Time runs at different speeds according to each person’s Kung-Fu talent.

–William Shakespeare, As You Like It

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Since entering the Forbidden Palace, I had been on edge, so accepting such a strange proposal willingly was never easy.

Yet, the reason I slowly calmed my energy and showed no hostility was simple.

‘…It seems true that there is no hostility.’

No matter how eccentric a martial artist she might be, this was my first time meeting such a bizarre martial artist, or rather, a freak, so I doubted and doubted again.

Perhaps this person bore some lingering grudge or karmic tie to my master. Why else would she bait me with sweet words of “opening up your minor meridians” and the true method of taking Factor VIII, only to attempt a form of Qi Therapy riddled with severe side effects?

Though I had such thoughts briefly, my sharp mind recalled reasonable grounds, dispelled suspicion, and made a rational judgment.

Around me, the Etiquette Enforcement Special Maid Corps were hidden.

There were two behind the wall, one on the ceiling, and one more on the floor.

They are not watching Watson and me specifically to uncover the secret of the Indulgence Talisman.

They are merely ensuring that the strict court etiquette of The Palace is being observed.

And among The Palace’s hundred rules, the most severely punished violation, impudence, was mentioned earlier in the Grand Hall.

Anyone who uses Kung-Fu with weapons or bare hands against others without just cause cannot escape punishment.

Like Father Brown who left the palace earlier,

cases where one leaves with limbs intact with Her Majesty’s permission are extremely rare exceptions.

And this was exactly the part that made me feel uneasy.

Why does this bizarre creature, disguised to look like Watson, break Buckingham Palace’s rules yet face no punishment?

Even if no life was taken or injury caused, restricting freedom by pressure points is clearly impudent.

Unless a Special Maid monitoring us died, isn’t there one peeking at us through the hole in the wall ahead?

Therefore, there are two possibilities.

Either this creature is a spiritual beast raised by the royal palace and is exempt from punishment regardless of rudeness,

or, contrary to first impressions, it barely qualifies as human, and its pressure point sealing action was not aggressive.

“……”

For now, since it possesses intelligence, can communicate, and uses Kung-Fu, it is fair to consider it a person.

Though its strange ability to perfectly mimic Watson’s appearance and clothes makes me reluctant to accept it as my kind.

Anyway, for now, I’ll accept it as a fortunate coincidence without issue.

“L-let Louise handle the Essence conduction. Little Heavenly Demon and sister just need to sit still. Hee…”

The strange creature giggled happily, knelt politely behind me, and began drawing up Qi to prepare for the healing technique.

“……”

“……”

Watson and I were both rendered unable to speak due to our sealed pressure points.

I don’t know the principle, but I couldn’t send telepathic messages as usual, reminding me anew that the martial world holds many Kung-Fu unknown to me.

By the way, unrelated to the current situation, watching Watson’s face twitch as if wanting to speak made me strangely happy.

‘It’s the first time I’ve heard that such a Kung-Fu lineage exists.’

Besides disguise using tools or illusions within formations, there are many Kung-Fu’s in the martial world that mimic others’ appearances, like the Face-Changing trick and Bone Folding art.

But I don’t know anyone like Louise who can transform their body almost perfectly into another’s appearance.

‘Is this a distinct Kung-Fu self-realized, and not inherited from anyone’s lineage?’

When I witnessed the strange pressure point technique used on me earlier, I was amazed by its nobility and peculiarity.

I expect this person is a martial artist with the rare qualities of an Archbishop.

An Archbishop is one who, either without or having surpassed their teacher, has self-enlightened in the Way and reached a level worthy of being called a great master.

Having never interacted with an Archbishop besides my master, experiencing this person’s Kung-Fu might become a topic leading me to higher realms.

-Phat!

While thinking that, Louise suddenly pressed several pressure points with her fingertips.

“Little Heavenly Demon, I removed the pressure points that restricted your senses and fixed your eyelids… The doctor’s eyes have been moving normally since earlier.”

As she said, my five senses returned to normal, and my previously immobile eyelids could move freely.

It was a welcome relief since my eyes were about to dry out.

“From now on, focus on Louise. You two must not make a sound. If you understand, blink twice.”

I briefly wondered if it meant blinking 2 to the power of 3 times, but I blinked twice like Watson did.

“You know, Little Heavenly Demon, Louise usually doesn’t do this kind of thing… But today she’s in a good mood, so she’s giving a special selfless service for the disciple’s achievement ♡”

A tickling voice came from behind my back.

Is this Louise’s original voice?

-Creak!

-Creak!

The next moment, an eerily orderly Qi Frequency vibrated the air, producing a strange resonance.

The scene reflected in Watson’s eyes sitting opposite spilled directly into my retina.

The mysterious jade-green Essence gathered along Louise’s meridians squeezed out like thin fingers and began to form at the tips.

Unlike typical Orthodox martial artists whose energy envelops body parts in smooth translucent membranes, Louise’s energy gathered and writhed, constantly changing shape.

Just as the cogwheels of the Cogwheel Method increase interference area to move Essence, Louise’s internal energy can be used similarly to guide Essence.

‘It’s not just the appearance that’s bizarre.’

The Qi Frequency flowing from the small body had a nature I had never encountered since training at my master’s house, attending the academy, and debuting as a detective in London.

If the Zion Clan’s Essence artificially excludes humanity, resembling plants in texture and nature, Louise’s internal energy was inhuman in a different way.

It felt as if the innate energy that humans have are broken down and crushed, and then is recombined and reassembled into a desired form.

Compared to most clans’ Heritage Essence, its alien nature was striking.

‘Earlier, it likened itself to a puzzle. Now I understand what that means.’

No matter the good intentions, imitating Watson and suddenly incapacitating us with pressure points is hard to understand.

But as someone who judges martial artists by their internal energy and Qi Frequencies and lives driven by curiosity, I couldn’t help but be very interested in him/her (honestly, I still don’t know which).

“It’ll hurt a bit, but watch Louise carefully and learn. Opportunities like this don’t come often. Close your eyes tight and endure it…”

-Tak!

Finally, the freak Louise pressed her finger on my cervical vertebra.

-Wriggle!

A massive amount of Essence flowed into my body, incomparable to the earlier pressure point technique.

The utterly alien Essence absorbed my companion’s within my body and instantly swelled.

‘I never thought I’d feel Watson’s mood like this.’

Just as I infused a small amount of energy into Watson’s meridians to use the Cogwheel Method, Louise was infusing her internal energy into my meridians to control the Essence flow.

-Thump!

My meridians swelled, and intense pain engulfed my entire body.

The strange sensation as if many snakes were crawling chaotically inside my meridians made me dizzy.

‘Damn it.’

Didn’t she say it would only hurt a little?

I thought I was somewhat accustomed to pain, but that was clearly a big mistake.

“Ugh!”

Watson groaned worriedly seeing my pupils shake uncontrollably from pain.

“Hey, sister. I told you to be quiet, Louise said we have to focus…”

Suddenly, Louise’s left hand stretched long and pressed under Watson’s chin.

-Thud!

Watson’s eyes rolled back and she fainted while sitting.

Not only could she alter her body in ways beyond my ability to fathom, but the acupoint strike itself verged on the divine.

“Sister is sleeping. I’ll wake her when it’s over.”

“……”

Watson’s heartbeat was normal.

Confirming Louise had done no harm to her, I decided to calmly endure the pain.

Actually, the pain isn’t important.

The issue is how long my concentration can hold out.

Louise numbed and then restored my senses, making my five senses overly sensitive.

This must be to teach me how to operate the energy of the Factor VIII.

Interpreting distinct Kung-Fu clearly to others usually takes a long time and involves complex processes.

In that process, it was very common for precious secrets to leak to unqualified people.

For this reason, masters often chose to engrave teachings directly onto the disciple’s body when passing on Kung-Fu Principles or secret techniques.

I, too, am a successor who was engraved with the Essence of Kung-Fu accumulated by the Heavenly Demon, so I know this well.

‘Fortune is hard to grasp and given only to the qualified, is that it?’

She teaches me because she likes my courage in facing the Zion Clan.

A martial artist who handles such strange Essence is capricious and unpredictable.

There is no next.

If my mind is focused on pain, I won’t learn anything.

I summoned my will and began to observe my inner self.

“Good. You’re enduring well.”

The snakes made of internal energy wriggled through my meridians, changing direction as Louise continued striking my pressure points.

The process of guiding the energy of the Medicamentum Communionem I swallowed earlier to the injured areas was surprisingly precise and swift.

Though their movements seemed random, I realized the snakes moved in mathematical optimization without collision, performing the healing technique.

That strange method inflicted intense pain but healed internal injuries quickly.

“The healing ends here.”

The treatment ended in less than two minutes.

And finally, the long-awaited moment arrived.

“Now, stay alert. This part is important.”

A brief warning.

Then hundreds of pressure points began to be struck all over my body.

-Tadadadadak!!!!!!

The pain was one thing, but the deafening noise like Watson typing on a typewriter amplified dozens of times made my ears ring.

If my body wasn’t paralyzed beforehand, I might have accidentally bitten off my tongue.

“The number ‘2’ in numerology symbolizes companionship. Communionem refers to the circulation of Qi among martial artists’ exchanges and between all things in heaven and earth.”

A voice that felt like it spoke directly into my head.

I engraved that information into my Niwan Palace and listened to the sounds resonating inside my body.

-Kwaaaaa!!

The Essence snakes crawling inside gathered around my spine, carrying the residual energy from the Medicamentum Communionem after healing my injuries.

“Containment, Connection, Seperation, Completion. Among the four mystical principles, the Medicamentum Communionem embodies connection. It is an Elixir that is imbued with the power to unify the regular meridians and Extraordinary Meridians, likened to Great Vehicle and Small Vehicle meridians.”

Louise’s energy coiled and intertwined.

The snakes bound something tightly with their bodies and kept tightening it.

With eyes closed and relying on senses, that form looked like a small round egg.

“So, if you use that power correctly, this kind of thing is entirely possible.”

As Louise withdrew her energy, the snakes instantly lost form and returned to her body.

The egg’s shell vanished, revealing the raw core.

It was the energy of the Medicamentum Communionem compressed to the extreme.

And the next moment.

-Bang!!

An explosion inside seemed to race along my meridians.

-Kwawawawawa!!!!

The Turbid Qi that had accumulated in every minor meridian, including the distal branches of the meridians, was expelled from the body.

“…Congratulations, Little Heavenly Demon.”

Even as pain blurred my consciousness, I felt the effect of having my minor meridians opened.

My vision became clearer.

I began to hear sounds I normally could never hear.

The speed at which Essence responded to my will was incomparably faster than before.

For a fleeting moment, I shuddered with involuntary awe, as though I had ascended an invisible stair toward some higher plane of existence, brushing against the edges of Omnipotence itself. But the sensation did not last.

As soon as I noticed a slight distortion of sunlight in the corner of my expanded vision, a familiar voice echoed from empty air.

“Damn it, I’ve been noticed.”

It was the voice of the masked old man I had met at the Debutante Ball.