Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 148 – Repayment (2)

“But what exactly was the item the Ghost Blade gave you?”

The Ghost Blade had given it to Baek Sa-ha, saying there was no longer a reason for them to fight.

What did he give him?

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Baek Sa-ha let out a soft sigh and answered:

“Whew. It was the Society Leader’s token.”

‘!?’

The Society Leader’s token?

Upon hearing this, Mok Gyeong-un furrowed his brows.

Based on Baek Sa-ha’s words, he had thought that the Ghost Blade might not be related to the Heaven and Earth Society, but if that was the case, the story changed.

“…If he gave you the Society Leader’s token, does that mean the Ghost Blade is connected to the Society Leader?”

“I don’t know for certain either.”

“What do you mean by not knowing for certain?”

“It means there’s no way to tell what kind of connection he has with the Society Leader or what instructions he received from the Society Leader.”

It was a somewhat ambiguous answer.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked:

“Then did you deliver the token to the Society Leader as the Ghost Blade requested?”

“Yes, I did.”

“May I ask what the Society Leader said?”

“He said nothing.”

“What?”

Did he mean there was no reaction after delivering it?

As he was puzzled, Baek Sa-ha lightly placed his hand on Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder and said:

“The only thing the Society Leader said was this.”

“What is it?”

“He ordered me not to reveal anything I learned while fighting the Ghost Blade to anyone. Of course, that includes the token as well.”

“…”

“Do you now understand why I told you not to let what you hear from me in this place leak out?”

It was all by the Society Leader’s order.

In the first place, the duel with the Ghost Blade was a humiliating incident for Baek Sa-ha as well, so their interests aligned, and it had been well-kept as a secret until now.

‘Society Leader…’

Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze grew somewhat heavy.

He had tried to learn the Ghost Blade’s identity through Baek Sa-ha, but instead, he only found out that there was a close connection between him and the Heaven and Earth Society’s Society Leader.

Cheong-ryeong, who had been listening to this conversation, inwardly felt relieved.

‘It’s unfortunate, but I should say it’s fortunate for me.’

She had been worried that Mok Gyeong-un might leave this place if the connection between the Ghost Blade and the Heaven and Earth Society disappeared.

However, coincidentally, as it turned out to be related to the Society Leader, the reason for him to stay here became even more clear.

It could be said to be a fortunate turn of events for Cheong-ryeong.

-In the end, it seems that your purpose and mine align to some extent, you despicable being.

-…It seems so.

Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze turned cold.

The situation had become a bit more complicated.

He had hoped for a more straightforward clue about the culprit, but he only found out that the Society Leader might also be involved in this matter.

‘The Society Leader is a clue.’

He was related to the Ghost Blade, who might have killed his grandfather.

Since it was an incident from 17 years ago, he couldn’t determine a direct connection, but one thing was certain: the Society Leader knew about the Ghost Blade.

That meant he needed a way to contact the Society Leader.

However, the problem was that meeting the Society Leader was incomparably more difficult than meeting Baek Sa-ha.

He was the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society and one of the Six Heavens, known as the pinnacle of the current martial arts world.

‘…I need a way to make contact.’

No method came to mind at the moment.

Baek Sa-ha had the justification of the three Society Leader disciple tokens, but the Society Leader was different.

There was no natural way to get close to him.

‘Hmm.’

While his mind was filled with those thoughts, Baek Sa-ha spoke.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t I tell you that as a member of the association, you shouldn’t reveal it either?”

“Ah, ah, yes. Of course.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s answer, Baek Sa-ha looked at him with suspicious eyes.

He had told him despite it being the Society Leader’s order because of the promise, but judging from Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction, it seemed he had some connection to the Ghost Blade in one way or another.

At this, Baek Sa-ha spoke as if advising him.

“Although I told you because it was a promise, it would be better for your well-being not to dig too deeply into matters regarding the Ghost Blade.”

“…”

“Besides, he disappeared 17 years ago. Whether it’s a good connection or a bad one, it’s best to forget about it now.”

Disappeared?

That was yet to be known.

The mark left on his late grandfather’s wound was related to the Ghost Blade.

Anyway, in response to Baek Sa-ha’s advice, Mok Gyeong-un politely brought his hands together and replied:

“I will keep that in mind.”

“I hope you do, even if it’s just lip service.”

“How could I give lip service to the advice you give me?”

“Kekeke. You’re good with words.”

“Thanks to you, my curiosity has been satisfied, and you have obtained what you wanted. I shall return to the Shadow Clan now.”

Mok Gyeong-un had no more business with Baek Sa-ha.

‘What?’

At his words, a glint appeared in Baek Sa-ha’s eyes.

Although he had told him, going against the Society Leader’s order to keep it a secret, it wasn’t something that could be considered a proper repayment.

Yet, he was just going to leave?

“You’re quite a peculiar fellow.”

“Pardon?”

“Did you come all the way here just to satisfy that curiosity of yours?”

“Ah, that’s…”

“You didn’t come to seek my teachings.”

“…”

“Kahahahaha! What kind of fellow is this? Using the benefit of the Society Leader disciple tokens just as a pretext to meet me.”

Baek Sa-ha burst into laughter, holding his stomach.

As the holder of the Society Leader disciple tokens of the Corpse Blood Valley, Mok Gyeong-un had the privilege of receiving teachings from him.

But he was saying he would leave without even receiving that benefit, so how impudent was that?

It meant he had no intention of learning from the beginning.

‘I’ve been caught.’

Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head, wondering what to do about this.

While he was doing so, Baek Sa-ha, who had been laughing for a while, stopped and said:

“You made me laugh for the first time in a long while.”

“I apologize.”

“What do you have to apologize for? But listen. Since you brought the three Society Leader disciple tokens of the Corpse Blood Valley, I can’t just let you go.”

“What do you mean by not being able to let me go?”

“Of course, I will pass on martial arts to you.”

“Martial arts?”

“Kekeke. Yes.”

“…Then may I ask what you will teach me?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Baek Sa-ha stroked his beard and replied:

“I will teach you poison techniques.”

“Poison techniques?”

“It seems that even though you have become a Poison Master, you don’t know how to use poison techniques at all. Who taught you about poisons?”

“…I just learned bits and pieces from physicians or pharmacists.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Baek Sa-ha snorted.

What did this fellow take him for to say such a thing?

Even if one devoted their entire life to refining poison techniques, it would be uncertain whether they could reach the level of a Poison Master. Yet, he claimed to have reached that level with shallow knowledge learned from physicians and pharmacists?

“Hmph! Learned bits and pieces? Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Even if you don’t believe it, it’s the truth.”

“Do you think I’m going to capture and eat the one who taught you poison if I find out?”

“Well, that’s not it.”

“Then why aren’t you revealing it? Do you have a reason to hide it?”

‘Phew.’

At his question, Mok Gyeong-un felt annoyed inwardly.

If he didn’t give an appropriate answer, it seemed Baek Sa-ha would keep probing.

So,

“I understand. There’s no reason to hide this, so I’ll tell you. The mentor who taught me about medicinal herbs and poisonous plants has already passed away.”

“What?”

“He passed away.”

“…He’s deceased?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my.”

Baek Sa-ha let out a small sigh.

He was genuinely curious about who had turned Mok Gyeong-un into a Poison Master.

But judging from Mok Gyeong-un’s tone and the faint sense of loss in his eyes, it seemed it wasn’t a lie.

‘…I suppose it’s true.’

“Ahem. I don’t know who he was, but if he was skilled enough in poisons to turn you into a Poison Master without even passing on poison techniques, he must have been no ordinary person. Even the Four Heavens Tang Clan or the Guyang Clan…”

At that moment, a certain nickname flashed through Baek Sa-ha’s mind.

‘Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong, the Medicine Immortal?’

Until now, he had believed that only his Baek Clan, the Four Heavens Tang Clan, and the Guyang Clan were the supreme masters of poison techniques in the Central Plains.

But 17 years ago, the one who had inflicted a serious injury on the Ghost Blade with a poison scar.

He had said it was Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong.

When one became proficient and reached the pinnacle in a particular field, they naturally became knowledgeable in the opposite nature as well.

Wasn’t Baek Sa-ha himself also a master in pharmacology?

Poison techniques might be like that for Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong.

‘Hmm.’

Baek Sa-ha stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

But soon, he shook his head.

‘Yes. That can’t be.’

No matter how he thought about it, the connection between this fellow and Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong was too far-fetched.

Then what exactly was the identity of that person?

But it seemed unlikely that this stubborn fellow would reveal it at the moment.

‘Let’s find out gradually.’

Hiding his inner thoughts, Baek Sa-ha said:

“Kekeke, anyway, if you learn poison techniques from me, you’ll be able to fully utilize the poison within you.”

“Fully utilize the poison…”

“Yes. Do you want to learn properly?”

At his question, Mok Gyeong-un brought his hands together in a salute and said:

“How could I refuse your consideration? If you bestow your teachings upon me, I will do my best to learn.”

There was no reason to refuse.

There was no harm in learning poison techniques.

At that moment, Baek Sa-ha suddenly asked Mok Gyeong-un a question.

“By the way, what was that thing you fed me earlier? Could it be a divine medicine?”

“Are you referring to the Heavenly Earth Pill?”

“Ah, yes. I thought so.”

Baek Sa-ha clicked his tongue, looking at Mok Gyeong-un.

Divine medicines were no different from treasures to martial artists, even if it was to save his life.

Yet, he had used it on him without any hesitation, even though he might have died.

If he had really died, it would have been a wasted effort.

It was truly difficult to discern what type of person this fellow was.

“I owe you a great debt.”

“You don’t need to think of it as a debt.”

“No, it is a debt.”

“…Well, if you think that way, I can’t help it. Then will you repay it?”

“Of course. I have a temperament that can’t stand being in debt.”

“Is that so? Then how do you intend to repay it?”

“As it was an equivalent exchange, I will give you a special divine medicine made by our clan.”

“A divine medicine?”

Repaying a divine medicine with a divine medicine.

It made sense.

“If you give it to me, I will gratefully accept it.”

“However, there is a condition.”

“…You sure have a lot of conditions.”

“It’s not a bad condition at all. If you promise not to reveal anything about this divine medicine to others, I will give you two of them.”

“Two?”

“Yes. Isn’t that good?”

At these words, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t hide his puzzlement.

He had only used one divine medicine, yet he was offering to give him two in exchange for not revealing it. Why would he refuse?

“It’s not bad for me, but are you sure?”

“Kekeke. If it wasn’t okay, would you not accept it?”

“Of course not.”

“Naturally. The divine medicine I will give you is called the Ascending Dragon Pill[1], created by my father, who was also the founder of our clan, Lord Baek Yu. In some ways, it’s far superior to the Heavenly Earth Pill.”

“Far superior?”

“Yes. If the Heavenly Earth Pill grants ten to a maximum of fifteen years’ worth of internal energy, our clan’s Ascending Dragon Pill, if absorbed efficiently, can grant up to twenty years’ worth of internal energy.”

‘!?’

At his words, a glint appeared in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.

If what Baek Sa-ha said was true, it was a divine medicine far better than the Heavenly Earth Pill.

“…I can definitely understand the reason for not revealing it.”

“Yes. However, it’s not unconditionally good.”

“Why?”

“In the case of the Ascending Dragon Pill, its side effects are much stronger than the Heavenly Earth Pill. After consuming one pill, the effects drastically decrease from the second pill onward.”

“Ah…”

“Kekeke, don’t be disappointed. Still, if I assist you with the Pushing Palace and Passing Acupoints[2] technique, you can gain close to ten years’ worth of internal energy even with the second pill.”

‘Ten years.’

If what he said was true, even with the assistance of an internal energy master in absorbing the pill, the efficiency would drop by almost half.

Then, if one were to absorb the pill alone, the efficiency would be even lower, so he understood why Baek Sa-ha said it wasn’t unconditionally good.

However,

‘It won’t be of any use to me anyway.’

For Mok Gyeong-un, who used the Death Qi, divine medicines held no meaning or effect.

But if a situation like this arose, it would be useful, just like this time.

***

‘Damn it.’

Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the Society Leader who had barely dispelled the poison qi, couldn’t hide his anger.

What kind of disgrace was this?

He hadn’t expected to kneel down, unable to endure the Poison King’s poison qi even for a moment.

Fortunately, it seemed that Wi So-yeon, the third disciple, was also circulating her energy due to the poison qi.

But what was annoying was that she seemed to have dispelled the poison qi even before him.

In terms of internal energy, she was far ahead of him.

‘F*cking wench.’

How was it that the gap between them kept widening?

He was worried that she might reach a level that would be truly difficult to deal with.

Perhaps he needed to take action before that happened.

But there was something else that took priority.

“Is the Poison King elder still inside?”

Jang Neung-ak asked Baek So-gang, the second son of Baek Sa-ha.

In response, Baek So-gang nodded and replied:

“Yes, he is.”

“…I need to have another conversation with him.”

“You’ll have to wait for now.”

“Wait? What do you mean?”

“My father is currently engaged in a conversation with the Shadow Clan Master’s disciple.”

“What?”

Jang Neung-ak furrowed his brows and looked at the entrance made of stone walls.

That meant Mok Gyeong-un had endured that incredible poison qi and went inside.

What was going on?

No matter how proficient he was with poisons, how was he enduring the poison emitted by a master of poison techniques like the Poison King?

He wasn’t the only one puzzled by this.

‘Mok Gyeong-un.’

Wi So-yeon, who had dispelled the poison before him, was also unable to hide her surprise upon hearing that Mok Gyeong-un was inside the meditation room.

His internal energy and martial arts level should be several ranks below theirs, so how was this possible?

At that moment,

-Rumble!

The tightly closed stone door opened, revealing someone’s figure.

Wi So-yeon, who noticed the person emerging from the entrance, momentarily turned her head to the side in embarrassment.

‘Wh-why?’

It was because Poison King Baek Sa-ha’s clothes had almost entirely melted away, leaving him nearly naked.

“Father!”

Seeing Baek Sa-ha like this, his second son, Baek So-gang, approached him with wide eyes and asked in a trembling voice:

“A-are your legs all right?”

“Kekeke, can’t you tell by looking?”

Baek So-gang couldn’t contain his emotions upon seeing his father, Baek Sa-ha, standing firmly on his two legs.

Hadn’t he been paralyzed from the waist down, unable to walk, as a side effect of not reaching the 8th level of the Wave Demon Poison Scripture?

Suddenly, he noticed a change in his father’s appearance.

“Huh? F-father… Could it be… Did you undergo a complete metamorphosis?”

“Complete metamorphosis!?”

At those words, Jang Neung-ak also stared at Baek Sa-ha with widened eyes.

His face, which looked as if he had rejuvenated by nearly thirty years, was completely different from before.

Not only were his clothes melted, but it seemed he had truly undergone a complete metamorphosis.

That meant,

‘He broke through his bottleneck?’

It signified the birth of a new master of the Transformation Realm within the Heaven and Earth Society.

At that moment, Wi So-yeon, who had been sneaking glances at the nearly naked Baek Sa-ha, hurriedly brought her hands together and said:

“Congratulations on achieving a great accomplishment!”

“C-congratulations on achieving a great accomplishment, Elder.”

Jang Neung-ak, who had been too shocked to speak, also congratulated Poison King Baek Sa-ha.

His mind became extremely complicated.

With this, he couldn’t afford to lose Poison King Baek Sa-ha’s support even more.

Not only was he already a master of poison techniques, but he had even reached the Transformation Realm on top of that. He needed to bring him to his side by any means necessary.

However,

“Kekekeke, I merely obtained a small achievement, but I’m grateful for your congratulations.”

“How can that be considered a small achievement? Father, I sincerely congratulate you on achieving a great accomplishment!”

“Thank you. But with my clothes like this, it’s truly embarrassing.”

“Ah!”

At Baek Sa-ha’s words, his second son, Baek So-gang, hurriedly took off his outer robe and handed it to his father.

Baek Sa-ha took the outer robe and quickly tied the sleeves around his waist to cover his important parts.

Seeing him like this, Jang Neung-ak thought it was a good opportunity and spoke up.

“Elder. How can we just let this day pass? Instead of this, we should go outside and celebrate your great accomplishment…”

“It’s fine.”

“Pardon? But…”

“I appreciate your congratulations on my achievement, but didn’t we already conclude our business earlier?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t we make a promise earlier? You said you would support me if I could stand up.”

“…”

At Baek Sa-ha’s words, Jang Neung-ak, the second disciple of the Society Leader, was at a loss for words.

He had tried not to miss this opportunity, thinking Baek Sa-ha would be in a good mood after achieving a great accomplishment.

But he hadn’t expected him to draw the line with what happened earlier.

“But Elder…”

“A man’s word is as good as gold. I don’t go back on my word.”

‘Damn it. This stubborn old man…’

Jang Neung-ak was angry, but he couldn’t express it.

That was because Baek Sa-ha’s energy, which was already strong, had intensified to an incomparable level compared to before.

Now, it was difficult to even gauge the difference between them.

‘…What should I do about this?’

Jang Neung-ak wasn’t the only one troubled by Baek Sa-ha’s resolute attitude of drawing the line.

The third disciple, Wi So-yeon, was also in a dilemma.

If they missed today, the opportunity to persuade him would become distant.

-Tap tap!

At that moment, Poison King Baek Sa-ha tapped the shoulder of his second son, Baek So-gang, and pointed to Mok Gyeong-un standing behind him with a nod, saying:

“From today onward, this child is my formal disciple and a new member of our clan. Treat him like your own younger brother.”

‘!?’