Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Namgung Cheon was walking the streets of Yueyang while holding Dan So-mi's hand. Because he wore a bamboo hat to hide his face, no one noticed that he was the Sword Emperor.

'Why on earth am I doing this?'

Namgung Cheon let out a short groan.

Taking Dan So-mi to the academy and bringing her back was usually Dan U-hyeon's role.

However, since he was suddenly told to do so this morning, he, as a houseguest, had no choice but to accept.

That did not mean he was in a bad mood, though.

Dan So-mi was a child who felt like his own granddaughter.

In fact, he was treating her several times better than when Namgung So-hye was young.

She was such an affectionate and cute child, and her behavior was so lovely that Namgung Cheon, who usually did not do such things, even kissed her on the cheek.

It was just that he did not quite like doing what Dan U-hyeon ordered.

"Hoho, how is it? Do you like it?"

"Yes! I really like coming out with you, Grandfather!"

Dan So-mi nodded with a bright smile. Although going sightseeing in Yueyang with Dan U-hyeon was a common occurrence, doing it with Namgung Cheon was a first.

Therefore, Dan So-mi was in a very excited mood.

The two, old and young, began to look around here and there.

They visited the place where they usually bought and ate sweet treats, and went to the lined-up street stalls one by one to put food in their mouths as a substitute for lunch.

Only when their bellies became completely full did the two stop eating.

"I… I am extremely full."

"…Somi is too."

They sat down in a place where people did not pass by often and rubbed their bellies. Because they had eaten so many different things, their bellies swelled up as if they were about to burst at any moment.

It felt like nothing more could possibly fit inside.

"Ah, now that I think about it, there is something fun over there."

At that moment, Dan So-mi jumped up and led Namgung Cheon, running toward a certain place.

Following Somi as she ran vigorously, they arrived at a shop selling masks.

There were quite a lot of bizarre masks.

"Is this the fun thing?"

Dan So-mi quickly nodded.

After putting on a mask made in the shape of a white tiger, she made a roaring sound.

Namgung Cheon wore a warm smile at the sight, which was not scary at all but only cute.

"Here! Try this on!"

Soon, Dan So-mi handed him a mask.

The mask, which was painted white overall and did not have any patterns drawn on it, looked somewhat sharp.

However, the price was considerable.

A whopping one silver liang.

For something that did not even have a pattern on it, he thought it was an absurdly expensive price.

He wondered what on earth this was.

"What is this made to imitate?"

Namgung Cheon asked the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper pointed toward a certain spot with an awkward smile.

"Do you see over there? It is a puppet show place…"

"It seems so."

"It is the mask of the main character who appears over there. It is extremely famous among children. He is a hero called the Gentleman Sword."

"Gentleman… Sword?"

To think that such a grand title was used for a mere puppet show? Namgung Cheon found it quite amusing, so he smiled and tried on the mask.

Unlike its appearance, the mask was not that bad.

The fit was also quite decent.

When a child looked at Namgung Cheon wearing the mask and shouted, "It's the Gentleman Sword!", a strange thing even happened where children from all around looked at him.

The moment Namgung Cheon was about to quietly take off the mask and set it down, he saw Dan So-mi's face beside him, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

One silver liang, that amount of money was not a problem since he had received some from Dan U-hyeon, but wasn't it too expensive for a mere mask?

"Grandfather, it suits you well! Very much!"

At that voice full of anticipation, Namgung Cheon broke out in a cold sweat.

'This is why they say children's business is the most profitable business. Hoho.'

For the first time, Namgung Cheon felt a shudder of disgust toward merchants.

* * *

Returning to the manor, Namgung Cheon felt Dan U-hyeon's gaze. Sitting in the pavilion in the yard and spending a leisurely time, he looked at Namgung Cheon and wore a strange smile.

"You ended up buying it for her."

"Did you know?"

"At least the fact that Somi wanted to have it."

Although she did not show it, it was revealed on her face.

Every time they passed the place where the puppet show was held, and every time they brushed past the mask stall selling nearby, her gaze always went to that mask.

However, he did not buy it for her on purpose.

The toys that children preferred originally kept changing as time passed, and moreover, he did not feel like buying an item made of cheap materials for a high price.

With that money, he could buy Dan So-mi more delicious food and dress her in better clothes.

Of course, it was not because one silver liang was particularly wasteful.

"I am glad you got what you wanted to have."

"N… No! Somi does not care much for this! This is Grandfather's."

In a flurry, Somi waved her hands and handed the mask to Namgung Cheon. She was not exactly telling a lie.

She had wanted to have it that much, but while coming all the way from Yueyang to this place, she had worn it on her face and played with it to her heart's content.

But it was not very fun.

Wearing the mask did not make her strong like the Gentleman Sword, and since it covered her face, the stuffiness was beyond description.

Now it was a useless item.

Even though only about two hours had passed since they bought the mask.

Dan U-hyeon smiled awkwardly, and Namgung Cheon cleared his throat. He could certainly feel the sign that she was already tired of playing with the mask.

"Th… Then Somi will go inside and study."

Pitter-patter…

With an awkward expression, Dan So-mi went into the room.

Looking back repeatedly, she briefly held onto a lingering attachment to the mask, but realizing its uselessness once she actually had it in her hands, she easily cut off her attachment.

"I realize anew that raising a young child is a difficult thing. Hahaha."

Namgung Cheon let out a hearty laugh and sat down next to Dan U-hyeon.

Although he had raised his own children, during their childhood, nannies looked after them for the most part, and as they grew up little by little, he only trained them harshly, never playing with them like Dan So-mi.

Therefore, the time spent with Dan So-mi was quite a novel thing for Namgung Cheon, and it was also his first experience.

In the past, whenever he heard people complaining about how hard it was to raise a child, Namgung Cheon could not easily understand it.

"Come to think of it, do you… know a little about the energy-dispersing poison?"

Namgung Cheon brought up what he had deliberately not asked until now. Since losing the match of martial forms last time, a somewhat awkward feeling had remained in his treatment of Dan U-hyeon.

It was to the extent that he could not even bring up the topic properly.

But now, since the atmosphere had become somewhat relaxed thanks to Dan So-mi, he asked what he had been curious about for a long time.

Since Dan U-hyeon had a somewhat mysterious side, he thought he might know about the energy-dispersing poison.

"Does a person of the caliber of the Sword Emperor ask me that?"

"Hoho, this old man also lived thinking he knew most things… but when the situation actually hit, it was not the case. And did you not say so as well? That there is no distinction of gender or age in learning. Might you not know what this old man does not know?"

"Haha."

Dan U-hyeon burst into laughter.

To use the exact story he had told last time, he was indeed an old man like a sly old fox.

Though his skill was insignificant, it seemed the years he had lived through were not in vain.

Dan U-hyeon let out a small sigh and spoke.

"Energy-dispersing poison… I know it very well indeed."

Soon, he smirked.

It was exactly one thousand years ago when the thing called energy-dispersing poison first began to appear in this Central Plains.

It was at that time when he was cutting down countless martial artists and showing off the power of the Heavenly Killing Star.

Starting from the thought that they might be able to kill Dan U-hyeon if they could just disrupt that terrifying internal energy, the thing created was none other than the energy-dispersing poison.

"You mean you know about it well?"

"Of course. I have experienced it a few times."

"…?!"

Namgung Cheon looked at Dan U-hyeon with a startled expression.

If one fell victim to the energy-dispersing poison, it was normal that not even a single speck of internal energy should remain.

Just like the current Namgung Cheon. However, seeing that Dan U-hyeon still possessed internal energy in his body, he seemed to have a method to detoxify it.

Suddenly, Namgung Cheon's heart began to beat wildly.

He thought that perhaps he might be able to regain his complete strength.

Gulp!

Swallowing his dry saliva, he reached out his trembling hand and grabbed Dan U-hyeon's hand. He stared at Dan U-hyeon with a desperate look in his eyes.

"Tell me! The method to make the antidote, that is!"

"An antidote?"

Dan U-hyeon thought for a moment.

The manufacturing method of the energy-dispersing poison was truly difficult.

In fact, it was such a top secret that even Dan U-hyeon did not properly know how to make it, and though he had caught the creators one by one and smashed them, he could not find out all of it because they all knew only a part of the method.

Originally, an antidote meant analyzing the ingredients of the poison or finding out the manufacturing method to create an ingredient that could overcome it.

However, there was no such thing for the energy-dispersing poison.

It was an absurd poison just by the fact that it disrupted internal energy. How could it eliminate internal energy that was not even visible to the eye?

The brains of the guys who created it were very sharp.

'Well, since they were guys from the Blood Demon's side, it made sense.'

It was the Blood Demon Sacred Cult that gave birth to the energy-dispersing poison.

At that time, Dan U-hyeon and the Blood Demon Sacred Cult were in the middle of a bloody fight, and from the perspective of the Blood Demon Sacred Cult, there was a need to create something to stop the Martial God by any means.

The result of that was none other than the energy-dispersing poison.

Poisoned by it, Dan U-hyeon was chased by them for over two months, escaping the crisis of death several times.

Though there were countless crises since his birth, it was the first time he faced death so closely.

Even so, what was the reason he overcame the energy-dispersing poison?

Everything created by humans had a weakness.

"Do you think that the thing called energy-dispersing poison can actually disrupt all internal energy?"

"…It is indeed so."

"No. The energy-dispersing poison blocks the flow of internal energy and makes it unable to move."

"…!"

"In other words, the internal energy you possess still remains in your body as it is, but because the energy-dispersing poison blocking the flow is too strong, your internal energy cannot overcome it."

"Th… Then does that mean it can be cured?"

Dan U-hyeon nodded.

Although it was not an easy task, it could sufficiently be done. Although it was premised on having the mental strength to match, someone of the Sword Emperor's level would be able to regain his strength in a few months or a few years.

"If the path that must flow is blocked, it is best to make a hole there. If even a single pinhole is created, the things inside will destroy what is blocking it and pour out."

Namgung Cheon did not understand what he was talking about.

The energy-dispersing poison and internal energy were not visible to the eye, but remained in the body. Did making a hole there mean stabbing the dantian with a knife?

If he did that, he would lose not only his internal energy but even his dantian.

It was not Zen dialogue, and it clearly seemed to have some meaning, but Namgung Cheon could not understand it at all with his head.

"If you do not know the meaning, think about it carefully."

He stared blankly at Dan U-hyeon, who stood up from his seat. Without giving the answer, he had instead made his mind even more complicated. However, since it was the word of a person who had personally experienced the energy-dispersing poison, he could not listen to it lightly either.

Namgung Cheon fell into thought while breaking out in a cold sweat.

Crash!

At that moment, the main gate opened without hesitation.

"M… Master!"

Jang Sam-tae was running in while gasping for breath.

He raised his voice while holding something in one hand, and at that disturbance, Namgung Cheon and Dan U-hyeon frowned.