Overlord of Sichuan

Chapter 20: Misunderstandings Draw Swords (2)

“Ugh, so sly. Even the needles he uses are pitch-black like his heart.”

“……”

“……”

“…Master? Senior Sister?”

Cheong Yeon could only tilt her head at the two silent figures once again.

She had yet to reach the level of martial prowess they possessed, so she hadn’t witnessed how black needles formed on their own.

Meanwhile, the reasons Hayeong and the Geum Hwa were shocked were entirely different.

‘…I’ve followed Master around and seen sacred items from countless eccentrics, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.’

First, Hayeong was astonished by the extraordinary ability of the dark gloves worn on both of Sewoon’s hands.

At a glance, they looked like plain, thin gloves with not even a hidden compartment like a gauntlet to store anything inside.

Which meant the black needles were purely created by the item’s own divine ability.

The true potential of those dark gloves wouldn’t be revealed here, but on the battlefield.

Right now, they were being used solely to draw out needles for medical treatment.

‘If this were during a battle… and if he could create other forms besides needles…’

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrifying those gloves would be, capable of freely generating and launching hidden weapons.

‘…If someone fought him without knowing this, they’d think he was unarmed—then get struck down by surprise projectiles and hover at death’s door.’

While Hayeong focused on Sewoon’s Heavenly Net as a weapon—

‘Truly astonishing. The thickness of the needles is impossibly fine. Yet the energy transmitted through them is nearly perfect. How did something like this end up in the Tang Clan?’

The Geum Hwa, her master, focused on the black needles as medical instruments.

To a physician, needles were like an extension of their own hand.

When a patient needed light stimulation, they used thinner fine needles.

For stronger stimulation, they used thicker coarse needles.

But the issue was that crafting fine needles that could withstand internal energy was incredibly difficult.

Thicker needles could barely endure it, but the finer the needle, the weaker the durability—often melting down and breaking.

That’s why they had paid a fortune—not a thousand but nearly ten thousand gold—to the White Night Iron Workshop, the best forge in the Central Plains, to have sacred needles crafted for her and her master, the Divine Honor Guard.

‘Even the fur of the Silver-Haired Divine Monkey, the material for the needles, had to be obtained by us—which meant I had to suffer so much hardship at my age.’

Yet the black needles in Sewoon’s hand were far too thin.

Even the silver-haired needles in her possession couldn’t compare in the slightest.

Swaa.

Moreover, despite being infused with a gentle current of black qi, Sewoon’s fine needles maintained their firm and elegant form.

No wonder she was this astonished.

“Now, if I place the needle and induce movement in the affected area, the circulation of qi and blood in the paralyzed muscle will resume, and it’ll be healed instantly.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course. The treatment is already completely done.”

“…What?”

At Sewoon’s words, not only the child’s mother but also the three members of the Emei Sect wore dazed expressions.

He said the treatment was already over—what did he mean by that?

Naturally, everyone turned their gaze toward the child, and were met with a shock.

“!”

“-!”

“Huh? Physician? There are needles in my leg!”

The child blinked and shouted.

Just as he said, needles had been inserted without anyone noticing when.

Yes. Sewoon, while locking eyes with the mother, had guided the hand holding the needle to the child’s wound.

Before the young patient even had a chance to fear it, he had swiftly—

And without letting the child feel even a small sting—

Perfectly completed the treatment.

Tap! Tap-tap!

With the same natural movement he used to insert them, Sewoon withdrew the black needles without the child even noticing.

“Alright, Soha. Try standing up.”

At Sewoon’s words, the child showed a nervous expression for the first time.

The worried mother tried to come support him, but Sewoon shook his head.

Piercing the stifling silence that had settled over the hall—

“Ungh!”

“-!”

Shff!

The child sprang to his feet.

So effortlessly that even he looked more confused than impressed.

“Wow, Physician! My leg’s really moving!”

“Heh, I told you I’d keep my promise.”

“Mom!”

“Oh, Soha! Wahhh!”

Once he could move, the child ran into his mother’s arms.

Watching the scene, the Geum Hwa let out an unconscious gasp of awe.

‘…Unbelievable.’

Within the qi-enhanced gaze of the Geum Hwa, the child’s once-blocked nerves and acupoints were visibly reconnected.

If not for deep study of the meridians and extensive clinical experience in acupuncture—

No, even with those, what Sewoon had achieved was no easy feat.

‘So this is why Master sent me to the Tang Clan.’

Not as a sect leader of one of the Nine Sects One Gang.

But as a physician—returning to that role, the Geum Hwa felt genuine admiration.

If it was at this level, there was only one word to describe Sewoon.

“…Genius.”

She muttered in a daze while looking at Sewoon.

And—

Hearing that one word from her master's lips, Hayeong's pupils trembled like an earthquake.

---

‘Hmm, what do I do now.’

The Geum Hwa was in an incredibly awkward position.

All the doubts and suspicions they had toward Sewoon had been completely resolved.

Why treatments at the Tang Clan concluded in a flash.

It wasn't some kind of fraudulent practice.

It was because Sewoon instantly diagnosed patients and repeatedly cured them with acupuncture.

Having witnessed the process with their own eyes, their misunderstandings were perfectly cleared.

And that was precisely why it was so awkward.

‘…That sacred artifact is clearly a treasure of the Tang Clan.

Yet we've seen it in secret while he's hiding his identity and using it.’

No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like the Emei Sect had come to spy after losing patients recently.

But they couldn’t reveal their original purpose either.

If they said they infiltrated thinking the Young Master was running a scam practice, it would be like pouring oil on a burning house.

‘Ah, why did I do something so foolish…’

—“You need to fix that hot-headedness of yours first.”

The words the Boyeon Divine Nun always clicked her tongue over and repeated stabbed her in the chest once more.

She was filled with deep regret. Her head throbbed.

But the contemplation didn’t last long.

‘Sigh, what’s done is done. The right thing now is to be honest and ask the Tang Clan’s Young Master for forgiveness.’

Even if it meant tarnishing her honor or suffering a great loss, so be it.

She was a member of the orthodox sects, and the Emei Sect walked the path of righteousness.

If she had done wrong, she should bow her head in sincerity and apologize.

And accept the consequences that followed—that was the way of justice and morality.

Just as she reached her conclusion—

“I’ll come again, physician!”

“You rascal. Now that you’re healthy, don’t come back.”

“But I want to come again!”

“Hehe, only if you crave sweets.”

“Yay! Really?!”

With the physician’s guidance, the child and his mother exited the hall.

Silence quickly settled over the surroundings.

At just the right moment, only Sewoon and the three from the Emei Sect remained in the hall.

“Um, actually…”

The Geum Hwa cautiously opened her lips.

Whizz!

Suddenly, a tearing sound like the air being ripped echoed through the room.

“-!”

“Eek!”

Startled, Cheong Yeon quickly flung her body aside and barely dodged the attack.

Swish! Crack!

In what some might call the disgrace of martial artists, she executed a lazy-donkey-roll technique.

Her clothes were now covered in dust and dirt.

But it couldn’t be helped.

For two shimmering daggers had struck precisely where she had been standing.

“I let it slide earlier since I had to treat the patient…”

Then came a cold voice that evoked the icy winds of the North Sea.

Sewoon had stepped outside the clinic and was now glaring at them.

His gaze was entirely different from when he was treating a patient—utterly cold and merciless.

The three members of the Emei Sect froze under that pressure.

Clatter!

“-!”

“What the?!”

Suddenly, the daggers that had embedded themselves deep in the floor returned to Sewoon’s hands in an instant.

Shock appeared in the eyes of all three who saw that.

‘…Unbelievable.’

‘How is that child using Telekinetic Control?’

The daggers had clearly flown through the air and returned to Sewoon’s hands.

A technique where a martial master spreads their qi to move distant objects.

A skill only usable upon reaching the Transformation Realm—Telekinetic Control had been displayed.

‘No, that’s impossible. That man’s martial level, at most, is at the peak of Second Rate…’

Something that should have been impossible had just happened.

Hayeong stared at Sewoon with disbelieving eyes.

“To sneak in while hiding your identity and spy on our clan’s secret techniques. Don’t expect to leave here alive.”

“W-Wait, calm down, Young Master. That’s not it—we’re actually from Emei—”

“You dare, you bastard!”

“-!”

Crash!

Cheong Yeon, burning with shame from using Lazy Donkey Roll for the first time in her life, suddenly charged at Sewoon like a lightning bolt.

Shiiing!

Before the others could stop her, her sword was already drawn.

“As expected, those who come uninvited come with ill intent.”

Sewoon also kicked off the ground and rushed forward to meet her.

Golden energy shimmered like heat haze across Cheong Yeon’s body as she employed her Golden Purity Art.

‘I’ll use Burning Blood Sword Technique to make her roll on the ground just like me!’

But she didn’t get the chance to display her martial arts.

Thud!

With a dull strike, Cheong Yeon’s pupils unfocused and her body collapsed.

Though she had started late, the Geum Hwa had arrived first using exquisite footwork and struck Cheong Yeon’s neck with a hand blade, knocking her out.

Whoosh!

She sent the unconscious Cheong Yeon flying into Hayeong’s arms using her internal energy.

Whizz!

Sewoon, who had already arrived, did not withdraw the technique he had begun.

‘Sigh, I guess there’s no choice.’

Thus, the Geum Hwa ended up having to face Sewoon herself.

Having barged into the battlefield, it was difficult to retreat.

Clash!

At that moment, Sewoon’s two qi-infused daggers collided with her bare hands, which bore no internal energy.

Clang!

The sound of steel clashing rang out as flesh met blade.

It was because of the Geum Hwa’s high-level martial prowess at the entrance of the Transformation Realm.

Clink!

Clink-clink!

But the more they exchanged blows—

The more admiration grew in the Geum Hwa’s eyes.

‘…This child. He’s by no means low-level.’

She had heard Tang Clan martial artists were masters of hidden weapons.

But the level of perfection in his assault was beyond her expectations.

He must have sensed the gap in their levels, yet he didn’t falter and extended his daggers.

Each second, each strike targeted her blind spots and moments of distraction with a snake’s precision.

She now realized her master hadn’t sent her to observe only his medical skill.

Whizz!

Once more, the sound of the air being torn echoed.

‘One for throwing. One to the upper right.’

Swish!

With only a slight movement of her head, she dodged the first dagger flying at her.

As the blade brushed past her ear, she spun her body with one foot as a pivot.

It was to avoid the dagger thrusting in from the upper right.

“Master!”

“-!”

At the sudden cry from Hayeong—

The Geum Hwa felt a chill crawl up her nape.

Flash!

Brilliant golden energy, incomparable to Cheong Yeon’s, surged through her body.

Clatter!

She spread both hands wide like a peacock.

It was Emei Sect’s secret art—Subduing Tiger Hands.

Thwack!

With the grace of a living snake, the Geum Hwa’s right hand snatched the incoming dagger just before her face.

‘What the—!’

From behind, in her blind spot, a dagger was altering its trajectory mid-air and flying toward her.

But she had no time to think.

Flash!

Just as she’d predicted, Sewoon was thrusting a dagger down from the upper right.

Whizz!

Reflexively, she extended her left hand.

Thanks to thousands upon thousands of repetitions, the Subduing Tiger Hand extended with perfect speed and path.

Thud!

Her left hand struck Sewoon in the abdomen.

The force sent him skidding backward across the ground, carving a line in the dirt.

‘…I blocked it?’

Indeed, the Subduing Tiger Hand didn’t hit squarely.

Sewoon had crossed his arms in an X to absorb the impact as much as possible.

Drip.

A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Sewoon’s lips.

Though he had successfully defended, the internal energy from the Subduing Tiger Hand had shaken his insides.

“Ah.”

Seeing that, the Geum Hwa finally came to her senses.

Her pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

She had unknowingly used her full strength.

But she couldn’t help it.

The ferocious surprise attack had pushed her far beyond the level of any young successor and truly made her feel endangered.

No—how could he use Telekinetic Control?

Her gaze fell to the dagger she was gripping.

‘…A thread?’

Around the ring at the dagger’s pommel, a black thread was wrapped.

Only then did the Geum Hwa realize the trick.

But her expression remained dark.

‘Just what is this child…?’

She had never heard of a martial art using thread.

Which meant he had trained himself to this degree on his own.

Was it even possible to attain such skill without a proper master?

Even if she hadn’t used her full inner energy, he had almost succeeded in a deadly ambush.

“…Again.”

Thwack!

Even now, Sewoon didn’t retreat but prepared to charge once more.

The Geum Hwa could not hide her astonishment.

“Subdue the enemy of the Tang Clan!”

With the cry of Tang Clan’s Head, Tang Muyeol—

Clink!

Clink-clink!

Before anyone noticed, Tang Clan’s warriors surrounded them, blades pointed directly at her.