Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Childhood Friends
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The reason Pa-sun and Un-pyo trusted Mu-heun.
It wasn't because Mu-heun had given a lengthy explanation, nor was it because they knew the Kunlun Sect in detail.
It also wasn't because they had great confidence in their own abilities.
It was simply because the path Mu-heun had shown them until now had built a deep well of trust.
They traversed the cliffside path for nearly thirty minutes, and finally, a small hut came into view. Yet, it seemed to both recede and approach, making it impossible to get any closer.
Just then.
Standing before the hut, Mu-heun gazed into the cliff's fog and shouted loudly.
“I have heard that Kunlun’s hidden dragon, the Light-Splitting Immortal, resides here! I was sent by the Divine Doctor of Sichuan, Baek Jung-hyeok, who has now passed away! I ask that the Light-Splitting Immortal show himself!”
A sound like grinding rock echoed from the cliff's fog, and an old man’s voice threaded through it.
[ Sent by the Divine Doctor of Sichuan, you say? If this is just a bout of youthful bravado, I will overlook it this once. Be gone! If not, you will have to wager your lives on those words. ]
An old man's voice emerging from the gaps in the fog. One might think it insignificant, but the internal energy laced within his voice hinted at his skill, causing Pa-sun and Un-pyo's expressions to harden.
However, Mu-heun alone remained perfectly composed as he shouted,
“I will wager my life on the claim that I was sent by the Divine Doctor. The Divine Doctor told me that Kunlun’s Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon, soothes his lonely nights with Zhuyeqing liquor and must take Jagwidan pills in the morning! I have brought a great deal of Jagwidan, so please welcome me warmly!”
…
The fog-shrouded cliff fell silent for a moment after hearing Mu-heun’s words. After some time, the old man’s voice was heard again.
[ Jagwidan? Did the Divine Doctor of Sichuan truly send Jagwidan? ]
“He did!”
At that, the fog in the middle of the cliff swirled and coalesced, taking on a human form. From within the mist, an old man descended.
He had long white hair and wore a white robe, stroking his white beard with his left hand as he spoke.
“Hehehe, in that case, did you bring Zhuyeqing liquor as well?”
“Kekeke, of course.”
Mu-heun held up the Zhuyeqing he had purchased beforehand and smiled.
The thought of sharing a drink with a friend he hadn't seen in a long time made it difficult to control his expression.
Gu Pae-seon, the Light-Splitting Immortal of Kunlun.
He was a childhood friend of the Divine Doctor of Sichuan from his past life.
* * *
“So, you say the Divine Doctor of Sichuan sent you?”
“That is correct.”
“It has been quite some time since I lost contact with him. But that man has never sent someone in this manner his entire life…”
The Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon, stared at Mu-heun, Un-pyo, and Pa-sun with eyes full of suspicion.
“Moreover, your martial arts are far from ordinary.”
It seemed he had recognized their demonic arts, which were on a different track from those of the Orthodox Sects. Gu Pae-seon scanned Pa-sun and Un-pyo with narrowed eyes.
Pa-sun and Un-pyo knew Gu Pae-seon’s prowess was on a level incomparably higher than their own, so rather than assuming a defensive stance, they held their breath and remained silent.
Just then, Mu-heun spoke nonchalantly.
“What will you gain by being so suspicious and staring at us? Quit the pointless act and let’s have a drink.”
“Hah, what a young brat. Your way of speaking is the spitting image of the Divine Doctor. Very well. I will ask you a few questions over a drink.”
“These two are merely my escorts. Let us drink, just the two of us.”
“What? You, the youngest-looking one, are the real deal?”
“That is correct.”
Indeed…
Gu Pae-seon could feel the power of peak masters from Pa-sun and Un-pyo. Not just peak, but the very pinnacle of it. However, he couldn't sense much of an aura from Mu-heun, who looked much younger than them.
As a hidden dragon of Kunlun, he had long since entered the Transcendent Realm. His judgment of people shouldn't be wrong…
A young man who looked to be just past his coming-of-age ceremony.
‘Strange.’
It was hard to believe he had reached a higher realm than himself and was concealing his power, yet he didn't seem to be completely devoid of martial skill either.
‘How bizarre.’
Mu-heun looked at Pae-seon with new eyes.
The Supreme Demonic Realm, the Transcendent Realm, consisted of three stages: initial, middle, and peak. At a glance, the man was in the middle stage of the Transcendent Realm, same as himself.
‘I never realized it in my past life when I couldn't learn martial arts, but now I can truly appreciate what a remarkable fellow he is.’
“Very well. You look like a proper scholar, as if you’ve never learned martial arts. Have you studied medicine?”
“I have. I am the disciple of Baek Jung-hyeok, the greatest of the Central Plains’ three Divine Doctors.”
“Kahahahahaha! That fool introduced himself however he pleased. Divine Doctor? Wasn't he called the Mad Doctor because of his wretched personality?”
Mu-heun felt a slight irritation at Pae-seon's mockery, but he had to endure it.
“Come in, for now. I will be the one to judge whether you are truly the Mad Doctor's disciple.”
“Yes.”
Un-pyo and Pa-sun were bewildered. Their opponent's martial realm was at a level they couldn't even begin to fathom. And yet, he and the master were going in alone?
‘Of course, considering the master’s prowess, nothing should happen… but didn’t he call that man a hidden dragon of Kunlun?’
Just then, Mu-heun raised his hand, signaling that it was no big deal. Their presence would only be a hindrance anyway.
Mu-heun and Gu Pae-seon finally entered the hut on the fog-filled cliff.
Inside the hut, a fire was lit in a brazier, and a kettle sat atop it, from which steam flowed out endlessly.
The steam enveloped the hut, resembling the mist that scattered across the cliff.
An endless stream of mist.
However, one could not see how much water was inside the kettle.
The kettle, decorated with a painting of an immortal drinking wine above the clouds, was bronze in color, but the dignity it exuded reached the very heavens.
It was less an ordinary kettle and more of a mystical artifact. However, Mu-heun knew what it was.
‘So that’s still here.’
“Ah, pay no mind to that kettle. This hut is a hideout I’ve used for a long time, and that is an artifact I brought in to maintain it. The Divine Doctor of Sichuan, Baek Jung-hyeok, would have seen it a few times, but you must not have heard of it.”
In truth, Pae-seon had rarely spoken of this artifact. The number of people who knew about the kettle could be counted on one hand, and one of them was Baek Jung-hyeok.
“Is that not the Ewer of Immortal Mist?”
“...!”
Gu Pae-seon felt slightly dumbfounded.
‘No more than five people, including myself and the Divine Doctor of Sichuan, know about this artifact. And there’s no way the Divine Doctor would have mentioned it so easily!?’
However, he couldn't show his agitation. Pae-seon also intended to get information about the Divine Doctor from Mu-heun.
“Hoho… The Divine Doctor has become quite loose-lipped. For now, let’s have a drink.”
Mu-heun and Gu Pae-seon sat across from each other, sharing drinks. An old table was brought out, and two cups were placed upon it.
*Trickle*
He poured the Zhuyeqing into the cups.
“Take it.”
“Thank you.”
Mu-heun also respectfully poured a drink for Gu Pae-seon. Pouring him a cup after so long brought a fresh wave of emotion.
“Now, speak honestly. Who in the world are you?”
“…”
‘He truly is my old friend. He knows I would never send someone else in my stead.’
Baek Jung-hyeok, known as one of the three great Divine Doctors of the Central Plains and also the Mad Doctor in his past life, had almost never sent people to his closest acquaintances.
He was the type to come and go in person for everything.
He would occasionally write letters to convey important information to his allies or exchange questions and answers about future plans. However, he never diagnosed a patient without seeing them in person, sent medicine from afar, or sent a letter to an old friend through a messenger.
“If I speak honestly, will you believe me?”
…At Mu-heun’s promise to speak honestly, Gu Pae-seon’s expression hardened as he spoke.
“You are gravely mistaken about something. You have just deceived my old friend. Whether you ramble on with a long story or explain some unavoidable circumstance, that is for me to judge. Therefore!”
A sudden surge of killing intent poured from Pae-seon as he shouted and continued speaking.
“If your answer goes against my friend's will, you will die here. So, you had better think carefully and speak only the truth.”
“The truth…”
Mu-heun calmly gazed at Pae-seon, who was exuding immense pressure.
‘As expected… this man is one of the few people I consider to be truly of the Orthodox path. For any matter, he listens to the circumstances, considers the truth, and gathers information before making a decision.’
Gu Pae-seon's sword, which earned him the name Light-Splitting Immortal, was famous for being as swift and unrestrained as splitting light.
However, that sword was not drawn just anywhere.
Before drawing his sword, Gu Pae-seon would spend countless hours in contemplation and confirmation. That was why, once the sword was drawn, his strikes could be so unrestrained.
Conversely, a sword once drawn and swung would never stop. That was why it could be so fast and powerful.
‘That side of you is why I like you, but this time, you were wrong from the start.’
Mu-heun calmly spoke, stripping his voice of as much emotion as possible.
“I am not the disciple of the Divine Doctor, Baek Jung-hyeok.”
“…”
“I am Baek Mu-heun, the Fourth Young Master of the Heavenly Dance Family of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“...!”
The eyes of the Light-Splitting Sword, Gu Pae-seon, widened, and his hand touched his sword. But he did not draw it. Even if Kunlun and the Demonic Cult were mortal enemies, the man who had sought him out invoking the Divine Doctor's name had said such a thing.
Knowing who he was.
Knowing full well he could die.
In such cases, there was always some unavoidable circumstance or reason.
Mu-heun saw Pae-seon's reaction and took a moment to catch his breath.
Then he continued.
“The Divine Doctor, Baek Jung-hyeok, is a truly pitiful man.”
“What did you say?”
“Is he not? The village where he grew up was struck by a poison mist spread by a poison fiend from the Unorthodox Sects. Most of the villagers died, but the Divine Doctor, Baek Jung-hyeok, was the only survivor.”
“…Are you certain you are a man of the Demonic Cult?”
It was a fair question. Baek Jung-hyeok was not one to easily speak of his past, and even less so if his audience was from the Demonic Cult.
“I am.”
“Is the Divine Doctor with the Demonic Cult now?”
“He is.”
“Why?”
“Because the Sichuan Tang Clan betrayed him.”
“...!”
“The Divine Doctor met his end when he was on the verge of completing the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation, a peerless grand technique he had researched for a long time, capable of curing all poisons and wounds in the world.”
“I have heard of that.”
‘You would have. I was the one who told you.’
“The problem came after that. The Sichuan Tang Clan saw the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation as a thorn in their side.”
“Why the Sichuan Tang Clan? I thought they were sponsoring the Divine Doctor’s research.”
“Because if the Myriad Fragrance Grand Restoration Formation were completed, it would be advantageous in a war against the Demonic Cult or the Unorthodox Sects, but it would be fatal to the Tang Clan, which uses poison as its main weapon.”
“…”
Such a petty way of thinking.
It was not something one would expect from the Orthodox Sects, from those who walked the path of righteousness and claimed to be justice itself.
But in reality, they were the sort who, while professing to pursue justice and chivalry, would never stand idly by when their own interests were infringed upon…
The words the young man had just uttered were perfectly in character for the Sichuan Tang Clan.
If this young man from the Demonic Cult had described the Sichuan Tang Clan in some ambiguous way, he wouldn't have believed it. But the situation the young man described fit the habits of the current Family Head of the Tang Clan, Dang Baek-ho, all too well.
If that was the case, then who was this young man, and what had happened to the Divine Doctor?