Save the Un Family of Henan! (3)
The reason the old man Gu was rushing to kill Sa Jung-hyo of the Black Faction was simple: he was one of the key figures who had joined hands with the Black Faction and betrayed the Un Family of Henan.
"That's the guy! Old Man Gu!"
I shouted with inner energy infused in my voice, full of conviction. At the same moment, Peng Jincheon and Meng Yuon, who were behind me, moved as if they'd been waiting for it, blocking Old Man Gu's path and trapping him in a dilemma where he couldn't advance or retreat.
I'd already tipped them off. That there was a traitor in the Un Family of Henan.
"Wh-what's this? What kind of cruel joke is this?"
As the situation turned strange, Old Man Gu forced a laugh, trying to brush it off like it was nothing, but I grabbed both his hands tight and wouldn't let go.
"No matter how bold the Black Faction alliance is, attacking the renowned and prestigious Un Family of Henan in Henan Province carries too much risk. Do you think those Black Faction thugs could have planned something this big on their own?"
Far from it. Even in the original story, it was later revealed that someone in collusion with the Black Faction was involved. That someone was this Old Man Gu, who had sold out due to his gambling debts and the Black Faction alliance's relentless bribes.
"I'm innocent, Deputy Family Head! I've tended to the Un Family like my own home my whole life. Are you going to believe the words of mere children who are just guests?"
Old Man Gu blabbered desperately to save his skin. He'd mustered some spirit and armed himself with fairly plausible logic, but what a shame. I had ironclad proof that left no room for denial.
Smoothly, I pulled something from the subdued Sa Jung-hyo's bosom.
There were two pieces of evidence. The first was...
"This is the correspondence you exchanged with Sa Jung-hyo, the leader of the Black Faction alliance."
Several letters written in Old Man Gu's exact handwriting were revealed. And it didn't stop there. They detailed a shortcut to the rear warehouse that only insiders of the Un Family would know, along with a precise map of the warehouse interior.
"That... could be forged anytime. What kind of era is this? Handwriting can be copied in seconds these days."
Old Man Gu brazenly insisted even after being caught red-handed, but the second piece of evidence shut him up completely.
"Then what's this?"
There was another piece of evidence in Sa Jung-hyo's bosom. The key to the rear warehouse, possessed only by the stewards of the Un Family!
For reference, stewards managed the family or clan and overseeing such keys was one of their key duties. For such a key to be found in someone else's possession was enormous proof—and even if it was a mistake, it was proof of incompetence.
"Moreover, these Black Faction thugs didn't just go in once—they entered the rear warehouse twice. Without a traitor communicating from inside, that's impossible."
Faced with my utterly logical words, Old Man Gu chose silence.
On top of that, I subtly released Sa Jung-hyo's pressure points.
"This young hero is right! It was all Old Man Gu who lured us in and orchestrated this!"
Sa Jung-hyo, too, struggled desperately to survive and spoke without hesitation. He knew his only slim chance was to pin the blame on Old Man Gu and beg for mercy.
To save his life, Sa Jung-hyo even spilled heavier information.
"What he promised us wasn't just herbs or medicine. He said he'd poison Young Master Un Gwang to make him bedridden, and when the Un Family faced destruction, we'd split the land and wealth."
Old Man Gu's villainy wasn't mere betrayal. He had secretly poisoned the meals of Un Gwang, the only son of Un Yeop the Chwi-ugo, who had never shown his face.
"That mad bastard!"
Stunned by the repeatedly revealed shocking truths, Un Jaso rushed to check on Un Gwang—and sure enough.
"All this time his energy has been low and his health declining... it was all because of..."
Un Jaso trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the gut-wrenching sense of betrayal.
"Old Man Gu! How could you turn your back on Family Head Un Yeop's grace and do such a thing?"
Un Jaso bellowed, his eyes bloodshot with betrayal. Finally, Old Man Gu, who had been silent, revealed his true colors and spoke.
"It's all that bastard Un Yeop's fault!"
What nonsense was this? I was dumbfounded by the escalating absurdity.
"With all that talent, he didn't expand the Un Family's power or hoard gold diligently, leaving me starving on pennies! If Family Head Un Yeop had given me more gold every month, I wouldn't have betrayed him!"
No need to hear more. It was the typical rant of a petty villain shifting blame.
I stepped forward, knowing if I let him continue, Un Jaso's blood pressure would explode.
"Since you're staying in the Un Family and acting as guests, I'll help one last time."
With that, I approached Un Jaso and asked, "Shall I dispose of Old Man Gu and Sa Jung-hyo right now?"
These scum didn't deserve to breathe the air of the martial world. Immediate execution wouldn't even be enough.
"Then... please handle it."
At Deputy Family Head Un Jaso's words, I slowly walked toward the two.
I wasn't one to enjoy staining my hands with blood, but there was no choice. Perhaps the protagonist correction made it so I felt no torment even after slaying villains.
"Because of you two, the Un Family of Henan nearly faced the karma of total annihilation."
And that wasn't all. An upright doctor regretted his lifetime of good deeds, turning grumpy and wailing daily over his failure to save his own son.
"But I'll send you off painlessly."
I threw a light punch.
Kwajik!
It was the moment the two villains' lives vanished like morning dew.
There was no guilt or pain from taking their lives. I saw it all as karma I had to bear in the remake process of Seven Falls, Eight Rises: The Invincible Fist King.
* * *
With the situation resolved, Un Jaso thanked us profusely, endlessly apologizing for his prior cold treatment. He treated us to the utmost, elevating our status from mere guests, diners, or merchants to something akin to blood allies, improving our accommodations dramatically.
"First, Young Master Un Gwang's health is the priority."
I focused on saving Un Gwang, Un Yeop's only son. Saving the Un Family of Henan meant nothing if we lost him.
Fortunately, this family had more doctors than warriors, allowing the best possible treatment to remove the poison and restore his condition.
"Deputy Family Head! Young Master Un Gwang has opened his eyes!"
Just as he regained full consciousness, delighting the Un Family, the timing was perfect—the family head, Un Yeop himself, returned.
"The Family Head is back!"
At the shout from inside the Un Family manor, my group and I stepped out as if waiting.
He'd returned after hearing of major chaos within the family while treating a plague.
In the end, the wicked caused suffering and harm to the upright.
"What in the world happened?!"
Not the grumpy old doctor from the latter half of Seven Falls, Eight Rises: The Invincible Fist King that I knew, but a clear-eyed, resolute middle-aged man in doctor's robes strode in, robes billowing.
"It's like this..."
With the family head back, Un Jaso detailed the recent events: the arrival of Cheonmu Academy students, the sudden Black Faction raid, and how steward Old Man Gu had betrayed them, harming Un Gwang.
"Good heavens... good heavens!"
Un Yeop laughed in disbelief then raged repeatedly at the unbelievable events, finally summoning us.
"So, you're the ones from Cheonmu Academy?"
We stepped forward respectfully at his call, and I greeted him formally as representative.
"Yes. A close friend has an intractable illness, and I shamelessly came because only Senior Un Yeop could cure it."
At my words, Un Yeop—before his corruption and fall—waved his hands and jumped in protest.
"What do you mean? Shameless? If not for you and your friends, the Un Family would have..."
Un Yeop couldn't continue. In truth, facing total despair in his fall, from his perspective, I was a savior and redeemer.
"Right, Cheon Myeong?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I heard the main credit goes to you, Cheon Myeong. You made a huge contribution repelling the Black Faction alliance's raid."
"It just happened that way."
"May I see your hand for a moment?"
For some reason, Un Yeop asked to see my hand. I knew exactly what it meant.
In the original story's latter half, at our first meeting, he'd asked to see my hand too. Back then, he'd said:
—No matter how I look, it's the hand of a late bloomer warrior. Teaching you medicine would be impossible.
In the original, he'd said that to the middle-aged Cheon Myeong after a lifetime of trials. Had the future changed? Or had my hand changed? Un Yeop smiled broadly, nodding in satisfaction.
"What a versatile noble's hand, full of talent in many fields."
After repeatedly expressing gratitude, Un Yeop couldn't just sit still and gestured to his subordinates.
"Give this young hero Cheon Myeong a transcribed copy of the Un Family's Heaven's Mandate Medical Scriptures!"
"...Pardon?!"
The reward exceeded expectations, shocking me in turn. I'd thought it'd end with treating Meng Yuon, but this?
The Un Family's Heaven's Mandate Medical Scriptures? I thought I'd misheard.
Isn't that the supreme medical text in the Seven Falls, Eight Rises: The Invincible Fist King world?
It contained medical arts learnable only by the Un Family bloodline, and even a copy was priceless beyond gold.
"F-Family Head. Really?"
Even Un Jaso, who had been thanking me, was stunned enough to double-check.
"Of course. This young hero Cheon Myeong's hand shows the qualities to excel in many areas. He'll surely shine in medicine."
I felt immense gratitude at his words. I'd already realized medicine's importance.
Moreover, suppose I ventured into the martial world and faced near-death. Of course, with Great Power Iron Hardening Skill or Divine Transformation Heart Method, I wouldn't die easily—but if I mastered medicine under overwhelming odds...
Wouldn't I become a being that couldn't die even if I wanted to?
And this medicine came from the Un Family's Heaven's Mandate Medical Scriptures, compiled by Un Yeop the Chiwugo, who became the world's top physician, gathering all Un Family texts. It was astonishing.
Even more astonishing: the rewards weren't over.
"Additionally, young hero Cheon Myeong and the other two young heroes will be treated as meritorious retainers on par with blood kin, and all three will receive the Un Family of Henan's medical support wherever they go!"
What every martial artist living a perilous life dreamed of: forging a connection with the Un Family of Henan, possessors of the world's strongest medical prowess. And it was happening for real.