NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37
Chapter 37: A Flawed Body
With my eyes closed, I returned to Cheongun Pavilion, supported by my disciple.
“Fortunately, your internal injuries are minor. If you take a few days to recuperate and focus on your breathing exercises, you should recover without any issues.”
“I understand, Master.”
Jeonyeong, who had finished checking my pulse, spoke to me.
I replied to him with a pale face.
Beside me was my disciple, looking at me with tear-filled eyes.
As I gazed at them, I secretly moved my hand under the thick cotton blanket, feeling along my waistband.
The secret inventory list that Jeoksawol had left me was safely near my belongings.
Taking this would surely heal my injuries. If so, I could continue training with the Hanging Exercises.
‘It’s a product inventory list. There’s no need to use it for minor injuries.’
However, I decided not to use the inventory list right now.
The secret inventory list was a product. Using it just to treat minor injuries would be as wasteful as boiling spicy fish soup with a prized fish.
Once the martial arts contest with Heukryongbang was concluded as planned, the true journey into the Martial World would begin. Despite having been Hyeongyeong’s Mastery in my past life, I couldn’t predict the variables that might arise in the dangerous forests of Dosang.
Therefore, I would at least need some emergency medicine, and this product’s inventory list would be useful then.
‘Since I can’t do the Hanging Exercises, I should indulge in foods good for energy.’
Of course, the loss of energy from not being able to perform the Hanging Exercises needed to be compensated elsewhere.
“Is there any food you want to eat?”
Just then, my master asked me.
“Hic, sniff!”
Beside me, my disciple was wiping her tears.
I couldn’t understand why she was crying as if the world was ending.
There were countless foods beneficial for energy.
Oysters, eels, chives, asparagus, celery, cabbage, tomatoes, walnuts, and so on.
But asking for all of that was practically impossible. Unlike modern times, the supply chain of the medieval martial world was at a pre-modern level, making it nearly impossible to deliver fresh oysters from the coast to inland Gansu.
‘I should be eating oysters.’
I thought to myself, licking my lips.
Oysters are one of the foods richest in zinc. To improve both the quantity and quality of semen, I needed to eat oysters three times a day.
One day, I would travel to the Southern River area and surely eat oysters. So I declared to my master.
“I want pork… steamed pork and pig liver… please…”
That’s right.
Among all the meats, pork was the best for enhancing energy.
Pork is rich in the amino acid arginine, which modern medicine has shown to be unrivaled compared to the Supreme Spirit Elixir.
Arginine not only improves erectile function but also increases sperm production and testosterone levels. Long-term consumption shows enhancements exceeding that of Viagra.
‘Pork has more arginine than eel, doesn’t it?…’
Pork contains more arginine per gram than eel, which is famous for its energy-boosting properties.
Moreover, pork is the most common meat in China, and it’s the favorite of the Chinese people.
It’s said that simply writing “meat” in Chinese refers to pork.
With that in mind, obtaining pork in the inland Gansu region shouldn’t be that difficult.
Additionally, pig liver is also a natural energy booster rich in Vitamin A and zinc.
Eating liver in blood sausage is known to enhance energy.
Vitamin A plays a role in sperm count, and since zinc is similar, consuming both pig liver and pork at the same time could boost both energy and the quantity and quality of semen.
It was, without a doubt, a far stronger energy enhancement than taking both the Supreme Spirit Elixir and a thousand-year-old herb simultaneously.
Furthermore, it’s easy to find this ingredient anywhere in China, making it the perfect choice.
‘Hehe, if not now, when will I ever eat pork?’
Of course, to regularly enjoy pork and pig liver as a daily affair, I needed to improve the dismal financial situation of the Gongdong Sect.
If I continued eating nothing but greens like this, my physical enhancement and energy boost would be slow.
That simply wouldn’t do.
‘To become the King of Energy, I can’t go on like this…’
To complete the color spectrum I desired, I had to manage my diet meticulously.
I needed to eat a low-carb, high-fat energy diet loaded with pork and eel three meals a day.
For that, I had to win in this martial arts contest.
If the Gongdong Sect, a small sect, could defeat the Heukryongbang, a major sect, in the contest?
If the planned underdog rebellion succeeded, local sponsors from Gansu, like Gansu Local Trading Guild and Gansu Local Bureau, would certainly flock to support us.
On top of that, it was already obvious that Hao Mun would place their bets on the Gongdong Sect’s victory in the martial arts gambling arena.
With the money received from those sponsors and the winnings from the betting, I could improve my diet and enhance my energy and muscles faster.
That was my ultimate goal.
Money isn’t earned to hoard; it’s meant to be spent. And the most appropriate use for that money was on energy enhancement.
I would not stop until I bought all the energy boosters in the world.
“Pork and pig liver? Understood. Cheolsu, I will see what I can do, so just rest well.”
Slide.
My master opened the sliding door and left the room.
Thump.
With the door closed, only my disciple and I remained.
Flinch.
I continued performing Kegel exercises while peeking at my disciple.
As she wiped her tears, she wrung the cloth she had placed in a basin and placed it on my forehead.
“Disciple, you need to get up soon… I’m sorry… for not being able to protect you…”
I felt the cold touch of the wet cloth on my forehead.
“You need to recover quickly, got it?”
Surely, she didn’t intend to stay up all night nursing me? That would be problematic. I wouldn’t be able to perform Jerk Exercises.
But I couldn’t just tell her to leave.
I sighed inwardly.
I wanted to see a scene where a stunning beauty gazed at me with sorrowful eyes while tending to me on the bed throughout the night.
I wished to naturally entangle with her on the bed and share Cloud and Rain Pleasure.
‘Sigh, is it okay, Master? Oh no, no! Aaaah!’
The best tonic must surely be Cloud and Rain Pleasure. One hot union with a beautiful woman would surely heal my injuries immediately.
But the stunning beauty beside me was not a woman; it was a male disciple.
I quietly shed tears of blood at the harsh reality.
I prayed for my disciple to not stay up all night taking care of me.
Please, no more bucket list destruction.
But regrettably…
Heaven’s will was not on my side.
That night, my disciple took care of me, and I could not perform Jerk Exercises.
And so, I fell asleep while performing Kegel exercises under my disciple’s care.
How long did I sleep?
My waist was sore. As I woke up, I thought about lifting my heavy eyelids.
My disciple didn’t fall asleep on my thigh out of fatigue from staying up all night, did she?
That couldn’t happen.
I couldn’t allow my last remaining dream of care to be trampled by my disciple.
Having thought that far, I realized I didn’t feel any weight on my thigh and breathed a slight sigh of relief as I finally lifted my eyelids.
What greeted me as I woke up was the familiar ceiling and sunlight streaming through the bars.
And a familiar face of my master, Jeonyeong, welcoming me.
“Are you awake?”
Jeonyeong asked me.
Wait, Jeonyeong?
“Why is Master here? Where did my disciple go?”
I was sure she was right next to me until I fell asleep.
Why was she not here when I woke up?
My question made my master stroke his beard and chuckle.
“Huira stayed up late taking care of you and then entrusted you to me while she went to get pork for you.”
So my disciple went to get pork?
I expected my master to go instead, so this was a surprise.
“I understand, Master. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Hoho. Are you worried about Huira going alone to Hwajeong County? She’s more than capable of taking care of herself; don’t worry about your disciple and focus on your recovery.”
My master smiled contentedly at my words.
I didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding this was, but there was no need for me to correct him.
I closed my eyes and began my morning Kegel exercises while hoping my disciple would bring back the pork quickly.
*
Yujinhwi cut through the morning air, her body soaring.
Her face was stiff.
‘It’s all my fault.’
As a reliable disciple, she had promised to protect her precious master.
That was why she had resolved to live as a man.
However, after spending a year with her master, and now entering puberty, Yujinhwi’s heart was wavering.
Her master was precious.
But recently, whenever she saw her master, her heart fluttered and her breath quickened.
During training, even the slightest brush against her master made her cheeks turn red, and her heart would race all day.
So she had kept her distance.
Being near her master made her feel oddly like a woman.
It felt like the feelings of a woman she’d only heard of were rising within her; thus, Yujinhwi tried to avoid any unnecessary contact with her master.
‘I am, I am a disciple…’
She had to protect her master as a disciple, not as a woman.
Therefore, she felt she had no need for feelings like those of a woman.
‘Moreover, I am not a normal woman…’
Her second reason for deciding not to live as a woman was that Yujinhwi’s body was far removed from that of a normal woman.
Originally, the Heavenly Body was a constitution that had only come into existence in the thousand years of the martial world through the body of a man.
Thus, all previous bearers of the Heavenly Body had been male.
Only Yujinhwi was the exception.
Was it because she was born with the Heavenly Body, a gift permitted only to men, in the body of a woman? Was it a heavenly punishment bestowed for possessing the potential of a great master who could rule the world?
‘I don’t menstruate. I probably can’t even get pregnant…’
Yujinhwi did not menstruate. Not menstruating meant being infertile.
For a woman, being infertile, unable to serve a husband and bear children to carry on the family line, held no value.
The punishment for being a gifted being was a body destined to never become a true woman.
No, Yujinhwi wasn’t even sure if she was the same human being as everyone else.
Thanks to her master, she had turned assumptions into certainty. She realized her unique blood and bones were completely different from ordinary people.
She was born with a superhuman body, seeing a world entirely apart from others.
Bearers of the Heavenly Body throughout history were likely born with bodies entirely different from ordinary people too.
For Yujinhwi, the Heavenly Body and the potential of a great master felt more like a curse than a blessing.
Yujinhwi had suspected this since she was little. The fact that her constitution and existence were alien to her.
Thus, she became more attached to her bond as a disciple, the revival of her sect, and the ethic of chivalry. She constantly reminded herself that she wasn’t an alien but just like everyone else.
However, the more she stayed close to her master, the more she wanted to become a woman, not just a human.
That was impossible. With a flawed body, she had to live as a man to protect her master.
That was how Yujinhwi kept her distance from her master. But after the turmoil at the inn, when she saw her master wounded by the masked man in black…
She felt guilt pang in her heart.
‘It’s all my fault. Because I failed in my emotional training… Because I distanced myself, I put my master in danger…’
If she had managed her emotions well enough to suppress a woman’s feelings…
Or if she hadn’t kept her distance from the start…
Her master wouldn’t have had to fight those in black, wouldn’t have been hurt.
As she had promised, she would have been able to protect her master.
But because she had distanced herself, she failed to protect her master during the fight against the men in black and when the masked man invaded the main base.
‘It’s all my responsibility.’
Yujinhwi bit her lip.
Tears escaped her eyes.
Thud, thud.
Even now, her heart, pressed by the bandage, pounded fiercely.
As Yujinhwi came down from Gongdong Mountain, she took out a cloth handkerchief from her pocket to wipe her tears.
One year ago, she had kept the handkerchief that her master had given her when she was crying over the illusions of the formations at Gwangseong Elixir Point.
Now, wiping her tears with the once-precious handkerchief, Yujinhwi calmed her heart before entering the Gongdong Inn.
“Is anyone here?”
“Business today is… Oh? What brings you here, Young Master Yu…?”
Inside the inn, Yujinhwi faced the innkeeper, Seo Dae-in, and his daughter, Seoharin.
After meeting Seo Dae-in, Yujinhwi explained what had happened the day before.
“So, you fought with the masked man in black… That’s why you came to get pork for yourself who was injured.”
“I see, Sir. If it’s not too much trouble, could you perhaps find some meat for me…”
“I will. In a way, it’s because of us that you were injured. I can’t just sit here like an ungrateful beast.”
Just as Yujinhwi felt relieved by Seo Dae-in’s words…
“… Young Master Yu.”
Seoharin’s vacant eyes turned to Yujinhwi.
“… If it’s alright, may I take care of you at the main base?”
At Seoharin’s following words, Yujinhwi’s face hardened.