The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Crackle—

Electricity sparked around the blue fox. Then, the fox’s speed increased even more.

The fox ran, slicing through the fog.

Thick fog obscured visibility, no different for the fox. However, the fox moved as swiftly as lightning flowing across the ground.

After running for a few minutes, the fox climbed a rock and stood still, its nose and ears twitching alertly.

There was nothing visible to the eye, but the nose and ears relayed plenty of information.

But that wasn’t all. She was not just an ordinary wild animal but an entity closer to a yokai, possessing another awakened sense.

Sniff—

Specifically, the ability to sense spiritual energy.

Instinctively, the fox located the direction where spiritual energy was densely gathered. It seemed that heading there would lead the fox to what it was seeking.

While twitching its ears, the fox suddenly leaped up on the spot—

And a pebble struck right where the fox had been.

Thud!

Crouching down, the fox glared in the direction from which the stone had come, baring its white teeth and growling, soon revealing someone’s appearance.

“Did you dodge this too?”

A slightly flushed face from chasing, but an expression that remained composed.

“Quick and tenacious, aren’t you.”

The tenacious one wasn’t the fox but Yi-gang, who kept on chasing. Anyone could see that.

If the fox could speak, it would have shouted, “The tenacious one is you!”

“You electrocute kids and then run away? Lucky no one died,” Yi-gang spoke in a calm tone, as if reprimanding it.

The fox licked its front paws, pretending not to care. It was true it had electrocuted the children. But it was unavoidable. It kept losing direction because of the kids, who were carrying bags full of spiritual herbs and making noise.

The fox had no choice but to knock them out to keep them quiet.

“Just stay put. Well… not that you’d understand anyway.”

In fact, the fox understood Yi-gang’s words.

The real concern was whether to knock out this human too.

However, the fox once again exercised caution.

So far, no human had noticed its approach, only some exceptionally perceptive children who sensed the fox’s presence right before getting electrocuted.

But Yi-gang had clearly perceived the fox from the start, which unsettled it.

There were limits to moving around in this form.

First, find the Three-Element Sacred Flower. And then, seize an opportunity to deal with this little one.

Having made this decision, the fox turned and ran again, even faster.

---

“I give up.”

After running for about half an hour, Yi-gang declared so.

This was after he had lost sight of the blue fox several times.

“Let’s stop chasing.”

「Ah… What a pity.」

Unlike about a year ago, Yi-gang’s physical condition was much better now.

Unlike the past, when he would gasp and collapse after a short run, he was only slightly out of breath despite having run quite a distance now.

Thanks to the secret art of light footwork he learned from the Immortal Divine Sword, he could make his body lighter. When sprinting at full speed, he was almost as fast as the third-generation disciples.

The problem was that the blue fox was faster.

「Once you connect a major meridian, then you can learn proper light footwork techniques.」

‘Of course, that’s what I intend to do.’

If Yi-gang had been able to use internal energy and had learned light footwork, he might have caught the fox easily.

「The Moon Shadow Step is not a bad movement technique, but the Azure Forest’s Cloud Treading is an outstanding one.」

Of course, that was something possible only after the Immortal Divine Sword reached Nirvana.

Yi-gang changed the topic.

“Let’s quickly go that way.”

He turned his head and looked to the north.

The reason for giving up the chase wasn’t just fatigue. He felt a dense spiritual energy coming from the north. Chasing the fox had led him deeper into the region of Spirit Spring Valley.

The feeling was strange. The involuntary collection of saliva in his mouth indicated that there were undoubtedly spiritual herbs in that direction.

‘This doesn’t seem ordinary.’

It was similar to when he found the Cave Red Fruit. But this time, the level of spiritual energy was different.

Yi-gang began to walk, following the spiritual energy as his instincts led him.

As he walked, the air grew increasingly heavy.

The Immortal Divine Sword carefully observed the surroundings and then muttered, 「Thanks to chasing the fox, we could come this far. A natural formation is spread out here.」

Yi-gang stopped and asked, ‘A formation? Are you saying someone hid the spiritual herbs?’

「It’s not man-made, but natural. Just as raspberry bushes grow thorns, some spiritual herbs use special methods to protect themselves.」

Yi-gang understood the Immortal Divine Sword’s words.

The best elixir he had encountered was the Ten Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. It grew only in the most rugged parts of snow-capped mountains where snow lay all year round. Perhaps, it was also a form of the plant’s defense mechanism.

Trusting the Immortal Divine Sword, Yi-gang closely observed the surroundings, noting several unique features.

“The direction of the leaves is oddly skewed.”

The densely packed leaves were forming a massive flow.

「It’s the flow of Qi. The fog has cleared up, too.」

The fog, once thick enough to obscure vision at arm’s length, had lightened. However, this did not mean that the spiritual energy had diminished.

「We’ve entered the center of the formation. Unknowingly.」

Was it really the blue fox that had led Yi-gang here?

Yi-gang’s steps lightened.

“There…!”

There it was, ahead. The identity of the spiritual herb that emitted the unscattered fog in Spirit Spring Valley.

The herb, bearing immense life energy and influencing its surroundings, had a very unique appearance.

“Uhm… This is.”

「Isn’t that a thornbush…?」

It looked like a single thornbush lying on the ground.

It reached up to a person’s thigh in height and was about as wide. However, compared to ordinary thornbushes, its thorns were particularly sharp and gleamed with a dark shine.

Regardless, it didn’t seem like a beneficial spiritual herb at all.

「It’s a bit disappointing.」

“No, it’s inside.”

Yi-gang brought his face close to the thornbush.

“There is a spiritual herb inside.”

A mesmerizing glow peeked through the dense thorns. It seemed that this thornbush was the final barrier protecting the spiritual herb.

Yi-gang visually confirmed the contents inside the bush.

A strange flower composed of three petals - blue, red, and yellow.

This was what Yeop Su-nam had described in words.

“Three elements…”

According to Taoism, Three Elements signifies sky, earth, and water.

“…It looks like the Three-Element Sacred Flower.”

A sacred flower that seemed to embody the essence of the world. Hence, it was called a sacred flower.

「Let me have a look, too!」

The Immortal Divine Sword leaned in towards the thornbush.

Being a spirit, he could pass through objects, so he should have been able to see inside.

「Ouch!」

But the thornbush pricked the Immortal Divine Sword’s face. He held his face and groaned in pain.

「Indeed… it’s no ordinary spiritual herb.」

Even a spirit’s approach was denied by the thornbush. When Yi-gang flicked a thorn with his finger, it produced a clear, ringing sound. The toughness was extraordinary. It was possible that an ordinary iron sword couldn’t clear the bush.

「What are you doing? Hurry up and cut it down.」

‘Right.’

But for Yi-gang, it was no issue.

After all, wasn’t he carrying the meteorite sword at his waist?

With the Shooting Star Fang sharpened by the Firelight Forge, there was nothing in the world it couldn’t cut.

Swish—

Carefully cutting to avoid harming the Three-Element Sacred Flower, Yi-gang concentrated.

No matter how good the sword, if the swordsman holding it was incompetent, even a bundle of straw couldn’t be cut.

But Yi-gang was no incompetent swordsman.

His concentration, as he raised his sword, was first-rate, befitting a Peak swordsman.

The tip of the sword, rising slowly, suddenly halted.

Just before descending. Yi-gang’s eyes, fixed on the thornbush, sparkled.

Although not visible from behind, Yi-gang smiled, revealing his white teeth.

Instead of descending, his sword drew a horizontal curve.

A sword technique that reversed the front and back of the body in an instant, cutting an opponent from behind. It was the activation of Shadowless Splendor.

Whoosh—!

Yi-gang’s senses were exceedingly sharp. He felt the presence of a small creature stealthily approaching from behind.

Its identity was the blue fox. It leaped towards Yi-gang in an attack.

Yi-gang’s sword aimed for the creature’s snout.

His eyes widened in surprise.

「Oh no!」

He missed by an inch. The tip of the sword grazed past the fox’s nose.

Had the fox been like other animals, attacking to bite, it would have lost its snout as a consequence.

But the blue fox had a more powerful weapon than teeth or claws.

It was the power of electricity.

「It’s dangerous—!」

Yi-gang paid the price for his mistake. His vision turned blindingly white.

Crackle-zap—!

The blue electricity was much stronger than what had knocked out the children earlier. The fox had used more than half of its spiritual power.

Yi-gang didn’t even have time to respond.

The released electricity flowed into the tip of his sword.

The current would travel up the blade, burn through his hand, and eventually reach and incinerate his heart and intestines.

Certainly, that should have happened…

“Ugh.”

Yi-gang hiccuped unintentionally.

His entire body felt electrified. However, he neither lost consciousness nor died.

“Ugh, what is this…”

His limbs were slightly numb, and the sparks had slightly burned his sleeves. It was an incomprehensible situation.

Why was he relatively unharmed? Was it because the electricity didn’t directly hit his body, but went through the sword instead?

As he thought this and looked down at the Shooting Star Fang, Yi-gang was startled.

“Oh, what the heck.”

The Shooting Star Fang was emitting a pale blue light. Surprised, he almost dropped the sword inadvertently.

Sparks crackled from the sword blade. Had the meteorite sword absorbed the electricity?

For Yi-gang, who had once studied modern science, it was hard to comprehend.

“How can this be…”

The Immortal Divine Sword scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.

He had just previously shouted to Yi-gang, “It’s dangerous!”

「Ha ha, I forgot about that.」

‘Forgot about what?’

「In the past, I once got struck by lightning while holding the Shooting Star Fang.」

Yi-gang looked at the Immortal Divine Sword in disbelief.

“You got struck by lightning?”

「It was a stormy night. Anyway, the Shooting Star Fang also shone brightly after being struck by lightning back then. I just thought I was fine because I was physically strong.」

Surviving a lightning strike seemed impossible, even for a martial master. Yi-gang chuckled as he looked down at the Shooting Star Fang.

“So it’s because it’s made of meteoric iron…?”

There was a reason why warriors valued their treasured swords so much.

In any case, Yi-gang had survived the full force of the blue fox’s electric attack unscathed.

Holding the glittering Shooting Star Fang, he looked down at the blue fox.

The fox was frozen, its small mouth agape. It was more surprised than anyone else.

Yi-gang grinned.

“I was going to let you go, but you insisted on coming back.”

To the fox, that smile seemed particularly cruel.

Yi-gang glanced at the soft belly of the fox and said, “You wanted to hand over your internal elixir, it seems.”

The fur of the blue fox bristled all at once.

“Kyaaang!”

In panic, she turned and began to flee.

However, Yi-gang had no intention of letting the fox escape.

「Get the internal elixir!」

The Immortal Divine Sword shouted excitedly.

Feeling something flying towards her from behind, making a whooshing sound, the fox tightly shut its eyes.

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