Chapter 644: If He Dies, War Will Surely Break Out
Chapter 644: If He Dies, War Will Surely Break Out
So Jeong-rak made his rounds through the infirmary today as he always did, flanked by a retinue of fellow physicians. He moved with practiced grace, examining patients, prescribing medicine, and setting broken bones.
"Thank you, Doctor!"
The eyes of the patients looking up at him were filled with reverence. To them, he was nothing short of a god.
Just then, a voice drifted from behind him.
"Do you happen to remember me?"
So Jeong-rak and the other physicians turned to find Geom Mu-geuk standing there.
"You treated my older brother, didn't you?"
"I remember," So Jeong-rak replied.
"I was worried you might have forgotten, considering how many patients you see."
"It is difficult to forget someone like you."
Geom Mu-geuk offered a playful grin. "Right? It must be hard to forget such a handsome guardian."
The physicians standing beside So Jeong-rak looked exasperated, while the patients and their families let out soft chuckles.
"How is your brother?"
"He’s walking around as if he’s already fully recovered. At this rate, he’ll probably end up getting poisoned again."
Geom Mu-geuk noticed the way So Jeong-rak’s eyes swept over him, subtly checking to see if he had been detoxified. Both the Poison King and So Jeong-rak were masters capable of discerning a person's state with a single glance.
"What brings you here?"
"You treated my brother; how could I just leave? I’ve prepared a gift." Geom Mu-geuk pulled a small pouch from his robes and held it out. "It’s a token of my sincerity, so please accept it."
So Jeong-rak stared at the pouch. "That is quite unnecessary."
"It’s just a cheap thing I bought at the market, but it’s a gift from the heart."
"It is my principle never to accept gifts from a patient."
"Well, this makes me feel quite awkward."
One of the nearby physicians stepped toward Geom Mu-geuk. "The doctor is busy. It would be best if you came back another time."
"Then at least take a look at what the gift is."
Before anyone could stop him, Geom Mu-geuk pulled the drawstring.
Pop!
A thick white mist erupted from the pouch, spreading in all directions in the blink of an eye.
The effect was instantaneous. The physicians, the patients, and their families all slumped over, sliding into a deep, forced unconsciousness. It happened so fast that only Geom Mu-geuk and So Jeong-rak remained standing.
"What is the meaning of this?" So Jeong-rak demanded, checking the physician collapsed beside him. They were all merely asleep.
Geom Mu-geuk waved the smoke away, looking impressed. "The effect is incredible. I guess this is why people study the poison arts." He turned his gaze to So Jeong-rak. "You and the Heaven’s End Recluse both... you're so fond of using innocent people as shields. I had no choice."
"Shields?"
"Aren't you tired of living a lie? At least when it's just the two of us, return to your true self."
However, So Jeong-rak continued to play the part of the shocked physician. He even went so far as to check the pulse of a sleeping patient.
"Really, every time I meet you, I feel like the villain." Geom Mu-geuk picked up a piece of paper that one of the attending physicians had dropped. "Patient records, I see."
He held it up against the light from the window. "If I hold it up like this, shouldn't there be poison formulas or secret messages from your organization written on it?"
Of course, the paper remained blank.
"How do you endure such a boring life during the day?"
He wasn't just making wild guesses. While staying with the Poison King in the Thousand Poison Forest, he had realized something: practicing the poison arts was entirely different from ordinary martial arts. One could never survive without being completely immersed in that world. Otherwise, the poison would have claimed the practitioner long ago.
Only those who think of nothing but poison become masters of the craft.
So Jeong-rak had to be the same. Could he have reached this level with poison arts learned only in his youth? Could he have neutralized a poison administered by the Poison King without honing his skills through grueling, daily training?
Impossible. He had undoubtedly been practicing in secret. By day, he saved lives; by night, he took them.
So Jeong-rak turned toward the door. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I'm calling for help. If you're going to harm me, then do it."
He intended to escape the situation immediately. If an unexpected situation occurs, remove yourself from the moment at once! Even if you feel you can control the situation, leave anyway. The feeling that you can handle it is a trap—an illusion created by the unexpected.
So Jeong-rak was a man who had lived his life by that principle. But then, a single phrase from behind him made him break his own rule.
"Three-Day Life."
So Jeong-rak froze.
"Our Poison King recognized it at a glance."
So Jeong-rak turned back toward Geom Mu-geuk. He could endure anything else, but his inability to ignore the mention of the Poison King proved he was a man consumed by the desire to surpass him.
"I don't have a talent for recognizing poisons," Geom Mu-geuk said, staring intently at him. "But I do have a talent for recognizing something else: villains."
So Jeong-rak’s kindly face stiffened.
"Haven't you been acting for decades? Give it a rest."
After a brief silence, So Jeong-rak replied, "I have never been acting. Saving lives is my life."
Geom Mu-geuk didn't deny it. "True. You've lived as a good physician for a long time." Because that was indeed how he had lived. "However, I don't think I can respect that life."
Geom Mu-geuk sat on the edge of a bed where a patient slept. "Because of people like you, if the Great Demonic-Orthodox War breaks out, hundreds of times more lives will be lost than the ones you've saved in your entire career."
He watched So Jeong-rak’s face. There wasn't a trace of guilt. "Are you trying to perform some kind of pre-emptive atonement by saving these people?"
So Jeong-rak walked over slowly and sat on the edge of the bed opposite him. He looked at the patient beside him and suddenly spat out, "Spare me the drivel."
A deep, mocking sneer formed on his lips.
"To hear the word 'atonement' from the mouth of the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader... do your kind even know what atonement is?"
Geom Mu-geuk grinned broadly. "See? Isn't this much better? Let's take off the masks and have a heart-to-heart."
The look in So Jeong-rak’s sunken eyes was entirely different now. He looked like a stranger; it was hard to believe he was the same benevolent man from moments ago.
"How long have you been waiting for this moment?" So Jeong-rak tilted his head back and let out a long exhale.
A viscous aura flowed from his body, instantly dominating the room. It was a pressure that made the air feel heavy, as if one were sinking into a swamp. Geom Mu-geuk saw it: over twenty vine-like tendrils of energy extended from So Jeong-rak’s body, connecting to the sleeping people in the room.
"If I die, they die with me."
Even though he likely considered himself in an advantageous position, his nature remained meticulous.
Geom Mu-geuk sighed. "A shield is still a shield, even when it's asleep."
"I've heard plenty about the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult playing the part of a chivalrous hero." So Jeong-rak seemed certain that as long as he held hostages, Mu-geuk would be powerless. Yet, the look in his eyes was one of intense distrust. "But in the end, you can't hide your blood."
He was convinced it was all a filthy trick to dominate the Murim. Demonic cultists were born that way, after all. "Be honest. You don't care if these people die, do you?"
Geom Mu-geuk admitted it readily. There was no need to feign a desperate will to save them. "Exactly! You recognize me. Didn't I say a villain recognizes a villain?"
Geom Mu-geuk looked down at his own hands. "You're right. Even now, the blood is boiling inside me. The urge to stop talking and just cut you down is a constant temptation. To just kill this insidious bastard and let the Orthodox people misunderstand if they want. I should just worry about the consequences later."
He looked up at So Jeong-rak. The physician didn't hide his emotions; the coldness in his eyes reflected his displeasure at the insult.
As if to add fuel to the fire, Geom Mu-geuk gave a spiteful smile. "I'm living my life pretending to be incredibly nice just to hide who I really am. Come to think of it, we have a lot in common."
So Jeong-rak nodded. "I'll have to admit that. I'm also barely restraining my urge to kill you."
"And why are you restraining yourself?"
So Jeong-rak didn't answer, but Geom Mu-geuk already knew.
"Is it because your conspiracy only works if I'm alive?"
The corners of So Jeong-rak’s eyes twitched.
"What exactly is my role? The moment you administered poison to me, you revealed your true identity."
It meant the time had come. It was a choice made in anticipation of Mu-geuk coming to find him.
"Are you curious about your role? It is a very important one."
Faced with So Jeong-rak’s confidence, Geom Mu-geuk spoke calmly. "You think you've lived perfectly as a physician, don't you? Treating the poor for free, saving countless martial artists, earning everyone's respect. You think we can't do anything to you. But do you really think you have no weaknesses?"
Geom Mu-geuk stood up and slowly approached him. "It might have been perfect at first. But over all those years, could there really have been no mistakes? Did you never let your guard down once? After living a hidden life for so long?"
So Jeong-rak’s eyes trembled minutely.
"I'm certain there's a secret workshop of yours somewhere beneath this infirmary. You would have researched and tested poisons there. No matter how well you hid the entrance, if I bring in an expert, we'll find it."
The corners of So Jeong-rak’s mouth curled up. "If you had proof that it was my space, you might be able to pin a crime on me."
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes widened. "Oh? Is there really a secret place underground? I was just taking a guess."
As Mu-geuk made an annoying face, So Jeong-rak bit his lip.
Geom Mu-geuk poked at another spot. "Who did you perform those experiments on? I couldn't understand why you worked so hard to see patients. Unless a person is naturally that kind, they couldn't live such a sacrificial life. But a naturally kind person wouldn't practice poison arts like this, would they? Then a thought occurred to me. What if it was to find people with the specific constitutions you needed?"
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze grew sharp. "I bet people with special constitutions have gone missing among your patients."
So Jeong-rak neither confirmed nor denied it, but his pupils were shaking.
"An underground secret room for testing poisons, and patients going missing. I think that's enough reason to suspect you, don't you? Enough reason to kill you?"
But So Jeong-rak remained confident. "Do you know how many people I've saved until now?"
"That doesn't matter. There are far more people you didn't save. The rumors and your reputation will be shaped by them." Geom Mu-geuk stared coldly at him. "The conclusion is that nothing much will happen even if I kill you."
He was curious to see how the man would react. Killing him would be easy; to those who used poison, Mu-geuk was the ultimate natural enemy. Unaware of this, So Jeong-rak remained composed.
"I already poisoned you the moment I first saw you earlier. The moment you use your internal energy, your blood vessels will expand and burst."
Of course, Geom Mu-geuk knew. He had burned the poison away the moment it entered his body. He feigned a look of shock and panic. While his opponent believed he had the upper hand, Mu-geuk asked casually, "Fine, since it's come to this, let me ask one thing. Who exactly are you trying to kill using the Old Demons of the Forbidden Demonic Order?"
He watched every micro-expression on the man's face. "Is it Miss Jin? Is it Captain Jin?"
So Jeong-rak maintained a cryptic expression.
Geom Mu-geuk asked about the last person. "It must be the Heaven’s End Recluse."
So Jeong-rak finally spoke. "The target changed because of you."
"Because of me?"
"We considered several possibilities. We analyzed and re-analyzed all the data we gathered," So Jeong-rak said with a strange smile. "And the results were surprising. It turned out that if this new person died, the probability of war breaking out was higher than for anyone else."
At that moment, a sense of foreboding washed over Mu-geuk.
Creeeeeak.
The door opened, and a man stepped inside. He was a white-haired old master, but a blood-colored demonic energy smoldered around his body. His presence alone was enough to freeze one's blood. An absolute master who had reached a hundred years of age—Ma Yeom-gun, who had broken the Forbidden Demonic Order to come to Wuhan.
Another master appeared from the opposite door. It was an old man whose body was so withered he looked like a skeleton. It felt as if his entire frame would crumble if tapped. However, his eyes were deep—an abyss containing a hundred and fifty years of time. It was the White Bone Soul Demon.
Incredibly, the two of them had appeared in the same place.
So Jeong-rak finished what he was saying. "The conclusion was that it didn't even matter who killed him. If he dies, war will surely break out."
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze darkened. He knew for certain now who that new person was.
"...It was me."
So Jeong-rak nodded slowly. "Yes. The conclusion was that the Demonic Cult Leader would never tolerate your death."