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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Foundation (1)
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I went to the medicinal herb storage with Jang Bong.
I spoke to the guard standing watch at the door.
"Open the door."
"Y-Young Master…! You cannot enter this place without permission from the Head of the Medical Hall."
That made sense. The Heavenly Dance Family, dedicated to studying medicine, would naturally have many precious herbs.
'But I can't back down now. I need those precious herbs immediately to heal my body!'
So, I lowered my voice and spoke.
"Look here."
"Yes."
"I am the son of the Heavenly Dance Family Head. Do you think I need permission from the Head of the Medical Hall? Huh? Do you not know who I am? Should I give you a harsh reminder right here and now?"
"No, it's just…"
"I won't cause any trouble, so step aside. This is the last time I'll ask nicely."
I had no choice but to use the original owner's infamous reputation. I signaled Jang Bong to help.
"Sir, please open it… If the Young Master causes a scene, no one in the family can handle him. In that case, you too, sir…"
Jang Bong, having caught my signal, lied smoothly with a frightened voice.
As Jang Bong made a dying sound and gestured by drawing a thumb across his neck, the guard at the door shuddered and cautiously stepped back. The kid had better instincts than I thought. I liked that.
"I-I'll open it for you!"
"Good. Jang Bong, you stand guard outside."
As I slowly approached the storage, the guard moved away from the door.
I glanced at him standing beside the door before opening it.
A dry, grassy smell emanated from within. It was a strangely nostalgic scent.
'The Heavenly Dance Family's herb storage is quite spacious.'
Currently, my dantian held no energy. The original owner of this body must have completely shunned the martial arts. The only silver lining was that his upper dantian, which governs the spirit and soul, was relatively open.
'Here, I must build the foundation for practicing martial arts.'
I closed the door and, using my knowledge as the Divine Doctor, began to mix the herbs inside the storage.
"Rehmannia root, yam, cornelian cherry, wolfberry, dodder seed, deer antler glue, turtle shell glue, and finally, achyranthes root and ginseng."
I mixed the herbs with water and boiled them over the Sacred Fire's torch. Then, I added honey and kneaded the mixture into a pill. It was a pill that would stimulate the blood points and boost energy.
'The Left-Returning Pill.'
After swallowing it in one go, I decocted lily bulb, angelica root, and eucommia bark to create a topical medicine. It would temporarily open all the acupoints in my body, allowing me to absorb the energy of nature.
I unwrapped my bandages, threw off all my clothes, and applied the medicine all over my body.
Once I finished, I began to feel a stimulus in my acupoints from the medicine's energy.
I bit my finger to draw blood and drew a formation diagram. It couldn't compare to the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation, but it was a small-scale healing formation I had perfected while training with Master Heavenly Demon.
'The preparations are complete.'
When I was the Divine Doctor, I grew weary of martial arts and politics, dedicating myself solely to scholarship. But I realized that wasn't enough. Scholarship alone was insufficient. That's why I will not run away anymore.
'Master Heavenly Demon, if you're watching from over there, give me a little help.'
"Healing formation, activate."
A large flame erupted from the torch and ignited the healing formation. I sat in the center of the formation in a meditative posture.
The medicine seeped into my body, and the wounds on my neck and all over began to heal rapidly. My twisted organs and internal injuries were also restored. I started to feel the natural energy from my stimulated acupoints. I was now ready to circulate my ki.
'Now.'
I took a sharp needle and pierced the dantian point in my lower abdomen. This stimulated the acupoint, breathing life into my hardened dantian. Then, I took the Left-Returning Pill to boost my energy.
After completing the foundational stage of accumulating true ki.
I stimulated the Yongquan point to receive the earth's energy, opened the Baihui point to receive the heavens' energy, and used the Laogong points to allow the energies of heaven and earth to circulate without obstruction.
In my meditative posture, I placed my hands on my knees, palms facing up. I drew the faint natural energy flowing through the herb storage into my Laogong points and transferred it to my dantian.
'Success.'
A faint but tangible energy now filled my dantian.
'Hoo…'
Now, I had to circulate the energy in my dantian throughout my entire body via the blood points and energy meridians.
A sound like something bursting rang in my ears.
My clogged blood points screamed at every joint.
'I shouldn't try to force them open. Just let it flow, bit by bit, like poking a hole in a dam holding back a river.'
A minute circulation of ki. That alone expelled some of the impurities from my body. However, there was so much accumulated impurity that I still had a long way to go.
'You can't achieve everything in a single day. This is enough for today.'
One circulation.
That was today's achievement.
I gathered the energy in my dantian and stood up. I cleaned up the messy herb storage and packed the necessary herbs and items. Just as I was about to leave, I heard a commotion outside, filled with hurried movements and loud shouts.
-What in the world are you fools doing? If the youngest asks you to die, will you just die?!
-We-we're sorry, we're sorry.
It seemed some trouble had broken out because of me… Well, I had expected this to some extent.
"If you're going to scold someone, you should scold me!"
I shouted confidently as I walked out.
When I stepped outside, I was met by my brothers, their faces grim, having clearly heard something from somewhere.
***
"Forcing your way into the herb storage at this hour without the Medical Hall Head's permission… have you finally lost your mind?"
My third brother, the one just older than me, spoke with wide, angry eyes. Beside him, my first and second brothers had similar reactions. Being stared down by all my brothers at once felt… strange.
'It seems…'
If I keep being treated like this in the family, even things that should go well will fall apart. At this rate, no matter what I do, my brothers will find fault with me and might even obstruct my every move.
It's not like they have absolutely no brotherly affection, but I suspect they're acting this way because the original owner of this body caused so much trouble.
'In that case, I need to change their perception of me.'
"Why do you only see the negative?"
"Wh-what…?"
"I am trying to change. But it seems you brothers have already branded me a problem child. Are you saying I shouldn't even try?"
"What? Trying?"
"That's right. No matter how wickedly I've acted until now, I am still a son of the Heavenly Dance Family Head. My realization came late, but… I intend to stop tarnishing the family's honor and live properly. Things will be different from now on. Your younger brother is trying to change; can't you trust me just this once?"
This should be enough to make them back down…
"Hah!? Realization? Change? You talk a good game with that mouth of yours. What have you ever done? Was stealing the family's wealth to squander it all night with courtesans in the brothel your 'effort'? Was selling the herbs you took, claiming you'd devote yourself to medicine, just to gamble it away your 'change'? The fortune you've stolen from this family is enough to buy an entire brothel!"
I had miscalculated. I didn't realize I was that much of a scoundrel. And once the dam broke, the other brothers began to speak up as well.
"Is that all? When you go to a tavern, you should just eat quietly. Why must you always cause a scene, slapping the waiters around? The Law Palace's disciplinary hall has come to arrest you dozens of times because of it. The family paid the fines and used every means to settle the matter because you are the Family Head's son. Where was the effort in any of that?"
Seriously, it was that bad?
"And is that all? In all your past atrocities, like beating the family servants at every opportunity, was there some hidden 'effort' you speak of? If so, tell us where!"
"..."
I was speechless.
No, I couldn't say another word.
Even I, just listening, felt the urge to beat the pulp out of this body's original owner if he were standing in front of me…
"No."
I had nothing to say, which was fortunate. Unlike the second and third brothers, who were fuming, the first brother, who had been standing silently in the back, stepped forward.
"If our youngest is trying to change, we as his older brothers can't stand in his way."
"Brother…!"
"However, as our younger brothers have said, effort must ultimately be shown through results, shouldn't it?"
"..."
'Suspicious.'
First Brother, Baek Mu-hyeon. You're up to something.
"Since you were just in the herb storage, I'll ask. What kind of effort were you making in there? Let me be clear, it must be a reason that I and our brothers can accept."
Of course. He was using my own words against me, trying to corner me logically. But I was actually pleased by his words.
"It was to build a foundation for my body to practice martial arts."
"What? Practice martial arts? Build a foundation?"
"That's right. You brothers must know that I was attacked at the brothel recently. That incident made me change my ways. I've reflected on my past behavior and decided to train my body and mind from now on."
"If you're training your body, why did you go to the herb storage? The Head of the Medical Hall should be giving you medicine, no?"
"Because I can treat myself better. As a result, I have fully recovered from the injuries I sustained in the attack."
"..."
Hearing my words, my brothers sighed, seemingly dumbfounded.
"I don't believe you."
My brothers said in unison.
It was fine. I had expected this kind of reaction.
"How should I prove it?"
"Make a medicine right here."
"As you wish."
Right in front of my brothers, I ostentatiously gathered ingredients and prepared a medicine effective for wounds and another for boosting energy.
"Did the Head of the Medical Hall teach you this?"
"No."
Even though I prepared the medicine without hesitation, my brothers' suspicions did not subside. That was because the quality of the medicine was too high for me to have concocted it on the spot.
So, I spoke again.
"Tell me how you wish for me to prove it, and I will."
"..."
As I acted with confidence, my so-called brothers began to look flustered. Then, after exchanging glances, they seemed to reach a decision and spoke.
"You said you would practice martial arts."
"Yes."
"In three weeks, have a public duel with me. That way, not just us, but everyone in the family will acknowledge your efforts, wouldn't they?"
So that was it…
It was a simple logic, when I thought about it. To my brothers, I was just a scoundrel who tarnished the family's name, so they couldn't stand to see me running wild after being chosen by the Sacred Fire.
In this situation, publicly humiliating me and breaking a bone or two would keep me quiet for a while. That would also calm the uproar caused by the Sacred Fire's choice… It was quite a clever move.
Of course, that would only be true if I were the original Fourth Young Master of the Heavenly Dance Family.
"Fine."
"...!"
The astonishment on my brothers' faces was palpable. It made sense; they were prepared to do whatever it took to make the duel happen if I refused.
"However, I have a condition."
But I wasn't about to be played by these greenhorns. I saw right through their scheme and decided to use it to my advantage.
"Wh-what is it?"
"No complaining after I give you a beating."
"Wh-what did you say?"
First Brother's eyes widened in shock, and Second Brother was equally flabbergasted. The problem was Third Brother, who seemed to be the most hot-headed. His face contorted as he stomped toward me.
"You! You disrespectful brat! Do you really need one of your brothers to break a bone or two before you come to your senses?!"
I knew this one would step up.
The weakest and most hot-tempered of the three brothers. Third Brother, Baek Mu-gang. Although he was in better shape than me, he had only recently begun learning martial arts, making him the easiest target.
"I don't mind dueling with you right now, Third Brother."
"What did you say?"
"If you want, you can come at me right now."
I raised my hand and beckoned, taunting Third Brother.
Third Brother finally lost his temper and threw a punch at me. It was a truly crude fist. The Heavenly Dance Family was a lineage that had studied scholarship for generations; moreover, they focused on the art of dance, not combat.
The young masters here, who lacked the strength to protect themselves and relied on the Azure Dragon Unit's protection, had no need to master martial arts.
Therefore, if they lacked the will to learn, they could start at a late age. I'd heard Third Brother had been training for less than a year.
"...!"
Third Brother's fist flew toward my face, but it ultimately cut through empty air.
"Wh-what the…"
"Huh? Young Master?"
I tilted my head back to dodge his punch, then swiftly extended my own fist, stopping it right before his nose.
The two other brothers, the guards, and even my attendant Jang Bong, who had witnessed our exchange, could not hide their astonishment.
Ignoring all their surprise, I added one more thing.
"Do you want to continue?"
"Y-you bastard!"
It was a relief.
That Third Brother, Baek Mu-gang, was even more immature than I had thought.