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TL: ALT
Chapter 14 – I Discovered a Hidden Space
I obtained the Clear Qi Heart Method as a dimensional gate reward this time.
Thanks to it, I was able to grasp the dantian.
I also obtained a mere speck of clear qi.
But then…
[Field – Yakseon’s herb garden is affected by your qi.]
I never expected this message to appear.
“Affected by my qi?”
“Ooh! Young Master, this is something even I’ve never seen before!”
Not even Nureongi had ever seen this message.
The message piqued my curiosity.
And it didn’t end there.
I began to see something like a flow emanating from the herb garden.
Thin, blue lines.
“Let’s follow it, Nureongi.”
“Understood!”
So we walked along the flow of blue energy.
At the same time, something strange happened.
Should I say that my cognitive abilities suddenly declined?
I felt like I didn’t know where I was walking.
After walking like that for a while…
“Young master! Snap out of it!”
Nureongi tugged at my sleeve.
“Huh? Nureongi, why all of a sudden?”
“Look ahead!”
I followed his hand and shifted my gaze.
Then, I couldn’t help but panic.
No wonder—a scene I’d never seen before was unfolding before my eyes.
A thundering rush of water!
A massive waterfall and lake.
It was a place I’d never seen in my entire life.
The existence of such a place in the herb garden was bizarre to begin with. At that moment,
[Congratulations!]
[You have discovered the hidden space in the first zone of Yakseon’s Herb Garden!]
[Field – You have entered the lake.]
That message appeared.
“A hidden space…”
“I-I have no knowledge of such a space!”
“I suppose you need to meet certain conditions to enter?”
The condition is probably the blue flag.
Or maybe it’s internal energy.
The important thing is to find the hidden space in the first zone.
“So, does that mean the second zone has a hidden space, too?”
“It certainly seems that way!”
“As expected, Yakseon’s Herb Garden never gets boring.”
“This is a major breakthrough!”
Nureongi jumped up and down with excitement.
Honestly, I was excited, too.
I had discovered a new, hidden space.
It was enough to stir any man’s romantic dreams.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
“Nureongi, wait a moment.”
“Why?”
“The flow hasn’t stopped yet.”
The flow of blue energy that had guided me there hadn’t ceased.
It hadn’t ceased.
So I walked along with Nureongi, following the flow.
Before long, I reached the end of the flow.
“Is it land?”
“Something seems buried in this ground!”
Nureongi immediately began digging.
Before long, he uncovered something.
It was a wooden box.
A small wooden box.
“Did this call me here?”
“Open it quickly!”
“All right.”
I immediately opened the box.
Inside was something I never expected.
“A seed?”
It was a seed.
It was larger than an ordinary seed.
If I had to compare its size to something, perhaps it was about the size of a peach seed.
“This is no ordinary seed.”
Having made that judgment, I immediately appraised it.
[Elixir Information]
▶Name: Heavenly Peach Seed
▶Grade: Legendary
▶Description: The seed of the heavenly peach is said to extend one’s lifespan when consumed.
▶Effect 1: Consuming it slightly extends one’s lifespan.
After appraising it, I was utterly shocked.
“This is the famed Heavenly Peach Seed?”
What is a Heavenly Peach?”
“It’s famous for granting a lifespan of a thousand cycles of life when eaten.”
“Is that really true?”
“It’s a legend, but Dong Bak-sak ate three and gained three thousand cycles of life.”
[T/n: The “Dong Bang Sak” refers to the Korean legend of Dongbangsak, a figure associated with extreme longevity, equivalent to the Chinese figure Dongfang Shuo.]
“Then this is an incredible discovery!”
Nureongi jumped up and down with excitement.
He knew it well, too.
That my lifespan wasn’t very long.
“They say eating these seeds slightly extends your lifespan.”
“Well, then, shouldn’t you eat them right away?”
“But what if we grow heavenly peaches ourselves?”
“You mean the young master could live a thousand cycles?”
“Well, not quite a thousand cycles. But I could at least live a normal lifespan and die peacefully, couldn’t I?”
It was a choice.
Either I could take the short lifespan right before my eyes.
Or I could look long-term, live to old age, and die.
I naturally chose the latter.
“Let’s keep this seed safe.”
“Of course! I’ll protect it no matter what!”
“Hehe! That sounds quite reliable, doesn’t it?”
“But you won’t plant it right away?”
“Not yet.”
If it were up to me, I’d plant it immediately.
But what about the second zone I just gained?
“Because I can only plant up to the rare grade.”
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Peach seed is legendary.
In order to plant it, I’d need to unlock many more zones in the future.
“It’s good that clues to heal my body are increasing.”
So far, I’ve obtained three.
The first is the medicinal formula written on the back page of Yakseon’s notebook.
The second is learning healing methods from martial artists.
The third is the Heavenly Peach.
“Young Master, you must live long with me.”
“Of course.”
Nureongi gazed at me with moist eyes.
I smiled and stroked his head.
I vowed silently.
“Yes, let’s live long.”
I would not die young, no matter what.
* * *
The Republic of Korea Awakener Association.
An intriguing story was unfolding there.
It was none other than…
“Is this Hua Tuo the same Hua Tuo?”
“Nah, how could this Hua Tuo be that Hua Tuo?”
The Hua Tuo debate!
More specifically, it was a debate over whether the Hua Tuo who appeared at the Awakener Market was the renowned physician from the back alleys.
“Think about it! Why would a man who practiced medicine in the back alleys suddenly take up farming?”
Exactly!
The newly appeared Hua Tuo.
He sold vegetables, a trade hardly fitting for a man of his reputation.
Moreover, those vegetables were no ordinary produce.
They were so delicious that they could be called the best vegetables around.
On top of that, they granted a buff that lasted an entire hour.
By any measure, he was a farmer.
“Come on, even Hua Tuo must have yearned to be an Awakener, right?”
“Even so, that’s not possible.”
Amidst this heated debate,
“Seems everyone’s got time to spare?”
Lee Ki-woo burst through the door.
Team Leader Lee sighed deeply and shouted,
“Instead of arguing, find more intel on Hua Tuo!”
“S-sorry!”
“We absolutely need to make contact with this newly appeared Hua Tuo.”
Some might tilt their heads at Lee Ki-woo’s words.
But he valued Hua Tuo immensely.
Why?
“With Hua Tuo’s help, we’ll make huge progress in conquering the Tower.”
They must ascend at least one floor of the Tower each year.
Failure would mean the nation’s downfall.
That was the “Time Limit.”
That’s why every Awakener was trying desperately to conquer the Tower. Then, a vegetable appeared that granted buffs just by eating it. It instantly became a sensation.
“But Team Leader, is that vegetable really that special?”
“Of course not. It doesn’t provide a significant boost right now.”
“Then why bother?”
“But later, he will grow vegetables even more outstanding than these.”
Lee Ki-woo was certain.
Hua Tuo would cultivate increasingly special vegetables over time.
No, not just vegetables.
He would cultivate all kinds of vegetables and medicinal herbs. That was certain. Hua Tuo had only recently appeared, so that was correct.
“Hua Tuo will definitely become a big shot! You absolutely must find him!”
Saying this, Lee Ki-woo let out a deep sigh.
“Hua Tuo is fine, but another problem has arisen, giving me a headache.”
That problem was none other than the situation in the back alleys.
After Hua Tuo disappeared, chaos descended upon them.
Was it because Hua Tuo had been spreading his benevolent influence all this time?
Even the thugs had kept within certain bounds.
But now, it felt like a lawless city.
“The Four Fiends are going quiet… that bothers me even more.”
The Four Fiends.
They are the four organizations that rule the back alleys.
“The Flower Garden,” led by the Empress.
“Closer,” notorious for dungeon and gate usurpation.
“Side Mafia,” infamous for artifact abuse.
Finally, there is the elusive “Voyager.”
They all went quiet after Hua Tuo vanished.
“The vanished Hua Tuo and the newly emerged Hua Tuo… Could they truly be the same person?”
What if they are the same person?
This is serious enough that even the Association President himself should step in to retrieve him.
That’s how immense Hua Tuo’s influence truly was.
Plus, he can grow amazing vegetables.
“Huff, I hope we can find some clue somehow.”
With that, Lee Ki-woo resolved to work overtime again today.
* * *
The newly discovered area: Blue Silver Lake.
There, I found the seed of the heavenly peach.
This alone made the Blue Silver Lake a remarkable place. But its significance didn’t end there.
“This place is perfect for gathering clear qi.”
Clear qi is formed solely from pure, pristine energy.
And what about the Blue Silver Lake?
It was a place overflowing with pure, clean energy.
There was no car exhaust, no fine dust, and no dirty dust.
It was a pristine area, free of everything!
“Young Master, how about building a house here instead?”
It was that good—enough for Nureongi to suggest it.
“I’ll consider it if my current house collapses.”
“You’re saying it won’t happen, aren’t you!”
“Oh, you caught on, did you?”
I chuckled with Nureongi as I collected the clean energy.
Thanks to that, the amount of clean energy gathered increased from one handful to two.
It took about three hours to gather that much.
“This qi is really hard to gather.”
“But I heard it’s more powerful!”
“They said it could overwhelm the internal energy of someone at the same level.”
That’s why I was pleased.
Gathering qi like this would eventually lay the groundwork for healing my body.
“Shall we stop here for today?”
I stretched and rose from my spot.
Then, I looked at the waterfall and the lake beside me.
“It really is huge.”
“Is it okay to swim over there?”
“Don’t do that.”
The lake was too deep.
In fact, it was impossible to see the bottom.
What if Nureongi fell in?
“I wouldn’t be able to save him.”
That’s why I always stopped Nureongi.
“By the way, do fish live here, too?”
“Shall I go find out?”
“I’m not that curious.”
Nureongi kept wanting to swim.
Is that just a dog trait?
Honestly, it was cute, so I wanted to let him.
“Maybe I’ll try fishing later.”
“That sounds good! Teach me, too!”
“Sure, I learned how to fish from my father.”
I used to catch a lot of crucian carp and catfish.
I was quite the expert back then. With Nureongi around, I wouldn’t even notice time passing.
“I wish this peaceful time could last forever.”
If only I could heal my body here.
Then my ideal life would be complete.
“All right, let’s look at some more herbs.”
With that, Nureongi and I headed back home.
Suddenly, an urgent voice rang out!
“D-Doctor!”
Along with the sound of someone pounding on the gate, the gate began to shake violently. Startled, I flung the gate wide open.
There stood Yunseol.
She held a bleeding boy in her arms.
“This looks urgent. Come inside first.”
I quickly put on my white coat and headed to the makeshift clinic.
I laid down the boy that Yunseol had brought.
As I did so, I asked Yunseol for details.
“What happened?”
“…Voyager. Those bastards attacked him.”
“Voyager?”
“You wouldn’t know them.”
True.
My job is to focus only on what I know.
The circumstances clearly indicated an attack.
Then, it’s my job to treat the patient.
I tore the boy’s clothes off without hesitation.
Then, I let out a deep sigh.
“It’s finally here.”
This is the type of trauma that traditional doctors are most vulnerable to.
And this patient…
“A penetrating wound.”
He had been stabbed deeply in the abdomen.
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