Chapter 546
Chapter 546
Chapter 546. Death-Taking Guest (6)
“Eek! What in the world happened?” (Palgap)
Palgap, seeing our party return to the campsite, cried out in surprise.
“I-it was not just one person?” (Palgap)
“It’s a long story. First, please boil some porridge.” (Young Master)
“Understood.” (Palgap)
Palgap hurriedly put water into the pot and set it over the campfire.
Then he gathered the remaining ingredients, put them in, and began boiling porridge.
In the meantime, we sat or laid the people we had rescued in front of the campfire.
Meanwhile, the Death-Taking Guest was still kneeling before his Master, who had yet to regain consciousness, suffering in anguish.
I quietly approached Red-Clad Hua Tuo and asked,
“Divine Physician, did you say earlier that this man was poisoned?” (Young Master)
“That is right.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
“I am far younger than you. So please speak comfortably to me.” (Young Master)
At my words, Red-Clad Hua Tuo readily nodded.
“Very well.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
“And the others are all older than me as well, so please treat me comfortably.” (Young Master)
At my words, everyone readily nodded.
I asked Red-Clad Hua Tuo again.
“But what poison was this man poisoned with?” (Young Master)
“I do not know that either. Poison is not my specialty, so I could only tell that it was a poison that causes problems with the muscles. He looked to be struggling quite a bit when they dragged him into the prison, and it seemed they had barely managed to subdue him with that poison before bringing him here.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
“Do you perhaps have an antidote...” (Young Master)
“I asked the prison guards, but they seemed not to know about the antidote either.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
Well, what would the underlings guarding that place know?
At any rate, detoxifying the poison is possible.
But now that I have brought everyone here, I cannot carelessly detoxify it.
Because if it becomes known that I can detoxify poison, it will become troublesome.
It would not simply become a matter of inconvenience; I or the survivors of Snow Wind Palace could be put in danger.
I have found out that those who destroyed Snow Wind Palace were the Blood Cult, but I do not know where or in what form the remnants of the Blood Cult are operating in secret.
Still, perhaps affection really does grow even from dislike, because I seem to have grown rather attached to the Death-Taking Guest.
Seeing him suffer like this makes me feel sorry for him.
It feels wrong to keep watching him like this, and yet if I turn away, it feels deeply uncomfortable.
Phew, it cannot be helped. Making excuses for things like this is my specialty.
Tap, tap.
Just then, Geumnyeong struck my arm with his forepaw from inside my sleeve.
Huh?
Come to think of it, he was not there until just a moment ago, so when did he come back?
* Why? Geumnyeong?
* Kui! Kui!
* Hm? You have something to give me?
I tilted my head and slipped my hand into my sleeve.
What is this?
I could not help but be startled when I grasped what I felt and pulled my hand out.
What Geumnyeong had given me was a spiritual herb called the Poisonless Herb.
A spiritual herb that can detoxify most poisons, and is also called the Detoxification King Herb.
It is called the Poisonless Herb because if one eats it, even existing poison disappears.
* No, how did you get this?
At my question, Geumnyeong looked proud.
* Kui! Kuiit! Ku!
Ah... He says he is a hanhosu that earns his keep, too?
Yes, yes.
You earn your keep more than enough! Of course!
* Kui! Ku!
So this time, I should give it to you in gold coins instead of silver? Your body has been weak lately, so you need to nourish yourself?
* All right, I understand.
He did something this commendable, so of course I can give him that much.
I took the Poisonless Herb and approached Red-Clad Hua Tuo.
“Divine Physician. Would detoxification be possible with this?” (Young Master)
“Gasp! Is this not the Poisonless Herb?” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
As expected of Red-Clad Hua Tuo.
Even if poison is not his specialty, he recognizes the Poisonless Herb at once.
“Yes.” (Young Master)
“How do you have something so precious?” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
“I kept it in preparation for emergencies.” (Young Master)
“It looks as though it has just been harvested.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
He is sharp.
“Our Trading Company specializes in handling medicinal herbs. Keeping them that fresh is basic.” (Young Master)
I continued speaking.
“And I think now, when my companion’s Master is wandering on the brink of death, is an emergency.” (Young Master)
Perhaps having heard our conversation, the Death-Taking Guest asked with wide eyes.
“H-Hyung-nim. Are you saying you will use something that precious for our Master?” (Death-Taking Guest)
I nodded.
“No matter how precious it is, it is not more precious than a person’s life.” (Young Master)
“Hyung-nim!” (Death-Taking Guest)
I patted the Death-Taking Guest as he shed tears.
“Now is not the time to cry, but the time to use that strength elsewhere. It will not be too late to cry later.” (Young Master)
At my words, Red-Clad Hua Tuo nodded.
“That is right. If you cry, your Master’s heart will not be at ease.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
“Khup... Understood.” (Death-Taking Guest)
Soon, Red-Clad Hua Tuo turned the Poisonless Herb into something like liquid, and fed it to the Death-Taking Guest’s Master.
His field of expertise is external injuries, but that merely means he is especially outstanding at external injuries, not that he is ignorant of other fields.
A little while later, after taking his pulse, he nodded.
“He has been detoxified. It is certainly the Poisonless Herb.” (Red-Clad Hua Tuo)
As expected of a spiritual herb called the Detoxification King Herb.
Thanks to it, I was able to save the life of the Death-Taking Guest’s Master without using the Great Yin Ice Sea Divine Art.
* Kui!
* Yes, it is thanks to you. I will give you the gold coins later. The situation is a little like this right now. You understand that much, right?
* Kuit!
By the way, Geumnyeong said that earlier.
That he smelled money beneath the ground.
I slowly examined the faces of the people we had rescued one by one.
First, in Young Master Yoon’s case, he was a child of a renowned family, and the reward was five hundred silver coins.
The others were also people who had made names for themselves, so they would not let this pass empty-handed.
In the case of the Death-Taking Guest’s Master as well, he had said he possessed considerable wealth.
So that was why Geumnyeong said he smelled money.
“It is finished!” (Palgap)
Just then, Palgap shouted that the porridge was complete. Then he ladled the porridge into bowls and handed it out.
“It is hot. Please eat slowly.” (Young Master)
“If you eat in a hurry, you’ll burn the roof of your mouth, and if you get indigestion, that would be a big problem. You’ve been rescued, so how unfair would it be if you could not see your families’ faces?” (Palgap)
At Palgap’s words, everyone nodded.
“I will eat gratefully.” (Rescued Person)
“I will eat well.” (Rescued Person)
They slowly spooned up the porridge and then began to shed tears.
It must be only now that it feels real that they were rescued from the prison...
“Sob! It is so delicious.” (Rescued Person)
“Damn it! Why is it so delicious? It is only porridge!” (Rescued Person)
Ah, they were crying because the porridge was delicious.
When I ate a spoonful of the porridge, I soon felt I understood why they had shed tears.
“Palgap. Why is this so delicious?” (Young Master)
“I-is that so? Hehehe.” (Palgap)
As expected of Palgap.
How would I really live without Palgap?
After we ate like that and rested for a while, Warrior Yeo Eungam came running from far away.
“Liege! I have carried out what you commanded.” (Warrior Yeo Eungam)
“You have worked hard. How did the matter go?” (Young Master)
“An emergency meeting was held, and the Martial Alliance’s Tiger Justice Squad has been dispatched and is now rushing here.” (Warrior Yeo Eungam)
“That is good.” (Young Master)
I grinned.
The Tiger Justice Squad.
They are one of the Martial Alliance’s many armed groups, and were given that name because they deal with evil with tiger-like firmness.
And the Captain of the Tiger Justice Squad is the Alliance Leader’s confidant.
Just then, someone spoke from behind.
“To send the Tiger Justice Squad to deal with the Black Cat Sect. Is that not too much?” (Rescued Person)
“It is proof of how seriously the Alliance Leader regards this matter.” (Young Master)
And also proof that he is quite anxious.
Because he has to hurry and erase them.
As expected, writing in the letter to the Alliance Leader that I had also requested support from the Imperial Palace was effective.
In truth, I had not requested support from the Imperial Palace at all.
I had simply written it that way.
The reason I mobilized the Martial Alliance was because this matter was clearly the Martial Alliance’s doing, but there was no proof.
If I wanted to find proof, I could, but the danger I would have to pay was too great compared to what I could obtain.
Nor was it pleasing for me to deal with the Black Cat Sect directly.
So after thinking it over, I made the Alliance Leader clean up the shit he had taken with his own hands.
By the way, he must have invested quite a lot of time and money into this, and since it is being blown away completely like this, it will sting quite a bit.
But as the Alliance Leader, he could not help it.
Because the Emperor is constantly watching for an opportunity to suppress the Martial Alliance.
He would never be pleased to let that kind of Emperor get a hold over him.
Hehe, serves him right.
I chuckled inwardly.
And there is one more reason I arranged this matter.
A crack.
The sight of the Alliance Leader ruthlessly disposing of someone he had put to important use will surely create cracks.
They say a single ant can bring down a levee.
No matter how large and solid an iron fortress is, cracks are frightening.
As dust gathers to form a great mountain, if small acts of revenge pile up and pile up, a great revenge will eventually be completed.
.
.
.
A short while later.
The Tiger Justice Squad rushed to where we were.
“Whoa, whoa!” (Tiger Justice Captain)
One man dismounted from his horse.
He was the Captain of the Tiger Justice Squad, whom I had seen before.
I approached him and respectfully clasped my hands.
“I am Eun Seoho. I greet a hero of the Martial Alliance.” (Eun Seoho)
“Hahaha! A hero, you say! Are you not the hero of the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Arts Competition?” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“You overpraise me. Compared to your name, Captain, I am merely a firefly before the sun.” (Eun Seoho)
“Too much modesty is not courtesy. By the way, are those the people you rescued?” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Yes. That is correct.” (Eun Seoho)
“How did you come to save them?” (Tiger Justice Captain)
There was tension in the eyes with which he looked at me. It must be because it is important whether I found them knowing they were imprisoned, or discovered them by chance.
“In truth, this incident began with this mushroom.” (Eun Seoho)
“A mushroom?” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I showed him the mushroom and said,
“This mushroom grows on old willow trees, among the types of willow that love water very much. However, the place where my attendant picked this mushroom was not all that rich in water, so I became curious.” (Eun Seoho)
I told the story exactly as it was.
“So while searching for the place where that mushroom had been picked, I heard groaning and a voice asking for help. How could I ignore that? And while searching this area, I found a boulder.” (Eun Seoho)
“A boulder?” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Yes. Smoke was flowing out from a crack in the boulder.” (Eun Seoho)
That is a lie.
There was no smoke or anything like that, but I cannot explain that the Hyeonrodo showed me the way.
“So when I went inside, suspicious people had locked others in a prison. So after subduing those men and saving the prisoners, I found that they were people known to have gone missing.” (Eun Seoho)
“So that is what happened.” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Yes. To lock perfectly fine people in such a cave and not even feed them properly, there really are no bastards like those fucking sons of bitches. Don’t you agree?” (Eun Seoho)
“Ahem, y-yes, indeed.” (Tiger Justice Captain)
The Tiger Justice Captain coughed awkwardly and nodded.
“The fact that people who committed such acts are living openly in the Empire makes it impossible not to curse.” (Eun Seoho)
“......” (Tiger Justice Captain)
His expression was uneasy.
It must be because the one who committed that act was his superior.
“At any rate, there is no need to worry. We will deal with the Black Cat Sect.” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Thank you.” (Eun Seoho)
“That aside, I would like to ask the people you rescued a few questions.” (Tiger Justice Captain)
“Please do.” (Eun Seoho)
He approached the people I had rescued.
“I am Geon Manseok, Captain of the Tiger Justice Squad. You have suffered much all this time. We have come to subjugate the Black Cat Sect. So, is there anyone who knows the reason you were imprisoned?” (Geon Manseok)
At this, they all shook their heads.
“I am sorry. I, too, cannot understand at all why I was imprisoned.” (Rescued Person)
“That is something I am curious about, rather.” (Rescued Person)
“If I at least knew the reason, I would not feel this wronged!” (Rescued Person)
Their outpouring of complaints was enough to fluster even the Tiger Justice Captain.
I grinned.
In truth, this was also because I had given them a hint.
“The Tiger Justice Captain will surely ask you about the details. If you say anything unnecessary there, you may have to be called to the Martial Alliance.” (Eun Seoho)
Because they might take action again to eliminate evidence.
“Mm... That does make sense.” (Rescued Person)
“That is true as well, but as of now, I do not wish to cooperate with them.” (Rescued Person)
The others also nodded.
Judging by the way they said that, it seemed everyone had come to suspect the Martial Alliance somewhat through what they heard while in the prison.
Well, surviving to that age in the murim also means they possess a discernment different from others.
“So in my opinion, it would be best to feign ignorance and say you do not know. What can they say when you say you do not know?” (Eun Seoho)
“That is true.” (Rescued Person)
“You must want to meet your families even right now, so would it not be somewhat undesirable to waste time on such an investigation?” (Eun Seoho)
“You are right.” (Rescued Person)
And so everyone decided to keep insisting that they knew nothing.
Wow! What good unity.
“Understood. We will do our utmost to find out the reason you were imprisoned.” (Geon Manseok)
“Please do.” (Rescued Person)
And the Tiger Justice Captain headed toward his squad members with a somewhat uneasy expression.
That afternoon.
Everything of the Black Cat Sect was burning.
“They are shameless and vile Black Path men! Do not leave them alive!” (Geon Manseok)
“Yes!” (Tiger Justice Squad Members)
At the shout of Geon Manseok, the Tiger Justice Captain, the squad members answered vigorously and swung their weapons mercilessly toward the disciples of the Black Cat Sect.
“S-spare me! Kuhuk!” (Black Cat Sect Disciple)
“Aaaaaagh!” (Black Cat Sect Disciple)
The Tiger Justice Squad had no hesitation, and the existence of the Black Cat Sect was slowly being erased.
And the Tiger Justice Captain headed to the Sect Leader of the Black Cat Sect’s office.
Slice!
The door was smashed apart with a single strike, and he kicked through it and entered.
“Gasp!” (Black Cat Sect Leader)
The man, who had been packing up valuables, looked back in surprise. Then he soon grew furious.
“You son of a bitch! You deceived me! When I told you the people in the prison had escaped, you told me to stay still and do nothing!” (Black Cat Sect Leader)
“I am sorry about that.” (Geon Manseok)
The Tiger Justice Captain grinned and stabbed straight into the Sect Leader’s heart.
“Kugh!” (Black Cat Sect Leader)
“You had to stay still so that it would be easier for us to destroy the evidence.” (Geon Manseok)
“Y-you doglike...” (Black Cat Sect Leader)
Thud.
The Black Cat Sect Leader could not continue speaking and collapsed to the floor, and the Tiger Justice Captain watched him with a vile smile.
However, no one there knew.
That someone hanging from the ceiling there was watching the scene.