Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor

Episode 146

One possibility instantly crossed my mind.

‘Transformation Hwangol!’

It was hazy and obscured by poisonous smoke, but I could roughly guess what was going on.

Even though it was actually happening right in front of my eyes, it was hard to believe it.

Taetaehwangol (奪胎換骨).

It refers to the process by which a warrior’s body evolves into the most ideal form for learning martial arts.

For me, who had mastered the White Thunder Godkong, such changes were not necessary, but if the target was Tang Seo-yeon, it was a different story.

It would not be surprising if one experienced drastic changes in the process of crossing the wall.

What was problematic was her state.

Among the martial arts people who devoted their entire lives to training, there were very few who experienced transformation.

Some people experience it while reaching the state of enlightenment, while others do not experience it even after reaching the state of enlightenment.

However, I have never heard of a person who experienced a transformation by reaching a state of transcendence, either in this life or in a past life.

‘This is something that normally cannot happen. It’s probably a coincidence caused by multiple factors overlapping.’

Cleaning of blood vessels using a white light device.

Endorsement of personal ownership.

It would not have been a miracle that occurred solely due to these two factors.

There were obviously a few more factors involved.

For example, he gained special enlightenment during the fight against the Demon Cultist or received some advice from the Poison King.

Tu-tu-tuk. Tuk.

Like a snake shedding its skin, the skin fell off Tang Seo-yeon’s body.

The blackened shell consumed by the miasma dried on the newly sprouted skin.

After about two weeks of change, the poisonous air that had covered Tang Seo-yeon’s entire body disappeared into her body, as if being sucked in.

Tang Seo-yeon, who had concentrated all of her energy in her Danjeon, slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, a purple glow appeared in her eyes and then disappeared.

I quietly got up from my seat and walked up to her, who was staring into space with a blank expression.

“Congratulations.”

“…Small cooperative.”

“I need to do some cleaning in my room. First, go to the bathroom, wash and change clothes. “I will clean up after myself.”

After finishing speaking, I smiled bitterly and looked around.

The condition of the room was absolutely a mess.

The bed was stained black and unusable, and other furniture was also damaged in one way or another.

Above all, the air in the entire room was heavy due to being exposed to miasma for a long time.

If an ordinary person entered this room, they would not be able to withstand the sight and would pass out.

I thought it would take at least a month for the poison to completely subside.

In the meantime, this room will not be able to receive any guests.

‘I guess I should compensate the guest sufficiently.’

Tang Seo-yeon looked down at her body, drooling.

It wasn’t just the condition of the room that was a mess.

She herself was looking miserable.

Clothes corroded by the miasma and turned into rags.

Black scabs all over the skin.

Even the beggar living under the tunnel would have been cleaner than she is now.

“Thank you, Sohyup. “I will definitely repay this favor.”

Tang Seo-yeon hurriedly stood up from her seat and spoke in a restrained manner.

Instead of answering, I picked up the mirror on the table and handed it to her.

“……?”

“Take a look.”

Dang Seo-yeon looked at her reflection in the mirror with a puzzled expression and froze in place like a stone.

She said as she muttered, stroking her face with her left hand.

“There are burn marks…!”

The next moment, moisture filled her eyes.

Tears flowing down my cheeks.

I scratched my cheek with an embarrassed expression, having never thought that I would see her cry.

I never thought that Seoyeon Dang, who always looked calm and cool, would react so violently.

“…….”

She carefully put down the mirror and left the room as if running away.

I muttered to myself as I stared at her back as she walked away.

‘It looks like you were quite embarrassed. At least I’ll take a change of clothes with me.’

* * *

The guesthouse was overturned.

This was because Dang Sang-jin, who was excited to see his granddaughter’s changed appearance, went on a rampage late in the morning.

People who had woken up from their sleep due to the noise gathered in droves.

Even those who have known Tang Seo-yeon for a long time.

Even those who only recently spoke to her.

Everyone reacted fussily when they saw her face.

Dang Seo-yeon, after washing herself and changing her clothes, looked as beautiful as a fairy.

The hideous burns that covered half of her face had disappeared completely, and there was not a single blemish visible on her white, jade-white skin.

Sharp-looking eyes, a high nose, red, plump lips, and a refreshingly exposed forehead.

Her hair, which had not yet lost its moisture, was neatly tied up, and instead of a butterfly decoration, a bell-shaped accessory was placed on the top of her head.

Although he was wearing a loose long coat as usual, his appearance changed and the feeling he gave off was completely different from before.

“That’s amazing. “To reach transcendent heights at that age.”

“Seolbu Hwayong (雪膚花容) was a word to express Sojeo.”

People who remembered her from before talked to her non-stop.

Seo-yeon Tang showed a rare look of embarrassment, perhaps because she felt burdened by the reactions of the people around her.

When had she, who had been looked at with fear and contempt all her life, ever experienced this kind of favor?

I thought as I saw her surrounded by people.

‘I wonder how Cheonwoo Dojo would have reacted if he were here.’

I couldn’t help but laugh as I imagined the image of Cheonwoo Dojang with his eyes wide open and his mouth gaping like a crucian carp.

I stretched once and got up from my seat.

I couldn’t sleep at all because I was watching Dang Seo-yeon until late at night.

There wasn’t much left until morning, but I was planning on getting some sleep.

“……?”

For a moment, Tang Seo-yeon and my gaze met in the air.

But for some reason, she blushed and looked down as if she had been burned.

As I tilted my head and walked, I yawned and muttered in my mind.

‘Anyway, the result exceeded expectations.’

By using the condensed white lightning, you can increase the martial arts of others by one level.

That fact was clearly proven through the party meeting.

Sooner or later, Damun and Seo Ho-seon will also benefit like her.

‘Anyway, I don’t know if I can sleep if it’s this loud.’

* * *

We finally arrived at the headquarters of the Murim Alliance.

I headed to Maengjubu (盟主部) under the guidance of Pang Mun-hwan.

If you were to pick the person with the highest distribution in the convoy, it was definitely Dang Sang-jin, but he was not a member of the Murim Alliance.

Naturally, I had to fulfill the role of responding to calls from key figures in the Maeng and reporting on this incident.

As I entered the spacious conference room, dozens of pairs of eyes looked back at me.

Twenty men and women sitting around a long table.

At the head table sat an old man with a familiar face.

“Welcome.”

The contemporary Murim lord Juhwabaek.

He offered me a seat with a happy expression.

Before sitting down on the chair, I politely raised my hand and bowed to show my respect.

“Branch leader Yeon-woon of the Sacheon branch sends greetings to the seniors.”

Sohyeongeom, sitting in the third seat from the left and wiping his beard, let out a hollow laugh.

Man Rekken, who was sitting next to him, rested his chin on his clasped hands and looked at me with interest.

‘I can’t tell for now whether those two people are on good terms or not.’

As soon as I took my seat, Hwabaek Joo asked me a question.

“Let’s skip the trivial details and get straight to the point. “First of all, can you tell me in detail what has happened so far?”

“yes.”

I talked about what happened so far concisely and to the point.

Not everything was told the truth.

For example, how did they find out about the existence of artificial ruins and what kind of deal was made with Cheonghyeoldomun?

Stories that contained unfavorable content were either omitted or slightly adapted.

Fortunately, Meng’s key figures gathered in the conference room did not show much doubt about it.

To be more precise, their interest was centered not on my performance but on the martial arts record I brought.

“You did a great job. “If it weren’t for you, the entire Baekdo martial forest would have fallen into chaos.”

“That’s too much praise.”

“I would like to proceed with the merit award right away, but first we should discuss how to handle the civil service award.”

After clearing his throat once, Hwabaek Ju looked to the side and said.

“Total military.”

“yes.”

The attention of the middle class people was focused on Zhuge Hwan, who stood up from his seat as if he had been waiting.

He glanced sideways in my direction and opened his mouth with an emotionless expression.

“All military documents secured by the Sacheon branch manager will be returned to their original owners. However, the method of return will be for each Segawa sect to send someone to the group and personally collect the military official certificate.”

“So, if you want to get your military service back, you have to come directly to Meng and take it back?”

An old man who was listening to the story with his arms crossed said sarcastically.

The sword pattern embroidered on the sleeves of his gi suggested that he was a Taoist of the Cheongseong sect.

It seemed like his relationship with Zhuge Huan wasn’t very good, as he found fault with even trivial things.

Zhuge Huan did not show any signs of agitation and continued speaking calmly.

“That’s right. As you all know, we are currently short of manpower. “We don’t have enough power left to safely deliver military orders to more than ten clans.”

“You are saying difficult things. “There may be some sects, such as the Kunlun sect or the Dongong sect, that cannot afford to send disciples blindly.”

The old monk rolled his prayer beads and opened his mouth.

Unlike the Daoist of Cheongseong who spoke earlier, his tone was polite.

Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a female priest of Amipa.

‘If it’s an elder from Amipa, is it a sanghyeol sword?’

Upper blood test.

She was a female expert who was always mentioned when discussing the world’s top 100 great experts.

Just by looking at the fact that the character blood (血) is included in the nickname of a monk who refrains from killing, it was clear how cruel a person she was.

“You must have thought about that as well.”

What Sanghyeolgeom said also made sense.

Even at this very moment, a fierce battle was going on in Cheonghae.

Gansu, which is adjacent to Cheonghae, will also not be free from the aftermath.

“Of course, we will make exceptions for the two sects. We will have to dispatch military officers to deliver military officialdom. However, if each sect does not wish to do so, we will keep the military records in the secret archives of Meng for a while.”

“It’s a reasonable measure.”

In response to Jae-gal-hwan’s answer, the old man, who was presumed to be a Taoist from the communal sect, nodded with a satisfied expression.

I seemed to feel better thanks to these people scratching my itch.

Since then, various stories have come and gone.

There were many cases where political meaning was implied in every simple word, so it was a lot of fun to watch.

How much time has passed like that?

“Well, it looks like we’re roughly finished, so let’s move on to the next item on the agenda. “You invite a young friend and only talk about harsh things.”

Sohyeongeom clapped his hands and drew the attention of the middle class to himself.

He pointed in my direction with his chin and said in a humorous voice.

“Shouldn’t we soon decide what kind of reward to give to the Sacheon branch leader?”