I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 40
Chapter 40
The Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Chapter 40
“Huh?”
Without slowing the speed at which he manipulated the final mechanism, Gwangeum asked bluntly.
“Why did you bring back a slave from the Demonic Cult? Out of pity?”
“Well… I did feel sorry for him, but that wasn’t the only reason. Senior brother Danhwi told me before not to pity the Demonic Cult, either….”
“Then why did you do it?”
I answered half-heartedly, focusing on memorizing the sequence of places Gwangeum’s hands had just passed over.
“He saved me too. Before you gave me the iron fan, Sahyeong.”
I didn’t bother mentioning that the Serpent-Eyed Zen Master had hinted at rescuing the boy. Knowing Gwangeum’s personality, I knew I’d only get a scolding no matter what I said.
Still, I added the thought that had just come to mind.
“And, his eyes were crying out. Asking to be saved.”
“…Look at our little hero.”
Just as I thought. Senior brother Gwangeum snorted sarcastically and pulled his hands away from the mechanism.
I suppressed the urge to pout and stared flatly at him.
“Is that so? Well, this was all possible because of you, Sahyeong. So the real hero is you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It was thanks to the mechanisms you taught me that I could evade the terrifying Demonic Cult. And the iron fan saved my life, too.”
If I hadn’t learned from Gwangeum, I wouldn’t have even dared to infiltrate the White Horse Cave.
I wouldn’t have been able to save Ryang, and the Gu poison burrowing into his body would have been left to worsen beyond repair.
Regardless of how much he nagged me to death, I had received a great deal of help from Gwangeum in many ways.
Seizing the momentum, I looked Gwangeum straight in the eye with a bright smile.
“Thinking about it again, it really is all thanks to you, Sahyeong. Thank you!”
“…….”
Gwangeum stared at me in silence, seemingly lost for words.
Heh. I had accidentally discovered that Gwangeum was surprisingly weak to praise.
After a moment, he muttered quietly.
“The iron fan….”
“Yes! I made good use of the poison mist and the iron marbles!”
As I puffed out my chest with a bit of pride, Gwangeum’s brow suddenly furrowed deeply.
“Right. That iron fan. How long has it been since I gave it to you, and you’ve already gone and broken it?”
“…You—you told me to come find you if it broke…!”
“I meant if it got damaged during training! Not for someone to go and act so recklessly that their hands end up like this…. Ugh.”
Gwangeum beat his chest as if he were dying of frustration.
“…….”
I went back to sulking.
I take back what I said about successfully winning him over….
It seemed he couldn’t go a single sentence without criticizing me.
I suppose I still need more time to get used to that temperament of his.
“And now you’re attaching excuses about being a hero to it?”
“But you started it, Sahyeong…. And it’s true that I survived because of the fan….”
As I grumbled with my head bowed, Gwangeum clicked his tongue.
“Anyway. You’d better teach him well.”
“…What?”
Teach what?
I snapped my head up. Gwangeum, who was wiping oil from his hands with a towel, looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“What? Didn’t you hear me? That brat you brought back.”
“Pardon…? What is he supposed to learn from me?”
I was busy worrying about how to ask Master to accept Ryang as a disciple. How was I supposed to teach him?
“Hmm.”
Gwangeum quirked an eyebrow meaningfully.
“If you don’t know, then forget it.”
“Ah!!”
And then he just brushed it off.
But I’m curious!
“Aaaah, tell me, what is it?”
“Now, now, the punishment Master assigned is over. From tomorrow, we move from punishment to regular training. We’ll start with memorizing the blueprints for mechanisms and formations.”
Gwangeum blatantly ignored me and pronounced a sentence of eternal training.
But whether it was studying formations or anything else, I still didn’t understand what he meant.
“No, I’m asking what you meant earlier! What am I supposed to teach him?”
“Sigh….”
When I grabbed the hem of his long robe and hung on, Gwangeum lifted me up into the air in annoyance.
“Kyaa!”
“You….”
“…….”
After locking eyes with me for a moment, Gwangeum spoke with a reluctant expression.
“I heard when I stopped by earlier that you can visit that brat stuck in the Medical Hall starting today.”
“…!”
With those words, my curiosity vanished instantly.
I can finally see Ryang? The Ryang I hadn’t even known was dead or alive while he was being treated?
I quickly squirmed out of Gwangeum’s grip and dropped to the floor.
Landing in a perfect stance, I gave a sharp salute.
“Yes! Sahyeong, thank you for your guidance and encouragement today. I’ll be on my way now!”
“Get lost already.”
“Yes!”
I sprinted toward the Medical Hall as if my feet were on fire.
Clatter!
The moment I burst into the Medical Hall, I locked eyes with senior brother Hyeonhak.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since I’d seen him, as he had been shut away in the Medical Hall this whole time. I immediately broke into a wide grin.
“Sahyeong!”
“Junior sister Soyoung, you’ve come.”
His blunt yet gentle voice was the same as ever.
I rushed over and leaned against the desk where Hyeonhak was sitting.
“Yes! They said I could see Ryang…. Is the treatment done? Can I see him now?”
“Yes. As long as the follow-up care is handled well, there won’t be any lasting effects. I was just about to go check on him; would you mind waiting a moment?”
“Yes!”
I sat in an empty chair, swinging my legs back and forth as I waited for Hyeonhak.
I wasn’t sure what it was for, but Hyeonhak was putting some crushed herbs from a mortar into a cloth pouch. Whatever he had mixed in gave it a sticky, salve-like texture.
Modern-style medicine production and medical tools, rarely seen in the Murim, were often found here in the Medical Hall of Cheongsanbong.
“It is ready.”
Hyeonhak finished his task and stood up, asking casually.
“I told senior brother Gwangeum to let you know that visitation was possible, but you are quite late.”
“When did you tell Gwangeum-sahyeong?”
“I told him last night.”
“…….”
But he only told me today?
I felt my eyebrows twitching like my senior brothers’, but I barely managed to restrain myself.
“…….”
Seeing me pressing my forehead with both hands, Hyeonhak asked curiously.
“Why are you doing that?”
“…It’s nothing. More importantly, quickly! Ryang!”
As I circled around Hyeonhak, he let out a faint chuckle and began walking toward the room with the infirmary beds.
We passed through several thick doors, and the deeper we went, the stronger the scent of the herbs Hyeonhak had crushed became.
Only then did I realize that the herbs he had put in the pouch were medicinal.
Finally, pulling back a thick white curtain, we entered a dimly lit room with only a few candles burning. I heard Ryang’s voice.
“Honored master. The wound on this side….”
Ryang was sitting on a raised bed.
Perhaps assuming Hyeonhak had come alone, he was sitting comfortably with his upper body bared, only to lock eyes with me.
Startled for a moment, he slowly pulled the blanket up to cover himself.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence hung in the air for several seconds.
“Ahem.”
Hyeonhak cleared his throat to break the tension. I managed to snap out of it and look at him, and he spoke calmly.
“I will just treat the affected area once more and then leave. You may speak freely.”
“Ah, yes…!”
“Then, if you would show me the wound.”
“…Yes.”
As Hyeonhak approached, Ryang slowly lowered the blanket.
I stood behind them, fidgeting, stealing glances at Ryang’s body while pretending not to look.
Though it was hard to see clearly in the dark, the traces of the Gu poison that had covered his abdomen had completely vanished. Furthermore, even the scars from the lashings had faded to almost nothing.
“Wow…!”
Senior brother Hyeonhak really is amazing.
While I was marveling, Hyeonhak expertly applied the herbs with quick movements and helped Ryang close his tunic.
“Well then, I shall head out.”
“Thank you!”
I bowed deeply to Hyeonhak and didn’t raise my head until I heard his footsteps fade away.
“…….”
And finally, when it was perfectly quiet.
I carefully and slowly turned my gaze toward the bed.
My eyes met Ryang’s, who was looking back at me with his long hair flowing down like the black night sky.
But why, of all times, now….
‘That child. Is he not handsome?’
…Why did I have to remember Master’s mischievous words?
‘But still….’
He really was remarkably handsome.
Even at such a young age, it was striking. His straight, sharp features gave a clear indication of the beautiful young man he would grow into.
I should have looked at the character illustrations more closely. My memory of what the adult Ryang looked like was hazy, other than the fact that he was handsome.
Yet, I remembered those eyes clearly. The very thing that had given me the certainty to recognize Ryang in the first place: the Fiery Golden Eyes.
Even in the darkness, a mysterious mix of red and yellow light flickered and glowed within his pupils, as if they were shining with their own light.
