Chapter 32: Life-Death Eccentric Doctor-2
Chapter 32: Life-Death Eccentric Doctor-2
Heuksalpyo Dong Paegyeong was the fourth sworn brother of Heuksangdo-gaek Go Ju-yong and the Third Guardian of Heuksangbang.
Although he was merely at the initial stage of the peak level with about seventy years of internal energy, even that level of skill was enough to make him a powerful figure who could serve as the absolute being of an entire region if he went to a remote area.
But he had chosen to remain at Heuksangbang.
It was because of the wealth and glory that his elder brother, Heuksang-bangju Go Ju-yong, had promised.
Go Ju-yong was a greedy man, but he was also someone who understood well that in order to obtain something greater, one had to keep investing rather than hoarding everything for oneself.
So he treated his sworn brothers, who were peak-level masters, with the utmost respect.
As a result, Heuksangbang — which possessed four peak-level masters — was ultimately able to rise as one of the Eight Great Families of Guizhou and become the ruler of the southwestern part of Guizhou Castle.
The mere fact that four peak-level masters were gathered together was an overwhelming military force that could not be matched in such a rural region.
Dong Paegyeong, who had been through that process together with Go Ju-yong, understood all too well how important capturing Saengsagwoe-ui was for them.
'A physician who can produce spirit medicine on the level of the Small Reversion Pill — is he not a goose that lays golden eggs?'
He could not even begin to guess how much wealth they could earn if they could only secure him.
And that wealth would undoubtedly make Heuksangbang even stronger.
In the world, there were surprisingly many peak-level masters who could be hired if you only had the wealth.
'Like that wench Hyeolpyeonseosi Ya Unhyang, for instance.'
Thinking of that wench back at the main base, whose martial arts and beauty were both stunning — Hyeolpyeonseosi Ya Unhyang — suddenly made his mouth water.
That was the dream of his elder brother Go Ju-yong.
To keep increasing the number of peak-level masters he could hire with wealth like her, and someday become the ruler not just of southwestern Guizhou Castle, but of all of Guizhou Castle.
Dong Paegyeong, who was participating in that dream, could now feel as if that dream was becoming reality as he gazed at Saengsagwoe-ui, who was surrounded before his eyes.
He shouted with an expression full of elation.
"Surrender quietly, Ma Jong-hwan! Then I will simply forget all the trouble you have caused us so far! I am a magnanimous man, after all. Keu-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
At that, Saengsagwoe-ui Ma Jong-hwan — a gaunt, harsh-featured man — sneered and shot back.
"Kidnappers who abduct another man's children because they covet his spirit pills dare to speak of being magnanimous men? This is the most amusing thing I have ever heard in all my life, eu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
Dong Paegyeong stopped laughing.
He did not like that a mere wandering doctor of the jianghu was mocking him, nor that the man was pretending to be at ease when he was cornered.
But soon he wore a greasy smile again.
He decided to simply forgive him.
Wasn't a man driven into a dead end allowed to put on a little show of bravado?
What could he do? As a magnanimous man, he had to endure it.
Dong Paegyeong laughed heartily and approached him.
"Fine, fine. Since you found it amusing, I am pleased as well. So now, will you quietly come with me?"
At that, Ma Jong-hwan answered with eyes that seemed to spew fire.
"The only thing that can go with you is my corpse!"
Having said that, Ma Jong-hwan drew a dagger and pressed it to his own throat as if he would stab himself at any moment.
Dong Paegyeong was startled.
He was going to kill himself because he didn't want to be captured?
To that extent?
Dong Paegyeong hastily stepped back and tried to calm him down.
"Wait! Wait, calm yourself, Ma Jong-hwan! Let us talk a little more!"
"Talk?! You want to talk with me, the man whose children you kidnapped because you coveted his spirit pills? Keu-ha-ha-ha-ha! None of that is necessary! Get out of here immediately! Otherwise, all you will see is my corpse!"
Using his own life as a hostage to demand they retreat — it was nothing short of absurd.
But Dong Paegyeong could not ignore it either.
He was someone who understood just as well as Go Ju-yong how important Ma Jong-hwan was.
But he could not let the man know that fact, so for now Dong Paegyeong decided to try intimidation first.
Gritting his teeth, Dong Paegyeong shouted.
"Go ahead and die if you can! That is, if you are not afraid of what will happen to your children after you are dead! Do you think your life is so precious?!"
At that, Ma Jong-hwan chuckled and replied.
"It is precious! I, who can create the life-death pills, am precious — is that not precisely why you scoundrels are doing this?! I will say it again! Get out of my sight immediately! Otherwise, your plans to use my life-death pills will end here with this!"
Dong Paegyeong's mouth fell open.
How did that bastard know...?
The man knew his own value all too well.
Ma Jong-hwan shouted as if driving him into a corner.
"I shall now count to ten! If you do not retreat by the time I reach ten, you will see my corpse! One!"
"W-wait! Ma Jong-hwan! Let us talk more!"
"Two!"
Dong Paegyeong was flustered.
He had thought they had him now — what kind of situation was this?
He could not let him die, but he could not truly retreat either.
"Three!"
Dong Paegyeong's heart was growing increasingly impatient.
He didn't even have time to think.
"Four!"
It was then.
Someone was calling for him from the rear, running toward him.
"Samhobeop-nim!"
Dong Paegyeong, his heart now anxious, burst out in anger and looked that way.
"What is it?! At such an urgent moment?!"
But Dong Paegyeong's eyes took on a peculiar light when he saw him.
The lower-ranking warrior who had run up was completely covered in blood.
"A-an attack! It's an attack!"
"What?! An attack?!"
Even in the midst of that, Ma Jong-hwan did not stop counting.
"Five!"
The warrior who had run over as if about to collapse crumpled to the ground before him, and Ma Jong-hwan's voice was heard again.
"Six!"
Dong Paegyeong, his heart growing restless, glanced at Ma Jong-hwan's direction.
It was that moment.
Suddenly, a chilling sensation ran down the back of his neck.
He did not know what it was, but Dong Paegyeong hastily threw his body aside.
Three throwing weapons that had flown like rays of light grazed past the collar of his clothes.
Syuhak!
His blood could not help but run cold.
It was the work of the warrior who had collapsed and then suddenly raised his body.
"Y-you bastard?!"
At that, the warrior grinned as if regretfully and — as if he had never been staggering — unleashed a fantastical sword strike at the surrounding warriors and dashed out toward Saengsagwoe-ui.
Syuhak!
"Keu-haak!"
"Keo-heok!"
As the sword light spread out like an illusion, the four warriors nearby spewed blood.
Through that spray of blood, he was already charging toward Ma Jong-hwan.
Dong Paegyeong was naturally startled, but Ma Jong-hwan was equally flustered upon seeing it.
A man he had thought was a Heuksangbang member had suddenly attacked Dong Paegyeong and was flying toward him — he could not confirm the man's identity.
Was this not possibly a trap?
That was what Ma Jong-hwan was thinking as he pressed the dagger to his own throat and was about to shout for him to stop.
Suddenly, a telepathic transmission sounded in his ear.
[Elder! We have rescued Maeng Un and Yong Ji!]
Upon hearing those names, Ma Jong-hwan felt his strength unconsciously drain away.
Ma Maeng-un and Ma Yong-ji were the names of Saengsagwoe-ui's son and daughter.
In that moment, Seonwoo Jin, who had reached Ma Jong-hwan, embraced him tightly and charged toward the cliff like a ray of light.
"Excuse me, Elder!"
The next moment, all the Heuksangbang members watching them could not help but be astonished.
"W-what?!"
"H-how can he?!"
Seonwoo Jin, with Ma Jong-hwan on his shoulder, was running vertically up the cliff.
Pa-ba-ba-ba-bak!
It was nothing short of astonishing lightness arts.
It was when Seonwoo Jin had run up about halfway up the thirty-zhang-high cliff in an instant.
Dong Paegyeong, who had been staring blankly in confusion, soon gritted his teeth and scattered throwing weapons at Seonwoo Jin's legs.
"Did you think I would let you escape?!"
It was the peak-level throwing weapon technique that had earned him the epithet "Black Killing Dart."
Small throwing darts became rays of light and flew toward Seonwoo Jin's legs.
Swiiik!
But Seonwoo Jin leaped sideways as if he had been waiting for it.
Tadak!
For him, who was training with Seol Pung to close his eyes and perceive objects, a throwing weapon he was already prepared for was not particularly threatening.
Kakang! Kang!
As Dong Paegyeong's throwing darts struck the rocks in vain, Seonwoo Jin now began to climb the cliff by zigzagging left and right between the rocks.
Tadak! Tak! Tak!
His movements were as light as a mountain goat.
Seeing that sight, Dong Paegyeong exploded with fury and screamed.
"Send a signal to the elder brother! We must not let them get away!"
And then he himself began to run up the cliff just as Seonwoo Jin had done.
Heuksalpyo Dong Paegyeong was also someone who specialized in movement techniques alongside throwing weapons.
He absolutely could not let them escape before his eyes.
***
After climbing the cliff and catching my breath once, I glanced back to check and then began running again.
I had roughly expected it, but he truly abandoned all his underlings and came chasing after me — he was a man whose mind turned infuriatingly slow.
'If this is a trap to lure me into, what the hell were you planning to pull?'
'...Not that there's any trap, of course.'
Judging by the bastard's speed, it didn't seem likely I could shake him off easily.
Just as I started running again, Saengsagwoe-ui, draped over my shoulder, suddenly asked urgently. He must have been holding it in until we climbed the cliff, afraid of being a hindrance.
"Is that true?! Was it really you who rescued Maeng Un and Yong Ji?"
Talking while deploying movement arts was incredibly difficult, but I had to do it now.
Above all else, gaining this man's trust was the top priority, after all.
I answered in a bright voice.
"Of course. Wasn't that why you wished someone would, and you turned their attention onto yourself, Elder?"
"Ah... You... you truly understood!"
His voice was filled with deep emotion. It was a voice where I could clearly feel the long-accumulated worry for his children and the anxiety over his own judgment being washed away all at once.
I could fully understand. How anxious must he have been?
He must have resorted to it, thinking it was the only way, but even so, he surely agonized over it countless times.
Worrying that perhaps his misjudgment might bring harm to his children. In fact, in my past life, it was true that his intentions had failed.
I spoke again to him, as he was too choked with emotion to continue.
"Neither of them suffered any rough treatment at all. They are resting, perfectly healthy and unharmed, so please don't worry."
"...Thank you. Truly, thank you."
'To be honest, they nearly did go through something terrible, but...'
I didn't bother to tell him that. I decided to just pretend not to notice the tearful quiver in his voice either. Suddenly, the image of my own father, who had once told me I did well, overlapped with his, warming my heart.
Right then, a voice from behind rapidly cooled my heart down to ice.
"You bastard! Didn't you hear me telling you to stop this instant?!"
Dong Paegyeong's voice rang out from behind me. As expected of a peak-level master, his speed was tremendous.
Even at a glance, it seemed impossible to outrun him while carrying Ma Jong-hwan on my back.
I took a short deep breath and spoke quickly.
"So now, all you need to do is escape safely, Elder. Do you happen to have any method in mind?"
But accompanied by a short groan, he answered heavily.
"I'm ashamed to say this to you, but I have no grand method. I was merely certain that, even out of their own greed, they would never let me die. And also, due to that same greed, others who want to kill Go Ju-yong would inevitably swarm here."
Well, his judgment would be accurate. In my past life, he had succeeded in killing Go Ju-yong, after all.
Perhaps even without me earlier, he might have somehow escaped. Hmm, so if things got urgent, did that mean I could just ditch Saengsagwoe-ui and run away alone?
Even in a one-on-one fight, I didn't think I had any chance against that Dong Paegyeong. If the difference between a second-rate and first-rate warrior was like a cat and a lynx, then the gap between a first-rate and peak-level was like a lynx and a tiger.
No matter how much he specialized in throwing weapons rather than close combat, there was no way I could defeat him in a direct confrontation.
Dong Paegyeong, a peak-level master specializing in throwing weapon techniques and movement arts. On top of that, his projectiles were said to be coated with a lethal poison called Jusadok.
As I recalled the intel on Heuksalpyo Dong Paegyeong that I had beaten out of a low-ranking warrior earlier, I abruptly asked Saengsagwoe-ui.
"Elder, do you happen to have that?"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
***
Heuksalpyo Dong Paegyeong glared murderously at the bastard fleeing in front of him. He had thought he could catch the wretch carrying Ma Jong-hwan in no time, but already over two quarters of an hour had passed and he still hadn't closed the distance.
For someone who specialized in projectiles and movement arts, it was an unbearably humiliating blow to his pride. What kind of training had this bastard done to run so well with a person on his back? It was a wonder to him.
Even if he wanted to throw and hit him with a projectile, the bastard had been carrying Ma Jong-hwan on his back as a shield this whole time. Moreover, Ma Jong-hwan had been stiff and motionless for a while now, so he must have had his acupoints sealed.
It seemed the bastard knew full well that he couldn't kill Ma Jong-hwan. Dong Paegyeong ground his teeth in explosive rage. The situation, where he could neither catch the bastard nor throw his projectiles, was driving him insane with anger.
That was when it happened. While running, the bastard shouted toward him.
"Dong Paegyeong! Let's negotiate!"
Judging by the voice, the bastard seemed considerably exhausted as well. 'Well, that figures.'
A smirk of satisfaction appeared on Dong Paegyeong's face as he shouted back.
"What kind of negotiation are you talking about?!"
Then the bastard answered.
"Isn't it Saengsagwoe-ui you want?! I'll be satisfied if I can just take three spirit pills—no, just two! So once I take those, I'll quietly leave this man here and go! What do you say?!"
Dong Paegyeong considered it for a moment. It certainly wasn't a bad proposal. As long as he could reclaim Ma Jong-hwan, who would continue producing spirit pills in the future, he figured he could easily spare two measly pills.
Of course, killing the bastard would be best, if possible, but wouldn't it be a disaster if he provoked his temper and the bastard ended up killing Ma Jong-hwan? Besides, since the bastard seemed to have already sealed Ma Jong-hwan's acupoints, he wouldn't be able to threaten suicide like before, and they could then safely secure his person. It seemed the wiser course to negotiate at around that level.
Having organized his thoughts, Dong Paegyeong replied.
"Fine! Let's do that!"
At that, the bastard brightened and shouted.
"Then stop right there! And I'll stop too!"
Hearing that, Dong Paegyeong gradually slowed his speed and finally came to a halt. Then Seonwoo Jin also soon stopped running and carefully lowered Ma Jong-hwan to the ground.
After that, he gauged Dong Paegyeong's reaction and cautiously searched Ma Jong-hwan's chest to take out the spirit pills. Seonwoo Jin gazed at the five spirit pills with a regretful look, then, as if left with no choice, pocketed only two into his own chest.
Dong Paegyeong watched this with the eyes of a hawk.
After tucking the spirit pills away, Seonwoo Jin stepped back carefully and said.
"There! I'll be retreating now!"
"Fine! Get the hell out of here!"
Dong Paegyeong also cautiously approached Ma Jong-hwan, who lay on the ground. However, Dong Paegyeong could notice that Seonwoo Jin, instead of fleeing immediately, kept stealing glances at Ma Jong-hwan. Clearly, the bastard had something else in mind.
That was when it happened. Just as it seemed he would retreat, Seonwoo Jin suddenly hurled several throwing weapons toward Ma Jong-hwan.
"Haap!"
Whiriririk!
Then Dong Paegyeong, who had already suspected the other had ulterior motives, desperately threw himself forward to shield Ma Jong-hwan's body protectively.
Cha-cha-cha-chaeng!
Dong Paegyeong barely managed to leap in time, blocking all four projectiles with the hand darts he held in both hands. It seemed the bastard's projectile skill wasn't all that outstanding compared to his movement technique.
"Kuahaha! How dare you flaunt your throwing weapons before this great me, Dong!"
Having successfully deflected all the projectiles, Dong Paegyeong burst into laughter and launched a black hand dart at Seonwoo Jin. It was his signature ultimate technique from which his epithet derived, the Black Killing Dart.
Syuwak!
As the black dart shot in like a beam of light, the horrified Seonwoo Jin hurriedly raised his sword to block it.
Puhuk!
But a sword could not block a hand dart imbued with energetic force. The fiercely flying dart pierced straight through the sword and embedded itself into Seonwoo Jin's arm.
Seeing that, a nasty grin spread across Dong Paegyeong's face. With a projectile coated in lethal poison lodged in him, the bastard was as good as dead already.
But just as he was about to throw one more projectile for a confirm kill—
Puk!
Feeling a stinging sensation in the nape of his neck, Dong Paegyeong sensed something terribly wrong in this incomprehensible situation and turned his head.
There, Ma Jong-hwan, whom he thought had his acupoints sealed, was grinning savagely, holding out the open mouth of a leather pouch. The two serpents now firmly latched onto his neck must have come from inside it.
"Wh-what...!"
Dong Paegyeong's shocked expression soon twisted into fury. Even though he had just been bitten, his vision was already blurring, and nausea was rising. It was clearly a devastatingly lethal venom.
"You bastard, how dare—!"
Just as Dong Paegyeong, fighting the dizziness, forced his already stiffening hand to move to throw a projectile at Ma Jong-hwan—
In that instant, a sword blade burst out through his chest, having pierced through his back.
Puhuk!
"Keok?!"
How? It was incomprehensible. He had been hit by a projectile coated with lethal poison, so the bastard should already be dead....
With that final thought, Dong Paegyeong breathed his last. It was the moment the peak-level master Heuksalpyo Dong Paegyeong met death at the hands of the first-rate warrior Seonwoo Jin.