Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Lower Five Gates
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Bad premonitions never miss their mark.
The white-haired woman seemed to be acquainted with not only the current Leader of the Upper Merchant Branch, but also the former one.
'How should I answer?'
As Dang Mujin's deliberation dragged on, the white-haired woman furrowed her brow.
"Don't waste time with clever tricks. Just answer."
A light irritation. Yet Dang Mujin felt a pressure like a transparent hand squeezing his throat.
"...You're right."
"What’s your relationship with that Red Beggar kid?"
"We're friends."
"And Yi Chung?"
Dang Mujin hesitated. He had no assurance that he could openly reveal the Strange Physician's story.
If by any chance she was connected to the Flesh Mask, he'd die right here. He couldn't resist or escape and survive.
'Should I play dumb and say I don't know?'
No.
She knew quite a bit about him already.
His friendship with Hong Geolgae, the events at the Upper Merchant Branch.
With the Red-Faced Rogue—apex of Chongqing's Beggars' Sect—under her command like a subordinate, she likely knew most of what happened in Chongqing.
Yes. Lying wasn't an option from the start.
"A travel companion... and somewhat of a mentor. I don't know if the old man saw me as a disciple, though."
"I see. Good."
The white-haired woman nodded lightly. It seemed her relationship with the Strange Physician wasn't bad.
She leaned forward, resting on the table as she spoke.
"Why did you kill Kyung?"
"Who's Kyung?"
"Former Upper Merchant Branch Leader Bok Wi-gyeong."
Her tone was the same as before, but Dang Mujin realized this question was the crux.
At the same time, it was one he couldn't dodge or finesse. Dang Mujin answered as the truth came to him.
"I heard his gang was kidnapping kids and selling them. Should I have just let that slide?"
"You wouldn't raid the Upper Merchant Branch for that alone. What did you do with the wealth inside?"
"That's exactly why I raided it, and I didn't touch a single coin."
"If you try to fool me rashly, your head will roll."
"I have no intention of deceiving you."
To be precise, it wasn't that he didn't covet the wealth—he simply had no spare moment to touch the Upper Merchant Branch's riches. Taking them would have meant fighting every last one of their men.
The white-haired woman stared piercingly at Dang Mujin before clicking her tongue briefly.
"You're serious."
With those words, the tense air softened.
"You're quick on the uptake. If you'd spun some tale or killed Kyung for the money, you'd be dead by my hand."
That was the end of the white-haired woman's words. She propped her elbow on the table and sank into thought.
Dang Mujin had many questions for her.
Was she truly a Return-to-Youth Elder? What was her connection to the former Leader? What were her name and title? Her ties to the Strange Physician, and so on.
But he didn't want answers right then.
'I wish she'd just leave.'
This atmosphere and situation were suffocating.
His plan for a pleasant evening at the tavern was already half-ruined. Staring at these three all night was worse than sending them off now, even if awkwardly.
The problem was voicing that without discomfort.
Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong waited ages for the trio to leave.
The Upper Merchant Branch Leader and Red-Faced Rogue seemed indifferent, but the white-haired woman remained lost in thought.
A thirsty man digs a well, and one who wants guests gone must hint at it.
Finally, Dang Mujin broached it subtly. Starting a conversation with introductions.
"...By any chance, who might you be, milady?"
He knew "milady" might not suit a Return-to-Youth Elder.
But no better term came to mind, and from experience, women never minded being seen as younger.
The white-haired woman answered without opening her eyes.
"Ha Ling. Or call me Old Lady Ha."
Old lady. So she was indeed a Return-to-Youth Elder.
But as far as Dang Mujin knew, none of the Righteous Faction's Six Transcendents bore the name Ha Ling—let alone any women.
Wondering if she might be an unorthodox martial artist, he glanced at Namgung Myeong. But even he, with his broad martial knowledge, seemed unfamiliar with the name.
The conversation couldn't end yet. Dang Mujin racked his brain desperately and pressed on.
"...By any chance, what was your relationship with the former Upper Merchant Branch Leader?"
"I've known that kid since he was a little brat."
He'd touched a nerve.
As he pondered damage control, Ha Ling continued.
"Don't worry. I won't hold you accountable for it. I knew he'd gone astray. He just couldn't cut ties cleanly."
"Gone astray how?"
"He dipped into forbidden dealings and siphoned money for his own gain. That's not why I put him in charge."
Dang Mujin looked at the current Upper Merchant Branch Leader. He had a rugged, burly look, but unlike the former one, he didn't reek of blood. He could pass for a Righteous Faction warrior, not a gang enforcer.
The talk flowed bit by bit. Dang Mujin asked again.
"By any chance, how did you know about my connection to the Strange Physician old man?"
"Last summer, Yi Chung came to me asking about Yu Bong-gae Hong Jeong and his son. Around then, word spread of a beggar called Hong Geolgae and a blacksmith named Dang wandering taverns before killing that Kyung punk."
When they'd come to Chongqing last year, the Strange Physician had seemed to suspect something, left Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae for a few days, then returned. They'd had to face the former Leader alone.
Dang Mujin had thought he'd been sniffing around somewhere, but now it appeared he'd visited Ha Ling to inquire.
Ha Ling went on.
"Nine times out of ten, Yi Chung and the Red Beggar kid were connected, and since you're tight with the Red Beggar, I figured there must be something between you and Yi Chung too."
"By any chance, what's your relationship with the old man?"
"Yi Chung? He helped with my work now and then. I owe him a lot."
It had been ages since he'd heard someone speak fondly of the Strange Physician.
Not just on good terms—they'd been close.
"Oh, right—you said you see Yi Chung as your master? When you meet him later, tell him to visit when he's free. He'll understand if you say Old Lady Ha has a favor to ask."
Dang Mujin debated his response, then decided on honesty.
Someone friendly with the Strange Physician might help, and he didn't want any grilling like "Why didn't you say he was dead?"
"The Strange Physician old man is dead."
"What?"
Ha Ling's face showed agitation for the first time. The Upper Merchant Branch Leader barely reacted, but Red-Faced Rogue and Namgung Myeong were shocked too.
"Yi Chung is dead? First I've heard of it. You sure?"
"Yes."
"Why would that guy... No. He could've died anytime. How did I not hear?"
"It hasn't been long since he died, and it wasn't a situation where his death would spread. I was the only one who knew."
It suddenly struck him as odd that he hadn't encountered any Flesh Mask assassins on the way here.
'The Flesh Mask might be hunting the old man instead of me.'
Ha Ling cupped her small face with both hands and pressed her temples.
"I heard Yang Hyeon died recently too. So of the World's Three Great Physicians, only the Demon Physician remains? Hey. Any ties to the Demon Physician?"
"...Not certain, but he's probably dead too."
"What?"
Ha Ling scowled.
"What the hell happened? Did the World's Three Great Physicians swear a pact to die together?"
"It's complicated—I can't explain here."
Ha Ling muttered in disbelief.
"The lineage of the World's Three Great Physicians' medicine is broken?"
"Not quite. I've picked up enough medicine myself."
"Weren't you learning the sword from Yi Chung? No, wait—rumors had you as a blacksmith."
"I'm a physician by trade. I can blacksmith and swing a sword decently too."
Ha Ling tilted her brows oddly, scrutinizing Dang Mujin.
Then, as if spotting something, her small hand darted into his bosom. The sudden skin contact startled him badly.
When she withdrew, she held the Myriad Maladies Manual.
The reason it was in his bosom was simple: it was his current read.
He'd mastered the Strange Physician's medical texts, and the Demon Physician's ancient scrolls were in his bundle after endless revenge-fueled study.
"Why do you have this? You confirmed Yi Chung's death and seem sure about the Demon Physician—having their texts would explain it... No, wait."
Ha Ling paused, realization dawning, and raised her right hand.
Dang Mujin's luggage beside him floated up and flew to her hand.
As she unpacked it, two more medical texts emerged from the clutter: the Strange Physician's and Demon Physician's. Ha Ling stared at them.
He worried she might covet them. But she tucked all three back into the bundle without hesitation and returned it.
"So I nearly beheaded the World's Greatest Physician and severed medicine's lineage. Rash swordplay almost caused disaster. Sorry."
Endorsed by a Transcendent as the world's top physician. An odd feeling.
Unlike before, Ha Ling straightened her posture and smoothed her robes. Red-Faced Rogue and the Leader followed suit.
In a calm voice, Ha Ling spoke.
"Though our fields differ, you're the world's greatest, so allow a proper introduction. I am Ha Ling. It's a discarded dharma name now, but I was once called Flower Swallow Divine Nun."
Dang Mujin didn't know the name, but Namgung Myeong reacted instantly.
"Flower Swallow Divine Nun? I heard you entered nirvana before I was born."
"Many think so. But those in the know realize I'm alive."
Glancing around, Dang Mujin whispered to Namgung Myeong.
"Famous?"
"Former former Emei Sect Leader. Never heard she was Transcendent-level, so she must've shed her dharma name, broken through to Transcendent, and achieved Return-to-Youth."
Sect Leaders were typically old; a great-grand one? How old was she?
Dang Mujin looked at Ha Ling again. She just seemed an unusual little girl.
"By any chance, shedding your dharma name means...?"
"Tired of empty talk of saving beings, I discarded it to act myself and left Golden Summit Peak. Now I lead a small group called the Lower Five Gates."
Neither Dang Mujin nor Namgung Myeong had heard of it. Ha Ling shrugged.
"Natural—you wouldn't. We named it recently. Anyway, how many know of the Demon Physician and Yi Chung's deaths?"
"Not sure about the Demon Physician. His texts came to me, but he could be alive without them. But everyone here is the only ones who know of Yi Chung's death."
"Then we'd best keep quiet about the World's Three Great Physicians' deaths and the three texts for now. Can't predict reactions."
Ha Ling's tone shifted—from distant superior commanding to suggestion or advice.
"What's that mean?"
"Everyone needs medicine, so some might do anything to monopolize it. Yi Chung's death staying secret is your stroke of luck."
"I see."
Ha Ling scratched her small head and stood.
"Unexpected news has my head spinning. Might need help soon—can you lend a hand?"
"What kind?"
"What does one ask a physician? Treat patients and cure ailments, naturally."
"That I can do."
Dang Mujin wasn't as extreme as the Strange Physician, but traveling together had subtly shaped him with the old man's views.
To Dang Mujin, patients deserved treatment—villain or hero, rich or poor.
Pleased by the ready agreement, Ha Ling smiled with crinkled eyes.
"Splendid. If I need you, come to Chongqing and reach me through Red-Faced Rogue or the Leader. I'll help however I can. Repaying Yi Chung through you isn't bad."
Ha Ling rose and, before leaving, added one more thing.
"And advice: pass on your medicine before it's too late. To a child or disciple."
Children felt too distant, but Dang Mujin let it slide.
The three departed as abruptly as they'd arrived, leaving the room quiet.
Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong poked awkwardly at their chopsticks.
The food had cooled, congealed fat floating on the soup.
"..."
Dang Mujin opened the door.
No guests, but the courtesan who'd guided them sat by the stairs.
He addressed her.
"You're Seolran, right?"
"Yes."
"Ask the Dengxian Pavilion owner to come up, please."
"Understood."
"And tell her to brace herself."
Courtesan Seolran nodded meaningfully and headed downstairs.