Chapter 195
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: There Might Be a Way
It was a voice etched in his memory, accompanied by a heavy presence.
'Thanks to that kid, the wastrel's finally starting to act like a human. Yeah.'
Ha Mu-baek.
A comrade from the previous war.
He had crossed paths with him once or twice on the battlefield, which was why the voice stuck with him.
"It's not quite time for the Hour of the Tiger yet. Every moment counts."
With those words, Ha Mu-baek dropped from the air like a stone.
The old man could see him clearly now.
With everyone around having fled, the elder was finally able to survey the scene properly.
A middle-aged man had blood smeared all over his mouth.
No, he was still chewing on something, mumbling away.
It was human flesh.
Driven by insatiable hunger, he had torn into human meat.
Ha Mu-baek approached the monster and swiftly gripped his pulse point.
"Guhk."
The monster let out a groan.
"That was close."
Ha Mu-baek murmured calmly as he infused his internal energy.
A moment later.
Focus returned to the monster's eyes, and he collapsed limply.
"Whew."
Dang Jin-san let out a sigh of relief at the sight.
"Who would've thought Moon Dragon Inn would sell jerky of all things."
It was a place that sold all sorts of dishes.
Who would buy preserved rations there?
Chunks of jerky, reduced almost to powder, spilled from the pouch at the fallen man's waist.
He must have kept eating it to suppress his urges, allowing the Soul-Confusing Poison to build up steadily.
A little later, and this man would have turned into a man-eating corpse.
"May I take a look as well?"
The elder stepped forward and spoke.
All eyes turned to him.
The first to recognize the old man's face was, naturally, Dang Jin-san.
"Eek! G-Grandfather?"
Dang Jin-san jumped in surprise.
His words startled the others as well.
If he was Dang Jin-san's grandfather, then he was the former head of the Tang Clan.
The Poison Emperor, Dang Ja-cheong.
"What's with the shock? It's just your old grandpa you haven't seen in a while."
Dang Ja-cheong chuckled at his wastrel grandson's reaction.
"That 'Chengdu Playboy' nickname of yours is living up to its name."
Dang Jin-san's face flushed beet red at the follow-up.
"Grandfather!!"
Dang Ji-yeon appeared, beaming with joy.
She had sent an urgent messenger hawk, but she hadn't expected him to arrive so quickly.
A glance at her grandfather's disheveled appearance told her how hastily he had come.
Dang Ja-cheong smiled warmly, patting Dang Ji-yeon's head, then turned his gaze to Ha Mu-baek.
"It's been a while."
"Indeed it has."
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Ha Mu-baek and Dang Ja-cheong both smiled at the same time.
Dang Ja-cheong, who specialized in poisons, and Ha Mu-baek of the alliance leader's personal guard rarely crossed paths on the battlefield.
Even so, they had fought back-to-back a couple of times.
They had helped each other greatly.
"Did you call the old Gong Son from Seon Yu Valley? From the looks of it, I might not be enough on my own."
He had only taken a quick glance around, but he grasped the general situation.
It was caused by poison, but medicine was needed too.
They needed help from Seon Yu Valley.
"I just sent someone."
A voice came from behind.
It was Byeok Ryeok-gae.
"It's been a long time."
Byeok Ryeok-gae nodded at Dang Ja-cheong's greeting.
"It has."
"We don't have time for chit-chat."
Dang Ji-yeon cut in. Patients were still pouring in.
At his granddaughter's spirited words, Dang Ja-cheong rolled up his sleeves and stepped up.
"Right. Let's tackle this poison first."
Dang Ji-yeon led Dang Ja-cheong to where the treatment platform was overflowing.
Wi Ji-gun was still focused on his work.
After brief greetings, Dang Ja-cheong examined the Soul-Confusing Poison Ha Mu-baek had brought. He took some into his mouth.
He had already heard about its properties from Dang Ji-yeon.
Now it was time to confirm it himself.
The poison took hold on his tongue. For now, it hadn't extended its tail toward the brain.
It was the incubation period.
Dang Ja-cheong took a bit more Soul-Confusing Poison.
By continually stimulating it, he skipped the incubation and made the tail emerge.
And then the intense hunger hit.
Dang Ja-cheong immediately circulated the Ten Thousand Poisons Returning to Origin Art.
It was the Tang Clan's unique poison-handling internal energy method that controlled both poison and qi.
The Ten Thousand Poisons Returning to Origin Art instantly burned away the poison's toxin.
"As expected..."
The Blood Cult's Blood Poison Art lingered in a corner of his memory.
Gold Spirit Devouring Blood Poison Art.
The description matched perfectly.
For a poison recreated by mere imitation, its power was formidable.
Ha Mu-baek followed with an explanation.
It detailed the connection between the poison and the Blood Poison Art.
Dang Ja-cheong nodded quietly.
"There should be a way."
Everyone's faces brightened at his words.
"Then I'll focus on making the antidote."
The work proceeded smoothly.
"Nine-Leaf Herb, One-Thread Herb, Snow-Leaf Herb."
Dang Jin-san muttered the herbs he needed to find while climbing the mountain.
They had luckily appeared right near Wu Chang.
Dang Ji-yeon had used them all for her makeshift antidote.
Yet they were essential for Dang Ja-cheong's antidote as well.
"They say it's needed to calm excitement and stabilize the mind and body."
Baek Ri-pyeong said, scanning the surroundings.
"Yeah, of course. And One-Thread Herb and Snow-Leaf Herb are super rare. Even seasoned herb gatherers struggle to find them, let alone cadets like us."
Dang Jin-san grumbled.
Still, he scanned everywhere with eagle eyes.
"That's why the herb gatherers are out looking. We're here to protect them."
Dang Jin-san pouted at Yeon Ha-min's point.
And so, the cadets and herb gatherers combed the mountains around Wu Chang frantically.
"Wind Orchid. That's really precious..."
It was a herb that countered narcotic poisons.
This one wasn't in Wu Chang either.
"Time is of the essence."
At Joo Woo-myeong's words, Dang Jin-san scanned the area again.
He was the only cadet who could identify these herbs.
"Hah... what a poison."
Gong Son Mu-oe muttered in disbelief after finishing the pulse diagnosis.
His hands moved busily nonetheless.
Acupuncture needles densely packed the patient's neck.
It was to block the toxin from rising to the head.
After his acupuncture, the patient's eyes cleared a bit more.
The hunger filling his head seemed to subside too.
"This is just temporary. Hold on until the antidote's ready."
Gong Son Mu-oe had started treating patients non-stop upon arriving in Wu Chang.
The place was dear to him too.
He had stayed long to treat his granddaughter and formed many connections.
Thus, his hands were swift and careful as he treated patients.
Amid his focused treatments, Dang Ja-cheong dropped by occasionally.
To seek advice on antidote production.
He had learned the poison's traits through treatments and experiencing it himself.
Gong Son Mu-oe pooled his knowledge with Dang Ja-cheong as best he could.
"A precarious state."
Ha Mu-baek murmured, grasping the wrist of a boy who looked about ten.
The child was rolling his eyes back, drooling profusely.
Beside him, his mother watched with eyes full of worry.
Her hands were bloodied.
She had gotten bitten while trying to stop her son from eating dirt.
She didn't know how her son had suddenly become like this.
She had heard rumors of a strange plague in Wu Chang. But her own son?
Beggars from the Beggar Clan, who patrolled as part of the martial world sects, had hurriedly brought her and her son here.
Upon entering the Dragon Training Pavilion, they were guided to meet a man right away.
He took her son's wrist with a serious expression.
Then a miracle happened.
Her son calmed down.
His eyes were still rolled back, and drool still flowed, but still.
A moment later.
Focus returned to her son's eyes. The drool stopped.
"Symptoms manifested quickly due to his young age. You're lucky you came in time for treatment."
Ha Mu-baek said calmly.
The mother finally collapsed in relief.
"Th-thank you. Sob sob. Thank you so much."
Relief that her son was safe brought forth the tears she had held back.
She wept loudly, bowing repeatedly to Ha Mu-baek in thanks.
Meanwhile, the recovered boy looked around in confusion.
Waking up in a strange place must have been frightening.
He soon spotted his mother and burrowed into her embrace.
She hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, truly, thank you. How can I ever repay this grace... sob sob sob."
Tears still streamed down her face.
"It's fine. Calm down now. He should be okay from here on."
Ha Mu-baek soothed her. The mother swallowed her sobs and stood.
She knew others were waiting behind.
The situation was so dire that they had been allowed to cut in line.
The people here had guided them that way.
Holding her son, she bowed deeply to those in line and slowly stepped aside.
Ha Mu-baek calmly took the next patient's wrist.
Thus, he tirelessly treated those with severe symptoms.
Dang Ja-cheong visited Ha Mu-baek often too.
To experience the internal energy movement that severed the poison and Blood Poison Art.
Once or twice wasn't enough, so he asked repeatedly.
Of course, only when no patients were around.
"White Jade Fruit, Flower Essence Mushroom, Ghost Spirit Herb. If I combine these three properly... it's weak, but it might have a similar effect."
And finally, they found a way.
Everyone had gone days without proper sleep, pouring their efforts into treatments and antidote production.
Two days after that.
The antidote was complete at last.
The Poison Emperor Dang Ja-cheong's reputation was well-earned.
Treatments accelerated rapidly thanks to it.
Wu Chang was swiftly regaining stability.
Three days later.
They could finally dismantle the tents in the Dragon Training Pavilion's main training ground.
It had been truly grueling days.
Even more than executing Gwang Hoe-cheon.
Dealing with the aftermath of the Soul-Confusing Poison he left behind had been far harder.
Fortunately, no major incidents occurred.
Only one person turned into a man-eating corpse.
One of the Eastern Justice Ten Heroes. He was the first and last.
There had been a few close calls due to the jerky sold at Moon Dragon Inn, but the Beggar Clan's help saw them through.
Once everything was sorted, people gathered in the training ground of Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven.
Ha Mu-baek clasped his fists toward Gong Son Mu-oe and Dang Ja-cheong there.
"Thank you for your help."
"No need. It was the least we could do."
Gong Son Mu-oe smiled gently.
"I learned quite a bit myself."
Dang Ja-cheong said as if it were nothing.
"More importantly..."
"Rather than that..."
Gong Son Mu-oe and Dang Ja-cheong.
They spoke at the same time and looked at each other.
As if they knew what the other meant.
Ha Mu-baek felt the same.
"The antidote we made is just a temporary measure."
Everyone nodded.
For those poisoned but not yet turned, the antidote worked.
But once they became man-eating corpses.
There was no turning back.
The brain was completely destroyed by then.
Man-eating corpses were living dead.
Mere shells driven by appetite.
"The Blood Cult remnants have the Soul-Confusing Poison and its recipe, right?"
Dang Ja-cheong asked.
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
They had learned their base from Gwang Hoe-cheon.
But now wasn't the time to move.
Their countermeasures weren't perfect yet.
And that base itself was a headache.
"In the end, we need a preventive medicine to block the poison's effects. Even strong antidotes for common poisons won't cut it."
"We also need to check if taking it in advance keeps the effect ongoing."
Dang Ja-cheong and Gong Son Mu-oe said in succession.
"There might be a way..."
Dang Ja-cheong murmured.
His gaze turned to Gong Son Mu-oe and Ha Mu-baek.
"If you two help out."
"I'll assist."
Wi Ji-gun stepped forward.
What Ha Mu-baek could do, he could too.
After the antidote was complete, he had taken over the treatment platform.
He had also handled treating severe cases with internal energy.
He quickly mastered the internal energy operation mimicking the Gold Spirit Blood Art through Ha Mu-baek.
That must be the part where Dang Ja-cheong needed Ha Mu-baek's help.
Wi Ji-gun could handle that easily.
And so, the three elders began research on a preventive for the Soul-Confusing Poison.
A massive iron gate.
Seok Mu-won appeared before it.
No guards, just this iron door blocking the middle of a deep stone cavern.
His father was inside.
"You've come."
How long had he been waiting?
His father's voice echoed from within.
"Any progress?"
Seok Mu-won asked.
"Slower than expected."
The voice was thick with frustration.
"It seems impossible without obtaining the complete Emptiness."
"I found one piece."
Seok Mu-won said calmly.
"Is that so?"
The voice sounded agitated.
"But Ha Mu-baek is nearby."
"..."
No response followed.
Seok Mu-won methodically recounted his recent actions.
"Is your body alright? If the Ten Thousand Demons Soul Possession Divine Law broke, the backlash must have been severe..."
The death of a possessed host dealt a heavy blow to the possessor.
"I've mostly recovered."
Seok Mu-won remained composed.
But it had taken ten days to heal his internal injuries from then.
"One of the remaining two pieces is in Wu Chang..."
A murmur heavy with concern.
It couldn't be helped.
Hadn't he received a report of failure after clashing with Ha Mu-baek in Wu Chang?
Yet the temptation was too great to abandon.
The Absolute Divine Art, Emptiness, scattered into five pieces.
He had three, but one of the missing two was in Wu Chang.
"Hah, to think the Dan Mok Clan had obtained it. No wonder it slipped into the righteous sects, evading us..."
The cult leader muttered in disbelief.
"Primeval Six Divine Arts."
Short words.
The desire within was immense.
The six fragments scattered at the dawn of heaven and earth—absolute martial arts.
Emptiness was the foundation of the Demonic Cult.
Five hundred years ago, it split into five pieces and vanished.
"Father achieved the pinnacle of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, yet still fell to that man."
His voice brimmed with resentment.
"To surpass him, we must reclaim Emptiness. He must possess one of the Primeval Six Divine Arts too. Otherwise, how could he defeat the pinnacle Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"
Seok Mu-won listened silently to his father.
Primeval Six Divine Arts.
Infinity, Chaos, Emptiness, Darkness, Radiance, As Desired.
Mastering even one could place the world beneath your feet.
The Demonic Cult had proven it with Emptiness.
But the five disciples of the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader back then.
Their conflict shattered Emptiness into five.
Three reassembled.
One in Wu Chang, the last still missing.
"The revival of the Divine Cult begins when Emptiness is complete."
At the cult leader's words, Seok Mu-won bowed his head silently.