NOVEL WEB Chapter 92 - Affection
Chapter 92: Affection
As soon as I stepped inside the house, instead of lying down on the sickbed again, I leaned against the wall and sat cross-legged.
Lü Bu sat in front of me, hugging her halberd, resting her chin on her hand.
“Meridians are pathways through which qi flows, and everyone has them, just like blood vessels, though they may not realize it.”
“Qi flows through them?”
“Yes. I don’t need to explain qi anymore, do I?”
“Well, yeah, I get it, sort of.”
If I hastily tried to restore my dantian, the qi would flow backward, causing internal injuries. So I slowly engraved the structure of my meridians, acupoints, and dantian into my mind.
The qi felt clearer than ever before, incomparable to before.
I could feel it flowing just like blood, even without focusing on it.
“So now you can even see inside a person’s body?”
“Yes, that’s what happened. The higher one’s level, the more clearly they can see it. Of course, it won’t work on someone of the same level.”
“…Don’t tell me, you can see them naked or something?”
“Don’t talk like a pervert. Your head is filled with dirty thoughts.”
“S-Shut up!”
I closed my eyes calmly.
“Anyway, I can now feel qi more delicately, which makes it easier to remove the impure qi that disrupts its flow. That’s why I said I might be able to achieve a complete transformation.”
“Impure qi?”
“Impure qi is waste that naturally accumulates in the body. To put it simply, it’s why people fall ill and die—because this impure qi disrupts the flow of qi and prevents the body from functioning properly.”
“Then everyone has this impure qi, right?”
“Yes. To achieve a complete transformation, you must remove every last trace of this impure qi. In this sense, being able to see acupoints is nothing short of a divine blessing.”
“Ugh, my head’s gonna explode. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t worry. Now that you’ve realized qi exists in this world, I’ll help you understand it gradually. I need to concentrate now, so don’t touch me. No matter what happens, do not make contact with my body. Do you understand?”
“…Do as you please.”
With that, Lü Bu closed her mouth and said no more.
I had to focus now.
To achieve complete transformation, I would ultimately need to clear the Conception and Governing Vessels and unblock the Life and Death Gate.
The Conception and Governing Vessels were originally open from birth, but the Life and Death Gate was likely blocked by years of accumulated impure qi.
In other words, if I could unblock the Life and Death Gate, the toxins in my body would drain away, and my body would be reconstructed.
However, my body was already in a mess due to internal injuries, with not only the Life and Death Gate but also many meridians damaged.
Complete transformation requires immense internal power, and without the ability to circulate that power, I couldn’t even begin.
First, I had to restore this.
I started by circulating qi from my toes.
Immediately, pain shot through me.
It was a nightmare from the start.
I slowly opened my eyes.
This spot was likely the Dokbi Acupoint, right?
Located just below the knee, an injury here would render the entire leg useless.
The reason I couldn’t move my leg well now was probably because this Dokbi Acupoint was injured.
I needed to gradually restore it and realign the meridians to take the first step toward transformation.
I began channeling my internal energy into it.
I could feel stagnant blood oozing from various parts of my body.
.
.
.
.
.
“Hah…”
“Are you really okay?”
When I opened my eyes, Lü Bu was staring at me, her brows furrowed deeply.
“…Feels like I’m gonna die.”
I spat out blood.
Now that I looked, blood was also trickling slightly from my nose and eyes.
“How long has it been?”
“It’s already been half a day.”
That much time had passed.
Forcing my body to heal itself was an exhausting process.
Even the Dokbi Acupoint wasn’t fully healed.
Honestly, I didn’t expect it to heal in just one day, but progress was slower than I’d hoped.
It would probably take at least a week just to fully restore this one acupoint.
“Seems like running away with you wasn’t the wrong choice after all.”
“…Stop talking nonsense and drink this.”
For some reason, Lü Bu’s usual harshness had faded, and she handed me a cup of water with a softened demeanor.
As I accepted it, I spoke again.
“We might have to stay hidden in these mountains for a long time. Are you okay with that?”
“As you said, I’ve got nowhere else to go anyway.”
Lü Bu let out a deep sigh and used a rag at her feet to wipe up the bloodstains on the floor.
Come to think of it, despite all her grumbling, Lü Bu always accommodated my unreasonable requests.
Frankly, she didn’t have to stick with me like this.
A general of Lü Bu’s caliber would be welcomed with open arms wherever she went.
I didn’t hide my curiosity and asked her directly.
“It’s a bit late to ask, but why do you keep helping me, Yeo? Generals would be falling over themselves to recruit you.”
“…I am Lü Bu, the Fierce General Among Men.”
“I know that.”
It was a fact I felt deeply, so I nodded without hesitation.
“But I am no longer that. I was defeated by some fool.”
Lü Bu spoke.
“Unryong, I am valuable because I am peerless. No matter what others say, I cannot accept a Lü Bu who is no longer peerless.”
“You still seem lively enough, though.”
“Just like you have your own beliefs, I, Lü Bu, have mine. The weak die. That’s the path I’ve walked. Those who followed me did so because they worshipped my martial prowess. So, this meaningless life had to end.”
“Is that why you recklessly attacked Cao Cao?”
“That’s exactly it. But damn it, the one who defeated Lü Bu should be the greatest under heaven, but he keeps doing strange things.”
Lü Bu let out a long breath.
“And, well… Like everyone else, I wanted to wash away the irreparable mistakes I’ve made.”
“I see.”
I decided not to pry further.
Lü Bu had her own reasons for saving me. Besides, digging too deep might only make things worse.
“However, Yeo.”
I smiled.
“To me, you’re one of the most valuable people.”
“…W-What?”
Isn’t it obvious?
I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve helped me already.
Before I knew it, Lü Bu had become my savior.
I carefully grabbed my stick and stood up.
“I don’t care if you’re ridiculously strong or weak, Yeo. I owe you my life many times over. It’s a debt I could never repay, even if I spent my entire life trying. So what if you’re not superior to others? In the end, everyone’s life is connected.”
Just as I met Lü Bu, just as I formed bonds with my precious younger brothers.
Connections are endlessly intertwined.
“Remember when we first met, Yeo? You asked me what the hell this affection was. What was so important that you’d go to such lengths?”
Slowly, tapping my stick, I opened the door.
Between the stars embroidered in the dawn sky, a crescent moon hung.
Lü Bu hurriedly got up and followed behind me.
“Damn it, where are you off to with that body—!”
“Isn’t the sky beautiful?”
When I asked that, Lü Bu tilted her head as if I were talking nonsense.
“Just look up for a moment.”
“…It is pretty.”
“Exactly. Affection doesn’t need a grand reason. Just looking up at the sky together, sharing a drink under this sky—it’s enough for connections to form. Under this sky, whether you’re peerless or a martial artist, those grand titles mean nothing. It’s just you and me, Yeo.”
“…I once tried to kill you. And those trash companions of yours.”
“…”
I couldn’t forget that day she spoke of.
Every night, nightmares of that day haunted my mind, and I struggled to make sense of it.
In the end, Lü Bu was just doing what she had to do.
Of course, I wasn’t willing to accept that.
That’s why we both had our blades pointed at each other’s throats.
Ironically, though, Lü Bu had now become the only person helping me.
“So, are you going to kill me now?”
“…Killing you now would be boring…”
“Same here. Fighting you now would be meaningless. Besides, I couldn’t win anyway.”
We silently looked up at the sky.
“If something lacks value, then find it.”
“…”
“The reason I want to set things right in Jianghu is because I believe no one in this world is worthless. Not the weak women, the starving children, or the fathers unable to protect their families. Are they truly without value? I don’t think so. No one deserves to die without reason. So you, Yeo, can also find a new path. And if one day we end up pointing swords at each other again, well, we’ll deal with it then.”
I laughed heartily.
When I turned my head, Lü Bu just furrowed her brows and kept her mouth tightly shut.
“And besides, there’s no way I could beat you even if I tried, so you’re still the peerless one under heaven, Yeo. Isn’t that reason enough for you to keep living?”
I playfully patted Lü Bu’s shoulder.
“Hmph, you’re just spouting nonsense.”
We continued to look up at the sky for a while.
The dawn air was crisp and cold.