Episode 168

The first thing I did after Am Hyeolhyang’s death was to find the three wandering warriors.

My body wasn’t fully recovered yet, and the exhausting battle had drained my energy, but none of that mattered.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I set out to find them.

“Please, please!”

I knew realistically it was unlikely they were still alive.

With the skill Am Hyeolhyang had shown, she could have easily killed all three before I had a chance to meet them again.

But I threw all rational judgment aside.

All I could do was fervently pray in my heart that they were still alive.

—Warrior Jang! Warrior Jong! Warrior Gong!

I called out to them with my inner energy, searching desperately.

The first to respond was Warrior Gong.

“Seonwoo Gongja?! Is that really you?”

He seemed to have not yet encountered Am Hyeolhyang, judging by his completely unharmed state.

What a relief.

My heart swelled with gratitude upon confirming he was safe.

“Warrior Gong! You’re alive!”

“Seonwoo Gongja! Why are you here? How’s your body…?”

“I’m fine! I’m all right now!”

I was so thankful he was alive, tears threatening to spill.

But I couldn’t relax and talk with him just yet.

I still had to find Warriors Jang and Jong.

I hoisted Gong onto my back and dashed like a storm in the direction he indicated.

It was the way Jang and Jong had fled.

But knowing the direction alone didn’t make finding them easy.

Only after some time did we finally locate him.

Warrior Jang, collapsed and bleeding from a pierced chest.

“Warrior Jang!”

“Brother!”

He was unconscious, as if dead.

But checking his pulse, I confirmed he was still breathing.

He wasn’t dead yet.

I shouted to Gong.

“He’s alive! He’s still breathing!”

“Oh, heavens and gods! Thank you! Thank you!”

Gong wept with joy, embracing him tightly.

I suspected Am Hyeolhyang had deliberately left him alive, perhaps to interrogate him again if none of them found me.

What a blessing.

Though her intentions were sinister, at this moment I wanted to thank her for sparing him.

I quickly stemmed Jang’s bleeding and crushed the medicinal pills I had, forcing them into his mouth.

Then I told Gong, “I’ll look for Warrior Jong. Please take care of Jang.”

“Understood! We must find Jong too!”

If Am Hyeolhyang truly spared Jang for that reason, Jong was likely still alive as well.

He was probably collapsed somewhere, bleeding like Jang.

We had to find him quickly.

Judging by the direction, he was likely the first to be attacked by Am Hyeolhyang, so he was probably in critical condition from blood loss.

There was no time to waste.

But tracking him down by direction alone was just as difficult.

“Warrior Jong!”

When I finally found him, he too was collapsed on the ground, bleeding.

My heart sank.

The amount of blood pooled around him was alarming.

“Warrior Jong!”

I rushed over and checked his body.

But his face was pale, drained of all color, and he had no pulse.

His body was growing cold.

I tried desperately to rouse him.

“Warrior Jong! Wake up! Please, wake up!”

But, of course, he didn’t respond.

The quiet, gentle smile he always wore was now frozen in deathly stillness.

“Damn it!”

I refused to give up.

I planned to inject my inner energy into his heart.

I remembered reading that if you could get the heart beating again, even the dead could be revived.

But then, suddenly, Mukrang’s voice echoed in my mind.

—Stop. That method only works if the heart stopped from shock. It’s useless for blood loss.

“What?! But…!”

Useless? His words felt like a cruel betrayal.

Still, I couldn’t give up.

Then he spoke again.

—I trust you. My master was skilled in medicine, and I learned some myself. Listen carefully: that method won’t save him.

His words snapped me to attention.

He was saying that method wouldn’t work to save Jong.

Which meant there was another way.

I hurriedly asked, “Then how? What should I do?”

He sighed and answered.

—First, stop the bleeding. Then… I can’t guarantee success, but the only option is to supply him with the blood he’s lost.

His suggestion was strange—something I’d never heard before.

“Supply him with blood?”

I couldn’t understand.

Was I supposed to feed him blood?

But I’d never heard that drinking blood would increase blood volume.

He explained further.

—Yes. Artificially inject blood into his veins. It’s not easy to do here, and there’s no guarantee he’ll survive. Blood types matter—some blood matches, some doesn’t. You’ll have to use your own blood. If it doesn’t match, he’ll die because of it.

Inject blood into his veins.

That made sense.

At least directly putting blood into his vessels could replenish what he’d lost.

And the fact that blood compatibility mattered made his explanation more credible.

“So, you mean I have to give him my blood, and it has to be compatible for him to survive?”

I mulled over his words, then asked again.

“If I don’t give him blood, he’s going to die anyway, right?”

—Exactly. So this is the only chance.

“Then there’s no other choice. Please tell me how.”

Following Mukrang’s instructions, I stopped Jong’s bleeding, then took a small piece of gold from the amulet I carried.

Using my inner energy, I stretched it into a very thin, long strip.

Then I carefully pulled out a slender steel needle and drilled a tiny hole through the gold strip.

That would be the tube to inject the blood.

Mukrang continued.

—His body temperature is just starting to drop, so blood flow must have stopped recently. This is a race against time. Sterilize the gold tube with fire, then fill it with your blood, making sure no air gets in. Air bubbles in the veins will kill him. Then insert it precisely into the blue vein on his arm. After that, use your inner energy to push your blood through.

I focused intensely, executing every step perfectly without error.

After a moment of pushing my blood through the gold tube into him, Mukrang spoke again.

—Stop now. Watch his condition. Now all you can do is hope your blood is compatible. Next, inject inner energy into his heart to restart circulation.

With all my hope, I followed Mukrang’s orders.

“Please, please. Warrior Jong, please.”

As I prayed, I finally saw color slowly returning to Jong’s face.

His pulse began beating steadily.

Clenching my fist, I shouted in triumph.

“It’s working! It’s working! Master Geomshin, it’s really working!”

—Hahaha! That’s a relief! To think the blood you gave without testing would save a life—your fates truly are intertwined! Hahaha!

Mukrang sounded proud too.

I couldn’t stop smiling in my head.

I clasped my hands tightly and gave thanks to the heavens.

For giving me a second chance at life, and for bringing Mukrang to me.

After sharing a moment of joy with Mukrang, I resumed supplying blood to Jong.

Now that I knew it worked, I wanted to give him enough.

And after a while, Jong finally came back to life.

That was a joy far greater than defeating Am Hyeolhyang and surviving.

Afterward, Gong and I fashioned stretchers and carried Jang and Jong to a nearby clinic in Geumsa.

The doctor, reputed to be skilled, assured us that with proper rest, both would recover fully.

It was an immense relief.

---

“Well, I was wondering how I could ever repay my debt, but instead I’ve only fallen deeper into it.”

Warrior Jang, lying in the clinic room, smiled weakly at me.

Beside him, Warrior Jong looked even worse, pale and apologetic, but smiling faintly.

I had rented an entire annex at the clinic’s expense so only the three of us were there.

There was no one else in the room.

It cost a fair amount, but after robbing the Heuksang gang and becoming rich, it was no burden.

Besides, I’d recently looted all the hidden wealth of the Sicheon Salmun’s leader.

I chuckled and replied.

“You dream big. To think you’d dream of repaying me. This time, I’ll make sure you never even dream such foolishness again.”

I hadn’t just spent money on the annex.

I’d used up all my medicinal pills, so I bought a huge stock of them for the three of us.

I practically swept the entire supply of medicinal pills near Geumsa.

Of course, back at the Biryong Thirteen, the warehouse of the Chiljo was still packed with medicines.

But isn’t it a waste of time to go all the way there just to bring them back?

Besides, these aren’t elixirs of summoner-tier rarity, so the price isn’t really a burden.

What’s left is money, after all. There’s no need to be stingy.

I entrusted all of them to the physician, asking that they be used for their treatment. Once they recover, I figured they’d be in far better health than before.

I felt a swell of pride.

“Hm, so this is what it’s like to enjoy spending money.”

As I quietly thought this to myself, feeling satisfied, Master Jang looked at me apologetically.

“Gongja, you really didn’t have to go to such lengths. Even a simple treatment would have healed us quickly.”

He seemed genuinely uneasy.

Even though I joked to ease his worries, he still looked so sorry. It seemed he simply couldn’t stand owing anyone anything.

I sighed and answered him seriously.

“Master Jang, don’t you see? The ones who owe a debt are actually me. If the three of you hadn’t risked your lives to help me, my story would have ended right there. So you wagered your most precious things to save mine. How could you think I owe you anything over mere money? And…”

Suddenly, I took his hand firmly and continued.

“As you said when you saved me, aren’t we already close friends? Do you really want to make me out to be some miserly scoundrel who begrudges spending money even to save a friend?”

Sometimes, a single touch can convey warmth and meaning far better than words.

I think this was one of those moments.

When I held his hand, he didn’t reply with words but squeezed mine tightly, sending his feelings through the warmth of his touch.

A deep sense of gratitude and fondness passed between us.

After that, we all relaxed and shared stories about what had happened.

They were very curious about life on the front lines and about everything I had been through.

Above all, they wanted to hear about the death of Amhyeolhyang.

“…And that’s how it happened.”

“Ha, the world is full of strange geniuses. To think there was someone capable of killing Amhyeolhyang, the king of assassins, so easily.”

I couldn’t bring myself to reveal the secret of Mukrang, so I told them that an unknown deceased appeared, killed Amhyeolhyang, and saved me.

I recounted what had been done to my body as if I had witnessed it from the sidelines, which felt a bit strange.

Then, Master Gong suddenly asked me,

“Could that unknown deceased have been Seoil, the Poisoned Blade?”

“…Excuse me? Who?”

The absurdity of the question made me frown involuntarily.

Master Gong pressed on.

“Well, it’s not like there are many who could kill Amhyeolhyang so easily. He must be one of the Fifteen Absolutes. And if so, wouldn’t it be Seoil, who was nearby until recently?”

I chuckled dryly and shook my head firmly.

“Absolutely not. I’ve been with him, so I can say for sure: even if he had the ability, he’s not the type to do something like that.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Master Gong looked skeptical, tilting his head.

Master Jang, who was lying down, added,

“Yes, I think Sunwoo Gongja is right. You’ve been with him, so you know him well. Besides, Seoil is supposed to face off against the Sword Saint soon, isn’t he? He probably went straight there.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Master Gong nodded as if he understood.

But I was the one who couldn’t wrap my head around it.

“…Excuse me? Master Jang? Did you say Seoil is going to duel someone?”

He looked surprised and asked me back.

“Surely you’ve heard? It’s the most famous rumor in the martial world right now. Seoil, the Poisoned Blade, recently challenged the Heavenly Sword Saint, Ha Eunbaek. The duel is set to take place at the Biryongdae headquarters, and that day… ah! That day is today!”

“Oh, now that you mention it, it really is today! The day has come so fast! I want to see that scene with my own eyes…”

“Me too, I must see it…”

They kept talking, but their words faded into the background as I was lost in thought.

‘Seoil challenged the Sword Saint?’

How had I missed such an important rumor? I must have been too focused on the Sunwoo family affairs to pay attention to other news.

‘Seoil challenging the Sword Saint?’

That just didn’t add up.

I knew both of them personally.

Seoil was no match for the Sword Saint.

But the problem was, Seoil probably knew that too.

He only fought battles he was sure to win, and if he ever lost, he’d kill his opponent to prevent revenge. There was no way he’d challenge a fight he was bound to lose.

‘Then…’

If Seoil really did challenge the Sword Saint, it must not have been his own idea.

And whoever was behind it was almost certainly someone I knew.

I clenched my fist and thought of the name.

‘Jegal Jigang!’

A military commander of the Martial Alliance and currently known as the greatest strategist in the land.

He was also the one who knew the Sword Saint better than anyone else.

Jegal Jigang wouldn’t have devised a plan doomed to fail.

Seoil wouldn’t fight a losing battle either.

So they must have arranged things so that Seoil would be forced to win, no matter what.

‘Damn it!’

I sprang to my feet.

The Sword Saint was not only the father of Cheongyeon Sojeo but also the first truly respectable elder I ever met.

He was the kind of man who felt like a real father figure, even before my own father.

If he had fallen into Jegal Jigang’s trap, I couldn’t just stand by.

I hurriedly apologized to the three warriors.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”

They exchanged glances, puzzled, but nodded immediately.

“It seems this matter is connected to you somehow. Go quickly, Gongja.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry about us. We’ve already been treated far better than we deserve.”

“…Thank you.”

Just as I was about to leave, feeling relieved by their understanding, I hesitated for a moment and pulled a letter from my belongings.

It was the letter my father had written to the head of the Tang family.

I wanted to deliver it myself.

I wanted to properly express the feelings I’d come to understand while staying with the Sunwoo family.

But it seemed I wouldn’t be able to.

“I have a favor to ask of you three. After you’ve recovered…”