Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 242 – Turning Misfortune into Blessing (2)

Eunuch Beom, the eunuch from the Western Depot, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He had been reassured after hearing from Supervisor Jae, the physician in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that Mok Gyeong-un’s injuries were so severe that he wouldn’t wake up for several days.

However, Mok Gyeong-un, who had been lying as if dead with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him, causing Eunuch Beom to be startled.

‘What’s going on?’

He wasn’t sure what had happened, but it seemed Mok Gyeong-un had woken up earlier than the physician’s prediction.

Eunuch Beom, whose heart had nearly leaped out of his chest from shock, quickly composed himself.

Although he had been surprised by Mok Gyeong-un’s opened eyes, Mok Gyeong-un was still an injured man.

Wasn’t it said that his condition was so dire that he might never walk properly again?

‘They say you get scared by the ladle after being frightened by the snake.’

It seemed the defeat he had suffered there had greatly affected him.

There was no need for him to be intimidated in this situation, but he had unconsciously shrunk back.

-Chak!

Eunuch Beom, who had hesitated, hurriedly placed his hand above Mok Gyeong-un’s danjeon.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been staring at him, raised an eyebrow and spoke.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Your name is Mok Gyeong-un, isn’t it?”

“So what?”

“Ha. Your imposing manner is still impressive.”

“……”

‘To not even blink an eye in this situation, he has a grand presence indeed.’

In a state where he couldn’t move due to his injuries, Eunuch Beom had his hand placed above Mok Gyeong-un’s danjeon.

This meant that with just a little force, he could shatter Mok Gyeong-un’s danjeon.

Yet, Mok Gyeong-un showed no sign of dismay.

Rather, he was incredibly calm.

-Kkwak!

Eunuch Beom pressed his fingers into the area around Mok Gyeong-un’s danjeon, applying force.

Then, he spoke.

“This may be misfortune for you, but the heavens are on your side.”

“……”

“Accept the consequences of insulting His Majesty and shattering this old man’s shoulder without resentment.”

“His Majesty?”

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un’s puzzled expression, Eunuch Beom scoffed and said,

“Didn’t this old man clearly warn you not to provoke that noble person?”

“That noble identity you spoke of was His Majesty?”

“Don’t carelessly utter his name. A ruffian from the martial arts world like you has no right to speak of him so casually.”

Eunuch Beom scolded him sternly.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said,

“The title ‘His Majesty’ must be quite revered, seeing as you tell me not to even mention it.”

“Insolent fellow.”

This guy’s arrogance was astounding.

However, his sarcastic attitude in this situation was truly irritating.

Eunuch Beom gathered his internal energy and formed a sharp qi on his fingertips, stabbing it into Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen.

-Pffft!

About one knuckle of his finger penetrated the abdomen.

Eunuch Beom curved the corners of his mouth mockingly.

Now, even this guy should realize that he was in a position where he had to beg and plead……

‘!?’

Eunuch Beom furrowed his brows.

Even though five of his fingers had penetrated about one knuckle deep into the abdomen, Mok Gyeong-un was staring at him without any change in expression.

He seemed to possess an incredibly strong endurance.

At this point, he should have been groveling pathetically.

However, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.

“It’s a bit different from what I expected. I don’t think the person above your master would have ordered you to kill me.”

‘This bastard?’

Eunuch Beom’s eyes flickered with surprise.

How did this guy guess the intentions of that person?

As he wondered, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head slightly and continued.

“If they had sent an even stronger eunuch to test me, it doesn’t seem like they would have done that. But since you’re acting this way, is it because I’m injured and the person above you has changed their mind? Or are you defying their orders and seeking revenge on me, not wanting to miss the opportunity while I’m injured?”

‘!?’

Eunuch Beom was momentarily dumbfounded.

Who the hell was this guy?

He was reading the situation based on fragmented circumstances without even knowing who that person was.

Due to the incident at the inn amidst the heavy rain, Eunuch Beom had already considered Mok Gyeong-un to have an exceptionally sharp mind, bordering on being vicious, but this left him tongue-tied.

This guy’s true value wasn’t limited to his martial arts.

His intelligence was also outstanding.

That made him even more fearsome.

‘My judgment is indeed correct. This guy must never be allowed near His Highness.’

Although Eunuch Beom had wanted to see Mok Gyeong-un looking fearful or pathetic, now he only thought of quickly shattering his danjeon.

As he tried to apply force to his fingers,

-Tremble!

Suddenly, as if blocked by something, his fingers couldn’t penetrate the flesh.

Moreover, the internal energy that had been in his fingers gradually dissipated.

‘What in the world?’

At that moment of bewilderment,

His fingers, which had penetrated with a strong repulsive force from inside the body, were expelled outward.

‘What?’

What was going on here?

Both the physician and the Embroidered Uniform Guard supervising the martial arts had said that Mok Gyeong-un’s internal injuries were so severe that he would have difficulty controlling his own body.

With ruptured blood vessels, muscles, and disrupted internal energy circulation, he should have been no different from a cripple.

Yet, how could he exert this level of power?

Eunuch Beom, who had been momentarily astonished, tried to strike Mok Gyeong-un’s abdomen again.

‘I must destroy his danjeon.’

Regardless of what had happened, if he destroyed the danjeon, everything would be over.

Just as Eunuch Beom’s palm was about to crash down on Mok Gyeong-un’s danjeon with enough force to shatter not only the danjeon but also the internal organs,

An unexpected event occurred.

It was,

-Papapapapapak!

The needles inserted all over Mok Gyeong-un’s body were ejected outward.

If they had simply been pulled out, it would have been fine, but each needle was imbued with internal energy, scattering in all directions like hidden weapons,

-Pfftpfftpfftpfftpfftpfft!

“Huk!”

Eunuch Beom hurriedly waved his hands, trying to block them, but seven needles pierced through his body.

Although they were thin needles, three penetrated his abdomen, one his shoulder, one above his right clavicle, and the others pierced through his left palm and right thigh.

“Kuh…”

The pain was so excruciating that Eunuch Beom collapsed backward.

Particularly, the areas where the needles had penetrated his abdomen and above his clavicle were in a dire state.

They were all vital acupuncture points.

Eunuch Beom hastily circulated his internal energy, trying to block the punctured areas.

However,

‘The internal energy is dissipating.’

Centered around the punctured areas, his internal energy was scattering.

In a panic, Eunuch Beom drew upon more internal energy and circulated it.

If the internal energy was dissipating, the only way to overcome it was with stronger internal energy.

Right at that moment,

-Shuk!

‘!?’

Eunuch Beom’s eyes widened.

He saw Mok Gyeong-un sitting up from the bed.

But that wasn’t all; black steam began to emanate from his entire body, and the bruised skin gradually lightened in color.

‘Could it be that he’s healing?’

No matter how he looked at it, that seemed to be the only explanation.

His speculation was correct.

As Mok Gyeong-un sat up and circulated the rampaging energy within his body, it stabilized, and the bruised skin rapidly restored itself.

In fact, Mok Gyeong-un’s body had undergone a miraculous self-recovery overnight, and the remaining external wounds were healing.

“Ahh…”

A small gasp escaped Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth.

This was because, as he circulated and soothed the rampaging energy within his body, he noticed that the amount of energy had significantly increased compared to before.

Especially the demonic energy, which had increased by more than 40%.

‘What’s this?’

Even Mok Gyeong-un himself had been aware when he collapsed.

The technique of concentrating sword energy into one had surpassed the limits of his body and enlightenment.

As a result, his overexerted body couldn’t endure it and had broken down.

This was the first time such a thing had happened since he began cultivating martial arts.

-Are you alright, mortal?

Cheong-ryeong, who had been waiting for Mok Gyeong-un to wake up, asked with a worried voice.

She, too, had been concerned that something might have gone wrong due to Mok Gyeong-un exerting a force beyond his limits and the physician’s words.

If it had been possible to possess Mok Gyeong-un, she would have wanted to temporarily take over his body and heal him.

However, since possession was impossible for Mok Gyeong-un, she could only watch.

-Yes. I feel much better now.

-How did you manage to exert such power?

-That power…

-The one where you unified the sword energy into one.

Even she had been astonished upon witnessing Mok Gyeong-un’s technique.

It was a realm that even she, who still had lingering attachments to the sword even after death, couldn’t imagine, let alone reach.

Yet, she wondered how this fellow had momentarily approached a domain close to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

-I’m not sure. Nothing else comes to mind.

-You didn’t think of anything else?

Upon hearing these words, Cheong-ryeong genuinely admired Mok Gyeong-un.

In that fleeting moment, transcending any realm, he had considered that to be the only optimal move.

Mok Gyeong-un had simply realized it.

It was just that his enlightenment and body hadn’t fully supported him, so he had borne the full brunt of the backlash.

Cheong-ryeong, who had been clicking her tongue, finally spoke.

-You bastard, you really are a born martial arts genius.

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flickered with surprise at her words.

This was because she, who usually refrained from speaking even in ordinary situations, had given him a proper compliment for the first time.

It seemed she acknowledged him to that extent.

-But don’t overexert yourself. Even if you momentarily approached such a realm through a heaven-defying enlightenment, you have now experienced firsthand the consequences of doing so when unprepared.

-Well, that’s true. But…

-But what?

Mok Gyeong-un silently clenched his fist tightly.

The intensity of the force exerted by his hand.

It had become much stronger than before he collapsed.

It was as if the swollen and torn muscles had become even more robust to endure it.

This wasn’t a mere feeling.

‘The blood vessels are the same.’

The speed at which energy circulated had greatly increased.

Just like when he had surpassed the bottleneck, it had now become as natural as breathing.

Because of this, Mok Gyeong-un himself felt a strange sensation.

‘How curious.’

Would others also experience such a rapid change in their bodies when surpassing their limits?

It didn’t seem so.

According to the medical knowledge he had learned from his grandfather and various medical texts, the human body was designed to slowly adapt to limits or harsh situations, not undergo such drastic changes.

‘Hmm.’

In that regard, he seemed to be distinctly different from ordinary people.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un turned his head.

There, he saw Eunuch Beom from the Western Depot, lying on the floor, dragging his body and trying to quietly escape while suppressing his presence.

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and got off the bed.

‘Da-damn it!’

Startled, Eunuch Beom hurriedly struck the floor with both hands.

-Pak!

Using the rebound force, he tried to stand up.

However,

-Thwack!

“Ugh!”

As he got up, Mok Gyeong-un kicked him, causing him to fall back down.

Mok Gyeong-un pressed his foot on the area between Eunuch Beom’s neck and chest.

-Kkwak!

“Kuh-kuh!”

Pressing down on that area, it was impossible for Eunuch Beom to breathe properly.

To the suffocating Eunuch Beom, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“It seems you don’t have much attachment to life.”

“Kuh… Wh-what?”

“Just like last time, even though I was minding my own business, you deliberately provoked me.”

-Flinch!

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Eunuch Beom’s face turned red and then ashen.

Struggling to breathe, he hastily said,

“Kuh-kuh… If- if you… try to harm me here… His Highness Prince Gyeongjin will never…”

“Ah. So it was him?”

The corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth twitched.

Seeing that expression, Eunuch Beom’s eyes wavered.

What was this?

It was different from the reaction he had expected.

Prince Gyeongjin was the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor and one of the four true powers of this nation.

With this cunning fellow, he should have understood what he meant, so why was he making such an ominous expression?

Right at that moment,

-Crack! Crunch!

The sound of a clavicle breaking rang out.

Eunuch Beom couldn’t hold back the scream of pain.

Mok Gyeong-un kicked his chin.

-Thwack! Crunch!

“Kuh…!”

The sound of teeth colliding and shattering echoed.

Mok Gyeong-un bent down and brought his face close to the suffering Eunuch Beom.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Kuh…”

As he opened his mouth, all of his teeth were cracked, and broken pieces fell out with a clatter.

Of course, they fell into his mouth, causing him to choke and sputter.

Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the face of Eunuch Beom, who was coughing up blood, and examined it closely. Then, he smiled brightly and said,

“Fortunately, the skin on your face is intact.”

Upon hearing those words, the suffering Eunuch Beom furrowed his brows.

What the hell was he talking about?

After making his jaw and teeth like this, was he now saying that his face was fine?

‘Damn bastard.’

You have made a grave mistake.

In the end, by making him like this, he had gained justification to persuade His Highness.

A dog that couldn’t be leashed shouldn’t be kept.

‘Prepare yourself.’

Anyway, since there was also the crime of attempting to assassinate His Majesty, using this as justification, he would definitely…

-Pffft!

At that moment, Eunuch Beom’s eyes widened.

He felt a sharp blade penetrating his jaw and reaching inside his nose.

The pain rushed in all at once, causing him to twist his body in a struggle.

But then,

-Tatatatatatak!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-woon sealed his acupoints, rendering him unable to move.

Of course, he also sealed the points that would stop him from making any sound.

In agony yet unable to speak, Eunuch Beom could only open his eyes wide as Mok Gyeong-woon whispered softly in his ear.

“It’s a pity you didn’t just die back then. If you did, none of this would have happened.”

‘!?’

-Screech!

With those words, Mok Gyeong-woon carefully moved the blade up and down.

As if he was delicately peeling off the skin.

‘Wh-what are you doing?’

Eunuch Beom’s eyes widened even further, his pupils shaking madly.

Regardless, Mok Gyeong-woon continued his work with an elated smile.

-Screech! Screech!

‘Stop! Stop it!’

With his eyes wide open, Eunuch Beom watched as his facial skin was slowly peeled away, his pupils gradually losing focus.