Chapter 68 : Rebirth (3)

Swoosh! Tuk! Tuk!

The sound of bones breaking rang out.

Ah Geol dislocated both his thumbs. And he untied the python rope that had seemed so strong.

The python rope had the characteristic of tightening more and more the more you struggled to get out. If it hadn’t been for the green line leeches, his wound would have been infected by now and would have been full of pus.

So he had not struggled to get out.

He had tried to maintain the tied state as much as possible.

It didn’t matter that his ankles were tied, but he had never applied force to the python rope on his wrists.

If you dislocated your thumbs, you would get just that much space. You could get out without applying force to the python rope. It was a secret method among secret methods that could untie any knot.

Tuk! Tuk!

After taking off the python rope, he put his dislocated fingers back in place.

He also untied the python rope on his ankles.

Whenever he moved his body, his internal organs were squeezed. An immense pain washed over him. It felt as if a blade was still stuck in his body. No, it was constantly stabbing him.

“Haa!”

Ah Geol let out a big sigh to endure the pain.

Any strong person would have to recuperate for more than half a year if they had received such an injury. Moreover, Ah Geol had been left without proper treatment. He had even been stepped on.

Fortunately, the green line leeches were moving around the wound and removing the inflammation. If it hadn’t been for the green line leeches, his wound would have been infected by now and would have been full of pus.

It was a great fortune that there was even one.

“Kkeung!”

He moved his hand with difficulty and grabbed Mongseol’s wrist.

He could not raise his true energy. The severed meridians had not yet been restored. Although his true energy was flowing like blood, he could not draw it out with his will.

There was no way to help Mongseol with strength or true energy.

But he had to wake Mongseol up.

Tak!

Someone had deliberately made a sound.

Although he could not circulate his true energy, he had heard the sound because he had been concentrating his mind with the Eyeless.

Shin Dopa had heard the sound and had immediately chased after it.

In Ah Geol’s judgment, it was a lure. It was a sound to draw out Shin Dopa. And yet, Shin Dopa had easily fallen for it. Because the sound had burst out when his suspicion had reached its peak.

Then who had lured Shin Dopa?

He didn’t know. There was no one he could think of. There was no one in the Drunken Flower Garden who could lead Shin Dopa away… and since he didn’t know anyone in the central plains, he didn’t really welcome anyone’s help.

‘The Turtle Breath Great Art needs one two-hour period. He must have lured him, calculating that time… then he has to wake up within that time.’

He had told Mongseol to go to Misan Taiqing Palace. But she really didn’t listen. Even though she couldn’t face Shin Dopa, she had still chased after him. And she had boldly caused a scene.

He had not known at all that Mongseol was chasing him.

Even when the main road had been blown up and the horses had been caught in a trap and had died, he had not thought that the person who had caused the incident was Mongseol.

There were not many who would pick a fight with the Third Lord.

Mongseol was no match for the Third Lord in terms of martial arts or martial world experience. If a fight broke out between the two, it would be a fight between a veteran and a novice.

He had found out that she had been following him belatedly.

When someone had snatched him and had grabbed his waist… only then had he finally known.

The green line leech inside his body had been stimulated and had squirmed.

The guy who had even secreted an anesthetic fluid to hide himself had been greatly stimulated by something and had squirmed.

The green line leech had met its own kind.

It had found another green line leech. Since two green line leeches had met, they were squirming to reproduce immediately.

In fact, what the green line leech had met was a fake green line leech.

Mongseol had received treatment with a green line leech. She had absorbed the juice of the green line leech into her body.

That smell, that fragrance had wafted.

The green line leech stuck in Ah Geol’s body had been stimulated by the smell of its own kind.

In other words, there were only two people who could make the green line leech in Ah Geol’s body squirm. One was Mongseol, and the other was Grandpa, who was far away.

Since there was no way Grandpa had come, it was Mongseol who had come.

From then on, he had come out of the Eyeless and had begun to watch Mongseol.

She had struck his fainting point. She had been worried that he might talk nonsense in his unconscious state.

Her point striking had not worked.

The fainting point she had struck was located on a damaged meridian. She had struck a place that could not function as an acupoint.

And she had executed the Turtle Breath Great Art.

Since Ah Geol had known her intentions, he had been silent. He had not made a sound. Since he could not draw his true energy, he had even blocked the sound of his breath that came out of his own will.

Now Shin Dopa had left, and since he could guess the intention of the one who had lured him… before that, he had to wake Mongseol up and leave.

But how could he release the Turtle Breath Great Art?

Even if he could use his true energy freely, there was no way to wake Mongseol up in her current state.

The Turtle Breath Great Art had to be broken by oneself. If another person rashly injected true energy, they would rather fall into qi deviation. It was also extremely dangerous to wake her up by shaking her body.

Moreover, Ah Geol could not even operate his true energy.

What should he do? How could he wake her up? There was no need to worry. There was no need to do anything. If he just held her wrist like now, a way to wake her up on her own would be created.

Chiiiit!

The green line leech inside Ah Geol’s body crawled out through the wound. And it crawled towards Mongseol, squirming. It crawled, following the smell of its own kind.

Ah Geol saw the green line leech enter Mongseol’s mouth.

‘It’s done.’

He was finally relieved. Then, as his tension was released, the hand that had been holding her wrist dropped.

He didn’t even have the strength to raise his hand.

* * *

The green line leech had awakened the Turtle Breath Great Art at a very fast speed.

The green line leech had just crawled along the blood vessels and had spread the anesthetic fluid. But the green line that the green line leech had secreted had shaken the residual qi of the leech that had remained in Mongseol’s body.

The meridians trembled severely.

It was not a bad kind of trembling. It quietly shook the sleeping meridians and woke them up.

Parurururu!

A ripple spread widely, as if a stone had been thrown into a lake.

The true energy flowed and gathered in the upper palace. A sword stood tall in the very center of the Mud Pill Palace.

Mongseol had completely escaped from the Turtle Breath Great Art.

The solution that usually took about one two-hour period to be released had been released in the short time of one tea time.

Pat!

The Mud Pill One Sword moved.

The blood sword that had risen from the upper palace quickly followed the meridians and eliminated the foreign substance in the body, the green line leech, in one breath.

Pat! Hwarururuk!

The green line leech became a handful of blood and seeped into the blood.

Mongseol felt her energy surge as if she had eaten a good restorative medicine. The Mud Pill One Sword also moved freely. The internal injuries she had received from Seori Hyeonggae’s subordinates had been completely healed, and the extreme fatigue that had arisen from chasing the Third Lord had also disappeared as if it had been washed away.

The green line leech was a very good internal injury medicine.

‘Ah Geol!’

She immediately looked to the side.

One of the good things about the Turtle Breath Great Art was that you could observe the surrounding situation even while executing the great art.

She had known that someone had lured the Third Lord, that the Third Lord had chased someone, and that Ah Geol had handed over the green line leech to her. Although her body could not move, her mind was clear.

Ah Geol was lying limp and was not moving. But he was not unconscious. He had his eyes open.

“Your body… how is it?”

This was all she could say after meeting him after a long time.

She was truly sorry, and grateful. She had not known at all that Seori Hyeonggae was such a strong master. Although Ah Geol had clearly known, he had not stopped her. Instead, he had protected her.

“It’s fine. If I rest for just one more day, I can even execute a movement technique.”

Ah Geol had told a lie that was obvious to anyone. Should I call it an empty threat? Was it a joke?

“Alright. Then you can move on your own from tomorrow, and I’ll support you today.”

She hugged Ah Geol and helped him up.

“Where are you going?”

Ah Geol asked, being carried on Mongseol’s back.

“I don’t know… I have to find a place where I can hide my body.”

“Gosu.”

“Gosu? What do you mean?”

“If you go five li north from here, you’ll find Gosu. It’s a big river with a width of about two hundred zhang.”

“Do you know the geography here?”

“If you cross Gosu, you’ll find a village called Sugujin. There should be three or four empty houses there. Let’s stay there for a while.”

“You want to go to a village? Won’t it be dangerous?”

“Sugujin is a village with no martial artists. Although it’s a village that was created because of a ferry, the only people who come and go are the local residents. Because there’s no place to go outside of Sugujin.”

“It’s a remote village.”

“Go. There’s no time.”

Ah Geol urged.

“Kkeung!”

Mongseol stood up with effort.

Ah Geol was injured and could not put strength into his body. So he was limp like a water-soaked cotton.

His body felt twice as heavy as usual.

“Let’s go.”

Mongseol jumped down from the tree.

At that moment, Ah Geol said again, “Don’t execute a movement technique, just walk slowly on the main road. The Ten Lesser Swords will only look for traces of a movement technique.”

“Alright.”

Mongseol answered without any fuss.

It wasn’t that it was nothing. She was very surprised inside. Listening to what Ah Geol was saying… he knew the geography of the central plains very well. He also knew the movements of the Ten Lesser Swords in detail.

It meant that he had been preparing for a fight for a long time.

Suddenly, a ridiculous thought came to her. That Ah Geol’s enemies were not just the Single-Instant Sect disciples. Perhaps he was even aiming for the Ten Lesser Swords, and even Duke Heo Dogi.

Although it was just a vague guess now, it seemed that it would be so.

“What are you going to do about the next fight? You avoided your senior brother this time, but you have to see it through somehow, right?”

“…”

Ah Geol did not answer.

“Don’t ask?”

“I had a different thought. If the Three Blades One Kill is that much, what about the One Shot Ten Swords?”

“One Shot Ten Swords?”

“It’s the martial art of the first senior brother, Seori Gaheon.”

“…”

This time, Mongseol was silent.

She had said that she didn’t know who was above and who was below in the Single-Instant Sect. Although senior and junior brothers were distinguished, their superiority and inferiority in martial arts could not be known. Such a relationship also occurred between a master and a disciple. A master had taught a disciple martial arts, but it was not known who was superior.

She could not conclude that Seori Gaheon was stronger than Seori Hyeonggae.

But… according to Ah Geol, Seori Gaheon was a step above. Although she didn’t know on what basis he was saying that, he was clearly asserting that he was a step above. As if he had seen the martial arts with his own eyes.

If the One Shot Ten Swords was stronger than the Three Blades One Kill, there was no way to face it.

She had been helplessly defeated without even being able to block the Three Blades One Kill, so how could she face the One Shot Ten Swords?

It was truly frustrating.

But at this moment, Ah Geol was having another thought. A more frustrating thought. And Mongseol could not even guess what Ah Geol was thinking.

‘Whether it’s the first senior brother or the second senior brother… they can’t even challenge the Duke.’

Ah Geol thought of the sword that had cut down his master.

The Illuminating Heaven Sword! The Illuminating Ten Explanations!

The Illuminating Ten Explanations that the Ten Lesser Swords executed could not defeat the first senior brother. But the Duke crushed the first senior brother with the same Illuminating Ten Explanations. The first senior brother could not even breathe.

It was one mountain after another. It was one river after another.

Seori Hyeonggae, Seori Gaheon, Heo Dogi.

This was just a guess, but if it were Duke Heo Dogi, he thought he could probably cut down Seori Hyeonggae in one stroke.

A god of war!

How could he face a god of war? He had to face him no matter what, but how?

That was why he had hesitated to start a fight.

Grandpa had said that if he hesitated for this reason, he would just hesitate for the rest of his life and die of old age, and had caused a scene.

Anyway, since he had caused a scene, he had to fight… but it was truly frustrating.

(End of Chapter)