Chapter 329: Darkness Returns (4)
“How is it?”
“Yes?”
Muk Bi asked with a smile.
“The medical students of the Medical Immortal Pavilion. Weren’t they uncomfortable to handle?”
Gi Wu-hui also smiled back.
“Yes. They treat me much more comfortably than I thought.”
Zhuge Wen-hu thoroughly gathered the physicians who would work at the Medical Immortal Pavilion with a focus on character and sincerity.
If the Murim Alliance needed skilled physicians right away, this kind of personnel selection would have been impossible. Zhuge Wen-hu believed that the growth of the Medical Immortal Pavilion depended entirely on the sincerity and uprightness of the physicians, and he had no doubt that Gi Wu-hui would become the stepping stone for that growth.
Moreover, because the majority of them had no connections and had not received formal education, they were individuals who had studied on their own and accumulated experience.
Naturally, they didn’t have unnecessary arrogance or pride like the Medical God Society, who went around claiming the medical skills of the Central Plains were the best. Although Gi Wu-hui was a person from the Western Regions, they were people who would have almost no prejudice regarding skills or character.
“It won’t be easy handling people.”
“It really is. Even though they are such good-natured people, I have many worries. Come to think of it, the soldiers of the Evil-Annihilating Army follow you very well, Vice Commander Muk?”
Muk Bi smiled sheepishly.
“The start was good. Young Master Yeon also took a good grip on them from the beginning. Rather than me doing well, it’s thanks to Young Master Yeon building the relationship well at first.”
“I see.”
Gi Wu-hui’s smile became a little awkward.
Muk Bi stood up from his seat.
“I will go to the unit for a while. Please rest comfortably.”
“Ah, yes!”
Thus, Muk Bi left the room.
Left alone, Gi Wu-hui let out a soft sigh.
‘Young Master Yeon.’
For her, the existence of Yeon Ho-jeong was bound to be special.
They had no private acquaintance, nor did they meet as physician and patient. However, Yeon Ho-jeong saw through Gi Wu-hui’s identity at once and forced a choice upon her.
That was true. It was a coercion. But the problem was that it was a coercion that came at a very timely moment.
So Gi Wu-hui was grateful to Yeon Ho-jeong. To put it badly, she had betrayed her father, but to put it positively, she was able to pursue the greater cause.
In any case, the person named Yeon Ho-jeong was an existence that had a great impact on Gi Wu-hui’s life.
Gi Wu-hui softly let out a sigh.
‘What kind of life has he lived.’
A few days ago, she was able to completely feel Yeon Ho-jeong’s emotions with an ability difficult to explain called the Spiritual Eye.
Anger like an active volcano, sorrow reminiscent of the pitch-black deep sea, unfading worry, and so on.
It was an array of all the emotions a human could harbor. Emotions that couldn’t possibly be combined were firmly bundled in one human’s chest, turning into explosives just before bursting, only taking rough breaths.
‘I’ve seen the emotions of many people so far, but I’ve never seen such rich emotions. He’s a person who has experienced the extreme limits of all emotions a human can feel.’
The Spiritual Eye can feel a person’s emotions or distinguish between truth and falsehood.
However, it cannot read thoughts. That was the reason Gi Wu-hui didn’t know Yeon Ho-jeong’s true identity or his past.
It was when Gi Wu-hui was lost in thought for a long time.
Thump. Thump.
Someone knocked on the door.
Gi Wu-hui did not panic. Because she already knew whose presence it was.
“Please come in.”
The door opened and Yeon Ho-jeong entered.
Gi Wu-hui tried hard to smile.
“For what matter… Gasp!”
She jumped up.
“Army Commander Yeon. Were you badly hurt?”
Even though there were no abnormalities on the outside, she noticed the presence of internal injuries at a glance. It was indeed a great skill.
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“It’s nothing much. It will heal on its own in a few days.”
“Still, that’s not right. Sit here first. For an accurate diagnosis, first your pulse…”
“I didn’t come to get treated.”
“Still, sit down!”
It was a strong voice unlike her.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who stared blankly at Gi Wu-hui, sat on the chair without a word.
“I will check your pulse for a moment.”
There is no checking the pulse in the medical skills of the Western Regions. It was clear at a glance that she had learned both the medical skills of the Central Plains and the Western Regions without discrimination.
Gi Wu-hui grabbed Yeon Ho-jeong’s pulse point.
‘…!’
What surprised her as soon as she checked his pulse was Yeon Ho-jeong’s vigorous blood circulation.
The flow of blood circulating through the blood vessels was extremely vigorous yet long and steady. She had never seen such a vigorous pulsation before.
‘He is indeed amazing.’
Qi was one thing, but his physical body was in an extremely healthy state.
It was probably because he was born with an innately outstanding physical body, or if not, thanks to training and formidable true qi that could even transform an innate physical body.
Whatever it was, it was an incredibly extraordinary physical body. Gi Wu-hui collected her surprise and focused on the pulse diagnosis.
After a while.
“It is as Army Commander Yeon said. You suffered quite a deep internal injury, but it has improved a lot over a few days. Even if left like this, natural healing will be possible.”
“I told you so.”
“Still, since you have a physician looking after your body, there’s no need to unnecessarily endure discomfort.”
Gi Wu-hui took out an acupuncture needle case from her embrace.
“I will make the flow of qi a little smoother. It will be able to cut your recovery time in half.”
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
“I’m really fine.”
“Army Commander Yeon.”
“I told you I didn’t come to get treated. Put the needle case away.”
It was awkward to strongly recommend treatment when he spoke like this.
Eventually, Gi Wu-hui put the needle case back into her embrace.
Yeon Ho-jeong asked.
“How are the kids?”
“Yes?”
“I mean the kids in the Medical Immortal Pavilion. Isn’t it your first time having many people under your command?”
Gi Wu-hui spoke with an awkward expression.
“It is my first time. But they are all good-natured, so it’s fine.”
“I heard their skills are below average.”
“To be honest, it’s not a good level. So I’m in the middle of working on a manual. So they can see and learn directly.”
“I see.”
He probably hadn’t come to ask this. It was, so to speak, a pleasantry before getting to the main point.
And Gi Wu-hui’s judgment was accurate.
“A few days ago, I caught the Number Twelve Martial General of the Divine Fire Cult.”
“…!!”
“You know? What kind of bastards the Eighteen Martial Generals are.”
Gi Wu-hui swallowed her saliva.
‘It was then.’
It must have been the incident that broke out on the dawn of that day when she felt Yeon Ho-jeong’s emotions with her Spiritual Eye.
“He spat out some information before he died. There were quite a few parts I didn’t know.”
Gi Wu-hui swallowed her saliva once again and asked.
“Do you believe that person’s words are the truth?”
“I do.”
“Why? The Eighteen Martial Generals is not a position one can reach simply by having strong martial arts. If one doesn’t have absolute faith in the Cult, no matter how outstanding their martial arts are, they cannot obtain the position of a Martial General.”
“I still think it’s the truth.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes became dull.
“It was torture that even a worse vicious bastard than him wouldn’t be able to endure. The probability of it being a lie is extremely low.”
“…!!”
Gi Wu-hui’s complexion turned pale.
Was it because she had felt Yeon Ho-jeong’s emotions once? Even though she couldn’t see it with her eyes, she could imagine how brutal and horrific the torture he had inflicted would be.
“The important thing is this. I am a human who is quite knowledgeable about the Evil Lust Cult. But I don’t have that much knowledge about the Divine Fire Cult or the Mad Blood Cult.”
Yeon Ho-jeong leaned his upper body forward and interlocked his fingers.
Just with that slow movement, it felt like the atmosphere had changed. An even darker and even heavier atmosphere strangled Gi Wu-hui’s neck.
“Originally, I didn’t intend to ask you more than this. After hearing from you before, it seemed you didn’t know much either, and I had heard all that was worth hearing, and even if you were hiding something, I thought it would be better to wait for the time when you speak of it with your own mouth.”
“…”
“There’s one thing you haven’t told me, isn’t there?”
“Yes?”
“The bloodline of the Divine Fire Cult Leader.”
“…!”
“Excluding you, I haven’t heard anything about your siblings. Furthermore, I haven’t heard in detail what kind of person the Divine Fire Cult Leader is, and why you are suffering hardships because of your bloodline.”
“…Is it an important matter?”
“It is.”
“May I know in what aspect it is an important matter?”
“When I caught the bastard named Hidden Shadow Number One before, I had a certain guess. And when I caught the Number Twelve Martial General this time, I became certain. The Divine Fire Cult intends to take over the Imperial Palace and the government.”
Gi Wu-hui’s eyes trembled.
Yeon Ho-jeong continued speaking in a monotonous tone.
“But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it. One of the reasons the empire, which has lost its power, has been able to be maintained until now is exactly bloodline, legitimacy. No matter how corrupted they are, they are not so easy as to be taken over by people from the Western Regions.”
“The powerful people… could be that corrupted.”
“My thought is a little different. If the powerful people of the empire were corrupted to that extent, the empire should have perished long ago. Because it means they are fighting a battle that crosses the line.”
“…”
“A line one cannot cross even if living as a treacherous sycophant. Both the Orthodox Path and the Unorthodox Path have their own lines. If so, what is the line for the politicians who run the country?”
“…It is legitimacy.”
“There would be several. But the biggest among them is, as you said, legitimacy.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes flashed.
“Whether you eat bribes or get oppressed by military force, there must be a minimum justification. And the greatest justification in the empire’s politics is exactly bloodline, legitimacy.”
“…”
“Tell me. How is the Divine Fire Cult Leader connected to the empire of the Central Plains?”
Gi Wu-hui, who had been staring at Yeon Ho-jeong blankly, let out a stifling sigh.
“Army Commander Yeon, you are truly sharp.”
“…”
“You are right. I haven’t told you all the information about the Divine Fire Cult. To be exact, I wasn’t even thinking of telling you. Because it was something I was trying hard to forget too.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled coldly.
“The forgotten memory, recall it again. And tell it to me.”
* * *
“What?!”
Dong Gak’s eyes shot open as if they would tear.
“The Number Twelve Martial General has not arrived yet?”
“Th-that is correct.”
The old man swallowed his saliva.
“With the Number Twelve Martial General’s skills, it would be normal for him to have already passed Xuchang and arrived in Kaifeng. But it is said he hasn’t shown himself yet.”
Dong Gak’s face contorted.
“For what reason on earth…?!”
Gyu Jeok is a thorough person.
Skills aside, he is a person who is certain in his work processing. He wasn’t someone who would evaporate without saying a word like this.
If so?
“Could it be, did he suffer a defeat at someone’s hands?!”
The old man unconsciously almost said that couldn’t be true, but held it in.
‘It’s unknown.’
This place is close to the Murim Alliance. And the Murim Alliance is like a holy ground for the martial artists of the Orthodox Path. It meant it was a place where that many experts came and went.
It wouldn’t be strange no matter what happened, anytime, anywhere. There might not be many experts capable of catching someone at the level of the Number Twelve Martial General without a mouse or bird knowing, but still, it was unknown.
“There is one suspicious point.”
“What is it?”
“I saw it while returning, but there were traces of a forest fire not far from here. As a result of a brief investigation, there was a lot of talk such as it being due to lightning, or a fire caused by a campfire lit by an unknown traveler, but.”
Dong Gak’s eyes became cold.
“Fire?”
The Divine Fire Cult worships fire.
Naturally, the believers of the Divine Fire Cult also learned Heat Yang Art. Among them, if they are the Eighteen Martial Generals, they learn the highest-grade Heat Yang Art.
If they make up their minds, causing a forest fire is not difficult. The problem is why the Number Twelve Martial General caused a forest fire.
“By any chance, any traces of a fight?”
“I couldn’t investigate that far.”
“Go and investigate right now. Just in case traces of someone fighting are discovered…”
Dong Gak gritted his teeth. He rather wished there were traces of a fight.
If Gyu Jeok had evaporated without any word, the higher-ups wouldn’t leave him, the last witness, alone.
“At that time, we must report to the higher-ups. We have to summon a higher-ranking Martial General.”