat up.

“Where?! What’s going on?”

After briefly examining him, she exhaled a sigh of relief and said.

“Phew… That’s a relief. He vomited the blood that had pooled inside. It’s a sign he’s recovering, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…What happened yesterday?”

“What? If you mean the duel, it ended with Team Leader Jin’s victory.”

“No. Not me….”

Myohyang answered my question instead.

“I heard the Blue Dragon Sword won. After battling for over 500 seconds, the Black Dragon Sword felt inadequate and conceded.”

I was flabbergasted.

Wait, why are only they having a duel?

I fought a bloody life-or-death battle.

“Hmm, what time is it now?”

“It’s the end of the fourth hour. The finals will start soon. But Team Leader Jin won’t be able to attend anyway.”

Thank goodness. There’s still time.

“I must go. So please… help me up.”

As I rose from my seat and made my request, the two women protested loudly.

“Are you crazy?! You could die!”

“Soso is right. You literally came back from the dead yesterday.”

I shook my head at their words.

“I have an unavoidable commitment.”

Was it my resolute determination?

Myohyang met my gaze and nodded meaningfully.

“Wait just a moment. I’ll bring someone to carry Team Leader Jin.”

“Sister!”

“Soso, you don’t know Team Leader Jin like this. He’s the kind of person who’d walk alone if we didn’t help him. Better to help him than let that happen.”

······I was about to just give up if those two didn’t help.

‘Why go alone when you might die?’

Myo-hyang was full of misunderstandings about me.

She opened the door immediately and shouted, her voice strained.

“Dragon Warrior! Help me!”

I thought, ‘Like he’d come just because she called…’

Thud.

“You called?”

He really came.

This guy really likes Sister Myohyang.

“I saw yesterday’s sparring well… Why that expression? You look like someone who’s caught another’s weakness.”

“No. It’s just… well. Anyway, could you carry me to the martial arts arena?”

Myohyang lightly touched Yongmasan’s arm, urging him to grant my request.

“Could you carry Team Leader Jin for me?”

His face flushed instantly, then Yongmasan nodded stiffly.

” “If it’s Miss Miao’s request.”

Carried on Yongmasan’s back, we soon arrived at the martial arts arena where the Nine Dragons Contest was being held.

Murmurs.

A few who recognized me stared curiously at my state.

“Enough. I’ll climb up from here on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“I can’t show weakness before the fight even begins.”

Though I said this, the moment my feet touched the ground, I felt pain as if my internal organs were being torn apart.

Shaky.

My steps were so unsteady, as if I might collapse at the slightest breeze, that people instinctively stepped aside.

After taking over twenty steps, I reached the stairs.

“Ugh.”

With each step I climbed, a groan escaped me unconsciously.

Having overcome that obstacle, I…

“…Didn’t think you’d make it?”

I found myself face to face with Danun, eyes wide, on the stage.

“Because it’s a promise.”

“You don’t seem able to even stand properly… How about forfeiting?”

“That’s my decision to make.”

Geumgeomjin stepped forward.

“I agree with the Blue Dragon Sword’s assessment.”

“No.”

“Hmm, understood. I clearly advised against it, so don’t try to backtrack later.”

“Don’t worry.”

Geumgeomjin shook his head briefly and shouted.

“Then begin the duel!”

Danun sighed and drew his sword.

I walked toward him, clutching my trembling legs.

One step, two steps… twenty steps.

With each step, sweat dripped like rain.

After that agonizing time, I finally reached his front.

Thud.

At last, I could strike his chest with my feeble fist.

I immediately lost control of my body and collapsed.

Thud.

Dan-un caught me as if embracing me as I fell.

I whispered into his ear.

“…Dan-hyung, I won. So now, stop clinging to me. It’s driving me crazy.”

My eyes began to close.

Still, the thought that I wouldn’t have to see this bastard’s face anymore felt good.

Even then, I didn’t know.

“To push yourself this far with a body already half-dead… you truly are my lifelong rival.”

That this incident would only fuel his determination against me even more.