Chapter 49: Ban Yunsaeng (2)
Once they decided to attempt the Great Bone-Reforging Body Transformation Technique, the two of them became busy.
“My master discovered a secret manual left behind by a deceased predecessor regarding body reformation and spent his entire life researching it. That research was passed down to me.”
The person who had first left behind the secret manual had been a poison master. The research had begun from the perspective of one who handled poisons, and that was why poison lay at the heart of the technique.
That was also why the material required was not some ordinary spiritual herb, but something as highly toxic as the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass.
First, they had to acquire the tools and materials needed for the technique.
Fortunately, Ban Yunsaeng had buried the most important ingredients deep underground near the cave. He had always kept the technique in mind, no matter when the opportunity to perform it might come.
Now all that remained was to purchase the items that could be easily obtained.
Together, Ban Yunsaeng and Baek Socheon visited the nearby villages and gathered everything they needed. They threw away every unnecessary item in the cave.
Only the technique mattered now.
The empty space was filled with new items that would be used for the technique. They bought a bed for the procedure, two large water tanks, and several containers to hold the medicines.
Three days later, Baek Socheon and Ban Yunsaeng had finished preparing everything.
“Now only the most important task remains.”
“What is it?”
“The White-Horned Golden-Line Snake must inject its venom so that the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass bears fruit. If it doesn’t inject the venom, or if the fruit doesn’t appear, we’ll have to wait three years.”
At the mention of three years, Baek Socheon let out a bitter laugh.
By then, the war would surely have broken out, and he would already be dead.
Ban Yunsaeng led him to where the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass grew. They watched from a distance so as not to provoke the White-Horned Golden-Line Snake.
One day passed.
Then another.
The White-Horned Golden-Line Snake did not move.
As they watched over the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass together, Ban Yunsaeng told him many stories.
Most of them were about poisonous herbs and venomous creatures.
Although Baek Socheon possessed a body immune to all poisons, he realized anew that he actually knew surprisingly little about poisonous herbs and venomous creatures. Since he had always assumed they would never affect him anyway, he had neglected learning about them.
Ban Yunsaeng also freely shared stories about which mountains were rich in certain medicinal herbs and what kinds of poisonous creatures lived in particular places. Although they had only met for the first time here, perhaps because the great technique was about to begin, Ban Yunsaeng spoke openly and honestly about many things.
“What do you intend to do if the technique succeeds?”
“I plan to prevent the war from happening.”
“And after that?”
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“Shouldn’t a person normally think about doing something for himself first?”
“……”
The words the Black Heaven Alliance Leader had once spoken to him came back to mind.
That he had fastened the very first button wrong.
Although it had been a different metaphor back then, Baek Socheon suddenly found himself thinking.
At eighteen, knowing nothing about the world, he had entered the Alliance with nothing but the dream of protecting good people, and from then on, he had spent his life running forward without pause.
He had never imagined that the martial art he had inherited through a chance encounter would turn out to be such an extraordinary sword art.
Nor had he known that he possessed enough talent in battle to one day be called the War God.
Without even having time to look after himself, he had only ever looked ahead.
After the war began, he had even less time to think about himself.
Not only him, but every martial artist of the Martial Alliance had been the same.
Even after the war ended, he had been unable to think about himself because of losing his Internal Energy and everything that had happened with the Alliance Leader.
That was probably why, when Gain had told him to quit the Martial Alliance and find another path, he had been unable to answer.
Because he had never learned how to live his own life.
Because he had never experienced what kind of life would truly make him happy.
Looking at Baek Socheon, Ban Yunsaeng spoke.
“Don’t spend your whole life fighting. When you look back, life passes by far more quickly than you ever realize.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps thinking he had lectured enough, Ban Yunsaeng turned his gaze toward the distant White-Horned Golden-Line Snake.
“Everything depends on that fellow now.”
The fate of the two men, and indeed, the fate of the Martial World itself, rested upon a single snake.
Whoever it was, at least one of those three must have been fortunate.
Two days later, the White-Horned Golden-Line Snake injected its venom into the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass before dying, and the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass finally bore fruit.
Ban Yunsaeng carefully picked the fruit and carried it back to the cave.
Now all the preparations were complete.
Every medicine required for the technique had been prepared, and before the procedure began, Baek Socheon took all the medicines he had to consume beforehand.
He swallowed them in several doses, each measured with perfect precision.
Leaving only the final fruit of the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass, Ban Yunsaeng asked,
“Well then, how do you feel?”
He felt calm.
Even if he lost his life during the technique, Baek Socheon did not think he would have many regrets.
Thirty-eight was already a respectable age for a martial artist.
Moreover, he had lived as a hero who had saved the Martial World.
After living such a life, what was there to regret if he died today?
Beon Saeng had once said that if he died, no one would grieve so deeply that their heart would break.
Would he really be any different?
Several people would certainly be deeply saddened, but would anyone grieve so much that it would tear their heart apart?
That was why he could answer with a bright smile.
“I feel good.”
“Good. Then let’s begin. Eat the fruit of the Eternal Life Poison-Forgetfulness Grass.”
Without hesitation, Baek Socheon stuffed the fruit into his mouth and chewed it.
Perhaps because of the White-Horned Golden-Line Snake’s venom, it was so bitter that it felt as though his tongue were melting away.
And thus, the technique truly began.
“Ughhh…”
As the medicinal effects spread throughout his body, Baek Socheon let out a groan.
Instead of using his Internal Energy to guide the medicine through his meridians, Ban Yunsaeng had forced it into every blood vessel by means of the medicines he had administered.
That made the pain even worse.
Baek Socheon’s skin gradually darkened.
Ban Yunsaeng pushed him into a container filled with medicinal liquid.
Splash.
Baek Socheon sank into the vat filled with liquid.
The moment he was submerged, his entire body relaxed and the pain vanished.
Drowsiness overtook him, and his eyelids grew heavy.
With a tense expression, Ban Yunsaeng watched as Baek Socheon slowly sank.
By the time he reached the bottom of the vat, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.
The day everyone’s fate changed.
“Huff… Huff… Huff…”
Baek Socheon gasped for breath.
There was not a single part of his body that did not ache.
It felt as though he would shatter into pieces if anyone touched him.
The sword in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Even so, Baek Socheon gripped the hilt even tighter.
He had to believe.
If he was exhausted, then his opponent had to be exhausted too.
No,
Even more exhausted than he was.
Sure enough, before him, the Black Heaven Alliance Leader, Yeomhwa Shin, stood bent over at the waist, breathing even more heavily than Baek Socheon.
His mountain-like body rose and fell with every laboured breath.
This attack would be his final chance to kill him.
Yeomhwa Shin’s condition no longer mattered.
Once he unleashed this final strike, his own Internal Energy would be completely exhausted.
‘I have to finish this now.’
Yeomhwa Shin raised his head and looked at Baek Socheon.
For the first time ever, Baek Socheon saw an emotion in his eyes that he had never witnessed before.
Fear.
At that very moment, Baek Socheon launched himself forward.
He wagered everything on this single strike.
Drawing upon every last trace of his Internal Energy, he poured it all into his sword.
Yeomhwa Shin also leapt forward.
Perhaps because he was exhausted, his reaction was slower than before.
Shhhhkkk!
The two figures became one.
Throughout the battle until now, they had repeatedly clashed and separated.
They had dodged, blocked, and counterattacked with lightning speed.
But this time was different.
A single sound announced the end of the battle.
Thrust!
The instant his sword pierced through his opponent’s body, Baek Socheon was certain of victory.
‘I won!’
His beloved Ghost Shadow Sword had pierced straight through Yeomhwa Shin’s heart.
Yet, the moment he saw joy and opportunity, rather than despair and fading life, in Yeomhwa Shin’s eyes, he realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Boom!
Even with the sword still piercing his body, Yeomhwa Shin’s fist slammed into Baek Socheon’s chest.
The Protective Energy sustained by his feeble remaining Internal Energy shattered, and the heavy impact spread throughout his body.
He desperately tried to gather what little Internal Energy he had left to block it, but the shock spread uncontrollably through his entire body like ice breaking apart beneath his feet.
“Urgh!”
Baek Socheon coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He could not even move a finger.
Yet Yeomhwa Shin still had strength remaining.
Baek Socheon sensed Internal Energy gathering at Yeomhwa Shin’s fingertips.
The instant he realized where that hand was heading,
His dantian.
‘No!’
Bang!
A shock like his entire body being torn apart struck him.
Riiip!
His flesh tore open, and it felt as though the place where his dantian had been was ripped out entirely.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”
The most agonizing scream Baek Socheon had uttered throughout his battle with Yeomhwa Shin burst from his lips.
Blood dripped steadily from his abdomen.
Holding Baek Socheon limply in one hand, Yeomhwa Shin spoke coldly.
“It wasn’t I who killed you.
It was your Alliance Leader.”
“……Bullshit.”
“If not, then why are you here?
The one who should have been here was your Alliance Leader.”
The battlefield had descended into chaos, and while they had been locked in desperate combat, only the two of them had remained here.
The Alliance Leader was surely still fighting enemies somewhere else.
“Your Alliance Leader is nothing more than a hypocrite who has maintained his position by feeding on the blood of all of you!”
“Save your attempts at sowing discord.
You don’t know the Alliance Leader.”
“You foolish fool.
Three years will be enough.
By then, you’ll know that what I’ve said is the truth.”
Yeomhwa Shin threw Baek Socheon onto the ground.
Then he pulled the sword from his own heart and tossed it aside.
Coughing up blood, Baek Socheon watched his retreating figure stagger away.
Some time after Yeomhwa Shin disappeared, he heard someone calling his name while running toward him.
“Socheon! Socheon!”
It was the voice of Alliance Leader Ak Sogun.
‘Alliance Leader…’
He tried to open his eyes.
But they would not open.
“My boy. Stay with me.
We’ve won.
They’ve all retreated.
Come on, stay awake!”
Ak Sogun’s excited voice rang out.
Summoning the last of his strength, Baek Socheon forced his eyes open.
Through his blurred vision, he saw Ak Sogun’s face.
He was looking down at him with concern.
At that very moment,
Baek Socheon saw it.
In the centre of Ak Sogun’s black pupils, a tiny red dot appeared… and then vanished.
But he could not tell whether it had been blood dripping from his own face, blood running down Ak Sogun’s forehead, or merely the reflection of something that had tricked his eyes for a brief instant.
It had happened too quickly.
“…Alliance Leader.”
With those quiet words, he lost consciousness.
Splash.
As the pulley mechanism was activated, the bottom of the tank rose, bringing Baek Socheon out of the medicinal liquid.
Ban Yunsaeng lifted him from the liquid and laid him upon the bed.
Forcing his mouth open, he fed him another medicine before beginning the acupuncture.
He placed every needle with the utmost care.
He was skilled enough to perform acupuncture even with his eyes closed, yet perhaps because it had been so long, his hands trembled.
‘Stay calm.’
One needle at a time.
With painstaking care, he inserted needles into every one of Baek Socheon’s acupoints.
Perhaps he was dreaming.
His eyes moved restlessly beneath his closed eyelids.
“You mustn’t wake up yet.”
Baek Socheon opened his eyes.
The person watching over him was Ban Wollyang, the Divine Physician of the Martial Alliance.
“So, you’re finally awake?”
“Where am I?”
“The Main Division.
The War between the Righteous and Demonic Factions is over.”
At the words that the war had ended, a single tear flowed from Baek Socheon’s eyes.
It was the first tear he had shed since joining the Martial Alliance.
Even after watching countless comrades die, he had never cried.
Because he knew that once he started crying, he would never be able to finish the war.
Now it was as though all the tears he had suppressed until now were pouring out at once.
After silently crying for a long while, Baek Socheon finally asked,
“Is the Alliance Leader safe?”
“Fortunately, he is unharmed.”
He remembered seeing the Alliance Leader just before losing consciousness.
“Is there truly nothing wrong with him?”
“He’s fine, thanks to you.”
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Twenty days.”
“Twenty days?”
He tried to sit up, but his body would not move.
“Your internal injuries are too severe.”
Instinctively, he attempted to circulate his Internal Energy to heal himself.
The instant he did,
Agonizing pain exploded from his dantian.
“Urgh!”
Seeing him writhe in pain, Ban Wollyang hurriedly shouted,
“You mustn’t use Internal Energy!”
“How long?”
Ban Wollyang could not bring himself to say the word forever.
The troubled expression on his face brought back a memory.
Riiip!
The horrifying moment when his dantian had been torn away.
Baek Socheon squeezed his eyes shut.
The moment he realized there was no longer any Internal Energy within his body, an indescribable terror washed over him.
“I’ve been lying here for twenty days.
The Alliance Leader must have come all this way only to leave disappointed every time.”
“……”
“How many times has he come?”
“He hasn’t come even once.”
“……!”
“He probably wanted us to focus entirely on treating you.
Besides, he’s been very busy.”
Splash!
Ban Yunsaeng submerged Baek Socheon back into the liquid once more.
Then he added another medicine.
Bubble, bubble.
The liquid began to boil with bubbles.
The great technique was now entering its final stage.
Standing before the vat, Ban Yunsaeng stared at Baek Socheon.
Within the bubbling liquid, Baek Socheon slowly sank once again.
Was he dreaming?
It looked as though Baek Socheon frowned.
With all his heart, Ban Yunsaeng silently cheered him on.
‘Come on, my boy! Hang in there!’
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