Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Sima Clan
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Dang Mujin recalled the conversation between Baek Chusu and Yi Chung.
- There's a place called the Sima Clan in Luoyang, well-known among martial artists for their Crimson Flame Divine Skill. Fortunately, things went well with them, so we won't need to use the poison.
- There had been no marriage proposal between the Sima Clan and the Je Clan.
Another thought followed.
'All the clue Sima Jeong has is that Yi Chung asked about the marriage proposal, right?'
Neither Yi Chung nor Dang Mujin had gone around talking about the Je Clan. They didn't see killing Baek Chusu as some pointless evil deed, but it wasn't exactly a fond memory or pleasant story to share.
Even his friends only had a vague idea of Dang Mujin's connection to the Je Clan.
'The only ones who know the full story are the dead Baek Chusu, Baek Hyanga, or people connected to Salmak. Baek Hyanga isn't the type to blab about it either, so that leaves Salmak.'
Dang Mujin had personally wiped out Salmak's leadership, but he hadn't completely eradicated their lower ranks. It was nearly impossible to handle them all, and the remnants weren't enough of a threat to worry about.
But if the Sima Clan had ties to Salmak before its destruction, they could understand the full story.
Dang Mujin frowned and asked Sima Jeong in return.
"It seems the Sima Clan had connections to Salmak."
"Salmak? Ha!"
Unexpectedly, Sima Jeong snorted. It didn't seem like a show of leisure or an attempt to hide his composure.
"Salmak was involved too, apparently. But I didn't learn about it through them. With plenty of clues, it wasn't hard to piece together what happened behind the scenes."
"What clues are you talking about?"
"Plenty."
Sima Jeong extended his thumb on his left hand.
"Yi Chung visits the Sima Clan after more than a decade and asks if there were marriage talks between us and the Je Clan. Strange, right? There's no reason for marriage talks between the Sima Clan and a hollowed-out shell like the Je Clan."
Next, his index finger extended.
"Not long after, the Je Clan's daughter becomes a disciple of Wuliangzi. But they say her progress was unbelievably fast for someone who had never trained in martial arts."
Finally, his middle finger extended.
"Soon after that, Baek Chusu dies poisoned. All the circumstances connect directly or indirectly to Yi Chung. Trace it back from there, link the pieces, and the conclusion reveals itself."
As he spoke of tracing back, Sima Jeong's three fingers folded again.
Sima Jeong's reasoning was spot on, but in the end, his only special clue was that one question about the marriage proposal.
Yet Sima Jeong had pinpointed that something happened with just that clue, then selected and connected others to complete his deduction. He was different from the average martial artist unused to using their head outside of swinging a sword.
But Dang Mujin didn't shrink back. Killing Baek Chusu was awkward, but nothing to be ashamed of.
So Dang Mujin adopted a stiff attitude.
"Baek Chusu hired the assassins first, and I merely killed him in return. Don't act like you've got some huge weakness on me. I've got nothing to be ashamed of."
With that, the conversation paused for a moment.
Dang Mujin wasn't comfortable with the situation either, but Hyeon Gong, listening from the side, found the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.
He thought he'd caught a sucker, but it felt like he'd led Dang Mujin straight into a trap instead. To be precise, it wasn't fear of the aftermath—it stung his pride.
Hyeon Gong quietly fiddled with his sword hilt as he thought.
'If the mood turns dangerous, I'll ambush and strike first. I can take Sima Hong at least. Then use numbers to overwhelm Sima Jeong quickly and escape.'
The fallout would be messy, but Hyeon Gong was prepared to bear some infamy to make up for his mistake. That's the effort needed to recover lost merit points.
Hyeon Gong bent his knees slightly, wiggling his toes to inch very slowly toward Sima Hong. Neither Sima Hong, Sima Jeong, nor Dang Mujin noticed his subtle movement.
At that moment, Sima Jeong broke the silence.
"No. I only asked about Baek Chusu's death for fun. I couldn't care less if a small fry like him lives or dies. He's just a flat stepping stone between a great father and an extraordinary daughter. My real interest lies elsewhere."
As Dang Mujin stared at Sima Jeong without responding, Sima Jeong asked in a gentle voice.
"Let me ask. Baek Chusu's daughter, Baek Hyanga—did she suffer from Blocked Meridians?"
There was no need to lie, nor could he pull it off anyway. Dang Mujin nodded.
"Yes. Nine Yin Blocked Meridians."
"Her survival and achievements mean you and Yi Chung cured her Blocked Meridians, right?"
"Yes."
Sima Jeong smiled contentedly at Dang Mujin's answer.
"My curiosity is satisfied. Now, there's one thing I'd like to ask of you."
But Dang Mujin struck a defiant pose.
"No. I have no intention of granting favors to a shady character like you."
Hearing himself called shady to his face was reason enough to draw a sword, but Sima Jeong merely shrugged and raised both hands.
"If my attitude offended you, I apologize. Leading a clan builds bad habits. But I'd appreciate your understanding. I desperately need Yi Chung's—or your—help."
Dang Mujin paused. Plenty of people hated apologizing more than dying. Especially among martial artists.
And a clan head of a major house couldn't even apologize when they wanted to. That's what being the leader of a group meant.
But unexpectedly, Sima Jeong readily admitted his fault.
A thought began to creep into Dang Mujin's mind.
'All Sima Jeong did was play around to satisfy his curiosity.'
And it was to verify if Dang Mujin was the 'true divine dragon,' so stepping back, it was forgivable enough.
But separate from rational judgment, Dang Mujin had no intention of easily accepting Sima Jeong's apology.
Whether the situation was excusable and his emotional irritation were different matters.
"No, forget it. Go beg your master or whatever. Let's go, Hyeon Gong."
Of course, Yi Chung had long been buried in the ground, so Sima Jeong couldn't seek his help.
"Wait, wait!"
As Dang Mujin led Hyeon Gong toward the exit, Sima Jeong finally panicked and tried to grab him.
But Dang Mujin deftly avoided Sima Jeong's hand. A clear signal that he didn't want to talk.
"I'm sorry! Just wait a moment!"
When Dang Mujin didn't stop, Sima Jeong blocked the room's entrance and lowered his stance.
He cupped his fists in salute and even bowed his head slightly. Dang Mujin, Hyeon Gong, and Sima Hong were all startled.
People usually showed gratitude with a fist salute at most—bowing the head was extremely rare. Especially for someone like Sima Jeong.
Dang Mujin stopped not because he intended to grant the request, but out of surprise.
Ignoring such a humble bow from someone bending their pride could lead to swords being drawn any second.
Interpreting Dang Mujin's reaction, Sima Jeong got straight to the point.
"There's a child with Blocked Meridians. Could you take a look? As far as I know, you're the only ones capable of treating it—you and Yi Chung."
"Blocked Meridians?"
The moment he heard "Blocked Meridians," Sima Jeong half-regained Dang Mujin's interest.
If he'd mentioned a sick person from the start, he'd have listened easily. Why beat around the bush like that?
Seeing Dang Mujin's expression soften a bit, Sima Jeong continued.
"Yes. He's at the age to start learning martial arts, but his health is poor. Numerous physicians have tried with no improvement. But after inquiring around, the symptoms seemed similar to Blocked Meridians."
Dang Mujin's thoughts naturally turned to treating the child. Treating patients was Yi Chung's first principle, wasn't it?
Treating inside the Sima Clan felt a bit awkward, though.
Reading Dang Mujin's demeanor, Sima Jeong added conditions.
"We'll pay any price within the Sima Clan's means, whatever you demand. If treatment costs money, we'll cover it, of course."
"Is this child your grandson or something?"
"No. He's a child we brought in from outside due to some connection. Not from the Sima Clan."
Willing to pay generously for an outsider. Sima Jeong's image in Dang Mujin's mind improved slightly.
In the end, Dang Mujin let out a deep sigh and said to Sima Jeong.
"Send the child to the inn where I'm staying."
"Understood. One more request—may our clan physician observe the treatment process?"
Sima Jeong added it casually, but Dang Mujin felt unusual weight behind the words.
It wasn't an uncomfortable condition, though. Teaching other physicians how to treat Blocked Meridians could save more lives—that was ideal.
"That's fine."
"Thank you. I'll send someone tomorrow."
Sima Jeong withdrew with a satisfied demeanor, and Dang Mujin and Hyeon Gong left the Sima Clan for the inn.
*
The next morning, a Sima Clan physician arrived at the inn with a boy who looked about thirteen or fourteen.
Sure enough, the boy showed no red tint in his hair or eyebrows, confirming he hadn't trained in the Sima Clan's martial arts.
The physician and the boy both cupped their fists in salute.
"I am Sima Yugong of the Sima Clan. This child is Wang Jincheong."
"Pleased to meet you. How did this child end up connected to the Sima Clan?"
"He was a beggar with no ties, but luckily caught the clan head's eye."
What concerned Dang Mujin more than the child, however, was the physician Sima Yugong who brought him. No matter how he looked, he seemed more martial artist than physician.
'His cultivation is considerable.'
If Dang Mujin was a physician who learned martial arts and Yi Chung a martial artist who learned medicine, Sima Yugong leaned far more toward the martial artist side than Yi Chung.
Dang Mujin asked Sima Yugong.
"By any chance, how much medical knowledge do you have, Elder Sima Yugong?"
"I've read the Treatise on Injuries and Inner Classic, and picked up some family arts from nearby physicians. But I started medicine so late that I lack hands-on experience diagnosing illnesses. I'm still not fit to practice as a physician."
Sima Yugong's attitude was exceedingly humble. But it was far better than a quack who treated patients without proper study.
"Let's examine him first. Wang Jincheong, right? Come here."
Dang Mujin had the boy lie prone and checked his condition.
Blocked Meridians indeed—flaws in the meridians and imbalanced internal energy. Unlike Baek Hyanga's excess yin energy, this was excess yang energy.
'Nine Yang Blocked Meridians... no, not that severe. If I had to name it, maybe Triple Yang Blocked Meridians.'
Baek Hyanga's condition had been critical, on the verge of death without prompt treatment. Wang Jincheong's wasn't that dire.
Even without treatment, he wouldn't face immediate crisis. He'd live weakly, but reaching over forty shouldn't be hard.
'Lucky kid to connect with the Sima Clan at his age and get Blocked Meridians treated.'
Wang Jincheong's fortune went beyond just treatment.
The human body circulates yin and yang energies. They mix and neutralize in the process, then fade away over time without trace.
Blocked Meridians causes one energy to dominate imbalanced. Mixing in the opposite energy gradually while cultivating an inner technique allows massive internal energy accumulation in a short time as they blend.
Since martial artists need ages to advance due to internal energy shortages, Blocked Meridians patients solve half the problem from the start.
'If this child gains proper insight, he could become a great master someday.'
And with the Sima Clan's backing, his future was paved. Wang Jincheong might lead the next generation's young talents.
Dang Mujin said to Sima Yugong.
"It's Blocked Meridians. Excess yang energy is the issue, so gather every spiritual herb and medicinal ingredient that supplements yin energy you can find."
Sima Yugong knew medicine, so no need for detailed lists.
"Got it. I'll gather them as quickly as possible and return."
Sima Yugong took Wang Jincheong's hand and left the inn.