Rebirth of the Thunder God

Unlike the shabby wooden boxes he usually saw, it was a small box made of smooth jade.

Such a beautiful jade box not only captured people's attention but also stimulated their curiosity.

The White Elder's granddaughter looked at the jade box and opened her mouth.

"Grandfather. What is that?"

"This, you mean? In fact, it's an item I obtained to treat you."

"Then you mean it's medicine?"

"Well. It could be a spirit medicine for some, but it's an item that cannot be a medicine for us."

Namgung Hui, even without the White Elder telling him what was inside the jade box, had a rough idea of its identity.

A faint cold energy flowing from within the jade box.

Although one might think it was a spirit medicine of extreme yin, Namgung Hui immediately recognized its origin by looking at the snowflake pattern engraved on the jade box, not the wooden box.

'The North Sea Ice Palace. And with this much energy in such a luxurious jade box... it must be an Ice Crystal.'

The Ice Crystal was a very precious item even in the North Sea Ice Palace.

Just as the Green Jade Monk's Staff symbolized the abbot of the Shaolin Temple, it was a treasure that was no different from an item symbolizing the North Sea Ice Palace Lord.

Although he didn't know why it was in the White Elder's hands, it was an unchanging fact that it was a great treasure.

"White Elder. How on earth did you obtain the Ice Crystal?"

"As expected, you recognize it. Sua. This, as that fellow said, is an item from the North Sea called an Ice Crystal. I tried to absorb the yin energy in your body with this energy, but it didn't work as I thought. So I was using it to chill my wine."

"Grandfather. Then isn't it a very important item...?"

"Hoho. Still, could it be more important than Sua's life? It wouldn't be bad to try quitting alcohol at this opportunity. Here. Take it."

Namgung Hui carefully received the jade box that the White Elder handed him and stared at it intently for a moment.

'An Ice Crystal that is no different from the symbol of the Palace Lord... The North Sea Ice Palace is said to belong to the Northern Heaven. If so, does that mean the Black and White Twin Elders have turned their backs on the Hoicheon Association? Perhaps the value of this Ice Crystal is beyond imagination.'

The Ice Crystal was not just an item that symbolized the North Sea Ice Palace Lord.

The ferocious extreme yin Ki lurking within it.

If an ice art user were to consume this, it would bestow a greater effect than any other spirit medicine.

An inexhaustible yin energy.

On top of that, it was said that one would never age on the outside, as if they had consumed a youth-preserving fruit.

'If Seolhwa eats this...!'

Just thinking about it was thrilling, as its compatibility with her was exquisite.

It was fine even if she just consumed it.

And it seemed fine to aim for the position of the North Sea Ice Palace Lord on the pretext of the Ice Crystal.

Moreover, wasn't her past life a native of the North Sea?

It felt as if he had obtained an unexpected great fortune, as its utility was much greater than he thought.

Namgung Hui put away the jade box with a satisfied smile.

At that, the Divine Physician Sect Leader, who was next to Namgung Hui, poked him with his elbow and spoke.

"Why are you trying to take that all for yourself? I also provided a medicine called the ten-thousand-year-old ginseng king."

Namgung Hui made an awkward expression and whispered in the Divine Physician Sect Leader's ear.

"Sect Leader. I will deliver information of comparable value, so please bear with it for a moment."

"Are you planning to hold my daughter hostage this time?"

"Hostage? If anyone heard that, they would think I'm detaining your daughter. Sect Leader. Let's stop with the jokes and listen to the rest of the White Elder's words."

As Namgung Hui finished speaking, the White Elder, as if waiting, burst into laughter and continued.

"Tsk, tsk. Seeing as you get along so well with the Sect Leader, you must have had a deep friendship from the start. Yes. I must also repay the Sect Leader. Did you say ten-thousand-year-old ginseng king? It's not as good as that, but it will be enough to be used as a medicinal ingredient. Here are three roots of thousand-year-old fleeceflower."

"Three roots of thousand-year-old fleeceflower. They must be quite valuable. But come to think of it, it would be better to feed this to your granddaughter than to me. Now that she has regained some of her health, please decoct it and feed it to her."

The White Elder nodded his head with a slightly impressed expression.

"Indeed, the Sect Leader's reputation was not in vain. Alright. I will feed this to our granddaughter. Instead, if the Sect Leader runs into any trouble. Hang this red piece of cloth anywhere. Then I or my younger brother will rush to help. Wherever our feet can reach in the Central Plains."

To be able to be accompanied by a master of the Transformation Realm was not an ordinary value.

It was needless to say the martial power possessed by a master of the Transformation Realm, so much so that it could be seen as a spare life.

On top of that, the reputation of the Black and White Twin Elders was absolute in the unorthodox faction.

Because they were next after the Heretic Faction Leader.

'Now, the Heretic Faction won't be able to carelessly touch the Sect Leader.'

The Divine Physician Sect Leader, as if he liked such a gift, immediately took the red cloth and put it in his bosom.

"I will gratefully accept this. And as a physician, I'm telling you, quit drinking. Alcohol not only clouds your judgment. It also interferes with the flow of Ki. It's just called wine. In fact, it's safe to see it as poison. You never know when that damn wine will tighten the noose around the Twin Elders' necks, so for your granddaughter's sake, please start abstaining from today."

"Heul, heul. I understand. I will keep the Sect Leader's words in mind. Then, our Sua also needs to rest, so please leave now."

Namgung Hui was about to leave at the White Elder's dismissal, but he remembered that he hadn't gotten an answer to his question.

"White Elder. Before I leave, let me ask again. This Ice Crystal. Where and how did you get it?"

The White Elder stared at Namgung Hui intently and said.

"I cannot tell you."

"You mean you don't want to tell me? Well, since it's an Ice Crystal, the source must be the North Sea Ice Palace... Since the Palace Lord wouldn't have given up this precious thing obediently, can I assume you took it by force?"

"Think as you please."

"As I please... Then let me ask one last thing. Are the Twin Elders on the side of the Hoicheon Association?"

"Tsk, tsk. We are on the side of the Heretic Faction from beginning to end. Now, Sua really needs to rest, so get the hell out."

As the White Elder waved his hand, a gentle wind rose and pushed Namgung Hui's figure outside.

Namgung Hui, letting his body be carried by the wind, looked at the White Elder and then turned his body with a flick.

'Well, whatever. If we are enemies when we meet next time, I won't go easy on them and will face them with all my might.'

Still, it seemed they wouldn't be going out for a while as they would be taking care of their granddaughter.

And for some reason, looking at the attitude of the Black and White Twin Elders, it didn't seem like they belonged to the Hoicheon Association.

If that were the case, the moment Namgung Hui used his Thunder Ki, they would have recognized Namgung Hui's identity, and even if not, just by looking at the fact that they couldn't proudly reveal the source of the Ice Crystal, it seemed certain that their relationship with the Northern Heaven was not good.

'Then let's just stop by the Iron Blood Alliance, which was my original purpose.'

And so, as Namgung Hui disappeared outside the manor with the Divine Physician Sect Leader, the Black Elder, who had been silent until now, asked the White Elder.

"Older brother. I was quiet because you told me to be, but the fact that that fellow used Thunder Ki means he's a descendant of the Thunder God Sect, right?"

"That's right. It must mean he's 'that' fellow we've heard about."

"Then how old is he? 100? Or 20?"

"That would depend on what he himself thinks he is. For now, Sua needs to eat, so you go to the inn and buy some porridge and roasted duck."

"And the wine?"

"As the Sect Leader said, I really need to quit. A while ago, against that fellow, I was pushed back, wasn't I? If even we fall, who will take care of Sua? You should quit at this opportunity too."

"Keu-eung... Alright. Older brother. Then I'll be back."

And so, in the empty space of the Black Elder who had flown off to the inn, the pungent aroma of wine lingered and then disappeared.

* * *

Namgung Hui and the Divine Physician Sect Leader, after completely leaving the shabby manor, resumed their conversation.

"To think they would choose such a shabby manor despite doting on their granddaughter so much must be to avoid any possible pursuit. Then, now that the Twin Elders are gone. I would like to hear your story."

"Yes. Then I will start by telling you where I met the Little Saintess."

Namgung Hui explained step by step, starting from meeting Hwang Sujin and Seong Sohui at the Red Cliff Valley.

He also told him everything about Muchi being a martial artist of the Blood Cult, and how he had followed Seong Sohui, calling her Saintess.

"It's a relief that the person named Muchi is a married man. Both you and I were about to be greatly misunderstood. So what happened after you arrived at the Blood Cult?"

"Yes. After that..."

Namgung Hui began to tell him in earnest about the actions Seong Sohui had shown at the Blood Cult.

And in between, he explained about the Saintess of the Blood Cult and her inner power, and even stealthily threw a question to the Divine Physician Sect Leader.

"...For that reason, I can't help but ask you, Sect Leader. Did you have any idea that your daughter was the Saintess of the Blood Cult?"

And for good reason. No matter how much the Divine Physician Sect Leader's mother had hidden the fact that she was the Saintess of the Divine Cult, there was no way her son, the Divine Physician Sect Leader, would not know this.

Furthermore, in Seong Sohui's attitude that she had shown in the middle, she had revealed a certain degree of suspicion that she was the Saintess.

As an example, one could mention her friendly first meeting with the Demon Physician.

At Namgung Hui's question, the Divine Physician Sect Leader briefly looked up at the clear sky.

When his eyes were wet with regret, his mouth opened.

"In the end, it came to this... Since you seem to have asked after guessing everything, I will tell you frankly. Yes. As you guessed, my mother was once a person called the Saintess in the Divine Cult. Where should I start telling this from..."

And so, the Divine Physician Sect Leader's long monologue that began was a series of interesting explanations, so much so that the time was not boring.

First, from the incident where the previous Divine Physician Sect Leader had not passed on the position of Divine Physician Sect Leader to his father.

And due to that, the reason why his wandering father and the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had met.

The Divine Physician Sect Leader's father was a boy who remained in Namgung Hui's memory to some extent.

'At that time, he was a child who gave his father quite a lot of trouble. And how much he talked. Even I avoided him.'

Just as the Saintess's personality was eccentric, the Divine Physician Sect Leader's father was also the owner of a unique personality.

Just as Namgung Hui had experienced in his Thunder God era, the Divine Physician Sect Leader's father was said to have rattled on as soon as he met the Saintess.

'Do you know the language of this flower? This is in ancient times...'

'This medicinal herb is actually a drug...'

'This animal was once a god...'

In other words, he was a person who loved to explain, a kind of person commonly called an explanation bug.

The reason he had not been able to ascend to the position of Divine Physician Sect Leader was also because he would give long explanations to each and every patient, to the point that they would pass out.

Anyway. Such a unique personality seemed to have attracted the interest of the Saintess, who had only grown up in a corner of the Heavenly Mountains.

"...and so I was born. Unlike the concerns of my grandfather, the previous Divine Physician Sect Leader, I did not inherit my father's peculiar personality, nor my mother's divine ability."

"I see. Then, Sect Leader. Do you know what the ability of the previous Saintess, I mean, your mother, was?"

"Of course, I know. The Saintesses of the Divine Cult communicate with the Demon God and exert a peculiar supernatural power, right? My mother could read the memories contained in objects."

'It's the same as what I heard from Seolhwa. Then I should ask about the Little Saintess's ability now.'

"Then do you also know your daughter's ability?"

"Sohui's ability... That child also has many talents. Her acupuncture skills are superior to mine, and her skill in preparing decoctions is also excellent. That's why I had my eye on her as the next Sect Leader, but to think she was taken by those Blood Cult fellows. Tsk, tsk. Yes. As you asked, my daughter also has the ability of a Saintess. That is..."

The Divine Physician Sect Leader took his eyes off the sky he had been looking up at and continued.

"A prophetic dream."

(End of Chapter)