Heavenly Martial God - H.M.G Chapter 7 (Part 1):

“Young Master, are you really alright?”

Geum Cheom Sang stared at Namgoong Hyuk with worried eyes.

Namgoong Hyuk sighed.

“I said I’m fine. How many times are you gonna ask?”

“You’re supposed to take the elixir with the medicine prescribed by the Head Physician to neutralize its effects.”

“I’m fine.”

“At least let me check your pulse.”

“Is that Head Physician even any good?”

“Of course! He’s one of the top three physicians in Anhui Province!”

“Only top three?”

“Only?! He’s counted among the Hundred Great Physicians of the Central Plains!”

“Oh?”

Namgoong Hyuk thought for a moment before nodding.

‘Well, keeping this body alive this long does take some skill.’

He had dismissed the man as a quack, but the Head Physician must have done his best.

After all, aside from himself, no one in the world could possibly cure this Nine Yin Flow Blockage.

“Young Master, my life depends on your health—”

“Did you learn nothing but sweet-talking lies? You were perfectly fine when I broke my leg.”

“Ahem, well… That was because things were hectic back then.”

Geum Cheom Sang lowered his gaze sheepishly.

“Oh, why don’t you eat something? Today’s spread is full of your favorites.”

“Good.”

Namgoong Hyuk glanced at the table. It was laden with rich, fragrant dishes.

Today, they had even omitted the usual medicinal soups, perhaps for fear that the Muk Elixir might cause complications if taken with certain medicinal decoctions.

Picking up his chopsticks, Namgoong Hyuk felt a surge of satisfaction.

‘Nice!’

The wooden chopsticks were light and comfortable.

And now that his meridians were slightly unblocked, his movements felt just a little smoother.

He picked up a piece of braised meat from the small tray Geum Cheom Sang had brought.

The steam curled invitingly, and the glistening sauce dripped tantalizingly.

*Crunch!*

Namgoong Hyuk chewed.

The moment the flavor hit, his eyes widened.

‘Delicious!’

The rich juices of the fatty meat melded perfectly with the spices, creating an irresistible savoriness.

His chopsticks moved faster.

*Crunch! Crunch! Slurp!*

The variety of dishes on the table only whetted his appetite further.

The flavors danced on his tongue, sending shivers of pleasure up to his scalp.

“Haaah…”

Biting into a dumpling, Namgoong Hyuk let out an involuntary sigh.

“It’s been so long.”

“You had dumplings yesterday, Young Master.”

“These are different.”

Completely.

‘Of course they are.’

The dumplings he’d eaten while teetering on death’s edge had tasted like chewing sand. But now?

This was his first proper meal after cheating death.

Even the same dumpling would taste worlds apart.

Right now, anything he ate would probably taste amazing.
Not to mention, the dishes prepared today genuinely were top-notch.

Namgoong Hyuk was rediscovering the joy of taste.

‘At least the food here doesn’t disappoint.’

Luxury was reflected in what one ate.

Even in his past life, he’d rarely eaten this well.

In his youth, he’d been at war with the demonic factions. Later, while preparing for ascension, he’d even fasted.

‘It really was a harsh way to live.’

Tearing into a duck leg, Namgoong Hyuk grinned in satisfaction.

‘Why in the world did I ever stop eating like this?’

He’d attempted ascension six times—what did eating have to do with it?

Judging by how those blasted immortals only scorned his energy and achievements, eating clearly had nothing to do with it.

“Damn it.”

“…Pardon? Is something bothering you?”

“It’s delicious. Got any snacks?”

“Ah, yes! Though you shouldn’t eat too much.”

“Got any Bing Tanghulu?”
[TL/N: Bing Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese sweet snack that gives any fruit the most irresistible crunchy candy coating.]

“We do. If you’d like some, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”

“Hah, nice, very nice. Just say the word and it’s donr.”

Sure, it took some time to procure the elixir, but still—

Is this the financial power of the Namgoong Family?

‘No wonder the Sword King bragged about it.’

The Sword King had occasionally—well, more like constantly—boasted about his family’s riches whenever he got the chance. A thousand years of history this, the masters produced by the family that…

A smirk tugged at Namgoong Hyuk’s lips.

‘I might as well make the most of this “illustrious family” while I’m here.’

And do it thoroughly.

Grinning, Namgoong Hyuk unwrapped the bandages around his leg in quick motions.

Geum Cheom Sang, who had been clearing the table, nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Young Master! What are you doing?! You can’t remove those! Put them back on, now!”

Ignoring him, Namgoong Hyuk casually inspected his leg, which he hadn’t really looked at for a while.

*Wiggle, wiggle.*

“Looking good.”

“No, it doesn’t!”

“I say it’s good, so why do you care?”

“A broken leg doesn’t heal that fast! Ugh, now we’ll have to call the Head Physician again. If the Family Head finds out, he’ll have a fit!”

Geum Cheom Sang frantically grabbed the bandages and began rewrapping them.

“Stay still. Just— Wait, why is it already healed?!”

*Tap, tap.*

A light knock on his foot produced a healthy, solid sound.

As if it had never been broken.

Just days ago, it had been shattered—so how…?

‘Wh-what the hell?’

No matter how many times he checked, the result was the same.

The ankle, which should’ve been swollen and wobbly, was perfectly fine.

Geum Cheom Sang stared blankly between Namgoong Hyuk’s face and his leg.

Namgoong Hyuk shook his foot and hopped off the bed.

“Lead the way.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Where else?”

Namgoong Hyuk grinned. Geum Cheom Sang suddenly felt a chill.

Sure enough—

“The Martial Storage.”

The short, tossed-out answer made Geum Cheom Sang jolt.

“What?! The Martial Storage?!”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m going.”

“Why would you go there?!”

“Why? To browse the martial manuals, obviously.”

Geum Cheom Sang nearly leaped in panic.

“Absolutely not! You need to rest!”

“Did I commit a crime or something? Why the fuss?”

“No way! In your condition, you can’t!”

Namgoong Hyuk gave him a dry look.

“So? Are you going to show me the way or not?”

Geum Cheom Sang shook his head violently.

“No! Under no circumstances! Even if a blade were at my throat— Huh? Where are you going?”

Namgoong Hyuk snorted and brushed past him.

“I’ll find the way myself. Don’t follow if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s pointless!”

“We’ll see when I get there.”

Namgoong Hyuk stubbornly marched out.

Geum Cheom Sang called out desperately.

“I’m serious! There’s no point! I warned you, didn’t I?!”

“Yeah, yeah. Go polish some teacups or something.”

With that, Namgoong Hyuk left.

Otaku_Tensei

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