Rebirth of the Thunder God

Even after drinking the poison, Namgung Hui did not show any immediate reaction.

He knew that the physician before him would not have acted on his own.

He simply placed the empty bowl down and asked casually.

“Phew…! This medicinal soup is truly bitter. So bitter. By the way, who sent something so precious? Guiwon Bocheon-tang, the name itself sounds expensive.”

“Ahem! Wouldn't it be the Eldest Young Master, of course? Well then, the Fourth Young Master needs to rest, so I shall take my leave.”

The physician quickly disappeared from the room with hurried steps.

It felt as if a person who hadn't even learned martial arts had performed a movement technique.

Namgung Hui gave a small nod at the physician's behavior.

‘So my eldest brother is not the culprit.’

There was a method called the process of elimination, used by a martial artist named Ga Usu from the Martial Alliance's investigation team to identify suspects.

It was an investigative technique used to remove the names of innocent people from the list of suspects, just like now.

As names were eliminated one by one, only the culprit's name would remain.

Besides, the attempt to so blatantly frame the eldest brother made it obvious that he wasn't the one.

A strong affirmation was like a strong denial.

And above all, unlike the second or third brothers, the eldest brother and Namgung Hui shared the same mother.

Though she was no longer alive.

Namgung Hui looked up, tracing the bitter memory.

He stared at the unseen sky beyond the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment.

‘Brother. The family has changed so much in sixty years. How can family members aim for each other's lives? It seems the family has fallen into decline after you died, sworn brother. They say a rich family lasts for three generations even after ruin, but it seems that was all a lie.’

It was understandable. Namgung Cheonhu, who was called the Martial God, had died without properly leaving behind his insights.

It was unavoidable as he had been fighting relentlessly against the Heavenly Demon Cult during the Great War between Justice and Evil.

Even Lee Jasung, who was the Thunder God, had died without being able to take a disciple.

A family or sect that lost its insights was bound to walk the path of decline.

This wasn't a problem unique to the Namgung family either…….

Namgung Hui pushed aside his complicated thoughts for a moment and called for Chohwa, who was beside him.

“Chohwa.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Have any acquaintances of my second or third brothers visited the family estate recently?”

The sickly young master, Namgung Hui, with his gaunt limbs, was naturally ignorant of the surrounding affairs.

Even before being struck by lightning, he had been a sickly person, always lying in his room.

It was a remarkable coincidence that he was struck by lightning the moment he went out for some fresh air.

‘They say that when coincidences overlap, it becomes inevitable. In a way, my reincarnation into the Namgung family might be the will of heaven.’

Chohwa's eyes widened at Namgung Hui's question as she spoke.

“How did you know about that, Young Master? Ah! You knew all along and were just asking. You're testing me, aren't you? Ask me something else. I'll get it right, no matter what.”

Chohwa had a rather quirky side to her.

Like how she was now fantasizing wildly about the question Namgung Hui had just asked.

However, Namgung Hui already knew Chohwa's personality, so he continued to ask with a gentle smile.

“And those people didn't hand anything to my brothers?”

“Ooh! You knew that too. That's right. They handed it over so secretly that no one could see what it was. The maids were whispering among themselves, wondering if it was a love letter. Oh! Surely the Third Young Master's preference isn't for men, is it?”

“Preference for men… that’s an interesting thing to say. Alright! Then since I don't know my third brother's preferences either, why don't you try to find out, Chohwa.”

“Hehe. Leave it to me! I'll investigate every single person he meets.”

Chohwa, having been given a mission by Namgung Hui, quickly opened the door and rushed out.

Seeing her cheeks flush, it seemed she was quite curious about the third brother's preferences.

‘Then, it’s my turn.’

Although Namgung Hui had calmed the rampaging lightning energy in his body, the body itself was in the worst possible condition.

The muscles were all damaged, and even the sense of his nerves was faint.

He had been bedridden for nearly ten years, suffering from illness, so it would be strange if he were healthy.

Even so, Namgung Hui did not feel frustrated or depressed.

Who was he? He was one of the Three Martial Gods, known as the Thunder God.

‘I need to activate the nervous system with the Pure Lightning Essence first. As for the muscles, I'll have to train them once the nerves are back……. There's a mountain of things to do, from one to ten.’

Compared to the Thunder God's realm, the difference was as vast as that between the sun and a firefly.

Moreover, there was someone in his family who was after his life.

But for some reason, a smile kept appearing on Namgung Hui's face.

The reason was none other than.

‘It’s my face, but it’s really handsome. I look forward to how much more handsome I'll become once I regain my health. Uhahaha!’

Namgung Hui hummed as he sat on the bed and searched his memories.

To regain his health as quickly as possible, he needed the insights he had achieved in his past life.

Not only that, but the insights his sworn brother had left behind must also be somewhere in the house, so searching for his traces would be a small happiness.

And so, Namgung Hui's smile deepened even further.

* * *

Did they say time flies like an arrow?

Before long, a fortnight had passed.

A fortnight might be quite short for some.

And for others, it was a considerably long time.

Those who were waiting were bound to feel that this time was relatively long.

Namgung Sang, the third young master of the Namgung family, was one such person.

“The youngest is still alive? Physician Hwang, didn't you say you fed him that?”

“Yes. I personally confirmed the empty bowl and brought it out. A considerable amount of money was spent, as I had to feed it to him four times.”

Poison was, in fact, an expensive item comparable to an elixir if one only considered its monetary value.

Poisons were rare to begin with, but deadly poisons had to be obtained secretly, so the price was bound to jump.

Namgung Sang glared at Physician Hwang before him and spoke again.

“Are you sure the item was genuine? You weren't scammed, were you?”

“It is an item received from the Five Poisons Sect. Even if they are an unorthodox sect, would they dare to scam the Namgung family? In any case, they said someone would be coming from their side regarding this matter, so I plan to ask them to check the Fourth Young Master's pulse as well. Wouldn't they be able to find out something?”

Only at the mention that the Five Poisons Sect would be coming in person did Namgung Sang's expression relax somewhat.

But as if he couldn't be at ease, he said with a sharp look in his eyes.

“Yes. If it doesn't work, tell them to use their hands directly if they have to. We need to handle this quickly while Father is in seclusion.”

As Namgung Sang finished speaking, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes.

* * *

Namgung Hui stretched his arms wide, thrusting his fists towards the sky.

“Haaam~!”

He let out a long yawn and then shot up from the bed.

Then he looked at the mirror in front of him and smiled with satisfaction.

‘I've grown taller in the meantime. I've also put on a decent amount of weight. There's still a long way to go, but it's not a bad start.’

For a fortnight, Namgung Hui had inhaled food as if he were possessed.

He was depleting the kitchen's ingredients to an extent that would have surprised even the beggars of the Beggars' Sect.

Overeating was normally poison for a sick person's body, but thanks to the effect of the Pure Lightning Essence, he could not only digest it but also absorb it entirely as nutrients.

As a result, the sickly complexion on his face had disappeared, and he had even grown in muscle and height.

Namgung Hui shook his body here and there, then clenched his fist and nodded.

‘This should be enough to start. It seems they have also finished their preparations, so shall we go now.’

-Creeak.

When Namgung Hui opened the door and came out, Chohwa greeted him with a bright smile.

“Young Master, it seems your face shines brighter with each passing day.”

“I am not a luminous pearl, how could I emit light? And from today, you don't have to bring my meals to the room.”

“It's more convenient for me, which is nice, but is it okay for you to move already? Physician Hwang said we should watch for another day, didn't he?”

“Chohwa. Do you trust Physician Hwang's words? Or do you trust me?”

Chohwa replied with a lighthearted laugh.

“Hehe. Of course, it's you, Young Master. Actually, I'm only saying this because Physician Hwang isn't here, but I think he's a quack. I heard there's a fly swatter developed by the Zhuge family, maybe I should just swat him with it.”

Namgung Hui let out a dry laugh at Chohwa's nonsense and shook his head.

“Then, when Physician Hwang comes with the medicinal soup, tell him to wait a moment. I have some business to attend to and will be back.”

“Where are you going?”

“The Azure Sky Pavilion. I need to go look at some martial arts manuals.”

* * *

Azure Sky Pavilion.

It was a martial arts library that only the direct line of the Namgung family could enter.

Its location was also in the center of the Namgung family estate, so it was some distance from Namgung Hui's quarters.

Therefore, Namgung Hui had to walk for quite a long time to reach the Azure Sky Pavilion.

When he arrived at the Azure Sky Pavilion, he saw warriors guarding the library.

All of them had bulging temples, indicating they were proper masters.

Namgung Hui let out a sigh of relief inwardly at the sight of such warriors.

‘Truly, a rich family lasts for three generations even after ruin.’

Looking at the reliable warriors, Namgung Hui nodded his head.

At that level, they would be more than capable of guarding the library.

Perhaps because they were such high-level warriors, they immediately sensed Namgung Hui's presence and asked.

“Who are you, young master?”

Was it because it had been a long time since Namgung Hui had been outside? They seemed not to recognize him.

It had been a long time, and he had gained muscle and his complexion had improved, so it wasn't entirely impossible.

“My name is Namgung Hui.”

“???”

The warriors looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

Wondering if they had heard the name correctly.

Wondering if what they were seeing was really Namgung Hui.

They seemed to be exchanging glances.

“Are you really the Youngest Young Master? But we understood that he was confined to his sickbed…?”

‘As expected, Physician Hwang didn't report it. Well, I expected as much.’

Namgung Hui took out the identification tag he had prepared from his pocket and showed it, saying.

“Here is my identification tag. Surely you don't think I stole this as well?”

The warrior who looked closely at the old identification tag was startled and shouted in a hurry.

“Hup! Greetings, Fourth Young Master. It really was you. But what brings you here…?”

It was a question of why Namgung Hui, known to be a sick person, had come to the martial arts library.

It could have been a disrespectful attitude, but.

Namgung Hui fully understood the warriors' gazes, so he patted their shoulders and said.

“I'm planning to take my health more seriously from now on. Surely you don't intend to stop me, a direct descendant?”

“N-no, sir. It's just that we were worried….”

It was understandable. The previous family head had died after falling into qi deviation from excessive training.

The current family head had also not come out of seclusion for over three years.

So, from the perspective of the Namgung family's warriors, it was certainly a matter of concern.

Should he rather be grateful for such consideration?

But Namgung Hui could not stop here. He took a step forward, secretly raising his internal energy.

“Then I shall enter.”

“Ye-yes, sir!”

As the Namgung family warriors, startled by his aura, hurriedly made way, Namgung Hui opened the door of the Azure Sky Pavilion with a spirited stride and entered.

After Namgung Hui disappeared inside the Azure Sky Pavilion, the warriors' conversation continued.

“Is that really the Fourth Young Master? When did he become such a fine, strapping man?”

“It's like seeing the great madam in her youth.”

“Hey, you. What are you talking about? It's like seeing the family head in his youth.”

“No. The family head wasn't that handsome even when he was young. In terms of looks, he takes after the great madam.”

“No. It's the family head!”

“No. It's the great madam!”

* * *

Namgung Hui glanced back for a moment at the small commotion behind him and chuckled.

How long had it been since he had heard such a friendly conversation?

It felt like the Namgung family was finally starting to have a human touch.

The scent that Namgung Hui smelled was not just a friendly one.

He flared his nostrils and inhaled the smell of old books, which he hadn't smelled in a long time.

‘Haa. I wonder how many traces of my sworn brother are left here.’

Namgung Hui moved his feet without even a moment to savor the nostalgia.

The Azure Sky Pavilion was quite large, so he had to hurry a bit to find the manual he wanted.

Walking through the thick dust, Namgung Hui moved his hands busily.

‘Iron Sword Ten Forms, not this one. Flash Sword Ten Forms, not this one either. Not this one either. There was definitely a sword art my brother mentioned…….’

When he couldn't find the manual he was looking for, Namgung Hui recalled a conversation he had with his sworn brother in his past life.

-Brother. Did you pass on your martial arts to Minsung? How can you be so neglectful of your son?

-Haha. Jasung. I did leave the incantations roughly in the family estate. It's still in the conceptual stage, so it was a bit much to make it into a manual.

-In the conceptual stage……. Are you perhaps talking about that sword art that split the Left and Right Emissaries in half last time? Have you decided on a name?

-Yes. The name of the sword art is…….

‘Found it! Emperor Sword Form.’

(End of Chapter)