Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Miao Ligoujao, the leader of the Extreme Poison Sect, glared at Mang-ryo.

“First you lost the Five-Colored Centipede… then you fell out of favor despite us submitting an application to join the Martial Arts Alliance… and now Bloody Hand is dead too…”

Mang-ryo remained silent like a mute who had swallowed honey. Miao Ligoujao, who was over sixty years old, was more famous for his cruel personality than his martial arts skills.

“Thanks to you, the Vice Sect Leader of the Medicine King Sect escaped, and even Great Desert Saber, who was quite useful, has become a traveler of no return. The damage is truly severe.”

Miao Ligoujao continued speaking as he walked around the room with his hands behind his back.

Then he stopped.

“I simply cannot believe these are the actions of a mere child. What do you think, Elder?”

Mang-ryo’s face twisted. Miao Ligoujao was ultimately pressing him for answers.

Mang-ryo replied with a hoarse voice.

“Sect Leader, that child has unimaginable luck on his side.”

“Then you should have been more attentive. How could you let things get to this point by failing to handle one small child? Tsk.”

Miao Ligoujao added:

“There are many complaints that you’re acting too independently and excessively. Last time, you took many people to search the Mixed Spring Ground… and this time, you unilaterally decided to take a large number of personnel to Triple Mountain Peak, only to return empty-handed.”

“That was to catch him…!”

Miao Ligoujao’s eyebrows twitched.

“You shouldn’t have tried to catch him—you should have killed him! If you encounter someone who might block your path, just kill them. Why do you keep trying to keep them alive? In our current position, don’t you know how valuable talents like Bloody Hand and Great Desert Saber are?”

“That’s… not it.”

“If you understand, then take some time to rest and reflect!”

Mang-ryo’s eyes filled with bloodshot fury.

“Sect Leader! Let me pursue him! Afterward, I’ll rest or reflect or whatever you want!”

“Aish, you still haven’t come to your senses?”

Miao Ligoujao became angry.

“Nine-tenths of Yunnan is mountains. Do you think they’ll be caught so easily? And how would it look to others if Elder Mang were to go scouring all over Yunnan with one eye and one leg? What would become of our Extreme Poison Sect’s reputation?”

“Sect Leader!”

Miao Ligoujao stomped his foot.

Bang! The floor crumbled beneath him.

“The boy uses poison, you say! I’ve already sent Longlao and Sa Heung-sam! I don’t want to hear any more, so just hand it over!”

Longlao was an elder of the Extreme Poison Sect who had risen rapidly while Mang-ryo had fallen. He was an expert in poison techniques, making him both a competitor and an enemy to Mang-ryo.

Hearing that Longlao had been dispatched, Mang-ryo gritted his teeth. A sense of defeat and despair enveloped his entire body.

“What… are you asking me to hand over?”

Mang-ryo watched Miao Ligoujao carefully.

Miao Ligoujao spoke briefly:

“The secret manuals of the Medicine King Sect and Hundred Flower Valley!”

At Miao Ligoujao’s words, Mang-ryo clenched his teeth. These were spoils of war that Mang-ryo had obtained. Now he was about to lose even those.

“Hurry!”

Miao Ligoujao’s low, pressing voice made it clear that he would not tolerate refusal.

Realizing that further resistance was futile, Mang-ryo bit his lip. He took a box placed on one side of the room and pressed its side to release the mechanism.

Click.

The sound of the mechanism being released was heard.

As Mang-ryo handed over the box, Miao Ligoujao gestured.

A warrior waiting behind approached and received the box. The warrior opened the box, took out the book inside, and handed it to Miao Ligoujao.

“Why is there only one?”

At Miao Ligoujao’s words, Mang-ryo looked up.

“That can’t be…”

“Hmm?”

The warrior who was about to hand the book to Miao Ligoujao flinched and dropped it.

Thud.

“What are you doing?”

Miao Ligoujao was annoyed but then startled.

The warrior’s face turned bluish, and blood flowed from his nose. The warrior fell to his knees.

“Ugh! Uuugh!”

The warrior writhed on the floor in agony.

Mang-ryo hurriedly picked up the book. Then he discovered a poisoned needle embedded in the book.

Cold sweat covered his entire body.

“W-why is this…?”

He flipped through the book.

No matter how many pages he turned, there was nothing inside—it was completely empty. This was the fake manual that Mang-ryo had given to Gwak-o.

“How did this end up here…?”

Mang-ryo frantically looked at Miao Ligoujao.

Miao Ligoujao’s expression was ice-cold.

His face showed that he roughly understood what had happened.

“Tsk.”

Miao Ligoujao clicked his tongue, looked at Mang-ryo with contemptuous eyes, then abruptly left the room. It was obvious what kind of treatment Mang-ryo would receive in the Extreme Poison Sect from now on.

“Ugh! Ugh! E-Elder. P-please save me!”

Even as the poisoned warrior rolled on the floor crying out in agony, Mang-ryo couldn’t hear his words.

“AAAAARGH!”

Mang-ryo roared with all his might.

“You b*st*rd, Jin Ja-gang—!”

* * *

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

The horse that had been running without rest gradually slowed down.

Clop, clop.

Its speed decreased until it was just walking slowly.

“The horse seems tired. We should rest a bit.”

Jin Ja-gang said.

But there was no response from Yong-myeong, who was riding behind him.

“Mister?”

Jin Ja-gang looked up at Yong-myeong.

Yong-myeong was sweating profusely, his lips were swollen, and his mouth was twisted. He was clearly not in a normal state.

“Mister.”

Yong-myeong, barely opening his eyes, spoke with difficulty.

“I’m sorry… I’m done for…”

Then, showing the whites of his eyes, he tumbled off the horse.

Thud.

The horse was startled and stood in place.

Neigh!

Jin Ja-gang was alarmed.

‘Ah! Poisoning!’

Jin Ja-gang had failed to consider Yong-myeong’s poisoning.

Even though they had been struck by the same poison, Jin Ja-gang was fine. His symptoms had already appeared and subsided. So he had thoughtlessly assumed the same would be true for Yong-myeong.

‘How stupid…’

Yong-myeong was different from Jin Ja-gang. Far from subsiding, his poisoning was getting worse, and his condition was deteriorating. This was the normal reaction for ordinary people.

Jin Ja-gang looked back. The winding mountain path they had traveled stretched behind them.

No one was visible yet, but pursuers could arrive at any moment. There was an anxiety that someone might come chasing after them, brandishing swords at any moment. No, they might already be close behind.

The horse was exhausted too. It now seemed unlikely to be able to carry both of them any further.

‘What should I do?’

Treating Yong-myeong’s poisoning was one thing, but even getting him back onto the horse was difficult for Jin Ja-gang alone.

If survival was the priority, it would be best for Jin Ja-gang, who was lighter, to continue riding the horse and escape alone.

With no other options available, they couldn’t all die trying to save someone who was already drowning.

But Jin Ja-gang couldn’t forget how the Medicine King Sect people had died trying to save him. Yong-myeong too had thrown himself in harm’s way to save Jin Ja-gang. Blood was still seeping from his pierced shoulder.

Having survived through the deaths and sacrifices of these Medicine King Sect people, he couldn’t dismiss it as nothing.

Even if Jin Ja-gang had important reasons to survive, if the process was filled with betrayal and ingratitude, it couldn’t possibly be the right path.

Above all, Jin Ja-gang was emotionally distraught.

The walls around his heart that had closed after suffering under Mang-ryo and being betrayed by Gwak-o had begun to open slightly because of Yong-myeong and the Medicine King Sect people.

That’s why he couldn’t abandon Yong-myeong like this.

Even though he knew fleeing alone would be the best option.

“Hoo.”

Jin Ja-gang exhaled deeply.

His deliberation didn’t last long. There wasn’t enough time for extended consideration. As soon as Jin Ja-gang made his decision, he pulled out the dagger embedded in his abdomen.

Blood flowed, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Jin Ja-gang had experienced too many terrible things to make a fuss over something like this.

After roughly wrapping cloth around his abdomen, Jin Ja-gang dismounted.

Yong-myeong, whose limbs were stiffening, tried to shake his head when he saw Jin Ja-gang’s actions.

“N-no. You… you should g-go…”

But Yong-myeong stopped mid-sentence, startled by Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes were very calm and composed. They weren’t the eyes of the child who had been wailing and pouring out emotions earlier. Nor were they the eyes of a child who had been agonizing over a decision just moments ago.

In that brief interval, Jin Ja-gang had already collected himself enough to remain unwavering.

Yong-myeong realized he could no longer dissuade Jin Ja-gang. He was determined to stay, even if told to leave.

Jin Ja-gang knelt beside Yong-myeong and examined his condition.

Touching his limbs, they were stiff, and his speech was slurred because his tongue was hardening.

These were symptoms Jin Ja-gang had experienced himself. He knew well what kind of poison caused such symptoms.

“It’s pufferfish poison. But I don’t know how to detoxify it. If you know a method, please tell me what I can do.”

Jin Ja-gang had been experimented on with hundreds of poisons while still alive. Mang-ryo had even explained the symptoms of each poison every time…

“You… go…”

Yong-myeong wanted to ask how Jin Ja-gang knew this, but he felt his tongue stiffening further. If Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t give up anyway, he needed to conserve his words.

“Aco…”

Yong-myeong struggled to speak.

Jin Ja-gang somehow understood what he meant.

“Aconite. You mean monkshood?”

Yong-myeong blinked his eyes to confirm.

Monkshood is a plant with deadly poison. However, it counteracts puffer fish poison, so when the two meet, they neutralize each other.

With luck, there was a chance of survival.

It was very dangerous, but at present, it was the only way to alleviate the symptoms and delay the progression of the poison.

Jin Ja-gang rose without delay.

He looked around. There were too many traces left on the ground—horse hoofprints and marks where someone had fallen.

If pursuers came, they would undoubtedly begin their search here. At present, it was difficult for Jin Ja-gang to move Yong-myeong very far, so they would be discovered quickly.

‘Monkshood…’

Monkshood typically grows near streams or in damp, shaded areas in high mountains. If they were lucky, he might find it quickly, but if not, he might have to wander for a long time.

If pursuers arrived in the meantime, both Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang would be dead.

Since they could no longer escape on horseback, Jin Ja-gang had only one option. Find monkshood, and once Yong-myeong recovered somewhat, escape on foot through the mountains.

That would require time.

‘I need to buy time.’

Jin Ja-gang thought.

‘How far have we come?’

Since the horse had been carrying two people, it couldn’t run very fast. Considering their alternating between running and walking, they had probably traveled about a hundred li.

He looked at the sky. They had departed in the early dawn, and now the sun was high in the sky.

‘About half a day has passed.’

They had traveled about a hundred li in two shichen.

Even if a pursuit team had been rapidly assembled and dispatched from the Extreme Poison Sect, it would have taken at least one shichen.

If the pursuers had been following for one shichen using lightness skills, they would have covered about fifty li.

That meant they had a buffer of half a shichen in time and fifty li in distance.

‘To find monkshood and wait for the mister to recover, we need at least a day’s time.’

The time remaining was at best just over half a shichen.

Jin Ja-gang drew poisonous energy from his dantian. His fingertips swelled immediately.

This was the only thing he could rely on… Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth.

☕ Support on Ko-Fi

Miao Ligoujao, the leader of the Extreme Poison Sect, glared at Mang-ryo.

“First you lost the Five-Colored Centipede… then you fell out of favor despite us submitting an application to join the Martial Arts Alliance… and now Bloody Hand is dead too…”

Mang-ryo remained silent like a mute who had swallowed honey. Miao Ligoujao, who was over sixty years old, was more famous for his cruel personality than his martial arts skills.

“Thanks to you, the Vice Sect Leader of the Medicine King Sect escaped, and even Great Desert Saber, who was quite useful, has become a traveler of no return. The damage is truly severe.”

Miao Ligoujao continued speaking as he walked around the room with his hands behind his back.

Then he stopped.

“I simply cannot believe these are the actions of a mere child. What do you think, Elder?”

Mang-ryo’s face twisted. Miao Ligoujao was ultimately pressing him for answers.

Mang-ryo replied with a hoarse voice.

“Sect Leader, that child has unimaginable luck on his side.”

“Then you should have been more attentive. How could you let things get to this point by failing to handle one small child? Tsk.”

Miao Ligoujao added:

“There are many complaints that you’re acting too independently and excessively. Last time, you took many people to search the Mixed Spring Ground… and this time, you unilaterally decided to take a large number of personnel to Triple Mountain Peak, only to return empty-handed.”

“That was to catch him…!”

Miao Ligoujao’s eyebrows twitched.

“You shouldn’t have tried to catch him—you should have killed him! If you encounter someone who might block your path, just kill them. Why do you keep trying to keep them alive? In our current position, don’t you know how valuable talents like Bloody Hand and Great Desert Saber are?”

“That’s… not it.”

“If you understand, then take some time to rest and reflect!”

Mang-ryo’s eyes filled with bloodshot fury.

“Sect Leader! Let me pursue him! Afterward, I’ll rest or reflect or whatever you want!”

“Aish, you still haven’t come to your senses?”

Miao Ligoujao became angry.

“Nine-tenths of Yunnan is mountains. Do you think they’ll be caught so easily? And how would it look to others if Elder Mang were to go scouring all over Yunnan with one eye and one leg? What would become of our Extreme Poison Sect’s reputation?”

“Sect Leader!”

Miao Ligoujao stomped his foot.

Bang! The floor crumbled beneath him.

“The boy uses poison, you say! I’ve already sent Longlao and Sa Heung-sam! I don’t want to hear any more, so just hand it over!”

Longlao was an elder of the Extreme Poison Sect who had risen rapidly while Mang-ryo had fallen. He was an expert in poison techniques, making him both a competitor and an enemy to Mang-ryo.

Hearing that Longlao had been dispatched, Mang-ryo gritted his teeth. A sense of defeat and despair enveloped his entire body.

“What… are you asking me to hand over?”

Mang-ryo watched Miao Ligoujao carefully.

Miao Ligoujao spoke briefly:

“The secret manuals of the Medicine King Sect and Hundred Flower Valley!”

At Miao Ligoujao’s words, Mang-ryo clenched his teeth. These were spoils of war that Mang-ryo had obtained. Now he was about to lose even those.

“Hurry!”

Miao Ligoujao’s low, pressing voice made it clear that he would not tolerate refusal.

Realizing that further resistance was futile, Mang-ryo bit his lip. He took a box placed on one side of the room and pressed its side to release the mechanism.

Click.

The sound of the mechanism being released was heard.

As Mang-ryo handed over the box, Miao Ligoujao gestured.

A warrior waiting behind approached and received the box. The warrior opened the box, took out the book inside, and handed it to Miao Ligoujao.

“Why is there only one?”

At Miao Ligoujao’s words, Mang-ryo looked up.

“That can’t be…”

“Hmm?”

The warrior who was about to hand the book to Miao Ligoujao flinched and dropped it.

Thud.

“What are you doing?”

Miao Ligoujao was annoyed but then startled.

The warrior’s face turned bluish, and blood flowed from his nose. The warrior fell to his knees.

“Ugh! Uuugh!”

The warrior writhed on the floor in agony.

Mang-ryo hurriedly picked up the book. Then he discovered a poisoned needle embedded in the book.

Cold sweat covered his entire body.

“W-why is this…?”

He flipped through the book.

No matter how many pages he turned, there was nothing inside—it was completely empty. This was the fake manual that Mang-ryo had given to Gwak-o.

“How did this end up here…?”

Mang-ryo frantically looked at Miao Ligoujao.

Miao Ligoujao’s expression was ice-cold.

His face showed that he roughly understood what had happened.

“Tsk.”

Miao Ligoujao clicked his tongue, looked at Mang-ryo with contemptuous eyes, then abruptly left the room. It was obvious what kind of treatment Mang-ryo would receive in the Extreme Poison Sect from now on.

“Ugh! Ugh! E-Elder. P-please save me!”

Even as the poisoned warrior rolled on the floor crying out in agony, Mang-ryo couldn’t hear his words.

“AAAAARGH!”

Mang-ryo roared with all his might.

“You b*st*rd, Jin Ja-gang—!”

* * *

Clip-clop, clip-clop…

The horse that had been running without rest gradually slowed down.

Clop, clop.

Its speed decreased until it was just walking slowly.

“The horse seems tired. We should rest a bit.”

Jin Ja-gang said.

But there was no response from Yong-myeong, who was riding behind him.

“Mister?”

Jin Ja-gang looked up at Yong-myeong.

Yong-myeong was sweating profusely, his lips were swollen, and his mouth was twisted. He was clearly not in a normal state.

“Mister.”

Yong-myeong, barely opening his eyes, spoke with difficulty.

“I’m sorry… I’m done for…”

Then, showing the whites of his eyes, he tumbled off the horse.

Thud.

The horse was startled and stood in place.

Neigh!

Jin Ja-gang was alarmed.

‘Ah! Poisoning!’

Jin Ja-gang had failed to consider Yong-myeong’s poisoning.

Even though they had been struck by the same poison, Jin Ja-gang was fine. His symptoms had already appeared and subsided. So he had thoughtlessly assumed the same would be true for Yong-myeong.

‘How stupid…’

Yong-myeong was different from Jin Ja-gang. Far from subsiding, his poisoning was getting worse, and his condition was deteriorating. This was the normal reaction for ordinary people.

Jin Ja-gang looked back. The winding mountain path they had traveled stretched behind them.

No one was visible yet, but pursuers could arrive at any moment. There was an anxiety that someone might come chasing after them, brandishing swords at any moment. No, they might already be close behind.

The horse was exhausted too. It now seemed unlikely to be able to carry both of them any further.

‘What should I do?’

Treating Yong-myeong’s poisoning was one thing, but even getting him back onto the horse was difficult for Jin Ja-gang alone.

If survival was the priority, it would be best for Jin Ja-gang, who was lighter, to continue riding the horse and escape alone.

With no other options available, they couldn’t all die trying to save someone who was already drowning.

But Jin Ja-gang couldn’t forget how the Medicine King Sect people had died trying to save him. Yong-myeong too had thrown himself in harm’s way to save Jin Ja-gang. Blood was still seeping from his pierced shoulder.

Having survived through the deaths and sacrifices of these Medicine King Sect people, he couldn’t dismiss it as nothing.

Even if Jin Ja-gang had important reasons to survive, if the process was filled with betrayal and ingratitude, it couldn’t possibly be the right path.

Above all, Jin Ja-gang was emotionally distraught.

The walls around his heart that had closed after suffering under Mang-ryo and being betrayed by Gwak-o had begun to open slightly because of Yong-myeong and the Medicine King Sect people.

That’s why he couldn’t abandon Yong-myeong like this.

Even though he knew fleeing alone would be the best option.

“Hoo.”

Jin Ja-gang exhaled deeply.

His deliberation didn’t last long. There wasn’t enough time for extended consideration. As soon as Jin Ja-gang made his decision, he pulled out the dagger embedded in his abdomen.

Blood flowed, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Jin Ja-gang had experienced too many terrible things to make a fuss over something like this.

After roughly wrapping cloth around his abdomen, Jin Ja-gang dismounted.

Yong-myeong, whose limbs were stiffening, tried to shake his head when he saw Jin Ja-gang’s actions.

“N-no. You… you should g-go…”

But Yong-myeong stopped mid-sentence, startled by Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes were very calm and composed. They weren’t the eyes of the child who had been wailing and pouring out emotions earlier. Nor were they the eyes of a child who had been agonizing over a decision just moments ago.

In that brief interval, Jin Ja-gang had already collected himself enough to remain unwavering.

Yong-myeong realized he could no longer dissuade Jin Ja-gang. He was determined to stay, even if told to leave.

Jin Ja-gang knelt beside Yong-myeong and examined his condition.

Touching his limbs, they were stiff, and his speech was slurred because his tongue was hardening.

These were symptoms Jin Ja-gang had experienced himself. He knew well what kind of poison caused such symptoms.

“It’s pufferfish poison. But I don’t know how to detoxify it. If you know a method, please tell me what I can do.”

Jin Ja-gang had been experimented on with hundreds of poisons while still alive. Mang-ryo had even explained the symptoms of each poison every time…

“You… go…”

Yong-myeong wanted to ask how Jin Ja-gang knew this, but he felt his tongue stiffening further. If Jin Ja-gang wouldn’t give up anyway, he needed to conserve his words.

“Aco…”

Yong-myeong struggled to speak.

Jin Ja-gang somehow understood what he meant.

“Aconite. You mean monkshood?”

Yong-myeong blinked his eyes to confirm.

Monkshood is a plant with deadly poison. However, it counteracts puffer fish poison, so when the two meet, they neutralize each other.

With luck, there was a chance of survival.

It was very dangerous, but at present, it was the only way to alleviate the symptoms and delay the progression of the poison.

Jin Ja-gang rose without delay.

He looked around. There were too many traces left on the ground—horse hoofprints and marks where someone had fallen.

If pursuers came, they would undoubtedly begin their search here. At present, it was difficult for Jin Ja-gang to move Yong-myeong very far, so they would be discovered quickly.

‘Monkshood…’

Monkshood typically grows near streams or in damp, shaded areas in high mountains. If they were lucky, he might find it quickly, but if not, he might have to wander for a long time.

If pursuers arrived in the meantime, both Yong-myeong and Jin Ja-gang would be dead.

Since they could no longer escape on horseback, Jin Ja-gang had only one option. Find monkshood, and once Yong-myeong recovered somewhat, escape on foot through the mountains.

That would require time.

‘I need to buy time.’

Jin Ja-gang thought.

‘How far have we come?’

Since the horse had been carrying two people, it couldn’t run very fast. Considering their alternating between running and walking, they had probably traveled about a hundred li.

He looked at the sky. They had departed in the early dawn, and now the sun was high in the sky.

‘About half a day has passed.’

They had traveled about a hundred li in two shichen.

Even if a pursuit team had been rapidly assembled and dispatched from the Extreme Poison Sect, it would have taken at least one shichen.

If the pursuers had been following for one shichen using lightness skills, they would have covered about fifty li.

That meant they had a buffer of half a shichen in time and fifty li in distance.

‘To find monkshood and wait for the mister to recover, we need at least a day’s time.’

The time remaining was at best just over half a shichen.

Jin Ja-gang drew poisonous energy from his dantian. His fingertips swelled immediately.

This was the only thing he could rely on… Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth.

☕ Support on Ko-Fi

☕ Support on Ko-Fi

☕ Support on Ko-Fi