Chapter 75: Chapter 75
Cheon Woo-jin approached. White Dragon Squad Leader Jang Seo-hwi tried to pretend to be as nonchalant as possible and avoid his gaze to the utmost.
Surely he wasn’t coming to me.
There was no way that fellow could know of my involvement.
If he had known, the Martial Alliance would have already been turned upside down.
It was fine. As long as I kept my mouth shut and acted nonchalantly, everything would be fine.
In a fleeting instant, truly various thoughts crossed his mind.
Unfortunately, however, that monster of a fellow walked all the way before him with a stiff expression.
“Ah, Member Cheon.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader spoke while pretending to be calm. The end of his voice trembled ever so slightly so that only he could notice, but even that made his heart pound.
‘What kind of facial expression is that…’
He looked down at him expressionlessly. That unreadable look in his eyes induced fear all the more.
However, Cheon Woo-jin was thinking of something far removed from what the White Dragon Squad Leader imagined.
‘The side dishes aren’t great. The plums don’t taste good.’
Soon, he sat down in a seat.
The White Dragon Squad Leader wondered why on earth this bastard was sitting here, but could not bring himself to ask.
Like that, he ate his meal for a long time amidst a suffocating silence that felt like it would give him indigestion.
Suddenly, Cheon Woo-jin asked.
“Where is the Black Tortoise Squad Leader?”
From what he heard, he was proven innocent and released from the Disciplinary Hall.
Having gone straight to the Black Tortoise Pavilion only to find no one there, he had merely come alone to eat a meal.
At that nonchalant question, the White Dragon Squad Leader coughed and choked.
“…?”
Cheon Woo-jin thought the White Dragon Squad Leader was a strange person.
Soon, having gulped down some water, the White Dragon Squad Leader spoke.
“Well. I believe he might be having a meal outside with the Black Tortoise Squad martial artists.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Nodding his head, Cheon Woo-jin moved his chopsticks again.
The White Dragon Squad Leader wanted to get up immediately. However, quite a lot of food still remained. He could not afford to display an odd behavior for no reason. Thinking that once he finished eating he should go straight to the Medicine Hall to get some digestive medicine, he chewed and swallowed his food.
It was at that moment.
“Young Hero Cheon!”
A clear, ringing voice echoed throughout the entire dining hall.
People’s heads turned naturally.
A fair-skinned, handsome young man was rushing toward Cheon Woo-jin with movements so swift he seemed almost capable of taking flight.
“Ah, Young Hero Song.”
It was Song Yi-yeon.
As Cheon Woo-jin nodded nonchalantly, Song Yi-yeon sat down naturally in a chair as if being drawn into it.
Behind him came Black Tortoise Squad Leader Cheol Ji-ak and Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin.
In addition, Black Tortoise Squad members such as Jang Woo-pyeong and Do Seong-hwi entered.
Spotting them, Cheon Woo-jin put down his chopsticks and rose from his seat. He bowed his head toward the Black Tortoise Squad Leader.
“Squad Leader, it has been a while…”
The Black Tortoise Squad Leader’s fist, the size of a pot lid, descended atop Cheon Woo-jin’s head. Of course, Cheon Woo-jin subtly dodged just before it landed.
After awkwardly withdrawing his fist that had cleaved the empty air, the Black Tortoise Squad Leader poured out his somewhat heightened voice.
“Just what on earth were you thinking, committing such a reckless act! Do you even know that the Disciplinary Hall dispatched an elimination squad?”
“Ah, Squad Leader! It ended well, didn’t it? Why are you being like this?”
Beside him, Jang Woo-pyeong grabbed the Black Tortoise Squad Leader’s thick forearm and dissuaded him. However, the anxiety that had tormented Cheol Ji-ak like crazy did not easily settle down.
Amidst the rather noisy situation, there were three people who were exceptionally quiet.
They were Cheon Woo-jin, Zhuge Rin, and the White Dragon Squad Leader.
The Black Tortoise Squad Leader looked at them in turn.
Cheon Woo-jin was originally a quiet fellow, and having heard about what happened at the clan, Zhuge Rin wouldn’t have the face to bring up the subject in front of that kid Cheon Woo-jin.
‘But why is that guy acting like that?’
The White Dragon Squad Leader’s face was completely drained of color. Although he was originally on the pale side, right now he looked almost like a corpse.
“Did you eat something bad?”
“Ahem, what are you talking about? I heard the news. It is a relief that you were released.”
“A relief, you say? Being dragged there and back when I was innocent in the first place makes me die of frustration. At least it’s fortunate that the Disciplinary Hall Master promised to compensate the Black Tortoise Squad later.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader nodded repeatedly.
Having finished his meal just in time, the White Dragon Squad Leader sprang up from his seat, leaving behind scattered, incoherent words like, ‘I will drop by the Black Tortoise Pavilion later. It is truly a relief. A relief. Ah, take two plums each. They are very delicious,’ before vanishing like an arrow.
Gazing at his retreating back, Song Yi-yeon spoke.
“Young Hero Cheon, why is that person acting like that?”
“I do not know.”
“Ah, did we disturb his meal too loudly?”
“He was originally like that.”
Cheon Woo-jin shrugged his shoulders.
Song Yi-yeon looked at Cheon Woo-jin with a renewed expression.
Already, there was nothing but talk of Cheon Woo-jin throughout the Martial Alliance.
All the actions Cheon Woo-jin had shown so far had been formidable, but this time was indeed different. The meaning held by the Five Great Clans in the Martial Alliance was truly special.
The Five Great Clans were an impregnable fortress that would never waver, yet the youngest member who had just joined had stirred that place up tremendously and returned.
It was such an immense influence that it was said the center of power in the Zhuge Clan had shifted due to its reverberations.
Suddenly, Cheon Woo-jin looked at the exceptionally quiet Zhuge Rin and handed her a plum from his tray.
“They say this is delicious.”
Zhuge Rin stared silently at the plum before accepting it.
For a while, silence ensued. Even the tactless Jang Woo-pyeong knew enough that it was not the atmosphere to open his mouth.
“Junior Cheon. I’m sorry.”
Just what was she sorry for, Cheon Woo-jin tilted his head.
Seeing that calm demeanor, Zhuge Rin felt a bitter pang in her heart instead. Her uncle had tried to kill Junior Cheon. Although the actual outcome had been the opposite, in any case, that fact did not change.
“I heard what happened at the Zhuge Clan.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Cheon Woo-jin understand Zhuge Rin’s words.
However, since it was not Zhuge Rin’s fault, he still could not understand why she was apologizing.
Still, one thing was certain.
“I met Zhuge Hyeon.”
“Ah, I see.”
Somehow, bitterness flitted across Zhuge Rin’s face.
Cheon Woo-jin’s words continued.
“He was not a martial artist of particularly good talent. Unable to even control his own temper at that age.”
Zhuge Hyeon, the son of the deceased Zhuge Seong, had charged forward without distinguishing front from back, only to have his leg broken by Cheon Woo-jin.
Having already heard that fact as well, Zhuge Rin smiled bitterly.
“Even if he looks like that, he was a fellow called the Celestial Martial Physique in our Zhuge Clan. Of course, he must appear endlessly lacking in Junior Cheon’s eyes.”
“He was worse than you, Vice Squad Leader.”
Zhuge Rin’s eyes widened.
There was no way that was true.
When they were young, people had said that the blessing of the Martial God had descended upon the Zhuge Clan regarding Zhuge Hyeon and Zhuge Rin.
However, Zhuge Rin herself came to suffer from the curse known as the Severed Meridians Disorder, whereas Zhuge Hyeon bloomed his talent day by day and had now leaped to become a master of the top tier even within the Zhuge Clan.
How could she be compared to such a Zhuge Hyeon?
Yet Cheon Woo-jin was resolute.
“You will know when you see it.”
“Huh? What…”
Cheon Woo-jin rose from his seat. Having resolved the plum he had been agonizing over because he didn’t want to eat it, it was now time to resolve Zhuge Rin’s Severed Meridians Disorder.
* * *
Returning to the Black Tortoise Pavilion, Cheon Woo-jin stood alone facing Zhuge Rin in an empty room. At Cheon Woo-jin’s words, Zhuge Rin’s pupils were trembling endlessly.
“So, you’re saying this Severed Meridians Disorder was also Uncle’s… no, that bastard Zhuge Seong’s doing?”
“Though it isn’t certain.”
In truth, Cheon Woo-jin held a degree of conviction of his own.
Previously, he had pondered whether Zhuge Rin’s Severed Meridians Disorder might be due to external factors. However, because there was no way a clan of the caliber of the Zhuge Clan would fail to discover such a fact, he had set the thought aside.
Yet he had come to learn what kind of place the Zhuge Clan was. He had heard its internal affairs, and had witnessed and experienced just how venomous a person Zhuge Seong was.
He was a man capable of releasing poison even upon his own niece for the sake of his and his son’s future.
“…Even if that’s true, is there a way to cure a Severed Meridians Disorder that has already set in? From what I looked into, not even any physician called a divine physician could cure the Severed Meridians Disorder.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded. It was a natural statement. The one who could treat the Severed Meridians Disorder was not a physician, but a martial artist.
Of course, even among martial artists, those capable of it were exceedingly rare. There probably were only a few in the present age. Even his masters had stated that the success rate would be seventy percent if they were the ones to attempt it.
“The success rate is seventy percent. If it fails…”
Cheon Woo-jin trailed off. Tampering with another person’s meridians had to proceed with extreme caution. Leaving aside torturing someone to achieve an objective, that was especially true if it was to treat the opponent.
Meridians once damaged did not heal easily. They might even be permanently impaired. In an attempt to cure the Severed Meridians Disorder, one might instead end up with a body completely unable to use internal energy at all.
Hearing Cheon Woo-jin’s explanation, Zhuge Rin nodded without hesitation.
“Let’s try.”
“You should think it over a bit more carefully…”
“With this body, I can’t do anything anyway.”
Zhuge Rin was resolute. Although she had not shown it outwardly all this while, she could not even count the days she had resented her body and suffered in despair.
Did that feeling convey itself clearly?
Nodding his head, Cheon Woo-jin extended his hand. Zhuge Rin naturally took hold of that hand.
“Mmh?”
“Why?”
“You need to turn your back…”
“Ah!”
Flustered, Zhuge Rin hastily turned her back with a slightly flushed face.
Soon, Zhuge Rin lowered her upper garment slightly to reveal her bare back.
This method was natural and familiar to martial artists. Fundamentally, it was how clan elders nurtured the qi and blood of children, and it was also this method when treating a poisoned martial artist.
Although they were of different genders, before martial arts, they were merely fellow martial artists. Zhuge Rin was not embarrassed, and Cheon Woo-jin had no idle thoughts.
“I shall begin.”
“…Yeah.”
Wait, or was it a little embarrassing after all?
Zhuge Rin cleared her throat unnecessarily.
Soon, Cheon Woo-jin’s rough hand touched her back.
A gentle energy circulated slowly along her meridians, and soon arrived at the first gate among the blocked qi channels.
“It will probably sting a bit.”
“Yeah.”
Soon, a sky-rending scream echoed throughout the Black Tortoise Pavilion.
* * *
Plop.
A bright red fishing bobber created ripples on the pond.
Two men were staring at it blankly.
The seated young man was somehow watching the other’s mood, while the standing, ruggedly built middle-aged man was continuously blowing snorts through his nose, huffing and puffing.
“Hey, Butcher Ma. Who could have known that guy would really catch the Shadowless Divine Thief? Loosen your expression a bit.”
“Why don’t we just pretend the bet never happened? In any case, wasn’t it something Member Cheon refused as well?”
Ma Yong-seok, an executive of the Black Overlord Castle and bodyguard to the Young Castle Lord, had been unable to sleep properly ever since hearing the news that the Shadowless Divine Thief had been captured.
The Young Castle Lord he knew was a person who would visit Member Cheon by any means necessary, make him make a wish, and grant it even if it meant mobilizing the entire Black Overlord Castle.
The reason was simple. Because it was a promise he had uttered himself.
Even if the sky split in two, no, in twenty pieces, his manner of keeping words he spoke himself was identical to that of the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.
“Ahem. That cannot be. I know that bet, you know it, and heaven and earth know it, so how could I take it back? If a man speaks with two tongues, he ought to cut that off.”
“Why don’t you just cut it off? Looking at it in the long run, that would be more beneficial.”
“What, you punk?”
The Young Castle Lord flared up and stood. At that same moment, the bobber floating on the water’s surface sank right down.
Smacking his lips, the Young Castle Lord grabbed the fishing rod.
“The ornamental carp saved your life.”
“Instead, I’ll probably be killed by the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle.”
“Come on, would Father really be such a person?”
“…”
Young Castle Lord Ha In-seong smiled faintly.
He knew what Ma Yong-seok was worried about. However, Ha In-seong had confidence in judging people.
‘Whatever I give that fellow, it will ultimately be a profit.’
Those born with the disposition of such a grandmaster were not common.
Were there at most four or five in an entire era?
If only he could keep such a person by his side, nothing he gave would be a waste.
“At least it is a relief that Member Cheon doesn’t seem to have much interest in such a bet.”
“I doubt it. He has no choice but to come.”
“Pardon?”
At Ha In-seong’s confident voice, the anxiety Ma Yong-seok had half shaken off returned once again.
“Just what on earth did you do?”
“What did I do? I sent an offer he cannot refuse.”
“To the Martial Alliance? You do know you are the Young Castle Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, right?”
“No, seriously, this bastard…”
The Young Castle Lord raised his fishing rod like a switch. Fortunately, an ornamental carp was hauled up along with it just in time.
“…The carp saved your life twice.”
“Yes. But could you please explain it to me? I also need to know in advance to respond to some extent. That is my duty.”
Eventually letting out a sigh, Ha In-seong began his explanation.
A method that would unfailingly make Cheon Woo-jin come here.
As he listened to the explanation, Ma Yong-seok’s eyes grew wider and wider, until he finally slapped his knee.
“Oho, if it’s that, even Member Cheon would accept it. Just when did you prepare such a thing?”
“Among the things happening in the Central Plains Unorthodox Path, what could there be that I wouldn’t know?”
“Indeed. That is true as well. By the way, wouldn’t excising a rotten part of the Martial Alliance be a bad thing for us?”
“Let’s look at it long term. Long term.”
Ha In-seong wore a subtle smile as he gazed at the pond.
At that appearance, Ma Yong-seok muttered in a low voice.
“Yes, please, let us look at it long term.”
“What did you just say?”
“…I was talking to myself.”
Like that, information regarding someone in the Martial Alliance who colluded with the Unorthodox Path was delivered to Cheon Woo-jin under the name of a merchant guild.