Chapter 112: Chapter 112
The Black Overlord Castle Sichuan Branch immediately after Cheon Woo-jin left.
In this place where rough unorthodox martial artists resided, only a single hall was decorated with an antique atmosphere.
In fact, remodeling this hall was a recent matter, because the physician called the Divine Physician had threatened that he had no intention of staying even for a moment unless it was decorated to his taste.
The Black Overlord Castle immediately decorated the hall as the Divine Physician wished.
Such was his renown in the contemporary martial world.
In a martial world where bloody fights were rampant daily, the existence of a physician was inherently precious. All the more so for the Divine Physician, who was said to bring even the dead back to this world by persuading King Yanluo.
At any rate, inside that tranquil room, there was a person lying down wrapped tightly in white bandages from head to toe.
He was a man with a physique twice as thick as an ordinary adult male, and slender acupuncture needles were densely inserted across that massive torso.
“Done.”
Having inserted the one hundred and thirty-fourth needle at last, the Divine Physician wiped away a bead of sweat.
Around him were several martial artists who had come to watch, including Ma Yong-seok, and a dozen physicians, but the Divine Physician did not lose his focus, acting as if only the patient were visible.
Suddenly, Ma Yong-seok asked.
“Um, Elder Divine Physician. Do you usually insert this many?”
In Ma Yong-seok’s eyes, the Divine Physician’s acupuncture felt closer to an ultimate technique of the martial world rather than medicine. Right now, the Black Tortoise Squad Leader looked as if he had been ambushed by a swarm of martial artists from the Tang Clan.
The Divine Physician clicked his tongue.
“Fundamentally, large needles are inserted into acupoints where meridians are completely damaged or on the verge of snapping. If it were an ordinary patient, I wouldn’t have used even half this number of needles.”
Ma Yong-seok swallowed dryly.
Needles were placed only in damaged areas. Yet the number of those needles exceeded a hundred. In that case, was it not at the level where all meridians across his entire body were shredded to pieces?
He knew the Black Tortoise Squad Leader’s condition was severe, but he hadn’t known it was to this degree.
“…Just how on earth is he still alive?”
“It seems he still has a reason to remain in this world.”
The Divine Physician washed his hands in a basin and spoke nonchalantly.
Ma Yong-seok stared quietly at the Black Tortoise Squad Leader with somehow peculiar eyes.
Flinch.
In an instant, Ma Yong-seok’s eyes grew as wide as lanterns.
“E-Elder! Just now, the Black Tortoise Squad Leader moved his finger.”
“Nonsense. Even if he were an iron monster made of iron from head to toe, he would still be far from waking up…”
The Divine Physician’s words broke off abruptly.
The Black Tortoise Squad Leader opened his eyes. He was even raising his upper body. Thanks to that, the needles inserted into his body fell off in droves and rolled across the floor.
From his mouth, awakening after several days, a metallic voice flowed out.
“Tang Bi-cheon, you bastard, whose subordinate do you dare…”
Cheol Ji-ak suddenly stopped speaking and looked around in bewilderment.
He had certainly closed his eyes while rushing forward to block the Poison King’s ultimate technique. No matter how high his physical endurance was, he had believed he could not help but die.
Yet, he had opened his eyes amid unfamiliar scenery and unfamiliar people.
And the scent of herbal decoction brushing past his nose…
Cheol Ji-ak’s eyes grew wider and wider. He had seen something like this in chivalric novels he read whenever he had no missions. A protagonist who reawakened in the body of a stranger while carrying memories of a past life.
Such novels were recently in vogue. Commonly referred to as regression, possession, and reincarnation.
“Could it be that I…”
“Black Tortoise Squad Leader, I have heard rumors that your body was sturdy, but you truly exceed my expectations.”
The Divine Physician clicked his tongue in wonder as he spoke.
Thanks to that, Cheol Ji-ak, awakening from his delusions, wore an expression of subtle disappointment even while asking in a courteous tone.
“Did you save me, physician?”
“Then did that bear-like fellow over there save you?”
The Divine Physician pointed bluntly at Ma Yong-seok. At that, Ma Yong-seok scratched his head awkwardly.
Cheol Ji-ak stood up from the bed. Because he had not fully healed, excruciating pain washed over his entire body. Even so, he had to do what needed to be done.
Straining to stand, Cheol Ji-ak courteously cupped his fists in salute toward the Divine Physician.
“Elder, thank you. I will surely repay this debt of gratitude. May I ask for your esteemed name?”
“Pyeon Baek.”
“Yes, Physician Pyeon. First, after I return to the alliance, I will surely…”
Suddenly, Cheol Ji-ak plopped down onto the floor.
It was partly because his wounds were not fully healed, but also because he recalled that the physician named Pyeon Baek was none other than the martial world’s Divine Physician.
“D-Divine Physician, Elder?”
“Return? What return? You will have to observe your condition here for at least seven days.”
“Pardon? But…”
“Since stepping into medicine, there has not been a single person I failed to save. Naturally, you, whom I treated, must also be like that. Are you perhaps trying to openly tarnish my reputation?”
Cheol Ji-ak made a troubled face.
Even though he was a Divine Physician who had come here at the invitation of the Unorthodox Path, he was a physician respected by orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic alike.
Above all, was he not the physician who had saved his life?
He could not take the Divine Physician’s words lightly at all.
“In any case, it will take about seven days for that subordinate of yours to return anyway.”
“My subordinate…?”
When Cheol Ji-ak tilted his head, the Divine Physician and Ma Yong-seok explained everything, starting from the story of Cheon Woo-jin carrying him on his back, retrieving the Spirit Green Pill from the Green Forest, and heading toward the headquarters of the Black Overlord Castle.
Cheol Ji-ak’s heart grew even heavier.
He had incurred a debt to the youngest again. Moreover, a debt of life.
Soon, Cheol Ji-ak’s gaze sank low. According to their explanation, it would take time for Woo-jin to return.
If he had to remain here during that time anyway…
“Would it perhaps be alright if I trained?”
Cheol Ji-ak asked politely.
Although it was his own body, since there was a physician who had saved his life, it was only proper to seek understanding before overworking his body.
The Divine Physician looked at Cheol Ji-ak with narrowed eyes.
Unlike other physicians, the Divine Physician understood the nature of martial artists well. In his eyes, Cheol Ji-ak was the type of person who would develop a mental illness if prevented from training.
Furthermore, an illness of the mind was bound to lead directly to the body.
It was purely a medical judgment, but the Divine Physician spoke in a generous tone as if bestowing a great favor.
“When I am present here, what do you have to worry about? Do the best training you can. Even if you end up seeing the underworld, I will go fetch you back.”
Cheol Ji-ak wore a deeply touched expression.
Originally, external arts emphasizing physical endurance and brute strength like Cheol Ji-ak’s inevitably involved breaking, snapping, tearing, and getting hurt during the training process.
Yet to have the Divine Physician, one of the Three Great Physicians Under Heaven, speak like that, how reassuring it felt.
Watching Cheol Ji-ak head out to the front yard with lighter steps, the Divine Physician also felt in a good mood.
Of course, it did not take very long for him to regret his words.
* * *
The first night of the seven days.
Cheol Ji-ak sat on the ground of the training area with a body reduced to rags.
Thanks to training in the front yard of the hall where the Divine Physician resided, he had been able to push his body to the limit as if he had two lives.
Just as he was feeling rather satisfied.
“Hoo…”
Cheol Ji-ak turned his head at the sound of an unsatisfied sigh coming from the side.
A reliable man with a physique similar to his own was standing in a corner of the training grounds.
‘Did they say he was the Young Castle Lord’s escort?’
Just as Ma Yong-seok had done when looking at Cheol Ji-ak, Cheol Ji-ak also noticed that the other man was a martial artist of the same kind.
Showing his training to an unorthodox martial artist, and one similar to himself at that, made him uncomfortable, but as long as this was the Black Overlord Castle, there was no other choice.
On the second day of training.
Ma Yong-seok, who had only sighed the day before, murmured casually in passing this time.
“That’s not how you do it.”
“…”
Cheol Ji-ak, who was sitting on the ground, cast a displeased look toward Ma Yong-seok. At that, Ma Yong-seok flinched and hurried away.
However, that was only the beginning.
On the third day, it was, ‘Why not push it up a little more?’
On the fourth day, it was, ‘Ahem! If you lower your center of gravity just a bit more, you could surely ascend to a new step.’
At the unsolicited advice that continued for a full four days, Cheol Ji-ak finally could not hold back and asked bluntly.
“If you know so well, why don’t you demonstrate it yourself?”
Cheol Ji-ak had expressed his discontent in his own way, but Ma Yong-seok smiled brightly as if he had been waiting for this very moment.
“Ahem, shall I?”
Approaching, Ma Yong-seok slightly lowered his stance and thrust one shoulder out toward Cheol Ji-ak.
“They often say offense is the best defense, don’t they? However, half of that is wrong. That’s a story for strange people like our Young Castle Lord or your Member Cheon. People like you and me should aim to become endlessly sturdy.”
Saying so, Ma Yong-seok tapped his outstretched shoulder as if telling him to try hitting it.
Thinking it served him right after days of irritation, Cheol Ji-ak struck Ma Yong-seok’s shoulder with full force. Of course, regardless of his irritation, since the man had provided an environment where he could train, he struck only to the extent of not injuring him.
However, the result was entirely different from Cheol Ji-ak’s expectations.
Clang!
Human fist and shoulder collided, yet a roaring sound erupted.
Cheol Ji-ak was greatly astonished by the hardness felt through his fist.
It felt as though he had struck a lump of iron.
Ma Yong-seok spoke triumphantly.
“Look. It’s similar to your martial arts, Squad Leader, but far sturdier, isn’t it?”
Cheol Ji-ak’s expression turned serious.
With that single strike just now, it became certain that Ma Yong-seok was an expert at least one level above him.
With a similar physique and practicing similar martial arts, the man was imparting teachings on martial arts.
Putting aside ideology, age, or seniority, this was something that compelled him to become humble as a fellow martial artist.
Gratified by his changed attitude, Ma Yong-seok continued his explanation.
His own training method, the principle of muscle damage and recovery, and how to integrate inner cultivation during that process to construct skin and muscles on an entirely different level.
Furthermore, even the intensity of training required to achieve all of this.
Cheol Ji-ak could not conceal his astonishment.
He had thought that he himself practiced training far more crude and radical than most martial artists, but Ma Yong-seok was on another level.
In Cheol Ji-ak’s estimation, Ma Yong-seok’s training method was literally equivalent to hell.
At that appearance, Ma Yong-seok smiled faintly.
“That’s right. With ordinary mental strength, one cannot endure it. However, I knew upon seeing the state of your body when you first arrived here, Squad Leader. That a man who could display that much mental fortitude to protect his subordinates could surely handle my training methods as well.”
“…”
Cheol Ji-ak wore a peculiar expression.
As a squad leader of the Martial Alliance, was it alright for him to be pleased by the recognition of an unorthodox martial artist? Putting aside such questions, he could not deny that his heart was immediately filled with joy.
“To be frank, beyond respect, I even felt a sense of camaraderie. Just as you did, Squad Leader, I have spent my whole life protecting someone else. The problem is that the person I must protect is stronger than me.”
It was a feeling akin to experiencing an identity crisis as an escort warrior.
At Ma Yong-seok’s words, Cheol Ji-ak resonated deeply for the first time. He had felt the exact same way while looking at Cheon Woo-jin.
“It is humiliating. I feel doubts about my own worth, and a sense of shame as to what my lifelong training was for.”
Cheol Ji-ak brought out words he had never spoken to anyone before.
Was it because they practiced similar martial arts and were placed in similar circumstances?
Somehow, looking at Ma Yong-seok brought an indescribably comfortable feeling to his heart.
“Squad Leader, but what can we do? Neither you nor I are the type to use cunning tricks, are we? We just have to train to the point where others point fingers calling us ignorant and click their tongues. Other than that, I can’t think of any other way.”
Even those words struck a chord in Cheol Ji-ak’s heart. Because it was not a single hair different from what he usually thought himself.
“Would you like to train with me until Member Cheon returns?”
At Ma Yong-seok’s suggestion, Cheol Ji-ak nodded his head.
Thus began the hellish training of the two men who looked so alike.
* * *
“Aargh! Those damned bastards! Again, they’re doing that training again!”
Looking at the two men in the front yard, the Divine Physician let out a lament.
He had spoken coolly telling him to train to his heart’s content, but he had never imagined they would throw away their lives several times a day like that.
Along with them, the Divine Physician was also forced to hone his medical arts as if his life depended on it.
As the Divine Physician shouted in fury, Dok-ra-su, who had slipped over, spoke.
“Still, doesn’t it look good? A young martial artist should have that kind of spirit. The kids these days…”
“What do you mean looks good! They’re getting more shameless by the day, and now they just come and plop down without a word! Meaning, fix it yourself!”
“And then you, Divine Physician, heal them splendidly every time.”
When Dok-ra-su spoke with a smirk, the Divine Physician’s neatly groomed beard trembled furiously.
“Of course! That Black Tortoise Squad Leader bastard is a patient I treated personally. If I let him die, it would tarnish my reputation, so how could I leave him be?”
“Tsk, tsk, those two fellows are simply taking advantage of your desire for fame.”
As Dok-ra-su continued to tease him, the Divine Physician abruptly grabbed a large needle beside him.
“You too, get lost if you’re just going to grate on my nerves! I was a fool to think we could communicate just because you’re the Poison King’s older brother.”
Originally, poison and medicine were separated by a hair’s breadth.
For that reason, the Tang Clan had a deep knowledge of medicine, and the Divine Physician also had considerable ties with the Tang Clan.
Perhaps that was also the reason why Demon Physician, the disciple of the Dark Emperor, had targeted and approached the Tang Clan first.
At the mention of the Poison King, Dok-ra-su, who had only been smirking, suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
“Speaking of that fellow Poison King. Seeing him this time, his dementia was truly severe. Even you can’t cure that, right?”
“Back in my ignorant youth, I tried a few times. But I merely came to realize that it wasn’t within the realm of human capability.”
Dok-ra-su nodded his head.
That dementia could not be cured by human medicine was something he also knew.
However, the real reason he brought up this topic was different.
“However, when I thought about it carefully, isn’t dementia ultimately a demonic presence lodging inside the mind?”
“Well, yes.”
“Then what if we burn that demonic presence away with poison?”
“Could such a thing even be possible?”
The Divine Physician scoffed. Essentially, a demonic presence was an intangible energy. How could one burn that with poison?
No, even if such a thing were possible, the very notion of inserting poison into a person’s head was unrealistic. At that point, it would become a matter of life, not dementia.
At the Divine Physician’s question, Dok-ra-su spoke in a low voice.
“What is impossible with the Tang Clan’s poison?”
“Well. If the Poison King had said such words, I might have believed it somewhat, but…”
“I am an expert of poison arts no less capable than that fellow!”
Dok-ra-su shouted as if throwing a fit, but the Divine Physician merely looked at him with suspicious eyes as before.
In that manner, bickering back and forth, the two chattered for a long time. Having similar ages and interests, they secretly communicated quite well.
Midway, they pulled over paper, ink, and brush to write something down densely together, and even laid out all sorts of medicinal herbs to hold discussions.
Before they knew it, dawn broke, and having been so absorbed, both men looked hollowed out from expending great mental energy.
Looking at the brightly shining sunlight after talking all night made their stomachs churn somewhat.
However, it was not a meaningless endeavor.
The conclusion of their overnight conversation was astonishing.
‘In theory, it is possible.’
It was a matter of carrying an infinitesimal amount of deadly poison within tangible energy and sending it carefully to the destination.
However, infusing energy into the body to burn away precisely the problem without harming the surrounding areas in the slightest was close to the realm of the gods.
A martial artist possessing the ability to manipulate internal qi of that level would not exceed three or four at most in a single era. Furthermore, among them, martial artists capable of handling poison were nonexistent.
The Divine Physician asked cautiously.
“Are you truly going to do it?”
“I must. He is still my younger brother.”
“You two aren’t on very good terms, are you? Heh, could it be you’re trying to kill him this time?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. In truth, there was a time I hated him. No, until just a few days ago, I hated him every single day. But my mind changed this time. When I told that half-insane fellow that I was his older brother Dok-ra-su, do you know what he said?”
“…”
“That fellow who wasn’t even in his right mind said this. That Dok-ra-su was a proper martial artist of the Tang Clan. Honestly, I was surprised. That he had such thoughts…”
Snore.
“This crazy bastard!”
The Divine Physician had fallen asleep while sitting up.
Making an absurd expression, Dok-ra-su laid the Divine Physician down anyway.
Regardless, the conversation shared with him throughout the night was truly astonishing. He could realize anew why the martial world praised this shameless old man as the Divine Physician.
Looking at the sleeping Divine Physician, Dok-ra-su muttered softly to himself.
“Actually, I know one person who could do such an unrealistic thing. Even I was surprised back then.”