Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Mad Physician
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The moment Hyeok Mulin stepped through the entrance, he felt as if his body was being gently pulled inside, and the world around him transformed completely.
Once darkness enveloped everything, Hyeok Mulin turned his head and surveyed his surroundings.
He was like someone who had suddenly dropped into the middle of a forest. Towering trees and thick underbrush grew densely in every direction his eyes could reach.
A thick fog clung to the air, so dense it was hard to see even a step ahead.
"Hoo."
It was utterly different from the ordinary manor he'd observed from outside.
On the surface, it had looked like a cluster of unremarkable buildings, but stepping inside revealed a forest no one could have anticipated.
This was his first time entering the Lone Valley Clan's manor in either his past or present life, making the sight all the more intriguing.
As he took a step forward, he placed a hand on a nearby tree and inhaled deeply through his nose.
The texture of the bark and the scent of grass... I can feel them perfectly.
It was clear that an ultra-advanced formation, overlaying even tactile sensations, enveloped the entire manor.
Only a handful in all of Shin-gang could craft something this sophisticated—perhaps the Sima Clan or the Illusion Gate.
But the Illusion Gate's path diverged too much. So it must be the Sima Clan.
As Hyeok Mulin pondered the creators behind it, Dokgo Wi stepped in mid-air and entered.
The door that had briefly appeared as he entered vanished cleanly.
Dokgo Wi approached Hyeok Mulin and pointed in one direction.
"This way. Please follow me."
As Hyeok Mulin walked the forest path behind him, he spoke up.
"Your clan has arranged things quite uniquely."
"We had no choice, with so many targeting our main house."
"At least if a battle breaks out here, you won't lose."
This place severely limited visibility and range of movement.
Put differently, it was an ideal terrain for assassins who relied on presence detection and senses, allowing freer maneuverability.
"In my inner courtyard, anyone grows stronger."
Dokgo Wi gradually picked up speed.
"Keep up with me. If you fall behind, you might wander here forever."
With that, he shot forward swiftly toward their destination.
After advancing some distance, he stopped when Hyeok Mulin's figure vanished.
He arrived too quickly.
Asking someone unfamiliar with the main house to match his pace was unreasonable, given the difference in familiarity.
I should slow down and go back to find him.
The moment he decided to reduce speed and turned to search for the Cult Leader,
"What are you doing? Aren't you going?"
Hyeok Mulin emerged, parting the shadows.
Dokgo Wi froze in shock, staring wide-eyed, before finally speaking.
"...No. Let's continue."
He turned and pressed on, accelerating to full speed while glancing back.
Is this really happening?
He had been impressed by the footwork Hyeok Mulin used just to follow him into the main house.
But now, that surprise had escalated.
Hyeok Mulin surely wasn't familiar with the illusions blanketing the main house or its layout.
Yet in the front courtyard, he'd lost track of the man's presence and been overtaken in speed.
This was a first since Dokgo Wi had become clan patriarch.
So the Cult Leader isn't all talk.
With a hint of tension and wariness building, he soon reached their destination.
"Here we are."
A small, ordinary inner residence, like any village home.
Dokgo Wi opened the door and entered, with Hyeok Mulin following.
Inside, they immediately spotted a boy lying peacefully in the bedroom.
"This is Dokgo Myeong, the young heir of the Lone Valley Clan."
Hyeok Mulin approached and gazed down at him intently.
He was undoubtedly deep in qi deviation.
Yet he looked serene.
His face was calm, eyes closed as if he had simply drifted off to sleep after a long day.
Observing symptoms opposite to typical qi deviation, Hyeok Mulin studied him closely before speaking.
"Just as I expected."
Confirming Dokgo Myeong's condition, Hyeok Mulin continued.
"When the Demon Physician visited before, didn't he warn you to watch for the young heir's outbreaks?"
"...How did you know that?"
"And lately, the intervals between his outbreaks must have shortened. Even if you sought the Divine Physician, it would be pointless. He'd give the same answer as the Demon Physician."
In his past life, the Lone Valley Clan had eventually succeeded in bringing the Divine Physician.
But that was the end of it.
He shook his head and left after the same diagnosis.
"What did you just say?"
As Hyeok Mulin stated the facts, a chilling killing intent flickered in Dokgo Wi's eyes.
Yet Hyeok Mulin calmly continued.
"But I know."
The young heir's qi deviation, untreatable even by Divine or Demon Physicians.
"Someone who can cure it."
At those words, time seemed to freeze as silence fell.
Dokgo Wi, stunned by the unexpected revelation, finally broke the quiet after a long pause.
"Is that really true?"
The Demon Physician had balked, and even the Divine Physician was deemed incapable.
Yet now this Cult Leader claimed to know someone else who could do it.
If those two couldn't, who in the world could?
"Yes."
Dokgo Wi, who rarely showed emotion, betrayed faint excitement as he asked.
"Then who exactly can cure our young heir?"
Hyeok Mulin fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"The Mad Physician."
"...!"
"He's the only one in the world who can treat this."
Dokgo Wi froze in shock at the declaration.
He soon responded in disbelief.
"The Mad Physician? Did you just say the Mad Physician?"
"You heard correctly. It's the one you're thinking of. Any problem?"
"Are you seriously suggesting that?"
The Three Heavenly Physicians.
Three divine healers whose skills reached the heavens.
Divine Physician, Demon Physician, and Mad Physician.
These three, whose medical arts touched the sky, were collectively known as the Three Heavenly Physicians.
The Divine Physician.
He had saved countless lives in the Central Plains, treating righteous and evil sects alike without discrimination.
His whereabouts were mysterious, making him hard to find even for those desperate for treatment.
The Demon Physician.
Active around Shin-gang, he had established a massive clinic near Heavenly Mountain and actively trained disciples.
His skills were so renowned that some even joined the Demonic Cult for his care, though he had some eccentric traits.
And finally, the Mad Physician.
Despite his status among the Three Heavenly Physicians, few entrusted themselves to him.
The reason was simple.
His treatments mostly succeeded, but the patient's body was rarely left intact.
His infamous quirks—like swapping the arms of two patients mid-surgery for fun, or restoring sight while severing ears to deafen them—explained his moniker.
"How could I entrust our young heir to that lunatic?"
"There's no other way. Only the Mad Physician can treat this form of qi deviation."
Hyeok Mulin briefly pressed several of the boy's acupoints.
As the startled Dokgo Wi moved to stop him, Hyeok Mulin cut him off.
"What are you—"
"Look. I pressed nerves linked to consciousness, yet no reaction."
Dokgo Wi hesitated and glanced at the boy's face.
He was right.
Aside from the qi deviation, the boy's serene expression remained unchanged, as if body and mind were severed.
Having never tried this before, Dokgo Wi panicked, eyes darting.
"The young heir's body lives, but his soul is detached. Flesh and spirit are completely separated."
"..."
Dokgo Wi was speechless at this new revelation.
They'd focused solely on reversed qi and blood flow, summoning countless physicians. If true, they'd been wrong from the start.
As shock silenced him, Hyeok Mulin waited briefly before speaking.
"Do you know the Mad Physician's origins?"
"No."
"He's the sole survivor of the Soul Messenger Cult, destroyed centuries ago."
Dokgo Wi whipped his head around.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
The Soul Messenger Cult.
Centuries ago, a sect in Fujian Province that researched human souls and spirits.
It drew those fascinated by the mind, even developing related martial arts.
But its dangerous, alien ideology led to its quick downfall.
"Then what Your Excellency mentioned..."
"Exactly. The Mad Physician, trained in Soul Messenger Cult arts, is the only one who can reconnect the young heir's soul."
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely."
Meeting Hyeok Mulin's gaze, Dokgo Wi glanced at the young heir, nodded, and replied.
"Understood. I'll trust Your Excellency and seek the Mad Physician."
But Dokgo Wi wasn't finished.
"Why, though? Why go this far for us, whom you've never met?"
The Lone Valley Clan and Heavenly Demon.
They'd never crossed paths, bound only by political ties as Cult Leader and one of the Seven Great Demon Clans.
He hadn't dreamed of such specific aid, even for the young heir's treatment.
"Surely there's a reason beyond simple goodwill."
A natural, reasonable suspicion.
"You're perceptive. I ask just one promise in return."
Hyeok Mulin spoke calmly and clearly.
"When all this ends, and the young heir returns safely."
His eyes slowly rose to meet Dokgo Wi's.
"Support me."
"...!"
Dokgo Wi's pupils wavered as he closed his eyes briefly.
Openly declaring the Seven Great Demon Clans' support for the current Heavenly Demon.
No small matter, with unknown repercussions, he couldn't answer lightly.
Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Mulin.
When he first ascended, he had nothing.
Back then, he'd have refused outright.
After divorcing, antagonizing the Cheon Clan, he faced no favor from Gu or Man Clans, and others merely watched the isolated Cult Leader from afar.
But now, things had shifted.
Over time, by some skill, he'd turned Hyeok Clan, Yagul Clan, and Sima Clan into allies.
And influenced the Mad Scripture Sect too.
Unknown to other clans, but the underworld-savvy Lone Valley Clan had learned one fact.
The Namdo Iron Gate, forgers of Shin-gang's famed weapons, had granted the Cult Leader direct favor—a sword from the Gate Master himself.
A sword from Master Gundo Sword—out in the world after decades.
No trivial affair.
Dokgo Wi sensed the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's currents swirling around the Cult Leader.
Weighing not just the young heir but all angles, he was certain this moment was a pivotal turning point for his clan.
After deep deliberation, he reached a decision.
"Understood."
Dokgo Wi nodded, accepting the proposal.
But he wasn't done.
"However, if treatment fails and harm comes to the young heir, we'll stand firmly against Your Excellency—and you won't survive."
Dokgo Wi laced acceptance with threat.
Yet Hyeok Mulin nodded leisurely.
"Understood."
"Good."
With the deal sealed, Dokgo Wi asked the most crucial question.
"Does Your Excellency know where the Mad Physician is?"
"I do."
Currently, untraceable anywhere in the world.
A prison island gathering martial world's greatest sinners, where one served a thousand years before release—the immortal jail.
"In the heart of Dongting Lake, on Thousand-Year Island Prison."