At first glance, the weapon looked undeniably dangerous.
It was a spiked iron flail.
"Cho hyung (brother)?"
A bald giant with whiskers sticking out like a porcupine suddenly pushed his face forward.
Beom Gye-wi, who had been staring at Cho Ak-ryang blankly, tilted his head in confusion.
“What is this? The notorious Blood Demon giving up ground so easily?”
"Forget it, just pack up your stuff."
“Your voice and appearance are the same as Cho hyung’s, though?”
Clang.
Beom Gye-wi, putting his weapon away, asked again.
“But why are you suddenly telling me to pack?”
“Because the people from Murim Alliance are coming.”
“Huh? Why are they coming?”
“Don’t tell me... you really don’t know anything?”
Seeing the still puzzled expression, Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
“The Murim Alliance has declared the extermination of the Ten Great Evils.”
Beom Gye-wi smirked.
“Just when it was quiet for a while, they’re starting again. I’ll go deal with them right away…”
“Stop it.”
"...?"
“Don’t you see my condition?”
“Huh? Now that you mention it...”
Beom Gye-wi, scrutinizing Cho Ak-ryang, grinned slyly.
"Just by looking at you, it’s clear you're about to collapse."
"......"
Humiliated, Cho Ak-ryang kept his mouth shut.
"Don’t tell me the top expert among the Ten Great Evils got humiliated by those Murim Alliance bastards?"
"Are you subtly dropping formalities with me?"
"Seems like it’s fine to do so right now."
Cho Ak-ryang's eyes trembled slightly, but he quickly suppressed his anger with superhuman patience. He didn't want to waste time bickering with this idiot.
"Fine. I came to save you in this messed-up state, so stop stalling and pack your stuff."
"Since when did you care so much about me? Didn't you say you'd rip out my beard and shove it up my rear?"
"And didn’t you say you'd gouge out my eyes and use them as your third testicle?"
The two glared at each other in silence. But once again, Cho Ak-ryang showed restraint.
"Let’s go. We can talk on the way."
"Where exactly are you dragging me to? Weren’t you saying the Murim Alliance guys are coming? We should wait here and smash their heads one by one as they arrive."
"We’ll deal with that later. First, let’s cure your illness."
"Illness? What illness are you talking about?"
"That madness you get whenever you see blood, causing you to go berserk!"
"Pffft... If there was someone who could cure that, I would've turned the world upside down three times to find them."
"There is. Someone who can cure your curse."
Beom Gye-wi couldn't hide his surprise at Cho Ak-ryang's next words.
"I’ve found the Demonic Doctor."
"...!"
But that wasn’t the end of it.
"I also found the Divine Doctor."
Beom Gye-wi looked at Cho Ak-ryang with a suspicious gaze.
"Cho hyung, are you perhaps a spy for the Murim Alliance?"
"What?"
"You're planning to trick me, take me away, and sell me to the Murim Alliance, aren't you?"
Cho Ak-ryang let out a quiet sigh and then abruptly extended his hand toward Beom Gye-wi.
"What are you doing?"
"Check it yourself. If you feel my pulse, you'll know, won't you?"
Offering his wrist for a pulse check was akin to entrusting his life to the other person. It was suspicious, but Beom Gye-wi wasn’t the type to miss such a golden opportunity.
Beom Gye-wi swiftly reached out like lightning and grabbed Cho Ak-ryang’s wrist to check his pulse.
For a moment.
A look of confusion spread across Beom Gye-wi's face.
"Cho hyung, are you perhaps a Jiangshi (a reanimated corpse)?"
He could barely feel any pulse, and his qi meridians and blood flow were in complete disarray.
It was a wonder he was even alive.
"I survived thanks to the Divine Doctor."
"Oh! Really?"
Cho Ak-ryang felt a chill run through his chest.
Beom Gye-wi was smiling at him. But Cho Ak-ryang had sensed the murderous intent in his eyes.
"So, you're telling me if I wanted to, I could just finish you off right here and now, right?"
Cho Ak-ryang quickly spoke up.
"Think about all the memories we've shared until now!"
“Memories, my foot. Have you forgotten that time you poisoned my food? I had diarrhea for a month because of that nasty poison.”
“You pissed in my drink!”
“And you were the one who set me on fire while I was asleep.”
“That’s because you messed with my lover!”
“Messed with? She came to me on her own. Who told you she cheated?”
“You were the one who told me about it!”
“Well...”
The two, who had been snapping at each other for a while, suddenly fell silent.
They were both embarrassed at how ridiculous they sounded.
These were two martial arts masters whose names shook the world, and yet their past quarrels were too petty and humiliating to even mention.
After some time had passed, Cho Ak-ryang spoke with a sigh.
“If I fail to ascend to immortality, it’s all your fault.”
“Don’t go around saying things like that. A person should have some conscience.”
“What did you say, you punk?”
“You’ve killed so many people, and you think you can become an immortal? If those Taoist sages, secluded in the mountains trying to ascend, heard that, they’d laugh so hard they’d roll off a cliff.”
“The origin of my martial arts was always...”
Cho Ak-ryang, about to explain, shook his head.
If he could reason with this guy, their relationship wouldn’t have gone so sour in the first place.
“Anyway, I heard your martial progress is stuck because of that madness of yours. If you can fix that, you might be able to break through your current barrier. Then, even the Murim Alliance wouldn’t dare mess with you.”
“Hmm…”
Beom Gye-wi stroked his bald head thoughtfully.
The reason he'd been troubled for so long was that, even if nothing else, he had been grappling with the limits of his martial arts for quite some time. After pondering for a while, he nodded.
"Alright. Let’s go. I’ll trust you this time, Cho hyung."
"Wait."
"What is it?"
"We’re not coming back here anyway, so take anything that’s worth something. You’ll need to cover the cost of medicine."
Beom Gye-wi had a baffled expression on his face.
"You're not here just because of the cost of the medicine, are you?"
"You fool! I risked my life to come here to save you! Anyway, with this, our old debt is settled!"
"Oh, so that's why you're here? Fine. If I’m cured like you said, I’ll consider our old debt repaid."
* * *
Half a watch* later. (T/N: Half an hour.)
Cho Ak-ryang was soaring through the air. Of course, he was being carried on Beom Gye-wi's back.
As Beom Gye-wi dashed forward at a terrifying speed, he suddenly shouted.
"Ah, stop squirming! I have no interest in rubbing bodies with a man!"
"Shut up and keep going if you want to cure your illness."
"I'm saying just tell me where to go and I’ll run straight there!"
"You think I don’t know you're planning to ditch me?"
"Don’t you trust me?"
"Do you trust me?"
Neither said anything.
* * *
Another day passed, and Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi entered Shinmagok.
Dan Ak-seon, who had been waiting at the entrance, smiled brightly when he saw Cho Ak-ryang.
“You're not late.”
“Ugh!”
It was at that moment that a scream burst from Cho Ak-ryang's mouth.
This was because Beom Gye-wi had thrown Cho Ak-ryang like a piece of luggage. In his haste, Beom Gye-wi urgently pressed Dan Ak-seon.
“There’s supposed to be the Demonic Doctor here, right? Lead me! Quickly!”
But the reply that came back was unexpected.
“She has passed away.”
“What?”
Beom Gye-wi blinked in surprise.
“Then bring me to the Divine Doctor!”
“He has passed away too.”
Whip.
Beom Gye-wi turned his head and glared at Cho Ak-ryang.
“That kid is their son.”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned and rubbed his aching back.
“He has inherited both of their legacies.”
Beom Gye-wi pointed at Dan Ak-seon.
“This tiny guy?”
Beom Gye-wi couldn’t believe it.
“Did the Murim Alliance beat you up so bad that you’ve lost your mind?”
“Have you already forgotten? You checked my condition yourself.”
Beom Gye-wi pointed at Dan Ak-seon.
“Did you say that's his doing? What could a little guy like him possibly do...!”
Beom Gye-wi hastily swallowed his words.
It was because Cho Ak-ryang was glaring at him with terrifying eyes.
“Watch your words, Beom Gye-wi. He is the one who saved my life.”
“No, I mean…”
Beom Gye-wi, who flinched, trailed off.
He never expected Cho Ak-ryang to reveal such killing intent so openly.
Even if he couldn't use his inner strength, Cho Ak-ryang was still Cho Ak-ryang.
The title of "Blood Demon," one of the Five Great Masters in the World, was not something easily earned.
It was just his gaze that had changed, but that alone made him seem like a completely different person.
'Could he have been acting this whole time?'
There was no other way to explain his overwhelming presence.
In the end, Beom Gye-wi took a step back.
“Ahem. Understood. I’ll be careful. Why are you getting so serious over such a trivial thing? You’re making me feel awkward.”
Although he looked foolish, Cho Ak-ryang with eyes like those was someone you should never provoke.
It was one of the lessons learned from surviving many years in the martial world.
“Shall I take your pulse first?”
When Dan Ak-seon approached, Beom Gye-wi involuntarily extended his wrist. Dan Ak-seon, eyes closed as he took Beom Gye-wi's pulse, let out a sigh and opened his eyes.
“This won’t be easy.”
Dan Ak-seon, having set the tone, looked at Beom Gye-wi.
“The biggest issue is that the energy flow to your head is misaligned. So when you push your energy to the extreme, it impacts your 'Naehohyeol' (the brain's critical point), and that causes you to lose consciousness.”
“...!”
Beom Gye-wi turned his head towards Cho Ak-ryang.
“Did Cho hyung tell you?”
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.
“Only that you lose control when you see blood.”
Beom Gye-wi believed Cho Ak-ryang’s words. If nothing else, he knew that the other never lied.
Dan Ak-seon continued speaking.
“The second issue is with the Gok-taek point on your left arm. Since the crucial acupoint of the Pericardium Meridian is in this condition, it must have been extremely difficult to bend your arm…”
Beom Gye-wi couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Did you injure it recently?”
Beom Gye-wi nodded without realizing it. He had no choice but to acknowledge the medical skill of the boy in front of him.
Because the injury Dan Ak-seon had just mentioned was something even Cho Ak-ryang didn’t know about.
“And the last thing…”
Dan Ak-seon gestured for Beom Gye-wi to come closer.
Then, he whispered something into Beom Gye-wi’s ear.
“…!”
Beom Gye-wi’s eyes widened.
A weakness he had kept hidden as his deepest secret for many years! Yet the young doctor in front of him had identified it precisely.
“H-how… could you…”
Beom Gye-wi cautiously asked.
“Can you cure that too? N-no, can it be cured?”
Before he knew it, Beom Gye-wi’s tone had become polite.
Dan Ak-seon smiled warmly.
“Of course.”
“Then, should I just trust you and see what happens?”
“In that case, could you lower your head for a moment?”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Now, just breathe comfortably in that position.”
At that moment, Beom Gye-wi felt a sharp sting on the top of his head.
Realizing belatedly that Dan Ak-seon was holding a needle, Beom Gye-wi flinched in surprise.
Dan Ak-seon, unfazed, turned and approached Cho Ak-ryang.
Then, he reached out and inserted a needle into Cho Ak-ryang’s solar plexus. Cho Ak-ryang felt a sudden relief in his previously tight chest.
At that moment, Dan Ak-seon quickly pulled the needle out.
Simultaneously, dark, dead blood spurted out from where the needle had been inserted.
The bleeding stopped quickly, but Cho Ak-ryang's face had turned pale.
"Be careful!"
Cho Ak-ryang grabbed Dan Ak-seon by the shoulder and quickly shielded him with his body.
“I told you, didn’t I? That guy loses his mind when he sees blood!”
Cho Ak-ryang stood between Dan Ak-seon and Beom Gye-wi.
But then…
“What?”
Cho Ak-ryang was at a loss for words. So was Beom Gye-wi.
Beom Gye-wi stared at Cho Ak-ryang with wide eyes.
“I’m really okay, right?”
"Exactly. Normally, you would have lost your temper right about now…"
The gazes of the two people, who had been looking at each other for a moment, suddenly focused on Dan Ak-seon.
Dan Ak-seon smiled and said, "I told you I could treat it. Though it'll take some time for a full recovery."
Beom Gye-wi knelt down before Dan Ak-seon.
"Master!"
"Just 'Doctor Dan' is enough."
Dan Ak-seon smiled warmly.
"Welcome to Shinmagok."
