Chapter 359
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## Chapter 359: Word and Law
Around 7 p.m., at the entrance of the mountain path leading to the Five Dragons Palace, a young man and a young woman appeared.
They were Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Yeon, the Incomparable Among Ten.
In front of a sign that read “Five Dragons Palace,” the two hesitated for a moment.
Namgung Yeon was the first to speak.
“Doctor Baek said you were fine, but just in case, I’ll look for a doctor who is an expert in poisons.”
“Do you think there will be a doctor capable of counteracting the Tang family’s poison?”
A bitter smile appeared on Yeon Jeokha’s face.
Baek Ilun, the Medicine Buddha, was recognized even by Tang Unmang, the poison expert. Would there be anyone with that level of skill?
“There will be. The world is vast and there are many talented people. I will look for him.”
Namgung Yeon’s words eased Yeon Jeokha’s heart a little.
She had found Baek Ilun in half a day, after he had wandered through Namamgung for over a month.
With her skills, couldn’t she find a doctor as good as Baek Ilun?
No, she had to.
He couldn’t live the rest of his life with this swollen face.
“I… beg you.”
Yeon Jeokha bowed his head respectfully.
He had never asked anyone for a favor before, and he felt the words stuck in his throat.
“Don’t talk like that. It’s something I have to do. If I were poisoned, you would do the same for me.”
“Even so…”
Yeon Jeokha looked at Namgung Yeon with an awkward expression, then looked away.
He didn’t want to show his disfigured face to her.
When he avoided her gaze, Namgung Yeon approached him with determination.
And with both hands, she took his face.
“You’ll get your hands dirty, sister. Hup!”
Namgung Yeon’s small lips covered Yeon Jeokha’s.
Yeon Jeokha, surprised, stood still like a post, blinking rapidly.
Just when he thought she would pull away, Namgung Yeon pressed her lips harder.
The scent of herbs and an indescribable perfume filled his nose.
Finally, Yeon Jeokha gathered his courage and reached out to gently take Namgung Yeon’s shoulder.
At that moment, Namgung Yeon, surprised, parted her lips and took a step back.
Then, with a flushed face, she said:
“No matter how you look, to my eyes you are the same. So cheer up, okay?”
Yeon Jeokha nodded with an embarrassed expression.
Then, she deployed her light movement technique and disappeared in an instant.
***
Five Dragons Palace.
South Hall.
Yeon Jeokha returned to his lodging after dinner. As usual, he opened a book of sutras, but the words did not enter his mind.
While he was sitting in silence, Cheon Sangdong approached him.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you already slacking off because the question and answer session is over?”
“Who’s slacking off? Don’t pretend to be close and get away from me.”
Yeon Jeokha waved his hand, but Cheon Sangdong simply sat down next to him.
“It seems you can’t focus on the words because the young woman you saw today is still on your mind, right?”
“…”
Although it was a guess, it was correct, so Yeon Jeokha couldn’t answer immediately.
Cheon Sangdong laughed and shook his head.
“Come on. If you knew who that young woman is, you would never have those thoughts again.”
“Do you know who she is?”
“She is the crown jewel of the Sword Emperor and the Incomparable Among Ten of the martial world, the young Namgung Yeon. She’s not a woman that someone like you, a nobody, can aspire to.”
“I know, so get away from me. We’re not close, why are you still sticking to me?”
“Isn’t it because you have those bumps on your face that you’re snooping around Namamgung?”
“Who said that?”
“Who said it? The rumors have spread everywhere.”
“Damn it! What do you care if I do or not?”
“I know a doctor in Namamgung who’s pretty good. Want to try his medicine?”
“Of course it won’t be free, will it?”
“Of course not. What doctor in the world would prepare medicine for free?”
Yeon Jeokha’s heart fluttered slightly.
A doctor good enough to enter Namamgung was not common.
“Baek Ilun said it wasn’t poison, but if I take good medicine, will my condition improve?”
As Yeon Jeokha hesitated, Cheon Sangdong spoke in a persuasive tone.
“Think about this. We’re talking about a doctor from Namamgung. Do you think it’s easy to get medicine from them? Not in a million years. Even the leader of the Medicine Hall would bow to a doctor from Namamgung.”
Finally, Yeon Jeokha fell into his trap.
“So, how much does it cost?”
“Since we’re not strangers, I’ll only charge you twenty nyang.”
“What? Twenty nyang?”
Yeon Jeokha’s voice rose.
Thinking that he used to receive fifty mun as payment, twenty nyang was a large sum.
“Haven’t you heard that cheap is expensive? The more expensive the medicine, the more expensive the price. If you don’t have the money, that’s fine, but if you do, why are you shaking so much?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Yes, if you want to get rid of those bumps as soon as possible, you’d better do what I say.”
With those words, Cheon Sangdong got up and limped towards Manhwangju’s side.
Yeon Jeokha touched his lumpy face.
Although it was his own face, he really hated it.
“How could my sister kiss this face?”
Remembering Namgung Yeon’s soft lips, his heart fluttered so much he couldn’t stand it.
Yeon Jeokha closed the sutra and went out.
The cold wind blew strongly.
“Summer is over.”
Suddenly, he remembered Dong Yuso’s face, the gold guard of Namjin.
“At the next Lantern Festival (January 15th lunar), there will be a grand ceremony at the State Foundation Temple. The master in charge of the ceremony is Master Hyunjang of the Yoomyung Cult.”
Jin Woosaeng, Yi Yuhwa’s husband, who was a small banner of the gold guards, would participate in that event.
The fact that Dong Yuso mentioned it at Yi Yuhwa’s wedding showed how important it was.
If he had failed in the north, it would also be difficult in the south.
“Damn it, I can’t show up with this face. This is crazy.”
There were only three months left.
The more he hurried, the more Cheon Sangdong’s words echoed in his ears.
***
Yeon Jeokha got up quickly upon hearing the midnight bells.
He changed clothes hastily and ran towards the Five Dragons Palace, where Cheongbulno was sitting under a dim candlelight.
“You’re late today?”
“Yes, I got distracted a little and prepared late.”
“It’s understandable that you’re excited after meeting the Incomparable Among Ten.”
At Cheongbulno’s words, Yeon Jeokha smiled awkwardly.
“Was she very surprised to see my face?”
“It wasn’t just surprise. She dragged me to Namamgung without even having lunch.”
“There’s no one who knows Mount Mudo better than the Incomparable Among Ten. Was there any progress in finding that person?”
“Thanks to her, I found him.”
“Oh! And what? What did Baek Ilun say?”
“He said he wasn’t poisoned.”
“Really? Then it’s a good thing, why that expression?”
“It didn’t seem believable.”
Yeon Jeokha explained in detail Baek Ilun’s condition.
“…He was fanning a dying brazier. His mind was confused.”
“Tch, tch! Not even spiritual practice can stop age.”
“That’s why I can’t believe the temporal clarity phenomenon.”
“Did he say it was a temporal clarity phenomenon?”
“Yes.”
Then, a sigh escaped Cheongbulno’s lips.
“Hmm! Then he might be right.”
“Eh? Why?”
“When you get old, it’s normal for your mind to fluctuate. That means it’s sometimes in its right mind. He’s a doctor. The moment he saw you, he would have instinctively checked your symptoms. That’s why he insisted so strongly that it wasn’t poison.”
“Then, why is my face getting worse and worse?”
“It could be the temporal clarity phenomenon, as Baek Ilun said, or there could be another reason.”
“Are you saying there’s another reason besides the poison that made me look like this?”
“Think calmly. Aside from the waning moon poison, did you do anything unusual? Did you eat anything strange or have a strange experience?”
Yeon Jeokha scratched his head as he thought.
“Well, I don’t remember eating anything strange…”
“Then something memorable?”
“Nothing in particular, ah, I met the leader of the Yoomyung Cult.”
Mentioning the leader of the Yoomyung Cult, Cheongbulno’s face hardened.
The mystical techniques of the Yoomyung Cult were famous among practitioners.
Especially in the Five Dragons Palace, they had supplied some talismans to the authorities not long ago.
Talismans that broke the word spell of the leader.
Thinking about the word spell, Cheongbulno invoked the Law of the Word.
And pointing at Yeon Jeokha with his index finger, he shouted:
“Gal (Shout)! In the name of Gong Yaza and Cheongbulno, I order the evil energy to return to its place of origin!”
Whoosh-.
An invisible energy surged from the tip of Cheongbulno’s finger and swept over Yeon Jeokha.
The powerful impact shook Yeon Jeokha’s torso.
In the next moment, surprisingly, Yeon Jeokha’s face began to change.
The flowing liquid stopped, and his swollen face quickly deflated.
But the effect didn’t last long.
In the blink of an eye, his face swelled back to its original state.
Cheongbulno sighed.
“Ah! What a word spell!”
Yeon Jeokha also noticed the change in himself and was surprised.
A word spell?
“Master, was it because of a word spell that I became like this?”
“Yes. It seems you have been cursed by a word spell. But it’s strange. Even if it were the leader of the Yoomyung Cult’s spell, with Master Sa’s Law of the Word and mine, we should have broken it…”
Cheongbulno thought for a moment, then looked at Yeon Jeokha.
“Did you promise something to the leader of the Yoomyung Cult and didn’t keep it?”
“Yes, I promised to capture a Great Demon General for her.”
“Oh no! If the leader of the Yoomyung Cult cast the spell unilaterally, it should have been broken a while ago. But since you made a promise, you became the subject of the spell and can’t free yourself.”
“Ah! So I became like this because I didn’t keep my promise?”
“Yes. By not keeping your promise, you have been cursed by the word spell… Curses make bad things worse. In your case, it seems that the temporal clarity phenomenon has adhered like a disease. Baek Ilun’s diagnosis that you were not poisoned was correct.”
“So, if I keep my promise, will it be broken?”
“Word spells don’t lie, so that’s how it will be.”
“Ah! A single word can be so terrifying.”
“The Law of the Word that you will learn is similar to the leader of the Yoomyung Cult’s word spell. The more you lie, the weaker your power becomes and eventually disappears. The more responsible you are with your words, the more terrifying the force of the word spell. So it’s better to only say words you can be responsible for. Also for your Law of the Word.”
“Yes…”
Yeon Jeokha couldn’t help but be surprised once again by the terrifying power of the word spell.
All this just for postponing a promise?
***
Shanxi Province.
Jiaoxian County.
Fengzhi Mountain Fairy Cave.
The Holy Mother of the Eight Emperors, leader of the Yoomyung Sect, suddenly opened her eyes while in a deep sleep.
A strong external shock had reached her spirit.
The Holy Mother got up and went out to the courtyard to observe the night sky.
But she saw no change in the sky.
“Hmm. Who will it be?”
That there was a practitioner who could hit her spirit with such force!
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anyone.
That someone had mystical power close to her level was, on the one hand, something that made her happy.
Would that person also dream of immortality?
As she counted the days on her fingers, her eyes sparkled.
“Tomorrow.”
Thinking about the news that Cheong Ryushin would bring from the “Heaven of the Kings,” she was already excited.