Chapter 04 …
The gaze Gu Yangcheng had shown in the main hall—so cautious and guarded in front of his mother, Dong Yeonhwa—was now replaced with eyes as warm as ever as they looked at him.
“So, in front of Mother, he deliberately acted cold because he couldn’t show affection toward me?”
Of course, he didn’t reveal his true thoughts outwardly. After all, the body he inhabited belonged to a 38-year-old man who had been through life’s hardships.
“It’s fine. You know well enough what condition my body is in.”
“That may be so, but…”
“Did you come here because you were worried about me?”
Gu Yangcheng’s face lit up with an expression of excitement as he smiled brightly.
“Well, that too, but I also wanted to give you something special for your birthday.”
“I’ve already received a precious gift from Father.”
“This isn’t so much a gift… I just really want you to know about it. It’s the martial art of our family’s main house.”
Gu Yangcheng was genuinely surprised.
“Have you forgotten that my body can’t learn martial arts? Father doesn’t teach me for that very reason.”
“I know. But still… you’re the heir of the main house. It doesn’t seem right that you’d know nothing about the family’s martial arts.”
“Hmm…”
Gu Yangcheng hesitated, unsure how to respond, when Gu Yangchengqi didn’t hesitate and pulled a small booklet from his chest.
“Brother, this is a secret manual containing our family’s hidden Heart Method, Choyeon Simgyeol.”
Just then, Akasha’s voice sounded, as if waiting for this moment.
[Doctor, Choyeon Simgyeol is one of the four great martial arts that survived the Jeongma War within the Gu family.]
“Four great martial arts?”
[Yes. Choyeon Simgyeol, Mugeuk 13 Steps, Mugeuk 36 Swords, and Pungbyeok 72 Blade Techniques.]
Hmm…
[Before the Jeongma War, it was an introductory martial art practiced before the secret techniques. It’s evaluated as first-class upper-level skill, though not at the peak. Regardless, it would be good for you to have this manual. The key formations of martial arts are extremely valuable information.]
Gu Yangcheng took the book.
The cover clearly read: “Choyeon Simgyeol.”
Gu Yangchengqi spoke:
“As you know, during the Jeongma War, all the core secret martial arts of the main house were lost in battle.”
Seeing Gu Yangcheng nod silently, Gu Yangchengqi continued:
“Father said among the remaining internal energy practices, the most profound is Choyeon Simgyeol. Although you may not be able to practice it directly, understanding it in theory will surely help. You’re a once-in-a-generation genius, after all.”
Gu Yangcheng felt a warmth in his chest at the sincerity of the boy. He smiled gently.
“Thank you.”
[Gu Yangchengqi truly loves his brother. He just can’t show it outwardly because of Mother.]
“I think so too.”
Gu Yangchengqi said with a worried expression:
“You know Mother must never find out that you know Choyeon Simgyeol, right? If she does, she might order me to close my training hall for a hundred days.”
This kid… he may be young, but he clearly understands the danger of what he’s doing. If the family’s secret manual were discovered, it might be more than just a hundred days’ penalty. And yet he risks that for me… I can’t just dismiss this as childish behavior.
Gu Yangcheng raised a hand and ruffled Gu Yangchengqi’s hair.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”
Gu Yangchengqi looked troubled.
“Father has been searching for Seong Su-hwata for years to cure your illness. He said that if only he could find him, you’d be healthy again.”
“Seong Su-hwata? He can cure the Gu Yun Jeolmaek?”
“Yes. I overheard Father and Mother talking about him.”
Gu Yangchengqi’s eyes sparkled as he continued:
“Seong Su-hwata is one of the three great divine doctors of the world. He’s especially at a godlike level when it comes to curing strange internal injuries or rare diseases. But he lives in seclusion deep in the mountains, so finding him is extremely difficult.”
“Ah!”
Gu Yangchengqi spoke earnestly:
“Brother, there’s an old saying: ‘Sincerity can move heaven.’ Father is making such efforts, so surely your chronic illness will be cured.”
After checking outside, Gu Yangchengqi said:
“I’ll be going now.”
“Alright. Choyeon Simgyeol… thank you truly.”
After Gu Yangchengqi left, Gu Yangcheng asked Akasha:
“Akasha, what exactly is the Gu Yun Jeolmaek?”
[Doctor, there are things even you don’t know?]
I’m not someone who stores martial arts novels in a database like you.
Akasha replied brightly:
[Based on martial arts novels, Gu Yun Jeolmaek is an extremely rare disease that sometimes appears in people with genius-level intellect. Coldness accumulates in nine major meridians, gradually freezing the entire network. The patient typically doesn’t survive past twenty.]
That’s terrifying…
Gu Yangcheng gave a bitter smile and asked:
“Akasha, do I look like someone who’ll die young?”
[Absolutely not. Doctor, you will overcome Gu Yun Jeolmaek and live forever.]
“Forever is a bit much… but I need to find a way to cure this. If I can’t find Seong Su-hwata by the time I turn twenty, it’ll be a disaster.”
[Indeed. I will help you.]
Gu Yangcheng smiled faintly and opened the Choyeon Simgyeol manual.
[Although it may be difficult for you to practice the martial arts directly, understanding the principles of internal energy will help you understand how energy works in this world.]
Agreed.
Gu Yangcheng began reading. The book detailed breathing techniques, meditation methods, and ways to control the flow of qi.
After finishing, he muttered:
“This is like the training methods of Taoism on Earth.”
Back on Earth, Gu Yangcheng had avoided martial arts and exercise, but acquaintances had recommended practices like abdominal breathing and meditation that required minimal movement. Though he hadn’t practiced for long, it helped him understand the Heart Method.
[That’s my impression as well. The internal energy practices of this world are very similar to Earth’s meditation or qi cultivation. The difference is that here, energy can actually be manipulated through training.]
Gu Yangcheng decided to practice Choyeon Simgyeol. Even if his body wasn’t suitable for martial arts, he could perform basic breathing exercises without issue.
Sitting cross-legged, he began to control his breathing as instructed. Deeply inhaling, slowly exhaling… only the sound of his steady breath echoed in the darkness.
As his breathing deepened, his body relaxed and his mind grew calm.
Some time passed.
[Doctor, subtle changes in your vital signs are detected. This breathing method seems to be affecting your nervous system.]
Ignoring Akasha, Gu Yangcheng focused on his breathing. Concentrating on his dantian, he felt warmth starting there.
As more time passed, he sensed something moving in his dantian. Like tiny droplets flowing along the main channel at his waist.
[Minor energy flow detected inside the body. It appears to be qi.]
Akasha’s voice was a mix of surprise and joy. But that feeling didn’t last long.
The energy that had flowed along the main channel suddenly reversed and surged back.
At that moment, an extreme cold pierced his body as if ice daggers tore through his veins.
Gu Yangcheng’s lips turned blue instantly, and frost began forming on his fingertips.
Thud thud thud…
His limbs twisted violently, and the shock felt like his mind was plunging into an abyss.
A dark shadow of death slowly cast itself across his distorted face.
“Ughh…”
Gu Yangcheng couldn’t even scream. It felt like being subjected to the ancient Chinese five-part dismemberment method.
Fortunately, he did not lose consciousness. On the contrary, he was hyper-aware, like standing on the tip of a needle.
[Doctor, you must not lose consciousness! If you do, you’ll fall into possession by external energy and become a wreck.]
Reverse flow… like an uncontrollable feedback loop. I have to stabilize it. Somehow…
Even in excruciating pain, he struggled to maintain consciousness.
Akasha’s unusually urgent voice echoed in his mind.
[Doctor, the energy waves are extremely unstable! Focus your mind on the dantian! According to the manual, this is essential to stabilize the energy.]
Instinctively, Gu Yangcheng recited the Heart Method’s formations and concentrated on his dantian.
He desperately drew back the reversed vital energy and contained it.
The amount of internal energy was small, like dust—if it had been more, he might have lost control and succumbed to possession.
It was that critical.
The cold gradually subsided, and the internal energy stabilized in his dantian.
Drenched in cold sweat, Gu Yangcheng opened his eyes, exhausted.
“Ugh… Akasha, I almost died…”
But Akasha’s voice remained bright:
[Doctor, that was indeed faint qi energy. The nanobot system reacted to it.]
“…Don’t you worry at all?”
[I wasn’t too worried. I believed you could get through this crisis. According to my analysis, your survival probability was 87.4%.]
Grateful for the trust, yet somehow, it still felt unbearably unfair.
