“Is the Little Princess the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse…?”
The Nine Yin Absolute Pulse (九陰絶脈).
It’s the ultimate form of the Absolute Pulse Syndrome.
So, what exactly is this syndrome?
It’s about having such a strong yin energy from birth that it completely blocks the circulation of qi. You could say it’s like the qi pathways freezing up.
The Nine Yin Absolute Pulse can be seen as a condition where the nine major meridians freeze and start dying off.
Unlike ordinary people, those affected tend to have their qi flowing to their brain, leading to great intellect or developing into a beautiful woman.
“Hmm.”
The Little Princess of the Podalap Palace has the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse. This is such crucial information that it’s strange for me not to know it! Even if the existence of the Podalap Palace is revealed in the future, the information about the Little Princess suffering from such a syndrome would eventually spill out.
Thinking about it again, it does seem possible.
The phenomenon of being born with strong yin energy appears in girls. And for a girl to have increasing yin energy as she grows up is quite natural.
A child with enormous yin energy would not be able to withstand the increase as they grow and would die young.
As for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, no matter how well you manage it and shower it with spiritual medicine, it’s common for one not to live past eighteen.
What if the Little Princess dies and only the palace remains?
Which society would mention a lost child while their parents are still alive?
Thus, the tales about the Little Princess would become taboo, and it’s only natural for the stories about her to be forgotten.
Now I understand why the Podalap Palace hardly interacts with outsiders; it’s practically a closed-off realm.
“Her life is running out, so they must be locking the palace doors to spend that time together.”
“The people here think that way too.”
“Hmm, then curing the Little Princess’s Nine Yin Absolute Pulse seems to be the most effortless yet challenging way to get the Podalap Palace to move.”
“…Yes.”
At Tang So-yeol’s words, Okryong’s spirit dimmed slightly. Well… Tang So-yeol’s statement was true.
The Nine Yin Absolute Pulse is considered an incurable disease.
If not, why would the Podalap Palace lock themselves up so mournfully? Are they lacking in any wealth or power? They are the mental stake of the West Village and have martial artists and skills that could compete with any major force in the Central Plains.
If we could cure the Little Princess suffering from the incurable Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, we would achieve our goal.
If they could just heal their precious daughter, wouldn’t moving the sect be small potatoes?
“Well done!”
At my praise, Okryong looked quite bewildered.
“Yes, if I knew the treatment for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, I could enter the Podalap Palace, right?”
“That might be a bit difficult.”
“What?”
“Um, it seems there have been many swindlers claiming to know how to treat the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse.”
Since people are born with the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, the fact that the Little Princess has it isn’t such a big secret here in the West Village. Hence, all sorts of swindlers have been gathering since childhood, claiming they could cure the Little Princess.
“In particular, ever since she has caused the Podalap Palace to act like a lockdown for the past year, they believed the heart of the palace would weaken, and the swindlers went rampant…”
“Good grief…”
Yes, when I asked about the Podalap Palace, the people’s reactions suddenly turned hostile, and only now does it make sense.
By showing off tricks to eliminate dice, I must have looked like a swindler from the Central Plains.
“Claiming to know the cure for the Little Princess could make it hard to achieve our goals.”
But then, Tang So-yeol said something odd.
“Why is saying you know the treatment for the Little Princess a lie?”
“…What?”
“I do know it—the treatment for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse.”
The two stared at me with astonished expressions.
The treatment method for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse is something every veteran in the martial world knows.
*
I just woke up to find myself as Ho Cheon-an, but…
In the game “Martial World,” you can define your character sheet and play however you want.
What do you think is the dream you can wield in such a customizable game?
It’s all that you can think of, but let’s choose some representative points.
A character with a ‘short lifespan’ or an extreme high-risk, high-return character.
Or characters that grow extremely in a specific field, or simply being a beautiful character.
[The Nine Yin Absolute Pulse]
If only you can overcome the limited lifespan, excellent intellect and ice-wielding talent will follow. Not to mention the stunning appearance setting and since you must overcome your lifespan, the rewards are good while it feels like a fair deal. The characteristic of the [Nine Yin Absolute Pulse] is a charm within itself.
It truly satisfied the numerous fantasies of players.
Countless players intensely delved into the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse.
As a result, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the methods to manage its symptoms, extend lifespan, and treat while preserving talent have been thoroughly analyzed.
And that knowledge is all stored in my mind.
It’s just that while the implementation of the treatment may be hard, the treatment itself is perfect.
“Do you really know the treatment for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, Senior?”
“Yeah. I stumbled upon it while searching for a cure for my own symptoms.”
“To think the treatment for the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse exists… It’s hard to believe, but if you’re an Honorable Person…!”
“Uh… That is true.”
Since they considered someone who knows about others’ realizations must also know about the cure for an incurable disease, they quickly accepted my words.
“Indeed, Master…”
Okryong was prepared to believe it, even if I said I was cooking red bean paste with a wooden spatula.
“Then, feeling suspicious by myself is pointless.”
Tang So-yeol, who had been the only one doubting my words, sighed and nodded in agreement.
“Alright. I won’t question the treatment any longer. But how do you plan to open the Podalap Palace’s gates?”
“According to the information that Okryong the Commander of the Golden Guards obtained, it won’t be an easy task.”
“Honestly, things have become complicated. Okryong left a good impression, but Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye have been investigating for over two weeks, so they’ll likely cast suspicious eyes upon us, and I’ve been branded as a swindler due to my tricks.”
If the Podalap Palace investigates even a little, they’ll surely catch wind that ‘one of those guys seems to be a swindler.’
Will they really trust us?
That’s a long shot.
“Definitely… Once a label is attached, it’s extremely difficult to shed it.”
“No parent would entrust their precious daughter’s treatment to someone suspected of being a swindler.”
Exactly.
Would anyone trust their valuable daughter’s well-being to someone with a reputation tarnished by bad rumors?
Once a bad reputation is out, there’s no picking it back up. I cannot help but carry the label of a suspicious foreigner who performs questionable tricks.
But… this label of being a suspicious foreigner might not be entirely bad right now.
“Think about it. If a child’s life is running out, isn’t it only natural for parents to want to do something for them?”
“Um…”
“But what if a group of Central Plains people who can perform captivating tricks appears in town? Wouldn’t it draw attention?”
“Are we talking about a circus act? Hmm… while it might garner some attention…”
“Oh come on, a circus? We are not that common. We are going to be magicians!”
“Magicians?”
Okryong and Tang So-yeol, who have yet to fully experience my magic, wore puzzled expressions.
“Are you talking about the performance with tricks in front of the Hwang Gold Clan… It could indeed be effective.”
Miss Yeo Il-ye nodded her head in agreement while the Black Cat seemed to think it wasn’t enough, tilting her head.
“This area is a remote region, and considering your skills, people would definitely flock in with curiosity. But… is that enough to get the Podalap Palace’s attention?”
“That’s a good point!”
I lifted my gaze upwards.
The sight of the podalpalace, proudly standing like a fortress with its walls, clearly filled my vision.
Just as we could easily look up at the Podalap Palace from here, they too could gaze down at the streets of Rasa with ease.
“Expecting that half-closed Podalap Palace to pay us attention just because we gather a crowd and spread some rumors is too much to ask!”
So we have to make it so they can’t ignore us.
“That’s why a small magic show isn’t enough.”
No matter how hard we try to cut off their interest, the noises and spectacles occurring below them must be so overwhelming that they cannot help but shift their gaze.
“We need to put on some massive stage magic.”
*
No matter how amazing a card trick might be, only a limited number of people can truly appreciate the skill involved. Even if a diamond card magically transforms into a heart card, if the observer is a couple of cards away, will they discern the trick’s wonder?
From five cards away, it would be hard for anyone to discern what’s happening.
But what about pulling a dove from a hat?
Isn’t it wonderous, even from ten cards away?
Then what about the trick of someone seemingly disappearing from inside a coffin?
That would be astonishing even from thirty cards away.
I will prepare such magic tricks.
I explained enthusiastically to Tang So-yeol.
“So, this is where we have a box with blades, and it splits in half! The person inside thinks they’ve been cut in two, moves around, and the wheeled box races across the stage! Then we put the box back together, pull out the blades, and bam! The person is alive again!”
Tang So-yeol gasped in awe.
“Oh, incredible! So how do we make such a contraption?”
“That’s something you’ll have to figure out from now on, Master.”
“…What?”
I wasn’t a professional magician, nor did I possess expertise in crafting magic props. I only knew the basic concepts; actually creating the things was a whole unfamiliar domain.
I would provide the ideas, but the execution is in Tang So-yeol’s hands.
I trusted him, the future top artisan and inventor.
Despite the turmoil Tang So-yeol experienced due to realizing the fate of an engineer, evaluating me with a hammer stick in hand, once I began explaining the principles of modern magic props step-by-step, his perspective began to shift.
“That’s a fascinating idea.”
Perhaps it was the infusion of modern engineering technology that sparked Tang So-yeol’s inventive spirit as he began sketching various designs.
Given that Tang So-yeol could create a device to control aerial maneuvers for carts, he would likely realize these magic props sooner rather than later.
While I entrusted Tang So-yeol with the device’s implementation, I wasn’t just sitting around.
“In the end, the day will come when I formally learn your gambling techniques, Senior.”
“To think I’d learn the gambling techniques of Ho Cheon-an! I’m glad I followed you!”
“Well, I must say, I’ve always thought your skills were impressive, but to learn them firsthand!”
“Ah, anyway, I’ll work hard!”
The more magicians, the better. To create an uproar that the Podalap Palace can’t ignore, one person’s strength alone wouldn’t suffice.
Even if I perform grand magic, there needs to be someone supporting me from behind the scenes, and we’d need assistant magicians showing lesser magic to build anticipation for the grand performance.
For that, I needed to teach our team some magic.
The Black Cat, who had followed me for a long time, could already perform some simple tricks, and since Tang Do-yeon is a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, her skill is assured.
As for Miss Yeo Il-ye and Okryong, we’ll figure out their aptitude starting now.
I had to train them into magicians in no time.
While I didn’t know when Tang So-yeol would finish the stage apparatus, we needed to break the ice by showing off little tricks in Rasa to foster familiarity with magic and build anticipation before the stage was set.
I rubbed my palms together.
“Now, let’s begin our magic training.”
Let’s strive to make it a legendary performance that will be etched in the West Village’s history!
