novelraw Chapter 43 : You're Pretty Late
Chapter 43 : You're Pretty Late
"I'm busy as hell, where have you been?"
"Why is your tone so blunt?"
"It's not because I'm tired from going back and forth to the mountain below to get acupuncture needles."
"Neung-heo."
"...?"
"Go get some sleep."
"Huh?"
Neung-heo looked at Cheon Mubaeck with a surprised face.
'Why is this guy being so kind?'
Did he eat something wrong?
It was the first time. He had been told to go and rest by Cheon Mubaeck.
Of course, he did not reveal his inner thoughts. Neung-heo carefully asked as he observed Cheon Mubaeck's expression.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Get some sleep. Circulate your internal energy and keep your body in good condition."
When he said that much, Neung-heo noticed and his face hardened.
"This... when?"
"You're really quick-witted. How nice would it be if your actions were as quick as your wits."
"The only thing that has increased while I've been by my lord's side is my wits. When are they coming? Or is it the Blood Ghost Valley guys? The Blood Demon Sect? Or is Baek Gong-yang going to do a sword dance?"
"The Blood Ghost Valley."
Neung-heo let out a deep sigh.
He had been tracking the Blood Demon Sect guys, beating them up, and had come this far.
Now it was the Blood Ghost Valley, which was said to control the vicious Blood Demon Sect like a puppet.
"Are they stronger than the Blood Demon Sect?"
"I suppose so?"
"It's getting harder and harder. Is it tonight?"
"It won't be today. I don't know when, but it will be soon, Neung-heo."
"Yes."
"Keep a close watch on Baek Gong-yang. If he moves suspiciously, report it immediately."
"Surveillance is my specialty. Don't worry. I've become very close with the monks here. I can find out all the movements of that pavilion if I put my mind to it."
Neung-heo said so and got up.
"Ah, aren't you resting, my lord? It seems you've just come back from chasing Baek Gong-yang's tail."
"Wow. Our Neung-heo has grown up a lot. He's even worrying about me now."
"Wow. Hearing that from someone who is my son's age, my nephew's age, I'm really dumbfounded."
"Leave the acupuncture needles."
"Yes, yes. I've done my errand, so I'll go and rest now!"
Neung-heo said so and turned his body. Then, just before leaving the pavilion, he turned his head and looked at Cheon Mubaeck.
'My goodness...'
If you look at him like this, he looks kind.
The sight of him reassuring the fearful and worried patients with his unique smile while performing acupuncture.
Neung-heo's face became complicated. He let out a deep sigh, rolled up his sleeves, and went back into the pavilion.
"If we do this together, it will end early, right?"
Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his eyes.
"What is it. Did you do something wrong?"
"Just give me some errands. You, as befits your reputation as a divine physician, should perform your medical skills."
"I must have rehabilitated one person."
"I suppose so. To think that the great One-Eyed Snake Neung-heo is doing errands next to a great physician."
Neung-heo grumbled like that but still helped Cheon Mubaeck with his work.
Cheon Mubaeck smirked.
'Is it because I'm at Shaolin? I feel strangely at ease.'
Of course, it was not yet time to relax.
Even while taking care of the patients, a sword was held upright in Cheon Mubaeck's heart.
'He's no ordinary guy.'
Cheon Mubaeck recalled the man in the red cloak that Baek Gong-yang had met in his mind again.
'It's a kind of demonic qi, but I can't get a feel for it.'
Cheon Mubaeck was also a little flustered.
If he read the qi wave and atmosphere that was implicitly flowing out of the opponent, he could guess the martial art he possessed.
First, it was certain that the Blood Ghost Valley was on the side of the demonic path. Because what he felt was clearly demonic qi.
But it was a little strange.
'It's demonic qi, but it felt well-organized. In fact, it was similar to the internal energy of the orthodox sects.'
Originally, demonic qi is full of a violent temperament. A beast-like energy that seems as if it will run wild and bite at any moment. So the temperament of the demonic beings who have accumulated demonic qi also becomes violent. That is why even the masters who can control it are incomparably cruel in their hand techniques.
Didn't the notion that demonic beings are cruel arise in that way?
In fact, it was also true.
But the man in the red cloak was clearly demonic qi, but his temperament was rather dignified, like the internal energy of the orthodox sects.
It was as calm as a quiet lake.
Demonic qi can grow quickly because it is violent. But because they are stained with demonic qi in order to control their violent temperament, there is a fatal flaw that they can fall into qi deviation at any time.
But what if it had the power of a demonic art as it was, but was a stable internal energy like a righteous art?
'I don't know who made it, but they've made something amazing.'
Of course, it was just a mere suspicion.
No matter how much of a Cheon Mubaeck he was, he could not make all judgments with just the external qi he had felt from a distance.
But he definitely needed to be wary.
'Moreover, if they stole the escort item to really use it...'
The stolen escort item was a Buddhist scripture called the Ten Recitations Sutra.
To be precise, it was a new edition that had been compiled by reinterpreting the Ten Recitations Sutra.
Although the Great Master Hyeryang had said it was a simple Buddhist scripture, Cheon Mubaeck knew the truth.
'A Buddhist scripture that has been passed down from ancient India.'
If they had stolen it knowing its meaning...
"Well, I'll just beat them to a pulp."
"...You're not talking to me, are you?"
Cheon Mubaeck did not answer.
Neung-heo's movements, which had become somewhat uneasy, became faster.
* * *
"As a secular branch of Shaolin for decades, on behalf of the Pine Truth Sect, I sincerely congratulate you on lifting the seclusion and declaring your re-entry into the martial world."
Master Muso, who was next to him, glanced at Baek Gong-yang with a somewhat uneasy face, but the Great Master Hyeryang smiled benevolently and put his palms together.
"Namu Amitabha, thank you. The fate that has been connected since our ancestors has continued until now, and I am just grateful that you have prepared such a good place."
Baek Gong-yang stood up from his seat and raised his glass.
Since it was Shaolin, it was not alcohol but grain tea. But the people gathered at the seat had quite a pleasant expression. Of course, Master Muso still did not let down his guard.
"I sincerely congratulate you on Shaolin's declaration of re-entry, and I wanted to hold a big celebration by spending my own money, but the situation is unfortunate."
"Well, we are tracking the Blood Demon Sect, and we are also treating the plague patients, so it would not be right to hold a big celebration."
At Master Muso's sharp words, Baek Gong-yang smiled.
"So I am grateful that you have prepared such a simple meal."
Baek Gong-yang said so and turned his glass. It was a high-quality tea with a faint fragrance. It was a luxury item that was difficult to enjoy at Shaolin, where the financial situation was not good.
This place was prepared by the Pine Truth Sect. The high-quality tea was also prepared by Baek Gong-yang.
At the seat, there were not only the people of Shaolin, but also some martial artists from several martial families who had recently visited Shaolin's declaration of re-entry. Even Cheon Mungyeong and Jang-no of the Azure Star Escort Agency were there.
Baek Gong-yang approached Cheon Mungyeong and said.
"I heard that the Blood Demon Sect was involved in this escort item theft incident. To think that a vicious cult that is spreading the plague has killed my martial artists, I have done some terrible things in this resentful heart."
"It's okay, Master. I understand."
"Since it is clear that it was not a self-staged act by the Azure Star Escort Agency but the doing of the Blood Demon Sect, I will apologize for my actions so far."
Cheon Mungyeong accepted the apology with a smile.
But his mind was spinning.
Baek Gong-yang's suddenly changed attitude was suspicious.
Of course, the justification was sufficient. Since Shaolin had said that there was a high probability that it was the crime of the Blood Demon Sect, the picture of the Pine Truth Sect apologizing to the Azure Star Escort Agency seemed plausible at first glance.
But Cheon Mungyeong, who had been dealing with people for a long time, had a complicated mind due to the suspicion he felt from Baek Gong-yang.
'Hehe. What would you know, even if you use your head.'
Baek Gong-yang guessed Cheon Mungyeong's mind.
He turned his gaze.
A middle-aged man in a Taoist robe was talking with the Great Master Hyeryang.
Baek Gong-yang approached him and offered him a glass.
"To see the renowned Cheonghyeonjin of Mount Hua here. This must also be fate."
"This Taoist is just an ordinary Taoist. What do you mean, renowned? You are overpraising me."
Although he had a rather sharp impression, when his eyebrows drew an arc, that sharp impression also faded a lot.
'He's no pushover. I wonder if I can handle him well.'
Although Baek Gong-yang was smiling on the outside, his inside was complicated.
In fact, there was a reason why he had suddenly prepared such a place.
It was because Cheonghyeonjin of Mount Hua had suddenly visited Shaolin.
'The Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin. He's a tricky guy.'
The Blood Ghost Valley was planning to eliminate Cheon Mubaeck soon.
It wasn't just Cheon Mubaeck. The Blood Ghost Valley had also planned to eliminate Hyeryang and Master Muso of Shaolin. Because there was a high probability that those two had heard about the Blood Ghost Valley from Cheon Mubaeck.
In fact, when he had heard this plan, Baek Gong-yang had been shocked.
But when the man in the red cloak had returned, he had not come alone.
He had appeared with at least a few more monsters of that caliber.
But a variable named Cheonghyeonjin had appeared. Cheonghyeonjin, who had visited, saying that he had something to ask about the Blood Demon Sect, was an extraordinary master.
So he had inevitably prepared such a place.
'No matter how much of a master of the world he is, he can't display his skills with poison in his body.'
It was not a fatal poison.
If it were a deadly poison that would cause instant death just by eating it, it could only be obtained from the Sichuan Tang Clan.
It was not easy to smuggle in such a poison, and if the effect was immediate, there was a concern that it would be discovered quickly.
What Baek Gong-yang had prepared was a poison that was only at a level that made internal energy circulation somewhat 'uncomfortable'.
It would be good to use a poison that made it impossible to use internal energy at all, but the opponents were the abbot of Shaolin and the Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin. There was a high probability that they would notice it just by tasting it.
'This is so faint that they will just feel a tingling taste.'
And in fact, even if you circulate your internal energy, there is nothing that you would think is particularly strange.
But if a fierce battle continued, that faint effect would affect the circulation of internal energy. In a fight between masters, that effect would be enormous.
'With this much, those guys will be able to handle it all.'
But what was disappointing was that Cheon Mubaeck had not come to this place.
"Is Young Master Cheon not coming?"
"He said to tell you that he is sorry for not being able to attend because he has a patient to take care of."
"Hoo. I see..."
At those words, a look of admiration appeared on the Great Master Hyeryang's face.
"He's really amazing. Chief Cheon. Your son is lacking in nothing, from his excellent medical skills to his mindset."
"I would like to see him once too. I heard that he was the first to reveal that the source of this plague was the Blood Demon Sect, and that his medical skills are so great that he is called the Henan Divine Physician..."
At Cheonghyeonjin's words, the Great Master Hyeryang nodded his head.
"If you see him, you will also be greatly impressed, Jin-in."
"Since the Great Master says so, I would really like to meet him."
At that sight, Baek Gong-yang laughed inwardly.
Although the plan to deal with them all at this place had been broken, on the contrary, it would be fatal for Cheon Mubaeck.
At least if he were by the side of the Great Master Hyeryang, Cheonghyeonjin, and Master Muso, there would be a possibility of holding out for a little while.
But if he were alone, wouldn't he be a very easy prey for them?
'You'll meet him soon. In hell.'
* * *
"Why did you refuse that place? Because you don't like Baek Gong-yang?"
"Can't you see the patients here?"
"Sigh. I'm tired of eating only vegetables. If I had gone there, I could have eaten some proper food..."
Neung-heo said so and still wet a clean towel with water and placed it on the patient's head.
At that sight, Cheon Mubaeck smirked. To think that a guy with a rough appearance was nursing a sick person. It was quite funny.
"Why didn't you go?"
"My goodness. How can I go when it's so awkward? I'm not close with the escort warriors, and Jang-no? That old man with the brutal gaze doesn't even like me being by his side. It's so awkward."
"You talk a lot for someone who has no friends."
"Shit."
"To think that you're more comfortable with me than at that place. I must be soft."
"Soft? That's the funniest thing I've heard recently."
"Go and eat now."
"I still have some loyalty. How can I do that when the person I've decided to serve as my lord is performing medical skills without eating?"
"You'll regret it."
"Regret?"
"Well. It would be convenient for me to have one more hand."
"Pardon? What are you talking about all of a sudden... Eum!"
Right after Cheon Mubaeck's meaningful words, Neung-heo's expression became serious.
Countless shadows appeared one after another through the window beyond the flickering candlelight.
The shadows that were revealed beyond the paper of the large pavilion's window.
Neung-heo's face rotted.
"Shit. I'll die of old age from counting the numbers."
"Neung-heo."
"Have they finally come?"
"Protect the patients here."
"..."
"I'm also a human with two hands and two feet, so there will be guys I miss. You protect them."
"Shit. You're probably the only one who would tell a black-way guy to protect the commoners."
Even while saying so, Neung-heo took out his crude broadsword.
Cheon Mubaeck smirked and slowly walked out of the pavilion.
The masked men surrounded the pavilion in a large circle.
A blade-like momentum poured down on Cheon Mubaeck.
Cheon Mubaeck slowly opened his mouth.
"You bastards are slower than Neung-heo. You're pretty late."
(End of Chapter)