Rebirth of the Thunder God

'This isn't Severed Meridians.'

The reason Namgung Hui said it wasn't Severed Meridians was that he had seen someone suffering from it in the past.

Not only that, but he had vividly watched the entire treatment process performed by the Divine Physician Sect's head from two generations ago.

He knew the symptoms and the cure.

First, Severed Meridians, as the name suggests, was a condition where the body's meridians were cut off, preventing the smooth flow of qi.

As a temporary measure, one could take emergency action with spiritual medicines or by clearing the meridians, but there was a clear limit if the meridians themselves were not opened.

That was why most patients with Severed Meridians died before reaching the age of twenty.

Of course, those suffering from Severed Meridians sometimes exhibited genius-level talent.

But that was all.

No matter how short and impactful a life one lived, what was the use if one couldn't even live past twenty?

It's better to be alive, even if it means rolling in a dog-dung field.

"Young Master. Have you been briefed on the matter?"

At the maid's question, Namgung Hui shook off his thoughts.

"I heard a rough summary on the way. That if the Heavenly Strategist guided me here, I would know what to do."

Jegal Geon wouldn't have passed on any specific message, yet the Heavenly Strategist had apparently spoken as if everything could be left to Namgung Hui.

It was puzzling, but it wouldn't be strange for the Heavenly Strategist, who was said to see into the secrets of heaven, to have noticed something.

However, what puzzled Namgung Hui was that the woman before him, the Young Guild Mistress, did not have Severed Meridians.

It was...

'Ice Soul Poison. The poison of the North Sea Ice Palace was here too.'

It was a symptom Namgung Hui knew well, having suffered from it at the hands of Ouyang Yeonhui.

Severed Meridians had the property of making the hands and feet cold, but it couldn't freeze the entire body like this.

White frost had settled on the Young Guild Mistress's body.

This was despite her being bundled up in thick fur clothes and the room being sufficiently heated.

'Did the Heavenly Strategist foresee this and guide me here?'

If it had truly been Severed Meridians, someone else might have been able to treat it.

But for the Ice Soul Poison, which had no specific antidote, there might be no one other than Namgung Hui who could currently treat it.

In the first place, one had to recognize the symptoms, and since the current head of the Divine Physician Sect had only recently created an antidote, it was safe to assume that almost no one knew about it.

The Heavenly Strategist probably didn't know this either.

If he had known, he would have called it Ice Soul Poison, not Severed Meridians.

Namgung Hui decided to begin treatment immediately, as the Young Guild Mistress's condition seemed critical.

He didn't have the antidote with him at the moment, but he knew the principle of detoxification better than anyone.

Fortunately, he had also brought the decoction and pill that could withstand Thunder Energy.

Namgung Hui quietly spoke to the maid behind him.

"To concentrate on the treatment, I think it would be better to be alone. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

"You're not planning any funny business, are you?"

"Do you think that's possible in her current state?"

Shake shake.

Even the maid could see that wasn't the case.

Excessive loyalty was good, but there was no time.

"If not, please leave quickly. There is no time."

The maid, reluctant to leave the Young Guild Mistress alone, left with an unwilling expression.

Namgung Hui, without even a moment to click his tongue at her, immediately began the treatment.

'First, I need to take off these thick fur clothes.'

To channel Thunder Energy, there could be no cumbersome obstacles.

Thunder Energy was an extremely tricky energy, and if there were any obstructions in the way, even Namgung Hui would have difficulty controlling it.

That was why the Thunder Sect had no martial arts that used weapons in the first place.

When the thick fur clothes were removed, a slender woman's body was revealed.

She had an extremely thin body, a testament to how long she had been fighting her illness.

It felt similar to when Namgung Hui had just risen from his sickbed not long ago.

Perhaps because of that, a feeling of shared suffering arose in him.

'This measly Ice Soul Poison. I'll detoxify it in no time.'

Steeling his resolve, Namgung Hui poured both the Gwanjeon-tang and the Nine Yang Pill into the Young Guild Mistress's mouth.

A slight mistake could block her airway, so he made sure to secure her breathing path as much as possible while feeding her.

-Goooo...

The medicinal energy was successfully spreading throughout her body.

Fortunately, there seemed to be no interference from the Ice Soul Poison.

'If you look at the Ice Soul Poison itself, it's a poison similar to a spiritual medicine.'

Should it be called a symbol of "too much of a good thing is a bad thing"?

It was said that among ice, there was sometimes ice that could cause burns.

Namgung Hui was not a scholar, so he didn't know the exact principle, but he figured the Ice Soul Poison was of a similar context.

'Now that the medicinal energy has started to circulate, I will begin the treatment immediately.'

From what Namgung Hui had experienced, the Ice Soul Poison settled in the middle dantian, that is, the heart.

To infuse Thunder Energy, he had to touch her bare skin.

No matter how much of a patient the other person was, she was still a woman.

It could be called a truly awkward moment.

But he didn't panic.

Normally, when channeling qi, one would place their palm on the back.

Moreover, since the Young Guild Mistress was so thin, he should be able to send the Thunder Energy straight to her heart from her back.

Namgung Hui turned the Young Guild Mistress's body over.

She was already unconscious, and her body was so light that she rolled over like a log.

Namgung Hui then tore a hole in her clothes and placed his hand on her bare skin.

A powerful internal energy flowed through her back.

The Young Guild Mistress, despite being unconscious, trembled once.

It was because she had subconsciously felt a huge energy enter her.

Still, there was no rejection.

On the contrary, she pressed her back firmly against him, as if indulging in the warm Thunder Energy.

-Shudder...

The frost that had been clinging to her melted away.

A little color returned to the Young Guild Mistress's frozen body.

It seemed her breathing had eased, but he couldn't be relieved yet.

Ice Soul Poison was not a simple poison, but an energy of extreme yang.

It was not a poison that could be purified with Thunder Energy.

Then how did Namgung Hui plan to treat it?

'Just as a wolf herds a flock of sheep, I will drive out the yang energy with Thunder Energy.'

That was how Namgung Hui had driven out the medicinal energy with his fingertips before.

But that was inside his own body, so it was a relatively easy task.

To do it in another person's body was a rather tricky matter.

Still, unlike then, his current cultivation level was much higher.

Namgung Hui focused his mind to the extreme and sent the Thunder Energy to her heart.

The energy of extreme yang was located in the heart.

He couldn't carelessly drive out the yang energy.

Wipe them out in one fell swoop.

He created a rough net with Thunder Energy.

After enveloping the heart, he gently tapped it to herd the yang energy to one side.

The term 'herding' was almost an understatement, as the yang energies obediently followed the Thunder Energy and entered the net.

Perhaps because Thunder Energy was also an energy of extreme yang and possessed a magnetic property, the herding was easy.

Now that he had trapped it in the net, all he had to do was take it out.

However, the Young Guild Mistress's body was not that of a martial artist, so her meridians were excessively narrow.

It wasn't Severed Meridians, but perhaps due to her long battle with illness, her entire body, including her meridians, was a complete wreck.

If such a condensed energy were to pass through in one go, her meridians would surely be torn to shreds.

Therefore, Namgung Hui carefully pulled the net.

If the net were to tear and the yang energy were to head back to the heart, all his efforts would be for naught.

'A little more. Just a little... Done!'

Namgung Hui succeeded in completely pulling out the net.

He could clearly feel the energy of extreme yang rampaging inside.

If he left it like this...

'Wait. I think I can absorb this.'

He might not have been able to at his previous level, but now that he had reached the 8th star of the Divine Thunder Art, it seemed possible.

Moreover, it felt slightly different from the Ice Soul Poison he had suffered from before.

'It's a bit weaker, but more tenacious.'

That must be why it had tormented the Young Guild Mistress for so long.

The Ice Soul Poison Namgung Hui had suffered from was much more potent and had driven a person to death in an instant.

Namgung Hui began to compress the yang energy trapped in the net.

Pulverization.

The finely crushed yang energy still coveted the heart, but it was completely absorbed by Namgung Hui's Divine Thunder Art.

Now that his upper dantian was also fully open, it felt even easier.

'Hoo...! Is it over now? I should dress her before she wakes up...'

"Ugh...!"

How could a patient wake up so quickly?

Could it be because of the spiritual medicines she had been fed all this time?

It seemed that thanks to Namgung Hui removing the Ice Soul Poison, the medicinal energy that couldn't be absorbed before had finally taken effect.

The Young Guild Mistress, now fully conscious, looked at Namgung Hui.

Currently, Namgung Hui had removed her thick fur clothes and even torn her garments.

It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.

Namgung Hui was about to cover his ears for the impending scream, but...

The words that came out of the Young Guild Mistress's mouth were unexpected.

"I am in the presence of my benefactor."

"!!!"

Was this truly the Young Guild Mistress of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild?

Her insight was not ordinary.

Anyone else would have surely misunderstood in this situation.

"How is your body feeling? Your complexion has certainly returned."

"I feel so light, as if I could fly if I only had wings."

"That's because your body is so thin... Ahem. Anyway. I'm glad you seem to be okay."

Hearing the sound of conversation, the maid who had been waiting outside quickly opened the door and rushed in.

"Young Guild Mistress! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Sowol. So, please stop shouting."

The woman named Sowol, realizing her mistake, replied in a subdued voice.

"I'm sorry..."

Since she had just woken up, the loud noise must be giving her a headache.

The Young Guild Mistress gave Sowol a gentle smile and then introduced herself to Namgung Hui.

"My introduction is late. This girl's name is Eun Seolrin. Though it is an undeserved title, I am the Young Guild Mistress of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild."

"You may already know, but I am Namgung Hui from the Namgung family. But how did you know that I was the one who treated you?"

"It was faint, but I was actually conscious. I felt everything my body went through as you treated me, Young Master. Thank you once again."

"By any chance, Young Guild Mistress..."

"Would you please call me Eun Seolrin, not Young Guild Mistress? You are not a member of our guild, after all, Young Master."

Namgung Hui, nodding his head, posed a question to her.

"Miss Eun. Who diagnosed you with Severed Meridians? And who was the one who prescribed the medicine?"

Eun Seolrin definitely did not have Severed Meridians.

It was only natural, as she was poisoned with Ice Soul Poison.

He had even checked her pulse just in case, and her body, if not for the Ice Soul Poison, was well within the range of a perfectly normal person.

That meant someone must have poisoned her.

Namgung Hui guessed that the person who had diagnosed her with Severed Meridians was most likely the culprit.

"Is it because I was poisoned?"

At the word "poisoned," Sowol cried out in surprise.

"Young Guild Mistress. Poisoned? Didn't you say it was Severed Meridians? Could it be Physician Hwang..."

"No, Sowol. Physician Hwang just went along with our story."

"What reason could there be for that?"

"That is because."

Eun Seolrin suddenly stopped talking and took out a very small cylinder from her bosom.

At first, Namgung Hui thought it was a simple trinket, but the moment she touched it slightly...

-Click!

With a clicking sound, something shot out from the cylinder.

It was an extremely thin, hidden needle.

In an instant, it lodged itself in Sowol's neck.

"Gurgle...! Y-Young... Guild Mistress..."

-Thud.

And just like that, Sowol breathed her last.

(End of Chapter)