ISS-Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Save her? Your older sister?”

“……Yes.”

I let out a contemplative sound at the sight of the child cautiously gauging my reaction as he answered. Isn’t this kind of thing a common occurrence in the martial world?

When you’re poor, all kinds of misfortunes come crashing down. Whether you starve to death, have your life threatened by those of the unorthodox path, or catch some disease—the poor and powerless weak are bound to be unable to resolve such things.

But if I helped with each and every one of these, there would be no end to it. So unless it’s something I can help with easily and finish quickly, I generally don’t extend my hand.

And yet.

‘Golden energy.’

This time the story is a bit different.

“It’s a color I’m seeing for the first time.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. Rather than that, explain in more detail.”

The color I’d never seen before that suddenly appeared before my eyes, and the lead to a Rank 3 business partner.

With this much, there are more than enough reasons to get involved. Even though I don’t have martial arts that would put me to shame anywhere, I’m still Rank 4, aren’t I?

If martial force were Rank 3, it would be at the level of a great sect’s Sect Leader. Since it’s a Rank 3 business partner, it probably isn’t martial arts that’s Rank 3 but rather something like tailoring skills, but even that alone would be enough to be called a master craftsman.

It’s worth investing my time and effort.

“……So.”

I organized the content while slowly listening to the explanation.

The child’s name is Seowoo, his older sister’s name is Seohwa. Their parents died and Seohwa has been raising Seowoo with her outstanding tailoring skills, living until now. But then.

“One day an illness came.”

“An illness?”

“Yes. An illness that freezes my sister’s hands and feet.”

“Freezing hands and feet…….”

It’s not just a figurative expression. It’s literally a symptom where the extremities become so cold that water touching the hands and feet freezes.

Seohwa, who couldn’t work because pain like her hands and feet would break off came rushing in with even the slightest movement, must have ended up shut inside the house. And like that for half a year.

The child’s older sister is dying.

“Please, please save my older sister. Warrior sir. I’ll do anything……!”

Looking at Seowoo who was crying while grabbing the hem of my robe, I stroked my chin. A symptom where the body’s extremities emit tremendous cold energy.

‘I feel like I’ve heard of this somewhere.’

Even though nothing clearly comes to mind, it’s strangely a familiar symptom. It’s a symptom I’ve never seen, but it’s as if I’ve heard of it through rumors.

‘I’m not a physician, but I should go see for now.’

It’s a whole Rank 3 business partner. Even if I don’t look directly, if I spend money to bestow life-saving grace, I’ll be able to establish ongoing trade.

Should I go take a look for now?

“Where is your house?”

At my question as I glanced around, Seowoo’s eyes grew as large as lanterns. And then.

“He, here!”

I followed behind Seowoo, who was running ahead as if afraid my mind might change, with a bitter smile.

Then where.

Let’s find out what the identity of this golden energy is.

***

About one moment after being guided by Seowoo.

“It’s here!”

I let out a contemplative sound at the voice of Seowoo who had run ahead.

“……You and your older sister live here?”

“Yes!”

Seowoo smiling brightly. Like a young child, he doesn’t seem to know what his circumstances are like. That makes sense.

The thatched cottage visible before my eyes was so dilapidated that I couldn’t possibly think of it as a house where people lived.

‘I wonder if this won’t collapse.’

Looking at the rotting roof and pillars that looked as if they’d been gnawed by ants, such thoughts really do come to mind, not as an exaggeration. The paper pasted on the window is so full of holes that if it were winter now, they would have frozen to death.

“Have you been living here the whole time?”

At my question, Seowoo blinked and shook his head.

“It’s been less than a year since we moved here! The house we lived in before was a bit bigger…….”

I see. It seems they sold the house.

Well, I heard their parents died, and moreover, since Seohwa is lying down with an illness never seen or heard of before, the means for two children to earn money must have been very limited.

If they wanted to at least put food in their mouths, what else could they do but sell the house?

“Let’s go inside for now.”

The fact that the two siblings’ household situation is poor—well, it’s pitiful, but it’s not what’s important right now. What’s important is whether I can cure Seohwa’s illness.

Thinking that far and lightly stepping inside, a voice slowly flowed out from within.

“Is that you, Seowoo?”

Hearing the voice and moving my steps inward to open the door, I saw the figure of a young woman sitting in one corner of the room. A young woman with silk-like black hair and jade-like white skin.

And the moment I looked at her in detail.

I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

“……Hmm.”

“……Wh, who are you?”

“Older sister!”

Looking at Seowoo who quickly ran to his older sister’s side to check her condition, I gave a small smile and shook my head. The situation was more serious than I thought.

Fire.

The young woman had her hands and feet in fire. And with an expression that wasn’t hot at all at that.

“Your younger brother was saying to save you.”

“Seowoo was?”

“That’s right. Are you Seohwa?”

At my question, Seohwa blinked, then smiled brightly.

“Yes. I’m Seohwa. And you, mister, are…….”

“I’m Baek Riyun. A warrior from the Murim Alliance.”

“A warrior from the Murim Alliance…… Ah, the one who bought the haunted manor?”

“The rumors have spread this far, it seems.”

“There was a commotion saying another person would die. Since I can’t go out, my younger brother goes around listening to stories here and there in my place.”

I let out a bitter smile and approached Seohwa’s side to look closely inside the fire.

“Isn’t it hot?”

“No. Or rather, if I’m not doing this, it gets hot. I get frostbite.”

“Frostbite?”

“Yes. If I’m not doing this, my hands and feet are too cold…….”

As if to show me, the moment Seohwa slightly pulled out her hand, her fingertips, which had been maintaining some color, began to turn deathly pale. Along with Seohwa’s expression being colored by pain.

“……Even being like this for just one moment, I get frostbite. So when I’m not sleeping, I always have to be like this.”

“That’s…… quite an extreme treatment method.”

I’ve heard of it. They say that when martial arts reach a certain level and arrive at the Spiritual Realm, the body reaches the state of being impervious to heat and cold, no longer feeling hot or cold.

That’s because the body of a Spiritual Realm expert fundamentally knows what is harmful to the body and draws up opposing energy. That’s why being impervious to heat and cold is a very high realm. But.

Seohwa’s body is being directly exposed to fire and receiving tremendous fire energy, yet isn’t suffering any damage at all. What does this mean?

“You’re saying the fire energy obtained by being directly exposed to fire is completely offsetting the cold energy…….”

Intensely cold energy strong enough to harm the body continuously circulates around the hands and feet. A clear abnormal situation.

Indeed, it makes sense that Seowoo would cling to me begging to save his older sister.

“Do you know something about it?”

“Something does come to mind right away.”

If we’re just picking out cases of hands and feet containing extreme cold energy, there are any number of such examples. Mainly palm techniques that apply Yin Cold Energy Arts produce such effects.

But I’ve never heard of constantly containing such Yin energy. Usually when Yin energy accumulates, there are cases where the body weakens like Nine Yin Severed Meridians, but there are no cases where only specific parts become cold…….

“……Wait.”

At a thought that suddenly occurred to me, I quickly raised my head.

Yin energy accumulates?

“May I hold your wrist for a moment?”

“……My wrist?”

“Yes. There’s something I want to check.”

At my question, Seohwa, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, pulled her hand from the fire and held it out to me.

“Please hurry…….”

“I understand. Even if you feel something strange, keep your mouth shut and endure. If you do it wrong, you might suffer Qi Deviation.”

It won’t take long anyway. If what I’m guessing is correct.

Checking will only take a single moment.

Thud!

The moment I grasped her wrist, I sent True Qi flowing through the Neiguan Acupoint. Internal energy that rapidly travels upstream through the blood pathways according to my intention.

“Ugh…….”

Seohwa’s figure flinching, perhaps because the unfamiliar sensation was ticklish. But nothing is blocked. With this, it’s certain it’s not severed meridians.

What’s important is what comes next.

‘If what I’m thinking is correct, I’ll need to examine the Dantian.’

The internal energy that reached along the shoulder line to the armpit slowly descended, passing through the lungs and heart. And the moment my internal energy reached Seohwa’s Lower Dantian.

“……!”

The Lower Dantian absorbed the Yin energy contained in the internal energy, and my internal energy instantly transformed into Yang energy.

“Uuugh……!”

Seohwa twisted her body and expressed pain, letting out a violent muted sound. Along with the suddenly intensifying Yin energy.

Gritting my teeth, I urgently guided the True Qi past the wrist to concentrate in the palm. The Yin energy gathered in tremendous amounts met the Yang energy and firmly solidified its form.

‘Come over here.’

I ended up having all the Yin energy stolen because it happened so suddenly, but even so, the difference in level between me and Seohwa is stark. Moreover, the Yin energy Seohwa stole is internal energy I had firmly made mine.

Stealing it back isn’t difficult!

Kwarrrr!

The slowly flowing Yin energy mixed with my internal energy and restored its form to the original. At the same time, Seohwa’s face gradually became comfortable, as if released from pain.

I loosely recovered the internal energy, drew up Yang energy to improve Seohwa’s condition, then removed my hand and spoke.

“I understand what the situation is.”

“……Really? Truly?”

“Yes.”

I thought I’d heard of this symptom somewhere. I’ve never heard of a symptom that emits cold energy to the point of freezing water, but if it’s a case where the body is markedly colder than normal people, I had heard of it.

“Do you know of the Sword Sovereign?”

“Sword…… Sovereign?”

“Yes. The master of the Sword Pavilion and one of the Ten Heavens. A person standing at the peak of sword masters.”

“Ah…….”

Seohwa, who had been blankly nodding at my explanation while thinking for a moment, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“What relationship does that person have with me?”

“Right. The Sword Sovereign has the same symptom as you, no, the same constitution.”

“Consti…… tution?”

“Extreme Yin Body. That’s the name of the constitution you were born with.”

The Sword Sovereign’s constitution that I heard about from my superior when I worked at the Murim Alliance. Extreme Yin Body.

The effect of this constitution is simple. It draws in surrounding Yin energy indiscriminately and stores it within the body. That’s the effect this constitution has.

But what’s important comes next.

“Since Yin energy keeps gathering, naturally the energy channels throughout the entire body are activated from childhood. Waste products have no chance to accumulate, and you become far more intelligent than others. Moreover, since the human body fundamentally has recovery ability, it automatically tries to balance Yin energy and Yang energy.”

Yin energy gathers first, and Yang energy accumulates following behind. The speed of accumulating internal energy is twice as fast as others from the start, and additionally the enlightenment awakened from childhood follows behind. So the Extreme Yin Body is a constitution that’s no different from a blessing for martial artists.

At least, if it were a normal case.

“Your Extreme Yin Body is not a normal case.”

“……Not a normal case?”

“Right. The ability to draw in Yin energy is too excessive. Unlike an ordinary Extreme Yin Body, the Yang energy that follows is falling behind.”

It would have been fine when you were young. Even if your body felt somewhat cold, it would have ended with just frequent minor illnesses. But as you age and grow, women inevitably face it.

Secondary sexual characteristics. The moment when Yin energy becomes concentrated.

“The reason your condition started deteriorating from a few years ago is because of that. Originally, a woman’s body has denser Yin energy than Yang energy, and on top of that, you’re continuously drawing in more Yin energy. The fortunate thing is that without you knowing, your enlightenment concentrated the Yin energy into one place.”

If you can’t stop the Yin energy from accumulating, then you just need to push the Yin energy into one place and deal with it.

Seohwa’s unconscious mind must have judged that way, and pushed the Yin energy into the hands and feet where the damage would be relatively small. The result is this situation. But even that is a temporary measure.

“If things continue like this, you will definitely meet death within three years.”

At my pronouncement, Seowoo’s complexion, who had been listening from the side, turned deathly pale.

“O, older sister will die?”

“…….”

“Warrior mister. Please save her. Please save my older sister……!”

“Seowoo.”

“I’ll beg like this. Okay? Mister……!”

“Seowoo!”

After suddenly shouting, Seohwa raised her hands to grasp both of her younger brother’s cheeks, made eye contact, and said quietly.

“Can you wait outside for a bit?”

“……Older sister.”

“I have something to discuss with mister.”

Looking at Seohwa who spoke clearly while looking at Seowoo’s eyes brimming with tears, Seowoo tightly shut his mouth with a face holding back crying. And soon after, Seowoo rubbing his eyes.

“……Okay. I’ll wait outside!”

A moment later, Seohwa, who had been watching Seowoo walk out with reddened eyes, slowly turned her gaze toward me.

“I’m sorry. For being so noisy.”

“Not at all. That can happen. Your younger brother is admirable. He’s mature.”

“Yes. Until just a few years ago he was the village’s biggest troublemaker…… these days he doesn’t cause trouble. It breaks my heart.”

Seohwa slightly turned her head and dabbed at her eyes. Now that I look, Seohwa’s eyes are slightly reddened.

She’s probably feeling responsible.

“Is it true? That I’ll die within three years.”

“It’s true.”

“……Even though I’m still fine?”

“You know it yourself, don’t you?”

At my question, Seohwa smiled bitterly.

“That’s true too.”

The person herself would feel most strongly that her life doesn’t have much left. After all, approaching death always comes most heavily to the person themselves.

“Can I ask you to take care of Seowoo?”

“……Mm.”

“Even if I die three years from now, Seowoo will still only be thirteen. It’s an age when it’s hard to live alone.”

I swallowed a contemplative sound while looking at Seohwa, who was looking at me resolutely as if she hadn’t shed tears.

“I know it’s shameless. If it’s something I can do for you, I’ll do anything. I also have a little bit of money saved up in case of emergency. So until Seowoo can become independent……!”

“Don’t worry about that. I also happened to need disciples to teach.”

“……Thank you.”

I deliberately turned my head away at the sight of Seohwa giving a faint smile. Compassion welling up inside me. But it can’t be helped.

Curing this is beyond my ability. No, unless a Divine Physician comes, there will be no way to cure this. Even if we use elixirs like Great Return Pills or Purple Dawn Pills, the Yin energy will eventually surpass the Yang energy anyway.

As long as the recovery ability of Yang energy can’t keep up with the rising speed of Yin energy, even if she eats spiritual medicine, that time will only be delayed slightly—Seohwa will definitely meet death. So the method I can use is…….

“…….”

“Warrior sir?”

“Wait a moment.”

Something just flashed through my mind.

I stopped Seohwa who was trying to say something to me and repeated my contemplation.

Seohwa’s constitution is one where she meets death because Yang energy can’t keep up with the continuous accumulation of Yin energy. Then why does Yang energy accumulate if not Yin energy?

“Because the body tries to return to normal…….”

The body balancing Yang energy and Yin energy is to return to its original state. Then.

Can’t this also be viewed as a type of recovery ability?

『Recovery (Rank 10)

When staying within the manor, the recovery speed of sect members increases by 50%. Additionally, the limit of recoverable internal and external injuries increases ‘slightly.’

Upon research: 50 Essence consumed, 1 day required』

Thinking of the research list from the status window I saw this morning, I let out a faint smile and stood up from my seat. And Seohwa looking at me like that with blank eyes.

“You said you’d do anything if I took Seowoo in?”

“Yes? Yes, that’s…….”

“Good. Then what I want is one thing.”

Extreme Yin Body, and one that’s even more than the Sword Sovereign’s, a constitution that draws Yin energy to the extreme.

As a martial artist, it’s innate talent. As a Sect Leader, I can’t let this kind of talent slip away. The method to cure it is also clear.

So.

“Become my.”

I will take Seohwa as my first disciple.

“Become a disciple of Uicheonmun.”