Episode 23
In the end, Bisa-yeong did not kill the old man.
No—he chose not to.
He had only snapped at the old man, who kept insisting that he kill him.
“If I kill you now, what then? Will you just create more like me? Or will Dakam and that kid die along with you?”
The old man was left speechless, and Bisa-yeong spat out his words harshly.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Just repay your debts as much as you can while you’re still alive.”
“Repay them while I’m still alive?” the old man echoed.
Bisa-yeong turned to me and said, “I’m not very smart, but my clever friend here seems to need your knowledge. If we’re going to storm the Blood Sect later, we’ll need information. So spill everything you know—about the Blood Sect, herbs, poisons—everything!”
The old man looked at him with deep, thoughtful eyes and asked, “…Do you really think that will be enough?”
“Damn it! Enough or not, just do it! Stop poking at me! Ugh! I can’t even curse properly in front of the kids.”
Though he’d already cursed plenty, I decided not to point that out.
We gently patted his shoulder, offering silent support.
In all my past and present lives—except for the moment I died behind someone—today, Bisa-yeong looked the coolest he ever had.
After a moment of thought, the old man, Seok Gyeongdal, said to Dakam, “Go fetch what we prepared last time.”
To our disbelief, Dakam returned carrying a pill emitting a deep, rich fragrance.
The old man explained, “It might not be the Great Pill, but it should be at least the Summoning Pill. Don’t think of it as an apology—just say you found it on the road.”
Bisa-yeong, flustered, shouted, “W-what?! You think giving me this will make me forgive you?! I’m not that kind of person!”
But as he blankly accepted it, it seemed like he was already softening.
We smiled warmly and congratulated him.
“You always complained about never having taken an elixir, and now look—you got your wish.”
“Yeah, a pill on par with the Summoning Pill—congratulations.”
“Now, Sayoung can grow rapidly. Get ready; we’re going to push you harder.”
But Bisa-yeong, still staring at the pill, held it out to us and said, “Let’s share this.”
We blinked in surprise at his unexpected offer, and he hurriedly explained.
“No, no hidden meaning. If the external energy exceeds a certain level, you get possessed by the coin demon, right? I don’t want that. Plus, Jin needs internal power right away, and the Chief and Young Master Cheong need to get stronger to protect me better! That’s all I mean. So…”
He rambled on, but we understood his heart perfectly.
Today, he seemed determined to be impressive.
Chief Seolpoong smiled warmly and said, “Alright, for your sake, I’ll do my best to get stronger. But I don’t need an elixir right now. I’m stuck at the eighty-year internal power limit. Without enlightenment, I can’t build any more.”
Young Master Cheong Yeon also smiled and replied, “Same here. Even if I took an elixir now, I wouldn’t be able to accumulate more internal power, so I’ll just take the sentiment.”
Ordinary people could only build internal power up to sixty years’ worth. No matter how many elixirs they took, their capacity was full, and they couldn’t accumulate more.
But if they achieved enlightenment—breaking through the peak barrier—their capacity would expand, allowing them to build up to seventy years’ worth.
With further enlightenment, they could reach eighty years, and so on, step by step, until finally surpassing the hundred-year internal power barrier, earning the title of “Transcendent.”
If there were no limits to this capacity, wealthy elites who hoarded elixirs would have all become the strongest martial artists by now. So, it was nature’s way of keeping things fair.
Seolpoong and Cheong Yeon were currently stuck at these limits, unable to build more internal power.
Seolpoong was probably blocked at the eighty-year barrier, and Cheong Yeon at the sixty-year peak.
Listening to our conversation with a bewildered expression, old man Seok Gyeongdal said, “In all my years, I’ve seen many fights over elixirs, but never have I seen people willingly give way to each other. What kind of people are you?”
We exchanged glances.
He was right.
The Summoning Pill was something no martial artist would share, especially since it was nearly impossible to obtain without fate. And even if they couldn’t take it immediately, who would refuse an elixir?
Except for the people standing right in front of me.
The warmth we felt from each other was incredibly comforting.
The old man waved his hand irritably and said, “My life feels pointless now. Stop bothering this old man and just eat it quickly. And don’t worry about the coin demon possession.”
“…Excuse me? You say we don’t need to worry about coin demon possession?”
Cheong Yeon and I were the first to grasp the meaning behind his words.
We looked at each other, startled.
We’d long wondered why Blood Sect members who build internal power by absorbing others’ energy never got possessed by the coin demon.
Swallowing hard, I asked, “Is there some secret method?”
He smiled knowingly and replied, “You’re about to learn one of the Blood Sect’s greatest secrets.”
He then pulled out a pouch filled with black pills.
“These are poison pills.”
“Poison pills?”
“Yes, pills containing a very mild poison.”
He went on to explain.
Blood Sect members, who had long built internal power by absorbing others’ energy, discovered that regularly ingesting a mild poison prevented coin demon possession.
“To put it simply, coin demon possession happens when impure internal power clashes with pure internal power inside the body. But with an external enemy present, the two don’t conflict.”
It was jaw-dropping.
“But how has this never been revealed until now?”
He chuckled. “Didn’t I say it’s one of the Blood Sect’s biggest secrets? Besides, even if someone with these poison pills dies and they’re taken away, they’re just poison pills. What’s so special about a Blood Sect member carrying them?”
Sigh.
Despite countless historical attempts to exterminate the Blood Sect and kill the Blood Demons, they survived because becoming a Blood Sect member made it easy to build internal power.
They could quickly reach the top tier, making it easier to increase the number of peak masters.
Of course, because they built internal power so easily, achieving further enlightenment was harder, but that was enough to be considered strong in the martial world.
And now, we had just learned that secret.
Suddenly, Cheong Yeon said, “Since we’re on the topic, why don’t both of you take the elixir now? After all, Master Sunwoo has a duel waiting as soon as he returns.”
The Chief agreed. “I’m with you. Now that we’ve found a way, there’s no reason to hesitate.”
I thought the same.
So, Bisa-yeong and I took the elixir and immediately began circulating our energy.
Old man Seok Gyeongdal, the Chief, and Young Master Cheong watched us with pleased expressions.
At that moment, Dakam, who had been watching nearby, suddenly asked his younger brothers, “Where’s big brother Raccoon?”
“Raccoon hyung? Dakam hyung went out at dawn looking for him because he didn’t come back.”
“Really? He didn’t wander off too far, did he?”
Meanwhile, near the Poison Forest.
Bang!
“Kyaaah!”
With the sound of a leather sack bursting, a massive black panther let out a pitiful scream as it was flung away.
It was the same black panther that had fought Seolpoong earlier.
True to its feline nature, the panther righted itself midair and landed on the ground, but it couldn’t stop the burly man from pouncing on it.
Bang!
“Kyaaah!”
The man’s strike landed squarely on the panther’s head, and with a scream, it collapsed, unable to rise again.
The men watching the fight held their breath, then broke into cheers.
“Whoa! As expected of the Blood Demon Army! Taking down such a formidable beast in one blow!”
“Of course! How could such a creature stand a chance against a Blood Demon officer who served the Blood Demon and fought valiantly in the last holy war?”
Ignoring their praise, Blood Demon Officer Ji Gwangok ordered, “Don’t kill it. Take it with us. A black panther with poison—interesting. The Blood Demon might want to see it.”
“Yes, sir!”
As some subordinates bound the panther tightly, one sly-looking man spoke to Ji Gwangok with a flattering tone.
“I don’t understand why the Blood Demon himself would come all this way to collect poison. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, if you ask me. Even the Blood Demon might have gone too far this time.”
Ji Gwangok’s fierce gaze turned on him.
“Do you dare question the Blood Demon’s judgment?”
The sycophantic man’s face instantly paled.
“N-no! I just thought it might be inconvenient for the officer to come here personally…”
Crack!
He never finished his sentence.
Ji Gwangok’s heavy hand crushed his skull like a watermelon.
Jikwang-ok stared expressionlessly at the lifeless body of his subordinate, who had collapsed after losing his head.
“Those who do not obey the Blood Demon are of no use to the sect.”
The others swallowed hard at the simplicity of their comrade’s death and hurried to finish capturing the leopard.
Jikwang-ok, a Blood Demon hunter who had distinguished himself as a hound of Sa Hyeol’s Blood Demon during the last Great Blood Battle, lived up to his fearsome reputation.
His lethality, his savagery—it was all as the rumors said.
They had been ordered by the Blood Demon to collect a highly toxic poison from the Poison Forest, and now they had arrived.
Originally, the team consisted of one peak-level expert and seven top-tier fighters, but this time, Jikwang-ok had come along as their overseer.
Among the Blood Cultists, he was notorious for being ruthless and unyielding, and his presence made everyone tense.
Moreover, they had just arrived in the Poison Forest, and already three had died.
Two had been killed by the black leopard, of course, but while those two were being torn apart, Jikwang-ok had only watched with a curious glint in his eyes—effectively allowing their deaths.
And just moments ago, he had personally slain the only peak-level expert among them.
It was painfully clear how little he regarded them.
Now, all the Blood Cultists wanted was to gather the poison as quickly as possible and get away from him.
At that moment, one of the scouts returned, holding something.
It was a young Miao boy with dark skin.
“Sir, we’ve caught a Miao child nearby! Judging by his age, there must be a Miao hideout around here! And he’s carrying a sachet that wards off the undead!”
Jikwang-ok’s predatory eyes fixed on the boy.
The child, paralyzed by blood-sealing points, was crying out in tears.
“No! I live here alone! There’s no hideout! You monsters!”
Jikwang-ok muttered with interest.
“A hideout near the Poison Forest… Considering the undead’s sensitivity to the poison incense, that makes sense. And he even carries a sachet to repel the undead.”
He grabbed the boy by the neck and lifted him up to his face.
The child was utterly terrified.
Locking eyes with the boy, Jikwang-ok spoke in a chilling voice.
“Listen to me.”
His eyes glowed with a sinister green light.
Gradually, the boy’s gaze grew hazy.
Though he hadn’t mastered the blood control technique that turns others into puppets, subduing a child who hadn’t even learned martial arts was no challenge for Jikwang-ok.
Seolpung and Hae Cheong-yeon sipped the tea Dakam had brought, waiting for Sun Woo-jin and Bi Sa-yeong’s energy cultivation to finish.
Though it had been a long time, they were so engrossed in conversation with the elderly Seok Gyeong-dal that they hadn’t noticed.
His vast knowledge—once a martial scholar and medical researcher—felt like a whole new world to them.
Seolpung asked, shocked.
“So you’re saying the elixirs those two took were made from poison?”
“Yes… but I didn’t sense any poison in them.”
“Think carefully. Poison is, by nature, an imbalance—something that disrupts harmony. But an elixir, if it leans too far in one direction, can become poison. So if you combine poisonous energies to restore balance, what do you get?”
“…An elixir?”
“Exactly. An elixir is essentially a deep harmony of energies. If you can harmonize even deeply poisonous energies, it’s no different from an elixir. This isn’t just my theory. It’s said that the old master Nangbin, once called a monster, used poisonous energies to completely transform a paralyzed man.”
Seok Gyeong-dal seemed genuinely excited to have such a high-level conversation after a long time.
Their talk then turned to the undead.
“So, the undead we’re seeing now… are they all test subjects? Created to produce a higher form of undead?”
Seolpung asked.
The elder’s expression darkened.
“Yes. That was the main reason I left Mugwang’s side. What Mugwang wants to create is…”
Suddenly, one of Dakam’s younger siblings shouted urgently from outside the window.
“Grandfather! It’s Rakun! Rakun is bringing strange people here!”
“What?!”
Seolpung helped the elder look outside, and the old man’s face turned pale.
“That man… Everyone, run! Escape through the back door!”
“What’s going on? Who are they, sir?”
“It’s Jikwang-ok, the Blood Demon hunter! He’s controlled Rakun and come here! We have to run now!”
At the urgent warning, Seolpung and Hae Cheong-yeon exchanged glances.
Jikwang-ok.
For those fighting the Blood Cult, that name was impossible to forget.
Since the last Great Blood Battle, he had claimed countless righteous lives—a demonic master with inner strength surpassing a century’s worth of cultivation.
Dakam shouted at him.
“H-Hachiman Tokno! What about Rakun?!”
“Unfortunately, Rakun is under his control! Trying to save him will get us all killed!”
The elder was right.
If that was truly Jikwang-ok, they had to flee immediately.
But Seolpung still looked at Sun Woo-jin and Bi Sa-yeong, who were still cultivating energy.
They couldn’t move.
So naturally, Seolpung couldn’t abandon them.
He said to the elder.
“Take the children and run. I’ll try to buy us some time.”
“That’s reckless!”
Hae Cheong-yeon interrupted.
“You’re wrong, chief. It’s not ‘I’—it’s ‘we’.”
There was not a trace of hesitation on her face.