Chapter 58

Chapter 57. Is the Chief Really a Taoist? (2)

The Chief was subdued not long after...

No, it took much longer than expected. Lee Songbaek and the Chief, who seemed to be well-matched, engaged in a desperate battle that lasted over an hour.

While it might have been a nail-biting, intense battle for others, it was so boring for Cheongmyeong that he yawned.

'Should I have just done it myself?'

But seeing Lee Songbaek, drenched in sweat and looking like a rag, he couldn't bring himself to say such a thing. Despite everything, Lee Songbaek wore a proud smile, as if he was boasting about subduing the Chief.

'You should at least wipe the sweat off...'

"Huff, the fiend... Cough, the fiend... I've subdued the fiend."

Hwang Jongyi nodded awkwardly as he looked at Lee Songbaek, who was gasping for breath in front of him.

It's hard to say.

He wanted to say something, but seeing Lee Songbaek's trembling legs, he just felt sorry for him.

"You've done well. The Yinhe Caravan will never forget the help of Zhongnan."

"Th-thank you... Th-thank you."

"Take a rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lee Songbaek collapsed on the spot without a word.

Under normal circumstances, Hwang Jongyi would have felt at least a bit grateful to Lee Songbaek for subduing the fiend with all his might. But now, Lee Songbaek's appearance didn't even register with Hwang Jongyi.

Hwang Jongyi kept glancing at Cheongmyeong.

'What should I call this situation?'

Has Cheongmyeong only been here for two days?

Hwang Jongyi, who had been struggling with this issue for nearly a year, saw it resolved by Cheongmyeong in just two days, and in the most efficient way possible.

'Was it really that simple?'

No way.

Hwang Jongyi knows.

Everything seems trivial in hindsight. If this had been a simple matter from the start, why did no one even notice the existence of the fiend until now?

'It's as if a seasoned old master is hiding inside that small child.'

But that's impossible.

"Now that things are mostly resolved..."

"Why did the Chief target your father?"

"I don't know."

"Didn't you suspect something, which is why you did this?"

"No, I didn't."

"..."

Hwang Jongyi was a bit dazed.

As if guessing Hwang Jongyi's thoughts, Cheongmyeong said calmly,

"Figuring out the reason is the job of the authorities. My job is to solve the problem and receive the reward. Speaking of which, is the reward prepared?"

Normally, no matter how much one has accomplished, one wouldn't demand a reward so boldly. People, after all, care about their dignity.

But Cheongmyeong had nothing left to care about. He was now in the position of the third disciple of the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal, sweeping up fallen plum leaves from the ground. What dignity did he have left?

Hwang Jongyi, proving that he was no ordinary man, nodded without changing his expression.

"Of course. But you've forgotten one thing. The problem hasn't been solved yet. I never asked you to capture the fiend. What I want is for your father to get up from his bed. Can you do that?"

Cheongmyeong puffed out his chest slightly.

"That goes without saying."

His voice was full of confidence.

"If so..."

Hwang Jongyi answered firmly.

"I promise to mobilize all the resources of my caravan to support Huashan."

Cheongmyeong, looking moved, grabbed Hwang Jongyi's hand tightly.

Hwang Jongyi smiled as if guessing Cheongmyeong's thoughts.

"There's no need to be so moved. It's only natural..."

"Are you joking?"

"..."

Hwang Jongyi was speechless.

It seemed Cheongmyeong was even more outrageous than he thought.

* * *

Standing in front of the bedridden Huang Wenyao, Cheongmyeong smacked his lips.

If he can successfully treat Huang Wenyao, everything here will be resolved. Then he can return to his sect whistling happily.

Everything has been handled perfectly.

It wasn't particularly difficult, and he even got to teach those Zhongnan guys a lesson, which he found very satisfying.

But there is one problem...

'I'm not really confident.'

Up until this point, it was something he could manage. But treating Huang Wenyao was a completely different matter. Honestly, he couldn't be sure if it was possible or not.

If he were the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal Cheongmyeong, it wouldn't be a problem. No one knew more about demonic energy, and no one had as much pure inner energy as he did.

No matter how intense the demonic energy, he could simply use his vast inner energy to purge it all.

But the current Cheongmyeong is not the Plum Blossom Sword Immortal.

All he has is a tiny amount of inner energy, purer than ever but only as much as a grain of rice.

There was no guarantee that this would be enough to purge the demonic energy from Huang Wenyao's body. If he mishandled it, the weakened Huang Wenyao could die instantly without even a scream.

"Will this work?"

No one could know without trying.

Cheongmyeong smacked his lips again and approached Huang Wenyao.

If the outcome was unknown, there was only one thing to do.

If left untreated, Huang Wenyao would die. Even if Cheongmyeong lived a reckless life, he was still a Taoist at heart. He couldn't abandon someone who was dying just because he lacked the ability.

"Even if it goes wrong, don't blame me."

If it goes well, it will be good for both of them.

Cheongmyeong took a deep breath and slowly placed his hand on Huang Wenyao's dantian. He then slowly pushed his inner energy into Huang Wenyao's body.

The inner energy that had been dormant in Cheongmyeong's dantian slowly began to flow.

In the past, Cheongmyeong's inner energy was like a calm river, sometimes raging and sometimes vast like the sea.

But the inner energy now flowing through Cheongmyeong's body was distinctly different.

It was clear.

Perfectly clear. Like the purest water flowing through a deep mountain valley, it was completely free of impurities.

This clear energy flowed into Huang Wenyao's body, which was saturated with demonic energy.

Hum.

Huang Wenyao's body began to tremble slightly.

The demonic energy, which was as damp and dark as it could be, dared not invade Cheongmyeong's inner energy. It recoiled in fear wherever the inner energy reached.

'Wow?'

Cheongmyeong was inwardly amazed.

'How interesting.'

He had plenty of experience controlling demonic energy with his inner energy, but this was the first time he had seen something like this.

Why is demonic energy called demonic?

It's called demonic because it goes against the natural flow. When demonic energy invades someone's body, it destroys the flesh like a poison, repelling and attacking all other energies.

But the demonic energy in Huang Wenyao's body was not only not attacking Cheongmyeong's inner energy; it was fleeing like a beast from a fire.

'If this goes well...'

It might be possible.

No, no!

'How much did I suffer to gather this? I have to make it work!'

If he had just practiced normally without obsessing over purity, Cheongmyeong would have already gathered more than ten years' worth of inner energy. He had already experienced gathering nearly a century's worth of inner energy.

But the amount of inner energy in Cheongmyeong's dantian now was less than a year's worth. He only managed to gather this much because he had taken the Plum Blossom Pill.

But this tiny amount of inner energy, like Zhao Zilong of the Changbanpo, was pushing back the demonic energy's army with a single strike.

'This is something I didn't expect.'

At first, he had only wanted to lay a perfectly pure and complete foundation to reach a higher realm than in his previous life. But as he went on, his obsession with purity became so intense that his progress slowed down.

He was just starting to think about letting go of this obsession...

'Now that I think about it, this is natural.'

Primordial energy is fundamentally opposed to demonic energy. Primordial energy, which contains the power to destroy evil, has the ability to purify all impurities in the world. Cheongmyeong's energy is essentially primordial energy, and it is the purest form of it.

Therefore, demonic energy cannot even touch it.

The intense demonic energy began to be neutralized almost instantly.

Cheongmyeong was as surprised as anyone to see the demonic energy lose its power so easily and return to nothing.

As Cheongmyeong's inner energy neutralized the demonic energy in Huang Wenyao's body, it also began to cleanse his meridians. It aggressively purified his body, not tolerating even the smallest impurity.

It was like a thorough cleansing.

'What kind of situation is this?'

Bathing in the fetal position is something that can only be attempted by a few thousand-year-old elixirs and extremely powerful experts. How difficult would it be to return a body, already filled with impurities, to the pure state of a newborn?

Even in Shaolin, where there are so many experts that even a mid-level expert has to sweep the floor, and where there are so many elixirs that a dropped one might be eaten by a dog without anyone bothering to retrieve it, bathing in the fetal position is rarely attempted.

But now, Cheongmyeong was performing this feat alone, cleansing the body of a weakened old man.

The problem was that this was not a result Cheongmyeong had intended.

Hum.

Huang Wenyao's body began to tremble slightly. At the same time, his body began to be stained with both pure white and pitch-black colors. The areas where Cheongmyeong's inner energy had infiltrated turned white, while the areas still dominated by demonic energy turned black, as if ink was about to flow out.

The demonic energy was also fiercely resisting the invading force.

'Hang on!'

Huang Wenyao's body, which had instantly turned into a battlefield, was screaming. Despite being unconscious, his whole body was trembling, and blood was flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Seeing the dark red blood stain Huang Wenyao's chest, Cheongmyeong gritted his teeth.

This was not a fight between Cheongmyeong and the demonic energy.

The key was whether Huang Wenyao could hold on until Cheongmyeong removed all the demonic energy.

'I'll finish this in one go!'

Thinking about Huang Wenyao's condition would only increase the burden. It was better to leave everything to fate and take a gamble.

Cheongmyeong gathered his energy.

He pushed the last bit of his inner energy into Huang Wenyao's body. Sweat began to pour down Cheongmyeong's forehead like rain.

In Huang Wenyao's body, Cheongmyeong's inner energy began to fiercely attack the demonic energy. It absorbed and neutralized everything in its path, even melting the surrounding impurities. At the same time, it expanded Huang Wenyao's narrow and blocked meridians like major highways.

The demonic energy, which had been fiercely resisting, began to lose its momentum and gather in one place. Seeing the direction, Cheongmyeong was alarmed.

'No, this can't be!'

The head.

The demonic energy, having nowhere else to go, was being pushed to the opposite side of the dantian where Cheongmyeong was injecting his energy. Huang Wenyao's head began to turn pitch-black and swell as if it would burst at any moment.