Chapter 152
**
The administrator rushed towards me, panting heavily.
“You! Are you out of your mind?! I clearly told you not to go near the special management building!”
“Eh?”
“If you hadn’t gone there, San would be here…!”
“N-no, the teacher hasn’t done anything wrong… G-grandfather…!”
A small boy squirmed in front of me, blocking my path. Knowing his name, I hesitated and asked.
“San, do you know the administrator?”
“He, he’s my grandfather…!”
The boy, who had just joined us not long ago.
I had only known that his name was San…
“Mo Yong-san, is it?”
Who would have guessed?
That such a frail child was a member of the Mo Yong family.
Mo Yong-hwi grabbed his neck in frustration.
“S-san is… such a good child… and you’re treating him like this?!”
“N-no, the teacher hasn’t done anything wrong! I-I just wanted to be healthy, and he just told me how to overcome it!”
“Sa-san! What you need is stability! Training is a no-go! You’ll only make your body worse…!”
“B-but…”
Mo Yong-san spoke with a quivering voice.
“I-I really hate being cooped up in that room… I don’t want it…”
“…You!”
Mo Yong-hwi stepped forward.
“You don’t understand! Let’s go back! Now!”
“I d-don’t want to…”
“I said I don’t want to…!”
Sua, who had been vigorously swinging her wooden sword, barged in. She squeezed herself between them, pushing Mo Yong-hwi aside.
“I said I don’t want to! Stop it already!”
“Move! Can’t you get out of the way right now?!”
“I d-don’t want to…! I won’t move!”
Narin and Gwangyang whispered to each other.
“Look at her stubbornness. The opponent is the administrator, you know… Is she really not related by blood?”
“Do you think that too?”
“……”
After shooting a glare at the two joking around in this situation, I placed my hands on the administrator’s body.
“Administrator. The children are watching.”
“Don’t stop me…!”
“Administrator. Let’s calm down.”
“…….?!”
It seemed like Mo Yong-hwi was unconsciously releasing his energy, and he quickly gathered it back.
Mo Yong-san, trembling, screamed.
“I-I don’t like grandfather!”
“Ugh!”
“I really don’t like you!”
Mo Yong-san dashed out. Sua hurried after him.
I exchanged glances with Narin and Gwangyang.
“Please take care of Sua.”
“Kids, stay together!”
“You must not go too far! Lady!”
Forcing the despairing administrator to his feet, I sat him down and brought him some water.
I whispered to the observing students.
“Resume what you were doing.”
“Y-yes!”
As the training resumed, I asked the weary administrator.
“What on earth is happening?”
“…….”
After drinking the water, the administrator let out a sigh. His face looked ten years older as he muttered.
“…Did you really not call for San?”
“He had been timidly lingering around for days, so I taught him as much as I could without pushing it. There’s no need to worry.”
Mo Yong-san.
The moment I touched that boy’s body, I realized.
He was on the verge of breaking down.
“Isn’t it strange to push a child born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians to the limits?”
“How do you know that?!”
“I could tell something was off with his body. Simply checking the bloodline was enough to figure it out. His meridians were severed, causing some parts of his body to harden… It’s not even a conversation here.”
Severed meridians.
The point where the flow is cut off sounds awful.
I had read about it in a book I studied with Ilma. This was the first time seeing it in reality.
From his hunchback to his emaciated figure from not eating properly. The lack of muscle on Mo Yong-san made him stagger uncontrollably; his condition was beyond horrific.
It was amazing that he was still alive.
If not for some unknown yang energy protecting his twisted body, he probably would not have been able to walk at all.
Normally, it would have been correct not to make him train. But the desperation in Mo Yong-san’s eyes made it impossible to ignore.
He wanted to blend in with the others so badly…
So, I decided to teach him how to move his body without overdoing it.
“H-hold on, if you know about the severed meridians… Do you know how to fix it?!”
“I’m not a physician,administrator.”
“…I see…”
The administrator buried his face in his hands.
“…Let’s pretend my actions until now never happened. I… I got too excited. I’m sorry. Who would’ve known that San would sneak out of the special management building? Still, I had built it spaciously so he wouldn’t feel stifled… It wasn’t a problem of space. The problem was the person.”
“……”
“I’m really sorry, Jeok-un. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again, but… If San sneaks out again, will you let me know?”
“Are you not going to stop him?”
“Didn’t you see? He longs for companionship. Even if I try to force him back, it’ll only cause more issues. Instead, teach him in a way that he merely mimics the training without overdoing it.”
The administrator stood up.
“I’ll compensate you separately. I’m counting on you.”
“Administrator. Those suffering from severed meridians have incredibly short lifespans.”
“I know.”
“Furthermore, San’s condition is not good. At this rate…”
“I’m fine. I have means to supplement it. The Martial Alliance Leader regularly brings me medicinal herbs to counter the immense yin energy caused by the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.”
The administrator placed a hand on my shoulder.
“…Actually…”
He murmured.
“The Martial Alliance Leader asked me to monitor you. But… I cannot keep an eye on the teacher of my only grandson. I will write a suitable report. Take care and leave when you are ready. There’s no need for you to worry.”
“……”
“It seems I misjudged you. I don’t know your true intentions, but there’s a lot of goodwill in you. It’s clear just by how you’ve opened this secret classroom without expecting anything in return. Keep up the good work, just like you have been.”
The administrator walked away. I watched his retreat and opened my mouth.
It wasn’t certainty. But if I do this right…
It just might be possible.
Because I’ve always had a being within me that is pure yin energy.
“Administrator.”
“Do you still have something to say?”
“I might be able to heal that boy.”
“…What?”
“But…”
I placed my hand on Ear Sword Bai Ya.
“Trust me. That’s the only way this will work.”
“……!”
. . .
“San.”
Sua panted as she chased after Mo Yong-san, who was going ahead.
Her legs moved slowly. Just a short sprint, and she was heavily out of breath.
“If she keeps this up, she’s going to die. Sister.”
“Let’s just keep an eye on them for now.”
Sua dashed ahead. She stood next to Mo Yong-san, supporting his arm.
So tiny. Smaller and frailer than herself. And strangely, her body was cold.
“Are you okay?”
“…Let go of me…”
Sua gently released his arm. Mo Yong-san, now sitting, let his tears fall.
“W-why does my grandfather… have to be like this…”
Sua recalled.
The back of the grandfather she had just seen.
He was trembling. From his shoulders, it looked like he might crumble at any moment.
Sua pulled out a cloth from her pocket. She wiped the beads of sweat off Mo Yong-san’s forehead one by one.
She asked again.
“Are you okay? Do you want to go back?”
“…I don’t want to go back… If I go back… I have to stay with grandfather.”
“Do you hate your grandfather?”
“Ugh… N-no, not that…”
Mo Yong-san blankly stared at the ground.
“I just feel stifled being with grandfather. He doesn’t let me do anything. I just want to walk… to see much more… but he just says no…”
“Really? Your grandfather sounds mean.”
“Y-you think so?!”
“Yeah. A really mean grandfather. If he stops you from going anywhere or doing anything, I’d be mad too.”
Sua plopped down beside him.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t last a day. San, you must be really strong for enduring so much.”
“Th-that’s not true…”
“But he can’t be all bad, right?”
“……”
Mo Yong-san fell silent. He nodded slightly.
“I-I mean, he always buys me things I want. He holds my hand tightly when we go for walks…”
“Our dad does that too. He holds my hand tight. If I say I want something, he buys it right away.”
Ah.
I miss Dad.
Sua gently placed her hand on top of Mo Yong-san’s.
Caressing him slowly until his excitement calmed down. Just like her dad had done for her, she quietly waited by his side.
“Dad loves me a lot. A whole lot. Your grandfather probably feels the same way, don’t you think?”
“……”
“If there’s something San did wrong, it’s not his fault. But maybe… If you talk to your grandfather, things could turn out better.”
“…He won’t listen. Grandfather thinks he’s always right.”
“If he doesn’t listen once, we’ll ask him twice or three times. Eventually, he will grant permission. I’m sure of it.”
“But… what if he still doesn’t allow it…?”
“That’s okay.”
Sua smiled brightly.
Just like her dad would.
Because she wanted to help someone.
“I’ll go with you and keep asking until he agrees. As many times as it takes.”
“……!”
Mo Yong-san’s eyes widened. He glanced at the hand resting on his own and whispered.
“W-what’s your name?”
“Sua.”
“S-sua… Are you really going to go with me…?”
“Yep. I’ll go with you. For sure.”
“…Okay.”
Whispers came from behind.
“The Master is definitely lying. That’s definitely his biological daughter.”
“That kid… looks just like him. I think she has that charming bite too…”
Sua shook off the dust from her rear and stood up. Helping Mo Yong-san to his feet, she twirled around.
“Big brother. Sister. Let’s head back.”
“Shall we?”
“M-Mo Yong, young master? Please come this way. I’ll take you back.”
“I-I want to walk by myself… I can… walk…”
“Fine then.”
Sua and Mo Yong-san headed back to where they came from.
The administrator and Jeok-un remained standing there. Sua whispered to Mo Yong-san.
“Stay strong.”
“…Okay!”
Mo Yong-san looked up at his grandfather. Gathering all his strength, he met his gaze, speaking firmly.
Though he trembled slightly, there was a bit of strength behind his determined tone.
“G-grandfather. I… I want to stay… can you let me please…?”
“……”
“I-I will take care of myself. I’ll be careful not to collapse. So just a little bit…”
“…Did you really want to go out and play?”
“G-grandfather, it’s not that I hate you. But… I feel so stifled…”
Mo Yong-san stumbled over his words.
“I-I just… want to hang out with my friends… I don’t want to be stuck in my room anymore…”
“……”
“Can you allow me…?”
Mo Yong-hwi wiped his face. Sua stepped forward.
“I’ll keep an eye on him, grandfather.”
“…And you are…”
“I’m his friend. Please allow it. Just for a little while… I want San to be here.”
“…Ugh.”
Mo Yong-hwi burst into laughter. He glanced at Jeok-un.
A heavy nod. Mo Yong-hwi took Mo Yong-san’s hand.
“San.”
“…Yes, grandfather.”
“Do you know why I haven’t let you go anywhere until now? Your body is extremely weak. Moving normally usually makes a person stronger… But not you. You get weaker instead. The more you move, the more likely you’ll end up unable to walk.”
“…….”
“Wanting to go out and play after coming here is the same as saying you want to shorten your own lifespan. But still… do you really want that? To play here? With the other kids?”
“…Grandfather. When I’m alone in the room, all I can hear is my own breath. I can’t hear anything else.”
Mo Yong-san shook his head.
“Even if it costs me my life, I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to play with everyone else.”
“…….”
Mo Yong-hwi stood up. He ruffled Mo Yong-san’s hair.
“I understand your thoughts. San. Leave the rest to this grandfather. Jeok-un. Was there no falsehood in what I just said?”
“Of course, administrator. Please trust me.”
Jeok-un stepped forward, placing a hand on Mo Yong-san’s shoulder.
“San, you have two choices.”
“Huh?”
“One is to live as you have been. The other is a very dangerous path… which may bring you a new life. The former allows you to continue your current life, but the latter could lead to death.”
“…….”
“The choice is yours. Your grandfather has already agreed.”
“…If I choose the latter… can I play like the other kids?”
“Yes. But it comes with risks…”
“Then I want to choose the latter.”
Mo Yong-san straightened his shoulders.
“I want to challenge myself instead of being trapped in a room. No matter the outcome… I will accept it.”
“…San.”
Mo Yong-hwi called him gloomily. Jeok-un nodded.
“I understand your choice. Then let’s attempt to see if I can heal your severed meridians.”
. . .
I laid Mo Yong-san on the ground. After sending everyone away, I briefly inspected his energy.
It was severed. For sure. Moreover, I could see the yang energy rippling throughout his body.
“…….”
An uncontrollable energy was devouring the child’s body. Severed or not, this innate yin energy was dragging his condition to unspeakable depths.
Is this the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
The administrator, who remained by my side, asked.
“What do you intend to do?”
“First, I’ll try to reconnect the severed meridians.”
“How?”
“You said you’d leave it to me. It’s not something I can explain with words.”
“Cough…”
Severed is a completely different concept than blocked.
If it has been severed since birth, it needs to be restored. And that process could literally involve breaking the flesh to foster new growth; it’s the territory of divine intervention.
I am not a physician. Nor am I divine either.
But…
I have something different.
A unique method to assist in fostering new growth, a type of yang energy called Cheongeop, like a tamed beast that listens well.
A technique that neither the Heavenly Demon nor Ilma taught me. But if I utilize it well, it might just work.
Healing another’s body with Cheongeop.
The key is how well Mo Yong-san can endure the pain of Cheongeop.
Of course, I planned to regulate the amount. By administering the same quantity as a fingernail’s worth of Cheongeop, I could minimize both pain and the risks in a way. It might take some time, but it’s doable.
However… even that small amount would bring immense suffering to an ordinary person. I gently patted Mo Yong-san’s head.
“It might hurt from now on. A lot. You have to endure it. Otherwise… everything could return to nothing.”
“…I will endure.”
“Good.”
I didn’t add more words. I merely addressed the administrator.
“From now on, no matter what happens, don’t look inside or interfere.”
“……”
“External disruption could break my focus. I believe you know this as well, administrator. If I fail in this technique… not just me but the child’s life will be at risk. Please block anyone from entering here.”
“…I have just one question. Why are you helping so much?”
“Because the child is in pain, and I have the capability to heal…”
I placed Ear Sword Bai Ya beside Mo Yong-san.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to help?”
“……!”
