Chapter 64 Gain Strength

Chapter 64: Gain Strength

After explaining the effects of the Zhenwangliu to the cleaner, he spread his pupils again.

Spreading his pupils for over ten minutes caused pain as if his entire body was being torn apart, and sweat poured down like rain.

Blood flowed from the places pierced and cut by the sword, and a pain like being stabbed with needles radiated from every meridian and blood channel throughout his body.

Still, there was an effect.

‘It’s moving.’

The frozen energy within his dantian had begun to thaw, bit by bit.

“Huff, huff.”

As soon as I felt the effect, I stopped the dantian rotation.

My physical state made pushing further impossible.

After briefly recovering my stamina, I began the dantian rotation again. After repeating this process three times, I successfully achieved the desired result.

“Huuu…”

The qi, which had initially moved only as much as a speck of dust, had now grown to the size of a grain of rice. It began moving on its own, purging the stagnant qi.

As if it possessed a spirit of its own.

Moreover, the decoction made from quasi-elixirs worth 490 nyang further accelerated the movement of these Zhenwang Qi.

‘Worth every penny.’

It truly lived up to its reputation as the secret decoction of Cheonggajang, the premier general hospital of this era.

The problem was.

“Guhhh…”

The constant movement had caused the wound to reopen, causing pain.

A lot of pain.

The cleaning lady who had been hovering nearby quickly approached.

“Let me take a look.”

After briefly examining the wound, she unwrapped the bandage and began sprinkling powdered medicine onto it.

“Ugh!”

“Faking it over something like this? You’re a real pro, aren’t you?”

“Oh! Didn’t you see me give Baek Muha a good thrashing?”

“Exactly. I saw it with my own eyes, so I can’t disbelieve it… but your behavior is pure neighborhood bully.”

“Ouch! Easy there, please!”

“Just bear with it!”

After a moment, the cleaning lady finished the simple treatment and said with a slightly relieved expression.

“Fortunately, the wound didn’t reopen or anything.”

She continued as she applied a new bandage.

“By the way, is this really effective?”

“It worked just now.”

“Hmm, I see. I’ll keep an eye on it for now, but if you feel anything unusual, call me immediately. Internal injuries are something you can’t let your guard down about. Especially in cases like Team Leader Jin’s, where organs are damaged, you have to be extra careful.”

Finishing her words, the cleaner entered the team leader’s radio room.

As she said, the internal injury I was suffering from now was serious.

Thanks to it, I was losing money and suffering all at once.

‘This is all because of Baek Muha.’

That bastard and I had already crossed a river with no turning back. He would use his connections in the Cheonryong Association and his background in the Baekryong Party to attack me.

There was no way to reconcile now, so I too had to prepare thoroughly.

Still, there was one fortunate thing.

“Is Senior Jin here?! Jeon Muk of the Horyong Party has come to see you!”

“······I’m here too.”

Through the Nine Dragons Contest, I too had built connections.

And not just solid ones—connections overflowing with influence.

“Why have you come?”

“Senior Jikryonggeom, why have you come?! You haven’t even crossed blades with Senior Turyong yet.”

“He is destined to become our family’s son-in-law.”

“Hmph, who decided that?! Senior Jin is destined to become the deputy leader of our Huilong Sect!”

“What?”

There was a bit of bickering, mind you.

“Stop that and sit down. Sister! Bring some tea!”

These two kept visiting under the pretense of checking on me even after I rejected their recruitment offer.

It probably wasn’t pure goodwill, but it was fine.

Thanks to them, I wasn’t bored while confined to bed.

We even got to know each other better in the process.

What’s so special about connections? They’re all forged this way.

Jik-il looked at me, sweating, with a surprised expression and said.

“Did you train? In that condition?”

“Huh? Ah… well, I got restless just lying around.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to beat the crap out of whoever reported you had no interest in martial arts.”

I didn’t know who it was, but it looked like there’d be wailing at the Red Dragon Hall today.

Anyway, submitting a report like that.

Clearly, he was a fool who couldn’t judge people.

Where else would you find someone as hardworking as me?

Jeon Mook, filled with admiration, joined the conversation.

“Such sincerity! This Jeon Mook! I will follow Senior Jin’s example and devote myself even more diligently to training.”

“Yes, if you keep at it, your day will come.”

“Yes!”

For reference, this guy was far stronger than I was at the same age.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, back in those days, fighting with my unrefined skills, I’d have surrendered before even a hundred seconds passed.

As the three of us shared tea and chatted amiably, Jik-il brought up a serious topic.

“Baekryongdang has been showing strange movements lately.”

“What kind of movements?”

“Seems like they’re scheming against the Oedang. Probably planning to push for its dissolution.”

“What?!”

“It’s not a stage to worry about yet, so don’t concern yourself. Just focus on your recovery. Dissolving an organization like the Outer Sect isn’t easy.”

“But even so…”

Would any worker just sit still when rumors spread that their workplace is closing?

“Could it be… because I defeated Baek Muha?”

“That might be part of it. But it’s more likely because of the North Palace Head. From Baek’s perspective, it must feel like the ultimate humiliation.”

“I see.”

As the mood grew serious, Jeon Mook chimed in again.

“Senior, don’t worry. The Hwaryongdang would never agree to such nonsense.”

“Thank you.”

His overly affectionate manner made the twenty-year-old, with his bulky frame, seem quite endearing.

“So, as soon as you recover, we’ll go to the mines together and swing those pickaxes…”

Until he started spouting that nonsense.

* * *

That night.

Lying on my bed, I was lost in thought.

‘Baekryongdang…’

I understood why they were acting this way.

In this martial arts world, a warrior’s pride is like their very life.

Someone of the White Dragon Sect Leader’s stature would have had immense pride.

With that pride scratched, they had to do something.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to face their subordinates.

But wasn’t this too petty?

They aren’t even challenging us to a fair duel as martial artists. Instead, they’re trying to use their power to dissolve the Outer Sect.

‘Bastards.’

Father and son, both acting exactly the same.

‘They want to dissolve the Outer Sect…’

Honestly, if anyone other than Jik-il had said this, I would have dismissed it as utter nonsense.

Because the Outer Sect had just achieved the greatest merit in the recent Namman Campaign.

Even their leader, Beogung Baek, earned the highest merit and was ranked first in the commendations.

Suggesting dissolving such an Outer Sect would clearly make one look like a fool.

The problem is, that fool is Baek Jungcheon.

Military might ranks third, following the Green Dragon Sect and the Blue Dragon Sect.

Financial power ranks second, following the Golden Dragon Sect.

Even the sect leader, Baek Jung-cheon, is hailed as a master of political maneuvering.

Such a man proposing a motion that would clearly brand him an idiot?

Impossible.

He must be plotting something.

“This won’t do.”

The heavy thoughts kept coming, and sleep fled.

I guess I’ll have to go take a walk around the neighborhood.

The cleaning crew will kick up a fuss if they find out, but what can you do?

If I just sit still, I’ll go stir-crazy.

So, I slipped out of the room unnoticed and started walking slowly.

“Where are you going so cautiously in the middle of the night? Just like a gentleman.”

“Good heavens! You scared me!”

Yongmasan, his head reflecting the moonlight, approached.

“Make some noise when you walk around. You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”

“I came to check the security at Chief Jin’s residence.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“By the way, seeing you still haven’t opened your Qi Sensing, I suppose your internal injuries are severe?”

“Yeah, it hurts like hell.”

“Still, you should count yourself lucky, Captain Jin. Don’t you have a skilled healer like Miss Qing by your side?”

“Skilled healer? She’s just a lady who knows a bit of medicine.”

“…You live under the same roof and still don’t know her? Everyone in these parts knows the Blue Flower Goddess.”

“What? The Blue Flower Goddess? Miss Qing already has a nickname?”

“Of course she does! She cures illnesses that would otherwise linger for ten years with just a touch.”

“…Is she really that amazing?”

“Is she ignoring you? Or is she incapable? And in the case of Miss Miao…”

“Sister? What about my sister?”

Yongmasan closed his mouth.

“…It would be best if you heard it from her directly.”

“What? That’s lame.”

“By the way, are you out for a walk?”

“Yes, I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d take a stroll.”

“How about I accompany you? It’s dangerous for someone in your condition to wander around alone. What if you’re ambushed?”

“Ambush? What are you talking about?”

“The White Dragon Sword has never spared anyone who stood in its path.”

“Let’s walk together.”

“Good thinking.”

Walking like that, watching the moonlight reflect off his head, his mood improved considerably.

Sensing this change, Yongmasan spoke up.

“You seem troubled.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Baek Jung-cheon. He intends to propose dissolving the Outer Sect at the Sect Leader’s Council meeting, doesn’t he?”

“What do you know about that… Wait. Someone like you might actually know.”

I’d forgotten this guy was the leader of Hao Moon ver.2.

Yongmasan chuckled softly and continued.

“There’s no need to worry about it right now.”

“For now?”

“Baek Jung-cheon isn’t aiming for the dissolution of the Outer Sect.”

“Then what?”

“The members of the Outer Sect themselves.”

“What?”

I couldn’t hide my shock at Yongmasan’s next words.

“If he proposes dissolving the Outer Sect, what will you say to oppose it?”

“Naturally, the necessity of the Outer Sect…”

“You’re not entirely without sense. Correct. Those opposing it would emphasize the Outer Corps’ necessity. Consider their performance in the last Namman campaign, the peerless master of the North Palace faction, and even the former commander of the Nine Dragons who defeated me in the Nine Dragons Contest. Objectively speaking, they’re no small force.”

“…”

“If I were Baek Jung-cheon, I’d propose another agenda item amidst that public opinion. I’d suggest assigning missions to the Outer Sect since their military strength is considerable. This way, the faction that opposed disbanding them would be unable to oppose it, having already spoken.”

“This is insane!”

In short, it’s about elevating the Outer Sect’s status to the level of the Inner Sect’s Eight Great Clans and assigning them missions.

What does that mean?

It means dispatching Oedang warriors to carry out missions represented by the seven tiers: Heaven, Earth, Human, Metal, Wood, Fire, and Water.

The problem is, these second-rate Oedang warriors will never succeed in these missions.

In other words, nine out of ten will die.

Naturally, warriors fearful of losing their lives will resign en masse, leaving only a few like me and North Palace White behind.

With its numbers depleted, the Outer Hall will inevitably face dissolution.

“···Is there a reason you’re advising me this?”

“It reminds me so much of the Hao Gate a hundred years ago.”

“What?”

“Back then, Hao Gate was powerless, tossed about by stronger factions. Perhaps weary of that fate, the only military force they had, the Red King’s Guard, betrayed the Gate. After that, as you well know, Jin Zhaozhang, they began their path of decline.”

I’d just heard an unexpected secret history.

Yongmasan continued with a self-deprecating laugh.

“If you dislike others pulling the strings, then gain power. As the head of the Jin Clan, you are more than capable of doing so.”