Okcheong’s condition was worse than expected.
“His internal organs have suffered extensive damage. They were torn under pressure beyond anything imaginable, causing internal bleeding. An ordinary man would almost certainly have died on the spot.”
“......”
“Fortunately, an extraordinarily gentle True Qi was wrapped around his five viscera and six bowels. The moment he was injured, it began restoring them. More precisely, it seems to have maximized his natural healing without forcing any single area into abnormal recovery, instead guiding every organ back toward normal function.”
“This man is a Daoist of Wudang.”
“I thought as much. I have never met a Wudang Daoist myself, but I am fairly well versed in Daoist martial arts. Daoist arts follow the natural order. Since they generally pursue naturalness, their self-healing methods tend not to force unnatural recovery. They may be slower, but they aim for complete and reliable normalization.”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician was far calmer than his reputation suggested. True to his epithet—a physician versed in a hundred branches of knowledge—he knew a great deal.
“There is one other matter. He suffered a stab wound to the left side of his lower back. It is quite deep. The wound itself is not clean, so I doubt it came from the sword strike of a master.”
“That is correct. His sword broke from the impact, and the broken blade pierced him.”
“That is a dangerous area. The kidney lies there, and the kidneys are among the organs that cannot regenerate. Judging from the flow of his True Qi...”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician glanced at Yeon Hojeong.
“The blade reached the kidney. That should have been fatal. Even before sepsis set in, he could have died from blood loss. The kidneys are packed with blood vessels.”
“I know.”
“I have heard that masters who reach the highest realms can display incredible abilities, restoring not only their internal organs but even the smallest blood vessels.”
“At my current level, I could do so.”
“This patient could not.”
“That is correct.”
“And yet, while there are clear traces of injury, the kidney itself shows no abnormalities whatsoever. There are no immediate signs of sepsis. In fact, it appears more vital than any of his other organs.”
“That is fortunate.”
“It is. But as a physician, I cannot simply let the matter pass. When a patient’s condition defies reason, I must understand the cause and process precisely. Otherwise, complications may arise during later treatment.”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician asked in a grave voice,
“Did you help him, Commander Yeon?”
Many people knew that Yeon Hojeong commanded the Evil-Smiting Corps, but word had not yet spread that he was now Supreme Commander of the newly established Righteous Justice Corps.
Perhaps that was why some people borrowed the “Commander” from his epithet, Green Mountain Tiger Commander, and addressed him simply as Commander Yeon.
“I did. I may not be a physician, but I understand the human body to some degree. As you said, a wound of that depth in that location could easily be classified as fatal.”
“You understand it well.”
A trace of bitterness crossed Yeon Hojeong’s face.
“That is because I am a butcher who knows only how to beat people to death.”
“But how did you treat it? No matter how accomplished a martial artist may be, managing one’s own body and treating someone else’s are entirely different matters. Especially in a place like this.”
“I possess an extraordinary Inner Qi cultivation method unlike anything most people have. I used one part of it to seal the wound and maximize the kidney’s function. Nothing more.”
Black Tortoise Qi.
The Black Tortoise embodied the water qi of the north and governed the kidneys within the human body.
As the Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician had said, the kidneys were nearly incapable of recovery. Unlike the liver, which could recover even when half of it remained, once the kidneys deteriorated, that was the end.
A blade piercing one should have made matters even worse. No matter how profound a cultivation method someone practiced, it should not have been possible to restore the organ so completely.
But that was one of the countless powers held within the Four Spirit Qi. Of course, it had only been possible because Yeon Hojeong’s realm was so high and his understanding of the Four Spirit Qi surpassed anyone else’s.
“Does such a martial art truly exist?”
“It does.”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician fell into deep thought.
Nine out of ten physicians would have dismissed the claim. A physician like him, who was also well versed in both internal and external martial arts, would have had even more reason to doubt it.
And yet, he believed Yeon Hojeong.
Having examined the patient himself, he could not simply denounce Yeon Hojeong’s words as lies. There were no traces of medicinal force in Okcheong’s body, making it difficult to claim that a spiritual medicine had been used. More importantly, a man who could be called a general of the Martial Alliance had no reason to lie in such a situation.
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician let out a hollow laugh.
“I have devoted more than thirty years to medicine, yet this is the first time I have heard of an Inner Qi art like that.”
“I know it is difficult to believe.”
“It is difficult to believe, but that does not mean I disbelieve you. There is only one thing I am curious about.”
“Go ahead.”
“I understand that your cultivation method is extraordinary, but I find it hard to believe that your True Qi happens to be effective only on the kidneys. Do you also possess energies that are particularly effective on other organs?”
“I do.”
“Then that settles it.”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician nodded.
“He has passed the most dangerous point, but we are not yet in a position to relax. His mind and body are exceptionally strong, so I expect him to recover faster than anticipated. But with your help, we may be able to accelerate that recovery dramatically.”
“What needs attention?”
“His heart. It suffered the second-greatest shock after the kidney. His own True Qi is still protecting it, but that qi is flickering so weakly that it could vanish at any moment.”
“Can we begin immediately?”
“Yes.”
And so Okcheong’s treatment began.
Yeon Hojeong used Vermilion Bird Fire Qi to protect Okcheong’s heart completely.
Setting enlightenment and realm aside, Vermilion Bird Fire Qi was the fiercest and most violent of the Four Spirit Qi. It excelled at adding tremendous power to a healthy heart, but using it to heal an already damaged heart was inevitably more difficult than using any of the other Three Divine Forces.
That was why Yeon Hojeong had to guide his True Qi with greater care than ever before. The strain on his mind was several times heavier than when he had been advancing his own martial realm.
Because he had to save him.
Okcheong was one of his people.
That meant Yeon Hojeong would save him, whatever it took.
I refuse to believe you will be forced out this meaninglessly.
Sweat rolled from Yeon Hojeong’s forehead.
The drops fell onto Okcheong’s collar and soaked the fabric.
I told you I would show you a new world. I have not even shown you a tenth of it yet. You cannot leave this meaninglessly.
Death was meaningless by nature.
Some people died for reasons so absurdly trivial they defied imagination.
Yeon Hojeong could only hope that such a thing would never happen to one of his subordinates. He poured everything he had into protecting Okcheong’s heart.
Half a day passed.
“Whew. It is done.”
The Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I have guided the patient’s True Qi away from recovery and toward stabilization. His heart meridians are now securely protected. He will be weak, but he should regain consciousness before long.”
“You have my thanks.”
“You worked far harder than I did, Commander Yeon. Protecting the heart meridians for half a day, and with such stability at that... Your control is truly remarkable.”
Yeon Hojeong bowed his head.
“I leave him in your care.”
“Do not worry. You should rest now.”
Yeon Hojeong was not the sort to rest simply because the Hundred-Wisdom Divine Physician told him to.
There were far too many unresolved problems.
The moment he emerged from treating Okcheong, Ga Deoksang appeared.
“You all right?”
“Thankfully, he has passed the worst of it. The physician says he should wake soon.”
“I meant you, Supreme Commander. Not Okcheong.”
Yeon Hojeong smacked his lips.
“One of my subordinates is still hovering near death. Why would I have any reason not to be fine?”
“You still have a vicious way of putting things.”
“I truly am fine. Fine enough to launch the operation this very moment.”
Ga Deoksang looked at Yeon Hojeong strangely.
“I thought I understood you fairly well, but you truly are beyond imagination.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your True Qi is vastly calmer than it was when I saw you at the last meeting.”
“......”
“You are certainly not weaker, but your entire presence has become remarkably composed. Even that distinctive pressure you give off has diminished greatly. The two of you are nothing alike, yet somehow... you remind me of Venerable Gonggong.”
“You flatter me. I still fall far short of him.”
Ga Deoksang cupped his hands.
“Congratulations. You have climbed another step.”
Yeon Hojeong did not take the congratulations lightly. He bowed in return, his bearing marked by a deep sense of composure and restraint.
“Thank you.”
“I will throw you a proper celebration once all this is over and we return.”
“A celebration is unnecessary. Enough of that. Tell me how the situation is developing.”
Under ordinary circumstances, Ga Deoksang would have teased him several more times, but he immediately turned to the matter at hand.
The situation was urgent, but there was another reason as well.
The gentle dignity emanating from Yeon Hojeong now stirred Ga Deoksang into seriousness without him even realizing it.
“The Yin God’s stronghold is called the Night Citadel. The nine hundred assassins lured away by the false information had been encamped roughly two hundred li from here.”
“And now?”
“They are moving back toward the stronghold.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.
“Yayul Jeok. It must be him.”
“Indeed. That many people could not have moved so quickly without a direct order from their leader. It seems he managed to treat his internal and external injuries to some extent in that short time.”
“He ruled as king of the underworld for more than ten years. It would hardly be surprising for him to carry a few spiritual medicines for emergencies.”
“True enough.”
“Then are Yayul Jeok and nine hundred assassins currently moving to attack the Demon-Sweeping Corps?”
“More precisely, they have scattered and made camp around the Night Citadel.”
Yeon Hojeong frowned.
“Made camp? Out in the open?”
“Yes.”
Assassins, encamped in front of a battle line like soldiers.
It sounded absurd.
But the matter changed when the man leading those assassins was Yayul Jeok—a top-tier infiltrator dispatched by the Perverse Lust Cult and a master who had honed his martial arts to their furthest limit.
He is aiming for something.
Ga Deoksang continued in a sharpened voice.
“Whatever the reason, assassins who have been eating away at the realm have openly revealed themselves. That is a grave development, but it may also be an extraordinary opportunity.”
“An extraordinary opportunity?”
“Yes. Assassins are one of the world’s diseases. Now those people have exposed themselves without restraint and unsettled public sentiment.”
Public sentiment had surely grown uneasy, but there was something oddly suggestive in Ga Deoksang’s words.
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.
“You mean to sway public opinion and wipe out the assassin world in one stroke?”
The corners of Ga Deoksang’s mouth rose.
“You catch on quickly, as always.”
It was a bold and seductive proposal.
Even the Martial Alliance, the greatest force in the martial world of the Central Plains, had to pay attention to public sentiment and opinion. The Dark Path, despite its reputation for lawlessness, was even more sensitive to them.
That was how terrifying public opinion could be.
Ga Deoksang was proposing that they use it to tear the entire assassin world out by the roots.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“It is not a bad idea, but we are in the middle of a mission. Whatever happens, the mission takes precedence.”
“You are right, Supreme Commander. But I bring it up because this is an opportunity to fulfill the mission while also serving the great cause.”
Ga Deoksang’s eyes deepened.
“And in the process of capturing them, we may also be able to uncover the movements of the Perverse Lust Cult—”
“That is it.”
Yeon Hojeong spoke with a calm expression, but realization shone in his eyes.
Ga Deoksang tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“It was the Perverse Lust Cult.”
“Huh? The Perverse Lust Cult?”
A faint Killing Intent rose across Yeon Hojeong’s face.
The face that had seemed so composed now carried murderous intent, doubling the severity of his presence.
Ga Deoksang flinched before he could stop himself.
“The reason Yayul Jeok mobilized his finest assassins to surround the Night Citadel... It is the Perverse Lust Cult. It can only be the Perverse Lust Cult.”
“What in the world are you—”
“Excuse me for a moment. I need to speak with that damned bastard Sima Hyeon.”
“Huh? Wait! Supreme Commander! Supreme Commander Yeon! Hey! Young Master Yeon!”
Yeon Hojeong had already vanished from Ga Deoksang’s sight.
Ga Deoksang grumbled.
“There he goes again. Figures something out by himself and runs off like his feet are on fire. Damn it, if I had the strength, I would crack him across the skull.”
He spat sharply onto the ground.
“Young Master Yeon! Wait for me! I want to know too!”
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