Darkness Returns
“How is it?”
“Pardon?”
Muk Bi asked with a smile.
“The physicians at the Medical Pavilion. Are they difficult to manage?”
Ki Woo-hee smiled back.
“No. They’ve been treating me far more comfortably than I expected.”
Jegal Mun-ho had selected the physicians for the Medical Pavilion with an emphasis on character and diligence. If the Martial Alliance had needed skilled physicians immediately, such a selection would have been impossible. Jegal Mun-ho believed the growth of the Medical Pavilion depended on the physicians’ integrity and uprightness, and he had no doubt that Ki Woo-hee would serve as the foundation for that growth.
Moreover, most of them lacked connections and had never received formal training. They were people who had studied and accumulated experience on their own.
Naturally, they harbored none of the pointless arrogance or pride that the Divine Physician Society displayed when claiming Central Plains medicine was supreme. Though Ki Woo-hee was from the West, these people held almost no prejudice regarding skill or character.
“Handling people isn’t easy.”
“It really isn’t. Even with such good people, there are still many concerns. Come to think of it, the Myeolsa Army soldiers seem to follow you quite well, Department Head.”
Muk Bi gave an awkward laugh.
“The beginning went well. Lord Yeon took control from the very start. It’s thanks to him building good relations from the beginning rather than anything I did.”
“I see.”
Ki Woo-hee’s smile grew slightly strained.
Muk Bi rose from her seat.
“I’ll stop by the unit for a moment. Rest well.”
“Ah, yes!”
With that, Muk Bi left.
Alone, Ki Woo-hee let out a quiet sigh. Lord Yeon. To her, Yeon Hojeong was a special existence.
They had no personal ties, nor had they met as physician and patient. Yet Yeon Hojeong had seen straight through her identity in an instant and forced a choice upon her.
Yes, it had been coercion. The problem was that the coercion had come at an extremely timely moment.
That was why Ki Woo-hee felt grateful to Yeon Hojeong. In the worst light, she had betrayed her father, but in the best light, she could now follow the greater cause.
Regardless, Yeon Hojeong was someone who had greatly influenced her life.
Ki Woo-hee let out a quiet sigh. What kind of life has he lived? A few days ago, through her Spiritual Eyes—an indescribable ability—she had fully sensed Yeon Hojeong’s emotions.
Anger like a raging volcano, sorrow reminiscent of a pitch-black abyss, worries that had never faded, and so on. It was a list of every emotion a human could harbor. Emotions that could never coexist were crammed tightly into one person’s chest, becoming explosives on the verge of detonation as he drew only rough breaths. I’ve seen many people’s emotions, but never so many rich ones. He’s someone who has experienced the extremes of every emotion a human can feel. The Spiritual Eyes could sense a person’s emotions or distinguish truth from lies.
However, they could not read thoughts. That was why Ki Woo-hee did not know Yeon Hojeong’s true identity or his past.
She was lost in thought when—
Thud. Thud.
Someone knocked on the door.
Ki Woo-hee was not startled. She already knew whose presence it was.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Yeon Hojeong entered.
Ki Woo-hee forced a smile.
“What brings you here…? Gasp!”
She shot to her feet.
“Commander Yeon. Were you badly injured?”
Though nothing showed on the surface, she could tell at a glance whether there were internal injuries. Her skill was truly remarkable.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“It’s nothing. It’ll heal on its own in a few days.”
“Even so, that won’t do. Please sit down first. To make an accurate diagnosis, I need to check your pulse…”
“I didn’t come here to be treated.”
“Sit down anyway!”
Her voice was uncharacteristically firm.
Yeon Hojeong stared at her for a moment before silently taking a seat.
“I’ll check your pulse briefly.”
There was no pulse diagnosis in Western medicine. It was clear she had learned both Central Plains and Western medicine without bias.
Ki Woo-hee took Yeon Hojeong’s wrist. …! What surprised her the moment she touched his pulse was the powerful flow of his blood.
The circulation of blood through his vessels was both vigorous and smooth. She had never felt such a powerful pulse before. He truly is extraordinary. His qi was impressive, but his body was in an extremely healthy state.
Either he had been born with an exceptionally strong physique, or he had cultivated and refined even his innate body to the point of transformation through formidable true energy. Either way, his body was extraordinary. Ki Woo-hee composed her surprise and focused on the pulse diagnosis.
A moment later.
“It’s just as you said, Commander Yeon. You suffered quite deep internal injuries, but you’ve recovered significantly in just a few days. If left alone, natural healing should be possible.”
“I told you so.”
“Even so, since there’s a physician to look after your body, there’s no need to endure discomfort unnecessarily.”
Ki Woo-hee took out a case of acupuncture needles from her robes.
“I’ll make the flow of your qi a little smoother. It should cut your recovery time in half.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“I’m really fine.”
“Commander Yeon.”
“I said I didn’t come to be treated. Put the needles away.”
With him speaking so firmly, it was awkward to insist on treatment.
In the end, Ki Woo-hee returned the needle case to her robes.
Yeon Hojeong asked,
“How are the kids?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean the ones at the Medical Pavilion. It’s your first time having so many people under you, isn’t it?”
Ki Woo-hee spoke with an awkward expression.
“It is. Still, they’re all good people, so it’s fine.”
“I heard their skills are below average.”
“Honestly, they’re not at a good level. That’s why we’re working on a manual right now—so they can learn by watching directly.”
“I see.”
This probably wasn’t what he had come to ask. It was, so to speak, a polite greeting before getting to the main point.
And Ki Woo-hee’s judgment was correct.
“A few days ago, I captured the Twelfth Martial General of the Shinwha Sect.”
“……!!”
“You know what the Eighteen Martial Generals are like, don’t you?”
Ki Woo-hee swallowed. So that was it. It must have been the incident that occurred at dawn on the day she had sensed Yeon Hojeong’s emotions with her Spiritual Eyes.
“Before he died, he spat out some information. There was quite a bit I didn’t know.”
Ki Woo-hee swallowed again and asked,
“Do you believe what he said was true?”
“I do.”
“Why? The position of the Eighteen Martial Generals isn’t one that can be obtained simply by having strong martial arts. Without absolute faith in the sect, no matter how excellent one’s martial arts, one cannot obtain the title of Martial General.”
“Even so, I believe it’s true.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes grew dark.
“It was torture that even someone more vicious than him couldn’t endure. The chance of it being a lie is extremely low.”
“……!!”
Ki Woo-hee’s face turned pale.
Was it because she had once sensed his emotions? Though she couldn’t see it with her eyes, she could imagine how brutal and horrific the torture he had inflicted must have been.
“The important thing is this. I’m fairly knowledgeable about the Sado Sect. But I don’t have that level of knowledge about the Shinwha Sect or the Mad Blood Cult.”
Yeon Hojeong leaned forward and clasped his hands.
That slow movement alone changed the atmosphere. A darker, heavier mood tightened around Ki Woo-hee’s throat.
“Originally, I didn’t intend to ask you anything more. From what I heard before, you didn’t seem to know much either, I’d already heard everything worth hearing, and even if you were hiding something, I thought it would be better to wait until you spoke of it yourself.”
“……”
“There’s one thing you haven’t told me, isn’t there?”
“Pardon?”
“The bloodline of the Shinwha Sect Leader.”
“……!”
“Aside from you, I haven’t heard anything about your siblings. Furthermore, I haven’t heard in detail what kind of person the Shinwha Sect Leader is, or why you’re suffering because of your bloodline.”
“……Is it an important matter?”
“It is.”
“May I ask in what way it’s important?”
“When I captured that fellow called the First Shadow before, I had some idea. And when I captured the Twelfth Martial General this time, I became certain. The Shinwha Sect intends to seize control of the imperial palace and the government offices.”
Ki Woo-hee’s eyes trembled.
Yeon Hojeong continued in a flat tone.
“But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand. One of the reasons the empire, which has lost its power, has been able to maintain itself until now is precisely bloodline—legitimacy. No matter how corrupt it may be, it’s not so weak that it can be seized by people from the West.”
“The powerful figures may be that rotten……”
“My thoughts are a little different. If the empire’s powerful figures were rotten to that extent, the empire should have collapsed long ago. It would mean they’re engaging in a fight that crosses the line.”
“……”
“A line that even corrupt officials cannot cross. Both the orthodox and unorthodox factions have their own lines. Then what is the line for the statesmen who run the country?”
“……Legitimacy, I suppose.”
“There would be many things. But the greatest among them is, as you said, legitimacy.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“Whether they accept bribes or are oppressed by force, there must be at least minimal justification. And the greatest justification in imperial politics is precisely bloodline—legitimacy.”
“……”
“Tell me. How is the Shinwha Sect Leader connected to the Central Plains empire?”
Ki Woo-hee stared at Yeon Hojeong for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh.
“You truly are sharp, Commander Yeon.”
“……”
“You’re right. I didn’t tell you all the information about the Shinwha Sect. To be precise, I hadn’t even thought of telling you. Because I was trying to forget it myself.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a cold smile.
“Recall the memories you tried to forget. And tell me about them.”
* * *
“What?!”
Dong-gak’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“The Twelfth Martial General still hasn’t arrived?”
“Th-that is correct.”
The old man swallowed.
“With the Twelfth Martial General’s skill, he should have already passed Heochang and arrived in Kaifeng by now. Yet he still hasn’t shown himself.”
Dong-gak’s face twisted.
“What on earth could have happened……?!”
Gyu Jeok was a thorough man. Regardless of skill, he was someone who handled matters with certainty. He was not the type to vanish without a word like this.
Then?
“Could it be that someone attacked him?!”
The old man barely stopped himself from saying that couldn’t be the case. We don’t know. This place was close to the Martial Alliance. And the Martial Alliance was like a holy land for orthodox martial artists. That meant many experts passed through.
It wouldn’t be strange if something happened anywhere, at any time. There weren’t many experts capable of capturing someone of the Twelfth Martial General’s level without a trace, but still, one never knew.
“There is one suspicious point.”
“What is it?”
“On the way back, I saw traces of a forest fire not far from here. A brief investigation revealed many stories—that it was caused by lightning, or by a campfire lit by an unknown traveler, and so on.”
Dong-gak’s eyes grew cold.
“Fire?”
The Shinwha Sect worshipped fire.
Naturally, the Shinwha Sect members also practiced the Fiery Yang Art. The Eighteen Martial Generals in particular had mastered the highest level of the Fiery Yang Art.
If they wished, starting a forest fire was not difficult. The problem was why the Twelfth Martial General would have started one.
“Were there any traces of a fight?”
“We weren’t able to investigate that far.”
“Go and check immediately. If even one trace of a fight is found……”
Dong-gak gritted his teeth. He would rather there were traces of a fight.
If Gyu Jeok had vanished without a word, the higher-ups would not leave him—the last witness—alone.
“In that case, report to the higher-ups. We’ll need to summon a higher-ranking Martial General.”