Chapter 83
“As far as I know, that healer only became famous after the Blood Calamity of the Eight.”
“Ah….”
“And when I finally rose from my bed, driven by the single-minded goal of reclaiming my brother, I thought my illness would be cured if I consumed various spiritual elixirs and cultivated. But that was my arrogance.”
“…….”
“That is why I have only now come to seek out that healer.”
“Sir, surely that healer isn’t someone connected to the Demonic Cult, are they?”
Sau provided the answer to that question.
“No. That Bewitching Healer is not associated with the Demonic Cult.”
“Young Master Sau, how can you be so certain?”
“Because I, too, have been digging for information on the Demonic Cult.”
“Do you, by any chance, have a grudge against the Demonic Cult?”
“Consider that question unheard.”
Namgung Jin’s gaze, fixed on Sau, sharpened.
“What?”
A taut tension flowed between the two men.
Ever since the great turmoil at his clan, Namgung Jin’s hostility toward the Demonic Cult seemed to have grown significantly.
At that moment, the ordered food arrived.
Soso placed the piping-hot dumplings onto the three men’s plates one by one, trying to soften the atmosphere that had settled over them.
Fortunately, Namgung Jin did not press Sau further, and it did not escalate into a major fight.
Soso took a large bite of a steaming dumpling. The juices that flooded her mouth were indescribably ecstatic.
Having polished off one dumpling in an instant, Soso shared the stories she had heard.
The story of how the Saber Emperor had died and the Hebei Peng Clan had been annihilated.
And even the story that the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night seemed to be searching for someone.
“The Saber Emperor… that elder is dead…?”
“It is unbelievable. It is truly a lamentable affair.”
The repercussions of the Saber Emperor’s death were immense.
Namgung Jin and Jegal Haesu could not hide their shock, letting out long, heavy groans.
Only Sau remained calm, as if he were the only one who already knew.
“Brother, how strong do you think the Heavenly Demon is?”
“If he managed to kill the Saber Emperor, he must have at least surpassed the Transformation Stage.”
“The Transformation Stage….”
For Jegal Haesu, it was a realm that felt like a dream. Even his own father, Jegal Cheon, had not reached the Transformation Stage.
“He might even be on par with my father.”
Namgung Jin said meaningfully.
Soso felt her mouth go dry, a sudden tension gripping her.
The Heavenly Demon, who might have once been a warrior of the Orthodox Factions.
And the Heavenly Demon, who might be searching for the Golden Divine Healer.
She felt as though she had grown much closer to that massive, mysterious existence.
No matter what situation arose, or what choice she made, she had a strange premonition that she would eventually meet him.
‘Will I end up treating the Heavenly Demon’s madness, just like the Golden Divine Healer did fifty years ago?’
It was a proposition she could not affirm as of now.
Just then, Sau, who had been silent, opened his lips.
“The Heavenly Demon might even be able to defeat the Emperor Sword God.”
“No matter how strong you are, I cannot forgive you if you insult my father.”
“It is not an insult, but a fact. The Heavenly Demon has already killed one of the Seven Emperors Under Heaven, has he not?”
“…….”
Namgung Jin bit his lower lip hard.
Oh dear, the atmosphere had turned sour again. Startled, Soso quickly intervened between the two men.
“In any case, isn’t our goal the same? Overthrow the Heavenly Demon! Overthrow the Demonic Cult! So please, do not fight.”
“…….”
“Fighting among ourselves will only lead to discord. Didn’t we decide to travel together because our views and desires are somewhat aligned?”
The words flowed out as if she had become a silver-tongued orator.
Living between a dragon and a tiger, she must have grown accustomed to mediating disputes.
Namgung Jin and Jegal Haesu nodded in agreement, as if they had made a pact to do so.
However,
“……I will not meet the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night.”
Sau suddenly stood up from his seat.
“Sir? Where are you going?”
“I will be waiting at a nearby inn. Come find me when you are finished.”
Sau left the tavern without even looking back.
Soso felt a bitter pang as she watched Sau’s retreating figure fade into a mere dot.
If no one else, Sau had treated her with warmth.
Even though she knew he was a man who did as he pleased, she felt a sudden sense of disappointment.
It was as if she had been shunned by someone she had known for a long time and shared her heart with.
……They weren’t even that close to begin with. It was a strange feeling.
‘Did I slip off the tongue? Or is he sulking because I didn’t take his side in the argument?’
But she couldn’t have taken Sau’s side in that situation.
Even if Sau had spoken the truth, his words could have been heard as an insult to the entire Namgung Clan.
Moreover, Namgung Jin was the benefactor who had saved her life.
“Young Lady Baek, please do not worry too much. If that man is offended and disappears, it might actually be to our benefit.”
“Yes, I know. He is, after all, a master whose true identity is unknown.”
“Indeed. While I do regret missing a martial contest with him, I care more for your safety than that.”
Soso nodded as well.
“Sami, I will tell you the rest of the story I was telling earlier.”
As if trying to change the mood that was beginning to drag, Jegal Haesu lively brought up another topic.
“There is one more reason why I dressed as a woman, besides what I told you at the fabric store.”
Ah, right, he was telling that story.
“I am curious about the reason as well!”
“Among the songs sung by wandering minstrels, there is a story related to the Bewitching Healer of the Moonlit Night.”
“A song?”
“Yes, a song related to the life of the Bewitching Healer.”
It is said that the Bewitching Healer had a younger sister named ‘Hanga’.
He originally lived as an ordinary healer alongside Hanga. He was not a miraculous healer like he is now.
However, the two of them obtained a fortuitous encounter and acquired a spiritual elixir called the Immortal Elixir.
If one consumed that elixir, they would not fall ill and could even wield miraculous powers.
The two promised to share the elixir, but for some reason, Hanga consumed it all by herself.
As a result, Hanga was reborn as a Medical Immortal, capable of curing all diseases.
Upon learning this, the Bewitching Healer was initially furious.
But he could not bring himself to truly hate Hanga, his beloved younger sister.
The Bewitching Healer lived as a wandering healer, wishing for Hanga’s happiness.
But after a long time, the Bewitching Healer was met with a shocking truth.
“……It was that Hanga had died.”
Hanga had used up all of her own innate vital energy to cure something that should not have been cured, and thus perished.
The Bewitching Healer regretted the fact that he had turned away from Hanga for so long.
If he had been by her side, could he not have prevented Hanga’s death?
“It is said that the Bewitching Healer still misses Hanga, who died before him.”
“What a tragic story……. But what does that story have to do with dressing as a woman?”
“The human-skin mask worn by the Bewitching Healer is difficult for even masters to gauge. However, he unconditionally speaks to any woman who reminds him of Hanga. He says, ‘Young lady, you resemble my younger sister.’”
“Gasp! I think I understand now! Young Master Jegal, you disguised yourself as the woman known as Hanga, didn’t you?”
“Our Sami is quite clever.”
Soso smiled faintly.
“However, Hanga’s appearance is not known. It is only known that she was a beauty whose looks were beyond dispute—the most beautiful under heaven.”
“If that is the case, Young Master, you are a perfect candidate. Let’s take off your veil later and show your beauty to the people. Then the Bewitching Healer will speak to you immediately.”
“Yes. I intend to take off the veil when the night deepens and the moon rises. So, Brother Namgung.”
“Why?”
“Guard me well. It would be troublesome if flies were to swarm this beautiful face, would it not?”
“……I am helping not for your sake, but for Young Lady Baek’s. Those flies might even pester her.”
“In any case, you certainly make it difficult to say you are helping.”
“Be grateful that I am helping at all.”
Soso chuckled again as she watched the two bickering. At the same time, she thought about what Jegal Haesu had told her.
‘That woman named Hanga, did she truly exist?’
Perhaps it was just a story made up by wandering minstrels based on the fact that the Bewitching Healer saw his sister in beautiful women.
But a strange thought occurred to her.
‘The person whose body and soul are not unified, whom the Bewitching Healer is searching for. Could it be Hanga?’
What if Hanga, who had already died and become a soul, had entered another body?
And what if the Bewitching Healer knew that fact?
0 Comments