Double Contingency (2)
Yeom Hwa-sin stood before Baek So-cheon.
His face was contorted in a way Baek So-cheon had never seen since they met—a terrifying expression twisted with pain and fury.
Baek So-cheon knew it instantly.
A hidden weapon!
Something powerful had flown in and struck Yeom Hwa-sin squarely in the back. How could it make such a thunderous roar upon hitting a human body? The impact was so immense it naturally sparked that thought.
Yeom Hwa-sin slowly turned around. As expected, his clothes were shredded with a massive hole, and his skin had turned red. No blood flowed, but he had clearly taken damage—struck by a hidden weapon powerful enough to scar even his Diamond Indestructible Body.
Baek So-cheon understood. He had sensed the hidden weapon incoming and leaped to his feet. Had he not, it would have hit the back of his head, and the impact would have been far worse.
But he had known in advance. If he had wanted to dodge, he could have thrown himself sideways. Knowing why he hadn't, Baek So-cheon's heart surged.
He took it with his own body to shield me from getting hit!
It was a gratitude entirely separate from why he hadn't killed Baek So-cheon until now. The worst kind of man, who had even slain his own child for ambition—yet he had taken a blow he didn't have to, for Baek So-cheon's sake.
The man who had launched the hidden weapon was the one who had been eating alone at a table in the back. From the moment he entered the inn until he started eating, Baek So-cheon had felt no threat or oddity from him at all. A master of the highest training.
Shockingly, the man's arm had been severed, blood dripping from the stump.
A short distance away lay the metal lump that was the hidden weapon—with the man's arm still attached to it. The recoil from firing it had torn his arm clean off.
The man seemed to have anticipated this, remaining utterly calm without so much as a single scream.
He was either born without the ability to feel pain or had taken a drug to numb it beforehand.
Jong Mu-jin, who had been outside tending the horses, came rushing in at the sound.
"Are you alright?"
Yeom Hwa-sin raised a hand toward him, signaling that he was fine.
Jong Mu-jin bowed his head with a troubled expression.
"I'm sorry."
It was his role to detect such incidents in advance. But this time, complacency had set in during the long journey, and the assailant had perfectly concealed his killing intent.
Glare fixed fiercely on the man, Jong Mu-jin stepped back and ordered everyone in the inn into the kitchen.
Yeom Hwa-sin asked the assailant,
"That must hurt quite a bit. What the hell was that?"
The man readily revealed the name of the weapon.
"Heavenly Thunder Ruthless Bullet."
"Well, well, a real monster's come out to play."
The Heavenly Thunder Ruthless Bullet was the foremost among the Ten Great Golden Hidden Weapons of the martial world.
As seen, unless one's internal energy was extraordinarily profound, firing it would rip one's arm off from the recoil. But its power was absolute—no one struck by it had ever survived.
This weapon, thought lost after its users vanished following its designation as a golden hidden weapon, had reappeared.
The man asked Yeom Hwa-sin,
"How are you still alive?"
He was genuinely shocked. He couldn't have imagined anyone surviving a direct hit from the Heavenly Thunder Ruthless Bullet.
"Must've been a dud."
When Yeom Hwa-sin extended his hand, the bullet on the floor flew into his palm.
Krunch.
As he clenched his fist, the metal lump crumbled like a cookie. The world's deadliest hidden weapon vanished from existence in that moment.
"See? Total dud."
"What a waste!"
Its manufacturing method was lost, meaning no more could ever be made.
"What you should be cherishing isn't trash like that—it's your remaining time."
"Who the hell are you?"
"You came to kill me without even knowing who I am."
The same went for them. Yeom Hwa-sin didn't know the man either, nor did Baek So-cheon recognize him. Of course, what mattered now wasn't the assailant's identity, but who was behind him.
"Who sent you?"
A bitter smirk curled the man's lips.
"The question I've wondered about my whole life."
The next instant, he convulsed with a death rattle, vomiting blood and collapsing.
Having failed the assassination, he had severed his own blood vessels in suicide.
From his final words, it seemed he was someone raised from childhood by some organization—over a long period, no less.
At the very least, not an assassin from Sal-su Yeon-maeng. As long as Cheon-geuk led it, no order to assassinate Yeom Hwa-sin would have been approved.
Jong Mu-jin rushed over and searched the man's body and possessions. But there was nothing that could serve as a clue.
Speaking with concern, Jong Mu-jin said,
"This is no small matter. You should return to the alliance at once."
The Heavenly Thunder Ruthless Bullet was the supreme hidden weapon of the era. With its method lost, a single one was worth millions of nyang. Those behind this could afford to use such an extravagant tool.
"Hey, do you know who I am? Lord of the Black Heaven Alliance. If I didn't run into crap like this, that would be weird. The trip goes on."
"Alliance Lord."
"Prepare to depart."
"Yes, sir."
Yeom Hwa-sin's resolve was firm, so Jong Mu-jin could only obey and head outside.
Baek So-cheon asked Yeom Hwa-sin,
"How's the body holding up?"
"Not great."
He finally grimaced. The pain must have been surging.
"Mind if I take a look?"
Yeom Hwa-sin nodded.
Baek So-cheon examined his back. It bore burn-like scars.
"You'll have a scar."
Baek So-cheon placed his hand on the wound—the first time he had properly touched the man's body.
Expecting it to be endlessly cold, he was surprised to find it surprisingly hot. Perhaps his profound internal energy was racing through his body to heal it.
Separate from the wound, the moment he touched it, he felt the man's overwhelming strength. Even without knowing of the Diamond Indestructible Body, he would have sensed the same unyielding power. Cutting through this body seemed impossible.
"As long as it didn't pierce, it's fine."
"Any guess who did it?"
Yeom Hwa-sin nodded as he replied,
"The Seven Great Evil Families."
Earlier, the two had wiped out a secret training ground where Gyo-ryong-mun—one of the Sa-do Chil-ga—was raising elite warriors.
"Your guess was off."
"I see."
He had predicted they would lead the charge into war with the righteous factions to make up for their blunder—but he was wrong.
Suddenly, it struck Baek So-cheon:
The Sa-do Chil-ga didn't truly know this man called Yeom Hwa-sin.
He wasn't someone to avenge immediately. They only knew his most fearsome, darkest side. And that wasn't all they didn't know.
"They had no idea you'd reached the Diamond Indestructible Body."
"Naturally. On our side, only Mu-jin knows."
"And you told me?"
"Touched?"
"Not at all. I'll use it to beat that rock-hard body of yours to death someday. What's to be touched about?"
"Haha, fair point."
Just then, Jong Mu-jin returned.
"Preparations to depart are complete."
"Let's go."
The two exited the inn together.
They boarded the carriage.
"You really planning to keep traveling?"
"Damn right. Why? Scared?"
"You think I'd ask 'cause I'm scared? I'm worried about you."
"If Black Heaven falls, wouldn't that suit you just fine?"
"Well, yeah, but."
Yeom Hwa-sin probed casually,
"Why? You don't want to see me go down?"
"Least wait till that scar heals before I answer."
Guessing the implication, Yeom Hwa-sin smiled in satisfaction. Baek So-cheon's ready agreement only sweetened it.
"Fine, let's keep going then."
Yeom Hwa-sin called out to Jong Mu-jin,
"Let's move."
Jong Mu-jin, who should have bellowed "Yes, sir!" instead said nothing.
"I said move."
No response. Yeom Hwa-sin and Baek So-cheon stepped out of the carriage.
Jong Mu-jin sat slumped in the driver's seat, unconscious.
"Mu-jin!"
Yeom Hwa-sin quickly checked his condition.
"He's poisoned."
Thanks to his profound internal energy, he had avoided instant death.
Yeom Hwa-sin injected internal energy, but Jong Mu-jin didn't stir.
"Not ordinary poison. When and how the hell did this happen?"
Whenever and however the poison had been administered, it was ghostly precise handiwork.
"Could it be?"
Baek So-cheon rushed back inside. Those who had evacuated to the kitchen were all corpses. Meaning the poison had been released inside the inn.
He asked Yeom Hwa-sin, who followed.
"Are you immune to all poisons?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Same here. Probably got dosed here."
Up until the man attacked, everyone had been alive. So poisoned afterward?
Looking around, Baek So-cheon noticed the blood from the assailant's corpse had a purplish hue, unlike normal blood.
"The poison came from his blood."
His arm was bound to sever, and from that moment, it would poison the surroundings. A colorless, odorless, tasteless intangible poison that even Baek So-cheon and Yeom Hwa-sin hadn't detected—spread through blood. Whoever orchestrated this was undoubtedly a master of poison arts.
"If the Heavenly Thunder Ruthless Bullet failed, poison was the backup. No doubt."
In other words, the second contingency.
Considering the man's final moments, he likely hadn't known his own blood was laced with poison. Their backers were truly ruthless.
"First, we save Mu-jin."
"Anyone nearby who can treat him?"
"No one close."
"I know one person. But it's half a day's ride from here."
"He can hold out that long. Let's go."
Even if not, there were no other options.
They loaded Jong Mu-jin into the carriage.
Saving him came first; vengeance could wait.
Baek So-cheon drove, while Yeom Hwa-sin injected internal energy to sustain Jong Mu-jin's life.
Half a day later, they arrived at Cheon-yang Ui-ga.
Cheon-yang Ui-ga was a renowned righteous medical clan. Its leader, Yang Deok-sin, was a somewhat notable figure in the martial world. He harbored ambitions to elevate Cheon-yang Ui-ga to the realm's top medical house through his skills—though he spent more time schmoozing than practicing medicine.
When the carriage pulled up, Yang Deok-sin—thankfully not away on business—came out to greet Baek So-cheon after his subordinates informed him.
"Baek the hero! It's been ages."
"Long time no see."
Yang Deok-sin welcomed Baek So-cheon warmly but warily. They weren't close enough for an unannounced visit like this.
"What's the matter?"
"One of my companions was poisoned. I need your help, clan leader, so I came in haste."
"Is that so? Let me see."
Yeom Hwa-sin didn't enter with them. He judged that if anyone recognized him, it might hinder treatment.
The clinic staff moved Jong Mu-jin to a treatment room.
Yang Deok-sin, taking his pulse, grew grave.
"Blood Poison."
As Baek So-cheon had guessed, the poison was mixed into the blood.
Blood Poison Technique involved blending poison into one's blood—a method Baek So-cheon had only heard of, never encountered.
"But what's your relation to this man?"
"Someone I know."
"You know he's from the unorthodox sects?"
He had detected the evil aura mingled in Jong Mu-jin's internal energy while taking the pulse.
"I know."
"I don't care what your connection is—I absolutely won't treat an unorthodox man."
"Clan leader!"
As Baek So-cheon moved to persuade him, the door slid open.
Yeom Hwa-sin stood there with his back turned, his massive silhouette startling Yang Deok-sin.
Without turning, Yeom Hwa-sin spoke in a low, chilling tone.
"If you don't treat him right now, you won't be able to treat even the righteous from here on out."