Chapter 167: You Age the Moment You Stop Working
Chapter 167: You Age the Moment You Stop Working
Seo Dae-ryong stood frozen at the mention of the "Body Immune to All Poisons."
To possess such a body meant that no toxin in the world would ever affect him again. It meant he was effectively immune to assassination by poison. In the Murim, where poison was the most insidious threat one had to guard against, his greatest weakness was about to vanish.
"And he’s achieving that just like this? So easily?"
"Your master might achieve it easily," Chung-ui replied. "But for me, the life's work required to make this possible was a long and arduous road."
Seo Dae-ryong felt a fresh wave of admiration for Geom Mu-geuk. How else could one explain the destiny of a man who, while being brought here for medical treatment, ends up obtaining a Body Immune to All Poisons?
"Are you jealous?"
"Not at all."
"Why not? You look like the greedy type."
"I am greedy, but I’m the type of greedy person who knows his place. I believe everyone is born with a vessel of a certain size to hold their destiny. My vessel is just large enough for me to give my absolute everything—struggling and scraping by—just to win the Young Dragon Tournament. Even that vessel only grew this large because I met the Pavilion Master. Before that, it was barely the size of a tiny soy sauce dish."
Recalling the days when he was consumed by a dark, gloomy obsession with revenge against his senior at Huangquan Pavilion and resentment toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he felt that even a soy sauce dish might have been a generous estimate.
"I’ve seen how massive the Pavilion Master’s vessel is many times. I’m seeing it right now, too. Rather than jealousy, I feel grateful. I’ll have one more story to tell my grandkids when I’m bouncing them on my knees later."
"Then why do you look so anxious?"
"I’m just wondering what kind of monumental tasks he’s destined to accomplish if his path is like this. Since I’m his right-hand man—unintentionally or not—I can’t escape that destiny either."
"If you think your vessel is about to break, you can always run away," Mu-geuk interjected.
"Even if everyone else runs, I can't. You carried me on your back and ran all the way here without a single moment's rest, then dropped five hundred thousand nyang right in front of me. Thanks to that, I’m completely ruined. Since I can’t run away anyway, isn't there some other Great Regression Art to make him even stronger? Please, make him more powerful."
"All the ingredients I’ve been hoarding and saving are going into that tub right now. Even if I wanted to do more, I can't," Chung-ui said.
She began to rub her shoulder, as if a wave of pain had hit her again. Seo Dae-ryong stepped in and started massaging it for her.
"Wait. You can turn someone else into a Body Immune to All Poisons, but you can't fix your own aching shoulder?"
Chung-ui gave a bitter smile.
"That’s how everyone lives, you brat. Do you think you’ll be any different? Ah, to the side. A bit more to the right. Yes, right there. Ah, that’s the spot."
*
Geom Mu-geuk remained submerged in the tub for two more days.
Chung-ui continued to add various ingredients to the vat, and the stench grew increasingly foul. But when the final ingredient was added, something miraculous happened.
The tub, which had been filled with a revolting odor, began to emit a sweet, fragrant scent.
It was truly unbelievable. It wasn't as if the final ingredient possessed a scent strong enough to mask the stench. Rather, it felt as though the toxic odors had layered upon one another until the final addition transformed the mixture into something entirely new.
Seo Dae-ryong placed his hand on the tub and prayed fervently.
Pavilion Master, please hang in there!
*
At first, I truly felt like I was going to die.
I felt like I would rather fall into the filthiest, most pungent place on earth than stay in that tub. But then I realized—this tub was the most pungent place on earth.
"Take this medicine before you go in," Chung-ui had said.
"What kind of medicine is it?"
"It’s medicine that will kill you for two days. If you’re scared, you can give up now."
"Give up? This medicine is a godsend. There’s no way I could stay in there while conscious."
I had swallowed the medicine she gave me without hesitation.
When I closed my eyes and opened them again, I was lying on a bed. Only then did I realize that two days had passed. I hadn't dreamed; I had no memories. It seemed I really had "died" and come back to life over those two days.
When I opened my eyes, Seo Dae-ryong was looking down at me. After staring at me for a moment, he spoke with a deadpan expression.
"After careful consideration, I’ve decided not to pay back the five hundred thousand nyang."
Only Seo Dae-ryong could make me laugh the moment I woke up.
"I don't recall ever lending you five hundred thousand nyang."
Just then, Chung-ui entered the room.
"Leave that oversensitive, overthinking brat here. I should take him as my disciple."
Seo Dae-ryong recoiled in horror.
"I’d love to, really, but I have a very important event coming up."
"You can come back after you're done. What do you say?"
"I’m sorry, but I already have a Master. And he’s the scariest person in the world."
"Scarier than bugs?"
"Well, bugs are scary too, of course."
I could sense a kernel of sincerity hidden within Chung-ui’s teasing. Seo Dae-ryong caught my eye, signaling me to stop her. Naturally, I didn't.
"Living a new life wouldn't be so bad, would it?" I asked.
"You just woke up and you're already trying to cut off your right hand? You can't cut this arm off. The moment you paid that five hundred thousand nyang, my arm turned into Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron."
I laughed and turned to Chung-ui.
"I’ll get in touch with you when that Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron gets rusty and old enough to fall off."
Seo Dae-ryong was out of the question, but I made a mental note to recommend a suitable candidate to be Chung-ui’s disciple if I ever found one.
"You, step outside for a moment," Chung-ui said, sending Seo Dae-ryong out. "You can get up now."
I rose from the bed. Despite being unconscious for two days, my body felt light. The power of profound medical arts was truly something else.
"I smell something pleasant coming from my body."
"It’ll linger for a few days."
"I wish this scent would last forever."
"If it did, you’d never be able to infiltrate anywhere for the rest of your life."
"Wouldn't it be a good life if I never had to infiltrate anywhere?"
"I suppose. If you become the Heavenly Demon, you might be able to live like that."
Chung-ui brought some liquor and poured a cup.
"Here, have a drink of my wine."
I downed the cup she offered. She didn't drink herself, only refilling my cup. Only after I had finished three cups in a row did she stop. I was the one drinking, but she was the one who opened her heart.
"To be honest, I was exhausted. Both in body and mind. Perhaps helping those orphans was my way of struggling to keep my own sanity. They were like a support beam that kept me from collapsing or losing control."
I understood what she meant. I had experienced something similar. During my days as a ronin, Seo Jin had protected me, and while I was searching for the materials for the Great Regression Art, my desire for revenge had served that purpose.
Chung-ui continued.
"When I saw you, I felt a sense of destiny. It was a feeling I’d never had in my entire life. To be honest, it was when I realized you had achieved Great Achievement in the Thousand Meridian Strengthening Technique. I thought, 'The time has finally come. The indifferent heavens are finally giving me a chance.'"
She turned her head toward the window and looked up at the sky. My gaze naturally followed hers.
"That damn sky... at least regarding my research, it’s been a truly cursed sky."
Her gaze returned to me.
"Do you know what was in the wine you just drank?"
"I didn't notice anything unusual."
"It contained Formless Poison."
I was startled.
Formless Poison is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Its power is so immense that it is called the King of Poisons. It is the Heavenly Demon of the poison world, the unrivaled number one. Naturally, it is incredibly difficult to manufacture and even harder to detoxify.
"I feel perfectly fine."
"Congratulations. Now, no poison in this world will ever be able to kill you."
Her words meant the test was a success. I had truly become a Body Immune to All Poisons.
"Formless Poison? Wasn't that a bit too extreme for a confirmation test?"
"This way, I don't have to check twice."
Creating a Body Immune to All Poisons with her own hands and then performing the final test with Formless Poison was the crowning achievement of her life's ambition.
I was witnessing the moment a master craftsman fulfilled her lifelong dream. I could feel her joy, her relief, her bittersweet satisfaction, and her lingering regrets. Perhaps this was the same emotion I would feel the moment I finally killed Hwa Mu-gi.
I gave her a deep, formal bow.
"Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you. This was my life's mission. Now, I don't have to scour the world looking for poisonous insects anymore."
The ailment that caused her so much pain was a disease she had contracted while searching for those very insects. I walked over to her and began massaging her shoulders.
"Ooh, that feels good."
"Come to think of it, I’ve never even massaged my own father’s shoulders."
"What an unfilial son."
"You might not know this, but he’s the kind of person I’d have to risk my life just to get close enough to massage his shoulders."
Chung-ui laughed as if she found that amusing. As I massaged her shoulders from behind, I felt that she was weaker than when we first met. It felt as though she had reached her final peak and was now beginning to fade.
"What will be your goal from now on?"
"Goal? What goal? I’m just going to live in peace."
"You can't do that."
"I can't?"
"The moment a person who has been so passionately dedicated to something stops working, they begin to age rapidly. They begin to fall ill."
"..."
"You must continue to research and develop new things for the sake of the Murim. And then, give them to me again."
"So the real greedy one was right here."
I stopped massaging her shoulders, moved to her front, and took her wrist. As if checking her pulse, I held her wrist while she stared at me intently. After pretending to read her pulse, I spoke.
"Your body is fit to live in peace for another fifty years. Get back to work!"
She looked at me with an expression that said she understood exactly why I was saying such things.
"Shoo, you rascal! You want me to live fifty more years while complaining about my aches and pains? Don't curse me like that."
"I will come back to visit and make sure you are healed."
"I appreciate the sentiment, even if it's just empty words."
"The gratitude is something I will owe you for the rest of my life. Thanks to you, Elder, I will never have to worry about being poisoned again."
"It was a task that could have succeeded or failed. But you bravely risked your life. Consider this a reward for that courage."
"I will repay this debt for years to come. If you ever need my help, send word to the West Lake Inn in the Central Plains, and I will come immediately."
"I'll do that."
I walked outside with her. Seo Dae-ryong greeted us with a joyful face.
"Congratulations to you both!"
As we finished our farewells and prepared to leave, Chung-ui held out a poisonous insect.
"Eat one of these before you go! They're delicious."
"I'm sorry, but I hate bugs too!"
I took off running first, and Seo Dae-ryong dashed after me. Chung-ui watched our retreating figures for a long time before looking up at the sky.
"I have fulfilled my duty as a physician."
After staring at the sky for a moment, she habitually rubbed her shoulder and headed back inside.
"Oof, my arm..."
*
I ran at top speed with Seo Dae-ryong on my back.
Seo Dae-ryong seemed to find the journey less taxing than before. He had already experienced it once, and his internal energy had increased. As he rode on my back, he fretted over every possible worry.
"Do you think I can win? Who will my opponent be? What if we arrive too late and I'm disqualified? Or what if I die in the semifinals like in my dream?"
"Stop worrying about useless things!"
"It’s my own little trick. I keep imagining the worst-case scenarios to drain the tension, so that those things don't actually happen in reality."
"And has it been effective?"
"Who knows? Those worst-case scenarios haven't happened yet."
"That’s exactly why it’s a useless worry!"
When we finally made it back just in time, an entirely unexpected situation was waiting for us.
"Huh?"
Seo Dae-ryong stared at the Murim Alliance notice board with a stunned expression. It was a bulletin providing updates on the Young Dragon Tournament.
"I... I’ve advanced to the finals?"
An accident had occurred during the quarterfinal match in the bracket following Seo Dae-ryong’s. One participant had been critically injured, and it was determined that the opponent had acted with malicious intent. Consequently, the person Seo Dae-ryong was supposed to face in the semifinals was disqualified, giving him a walkover straight into the finals.
"Didn't I tell you dreams are the opposite of reality? I told you all those worries were useless."
Despite my words, Seo Dae-ryong couldn't take his eyes off the official notice on the wall.
"Is it... is it really okay for me to go to the finals like this?"
"You didn't use underhanded tricks, and you didn't cheat. Why wouldn't it be okay? They say that neither the talented nor the hardworking can beat the lucky."
"I’ve never been a lucky person, though."
"Luck changes as you live your life."
Seo Dae-ryong turned to look at me. His eyes were full of emotion. That luck is all thanks to you, Pavilion Master.
"When I decided to participate in the Young Dragon Tournament, I wanted to win so I could be of help to you. Now there’s only one step left."
"That last step is the problem."
An opponent against whom luck would not suffice had also advanced to the finals. Without allowing for a single upset, Jin Ha-ryeong, the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader, had reached the final stage.
Thus, the finals became a showdown between the avatar of upsets, Seo Dae-ryong, and the perennial favorite, Jin Ha-ryeong.
"What do I do? I’m so nervous I don't think I can even draw my blade."
"You might not be able to draw your blade, but you can still read, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
I pulled a silk pouch from my robe. It was the strategy pouch that the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had given me for Seo Dae-ryong.
"It means the time has finally come to use this."