Episode 17: The Black Peony
“What…?”
I couldn’t quite catch what the mysterious figure did. I only saw his shoulder move, so I assumed he swung his sword.
But the result was clear. The swordsman’s head rolled on the ground, and blood gushed from the headless body.
This was my first time witnessing the prowess of a high-level martial artist.
There was no reason for a martial artist from the Cheongseong Sect to show off in front of the Tang family clinic, nor would a martial artist from another sect dare to cause trouble in Cheongseong’s territory.
The mysterious figure’s movements were incredibly swift, surpassing those of an average person or even a mediocre martial artist.
“Why the surprise? Do I look different now?”
Tang Mujin replied, still a bit dazed.
“A bit unexpected… But more importantly, how did you find this place?”
“When you didn’t return after your treatment, I asked Wilib, and he said you went towards the stream. You didn’t seem to have gone downstream, so I came upstream.”
“Oh.”
Tang Mujin looked around blankly, then turned his gaze to the fallen Ma Jeon-gae.
His heart sank with a sudden thud.
Tang Mujin rushed to Ma Jeon-gae and tore open his shirt. There were eight axe wounds. He had endured the pain eight times while holding onto his enemy.
”…”
The bleeding was so severe that no more blood flowed.
Still, with a glimmer of hope, Tang Mujin placed his fingers under Ma Jeon-gae’s nose. No breath, no pulse.
But if anyone could do something, it would be the mysterious figure. Tang Mujin looked at him and shouted.
“Sir! Please, do something!”
“He’s already dead. Not even the Great Immortal could save him now.”
Instead of trying to heal Ma Jeon-gae, the mysterious figure gently turned his body over.
Ma Jeon-gae’s eyes were wide open. The mysterious figure brushed the dirt off his face and calmly closed his eyes.
Even the most renowned physician in the world can only do so much for someone whose time has passed.
The mysterious figure stood up, raising his sword. He pointed the tip at the doctor.
“I have a question. Who is that guy? Is he with the ones who made the pit of corpses?”
Tang Mujin answered, his voice filled with anger.
“With them? No. He’s the mastermind. The one behind all of this.”
“The mastermind, huh.”
Sensing the tension, the doctor immediately turned to flee.
But an ordinary person can’t outrun a martial arts master.
The mysterious figure dashed across the grass, catching the doctor in no time.
He threw the doctor roughly to the ground.
Thud—
“Oof!”
Tang Mujin ran over and kicked the doctor hard in the side.
“You filthy scum! A doctor spreading disease to rob the villagers?”
“Ugh!”
The mysterious figure, watching from the side, shook his head.
“No. That’s just part of what he was after. His real goal must be something else.”
“Something else?”
When Tang Mujin asked, the doctor staggered to his feet.
His eyes were filled with a desperate will to live.
“Ah, it seems you know something, sir. How about we make a deal?”
“A deal?”
“If you spare my life, I’ll give you a rare elixir. Something far more valuable than the wealth of these mountain villagers. Have you heard of the Black Peony?”
“The Black Peony!”
Tang Mujin, being a doctor, knew as much about elixirs as any martial artist.
The Black Peony was an elixir filled with strong yin energy.
While it had impressive effects on internal energy, it was considered a tier below top-grade elixirs like the Millennium Snow Ginseng or the Great Elixir. It was also rarely seen in the world.
Yet, the Black Peony was as famous as the highest-grade elixirs. Many renowned heroes were said to have consumed it.
The Black Peony appeared whenever the world was in chaos.
It bloomed among corpses after the Great Demon War and grew in a corner of the battlefield after a massive war.
Naturally, the Black Peony ended up in the hands of heroes who dominated those turbulent times.
Thus, it earned the nickname “The Hero’s Flower.” Not because it made heroes, but because only heroes could obtain it.
“You have the Black Peony?”
As Tang Mujin showed interest, the doctor pointed to the side of the pit of corpses.
“Yes. It’s right over there.”
There was a flower with dozens of petals layered in a circle.
Unlike the usual red or white peonies, this one had petals as black as the night sky.
‘Is he an idiot?’
Even if Tang Mujin took the Black Peony now, the doctor was in no position to stop him. Tang Mujin strode towards the Black Peony.
At that moment, it wasn’t the doctor but the mysterious figure who stopped him.
“Stop.”
“I’m not going to eat it. I just want to keep it away from him.”
“No. The Black Peony will kill anyone unprepared who touches it.”
“Kill?”
“Yes. The Black Peony grows by feeding on hundreds, thousands of deaths. That guy gathered corpses not to kill villagers but to cultivate the Black Peony.”
“That’s…”
“The Black Peony’s malevolent energy is too much for an ordinary person to handle. Touch it recklessly, and you’ll be swept away and die.”
The doctor smirked.
“You know your stuff. As you said, there’s a procedure to safely consume the Black Peony. I know how to harvest and process it, so why not cooperate?”
The mysterious figure crossed his arms and looked at the doctor, then gave a short reply.
“No.”
He walked steadily towards the Black Peony.
The doctor’s face lit up with interest. He held the trump card. Whether the mysterious figure died trying to take the Black Peony or accepted the deal, he could avoid the worst outcome.
‘Just die already!’
But contrary to the doctor’s expectations, the mysterious figure easily plucked the Black Peony. He dusted off the soil from its roots with a calm expression.
The doctor shouted.
“Impossible! Just touching the Black Peony with bare hands is deadly!”
“Only for ordinary people.”
“Even martial artists! I’ve seen it happen!”
“Maybe for ordinary martial artists. But I’m different. Do you know my nickname?”
The mysterious figure approached the doctor, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. A sly smile played on his lips.
“I’m the Mysterious Healer, Lee Chung. My knowledge of medicine and elixirs isn’t inferior to yours.”
The doctor froze, his face stiffening. It was the expression of someone who had lost their last bargaining chip and sensed their impending death.
In the next moment, the mysterious figure’s shoulder blurred.
One swift strike. This time, Tang Mujin saw the mysterious figure’s movement.
It was a flawless action. A strike without a hint of hesitation or excess.
The doctor’s head flew into the air, and blood spurted out.
A fittingly pathetic end for someone who sought wealth at the expense of an entire village.
The mysterious figure wiped the blood from his sword on the doctor’s clothes, then sat cross-legged by the pit of corpses.
The Black Peony rested on his lap, cradled in his hands.
”…What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to absorb the poison from the corpses and the Black Peony. It’s dangerous to come close, so stay back.”
The mysterious figure half-closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Any other martial artist would have hesitated to channel their energy with an outsider like Hong Geol-gae nearby, but the mysterious figure was an exception.
Around him, the poison from the pit of corpses and the Black Peony’s dark energy swirled.
The poison was so thick that even approaching it would be life-threatening for an ordinary person.
‘What a potent poison.’
After a long meditation, the mysterious figure stood up.
The corpses in the pit were dried up, and the stench had significantly diminished.
The most dramatic change was in the Black Peony. It had shed its pitch-black color and turned a light gray.
“Take it.”
The mysterious figure tossed the Black Peony to Tang Mujin. Tang Mujin caught it reflexively, startled, but nothing happened.
“You won’t die. I told you I absorbed the poison.”
“Then why not just throw it away?”
“You fool. The Black Peony others consume is in that state. All the poison removed, leaving only its unique energy.”
Tang Mujin looked at the mysterious figure, bewildered.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“To eat it, of course.”
”…Isn’t this valuable?”
“Of course, it’s valuable. You couldn’t buy even a petal of the Black Peony with a lifetime of being a doctor.”
Greed stirred within him. Tang Mujin asked in a smaller voice.
“Then, why…?”
“Because you found that doctor and the Black Peony. Besides, absorbing the poison is enough for me.”
”…Even with the poison removed, won’t eating it kill me? I’ve heard consuming elixirs recklessly is dangerous.”
“That might be true for other elixirs. But a processed Black Peony is safe. It won’t boost your internal energy explosively like other elixirs, but it will help you steadily, without side effects.”
Tang Mujin gazed at the pale Black Peony in his hands.
A flood of thoughts overwhelmed him.
The self-justifications he had repeated to himself as he fled down the mountain, leaving Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geol-gae behind.
The memory of watching the two warriors in danger, paralyzed by fear, unable to act.
Yet, in a moment of inexplicable impulse, he had thrown a stone to aid Ma Jeon-gae.
Could someone who had run away deserve such a precious elixir for the mere act of throwing a single stone?
Dang Moo-jin hesitated, then handed the black peony back to the strange figure.
“I don’t think I should take this.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t deserve it. I ran away in fear. How could I accept something like this?”
“But you were there, weren’t you?”
“I ran away and then came back. All I did was hide behind a tree, trembling, and throw a stone.”
As Dang Moo-jin spoke, the strange figure gave him a playful smile.
Yet, beneath that smile was an unmistakable sense of pride.
“That’s enough.”
“What?”
“Returning after running away is harder than never fleeing at all. It means facing your duty and accepting your mistakes.”
”…But if it happens again, I think I might run away.”
“So what if you do?”
”…”
“If you’re still unsure, ask Hong Geol-gae if you deserve it.”
Dang Moo-jin looked up at Hong Geol-gae.
Hong Geol-gae, crouched beside his master’s body, met his gaze and nodded.
There was no trace of blame in his eyes.
The strange figure placed a hand on Dang Moo-jin’s shoulder.
“Run away again if you must. But always come back. In the end, don’t turn away from your duty. That’s all that matters.”
Dang Moo-jin nodded and swallowed the black peony.