Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: [Secret Clinic] Yi Gil-dong the Taoist Returns (2)
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“T-Taoist! Are you alright?”
Cheonbong came scurrying over to check on me, while Jang Taesu stared in disbelief.
“You took care of all those guys... already?”
“It was nothing.”
And yeah, it really wasn't.
Just a bunch of ordinary folks swinging swords around.
Compared to the monsters I faced every day in the Abyss Mine, they were less than nothing.
“I just roughed them up a bit. Didn't kill any, so don't worry.”
“Gasp...”
Jang Taesu swallowed hard, his face a mask of utter shock.
He'd already been calling me Taoist this and Taoist that, but now he looked completely dumbfounded.
'Can't blame him.'
The Chief State Councillor's personal guard.
The Black Shadow Squad, was it?
According to Jang Taesu, they were the fastest elite soldiers in all of Hanyang.
And I'd taken them down single-handedly without a scratch. Of course he'd be stunned.
“Jang Taesu.”
“Yes! Give me your orders!”
The man was practically standing at attention.
“I sent a warning to that Chief State Councillor bastard, but you're not going back there anytime soon.”
“...I've prepared myself for that. Even if I did go back now that they've got suspicions, it'd just be a death sentence.”
Jang Taesu bowed his head bitterly.
I could imagine how he felt, betrayed by the lord he'd served his whole life.
But that wasn't my problem.
If anything, it worked out perfectly.
Taking in a guy with nowhere to go was the best way to earn unwavering loyalty.
“For the time being, stick with this kid Cheonbong.”
“What? With this thief?”
“Hey, what's with that reaction? I don't wanna hang around some brute swordsman either!”
“Cheonbong here's got nimble hands and quick feet, but you're better in a fight. Help him out as his bodyguard.”
“Ah...”
“And you too, Cheonbong. You're the info guy, so take Jang Taesu around and teach him the ropes. Fill in each other's gaps and be my eyes and ears. Got it?”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
They both bowed deeply in unison.
That laid the foundation for my little organization.
Might: Jang Taesu. Intel and skills: Cheonbong.
Not a bad combo.
This world was just a pit stop on my way to Fengyang Lake anyway.
I wasn't planning anything grand, but they'd be a huge help while I was here.
“Alright, next item on the agenda.”
“Huh? What's that, Taoist?”
I grinned at Cheonbong's question.
“Didn't I mention a personal grudge earlier? Time to go discipline that eunuch.”
We slipped through the darkness toward the palace outskirts.
A tall wall loomed ahead, with patrol soldiers' torches flickering here and there.
“Jang Taesu, stand watch here. Signal if any patrol guards come.”
“Got it. Come back safe.”
I left Jang Taesu in a dark alley a short distance from the palace.
“The north wall over there has the laxest guards. There's a dog-sized hole kinda thing...”
I grabbed Cheonbong by the scruff before he could finish explaining.
Waste of time.
“Let's go.”
“Huh? Go where?”
“Shh. Keep your mouth shut so you don't bite your tongue. We're flying.”
“T-Taoist? Waaaait—!”
Flash!
I channeled mana into my legs and kicked off the ground.
A leap that defied gravity.
I soared well over three meters straight up onto the wall in an instant.
“Uwaa...!”
As the towering palace wall rushed past beneath us, Cheonbong started to scream again but quickly clamped his mouth shut.
Thief instincts kicking in—he knew what to do.
Thud.
We landed softly on the tiled roof inside the wall.
“Huff, huff... T-The Taoist master's arts are incredible. Shrinking earth technique, lightness skill...”
Nah, I just jumped high.
Whatever. No need to correct him if he's hyping me up on his own.
The palace at night.
Some halls glowed with lantern light, but most lay shrouded in darkness.
“Where to?”
“That way. Past those tiles, you'll see the Fragrant Garden Hall.”
Cheonbong took the lead.
He knew the palace layout like the back of his hand, dodging patrol routes flawlessly and weaving through the maze of buildings.
Along the way, he glanced down at a garden and muttered.
“Oh? That's a moonlit beauty down there.”
“Moonlit beauty?”
“Yeah, those white flowers. They bloom only at night with a fragrance that carries a thousand ri. Rare stuff. Supposed to grow only in southern barbarian lands, but they've got 'em in the palace.”
I looked where he pointed—a tree with flowers glowing white in the moonlight.
“And that pond over there has lotuses, but not just any—red lotuses. Their roots are used in medicine...”
Cheonbong rattled on excitedly, not just about the layout but every plant and landscaping detail.
“This is the back path to the Royal Pharmacy—no one's around at night. And that pavilion's Gyeonghoeru; the pond there is packed with carp.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded as he explained.
'Check out this guy.'
I thought he was just a petty thief, but he knew a ton.
Too in-depth for mere hearsay.
“Cheonbong, you know a lot, huh? Even about flowers.”
“Heh heh, they say even a schoolhouse dog chants poetry after three years. Picked it up scoping places to steal from.”
“That's pro-level for 'picking it up.'”
“Ehehe, it's nothing.”
My gut was telling me something.
This kid had layers.
Too knowledgeable for a common thief, and his speech slipped into scholarly tones now and then.
A past, maybe?
Even the sharpest thief shouldn't know the palace this well.
Fallen yangban family? Former palace slave?
Something like that.
'Interesting.'
A character who never appeared in the original story hiding a backstory...
Wonder if it was preset or if my trait was filling in the blanks the author never thought of.
Anyway, I'd dig into Cheonbong's past later when the time was right.
He wasn't volunteering, and right now, eunuch-beating took priority.
“We're here. That annex is Kim Naegwan's quarters.”
A small tiled house stood where Cheonbong pointed.
Lights out—he must be crashed out.
“Good. Let's go.”
We dropped from the roof and crept up quietly.
At the door, snoring echoed from inside.
Snore, snort.
Sleeping like a baby.
Not for long.
'Prep first.'
Even in this remote spot, if Kim screamed his head off, guards would come running.
Gagging him ruined the fun, though.
He needed to scream.
I closed my eyes and drew up mana.
It flowed from my circuits through my veins, spreading everywhere.
The room's layout and Kim Naegwan's position mapped in my mind.
Perfect. Next.
'Block the sound.'
I extended my hand, envisioning a thin membrane enveloping the room.
A transparent dome of mana.
Sounds stayed in; outside noise stayed out.
Hummm.
Mana drained from my circuits.
The air vibrated, and an invisible barrier formed.
'Voice modulation.'
I pulled mana to my throat, adjusting my vocal cords and amplifying resonance.
Tricky work—needed focus.
“Ah, ah, ah.”
Clearing my throat produced a deep, booming bass—not my normal voice.
'Uses some mana.'
First time with this trick; pretty draining.
But no combat, and my reserves were overflowing.
'Couldn't pull this off without the mana affinity from the Abyss Mine world.'
Soundproof barriers or vocal tweaks were advanced techniques.
Not just anyone could do it.
“Let's go, Cheonbong.”
Cheonbong's eyes went wide.
“T-Taoist? Your voice...?”
“Shh. It's a spell.”
He nodded vigorously, mouth agape in awe.
Taoist master lived up to the hype.
“In we go.”
I gripped the latch and infused mana; the inner bolt slid open smoothly.
Creeeak.
Kim Naegwan sprawled starfished on his mat, quilt kicked off, drool pooling.
A sight.
I stood by the bed and bellowed.
“You scum!! Criminal Kim Ga, awake!!”
“Eek?!”
Cheonbong next to me yelped and tumbled over.
“T-Taoist! Don't shout like that—you'll give us away!”
“Worry not. I have it covered. Do you doubt me?”
“N-No, got it.”
While we talked,
Kim Naegwan groggily opened his eyes.
“Nngh... Wh-What...”
Half-asleep, first thing he saw: a man in black with a sedge hat pulled low.
And a thief lurking behind.
“Wh-Who are you! You!”
Predictably, he screamed.
“Criminal Kim Ga! I come to deliver heavenly punishment!”
“Wh-What nonsense... Guards! Someone! Assassins! Assassins!”
Nice pipes.
But futile—no response.
Not even an ant stirred.
“Wh-What's going on... Why's no one coming?!”
“Useless. My spell has isolated this place from the world. Scream all you want; no one hears.”
“Wh-What? Spell?”
“I am Taoist Yi Gil-dong. Your sins pierce the heavens, so I deliver punishment myself.”
“You dare! Do you know where you are? Who I am? Guards will burst in soon and turn you into jerky!”
Still delusional.
Scared shitless but bluffing.
“Quiet.”
Shwick!
I drew my three-section staff from inventory and snapped it open.
Black metal gleamed in the dark.
“All talk, no spine. Behold my mystical art: the Beating Rod Technique!”
Whoosh!
The staff whistled through the air.
“Eek!”
Thwack!
“Gaaah!”
First hit: the side.
Controlled so no bones broke, but it'd hurt like hell.
I'd tested it on my palm right after buying it—brutal pain.
Before Steel Body, anyway.
That agony was etched in my brain.
“For your arrogance!”
Thud!
“Guwek!”
“For repaying kindness with enmity!”
Crack!
“Aaaack! M-Mercy! Spare me!”
Kim rolled across the floor, shrieking.
No mercy from me.
“Keurk! Kek!”
I targeted torso spots hidden by clothes—face and limbs off-limits.
No visible marks, but internal agony.
Thud! Thud! Crack! Snap!
“Aigoo! I'm dying! Help!”
He writhed and wailed.
Cheonbong huddled in the corner, jaw dropped, eyes darting in fear.
“Hoo.”
I caught my breath and wiped sweat.
Beating the tar out of him melted my stress away.
Physical therapy beats mental any day.
What, forget grudges?
Revenge is empty?
Screw that.
This felt great.
'Can't end it here, though.'
I slipped my left hand back and pulled my secret weapon from inventory.