HDCLSSRS Ch 97

Chapter 97 Lifeline (2)

Kang Ung was utterly astonished.

That person is Yakseon?

Though he had long heard of Yakseon’s reputation, the woman before him was far removed from the image he had imagined. Baek Ryeoil likewise appeared puzzled, and understandably so—for Yakseon was one of the venerable elders whose names had been drilled into their ears since childhood. He had always heard that she was of a similar age to the Sect Leader, yet somehow Yakseon had retained a striking, youthful appearance.

“You…?”

As Baek Ryeoil finally regained his composure and moved forward a step, Kang Ung instinctively grasped the hem of his master’s robe. At the same time, the Sect Leader raised a hand to halt him, casting a firm glance that silently commanded him to remain still. Thankfully, Baek Ryeoil refrained from any rash action and withdrew quietly alongside Kang Ung.

The Sect Leader rose to greet Yakseon.

“My apologies for making you come all this way.”

“If you know you owe me an apology, then I trust you’ve prepared a compensation worth my time.”

Yakseon replied with an offhanded tone, the two addressing each other without formality like long-time friends.

“So, did you investigate what I asked you to look into before?”

Surveying the Sect Leader’s Hall with a casual air, Yakseon posed the question. Her gaze briefly brushed past Kang Ung and Baek Ryeoil standing off to the side but moved on indifferently.

“Of course. But that is not the only reason I called for you.”

“Oh?”

“There is someone I wish for you to see.”

“A patient?”

Quick to deduce, Yakseon asked. The Sect Leader nodded. Yakseon smirked faintly.

“I figured as much. For the dignified Head of Mount Hua to ask so openly—it must be someone of considerable importance. A disciple of the sect?”

The Sect Leader gently shook his head.

“For now, come and see the patient first. Follow me.”

He led her outside, with Kang Ung and Baek Ryeoil trailing behind.

Kang Ung, unable to contain his anticipation, stared excitedly at the two venerable figures walking ahead of him.

This is it!

Yakseon’s fame was so renowned that virtually everyone knew her name. With such a master of medicine present, surely Seong Mu-yeon would rise from his sickbed in no time. Kang Ung found himself once again awed by the Sect Leader’s presence—just watching that steadfast back made the world seem far less frightening.

But his elation faltered when he glanced to the side and saw his master, Baek Ryeoil, wearing a rigid, stony expression.

Why does he look like that? Seong Mu-yeon will wake up soon.

Confused but with no time to ponder further, Kang Ung followed as they arrived at the Medicine Hall.

Even before they stepped inside, Seomun Yuha’s booming voice rang out.

“Masters, I will aid Young Master Seong Mu-yeon! I—I can do it!”

The exhilaration that had buoyed Kang Ung moments ago evaporated in an instant. He steadied himself inwardly. Whatever that man’s confidence, the esteemed Yakseon would surely silence him.

And indeed—

As soon as Yakseon entered the hall, she addressed Seomun Yuha in an icy tone.

“Do not touch him. If you lay hands on him, he will die.”

She unceremoniously shoved him away from the sickbed.

“Wh-what? I don’t know who you are, but don’t interfere. I—”

“You’re from Hwajeong Valley¹, aren’t you?”

“H-how did you…?”

“It’s obvious. Step aside. Unless you wish him dead.”

Yakseon’s voice carried an odd mixture of authority and force. Perhaps realizing he was outmatched, Seomun Yuha pressed his lips shut and quietly retreated.

Kang Ung didn’t know what “Hwajeong Valley” was, but seeing Seomun Yuha put in his place filled him with an exhilarating satisfaction.

“Let me see.”

Yakseon bent down to examine Seong Mu-yeon lying on the bed. The hall grew deathly silent. Each time Ma Jincheon or another tried to step forward, the Sect Leader’s piercing glare stopped them in their tracks.

Thank goodness.

Kang Ung felt profoundly relieved. To receive such timely aid in a moment of crisis felt like sheer fortune. Though his master’s furrowed brow remained unchanged, Baek Ryeoil was known for his perpetually discontented demeanor—Kang Ung told himself it was nothing unusual.

After a long moment, Yakseon straightened her back.

“How is he?”

The Sect Leader asked, to which Yakseon clicked her tongue.

“It’s rare to see symptoms this severe. Where on earth did you pick up someone like this? Incredible. And to think he’s still alive. This is a case of Jeolmaek² with an extremely complex pathology.”

Everyone listened intently as Yakseon continued.

“Even being born with a single discordant energy makes survival nearly impossible—hence Jeolmaek is called ‘Heaven’s Punishment.’ Yet this boy was born with the most troublesome constitution of all: Extreme Yin, Extreme Yang, and all Five Elements combined. Tsk, tsk… And you were about to attach Hwajeong Valley energy to him?”

Yakseon sharply turned to glare at Seomun Yuha standing in the corner.

“Hwajeong Valley bloodlines are inherently saturated with Extreme Yin energy. This boy has survived thus far only because a delicate balance was barely maintained by divine providence. If that balance had been disturbed even slightly, he would have died before anyone could react.”

Hiccup.

Seomun Yuha’s face turned pale as death.

“So… can you save him?”

The Sect Leader asked. Yakseon rested her chin on her hand, scrutinizing Seong Mu-yeon as if measuring possibilities.

Please…

Sweat dampened Kang Ung’s palms as he swallowed dryly.

“I can save him.”

Young Master!

Kang Ung’s eyes welled with relief—only for Yakseon’s next words to snatch the tears away.

“For now.”

As she rummaged through her sleeve, Yakseon explained,

“Fortunately, we made it in time. Had you not brought me here when you did, he would not have survived the night. Even if he overcame this crisis, periodic seizures would have struck, causing him to lose consciousness each time. No matter how many supreme elixirs of the Central Plains you poured into him, the seizures would have grown shorter in interval until, eventually, nothing could wake him.”

…Young Master.

To think his illness was this grave. It was astonishing how well Seong Mu-yeon had concealed it. The thought that nearly everyone here had known while he alone remained ignorant left Kang Ung with a hollow ache.

Still, there was hope.

Yakseon eventually drew forth a small case from her sleeve, revealing several round pellets inside. As expected of a famed physician, she carried medicine wherever she went.

“These will bolster his vitality. They’re not a cure, but they’ll reinforce his weakened body. The seizures will cease, and he’ll soon regain consciousness.”

She bent over the bed to administer the medicine.

At last, Seong Mu-yeon would awaken. That was enough. Everything would be fine.

“Wait…”

Suddenly, Yakseon’s posture froze mid-motion.

Kang Ung sensed the very air—serene a moment ago—turn razor-sharp in an instant.

Slowly, Yakseon straightened. The pellet still in her grasp, she rose in deliberate motion.

Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Yakseon turned her head. Her face, now twisted with grim fury, locked onto the Sect Leader.

“…This brat. He’s Seong Hyukgwang’s³ son, isn’t he?”

Ah!

Kang Ung’s heart plummeted into his stomach. He instinctively gasped and clamped his hands over his mouth.

It had been so long since Seong Mu-yeon’s presence had blended seamlessly into Mount Hua that he had nearly forgotten—the indelible stigma of Demon Cult Young Master.

Like Kang Ung, Ma Jincheon and the others had grown accustomed to Seong Mu-yeon, and with his life on the line, that dark heritage had slipped from their minds entirely.

Only now did Kang Ung understand why Baek Ryeoil had never once lowered his guard.

To feed medicine to an unconscious patient, one had to part their lips—thus Yakseon inevitably saw his face up close.

And upon close scrutiny, she recognized it.

The face strikingly similar to that of the Demon Cult’s leader, Seong Hyukgwang, whom she despised with every fiber of her being.

“Master So.”

The Sect Leader exhaled softly, calling her name, but what returned was a furious outcry.

“How dare you!”

A savage aura burst forth like an expanding explosion.

“How dare you deceive me into administering my medicine to that filthy bloodline!”

Red veins marbled Yakseon’s sclera as her rage-fueled internal energy surged, sending the entire hall into chaotic upheaval.

“Uwah!”

Only the strong could withstand the onslaught. Young Kang Ung, unable to endure, staggered helplessly as if swept by a gale until Ma Jincheon caught him and shielded him with his body. Seomun Yuha had already scrambled beneath the sickbed.

At the eye of the storm, the Sect Leader stood calm. Though his robes whipped violently, not a hint of disturbance crossed his features. He stepped forward toward Yakseon.

“Calm yourself.”

“Calm? Did you just tell me to calm down? Too late for that, Head of Mount Hua. You made a grave mistake—you never should have shown me this boy.”

“And what do you intend to do?”

“Kill him. Remove the threat at its root.”

Without hesitation, Yakseon raised her hand, her fingers forming a blade-hand suffused with lethal energy. One brush of that strike against the unconscious Seong Mu-yeon and he would die without resistance.

“No!”

Kang Ung’s scream tore through the air.

Footnotes

1. Hwajeong Valley (화정골) – A lineage or clan known for its accumulation of Extreme Yin energy. In wuxia contexts, bloodlines like this often grant unique abilities or curses related to internal energy imbalance. 
2. Jeolmaek (절맥) – Literally “Severed Meridian.” A rare congenital condition in wuxia lore where the meridians (energy channels) are abnormally blocked or conflicted, causing severe instability. Considered incurable by ordinary medicine and often called “Heaven’s Punishment.” 
3. Seong Hyukgwang (성혁광) – The Demon Cult’s leader in this narrative; the revelation of Seong Mu-yeon being his son explains Yakseon’s intense hatred and the sect’s alarm.