Chapter 139: Warrior of the Sanwa Tribe (4)

A group arrived at a shabby log cabin built on a nameless hill.

A small child, not even reaching an adult’s waist, stood before the door with a terrified expression.

“Who is it?”

Her face, pale and thin from hunger, scanned the group. Then, her expression suddenly brightened as she recognized a familiar face.

“Baek-a!”

So-so stepped out from behind the adults with a bright grin.

Seeing a familiar face, a smile also appeared on Baek-a’s face.

“Sister So-so. Who are these grandpas and uncles?”

So-so shrugged, her face filled with pride.

“I brought them to save your father.”

“Really?”

As if she had never cried, So-so smiled brightly with her swollen eyes.

“Yes. Hehe.”

Just then, Baek-a’s gaze turned to So-mu’s shoulder. She had spotted Baek Sang, who was hanging limp.

“Do not worry. He is only sleeping for a moment.”

So-mu patted Baek-a’s head once and laid Baek Sang down in front of the cabin.

“Wake up quickly, Brother! They came to help Father!”

Though she shook him, there was no sign of him waking. Since So-mu had tapped his acupoints, it was only natural.

“Let him sleep a bit more. Only until your father’s treatment is finished.”

Puzzled, Baek-a tilted her head.

The medical soldiers approached her and handed over several bundles.

Curious, So-so opened one first. It was filled with snacks, food, and daily necessities.

“It’s pancakes! Have you tried this?”

Receiving the pancake, Baek-a took a bite, and a bright smile spread across her face.

“Hehe. It’s delicious, sister.”

Leaving the excited children behind, So-mu and Mo Cheong entered the cabin.

Creak!

The worn wooden door opened, revealing the interior.

The first thing that hit them was the stench of decay. And on a pile of straw lay a dying middle-aged man.

“Can you save him?”

Even Mo Cheong, renowned as the Life-Saving Divine Physician, could not answer easily. He began to check the man’s pulse and examine his condition.

After a moment, he spoke in a low, grim voice:

“We must cut away the rotted flesh and purge the poison from his body. The success rate does not exceed thirty percent.”

“I knew it would be difficult by any ordinary means. Still, if there is a thirty percent chance, it is worth a try.”

“In any case, the probability of failure is higher. Before we begin, would you like to speak with him?”

The man groaned in a stupor, looking as if he were not in his right mind. At a glance, he did not seem to be in a state to hold a conversation.

“Speak with him?”

Mo Cheong drew two large acupuncture needles from his case.

“If we alter the flow of his blocked true qi and direct it to his brain, he will temporarily regain consciousness.”

There was no reason to refuse. As So-mu nodded, the two large needles pierced the man’s forehead and neck.

Thud! Thud!

After a short moment, a change occurred.

“Urgh…”

Awakening, the middle-aged man laboriously scanned his surroundings. The first person he saw was So-mu, who was sitting by his head.

“Who…?”

“It seems you have already forgotten the man who made you like this.”

Watching from the side, Mo Cheong was quite surprised. To think that the person who had severed the man’s arm was none other than So-mu.

In truth, So-mu had only realized it moments ago. The wound was unmistakably left by his own swordplay. He was certainly one of the enemy generals he had struck down during the chaotic battle at Chang’an Fortress.

“Do not mock me… Just kill me…”

“If you die like this, what will become of your children?”

At that, the man’s gaze trembled.

“Where are my children now?”

He tried to force his body up, but it was useless. He lacked the strength to move even a finger. Speaking was all he could manage. Just then, he heard a sound coming from outside the door: the laughter of his daughter.

As his expression softened, So-mu spoke again.

“Your son has been going out every dawn to steal herbs. Trying to save you.”

The man’s eyes suddenly grew red.

“Where is my Sang-ah? That foolish boy, doing something I never asked of him…”

He could not continue, his throat tightening. Tears began to roll down his face.

Mo Cheong rummaged through his chest beside So-mu and said:

“Your son is sleeping outside. Decide quickly if you will receive the surgery. The success rate is thirty percent.”

In any case, he had no other choice. It was death either way. But before deciding, a question arose.

“Why are you trying to save me…?”

So-mu smiled bitterly.

“Because my daughter is doing everything she can to save you.”

Although the man could not understand the reason, that was not what mattered.

“If you save me, I may draw my sword against you again.”

“Suit yourself. I will simply kill you again.”

To speak so casually of saving someone only to kill them again. It was mind-boggling. One thing was certain: the man before him was a master capable of doing so. He knew this from experience, having failed to last even three exchanges against him on the battlefield.

With eyes filled with regret, he stared at the ceiling.

After pondering for a moment, he muttered in a low voice:

“I am not originally from the Jin Dynasty.”

The roots of the Jin Dynasty lay with the Jurchens, and not being from there meant he was a surrendered foreigner.

As if he had expected this, So-mu was not surprised.

“I remembered only moments ago. If my guess is correct, you are of the Sanwa Tribe.”

“How did you know that?”

“I saw the combat techniques your son used against me. Long ago, I met someone who used the same style. Moreover, your son’s extensive knowledge of herbs confirmed it.”

The Sanwa Tribe living in Hengshan was famous as a valiant minority. They had produced many outstanding warriors, some of whom had occasionally entered the Jianghu to make a name for themselves.

The middle-aged man laboriously introduced himself:

“I am Baek Yak, a warrior of the Sanwa. In my life, I have never met a warrior like you.”

“The world is vast, and there are many extraordinary people. In any case, it seems the Sanwa were also swept away and destroyed by the Jin Dynasty. And you surrendered to them.”

“I had no choice. I had to protect the last remaining children of the Sanwa.”

“The last children… Then they must be protected. I will make a proposal.”

Baek Yak’s fading eyes stared at So-mu.

“If you can guarantee the lives of my children, I will do anything.”

“Regardless of the outcome, we will care for the children. If the surgery is successful, I would like you to help with some chores in our army for three months. We are short-handed lately. Afterward, whether you leave this place or not is up to you.”

“What kind of work…?”

“Since you have experience, how about assisting our General with his duties?”

So-mu’s proposal was made without hesitation. He had already discussed this with Jang-yang and reached an agreement. All that remained was his decision.

“Might I not assassinate him?”

So-mu wore a meaningful smile. Even if this man died and returned to life, he could do nothing to the General’s bodyguard.

“If you can.”

“Before that, I also have a question.”

“Ask.”

“Who are you, the one who made me like this…?”

“Commandant of Loyal Valour So-mu.”

Baek Yak let out a strained laugh.

“So you are the chief of the Wolf Fang Squad who was said to have slain Commander Temur? As I suspected. Haha…”

There was clear relief in his eyes. It was not a humiliating defeat.

At that moment, Baek Yak’s body suddenly began to shudder.

Mo Cheong whispered urgently in So-mu’s ear:

“There is no time. We must proceed with the surgery immediately.”

Nodding, So-mu extended his left hand. True qi generated from his dantian escaped his fingers and struck the door gently.

Thump!

As the door opened, So-so and Baek-a turned their heads.

And the other child. Flicking his finger, So-mu unleashed a formless qi that struck the acupoints of the unconscious Baek Sang.

Thup!

“This may be the last time, so you should say goodbye. There is no time, come in.”

Startled, the first person Baek Sang saw upon waking was his father. The man who had been unconscious for so long was calling to him with difficulty.

“To see you safe… is a relief…”

Baek Sang ran over and clung to him, bursting into tears.

At the sight of him sobbing, Baek-a crouched beside him and began to cry as well.

“Do not weep… We of the Sanwa do not shed tears easily.”

Contrary to his words, Baek Yak’s eyes were also red.

“Father…”

“If something happens to me… follow these people. And… protect your sister well.”

With those words, Baek Yak lost consciousness once more.

Sobbing bitterly, Baek Sang could not compose himself. He was a deeply filial child who had risked his life to steal herbs to save his father. It did not feel easy for So-mu to separate them either.

“Everyone, step outside now. It may interfere with the surgery.”

With reluctant steps, Baek Sang led his sister outside.

And at the door, So-so stood watching with her wide eyes. So-mu drew a bundle of copper coins from his robe and tossed it to her.

“Take your friends and get something to eat in the village below.”

Receiving the coins, So-so understood his meaning instantly. Nodding, she led the children and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the medical soldiers brought clean water and placed it beside Mo Cheong.

“First, we must cut away the rotted part of his left arm.”

Nodding, So-mu opened his right hand. A sword rolling in the corner flew into his palm.

There was no hesitation in his actions. A sharp sword qi swept across Baek Yak’s shoulder like lightning.

Slash!

Simultaneously, about a dozen acupuncture needles shot into his shoulder. The instant hemostasis prevented even a drop of blood from escaping.

“Protect his meridians and organs with your internal energy.”

Even without being told, So-mu’s right hand was already pressed against the man’s dantian. So-mu and Mo Cheong worked in perfect harmony.

“What is that?”

In Mo Cheong’s hand were a dozen slender plant stems.

“This is a tool made from the stem of the Bokhwa flower. It is sharp but hollow inside.”

The sharp stems were inserted into various parts of Baek Yak’s body. Then, a grayish liquid was injected through the hollow stems.

At the sight of this unfamiliar medical treatment, the medical soldiers watched with expressions of admiration.

Mo Cheong grabbed a small knife and a dozen needles again. His treatment continued for an hour. His practiced hands never stopped moving.

After another fifteen minutes, Mo Cheong wiped the sweat from his wrinkled brow with the back of his hand.

“How did it go?”

“Fortunately, it ended successfully. His qi and blood are improving, so he should wake up before long.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

So-mu and Mo Cheong stepped outside the cabin to breathe the fresh air.

“It seems I will find it hard to enter heaven when I die.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Since I keep altering the fate people are born with, how could heaven be pleased?”

“That he met you, Elder, must also be his fate.”

Mo Cheong’s wrinkled mouth curved in a sheepish smile.

“Well, I suppose so. By the way, I heard the Wolf Fang Squad marches tonight. Is it alright for you to be here?”

So-mu looked up at the sky. Before he knew it, the sunset was fading over the horizon.

“I am always prepared. I wanted to see my daughter’s face one more time before leaving, but I must give that up.”

“Hahaha…”

“Why do you laugh?”

“A man who has lived a life more blood-stained than anyone else stands right beside me. Yet, seeing him look more human than anyone else now, how could I not find it amusing?”

So-mu smiled quietly and shook his head.

“You are mistaken. I am a colder person than I appear.”

“I may not know anything else, but I pride myself on my eye for people. Is it the General’s influence? Or is it your daughter’s?”

So-mu fell into silent thought.

He reflected on his life. During his days traversing the Jianghu, had there been a single day he had smiled? He had no memory of it. Yet now, he was wearing a smile almost habitually.

Without him realizing it, his appearance was changing little by little.

Organizing his thoughts, So-mu looked at the sunset and replied:

“Do you not already know the answer? And I must include you in that as well, Elder.”