The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

‘Under Neung Ji-pyeong, the two should head to Kunlun. As envoys of the Murim Alliance, maintain your dignity and fulfill your mission by delivering the message.’

That was the command received by Neung Ji-pyeong, known as the Tranquil Sword.

Since the days he entered the Baek Noble Clan as a guest, he had shown more loyalty to the Clan Head Baek Ryu-san than to the clan itself.

It was perhaps inevitable that Neung Ji-pyeong accompanied Baek Ryu-san when he became the Vice Leader of the Murim Alliance.

Baek Ryu-san also made a personal request to Neung Ji-pyeong.

To go to Kunlun and bring Yi-gang back.

‘Young Master Yi-gang, I wonder how you are doing…’

A smile appeared on Neung Ji-pyeong’s lips as he thought of Yi-gang.

The journey to bring him to the Azure Forest, and the terrible events that occurred because of Baek Jin-tae. All were vividly remembered.

Yi-gang, who was once treated like a castaway by the clan, now had the grand nickname of “Immortal Divine Dragon.”

Inwardly, Neung Ji-pyeong regarded Yi-gang and Ha-jun more than just his own lord’s children.

He dared not say it aloud, but they felt like nephews to him.

Neung Ji-pyeong happily bowed his head to Baek Ryu-san’s command.

And so, they departed from Kaifeng.

In the bustling Murim Alliance, there weren’t many who could afford a trip to Kunlun.

However, among the successors staying at the Alliance, two volunteered to accompany Neung Ji-pyeong.

One of them was…

“Sir Neung. Please stop Miss Tang!”

The one pleading with a large stature was Peng Gu-in.

“This frog doesn’t have poison, you know? Why are you so scared?”

The woman in flamboyant clothes cooking the frog was Tang Eun-seol. Even on this perilous journey, she did not change her lavish attire.

Neung Ji-pyeong looked pitifully at Peng Gu-in.

Perhaps because of his habit of being pushed around by his younger sister, Peng Mu-ah, he couldn’t assert his seniority in the martial world to Tang Eun-seol.

“Sir Neung…”

“There’s no use telling me…”

Of course, Neung Ji-pyeong didn’t find Peng Gu-in’s situation to be pitiful at all.

Tang Eun-seol flipped the frog skewer with an expressionless face.

“You’re making quite a fuss. What’s wrong with eating frogs.”

Many people were squeamish about eating frogs.

But Peng Gu-in wasn’t one of those people. What kind of man would he be if he couldn’t stomach a frog?

However, what horrified Peng Gu-in was the appearance of that frog.

“Fuss over nothing! How can a red frog with blue speckles not be poisonous!”

It was obvious at a glance that the frog Tang Eun-seol was pushing was a poison dart frog.

Yet, Tang Eun-seol stubbornly insisted it was not poisonous.

When Peng Gu-in refused, she offered the frog to Neung Ji-pyeong.

“I guess, it’s okay.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Eun-seol chewed on the frog leg with an expression that screamed she couldn’t understand his shock.

The crunching sound was particularly menacing.

There was no way to verify if the frog was truly non-poisonous. It’s rare to find a poison that could affect Tang Eun-seol, a master of poison arts.

“Let’s just eat something else.”

Neung Ji-pyeong sighed and chewed on some jerky.

Peng Gu-in and Tang Eun-seol weren’t a bad choice of companions.

Peng Gu-in was a promising blade wielder who had reached Peak long ago, and Tang Eun-seol was a genius in poison arts.

“If we’re done eating, let’s get going.”

They were already in the Kunlun Mountains.

Neung Ji-pyeong stamped out the nearly extinguished campfire with his foot.

Peng Gu-in and Tang Eun-seol quickly finished their preparations without complaint.

Although they were direct descendants of major clans, neither of the two acted arrogantly.

Swoosh—

As Neung Ji-pyeong demonstrated his light footwork and leaped down, the two followed him.

He saw that the successors were keeping up well and increased his speed.

Yet, the distance between them did not widen.

Despite using the exceptional light footwork of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion, Neung Ji-pyeong smiled bitterly when he saw they were not falling behind.

‘When I meet Young Master Yi-gang, I should also teach him the light footwork of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion.’

Previously, he had passed on the secret technique Shadowless Splendor.

If Yi-gang’s condition had improved, he could also pass on the light footwork this time.

“About Yi-gang.”

Coincidentally, Peng Gu-in brought up Yi-gang.

“Hm.”

“Will he be alright?”

The voice contained complex worries.

But Neung Ji-pyeong immediately understood what Peng Gu-in wanted to say.

“Kunlun Sect is no ordinary place, but… he’ll be fine.”

Not long ago, they had passed through a village called Fox Spirit Village.

The people of that place knew about Yi-gang and his companions.

Yi-gang, along with Dam Hyun and the Golden Needle Phantom, had stayed in Fox Spirit Village for nearly a year.

“It’s a Taoist sect, much like the Azure Forest.”

One day, martial artists from Kunlun with deathly pale faces stormed in and took Yi-gang and his companions away.

The villagers of Fox Spirit Village were terribly afraid of the Kunlun Sect martial artists. They even claimed that Yi-gang and his companions must have suffered terribly.

But surely, that couldn’t have happened.

Even so, the pace of the group quickened slightly.

“Wait.”

Neung Ji-pyeong quickly halted the group.

Something unique appeared on the ridge they were about to climb.

Peng Gu-in muttered in surprise, “It definitely wasn’t there just a moment ago…”

“Do you know what that is, Miss Tang?”

Neung Ji-pyeong pointed to the red mist.

Tang Eun-seol concentrated her gaze and scrutinized it.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like moths were flapping their wings.

“…I’m not exactly sure. It seems like we’d know if we got closer.”

Blood moths, which only operated in Kunlun, were unfamiliar to Tang Eun-seol, who had trained in Yunnan.

Neung Ji-pyeong shook his head.

“Let’s avoid them and go around.”

“That’s a wise decision.”

There was no need to get closer out of curiosity.

Neung Ji-pyeong and his group avoided the blood moths.

Finally, they truly felt the mystical presence of the Kunlun Mountains.

At that moment, Yi-gang was deep within the Kunlun Sect.

The Kunlun Sect had temples, similar to the Wudang Sect.

They had several buildings dedicated to immortals and heavenly lords.

However, the biggest difference between Wudang and Kunlun might be the number of pilgrims.

Every day, numerous pilgrims offered incense at the sacred temples of Wudang and sought to meet the esteemed Taoist priests.

But it’s not like that for the Kunlun Sect.

Only a very few pilgrims visited, and the Taoists of Kunlun only received wary glances from the nearby villagers.

Thus, the Kunlun Sect was poor and dilapidated.

The once-red walls had faded, and the stones paving the ground were cracked and broken in many places.

Yi-gang was surrounded on the desolate training ground.

Martial artists of the Kunlun Sect had encircled him from all sides.

Yi-gang glanced at them briefly before returning his gaze forward.

In front of him, Sang Mu was glaring at Yi-gang.

He seemed a bit exhausted, breathing heavily.

“Prove it…!”

Sang Mu shouted that out.

Was this a repeat of the confrontation with Sang Mu before the mortal shedding demonstration of Go Yo-ja?

Yi-gang paused for a moment, then smiled.

Tap—!

At that moment, Yi-gang’s body soared.

Yi-gang had already been utilizing the secret art of light footwork, which seemed like a light footwork technique.

But now, he had taken it a step further.

His mysterious movement was clearly utilizing True Qi.

Yi-gang’s body, which seemed about to dash forward, suddenly changed direction in mid-air.

And then again, five times in succession.

Yi-gang’s clothes fluttered as if they would tear.

The martial artists of Kunlun swallowed hard as they took in Yi-gang’s display of the light footwork technique.

Thump—

He twisted his body for the sixth time.

The change in direction during just one moment of suspension in the air was dazzling.

Such movement could only be possible with Kunlun’s Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms.

Sang Mu, a Peak master, had just shown a total of seven directional changes. It was undoubtedly a remarkable feat.

Then, how far could Yi-gang, who had not learned the Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms, possibly go?

Snap!

Yi-gang managed to show the seventh change in direction.

At that point, some of the Kunlun disciples sighed.

Sang Mu’s expression hardened.

It wasn’t because Yi-gang had caught up with him in light footwork.

It was because Yi-gang showed no sign of correcting his posture.

‘Could it be…!’

Even Sang Mu had not completed the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms.

Most Kunlun disciples failed to achieve the eight changes in direction and gave up.

But could it be that Yi-gang, who had not even been taught the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms, would show the eight changes?

As Yi-gang was twisting his body, he suddenly faltered and lost strength.

But in that moment, Yi-gang’s eyes shone a bright blue.

Crackle—

The form of Yi-gang, who was looking behind, instantly switched front and back.

It was a movement so swift that it left afterimages.

Thud.

Yi-gang planted both feet on the ground.

All these movements happened in the brief moment he was suspended in the air.

“Wowww!”

“Amazing!”

“Sang Mu has lost!”

Soon, cheers erupted among the serious disciples of the Kunlun Sect.

Their intense focus had been solely to observe Yi-gang’s movement.

“How could this…!”

Sang Mu, as if frustrated, punched the ground.

Yi-gang simply laughed heartily, delighted.

There was no such movement in Cloud Treading. The fact that he could follow the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms was solely thanks to Yi-gang’s own efforts.

Of course, the benefit of connecting two more major meridians was significant.

The power of the Nine-Tails was immense. With the efforts of Yu Jeong-shin and the Golden Needle Phantom, Yi-gang successfully connected the Du Meridian.

As the True Qi of the Ren meridian and Du meridian flowed continuously, the major meridians in the limbs began to be supplied with True Qi.

However, this did not mean his body was completely healed.

If anything, it was as if only the framework had been repaired.

He could move his limbs more freely, but his internal organs and substance were still diseased.

The pale complexion that symbolized Yi-gang remained unchanged. His lifespan had only increased slightly.

Towards such a Yi-gang, a small, white animal came running excitedly.

He familiarly bent down to catch the jumping Cheongho.

The white fox with a blue tail, Cheongho, familiarly burrowed into Yi-gang’s embrace.

A year had passed since Namgung Seo-ryeon reincarnated into a Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox, named Cheongho.

Cheongho was still in the state of a fox cub, far from being able to speak.

Yi-gang cracked a pine nut for Cheongho to eat and also bit into one himself.

He had been staying in the Kunlun Sect for quite some time. Those days were relatively peaceful.

Throughout this process, he had the help of many people.

Clap- Clap- Clap—

The sound of vigorous applause was heard.

Turning his head, Yi-gang saw Go Yo-ja standing there, even more proud than Yi-gang himself.

“Taoist Baek’s skills are not inferior to the azure sky!”

He still spoke to Yi-gang with respect.

Go Yo-ja’s wish to invite Yi-gang to the Kunlun Sect was sincere, not just empty words.

As soon as Yi-gang arrived at the Kunlun Sect, Go Yo-ja gave him a pill he had made himself.

The effect was definite.

After opening the Ren and Du meridians, Yi-gang absorbed the medicine’s effects much more efficiently than before.

But that wasn’t all. Go Yo-ja also supported him to stay and train here.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to the Sage.”

“Ehehe, don’t call me Sage.”

Go Yo-ja was a Supreme Peak master and a direct disciple of the Kunlun Sect’s leader.

He also helped Yi-gang with his training.

He avoided saying he ‘taught’ him, but it was clearly one-sided assistance.

Now that Yu Jeong-shin had returned to the Azure Forest, Go Yo-ja was a great help to Yi-gang.

“There are still many mountains to climb.”

Crossing the Life-Death Gateway, he was evaluated as having approached the threshold of a Supreme Peak master. It was thought he would soon become one.

However, reality was not so simple.

A year had passed, and Yi-gang still hadn’t grasped how to become a Supreme Peak master.

“Hehe, don’t worry too much, Taoist Baek. The more you obsess over the Tao, the further away it becomes.”

Go Yo-ja always gave him serious advice at such times.

The problem was, after saying such things, he would often divert to, “Let’s offer sacrifices to the heavenly spirits and deities together.”

But today, a different conversation emerged.

“I’ve found a way to lead you to a new realm.”

“…Yes?”

“Follow me. Let’s go to the Sect Leader.”

It was hard to follow the flow of the conversation.

But Yi-gang decided to excitedly follow the enthusiastic Go Yo-ja.

Cheongho licked Yi-gang’s chin.