novelraw Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Chapter 83
“Can't I even say this much? And it's not as if I've said anything wrong, is it?”
“That's right. The sect was suddenly annihilated, so won't there be a lot to be gained from it? To be honest, I think that's the bigger reason the Murim Alliance moved so quickly.”
“Did I speak in a difficult way? If you don't like it, then go back. It's not as if the job won't get done without the two of you.”
In an instant, an argument broke out, and the middle-aged man in the green long robe spoke with a ridiculous attitude.
“Aren't you actually here with other ulterior motives? It could be that you're trying to scout things out in advance for the benefit of the Tang Clan.”
When the female warrior asked, the middle-aged man spoke without denying it.
“You can see it as me coming for this and that. As you know, Sichuan is close to this place, and our Tang Clan has made its nest in Sichuan. In fact, it would have been fine for me to come alone, but I don't know why the Strategist sent you all with me. It seems the only thing you'll be doing is spouting complaints from the side.”
“Even so, do not speak so harshly. And this is the work of the Murim Alliance. We each have our own sects that we belong to, but this matter should be investigated for the benefit of the Murim Alliance, apart from the interests of our own sects.”
At the words of the elderly man in white, the middle-aged man immediately shut his mouth. It was because he thought there was no need to continue the argument when there was nothing to be gained from it anyway.
The others, as if thinking they had accomplished something great by shutting him up, wore triumphant expressions.
Tang So-cheol glared at each of them once from under his bamboo hat and smiled to himself. Even when he smiled, it didn't feel gentle at all, as his impression was so cold and fierce.
Tang So-cheol.
He was an elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan and a person who had been specially invited to the Murim Alliance for his outstanding ability in handling medicines and poisons.
Until now, he had been treating the leadership of the Murim Alliance when they were injured or fell ill, but this time, he had volunteered to come to this place himself.
Everyone thought it was strange that a man who had originally acted as a physician suddenly wanted to investigate a sect's bloodbath, but there was no justification to refuse his request.
A few people, thinking of the proximity of Qinghai and Sichuan, believed he had come there for the benefit of the Sichuan Tang Clan, and that was an almost accurate thought.
Tang So-cheol was planning to ditch the others and investigate the Azure Sea Sect by himself. For that purpose, whenever they had shared water or food on the way, he had used a little bit of medicine, and now it was time for its effects to slowly appear.
Since they were people whose internal energy was quite profound and whose level of martial arts was high, if they were to find out they had been poisoned, they would surely try to detoxify themselves using their internal energy. So he had appropriately mixed in a Qi-Scattering Poison that would make their internal energy disperse.
“It is late autumn, but the midday sun seems to be hot. How about we rest for a bit in the shade of that tree over there? We can quench our thirst and eat some jerky and dry rations there.”
When Tang So-cheol spoke, the young woman raised an objection. If Tang So-cheol hadn't said it, she had been thinking of saying it herself, but she did not want to follow his will.
“If you don't like it, go on ahead. I am tired, so I will rest for a bit. You haven't forgotten, but am I not a physician, not a martial artist? And I am old, too.”
Saying that, he walked towards the shade of the tree, drank water from his leather waterskin, and laid out some food. Watching him drink the water, even those who hadn't been thirsty at all a moment ago became so parched they couldn't stand it.
They did not know that their feeling of thirst was also because of the medicine Tang So-cheol had already used.
In the end, the old man, who had no major conflict of opinion with Tang So-cheol, went and sat beside him first, and the young man and female warrior also went there as if they had no other choice.
Tang So-cheol generously offered his waterskin, and the people shared and drank the water in it.
Since they had already seen Tang So-cheol drink the water, they did not think that anything strange was mixed in it.
They had not even thought that Tang So-cheol had been poisoning them all this time with that method.
Each time, Tang So-cheol would first eat something that could detoxify the medicine he had mixed in the water and then drink, and thanks to that, he was not affected by its efficacy.
Even so, it wasn't as if Tang So-cheol had used a vicious hand on his fellow Murim Alliance members; he had only used enough to tie their feet for a bit.
For the next three or four days, they would suffer from a terrible stomachache and diarrhea and would be unable to set out on the road. At least once every fifteen minutes, they would feel an urgent need to relieve themselves and have to run. Therefore, if they did not want to lose face, they would not be able to leave an inn that had a privy.
The first to feel the signal was the young man. Next was the old man, and the female warrior's face wrinkled last.
Unfortunately, the old man had an accident before he could find a privy.
He was a man of quite a high name even in the Murim Alliance and was praised as an elder of the masterless warriors, but he had to suffer such an incident.
However, the young man and the female warrior could not find him ridiculous. It was because they thought that that might be their own state in a little while. They hurried, trying to run to the nearest house. As they did, they tried to perform their lightness skill, but then they realized their internal energy was not moving.
The faces of the two turned bright red, and sweat streamed down their faces.
People tend to think of the urge to relieve oneself as a trivial matter, but the thought that one might not be able to hold it in was in fact a tremendous terror.
This was especially so for people who valued their social standing.
Even then, they had not even imagined that the person who had done this to them was Tang So-cheol. And they were thinking that after they had been to the privy, they should get some medicine from him.
However, they were not able to return to Tang So-cheol. Whenever they tried to return, their stomachs would boil, and they would have to run back to the privy.
At first, they had thought it was a trivial matter, but as it repeated for a fourth, then a fifth time, their heads grew dizzy and their vision became hazy.
The homeowners, whose homes had been suddenly invaded, could only hold their breath at the martial artists' demeanor, wondering what was going on.
While three houses were each suffering a terrible ordeal at the hands of the Murim Alliance's martial artists, Tang So-cheol leisurely got up and started walking.
And under the tree that Tang So-cheol had left, a group of people in shabby attire appeared.
They were the martial artists of the Danmok Demonic Clan, led by Danmok Muyeol.
“Do you know who those people are?”
When they had first been left here, they had grown distant from each other, but Danmok Muyeol's money pouch had exerted its power.
Before they could earn money, they had to solve the problem of food and lodging with the money they had on hand, and Danmok Muyeol's pouch was the fattest.
As a result, they all submitted to his money pouch and returned to their previous relationship.
When Danmok Muyeol spoke, one person recalled Tang So-cheol's name.
“That man is a famous physician in the Murim Alliance. He is a person of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Don't they say that in the Tang Clan, it's harder to find someone who isn't a physician? And even in the Tang Clan, he is a man renowned for his medical arts and pharmacology. It is not well known to people, but I hear that his detoxification arts are, of course, excellent, as are his poison-making arts.”
“Do you not know about the other bastards?”
“I think I have seen them in a book of portraits, but I do not remember exactly. Seeing that, they are not amazing bastards, but are probably at the level of a second or third-in-command of a combat squad.”
One person, as if he were quite knowledgeable, explained in a torrent.
Danmok Muyeol had noticed from afar that those men were no ordinary people and had enhanced his internal energy to eavesdrop on their conversation in advance. As he was from the direct line of a prestigious Demonic Clan, the high-level Mind Method he had trained in since he was young had an effect. Looking closely, it seemed the others had not been able to hear their conversation.
“It seems that's right. It seems the bastard named Tang So-cheol was planning to ditch the others and go to the Azure Sea Sect alone.”
“Interesting bastards. In the end, it's their own sect that comes first, is that it?”
“It's not just any place, but the Sichuan Tang Clan. The Tang Clan's secretiveness and selfishness are quite famous.”
Danmok Muyeol looked at his subordinates, then spoke to the one with the best lightness skill.
“You, go and deliver the news to the Family Head. That the Murim Alliance has begun to investigate the matter of the Azure Sea Sect.”
“Do I only need to report to the Family Head?”
“Yes. You only need to report to the Family Head. The Family Head will decide whether to report to the Cult Leader or not.”
“Yes, Young Family Head.”
After he left, Danmok Muyeol looked at his other subordinates.
“It was a hunt carried out by our cult, so we cannot have our game stolen, can we? What are your thoughts?”
“Actually, that is what I think as well. It is a pity. Compared to the other bastards, don't we have the most right? Since it is a place that our family's elder subdued, we should be the ones to collect the spoils of war.”
At those words, Danmok Muyeol smiled bitterly. It seemed that man truly believed it, but for some reason, Danmok Muyeol felt that wasn't the truth.
Strangely, he had the thought that Cheon Ha-seong's contribution must have been greater. If asked for the reason, he too would have nothing to say. But if not, it wouldn't explain why his own ancestor would acknowledge the pitch-black young Cheon Ha-seong to such an extent.
“For now, let's go. You can all perform the Stealth Technique well, right?”
“We are good at the Stealth Technique, but do you mean we have to sneak in and steal things?”
When one person asked, Danmok Muyeol looked at him.
“Is there another way? It must not be revealed that our cult was involved in this. It might be possible to use the Soul Bewitchment Art, but if by any chance someone immune to our art appears, then a big problem will truly arise. The reason our family's elder left all that wealth behind must have been to not leave any traces of our cult, and if we make a mistake, we will lose our chance for forgiveness forever.”
They too realized how frightening the words 'to lose the chance for forgiveness forever' were.
It was because they had been living in fear, thinking about that for several days.
“Understood, Young Family Head.”
“Right. Let's take the money from there and go around finding the followers and distributing it. Then, in the future, a path to return to our cult might open up, don't you think?”
“That would be for the best.”
Until they had left the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, they had not thought of it. That their goal would become to return to that place.
However, since thinking such thoughts now would change nothing, they all firmed their resolve.
They could have been at a loss, not knowing what to do, but at least they had a way to get through this.
“We will steal horses and carriages, leave them outside the Azure Sea Sect, and once we've moved all the money, we will depart then.”
The plan was simple. It seemed only the Demonic God would know if the plan would succeed or fail.
Everyone, with a desperate heart, asked the Demonic God for help and finally left the spot.