Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 72
>Chapter Title: Clue (2)
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The Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong.
Alongside the Compassionate Physician Hoe-ta-myeong, he was hailed as one of the greatest physicians of the era, renowned for his unparalleled knowledge of pharmacology, which no one could match.
Through his exceptional medical skills and pharmaceutical expertise, the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong had saved countless lives.
There was a particular event that propelled his fame across the entire Central Plains.
It occurred over thirty years ago during the Red Turban Rebellion, when a massive number of casualties led to piles of corpses rotting everywhere, unleashing a horrific plague of unknown origin.
The plague spread rapidly, engulfing the entire Shaanxi Province in just seven days, turning the land into a hellscape.
Fortunately, the plague was contained and did not spread beyond Shaanxi Province.
This was because the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong had developed a cure for it.
That event transformed him from an obscure figure into one of the era's foremost physicians, alongside the Compassionate Physician Hoe-ta-myeong.
However, despite his fame, little was known about him personally.
In fact, hardly anyone knew where he lived or his real name.
"...If the Mun No you're referring to matches the name we know, then it's the former name of the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong."
'!?'
Mok Kyung-un furrowed his brow at Gyeom-chang's words.
And with good reason—Mun No was none other than the name of the grandfather who had raised him.
He had asked because his grandfather had been killed by the Ghost Sword, thinking perhaps this organization knew something about him.
But the response was completely unexpected.
"What... What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. The Mun No I—or rather, we—know is merely the name the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong used in the past."
"The name the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong used in the past?"
"...Are you certain?"
"As far as we know, there's no one else by that name."
Mok Kyung-un's eyes narrowed at these words.
What on earth did this mean?
In his quest for revenge against his grandfather's killer, he had ventured into the world and learned many things.
Naturally, this included the fame of the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong.
Upon learning of him, Mok Kyung-un had simply assumed he was a renowned physician more knowledgeable about herbs than his own grandfather.
He had paid no particular attention, figuring it had nothing to do with his revenge.
But this was entirely unforeseen information.
'Grandfather was the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong?'
Mok Kyung-un's mind grew complicated.
They shared knowledge of herbs and skill in handling them, but was that enough to conclude they were the same person?
Pressing his knee into Gyeom-chang's chest, Mok Kyung-un demanded,
"Mun No lived in seclusion deep in the mountains for over seventeen years. How could someone like that be the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong...?"
"Did you just say seventeen years?"
"Yes."
It was the time he had spent living with his grandfather.
Yet,
"Seventeen years makes it even more certain that he was the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong."
"Pardon?"
"The Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong vanished nearly eighteen years ago, his whereabouts unknown. If the Mun No you knew had been in seclusion that long, then he must be the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong."
"......"
His growing certainty only tangled Mok Kyung-un's thoughts further.
'Was Grandfather really the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong?'
He had attributed his grandfather's vast herbal knowledge—knowing virtually every herb—to a lifetime as a mountain herb gatherer.
Yet, upon reflection, few outside experts matched his grandfather's command of medicinal ingredients.
'Ha...'
Until now, he had focused solely on finding his enemy, never bothering to learn more about his grandfather himself.
Part of that was because he had never met anyone who even knew the name Mun No.
Seeing Mok Kyung-un fall silent upon learning this unknown truth, Gyeom-chang inwardly licked his lips.
'Mun No...'
His organization had long searched for the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong.
To encounter someone who knew his whereabouts in such an unexpected situation was truly fateful.
'Pity.'
In any other circumstance, this would have been a monumental achievement.
But now, it was all meaningless.
'Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong...'
Memories of his conversation with Venom King Baek Sa-ha flashed through Mok Kyung-un's mind.
[Then you truly don't know who the Ghost Sword is.]
[Indeed. What I learned from clashing with him was...]
[That he was gravely wounded by the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong, the greatest pharmacist of our time. Is that all you know?]
[...At first, I couldn't believe it. No one knew the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong practiced martial arts. He was a pharmacist, after all.]
[He could have hidden it.]
[True enough. But one thing is certain: if the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong truly inflicted those wounds on the Ghost Sword, then his poison arts surpass even mine.]
Recalling this, Mok Kyung-un methodically sorted through his thoughts.
He realized he truly knew nothing about his grandfather.
Clinging blindly to that one mark for revenge felt utterly foolish now.
'Fame... Martial arts...'
Why had his grandfather hidden all of this?
The grandfather he knew had been detached from such worldly concerns.
But was there any need to hide it even from him?
No—more likely, he had foreseen something like this and concealed everything.
'...Something's off.'
Yet, if his grandfather was indeed the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong, one inconsistency arose.
'Master Baek Sa-ha clearly said the Ghost Sword was defeated by the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong.'
That would mean his grandfather's martial prowess exceeded that of one of the era's top experts, the Eight Stars.
Could such a grandfather have been easily slain by the Ghost Sword?
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible.
The Ghost Sword might have relentlessly trained for seventeen years, advancing enough to surpass him.
'That's possible too.'
Though they lived together for seventeen years, Mok Kyung-un had never seen his grandfather practice martial arts.
High-level masters could train effectively through meditation or visualization, but he hadn't witnessed even that.
If one side honed their skills while the other stagnated or regressed, it was feasible.
But there was one more thing to confirm.
'The Ghost Sword left a scar on Grandfather, proving they fought. Yet this man said the Ghost Sword doesn't mark those he kills.'
This opened several possibilities.
One: This man was lying, and the Ghost Sword killed and marked his grandfather.
But leaving a mark on a corpse would only leave evidence.
That seemed unlikely.
Another: His grandfather, being elderly, exhausted his vital energy in the clash with the Ghost Sword and perished.
But could an expert of the Ghost Sword's caliber make such a mistake?
That also seemed improbable.
Therefore,
'...After weakening Grandfather in battle with the Ghost Sword, a third party appeared and killed him.'
-Clench!
Mok Kyung-un's fist tightened.
This seemed the most likely scenario.
It explained why the Ghost Sword's mark remained intact even after death.
With his thoughts organized thus far, Mok Kyung-un stared intently at Gyeom-chang and asked,
"What is your organization's connection to Mun No—or rather, the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong?"
"...What are you...?"
"Cut the act. You know his true name, which isn't public knowledge, and he died by the Ghost Sword's hand."
"What?"
"He died by the Ghost Sword's hand."
"That's impossible."
"What's so impossible about it? The mark your organization uses was left there."
Gyeom-chang grimaced and retorted,
"Didn't I tell you? Why would the Ghost Sword leave such a mark? Besides, the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong is someone our organization must capture alive..."
Gyeom-chang abruptly shut his mouth.
He intended to provide the information this brat wanted while trimming away anything organization-related.
But he had slipped up.
"Capture alive... So there was indeed a third party."
"What?"
Gyeom-chang countered, puzzled by Mok Kyung-un's cryptic words.
Third party? What did that mean?
To the bewildered man, Mok Kyung-un said,
"That's not for you to know. Why do you want to capture the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong alive?"
Without thinking, Gyeom-chang immediately answered the question.
"I don't know."
"...It won't do you any good to refuse to answer."
"I-I really don't know. I was just ordered to secure him at all costs."
"Do you know what this is?"
"What...?"
-Crack!
"Arrrrgh!"
The sound of his collarbone snapping rang out, and Gyeom-chang screamed.
Any broken bone hurt, but he hadn't realized a shattered collarbone could be this excruciating.
As he writhed in agony, Mok Kyung-un whispered in his ear,
"Now I can tell when you're hiding something. I don't want to make you beg for death ten times over."
"Urgh..."
"No answer? Shall I snap your left collarbone next? No, that won't be enough. Maybe shatter it into pieces. Starting from the right..."
"St-stop!"
"That's not the answer I want."
-Crunck!
"Arrrgh! Th-the Medicine Immortal Hae-yeong is hiding something important."
Finally, the words burst from Gyeom-chang's mouth.
"Something? What is it?"
"Arrrgh! I really don't know that. Only that he deceived that lord and absconded with it..."
"Absconded with it?"
Was it some important item to this organization?
But did his grandfather have anything worth hiding like that?
He remembered everything in the house, but nothing particularly valuable stood out.
"You really don't know?"
"I swear. Please believe me."
Gyeom-chang pleaded earnestly.
"Hmm. Hard to believe. Looks like I could squeeze more out if I tried."
Mok Kyung-un's fingers, digging into flesh, began shifting sideways.
Panicking, Gyeom-chang hurriedly added,
"I-I'm just a mid-level executive in the Second Realm. But the Ghost Sword, a high-ranking executive in the First Realm, might know."
"First Realm?"
For a split second, Gyeom-chang's expression hardened—then twisted.
'Ahh.'
Having revealed even the organization's hierarchy, he now felt utterly resigned.
There was no point in withholding information anymore.
To him, Mok Kyung-un asked,
"Is the First Realm the highest rank in your organization?"
......Yes."
"So the structure goes First Realm, Second Realm, Third Realm, and so on?"
......Yes."
"How many realms are there?"
"Five Realms in total."
"Hoo."
A mid-level executive in the second of five tiers was a fairly high position.
Naturally, someone with this level of skill wouldn't hold a low rank.
Yet even he wasn't privy to full information, confirming the organization operated as a tightly compartmentalized cell structure.
"You're mid-level in the Second Realm—that's pretty high up. Is information still that restricted?"
"Haa... haa... Mid-level isn't much."
"I see. So high-ranking executives above the First Realm know a great deal?"
"At least more than I do."
"So I should ask them directly."
......"
"Good. Then where can I find this high-ranking executive, the Ghost Sword? His true identity would be even better."
"I truly don't know that. Do you think someone like me in the Second Realm would know the public identity or location of a First Realm high executive?"
"That doesn't add up. Then who do you report your missions to?"
Gyeom-chang was momentarily speechless.
It was a well-aimed question.
Even in a cell structure, there had to be reporting lines and connections for operations.
Claiming otherwise made no sense.
"Tell me. Who do you report to? That 'lord' you mentioned earlier?"
"N-No, that's absurd. How could trash like me report directly to him? He's so exalted that even we in the Second Realm can't meet him."
"So exalted?"
Tilting his head, Mok Kyung-un asked,
"What's this exalted one's identity? No, you probably don't know that either if even the Ghost Sword above you doesn't. So how do you refer to this lord? You don't just call him 'that lord,' do you?"
"That's..."
Gyeom-chang hesitated briefly.
He had already spilled most things to this brat anyway.
Revealing how they addressed him wouldn't enable this punk to find him.
As he wavered, Mok Kyung-un warned,
"If you're testing my patience..."
"I-I was about to say. We call him this. I don't know exactly why, but the Third... Gahk!"
It happened in that instant.
Before he could finish, veins in his neck and face swelled grotesquely.
'!?'
Realizing something was wrong, Mok Kyung-un grabbed his head and face to calm the bulging meridians.
But,
'What is this?'
He tried to control the energy, but something was off.
It wasn't typical qi reflux or meridian overload.
This was...
-Splat!
"......"
In an instant, Gyeom-chang's head exploded.
There was no time to intervene.
Blood splattered Mok Kyung-un's hands, face, and clothes.
-Thud! Thump!
Shoving aside the corpse, Mok Kyung-un's eyes sharpened.
Dying just as he was about to speak meant a prohibition seal had activated.
But this wasn't a martial arts seal.
The unpleasant, ominous aura emanating from Gyeom-chang's corpse was none other than curse power infused with sorcery.
The implication was clear.
'A curse-based prohibition.'
[Chapter 72: Clue (2)] End