NABC Book 2: Chapter 22
Book 2: Chapter 22
Book 2: Chapter 22
“Everyone, leave the room.”
Upon Jung-ah’s command, the triplets promptly vacated the room.
Even after they had left, a heavy silence loomed over the room.
“...So-Hyeon.”
The old man called out the name once more, and Yeon So-Hyeon took a deep sigh.
“Why do you have such keen senses, elder? I hid it so well, and yet you managed to see through it?”
Yeon So-Hyeon had not intended for this situation to unfold.
Unwillingly, the man had proven once again that the name ‘Medicine King,’ was not an exaggeration.
“...What could have possibly happened to you? You’ve hidden yourself so effectively that even the breath originating from Baihui point (Hundred Converges point)1 through the Upper Dantian can’t be felt.”
In the end, his efforts to conceal the demonic energy of Scripture of Dark Heavens had inadvertently exposed him.
“You truly have keen eyes, elder. It’s no wonder they say that one should die when they get old.”
Jung-ah sensed the desperation in Yeon So-Hyeon’s voice, a desperation to not wound his mentor’s heart until the very end.
“...So-Hyeon, give me your wrist.”
Unable to look into the old man’s eyes, Yeon So-Hyeon closed his own. Jung-ah gently touched his shoulder without a word. Yeon So-Hyeon then extended his hand.
“...Don’t be shocked. There’s no one here to clean up the elder’s mess.”
It was a warning to prepare himself mentally.
But the old man began to take his pulse without hesitation.
Who would dare stop a grandfather worrying over a child as dear to him as a grandson?
“...What is this.”
The Medicine King’s face twitched involuntarily.
“The Ren channel2 and Du channel3 are twisted. No, there’s more. All the Eight Extraordinary Channels4are in reverse...!”
Cold sweat streamed down from his forehead without a break.
Jung-ah quietly wiped the elder’s cold sweat.
“This is impossible. This energy doesn’t belong to a living human being...!”
The old man’s eyes widened in realization.
“This is demonic energy...! But it’s very different from the energy of the demonic cults.”
The old man’s pupils flipped and a violent tremor ran through his body.
“I, I...! Such horrendous demonic energy...! I’ve never heard or seen anything like this in my life...!”
Yeon So-Hyeon forcibly pulled his wrist away.
He knew that any more would not just wound the old man’s heart but might destroy both his mind and body.
“.......”
The old man clenched his trembling hands around his face.
He was engulfed in terrible despair.
He could do nothing.
No. Frankly, just by trying to understand what was happening, he felt his sanity about to shatter into pieces.
Even though Yeon So-Hyeon had firmly sealed off that mysterious, unidentified magical energy using an inexplicable method.
A long time passed.
The old man lifted his face, which now looked several times older, to look at Yeon So-Hyeon.
“...You are no longer human.”
Yeon So-Hyeon could only silently nod in response.
***
The room was dominated by a heavy silence.
The old man clenched a short cigarette holder between his teeth, silently reminiscing about the past.
[I’ve given birth. It’s a healthy baby boy.]
When Yak So-yoo notified him through a letter via her acquaintance, he had been conducting important research in Tianzhu (ancient India) for several years.
But what importance did research hold when his most cherished disciple, as dear to him as a daughter, had given birth?
He reached Luoyang within a month.
[His name is Sohyeon.]
Without having washed, or slept properly, Yak So-yoo greeted her disheveled master with her usual warm smile.
She extended her arms, holding a tiny life that emitted soft breaths wrapped in a cloth.
Yet, he couldn’t dare to take the child.
How could he touch a pure life with his filthy hands that had not been washed for months?
He stood there, neither able to distance himself nor come closer, only looking at the child with wistful eyes.
Yak So-yoo whispered softly to the child, her smile as warm as spring sunshine.
[This is your great-grandfather.]
What have I ever...
He had been poisoned so many times that he had reached a higher level of detoxification than even his grandfather, who was known as the “Medicine King.”
How painful must it have been,
How resentful must he have been.
Even he himself wouldn’t have been able to endure it for a moment.
“This insane family...!”
The old man hurled a bowl against the wall, shattering it to pieces.
“This garbage-filled family...!”
His roar of anger reverberated loudly.
Reverberated in agony.
“These cursed fools! Those who only know power and money!”
He fell to his knees on the spot and wept.
Wept sorrowfully.
Wailed.
Tears and snot flowed down, making the already unimpressive face of the old man even more ugly.
However, nobody could mock it.
He had already sent his daughter away before him.
And now, it was almost like he had sent his grandson away as well.
***
“So you’re thinking of making a big move now?”
“Isn’t it just a matter of stirring things up?”
Only the two of them were in the room.
Jung-ah had long vacated her seat, considering the elderly man’s dignity.
Yeon So-Hyeon revealed his teeth in a smile.
“If need be, I’m prepared to empty everything and start anew.”
His words were chilling.
The old man clapped his hands in delight.
“Excellent! If we’re going to do it, might as well do it right, don’t you think?!”
He burst out laughing.
“Those fools will realize who they’ve messed with!”
The pair clinked their glasses in a toast.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Could you stay in Luoyang for a while?”
The old man nodded. “I was planning on visiting your father to prescribe him a concoction anyway.”
He gritted his teeth.
“Might as well liquidate the assets of this useless family while I’m at it.”
Yeon So-Hyeon chuckled.
Carefully, the old man spoke.
“Before visiting you, I went to see Bi6 first. I needed the secret poison from Tang of the Sichuan family. Of course, I got the poison...”
Bi is the name of a boatman.
“What did that guy complain about this time?”
The old man scratched his head.
“It’s the same old story. He doesn’t like you very much. Especially since you haven’t met him because you’ve been hiding...”
Yeon So-Hyeon nodded agreeably.
“Understood. I was planning on visiting him soon anyway.”
The old man’s face brightened.
“That’s good to hear. Then...”
Just then, Jung-ah’s voice rang out from outside.
Her voice was filled with an uneasy tension.
“Master, a guest has arrived.”
A guest at this hour?
“Who is it?”
The reply came not from Jung-ah, but from the guest himself.
“My Lord, I am here on the orders of Elder Yeom to escort Master Medicine King.”
Medicine King’s eyebrows twitched.
“These crazy bastards...”
He tried to rise from his seat, but Yeon So-Hyeon had already kicked open the door.
The Bai Hui pressure point is the 20th point on the Governing Vessel (aka Du Mai). It is located on the midline of the head, basically at the crown.[↩]The Ren channel begins on the perineum, rises up the midline over the abdomen, chest and throat and ends at the centre of the chin.[↩]The Du channel runs along the midline of the body’s back, from the perineum up the spine, through the neck, and into the head, ending at the upper lip.[↩]Special pathways that circulate life energy or ‘qi’ in the body. These pathways are the first to form in utero and are carriers of Yuan Qi—the ancestral energy which corresponds to our genetic inheritance.[↩]Pure Land is the concept of a celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism where many Buddhists aspire to be reborn in.[↩]Character for jade[↩]