Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 56 : A World Comfortable for a Rat (2)

Jin Sa-wol had never had a dream. He had never felt strange because he thought there was no reason to dream.

It seemed he had lived dreaming when he was young, but at some point, it had disappeared along with his memory.

Since there was nothing uncomfortable, there was nothing to worry about.

But today, he had recalled a strange memory. It was too vivid to think of it as a dream.

"Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"Maybe so."

Jin Sa-wol answered and then tried to get up, but he lay down again. His body did not listen to him.

"They said you have to rest for about three months."

At Woo Jeong-bong's words, Jin Sa-wol thought it was a relief. But three months was a pretty long time.

An old doctor with white hair and a full white beard came in, holding a decoction.

The doctor helped Jin Sa-wol up.

As Jin Sa-wol drank the decoction, the doctor looked at him with a pleased expression and said.

"I've seen many sick people in my decades, but it's the first time I've seen a patient who recovers as fast as you. It must be proof that you're that healthy."

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"Thank this friend more than me. He came late at night and bothered me so I couldn't sleep."

Jin Sa-wol looked at Woo Jeong-bong. Although Woo Jeong-bong looked at him as if to say, 'Hurry up and say thank you,' Jin Sa-wol shook his head.

"I knew that bastard would be like that."

"Heh heh! You have a good relationship."

Woo Jeong-bong grumbled and turned his head. The doctor laughed lightly and then, as if he had remembered something, took out a neatly folded small bundle of cloth from his sleeve and held it out to Jin Sa-wol.

As Jin Sa-wol unfolded the cloth, a hair about three chi long appeared.

"Why this?"

Woo Jeong-bong looked at the hair with a face full of curiosity and asked the doctor. The doctor shook his head. It meant that he also didn't know well.

Jin Sa-wol touched the hair, and his expression hardened when he felt that it was similar to the Blood-Cutting Silk.

Jin Sa-wol asked.

"What is this?"

"I don't know well either. I was checking if there was a wound on his forehead, and it was sticking out noticeably, so I pulled it out, and it was like this. It felt like iron, so I kept it just in case."

Jin Sa-wol spun the hair with his hand, then wrapped the cloth again and put it in his sleeve. In his mind, the smiling Jo-rim came to mind.

The doctor stroked his beard and spoke again.

"I wonder if it's a secret hair needle. A long time ago, they said some doctors used hair for acupuncture."

Jin Sa-wol listened to the doctor's words and raised his hand to touch his own hair, but there was no particular feeling.

The bandage wrapped around his forehead was caught in his hand. He recalled the memory of hitting Mi-chung's forehead with his own.

His mood improved when he thought of Mi-chung's distorted face.

"If you can walk, go. If martial artists stay for a long time, customers don't come."

"Understood."

Woo Jeong-bong answered on behalf of Jin Sa-wol.

The next day, Jin Sa-wol and Woo Jeong-bong, who had left the clinic after getting a cart, entered Nanchang City five days later.

Jin Sa-wol, who had entered his room, lay on the bed and rested.

Woo Jeong-bong, after confirming that Jin Sa-wol was lying down, went outside. It was not known whether he had gone to meet the beggars of the Beggars' Sect or whether he had something else to do.

Jin Sa-wol, who had closed his eyes, fell asleep for a short while.

It seemed he had slept for a short time, but when he opened his eyes, it was already night.

Since he had fixed his left arm with a splint, it was difficult to move his left arm, and the swelling on his right arm had not yet completely gone down. It seemed it would take time for the bruise that covered half of his upper body to disappear as well.

He was blankly looking at the ceiling with his eyes open. A short while later, Bi-sun opened the door and came in.

"I came because I felt a presence, but it's not a person, but a dying patient lying down. Oh dear, tsk! tsk! You must have been had badly."

"I had to meet the Blood Curtain Master, but Loyal Ghost King was there."

"Mi-chung?"

As Jin Sa-wol nodded, Bi-sun's expression hardened. Bi-sun observed Jin Sa-wol's upper body, then took his pulse and nodded.

"It's amazing that you're alive and not dead."

"I killed him."

"What?"

"I said I killed Loyal Ghost King."

As Jin Sa-wol looked at him with an indifferent face, Bi-sun's eyes widened as if it were absurd. Jin Sa-wol does not lie.

"Oh dear."

Bi-sun swallowed his dry saliva.

Although it was a good thing that he had killed Loyal Ghost King, it could also be a case of waking a sleeping tiger.

If the Demonic Cult paid attention to Jin Sa-wol, there would be many restrictions on his future activities.

Jin Sa-wol asked.

"Since the Blood Curtain Master and Loyal Ghost King were together, it seems the Blood Curtain Master is also deeply related to the Demonic Cult. Isn't he one of the nine great demonic pavilions? Half of the nine great demonic pavilions are in other places, not the main headquarters, right?"

"There's a possibility. I'll investigate separately."

At Bi-sun's answer, Jin Sa-wol closed his mouth. If Bi-sun was going to investigate, there was no need to explain.

"By the way, how is your body?"

"Not good."

At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Bi-sun frowned.

"It would be better to be careful for a while. When your body is not good, it's better to recuperate in a place where you don't stand out. I'll have to look into it."

Since Bi-sun's words were right, Jin Sa-wol did not object.

"Did you kill the Blood Curtain Master?"

"I couldn't kill him. I only killed Loyal Ghost King. The Blood Curtain Master let me go when he saw Woo Jeong-bong. He said he was from the Wudang Sect."

"Did you use the Wudang Sect as a shield?"

"It just happened that way."

"There were people who used the Silk Death Art in the place where the Blood Curtain Master lived. They were handling low-grade corpse ghosts."

"If it's the Demonic Cult's Silk Death Art, Mi-chung would also know, so it's not strange."

At Bi-sun's words, Jin Sa-wol waved his hand.

"Mi-chung was in the place you told me. And it doesn't seem to be the base of the Blood Curtain. It seems the Blood Curtain has no main headquarters and moves around."

"I'll have to look into it. What about the state of the corpse ghosts?"

"Jeong-bong handled it. I don't know well."

Bi-sun smiled with a face that said it was a relief in the midst of misfortune. Although he had been dissatisfied with Woo Jeong-bong being by his side, there were also many advantages.

If you put the name of the Wudang Sect in front, various annoying things disappear. Even the Blood Curtain Master was reluctant to fight with the Wudang Sect.

"Woo Jeong-bong is drinking with the beggars of the Beggars' Sect right now. It seems they have a pretty good relationship."

Since it was an expected event, Jin Sa-wol did not even flinch. Bi-sun, after observing Jin Sa-wol's body once more slowly, said.

"First, to treat your internal injuries, I'll have to make a restorative soup that is good for recovering energy. Go to sleep."

"Are you going to the market?"

"I have to if I'm going to make a decoction and cook porridge. Why?"

"On your way, tell the master of Honghwaru that I want to see her. And ask for a sword."

Although Bi-sun showed a displeased expression at the words 'Honghwaru', he nodded.

He left the room and went to the medicine shop in the market. He asked a passing pedestrian to tell Honghwaru that Jin Sa-wol wanted to see her.

After about an hour, Bi-sun returned and boiled the decoction. Woo Jeong-bong, who had gone out, also returned and exchanged greetings with Bi-sun.

Woo Jeong-bong was not very wary of the person from next door.

At the request of Jin Sa-wol, he thought it was possible that he had received money and bought the decoction.

More than that, he was more concerned about the story of the inspection pavilion of the Martial Alliance that had come to the Nanchang branch.

The inspection pavilion master had come with the first and second tiger halls, and they were all masters with considerable skills.

He had a memory of drinking tea with the inspection pavilion master at the Martial Alliance because of his senior brother. It seemed he would have to go to the Nanchang branch tomorrow to say hello.

He had entrusted the investigation of the seven-story iron tower where the Blood Curtain Master had been to a beggar of the Beggars' Sect. Since he had also informed the Beggars' Sect about the corpse ghosts that had been there, it would soon enter the Wudang Sect.

Jin Sa-wol, after drinking all the decoction, went to sleep.

As Jin Sa-wol fell asleep, Bi-sun went outside and entered Woo Jeong-bong's room.

"Brother Woo. It's a fate that we met like this today, so how about having a drink together? I'll buy."

"Young Master Jin is sick..."

"He just drank a decoction and fell asleep. Let's go together."

"It's not a virtue to refuse when someone offers to buy."

"There's a pretty good tavern. The music is good to hear."

"If that's the case..."

Woo Jeong-bong had drunk a little with the beggars of the Beggars' Sect, so he was feeling a little lacking. And the taste of the wine he drank with the beggars and the wine he drank at the tavern was completely different.

Woo Jeong-bong, as if he couldn't win, went out of the house with Bi-sun with a face that said he couldn't help it and walked the night streets.

A short while after Woo Jeong-bong and Bi-sun had left the house, Jo-rim, wearing a dark red light armor, entered the house.

She walked around the house slowly with her hands behind her back, then entered Jin Sa-wol's bedroom and sat in a chair.

She rested her chin on her hand and quietly watched the lying Jin Sa-wol.

Jin Sa-wol was just breathing without even flinching. If it weren't for the sound of his breathing, he would have been mistaken for a corpse.

Had about an hour passed? Jo-rim spoke to the sleeping Jin Sa-wol.

"I thought you would never come again, but why did you come?"

Jin Sa-wol opened his eyes. After confirming Jo-rim, he got up with difficulty and sat, leaning against the wall.

Swish!

He naturally placed the sword that Bi-sun had bought on his lap.

"There's nowhere to go."

"If you don't have a place, come to my house. There are many empty rooms. I'll welcome you. The children under me will also like you very much. Of course, they'll like you more at night. Hoho."

Jin Sa-wol looked at the wall with an indifferent expression.

Jo-rim realized once again that he was a guy who didn't get jokes.

Jo-rim said, crossing her arms.

"What did you call me for? Even with that body. I could kill you."

"If you had the intention to kill, you would have killed me already."

It was not a wrong statement. Jo-rim showed a bitter sneer and let out killing intent.

Although a cold killing intent lingered in the room, Jin Sa-wol just frowned slightly.

Jin Sa-wol turned his head towards Jo-rim. As he stared at her, Jo-rim withdrew her killing intent.

"Why? Why are you looking at me like that? It's unpleasant."

"I was going to kill the Blood Curtain Master, but Mi-chung was there. Is the Blood Curtain Master also one of the nine great demonic pavilions?"

Jo-rim, who was blushing slightly and looking over Jin Sa-wol's bruised upper body, answered without taking her eyes off his firm muscles.

"That's right. It's the Blood Martial Pavilion. The last ninth pavilion. The Blood Curtain Master gathers people, and the eighth pavilion master, Mi-chung, makes corpse ghosts with those people. What the Cult Leader wants is the Heavenly Armor Corpse that shook the martial world two hundred years ago. A living corpse. A perfect weapon."

Jo-rim looked into Jin Sa-wol's eyes and spoke again.

"If he says to kill, they go and kill, and if he says to die, they commit suicide. The Heavenly Armor Corpse doesn't think. If it's something the master orders, they do everything. How great is that? Isn't it perfect? There's no betrayal. If a master of the peak of diamond-like invulnerability, who is absolutely loyal to him, is a slave, he would be very reassured."

Hearing Jo-rim's story, Jin Sa-wol understood why Loyal Ghost King and the Blood Curtain Master were together. He also knew that the low-grade corpse ghosts being there was the Cult Leader's will.

"It's better to give up on killing the Blood Curtain Master. In terms of pure martial arts, he is among the hundred in the Cult."

"I killed Loyal Ghost King."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Jo-rim's eyes widened.

"Hiccup! Hmph!"

She, who had shrugged her shoulders without realizing it, covered her mouth with both hands.

"Ugh! Hmph! Hiccup! Oh my! What's wrong with me. Hmph! Keok! Kkeek!"

Jo-rim hit her own back and coughed.

(End of Chapter)

Chung-gwi-wang mean Loyal Ghost King, and also the title for Mi-chung.