Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 353

353. Like Stars Shining in the Night Sky

Un-hyun, Gae-ong, and Yeong Ho-jun followed So-yoja to the detached building.

The detached building, originally a guest house for visitors, now housed the addicts. From the outside, it didn’t look too bad.

However, the interior told a different story.

The moment they stepped inside, a wave of terrible stench and agonizing screams washed over them.

The addicts, in the throes of withdrawal, were screaming, some even harming themselves. Hwasan Sect disciples struggled to restrain them.

So-yoja, his face grim, began, “Right now, these people are…”

“Tsk.”

Gae-ong clicked his tongue and strode toward a young man convulsing on the floor.

*Swish.*

With a wave of his hand, the young man’s body went limp, and he fell forward.

So-yoja, startled, quickly caught him.

*Thud.*

The unconscious young man continued to twitch. Even though he had lost consciousness, the withdrawal symptoms persisted.

Gae-ong turned to So-yoja. “Administer the Ghoul Pill [a medicinal pill to alleviate withdrawal symptoms] to those having seizures first.”

“Understood.”

So-yoja hurried outside to retrieve the Ghoul Pills, while the remaining Hwasan Sect disciples stared at Gae-ong, bewildered. Other addicts were having seizures in nearby rooms, so Gae-ong went to each, knocking them unconscious.

The guest house fell silent almost instantly.

‘Hoo.’

Un-hyun, relieved by the sudden quiet, felt eyes on him. He noticed a small window, hastily made in the locked door. Young men peered out, their faces pressed against the glass. The window had been installed to monitor the confined addicts and assess their condition.

Their silent gazes, filled with anxiety and despair, trembled with fear.

“Come here.”

At Gae-ong’s command, Un-hyun entered one of the rooms. A young man lay unconscious on a disheveled bed. Once handsome, he was now pale and gaunt.

“I will examine his condition. Watch carefully.”

Gae-ong placed his hand on the young man’s face.

Un-hyun also placed his fingertip on the young man’s solar plexus [nerve complex behind the stomach].

“I repeat, this isn’t about seeing with your eyes or feeling with your fingertips. You must see with your mind’s eye. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good.”

At Gae-ong’s words, Un-hyun closed his eyes.

*Buzz.*

He felt the inner energy [qi or vital energy] gathering in Gae-ong’s hand.

That energy seeped into the young man without resistance, splitting into dozens, then hundreds of strands, flowing through his body along his meridians [pathways in the body for qi flow] like a pulse.

‘Ah.’

Un-hyun frowned involuntarily.

The young man’s condition, as seen through the Poisonous Immortal’s inner energy, was a complete mess.

The meridians were tattered, as if they had been pushed beyond their limits, and vital blood points were blocked or severed.

Above all, a dark and violent energy raged in the center of his chest, relentlessly consuming his life.

It was so severe that even if he lived, he wouldn’t truly be alive.

*Rustle.*

“How is it?”

At Gae-ong’s voice, Un-hyun opened his eyes and withdrew his hand.

“…It’s terrible.”

“Yes.”

Gae-ong said calmly, “As I said before, we need to take our time and gradually alleviate the symptoms, but his condition is too serious. We’ll have to use another method.”

“Another method?”

“Burning the poison of the Ghoul Pill with my inner energy.”

It sounded absurd, but with Gae-ong’s inner energy and medical skills, it wasn’t impossible.

However, Un-hyun frowned.

“Can he withstand it? His body is already in such terrible condition…”

“We have no choice. If we don’t burn away even a portion of the poison’s energy to suppress it, it may become irreversible.”

That irreversible state was becoming a Soulless Puppet [a person controlled by poison].

Un-hyun couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Could this young man really survive the extreme measure of forcibly burning away the poison?

“How about this?”

“How?”

“The center of the poison that is raging now is right here.”

*Swish.*

Un-hyun’s fingertip pointed to the young man’s chest.

Gae-ong’s eyes lit up.

“…So?”

“If we disrupt the center, won’t the energy subside?”

“Disrupt?”

“Yes.”

Un-hyun looked down at the young man and said firmly, “I don’t know if this is the right method, since I’m ignorant of medical skills, but…”

“Do it.”

Gae-ong interrupted before Un-hyun could finish.

“…Is it okay? What if something goes wrong…?”

“I’m here. Nothing like that will happen. Do it.”

Gae-ong’s eyes shone with an intense light. It wasn’t Gae-ong, but the Poisonous Immortal, who governed life and death, looking out from within him.

“Understood.”

Un-hyun slowly took a breath.

He reached out and placed his hand on the young man’s chest.

*Whoo-oong.*

With his eyes half-closed, Un-hyun felt a dark energy raging like a storm beneath his fingertips.

An energy like a wild beast, unpredictable and volatile, was tearing apart the young man’s meridians.

Un-hyun unconsciously formed the Sword Finger gesture [a hand gesture used in martial arts and Taoism], shaping his index and middle fingers into a point.

*Buzz.*

The moment he felt a chill at his fingertips.

*Clang.*

A sharp chill pierced the young man.

“Cough!”

The young man convulsed violently and groaned.

Gae-ong immediately checked his condition.

“Are you okay?”

Un-hyun asked, worried.

But Gae-ong didn’t answer.

‘How can this be?’

Nothing seemed to have changed on the surface.

However, the energy raging in the young man’s chest was losing its power, as if a switch had been flipped.

Like a spinning top losing its balance and falling, that dark energy self-destructed and dissipated.

The young man’s convulsions had stopped.

His breathing had returned to normal, indicating the seizure had ended.

Gae-ong withdrew his hand.

He looked at Un-hyun, a mixture of worry and disbelief on his face, and gave a wry smile.

“…What did you do?”

“I disrupted the center.”

Un-hyun said.

“Thanks to your teaching, I was able to clearly distinguish the flow of what is right and what is wrong.”

“Huh.”

Gae-ong let out a hollow laugh.

“…Well done.”

Relief washed over Un-hyun’s face, and Gae-ong continued, “The poison itself hasn’t disappeared, but its energy has been weakened to an amazing degree. Now, all we have to do is care for the damaged body and wait for the poison to be naturally discharged.”

“That’s good.”

Un-hyun smiled.

Then, feeling a gaze from behind, he turned and was startled.

‘Oh.’

Not only Yeong Ho-jun, Dam So-ha, and Jo Gwan, but also about twenty Hwasan Sect disciples who had been guarding the guest house were gathered, staring at Un-hyun.

The disciples’ eyes were filled with doubt, confusion, and surprise.

“…Um, Gae-ong-nim.”

Yeong Ho-jun asked, acting as their spokesperson, “How exactly has the disciple’s condition improved?”

Gae-ong answered without turning, still examining the patient. “The body condition hasn’t changed, but the poison he was harboring has been greatly alleviated. The withdrawal symptoms have weakened, and seizures will be rare. The long-term effects and the lifelong battle will remain, but…”

Gae-ong turned to Yeong Ho-jun. “Depending on the situation, he may be able to return to a normal life within a month.”

Surprise spread across the faces of the Hwasan Sect disciples.

It quickly turned into joy and cheers.

“Wow!”

“Thank you!”

Someone quickly bowed their head and shouted, “Thank you!”

“Thank you so much!”

The disciples guarding the guest house bowed to Gae-ong and Un-hyun repeatedly.

“Thank you so much, really. Sniffle.”

It wasn’t surprising that a Hwasan Sect disciple was shedding tears.

It wasn’t just the addicts who were exhausted by despair and fear.

The disciples guarding the guest house were also mentally drained from restraining the seizures of their fellow disciples.

Hope had appeared in this guest house, where both the imprisoned and the captors were buried in despair and fear, so their joy and emotion were overwhelming.

“Thank you, Gae-ong-nim.”

Yeong Ho-jun said, tears in his eyes.

He stepped forward and bowed to Un-hyun.

“Thank you, Sect Leader.”

Un-hyun silently took Yeong Ho-jun’s hands.

It didn’t take long for this news to spread to the young men in the other rooms.

Joy and relief began to fill the guest house, which had been filled with groans and screams.

So-yoja, arriving late, was surprised, but the good news from the guest house soon spread throughout the Hwasan Sect.

***

The news from the guest house was immediately conveyed to the Hwasan Sect Elder Council.

The elders were overjoyed.

They rushed to the guest house, offering to help with the treatment.

However, since Un-hyun was the only one who could actually perform the technique, the elders could only repeatedly express their gratitude and step back.

“Cough.”

The young man lying on the bed groaned softly and lost consciousness again.

As Un-hyun withdrew his hand, Gae-ong immediately checked the young man’s condition.

“Hmm. He’s okay.”

At Gae-ong’s words, Un-hyun sighed in relief.

While the waiting Hwasan disciples moved the young man to his room, Dam So-ha, who had been watching, asked Un-hyun, “Are you tired?”

“No.”

Un-hyun shook his head.

“I’m not tired. It’s just that it’s a matter of people’s lives…”

Un-hyun watched the young man being carried away.

After treating the young man who had been seizing, Un-hyun and Gae-ong repeated the same treatment for those in urgent condition.

In the process, Un-hyun realized that there was a similar flow in those who weren’t having seizures, and he disrupted the poison in the same way.

After repeating this process, Un-hyun and Gae-ong finally finished treating all the young men detained in the guest house.

Before they knew it, the sun had set, and night had fallen, but the guest house was brightly lit on all sides, as if it were daytime.

“You have worked hard, Sir.”

Jo Gwan said.

Un-hyun told them to rest, but neither Jo Gwan nor Dam So-ha left their posts.

Dam So-ha occasionally wiped Un-hyun’s sweat and brought him something to drink, which was a great help.

“Thank you, Sect Leader. It seems to be over now.”

Yeong Ho-jun said with a sigh of relief.

Yeong Ho-jun had managed the situation so that Un-hyun and Gae-ong could focus solely on treatment.

He administered herbal medicine to the young men according to Gae-ong’s instructions and ensured they rested after the treatment.

Yeong Ho-jun also rotated the disciples guarding the guest house and had them clean the rooms, which had been neglected.

“I will take care of the aftermath, so everyone please rest.”

Yeong Ho-jun said with a smile.

“Ah, and I heard that simple food and tea have been prepared. Hwasan’s best cook prepared it for Gae-ong-nim, so you won’t be disappointed.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Gae-ong’s expression didn’t change, but Un-hyun could tell his eyes had lit up.

“Let’s go.”

Gae-ong got up, and Un-hyun followed suit.

“Then I’ll leave the aftermath to you, Chief Military Officer.”

“Please get some rest, Sect Leader.”

Yeong Ho-jun said, bowing his head.

The group left the guest house.

*Swaaa.*

The cool night breeze and the illuminated night view of the Hwasan Sect unfolded before them.

“Oh, what a sight.”

The Hwasan Sect’s buildings, main halls, and palaces stood in their beauty, subtly lit.

As Yeong Ho-jun said, it was somewhat secular but also beautiful and stylish.

“It’s wonderful.”

Un-hyun also admired in a low voice.

“Are you happy?”

Gae-ong asked suddenly.

It was an abrupt question, but Un-hyun understood its meaning.

“Yes. I am truly happy that I was able to help people.”

“Yes. I guess so.”

Gae-ong nodded.

“The other disciples were also happy, as if it were their own accomplishment. But if you had come just one year later, their attitude would have been quite different from now.”

At those words, Un-hyun bit his lip. Gae-ong’s point was valid.

The guest house had already become half a prison, and the interior had been neglected. It was only a matter of time before violence was used to suppress the seizures.

“That’s not all.”

Looking down at the night view of Hwasan, Gae-ong said calmly, “Even those who called you their savior may turn around in an instant and try to kill you if the situation changes. That is what people are.”

In that voice tinged with regret, Un-hyun answered softly, “…Because they are weak.”

Those were Gae-ong’s own words.

“Yes. People are weak. Moreover, they are foolish and easily swayed.”

Un-hyun sighed.

“But isn’t that why they are more precious?”

Looking back at Gae-ong, Un-hyun said, “People who give grace without expecting anything in return, and people who believe in me without changing…”

“They are precious.”

Gae-ong smiled faintly and raised his head.

“Precious indeed. Like those stars shining in the dark night.”

Un-hyun also looked up.

In the dark night sky, countless stars twinkled.