Chapter 155
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Unexpected Saviors
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“Just kill me instead!”
Gonghyeonja cried out in a desperate voice.
“Is that any way to ask for a favor?”
Gonghyeonja faltered.
But only for a moment.
He steeled himself, ready to endure any humiliation for his only disciple.
“Please…”
Just then.
Hyeon-geom cut him off.
“Don’t, Master.”
Gonghyeonja turned his head toward Hyeon-geom in surprise.
Hyeon-geom, who should have been circulating his energy to fight the Energy-Scattering Poison, had opened his eyes and was looking at him.
“Our situation may be dire, but I am still a disciple of Kongtong. I will gladly endure it.”
“Hyeon-geom…”
“If you bow to this man, Master, I would rather bite my tongue and end my own life right here.”
The resolute voice, filled with unwavering will, snapped Gonghyeonja to his senses as if doused with cold water.
Gonghyeonja stared at his disciple in silence.
Even while battling a pain akin to an inner demon, Hyeon-geom's gaze was exceptionally clear and calm.
Gonghyeonja gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Well said. That’s my disciple.”
A different kind of resolve settled in Gonghyeonja's eyes.
“If we must die, let us die as befits disciples of the Kongtong Sect.”
“It has been an honor to serve you, Master.”
“Thank you. The same goes for me. Because you are my disciple…”
Choked with emotion, Gonghyeonja couldn't finish his sentence.
“Hah.”
Hong Dan-yeop let out a dry laugh and frowned as if he'd seen something distasteful.
“What a pathetic display between master and disciple.”
As Hong Dan-yeop slowly raised his hands, the scenery around them distorted.
It was a phenomenon caused by his powerful, scorching yang energy heating the surrounding air.
Hong Dan-yeop extended a hand shimmering with heat haze toward Hyeon-geom and sneered.
“Your sect has abandoned you, and now even your master has given up on you.”
“My master was not wrong.”
Hong Dan-yeop turned his head to scoff at Gonghyeonja.
“Watch closely. Though my hands will be stained with blood, it is your stubbornness that killed your disciple.”
Just then.
*Crack.*
“…?”
A look of confusion appeared on Hong Dan-yeop's face as he reached for the crown of Hyeon-geom's head.
For a moment, he couldn't comprehend why his hand was bizarrely twisted.
But that moment was fleeting.
A sudden, powerful shockwave sent him staggering.
*CRACK.*
At the same time, a peal of thunder erupted from nearby, striking his eardrums.
Startled, Hong Dan-yeop whipped his head toward the source of the sound.
“Brother Cho! It's fine if one of them dies! What's the rush?”
“If it were the master, I would have waited a little longer.”
“True. What would the disciple know?”
He saw two figures entering the grounds, engaged in a trivial conversation.
Backlit by the blazing sunset, their faces were obscured, but it wasn't hard to guess their identities.
Few martial artists possessed such a colossal physique.
“Mang Mountain's Thistle…”
That wasn't all.
The other man's voice was also familiar.
A monster he could never forget, not even in death.
For he was the one who had taken three of his fingers in the past.
“Cho Ak-ryang…!”
*Clink.*
At the same time, a small pebble fell to the ground.
It was the projectile that had crushed his left hand, along with the two remaining fingers.
His left hand was hideously twisted and shattered, with bone fragments piercing through the skin.
He stared blankly for a moment at the blood pouring from the wound.
“Kugh.”
Belatedly, Hong Dan-yeop groaned and stumbled back.
The excruciating pain washed over him, but he was too shocked to even scream.
“H-how are you…”
Cho Ak-ryang ignored him.
“Why are you the only one here? Where are the other two?”
His eyes darting cunningly, Hong Dan-yeop swiftly moved behind Gonghyeonja and Hyeon-geom.
He placed his hands on the crowns of their heads.
“Come any closer, and they die!”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi exchanged glances and smirked.
Then, without hesitation, they strode toward Hong Dan-yeop.
Panicked, Hong Dan-yeop shouted, his face pale.
“Stop! Surely you don't want to see them die right before your eyes?”
But Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi didn't even blink as they continued to close the distance.
“Why…”
Beom Gye-wi picked his nose and replied nonchalantly.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and kill them.”
“What?”
“Why would we pass up a chance to get what we want without lifting a finger?”
Hong Dan-yeop's face went ashen.
He was well aware of the grudge between the Nine Great Sects and these two.
As members of the Ten Great Villains, they had no reason to save disciples of the Kongtong Sect.
Then, he belatedly remembered one fact he had overlooked.
“If they die, you won't be able to get their signatures on the joint petition, will you?”
A glint appeared in Cho Ak-ryang's eyes.
“So your goal was to interfere with us after all.”
It was just as he had suspected.
Now he also understood why they had killed the Kunlun disciples at Mount Kunlun.
“Well, it's an unfortunate situation, but it can't be helped. We'll just avenge them and use that as leverage to get the petition signed.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, Beom Gye-wi goaded Hong Dan-yeop.
“If you're going to do it, be quick. I have a lot of questions for you.”
Hong Dan-yeop's eyes trembled.
He had to make a decision now.
If they got any closer, even escaping would be impossible.
With that judgment, Hong Dan-yeop shot backward.
But before he could move more than a few steps, a massive wall blocked his path.
Realizing it was Beom Gye-wi's body, Hong Dan-yeop instinctively swung his right hand.
“Die!”
His opponent was underestimating him, his guard down.
A full-power, all-out strike…
He thought he might just be able to overcome this crisis.
But it was a futile hope.
*Thwack.*
A hand as large as a cauldron lid seized his.
“Nngh!”
Mustering all his life's energy, Hong Dan-yeop poured his internal energy into his right hand.
*Fwoosh.*
Crimson flames erupted between Beom Gye-wi's fingers, which were clamped around his hand.
And yet…
Beom Gye-wi's utterly calm demeanor drew a gasp of bewilderment from him.
“How?”
Even the Extreme Melting Flame Energy he took so much pride in was useless.
Beom Gye-wi slowly lifted the arm holding Hong Dan-yeop's hand.
As Hong Dan-yeop's face, which barely reached his waist, came into his line of sight, Beom Gye-wi grinned.
“With this? You'd be lucky to warm a child's hands in the middle of winter.”
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang interjected.
“Keep him alive for now. Don't kill him.”
“Tch.”
Beom Gye-wi clicked his tongue in disappointment and circulated his energy.
Then, with a meaningful smile, he released Hong Dan-yeop's hand.
*Thud.*
An expression of horror settled on Hong Dan-yeop's face as he fell to the ground, landing on his rear.
He had just noticed his own hand, its flesh melted and fused together.
“Gaaah!”
As he writhed from the searing pain that belatedly washed over him.
*Crack.*
A sickening sound was followed by a horrific pain from near his shin.
“Kughak!”
But that wasn't the end of it.
*Crack. Snap. Crunch.*
A series of gruesome noises erupted from Hong Dan-yeop's body.
He lay sprawled on the ground, his limbs bent at grotesque angles.
No matter how vicious a villain he was, the sight of him flopping like an invertebrate, pouring out tears and screams, was utterly wretched.
Gonghyeonja and Hyeon-geom were speechless.
They could only watch, stunned by Beom Gye-wi's ruthless actions, performed with all the hesitation of a child tearing the wings off a dragonfly.
“How dare you interfere with Physician Dan's work?”
Gazing down at Hong Dan-yeop with cold eyes, Beom Gye-wi sealed his muting point.
“Grrgle.”
Thrashing in endless agony, Hong Dan-yeop finally foamed at the mouth and passed out.
Once the maddening, strangled screams stopped, Beom Gye-wi finally turned to Cho Ak-ryang and smiled.
“Just as you said, Brother Cho. I left him alive.”
“Thanks for that.”
With a wry smile, Cho Ak-ryang glanced toward Gonghyeonja.
“You were hit with Energy-Scattering Poison, I hear?”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi had actually arrived a while ago.
They had simply been holding back to assess the situation.
They had hoped to get information about the others from the seemingly loose-lipped Hong Dan-yeop, but were forced to step in when he recklessly tried to kill his captives.
“…”
Whether due to pride, Gonghyeonja remained silent, his brow furrowed.
Given the deep-seated animosity between them, Cho Ak-ryang fully understood his position.
Cho Ak-ryang approached Hong Dan-yeop.
If the man had administered the Energy-Scattering Poison, he would surely have the antidote.
But a problem arose.
Searching his clothes produced two medicine vials.
This made it difficult to tell which was the poison and which was the antidote.
“Let me see.”
While Cho Ak-ryang hesitated, Beom Gye-wi reached out and snatched the two vials.
Beom Gye-wi glanced between the two porcelain vials, then uncorked one and unhesitatingly emptied it into his mouth.
Gonghyeonja and Hyeon-geom, watching this, were startled.
Just as they expected.
Beom Gye-wi scowled fiercely.
“This one's the Energy-Scattering Poison.”
Placing the porcelain vial that had contained the poison next to Hong Dan-yeop, Beom Gye-wi took the other vial and approached Gonghyeonja and Hyeon-geom.
“W-what are you do—Cough!”
The horrified Gonghyeonja choked out a cough.
Beom Gye-wi had roughly grabbed his jaw, forced it open, and poured the powdered medicine from the vial inside.
He did the same to Hyeon-geom.
“So? Does it seem to be working?”
At those words, thinking he had nothing to lose, Gonghyeonja closed his eyes and began to circulate his energy.
After completing one full circulation as quickly as possible, Gonghyeonja spoke to Hyeon-geom.
“It's the antidote. Hurry and regulate your breathing.”
“Yes, Master.”
Hyeon-geom also closed his eyes and began circulating his energy.
Seeing this, Gonghyeonja resumed his own meditation.
Some time passed.
When the two opened their eyes at almost the same time, their gazes were full of life.
Fortunately, they had neutralized the poison without significant loss of internal energy.
There was some minor loss, of course, but it was well within an acceptable range.
“Oh no!”
Suddenly remembering something, Hyeon-geom exclaimed in dismay.
“What is it?”
At his master's worried tone, Hyeon-geom pointed at Beom Gye-wi with a flustered expression.
“There's no antidote left for him!”
Belatedly recalling that Beom Gye-wi had taken the poison, Gonghyeonja also couldn't hide his alarm.
Beom Gye-wi, on the other hand, was unfazed.
“Oh, this? It's nothing. It might be a problem if I ate it by mistake, but I knew what I was taking.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Beom Gye-wi began to circulate his energy.
For a moment, the air around him grew hot.
“*Burp.*”
A belch was accompanied by a foul stench.
Seeing the dumbfounded looks on the master and disciple's faces, Beom Gye-wi grinned.
“Told you it was nothing.”
But for the two who had just experienced ten days of hell bound by that very poison, the scene unfolding before them was utterly unbelievable.
After a moment.
Gonghyeonja spoke, his expression complicated.
“Why would you save us?”
“That's a strange way of saying thank you.”
Cho Ak-ryang's cynical retort made Gonghyeonja flare up.
“Even if it wasn't you, our sect would have…”
Beom Gye-wi cut him off.
“After you died? No, wait. From the looks of it, I doubt they'd come even if you died.”
“…”
Gonghyeonja fell silent, a troubled look on his face.
“We're not on friendly terms, so I'll be brief. How many attacked you?”
Gonghyeonja answered Cho Ak-ryang's question curtly.
“There were three.”
“One of them was the Poison-Eyed Rakshasa, Sa Yeong-ui, I presume?”
“That's right.”
“Who was the other one?”
“I'm not sure. He wore a mask and didn't speak much…”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded and stepped aside.
“I assume you don't need an escort?”
His pride stung, Gonghyeonja's face crumpled in anger.
“Let's go.”
Cho Ak-ryang snorted at the sight of the stubborn Gonghyeonja staggering away.
Still, Hyeon-geom felt uneasy and spoke cautiously.
“Master, shouldn't we at least thank them?”
“Have you forgotten that they urged that damn hunchback to kill us?”
“What? But…”
“Returning to the sect is our priority. We can discuss it when we get back.”
Cho Ak-ryang found that slightly absurd.
And Beom Gye-wi felt the same.
“See? Just like I said they'd only come after you were dead. Why did I even bother taking that poison for scum like them? Just ruined my appetite.”
Gonghyeonja pretended not to hear Beom Gye-wi's loud, deliberate shouting and ignored it to the end.
Hyeon-geom, at least, had the decency to bow politely to the two of them before hurrying after his master.
“We only saved them out of necessity. There's no reason to worry about them. At least this will help with what Physician Dan is trying to do, so that's enough.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, Beom Gye-wi also lost interest in them.
Instead, Beom Gye-wi looked down at Hong Dan-yeop.
*Thwump.*
“Keoheok!”
Beom Gye-wi kicked him hard in the side, releasing the pressure point. Hong Dan-yeop coughed up blood and regained consciousness.
Beom Gye-wi forced him up and shoved the remaining Energy-Scattering Poison into his mouth.
“Now, since it's just us, shall we have a nice, cozy chat?”
Beom Gye-wi beamed at Hong Dan-yeop, who was shivering pitifully as if he'd been doused with ice water.