Chapter 168 News-1

Chapter 168 News-1

The first thing I did after Amhyulhyang died was to find the three ronin warriors.

His body wasn’t fully recovered, and he was drained from the tremendous battle, but that didn’t matter much.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I set out to find them.

‘Please, please!’

He knew full well that realistically, it was unlikely they were still alive.

Given the skills Amhyulhyang had demonstrated, she could have easily killed all three of them before meeting me again.

But he threw all such rational judgment aside.

He just prayed desperately in his heart, over and over, that they would be alive.

– Master Jang! Master Jong! Master Gong!

When I searched for them, shouting with all my might, the first to answer was Gong the warrior.

“Master Seonwoo?! Is it truly you?”

He appeared completely unharmed, likely having not yet encountered the Dark Cave Clan.

It was a tremendous relief.

Seeing he was unharmed, my heart swelled with relief.

“Master Gong! You’re safe!”

“Young Master Seonwoo! Why did you come here?! How are you…?!”

“I’m fine! Everything’s fine now!”

It was such a relief that he was alive.

Tears threatened to spill over.

But she couldn’t relax and talk with him yet.

I had to find both Jang Moo-sa and Jong Moo-sa.

I hoisted Gong Musha onto my back and began dashing like a whirlwind in the direction he had indicated.

It was the direction Master Jang and Master Jong had fled.

But knowing the direction alone made finding people anything but easy.

It took us quite some time before we finally managed to find him.

Master Jang, lying there bleeding, his chest pierced through.

“Master Jang!”

“Brother!”

He lay unconscious, collapsed as if already dead.

But after checking his pulse, I could confirm that his breath had not yet ceased.

It wasn’t an instant death.

I shouted toward Gong Musha.

“He’s alive! He’s still alive! His pulse is still beating!”

“Oh! Heaven and Earth, gods and spirits! Thank you! Thank you!”

Gong Musha embraced him, tears of joy streaming down his face.

My guess was that the Dark Cave Sect probably hadn’t killed him on purpose, but left him clinging to life.

They likely planned to interrogate me again if they couldn’t find me in any of the three directions.

It was a tremendous relief.

His intentions may have been impure, but at this very moment, I wanted to bring him back from the dead just to thank him.

I applied pressure to Master Jang’s wound as quickly as possible, then crushed the healing potion I had and fed it to him.

Then I said to Gong Musha.

“Master Gong, I will search for the direction Master Jong went! Please tend to Master Jang!”

“Understood! And please find that Jong-woo fellow too!”

If the Dark Blood Fragrance hadn’t truly intended to kill Master Jang, then Master Jong would likely still be alive.

I wondered if he too might be lying somewhere, looking much like Master Jang.

Therefore, he had to find him quickly.

Judging by the direction, he would have been the first to fall victim to the Dark Cave, and if so, he was likely in critical condition from excessive blood loss by now.

There was no time to waste.

But tracking him down by following only the direction he took was still no easy task.

“Master Jong!”

When I finally found him, he was lying on the floor, bleeding, just as I had feared.

My heart sank.

The amount of blood already pooling on the floor looked far from ordinary.

“Master Jong!”

I ran over to check his body.

But his body, now drained of all color and pale, showed no pulse.

His body was growing colder by the second.

I tried desperately to rouse him.

“Master Jong! Master Jong! Come to your senses! Master Jong!”

But of course, he couldn’t answer.

The man who always wore a quiet expression and gave a simple smile was now growing cold.

“Yik!”

I did not give up.

I intended to infuse his heart with qi.

I remembered reading in a book that if you could just get the heart beating again, you could revive someone who had died.

But then, suddenly, Mokrang’s voice rang out.

– Stop it. That method is only used when the heart stops due to shock; it’s useless for excessive bleeding.

‘Huh?! But…!’

Useless? His words felt like a bitter reproach.

But he couldn’t just give up, could he?

Then he spoke again.

– Trust me. My master was also highly skilled in medicine, so I too learned some medical arts. That’s why I say this: to save him, that method won’t work.

His words made me snap back to my senses.

He clearly said that method wouldn’t work to save the servant now.

Didn’t that mean there was another way?

I hurriedly asked him.

‘Then how? How can it be done?!’

He sighed and answered.

– First, stop the bleeding. And… I can’t guarantee it’ll work, but if there’s any way at all, we’ll have to supply him with the blood he’s missing.

The method he mentioned was a bizarre one I’d never heard of before.

‘Supply him with blood…?’

I couldn’t understand.

Does that mean feeding him blood?

But I’ve never heard that drinking blood actually increases your blood volume?

Then he began explaining again.

– That’s right. It’s a method of artificially injecting blood into his body through his blood vessels. It’s not something easily done here on the spot, and even if we did it, there’s no guarantee he’d survive. Blood compatibility varies from person to person—some blood suits them, some doesn’t. Right now, we have no choice but to use your blood. But if your blood doesn’t match his, he’ll die from the very blood you gave him.

Blood is supplied to the blood vessels.

That much I could understand.

At least if you inject blood directly into the blood vessels, you can replenish the blood that’s lacking.

Moreover, the notion that there was compatible blood and incompatible blood only lent more credibility to his words.

‘So you’re saying give him my blood, but only if that blood is compatible with him can he survive?’

After briefly pondering his words, I immediately countered.

‘If I don’t give him blood, won’t he die anyway?’

– That’s right. So it is the only option we can try.

‘Then there’s no need to say more. Tell me how!’

Following Mokrang’s instructions, I staunched the wound of the servant warrior. Then, using my internal energy, I scraped off a small amount of gold from the gold needle and shaped it into an extremely thin, elongated form.

Then, I drew out an extremely fine thread of sword energy and pierced a hole through the gold needle.

That was the tube for injecting the blood.

Mukrang continued speaking.

– Judging by how his body temperature is just starting to cool, his blood flow must have stopped only recently. So from this moment on, it’s a race against time. First, sterilize that gold crown by heating it over fire, then fill it with your own blood to prevent air from entering. If air gets into the blood vessels, he’ll die. And you must insert it precisely into the visible blue vein on his arm. After that, use your internal energy to force your blood into it.

I focused with astonishing intensity, executing his instructions flawlessly without the slightest deviation.

After a moment of pushing the blood from my finger into him through the crown, Mokrang spoke again.

– That’s enough. Let’s observe his condition for a moment. From now on, we can only pray your blood proves compatible with his. Now, try injecting qi into his heart to restart his blood flow.

With desperate hope, I did as Mokrang commanded.

‘Please, please. Master Jong, please.’

It was during that time spent praying so fervently.

I could finally see the color slowly returning to the servant’s face.

His pulse had also begun beating steadily.

Clenching my fist, I let out a cheer.

“It’s… it’s working! It’s working! Master Sword Spirit! It really is working!”

– Ha ha ha ha! What a relief! Blood supplied without even checking saved a life? It seems you two truly are destined to be connected! Ha ha ha ha!

He seemed immensely proud too.

I couldn’t stop laughing inside my head.

And I, clasping my hands together, gave thanks to the heavens.

To the heavens that gave me life once more, and brought me to Mokrang.

After briefly sharing joy with Mokrang, I began supplying blood to the bell-bearer once more.

Having confirmed its effectiveness, I wanted to give him a sufficient amount.

And soon after, Jong Musha was finally able to come back to life.

Truly, this was far more joyful than having defeated the Dark Blood Fragrance and survived.

After that, Gong Musha and I each made a stretcher, loaded Jang Musha and Jong Musha onto them, and were able to move the two to a doctor’s office located in the nearby Geumsa.

Moreover, we received a firm assurance from the physician, who was reputed to be quite skilled, that with proper recuperation, both men would recover fully.

It was truly a blessing beyond measure.

***

“Well now, I was just wondering how to pay off some debts, and instead I’ve ended up incurring more.”

The warrior Jang, lying in the councilor’s room, smiled weakly and said to me.

Beside him, Jong Musha, who was in even worse condition, also smiled apologetically with a still-pale face.

I had rented an entire annex in the doctor’s courtyard so the two could receive treatment there alone.

So, in the room now, there were only me and the three ronin.

It cost quite a bit, but for me, who had become wealthy by robbing the Black Chamber long ago, it was no burden at all.

Moreover, hadn’t they recently cleaned out every last bit of the hidden fortune stashed away by the head of the Sicheon Sect?

He chuckled and replied.

“You dream big. To think you dreamed of repaying your debt to me. This time, I’ll make sure you can’t even dream such a futile dream.”

The money I spent on them wasn’t just for renting the annex.

I had used up all the elixirs I carried with me, so I bought a huge amount more to give them.

I practically cleaned out nearly every potion available near Geumsa.

Of course, when I returned to the Biyong 13th Division, the Seventh Division’s warehouse was piled high with healing potions.

But isn’t it a waste of time to go all the way there just to retrieve them?

Unless it’s a Summoning-grade elixir, the price isn’t really that burdensome either.

Money was no object, so there was no need to be stingy.

I’d entrusted all of it to the physicians, asking them to use it for the others’ treatment. Once they recovered, I suspected they’d be in far better health than before.

It felt satisfying.

‘Hmm, so this is what they mean by the joy of spending money.’

As I was inwardly satisfied with that thought, Master Jang looked apologetic and said to me.

“Master, there was no need for you to go to such lengths. Even a brief, simple treatment would have healed you in no time.”

He seemed terribly uncomfortable.

Even though I jokingly replied, telling him not to feel burdened, seeing him still so apologetic, it seemed he was the kind of person who simply couldn’t bear owing anyone a favor.

I had no choice but to answer him with a serious expression.

“Master Jang, don’t you understand? The debt is actually mine to repay. Had the three of you not risked your lives to help me, my life would have ended right there. So you three staked your most precious things to save my most precious thing. How could you possibly think this mere wealth is repayment for that debt? And…”

Suddenly, she clasped his hand tightly and continued.

“As you said when you saved me, aren’t we already friends? Are you trying to make me look like a shameless bastard who begrudges money even when saving a friend, Master Jang?”

Sometimes, the warmth felt from a single touch conveyed the heart better than many words.

Perhaps this was one of those times.

When I took his hand, instead of words, he squeezed mine tightly, conveying his feelings.

Deep affection and gratitude were being conveyed through the warmth of his touch.

After that, we talked about everything that had happened with a much more relaxed mindset.

They were very curious about life on the front lines and the experiences I had endured.

Above all else, they were eager to hear the story about the death of this Dark Cave.

“…That’s how it happened.”

“Hah, the world truly is full of strange people. To think there was someone strange enough to kill Amhyulhyang, the so-called King of Assassins, so easily.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about Mokrang’s secret, so I had already told them that an unknown deceased person appeared, killed the Dark Blood Fragrance, and saved me.

So I recounted the events as if I had merely witnessed them from the sidelines, which felt rather strange.

Then, Gong Mushi suddenly asked me.

“Could that mysterious deceased person be Seo Il, the Poison Eye Demon Sword?”

“…Huh? Who?”

The absurdity of it all left me unable to control my expression, and I couldn’t help but frown and retort.

Then Gong Musha spoke again.

“No, surely someone capable of killing Amhyulhyang so easily wouldn’t be common, would they? They must be one of the Fifteen Absolutes. If so, wouldn’t that point to the Poison-Eyed Sword Demon, who was in the vicinity until recently?”

I gave a hollow laugh and shook my head firmly.

“There’s absolutely no way it could be him. I can guarantee it because I’ve been with him—even if he had the ability, he’s not the kind of person who would ever do something like that.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

As Gong Musha tilted his head skeptically, Jang Musha, who had been lying down, added his opinion.

“Yeah, I think Master Seonwoo is right. Since he was with him, he’d know best, wouldn’t he? Besides, isn’t Seo-il supposed to face off against the Sword Saint soon? He probably went straight there.”

“Ah, you’re right about that too.”

Jang Musha spoke, and Gong Musha nodded as if he understood.

But the one who truly didn’t understand was me.

“…Huh? Master Jang? What did you just say? Seo-il is going to fight someone?”

He looked back at me with a surprised expression.

“You didn’t hear? It’s the most famous story spreading through the martial world right now! The Poison Eye Sword Demon Seo-il recently challenged the Heavenly Sword Saint, the great hero Hae-unbaek. So they said the duel would be at the Biryongdae headquarters, and that day… Ah! That day is today!”

Ah, come to think of it, today really is the day! Time has flown by so fast! Wow, I’ll get to see that scene with my own eyes….

“I absolutely must see that scene too….”

They kept saying something, but the rest of their words didn’t register in my ears.

The news was too shocking, plunging me straight into deep thought.

‘The Demon Sword challenged the Sword Saint?’

How could I have missed such an important rumor? I must have been so focused on the Seonwoo family’s affairs that I neglected other rumors.

‘Seo-il challenged the Sword Saint?’

This was definitely strange.

For the Demon Sword Seo-il to challenge the Sword Saint himself—that was simply unthinkable.

Having met both men personally, I knew this best.

That Seo-il fellow was absolutely no match for the Sword Saint.

But the problem was that Seo-il surely knew this too.

That coward, who only fought battles he was certain to win and killed every opponent he defeated for fear of future retribution, would never accept a challenge he knew he would lose.

‘Then….’

It was highly probable that his challenge to the Sword Saint was not his own will, but someone else’s plan.

And that other person was undoubtedly the one I knew.

Clenching my fist, I recalled his name.

‘Zhuge Zhijiang!’

A military strategist of the Martial Alliance, currently hailed as the world’s foremost tactician.

Wasn’t he the one who knew the Sword Saint better than anyone else?

There was no way such a man as Zhuge Zhijiang would devise a plan doomed to fail.

Seo-il would never engage in a fight he was bound to lose.

Therefore, it was obvious they had set up a situation where Seo-il had no choice but to win, no matter what.

‘Damn it!’

He jumped to his feet.

Beyond being Lady Cheongyeon’s father, the Sword Saint was the first adult I had ever met whom I could truly respect.

He was a true elder who gave me a fatherly feeling even before my own father did.

Therefore, if it was true that he had fallen into Jegal Jigang’s trap, I absolutely could not just sit here like this.

First, I hastily apologized to the three warriors.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to go now.”

The three men, who had exchanged puzzled glances, immediately nodded their heads.

“It seems you have some connection to this matter after all. Go ahead, young master.”

“Indeed. You needn’t worry about us at all. We’ve already received more than our fair share of hospitality.”

“…Thank you.”

Just as I was about to leave, relieved by their understanding, I suddenly hesitated upon seeing the three of them and pulled a letter from my bag.

It was a letter my father had written for me to show the governor of the province.

I wanted to deliver this one personally.

Because he wanted to properly convey the feelings he had come to realize during his time at the Seonwoo family estate.

But it seemed impossible to do so.

“I have a request to make of the three of you. After you have recovered…”