Chapter 278: Where Does Conflict Come From (3)
Chwaaaak!
The sound of cutting through the water current was extremely sharp.
Pow! Poooow!
The river water at the stern exploded, and the speed of the fast ship became even faster.
Surprise lingered on Gang Ryang’s face.
“I-It’s amazing, Big Brother?”
“Don’t talk to me right now. I have to focus.”
“Yep!”
Yeon Ho-jeong threw out both hands alternately with heavy movements.
Pooooow!
The surface of the river water caused an explosion once again, adding speed to the fast ship.
‘It’s quite difficult to do this after a long time.’
This was not a palm technique for striking.
It was a palm technique that caused an explosion at the appropriate moment while steadily pushing the water’s surface. It was not a method with heavy internal energy consumption, but it required much finer control than a regular palm technique.
Vooong!
For a moment, the fast ship tilted slightly.
Yeon Ho-jeong shouted.
“Big Brother!”
“I’m sorry, Brother Yeon! I lost my balance for a moment!”
“You have to spread the weight lower and wider!”
“I got it!”
The fast ship didn’t gain speed just by bursting out a powerful palm force.
In order for the fast ship to advance while maintaining proper balance, Murong Yu’s role, sitting at the bow, was also important. It was because he had to increase the weight with a method similar to Thousand Catty Drop, but balance it out within a line that didn’t affect the speed.
Muk Bi and Gang Ryang rowed the oars from the left and right, and at the stern, Yeon Ho-jeong increased the speed with delicate palm force. The fast ship crossed the Yangtze River at an unprecedented speed.
How much time passed like that.
“Brother Yeon, is your internal energy okay?”
“It’s fine. If my internal energy runs out in the middle, then I’ll rest a bit.”
Just because there was no time didn’t mean they had to deviate from their respective roles. There was a risk of an accident occurring at the slightest misstep, and if that happened, they could end up being even later.
Murong Yu was newly surprised by that aspect of Yeon Ho-jeong. At first glance, he seemed to act recklessly, but his eyes for seeing the whole picture were certain.
Either way, as time passed, each became accustomed to the role they were assigned. Leisure gradually began to dwell on the faces of the four people.
“Brother Yeon.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think? About those words from the sailor.”
Yeon Ho-jeong furrowed his brows.
“It seems like the Medical God Society pulled some strings, but it’s not certain.”
“Hmm.”
At that time, Muk Bi spoke.
“I still don’t understand.”
“What?”
“An organization called the Medical God Society, can it be that great? It’s just an organization where physicians gathered… Of course, I can see their financial power being outstanding, though.”
Muk Bi’s knowledge of medicine was deeper than expected. Of course, she hadn’t received proper education, and it was because she learned medical knowledge on her own to treat injuries or illnesses when she was in Sun-Piercing Valley.
That’s why even though she knew it in her head, she couldn’t understand it in her heart. How much of a spotlighted profession a physician was, and what great treatment they received.
“Even from the perspective of martial artists, physicians are not people who can be easily ignored. Naturally. When you get injured, you have to treat it, right? Even if you can resolve decent injuries on your own, when you’re heavily injured, the existence of a physician is desperately needed.”
“Hmm.”
“But the physician seen from the Imperial Palace, government offices, or civilians is on a different level from the physician seen in the Murim.”
“It means they are more important, right?”
“Of course.”
Murong Yu took over Yeon Ho-jeong’s words.
“Physicians with good skills often go as personal doctors for high-ranking officials and other lofty individuals. Naturally, their influence also grows stronger, and they essentially get their hands on considerable wealth as well as mighty power greater than a decent government official.”
Muk Bi frowned.
“Is it to that extent?”
“I don’t know to what extent you’re thinking, but it will probably be beyond what Vice Commander Muk thinks. If warriors or soldiers are those who deal with death, a physician is one who deals with life. Naturally, they have no choice but to receive treatment.”
“Mmm.”
“To put it bluntly, isn’t the reason we are going to escort the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions also similar to that? A physician with good skills like her, it would be insufficient even if we brought her back giving a thousand gold.”
“I see. Now I understand. To say it, their power is not actual military force, but influence utilizing their own value.”
“That is accurate.”
Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.
“Also, our Central Plains physicians don’t carelessly pass on their knowledge to others. There have occasionally been people who actually attempted such things, but other physicians would ostracize or threaten them, saying it was an act of lowering the value of medicine.”
Muk Bi let out a sigh.
“What on earth is so precious.”
“It’s worth being precious. So to speak, that’s their intellectual property. But the problem is that they excessively ignore the free will of others. Then again, since medical skill itself is a profound study, it would be hard to easily learn it even if one wanted to.”
Gang Ryang opened his mouth.
“It’s easy.”
Muk Bi looked at Gang Ryang.
“Easy?”
“The process.”
“What process?”
“There aren’t many who can exert influence over sailors.”
“Ah? Really?”
“Yes. Do you perhaps know as well, Big Sister? Like the Green Forest, there are guys who do water banditry on the Yangtze River.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes shone.
“Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold.”
“That is correct.”
Gang Ryang spoke with a sour face.
“Whether it’s the Green Forest or the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold, they are all groups of the Unorthodox. And the Unorthodox has no choice but to mind the government offices more than the Orthodox Path. It would be a different story if they boasted the fighting power of a great sect, though.”
“Hmm, so?”
“Those who have strings in the government office can exert powerful influence over the Unorthodox.”
“So what does that… Ah?!”
Muk Bi let out an exclamation.
“Then the Medical God Society?”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.
“If the Medical God Society is an alliance created by famous physicians in the Central Plains, they can be seen as maintaining a close relationship with the government office.”
“No, it only took us three days to reach the Yangtze River, but already…?”
“The Murim’s information network or the government’s information network isn’t that different. If they made up their minds to spread information, there’s nothing they couldn’t do.”
Yeon Ho-jeong let out a sigh.
Even while doing so, he shot out palm force with a constant rhythm; it seemed his body had fully gotten used to it now.
“That’s why I tried to move quickly.”
“What on earth did the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions do so wrong for them to go this far?”
“We don’t need to know their circumstances. The important thing is just that we have to enter Jiangxi Province as soon as possible.”
In any case, since they obtained the fast ship, it wasn’t bad as a result.
Muk Bi, who was rowing, tilted her head at a thought that suddenly occurred to her.
“But it’s strange.”
“Eh? What is?”
Muk Bi frowned.
“It’s a group that can exert that much influence, but no matter how much it was in front of celebrities like Young Master Yeon or Commander Murong, didn’t they come out with too low of a posture?”
“Ga Yeok-so?”
“Yes. Not just anyone can exert the influence to block the waterway in three days, right. Besides, listening to the story, it seems the group called the Medical God Society has absolutely no reason to fear the Murim Alliance.”
It was a matter of influence, not military force. Since the Medical God Society had deep ties with the government office, there was no need to fear each other from the beginning.
Of course, that was when they maintained a good relationship. Whether it was the government office or the Murim, if things went wrong, they had ample ability to target the opposing side’s personnel.
“Perhaps…”
Murong Yu frowned.
“I think it might be Ga Yeok-so’s personal issue. The expression that the person named Ga Yeok-so showed us back then, it didn’t seem like acting at all.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.
“I think so too.”
“Then, just as Brother Yeon said, the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions could be in danger. If Ga Yeok-so handled the work in a take-action-first-report-later format, the Medical God Society might ignore that and strike directly.”
“Right, that could be the case.”
“Sharing our opinions like this, it definitely seems like it would be better to move quickly, just as Brother Yeon said.”
“Yeah.”
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke to Gang Ryang.
“For the time being, it’s movement technique training. If you fall behind, I’ll leave you, so keep up properly.”
Gang Ryang grumbled.
“You did that during our first meeting too, but you keep saying you’ll leave me behind.”
“I’ll…”
“I understood. Don’t worry.”
Yeon Ho-jeong let out a sigh.
“Damn it, I just hope nothing happens until we arrive at least.”
Unfortunately, the heavens did not listen to his wish.
The group, who smoothly crossed the Yangtze River and entered Jiangxi Province in an instant with ignorance-defying movement techniques, heard shocking news from the Beggars’ Gang branch.
“We have a big problem! A mysterious group has attacked the clinic where the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions is staying!”
“These sons of bitches!”
“By the greatest of fortunes, the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions is on the run! The attackers are not touching the patients and are only tracking the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions!”
“Is anyone helping her?!”
“The Beggars’ Gang. Just in case, we are avoiding direct intervention and are focusing on confusing the attackers’ eyes.”
“You did well. From now on, we will resolve it.”
“I think you need to hurry. Whether it’s good luck or what, the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions is moving while exquisitely avoiding the places the attackers are aiming for, but we cannot guarantee how long that luck will last.”
“We will depart immediately. However, let me ask just this one thing.”
“You mean the identity of the attackers?”
“That is so. Is even a guess possible?”
“As of now, there is no way to know.”
“Damn it. I understand. Please suffer a little more.”
“I will pray for your martial luck. Fortunately, the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions is also heading north, so you should be able to meet her if you ride for just one more day.”
Paaaaang!
The group spurred on their southward speed.
Fortunately, the group kept up well with Yeon Ho-jeong’s movement technique. Murong Yu was originally a martial artist skilled in various fields so it was expected, Muk Bi was superior to Yeon Ho-jeong when limited to movement techniques, and Gang Ryang chased closely behind him with extreme patience.
A day passed like that.
Murong Yu’s eye light spewed fire.
“Brother Yeon!”
“I felt it too!”
A sharp murderous intent was detected from a distant forest path next to the basin on the left.
Yeon Ho-jeong felt it intuitively. That refined murderous intent was unmistakably that of an assassin.
And that the presence of the target the assassin was chasing was glowing to a mysterious extent.
Thump!
His heart heated up hotly.
Thump thump!
The Vermilion Bird Qi burned up, increasing his cardiac output.
Huuuwoooong!
A white wind gathered beneath his two feet. His whole body’s muscles swelled up heavily, and the speed at which true qi traveled through his nerves doubled.
Surprisingly, his Four Gods Martial Arts boasted a slightly thicker density than before he left the Alliance. He had now entered a realm where his true qi grew on its own without him particularly training it.
Wiiiiiing!
In order to handle the powerful Four Gods Martial Arts, the Jade Gauze True Formula also spewed out an even more vigorous power.
Even the Jade Gauze True Qi grew to contain the grown Four Gods Martial Arts. The mutual generation between the intertwined true qi was a development speed he had not experienced many times even during his days as the Dark Emperor.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s right foot kicked off a solid rock.
Kwang!
In the eyes of Yeon Ho-jeong, who ran out like a flame, a blonde woman whose whole body was covered in scratches could be seen running breathlessly.
‘Divine Maiden of the Western Regions!’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression brightened at once.
However.
‘Huh?’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s brightened expression hardened in an instant.
“Pant pant!”
The Divine Maiden of the Western Regions running breathlessly.
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes shook madly at the energy wavering unstably from her body.
“……The Three Cults?”