Book 24 Chapter 5

Yunmi vs. medical inexperience

-Nothing hurts

Yun Mi felt a chill run down her spine as the scene flashed before her eyes again. The intense disgust she had felt then still hung over her like a thick blood incense. To think that she had to deal with such people herself……. Just standing there, facing them, made his skin tingle and his stomach churn. Already, it seemed, their swords were slicing into his gut, slipping through the gaping wound and poking at his dustless white gloves.

Yunmi swallowed hard at the sudden surge of vomit. Then she tried to think more positively: it was three on three, but now it was one on one. This match could be changed by mutual consent, but since they had different opinions, they naturally couldn't agree, and the three-way winner-take-all system was adopted. With three people not attacking at the same time, he might be able to avoid the disaster of last time, but he couldn't count on fuel and Na Yerin's help either. Focusing on that, he could forget about the tens of thousands of eyes that were constantly on him.

"Yun Xiao… is that okay?"

Na Yerin asked, quickly changing what she was about to say to Sojae.

"Of course it's fine, don't worry about it."

Yunbi smiled and replied. The two of them were now sitting in the bleachers on the left and right sides of the arena, watching the center of the arena. The bleachers were built into the wall, slightly below ground level, so they had a good view of the action from their chairs.

"But…… is not a good match."

Yunmi was, for better or worse, honest and inflexible. This was due to her timid nature and the fact that she was easily nervous.

"I know Yun is timid, but it's something I've been aware of, and I've been working on overcoming it. They're quirky and annoying, but they're not worth losing to."

"You believe in Yun Sojae?"

Na Yerin looked a little surprised.

"Sure. Is that so weird?"

Even though Yoon Jun-ho had grown so much in the dark, few people believed in his abilities. In fact, his timid and unconfident demeanor was not conducive to gaining the trust of others, so he was surprised to hear the answer "yes" come out of the mouth of Yan Bi, who had only recently joined the Heavenly Martial Academy, without hesitation. Na Yerin looked at Yan Bi with a puzzled gaze.

"It's weird, actually, coming from Yun, who doesn't know much about Yun Sojae, because he doesn't seem to be the kind of person who trusts others easily."

The words startled Yunbi, and she realized that Nayarin was right. Neither she nor Yunbi trusted people easily. Only after being tested by their own standards did they decide whether to trust or not, and those standards were on the high end of the spectrum. Without realizing it, they'd just said something that was too easy to believe.

"Maybe we need to pay more attention to this?

As time went on, my vigilance waned, and I became more relaxed.

"Oh, no. I don't know him that well, just a little bit, but it doesn't make sense to not know anything about someone you're going to be competing with, right? We should know our side as well as we know the enemy, don't you think?"

"That's right."

Yunbi's words didn't completely assuage Na Yerin's suspicions. But Yunbi couldn't tell Nayarin the whole truth.

'But I can't step up to the plate right now, Rin. So you'll just have to trust him and Yerin.'

In his current state, it would have been dangerous to try to run the inner gong. The floodwaters were rising, and the gates of the reservoir were being forced shut, barely holding them back. At the slightest change, the water that was barely rising would immediately overflow, and once it did, it would turn into an uncontrollable torrent. At that point, he would have to risk his life. Therefore, he had to conserve his strength as much as possible until the final match. It was dangerous to play in a match that was not a final match, no matter how dirty the enemy was.

All he could do now was trust the two of them, take a step back, and wait.

'Why is that person…….'

For Yunmi, it wasn't just one unfortunate event.

Standing in front of Yun Mi now was the man who had sliced open Changlang Zhao's stomach, Yi Hao Hui. Yun Mi was facing the strongest of the three. This could not be called good fortune.

"Miss, are you sick anywhere?"

Huo Hao asked in a serious tone. From a distance, I couldn't tell, but up close, his eyes were filled with passion for the patient's well-being.

"Uh, no, I don't have it, I don't have it, I never have it!"

Yunmi exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. I shuddered to think what she would do to me if I told her I had a sore spot.

"Hmm, that's a shame."

I was too scared to ask what I was missing.

"Are you sure you don't have one?"

Hausu asked again if she had many doubts. It was unlikely that Yunmi would change her answer in the face of treatment.

"Uh, no, never. I swear."

I don't know why she had to swear that she didn't have a sore spot, but she did.

"Hmm, you have a pale complexion for such a thing."

In fact, right now, Yunmi's face was not a very nice color because she was so flustered.

"Hmm, that's not going to work. I think we'd better take his pulse."

"I don't really need it, I'm healthy."

But Uihao Hausu shook his head.

"It's surprising how many people don't realize how bad their bodies are, and how much it makes them sick, but you're lucky, because it's not often that you get the chance to have your health checked out by a professional like me."

It was Yunmi's honest hope that she would never have that opportunity again, if she could help it.

CHANG!

In her panic, Yun Mi unwittingly drew her sword.

The sight of it made Yunbi cluck her tongue. Getting caught up in the opponent's flow was not good in any case. Yun Mi needed to maintain her own flow. For now, she could only hope that she would get back on track soon.

"I don't really need a vein, I'm healthy, and I'm not going to let it get to me."

"That's how patients always claim they're fine, but no real lawmaker listens to them, because they're all liars."

Hausu said in a convinced tone. He seemed to really believe it.

"Haha, do you really think so?"

"Of course. Don't worry, I'll nip the disease in the bud. You won't feel any pain, and it will be over in a moment. All you have to do, young lady, is simple."

"What is that?"

Before she knew it, he had a blue bladed sword in his hand. His eyes glowed strangely as he held the sword, and Yun Mi felt an eerie chill as she met his gaze. It was as if he was staring into her guts.

"That's right, stay still, until the treatment is complete. Then, I'll start the treatment."

Before he could finish his sentence, Uh-ho Hausu pounced like a tiger.

Although the sword was sharp and swift, Yun Mi's reaction was quicker than she expected. Yun Mi used the tip of her sword to block the sword's trajectory and pulled back. Given the level of their golden swords and divination techniques, close combat was not a good option. She had to keep her swords apart.

The Seven Swords that Yun Junho mastered were based on the famous Huashan Sect sword, the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four, but it was a more condensed version of that sword. It was a genius's condensation of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword. It was a masterpiece created by a genius who practiced for a long time, cutting out unnecessary movements and leapfrogging the flow, breath by breath. If a sword is swung at the same speed, the sword element that travels a shorter distance will arrive faster. It's a simple concept, but translating it into physical form was no easy task. It was a path of countless hardships.

In recent years, Yun Jun had come to realize the true value of the Seven Falcon Sword he had mastered. He had experienced countless things that ordinary people could not, and many gaps had unknowingly opened up between him and the other disciples of the Volcano Sect. It was just that he wasn't aware of it.

How many people could be put in the position of standing in the middle of an arena dressed like this, battling monsters that seemed to be driven to madness at the mere sight of them? Few disciples of the Volcano Sect, or indeed, even young late-stage cultivators in general, would be able to experience something like this. Whether this experience would help him learn or hurt him remained to be seen, but there was no denying that it was a difficult thing to do. He still needed a little more confidence. He was still unable to make eye contact with himself for fear of embarrassment.

"It would be nice to relax a little more……."

Na Yerin said in a sad tone. Even from a distance, she could clearly see that Yun Mi's body had stiffened.

"If I could, the Nine Dragons would already be the Ten Dragons."

Unlike Na Yerin, who was a bit anxious, Yeonbi's tone was nonchalant. But the content was anything but mundane.

"Do you believe he has that kind of potential inherent in him?"

It was meant to be a reminder that this might be an overestimate.

"First of all, you're overly conscientious, and the time you've put in doesn't lie, especially if you're talented."

"Can that power be manifested right now?"

When asked by Na Yerin, Yunbi laughed a little.

"That's for Yun to decide."

That was a pretty irresponsible answer.

He hadn't neglected his training since he received his training from Master Taisabu, who was called the Volcano Sword Saint, and he had been gaining more and more confidence as he gained more and more experience. It was enough to make him feel confident that he was still alive after everything he had been through. And confidence is contagious, so being next to Bi Ryuyeon, who has surpassed the level of Anhamuin and has the confidence of a Heavenly Heavenly Infant Soloist, it seemed that her overflowing confidence was a little contagious. And the scariest thing was not losing this match. The scariest thing for Yunmi was to accidentally cut her clothes and reveal her identity to the world. She thought she was a woman, but when she cut it open, it was a man. She couldn't help but throw in the shocking revelation that the cross-dressing pervert was Yun Momo, a disciple of the Dialogic Midwife. He couldn't tarnish the master's reputation. If the news got out, he wouldn't be alive. Rumors are faster than the wind, reaching out to the eight directions of the Dead Sea. If the news reached the volcano, his brothers, who had been harassing him so fervently, would not be able to remain silent. If that happened, how could he ever hope to be honored by the Tathāgata?

But those insane, obsessive white-gloved men seemed far more interested in slicing him open than in beating him. His guts twisted and gurgled and ached. If they cut his stomach, his clothes would naturally split. It was inevitable, unless they had learned some strange psychic surgery that didn't tear clothes and didn't cut flesh. If that happened, he would be exposed, one hundred and one. He had to stop it somehow, and there was only one way to do that.

"Yes, you win, Yun Smiler. It's the only way you're going to get away with it."

Yeonbi chuckled to himself.

"What are you talking about?"

"I meant it's really easy to read, my little Yoon MiSojae!"

"Oh, so that's what he was talking about. He's definitely right about the Yeonbi. He's so naïve, all right."

Even in the face of her opponent, Yunmi was more preoccupied with her own worries than with the enemy, and her fidgeting was visible from the waiting area, so it was very easy to read what she was thinking.

"That's the key to the attraction, that I or Rin can't show the audience, is that there's one other woman like that in the mix, because if you have three of the same type of people, it's a little bland."

"You can't possibly be aiming for that……."

"Well?"

Yanbi merely laughed and didn't answer. Suddenly, Na Yerin felt uncomfortably aware that she couldn't read his thoughts.

"This is so much like him.

I could have sworn they were siblings. Na Yerin still had a vague sense of what was going on, but she couldn't quite face it, as if she were in a blind spot.

"Tathāgata, give me strength!

For the honor of the volcano, for your own honor, and for not being a pervert!

Yun Mi swung her sword with all her heart.

One plum blossomed in the air, then two, then three, and the faint scent of plum began to waft through the air, and the next moment, they were dancing in the wind.

The true nature of the Seven Swords had finally been revealed to the world through Yun Mi's sword. It could only be described as beautiful, and the blood and sweat that Yun Mi had poured into it was evident.

The dancing petals were lifted. Then, the figure of Uihou Hausu was revealed. He was slumped on the ground, his face all wrinkled. He had bubbles in his mouth, and his eyes were dilated.

"What's wrong with him, Mr. Mubak?"

"Well, that's weird, that doesn't look like a sword cut, that looks like…… Hmm, right, that looks like someone with a disease."

"By the sounds of it, that's definitely the case. Did he have a pre-existing condition?"

"Well, he seemed like a guy who would care a lot about his health……. If that's the case, then he hasn't cured himself."

Hausu was mumbling something softly through a broken, drooling mouth.

"Oof! No…… no…… I can't…… I can't…… I can't…… I can't…… the side effects……."

Apparently, when he smelled the scent of flowers, not just plum blossoms, but all flowers, his strength would drain away. Moreover, his condition was as bad as Yun Jun's, if not worse. He looked at Hausu, who was suffering from weakness, and muttered in embarrassment.

"Whoa, I won?"

Contrary to her fears, the match turned out to be a victory for Yunmi, who was able to improve her physical condition.

The second person to step forward was Yeonbi. Yeonbi's opponent was Ho-won, who could be said to be the red flag of medical inexperience. Her last name was Ms. Gan. Ho-won's mood was very tense and fierce, as she had just lost a match to an opponent who seemed to have no chance. His determination to win was palpable. His ice-cold demeanor from the game against Chang Rangzo was nowhere to be seen.

Two men stood facing each other. The bell rang to start the match. Ho-won drew out three long sticks and tried to charge, but Yeon-bi was faster. Yeon-bi immediately threw up his hands and shouted out.

"I abstain!"

Ho Wen's body, which was about to pounce, stiffened like a stone. Yan Bi's face, on the other hand, remained impassive. As if he thought his job was done, he turned and walked toward the waiting area where Na Yerin was waiting without a second thought.

"Wait, stop!"

I didn't have to listen to him, but it didn't hurt to have a good laugh.

"Why?"

Yeonbi asked, looking back.

"What do you think you're doing, are you kidding me?"

Ho-won's face was flushed, panting like a man with a bad heart. Yeonbi said with an expression of incomprehension.

"Didn't you hear what I just said, about abstaining, or is it that you can't cure yourself of your own deafness? You must be a very strange person."

"I'm not deaf! Why, why, why are you giving up without a fight, are you afraid of me?"

Formula.

Yeonbi laughed. The meaning of the laugh was obvious.

"It was a funny joke, but unfortunately you're wrong."

"Then why?"

Yeonbi was a natural response.

"Because I don't need to."

Ho-won didn't understand.

"Why? Why don't you need it?"

"We've already won, so there's no point in expending our stamina on dirty tricks."

That was largely sincere.

"……."

Speechless, Ho-won couldn't even get a word out.

"Well, does that answer your question? Well, it doesn't matter to me if it does or doesn't, but I'm going to get busy now."

He remained as still as a stone until Yunbi returned to the waiting area and was told by Na Yerin that he had done a good job without doing much.

It was a very, very unpleasant and bitter victory.

Finally, the big battle was on.

The captain of the MiSojae Regiment was, of course, Na Yerin. As befits her star sign, Bing Bai Feng, she was calm. She barely showed a trace of emotion. She walked out with cold, dignified steps and stood in the center of the arena. Her eyes were as calm and serene as a lake on a clear winter day. Silence enveloped her beautiful body. A stifled gasp escaped from the crowd.

The last remaining member of the medical inexperienced group was Chae Jin Chae. His gaze never left Na Yerin's face as she walked by, and there was a certain eagerness in his eyes now.

"I want to go gala!

His eyes widened at the mere thought of it, and he stared at Na Yerin, mesmerized. It was a familiar look that she had seen many times before.

"This guy is a congressman and he's doing this…… and I can't help it.

Apparently, his karma wasn't something a doctor could cure. If that was the case, there was no more business. I wanted to clean up and go home.

But there was one man who kept fidgeting and changing his expression from moment to moment while I stood still. He was not much younger than the man next to him. Both his hair and beard were as white as snow, but nowhere in his demeanor could you see the years that had worn him down. Nor was he of lowly status; he was a master of the White Cloud Clan.

"What's the matter with you, you fool? Stop fussing around, you're a fool, you're a fool, you're a fool, you're a fool, you're a fool, you're a fool. Qing'er, do you really want to meet this guy?"

The old man clicked his tongue and looked at Ye Qing, who seemed to be maintaining her composure, unlike her husband, who was a grizzled old man.

"You're just holding it together, you're not running away yet."

Ye Qing's answer was dismal, and she, too, looked strangely unsteady. There was no sign of the usual cold moon, the so-called ice moon. The current moon was a bit feverish.

"Why, Cheong-ah, do you want to jump too?"

In a dubious voice, old man Huo Zhong asked, and Ye Qing said with a slightly bitter smile.

"Because it's my mom."

The answer was simple and straightforward.

Until now, she had never seen her daughter, Na Yerin, fight properly. She'd heard rumors, but she'd never seen it in action. She didn't know how strong her daughter was, and that made her nervous. She just didn't show it anymore. She knew that if she showed her own anxiety, she would lose control of her husband. The good news was that while her mind was already running away, her body wasn't really running away.

"Then why aren't you running?"

Ye Qing answered another question with the same words.

"Because it's my mom."

The answer was the same both times, but the meaning was different. As a mom, I wanted to run over and protect her, but as a mom, there are times when you just have to stand back and watch your child stand on their own. Both are things you have to do as a mom.

"Is that so?"

"Something like that."

The old man laughed hollowly.

"You were such a tomboy, and now you're a parent of one. I thought you'd never grow up. Hehehe."

The old man looked impressed.

"Sure. I'm not like my grandfather."

"Hehe, you make it sound like someone is a monster."

"Oh, no, you didn't?"

Ye Qing looked as if he had just realized something for the first time in decades.

"Tsk tsk. Now you're even making fun of adults."

The old man shouted playfully. This much affection was more than he could handle. The old man sliced through Bai Xiaochun with a sharp gaze and said in a stern voice.

"You're more than twice her age and much less mature. You should take a cue from your wife and just watch her. It's part of being a parent to keep an eye on your child, and I can't imagine what it would be like if she grew up next to you and didn't know what to do with herself, and I can't imagine what it would be like if she grew up next to you. You're ten million times better off leaving him in the care of a sword maiden."

Nie Baiqian looked very dissatisfied.

"Daddy's heart is different from mommy's heart. I don't know about big, I don't know."

In response to the attitude that didn't recognize reflection, the old man sighed heavily and said.

"You're lucky I don't have a blindfold or I'd punch you in the face!"

"I'd like to get this over with and go home, I'm not comfortable standing here."

The reason for this was the greedy gazes of so many people on her; she hadn't shaved for an appointment. She had no desire to stand in this uncomfortable place for long.

"I'll be done in three seconds, so don't resent me too much."

Na Yerin, feeling a bit impatient, took up the sword.

"I will cut your stomach open……."

But Chae's words didn't last long.

Voila!

A cold flash flew in a half circle.

Panicked by the sword that was closing the distance in an instant, he stepped back with a stroke. But that was a mistake. Na Yerin's swordsmanship didn't give her opponent a chance to counterattack. She closed the distance and pressured him again. Especially since Na Yerin was light and swift as a waterfowl.

Chai Yixu swung her sword and sent a sword qi flying. The sword qi, impossibly sharp for such a small blade, flew toward Na Yerin, but it was no match for Hausu in its sharpness. His organs were actually golden nasu, articulation, and anma. However, when it came to dealing with swordsmanship at the peak level, there were many deficiencies.

A second sword was swung.

It was a herbivore of the black-angled scarlet sword. It mimics the movement of geese on water.

A winged goose sliced through the air. The movement was so graceful and smooth that it shook the viewer to the core.

Bam!

Chae Yi Su's white mask fell in half. The tip of Na Yerin's sword had already stopped at the tip of Chae's nose.

"You lose, you lose."

The icy chill along the tip of his sword stunned him, and his eyes returned to normal. It was like being doused with ice water from the crown of his head, and even if he didn't say it, Na Yerin could tell what he was thinking. No wonder she felt uncomfortable. Stunned by Na Yerin's icy anger, Chai Soo meekly admitted his defeat.

"Rumors are meant to be exaggerated, but this one feels rather diminished. I, Sojae, win. His swordplay was indeed unrivaled."

"You're welcome, and I'll leave you to it."

Still uncomfortable with the audience's stares, Na Yerin made a run for it.

With their victory in the Eighth Battle, the Miso Regiment had easily advanced to the Fourth Battle. However, Yoon Mi-man disagreed with the word 'easy'.

Never.

Contrary to Nie Baiqian and Ye Qing's worries, the match ended in a refreshingly simple manner.

"When did that kid get so strong?"

Ye Qing's eyes were filled with boundless pride, overwhelming joy, and deep regret as she watched the match.

"A child grows up without their parents realizing it, no matter how much they deny it."

The old man said something. Somewhere out of his parents' sight, the child was covered. He was no longer a small, fragile child who needed to be protected, but an adult who could stand on his own two feet.

"Hehe, if I do this wrong, I might be stronger than you?"

Nabaxian let out an admiring laugh and said.

"Hmm, that's okay, you can't beat me anyway."

In fact, even if Bai Xiaochun's martial arts were ten times stronger than they were now, it was unlikely that he would be able to defeat her. This wasn't a matter of his strength.

"Madam, I have never dared to entertain such a dreadful thought. But I suppose I might lose to Ye Lin as well. Hehehe."

"Whatever you say."

Hearing Ye Qingyu sigh in frustration, Nie Bai Tian once again cast his gaze in the direction of the waiting area where Na Yerin was. A woman dressed in black entered his field of vision.

"If you're done, why do you still look so disgruntled?"

Seeing that his gaze was unusual, the old man asked. "This is probably the only person in the entire Martial Realm who can treat a Great Martial Lord like a child.

"It's because of a child called Yeonbi."

"Why isn't he sitting in the waiting area over there?"

"Yes, she's sitting comfortably, and I can see her just fine. Na Yerin is taking such a risk, and yet you haven't fought once, just stayed in your seat?"

"You went to the second game, didn't you?"

I said that even though I knew what the complaint was.

"You don't just walk out, abstain, and say you fought your way in."

Bai Chen was not happy about that. He didn't like that his daughter was the only one doing dangerous things. As far as he was concerned, the one responsible for seducing his innocent daughter was that little bimbo.

"At least I'm putting up with it because I'm a girl. If I were a boy, I wouldn't put up with it."

"Hmmm, a boy wouldn't have put up with it?"

The old man asked in a confirming tone.

"Of course, a gnome like that would have run over and broken his leg in a heartbeat."

"You're still a long way from maturity. You're still too young."

"Jae-Hyun doesn't know what it's like to be a dad with a daughter because he's never had a daughter."

There was a hint of pride and boastfulness in his voice, and that didn't sit well with Hyuk-jung.

"That's right, Nobu only gave birth to one little boy, so now you're bragging about him, and you've got to say something like, "You're bragging about Nobu. It's on your lips, on your lips."

"Sure. You're jealous, right?"

"Hehe!" said the old man, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Watching you do it, I'm not sure if I'm envious or pathetic."

He didn't know if he was glad he didn't have a daughter or not. He couldn't know what he hadn't experienced, even if he was revered as a god in the entire warlorddom. He could only guess, thinking of the few girls he had loved and coddled in the past, like Ye Qing and his sister.

"But that's not the only thing to be upset about."

"That Yanbian kid, I heard he got hurt in that fight with Qing'er, and from the way he was coughing up blood, it sounds like he had internal injuries, but we don't know how much he's recovered. Don't you think it's better to build up your strength in a minor match now, and use it in a big match?"

"When you say big game, what game are you talking about?"

There was only one match that mattered to the old man now.

"Of course it's him…… No, it's against the Seven Deadly Sins."