Chapter 5. A Recovery Speed Beyond Imagination

The family head had tried to die with his grandson.

No one in the family had stopped him. Even at the moment of taking the poison, no one appeared. It was no exaggeration to say that everyone’s minds had been shattered.

‘What about this body’s parents?’

Would any parent not come to see their sick child?

Hugong inwardly shook his head.

‘No way. They must have already passed away.’

Could it be that the death of his parents had driven Beomhang to such an extreme?

The moment the question arose, Hugong shook it off.

He didn’t need to understand those circumstances.

What was important was how he had come to be in this body.

Suddenly, the Sword Saint’s words came to mind.

– Hugong… you too cannot be eternal. In the darkness, I saw it. Whether it was my delusion… or a dream… you losing everything…

What else did he say… right.

– You, who have become a fragile form that sways even in the wind… I hope it is so. I hope that is your ruin…

It was just as he had said.

A fragile form, a body like a blade of grass. Losing everything.

The feeling was not pleasant.

‘That Sword Saint fellow, he would have been amazing if he had just set up a fortune-telling mat.’

Had he caught a glimpse of a fragment of the future while being swallowed by demonic nature? Or was it just a delusion? In the end, it was just as the Sword Saint had said. He had lost everything. Even his plump flesh…

‘Well, I can just start over.’

He would soon find out the cause.

Until then, he had to focus on gathering information and recovering his body.

Then, suddenly, Hugong realized he had forgotten something important.

‘Oh no! I haven’t eaten anything yet.’

All he had eaten was poison and a small amount of water.

The night was deep, and it was time to fill his stomach. He thought he could manage to sit up if he put some effort into it, so he opened his eyes.

“Oh!”

Hugong flinched as he opened his eyes.

Someone’s face was close in front of him.

It was too close. It was thrust forward to about a hand’s breadth away, and just as Hugong opened his eyes, they both got startled.

The other person was more startled.

“Kyaaah!”

She let out a sharp scream and stumbled backward in fright.

It was a young woman. She had a small frame but was pretty, and of course, it was a face he had never seen before.

“I-I’m sorry. There was something on the young master’s chin, and I was trying to remove it…”

The woman composed herself and begged for forgiveness.

He was not pleased.

Hugong frowned and inwardly clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t because of the woman’s actions or her apology.

It was because reality had hit him.

How could he not have noticed someone in the same room, right in front of his eyes? It was a distance where he could even hear her breath.

In his past, he could have distinguished what kind of insect was crawling over a hundred yards away, how many legs it had, and even if one of its legs was moving slower, whether it was numb or injured. But now, his sensory abilities were practically non-existent.

“Your face was too close. You must have bad eyesight.”

“N-no. I’m sorry, young master.”

The woman didn’t know what to do with herself.

Hugong, considering the woman was dressed as a maid, used a casual tone.

“What’s your name?”

“My name?”

“Yes.”

“Um… young master, has your head really gone strange because of the poison?”

“Huh?”

The woman’s words were refreshing.

Hugong examined the woman more closely.

It wasn’t just her tone of speech that was strange.

She was dressed as a maid, but for a maid, her body was well-balanced, and the divine light in her eyes was contained, indicating that she had learned martial arts.

“Hmm, it’s not just strange. I seem to be a complete mess. Even my memory.”

“Really?”

“You don’t have a name, do you?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. My name is Songhwa.”

Hugong smiled faintly and tried to sit up.

It wasn’t easy as the left side of his body was partially paralyzed. As he grunted and struggled, Songhwa quickly supported him.

“Songhwa.”

“Yes, young master.”

“I’m feeling empty inside. My stomach is empty, so go and make some porridge. We can talk while I eat…”

“What?”

Songhwa’s eyes widened.

Her reaction was so extreme that Hugong couldn’t finish his sentence.

Was the mention of eating something so surprising?

But he understood immediately.

‘Right, there’s no way Beomhang would have asked to eat something himself. If he had eaten properly, his body wouldn’t be in this state.’

Hugong showed a gentle smile.

“There’s no need to be surprised. From now on…”

“Young master, what’s wrong with you?”

“Hehe, I said there’s no need to be surprised.”

“You can’t do this!”

Songhwa’s eyes turned fierce.

“Huh?”

“Why are you trying to eat?”

At first, he thought he had misheard, but Songhwa’s eyes were turning venomous, so it seemed he had heard correctly.

“Are you trying to eat and gain strength?”

“That’s right.”

“What are you going to do with that strength?”

“Just… you know… live.”

“No, that’s not it. You’re trying to gain strength to die, aren’t you? You’re trying to recover the strength to die so you can die again, aren’t you? You’re anxious right now because you don’t have the strength to die. Right?”

Sparks flew from Songhwa’s eyes.

If he insisted on eating, she looked ready to strike him, master or not.

‘Beomhang, you rascal, were you this bad?’

For a maid to be in this state.

Of course, the maid didn’t seem to be a normal person either.

Did she not consider that he would die if he didn’t eat? Whether she was a maid or a guard, he wished she would at least let him eat and then watch over him.

“Are you by any chance my fiancée or something?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“If you were my fiancée, I was going to break off the engagement. It’s the trend these days.”

“You’re even making jokes. Everyone is tired because of you, young master. The family head, the young masters, and all of us. It’s gotten to the point where we’re saying we should all just die. And now you want to eat again?”

Hugong tilted his head and opened his mouth.

“What should I do?”

“You have to live diligently. You have to have a passion for life, run towards your goals, eat well, sleep well, laugh, be moved, and see hope.”

“Yes, that’s right. And among those, I plan to start with eating well.”

“No. I can’t trust you.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to starve.”

“You have to eat well, why would you starve? What on earth is wrong with you!”

“…”

Hugong was dumbfounded.

She made a fuss if he said he would eat, and she made a fuss if he said he would starve.

At this point, it was safe to say that not only the family and relatives of the Cheonhwa Library but also the guards and maids were going crazy.

‘How many times has this girl watched Beomhang try to commit suicide?’

Seeing that Songhwa had learned martial arts, she must be a maid and a suicide prevention measure.

In that case, this maid had every right to not be in her right mind.

In that sense, arguing about whether to eat or not was meaningless.

Hugong gave up quickly.

“Songhwa, there’s something I want to ask. Who is the current Martial Alliance Leader?”

“Why the Alliance Leader?”

Sharp again.

Everything he asked was met with sharpness.

“Why are you suddenly curious about the Alliance Leader?”

“Tell me. With that pretty mouth of yours.”

“Pre… pretty… hmm…”

Songhwa tucked her lips inward.

She didn’t know where to look, then opened her mouth coyly.

“Alright. The story of the Alliance Leader is an interesting one, so I’ll explain that much.”

“Oh, interesting?”

Since it was a story about himself, Hugong, as the former Martial Alliance Leader, perked up his ears.

“Of course it’s interesting. The Martial Alliance Leader. He’s a pig, a pig. A huge fatty.”

“Uh…”

“He’s so fat that when he walks, he waddles. He’s so fat that his cheeks are pushed up, and his eyes always look like they’re closed. Haha, and he goes around boasting that he’s the Strongest Under Heaven, isn’t that ridiculous?”

“…”

“About half a year ago, they say he killed the Sword Saint with that body. Spreading such ridiculous rumors that would make a passing dog laugh. What’s with all this talk of being the Strongest Under Heaven when all he does is eat? He must have gotten that position through power, not martial arts. That fatty Alliance Leader’s name is…”

“That’s enough.”

Hugong cut her off in a low voice.

“Young master, you suddenly don’t look well?”

“I’m never well.”

“No, you’re different from just a moment ago. What’s wrong?”

“It’s because of you.”

“Me?”

“You are a truly wicked child.”

“What did I do?”

“To say such things to a person’s face… no, even if the person isn’t in front of you, how can you speak so ill of others?”

“No, it’s not. They say he’s really fat.”

“Ahem! Why do you keep saying he’s fat!”

Hugong flared up and added.

“He must have a fine physique.”

“They said it’s not to that extent.”

“That’s not true. Anyway, it’s a fine physique! And the Martial Alliance Leader must be a wonderful and cool person who lives every day to the best of his ability for the peace and order of the martial world, so I’m disappointed that you judge people so carelessly just because you’re pretty.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear it. You don’t even know how cool and charming a plump person can be…”

“What? A plump person? Do you really think so?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

At the firm answer, Songhwa’s expression became subtle. She looked dazed for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut and opened them as if she had come to her senses.

“So you want to become plump too, young master?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll go and prepare a meal right away.”

“You should hurry!”

As Songhwa left, Hugong shook his head.

‘Hmm… so the timeline is the same, then does that mean Beomhang and I have undergone soul transmigration with each other?’

If so, it meant that Beomhang had taken over his body in the Alliance.

‘That Beomhang fellow… I wonder if he’s dumbfounded. No… Ah…’

Dumbfounded or not, Hugong raised his hand and looked at it.

The numerous scars on his wrist.

An ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

‘Huh… could it be that he died in my body… No way. No matter what…’

***

Ten days passed quickly.

Hugong lay in bed, circulating his inner cultivation art.

He wasn’t expecting any achievements in a short period.

The weakness and frailty of this body were beyond words, so he was just gently soothing his blood vessels and opening the flow of his acupoints. He had to at least reach the level of a normal person from this vegetative state.

His body’s recovery was fast.

He consistently took the medicine prescribed by the physician, and although his meals were only porridge, he had two bowls as a basic. As a result, the paralysis in his body was almost gone, and the pain had subsided.

In the meantime, the news from the Alliance that he had been wanting to hear arrived.

It was late at night.

“You never know with people. To think Young Master Beom’s recovery speed is so fast.”

“It’s strange. This shouldn’t be happening…”

By the bed, the physician and the family head were amazed.

It was half joy, half concern.

Hugong pretended to be asleep and listened to their words.

“Is there any need to worry in advance? Seeing that the Eldest Young Master is eating well and not refusing his restorative medicine, it seems the Blood Rain Poison has become a blessing in disguise.”

“I’m afraid to have hope. He’s probably like this because he has temporarily lost his memory. Still, I hope it’s as you say. You never know with people.”

“Of course.”

“Honestly, who would have imagined? Who would have thought that the Alliance Leader, Hugong, would take his own life?”

“I know, right. Not at the hands of the Demonic Cult or the Ghost Cloud Sect, but suicide. It seems even the Strongest Under Heaven had his own troubles. I guess you really can’t judge a person by their cover… huh?”

The physician stopped talking and looked at the bed with surprised eyes.

The family head, Beomcheon, also had his eyes wide open.

His eldest grandson, who had been asleep, was suddenly writhing.

A grinding sound also came from his mouth.

“Family Head, the Eldest Young Master is grinding his teeth.”

“Hmph… he must be having a bad dream.”

But how could the two of them have guessed?

That the one in this place was Hugong.

Although Hugong had guessed that Beomhang might commit suicide after the soul transmigration, now that it was confirmed as a fact, his sense of loss was beyond words. He felt like his head would explode with anger.