Chapter 67: Divine Doctor (4)

Hundreds of people are kneeling in rows inside the wide, dark room.

A man slowly walks among the black martial robes, none of which bear any markings.

The demonic energy the man subtly exuded caused the kneeling demonic followers to tremble as one.

Solely forward.

The man’s gaze was fixed on the end of this long path.

[I am glad you seem to have returned unharmed.]

The man’s steps quicken slightly at the calm voice heard from the end of the path.

Ssssuuuuuuu.

[Grrrk….]

[Ggggrrrraaaak!]

The demonic energy emanating from the man’s footsteps, amplified by emotion, crushed everything around him.

[Oh my, you seem quite angry.]

Despite this, the fellow casually sat on a barrier, taking a leisurely sip of alcohol.

The man growled upon seeing that.

[Are you satisfied now?]

Demonic energy mixed with his short utterance.

It was surely due to his turbulent emotions.

[Satisfied with what?]

At the fellow’s words, the demonic energy that had spread throughout the area suddenly attacked, but it dispersed and vanished just before reaching him.

Grrrrid.

The sight before him made him clench his teeth involuntarily.

The damn Heavenly Demon’s power was still protecting that bastard.

[Great Master, this primitive me cannot understand why you are so angry.]

The fellow swept his long hair back with his hand.

A deep scar running across his cheek and eye was noticeable.

[We successfully conquered Sichuan as planned, and managed to drive out the Tang family in the process.]

And within it, Poisonous Sister met her death alone.

[The war also had unexpected deaths, but ultimately, we gained more, didn’t we?]

We eliminated most of the major figures of the Orthodox faction and succeeded in ousting the Alliance Leader under the pretext of irresponsibility.

However, Sword Master Ma died.

[What is the problem?]

The fellow’s voice, tinged with laughter, tickled his ears.

He covered his mouth with the fan he was delicately waving.

The man endured a throbbing headache.

[Great Master.]

The fellow called me.

Zhuge Hyuk.

Among the countless demonic followers, he was alone, both a demonic follower and not.

The fellow, who had become the backbone of the Demonic Cult with just his tongue, wore only a foxy smile as he looked at the man.

[Everything is the Cult Leader’s will.]

[They say you cannot hide the sky with your palm, yet you try to obscure the sun with your mouth.]

[Great Master, what exactly displeases you so much? Is it perhaps because some woman died?]

Kwah-duh-duh-duh!

The heat that erupted instantly engulfed the large room, but the flames, regrettably, did not reach the fellow.

[Ggggaaaaaaaak!]

[My body…! My body is burning!]

The flames that burst forth began consuming the innocent demonic followers, but the man’s gaze remained fixed solely on Zhuge Hyuk.

Zhuge Hyuk smiled lightly, as if finding it immensely amusing.

[Your subordinates are all burning, Great Master. Please reduce your anger.]

The flames spreading throughout the area showed no signs of subsiding.

As the man’s emotions surged, the flames rose even hotter.

Sichuan became land that could no longer be trod upon due to the war between the demonic followers and the Tang family, and within the poisonous mist, Poisonous Sister met her end alone.

Sword Master Ma, who had swung her sword under the moonlight, gazing only at the sky, eventually closed her eyes searching for the moon.

The moon and sky she loved so dearly were now hidden by dark clouds, no longer visible.

So what remained?

Nothing remained.

One would think he knew better than anyone that sacrifice is inherently like that.

Why was he so angry?

Was it because even after abandoning his humanity, a shred of attachment remained?

It was a ridiculous contradiction.

The hand that had reached to grasp the fellow’s neck slowly lowered.

The internal energy radiating heat along his back also gradually subsided.

Zhuge Hyuk chuckled upon seeing that, making a ‘kuk kuk’ sound.

[Have your thoughts settled a bit now?]

[Shut up. I’m barely holding back the urge to rip your mouth open.]

[I hope you are not mistaken, Great Master.]

Zhuge Hyuk, continuing his words, slightly opened his closed eyes.

[We all came here by ‘choice’, didn’t we? Your attitude is not beneficial to our Cult.]

[What are you trying to say?]

[Please always remember that only the Cult Leader exists above you.]

Zhuge Hyuk tapped the man’s shoulder with his folded fan.

Clenching his teeth, the man glared fiercely at Zhuge Hyuk before finally turning his back.

If he had summoned him just for this kind of idle chat, it was a pointless meeting.

[Heavenly Venerate has died.]

The voice was still audible, but the man ignored it and continued walking.

[Lord of Supremacy will likely die tonight as well.]

He didn’t stop.

[Sword Venerate lost an arm, so the Heavenly Demon won’t need to make any extra effort.]

His steps, which had continued, reached the doorknob.

[So, who do you think is left now?]

Thud.

He couldn’t help but stop at the end of Zhuge Hyuk’s laughter-filled words.

The man did not turn his back.

He couldn’t be sure if the expression he wore was alright.

[Think carefully. The Cult Leader will surely entrust it to you.]

Crrunch.

It was the sound of metal crumpling.

The doorknob the man held warped under his grip.

[I sincerely hope you make the right choice, Great Master.]

The laughter-tinged voice now defiled his ears.

The man burst through the door as if breaking it down, unfurling his inner energy and shouting.

The man, who had been screaming as if spitting blood, quickly gasped for breath.

After standing like that for a while, the man moved his feet again.

He barely managed to compose the expression distorted by rage.

Demonic energy still surged within him, but he couldn’t show it.

The man slowly moved forward.

His next destination was Henan.

---

The Heavenly Demon was an absurd being, making one think he might have transcended humanity after shedding his mortal form.

But in the end, he is just one person.

No matter how strong he is, the Demonic Cult, gathered as demonic followers centered around the Heavenly Demon, is ultimately a single organization.

If you consider it a small group, especially since each individual demonic follower is steeped in madness, it’s certainly not a normal state.

In such a situation, the reason the Demonic Cult reached a level capable of swallowing the entire land was solely due to one man.

It was the biggest reason why Sichuan, where the Four Great Families and the First of the Evil Sects were located, could disappear due to the Demonic Cult.

It was the reason the Nine Orthodox Schools, and even the Murim Alliance, the heart of the Orthodox faction, collapsed.

Cheon Yu-rang-a Zhuge Hyuk, known as the brain of the Demonic Cult, the Heavenly Demon’s mouth and ears.

The eccentric individual I desperately wanted to find first after my regression.

The very person I had to harbor even a slight anxiety over because I couldn’t find him easily was now before my eyes.

“Why are you here?”

Anger involuntarily mixed into my voice.

His appearance, looking a few years younger than me now, with white streaks covering half of his black hair.

Since his bangs covered half his face, I brushed them aside with my hand.

“…??”

The hideous scar that had covered half his face in my past life was gone.

Or perhaps, it wasn’t there yet.

“Hey.”

I called out to him.

He didn’t answer, merely meeting my gaze.

Even after a little time passed, he remained silent.

Is he ignoring me?

The thought made me uncontrollably furious.

A chilling sensation rose from my dantian.

The killing intent I had suppressed surged uncontrollably to the top of my head.

‘Ah, should I just kill him right now?’

Such thoughts filled my mind.

In reality, I wanted to kill him anyway, so there was no need to hesitate…

[Gah-!]

“…!”

Shin Noya’s sudden shout snapped me back to my senses.

[What are you doing, not even keeping your wits about you! Get off him at once!]

Get off? Off what?

As I thought that, I realized my hand was already gripping the fellow’s neck.

‘…When?’

What was I trying to do just now?

A chilling sensation passed the end of my throat.

Even with my emotional state and younger body, did I really reach out without thinking?

Something felt off.

I might have been overcome with anger and acted recklessly, but I couldn’t have lost control this much.

‘…Something.’

It felt as if I was being controlled by something…

“What are you doing!”

As someone shouted, I was forcefully pushed aside with a ‘kung’ and fell over.

I rolled forcefully on the grass floor, groaning, and barely managed to regain my posture.

“…Showing up out of nowhere and what are you doing now?”

It was a sharp, clear voice.

Shifting my gaze, the plum blossom attire of Hua San appeared first.

I saw the bobbed hair that slightly passed her shoulders and the upturned eyes characteristic of that damn family.

Yet, her face, which didn’t look particularly fierce, was likely because she resembled someone else more than the Gu family.

In a way, it was my sister, whom I met after a long time.

Though I never expected such a crappy reunion.

Gu Ryeonhwa kept shouting at me.

“Just seeing your face is overwhelming enough, why are you trying to bother me again!”

“What are you suddenly…”

“What were you trying to do to someone who can’t even speak? Did you think I’d get hurt if you did that because he’s important to me?”

“What?”

“How could you come all the way here…”

What did Gu Ryeonhwa just say?

Who can’t speak…?

I shifted my gaze to Zhuge Hyuk with surprised eyes.

He still had a blank expression.

Even though a stranger had suddenly gripped his neck tightly, he was merely touching it slightly, his expression unchanged.

‘He can’t speak?’

The thought that the person I thought was Zhuge Hyuk was mute made my mind go blank for a moment.

…Is it not him?

He had no scar, and he couldn’t speak.

The only things overlapping were his age group and the white streaks.

It might not be him, depending on how you look at it.

Somehow, I knew.

That crouching boy was indeed Zhuge Hyuk.

[First, compose yourself.]

At Shin Noya’s words, I first organized my breathing.

As soon as I left the Sect Leader’s quarters, Shin Noya reappeared, complaining indignantly about how frustrating it must be to be unable to speak.

I couldn’t know for sure if this was due to the quarters or Mae Hwa-seon’s power.

However, there wasn’t enough time to investigate immediately.

It was because as soon as Mae Hwa-seon came outside, she ordered a disciple to assign lodging for the remaining people to rest before leaping high into the air.

Since she had told me to follow, I also leaped quickly to keep up.

‘…What is going on?’

A place a little far from the Hua San Sect.

An old cabin nestled in a beautifully grown forest, fitting the atmosphere.

Zhuge Hyuk was there.

Gu Ryeonhwa, whom I met after a long time, was beside him, but I couldn’t help but approach the person before me as if mesmerized.

Shin Noya asked.

[Do you know this child?]

‘….’

[It’s hard to deny it when the fellow has never acted so wildly within the body before.]

I hadn’t even used my internal energy, so what happened inside my body?

As I barely managed to calm my body, Mae Hwa-seon approached.

“It seems you two are much closer than I thought.”

It was a sudden, out-of-the-blue remark.

“What do you mean…?”

“You got angry because your sister was with another man, didn’t you?”

“…What?”

Good heavens, what kind of crazy talk is that?

As expected of Mae Hwa-seon, it seems flowers were blooming in her head.

At Mae Hwa-seon’s words, Gu Ryeonhwa’s face contorted severely.

She glanced back and forth between Zhuge Hyuk and me, then shuddered as if creeped out.

She looked like she wanted to scream, but seemed to be holding back because the person before her was her sect’s leader.

Kiiiieeeeek.

Meanwhile, the cabin door slowly opened.

The one who came out after opening the door was a thin old man with snow-white hair.

Who is this…?

[He doesn’t seem like a martial artist.]

Even I could see that.

Looking at his body and aura, he didn’t seem like a martial artist.

However, since Sword Venerate had a similar appearance, it wasn’t something to assume lightly.

The old man glanced around before opening his mouth.

“Why the hell are you making such a racket in someone else’s yard!”

At the old man’s words, Mae Hwa-seon let out a good-natured laugh.

“Imperial Physician! I’ve arrived!”

At Mae Hwa-seon’s words, the old man’s brow furrowed deeply.

“You damn bastard… Hiding a busy person in the mountains and then showing up now, acting like you did nothing wrong!”

Calling the Sect Leader of Hua San like that…

Conversely, Mae Hwa-seon seemed unfazed, even after hearing such harsh words.

As if unbothered by the old man’s words, Mae Hwa-seon pointed towards me instead.

“Please take a look at this child, Imperial Physician!”

At Mae Hwa-seon’s fingertip, the old man glanced at me.

His gaze was the epitome of annoyance, so I remained silent, unsure of what to say.

The old man quickly averted his gaze and shouted at Mae Hwa-seon.

“There’s nothing wrong, so get lost, you pig-nosed brat!”

Thump!

The cabin door closed once more.

In the ensuing silence, I subtly asked Mae Hwa-seon.

“Who is that person…?”

Mae Hwa-seon awkwardly stroked his beard before answering.

“Just a doctor I know. Seems a bit sensitive today.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Now, let’s go inside first.”

“Yes? Didn’t that person just say not to come in…?”

Mae Hwa-seon burst into laughter at my question.

“He told you to get lost, not not to come in, so it’s fine.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Whether he didn’t hear me or chose to ignore it, Mae Hwa-seon yanked the cabin door open and just walked in.

-Imperial Physician!

-Hey you… you fucking bastard…!

I couldn’t regain my composure from the shouts that immediately erupted from inside the cabin.

For some reason, I saw Elder Lee’s image superimposed on the highly skilled Taoist of Hua San.

I felt like I understood why the two of them were close…