Chapter 47: Chapter 47
“Argh!”
The Dok-ra-su screamed and grabbed his shoulder. Pain as if his shoulder had dislocated surged in.
‘I couldn’t even see the movement.’
Even while groaning in pain, Dok-ra-su looked at Cheon Woo-jin out of the corner of his eye.
Far from reacting to the movement, he could not even tell when he had been struck. Clearly there was quite a distance, yet his shoulder ached as if dislocated, and before he knew it, the bastard had approached right before him, holding a dark iron staff.
“W-what on earth do you want from me?”
The Dok-ra-su asked as he stepped backward. With the single exchange just now, he realized that this young bastard was no match for him.
Thinking about it now, the way he had acted when passing through the village felt as if he had been waiting for him.
Cheon Woo-jin approached Dok-ra-su without any particular words, letting the Crescent Moon Staff hang down.
Frightened out of his wits, Dok-ra-su stepped back. However, because the hut was not large, there was soon nowhere left to retreat.
Cornered, Dok-ra-su hurriedly fell to his knees.
“W-what on earth is the reason you are doing this to me? Please, at least tell me the reason.”
“I believe I already told you.”
Cheon Woo-jin answered nonchalantly. The Dok-ra-su was driven to near madness. The bastard had said he came to repay his master’s debt. However, he could not deduce who the bastard’s master was.
Because during that time, there were simply too many experts who had died or been crippled at the hands of Dok-ra-su.
Judging by the bastard’s age, his master would at least be past forty years of age…
He narrowed down the targets in his own way, but even so, the deeds Dok-ra-su had committed in the meantime were so numerous that it was difficult to deduce.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin, who had stepped right before his nose, raised the Crescent Moon Staff.
The Dok-ra-su squeezed his eyes shut and shrank his neck. He looked as if he could barely move from sheer terror.
However, right before the Crescent Moon Staff fell upon his head.
Swish!
The Poison-Concealing Dagger was swung swiftly, as if literally slicing through the wind. Along its trajectory, fine green powder surged out.
The poison he sprayed engulfed Cheon Woo-jin’s face, and the Crescent Moon Staff came to a dead halt above Dok-ra-su’s head.
“Puhahahaha!”
Spitting out a truly mad laugh, Dok-ra-su rose from the ground. Looking at Cheon Woo-jin, who did not budge in the slightest, he began clutching his belly.
“Ehehehehe, you idiotic bastard! Knowing full well that this venerable one is a grandmaster of poison, you let your guard down! How is it, burning like hell, isn’t it? The deadly poison will soon melt away that handsome mug of yours completely.”
It was truly a laugh befitting the word madman.
However, as time passed, that laughter was dying down.
The Dok-ra-su had also noticed.
“Why are you so quiet?”
Normally, those struck by his deadly poison would clutch their faces, wail like children, and roll around on the ground.
Yet Cheon Woo-jin was merely standing still.
Soon, the sprayed poison powder settled to the ground.
The Dok-ra-su’s face stiffened hard.
“…What the.”
Far from melting away, his skin was completely fine. Cheon Woo-jin, who had momentarily operated the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art to protect his face, looked at Dok-ra-su with his usual dry expression and asked:
“Are you done?”
The Dok-ra-su gasped for air. Because from that arrogant question, someone overlapped in his vision.
That characteristic sunken gaze, yet the dangerous aura it exuded nonetheless. Even the overwhelming pressure, as if engulfed by dark storm clouds.
The Dok-ra-su instinctively realized whose disciple he was.
“Of all people, of all people, you were that bastard Black Elder’s disciple?”
Throughout his entire life, he had never forgotten Black Elder. To be precise, there was not a single day he had not feared him.
Decades had already passed, yet he felt as if that man would appear before him at any moment and crush his skull.
Yet that bastard’s disciple had appeared. What was more, a disciple strong enough that his deadly poison did not work in the slightest.
“Let’s settle the debt first.”
Having said that, Cheon Woo-jin raised the Crescent Moon Staff again. The Dok-ra-su attempted to escape the hut with his unique footwork, but promptly froze dead in his tracks.
‘…There are no openings.’
No matter how small the hut was, a single person could not block all the space. However, when he tried to move his feet toward the empty space, the unique instinct of a martial artist warned him.
‘If I go, I die.’
The Dok-ra-su was someone who trusted his intuition immensely.
Soon, realizing there was no path of survival to advance forward, Dok-ra-su spoke in a noticeably softer voice.
“I am your master’s friend.”
“…”
Of course, what returned was horrific pain.
“Aaaargh!”
* * *
The Dok-ra-su was kneeling in a polite posture. His face was swollen blue in places, his left arm was dislocated, and his ankle was twisted, but there was no threat to his life.
Of course, he could not move either. All the acupoints across his entire body had been suppressed. For that reason, he busily moved his mouth instead of his body.
“You shouldn’t do this to me. I tell you again, Black Elder and I were friends who roamed the martial world together in our youth…”
“Who sprays poison onto a friend’s body?”
Cheon Woo-jin, who was rummaging through the medicinal ingredients, answered dryly.
The Dok-ra-su tightly closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
“Black Elder, that petty bastard. To think he even told his disciple about that? He ought to feel ashamed.”
“Master spared your life.”
The Dok-ra-su snorted. What kind of bastard was Black Elder that he would spare anyone? Even in the days when everyone in the world feared the Dark Emperor, Dok-ra-su feared Black Elder the most.
At least to him, Black Elder was the number one villain under heaven.
“What ridiculous nonsense. He probably just couldn’t catch me.”
“Do you truly think so?”
Cheon Woo-jin asked, looking at Dok-ra-su with his characteristic nonchalant gaze. Meeting that gaze, Dok-ra-su flinched.
“…”
In fact, it was not that he had never had such a thought.
After that day, news of Black Elder occasionally reached his ears even though he hated hearing it. That bastard had literally become a grandmaster of evil. Though forgotten by time now, there had once been a era when even the Demonic Cult and the Unorthodox Path revered and simultaneously feared Black Elder.
It was indeed strange that such a Black Elder had still not caught him. However, with that bastard’s personality, it was even stranger that he had intentionally spared him, so it had merely been a fleeting thought.
“Where is that bastard?”
“He passed away.”
“…So it ended up like that after all.”
Just as Dok-ra-su’s mind was becoming complicated, Cheon Woo-jin, who had been staring blankly at him, spoke.
“By the way, I hadn’t heard that you were a figure of the Tang Clan.”
The Sichuan Tang Clan, known as the sovereign of poisons.
It was said that among the bloodline of the Tang Clan, only exceptional individuals were born with a faint green glow deep within their eyes.
And Dok-ra-su’s gaze was precisely like that.
“Was Black Elder ever the type of bastard to care about such things?”
“Indeed.”
Cheon Woo-jin readily nodded his head. Master Black Elder was indeed someone who did not care to a severe degree about anything outside his interests.
By the way, although the Tang Clan was famous for having a vicious temperament, they were clearly of the Righteous Path, so why was such a madman roaming about freely?
A momentary doubt arose, but since it was not worth asking about, he merely kept the thought to himself.
As Cheon Woo-jin began searching the hut again, Dok-ra-su, seemingly bored, asked:
“By the way, why is someone who is Black Elder’s disciple acting as a mere escort guard?”
“I came from the Martial Alliance.”
“W-what? The Martial Alliance?”
The Dok-ra-su looked at Cheon Woo-jin’s back with a serious face. Come to think of it, the other guard who was with that bastard seemed to look like an orthodox martial artist.
“Good grief, the world has gone mad. To think Black Elder’s disciple is a Martial Alliance member. But what are you looking for?”
“The antidote.”
If he had to infuse qi one by one to detoxify the poisoned villagers, it would take quite a long time. In that case, there would be no meaning in having crossed Baokang County.
“Uhahaha, do you think I’d carry such a thing? It seems you haven’t heard of my notoriety from your master.”
Cheon Woo-jin did not even listen to those words. Among those crazy about poison, there was no one who did not carry antidotes with them. Because making the antidote to a poison was just as fun as creating the deadly poison itself.
After rummaging through the medicinal ingredients and poisons for quite some time, Cheon Woo-jin soon gave up and stood up from his seat. There were so many poisons that it was impossible to tell what was what.
Of course, giving up on searching for it himself did not mean giving up on the antidote itself.
Standing up, Cheon Woo-jin approached Dok-ra-su.
Seeing this, Dok-ra-su was terrified. He had caught a glimpse of hope that he might be able to live while conversing in their own way, but the bastard’s face closely resembled Black Elder’s right before killing someone.
“W-wait a moment…”
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin gripped Dok-ra-su’s shoulder. At that sight, Dok-ra-su had a great realization.
“Y-you truly are Black Elder’s disciple.”
This young bastard’s fingers were pressing down on his shoulder more and more roughly. Pain surged in as if his collarbone were about to snap. This was a torture technique Black Elder often enjoyed using.
“I-I am your master’s friend… Argh! Aaaargh!”
It felt as though his collarbone would be torn out right away. Since it was the finest torture technique Black Elder had created based on countless experiences, its effect was certain. It was far more painful than breaking limbs, and furthermore, recovery was practically impossible. In other words, it meant having to live as a cripple for the rest of his life.
Of course, as Black Elder’s old friend, Dok-ra-su also knew this well.
“T-there! What’s in the fourth wooden box from the top is the antidote. That much will be more than enough to detoxify all the village bastards.”
Taking his hand off the shoulder, Cheon Woo-jin retrieved the antidote.
“How is it used?”
“Fill a pottery jar the size of your torso completely with water, dissolve that single pill thoroughly, and each person only needs to drink four mouthfuls.”
Like this, the effectiveness of Black Elder’s special torture technique was proven once again.
Cheon Woo-jin glanced around the hut once and spoke.
“If it happens to be a lie…”
“It’s the truth! I know Black Elder well, so unless I’ve gone crazy wanting to die, why on earth would I lie!”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head. Just as he was about to leave the hut, a wooden box that had caught his attention earlier entered his sight.
When Cheon Woo-jin approached that wooden box, Dok-ra-su let out a groan.
“That’s all for the antidote. It’s true. Why won’t you believe my words, huh?”
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin picked up the wooden box. It was locked with an iron clasp, but when he channeled internal energy and applied slight force, it shattered just like that.
Soon, the moment he opened the wooden box, a pungent, refreshing fragrance spread widely throughout the entire hut. Cheon Woo-jin recognized the identity of the pill inside the wooden box at a glance.
“You really do all sorts of things. Did you steal it?”
Looking at the wooden box with hollow eyes as if his very heart had been snatched away, Dok-ra-su shook his head.
“…I wasn’t the one who stole it.”
“You indeed don’t look capable of that.”
Having said that, Cheon Woo-jin looked closely at the pill inside the wooden box. In the meantime, a curse was heard from the side.
“Son of a bitch…”
Cheon Woo-jin glanced sideways at Dok-ra-su. Then Dok-ra-su hurriedly corrected his words.
“A son-of-a-bitch-like bastard stole it for me. Someone called the Shadowless Divine Thief…”
Cheon Woo-jin let out a truly deep sigh. He also had a memory of hearing about the Shadowless Divine Thief. For some reason, whenever the names of villains came up, every single one was connected to Master Black Elder. The most notorious thief of the era was none other than the Shadowless Divine Thief, and the person who had first taught him lightness art was Master Black Elder.
‘Just what kind of life did you lead?’
When he asked that in his heart, it felt as though Black Elder’s hearty reply could be heard.
– Hahaha, what kind of life? Throughout the history of the martial world, it was the most magnificent life.
At that answer, Cheon Woo-jin let out another deep sigh.
“So, what relationship do you have with the Shadowless Divine Thief?”
“We belong to the same Black Slaughter Society.”
The Black Slaughter Society.
Starting from its name, something grandiose gave off a foul stench.
“What is that again?”
“A gathering of those who want to kill Black Elder.”
“…”
He could pretty much understand. At any rate, it seemed Master Black Elder had lived incurring the grudges of everyone in the world.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin raised the Crescent Moon Staff. At that, Dok-ra-su’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“Y-weren’t you going to spare me!”
“Did I say such a thing?”
“…Y-you son of a bitch!”
Regardless, Cheon Woo-jin struck down with the Crescent Moon Staff.
Crack.
* * *
After confirming that the antidote worked properly, Cheon Woo-jin left Baokang County without lingering regrets.
In the meantime, the escort convoy had moved quite far away, but to Cheon Woo-jin, it was not a meaningful distance.
Soon catching up to the escort convoy, Cheon Woo-jin sat side by side with Song Yi-yeon on the cart and observed the scenery.
Suddenly, Cheon Woo-jin asked.
“Young Hero Song, if you picked up a Small Restoration Pill lost by Shaolin, what would be good to do?”
“W-what! Where on earth did you pick that up?”
Song Yi-yeon’s eyes instantly widened as if they would pop out. Even though it fell short of the Great Restoration Pill, the Small Restoration Pill was truly a treasure of Shaolin as well.
“I said if.”
“Aha. Returning it to Shaolin would naturally be right, but…”
Trailing off, Song Yi-yeon struggled with the dilemma for a moment, then spoke as if having made up his mind.
“If it were me, I’d secretly swallow it. In fact, isn’t finders keepers?”
“I see.”
Cheon Woo-jin opened his palm facing upward. Inside it, a single small pill was resting.
Song Yi-yeon momentarily felt an ominous sensation. Hoping that those words would not come out of Young Hero Cheon’s mouth, he asked:
“W-what is this…?”
“A Small Restoration Pill.”
“…”
Song Yi-yeon froze completely, and Cheon Woo-jin spoke nonchalantly.
“You said you’d eat it. An elixir of this level has little efficacy even if I consume it.”
Because it had to be around the level of a Great Restoration Pill to even make a dent in his stomach.
However, unlike Cheon Woo-jin, it would have tremendous efficacy for Song Yi-yeon. His achievement in the Pure Yang Boy Art would probably increase even by a small margin.
Song Yi-yeon stared fixedly at the Small Restoration Pill, then let out a deep sigh.
“…Let’s return it.”
“Why?”
“My father is a Buddhist. I feel like I’ll be struck by divine punishment if I eat this.”
Cheon Woo-jin shrugged his shoulders.
“I gave it to you, Young Hero, so if you wish to return it, do so.”
“…Let’s do that.”
Even while saying so, Song Yi-yeon merely swallowed his saliva repeatedly.