Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Suspicious Proposal (3)
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"Why did you do that?"
So Myeong-rang asked out of genuine worry. Though he'd gone along with Flying Tiger's words and actions, he'd been on edge the whole time.
"Geum-ok will come back, probably."
"But what if she really leaves for good?"
"She's the type to threaten a dying patient's life just because we won't cater to her whims. How could I trust her with Yeong-i?"
"We don't have any other options, do we?"
"That's the problem. That's why I started wondering if she really came here as a proper physician. Watching her behavior, it felt like someone had forced her back against her will."
"Who?"
"We'll find out."
"...!"
Flying Tiger had already coordinated with Woo-i. If Healer Geum-ok had backers, they'd try to make contact somehow, and the one to carry it out would be the escort warrior who'd come with her. So the main plan was to have the Western Guest Hall keep an eye on that escort.
Flying Tiger continued.
"And separate from figuring out who it is, it's a warning to them. If they really want to deal a hand with me, tell Geum-ok to shape up. I figured it'd work better than me begging."
"In that case, didn't you give them too short a time to soothe and persuade her? Just one ke (incense burning time, about 30 minutes) is..."
"They won't have any leeway. But I'm not planning to drag this out while making allowances for their situation. It just felt like we couldn't afford to."
"Instinct?"
"Probably. Or maybe... my patience has just run out."
So Myeong-rang nodded, convinced by Flying Tiger's words.
It was Flying Tiger's call, his problem. What more could he do now? All he could do was wait alongside him.
And so the two sat there, passing the time.
One ke passed quickly. When So Myeong-rang glanced over, Flying Tiger had a calm expression, eyes half-closed, murmuring numbers under his breath. He looked fine on the outside, but how anxious must he be inside?
Then, about half a ke later, there was a dramatic knock at the door—tap tap.
"It's Healer Geum-ok. May I come in?"
So Myeong-rang hurried out and opened the door. Healer Geum-ok stood there, looking awkward yet anxious, with the escort warrior standing watch in the courtyard several paces behind. He was keeping his distance to let her enter alone, as instructed.
She'd returned far more compliant, just as Flying Tiger intended!
Should I be happy about this?
So Myeong-rang shot a cold glance at the entering Healer Geum-ok, gave Flying Tiger an encouraging look, then stepped out, leaving them alone.
Click.
"My conditions are..."
"No, tell me about the patient's condition first. And what you can do."
"Understood."
Healer Geum-ok answered meekly. But she opened her mouth gazing at Flying Tiger with somewhat challenging eyes.
"I can't bring her back to life. You seem to have guessed as much already."
"... ."
Flying Tiger had steeled himself for it, and he'd heard plenty of despairing words in the meantime. So when he heard it, he thought, Here it comes. But the next instant, chills ran up his spine like plummeting off a thousand-foot cliff, his vision blurring—as if the last lifeline he'd clung to had snapped.
In that dazed haze, Flying Tiger heard something from Healer Geum-ok that was absurd, unbelievable.
"But what if, through a great forbidden art, we could give her another year? Not lying comatose like now, but able to rise, breathe, speak, and move about? That's what I'm saying."
"...!"
Healer Geum-ok mentioned the word "rigor." The term used when joints or tissues stiffen rigidly.
It was the concept of inducing postmortem rigor mortis before the soul departed, trapping the soul within the body. This would maximally delay the complete cessation of breathing, she explained.
Such a thing was possible?
It was humanity's great challenge against the gods—from ancient times, dreaming of immortality—made possible through a heaven-defying forbidden art.
He asked what the price was.
Those who awoke from the procedure would have their wits cloud over, growing ever fainter until they melted away like snow in the end. The duration varied from as short as three months to as long as a year, depending on their attachment to life or force of will.
Once they fully lost their wits, what would you call them?
Soul-lost ones.
It was the first step in turning a living human into a jiangshi.
"Jiangshi?"
"Don't misunderstand. Same principle, but not the monstrous heaven-jiangshi or poison-jiangshi from the demonic cults that roam the jianghu. Turning them into combat tools is a whole other level from the soul-lost state I'm describing. You'd have to brainwash them to obey commands first, then soak their flesh in special drugs to toughen the skin..."
"Enough. I get it—spare me the details. Tell me more about the soul-lost state and the process. What I need to know."
"Understood."
For the next ke or so, Healer Geum-ok explained, and Flying Tiger's face grew sterner with every word.
He disliked every single part of it, from one to ten.
Yet one thing tempted him: for the first month after the forbidden art, they'd retain their lifetime memories and act quite human-like.
Can I trust what she's saying? Even if possible, it's death-reversing sorcery—nothing good can come of it, right? But even one month, no, just a few days...
Flying Tiger could take Gong Won-yeong on that final trip he'd always wanted to give her.
Climbing Mount Tai in the east together to behold the vast expanse of heaven and earth would be wonderful.
Or floating a boat on Lake Dongting in the south to admire the mountains and rivers.
Feast their eyes to their heart's content, then die together before it grew too late...
Wouldn't that be a fine life?
Lost in delusion for a long while, Flying Tiger finally asked Healer Geum-ok with damp eyes and a cracked voice.
"Tell me. What is it you want?"
That day was full of surprises.
As Flying Tiger expected, Healer Geum-ok asked him to kill one person. Just as he'd surmised. That was the sort of request the bigshots made of him. Nothing new there.
Only the target was unexpected.
"Kill Yeo Hoe of the Heavenly Pursuit Spear?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he's the Ghost Mask terrorizing Shaanxi lately."
Flying Tiger scrutinized Healer Geum-ok's innocent face, demanding more explanation.
"Very well. As the client commissioning the hit, it's only right I share my story first. But due to circumstances, I can't reveal everything. Please understand."
"... ."
"Even so, after hearing me out, you'll know why I'm coming to you. This concerns you too, Flying Tiger warrior."
"Intriguing."
She flashed a slight smile at his words, but contrary to them, Flying Tiger's expression was utterly impassive, devoid of interest. She quickly wiped away her smile and began her tale.
Healer Geum-ok first explained why she wanted Ghost Mask dead.
One of his victims had been personally close to her.
Back then, ignorant of martial arts, Geum-ok had only felt grief and injustice—no thought of revenge had even crossed her mind.
She then moved on to Elder Mun Yeon-hok of Hanjung Fortress.
Mun Yeon-hok. He was the cousin of Mun Hwa-gyun, the lord of Goseok Mountain Manor, the most recent victim swept up in Ghost Mask's bloodbath.
And Flying Tiger recalled the name right then. Just before coming here, when he'd infiltrated the Scholar's Grove, he'd overheard the owl-masked ones mention it once.
Hanjung Fortress dismissed the Goseok Mountain Manor massacre as Ghost Mask's doing and closed the case, but this Mun Yeon-hok fellow resisted to the end, suspecting the Scholar's Grove?
How did that name come up?
It was because of Ma Yeop.
As it turned out, the one who'd asked Ma Yeop to introduce him to Geum-ok—claiming friendship—was none other than Mun Yeon-hok. That's why Flying Tiger and Ma Yeop had headed to Goseok Mountain Manor, where cousin Mun Hwa-gyun was manor lord.
Also, Ma Yeop had sent a messenger pigeon the day before departing Zhao Family Manor, stating their visit's purpose. Mun Yeon-hok, receiving this, had sent a letter to Geum-ok, then staying at Zhongnan Mountain.
Asking if, given certain circumstances, she could treat a sick woman.
Thus, Geum-ok had broken her long seclusion and hurried to Hanjung Fortress.
For reference, this was why the Western Guest Hall had ransacked Zhongnan Mountain, found her abode empty, and she'd vanished. Their meeting had been endlessly tangled.
Meanwhile, Geum-ok arrived at Hanjung Fortress only to hear from Mun Yeon-hok, who came to greet her, of the Goseok Mountain Manor slaughter—and that the culprit was Ghost Mask. The shock had been immense. First someone dear, now an acquaintance victimized by him too—she could have a fit just hearing the name.
Anyway, that's when Geum-ok learned the one requesting treatment was a bounty hunter named Flying Tiger. And by chance, she'd heard from someone that Yeo Hoe of the Heavenly Pursuit Spear was Ghost Mask. She couldn't reveal the source due to circumstances, but insisted it was highly credible intel.
Then the Western Guest Hall came looking for her.
Her life already withered, Geum-ok listened grudgingly—only to hear that same Flying Tiger who'd dragged her here was still begging for treatment.
At first, resentment flared. So she'd played games, tormenting him.
Then, a man named Maeng Dal-seo, claiming to represent Ye Mountain's Zhao Family Manor, showed up and showered her with sincerity. That's when the thought struck her.
Maybe this is a good chance for revenge?
Listening to Healer Geum-ok, all sorts of thoughts swirled in Flying Tiger's mind.
'Heaven's net is vast and sparse, yet nothing slips through.' Just like that proverb.
He'd planned to meet Yeo Hoe of the Heavenly Pursuit Spear anyway. After wrapping up things with Gong Won-yeong first—and if he survived.
So why refuse this commission?
Assuming everything this woman said was true.
"What do you say? Will you accept my proposal? If you agree, we can start preparations right away and begin the forbidden art tomorrow morning. You may not know, but your lady doesn't have much time left."
"One question first."
"Ask away."
"Not a single lie in anything you've said so far?"
"I swear."
"No ulterior motives? Like omitting things for some shady purpose."
"Hmph, how unpleasant. None at all. Satisfied?"
"Good. I accept your proposal. But mark this: if anything you've said to me now turns out false, the price will be severe. I swear that too."
Flying Tiger's eyes blazed with blue light as he issued his warning and vow, the eerie sight searing into Healer Geum-ok's vision.