The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

Hyuk Dojin’s brows furrowed as he watched Moyong Sowol climb onto the martial arts arena.

His face full of dissatisfaction and the energy he couldn’t contain inside swirled around his feet and dispersed repeatedly.

Hyuk Dojin sighed and rubbed his face repeatedly.

‘Did I do something unnecessary?’

Should I have stopped her? Hyuk Dojin recalled Sowol’s wrist that he had held. A wrist still thin, though not as much as before.

Was it wrong to put a sword in that wrist? Hyuk Dojin didn’t want Moyong Sowol to become strong.

But the only way to fix the vessel containing the original true energy was to reach the Flowering Realm.

That’s why he didn’t stop Sowol when she had to fight, and when there was a decent opponent, he let Sowol handle it directly rather than himself.

He sent her off with a smile, but every time she swung her sword, his heart pounded and his hands sweated.

What if she got badly injured even grazing that sword?

Recalling her appearance collapsing with fever like catching a cold often even after learning martial arts, he wondered if he was pushing her too hard.

But time wasn’t plentiful. The thousand-year-old fleeceflower root Hyuk Muhyeol had given was decreasing in number. At most, there was only enough to eat until early autumn.

If he could bring the Great Rejuvenation Pill from Shaolin Temple, it would be a bit more helpful, but there was no way they would hand over the Great Rejuvenation Pill to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. It was impossible even if offered an enormous fortune.

That’s why Hyuk Dojin forcibly chose the path for Moyong Sowol to become stronger.

This was already the second time during the Murim Alliance’s martial arts competition period. Even if he had sent her off at ease during the match with the Diancang Sect knowing Sowol’s skills were superior, it wasn’t the case this time.

Equal, or at a disadvantage. There was no guarantee Moyong Sowol would defeat Lee Jehak without injury.

When he closed his eyes, he saw Moyong Sowol collapsing covered in blood.

Hyuk Dojin wanted to stop Moyong Sowol who looked at him. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop her because her eyes contained so much anguish.

Before being her husband, as a martial artist, no one could watch their clan being trampled miserably.

Knowing that, he let her go.

But…

“You seem to have a lot on your mind, Young Cult Leader.”

Hyuk Dojin turned his head at Namgoong Baek’s voice.

Unlike him, Namgoong Baek was relaxed. Hyuk Dojin’s brows furrowed at his light smile as if watching an enjoyable performance.

If you think about it, this man could have resolved the issue just by stopping it.

“…When my wife has stepped onto a dangerous place of her own accord, there would be a problem if I weren’t worried.”

“Hoho, everyone’s like that. But sometimes you have to learn to push them off the cliff with your own feet. Isn’t that right?”

“I might raise my child like that, but I don’t want to treat Sowol that way.”

“Do you want to hold her in your arms and live?”

Hyuk Dojin frowned.

“Is that not allowed?”

“…”

Namgoong Baek tightly closed his mouth. The corners of his mouth drooped.

Hyuk Dojin glanced at him and opened his mouth again.

“She was a woman who struggled in pain and gave up on life for a long time. It’s hard to fathom the suffering she endured for so long. I want to heal her rather than understand it.”

“You’re a caring man, Young Cult Leader.”

Namgoong Baek’s gaze slowly rolled to touch Hyuk Dojin.

The eyes of the two men were sharp as if piercing each other.

Namgoong Baek was seeing Hyuk Muhyeol in Hyuk Dojin’s eyes.

The man who had defeated him. The son of that man. He wanted to cross swords with him even in a martial arts match.

“When I look at you, I’m reminded of your father.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Your father, the Cult Leader, also struggled to protect his wife but ultimately failed. No one knew the wife of the Cult Leader, called the sky of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, would depart so miserably.”

Hyuk Dojin’s face hardened. Why was he suddenly bringing up the story of his mother, Geum Soso?

Moreover, the one speaking was Namgoong Baek.

Hyuk Dojin’s eyes narrowed.

Namgoong Baek slowly opened his mouth as if savoring Hyuk Dojin’s change in expression.

“You’re too young. And foolish. You’re a dull person who believes what you see is everything.”

At the sudden criticism pouring out, Hyuk Dojin’s inner energy churned. Feeling the wave of inner energy surging from his dantian, Hyuk Dojin’s hands clenched.

“…What did you just say?”

“Exactly what I said. I think I know why Hyuk Muhyeol sent you here, but Young Cult Leader, if you maintain this attitude without feeling anything, you’ll end up leaving without knowing anything.”

“You know my father’s intention… Is that what you want to say?”

His eyes rolled down to fix on the martial arts arena.

The match was about to begin.

Namgoong Baek stared intently at Moyong Sowol and spoke quietly.

“I’ll postpone that answer for later.”

Hyuk Dojin glared at Namgoong Baek who was avoiding answering, then turned his head.

He was curious about what he wanted to say, but Sowol’s match unfolding before his eyes came first.

Hyuk Dojin quietly looked at the martial arts arena while calming his inner energy.

* * *

Only rough breathing and groans echoed over the quiet martial arts arena.

Lee Jehak glanced at the man standing in front of him, then pushed him away with his palm technique.

I lightly caught the man flying towards me. The man who collapsed on my arm looked up at me with difficulty.

“Ju… Junior Sister…”

“It’s okay. You can rest now.”

There didn’t seem to be internal injuries. It was all external injuries. Although there were no severe injuries like broken or cut off parts, at a glance, there were over fifty cuts drawn on his body.

Blood was flowing from his whole body. If left like this, he would die from excessive bleeding.

After lightly striking his blood points to stop the bleeding, I handed him over to the elder climbing up behind.

The elder examined his disciple, then raised his head. The elder looked at me with eyes full of concern.

“Will you be alright?”

“…Go down. I’ll take care of it from here.”

The hesitating elder soon turned his body.

I followed the elder’s receding back with my eyes, then exhaled and turned my head.

The visible martial arts arena was stained with the blood shed by three people.

I slowly rolled my eyes scanning the martial arts arena, then raised my head to look around.

The spectators were making puzzled expressions as if they didn’t understand why I had stepped up.

I looked at Lee Jehak again. He was wiping the blood off his sword blade with a cloth.

I approached him and stood at a distance.

Lee Jehak smiled and said.

“I was wondering when you would come out.”

“It seems you already anticipated that I would come out.”

The corners of his mouth rose slowly. Though his face was gentle and his voice was mild, the end felt very sharp.

I felt a sharpness that would cut one’s fingertips if touched unknowingly.

“It wasn’t as grand as anticipation… It was simply a guess. I thought the Young Madam would come out directly to replace Hero Moyong Do, but you didn’t step up. That’s why I was a bit rough. I apologize for injuring the Moyong clan members.”

I frowned at his appearance bowing politely.

“That means… you showed such a tragedy to draw me out?”

“I didn’t intend for it to look like a tragedy… Haha, it ended up that way somehow.”

I felt dejected at his appearance laughing shamelessly.

In the end, I was played in the palm of this man’s hand. I clicked my tongue and quietly looked at him.

Lee Jehak slowly withdrew his smile and leisurely opened his lips.

“How is your body?”

“…Body?”

“I heard your health wasn’t good.”

His eyes slowly rolled from my head to my toes. I stepped forward one step at his gaze that was unpleasantly blatant.

His eyes that had gone down quickly rose to face me.

I frowned and spoke quietly.

“That’s unpleasant and rude.”

Lee Jehak smiled slowly at my firm expression. His attitude of smiling without answering or apologizing was displeasing.

“Are you mocking me now…”

“Nine Yin Pulse.”

I hardened my face, forgetting what I was saying at the words that fell from his mouth.

Lee Jehak narrowed his eyes.

“Skin and hair as white as a snow lady. And yet black eyes and yin energy that can’t be contained inside and bursts out. Isn’t it the Nine Yin Pulse known only in legend? It appeared only a few times in thousands of years of history and was almost forgotten, so most people wouldn’t know, but my eyes can’t avoid it.”

“…I have no reason to answer.”

I frowned while gripping my sword tightly.

Lee Jehak faced me with narrowed eyes.

What is this man’s purpose?

“I heard the Nine Yin Pulse are difficult to treat. The yin energy is so strong that it’s impossible to treat even with considerable yang energy. Even if you take spiritual medicines, it’s only a temporary measure. In the end, unless you consistently maintain the harmony of yin and yang, you have to live in pain for your whole life, I heard.”

“…”

He moved slowly. He circled around me as if appraising, putting me in the center. Even while doing so, his words didn’t stop.

“Other people express it as a curse. But that’s what ignorant people say. The Nine Yin Pulse are not a curse but a blessing. Having extreme yin energy means you have enormous inner power, and if you could absorb it, it wouldn’t be a dream to become a master that goes down in history. But… Unfortunately, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult learned demonic arts, and demonic arts have yin energy, so there probably wasn’t as much treatment or increase in inner power as expected. Isn’t that right?”

The moment I understood what Lee Jehak was saying, I immediately drew my sword.

I rushed in without hesitation, holding the sword I had drawn.

Lee Jehak smiled at my rush and immediately drew his sword to swing back.

With a clang sound, the swords collided and Lee Jehak immediately opened his mouth while smiling.

“Were my words unpleasant? If so, I apolo…!”

“…”

I deliberately didn’t respond to Lee Jehak’s obvious provocation. There was no need to, so I pushed away his sword and rushed in again to close the distance that had opened.

I could see Lee Jehak frowning at my quick attack.

With his mouth tightly closed, he received my attacks a few times, then deflected the sword I swung and pushed me away with his foot to widen the distance.

We caught our breath once while maintaining the distance.

Lee Jehak wiped off his sweat by rubbing his chin, then spoke slowly.

“Others don’t know your value. But the Black Dao Sect knows your value. Especially to me who cultivates an extreme yang inner energy method, you are a walking heavenly elixir.”

“That’s not a very good expression. I wasn’t born with this constitution to be called an elixir by you.”

“Is that so? But I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

His eyes fixed on me, then slowly rolled upwards.

When I turned my head, Hyuk Dojin looking at me entered my eyes.

“I’m saying this because it’s very regrettable that someone who doesn’t know your value possesses you.”

“Possess… huh.”

I chewed on his words as I repeated them and lowered my gaze.

Lee Jehak opened his mouth again with the same smiling face.

“I’ll make a proposal. Come to me.”

I thought he was reciting strange words, but he finally reached the peak.

I quietly looked at him, feeling it wasn’t worth answering, but his mouth didn’t stop and kept moving.

“If you become my wife, I’ll give you the world. If you want, I’ll push away the imperial family on this land and establish a new country to make you empress. I can get revenge on the people who criticized and cursed you, and I can completely heal your sick body. If you come to me, I’ll make you the true master of this vast land.”

He spoke so seriously that I couldn’t even laugh hollowly.

Does this man even know what he’s saying?

I had guessed from his use of the expression ‘possess’, but this man wasn’t seeing me as a person.

Literally an elixir, nothing more, nothing less.

It didn’t matter that I was married and someone’s wife.

It seemed he didn’t care who was beside me as long as he could obtain the precious elixir of the Nine Yin Pulse.

I exhaled a long breath.

Lee Jehak jerked his chin.

“What do you think?”

“Before I answer, may I ask one thing?”

“By all means.”

I spoke quietly while facing the greed hidden behind his brightly smiling smile.

“Are you crazy?”

“…”

“Talking about possession and ownership of a person, and urging a married woman to come to you… Even for an evil sect, this is too much.”

I swung my sword to loosen my muscles. Facing his distorting face, I spoke again.

“I am neither an elixir nor anyone’s possession. I can choose where I belong, and even if I have to live in pain and take medicine for my whole life and die that way, I will never go to you who treats me like an object.”

So.

I lowered my stance and raised my sword in a straight line.

“Stop talking and come at me.”