Chapter 101
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Thank You So Much
‘What the hell kind of poison is this?’
Ha Mu-baek frowned. The poison clinging thinly and stickily to his bloodstream felt utterly vicious.
Though Ha Mu-baek lacked any real knowledge of poisons, he could tell that the toxin lodged in Gong Mu-hyeok’s veins was more malignant and persistent than any he’d encountered.
He enveloped a portion of the bloodstream with the faintest trace of internal energy and slowly burned away the poison.
“Kuhk.”
A groan escaped Gong Mu-hyeok’s lips.
Even though he was removing the poison with extreme caution from the tiniest section, this was the result.
Wrinkle lines deepened on Ha Mu-baek’s forehead.
He’d anticipated it wouldn’t be easy when discussing it with his master, but this was worse than expected.
And then.
‘The poison is trying to flee.’
As if it possessed a will of its own, the surrounding poison writhed and shifted when Ha Mu-baek’s internal energy burned it away.
That movement burdened the bloodstream further, drawing another groan from Gong Mu-hyeok’s mouth.
The only reason the poison didn’t scatter was the needles he’d inserted beforehand.
They were pinning the poison in the bloodstream as well.
This was something neither Ha Mu-baek nor Physician Wi Ji-gun had anticipated.
“It’ll be even more painful from here on. If you’d like, I can put you to sleep.”
Ha Mu-baek said calmly.
Gong Mu-hyeok refused the offer with the slightest shake of his head.
Ha Mu-baek nodded faintly and resumed removing the poison.
Envelop a minuscule area thinly, then burn it with internal energy.
Sizzle.
To Ha Mu-baek’s ears, it almost sounded like that.
“Kuh-uuk.”
In reality, all he heard were Gong Mu-hyeok’s groans as he endured the agony.
Thanks to the subtleties of the Infinite Bright Wheel Heart Method protecting his bloodstream, the pain was intense but the veins remained intact.
Thus, two shichen passed.
Not only was Gong Mu-hyeok drenched in sweat, but Ha Mu-baek’s entire body was soaked as well.
“Hoo……”
Ha Mu-baek let out a deep sigh as he removed all the needles.
“Thank you so much. You’ve been through a lot.”
Gong Son Mu-oe said as he handed over a towel to wipe the sweat. Having watched the entire treatment, he fully understood the ordeal Ha Mu-baek had endured.
“No need. It’s the Alliance Leader who’s remarkable. To endure all that……”
Gong Mu-hyeok, his face pale as ash, chuckled softly. At the same time, the cloth he’d been biting fell from his mouth onto the bed.
Gong Son Mu-oe had stuffed it in midway because he’d been grinding his teeth too hard to bear the pain.
Most of the sweat on Gong Mu-hyeok’s body was cold sweat from enduring the torment.
“I’ve removed all the poison from your left arm up to the elbow. You probably won’t notice much difference yet. Your bloodstream is still narrowed.”
Ha Mu-baek gave a brief report on the treatment progress.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“We’re deeply grateful.”
Gong Son Mu-oe and Gong Mu-hyeok expressed their thanks in unison.
“That said, it seems too much for me alone. I’ll discuss it with my master, and we’ll handle it together from the next session.”
At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gong Mu-hyeok struggled to rise from the bed and bowed deeply.
He knew full well what tremendous fortune he’d encountered.
“Dawn seems to be breaking soon. I suppose we’ll have to postpone treating the young mistress.”
“Very well.”
Ha Mu-baek gave a light nod to Gong Son Mu-oe and Gong Mu-hyeok before vanishing quietly.
From the moment he’d slipped in until he departed, not a single member of the escort squad noticed his presence.
“He truly is an extraordinary man. Treating me is one thing, but……for the elite warriors of the escort squad, composed of Heavenly Alliance’s finest, to sense nothing……”
Gong Son Mu-oe nodded lightly at Gong Mu-hyeok’s words.
“That’s precisely why the White Path Society keeps such a close watch on him.”
***
“Good.”
Ki Yu-chan nodded with a satisfied smile.
Then he gathered the enormous stack of documents and rose from his seat.
His destination was obvious.
To report to his superior.
His superior was.
“Hoo. What’s this now?”
Vice Pavilion Lord Yeon Baek-jin.
Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul still hadn’t returned from the Pang Clan.
“These are extremely, extremely important documents.”
“Isn’t everything you bring me important?”
Yeon Baek-jin looked at Ki Yu-chan with incredulity.
“That’s why I said it, didn’t I? Extremely, extremely important.”
Yeon Baek-jin stared at the brazen Ki Yu-chan in disbelief.
“These are documents compiling everything on the Winter Combat Festival.”
Ki Yu-chan explained the contents.
“Winter Combat Festival?”
Yeon Baek-jin repeated the term.
The Yeon Clan paid no attention to the Dragon Training Pavilion, so every event felt unfamiliar.
“Like the Summer Combat Festival?”
Thanks to the matters he’d handled recently, he at least knew about the Summer Combat Festival.
It had happened before he became vice pavilion lord, but minor follow-ups lingered, with several reports coming his way.
“Yes. If the Summer Combat Festival wraps up the first half, the Winter Combat Festival closes out the second.”
“Then it must be held on the winter solstice.”
“Exactly. As the grand event marking the end of the Dragon Training Pavilion’s year, it’s extremely, extremely important.”
Ki Yu-chan emphasized once more.
“I get it. Hoo.”
Yeon Baek-jin sighed deeply and accepted the massive stack.
Four similar piles already sat beside him.
“Since it’s so urgent, I’d appreciate a swift approval.”
Yeon Baek-jin’s face twisted at those words.
“You say that after seeing this?! I still have tons left!!”
Yeon Baek-jin finally exploded.
The one shoving this insane workload onto him was none other than Ki Yu-chan.
“Those are all the reports I compiled and submitted……”
Yeon Baek-jin was momentarily speechless. He understood the implication.
Ki Yu-chan took far longer to write reports, while the vice pavilion lord’s job was merely to review and approve—how could it possibly lag behind?
“Hoo……”
At a loss for words, Yeon Baek-jin sighed deeply.
Because of this madman boasting insane work processing speed……
Then his thoughts drifted to the pavilion lord.
Pang Do-yul must have faced similar woes, yet from what he’d heard of life at the pavilion, he hadn’t seemed as buried in work.
He hadn’t met the pavilion lord yet, but accounts from those around him suggested as much.
“How did the pavilion lord handle all this?”
“I handled it with sub-delegate authority.”
Yeon Baek-jin’s jaw dropped involuntarily.
Sub-delegate authority.
Meaning Ki Yu-chan had approved everything in the pavilion lord’s stead.
“Then why am I……”
“Pavilion regulations state that in the pavilion lord’s absence, sub-delegate authority belongs solely to the ‘vice pavilion lord.’ The moment the pavilion lord leaves, I lose that right.”
Ki Yu-chan replied flatly.
“Haa. Damn pavilion rules.”
That explained the monstrous stack awaiting him.
“Understood. I’ll process it as fast as possible, so wait.”
With that, Yeon Baek-jin buried himself in the documents once more.
The avalanche of duties left him no time even for clan matters.
This might actually be a blessing for him.
He could forget his tangled emotions quickly.
***
“The Alliance Leader has arrived in Wu-chang.”
Gong Do-hyeok scowled at his subordinate’s report.
“What’s going on all of a sudden……”
His brother, growing frailer by the day.
Suddenly, the Senyu Valley Lord appeared, checked his pulse, and whisked him away from the alliance without warning.
The Alliance Leader, no less.
From Gong Do-hyeok’s perspective, it was bewildering, so he’d assigned tails.
Or rather, he already had his own people among those shadowing his brother like shadows.
Thus, regular updates on Gong Mu-hyeok’s movements came in.
“Anything unusual in Wu-chang?”
“Well……he met two people, and one of them……”
“One of them?”
“A Ha Mu-baek.”
Gong Do-hyeok’s face contorted fiercely at the name.
“Why the hell does that bastard’s name come up now?”
The subordinate bowed his head at Gong Do-hyeok’s irritation.
As the reporter, he couldn’t fathom why his master was so enraged.
He’d heard the name Ha Mu-baek and investigated, but with his access, all he knew was that he’d been Hocheon Corps Leader and was now an instructor at the Dragon Training Pavilion.
“Hoo. Fine. What did they do when they met?”
“Well……on the Alliance Leader’s orders, no escort squad members were present. Ha Mu-baek met with the Alliance Leader for about one gak.”
Gong Do-hyeok’s mind grew muddled.
What in the world was happening?
First the sudden Senyu Valley Lord, now this monster Ha Mu-baek meeting his brother.
Gong Do-hyeok was one of the few who knew Ha Mu-baek’s true nature.
His brother had once spoken of an unbelievable martial artist, impressing the name into his memory despite the incredulity.
He knew Ha Mu-baek had fallen from grace in the Righteous Heaven Alliance and gone to the Dragon Training Pavilion, but to meet his brother?
‘Why would brother……’
Gong Do-hyeok had done nothing overt.
Merely monitoring his brother and nephew’s movements while pulling alliance members under his command for what lay ahead.
The one other thing was occasional secret meetings with them.
But those were so clandestine that no one else in the alliance knew.
The Alliance Leader’s unscheduled moves stirred an ominous premonition in Gong Do-hyeok.
“Investigate properly what he’s up to there.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate replied and withdrew quietly.
***
Time flew by.
The weather had turned chilly enough for breath to mist occasionally.
Winter was approaching.
“It’s cold—what are you two doing out here? Come inside already.”
Gong Son Mu-oe said worriedly to the pair.
At his words, the young man and woman who’d been gazing at the rear garden scenery turned.
It was father and daughter Gong Mu-hyeok and Gong So-yu.
“The crisp air just feels so good.”
“Yes, Grandfather. The air is so refreshing……”
Gong Son Mu-oe smiled warmly at their responses.
How could he not?
It was proof of how much healthier they’d become, lifting his spirits.
“That’s enough. Time for your medicinal soup—let’s head in.”
At Gong Son Mu-oe’s words, the two obediently headed to the annex.
Two bowls of soup awaited them.
Having emptied them cleanly, their faces brimmed with bright energy.
They’d gained considerable weight, and their complexions were enviably healthy.
“You look great.”
Gong Mu-hyeok and Gong So-yu jumped at the sudden voice.
It shouldn’t have been possible to hear it now.
Ha Mu-baek stood in the reception room, smiling faintly, proving it wasn’t a hallucination.
“How……”
Gong Mu-hyeok muttered in shock.
“Security is actually tighter at night.”
Gong Mu-hyeok had no choice but to nod at Ha Mu-baek’s words.
The escort squad guarded the annex in full force at night, rotating rests during the day.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
Gong Son Mu-oe asked.
He knew Ha Mu-baek perfectly sealed off sounds with his energy when visiting the annex, so he spoke freely.
“To keep a promise with the young mistress.”
Everyone turned puzzled gazes to Gong So-yu.
She tilted her head, equally clueless.