Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: A Reliable Pawn
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Wi Ji-cheon was at a loss for words, staring at Dan Yeo.
Dan Yeo's face was pale. The hand she held in front of Wi Ji-cheon's eyes was trembling just as much.
Uh, um.
"I'm fine, Junior Sister."
"Fine?! As if!"
"Didn't you hear the story about me catching those Blood Cult guys in Xi'an? I'm more than capable."
Once she confirmed that Wi Ji-cheon was really okay, Dan Yeo's face flushed crimson.
"Thanks for worrying about me."
"I-I only did that because it would be a pain if you collapsed like a crybaby, Senior Brother!"
"Yes, yes. I won't misunderstand. Are you okay, Junior Sister?"
"Hmph, who do you take me for? When I was at the Hwajung Medical House, handling corpses was my job. No one in Nanyang has seen more dead bodies than me, the great Dan Yeo."
As someone who had been mistreated, Dan Yeo had a tough side to her.
I-I'm scared, Senior Brother, Senior Sister?
A-seop, who had followed them in a daze, was the only one on the verge of tears.
No. Get a grip, A-seop. This is a chance to become a key figure in the Medical Immortal Medical House. I have to show Senior Brother and Senior Sister how reliable I am.
Both were young, a fifteen-year-old boy and a sixteen-year-old girl.
Thinking he, as the eldest, should take the lead, he took a step forward, but
Squish.
"Mother!!"
A-seop's soul nearly left his body as he cried out for his old mother back in the countryside.
"It's alright. It's not harmful. Just an ordinary corpse."
"Tsk, Junior Brother A-seop. Prepare for some mental training when we get back."
Wi Ji-cheon and Dan Yeo examined the bodies.
They needed to determine the cause of death.
But then, Dan Yeo let out a surprised gasp.
"Oh, Senior Brother? Look at that body."
"!!"
Wi Ji-cheon's face hardened.
A familiar uniform.
It was one of the martial physicians from the Shaanxi Medical House they had seen earlier!
The character for "Star" embroidered on the physician's uniform was stained with blood.
A martial physician from the Shaanxi One-Star Medical House, dead just like that?
The dead martial physician had been a first-rate master.
A high-level expert by any martial artist's standards.
Moreover, martial physicians prioritized their own and their patients' survival over killing enemies, so they focused on mastering movement techniques, defensive arts, and skills to evade hidden weapons.
He was hit by an arrow in the philtrum. At his level, he should have been able to dodge a trap sprung from the front, shouldn't he?
Wi Ji-cheon looked puzzled.
He checked for any other contributing factors.
However, aside from the arrow that had pierced his philtrum, there were no other unusual findings.
No signs of poison. His internal organs and blood vessels are intact.
The person who came out of the tomb and died had said they needed a physician.
Which meant a situation requiring a physician had arisen.
First, let's go deeper inside.
But Wi Ji-cheon's expression turned troubled.
There was a mechanism laid out ahead.
A mechanism that Wi Ji-cheon, the disciple of a medical house, cannot pass.
As a demonic being, he could have dismantled it while doing a handstand backward, but as Wi Ji-cheon, the youngest of the Medical Immortal Medical House, it was impossible.
Right now, his orthodox martial arts were, at best, at the second-rate level.
Of course, thanks to his overall understanding of martial arts, it was hard to call him a simple second-rate practitioner, but for mechanisms that required brute force like this, there was a limit to what enlightenment alone could achieve.
It'll be a problem if Dan Yeo and Junior Brother A-seop see my demonic arts. And it's not like I can suddenly procure some Gu poison to feed them.
There was only one way.
He had to find an accomplice to break through the mechanism.
Having come this far in, I should be able to find a survivor.
Wi Ji-cheon's senses picked up a presence.
It was in a corner.
Is he hiding because he's too scared to go forward? It's a wise choice, but if he's too much of a coward, he won't be a good pawn to use...
Wi Ji-cheon's expression became peculiar.
It was a familiar presence.
Fwoosh!
He thrust his fire starter in the direction of the presence.
And a familiar face was revealed.
It was Jang Sam.
"..."
"..."
A truly awkward situation.
"...Great Hero Jang Sam?"
The question was loaded with meaning.
What are you doing here, cowering like a coward?
Where did your ambition to become the Sword Saint of Nanyang go?
Do you want a beating?
Do you want to die?
How about a round of Bone-Shattering and Tendon-Grinding for old times' sake?
"Hmph! I was just resting because I was tired! Just you watch! The challenge of this Jang Sam is not over yet!"
Jang Sam sprang to his feet and began to walk forward with bold, confident strides.
In the opposite direction.
That is, toward the entrance they came from.
"Great Hero Jang Sam, could we talk for a moment?"
"!!"
Wi Ji-cheon called out to Jang Sam with a bright smile.
He had secured a pawn to break through the mechanism for him.
Meanwhile, outside the tomb.
The physicians stared blankly at the collapsed entrance.
"D-Did the disciples of the Medical Immortal Medical House just go in?"
"A-Are they crazy? No matter how much it's for the patient, that's a suicide mission!"
Dan So-cheon, the head of the Hwajung Medical House, who had witnessed Wi Ji-cheon, Dan Yeo, and A-seop rush in from the closest vantage point, sighed.
The Medical Immortal Medical House is on a different level.
In truth, the disciples of the Hwajung Medical House could have also rushed into the tomb.
There had been time before the entrance was blocked.
But no one did.
They didn't even think of doing so.
No matter how dedicated a physician they were, it was only natural to value their own life more than someone else's.
But the disciples of the Medical Immortal Medical House were different.
Wi Ji-cheon, that child, didn't hesitate for a second before jumping into the tomb. How could he do that?
It wasn't just Wi Ji-cheon.
Dan Yeo.
His illegitimate child.
She, too, had bravely thrown her life on the line.
She's changed. The old Dan Yeo wasn't like that.
If Dan Yeo had been a truly exceptional talent, the Hwajung Medical House would have given her a significant position.
But she was just a bright student who was good at her studies.
That was Dan Yeo's level when she was at the Hwajung Medical House.
Now, she was like a shining gem, someone you looked forward to seeing what kind of renowned physician she would become in the future.
...It must be a change brought about by that boy, Wi Ji-cheon.
Dan So-cheon bit his lip hard.
He had lost.
The Medical Immortal Medical House was different from the likes of them.
And right now, something like winning or losing wasn't important.
"What are you all doing?! Clear the rocks from the entrance! We have to save the disciples of the Medical Immortal Medical House!"
"Yes, yes, Family Head!!"
"Iron Horse Medical House, please help us!"
"Understood!"
As the disciples of the Hwajung and Iron Horse Medical Houses frantically cleared the rocks, a group of pale-faced people arrived.
It was the group from the Medical Immortal Medical House, who had been positioned at the very back.
The family head, Wi Ji-seon, was especially as white as a sheet.
His most cherished youngest son has walked into a death trap.
Dan So-cheon was about to offer words of comfort, but unexpectedly, Wi Ji-seon spoke in a cold tone.
"Everyone, stop. This isn't something that can be cleared just like that. Better to save your strength. There are bound to be mass casualties inside."
"Family Head Wi Ji-seon?"
"Family Head Dan So-cheon, may this humble Wi ask a favor of you?"
"...Please, speak."
Wi Ji-seon did something unexpected.
He bowed his head to Dan So-cheon!
"Please arrange an urgent meeting with the Regional Military Commissioner. We'll need the help of the government troops to clear that pile."
"!!"
"I will not forget this kindness. I will even concede the selection for the Earth-grade medical house!"
A shocking statement.
But Dan So-cheon gave an unexpected reply.
"I cannot accept that offer."
"What? Dan, you bastard! You and I both die...!!"
"Even if Family Head Wi didn't ask, it is my duty as a member of Nanyang's medical community... What did you just say?"
"Family Head Dan So-cheon, thank you! This humble Wi has always admired your virtuous character!"
"..."
Seeing Wi Ji-seon's detestable behavior, a vein popped on Dan So-cheon's forehead.
Patience. If I ignore this, I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep well at night.
In truth, Dan So-cheon wasn't this kind of person.
The Hwajung Medical House wasn't exactly a clean establishment either.
It was just that.
The sight of Wi Ji-cheon and Dan Yeo bravely entering the tomb earlier had moved his heart.
He felt he would deeply regret it if something happened to them.
Dan So-cheon and Wi Ji-seon hurried off to the Regional Military Commission, while the other physicians remained, looking anxious.
Just then, someone stealthily slipped away from the group.
It was Wi Ji-sang-ah.
"Where are you going?"
"!!"
Wi Ji-gang blocked Wi Ji-sang-ah's path.
"For a walk."
"Hah? Don't be ridiculous. You're trying to go into that tomb alone, aren't you? When on earth did you get your hands on the treasure map?"
That's right.
In Wi Ji-sang-ah's hand was the treasure map.
"I got it from a beggar."
"Got it? You mean you stole it, right?"
"I'm a genius at deciphering treasure maps. There's a secret passage here. I don't have time, so don't stop me. Isn't it time for my weakling older brother to go to dreamland?"
Pah!
Wi Ji-sang-ah tried to strike Wi Ji-gang's acupoints, and Wi Ji-gang, startled, parried her attack.
"Wait!! What do you think you're doing?!"
"You dodged, Brother?"
"I'm going too!"
"I'll 'slice' you if you talk nonsense, got it?"
"Why is it always 'slice' with you! We just found Cheon-ie, what are you going to do if he's seriously injured?!"
"I'll just treat him."
"Sang-ah, aside from your skill with medicine, your actual patient treatment skills are lacking! You'll need my medical expertise."
"But, Brother, you're a weakling, right? Weaker than an anchovy."
"That's fine. Because I have a martial arts genius for a younger sister."
A martial arts genius.
It was true.
She had only learned it as a hobby in her spare time, yet she had reached the first-rate realm.
If Wi Ji-sang-ah had trained in martial arts in earnest, she would have long since reached the peak realm and claimed a spot among the Five Dragons and Four Phoenixes, the greatest of the new generation in the martial world.
Wi Ji-gang patted Sang-ah's shoulder and said in a reassuring tone.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'll just follow quietly behind you. Lead the way."
"..."
Wi Ji-sang-ah gave Wi Ji-gang a sideways glance, then turned her back with a flick.
"You're just like Father, Brother."
"What?!"
"Cheon-ie is the cutest. I'm going to see Cheon-ie."
And so.
Wi Ji-gang and Wi Ji-sang-ah! Mobilizing to save their youngest brother!!
As for the adorable youngest, Wi Ji-cheon, who was the subject of his entire family's concern at the Medical Immortal Medical House, what was he doing right now?
"Great Hero Jang Sam, top right! You can do it!!"
You damn devil!! What are the ghosts doing, not dragging that demon away?!
He was breaking through the mechanisms by working Jang Sam to the bone.