Rebirth of the Thunder God

"The Fourth Young Master was also poisoned."

"No. What do you mean by that? Even the Five Poisons Sect said there was no poison ki."

Namgung In's words were true.

In the first place, the one who had heard O Mujin's words directly was Namgung Hui himself.

At that time, he was the one who had driven out the poison with the Pure Thunder Essence, so he thought it was natural that there was no poison ki.

But on the contrary, the Divine Physician Sect leader was confident that it was poisoning.

A confident statement.

His voice even carried a strange aura.

"That's also true. There is no poison ki, but it means that the traces of poisoning remain. Speaking of the Five Poisons Sect, how much do you know about their poison?"

"I'm confident that I know more than others."

Of course. He must have contacted the Five Poisons Sect directly, either by himself or by having the third brother do it.

Even if that wasn't the case, he must have heard a lot from the third brother.

The Divine Physician Sect leader, as if it was a good thing, nodded and continued.

"Then this will be quick. As the name of the Five Poisons Sect suggests, it's a poison that represents them, a poison made by extracting the poison of the Five-Colored Poison Frog……."

"I know. Isn't the name also Five-Colored Poison? A poison whose effect is doubled when it's stacked five times."

As Namgung In knew in more detail than he had thought, the Divine Physician Sect leader looked at him with an admiring gaze.

"How do you seem to know better than me? Your knowledge is truly extraordinary."

Namgung In, as if he had made a mistake, was startled and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! How can I know better than an expert? So, you're saying that poison remains in the youngest's body?"

"As I said before, it's not the poison ki, but the traces. Traces. If you look at his limbs and the back of his neck, there are five faint colors remaining in five places. This is the typical scar of the Five-Colored Poison."

Namgung In closely examined Namgung Hui's body.

Namgung Hui was very displeased by that gaze, but he had no choice but to endure it.

After a while, Namgung In, who had sufficiently examined Namgung Hui's body, frowned and continued.

"Is there any guarantee that this is a trace of the Five-Colored Poison? It could just be a scar from a battle. He was even struck by lightning not long ago, so it could be a scar from that. It's hard to see it as just a scar from the Five-Colored Poison."

"That's a valid point. To constantly doubt. Young Master Namgung In, you also have a talent for this field of study. Do you have any intention of entering it?"

"That's enough with the flattery. For now, I'll consider it as not being certain."

"Well, think as you please. This is all I have to say."

The Divine Physician Sect leader, having no particular interest in the Namgung family's dispute, let it go.

Was it just the Namgung family? The countless secret struggles he had seen so far were much worse than this.

On the contrary, this was like child's play.

The Divine Physician Sect leader smiled faintly and thought.

‘If I were the Fourth Young Master, I wouldn't have ended it with the Hairless Disciple. I would have used a poison that kills painfully, like Crane's Red Crown or Soul-Severing Powder. Of course, if it were me, I would have made it myself.’

In the first place, if a physician set their mind to it, they could become a master of poison.

Poison and medicine were separated by a fine line.

On top of that, the Divine Physician Sect's poison-making skills were as profound as the Tang Clan's.

Of course, they had never revealed it to the world.

"Ahem. Then, Fourth Young Master, shall we examine your body in detail tomorrow?"

"Are you saying you're not satisfied with this?"

"There are a lot of things to do, so I need to draw some blood, prick you with a needle several times, and there are a few things to record."

"It doesn't seem like a few things. Well, since you've examined me today, I'll cooperate readily tomorrow."

The Divine Physician Sect leader smiled brightly, like a child who had gotten the world.

His curiosity seemed to be tinged with a bit of madness.

The Divine Physician Sect leader continued in an excited tone.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. I have some preparations to make, so I'll be on my way."

As the Divine Physician Sect leader disappeared, Namgung In glared venomously at Namgung Hui.

"I will tell Father that you poisoned the third brother. Your final plea?"

"Well, as I admitted to the third brother, it's true that I instigated it. But I was also sick for ten years because the third brother poisoned me, so isn't being bald getting off easy?"

"Tsk. As I said before, that's just a possibility. There's no definite physical evidence or witness, is there? Who knows, it might be different if O Mujin comes in person and testifies. Of course, that will never happen."

Seeing Namgung In's confident tone, it seemed he had finally silenced him.

But the Five Poisons Sect was not a place to be taken lightly, was it because the Mount Hua Sect was behind him?

It was a bold move.

"Then let's see who wins. For now, since the third brother has woken up, just take him with you."

As Namgung Hui said, Namgung Sang, who had woken up from the anesthetic, groaned and raised his body.

"Ugh……. My head."

"Sang. Did you hear the explanation from the physician?"

"What explanation?"

"Never mind. Let's talk at your residence for now. There's a lot to talk about."

"Yes."

Namgung In helped Namgung Sang up and left the infirmary.

The way he was carefully helping him up made it seem like he cherished his own younger brother.

He didn't forget to glare at Namgung Hui before leaving.

As all the uninvited guests disappeared from the infirmary, this time, Namgung Chan raised his body from the bed.

"Brother. Is it okay to move? They said you could only move tomorrow."

"I've been able to move since this morning. It's just that the sect leader insisted, so I was just lying down. The medicine of the Divine Physician Sect is really good for the body. I understand why even the imperial palace tries so hard to get them."

The current Divine Physician Sect leader, aside from being a little curious, definitely had a better personality and skills than the former sect leader.

As expected, the Divine Physician Sect seemed to have developed significantly over the past sixty years.

Looking at the Divine Physician Sect, a slight sense of envy and competitiveness arose.

‘Our Namgung family will surely become a family that anyone would want to rely on.’

It was the same in the past when his sworn brother, the Martial God, was around.

There were even people who approached the Thunder God, wanting to build a connection with the Namgung family somehow.

Among them, there were also people who used beauty as a trap.

And there were also people who tried to win favor with silver and flattery.

Of course, he had never fallen for it.

"But Hui. Have you decided to completely sever ties with the second and third brothers?"

"Yes. Did you hear that I was chased by enemies on my way back from my trip? It seems it was because those guys leaked the information."

"I did hear about it through the Flying Swallows. Actually, the reason I collapsed was because I was so worried about you."

Namgung Chan was not someone who would say empty words, and he had seemed fine until he left the family estate.

He must have been so surprised to hear that Namgung Hui was being chased by the Heretic Alliance and the Green Forest that it wouldn't be strange for him to collapse.

"I'm sorry, brother. Your younger brother has only been a burden……."

"That's enough. I didn't bring it up for that. I was trying to ask how you're going to respond now. Cutting off his fingers means there's no turning back, doesn't it? Madam Ouyang won't just stand by. She'll try to pressure Father."

Given the second wife's personality, she might even lead the Ouyang family on a procession.

In the first place, she liked to wander around outside, so she had a fairly wide network of connections.

She had used those connections to get the second brother into the Mount Hua Sect, so she was not to be taken lightly.

Perhaps it was the second wife who had built a bridge with the Five Poisons Sect.

"I also have forces that can help me. For now, there's the Moon Maiden Palace, and perhaps the Sichuan Tang Clan can also help me."

"The Moon Maiden Palace, well, since the young palace mistress is here, that's that, but why is the Sichuan Tang Clan suddenly coming up? You didn't have a friendship with them even before you fell ill, did you? Are you thinking of becoming a live-in son-in-law of the Sichuan Tang Clan?"

"As I said before, I have no intention of becoming a live-in son-in-law. However, if I show them what I have, they will surely, no, they will even beg me to let them help."

If Namgung Hui showed them that, the craftsmen of the Sichuan Tang Clan would cling to him, begging him to let them help.

‘Just mentioning the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron will make them eager to see it. For craftsmen, seeing the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron even once in their lifetime is a lifelong wish.’

Besides, what Namgung Hui had prepared was not just the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

The information he had obtained while beating up the Poison King in the past.

It wasn't just the antidote for the Ten Tang Clan Poisons.

‘I probably know about half of the incantation for the now-lost Ten Thousand Flower Rain.’

He had gotten a glimpse of it while subduing the Poison King and searching his pockets.

The Thunder God didn't have a hobby of peeking at other people's secret martial arts.

However, he had read it to see if it was an antidote, but since the title was not written, he had ended up peeking.

Because of that, the Poison King had gone wild, telling him to stop reading and that he would tell him the antidote.

In the end, he had learned both, so it was a considerable gain for the Thunder God.

Well, at the Thunder God's level, even if he only knew half, he could fill in the rest himself.

"You seem to know the Tang Clan better than I do. Well, that's good. Father will also praise you greatly for the matter of the latter half of the Boundless Firmament Sword Art. Even if the second wife pressures him, Father won't hold you responsible for much. At most, it will be a confinement."

Perhaps Namgung In was aiming for this confinement. To extend the period as much as possible.

He would take this opportunity to reveal his sly inner thoughts.

Not the clumsy O Mujin he had sent last time, but a real assassin.

Or he might mobilize an unknown master to try and strike Namgung Hui.

‘Father and brother would probably think, "Would he really go that far?" But my gut tells me that it won't end so easily.’

I should warn Baek Seolhwa on the way back.

To be honest, he didn't feel like protecting Seomun Hye, but he didn't want his friend, Baek Seolhwa, to be in danger.

"Then, brother. For now, regain your energy, and let's see each other again later. Your younger brother also has to go and greet the guests."

"Yes. The marriage proposal with the Seomun family ended up like that, but a guest is still a guest. Don't treat them poorly, and treat them well as long as they are staying. All of that will lead to our family's reputation."

"Yes."

The guests Namgung Hui was talking about were not them, but he didn't bother to correct him.

Namgung Hui bowed his head and quietly left the infirmary.

Now it was time to really prepare to greet the guests.

* * *

Namgung Hui returned to his residence and immediately sat in a cross-legged position.

Now it was time to organize his thoughts.

He had to organize his future schedule, but above all, Namgung Hui decided to check his martial principles.

‘All my future plans are only possible if I become stronger.’

Even Namgung In, who was right in front of him, was not to be trifled with.

Of course, he had no thought of losing if they fought.

But would Namgung In be alone?

He might have brought the Mount Hua Sect disciples with him.

Or he might have brought the Ouyang family members.

Or he could have hired an assassin with a large sum of money, and thinking about it this way, the enemies were endless.

‘I have to beat them all to death. This time, I won't show any mercy.’

The Lake Chao Sect leader from before was also from the orthodox path.

And since they were a sect that had once been under the shade of the Namgung family, he had shown some mercy in dealing with him.

But the third and second brothers, who were as good as enemies, were worse than a cat and a dog.

Now he had resolved not to hold back anymore.

‘Then shall I organize my insights first?’

Namgung Hui, in a cross-legged position, operated the Divine Thunder Art to its extreme.

Although it was only at the 6th star, the Thunder Ki rushed through his meridians as if it were boiling.

-Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

A tingling Thunder Ki flowed down his spine.

The Ren and Du meridians were also cleared, and the flow of internal energy was smooth.

But Namgung Hui still thought it was not enough.

Then what was lacking?

‘My insights are sufficient, and a cycle of sixty years of internal energy is a bit disappointing, but it's not lacking. As expected, what's lacking is the development of my body.’

The body was like a vessel.

It was a vessel that contained internal energy and a channel that expressed martial principles.

There was almost no way to develop such a body in a short period of time.

Except for one of the few cases, the bone transformation.

Namgung Hui had not undergone the flesh transformation, but by going through the bone transformation, he had obtained a physique optimized for martial arts.

So it meant that his body had also developed to some extent.

But why did Namgung Hui say it was disappointing?

‘My physique has become sturdy, but my meridians are not yet. I've suffered a lot because of this.’

Namgung Hui, recalling the suffering he had gone through because of his meridians in the past, focused on circulating his energy.

The Thunder Ki galloped as if it would tear his meridians apart.

As if that was not a delusion, his meridians were gradually widening.

It was only natural for his expression to be contorted in pain.

But Namgung Hui was rather grinning.

The reason for that appeared right away.

As his body floated about an inch.

(End of Chapter)