Chapter 167
Chapter 167
He paused for a long while, then slowly opened his mouth, avoiding my gaze.
"My body isn't doing so well. It's hard to stay conscious if I draw on Demonic Energy. I'm trying to restrain myself, but..."
Yeon-ryang barely managed to squeeze out the words, breathing heavily.
"I need to see blood to regain my senses."
"...What are you talking about?"
"..."
Yeon-ryang hesitated, as if unable to explain, and then fell silent, so Jin-sung answered instead.
"It's a side effect of Demonic Arts. The faster you grow stronger by defying the heavens, the faster your body, which has gone against the natural order, collapses."
"I, I don't understand..."
"The end of a Demonic Cultivator who hasn't reached the state of Detachment from Demonic Energy is predetermined, Young Miss. They're consumed by Demonic Energy and become Murderous demons who can't even distinguish between friend and foe. It's not for nothing that the Alliance hunts down Demonic Cultists. The moment a Demonic Cultivator loses their reason, they turn into monsters who won't stop slaughtering until they die."
It took me a while to understand Jin-sung's words. Each word was scattered, as if coming from a distant place.
When I finally grasped the meaning of the barely assembled words, my lips trembled.
So, the reason his eyes turned red even when he was still was...
"Did it, did it start before we went to the Alliance?"
"It wasn't this bad then."
"Not this bad means there were signs. Why, why didn't you tell me sooner!"
Was it a problem that I rashly removed the Blood clot? Or was it because I forced the Inner Energy down for too long?
No. I shouldn't have let his Qi and Blood Points become twisted from the start. We shouldn't have gone to the Alliance.
I was complacent. I should have noticed the strange signs right away. I shouldn't have forgotten that Yeon-ryang tries to handle everything on his own.
"Dang Sojeo."
"There's a way, there's a way, right? He can get better, right?"
"Dang Sojeo, please calm down."
Jin-sung gently placed his hand on the back of my hand, met my gaze, and continued calmly.
"There is a way. Our master called for you because it can be reversed."
"What, what do I have to do? What can I do?"
"In Wudang, too..."
"Little Taoist. Keep your distance, will you?"
"Ah, I apologize."
Startled by the blunt remark, Jin-sung released my hand and stepped back. He slowly continued.
"Wudang also has records of ancestors who were consumed by Demonic Energy."
"What kind of records? Are there any cases of recovery?"
"I can't tell you the details. But our master said there is a way. So there must be."
His upright, ash-gray eyes shone with trust in his master.
The hazy vision cleared little by little at the words that there was a way.
At this moment, it was such a comfort to know that Jin-sung was someone who would never say something that wasn't true.
I slowly took a breath.
If Yeon-ryang's body was really collapsing, there was no time to waste on emotional outbursts. I had to come up with a plan as soon as possible.
Trying to stay calm, I grabbed Yeon-ryang's arm.
"Come here, Brother. Let me take a look."
Stay calm. Stay calm... Damn it.
Contrary to my efforts to be rational, as soon as I took Yeon-ryang's pulse, a curse word came out involuntarily.
The messed-up Qi Channels were so tangled that it was difficult for True energy to flow properly.
It wasn't this bad when we left the Alliance... I thought I had removed all the Blood clots, but when did they get tangled again? Was it encountering the Demonic Cultist that was the root cause?
"Yo, Yo-sangdan. Let's eat Yo-sangdan first."
Biting my lip, I hurriedly took out Yo-sangdan from my pocket, but Yeon-ryang shook his head.
"Later."
"This can't be left alone! Your body is..."
"Little Taoist is in front of us. Later."
Yeon-ryang shook his hand and cut me off. It seemed he didn't want to reveal his condition in front of Jin-sung.
Unable to answer, I took a rough breath, and Yeon-ryang winked and put his hands together.
"I'll eat it later. I really will. I won't complain about the herbal medicine either, so please let it go for now."
"You're stating the obvious. Just know that you won't be able to get out of the Hundred Herb Bath tomorrow."
"Eek. That's a bit harsh."
He was putting on a nonchalant act, and his face was no different from usual. That's why it was even more upsetting.
Because he was used to holding everything in. It made me feel like I still wasn't someone he could rely on.
Rubbing my forehead, I tried to think positively. At least it was a huge step forward that he had confessed willingly.
When I didn't say anything, Yeon-ryang cautiously asked, watching my expression.
"Are you very angry?"
"It's okay since you told me."
"I thought I'd get a good scolding if I hid it again and decided on my own."
"You know that much."
As I grumbled and crossed my arms, Yeon-ryang avoided my gaze and changed the subject.
"By the way, I didn't know Taoists also dabbled in Demonic Arts."
"It's not strange if you consider the power of Demonic Arts. Every Martial Artist wants to reach a higher realm."
Yeon-ryang asked back, surprised by Jin-sung's calm reply.
"Is it okay to admit that so readily? Isn't it a disgrace to your Sect?"
"In any group, there are bound to be people who are consumed by greed and become corrupt. Rather than hiding the wrong precedent, it's right to acknowledge the fault and be wary of repeating the same mistake."
"...Weirdo."
Despite the incomprehensible reaction, Jin-sung didn't care and took something out and handed it to me.
It was a small jade ornament.
"Our master told me to give this to you. It's an item that will conceal Demonic Energy."
Yeon-ryang's brow furrowed slightly at the clear Qi contained in the jade, but he didn't refuse and put the jade ornament in his pocket.
He didn't seem to have any intention of being hostile to Jin-sung like before.
Jin-sung, looking back and forth between me and Yeon-ryang, asked softly.
"Do you need time to talk?"
"Yes. Could you excuse us for a moment?"
"Yes. I'll come back in half an hour."
Jin-sung bowed his head and turned around. Then, Ju-ryeong, who had been scurrying out from somewhere, climbed onto Jin-sung's instep and greeted him.
"Kee?"
Jin-sung, flustered, looked back at me.
"Um, Sojeo? The ferret came to me."
"It seems like she wants to say hello to someone she knows. You can take her with you."
"I, I understand."
Jin-sung, looking back and forth between the ferret and me, didn't know what to do, awkwardly picked up Ju-ryeong, and excused himself.
I sighed and dragged Yeon-ryang into the room and asked.
"Sword Saint Grandfather, you went back and forth without me knowing, didn't you? What on earth did you talk about?"
"It wasn't a big deal."
"If it really wasn't a big deal, Jinseong disciple wouldn't have come all the way here. You didn't make any strange deals, did you? Like becoming a spy to infiltrate the Demonic Sect, or experimenting with Demonic Arts. It's not like that, is it?"
"What? Ahahaha, that's really not it. Our sister has a rich imagination."
Yeon-ryang burst into laughter as if asking what I was talking about, and shook his head.
"I really didn't say anything special. So-hye, you know this because you've experienced it. We ordinary people can't fathom the thoughts of old masters. I don't know why, but something must have pleased that old man."
"...I can't deny that."
Grandfather was like that at first, and so was Gwisu-sin. He acted like he would kill me at any moment, but then he suddenly loosened up and showed kindness.
I agreed, but I was still worried. I looked up at Yeon-ryang with a serious face.
"Still... you had a hard time just spending a few days with Jinseong disciple last time. Will you be okay?"
"Little Taoist said that I won't run into other Taoists. That guy, even if he's unlucky, he's not the type to lie. I guess I can trust him. It's better to feel unpleasant than to be consumed by Demonic Energy."
Yeon-ryang shrugged and added in a passing tone.
"Going to Wudang is good for you too, So-hye. The opportunity to see Wudang's swordsmanship up close doesn't come often, you know? You're not thinking of sending your brother alone, are you? Let's go when the guide comes."
He was urging me to be cheerful, and it seemed like he had already made up his mind to follow Jin-sung.
I hesitated and slowly nodded.
\ \ *
Jin-sung waited silently until we finished preparing to leave the safe house.
He must have found a place to stay nearby, as he disappeared in the evening and came back at sunrise to help take care of the meals for the children in the neighborhood.
"Jinseong disciple. You're good at doing the dishes now."
Unlike the first day when he was awkward with everything, I was impressed by how skillfully he was scrubbing the pot, and Jin-sung rubbed the pot harder, looking a little embarrassed.
"Are you leaving today?"
"Yes. I think we can leave today. That uncle of mine finally looks like a human being."
After brewing and feeding him herbal medicine every morning and evening, soaking him in the Hundred Herb Bath for several hours, and sticking Poison Needles from the top of his head to his toes twice a day, Yeon-ryang's pulse became a little more human-like.
"So-hye. Can't Brother go out now? I don't know if this is a bath or a torture chamber."
"No. You can't. Stay still until Jinseong disciple gets a carriage."
But he groaned every day as if it was torture to lie still in the bath. Of course, I didn't pretend to hear him.
"Brother's legs aren't broken. There's no problem walking."
"Yes. I said no. Stay still before I break them."
"..."
"I'll be back. Take care of the house with Ju-ryeong. Let's go, Jinseong disciple."
I left Yeon-ryang speechless and left the safe house with Jin-sung. I was going to get a carriage to take Yeon-ryang to Gyunhyeon.
But the moment we went down the mountain and entered the village, piercing gazes were poured on me.
"That Green Robe, could it be..."
"It seems to be right. That one from the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild..."
The people who saw my Green Robe looked at me with strange eyes and whispered.
What's wrong? Do the people in this town hate the Tang Clan?
I was about to shrink my shoulders, wondering if I should cover the Green Robe, when another voice was heard.
"I see why she's called the Monopoly. She has the beauty to be called that."
Monopoly?
I blinked at the unfamiliar word, and Jin-sung spoke quietly.
"Monopoly is a word that refers to Sojeo."
"Huh? Me?"
"Yes. Rumors about Dang Sojeo have spread throughout the area of Ak-yang. It's said that Sojeo took care of the evil bandits who had infiltrated the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild..."
Jin-sung, who was explaining, awkwardly closed his mouth when he saw my expression.
My neck stiffened at the unexpected nickname.
It's Jang Mi-ryeo! Jang Mi-ryeo deliberately spread the rumors.
That Young Miss is really! She's using me very thoroughly!
