Chapter 19 Just

Chapter 19 Just

‘What should I do?’

It was something he could simply ignore.

Namgung-woo had no particular business with the people of the Peng Clan. He had only acted out of a natural human compassion, unable to abandon the injured. If they refused his help, there was no reason for Namgung-woo to force it.

‘If they had drawn their blades, I wouldn’t have let it slide, though.’

The three Peng Clan Martial Artists who arrived late merely stood in his way with their bodies.

Their sword hilts—or perhaps, since they used blades, their blade hilts—were within reach, hands resting on them, ready to draw at any moment. But it was nothing more than a warning.

Namgung-woo was about to step back, signaling his lack of intention to antagonize, when Peng Mu-ho spoke first.

“Everyone, step back. This is not someone you can handle.”

“Excuse me?”

“Deputy Commander, what do you mean…?”

Peng Wi and Peng Sa-beon, Peng Clan Martial Artists, asked back in shock. Who was Peng Mu-ho? He was a Peak Transcendence Master, ranked fifth in pure martial prowess within the Peng Clan.

For such a Peng Mu-ho to address a young man barely past the Age of Twenty with such reverence, calling him “this person,” was something that would turn the Hebei Martial World upside down.

However, unlike the other two, the last person, Peng U-chaek, fell silent, realizing his hunch was correct.

“Deputy Commander, could that Aura just now have been…?”

“Yes. It wasn’t me.”

Even the Peng Clan Martial Artists had felt the powerful Aura that erupted from the fierce battle between the Form-Stealing Fiend and Namgung-woo.

That was why they had rushed ahead, leaving other martial artists behind, panting as they arrived.

But they had mistakenly assumed the owner of that Aura was Peng Mu-ho. Namgung-woo had poured his Internal Force, generated by his Internal Energy, into the Form-Stealing Fiend with almost no loss.

Since so little Internal Force leaked out, even if an Aura arose, trying to measure Namgung-woo’s full power from that alone was like blind men trying to describe an elephant.

The Peng Clan Martial Artists, who naturally couldn’t have known this, assumed that their Deputy Commander was fighting with all his might.

And the fact that the person they saw upon arriving at the scene was so young only fueled their misunderstanding. Humans, after all, think within the bounds of their own common sense.

It was more natural for them to think that Peng Mu-ho, a master they knew well, had displayed his divine might with all his power, rather than imagining a young man barely past the Age of Twenty was a Peak Transcendence Grandmaster.

“But even so…”

“He’s a Peak Transcendence Grandmaster.”

Peng Mu-ho firmly cut off the Peng Clan Martial Artists’ doubts.

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

What more certain proof could there be than his word?

At Peng Mu-ho’s affirmation, the Peng Clan Martial Artists’ gazes toward Namgung-woo completely changed.

“He’s barely past the Age of Twenty.”

“It’s the Deputy Commander’s word. There’s no mistake.”

The Peng Clan Martial Artists retracted their aggressive stance.

After entrusting the unconscious Peng Ha-ryeong to the three martial artists, Peng Mu-ho painfully moved his body, which was covered in wounds.

Peng Mu-ho didn’t hesitate to bend at the waist. It was a Deep Bow, not a Cupped Fist Salute, a respectful gesture toward a benefactor regardless of age.

“I apologize for my rudeness, young hero. No, seeing your Martial Prowess, it would be more appropriate to call you Great Hero.”

Namgung-woo was still unaccustomed to receiving such deference from an Esteemed Senior.

In the Martial World, age might be considered after generational rank and Martial Prowess, but Namgung-woo’s consciousness was closer to that of a modern, common person than a Jianghu Martial Artist.

“There was no rudeness to apologize for. And the title of Great Hero is a bit much.”

“If that is the young hero’s wish. I owe you my life. I will not forget this grace. If you seek out the Peng Clan and speak my name, Peng Mu-ho, I promise you will be treated as an honored guest.”

Namgung-woo gave an awkward smile.

Song Chae-ji had been like that, and now Peng Mu-ho was too. Was this how all those involved in the Righteous Martial World were?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Namgung-woo changed the subject, looking at Peng Mu-ho’s condition.

“By the way, are you alright? Esteemed Senior, your Internal Injuries seem severe.”

“Ha… your Eye Technique is remarkable, young hero. But there’s no need to worry about me. The people of our main clan are born with sturdy physiques, so Internal Injuries of this level are bearable. However…”

A look of worry and regret clouded Peng Mu-ho’s face.

As Peng Mu-ho dropped his head, a sense of despair emanated from him.

“How did it come to this?”

Namgung-woo could roughly infer the situation from the Aura that had erupted before his arrival, but it was still in the realm of speculation.

However, Peng Mu-ho could not answer that question.

“I apologize to my benefactor, but our main clan has no more time to delay.”

Peng Mu-ho was forcibly suppressing his desire to leave immediately, all to uphold the proper etiquette toward his benefactor.

Peng Mu-ho felt a sense of self-reproach. It was his mistake. He had been too blinded by the information about the red color and the danger of the Spectral Fiend.

Even if Peng Ha-ryeong, as a direct descendant of the Peng Clan, held command authority over Peng Mu-ho, as a Martial Artist of a higher cultivation realm, he had a duty to assess the situation more calmly.

No one expected a Form-Stealing Fiend to appear? Yet Peng Ha-ryeong chose to fight even after seeing it with her own eyes. She believed she could defeat one.

But there were two Form-Stealing Fiends. The two of them realized too late that they had been hasty. In the end, Peng Mu-ho’s attention was divided in preparing for them, and both were exposed to the Demonic Energy that exploded upon their death.

If not for the Peng Clan’s inherent sturdy physique and the Clan’s Inherited Protective Qi Technique, which had been passed down and improved over generations, Peng Ha-ryeong would not be alive and breathing right now.

‘But if left like this, it seems to be the difference between instant death and slowly withering away in agony.’

Though a strong sense of fatigue remained, Namgung-woo once again surveyed the two with his Azure Serenity Eyes.

Just as a bird soaring in the sky can look down upon even the smallest prey on the ground.

Namgung-woo’s gaze instantly pierced through their physical conditions.

“May I take a look?”

“You, young hero?”

“Great Hero Peng, you must know her condition is severe. Most physicians wouldn’t even dare touch her, do you have any other plans?”

“…None. As the young hero said. I plan to give her Miraculous Medicine for emergency treatment and return to the main clan as quickly as possible.”

If they sent a Carrier Pigeon to the main clan and met at a midpoint between Tianjin, where the Peng Clan was located, and Wu’an County, they could rendezvous within two or three days.

By giving her Miraculous Medicine and helping her Circulate Qi, even if it meant Peng Mu-ho using his Pre-Heaven True Qi, Peng Ha-ryeong would surely hold on until then. Peng Mu-ho believed this. He wanted to believe it.

However, Namgung-woo thought differently.

‘If left like this, she probably won’t make it through today.’

Her luck was bad. If Peng Ha-ryeong had only half of her usual Internal Energy remaining, she would have sustained Internal Injuries, but the clash between her Internal Energy and the Aura of Evil would have bought her time. However, currently, almost no Internal Energy remained in Peng Ha-ryeong’s body.

Namgung-woo didn’t know how much Internal Energy she had originally accumulated, but it was clear that at this rate, she couldn’t avoid having her entire body corroded by the Aura of Evil.

Just by observing Peng Ha-ryeong’s condition, Namgung-woo could deduce her actions during the explosion.

‘She tried to block it with her right hand. A hand is more immediate than a blade, after all. The Meridian Channels of the three Main Meridians in her right hand—the Lesser Yin Heart Meridian of Hand, the Yang Bright Large Intestine Meridian of Hand, and the Greater Yin Lung Meridian of Hand—are stained with the Aura of Evil. To extend her life, even slightly, it must be severed. Did Peng Mu-ho prepare himself for that?’

The three Meridian Channels Namgung-woo recalled all flowed through the right arm.

Severing the right arm. Whether right-handed or left-handed, it would completely destroy the body’s balance. Her life as a Martial Artist would effectively be over.

Peng Mu-ho knew this too. Anyone who had been in the Jianghu for decades would instinctively know what measures to take, even without studying medical arts.

How could Peng Mu-ho not know? The best course of action to save her was to sever the right arm, which was most severely corroded by the Aura of Evil, to prevent further infiltration, and then use his own True Qi to expel the contaminating energy from her organs.

However, there was still something Peng Mu-ho couldn’t comprehend.

Why was Namgung-woo trying to help them?

It was a ridiculous question to ask when they were in such desperate need of help, but it was also a valid one.

He was already the Peng Clan’s benefactor. If he hadn’t come, Peng Mu-ho and Peng Ha-ryeong would have lost their lives together long before any talk of saving her.

That alone was a life-saving grace. Was he perhaps dreaming of becoming an adopted son-in-law of the Peng Clan? But wasn’t the Peng Clan’s reputation insufficient for that?

A Peak Transcendence Grandmaster at the Age of Twenty was skilled enough to even eye the position of son-in-law in the Xuanyuan Clan, a power far greater than the Peng Clan. If he sought power, the Imperial Court was also a good option. With such talent, the position of Martial Governor-General, the vanguard of the Imperial Court’s martial forces, was not a dream.

Yet, why would he bother to help Peng Ha-ryeong, who was corroded by the Form-Stealing Fiend’s Aura of Evil, in this place?

‘Is it arrogance, or is it ignorance?’

To reach the Peak Transcendence Grandmaster realm at such a young age and truly believe that everything in the world would bend to his will would be a miscalculation. Of course, his control over Internal Energy might be superior to Peng Mu-ho’s, but performing Transmission of Internal Energy on someone who cultivated a different Internal Energy Cultivation Method was not easy, even for a Peak Transcendence Grandmaster.

He might not know the dangers of Transmission of Internal Energy. Young people often overlooked the dangers of things they hadn’t directly experienced.

Furthermore, assisting with the Circulate Qi and Meditate of someone corroded by the virulent Aura of Evil of a Form-Stealing Fiend was far more dangerous than typical Transmission of Internal Energy.

The former was problematic, but the latter would necessitate stopping him for the sake of the benefactor’s safety.

The thought process was long, but the exchange between Peng Mu-ho’s question and Namgung-woo’s answer took place in a very short time.

And the answer Namgung-woo gave dispelled all of Peng Mu-ho’s worries and anxieties.

“Because I can.”

That was Namgung-woo’s true intention.

He had received an apology for the rudeness committed by the Peng Clan. And wasn’t the woman, Peng Ha-ryeong, in this state as a result of her struggle to protect the weak?

If she had been an evil person, Namgung-woo wouldn’t have stepped forward, but if it was someone who acted with good intentions, his heart was moved.

More than anything,

Namgung-woo had the ability.

Therefore, he stepped forward. That was all.

Namgung-woo’s feelings were conveyed through his voice.

He wasn’t expecting any special reward.

He was merely helping because he objectively knew he could.

Namgung-woo’s calm voice held no arrogance. It simply conveyed strong self-assurance, stating there was nothing to worry about.

“If…”

Therefore, Peng Mu-ho could not help but grasp the lifeline of hope that had appeared before his eyes.

“If the young hero can treat Ha-ryeong, no, even just improve her condition…”

Thud.

Peng Mu-ho’s knees touched the ground. It was the knee of a hero who had once challenged the Hebei Martial World, the Deputy Commander of the Northern Sky Unit, the Peng Clan’s foremost martial force.

“I, Peng Mu-ho, will follow the young hero’s request three times, even if it means sacrificing my life.”

He owed him his life and Peng Ha-ryeong’s life, so that was two.

And now, for treating Peng Ha-ryeong, that was one more.

Thus, three times.

It was a solemn vow made with immense resolve for Peng Mu-ho, but Namgung-woo’s reaction was indifferent, almost bored.

‘Is that really necessary…?’

He’s weaker than me…

‘I wish I could examine her condition more closely first.’

Fortunately, Namgung-woo had common sense and the self-control not to blurt out his thoughts.

“Then, let’s take a look.”

Namgung-woo subtly brushed off Peng Mu-ho’s resolute vow and approached Peng Ha-ryeong.

But the opposition came from a place Namgung-woo hadn’t expected.

Even the Peng Clan Martial Artists were silent during Namgung-woo and Peng Mu-ho’s conversation, but these individuals voiced their dissent.

“Young hero, you mustn’t!”

“Junior Brother, reconsider!”

It was none other than the Yang brothers.