SYM 129

Cheong-un did his best to recover his body during the few days Eun-hyeon was unconscious.

He had already decided how to capture Eun-hyeon. All of this was to increase the efficiency of that process.

“Yoon Ju-myeong. We will begin the ritual shortly. Prepare anything you need before then. Once the ritual starts, you won’t be able to leave until it’s over.”

“Then I will finish preparing and return.”

After Yoon Ju-myeong left, Cheong-un stared at Eun-hyeon for a long time.

“Master. I will see you again soon. This time, let’s really go on a trip. A trip without anything to complicate our minds.”

He reached out and gently swept Eun-hyeon’s bangs back. He smiled faintly, looking at the soft hair that wrapped around his fingers and the pale complexion.

“How could Master think that I could let go of you? I was young and incompetent back then, but not anymore.”

He slowly lowered his face and kissed the round forehead.

“When you wake up after everything is over, please smile at me once. That’s all I ask.”

Cheong-un quietly whispered to Eun-hyeon and rose from his seat.

Cheong-un hadn’t forgotten a single word Jeong-hyeon had said. And as he pondered how to capture Eun-hyeon, he realized that the answer was within himself.

That was to share his Innate True Qi.

Originally, Innate True Qi could not be shared with or given to anyone unless one was maliciously using the Star-Devouring Art. This was because Innate True Qi was another word for life force.

In other words, Cheong-un had decided to share his life with Eun-hyeon.

Perhaps even this wouldn’t work.

But even so, he had no intention of waiting for Eun-hyeon to die without trying anything.

After that, Cheong-un researched how to split his Innate True Qi and give it to Eun-hyeon, and what to do afterward.

He didn’t tell anyone about this.

He didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.

He briefly considered making Namgung Juwon his protector, but in the end, Cheong-un chose Yoon Ju-myeong.

Currently, Namgung Juwon was unintentionally held responsible for this incident after Jeong-hyeon, whom the Martial Arts Alliance had dispatched, was revealed to be the leader of the Hongbaek Sect. He was busy investigating the truth of the incident and cleaning up the mess from both the Martial Arts Alliance and the Imperial Family. Thanks to that, Cheong-un was able to prepare for Eun-hyeon’s treatment without having to worry about Namgung Juwon or anyone else.

Cheong-un couldn’t allow any variables when it came to Eun-hyeon.

Cheong-un himself didn’t know how effective it would be to artificially divide and transfer Innate True Qi to someone else.

But since he was dividing his lifespan in half to transfer it, it would be better than nothing, no matter how inefficient it was.

After becoming Cheonma, the amount of Innate True Qi had doubled, and Cheong-un’s natural lifespan had also increased. But no matter how long his lifespan was or how strong his Martial Arts were, what good would it be without Eun-hyeon?

A year with you is more precious than a thousand years without you.

Cheong-un briefly reviewed what he had to do in his mind. He also left letters in case he lost consciousness.

He left one each for the Demon Physician and Yoon Ju-myeong, so they would take care of things even if he lost consciousness.

What he had requested from the Third Prince through a letter was an Elixir from the Imperial Palace’s records.

Once Eun-hyeon accepted his Innate True Qi, he would be in a state where he could absorb the Elixir. He had asked for the Elixirs to feed Eun-hyeon at that time.

There were Elixirs in the Demonic Sect’s headquarters as well, but it was faster to receive them from the Imperial Family since they were in Beijing. Besides, they had received great help from him this time, so they wouldn’t be able to send just anything.

While he was organizing his thoughts, Yoon Ju-myeong returned. He looked much neater, as if he had tidied up his clothes in the meantime.

Cheong-un nodded lightly at the sight.

There was no need to say anything. Yoon Ju-myeong, who had been watching Cheong-un for a long time, guarded the door without any special instructions.

Cheong-un glanced at Yoon Ju-myeong’s determined face and approached the bed.

“Master. I will be performing an important ritual from now on. You must help me a little.”

Cheong-un smiled gently and raised Eun-hyeon’s body.

He forced Eun-hyeon, who had difficulty even sitting up on his own, to sit in a lotus position, and he took a seat behind him.

Then, he placed his palm against Eun-hyeon’s back and slowly began to transmit his energy.

Slowly but gently, without rushing.

As the energy spread, Eun-hyeon’s face became more relaxed.

Although most of it leaked out because he couldn’t contain the energy and make it his own, it was definitely better than before because he kept pouring energy into him.

Cheong-un continued to pour out energy and began to touch his Innate True Qi deep inside.

Cheong-un forcibly suppressed the trembling of his body and began to draw out Innate True Qi.

This was the first time Cheong-un had touched Innate True Qi in this way, so it was not easy to control. Then, when a certain amount of Innate True Qi was transferred to Eun-hyeon, he felt that the hole inside Eun-hyeon had been slightly filled.

The moment he confirmed that, Cheong-un forgot the pain of drawing out Innate True Qi. The corners of his mouth rose without him realizing it.

It worked! It can be solved with Innate True Qi!

As the Demon Physician said, this was like putting a broken porcelain back together.

Replacing the pieces Eun-hyeon had lost with his own Innate True Qi and connecting the broken parts. If he sent a large amount of Innate True Qi at once, his body could break again, so he had to work carefully, little by little.

Sweat dripped from Cheong-un’s face.

Cheong-un fell into a trance. The pain of taking out Innate True Qi was replaced by the joy of seeing Eun-hyeon’s body improve.

Ah, Master! My Eun-hyeon.

You can’t abandon me now. There will never be another separation.

Even if you’re tired of this me, it’s too late now.

Cheong-un muttered with a smile.

The way he was focusing only on Eun-hyeon now looked scary and grotesque.

It was when the moon outside the window hid in the clouds and became invisible that Cheong-un regained his senses.

“Ah…”

“Are you alright?”

Cheong-un opened his mouth to make a sound, but closed it in surprise.

His throat was painfully torn. He hadn’t felt the lack of his body since he had learned the Demonic Divine Art, so it was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

When he turned his head, he saw Yoon Ju-myeong, who was much thinner than he remembered.

“…What, what day is it? How many days have I been performing the ritual?”

He asked, thinking that his vocal cords felt like they had been scraped with sandpaper. Judging by his throat, it seemed like quite a bit of time had passed.

“Today is the fifth day since you started the ritual.”

“Ah… I see.”

Five days.

He thought it was pretty good for a ritual to share Innate True Qi.

“…Give me some water.”

Cheong-un muttered, looking at Eun-hyeon, who was sitting in a lotus position in front of him.

He wanted to wake Eun-hyeon up and have him do Qi Circulation.

This was because the enormous Inner energy he had pushed into Eun-hyeon’s body was still boiling, but it would all dissipate over time.

But he didn’t do this to make Eun-hyeon a Martial World expert, so he didn’t have such greed. Increasing his Inner energy could be done through Elixirs and hair follicle cleansing in the future.

Cheong-un carefully laid Eun-hyeon on the bed.

“Haa…”

A light sigh escaped from Eun-hyeon’s mouth.

A faint smile flowed from Cheong-un’s mouth when he saw that.

It wasn’t difficult to infuse his energy. The pain of taking out Innate True Qi became tolerable over time.

The reason it took so long was not because of the Innate True Qi, but because of the work of stabilizing it in Eun-hyeon’s body.

“Now everything is over. Master. You’ve worked hard.”

Cheong-un whispered softly.