The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 156

After being rushed to a nearby clinic, I focused on receiving treatment.

"It was... dangerous. You almost died!"

The physician made a fuss as soon as he saw me.

The words that I would have died spilling my guts if Dokgo Jugwak's sword had gone just an inch deeper overlapped with what Dokgo Jugwak had said to me a moment ago.

If I had laid down my life and used all my innate true energy, I might have been able to beat him, but that would have been an absolute loss for me.

Because when you die, everything is over.

"Hwi-ya, just stay conscious for a little longer. I'll go get our senior uncle right away. Unjeong-ah, you watch Hwi."

"Yes, senior brother."

Senior Brother Uncheol ran towards the Red Snake Gang's direction using his lightness skill, and Senior Brother Unjeong sat next to me, holding my hand tightly.

I slightly opened my eyes and looked at Senior Brother Unjeong; his face looked like he was about to cry at any moment.

"Senior Brother Unjeong, I'm not in that serious of a condition. I'll recover if I just rest a little."

"The physician said it's a miracle you haven't lost consciousness after losing so much blood. For now, don't even talk and just lie down comfortably."

"Alright."

Knowing that he was saying it out of concern for me, I lay down quietly and replayed the fight with Dokgo Jugwak in my mind.

'I've grown this fast, but am I still so far away...? What on earth do I have to do to become strong, defying age and time?'

For a moment, I started to wonder what kind of martial art those guys had learned.

Great Completion Divine Art? I think it was a name like that...

'No. What I'm doing now is the fastest way in orthodox martial arts. If I mess with unorthodox arts, I could ruin my life.'

Any unorthodox martial art has major side effects.

If I get carried away by the rapid growth and overlook those side effects, my later years will not be smooth.

'I shouldn't wander around outside presumptuously; for now, I need to focus on training. It's not for nothing that orthodox martial artists delay their debut in the martial world.'

Usually, orthodox martial artists debut in the martial world only after they have passed their coming-of-age ceremony.

Of course, that age is not an absolute standard, but they probably do so because they won't die in vain in the martial world only after training for at least ten years.

In contrast, my training period is too short. Of course, thanks to the experience and enlightenment of my previous life, my growth rate may seem particularly fast, but my absolute skill is still very weak.

'I have to become truly strong. I... was too arrogant.'

By the time I finished my self-reflection, the physician who had been preparing something outside came into my room.

"The wound is deeper than I thought, so I think I'll have to stitch it up. If you drink this decoction, you'll be able to forget the pain for a while."

He then offered me a bowl of decoction.

The decoction in the rather large bowl was so black that I couldn't see through it, and it had a foul smell, making me question if it was even edible.

But having no other choice, I picked up the bowl and started gulping it down.

The moment a bitter taste seemed to rise from head to toe, my vision suddenly started to spin, and I began to lose consciousness.

I grabbed the wrist of Senior Brother Unjeong, who was watching over me, and barely squeezed out my voice.

"Senior brother...! This... is poison......"

With those words, I lost consciousness.

I feel the fear of death that I didn't feel even when fighting Dokgo Jugwak, or even when fighting the Changjiang Water Fortress Lord.

The taste of that decoction was truly the taste of hell.

***

In conclusion, fortunately, I did not die.

Perhaps the physician was more skilled than I thought; while I was unconscious from the decoction, he had stitched up the wound well and even applied medicine.

And it felt like I had just closed my eyes and opened them, but they said I had slept for two whole days.

When I opened my eyes again, my master was next to me.

Although it had only been two days, my condition had improved considerably, and I was able to talk with my master right away.

First, he said that fortunately, there weren't many martial artists left in the Red Snake Gang, and there were only a few who could be called masters.

He said that after he took care of the ones who knew how to use a sword, the rest was a piece of cake.

He mentioned that the performance of Senior Brother Unsik and Senior Brother Unmi was particularly outstanding, and that when they were in a position to lead the martial artists, they bravely stood at the forefront and faced the enemies.

"Can you talk? I'd like to hear your story now."

"I don't have much to tell. I was trying to catch and kill Go Mun-tak, but suddenly a guy named Dokgo Jugwak, who claimed to be Go Mun-tak's senior brother, appeared... and I lost to him. That's all."

And I told him step-by-step about the fight with Dokgo Jugwak and what I had found out at the Shi-yue Pavilion.

When I told him that Dokgo Jugwak, like Go Mun-tak, was a disciple of the leader of the Evil Way Alliance and about the Great Completion Divine Art they had learned, and even that he wanted to take me with him, my master nodded his head.

"I've never heard the name Dokgo Jugwak, but I have heard of the Four Tyrants Union."

"Really?"

"It's a newly emerging force that has been consolidating unorthodox sects, starting from the northeastern part of Sichuan Province recently. I heard that Cheong-seong and Emei are keeping a close eye on them because their momentum is stronger than expected... but I don't know if there is such a strong person."

"Thinking about it now, it seems possible that the Four Tyrants Union might have started from the Evil Way Alliance itself."

"Yes. If we didn't know the connection of Dokgo Jugwak, we might have thought it was an independent organization, but since a disciple of the leader of the Evil Way Alliance is a martial artist of the Four Tyrants Union, it's a very plausible story."

Fortunately, even without me saying much, my master accurately grasped the situation.

There are times when it's cumbersome because it's hard to speak freely even if you know the knowledge of the future.

This case is also like that, because if I suddenly said, 'Dokgo Jugwak will later become the leader of the Four Tyrants Union, and he will also participate in the disputes caused by the Evil Way Alliance in the future!', he would surely think it's strange.

But with my master, if I just leak a few small pieces of information, he infers the backstory on his own, so it's extremely convenient.

"What happened to the Shi-yue Pavilion? Did the master of the Shi-yue Pavilion get it back?"

"Yes. That man is also a truly amazing person. Even after such a big incident, he started business right from yesterday. He said he had to make sure the customers didn't know about this incident. The courtesans are all safe, and since there are over a hundred people who used to work at the Shi-yue Pavilion, he said there would be no problem resuming business immediately."

A small laugh escaped me without my realizing it.

It was because I thought that the master of the Shi-yue Pavilion probably didn't resume business quickly because of money, but because he wanted to operate the Shi-yue Pavilion he had reclaimed even a day faster.

"He came to see you several times while you were unconscious. And he also gave a considerable amount of money to the physician here, telling him to use the best medicine, acupuncture, or whatever, without holding back."

"Of course, he should do at least that much. In the end, I almost died because of him."

"And he said he wanted to repay you properly and asked you to come to the Shi-yue Pavilion when your body has recovered to some extent."

"Yes. I should."

After talking about recent events for a long time, a sudden silence fell.

In fact, since my master is not a very talkative person, such moments were not that awkward, but then my master looked at me and said, "Actually, I was going to chase after that man named Dokgo Jugwak."

"Yes?"

"As soon as I heard that you had been hit by a sword and collapsed... I couldn't see anything. So I came here right away, and the moment I saw you lying there unconscious, my world shook."

"Master..."

"I thought you were in a critical condition to the point of losing consciousness, so I was about to track the traces of the guy who fought you. But... I endured it. Because I felt like I would regret it for the rest of my life if you died while I was away for your revenge."

My master, who was speaking with a serious expression, let out a small laugh and then opened his mouth.

"But they said you fainted because of the decoction. Hearing that, I felt a wave of relief."

"Yes. If you have trouble sleeping later, you should ask for it. The effect is really amazing."

My master and I laughed together for a long time.

"Then rest. I'll be going out too."

"Yes, master. Thank you. And I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For acting up everywhere as if I had grown up, even though I'm not that strong yet. I won't do it anymore."

"Then will you just train quietly at Mount Wudang?"

"I guess I'll have to."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. My martial arts are very mediocre right now. I'm thinking of training until I'm satisfied."

My master nodded his head greatly.

"That's a good idea. Your future is still bright. Stop gambling in the present with your future as collateral."

"Yes. I will."

As if he couldn't believe that I was obediently agreeing since a while ago, my master looked at my face from side to side and said, "Hmm... did you also hurt your head while fighting?"

"No. My head is fine."

"It's just that you don't seem like the Unhwi I knew."

"Shouldn't a person change a little after overcoming a life-and-death crisis?"

"Seeing you say that, it seems you haven't changed much."

"Well, that's about right. They say that when a person changes too much all of a sudden, it means their time to die is near."

"If only you couldn't talk."

My master let out a small laugh and then left, saying he would come later.

I was about to go to sleep, but it seems the effect of the medicine is still lingering, and my head still feels dazed.

I stared blankly into the air for a moment... and then I fell asleep again.

***

And another two days passed.

Fortunately, this time I didn't sleep for two whole days, but I woke up and fell asleep repeatedly, and my wound improved noticeably.

I thought the physician was very skilled, but the person most surprised by my recovery was the physician himself.

"I-Is this the ability of the Wudang Sect's Taoist masters? I've been a physician for over twenty years, but this is the first time I've seen a wound heal so quickly!"

So I couldn't tell if my fast recovery was due to my constitution, the good medicine, or the immortal energy of the Wudang Sect's martial arts, but anyway, since fast recovery is unconditionally better than slow recovery, I decided to just let it go.

While I was recovering diligently here, several people came to visit. My senior brothers and my master were a given, and the master of the Shi-yue Pavilion also came to see me several times.

He expressed his gratitude several times, saying that not only had he reclaimed the Shi-yue Pavilion, but no one was touching the Flying Dragon Inn anymore.

We decided to talk in detail about the payment and reward for what I had done for the Shi-yue Pavilion after I left the clinic.

He said he would prepare it so that I would not be disappointed in any way, and I can't help but feel a little excited.

The next people who visited me frequently were the Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Ling siblings.

Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Ling, who didn't even know I was fighting like this because they were busy making maps, seemed a little shocked to see my condition.

Zhuge Yun, who at first just asked if I was okay, said to me when he came for the third visit, "Hwi-ya. We've decided to go back home first."

"Is it okay to go already? You probably have a long way to go to draw the map of this area."

"The map... I'll draw it later."

"Why?"

"When I go back to the Zhuge family, I'm thinking of starting to train in martial arts properly. Of course, Ling will be with me."

It seemed that the fact that they couldn't help me at all while I was in this state came as a big shock to him and Zhuge Ling.

"You're the one who changed our lives, but while you were fighting, we were just wandering around like we were on a stroll, making maps... To be honest, I was ashamed. At first, I didn't understand why you didn't ask us for help, but after thinking about it, I understood. You were worried about us even in that situation. Because our skills were lacking."

Although I didn't really think about it because I didn't think I would need much help, I put on a serious expression and answered, "I couldn't let you two get hurt because of my business."

"So I made a promise. My dream is good, but first, I have to become a martial artist."

"That's a good idea. Since you both have special talents, you'll be able to achieve results quickly. How are you going to get home?"

"I've already sent a letter to the family. A martial artist from the Zhuge family will arrive soon to pick us up."

"You did well. I was worried about sending just the two of you."

I pretended to be fine and, after talking and sending them off, I slowly lay down on the bed again.

But someone knocked on the door again.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Can I come in?"

The owner of the voice was Zhuge Ling. At my words to come in, she opened the door again and came in.

Zhuge Yun seemed to have gone back first, and she had come back alone.

"I have something to tell you."

After saying that, she was not looking at me, but at the ground.

I somehow felt like I knew what Zhuge Ling wanted to say to me.

(End of Chapter)