Rebirth of the Thunder God

Namgung Hui quickly turned his body to block the attack from the sudden cold ki he felt from behind.

-Slap!

Someone's delicate hand was caught in Namgung Hui's hand.

"Namgung Hui. You said you had business outside, but was it to flirt with women?"

Her identity was none other than Baek Seolhwa.

It seemed she was angry because he had been neglecting her recently.

Still, since she was one of Namgung Hui's only three friends, he felt a sense of apology.

"I'm sorry, Seolhwa. I'll buy you a gift later instead."

"Do you think I'm like this because of some measly gift? We have to make plans to participate in the Martial Alliance tournament."

That was right. He had promised to spar with her and discuss how to act in the tournament, and also to talk about the Blood Cult and the Hoicheon Association.

But because Namgung Hui was so busy, that hadn't happened.

He had gone to the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild.

He had gone to the black market and the Thunder Sect.

He had even stopped by the Azure Sky Escort Service and seen his niece.

Because Namgung Hui had been lying in bed for 10 years, there were too many things he had neglected.

'But I can't neglect the friend in front of me. I'll have to do better from now on.'

For some reason, he felt he had to do that for Baek Seolhwa.

Was it because he was afraid of such a fierce attack from behind?

Of course, that wasn't entirely untrue, but he felt a strong bond with her.

If he had to put it into words, it would be a sense of fellowship.

"By the way, who is this young lady here?"

Before Namgung Hui could introduce Cheon Yeohwa, Cheon Yeohwa spoke first.

"My name is Cheon Yeohwa, and I've just gotten to know your brother. It's a pleasure to meet you, Young Palace Mistress."

"Did you hear about me from that man? How did you know I was the Young Palace Mistress?"

"I heard it from time to time on the way. That you're one of my brother's few friends."

Cheon Yeohwa emphasized the word 'friend'.

Although Namgung Hui felt quite reassured by the word 'friend', it seemed Baek Seolhwa did not.

"Hmm... Is that so? But you don't look young either, so why is this man your brother?"

"It just happened that way. In the martial world, age doesn't matter much, does it? Isn't that right, brother?"

"That's true, but you're not a person of the martial world, are you? That's why I'm asking, how old are you? For your information, I'm of age."

Flinch.

Cheon Yeohwa was surprised to hear Namgung Hui's age.

Was she surprised because Namgung Hui's age was younger than she had thought?

"Why are you surprised? Do I look older than I am?"

"No. Hahaha. You look just right."

Namgung Hui looked at Cheon Yeohwa with a suspicious eye.

She was definitely lying right now.

Her wildly beating heart was showing it clearly.

But as she said, age was just a number and not very important.

And his inner self was long past the age of majority.

'Come to think of it, if Seolhwa is also a master of returning to youth, she must be much older.'

When he had overheard the conversation between Seomun Hye and Baek Seolhwa before, she had said that she was much older than Seomun Hye thought.

That meant she was either a master of returning to youth or had learned a face-changing technique or a youth-preserving art, but from what Namgung Hui had observed, it was neither a face-changing technique nor a youth-preserving art.

'Then it can only be returning to youth. Then I can roughly understand why Seolhwa is an outstanding master.'

"Then, how old is the Young Palace Mistress here? From what I see, you look a little older than my brother."

Namgung Hui had never directly heard Baek Seolhwa's age.

Because the age she would say now would be meaningless anyway.

"Me? I'm 22."

"As expected, you're older."

Namgung Hui inwardly wanted to add that she was actually much older than that, but there was no need to pretend to know.

A woman's age was said to be a top secret.

Namgung Hui looked at Baek Seolhwa and continued.

"Still, once a friend, always a friend. Even if Seolhwa is older than me, I have no intention of using honorifics."

"I have no intention of hearing them either."

Baek Seolhwa, since she originally knew Namgung Hui's identity, had said it didn't matter.

In fact, when she had first met Namgung Hui, hadn't she brought up seniority and etiquette and argued with him?

Baek Seolhwa was surprisingly strict in this aspect.

The disciples of the Demonic Cult in the past used to say this to her.

'Vice-leader, you are a 'gondae'.'

'Gondae? What does that mean?'

'It's 'gon' for difficult and 'dae' for answer, meaning a person who is difficult to answer to.'

Baek Seolhwa suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia at the thought of the disciples.

People called the disciples 'demonic cult' and despised them, but in her experience, people were the same everywhere.

Even among the orthodox faction, there were many vicious and bad people.

Not to mention the black path.

On the contrary, the Demonic Cult, which was stuck in a corner of a remote mountain, also had a pure side.

Hadn't even Sosu Mahu in her past life been completely ignorant of matters of the opposite sex?

As Baek Seolhwa was lost in her thoughts, Cheon Yeohwa continued.

"Yes. Age isn't important. I'll also serve you as my brother for the rest of my life."

"I'd prefer a different title than that."

"Already? That title is still too early..."

"I don't know what kind of wild thoughts you're having, but Seolhwa, you listen too since you're here. I felt this while dealing with the Heretic Practitioners' Alliance and the Hoicheon Association this time, but we need to create an organization of our own. If possible, I'd like to use the name 'Hoe' (Association) for us too."

"It's not like a hometown association, is it?"

"Well, we'll also strengthen our friendship like a hometown association. We need to cooperate more closely and more tightly and deal with our common enemies. Let's talk about the details later. Since the detailed content will have to be written down."

Namgung Hui had not established a detailed plan either.

He had to devise a deeper and more efficient means.

In that process, he could ask for the advice of Cheon Yeohwa or Jegal Geon, but the overall blueprint had to be drawn by Namgung Hui himself.

'Because right now, I'm the only one who knows the scale and influence of the enemies best.'

Even the Hao Faction Head did not know much about the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader.

The Dark Shadow Squad Leader of the Hoicheon Association had clearly pointed to the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader and died.

It could be thought of as a divisive tactic, but Namgung Hui judged that the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader was surely involved.

Not only that, but since he didn't know how far the Hoicheon Association had infiltrated, it was a little dangerous to leak information to Jegal Geon.

Of course, Jegal Geon, one of Namgung Hui's few friends, would not be a spy for the Association, but information could leak to others.

'Then let's check the spoils and inspect them first.'

Because he was with Cheon Yeohwa, Namgung Hui had not properly checked the elixir he had received from On Yuha and the elixir of the Potala Palace.

And he had not properly examined the three antiques that Chichi had pointed out.

Since he had stopped by the Thunder Sect in the middle and even repaired the formation, he had no choice but to have no time.

Namgung Hui called Chohwa and told her to guide Cheon Yeohwa to her quarters.

Since she must not have been able to wash properly, he told her to give her a bath and buy her new clothes.

"Young Master. Then how about we go to a famous inn and eat for the first time in a while? Since we have a new family member."

"That's not a bad idea. Then I'll come by in one moment."

That much time would be enough to tell Cheon Yeohwa what she needed to know and for her to take a bath.

Since she was a smart person, she wouldn't need much time.

Namgung Hui returned to his quarters and carefully placed the Thunder Liquor under his bed.

There were only a few bottles of Thunder Liquor left now.

Of course, he could make it right now, but the aging time was another matter.

And Chichi was gulping down those few remaining bottles of Thunder Liquor.

"Kkik. Kkik! (As expected, Thunder Liquor is the best!)"

"..."

Namgung Hui stared at Chichi silently and then shook his head.

A spirit that liked alcohol more than people.

And a small thing like that was acting like that, it was quite a sight.

Namgung Hui sat on the edge of his bed and took out two wooden boxes.

They were the elixir made by an immortal and the elixir made by a lama monk of the Potala Palace, respectively.

It was unknown which one was more effective and better for the body.

To be honest, since they were both unknown things, even Namgung Hui, who knew a little about them, was suspicious.

That was also why he had been postponing taking them.

'Still, the one made by an immortal is more trustworthy than the one made by a lama monk. Let's look at this one first.'

Namgung Hui gently opened the old wooden box that On Yuha had given him.

He felt a deep celestial ki.

It reminded him of when he had first seen his master.

His master with a splendidly grown white beard.

His master, who seemed to fly on the clouds, was a very wicked and selfish person.

He was so greedy that although he wanted to believe that his master had ascended to immortality, on the other hand, he thought, 'Wouldn't it have been impossible?'

Anyway. He shook off the lingering thoughts of his master and picked up the elixir.

'It doesn't seem to be a ki that will harm the body. Seeing as the Purple Thunder Ki isn't reacting either. Hmm... Is the ki it contains fire ki?'

It also seemed to be a very large ki.

It was so highly refined that it was quite a chore to even sense it.

Then there was no doubt about its effectiveness.

Since fire ki and Thunder Ki were also in line with each other, the efficiency would be outstanding.

Namgung Hui, realizing that there was no dangerous element, immediately put the elixir into his throat.

-Sizzle. Sizzle!

The moment the elixir melted, a fire ki like the flames of hell raged.

At the heat that seemed to melt his internal organs, Namgung Hui steeled his mind and operated the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

-Fwoosh!

The hot fire ki resisted the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

Namgung Hui was slightly surprised by the stronger-than-expected resistance.

-Sizzle. Sizzle.

Gradually, the fire ki was converted to Thunder Ki, and his worries lessened.

There was a painful part, but at this rate, it was bearable.

Instead, he had a slight complaint against On Yuha.

'Did she give this to a patient to eat?'

On Yuha had thought that Namgung Hui himself was living on borrowed time.

Hadn't she offered this elixir to overcome that illness?

Of course, if it were Severed Meridians, this elixir would be a supreme move, but Namgung Hui did not have Severed Meridians.

Well, it was still a great elixir.

A full half a moment had passed by the time the fire ki was completely converted to Thunder Ki.

He was contemplating whether to take the elixir of the Potala Palace here as well.

Too much is as bad as too little.

No matter how much Namgung Hui looked at the elixir of the Potala Palace, he couldn't figure it out.

It didn't seem to be harmful to the body, but what if?

It was better to look before you leap.

'Then let's take this later when I have a chance. For now, this is enough.'

He didn't know what the name of the elixir he had just taken was, but it had increased his internal energy by about one cycle of Thunder Ki.

Even if he ate a Small Reversion Pill right now, his internal energy would not increase by one cycle.

It was the result of completely absorbing the fire ki, which had a good compatibility with Thunder Ki.

Namgung Hui smiled with satisfaction and examined the remaining effects.

The effect of strengthening the body, which On Yuha had boasted about.

To be precise, it raised the strength of the blood vessels.

'Now my internal energy is over three cycles. At this rate, I can also use a protective ki. And my blood vessels have also become stronger. This is a really unexpected gain.'

Not only that, but the application of the electric charge net, which was unfolded using Thunder Ki, also became more detailed and wider.

He could detect hidden enemies.

And he could also tell with some accuracy whether the other person was lying.

Deciding to really grant On Yuha's request later, he decided to examine the antiques this time.

A pair of earrings, an old piece of cloth, a plain bracelet.

They were all shabby and their use was unknown.

That was why Namgung Hui had no choice but to ask Chichi.

"Chichi. Why did you choose these? You don't know their use?"

"Kkik. Kkik. (You're really annoying every time. Still, I'll tell you this time because of the Thunder Liquor.)"

"Thanks. Then I'd like to know the function of this bracelet first."

The other items didn't seem to be of any use to Namgung Hui.

The earrings looked like something a woman would wear.

And the piece of cloth of unknown identity was not particularly attractive either.

But the bracelet, from a fist master's point of view, looked quite plausible.

"Kkik. Kkik. Kkik. (Put some blood on it.)"

"Blood? Is one drop enough?"

"Kkik. (Yes.)"

Namgung Hui took out the dagger in his bosom and lightly scratched his wrist.

Red blood seeped into the bracelet.

And then.

-Swish. Swish.

The bracelet suddenly split and began to change its shape.

And in a very strange form at that.

(End of Chapter)