Dark Sky Village
Following the Sword Demon’s guidance, I headed towards the Medical Hall of the Shadowless Gate. Perhaps because the Shadowless Gate was one of the top unorthodox sects, it thrived enough to have a separate medical hall, managed by a cantankerous old man. After taking a quick glance at my condition, he gruffly said,
“Sit down!”
With the Sword Demon beside me acting indifferent, I quietly took my seat before him. From the looks of it, the Medical Hall Master seemed to hold quite a prestigious position within the Shadowless Gate. He began to poke around my body, pressing on three vital points.
“Does it hurt?”
“It does.”
“The nerves are still intact; that’s why it hurt when they were severed.”
Hearing such ominous words from the old man, who had just recently severed my arm, he swiftly performed acupuncture. I felt my body’s meridians rapidly activate, and my loosely attached arm began to feel like it was healing at an accelerated rate. It seemed he was using the Secret Acupuncture Technique to enhance the vitality and adhesion of my flesh.
He finished by wrapping a bandage around my shoulder, then patted it as if to cheer me up.
“All done! If you get a good night’s sleep, it’ll all be healed.”
“Thank you.”
Then, the Medical Hall Master shot a disapproving look at the Sword Demon.
“Master, what grudge do you hold against this child to behead him like that?”
“Doctor Jiang, I apologize. It was my mistake.”
“Hmph… I can’t really blame you.”
Just as the Medical Hall Master was slipping past the blame, I took a chance and asked,
“Are you, by any chance, Jiang Tianji?”
At my question, both of their gazes snapped toward me. The Sword Demon appeared genuinely surprised, while the old man wore a sharp expression. After a moment of hesitation, the Medical Hall Master asked,
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, considering the five great physicians of the realm, the only Jiang associated with the Shadowless Gate would be you, the First Physician of Henan.”
A silence fell after my response. The Medical Hall Master stole a glance at the Sword Demon, who nodded his head, prompting the old man to exhale deeply.
“Yes, I am Jiang Tianji.”
The First Physician of Henan!
He was one of the five greatest physicians in the world, just like Hua Seong-myeong, known for his extraordinary healing skills and even known to have saved the lives of famed masters at the Shaolin Temple. I was curious as to why such a genius would choose to affiliate with an unorthodox sect like the Shadowless Gate, but I soon had an answer in my mind.
‘It must be due to the Young Master of the White Lotus Sect.’
The five great physicians had been forced to visit the White Lotus Sect to treat the young master, but after a year of effort, none succeeded in curing her illness. They returned to the Central Plains under suspicion of colluding with the White Lotus Sect instead. It made sense now why Hua Seong-myeong had chosen to transfer his allegiance.
The Medical Hall Master Jiang Tianji spoke,
“Master, what on earth is this child? His immense inner strength and composure… It’s difficult to fathom what he is capable of.”
“As you can see, he’s a rare talent of unmatched brilliance. That’s why I feel even more indebted to him.”
“Hmmm.”
As Jiang Tianji pondered, I looked him in the eye and said,
“I am a branch member of the Hua Family and have received healing techniques from them. Additionally, I learned about the truth behind the incident involving the White Lotus Sect.”
“……!!”
I suddenly thought I may have been too blunt, but in that moment, Jiang Tianji’s face turned pale. The Sword Demon, observing from beside, had a similarly shocked expression. It appeared they were keeping secrets from one another, and now they looked aghast at my knowledge.
Jiang Tianji feigned ignorance.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you have proof that you were trained in medicine?”
In response, I raised my undamaged right arm and began performing the needle technique. With my inner strength, I quickly executed the Hua Family’s One Hundred and Eight Acupuncture Points, quietly reciting the positions of each meridian as I performed. Upon witnessing my demonstration, Jiang Tianji’s jaw dropped. He realized my medical skills were of an elite caliber.
“As you can see, it’s the Hua Family’s One Hundred and Eight Acupuncture Points.”
“Ho… Hoho… Could you really be a disciple of Hua Seong-myeong?”
“Indeed. I’m a branch member but have received some teachings.”
Jiang Tianji let out a sound of surprise.
“A genius… Is it truly possible for someone at your age to master martial arts and medicine to such an extent…?!”
After a moment, Jiang Tianji asked,
“So what do you want? Why reveal this fact?”
“I would like to know more about the truth surrounding that incident. Why was the Young Master not cured, and what were the true motives of the White Lotus Sect?”
“……”
“I apologize if I overstepped.”
Jiang Tianji glanced at the Sword Demon again.
The Sword Demon then said,
“I’d like to know that as well.”
“What is this child’s relationship to you, Master?”
“As you can see, I’ve incurred an unrepayable debt due to my own mistake. I want to share what he wants to know.”
The Sword Demon seemed to be wanting to repay at least this much debt to me.
“And in addition, you’ll be sharing secrets as well.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“……”
Jiang Tianji sighed deeply. Then he said,
“First, tell me what you heard from Hua Seong-myeong.”
I briefly explained the Young Master’s treatment and the suspicion of the five great physicians as being spies. He fell silent for a moment and then said,
“I see. So that old man thought so. He has gone to Goryeo now, it seems.”
Hua Seong-myeong had chosen to relocate his practice, yet the solitary Jiang Tianji had placed himself entirely in the Shadowless Gate as an unorthodox physician. Given his position within the Shadowless Gate, it seemed no one could challenge him in the Jianghu Martial World.
“What do you think?”
“It’s the same experience for me. The doctors of the five great families all pooled their efforts for an entire year, but we could do nothing. The only difference is, I had been approached by the Black Tiger’s Dharma Protector.”
This was the guardian of the Wind God Clan. I asked,
“Not the Silver Fox?”
“No.”
Jiang Tianji continued,
“However, I have a different perspective. While the old man thought the Young Master’s illness an incurable disease beyond our reach, I suspect it may not have been a disease at all.”
“Not a disease?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Tianji spoke solemnly.
“I think it could be a Curse.”
A Curse!
That was among the most sinister and cruel forms of sorcery, known for inflicting harm through powerful grudges. It was a technique developed solely for the destruction of foes.
I thought for a moment before saying,
“Then why bother summoning a physician? Isn’t that the job of a sorcerer?”
“… I can’t say for sure. But unlike the old man who lived and breathed medicine, I suspect it could involve sorcery. The same goes for Dongfang Mu-jue. Although his mastery was slightly superior to ours, he couldn’t find a way to treat it either.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s all I know.”
He left off with a wry smile.
“Dongfang Mu-jue might know more. He had a face-to-face conversation with the White Lotus Sect leader just before leaving.”
“Is it possible that they could have used the White Lotus to heal the Young Master?”
“That’s…”
After hesitating, Jiang Tianji suddenly remembered,
“Oh, right! That was indeed peculiar. They grew flustered whenever the White Lotus was mentioned. I don’t know why, but there seems to be a hidden secret regarding it.”
“Hmm.”
I couldn’t help but feel that my injury had led me to an unexpected reward by meeting Jiang Tianji.
A hypothesis floated in my mind.
‘Could the Black and White Lotus possess the healing ability for curses?’
In my tenth life, the Young Master of the White Lotus Sect was saved by the Black and White Lotus. If so, then the difference between the White Lotus and Black and White Lotus could revolve around the existence of [Curse Healing Abilities]. While the White Lotus had the capacity to explosively increase inner strength, it was clear that the Black and White Lotus lacked similar abilities. I had a feeling this information would prove invaluable as things progressed.
After finishing up the conversation, I addressed the Sword Demon.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay much longer.”
“Why’s that?”
“I have urgent matters to attend to.”
“Hmm.”
The Sword Demon seemed to let out a contemplative sound. Indeed, having merely wrung a secret out of Jiang Tianji could hardly suffice as repayment for having severed my arm. Not to mention, there was still the debt of rescuing his daughter from pirates.
After some contemplation, the Sword Demon made up his mind.
“Make sure to visit again. I’ll prepare a gift for you.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s a promise. Be sure to drop by.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
I bowed to the Sword Demon and exited the Shadowless Gate.
‘It might be possible to wring every last bit of debt from the Sword Demon, but not right now.’
I had kept the pirate prisoners trapped in the wooden token for quite some time. It was vital to send them back to their hometown as soon as possible. I used the Thunder Drums to travel to Shandong Province, where dawn was just breaking.
Crackle
‘It hurts…’
The nerves may have reattached, but I still felt sporadic pain. At this rate, using my left arm until it stabilizes would be impossible. I resolved to avoid combat as much as possible and began releasing people from the wooden token in a secluded area.
Rustle
Male Central Plains citizens, aside from the women from the Shadowless Gate, poured out one by one. I inspected each of their injuries, and fortunately, none had sustained serious harm. I treated their wounds again and asked,
“Are you hungry or need to relieve yourselves?”
To my surprise, an unexpected response came back.
“What are you talking about? It’s night now since we went in.”
“……?”
“It feels like time has suddenly reversed.”
I was taken aback by their answer.
‘Could it be that time hardly passes when inside the wooden token?’
Given the volume of time they mentioned, even though I had actually imprisoned them for quite a while, it felt like they had emerged in a blink. It was evident that time inside the wooden token flowed much slower than outside.
I took a deep breath to calm my thoughts and led them to an inn.
“Owner, come out!”
When the innkeeper finally woke in the dawn, I presented the gold ingots Mangnyang had given me, saying,
“We’ll be taking over this inn for today.”
“Ehh?! Are you joking?”
“If this money seems like a joke, then I have no choice.”
As I subtly tried to grab the stack of cash, the innkeeper snatched it away, startled. When I stared at him in disbelief, he chuckled sheepishly.
“No way! Please, spend it freely!”
I made sure the wounded ones were fed, cleaned, and allowed to rest deeply. Even before sunrise, the inn was bustling with activity. The innkeeper, his wife, and the little apprentice all came and attended to them. I checked over the injuries once more and waited for the sun to rise.
When dawn arrived and everyone had adequately rested, I gathered them together.
“It’s time for us to part ways. I’ll distribute some travel money to help you get back home.”
“Oh, my Lord…”
“Thank you…”
As I handed out the silver coins while saying my farewells, tears of joy welled in their eyes. I had seen this scene often, but it always filled me with warmth. I could give them enough silver that they would have no worries about travel expenses.
And then I found myself face to face with the one-eyed old man prisoner again.
“Benefactor… I owe you such an immense favor that I must repay you… Therefore, I would like to give you my hidden request…”
He handed me a black wooden token.
I listened to him until the end, not wanting to brush him off like I had previously when he had spoken nonsense, but this time I was more serious.
“Are you saying that if I take this token to Seven Kills Village on Mount Tai, any martial artist there will accept my request to kill someone?”
At that, the one-eyed old man trembled with delight and beamed. He grinned widely as he replied,
“Oh, you’re interested…”
“Well, it’s not that I’m uninterested.”
“No, no… It’s not about martial arts… It’s about God granting your wish.”
“God?”
I was taken aback, wondering how absurd it sounded.
Why would a god grant a request for murder?
The old man coughed hoarsely and explained,
“All I know is that if I take that token, the god will grant the wish… But that wish is solely about killing a single target… nothing more.”
“Hmm…”
“Whenever you wish… visit us… Those of us from Seven Kills Village will present this token to the single benevolent person in exchange for our lives…”
“I see.”
Realizing I had uncovered all I could from this old man, I reluctantly sent him away. My curiosity grew as I looked down at the black wooden token.
‘Requesting murder from a god?’
It felt like something amusing was about to unfold.
Once I released the captives, I felt I had done most of my tasks. The remaining task was to bring the Thunder Drums into an alliance with the Bancheon Alliance, but Mangnyang mentioned that I did not have to pursue that. He argued it’d be better to persuade General Hwang fully with enough leverage than risk entering the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School with suspicion.
In short, I was free at the moment.
I didn’t particularly feel like heading to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School either. I was in a stage where I had surpassed the awakening process and was now entering a points stage. This meant steady training became far more critical than hastily improving my skills.
Returning to the Sword Demon to collect my “payback” wasn’t something I particularly inclined towards either. It was true I harbored grievances over the severed arm; thus, I wanted to forget about that for a while and look forward to new opportunities.
With the remaining time, I wished to do something different to create a change. Gaining new information could expand my options for potential travel. I needed to create an environment conducive to using the Thunder Drums, so I thought long and hard about what to do.
“Hmm… Should I visit Seven Kills Village on Mount Tai?”
After lying in the inn for a day and a half until my arm properly healed, I reached a conclusion.
If the villagers promised to kill anyone for a single request, I became curious about what would happen if I asked them to kill the [Emperor].
