Published at 26th of January 2026 9:37 am

Chapter 356

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"What did you just say?"

Heavenly Insight asked, his face twisted in a fierce scowl. Seeing that, I flinchedit was an incredibly frightening expression.

Oh dear.

Yu Chun-gil also flinched as he looked at Heavenly Insight.

Kid, be careful. That man is angry.

He didn't need to say itI could tell.

Who wouldn't notice that?

"Are you trying to joke with me? At a time like this, that wouldn't be a wise choice, would it?"

His face made it clear he had no intention of letting the matter pass, not even as a joke. Whatever answer I gave, it looked like he wouldn't listen.

The bowstring had already been drawn, the arrow already loosed. There was no taking it back.

So I had to move forward.

"It's not a joke."

"It's not a joke, huh...? Then you're saying you're serious. That makes it even worse."

"I will treat the Divine Spear myself."

At those words, a chilly smile grew on Heavenly Insight's facenaturally, it was a cold and angry smile.

'Wow.'

He was truly scary. I wondered where someone not even a martial artist could generate such an atmosphere.

"If you're protesting because you're dissatisfied with the task I assigned you, I could at least understand it. But if you're not jokingif you're dead seriousthen are you not simply mocking me?"

He had no medical knowledge at all, yet he volunteered to treat the Divine Spear.

That kind of response was understandable. No, actually, it would be weirder if he wasn't angry.

However

"I meant what I said. If the Divine Physician cannot help, then I am the only option left."

"... What do you mean?"

Heavenly Insight asked, his tone cold as ice. Even the slightest misstep, and I felt like I'd be sliced apart on the spot.

"The Divine Physician has passed away. I assume you've already heard?"

"..."

There was no answer. There was no way he didn't know; I had sent word long ago, even if nothing else

'There's no way he didn't have people in Shaanxi.'

There was no way the Murim Alliance hadn't stationed someone there.

Heavenly Insight had surely already received the news.

The Divine Physician.

More precisely, the news that the sect leader of Mount Hua had died was the start.

"... I heard."

After a long silence, Heavenly Insight finally answered.

Looking at him, it seemed he hadn't been refusing to answerhe had been thinking.

Or perhaps he had simply been waiting. I couldn't tell what his intentions were.

What mattered was

"What does that have to do with what you're saying now?"

Both Heavenly Insight and I

It was clear that this was not a conversation to be had while dwelling on emotions.

"The Divine Physician is dead. So if there's no way, that is understandable. But your words..."

A chilling gaze swept past me.

"It sounds as if you're claiming you can take his place."

Cold sweat beaded on my brow. Was this old man really incapable of using martial arts?

"That's right."

"Hah."

Heavenly Insight blew out a dry laugh.

"You speak nonsense. How dare you"

"The Divine Physician left me some words before he passed."

"... What did you say?"

"His creed. And that he could not go to Henan due to his physical condition, so he wished for me to fulfill his role. The divine pill brought from Mount Hua was for that same reason."

"No matter how extraordinary the Divine Physician may have been, do you believe your words make any sense?"

To replace the Divine Physician's role

In other words, I would need to possess the greatest medical skills in all the Central Plains.

"I've never heard you had any training in medicine. Are you going to say Yu Chun-gil made you do it?"

It seemed he had already thoroughly investigated me, and he even understood Yu Chun-gil's plan.

"I can only give you the benefit of the doubt so many times. And you say this is not a joke?"

"But this is the truth. I was taught medicine by the Divine Physician himself."

"... Is this brat!"

Just as Heavenly Insight was about to lash out at me

"That's why, right now, Strategistno, why I can examine Grandpa's condition as well."

"...!"

He froze on the spot.

"You"

"I will speak no more of this. It's not something Grandpa would want me to speak of right now. Right now I only hope you will trust my words."

"... You brat."

Heavenly Insight glared at me with burning eyes.

"That's nonsense. Even if the Divine Physician did pass his medical arts to you, what could you possibly have learned in such a short time?"

Even if the Divine Physician left his medical skills to me, it wouldn't change anything.

I needed a way to prove it.

For that

"First, please let me see the Alliance Leader. Whether I can do anything or notI will see for myself."

"..."

I needed to see the Divine Spear.

Hearing that, a frown creased Heavenly Insight's brow. A brief silence passed, and then

"There's one thing you must know."

He spoke to me in a calm, cold voice.

"You must bear full responsibility for what you have just said."

"..."

It was the scariest thing anyone had ever said to me.

"Yes."

I had no intention of backing down.

The Divine Physician had wanted me to learn medicine to stand in his stead.

Seventy percent of that statement was a lie.

He hadn't wanted me to take his place.

Nor had he taught me medical skills with that in mind.

This was

'I don't really know why, but...'

It was something I acquired as Sung Hun passed on.

His medical knowledge.

I possessed it now.

***

If you grant a ghost's request and help it find peace, your power increases.

That's something I realized after purifying an evil spirit and also after putting the Poison Sovereign to rest.

Otherwise, perhaps one's energy just increased from forcibly exorcising evil spirits, so I once thought it was all merely a matter of energy.

But

'That wasn't the case.'

Things changed a bit with Sung Hun's passage.

What he left me as he attained peace was the problem.

'... What's going on here?'

Things I never would have known otherwisethings I had no reason to even care about nor seek in the first place.

The knowledge called medicine: the understanding needed to heal and treat others.

I now possessed it.

After granting Sung Hun peace, an influx of information flooded into me.

I wasn't sure if this was all the knowledge he had amassed.

Nonetheless

'... I have to try.'

Since I gained it, I had to put it to use.

And it wasn't just anyone's knowledgeit was the Divine Physician's.

'I already checked if it was real.'

The knowledge was genuine. It might have been better had it simply been energy or something else, but

This was of considerable value.

Especially in the Central Plains, where medicine wasn't advanced.

"Welcome."

A martial artist greeted us. Accepting the greeting, Heavenly Insight and I made our way forward.

Inside, unknown numbers of guards filled the area.

There are many eyes.

I gave a small nod in response to Yu Chun-gil's warning.

It meant that there were countless unseen eyes on me.

Naturally.

'After all, this is where they're protecting the Divine Spear.'

Divine Spear.

The current leader of the Murim Alliance, gravely wounded. This was the room where he lay.

They had kept the information in the utmost secrecy and stationed only elite guards.

We entered a chamber inside the Alliance mansion. Heavenly Insight stepped forward and opened the door.

Creeeeak.

As the door opened

'Ugh?'

Suddenly assaulted by a foul smell, I had to pinch my nose.

Normally, I would have just taken it for a bad odor

"... Ki Fungus Scent."

At my muttered words, Heavenly Insight glanced at me, his eyes briefly widening.

Ki Fungus Scent was the odor you noticed when one's energy leaked out like wind.

The energy that should have remained in a martial artist's body was leaking uncontrollably to the outside.

In that process

'The smell of necrotic flesh, from skin unable to hold in energy.'

It was, literally, the stench of rotting flesh.

With the martial artist's energy lingering over it, it reeked with an especially strange, acrid odor.

'... If it's to the point that you can smell Ki Fungus Scent...'

That meant his condition was truly grave.

Understanding this, I looked inside the chamber. At that moment

"Hah."

I nearly reeled in shock.

In the center of the room lay an elder, seemingly dead.

Divine Spear's condition was displayed before my eyes in all its blunt reality.

A large man was collapsedit was the Divine Spear, lying there with his eyes closed.

'His abdominal area...'

The left side of his exposed torso, from the lower ribs up, was pitch black.

It looked almost as if it had burned away.

'... There it is.'

That was where the energy was leaking out from. But that wasn't all.

'This is...'

A transparent energy was flowing from his body.

Probably, I was the only one who could see it.

'His life force is draining away.'

His innate energy was steadily leaking out.

'It means death is approaching.'

Divine Spear's condition was that bad. One look was enough. That

'He should already be dead.'

His body was so far gone, it was amazing he was even alive.

'Tsk.'

I narrowed my eyes as I observed him. Even with such a ruined body, that was all the energy still leaking out?

'... Just how exceptional was his physical constitution?'

It meant he was holding things together with sheer force of will, even while unconscious.

Taking that into account

"I must ask."

Heavenly Insight's voice suddenly rang out beside me.

"Even after seeing that, can you still take responsibility for your words?"

"..."

His body was utterly destroyed. After the battle with the Broken Heaven Palace, he had been left like thiswas I truly capable of saving him?

"If you don't think it's possible, then don't even try. It would be faster to look for an alternative."

Heavenly Insight still didn't trust me. Naturallyif I were him, I wouldn't trust me either.

Also

'Should I even try?'

Seeing his condition, I wavered. How could anyone attempt to treat that? I started to regret ever offering. Hesitation filled me.

"... I don't know if I can take responsibility."

Still, my answer stayed the same.

"But shouldn't we at least try?"

I had to do something.

That thought crossed my mind.

'Ridiculous.'

I grimaced. Since when had I wanted to do something like this?

'Just what have you given me?'

Was Sung Hun's legacy really only medical knowledge?

The faint guilt I feel over trying to save this walking corpse nowwas it unrelated?

'I don't know.'

I wasn't sure. The fact that I volunteered as soon as I gained the medical knowledgemaybe there was some influence after all.

'This...'

Was it simply a prick of conscience, trying to save Divine Spear who had gotten wounded trying to save me?

Or maybe Sung Hun had done something after all.

If I said Sung Hun did it, that too would seem laughable.

He himself refused to save Divine Spear, yet he left it to me.

"You are..."

As I stood firm, Heavenly Insight tried to argue further.

Sssh.

But my body was already moving toward Divine Spear.

I approached and reached out my hand. That moment

Srrrk-!!!

Something touched my throat.

Martial artists, hidden until now, appeared from all directions, swords pointed at me.

They must have been the ones guarding the Alliance Leader.

A blade against my neck.

"Don't move, Moon Hero."

A cold warning.

Even as I listened to it

Srrrk.

My hand kept moving.

"Did you not hear us tell you to stop!"

Heavenly Insight began to yell at me.

"... Huh?"

But suddenly, he broke off in surprise.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

It's similar to what happened when Bang Sung-Yun worked on the Poison Sovereign's regret, and he got a bit of the Poison Sovereign's martial arts and energy. Only this time, it's more conscious.

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