Thud.
Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye guardedly looked at each other after dragging five bandits into the storage room used by the Poison Doctor.
“Now that we’re done here, let’s go our separate ways?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
To Black Cat, Miss Yeo Il-ye looked like a literal bomb, ready to explode in revenge against the big shots that got in her way. She was bound to be a storm, and anyone caught nearby for no reason might get swept up and hurt.
Just the fact that they exchanged the Gratitude Plaque was already risky enough, but now there was this connection?
“I sent the information to Yunnan, and look where we ended up…”
Sending the newcomer Jeon Hu-dam away to Yunnan was a mistake when a rival like Hyeong Gwi-san was there settling in.
Unlike Black Cat, Miss Yeo Il-ye had no personal feelings toward her.
While she held no personal grudge, to her, Black Cat was simply suspicious. Always covering her face with a veil, skillfully using the Black Shadow Qi Technique, and having skill levels that could only belong to an assassin—she was definitely not someone who should be a mere outcast.
Despite not having personal feelings, it was hard not to be concerned when such a suspicious person was near her benefactor.
“Don’t forget, my benefactor still has my Gratitude Plaque.”
“Seriously? Just drop it and don’t approach my senior.”
Miss Yeo Il-ye sneered at Black Cat’s prickly attitude.
“The guidance is done, so it’s time to leave, right?”
“My benefactor still has business to attend to. You should mind your own.”
Miss Yeo Il-ye still had to pass on the gold to Ho Cheon-an. More than that, she wanted to express her gratitude properly.
When she barged into the Outcast Inn, there was no calm space available to talk, and the same was true when they met in front of the Hwang Gold Clan.
“Will I ever have another chance to meet my benefactor without the stares of others around?”
With Black Cat grumbling and Miss Yeo Il-ye completely ignoring her, this bizarre duo reached the Poison Doctor’s place.
What they saw at the residence was Ho Cheon-an sitting cross-legged on a mat while the Poison Doctor was mixing something.
“Honorable Person..? Elder..?”
“Hmmm. Yes. You two should deal with any disturbances. If the bandits cause a fuss, subdue them immediately, no questions asked.”
“…Senior, what’s going on?”
“It’s a long story; I’ll explain once it’s all done. For now, follow the Poison Doctor’s instructions.”
Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye might not fully understand the situation, but they decided to split up and keep watch as the Poison Doctor directed.
“You two must not intervene under any circumstance.”
The Poison Doctor warned them and then focused on Ho Cheon-an.
“First, swallow the Spiritual Medicine and suppress your Qi as much as possible. I’ll pour the drug into your mouth. When this medicine meets the Spiritual Medicine, the Qi will explode outwards. Your task is to hold back that Qi as much as you can until the moment it bursts, and then release it all at once.”
“Remember, the moment you try to control it instinctively, you could really injure yourself. Ideally, this should end with minimal pain. How well you can let go of your Qi will determine how serious your injuries will be.”
The word injury made the two women flinch, but Ho Cheon-an had no time to be concerned about them.
“Understood.”
“Then let’s begin.”
The Poison Doctor placed the Emerald Pill into Ho Cheon-an’s mouth.
“Hmm.”
Ho Cheon-an felt the sensation of the Emerald Pill moving down her throat. It was at the moment it crossed her esophagus that she felt the rising energy from the pill. The sweet aroma of the liquor wrapped around her nose and mouth as she began to control her Qi.
Samwon Heart Method.
It was the internal technique Ho Cheon-an was currently mastering. It used natural energy with minimal processing. While it didn’t have inherent advantages in the nature of Qi, its restorative capabilities rivaled any enhancement method. Because it was close to natural energy, replenishing it was easy.
With her total Qi capped at nine, Ho Cheon-an’s choice was to maximize her recuperative abilities.
While utilizing the Samwon Heart Method to suppress the energy from the Emerald Pill, Ho Cheon-an felt a sense of hopelessness, as if she was trying to block water with her hands. She was trying her best, but didn’t feel effective in suppressing the energy at all.
“Doing well. Just hold on until the effects seep into your body.”
The Poison Doctor’s words didn’t reach Ho Cheon-an. Instead, the Poison Doctor focused on observing her condition.
After around half a circle of checking Ho Cheon-an’s state, the Poison Doctor prepared to pour liquid straight into her mouth without hesitation.
In the midst of her struggles to control the energy from the Emerald Pill, Ho Cheon-an suddenly felt that energy bursting forth explosively.
“Rumble!!”
Thunder rumbled in her mind. Ho Cheon-an couldn’t sense the medicine entering because she was concentrating, but instinctively recognized that the Poison Doctor had injected it. Up until now, the Qi flowing from the Emerald Pill felt like a slow river, but just moments ago, it felt like a dam breaking!
As the dam broke, the energy that had been held back by the Emerald Pill broke free, surging through her body like a tidal wave.
“Cough..!”
Ho Cheon-an instinctively tried to grab onto that energy but barely managed to let go. Despite having the Poison Doctor’s warning repeating in her mind, her monk’s instincts kicked in, compelling her to hold onto the Qi that was trying to escape. It was the instinct of a martial artist trying to stop the energy from leaking, coupled with the natural instinct of a living thing trying to calm the chaotic energy.
Suppressing those two impulses while allowing the Qi from the Emerald Pill to rampage through her body was no easy feat.
Ho Cheon-an felt a bitter taste rising in her mouth. Every time the energy from the Emerald Pill pounded against her body, her mind told her to relax and release it, but she couldn’t help but try to hold on.
“I must be a reed in the storm! I am the reed!”
If you stood stiff in a storm, you’d be uprooted like a tree. Only the flexible reed can survive by bending in the wind.
Every time she tried to hold on, a clash would occur, and with that clash came damage to her Qi meridians.
In this dire situation, Ho Cheon-an truly grasped the truth of the Poison Doctor’s words.
“There are blockages in my blood..”
Until now, Ho Cheon-an had never felt discomfort while cultivating her Qi or increasing her internal power. She had never sensed a blockage or poor flow in her Qi, so the Poison Doctor’s statement lacked any real depth to her.
But only when the Qi from the Emerald Pill began to surge like a storm could she truly understand what he meant. A little river could find a way through any number of rocks.
Yet the massive energy burst from the Emerald Pill felt choked, unable to flow freely.
While a trickle was leaking out, it was enough to realize that what she thought was clear had numerous obstructions.
As she began to feel the sensation in her body, Ho Cheon-an could finally relinquish control over the energy.
Boom!!!
Was the Poison Doctor’s medicine finally working? The energy from the Emerald Pill exploded through Ho Cheon-an’s body. Losing control over her Qi, even Ho Cheon-an, now flexible as a reed, felt dizzy from the pressure.
The storm-like energy surged through her entire body, snapping her like a twig.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud thud thud!
At some point, the flow began to accelerate. With the newly speeding energy from the Emerald Pill, Ho Cheon-an began to notice that the previously overwhelming pressure on her Qi meridians was starting to ease.
Ssss.
The flow that had felt so clogged was beginning to open up.
“Could it be that the spiritual energy is melting away?”
At the same time, she felt the refreshing sensation of energy in her body dissipating rapidly. Was it true, as the Poison Doctor said, that the celestial energies clashed with the demonic energies, neutralizing each other?
Overall, while the flow was gradually increasing, the sensation of the energy from the Emerald Pill being released freely still wasn’t there.
Although it was moving much faster than before, she still felt remnants of a bottleneck.
Ho Cheon-an realized why the Poison Doctor had called this a temporary solution. Although the pathway had opened a bit, it was still not quite smooth.
“Can you hear me? It seems the main energy from the spiritual medicine has nearly been released, so tighten your grip on that Qi and start circulating it rapidly. It’s about gathering all that remains.”
Ho Cheon-an quickly understood the Poison Doctor’s instructions and entered Qi circulation. She needed to gather the energy from the Emerald Pill left in her body to clash with the clustered demonic energy in her veins.
Feeling the significantly easier operation of her Qi, Ho Cheon-an began gathering whatever was left from the Emerald Pill’s energy. It was already reduced to little more than remnants, but as she meticulously collected them one by one, it created a robust flow.
“Since there are blockages everywhere, and since they’re circulating in my blood, I don’t need to circulate it too much to lower the pressure. Let’s rotate it quickly and strongly!”
Choosing a method that circulated part of the blood vessels in a rapid cycle, Ho Cheon-an started whirling the energy from the Emerald Pill as fast as she could. It seemed that choice was correct as she could feel a slight decrease in the remnants of the Emerald Pill’s energy while focusing on her rapid circulation.
Once, twice. Three times… five times.
Ho Cheon-an felt that the energy from the Emerald Pill wasn’t diminishing any further and gathered it in her dantian.
Beyond this point, she couldn’t hold her focus any longer.
Ho Cheon-an’s eyes snapped open.
She saw the Poison Doctor breathe a sigh of relief.
“Well. How was it? Does it seem sorted out?”
“I feel like something’s breaking, but…”
As Ho Cheon-an opened her mouth, she felt her whole body ache. Just moving her jaw to speak made her entire body throb.
“Let me see…”
The Poison Doctor wiped the blood dripping from Ho Cheon-an’s chin and tasted it. Finally, she could truly assess her condition.
She was a complete mess!
Having already coughed up a mouthful of blood due to internal injury, every limb felt like it wasn’t responding!
After tasting Ho Cheon-an’s blood, the Poison Doctor laughed joyously.
“Haha! The taste has definitely changed. Congratulations!”
“What the… crazy… old coot…”
As Ho Cheon-an glimpsed the bright smile of the Poison Doctor, she felt herself tipping backward.
“Oh right, the Poison Doctor is part of the Tang Clan…”
Poison Doctor Tang! As Ho Cheon-an took note of the true danger behind the Poison Doctor’s warnings, she realized in horror that it wasn’t just a casual warning born of mere formality.
The Poison Doctor’s warnings were as serious as they came! After a few mistakes, her body was as good as a dead man walking.
Yet for the Poison Doctor, this was just another day at the office. Though Ho Cheon-an was severely injured, to the Poison Doctor, this was merely a case for full recovery!
As Ho Cheon-an’s consciousness started fading, she recalled her promise to Tang Do-gyeong after finishing their duel, seeing Tang Guanglie watching her closely.
Wasn’t it said that trusting a Tang Clan member would lead to doom?
“Must I really introduce myself as ‘Feline Cheon-an’ now…”
With such unproductive thoughts, Ho Cheon-an slipped into darkness.
