Chapter 334 |
Chapter 334
The Tathagata
Mu-jin had to apply Gold Creation Medicine all over his body to treat his wounds before interrogating the man who appeared to be a Daeju.
Although there were no deep wounds, there were so many minor cuts that leaving them untreated could result in excessive bleeding and collapse.
"Ssss."
As he applied the Gold Creation Medicine to the small wounds, the stinging pain made him frown involuntarily.
At the same time, he had a question.
'Was my sense of touch not dulled?'
It hurt. It wasn't a refreshing feeling; it was excruciating.
If that were the case, he should not have felt any pain; the refreshing feeling was strange.
And even now, aside from the stinging pain, there was still a peculiar sensation as if his skin was breathing.
Even after the battle ended and he was undergoing treatment.
So, what on earth was going on?
As Mu-jin stared closely at his skin, which felt as if non-existent pores had opened, an old memory came to his mind.
In the past, when he was a novice monk in Shaolin. The conversation on the day Master Uncle Beob Gang introduced him to the Iron Skin technique.
At that time, Mu-jin had asked Beob Gang for ways to make his active cultivation smoother, and Beob Gang introduced him to Iron Skin.
There were no cases of Iron Skin absorbing Qi through the skin, but it was perhaps possible, he had said.
And the Jade Vajra Technique that Mu-jin had learned was further developed by Hyun-gwang, based on the Iron Skin technique.
'...So the achievement of the Jade Vajra Technique has increased, allowing it to absorb Qi through the skin?'
To be precise, both the Iron Skin and Jade Vajra Technique were external energy techniques that absorbed Qi through the skin.
However, it wasn't something he controlled himself, and it just strengthened the skin or bones with the absorbed Qi.
Mu-jin instinctively realized.
With a little more practice, he could directly control the Qi absorbed through the skin or even convert the Qi absorbed through the skin into internal energy.
As he did with the Qi inhaled through the mouth or nose.
Of course, there were still questions.
Why did the achievement of the Jade Vajra Technique suddenly increase?
And Mu-jin easily found the answer to that question as well.
'...Because of Wi Ji-hak, So-cheon-ju, and being hit by this guy.'
The Iron Skin was a technique that consistently provided an appropriate level of stimulation to the skin to strengthen it.
Naturally, as the skin became tougher, the appropriate level of stimulation increased.
And the same would apply to the Jade Vajra Technique, which was based on the Iron Skin.
The Jade Vajra Technique, which he thought had reached its limit, grew through the process of receiving and penetrating the attacks of strong enemies multiple times.
'Should I call this turning misfortune into a blessing?'
nn
Mu-jin, who had become dumbfounded, looked over his skin and chuckled.
It was a fortunate coincidence. He became stronger for an unexpected reason.
But it was also absurd.
It meant that to become stronger, one had to be beaten up by a master capable of piercing through the Jade Vajra Technique, but not die.
Surviving the hair-raising battles that brought him to the brink of death made him stronger.
'It's like those Saiyans from that Dragon Ball manga.'
Unconsciously, Mu-jin recalled the comics he borrowed from a bookstore during his childhood.
"...Maybe it's a good thing?"
Thinking about it, he might have to face several more life-threatening battles with Shinchun in the future.
Since Shinchun's main masters were still remaining.
Clearing his mind, Mu-jin realized another important fact.
'If the achievement of the Jade Vajra Technique has increased, why hasn't my physique reduced?'
The higher the achievement of the Jade Vajra Technique, the more it compressed the muscles. However, looking at his body, there was no noticeable reduction in muscle size.
In fact, the more he worked out, the thicker his muscles seemed to become.
"...Was it just my imagination?"
If his muscles had indeed grown and his strength increased, it would be an explainable situation.
But it was also an inexplicable situation.
Mu-jin had reached an area that was difficult to achieve even with the systematic development of muscles using modern exercise science theories.
Yet, his strength increased in such a poor environment.
'Then again, the existence of Qi itself is already unexplainable.'
The Jade Vajra Technique had the effect of absorbing Qi through the skin, muscles, and blood vessels to strengthen them.
Therefore, even if the skin compressed the muscles, bones, or blood vessels, it could withstand it.
But that wouldn't make sense without the existence of Qi.
'So, was the Qi absorbed through the Jade Vajra Technique being absorbed into the muscles instead of just the skin or bones?'
That could explain how his muscles could compress and become stronger to an inexplicable degree.
Thinking that far, Mu-jin chuckled.
"Grandfather, did you perhaps create the Jade Vajra Technique with this in mind?"
For some reason, Mu-jin thought that Hyun-gwang might have anticipated this.
And the smile on Mu-jin's face deepened.
The achievement of the Jade Vajra Technique could rise higher, and his strength could also increase further.
Moreover,
'Mu-gyeong said he could modify the mnemonics to some extent.'
If Mu-gyeong could find a way to incorporate the Invincible Divine Fist into other martial arts, he could become even stronger.
Of course, even if Mu-gyeong told him how, he wasn't talented enough to use it immediately, and his muscles or skin couldn't strengthen overnight.nn
But at least he had a clear way to become stronger.
Meanwhile,
The Sam Dae-ju, who had all his limbs broken and his pressure points sealed, was lying beside Mu-jin, looking at him with shaking pupils.
No matter how he looked at it, Mu-jin, who was muttering to himself and laughing while applying the Gold Creation Medicine all over his skin, seemed like a madman.
At that moment, Mu-jin, who had finished both his treatment and meditation, turned his head to look at Sam Dae-ju.
"Now it's your turn."
Just in case, Mu-jin took out a Simnyeong Pill he had packed among his belongings.
It was a precious medicine that even the Sichuan Tang Clan had only a few left of, and he needed to use it carefully, but it seemed worth using on someone like a Daeju.
Forcing the man's mouth open, Mu-jin made him chew and swallow the Simnyeong Pill, then released his pressure points and blood points.
Mu-jin asked after the man's eyes had completely glazed over.
"What is your position in Shinchun?"
"...I am Sam Dae-ju."
Mu-jin asked again as if to confirm the answer.
"Then is Hyeok Jin-gang the First Young Master of Shinchun?"
"Yes."
"And the Second Young Master is the Bright Left Envoy of the demon cult?"
"Yes."
"Then is the Nasha Witch also one of your Daejus?"
"She is the Sixth Daeju."
"Other than you, are those three the only remaining Daejus?"
"As far as I know, yes."
Having grasped the Daeju situation, Mu-jin asked about the higher ranks.
"Have you ever met the Cheon-ju?"
"I have met him once, briefly."
"How strong is the Cheon-ju?"
"I cannot measure his strength."
Clicking his tongue lightly at the answer, Mu-jin asked again.
"Do you know where the Cheon-ju is?"
"No."
"If not the current location, do you know the place where he usually stays?"
"No."
"Whew."
Mu-jin realized it was impossible to reach the top in one go.
n
"Then, do you know the whereabouts of Ji-ju? Or, was Ji-ju the one who attacked Wudang and assassinated the Taegeuk Sword Saint?"
"That's what I heard."
Recalling what he had heard from Cheong-su on Wudang Mountain, Mu-jin asked,
"Did Ji-ju get injured in the battle with the Taegeuk Sword Saint?"
"That's what I heard."
"Was it a serious injury?"
"I didn't hear the details. I only heard that he needed to recover."
"Then where is he recovering?"
"I don't know."
Mu-jin sighed regretfully.
'At least it's certain that he's injured, so the worst is avoided.'
Most of the major factions and families in the Jeongmumaeng were too busy guarding their headquarters, fearing a surprise attack from Shinchun.
But if Ji-ju was injured, it could ease their worries a bit.
Failing to find out the whereabouts of Cheon-ju and Ji-ju, Mu-jin asked with half a resigned heart,
"Then, do you know where In-ju is?"
Surprisingly, Sam Dae-ju answered the question he asked out of resignation.
"In Beijing."
Mu-jin's expression turned bizarre upon hearing the answer.
'...Of all places, Beijing.'
The Imperial Family of the Empire resided in Beijing.
There was no law prohibiting martial artists from going to Beijing, but causing any conflict or rampage there could involve the military, the Jinyiwei, and the Eastern Depot.
Although Shinchun dreamed of overthrowing the current imperial family, there was no guarantee that the imperial family would believe them.
It would be terrible to fight a war with Shinchun and misunderstandings leading to another war with the imperial family.
Realizing it wasn't his decision alone, Mu-jin began extracting additional information.
"Do you know the name or description In-ju uses in Beijing or where he stays?"
"I don't know any of that."
Mu-jin asked a few more questions afterward, but they were either things he already knew or trivial matters. No significant information came up.
Realizing the effect of the Simnyeong Pill was wearing off, Mu-jin asked one last question.
"Were there any additional assassins sent to Jang-cheong-hyeon?"
"If you've killed all the watchers, there will be no more."
"Watchers?"
Mu-jin frowned. The situation had been urgent, so he hadn't searched the entire area for watchers.
"What if the watchers weren't dealt with?"n
"If the watchers remained and the assassins were defeated, they would have requested reinforcements suitable for your escort level."
At Sam Dae-ju's answer, Mu-jin sighed deeply.
"Whew. Nothing goes smoothly."
It seemed they had to move immediately after the Special Operations Unit completed their Qi Conducting and emergency treatment.
"...Please hold on, Mu-gung."
Mu-jin muttered while looking at the sky in the direction of Jeongmumaeng in Hunan.
* * *
On the second day after leaving Jang-cheong-hyeon in Shandong.
Mu-gung and his party were traveling along the official road in southern Hunan Province.
Considering that the Special Operations Unit had reached Shandong from Jeongmumaeng in just two days, their speed was slow, but it was an unavoidable issue.
The escorts of Baek Ga-ryeong were inferior in martial skills compared to the Special Operations Unit, and Baek Ga-ryeong herself wasn't very strong.
She had regained some health thanks to practicing the Extreme Yang Energy Technique, but she originally suffered from the Seven Yin Terminating Pulse, making her very fragile.
Even reaching this far in two days was their best effort.
'...It seems we're in a safe zone now?'
Mu-gung thought it might be better to slow down.
There had been no attacks in the past two days, and the journey had been peaceful.
Next to Mu-gung were the exhausted escorts, struggling to keep up.
"Huff."
"Huff."
Exaggerating a bit, he was more worried they'd collapse from fatigue rather than an assassin's attack.
But the person Mu-gung was most concerned about was Baek Ga-ryeong, not the escorts.
Though she was traveling alone in the carriage, her face had turned slightly pale from the hurried journey without proper rest.
Knowing she had suffered from a severe illness like the Seven Yin Terminating Pulse, he couldn't help but worry.
Thinking for a moment about whether to rest,
Mu-gung raised his hand to signal a stop.
But it wasn't to rest.
"Someone is approaching."
He sensed someone approaching from beyond the bushes along the official road.
Mu-gung's face twisted as he examined the people approaching.
He didn't know the others, but he recognized one face among them.
He hadn't met the man personally, only memorized his face through a wanted poster in Jeongmumaeng.
Swallowing once, Mu-gung asked the man seriously,
"What brings the Noklim Leader to Hunan Province?"