Rebirth of the Thunder God

"Manor Lord! The Dugu Family Head has returned!"

""!!!""

As soon as the servant's words ended, a familiar presence was felt from the hallway.

Namgung Hui had not forgotten this presence, as he had encountered him in his office before.

How could he forget the head of a family that was no different from an enemy?

Although he could have had a life-or-death match with him right here.

He was not alone, and he was not sure which side the Fist King would take.

He would probably side with the one who seemed more advantageous.

The Dugu Family Head stood facing them in the hallway, accompanied by his subordinates.

"While I was out for a while, some unfamiliar faces have increased. Who are they?"

At Dugu Jin's sharp question, Yeon Seohui replied.

"A passing fortune-teller."

"A fortune-teller? You let a mere fortune-teller into this private residence? Chase him out at once."

"Well, he's not just a simple fortune-teller, but a disciple and the sect leader of the Maoshan Sect."

"The Maoshan Sect? Ho. I thought that place had been annihilated, but it seems its lineage has been passed down."

Dugu Jin glanced at Jang Hwang with an interested look for a moment.

At first, his gaze was close to contempt due to his rustic appearance, but when he heard it was the Maoshan Sect, he looked as if he could fully understand.

Rather, the strange divine energy he felt from him made the name 'Sect Leader of the Maoshan Sect' feel not at all wasted.

"Yes. If he's the sect leader of the Maoshan Sect, he deserves to be treated as a guest wherever he goes. But not here. I have a precious guest, so we must keep order. Isn't that right? Iron Blood Fortress Lord."

For Dugu Jin, joining the Iron Blood Fortress was far more important than the sorcery or fortune-telling of the Maoshan Sect.

There was a definite limit to raising funds in the shadows.

As it was, hadn't the pressure from the Martial Alliance been getting stronger lately?

Moreover, because the child of the Namgung family had been interfering in every little thing, his financial sources had been reduced to an absurd degree compared to before.

If he could get the Iron Blood Fortress on his back at a time like this, Dugu Jin was confident he could wear the mask of a hypocrite as much as he wanted.

He would thoroughly prove the fact that he wasn't called the Cold-Blooded Family for nothing.

Yeon Seohui nodded her head with an expressionless face.

"Yes. As it happens, since the Family Head has come, I was about to issue a dismissal order."

"Yes. Fortunes can be told anytime, so let's look forward to the next opportunity."

"Yes. Then I will see the guests out."

Dugu Jin stared at Yeon Seohui's face for a moment.

But since nothing came to mind on her expressionless face, he obediently nodded his head and walked towards the Fist King.

"Please follow me. Sect Leader."

Yeon Seohui led Jang Hwang and Namgung Hui with quiet steps.

Namgung Hui thought they were leaving the manor, but that was not the case.

The place Yeon Seohui guided them to was still inside the manor.

And it was a secret space where a formation that erased one's presence was installed.

Perhaps because Cheongi-ja himself had taught this formation, its level was quite high.

So much so that it wasn't for nothing that Namgung Hui hadn't noticed the presence.

"Where is this? Don't tell me...?"

"Yes. This is where my father is staying. The formation that Cheongi-ja taught me is really coming in handy."

The momentum of riding a tiger.

Now that she was on the back of the tiger named Namgung Hui, it seemed she was planning to see it through to the end.

All she had to do was take care of things while the Fist King was dealing with the Dugu Family Head.

With a formation of this level, even the Dugu Family Head would not be able to read the presence, so it was worth the adventure.

Following Yeon Seohui, he stepped on the life gate and entered.

Now, the Dugu Family Head would feel as if Namgung Hui's party had disappeared from the manor.

And so, as Namgung Hui's presence was hidden by the formation, this time, a strange stench swirled from inside.

It was certainly close to that of a sick person.

'And for some reason, it's also a familiar smell.'

Namgung Hui naturally walked towards the place where the stench was coming from.

And there, a patient with a clear look of illness was lying on a bed like a withered old tree.

A slight crack appeared on Yeon Seohui's face, which had maintained an expressionless look until now.

It seemed she couldn't maintain her complexion while looking at her father's appearance like this.

"Is this the former merchant guild leader?"

"Yes. As you can see, it's a precarious situation. And if my father's breath stops, perhaps the next hostage will be me."

Both the Blood Cult and the Hoicheon Association were masters at poisoning people and making them work.

In the first place, the substance called poison was like that.

Although it was the most effective and efficient means of subduing a person, it was also true that it looked cowardly and cruel.

That was why the people of the Central Plains did not look upon the Sichuan Tang family so favorably.

In the first place, there was a good reason why the Tang family was called a sect between the righteous and the unorthodox.

Namgung Hui looked down at the man who was no different from a half-corpse.

A state where it would not be strange if his breath were to stop at any moment.

It was a situation where Yeon Seohui, who had been deceiving the Dugu Family Head so well until now, could take a risk.

Since Namgung Hui had no time to delay, he immediately grabbed his wrist and began to take his pulse.

Now, the way he examined a patient looked quite plausible.

There were things he had learned by watching the Divine Physician Sect Leader from the side, and he also had a wealth of accumulated experience.

'This is not the Human-Faced Poison, but it's the use of a spirit beast's poison.'

In the Hundred Thousand Mountains where the Blood Cult was, many spirit beasts lived.

There was the Blood Qilin, which was the best in poison, and below it, there were many snake and toad spirit beasts with poison.

Although it was questionable whether the Dugu Family Head had the antidote, it was sufficiently possible to obtain the poison.

Because all he had to do was strike down the poisonous creature with his martial arts.

Namgung Hui stopped taking his pulse for a moment, raised his head, and met Yeon Seohui's eyes.

"From now on, you must never leak what you see to the outside."

"Of course. Although I am a merchant, I am not ignorant of gratitude. If I betray your trust, please take my life with your own hands."

"I understand."

Namgung Hui, without any hesitation, operated the Purple Thunder Divine Art and gently sent his Thunder Ki into the patient's body.

Now, a mature control of Ki.

To condense the Thunder Ki as thin as a needle like this was a talent close to a feat.

Right now, even in his Thunder God era, such a detailed application of Ki was impossible.

Even at the same realm, if one knew how to perform such a divine skill, one could perform a much more powerful stance.

But what Namgung Hui needed now was not a powerful martial art, but the treatment of a patient.

He felt as if he had become half a physician, as this was the nth time he was treating someone.

-Chijijijik.

The Thunder Ki rode the meridians and headed for the heart area where the poisonous Ki was staying.

A shape as if it were slowly tightening the heart.

It was like a snake coiling up.

Namgung Hui enveloped such a poisonous Ki with his Thunder Ki and began to slowly melt it away.

-Chijijik. Chijijik.

'...What is this? Why isn't the poisonous Ki disappearing?'

Namgung Hui was quite flustered.

The Human-Faced Poison had also been immune to the Thunder Ki like this, and no matter how low-grade a spirit beast it was, it seemed a spirit beast was a spirit beast.

It did not melt at all in the Thunder Ki.

It was holding on firmly, and it seemed it would rather put a strain on the patient.

Namgung Hui, having no choice, was about to withdraw his hand.

A voice was heard in his ear for the first time in a long time.

-I think I can do something about this.

The owner of the voice he had heard for the first time in a long time was the Sword Spirit.

To avoid being noticed by the Maoshan Sect Leader, Jang Hwang, he had been in a deep sleep.

When did he wake up and start being active again?

Did he judge that he could trust Jang Hwang now?

Whatever the case, it was not a very important matter at this moment.

Because the patient in front of him was the top priority.

-Is there a way?

-Yeah. For some reason, this energy doesn't feel unfamiliar. I think I can draw it in somehow. Instead, the poisonous Ki might seep into your sword. Is that okay?

-Hmm... Rather, wouldn't it be good if the poisonous Ki seeped into the sword?

-Well. I'm just afraid it will be called a demonic sword later. Look at the black sword spewing out poisonous Ki. What is that if not a demonic sword?

Moreover, it was imbued with an unknown spirit called the Sword Spirit.

It was not strange at all to be called a demonic sword, just as the Sword Spirit had said.

But whether it was a demonic sword or a divine sword, wasn't the user important?

Namgung Hui was confident that he could subdue it to some extent, even if a dangerous demonic sword came into his hands right now.

Since his mind and body were clear and clean, he wouldn't be possessed by any wicked being.

-Anyway. Don't worry about me. If you can do it, go ahead and try.

-Alright~ Wait a moment.

And so, as if the Sword Spirit were having an out-of-body experience, it came out of the Thunder God Sword and entered the patient's body.

Jang Hwang, who was watching this from the side, nodded his head slightly with a strange smile.

It seemed he had definitely noticed the existence of the Sword Spirit.

Anyway, since Namgung Hui had now reached a stage where he could trust Jang Hwang to some extent, it seemed it wouldn't matter if he showed him the Sword Spirit.

As it was, hadn't the fact that he was a descendant of the Namgung family also been revealed by meeting the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader?

There was nothing to be gained by hiding anything more.

A moment later. The Sword Spirit came out of the patient's body, holding something in its mouth.

Perhaps because it had consumed various energies until now, the Sword Spirit's form felt even stronger.

Such a Sword Spirit returned to the sword and spoke.

-For some reason, I feel like I can even digest this.

-Digest? If you can absorb it, isn't that a good thing?

-It should be fine, right? Nothing bad will happen to me, right?

-That's a part I can't guarantee either. Should I ask the Blood Qilin when I meet him later?

-How do you know when that will be? I think I can just eat it, so I'll try. How many times can you die?

Namgung Hui grinned at the Sword Spirit's words and nodded his head.

At that, the turbid energy began to gently seep into the Sword Spirit, and he felt the poisonous Ki gradually disappear and the Sword Spirit's energy become even stronger.

It seemed it had completely digested the poisonous Ki without any particular trouble.

'What on earth was it when it was alive? Its appearance just now seemed close to a spirit beast too.'

The way it held something in its mouth, not its hands or feet, seemed closer to a spirit beast or an animal than a person.

Of course, it could have been that since its energy was still weak, the only part it could form was its mouth.

Anyway. As the poisonous Ki was completely removed, the patient slowly began to open his eyes.

"Ugh..."

Perhaps because his condition was not good, even his voice was weak.

"Father! Drink some water first."

Yeon Seohui gently poured some lukewarm water into his mouth.

When one was in a weak state, it was also dangerous to gulp down water.

"Seohui... Did you save me?"

"No. It wasn't me, but the benefactor called the Black Guest here who detoxified you."

"Benefactor... Please understand that I cannot show my full respect as I have not yet regained my energy."

"It's alright. I, who have taken your pulse, know your body's condition better than anyone. Even if the poison has been removed, your health has not yet recovered, so you must rest for at least half a month."

Even after half a month, his health might not return.

But with Yeon Seohui's resourcefulness, he judged that she could obtain good medicinal ingredients and restore him to some extent.

And if it went over half a month, the Dugu Family Head might notice something.

It was a top priority to get out of here before that.

"Yes. I will do as the benefactor says. Is there anything else I should be careful about?"

Yeon Seohui, who had become decidedly more polite than before.

Although he didn't know if she had figured out Namgung Hui's identity, he still felt the need to give a warning.

"There's nothing more for the patient to be careful about. As for the treatment method you saw earlier, please act as if you haven't seen it. It's not good for it to be known yet."

"Yes. I will be sure to keep that in mind. I will take it to my grave."

Although it was said that too much is as bad as too little, in a situation like this, such a firm attitude was trustworthy.

Now that the merchant guild leader had regained his senses and health, the Taejeong Merchant Guild would leave the embrace of the Dugu family and enter the Iron Blood Fortress.

Although he didn't know in detail what kind of effect that would have, he felt a considerable sense of accomplishment in cutting off the financial source of the Dugu family.

'Revenge is not just about cutting off the Dugu Family Head's breath. Just as our entire family has suffered, the Dugu family must also be repaid with a price of blood to some extent.'

"Now that the treatment is over. All that's left is to sneak out. By any chance, is there a passage to leave without the Dugu Family Head knowing?"

"...I'm sorry, but I haven't prepared that far. I am very sorry."

"Then I have no choice but to get out on my own."

Namgung Hui was somewhat confident in his stealth skills.

And he thought that if it were Jang Hwang, he would be able to use a sorcery to hide his presence.

"A sorcery to erase one's presence? That's a piece of cake. Wait a moment."

As Jang Hwang muttered some incantation, his presence gradually faded and then disappeared.

Even though Jang Hwang was clearly visible in front of him, he felt like a phantom.

"Oh. That's amazing."

"Instead, it's a part that can't be maintained for a long time. Because you're temporarily entering the boundary of spirits. If you stay too long, your soul might escape."

"So. You mean you could die with your eyes open."

"That's right. So let's move quickly."

Namgung Hui immediately offered his back and carried Jang Hwang, and Yeon Seohui spoke.

"Benefactor. When the Dugu Family Head's surveillance slackens, I will contact you gradually."

"It's not like I expect anything from you right away. So you can contact me slowly. Then. We'll be on our way."

"Benefactor... Please take care."

Namgung Hui replied with an awkward smile and was about to leave the manor with Jang Hwang.

Until he ran into the Dugu Family Head at the main gate.

(End of Chapter)