HDCLSSRS Ch 34

Chapter 34 Just This Once (2)

 

Seong Muyeon felt like his soul was escaping through his mouth. He held his forehead.

“…Please explain in more detail.”

“Among the methods to cure severed meridians, one says that if you perform dual cultivation with someone who has at least first-grade internal energy, it can be healed.”

‘I know that already!’

Countless heroines in the martial world had their ailments cured thanks to the protagonist’s favor. Baek Ryeoil, true to his protagonist status, possessed tremendous internal energy.

“If that’s one method, what are the others?”

“Becoming a master of the enlightenment realm and undergoing a complete rebirth.”

Baek Ryeoil looked Seong Muyeon up and down.

“Judging by your condition now, there’s no hope for that, even if you were reborn after dying.”

“…”

“This is the easiest method. And we’ve got all the ingredients.”

Baek Ryeoil pointed to himself with sparkling eyes.

“I refuse.”

Seong Muyeon rejected him flatly and turned his back without hesitation.

“Why not!”

“Just because.”

He reopened the book he had been reading and flipped through the pages.

“Why refuse such a good method? I really don’t get it.”

Seong Muyeon, on the other hand, couldn’t understand Baek Ryeoil.

“You’re a man, and I’m a man. Do you really think that would work?”

“They say it doesn’t matter.”

Baek Ryeoil confidently opened the book and showed him.

Seong Muyeon had the sudden urge to snatch that book and rip it to shreds before tossing it into the flames of hell.

“Haa… Dojang(Master), do you really want to do that kind of thing with me?”

“Why not? It’s just a form of cultivation.”

He said it so casually that Seong Muyeon was left speechless.

In the original story, Baek Ryeoil, unlike other martial arts protagonists, had no connection with women. Nor was he involved with men. Occasionally, someone with impure intentions approached him, but he would always obliviously brush them off.

Now he was talking about it like it was part of morning breathing exercises…

No way.

“…Do you even know what it entails?”

“Of course! What do you take me for? You just stick your manhood in and shake it, right?”

“…”

“…Am I wrong?”

“Please leave. I want to be alone.”

“This is my room though?”

“Get out!”

Seong Muyeon pushed him out of the room. Just shoving that mountain-like body out made him break into a cold sweat. Once again, the metallic taste of blood surged up his throat.

“Come on, let’s just try it once! It might work!”

Baek Ryeoil’s pleading voice rang from outside the door.

“Why are you even so concerned about my body! Whether I die or not, just leave me alone! I’ll take care of myself!”

“Taking care of yourself means coughing up blood all over the place?”

“…”

“Whatever! Open the door! It’s my room, you know! Not opening it?”

“What’s wrong? Afraid of Master Ma Jincheon, so you won’t break it down?”

“Ugh!”

He must’ve hit the mark, because there was no rebuttal.

It went quiet outside the door. Pressing his ear against it, Seong Muyeon heard footsteps slowly walking away.

He rubbed his tired eyes and sank to the floor.

‘Like hell I’d ever do something like that with him. I’d rather die.’

But it was too early to relax. Baek Ryeoil hadn’t given up—he was just circling around to climb in through the window.

“Seong Muyeon! How dare you kick me out of my own room!”

“Aaaah! I said no! Stop it already!”

A rare scene unfolded in the otherwise quiet Hwasan.

“Why not! Am I really that disgusting to you?”

“Would it be better if I liked you!”

A pale, slender figure zipped past.

“What did you say? You brat—stop right there!”

A large figure in a dark martial robe followed in hot pursuit.

“…Hmm.”

“Here they go again.”

Lately, the disciples of Hwasan had become used to witnessing Seong Muyeon and Baek Ryeoil bickering.

At first, the startled disciples would rush to break them up. Their fights had escalated so intensely, it often looked like it would come to blows.

The disciples knew Baek Ryeoil’s strength well. The sickly young noble from the Demonic Sect clearly didn’t stand a chance. Yet, like a mouse poking at a tiger, Seong Muyeon kept provoking him without fear. It felt like a bloodbath could erupt at any moment.

But no matter how many times they were separated, things didn’t change.

Again and again, the two would start squabbling and chasing each other. Now, whenever they started up, the disciples simply cleared out quietly.

‘What if they end up catching feelings after all this fighting?’

Shaking their heads, they lost interest and walked away from the scene of the two disappearing into the distance.

Seong Muyeon, having no way to escape Baek Ryeoil, was soon caught by the scruff of the neck.

“Please, let’s stop already! How long are you going to keep chasing me?”

“You’ve dealt with me enough by now. How long do you think I’ll keep it up?”

“…Until you get what you want. Obviously.”

“Exactly. So why even ask?”

“Why are you going this far? It really has nothing to do with you—whether I die or not.”

Baek Ryeoil shrugged.

“Who knows. I just have to find out once I’m curious about something.”

“So what, you’re going to experiment on my body?”

“Why not? It’s not like you’ll wear out. Your problem is you overthink everything.”

‘Your problem is you don’t think enough…’

Seong Muyeon barely stopped himself from saying it aloud.

His head throbbed painfully.

Baek Ryeoil was the kind of person who didn’t know the meaning of giving up. Day or night, he followed him around shouting, “Just once!” It was relentless.

‘You think I don’t know what your game is?’

Baek Ryeoil was skilled in martial arts and just, but he had a thrill-seeking streak. Even as a Taoist, he drank, which was probably part of it.

How much excitement could there be in a quiet Taoist sect? Of course he was doing this because it was entertaining.

‘Once he gets bored of playing with me, he’ll lose interest.’

That’s exactly what Seong Muyeon was aiming for.

Right now, he was like a new toy Baek Ryeoil was having fun with, but eventually he would move on. Then Seong Muyeon could live out the rest of his days in peace.

Assuming he survived until then.

‘But if we get entangled like this, it’ll all go wrong.’

He wanted to be just a passing connection in Baek Ryeoil’s life.

“Come on, let’s just try once. Please? Just ooone time. You never know, right?”

The way he begged like a kid wanting a lick of someone’s candy left Seong Muyeon utterly dumbfounded.

“I’m not your toy, Dojang. Please stop playing with me like this.”

“Toy? That’s harsh. I’m just trying to help, you know.”

Seong Muyeon scoffed.

“I don’t need help. I may be slow, but I’m recovering steadily.”

“Really?”

Baek Ryeoil looked at him skeptically. It was true—his bouts of coughing blood had lessened, and his complexion had improved.

“Yes. As long as I don’t overexert myself, I’ll return to how I was.”

“And if you do overexert?”

“Then…”

Seong Muyeon’s expression clouded.

If that happened, there would be no turning back.

But—

“That won’t happen. Right?”

Baek Ryeoil made a thoughtful noise and finally nodded.

“Of course. I don’t repeat the same mistake twice. You’ll be safe, no matter what.”

“Exactly.”

Night.

A quiet and deep night blanketed the world.

Rustle. Seong Muyeon opened his eyes. He listened closely for a moment.

There was no sound coming from Baek Ryeoil’s room.

‘…He’s asleep, right?’

He waited until he was sure, then quietly left his room.

Only once he passed the courtyard did Seong Muyeon let out a sigh of relief.

‘I can’t die like this.’

Though he had spoken confidently to Baek Ryeoil, his condition wasn’t actually good.

Years ago, he would recover quickly even after using internal energy, but the recovery time had grown longer and longer.

Shivering from the chill, Seong Muyeon pulled his collar tighter.

Now, the time it took for his body to fully recover was so long, he couldn’t even estimate it.

Maybe…

‘…Maybe I’ll never recover.’

He shook his head. He couldn’t let despair swallow him. This was when he needed to steel himself the most.

Fortunately, there was one possible method.

‘Elixirs.’

Of course, at this stage, ordinary elixirs would only marginally extend his life. But if he could get a truly high-quality one, it might not fully heal him—but could at least restore him to a manageable state.

That was why he had left his quarters in the middle of the night, away from prying eyes.

He looked toward the still-lit area in the distance. The Sect Leader’s quarters and the heart of Hwasan. That place likely held countless elixirs and medicinal pills.

However…

‘Only a madman would try to steal from there.’

Seong Muyeon turned away.

He had his eyes on a different target.

He entered the pitch-black forest, where not even a light was lit.