Sword God Reborn

Chapter 247 : Carrot and Stick

"The medical hall is short on people?"

"Yes. The head of the medical hall has sent word asking to urgently find any available physicians in the vicinity."

At the report, Zhuge Yeogang couldn't hide his bewilderment.

It was true that there weren't many physicians belonging to the medical hall, but to suddenly be short-staffed?

There hadn't been any recent battles, so there shouldn't be any injured people.

If anything, shouldn't the medical hall be the most idle place right now?

Realizing that something unusual had occurred, Zhuge Yeogang's eyes turned cold.

"Find out the details of what happened and report back! And you, find the nearby physicians immediately!"

"Yes!"

Not long after, having confirmed the detailed facts, Zhuge Yeogang let out a sigh.

"That Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero bastard has finally caused trouble!"

The people filling the beds of the medical hall were none other than the rising-generation martial artists.

The fact that they were the warriors belonging to the Demon Repelling Squad inevitably brought one assumption to mind.

"I told him to take control of the kids, not beat them to a pulp."

It seemed a fight had likely broken out in the process of Cheon Mubaeck trying to get them under his thumb.

The simplest and most effective way to make martial artists submit is to rule them with the sword.

Martial artists are beings who are far removed from common sense. It's a common occurrence for them to bow their heads in admiration of outstanding skill.

However, the degree was the problem.

"To think they all had to be carried to the medical hall, just how..."

Just how badly did he beat them?

"And all 30 of them?"

At the news that the entire Demon Repelling Squad had been carried to the medical hall, Zhuge Yeogang's face became strange.

He knew Cheon Mubaeck was strong, but...

What kind of rising stars were these? They were the strongest among those belonging to the Righteous Alliance.

The thought that they had been defeated without even being able to put up a fight sent a chill down Zhuge Yeogang's spine.

Zhuge Yeogang thought for a moment before heading to the medical hall himself.

"Hah..."

Upon arriving at the scene, a hollow laugh escaped him.

"Their arms and legs are all intact..."

Fortunately, nothing seemed to be broken or severed.

Seeing the thirty people lying there as if dead, letting out faint groans in their sleep, he felt a strange sense of pity.

Their pale faces clearly showed they were utterly exhausted.

"..."

Zhuge Yeogang quietly looked at Zhuge Seol-ah.

Feeling the strange gaze, Zhuge Seol-ah flinched and made an excuse.

"I-I only set up the formation!"

"Formation?"

Zhuge Yeogang's eyebrow twitched.

No matter how much of a doting fool Zhuge Yeogang was to his daughter, he wasn't always merciful.

Having been scolded by Zhuge Yeogang many times when she was young, Zhuge Seol-ah had no choice but to recount everything that had happened.

"Hah. You sealed their internal energy and threw them onto a mountain with a formation?"

As Zhuge Seol-ah fidgeted and avoided his gaze, a sigh escaped him.

Her appearance was also cute, so he couldn't bring himself to scold his daughter.

After hearing the explanation, he finally understood the situation.

"It's a relief that no arms or legs were broken, and no dantians were damaged, but..."

Zhuge Yeogang's face became strange.

"Exhaustion, dehydration, a cold..."

What kind of martial artists catch these illnesses?

And they were masters at or near the peak realm.

"You've come? Chief Strategist."

"Heavenly Dragon... no, Squad Leader. What is all this?"

Cheon Mubaeck shrugged and frowned.

"They were more pathetic than I thought. Their basic stamina is a mess."

"That's because you sealed their internal energy..."

He sealed their internal energy.

Not only that. He set up a formation on the mountain to disrupt their senses.

He heard they had reached the summit dozens of times. But to think they kept climbing the mountain without even knowing it, this was no different from abuse.

How could they break through a formation without being able to use their internal energy?

And it was none other than Zhuge Seol-ah's formation.

However, Cheon Mubaeck sneered.

"If they can't break through a single formation just because their internal energy is sealed, do you think they can break through a pack of demonic path bastards if they have their internal energy?"

"...!"

Zhuge Yeogang's eyes wavered. Cheon Mubaeck's voice was unusually cold.

Even the great Zhuge Yeogang was almost consumed by his presence.

"When the Three Talents Sword Saint first opened the martial world, did he have even a handful of internal energy?"

"Well..."

Of course not. The reason the Three Talents Sword Saint is evaluated as a mythical figure now is that he ruled and pacified the foreign tribes with just one sword, the Three Talents Sword, in an era when the concept of dantian and internal energy did not exist.

Even after that, it took an enormous amount of time for the concept of internal energy to arise.

Literally, in the early days of the martial world, internal energy itself did not exist.

"You must not forget that internal energy is an auxiliary means for using the sword. A peak-level internal energy master? An absolute master with immense internal energy? In the end, it's just an aid. If you don't have the body and senses to withstand the internal energy, it's nothing more than using your well-accumulated internal energy in vain."

Only then did Zhuge Yeogang realize why Cheon Mubaeck's voice was so cold.

It was filled with presence.

There was no particular high or low pitch, nor any strong intonation, but it pierced his ears directly.

Zhuge Yeogang slyly turned his gaze and looked around the sickbeds.

He was probably not talking to him, but to them.

Indeed, some of them were twitching and their expressions had changed.

"Is this your training method?"

"I can at least make it so they don't get stabbed and die in vain somewhere."

"Well..."

"The most common thing in the martial world is Energy Scattering Poison."

Energy Scattering Poison.

A poison that makes it impossible to use internal energy.

One might ask what kind of master would be affected by mere Energy Scattering Poison, but surprisingly, the easiest thing to be affected by is Energy Scattering Poison.

Because it has the most fatal effect.

Thus, its method has been improved countless times over a long period.

From spraying it in the air to the creation of martial arts using Energy Scattering Poison.

Of course, if one reaches a realm above the peak, they are not easily affected.

But considering that the vast majority of the martial world is not even at the peak, it is undoubtedly the most fatal poison.

"The Demonic Cult is also famous for being good at using poison."

It wasn't for nothing that the Poison Demon's notoriety was so widespread.

He was so great at poison that even the great Azure Sky Sword God had missed him time and again.

Of course, that Poison Demon was now dead at the hands of the current Cheon Mubaeck.

"Anyway, I will command without any major problems, so please don't worry."

As Cheon Mubaeck drew a sharp line, Zhuge Yeogang paused for a moment before nodding.

"I understand. I have delegated full authority to you, so I will not interfere with your actions. Ah... but."

"...?"

"By any chance, does my daughter also receive the same training...?"

Cheon Mubaeck glanced at Zhuge Seol-ah and shook his head.

"That won't happen, so please rest assured."

"No, it's not that I'm asking for a favor... I was just curious."

"Dad, stop it and go to work!"

"..."

As Zhuge Yeogang was pushed out with a disappointed expression, Cheon Mubaeck immediately took out a needle from a nearby needle case.

As Cheon Mubaeck suddenly picked up a needle, the physician who was looking after the rising stars was startled.

"S-Squad Leader-nim, what are you trying to do now?"

"The kids have to get up by today to train tomorrow."

"Training tomorrow, you say?"

The physician's voice naturally rose.

"If it's rehabilitation for stamina recovery..."

"No, it's the same as today."

In an instant, the bodies of the rising stars who were lying on the beds like corpses twitched.

Some complexions turned even paler.

The physician's face hardened. A physician who entered the medical hall would be just as brilliant in the flow of qi. In other words, they had learned basic martial arts and possessed internal energy.

But even so, it was absurd to stand up to Cheon Mubaeck, who held the fame of the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero.

Nevertheless, the physician firmly dissuaded him with a firm expression.

"It is impossible. In this state, even if they wake up tomorrow, their bodies will not be normal. If you add the same degree of training as today, it will only be detrimental to their bodies."

Somehow, the heads of the rising stars twitched and nodded up and down.

Their appearance of intense agreement was almost pitiful.

"That's right."

As Cheon Mubaeck readily admitted, the physician's eyes widened.

A bright light appeared on the faces of the rising stars.

But at the words that followed, they turned pale again.

"If they can't shake it all off and get up today, you're right, but if they shake it all off and get up today, there's no problem, right?"

"What do you mean... It's not just that their stamina is low. Their muscles are severely damaged. There are also many patients suffering from minor illnesses like colds due to the weather."

At the very least, it was best to rest for a few days and recuperate.

But to shake it all off and get up in one day?

Was he perhaps planning to use some kind of spiritual medicine?

Or was he planning to use internal energy to force them to stand up?

It was true that internal energy was helpful in treatment, but it was not a fundamental cure.

The most necessary treatment right now was rest.

"Hey, do you know all my monikers?"

"Well, aren't you the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero... Ah."

In an instant, the physician's eyes widened.

"The Divine Physician of Henan!"

A great rumor had circulated among the physicians. That a divine physician who had appeared in Henan had cured the plague that had caused a stir in the Central Plains.

It was revealed later. That the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero and the Divine Physician of Henan were the same person.

Wasn't he the one who had cured the extreme poison of the Blood Serpent Sect, which had been dismissed as a mere plague?

The anecdote that he had personally taken care of and saved the numerous patients who had come to Shaolin was even more amazing among the physicians than in the martial world.

Recalling that fame, the physician had no choice but to close his mouth.

"Just watch."

"Ah, I understand."

As the physician stepped aside, the bodies of the rising stars convulsed greatly.

A faint light appeared on the faces of the rising stars, who had been awake since the conversation with Zhuge Yeogang.

'Shit... I thought I could rest for a few days.'

'Training again tomorrow?'

'Ah... please.'

Even so, they did not let go of hope.

'No matter how much of a divine physician he is, how can he make us stand up when our bodies are in this state?'

'Is he planning to feed us some kind of spiritual medicine?'

'Hmph. We'll have to rest for a few days.'

As martial artists, they knew their own body conditions well.

It was a body that had overworked even the muscles they didn't usually use, in a state where they couldn't use their internal energy.

It was a matter of course that they needed a few days of recuperation.

So, even as they watched Cheon Mubaeck approach with a needle, they did not let go of hope until the end.

However...

"Huh?"

From the moment Cheon Mubaeck's needles began to be inserted into the patients' bodies at a relentless speed.

The rising stars felt that something was wrong.

Because their bodies were getting lighter and lighter, and astonishment was spreading across the face of the watching physician.

After some time had passed.

When Cheon Mubaeck placed the last needle on the last patient, the body of Gyo Mun-cheok, who had been the first to receive the needles, shot up.

"...!"

As surprised gazes poured down on him, Gyo Mun-cheok unknowingly rolled his shoulders.

"...Why is my body so light?"

It was as light as if he could fly.

That meant.

"We gather again tomorrow at the end of the mao hour."

Cheon Mubaeck's voice, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, pierced their ears.

"Can't even rest..."

Somehow, Gyo Mun-cheok's voice became pitiful.

* * *

The next day.

Watching the rising stars climbing the same mountain, Cheon Mubaeck said.

"It's the carrot and the stick."

"The carrot and the stick?"

At those words, Zhuge Seol-ah looked at the mountain.

The warriors, sweating profusely as they moved, were not just blindly climbing the mountain.

They were moving carefully to break the formation.

"Then is that the stick?"

"It is the stick."

In fact, it was a harsher stick than yesterday. Because Cheon Mubaeck had asked her to supplement the formation a little more.

It was a different formation from yesterday. Should I say it was a more cunning formation, and one whose core was difficult to find?

Since they already knew of the existence of the formation, it was obvious that they would try to find the formation rather than climb the mountain.

So the formation was made more difficult and complex.

"It's too painful a stick to be just a stick..."

Well, let's just say that's the stick.

It was common sense to whip a running horse.

Then.

"What about the carrot?"

"I gave it yesterday."

"Huh?"

He gave it yesterday? Zhuge Seol-ah thought carefully. Since she had been next to Cheon Mubaeck almost all of yesterday, she would have seen it.

Moreover, the only time he was with the rising stars was...

"Did you give them something at the medical hall?"

"I treated them, didn't I?"

"..."

At the nonchalant answer, Zhuge Seol-ah's eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm carefully thinking about whether the meaning of the carrot and the stick I'm thinking of is different."

"It is a carrot. They didn't just recover their stamina."

"Huh?"

"They said their bodies felt light. Would they feel their bodies are light just because their stamina has recovered?"

"Ah..."

Zhuge Seol-ah's eyes widened. Come to think of it, their movements were more agile than yesterday.

Even though it was a formation that disrupted their senses, they were not greatly confused and were proceeding step by step.

Only then did Zhuge Seol-ah, realizing that Cheon Mubaeck had done something, feel great admiration.

However...

"Ugh! I'm going to kill you, Cheon Mubaeck, you bastard!"

It seemed the stick was felt more strongly by them.

"Young Lady."

"Yes?"

"Write down that guy's name."

"..."

It seemed more stick was about to be applied.

(End of Chapter)