SYM 32
by Emerlyn“Great Hero Ha, what exactly happened?”
Eun-hyeon asked immediately upon entering the room, looking at Ha Yeo-un.
But instead of answering, Ha Yeo-un cupped Eun-hyeon’s face with both hands.
With his large hands enveloping Eun-hyeon’s cheeks, only his eyes, nose, and mouth were visible, making him look almost like a child.
“Ah…”
Eun-hyeon unknowingly blushed at the sudden contact. Though he tried to tell himself such contact between men was nothing, he felt inexplicably ticklish.
“Your body is quite cold. We should warm you up with some hot tea.”
“No, I’m fine. More importantly, please tell me what happened. I was surprised to hear you had left the clan when I regained consciousness. What happened?”
Ha Yeo-un didn’t answer Eun-hyeon’s question and instead looked for a teapot to place on the brazier. When he reached for the tea, Eun-hyeon shook his head.
Seeing this, Ha Yeo-un’s brows furrowed.
“That gesture means…”
“…There’s probably something besides tea in there.”
“…Hah.”
Ha Yeo-un opened the tea container and checked its contents. His expression turned ice-cold as he let out a bitter laugh.
Though it wasn’t Eun-hyeon’s fault that someone had poisoned the tea, he found himself watching Ha Yeo-un’s reaction nervously under the pressure of his cold demeanor.
“Haah, then there’s no choice.”
Ha Yeo-un took Eun-hyeon’s hand and pulled him toward the bed. The startled Eun-hyeon had no time to protest. Ha Yeo-un sat on the bed and pulled Eun-hyeon into his embrace.
Though Eun-hyeon knew Ha Yeo-un had no impure intentions, he couldn’t help but blush.
Ha Yeo-un placed his palm against Eun-hyeon’s back. He began to channel warm qi into Eun-hyeon’s body.
A soothing warmth slowly spread through Eunhyeon’s meridians, starting from his back.
He hadn’t felt particularly cold before, but as his body warmed up, he grew drowsy.
It seemed his body had indeed been chilled while he was outside, though he hadn’t noticed it.
When his body had thawed somewhat and his breathing had become much smoother, Eun-hyeon quietly spoke up.
“Um, about last time…”
“About that time…”
Eun-hyeon and Ha Yeo-un spoke at the same moment.
“You speak first.”
“…I’m sorry about before. Because I failed to stay by your side, you suffered greatly.”
“Ah… No, not at all… How could it be your fault when that person harbored such evil intentions?”
Eun-hyeon trembled as he recalled Yeo Sosan.
When he had lived as a Kunlun Sect Daoist, he would never have gotten entangled with someone like Yeo Sosan, and even if he had, there would have been no need to fear greatly.
Though his martial arts weren’t particularly outstanding compared to his senior and fellow disciples, they weren’t severely lacking either.
He had thought he had grown accustomed to this weak body while living as Namgung Eun-hyeon, but that had been his delusion.
He hadn’t properly understood how weak this body was, and how others viewed it.
The helplessness and frustration of being trapped in that coffin had been truly terrible.
“No, this isn’t right. This incident was my fault. To fail to protect someone who trusted and followed me… It was my mistake. Though it’s natural for you to be unfamiliar with the ways of the martial world, it was foolish of me to act as I did.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Ha Yeo-un took something out from within his robes.
“This is…”
“Looking at your condition last time, your body would have difficulty accepting precious medicine right now. First take this, and when your body gradually improves, I’ll bring you truly good medicine then.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“If you refuse even something this trivial, it would trouble my conscience.”
Though Eun-hyeon waved his hands in refusal, Ha Yeo-un shook his head firmly. He forcefully pressed a small box into Eun-hyeon’s hand.
Ha Yeo-un spoke as if it were nothing special, but even the fragrance wafting from the box was extraordinary.
Eun-hyeon carefully opened the box. When he opened the silk box adorned with elaborate embroidery, a deep fragrance instantly filled the room.
“This… this isn’t something trivial at all!”
“While this won’t increase your inner energy or martial strength, it will help the Young Master walk like a proper man instead of stumbling about like a newborn deer.”
Though Eun-hyeon didn’t appreciate being compared to a newborn deer, he found it difficult to argue against the comparison.
“Take it now, and I’ll help guide your qi from behind. For now, take one pill each day for seven days. After that, I’ll give you a different medicine.”
Eun-hyeon sighed and looked at Ha Yeo-un, but Ha Yeo-un’s face was resolute.
After rescuing him from Yeo Sosan, Eun-hyeon’s unconscious body had been in absolutely terrible condition.
Even Ha Yeo-un, who had grown somewhat accustomed to Eun-hyeon’s condition, was shocked.
It was incomprehensible how a person’s body, not even an infant’s, could be so weak.
To Ha Yeo-un, Eun-hyeon seemed like he was made of sugar.
Beautiful and sweet, but like a delicate sugar sculpture that would shatter at the slightest touch.
“If you don’t know how to take the medicine, I can feed it to you. I can even chew it and put it in your mouth.”
Ha Yeo-un said this while watching Eun-hyeon, who was just staring at the medicine without taking it. Eun-hyeon shot him a slight glare before finally putting one pill in his mouth.
Ha Yeo-un felt an inexplicable satisfaction watching Eun-hyeon chew the pill he had given him.
In truth, these pills had been made by pressuring the head of the Demon Cult’s Medicine Hall.
It was made with rare ingredients like musk, bear bile, and cordyceps, carefully balanced to suit Eun-hyeon’s delicate body.
He had wanted to empty out the Demon Cult’s medicine storehouse to make an elixir like Shaolin’s Great Recovery Pill, but Eun-hyeon’s current body couldn’t handle such medicine even if it were made.
To think there were good medicines he couldn’t give – it was absurd.
Ha Yeo-un planned to steadily feed Eun-hyeon medicine to restore his health, and once his body improved somewhat, to feed him all sorts of elixirs and medicines to increase his inner energy.
Even without learning martial arts, if he could build up several levels of inner force, he wouldn’t suffer from minor illnesses anymore.
“Young Master, take a deep breath and try circulating your minor energy flow. When that flows smoothly, move on to the major flow.”
As soon as Eun-hyeon put the pill in his mouth, he felt a clear energy envelop his body.
His clouded mind cleared, and strength welled up within his body.
He couldn’t even guess what ingredients had been used to make this medicine. From the taste and fragrance in his mouth, he could only guess it contained precious ingredients like musk.
Eun-hyeon sat upright on the bed and took a deep breath. Ha Yeo-un continued to channel warm energy from behind him. The cold energy and impurities that had filled Eun-hyeon’s body began to gradually exit his body, mixed with the energy Ha Yeo-un was sending.
After circulating his qi like this for a while, all the cold energy and harmful toxins in his body were expelled, leaving only warm energy within.
A gentle energy like a spring breeze slowly circulated through his meridians, driving out the remaining traces of illness from Eun-hyeon’s body.
“You can sleep if you’re drowsy. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Somehow knowing that drowsiness was overwhelming him, Ha Yeo-un added.
Eun-hyeon still had many things he hadn’t heard from Ha Yeo-un. He mumbled that he shouldn’t sleep, but he couldn’t stop his eyelids from growing heavier.
Fatigue had built up from being unable to rest properly due to his sudden change in quarters.
Soon Eun-hyeon’s head drooped.
Ha Yeo-un continued for a long while after, channeling his energy and drawing out the harmful elements from behind Eun-hyeon.
After ensuring the medicine he had forced Eun-hyeon to take had settled in his body, Ha Yeo-un laid him down on the bed.
Even after covering him with the blanket up to his chin, he watched over him for a long time.
When Namgung Juwon had raged about Eun-hyeon’s kidnapping, Ha Yeo-un couldn’t say a word. A chill ran down his spine at the thought that he might never have seen Eun-hyeon again.
Those who had kidnapped Eun-hyeon were not particularly formidable. But that fact terrified Ha Yeo-un even more.
To think that even such insects could pose a threat to Eun-hyeon.
He understood why Namgung Juwon wouldn’t let Eun-hyeon leave the Namgung clan.
Namgung Eun-hyeon was too weak, far too weak.