The Medicine Immortal
The Medicine Immortal.
There was no way to know who else had betrayed the White Dragon Unit, or how deeply they had turned their backs and joined hands with the Demonic Cult.
Yet it was a problem that absolutely had to be uncovered.
Therefore, this was an extremely serious issue.
The fact that the Baekryongdae served as the Ju family’s eyes and ears was known throughout the world. Given that reality, we couldn’t simply disband the unit on a whim.
Doing so would be no different from the Ju family publicly declaring that we had gouged out our own eyes and ears.
Sa-an Gwi-gun must have been aiming for exactly this vulnerability.
The cost and time required to build a single military force were astronomical. If that force was a highly delicate organization handling intelligence, the expense grew exponentially.
In short, even most sects found it nearly impossible to abandon one of their military units.
Wasn’t the head of the Tang family also unable to act recklessly for the same reason?
“Is this really all right?”
“……”
As we left the underground prison, Muyoung asked with clear worry in his voice.
I had thrown the leader of the White Dragon Unit into a cell. More precisely, I had crippled him.
The instant I spoke Sa-an Gwi-gun’s name, he drew his sword and charged at me. But what could a man with a shattered wrist possibly do?
Besides, his martial prowess was lower than even the Red Dragon Unit leader’s. It was only slightly better than Muyoung’s, so subduing him hadn’t been difficult.
The insights I had gained in my previous life were not so easily overcome.
This is troublesome.
Of all people, it had to be Sa-an Gwi-gun.
If that bastard was connected to the Ju family, he would never have left any traces behind. Even if we managed to catch a lead by luck, he would quickly sever his tail and vanish without a trace.
Even among the Twelve Demon Emperors, he operates on a completely different level from the Blood Hand Poison Emperor or the Residual Blood Killing Emperor.
Still, we had to capture him no matter what.
If the Blood Hand Poison Emperor controlled people through poison, this man shook their very psychology and hearts.
Soul-Destroying Illusion Art.
One of the Demonic Cult’s higher arts. In terms of raw destructive power, it held little value. It was a demonic art among demonic arts, created by a single mad genius solely to seize and manipulate human emotions.
What made the art truly terrifying was that even killing its creator, Sa-an Gwi-gun, would not dispel its effects.
There is no one in the current murim capable of resolving it…
Ah. Wait.
A spark of lightning flashed through my mind.
There was one way to capture Sa-an Gwi-gun with relative ease.
His natural enemy.
The Medicine Immortal—Yakseon—Sa-an Gwi-gun’s natural counter.
I had to find him.
It looks like I’ll need to accelerate the plan.
There was no longer any time to hesitate. An invisible race against time had already begun.
Yakseon.
Together with the Needle Immortal, he was one of the Twin Immortals of the World, renowned for his mastery of pharmacology.
If the Needle Immortal was the supreme authority on acupuncture, Yakseon was the undisputed master of medicine itself.
Unlike the Needle Immortal, who operated the Needle King Pavilion and treated patients, Yakseon had no fixed residence. He was a true wanderer, which made finding him extraordinarily difficult.
Of course… that was true for most people. For me, the situation was slightly different.
Yakseon.
I owed that man a debt. In my previous life, I had once owed him my life.
He was an eccentric, but at heart he was a deeply kind and benevolent person. He usually stayed deep in the mountains, making him hard to locate, but I knew exactly where he could be found.
I needed to meet him immediately.
Returning to my quarters, I began packing my belongings.
“Where are you going?” Dan-hee asked.
“Somewhere. It’ll probably take a few days.”
I was about to leave when I paused and turned back to her.
Ju Sang-jin.
During the martial contest, that bastard had looked at Dan-hee with strange eyes. Leaving her alone in an empty residence felt somehow ominous.
“Want to come along?”
“…Me?”
“Who else is here?”
“C-can I really come?”
Her expression was exactly like someone receiving an unexpected gift they had never dared hope for.
“Yes. Let’s go together.”
“Then…”
“Bring Dan-ah as well.”
She would worry about her sibling otherwise, so we would take both of them.
They prepared with surprising speed, as if they had been waiting for the invitation.
Soon a carriage prepared by the family arrived.
“Where shall I take you, young master?”
I answered the coachman without hesitation.
“Shandong. Mount Tai.”
That was where the Medicine Immortal would be.
The Central Plains’ Five Great Mountains.
They referred to five towering, rugged peaks. Mount Tai in Shandong Province was one of them—the Eastern Peak.
The terrain was so high and treacherous, the mountain itself so vast and deep, that countless people lost their lives after losing their way here.
Traveling by carriage the entire time made the journey relatively comfortable. At night we stayed at inns, rested properly the next day with refreshed horses, and continued onward.
At a pace that was neither too fast nor too slow, we finally reached Mount Tai on the fifteenth day after leaving the Ju family.
It really is convenient.
I hadn’t realized it at first, but bringing Dan-hee along had been an excellent decision. She silently took care of everything at my side.
They were small things, but the difference between having her and not having her was enormous. My clothes remained clean, luggage was perfectly organized, and even asking directions became far easier.
“Young master, is the Medicine Immortal truly here?” Muyoung asked.
“Yes. He’s here.”
The Medicine Immortal spent his entire life in the mountains. He had been so detached that he only noticed the Demonic Cult’s uprising a full year after it began.
Of course, he didn’t have a house. He simply used the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed, living freely and at ease.
“But how do we find him in such a vast place?”
“There’s a way.”
Everyone, including the sick, desperately wanted to meet the Medicine Immortal at least once. I, however, knew a method that would bring him to me.
“Muyoung, from now on go around the nearby villages asking about a skilled physician. Say you’re looking for an excellent doctor.”
“…A physician?”
“Yes. Tell them the young master you serve is on the verge of death.”
“Not you, but another young master…?”
“Do exactly as I say. If they ask the child’s age, tell them ten. Exactly ten years old.”
Muyoung looked confused. “Why tell such a lie?”
“Hehe. The Medicine Immortal has a soft spot for children.”
“Children?”
“He doesn’t distinguish between the poor and the wealthy. He simply seeks out the sick and offers medicine. But his personality is so eccentric that he won’t come just because someone is ill.”
“Hmm.”
This was clearly the first time Muyoung had heard any of this.
“But if it’s a child, everything changes. No matter the reason, he will definitely come to see them.”
“I will follow your instructions, young master. I’ll spread the rumor as widely as possible.”
“Good.”
Soon Dan-hee’s eyes sparkled as she volunteered as well.
“I’ll help too. I can ask around the market.”
“That would be appreciated.”
The more mouths spreading the word, the better. The faster the rumor traveled, the higher the chance the Medicine Immortal would come find me himself.
It feels a little guilty, but…
It couldn’t be helped. Since I needed him, I was prepared to use any method available.
Even if it meant exploiting his weakness.
Three days.
For three full days, Muyoung and Dan-hee roamed every village in the area, inquiring about physicians. We even summoned actual doctors and I received fake examinations. I paid those same doctors to spread the false rumor further—that it was an incurable disease, that a mere ten-year-old child was on the brink of death.
It took only three days for the rumor to blanket every village near Mount Tai.
“Hey, did you hear that rumor?”
“What rumor?”
Herb gatherers were sensitive to such stories—especially those concerning patients. Since they dug herbs and supplied them to physicians, they were always the first to hear that kind of news.
“You know, that group with the young master from out of town? They’re staying at the inn in the lower village.”
“Ah, yes. I heard he’s sick.”
“Sick? They say it’s not just sick. The boy might die any day now.”
“The rumor has spread to every physician. Can none of them cure it?”
“Must be difficult. How would I know?”
The rumor spread like wildfire to the surrounding villages.
“Hmm. Excuse me, friends.”
An old man who had been quietly listening suddenly spoke up.
“Oh my, you startled me! Who are you? How long have you been standing there?”
“Since you wiped the sweat from your brow and went behind that tree to relieve yourself.”
“W-what? You saw all that?”
“So. Have the physicians cured the child yet? Or not?”
“You mean that young master from out of town?”
“That’s right.”
The herb gatherers shook their heads.
“They couldn’t. Not a single one has succeeded.”
“Really?”
The old man stroked his beard in thought for a moment, then nodded and slowly rose to his feet.
“Where do I need to go?”
“Huh? Why ask me? Where do you want to go, old man…”
“You dense fellow. I’m asking where that young master is staying.”
“Why? Are you a physician?”
“Something like that. Ah, you talk too much. Just tell me where!”
In the end the old man shouted in frustration.
“Geez, no need to get angry. Go down to the lower village. There’s an inn called the Golden Flower Inn.”
“Will I be able to meet him there?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Thank you.”
The old man waved and trudged down the mountain path.
“What a strange old man.”
The herb gatherers grumbled and returned to their work.
The old man who had descended the mountain headed straight for the Golden Flower Inn as instructed.
The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, he froze.
“……”
Silence.
The interior of the inn was far too quiet. There wasn’t a single customer in sight.
“Hehe.”
Realizing something was wrong, the old man turned to leave when a voice stopped him.
“Medicine Immortal, sir.”
“……”
A boy’s voice caught his feet.
“I greet you. My name is Ju Woo-jin of the Gangseo Ju family.”
“The Ju family…? Heh. How did you recognize me?”
“You may not know me, sir, but I know you.”
It was incredibly comforting. The Medicine Immortal looked exactly as he had in my previous life’s memories. The moment he entered, the clean scent of grass and mountain wind washed over me. How could I possibly forget?
My benefactor. The man who had once saved my life.
“Did you deceive me with a lie simply to see me?”
“Yes. I had no choice if I absolutely needed to meet you.”
“Hehehe. This is truly absurd.”
Looking displeased, the Medicine Immortal laughed hollowly and turned to leave.
“The Ju family requires your help, sir.”
“I have no interest. I detest families and sects.”
“Please, let us speak for just a moment.”
As expected, his refusal was firm.
“And don’t play these kinds of childish tricks again. No matter how much I wander without a home, such immature—”
Then how about this?
“Revenge. Let’s do it together.”
“…What?”
“Revenge. That grudge you carry in your heart. It should be the same as mine.”
“H-how do you know about that…!”
The old man—no, the Medicine Immortal—looked stunned, unable to continue.
I drove the final nail in.
“They are moving again. Those madmen who harmed your only granddaughter.”
“……!”
“Have you now gained the will to speak with me?”
I smiled faintly and extended my hand toward the Medicine Immortal.
To him, this would be an unbearably cruel yet irresistibly sweet offer. He could not possibly let go of this hand.