Episode 28


    “Fuuuuu.”


    Like any other day, in the practice room, I used the Baekroe Shingong with the help of Dokgo Woojin, and I let out a long breath and opened my eyes.


    “I can see you bing more and more skilled.”


    “I memorized all the rules and became familiar with how to operate them. “I think I can start training on my own.”


    “You’re talking about big trouble. Even so, do not attempt to practice White Thunder Godkong on your own without the help of a teacher. “You must keep in mind that just one mistake can cost you your life.”


    “…….”


    “We must not let down our guard until at least the foundation ispleted.”


    “All right.


    I said something pointless and got ripped off by the nagging.


    Dokgo Woo-jin only let me go after being promised two or three times.


    “Anyway, you are very sincere.”


    I left the training room with a tired body.


    I wanted to go back to my dorm and rest, but I couldn’t.


    It was because of a note secretly given to me by the military officer’s assistant two days ago.


    『Two dayster, Yushi (酉時), in the slums north of Chengdu.』


    A letter containing only text indicating the time and ce.


    I knew it the moment I opened the letter and checked its contents.


    That it was a message sent from Haomun.


    It was more than three months ago.


    I said this to the leader of Hao Wen whom I met at Huayue Lu.


    The identity of the strange illness suffered by Hao Wen-ju’s youngest disciple is a mind demon, and the entity that caused it is none other than the demonic cult leader of the time.


    Also I know how to cure it.


    The leader of Hao Wen ryed my story to Hao Wen Ju, and a few dayster a reply came.


    『Munju has epted your offer.


    However, the time and ce will be decided here.


    I will contact you again soon, so please keep that in mind.』


    ‘You arrived quickly.’


    For such a quick response, it was a fairly slow journey.


    Was there perhaps an internal bacsh?


    Or is it because there was a problem on the way and the schedule was dyed?


    With various thoughts in mind, I left the main gate of Hwangryongmugwan.


    ‘…I’m a little nervous about just leaving.’


    Suddenly I felt anxious.


    What if Hao Moon’s side wants to harm me for some reason?


    There was no way for me to resist now.


    ‘To say I’m overly worried… there are quite a few things that bother me.’


    From the beginning, the rtionship between me and Hao Mun was not very friendly.


    There was nothing strange about when something went wrong.


    ‘Knowing how to treat my mental illness may be useful negotiation material, but it cannot be a deal that can absolutely guarantee my safety.’


    I was weak now.


    It was due to the characteristics of the White Thunder Divine Technique that I had recently learned.


    The biggest problem is that there are restrictions on the use of internal energy until the foundation is established.


    Since he had to receive help from a teacher to train, there was no way he could perform martial arts properly in actualbat.


    ‘I’m a little nervous about going alone.’


    I was worried about the three-month gap.


    What if something happened in the meantime that I don’t know about?


    What if Hao Wen-ju’s state of mind changed because of that and he decided to kill me?


    ‘It was called ‘Angeowisa (安居危思)’ and ‘Anbulmangwi (安不忘危).’


    There was one thing I realized through the Cheoneumji kidnapping incident.


    Memories of past lives were by no means omnipotent.


    We always had to keep in mind that unexpected variables might arise.


    ‘There’s no harm in being careful.’


    I nodded once and immediately turned around.


    I was nning to go with a reliable escort.


    ‘Because there’s nothing that says you can’t have apanion.’


    *


    A slum located north of Chengdu.


    Even in a shy and prosperous city, there is a hidden side.


    This slum was like that.


    Passersby in shabby clothes in narrow alleys, trash and sewage visible everywhere, and even a stench that makes you want to plug your nose.


    ‘I don’t know what they were thinking when they asked me to meet them in a ce like this.’


    I didn’t understand.


    Isn’t this an overly unsanitary ce to take a patient?


    I leisurely looked around and entered the narrow alley.


    ‘Anyway, I came here on purpose, but where on earth should I find Haomundo in thisrge ce?’


    After thinking for a moment, I took out a jade tablet symbolizing Hao Moon’s customer from my pocket.


    As I walked around the narrow alleyway wearing a jade tablet with thread attached to the ring at the end of my sword, it wasn’t long before a group of people appeared as if they were blocking the front.


    The man in the lead opened his mouth with a restrained gesture.


    “Are you Soun Sohyeop?”


    “That’s right.”


    “I came under orders to bring you here respectfully. “Please follow me.”


    “It seems like there are a lot of numbers for the guidance threshold.”


    “Everyone is Haomundo. “The branch manager issued an order for general mobilization, saying that this matter must be conducted in utmost secrecy.”


    The words didn’t make sense.


    You issued an order for general mobilization for something that had to be carried out inplete secrecy?


    Isn’t it usually the other way around?


    Moreover, the attitude of the men surrounding me in the name of security was extremely annoying.


    ‘It seems more like surveince than escort.’


    As the men with their scary looks kept ncing at me, I naturally felt ufortable.


    Some people feel ufortable and want to take a step forward.


    As I entered the building pointed to by the man in front, I frowned slightly.


    ‘Medicine store?’


    A strong medicinal scent pierced my nose.


    The hot air filling the room made me feel like something was being created.


    ‘There seems to be some problem.’


    You might ask what’s wrong with manufacturing medicine in a pharmacy, but considering the patient’s condition, I couldn’t help but feel strange.


    Because she did not suffer internal or external injuries, but fell into a mental state.


    There was absolutely no reason to brew a decoction and make Geumchang herbal medicine.


    An old man, believed to be the owner of the pharmacy, pointed with his index finger to a room located inside.


    I walked without haste, looking around.


    “…!”


    When I opened the door, the men sitting around the bed all turned to look at me.


    Masked in ck nocturnal clothes.


    Uniform clothing and uniform armament.


    Each and every one of them was an exceptionally talented person.


    ‘Why are there so many?’


    I thought it would be two or three people at most.


    At first nce, I felt a little embarrassed because there were more than ten people gathered there.


    One thing that was puzzling was that they all had major and minor injuries.


    Some people had splints on their arms, and others had cloths wrapped around their waists.


    I thought I knew why the old man, who I presumed was the owner of the pharmacy, was so busy.


    ‘Did you get attacked on the way there?’


    I didn’t really think about asking about the situation.


    In the first ce, they weren’t the type of people who would give you an obedient answer if you asked them.


    ‘There’s no need to introduce yourself.’


    I had no intention of wasting time with a meaningless greeting.


    Instead of saying hello to them, I looked at the person lying on the bed.


    ‘They all look like they’re dying.’


    The expression that the skin and bones are close would be used in times like this.


    There was no sign of life in the body, which was as dry as the inner ears of the tree.


    His breathing was slow, but irregr, as if it would stop at any moment.


    The scalp was bare, with sparse hair falling out, and the skin was wrinkled like an old man’s.


    She didn’t look like a girl who had just graduated from Jihak.


    ‘Simma is scary.’


    It was the moment I clicked my tongue and entered the room.


    Phew!


    A terrifying energy wave flew in and crushed my entire body.


    People in ck who exude life at the same time as if they had made a promise.


    I frowned and asked in a questioning tone.


    “What are you doing?”


    “Don’t move from there.”


    “I called someone and asked, “What is this….”


    “There are a few things I need to check.”


    “check? “What are you checking?”


    “I was attacked whileing here under orders from Master Moon.”


    “……?”


    “Are you going to tell me something you don’t know about?”


    A man in ck with a splint on his arm growled.


    It seemed like he was quite angry, as there was a lot of hostility in his voice.


    ‘Why are you asking me that?’


    Of course, it was an anger that I could not understand.


    Whether I was attacked or not, what does that have to do with me?


    “At first, I thought I hade across a group of bandits by chance. But that wasn’t it.”


    “…….”


    “I was able to be sure after engaging in several engagements. “The beasts knew our identities.”


    “Do you really think I was the one who instigated them?”


    “Because you are the only person who knows our movements and destination.”


    “It’s spection. What good is it if you know the destination in the first ce? “I don’t know when or where to leave.”


    “It’s not wrong. But if you look at it that way, it’s strange that you knew the secrets of the text. “Isn’t that right?”


    I tsk and click my tongue.


    I felt like I knew roughly what was going on.


    ‘This is outrageous.’


    Let’s summarize the story.


    While on their way to Sacheon under the orders of Munju, the Haomundo members were attacked by an unknown group.


    And that too several times.


    If it happens once, you can pass it off as a coincidence and move on.


    However, if the same thing happens repeatedly, it can never be called a coincidence.


    ‘The person who instigated the attack clearly exists. The problem is that they thought of me as the suspect.’


    Somehow, I felt something strange.


    This seemed to be the reason why they showed up after three months and why they showed hostility towards me.


    ‘That’s a pain in the ass.’


    The identity of the pleural fluid would not have been revealed.


    If it were revealed, there would be no reason for them to question me.


    However, I felt like I knew the identity of the pleural fluid without having to check it myself.


    ‘It’s obvious.’


    The culprit who caused Hao Wenju’s youngest disciple to fall into a state of evil is Lord Ma.


    To be exact, the martial arts book he personally wrote was the cause of everything.


    ‘Did you notice my intervention?’


    It was a situation where he didn’t know if the arrangement he had personally prepared would be useless.


    The man with a foul personality had no intention of just watching.


    ‘It looks like there is a traitor within Haomun.’


    Hao Wen is rarely swayed by foreign affairs.


    If internal secrets were leaked outside, it would be correct to assume that there was a traitor who leaked it.


    Of course, in my case, a special variable called regression came into y.


    ‘The anglerfish fits perfectly.’


    Perhaps that was also the route through which Hao Wen-ju’s youngest disciple obtained the martial arts book.


    No, it definitely will.


    “So are you asking me to exin myself here?”


    “That’s right.”


    “How can I exin this when it wasn’t me who did it?”


    “If you can’t exin, you will have to die here.”


    “I would like to ask you the opposite, but what on earth do you think I did such a thing for? “What benefit is there?”


    “Do you think we are fools?”


    “……?”


    “You said so. “The author of the martial arts book that caused Simma was the Demonic Cultist of the time.”


    “I did.”


    “And he said he knew a way to cure that problem.”


    “…….”


    “Then isn’t it reasonable to think that there is some connection between the Demon Cult leader and you?”


    I was speechless.


    Is this something called self-seungjabak (self-繩self-bak)?


    It was a situation where the lies and excuses that had been going on hade back like a wheel and were holding us back.


    ‘After hearing it, I can’t refute it because it’s all true.’


    From their perspective, it would have been impossible not to be suspicious.


    ‘This is true.’