Old Man Ban looked back and saw that Hua Sochen had also come.
Xue Gongdao was stuck right next to her, with his arm around her waist.
It seemed that he had done so because he thought something had happened and had used his lightness skill.
"Sister!"
Hua Yunhui's eyes spewed fire.
Only then did Hua Sochen grasp the situation and remove Xue Gongdao's arm that was wrapped around her waist.
"What's going on?"
Hua Sochen asked Old Man Ban as if nothing had happened.
"Ah! It seems I overdid it a little in my desire to recover my body quickly. I'm sorry if I surprised you."
Old Man Ban said, clenching and unclenching his fist as if the recent incident had been caused by him.
Xue Gongdao and the other disciples of Qingcheng were busy examining the shattered log.
The loud noise that had shaken the entire Hua Family Clinic and the large log that was shattered before their eyes.
It was the moment when their hearts that had ignored Old Man Ban had completely disappeared.
Old Man Ban, who had noticed their surprised hearts, chuckled and said to Hua Sochen.
"Head of the family, the golden needles you placed yourself have been a great help. I'll ask for them again today."
There were no golden needles.
Why was he saying that?
Hua Sochen, who had thought about it for a moment, could easily understand Old Man Ban's meaning.
He was trying to save her from the disciples of Qingcheng.
"Ah, I forgot because of the guests. Acupuncture is important in terms of timing, so it would be best to do it right now when the energy is at its peak."
"Thank you."
Old Man Ban, who had expressed his gratitude, looked back at Xue Gongdao and the other disciples of Qingcheng.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed your rest. I'm going to finish now, so please go and rest."
"Ah... yes."
Xue Gongdao answered, looking at Old Man Ban's expression.
The other disciples of Qingcheng could not even open their mouths.
"Please go back now. I don't have time, so it would be better for you to have a meal with the head of the pharmacy."
At this time, the head of the pharmacy arrived with hurried steps.
Hua Sochen had been brought by Xue Gongdao by force, but no one had taken care of the head of the pharmacy.
"It was something that happened while Old Man Ban was training. He said that the golden needles I placed for him were helpful."
"Huh?"
"Since his body's energy will be at its peak from training, I have to place the golden needles now. So I would like the young heroes of Qingcheng to have a meal with the head of the pharmacy. I would appreciate it."
The head of the pharmacy, who had made a face as if to say "What is all this about golden needles?", immediately understood when he was told to take the disciples of Qingcheng to have a meal.
"I will do so. Old Man Ban, please don't overdo it. It is said that even Mount Tai starts with a single step. If you do it slowly, the day will come when you will regain your former health."
"Thank you."
Old Man Ban, who was nodding.
The head of the pharmacy smiled at Old Man Ban and then said to Xue Gongdao.
"Let's go."
"Ah... well, yes."
Xue Gongdao looked at Hua Sochen once and then turned his steps as if he had no choice.
Thus, the head of the pharmacy and the disciples of Qingcheng went back.
"Myung, go and wash up. Let's have dinner."
"Okay."
Cho Myung ran to the well.
In the meantime, Hua Yunhui approached Hua Sochen with an angry face.
"Sister, what was that just now! That bastard, your waist...!"
"That's enough! It's not like I wanted it to happen, and it doesn't mean anything, so stop it."
"Still, you have to be careful."
Hua Sochen did not deal with the fuming Hua Yunhui any longer and asked Old Man Ban.
"What happened?"
"It was Myung's doing."
"Myung?"
"As the head of the family may have guessed, the energy in Myung's body is very special. Thanks to that energy, Myung is getting stronger very quickly."
"That's a good thing."
"Of course it's a good thing. It's just that he's getting stronger too quickly, so as a master, it's a problem that I'm at a loss as to how to teach him."
"Since Myung is getting stronger without any problems, you must be teaching him well."
"Thank you for saying so."
"I felt it while teaching him to read. I think Myung is a genius or something close to it."
"That's probably also thanks to the energy in his body."
"Hah, I'm envious that there is such an energy."
"If you knew what Myung has been through, you wouldn't be able to say that."
"......?"
While Hua Sochen was puzzled and very curious, Cho Myung came running.
"Can I go to the kitchen to help big brother Cheong?"
"Hey! If you're going to help, you should have come sooner!"
Seokcheong's voice was heard.
When everyone looked back, Seokcheong was holding a lot of dinner at the corner of the building.
"Wow! It's pork!"
Cho Myung shouted with joy and ran over.
Seeing that, Old Man Ban, Hua Sochen, Jeok Yorap, and Hua Yunhui all chuckled.
Seeing Cho Myung so happy, all their worries and concerns flew away.
***
The next day, Xue Gongdao and the other disciples of Qingcheng left.
Xue Gongdao showed a look of taking in Hua Sochen's appearance until the end, making her feel that this was not the end.
Anyway, after they left, the Hua Family Clinic regained its peaceful daily life.
After finishing breakfast, Cho Myung went to Hua Sochen's office.
There, he read the medical book that Hua Sochen had prepared in advance.
Hua Sochen explained the characters he did not know and the difficult contents of the medical book in detail.
Although it was just that he had put the contents of the medical book in his head, Cho Myung's medical knowledge was rapidly accumulating.
After reading the medical book, Cho Myung returned to Jangsaengwon, put on the hundred-catty iron armor on his upper body, and put on the ten-catty vambraces on his arms, then took his basket and headed to the mountains.
And he ran through the mountains like the wind.
He was like a martial artist of a considerable realm who had already accumulated internal energy and learned lightness skills.
The only difference was that unlike the martial artists who used internal energy to perform lightness skills and moved as if they were flying by making their bodies light, he leaped heavily and ran fast with powerful muscle strength.
After running all over the mountain for half an hour, he dug for herbs.
He had become very familiar with finding and digging for herbs, so he could dig a full basket in half an hour.
And by that time, it was lunchtime when he was very hungry.
Cho Myung ate four fist-sized dumplings.
After hesitating for a few days, he had told Hua Yunhui and asked him to put in one more. Three were not enough.
"Since I've eaten, shall I go to the red-eyed demon?"
Cho Myung, who had stood up with his basket, began to run.
After crossing two mountains, a sweet scent filled the air. After crossing one more mountain, he could see the entrance of the valley in the distance.
Cho Myung ran there in one go.
Soon, Cho Myung, who had stopped at the entrance of the valley, twitched his nose and took a deep breath of the sweet scent.
"Hoo-ah! It's good!"
It was a scent that he could never forget once he had smelled it.
That was why Cho Myung visited every day. In a sense, he was addicted.
The reason he did not go back into the cave at the end of the valley was because of his instinct.
An instinctive fear had prevented him from doing so.
But today, Cho Myung mustered up his courage.
To be precise, he had lost his fear.
Thanks to the training of looking inside himself for a few days, his communication with the Immortal Demonic Aura had progressed to a considerable level, and thanks to that, his heart had become strong enough to ignore the fear of the unknown.
Cho Myung ran into the valley, taking a deep breath of the sweet scent.
A moment later.
Cho Myung was standing alone in front of the dark cave.
"Mmm, it looks delicious!"
The temptation of the sweet scent that was strongly wafting.
Cho Myung drooled and looked into the dark cave.
Cho Myung's eyesight, which could see clearly in front of him as if the full moon were up even on a very dark night, looked into every corner of the cave.
But he could not see the red-eyed demon. It was because he had to go deeper inside.
Cho Myung, who had hesitated for a moment, moved his steps into the cave. As he entered the cave, the sweet scent vibrated even more.
As if drawn by something, Cho Myung's steps quickened.
As he continued to go into the slightly winding interior, he could only see a pitch-black darkness that even his eyesight could not penetrate.
And there was something in that pitch-black darkness.
It was the red-eyed demon.
The body of that being was as black as pitch.
"Hey! Let's share that!"
Cho Myung shouted.
At the shout that vibrated the cave, the demon turned around.
A pale white face and a pair of crimson eyes.
When he had seen it last time, Cho Myung, who had been terrified and had run away, now only took a step back.
"I said let's share!"
The moment Cho Myung shouted again with courage, something struck down from the air.
Thud!
It was a powerful blow that vibrated the cave.
"I almost got hurt!"
Cho Myung shouted.
He had already moved to one of the cave walls.
Whoosh!
The sound of cutting through the air was heard.
It was clearly aimed at Cho Myung.
Cho Myung performed the footwork he had learned from Old Man Ban and quickly got out of the way.
Thud!
Again, only the innocent cave floor was hit, and fragments flew off.
"If you keep doing that, I'll...!"
Cho Myung, who was shouting, was startled and ran back.
Two forces had attacked him at the same time.
"You just wait! Hmph!"
Cho Myung, who was so surprised that his heart sank, ran out of the cave as he was running away, and after standing at the entrance of the cave and fuming, he disappeared outside the valley.
Cho Myung, who had crossed a mountain in one go, stopped at a place where large trees were growing sparsely.
It was the place where Cho Myung always trained.
"Ugh! I should have hit him too!"
It seemed he was angry that he had been so surprised by the two forces that had attacked him at the same time and had run away.
Cho Myung, who had been fuming even after crossing a mountain, threw a punch.
Thud!
A large tree as thick as a child's torso vibrated greatly.
"I can hit too!"
Thud! Thud!
Cho Myung, who had thrown a series of punches, habitually took the basic stance of the Hundred Strikes Art and then began to throw his two fists quickly.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The vibration of the large tree quickened.
The position of the punches that were thrown while shaking the upper body here and there was also different.
Then, at some point, the large tree suddenly burst and fell with a crack.
"My master said not to back down when you have to fight!"
Cho Myung, who had shouted loudly as if angry, ran across the mountain again.
Cho Myung, who had run to the front of the cave in one go, went inside right away.
"Hey! I'm going to hit you too!"
At the same time as Cho Myung's shout, the demon attacked.
Thud!
Cho Myung, who had quickly avoided the strong downward blow by performing the footwork, rushed in at once and threw a punch.
Thwack!
It was a heavy blow.
But the one who was surprised was Cho Myung.
It was because it felt as if he had hit a hard rock.
His fist hurt.
But it was not unbearable.
Since he had been training against a log until now, he could handle it enough.
Thud, thud!
As if it were angry, the demon attacked right away without giving him a moment's rest.
Cho Myung, who had jumped back, rushed forward as soon as he heard the sound of it hitting the cave floor at the same time and threw two punches in a row.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!
Something that had been hit by Cho Myung's punches seemed to stagger and then shot up into the air.
Then it struck indiscriminately as if a shower of rain were pouring down.
At that, the surprised Cho Myung ran away without looking back.
"You bastard! You're a coward!"
Cho Myung, who had run out of the cave in one go, shouted like that and then disappeared outside the valley.
A moment later, Cho Myung, who had stopped at the place where he always trained, hit the large trees nervously.
After breaking three of them, Cho Myung, who had stopped, turned his head and then went and stood in front of a large rock. And he quietly looked at his fist.
- There is a clear limit to a person's fist. But there is no limit to your fist, which is accompanied by a precious energy from heaven. Myung, hesitation, doubt, or fear. You must break those emotions. Only then will you be able to feel even a little of the true nature of the power you have.
It is a part of the text that Old Man Ban had left in the martial arts manual.
Cho Myung looked back and forth between his fist and the rock as large as an ox.
- The moment you hesitate, a limit is created. You can do it. You can break whatever is in front of you with one punch. So do not hesitate and throw it with all your might.
"I can do it!"
Cho Myung, who had shouted loudly as if to steel his resolve, threw a punch at the rock in front of him without mercy.
It was a punch that he had thrown as if exploding with anger, as the frustration of being chased by the demon remained.
Thud!
A rock the size of an ox shook, and fragments flew in all directions.
The surprised Cho Myung quickly lifted his fist.
Surprisingly, there was not a single wound.
He only felt a throbbing pain. And even that was only for a moment.
Looking at the rock, the part that had been hit by the fist was severely broken.
"My master was right! I can break everything!"
The excited Cho Myung took the basic stance of the Hundred Strikes Art on the spot.
And he began to train the Hundred Strikes Art by throwing punches at the rock.
His training partner had changed from a tree to a rock.
***
"Master."
"Yes."
"What do I do if a very large demon looks down at me and attacks me like this and this?"
"Myung is very interested in demons."
"I heard that demons are bad."
"That's right. Demons are insignificant creatures that should disappear from this land."
"What do I do if a demon attacks like that?"
"You'll have to move faster than the demon. But there's something more important than moving fast. It's to grasp the range of the demon's attack and the space you can move in. It's called distance, and all martial artists have their own distance. If a person with a sword and a person with bare hands fight from two steps away, who will win?"
"The person with the sword."
"That's right, the person with bare hands will lose without even being able to land a single blow. Then, what should the person with bare hands do to win?"
"He has to get close."
"That's right. He has to get closer and fight. That is the respective distance of each martial artist. So to fight the large demon that Myung mentioned, you will have to get close to the demon's body so that it becomes your distance."
"Heeheehee, I understand."
(End of Chapter)