Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Divine Doctor's Decision
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Mu-heun knew of this disease spread by rats.
‘If I hadn't discovered it...! This plague would have killed everyone in this area—no, everyone who couldn't protect themselves with martial arts.’
Rage boiled within him. It was one thing for martial artists to stab, slash, and kill each other—they brought it upon themselves. But for the powerless to be caught in the crossfire and die was another matter entirely.
Mu-heun carefully collected samples of blood and flesh from the deceased, wrapping them tightly in fragrance to prevent contagion, and began his research.
This was the life of a physician. A doctor was not simply someone who gathered herbs and brought them to a patient.
First, one must examine the composition of the human body. That was the foundation. The next step was to understand the role each organ and system played within it. This allowed one to narrow down the appearance and color of a normal, healthy body.
The third step was what he was about to do now…
To investigate how a specific disease affects a particular organ. The blood and flesh he had collected were undoubtedly teeming with the plague. Yet, on the surface, they looked no different from normal samples.
In that case…
All he had to do was identify the differences between them and ordinary blood and flesh.
‘Before, I couldn't have done this. I lacked the ability and the knowledge… but it's different now. Having mastered the Myriad Fragrance, I can see and feel this disease down to its smallest components.’
Using the Myriad Fragrance, Mu-heun could now perceive the minuscule details he could never see before.
He compared the collected blood and flesh with his own. As a result, he became aware of microscopic organisms he had never known existed.
‘What a terrible scent.’
These microorganisms were so tiny they were completely invisible to the naked eye, but they were undoubtedly the carriers, moving from rats to humans. It was proof that this would soon become a plague, claiming countless lives.
‘Black Mountain… they truly commit deeds beyond comprehension.’
Mu-heun sensed the origin of the plague through its scent. Now, even if such a disease were to break out again, he would be able to create a cure with the Myriad Fragrance.
After meticulously researching and documenting the cause and solution for the disease, Mu-heun burned the blood and flesh samples.
‘I've burned everything, but there's still a risk the plague could spread. I need to evacuate the remaining residents as quickly as possible.’
Mu-heun instantly spread the Myriad Fragrance across the entirety of Black Mountain Island, linking his senses to the scent to find the residents who did not practice martial arts.
“One group in the east, one in the west, and one in the north... There are civilians gathered in a total of three locations.”
Mu-heun immediately began to search for the fastest escape route for the hostages.
“Cheon-hyang!”
Mu-heun relayed his message to Cheon-hyang, who was circling above Gocha-hyeon.
*Screeeech*
[Yes, Master!]
Cheon-hyang sent a blast of ultrasound, delivering its words directly into Mu-heun's mind.
“Go to Seol Ha-ryeong and Hyeok at once and tell them to clear the poison mist and ice fog at the locations I mentioned! And tell Pa-sun and Un-pyo to head north immediately and engage the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild.”
*Screeeeeech!*
[Yes!]
After giving Cheon-hyang its mission, Mu-heun swiftly made his way to the residents. He swatted down the Black Mountain warriors there like flies before explaining the escape plan to the civilians.
“From now on, follow the path I am about to create.”
Mu-heun gathered the energy from his dantian to the tip of his fist, then collided the refined lines of ki at a single point.
‘Eight Demons Explosive Art.’
*BOOM!*
With a tremendous roar, a straight path opened from where the residents stood to outside the Black Mountain stronghold, clearing a corridor free of the poison mist and ice fog.
Mu-heun shouted to the residents.
“Run straight down this path! And follow the woman who uses ice arts and the man who uses poison arts!”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
The residents had no idea what was happening, but they expressed their gratitude to Mu-heun for giving them a chance to escape from Black Mountain and fled.
After ensuring all the residents had been evacuated, Mu-heun called out to Gu Yang-baek, who was in the middle of fighting the Black Mountain leaders.
“Sir Yang-baek, what is the situation?”
“Sir Dragon Demon… Their skills are not enough to pose a serious challenge. However, they keep spreading this poison mist. I’ve blocked it with my protective energy, of course… but it’s a poor matchup for me.”
“I will take it from here. Please head to the main forces of the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
Gu Yang-baek gave a short reply and vanished without a trace. The leader of Black Mountain, Heuk-jang, roared.
“Who in the hell are you to interfere with us! Black Mountain will not go down quietly! Retreat!”
Hearing the Black Mountain leader’s cry, Mu-heun resolved to erase them without leaving a single trace.
That day, two violet suns and countless black thunderbolts rained down from the skies above Black Mountain. Where its leaders once stood, not a trace of the building, people, or weapons remained.
***
Mu-heun issued his orders to Cheon-hyang, who then relayed them to Pa-sun and Un-pyo.
Pa-sun and Un-pyo moved from the south of Gocha-hyeon, where the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union were located, to the north where the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild were stationed. Having consistently trained their movement techniques with Mu-heun, the two men crossed Gocha-hyeon with the speed of the wind.
When they reached the northern end, they confirmed that the entire forces of the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild were gathered there. Spotting them, Un-pyo raised his greatsword high and spoke.
“Are you the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild?”
The leader of the Great Moon Guild, who was at the forefront, answered.
“We are. What business do you have here?”
The guild leader responded calmly, but he was clearly flustered that his plans had been disrupted.
‘Weren't these guys supposed to be attacking the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union…? This has become quite a predicament.’
“We two have come to save Gocha-hyeon from evil! The residents told us that the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union were the source of this evil, so we went to check, but they claimed that this place was the source of evil instead. So, we came to confirm.”
Pa-sun spouted lies with practiced ease, while Un-pyo could only marvel at him. In contrast, the guild leader believed Pa-sun's words without question.
“The source of evil? We would never do such a thing. That is all a scheme by the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union. The residents clearly pointed to them, so why would you believe the words of evil men over the words of the people?”
“Hmm…! You have a point. Damn it! Have we been deceived by the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union?”
Pa-sun retorted, once again with perfect composure.
“Indeed. That is so.”
The guild leader concluded that these two were utter fools. He had been momentarily panicked that a fight might break out here, but thankfully, he now saw Un-pyo and Pa-sun as simpletons.
‘I can use them.’
Just then, Un-pyo delivered the final blow.
“Then we should head back!”
“Wait a moment. If you go back now, you might fall for their silver tongues again. Instead, we are also preparing to drive the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union out of Gocha-hyeon, so why don't you join us?”
“Hmm… Very well!”
Unaware that the Fire Iron Union and the Black Obsidian Gate had already been dealt with, the guild leader urged the two not to return alone.
‘Just as I thought…! I should move with them before these fools get tricked again by the leaders of the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union.’
“By the way, are all the troops gathered here the entire force of the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild?”
“That is correct. We’ve gathered everyone, leaving only a minimal force behind.”
“Excellent.”
“Excellent?”
Un-pyo raised his greatsword, Black Cloud, and slammed it into the ground.
Then he bellowed.
“The entire forces of the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild have been mobilized to strike the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union! Is that not an excellent thing!”
The sight and sound of it reached Cheon-hyang, who was flying high in the sky above Gocha-hyeon.
*Screeeech*
Watching Cheon-hyang, Pa-sun thought to himself.
‘At first, I didn't think much of the master's pet owl. But to think that a single owl could play such a crucial role on a battlefield like this… Depending on the situation, it can disrupt and pin down the enemy, and distribute our forces to where they are needed most. The owl can communicate with the master over long distances and with us as well, serving as a kind of signal beacon.’
The guild leader found Un-pyo’s recent actions strange.
‘Did they really come from the Black Obsidian Gate and the Fire Iron Union? If so, why did the warriors I had monitoring them go silent as soon as they gathered their forces? Could it be…?’
Pa-sun was taken aback by Un-pyo's unexpected outburst and realized their ruse had been exposed. But it didn't matter. He had relayed all the necessary information, and he had heard from Cheon-hyang that powerful allies were on their way.
Pa-sun sneered and said.
“We've both figured it out, so what's the point of talking?”
“You bastards…”
The guild leader finally realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“A-Attack them!”
The moment he gave the command, hundreds of ice crystal swords flew in from somewhere.
*Stab! Stab!*
“Argh!”
“W-What is this…”
Soon, Pa-sun and Un-pyo also charged forward.
“Falling Maple Leaves!”
“Thunderstorm Spear!”
Un-pyo’s sharp blade aura split the guild leader in two, while Pa-sun’s destructive spear thrusts felled the executives supporting him from behind. All of them were struck by Pa-sun’s keen spearhead, their bodies left riddled with holes…
Gu Yang-baek began to swiftly clean up the remaining warriors of the Twin-Headed Sect and the Great Moon Guild. Mu-heun, who arrived next, unleashed a continuous barrage of Heavenly Demon Slashes before gathering his energy for a final technique.
“Twin Dragons of Annihilation.”
The two massive black dragons unleashed by Mu-heun annihilated the remaining forces without exception.
The enormous, swift sword energies, launched under the name of Heavenly Demon Slash, cut down the forces gathered at the front in an instant, and the final Annihilation Dragons that followed wiped out every soldier on the field.
And so, the five organizations that had taken root in Gocha-hyeon were exterminated in a single night.
***
Even after wiping out all five factions, Mu-heun did not rest.
Until dawn, Mu-heun roamed Gocha-hyeon, spreading the Myriad Fragrance. He checked to see if the plague was circulating, but it was a needless worry.
Afterward, he had Ihwa-sol from the Songrim Inn look after the residents of Gocha-hyeon and held a meeting with the relevant parties to ensure such an incident would never happen again.
“If you convert all the assets confiscated from the five organizations into silver coins for simplicity, how much is it?”
“Approximately five thousand nyang, sir.”
“Five thousand nyang…”
Gu Yang-baek said with a smile.
“It seems our Sichuan branch is about to become exceedingly wealthy.”
At Gu Yang-baek’s words, some faces brightened, while others darkened. Mu-heun, however, showed little change in expression, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke.
“The money we brought from the Dragon Demon Pavilion when we left Cheonsan is sufficient. Therefore, let us use this money, obtained from annihilating the five factions, to rebuild Gocha-hyeon. I will send a messenger pigeon to call people from the Heavenly Dance Family to manage the affairs, and I intend to hire Sir Lee Baek from the Fierce Tiger Family to protect the town.”
“Hah…”
Gu Yang-baek let out a sigh and looked dejected, but he didn't raise any objections.
“I will appoint Ihwa-sol as the town representative and select volunteers to work during the day and train in martial arts at night. So that they will never again be trampled so mercilessly by insignificant thugs.”
Seol Ha-ryeong, Un-pyo, and Pa-sun all seemed satisfied with Mu-heun's decision. Gu Yang-baek, too, threw up his hands as if in admiration.
“Understood.”
Mu-heun explained to the group once more.
“We will observe until noon tomorrow and then depart, so rest well until then.”
“Yes, sir!”
Mu-heun planned to quickly assess Gocha-hyeon until noon the next day. This was the most he could do without disrupting their journey, and this decision was not made by the Dragon Demon, Baek Mu-heun, but by the Divine Doctor, Baek Jung-hyeok.
This decision would one day bear fruit many times more valuable than five thousand nyang.