Chapter 5 – Heavenly Punishment and the Heavenly Martial Body

Chapter 5 – Heavenly Punishment and the Heavenly Martial Body

A sharp, tearing sound, as if it would split even space.

Boom!!

At the same time, thick dust rose along with an unexpected roar.

A strong recoil arose, like a tightly drawn bowstring leaving the hand.

Although my vision was blurry, I had to check if the Earth Dragon's massive body had distanced itself even a little.

‘Ugh, I can't see ahead…! Where is it? Did I buy enough time?’

I anxiously looked around.

At that moment, in the faintly filtering light, the face of Tang Hae-soo, who was next to me, first caught my eye.

“……!!!”

An expression mixed with bewilderment, shock… and faint relief.

I could not understand the reason.

However, in the very next moment, Tang Hae-soo's expression ended up appearing on my face as well.

“…Huh?”

The massive body came into view through the settling dust. The Earth Dragon was in the center of the cave wall, which was cracked like a spiderweb.

…Vertically.

The Earth Dragon hung as if stuffed, a flying dagger embedded in its wide-open mouth. Dark red blood was trickling down from between its parted teeth.

“……What?”

Did I really do that?

My mouth also fell wide open from an unexpected bewilderment rather than relief at having survived. For a sight that was realistically impossible was laid out before me.

“What on earth is going on…”

At that moment, I felt as if a tightly stretched thread had snapped with a click. Before I could even finish my words, I clutched my heart and collapsed to the ground.

Thump, thump, thump.

‘…Huh?’

Before I could properly grasp the situation, a flash of shock struck my entire body. An intense pain, as if explosives were detonating inside my body.

“Aaargh!”

Unknowingly, a scream burst from my mouth. The pain that felt like my entire body was being torn to shreds was far too horrific.

“Ugh, cough, cough! Ah, gasp…!”

Even as I covered my mouth, hot blood welled up and gushed out along with my coughs.

Seeing my vision blur with red, it seemed like blood was flowing from my eyes as well.

“Gasp, pant…! Gasp……”

The pain eating away at my sanity suffocated me. My consciousness, having vomited blood, gradually grew dim, and a sound like tinnitus rang sharply in my ears.

It was a pain I had already experienced before.

‘…My fate is truly terrible……’

There is no God.

Because if there is one, I will destroy him………

Beyond my fading consciousness, I heard Tang Hae-soo's voice calling me. When the face shaking my body came into view, a chuckle escaped me, unfitting for the situation.

Ah… look at his expression.

Well… even I would be shocked if someone was spitting blood and dying right in front of me…

But I feel like I've seen a kid with that expression somewhere before.

Where did I see it…

Ah…

I don't want to die………

As if falling into a deep sleep, my flickering consciousness instantly blacked out.

***

In front of the Medical Hall of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Tang Hae-soo, who was pacing around anxiously, cautiously asked Family Head Tang Hwa-seon.

“Father, what about San-ho…”

“The Divine Physician is examining him, so wait outside.”

At those words, Tang Hae-soo opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“…Did the Divine Physician come in person?”

There were countless physicians in the Jianghu.

However, there was only one physician called by the name of the Divine Physician.

Called the reincarnation of Hua Tuo, he was famous not only for his skills but also for the fact that his age could not be guessed.

This was because the age of the Divine Physician reported by those who had received treatment varied widely. Some said he was in his eighties, while others said he was in his forties. Some even said he was a young man in his thirties.

Since even his age could not be guessed, it was naturally impossible to identify who the Divine Physician was.

That meant that even if one offered a thousand gold coins, they could not find him first.

Therefore, meeting the Divine Physician even once in a lifetime could be considered an immense stroke of luck in itself.

“I was wondering why the Divine Physician suddenly made a visit to Tang Clan Castle, but what in the world is this…”

“………”

“First, pray for San-ho to wake up. We will discuss the punishment after that.”

Tang Hwa-seon said, firmly squeezing Tang Hae-soo's shoulder.

At that moment, the door of the Medical Hall opened, and the Divine Physician's disciple poked his head out.

“Family Head Tang, the Divine Physician has finished taking the pulse and said you may enter.”

Inhaling deeply as if to compose himself, Tang Hwa-seon stepped inside the Medical Hall.

“A great blessing has befallen the Tang Clan.”

The first words of the Divine Physician they encountered inside were something no one had expected.

“…Why do you say such words?”

Since it was not something to say about the dying San-ho, a look of bewilderment appeared on Tang Hwa-seon's face.

“I say this because there is something more important than life and death for the Young Master.”

At the Divine Physician's words, Tang Hae-soo, who had been in the cave with him, stepped forward hurriedly.

“He spit blood from his seven orifices, and both his breath and pulse were weak. Furthermore, the Yibin branch also said that his qi and blood were running wild, making it difficult to expect improvement…”

They had barely escaped the cave and rushed to the nearest medical pavilion.

It was a critical situation where his breath seemed like it would cut off at any moment. The rampaging qi and blood were barely suppressed by placing acupuncture needles in his acupoints, but they said it was only emergency treatment and would not cure him.

And yet, something more important than life and death?

“With the capabilities of ordinary physicians, holding it back would have been the limit. However, had you not treated him like that, he would have already lost his life. The Young Clan Leader made a wise choice. I have stabilized all of the rampaging qi and blood, so he will wake up soon.”

The Divine Physician comforted Tang Hae-soo and continued speaking.

“I heard before that his qi and blood have been tangled since birth, is that correct?”

“Yes. Innately, his energy could not circulate, and his body was weak. How is that…”

“Then the rampaging of his qi and blood must have been because of that. Since the tangled things must have been unstable while finding their proper places.”

“…Pardon?”

“Upon taking his pulse, there is no blood stasis, and the qi outside the meridians and the blood within the meridians are also circulating along the meridian points. It means there are no tangled places, so there is nothing to untangle either.”

“……!!”

At the Divine Physician's words, the eyes of those inside the Medical Hall widened.

He was a child destined to die young due to tangled qi and blood. Yet, all the tangled things had been untangled. Was this not something impossible unless one was reborn?

“In such cases, the causes are divided into the Six Excesses and internal causes, and in the Young Master's case, it appears to be due to internal causes. Meaning, internal changes rather than external factors have completely altered his Twelve Standard Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Vessels.”

“……Are you saying such a thing is possible?”

“Ninety-nine out of a hundred would die, but it is not entirely impossible. Above all, whether it is due to that influence or because his innate nature has only now been revealed… the Young Master's constitution has also changed.”

Tang Hwa-seon waited for the Divine Physician's words with a tense gaze.

“In the world, they call this kind of constitution the Heavenly Martial Body.”

“……!!!”

At that moment, an expression of astonishment appeared on everyone's faces. The Divine Physician continued speaking with a benevolent smile.

“I never expected that this old man would see here what I have only seen once in my entire lifetime. Hoho.”

No one could open their mouth at the hard-to-believe story. It was Tang Hwa-seon who broke the brief silence.

“…I do not think the Divine Physician would be wrong, but I simply cannot believe it. Not only did his qi and blood find their proper places overnight, but to think it is the Heavenly Martial Body…”

When qi and blood were tangled, the things that should circulate could not flow properly and were bound to be blocked. Such a constitution was also a type of severed meridian syndrome, an innate, incurable disease often referred to as 'Heavenly Punishment.' This was because, unable to properly circulate energy, it was difficult to learn martial arts, and health also deteriorated, leading to an early death.

But what was the Heavenly Martial Body?

Referred to as a martial artist blessed by heaven, those with the Heavenly Martial Body possessed outstanding comprehension, and their blood vessels were cleared without blockages, so even when training in the same martial arts as others, their achievements were incomparably fast. Furthermore, the speed at which their internal energy grew also defied all predictions.

Even if they learned a third-rate martial art, they would become a top-tier martial artist, and if they learned high-level martial arts, the position of the world's strongest was practically guaranteed; such was the constitution known as the Heavenly Martial Body.

In other words, the youngest son of the Sichuan Tang Clan, who had been destined to die young let alone become a martial artist…

Had cast away the Heavenly Punishment by himself and been reborn with the Heavenly Martial Body.

“How could a mere human fully know the will of heaven? However… it seems there was something so desperate within the Young Master that it even changed the constitution bestowed by heaven. Leading me to this place is of the same principle.”

Having finished speaking, the Divine Physician silently looked down at the sleeping Tang San-ho and fell into thought.

‘A child with the will to overturn heaven's mandate…… I do not know what was so desperate, but I cannot help but wonder about the intent he harbors.’

The Divine Physician looked at Tang Hae-soo, who still had a confused expression, and asked.

“By the way, did you say that even the Earth Dragon's poison did not work on him?”

Tang Hae-soo, who had been dazed, snapped out of it at the Divine Physician's voice and replied.

“Yes. It happened so instantly that even I was poisoned and had to use my internal energy, but for some reason, San-ho showed no symptoms of being affected by the poison.”

“Humm……”

Recalling something for a moment, the Divine Physician pulled out a wooden case. Inside the small case made of paulownia wood were long acupuncture needles.

The Divine Physician placed three needles in sequence on the inside of San-ho's forearm, watched for a moment, and then nodded.

“To think there is not even a reaction to this level of poison…… This child, he must have ingested poison while in his mother's womb, correct? For the Tang Clan's poison arts build resistance starting from the womb.”

“That is true, but… since he could not circulate energy, he has never learned poison arts.”

“I suspect that, having been born with a body unable to properly employ internal energy, the toxic qi and the energy of the spiritual medicines accumulated over time were clumped together in his elixir field. And this time, those energies burst forth. It is still unstable, but if managed well, it might be worth aiming for the stage of Ten Ten Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.”

“……!!”

Ten Ten Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity.

Meaning being immune to ten thousand poisons, it was a stage where one was virtually unaffected by any existing poison. It was also the stage pursued by the martial artists of the Tang Clan who researched poisons and practiced poison arts.

Even in the Sichuan Tang Clan, known as the progenitors of poison, those who had reached the stage of Ten Ten Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity were few enough to be counted on one's fingers.

“My, some good news will be heard from the Tang Clan before long. I shall look forward to that day. Hoho!”

Laughing heartily, the Divine Physician wrote down precautions and a prescription to make a decoction. Then, he departed as suddenly as he had knocked on the gates of Tang Clan Castle.

Family Head Tang Hwa-seon remained in the Medical Hall with Tang Hae-soo and looked at the sleeping San-ho. Quietly organizing his thoughts amidst the tranquil silence, Tang Hwa-seon opened his mouth.

“Do you know why I had San-ho accompany you on this search?”

“I do not know. I know you had a separate intention, but this son is foolish and could not grasp your meaning.”

“It was not my intention. San-ho requested it first. Asking to let him go along on the search.”

Heaving a low sigh, Tang Hwa-seon recalled that gaze.

San-ho had always been held back by his constitution. Born intelligent, he had wanted to learn martial arts, but understanding them was difficult, and watching the child pile up frustrations was painful for Tang Hwa-seon as well. The child was often frustrated and frequently sick, but despite all that, he was always bright and warm. If only I had passed down a robust body to him. Whenever such thoughts arose, his heart would grow heavy, and he would turn back his steps heading toward the detached pavilion.

Then one day, San-ho came to the Family Head's Hall, looked at him with unfamiliar eyes, and spoke of something incomprehensible.

– Father, please let me accompany you on this search. No matter what happens to me, no matter what I say, you must send me.

San-ho would sometimes say such meaningless things. Like a preview of events that had not yet occurred.

“He would not bend his will. As if he knew it would turn out exactly like this.”

Tang Hwa-seon gently stroked San-ho's hair with a hand showing the traces of time.

“Not only has he regained his health, but to think it is the Heavenly Martial Body…”

“…Father.”

“I should hold you responsible for this matter, but considering this to also be the will of heaven, I will command something else.”

Looking at his two sons, Tang Hwa-seon's eyes were firm and unwavering.

***

‘It's dazzling……’

I was dying of sleepiness, but it seemed someone had left the window open.

As the sunlight touched my eyelids, my brow furrowed at the unfamiliar sensation.

Huh? Wait a minute.

“…It's dazzling?”

And as soon as I realized that, my eyes snapped open.

I saw a ceiling that was unfamiliar yet known. It was the ceiling I had seen when I first woke up in the body of Tang San-ho of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

‘Am I actually alive?’

When I raised my hand and felt my face, a soft texture was felt.

Which meant………

“……I didn't die?”

Since it was a pain I had already experienced, I thought the outcome would be the same. But this time, I opened my eyes again without dying.

“I worry that your stupidity might be contagious.”

“Whoa, damn! You startled me… What? What are you doing there?”

Startled by the voice that suddenly came out of nowhere, I sat up in surprise.

Tang Hae-soo, who was sitting at the table reading a book, stared at me intently and spoke.

“Nursing.”

…I don't think so?

When I hesitated without replying, Tang Hae-soo closed the book and walked over to me.

“There is good news and even better news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Having come back to life after dying, good news was waiting for me. I was thrilled.

“The good news.”

Since it was better to save the delicious food and eat it at the end, hearing the even better news later would make it twice as good, right?

“The Family Head has given you permission to learn martial arts. Starting from basic training, you will train just like the martial artists of the Tang Clan, and you will also learn the secret techniques of the direct lineage.”

‘Sob… It's a success, babysitting is a success.’

Tears were on the verge of welling up at my hard work. It was worth risking my life without turning a blind eye to this minor.

“What about the better one?”

I asked with sparkling eyes. If the good news was already at this level, I looked forward to how good the even better news would be.

‘As expected, heaven never closes all doors. Finally, the romantic life of a strong person is mine! A golden opportunity to learn martial arts that I only imagined!’

Tang Hae-soo spoke, still with an expressionless face.