NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25
[At that moment, somewhere in the Mo Yong Family’s estate.]
In an open space, there was an artificial pond in the center, and standing on a bridge above it was the Sword Saint.
“Spring Medicine, huh.”
The Sword Saint grasped a paper pouch filled with white powder.
The Spring Medicine, which had begun to be discovered around the Mo Yong Family, was originally an item that shouldn’t exist in such a place, yet the Sword Saint placed the pouch containing the medicine on the table in the pavilion.
“What do you think, Sword Mistress?”
“…….”
The 17-year-old girl, referred to as the Sword Mistress, fell silent for a moment. Thankfully, as no one was around, she reached out her hand towards the Spring Medicine in front of her.
Swish.
“…It’s indeed Spring Medicine.”
The Sword Mistress licked the Spring Medicine with her tongue.
“It’s an aphrodisiac. A type of Spring Medicine that even makes pain feel pleasurable.”
If one were to ask whether she could tell by tasting it, the Sword Mistress had the second most profound knowledge about Spring Medicine after the Sword.
“Fortunately, it’s not mixed with a deadly toxin.”
“Was it like that in your active days?”
“Back then, many depraved individuals mixed Spring Medicine with deadly toxins to scatter one’s inner energy and violate them.”
Deadly toxins!
The most lethal poison to martial artists, it disrupts the flow of inner energy or prevents the concentration of energy needed to produce certain phenomena.
Depending on the severity, even the sword energy, accumulated by an advanced master flowing through their sword, can often scatter like smoke when faced with deadly toxins.
“Sword Mistress, you also nearly fell victim to deadly toxins at one point, didn’t you?”
“That I did.”
“How did you deal with it back then?”
“Either I held on until the poison exited my body or I stabilized my energy well enough that the poison couldn’t disrupt me.”
“Right. Deadly toxins… surprisingly, often don’t work as expected.”
Could poison genuinely affect one’s inner energy?
It must be something else altogether that takes on the form of poison.
“If poison is said to have some special effect on the human body, then what about Spring Medicine?”
“…….”
At the Sword Saint’s question, the Sword Mistress frowned.
“I know that back when you were the Sword Saint, there were many depraved individuals in the Central Plains using Spring Medicine to assault women.”
“Indeed. It’s a story from the past, but I did once join forces with your mother to repel some depraved individuals.”
The Sword Mistress touched her sword with a nostalgic look.
“I can assert, having killed more depraved individuals than anyone in the Central Plains, that while deadly toxins can be suppressed with inner energy, ‘Spring Medicine’ cannot.”
“……Even you, Sword Mistress?”
“Of course.”
The Sword Mistress extended her hand forward.
“Thanks to the Spring Medicine I’ve consumed, my body now craves men. Can’t you feel it?”
“It doesn’t seem that way at all.”
“That’s because my training is profound.”
The Sword Mistress clasped her hands below her abdomen, as if in meditation.
“No woman, no being, can escape from Spring Medicine. If the body does not respond to a particularly strong poison, it will try to reject it, but this is merely an ‘aphrodisiac.'”
“It acts in such a way as to unleash specific desires, and it can lead one to engage with someone they didn’t wish to, which is why people in the Central Plains refer to it as ‘poison.'”
The Sword Saint entered a state of focus regarding the Spring Medicine.
Whoosh.
“Moreover, if you simply burn it rather than use your inner energy to incinerate it, the smoke will permeate your nose, instantly engulfing you in pleasure—it’s a very dangerous substance.”
“…Sword Saint.”
“This very Spring Medicine has begun to be discovered and circulated near the Mo Yong Family.”
The Sword Saint clenched his fist tightly.
“It wasn’t initially aimed at the Mo Yong Family. This is simply… due to a banquet celebrating my daughter’s last day, where many women from the Central Plains gathered here.”
“They’re targeting other talented women?”
“While chatting in a drinking party, they would secretly sprinkle it into the cups to get them intoxicated and then take them to an inn to do as they please.”
“…….”
The Sword Mistress laughed bitterly.
“Should this be called the love of the youth, or should we consider it the antics of the so-called righteous sects of the Martial World, using the names of their schools and families for nefarious deeds?”
“The Mo Yong Family won’t allow that. And we’re not just going to sit back and be victims.”
The Sword Saint widened his eyes and growled.
“If Spring Medicine can’t be suppressed by any means, we’ll have to deal with those who attempt to misuse it. Sword Mistress, it looks like you will have to take the lead.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re not just the Sword Mistress now, are you? You’re ‘Sword Hero,’ aren’t you?”
“…….”
The Sword Mistress furrowed her brows for a moment.
“Are you saying you want me to become a target for the depraved individuals using Spring Medicine?”
“They will try to target my daughter, but their eyes may wander to others, seeking to use Spring Medicine on them.”
“That would be me?”
“Exactly. Those wanting to use Spring Medicine….”
The Sword Saint mimicked a slicing motion towards his lower region with his hand.
“Cut them all down. Just like you did in the past, Sword Mistress.”
“The Sword Mistress beheaded the depraved individuals.”
“Whether it’s her disciples or descendants, they will build new accomplishments by eliminating the newly emerging depraved individuals in the Central Plains. Sword Mistress, aren’t you curious? Will the world recognize you, or will they see you as the hidden disciple, blooming as a new flower in the Martial World?”
“…Heh heh heh.”
The Sword Mistress chuckled softly.
“Indeed. The only one who can truly counter Spring Medicine is me. Because, in the end, Spring Medicine is….”
Swish.
“If one falls prey, there are only two solutions. Either endure and overcome that twisted desire, or…”
The Sword Mistress pointed towards the Medical Hall beyond the wall.
“Or adapt along with Spring Medicine and indulge in that desire.”
“…….”
“In that sense, their actions are justified. The resistance to poison cannot just emerge from nothing. It is built through the experience of numerous poisons. Ah, but speaking of which…”
The Sword Mistress tilted her head and asked.
“What about the Physician Seok, who you said to cut down all those using Spring Medicine?”
“That’s a different story.”
The Sword Saint drew a line with a serious expression.
“The depraved individuals outside are forcibly attempting to seize women with Spring Medicine, while Physician Seok is trying to ensure that my daughter is not subjected to any unwanted events caused by someone using Spring Medicine.”
“…Are you just bending the rules for your son-in-law here?”
“Spring Medicine is called Spring ‘Medicine’ for a reason, not Spring ‘Poison.’ How can we criticize a pharmacist dealing with medicine?”
“Well, but…”
The Sword Mistress cautiously opened her mouth.
“I’ve killed plenty of depraved individuals using Spring Medicine, but I heard that a thousandth of those using it aren’t depraved individuals.”
“…….”
“That, your wife—”
“Stop.”
The Sword Saint cut her off sharply.
“That conversation is….”
“Did she not disguise herself as someone afflicted by Spring Medicine and then ambush you?”
“She didn’t ambush me.”
The Sword Saint spoke sharply in response to the Sword Mistress’s words, drawing another line.
“I rescued her from being addicted to Spring Medicine.”
“…So what you’re saying is that women afflicted by Spring Medicine become unstable, filled with Yin energy if not resolved through union.”
If one cannot neutralize the rising Yin energy with Yang energy, the Yin energy would accumulate within them.
“And if such a woman later gives birth, the suppressed Yin energy from the Spring Medicine will affect the child.”
“…….”
“That was the conclusion drawn by the Martial World Alliance Leader regarding the ‘Sickness of Absolute Meridians.’ The energy that should have been expelled didn’t escape properly, and in the end, the negative effects carried over to the offspring.”
Once upon a time.
Many women in the Central Plains fell prey to Spring Medicine.
Without using the sure remedy of union, they resorted to pouring cold water or binding the blood to immobilize the women to protect their purity, employing rough methods by the ‘elders’ of their families or sects.
“…It’s not the daughter’s fault, but I can’t help but feel concerned.”
Just like the Sword Mistress did, with willpower, endure.
Thus, many women in the Central Plains had to endure the suffering.
“If we compare that era to now, your daughter is indeed blessed, Sword Saint. At least, even if she becomes addicted to Spring Medicine, she has a fated partner to resolve the Yin energy immediately.”
“Yeah.”
The Sword Saint nodded once, then pouted with an unsatisfied expression.
“Then what about the women who expect my son-in-law to resolve their issues, even when he has no intention of helping?”
“…….”
The Sword Mistress struggled to find a quick answer.
“What should I do about those lunatics who, in the realm of Mo Yong, willingly become addicted to Spring Medicine and try to present their filthy bodies to my son-in-law, filled with Yin energy?”
The Sword Saint raised his hand.
“Bear it as a hero of the Martial World. The strongest in the world should not recklessly shed blood. Until when do I have to hear such stories?”
“That…”
“When will the Mo Yong Family, as the ‘heroes’ of the Martial World, quietly endure insults from the common folk of the Martial World?”
At that moment, the Sword Saint, who was about to unleash a storm of words, suddenly smiled gently.
“Truly, my daughter.”
“……?”
“Sword Mistress. It seems the women of the Purple Sword Gate might… end up self-destructing.”
“Self-destruct?”
“More precisely….”
The Sword Saint made a neck-cutting motion with his hand.
“It seems… my daughter knows how to counter Spring Medicine….”
The Sword Saint covered his face with his hand.
“Ha.”
* * *
“Physician Seok.”
“Speak, young lady.”
“The way to counter Spring Medicine is simply to always have it on hand, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean, young lady?”
“It’s simple logic.”
Mo Yongseol looked at me with a face of enlightenment.
“If you’re always in a heightened state due to Spring Medicine, then if you suddenly consume it, the effects will nullify!”
“Is that possible—”
Ah.
“Now, open your mouth. Ah—ahh.”
“…….”
I’ve been sucked in.