Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Poison and Incense
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The battle began between Un-pyo and Pa-sun, and Yang Mu-gi and Yin Mu-gi, who were disguised as guards of the Tang Clan.
A fierce exchange, as if they meant to kill each other.
The medical hall was wrecked, its wooden pillars shattering and sending splinters flying in all directions.
*CRASH!*
The sounds of the fight echoed throughout the Kunlun Sect. The Kunlun warriors who had rushed over upon hearing the clash asked Elder Un Ja-yang, who had arrived first.
“Elder! What is happening?”
“What is the meaning of this fight within Kunlun’s territory?”
Un Ja-yang calmly explained the situation to the disciples.
“It seems some scoundrels from the Unorthodox Sects captured and killed the Sichuan Tang Clan’s guards, then disguised themselves to infiltrate our grounds. We’ll have to capture them to uncover the truth, but it appears they were targeting Kunlun’s medical hall. Currently, the direct disciples of the Light-Splitting Immortal, Gu Pae-seon, are holding them off.”
“D-Direct disciples? You mean they’re on the level of first-generation disciples?”
“Indeed…”
As more and more Kunlun disciples gathered, they asked Elder Un Ja-yang for the details, and he spoke in a low voice, as if telling them not to make a fuss.
“Watch and learn. These are the disciples taught by your grand-uncle, the Light-Splitting Immortal. Engrave in your hearts the sight of them leaping into action without hesitation when an incident like this occurs. They are your martial brothers, so learn what you can from them.”
“Yes, Elder!”
Just then, Un-pyo, recalling Pae-seon’s teachings as best he could, modified his technique and attacked.
“Blade Leaf Great Wind Slash!”
As smoothly as possible, without roughness or wavering.
It was a different kind of blade energy than the one Un-pyo usually unleashed.
*CRASH!*
Un-pyo’s blade energy struck Yin Mu-gi, who was sent flying into a wall with a powerful impact.
Just as Un-pyo and Pa-sun were about to subdue the two guards, one of them pulled out a dark-colored pellet from his robes.
“Stop this if you can!”
He threw the pellet, and with a great explosion, a thick poison mist billowed out. Un-pyo, recognizing it, shouted loudly.
“It’s a poison mist! Be careful!”
“Th-This is…”
But the mist spread in an instant, reaching everyone who had gathered nearby. It was impossible for the crowd to evade it. Elder Un Ja-yang and Pae-seon, however, were able to remain unharmed by surrounding themselves with a protective aura.
Those with higher martial skill and quick wits also protected themselves with auras, but several disciples with weaker skills and low resistance to poison collapsed, writhing in agony.
The necks of the afflicted turned purple, red spots broke out on their hands, and blood flowed from their eyes, noses, and mouths.
Un Ja-yang was horrified.
‘This is a disaster!’
He had expected the fight to end quickly, given the skill of the guards and Pae-seon’s two disciples. He never imagined they had something like this hidden. He felt as if this whole incident was his responsibility.
Just then, the guard who had spread the poison mist suddenly began to flee. Seeing this, Un-pyo gave chase, not wanting to let him escape, and unleashed his blade energy.
“Flying Leaf Severing Blade.”
Un-pyo kicked off the ground, caught up, and sliced off the guard’s head…
“Heaven Piercer.”
…and Pa-sun pierced the remaining guard’s chest with his spear.
In an instant, both guards were dead. Normally, they would have been captured alive after being subdued, but not knowing what other tricks they might have, their lives were ended immediately.
Afterward, Pae-seon stepped forward and said in outrage.
“To use such dirty tricks…”
He then gathered his internal energy and blew the poison mist away.
Un Ja-yang felt that the judgment of those two was on par with that of an Elder. But there was no time for admiration.
He immediately went to tend to the collapsed disciples and assess their condition. However, their state was beyond what he, a mere warrior, could handle.
“S-Senior Brother, th-this is…”
“Stop panicking and call a physician! Do you want all the disciples to die?”
“Yes.”
Un Ja-yang hastily called for a physician, but the ones in the medical hall had also been poisoned and were in the same condition as the disciples. The only other physicians were young ones who were not permitted to enter the medical hall or those who were out on calls.
The situation was truly desperate.
Thirty disciples had collapsed, and along with the two physicians from Sichuan, another thirty physicians were down. Un-pyo and Pa-sun had also been poisoned.
“Gah!”
Screams of death echoed from all around, and indeed, many had already lost consciousness. The young physicians were in such a panic they couldn’t do anything. Just then, a physician who had been out on a call returned.
Un Ja-yang used his lightness art to rush over, grab the physician, and bring him back before explaining the situation.
“Physician Hwang! The disciples are dying from a poison mist. Please, save them!”
With his own martial brother, one of the Two Un Dragons, already suffering from Qi deviation due to poison, he could not afford to lose the disciples as well. That was why Un Ja-yang’s words were filled with desperation.
However, Physician Hwang, the only one who was old and experienced, said.
“If left like this, they will all be dead within two hours.”
Even Physician Hwang did not know what kind of poison it was and could find no remedy.
In that case, the only remaining option was…
Un Ja-yang quickly sought out Pae-seon.
“Senior Brother! Physician Hwang says he knows nothing about this poison and cannot solve it.”
“Damn… Is there no other way?”
“Senior Brother…! Perhaps the disciple of the Divine Doctor from Sichuan can solve this. Please, call for him!”
“...Are you telling me to use someone who hasn't been verified when my disciples’ lives are on the line?”
“Senior Brother! If no one does anything, they will die anyway! Our disciples are dying! Shouldn’t we at least try? I will take full responsibility for everything! Please! Call for the disciple of the Divine Doctor from Sichuan!”
“…”
It was a plea steeped in desperation. Pae-seon did not show it, but he felt a sense of pride watching his junior brother, who had grown up so admirably to become an Elder of Kunlun.
“Very well.”
Just then, a voice was heard from a distance.
“No, that responsibility… I will bear it.”
“S-Sect Leader…”
It was the 27th Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, the White Cloud Immortal, Un Hyeon-jong.
“To stand by and do nothing while our disciples’ lives are at stake is not the Kunlun way. Senior Brother, I, as the Sect Leader of Kunlun, will take responsibility. Please summon the disciple of the Divine Doctor.”
“...I understand.”
Pae-seon used a respectful tone.
Though the Sect Leader was his junior brother, that was not what mattered. The Sect Leader of a clan. It was a position that everyone acknowledged and respected.
And so, Pae-seon went to fetch Mu-heun. As he turned and walked away, his expression was inscrutable.
***
Pae-seon hurriedly went to the guest room where Mu-heun was waiting. He burst open the door and spoke, his neck drenched in sweat.
“Divine Doctor, are you sure this is the right way to do this?!”
“You were the one who suggested it. Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Well… I didn’t know they would use such a poison mist. Seeing the disciples in so much pain, it feels like I’m doing something terrible… It does.”
“Don’t you worry. If I go and treat them now, all the impurities in their bodies will be expelled at once. Once the treatment is over, they’ll be even stronger than before, I tell you.”
“I’ve heard as much, but… alright, I’ll trust in your skills alone.”
“Just trust me.”
Mu-heun immediately followed Pae-seon. Since Mu-heun could not reveal his martial arts, he was carried on Pae-seon’s back to the medical hall.
Upon arriving at the medical hall, Mu-heun rushed over to assess the situation. At least sixty people, a mix of warriors and physicians, had collapsed. Standing before them was the Sect Leader, Un Hyeon-jong.
Mu-heun immediately bowed his head in greeting.
“I greet the Sect Leader.”
In response, the Sect Leader of Kunlun, Un Hyeon-jong, bowed his head to Mu-heun and pleaded.
“I am counting on you. Please, look after our disciples and physicians.”
“I will.”
Mu-heun immediately checked the patients’ pulses, assessed their conditions, and headed to the pharmacy. Once there, he moved like a seasoned physician, instantly combining medicinal herbs and creating a kind of powder.
“Elder Pae-seon. Could you light this for me?”
“Of course.”
At Mu-heun’s call, Pae-seon approached in a single stride and created a flame at his fingertip, igniting the mixture Mu-heun had prepared.
A subtle fragrance began to spread in all directions. The rich scent, like the sap that seeps from a wounded tree, reminded everyone of being in a forest.
The deep, woody fragrance spread and reached the collapsed patients, entering their noses and mouths.
Suddenly, screams erupted from here and there as they began to spew a dark red liquid from their mouths, noses, and skin.
“Cough!”
“Gack!”
The Sect Leader, witnessing this spectacle, approached Mu-heun and asked.
“Wh-What is happening?”
“They are expelling their impurities.”
“Wh-What…!”
When the Sect Leader and Elders examined the patients, they were astonished to find that the complexions of those who had been crying out in pain just moments ago were returning to normal. They were truly vomiting black blood and releasing impurities through the sweat glands in their bodies.
Soon, their bloodshot eyes turned white again, color returned to their purple necks, and the red spots on their hands began to disappear completely.
Physician Hwang, who had been examining the improving patients, came over and said.
“He is driving out the impurities.”
“Impurities?”
“Yes. From what I can tell, that is what’s happening.”
“Hah…! Is such a thing truly possible?”
Just then, Mu-heun came over to the Sect Leader and Elders and continued his explanation.
“Based on the symptoms of the poisoned patients, I judged it to be Fire-Cold Heat Poison.”
Fire-Cold Heat Poison. A terrifying poison that, once contracted, fills the body with impurities, disrupts the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, induces Qi deviation, and causes death within two hours. It was known that only a handful of masters among the poison fiends of the Unorthodox Sects could handle this poison.
“And you detoxified it? This quickly and simply?”
“The method is simple. By combining agarwood, sweet olive, silver olive, and nutmeg, and having them inhale the fragrance, it reacts with the Fire-Cold Heat Poison and allows for the temporary expulsion of impurities. Those who have been poisoned for less than a day can be treated quickly with this method.”
“How do you know such a thing?”
“Some time ago, a poison fiend appeared in the village where I lived. He used Fire-Cold Heat Poison and brought most of the villagers to the brink of death.
However, because I had covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve while fleeing, my symptoms were milder than others, allowing me to survive longer. It was then that the Divine Doctor from Sichuan, Baek Jung-hyeok, rescued and took me in. This method is what he taught me at that time.”
“So that’s what happened…”
“They are not completely cured yet, so I will continue to treat the patients. And I will also recover the bodies of the two dead guards to see if there is anything else to be found.”
“Would you do that?”
“Of course.”
The Sect Leader and Elders of Kunlun expressed their gratitude repeatedly, and Mu-heun proceeded to tend to the patients and the dead guards.
‘The one with the severed neck is Yin Mu-gi, and the one with the pierced chest is Yang Mu-gi… As instructed, Yang Mu-gi should have used a technique to shift the position of his heart, so he shouldn't be dead yet. But he needs to appear dead, so I’ll have to take measures…’
As for Yin Mu-gi…
‘If only Yin Mu-gi, the one whose neck was severed, hadn’t tried to run, he would have lived to pay for his crimes. But he tried to escape under the cover of the poison mist… That was a significant deviation from the directions I gave him. But well, he had many sins to his name, so I suppose it couldn’t be helped.’
Meanwhile, Pae-seon, the Elders, and the Sect Leader held a brief meeting. As Mu-heun observed the expressions of the Elders and the Sect Leader from a distance, he could see surprise and anticipation on their faces.
It was certain that Pae-seon, as planned, was dazzling the Elders and the Sect Leader with his clever words.
He was undoubtedly spinning a grand tale about how he had noticed something was off with the guards from the very beginning, what would have happened if he hadn’t brought the disciple of the Sichuan Divine Doctor, and how skilled his own disciples were.
Therefore, the conclusion would be that, for the sake of Kunlun, they should ask Mu-heun to treat the two Un Dragons who were currently bedridden with poison.
Things had to go well…