Chapter 166
[It’s a case of Vein Blockage Syndrome. I’m afraid, Young Master Cho, your body is not suited to martial arts.]
Hearing the doctor’s words, his father, Cho Paeryun, became furious.
[Impossible! How could Vein Blockage Syndrome appear in the Cho family? Check his pulse again!]
The doctor examined him multiple times, but the result did not change.
It was indeed shocking news. In the Cho family, renowned for generations for their swordsmanship, this was the first time such a condition had appeared—on the eldest son, Cho Illyang, the heir to the family.
“…So that’s why.”
It was all because of this Vein Blockage Syndrome.
Because of this cursed condition, he had been weak and sickly as a boy, unable to properly learn even a single martial technique his father personally taught him.
After the doctor left, Cho Paeryun’s back loomed over Illyang’s chest, heavy with unspoken pressure.
After a long moment, he turned to him, a shadowed expression on his face.
[…Do not worry. Even if you cannot wield a sword, there are still many things you can do. Keep your heart steady.]
Patting his shoulder, Cho Paeryun left the room, his eyes radiating unshakable trust.
From a corner of the room, Cho Ihyun, who had been standing as silent as a mouse, timidly approached and embraced Illyang.
[Brother… If you ever need help, just call on me. I, Cho Ihyun, will come running immediately!]
Help? What help could he possibly need?
His body was perfectly fine—no broken bones, no missing limbs. He had only been diagnosed with Vein Blockage Syndrome, a condition that shredded the body of a martial artist from within.
Standing there in a daze, Illyang kicked aside the wooden sword he had been practicing with until he was sweating just last night.
Crunch—
It’s because of Mother.
His mother’s naturally frail constitution and misfortune had somehow affected him. He was furious. How could his father have allowed such a weak woman…!
[…Ha. Pathetic, Illyang. To blame your innocent mother. Truly pathetic, to the point of disgust.]
He had been blind to the love his mother had given him.
Illyang closed his eyes, wishing only that he could vanish from this world forever.
Two winters passed like this. Then, Illyang faced the greatest turning point of his life.
[Brother! Brother! Do not be alarmed—someone has come to cure your Vein Blockage! Father searched the entire Central Plains to bring him here!]
[What?]
[Follow me immediately! Hurry!]
He ran as if possessed.
In the courtyard, he saw a man. Perhaps around the same age as his father, he radiated an elegance that matched him, standing nearby. The man turned his gaze toward Illyang.
[So, you are the Cho Illyang.]
The man introduced himself simply as Pae.
[Vein Blockage is a disease caused by overly strong yin energy obstructing the blood vessels and qi. But it can be treated with a special yang-based elixir, so do not despair.]
Pae then presented rare medicinal elixirs, the origin of which no one knew, to the Cho family. Only the right person needed to use the right medicine.
It was a clear opportunity for recovery.
Illyang allowed himself to hope once more—hope that he could rise to be a worthy heir of the Cho family again, gain the favor of the sect leader, and become a pride to his father and brother.
But that hope did not last long.
[This is the limit.]
[…That’s impossible.]
[Anything further is just pouring water into a bottomless pit. The veins will only regenerate incompletely. Qi will flow erratically, stagnate, or even reverse. Eventually, the veins could twist and rupture completely.]
Faced with Pae’s cold diagnosis, Illyang slammed the table in frustration.
[You said you could cure Vein Blockage! I don’t care about the risks—I will continue treatment! Even if it worsens, it won’t kill me! Anyone of the Cho family can endure that much…]
[It is your father’s wish.]
[…]
[Cho Paeryun would never gamble with his son’s life on a low-probability chance.]
Illyang clenched his fists. He understood his father’s intentions perfectly. But still…
‘After giving birth to me like this…’
He was the heir of the Cho family—noble in birth, upright in character, a model for his peers, more than qualified to be the junior sect leader.
Yet, his parents… had only given him a flawed body.
[Cho Illyang.]
[…]
[Regretful, are you?]
A metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth.
When he lifted his head, he saw Pae, smiling faintly, with an expression like a drop of sweetness to a parched throat, whispering:
[If it pains you that much… how about hearing my proposal?]
“Young Master. It is time to depart for the Seven Nights Battle.”
Breaking the faded reverie, the voice of a maid reached him. Illyang slowly rose.
Time had already flown by unnoticed as he dwelled on past memories.
He gently kissed the hand of one who had passed, lying still on the bed.
“I will return, Mother.”
He left the inner hall, climbed into the carriage, and headed to the Seven Nights Battlefield.
Upon arriving at the Black Night Palace and stepping down from the carriage, a group of men had gathered, as if to show off.
Among them, one stood out to Illyang as always.
Even among similar martial men, his height was striking, broad shoulders exuding innate strength, a mischievous smile that appeared whenever their eyes met, and charisma that naturally drew people near.
From head to toe, his presence alone twisted Illyang’s insides. And now, he approached with playful banter.
“Good morning, Brother. You look worse than usual today. Did you have a nightmare?”
Jin Cheongak.
Illyang instinctively tried to maintain his stiff, habitual expression. Yet strangely, today he found it easy to be at ease, his mind lighter than usual in Jin Cheongak’s presence.
Why?
The answer was clear. Jin Cheongak was about to meet his fate.
“Every day is a nightmare. How could my complexion worsen? You’ve learned to tease me, Cheongak?”
Those around Jin Cheongak reacted in two ways—either turning away uncomfortably or crowding closer to him.
Even when he had crushed Jin Cheongak’s status beneath his feet, people always gathered around him. Always.
“Ha ha. You make boring jokes even in the morning. A man whose future shines brighter than the sun has nightmares?”
“Cheongak.”
“Yes.”
“Did you make a grave mistake with the sect leader?”
Jin Cheongak’s mouth snapped shut at the short question.
Illyang, inwardly satisfied, turned his back, speaking casually:
“This morning, my teacher sent me a letter. It thrilled me, made my heart race. When I read it, your face immediately came to mind, and then I felt concerned.”
For a moment, Jin Cheongak’s presence pressed close behind him.
“Your teacher, you say? Hmm. I’m dying to know. Couldn’t you give me a little hint?”
“Certainly.”
Laughing freely, Illyang lowered his voice with a satisfied expression:
“He intends to abandon you.”
[….]
“Having achieved the enlightenment of rebirth, he realized how high and perilous the wall of Cheon Mureong is. Even he feared it. That’s why your name appeared on the Death List.”
Illyang carefully observed Jin Cheongak’s reaction.
A cold, stiff expression. A vacant gaze as if his mind was racing. Clearly, he was surprised.
‘He truly didn’t know.’
It was the first time Jin Cheongak had shown such blatant embarrassment. Illyang, trying to gauge him, was even more astonished.
‘Could it be that the sect leader, who treats me as a son, betrayed his own disciple to side with me?’
What kind of being was Cheon Mureong, that even the sect leader, reborn and enlightened, would kneel…
“Ha.”
Suddenly, Jin Cheongak let out a hollow laugh, stopping in place, then bursting into roaring laughter.
Everyone stared, shocked, as his laughter echoed like the sky itself crying out.
“Yes… Naturally, you wouldn’t obey my words easily. That’s only to be expected. Hmm. Abandoned again, huh? I see….”
Jin Cheongak stroked his chin, giving Illyang a meaningful smile.
“Thank you, Brother. Thanks to you, I was able to easily identify the betrayer. Ha ha ha! Please continue to give me such hints from time to time. Jin Cheongak will receive them gratefully.”
Watching him walk away, Illyang felt an odd sense of defeat. He had an urge to run up, grab him by the collar, and punch him.
But he restrained himself.
‘…Yes, Cheongak. Enjoy yourself while you can.’
In two days, even that laugh would be nothing but a cold corpse.
