Chapter 54
Ch. 54 .｡.:✧ Eun Hacheol ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“You are right.”
“…Brother.”
“I will overcome it. I will overcome this wretched illness, and I will have my revenge…!”
“……”
I silently offered him the bamboo container filled with the water of the boiled Red Lotus.
His hardened eyes stared at it for a moment, then his trembling fingertips touched the cloth wrapped around the container.
Srrr—
The cloth slid off and fell to the floor, finally revealing the Red Lotus water.
Unusually, it was a milky white liquid, reminiscent of cow’s milk, and it emitted a deep, fragrant aroma that seemed to boast of its efficacy.
Eun Hajin stared at it, then immediately lifted the container and drank its contents to the last drop.
Gulp—
After drinking the warm water containing the essence of the Red Lotus, Eun Hajin took a deep breath.
“Ugh… My… my insides…”
“It is merely a part of the process of healing the resentment and illness that has accumulated in your body. If you rest for a short while, you will surely be fine.”
“If you say so… then it must be true. I will trust you.”
“…A wise decision.”
Hearing his words, filled with the trust between brothers, a faint smile curved my lips.
Then, as if a sudden wave of sleepiness washed over him, Eun Hajin yawned repeatedly.
Watching him, I spoke.
“For now, you should sleep.”
“U-Uhm…”
“I will make the necessary arrangements in the meantime.”
“……”
Eun Hajin, who had been listening in silence, spoke in a tone of caution.
“…Be careful, no matter what.”
“Is there any doubt?”
Swish—
I rose from my spot and, without giving him a chance to dismiss me, immediately opened the door and stepped outside.
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As I stepped outside, the still-chilly spring air pierced my skin.
Though it was spring, the night was, as always, covered in a cold chill.
After treating Eun Hajin with the Red Lotus, I felt I had some time to spare and immediately began to put my plan into action.
Swish—
I quickly utilized my lightness skill to cover a long distance in a single bound.
Even as I moved swiftly, my thoughts raced.
‘First, I must meet with Father and find out the reason for his seclusion. But if I try to see the family head officially during the day, they will surely obstruct me, and it will inevitably become noisy…’
…If that happened, I would never be able to uncover who was behind this.
As I finished that thought, a cold light began to shine from my eyes in the darkness.
Seeing Eun Hajin’s weakened state had stirred a deep-seated anger within me.
Feeling this, I bit my lower lip and continued to think.
‘…I’ll have to visit Father’s chambers in the dead of this dark night, as stealthily as possible.’
Paaat—
With practiced lightness skill, I flew onto a rooftop. The numerous pavilions of the Silver River Trading Company spread out beneath me.
Leaping from one rooftop to another, I soon spotted a large, palace-like building that was still lit.
Recognizing it as my father’s residence, I immediately approached with utmost stealth.
‘I’ve arrived. Now, the priority is to infiltrate without being detected by anyone.’
Swish—
To prevent any unforeseen mishaps, I roughly covered my face with a black cloth so they wouldn’t recognize me.
It was something Jang-sam had given me earlier.
With the black cloth on, I finally leaped from the edge of the roof to the roof of my father’s residence.
Hwoong—!
As I floated through the air, I reached the lit-up pavilion and plunged into the building through an open window.
Paaat—!
‘The security is certainly laxer at night. It seems I’ve managed to get in undetected…’
Looking around, I could barely sense any presence on the floor I was on.
Peeking down through the open window, the figures of the warriors standing guard in the front yard looked as small as ants.
I had flown to the top floor in an instant.
Swish—
Judging by the presences I sensed below, it seemed at least several dozen men were standing guard on the floor directly beneath me.
They must not have anticipated an intruder with such a high level of lightness skill entering through a window, as they had concentrated their forces on the lower and first floors.
‘First, I need to go inside and check on Father’s condition… To do that, I have no choice.’
Swish!
I immediately drew Falling Star from my waist.
Though there was no one around, I had to be prepared for any eventuality.
Srrrng…
The faint vibration of the metal was clearly felt in my palm.
Feeling the faint hum of Falling Star, I gently caressed the blade and cautiously entered the family head’s chambers.
“Huu.”
‘I’ve finally arrived.’
As the door opened, I saw a bed in the corner of a magnificent room, illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window.
Like Eun Hajin, the family head, Eun Hacheol, lay quietly, emitting only a faint presence.
I walked slowly to get a better look at his face, which was obscured by the darkness.
Thump, thump…
Still moving cautiously, I saw Eun Hacheol’s face and was startled.
‘This is…?!’
Eun Hacheol’s condition was horrific.
His skin had turned a grotesque, bluish-purple, so much so that the blue veins on his body were clearly visible.
And as if he were unconscious, or perhaps left as a puppet, his pupils were dilated and the whites of his eyes were completely black.
Staring at his ghastly appearance, I looked at Eun Hacheol’s face and felt my grip tighten.
‘This… is not a state that can be dismissed as a simple chronic illness or disease.’
A severe headache throbbed in my temples.
A burning rage welled up inside me, but I suppressed my emotions, took a deep breath to maintain my composure, and my reason returned.
My racing mind cooled down.
‘I must get revenge on them, somehow. I don’t know who it is, but I must find the culprit, eliminate them, and rebuild the family… That is my purpose.’
Seeing the wretched state of my father, the family head, Eun Hacheol, I realized a few things.
First, Eun Hacheol had not fallen ill from natural causes.
If he had, his body would not have transformed into such a grotesque state.
And there was no way a family head’s illness would be kept secret even from his own kin.
‘Second, the culprit behind this is someone who has the easiest access to Father.’
A single thought calmly crossed my mind.
Perhaps… the culprit behind this tragedy was in this very building.
A strong killing intent surged within me, but I barely managed to suppress it and gritted my teeth.
‘Then the culprit is narrowed down to one of two. Either an acquaintance or relative of my father, other than myself and Eun Hajin… or if not that…’
Perhaps… the physician who was treating my father, or his assistant, was the culprit!
Surveying the surroundings in the darkness, I finally realized this and twisted my lips into a slight smile.
‘First, I’ll need the help of the Hidden Healer.’
If this had been a natural illness, drinking the boiled roots of the Red Lotus would have been enough.
But this tragedy was clearly an artificial act, deliberately committed by someone.
Therefore, even if I were to heal him with the Red Lotus, if the culprit was not eliminated, it was highly likely that it would recur.
That was why the presence of the Hidden Healer, Dokgo Hyun, was indispensable to me, no, to the family, right now.
If the Hidden Healer, one of the three great physicians of the world, whose fame was spread not only throughout the Unorthodox Factions but the entire Jianghu, were to appear here and take his pulse, he would surely be able to find the cause.
Realizing this, I put on the black cloth again and turned my back on the bed where Eun Hacheol lay.
‘So… Eun Ha-seol came all the way to Mount Hua to find me not just because she was worried about the succession. She must have realized that the family and the family head had changed for the worse and came to me, grasping at straws.’
There was no need to explain how much Eun Ha-seol must have suffered during this time.
Realizing this, I let out a small, hollow laugh and slowly approached the wide-open window.
Then, I threw myself out.
Hwoooong—
‘Regardless, I will see you again tomorrow, Father.’
As I fell, surrendering my body to the air, I bid a silent farewell to the family head, Eun Hacheol, and flew to the roof of the building across.
My figure began to fly towards the vicinity of Mount Yunhaeng at an incredible speed.
It was time to meet Dokgo Hyun.
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A few days later, in the morning.
Together with the Hidden Healer, Dokgo Hyun, Eun Hajin and I appeared before the warriors guarding the first floor of the family head’s residence.
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