Chapter 242
Chapter 242. Cleanup
Thanks to the presence of formidable allies, the Demonkin were quickly suppressed. The fires were also put out before long.
By the time a yellow tint began to seep into the sky, it could finally be said that the situation had been completely brought under control.
"Shall I bring you fresh cloth?"
A young girl asked Tang So-hwa. She was not a child of the Tang Clan, but hired help hurriedly brought in from the marketplace.
When So-hwa nodded, the girl, as if she had been waiting for it, set a basket of clean cloth on the table. Then she gathered the soiled cloth on her own and went outside.
Once the Demonkin were subdued, the disappearance of the poison in the moat worked in their favor. The workers who came to support and help with restoration at the Sichuan branch could enter the Tang Clan estate directly without taking antidotes.
At that moment, the Divine Physician, who had been stitching a patient's flesh beside her, let out a sigh and said,
"We can finally breathe a little."
After muttering, he tied off the knot and cut the thread.
"I really thought we were done for."
So-hwa silently tilted the bottle of disinfectant. Soaking a cloth with the solution, she wiped away the blood around the wound.
The Divine Physician no longer had the luxury to linger.
He left the cleanup to So-hwa and immediately moved on to treat the next person.
Most of the situation within the Tang Clan had been resolved, but the Medical Hall was an exception.
The wounded discovered during cleanup kept streaming in, and even the patients who had arrived earlier needed to be checked again.
It got to the point that Tang Hae-han, who had just regained consciousness, crawled out to lend a hand.
So-hwa thought it was fortunate to be busy. It allowed her to push thoughts of the Tang Clan estate and her family, which had been engulfed in flames, to the back of her mind.
‘Fortunately, we didn't suffer a great loss this time...’
No.
In the end, So-hwa couldn't push the thoughts away.
The moment there was the slightest gap, her mind flowed back to them.
So-hwa swallowed a stifled breath. The scent of medicinal herbs filled the air, thick from the decoction pots boiling without rest.
As she walked toward the decoction pots, she organized her crowded thoughts.
The Blood Demon she knew wouldn't have sent Demonkin to the Central Plains for another twenty years, an event that resulted in the disappearance of four sects. The Blood Demon had remained completely above suspicion despite committing such a massive deed. No, no one even knew of the resurgence of the Blood Sect.
Perhaps the Blood Demon had finished all preparations to conceal his existence and was already moving between hideouts in the Central Plains.
The Alliance Leader had said as much.
After the Demonic Sect vanished, he had gone alone to Jin Yin Mountain and encountered a sorcerer. At the time, the Blood Demon was traveling through the Central Plains, so he happened to be away, which is why he discovered her first.
So-hwa was troubled by the Blood Demon's change.
Judging by his reckless actions, it seemed he had abandoned his resolve to hide his existence.
She was worried because it felt like he could leave Jin Yin Mountain at any moment now.
So-hwa paused her thoughts while transferring the medicine from the pot.
She picked up the bowl she had filled separately and walked somewhere.
The rising star of the Wudang Sect, who was sitting at the edge of the tent, spotted her and stood up.
“Please drink this.”
When So-hwa held out the decoction, Yeon-ah waved her hand.
"Pardon? I'm fine. It's just a small cut on my hand."
The hand wrapped in white cloth fluttered in front of her with a whooshing sound.
So-hwa tilted her head, swept her gaze over the surroundings, then offered the bowl to Yeon-ah again.
Yeon-ah glanced at the many patients visible behind So-hwa.
"I'm really fine. I just cut my hand a little using someone else's weapon. Please give it to others instead...... mmp."
Without further persuasion, So-hwa brought the bowl to Yeon-ah's lips, and Yeon-ah had no choice but to drink the decoction.
"I personally prepared and brewed it. It's not an elixir, but it greatly reduces fatigue and replenishes your energy, so please don't leave any. I used rare ingredients, and there wasn't enough to make it for others."
At those words, Yeon-ah's eyes sparkled.
Having downed the decoction before she knew it, Yeon-ah wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and asked,
"You made it yourself, Young Lady Tang?"
"Yes, I was fortunate. My room was not caught in the flames, so all the herbs I kept personally were intact."
"If you kept them personally, Young Lady Tang, aren't they valuable?"
She had already said they were rare, so their value must be considerable.
Yeon-ah asked timidly, but So-hwa smiled with an unreadable expression.
"How could I give something not precious to the Taoist?"
So-hwa held out a piece of licorice to Yeon-ah.
“I heard from Ye-hwa. That you faced the Demonkin horde alone and saved those children.”
"Yes, well..."
Yeon-ah scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
“It was only natural to do so.”
When the corner of Yeon-ah's mouth twitched, So-hwa shook her head.
“To me, the Taoist's help is not natural. Not only did you save my siblings, but you also previously lent me that precious Cold Iron, and also...”
So-hwa suddenly fell silent. As if swallowing words hard to speak, she clasped her hands together and bowed her head slightly.
"...... It's late, but truly, thank you."
"Ah, no. Please, don't do this."
Yeon-ah flusteredly pulled her hand away from So-hwa's.
She did want to see her happy, but being thanked so excessively like this made her feel awkward to the point of wanting to die.
Moreover, the Tang So-hwa she knew was not someone who bowed her head easily.
Thinking that So-hwa was greatly shaken made her heart uneasy. Then again, how could anyone be normal when their clan had nearly been wiped out?
With a bitter expression, Yeon-ah asked,
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
An answer came back immediately.
"Taoist, if you're that free, come here and hold this for me."
It was not So-hwa's voice, but the Divine Physician's.
The Divine Physician called out to Yeon-ah while holding the leg of a martial artist whose bones were twisted. Realizing at once what he was about to do, Yeon-ah turned pale.
"Ah! Wait a moment! Don't do it yet! I'll do it, so please stay still! Let's talk again later!"
As the Divine Physician, looking weary, was about to pull the martial artist's leg, Yeon-ah hurried over and grabbed it herself. With a cracking sound, the martial artist's bones slid back into place.
Yeon-ah took over the heavy work and busily helped the Divine Physician.
For some reason, So-hwa found it hard to watch and stepped out of the tent.
However, the situation outside was not much different.
Though it was said to be cleaned up, traces of the fire still remained everywhere, and armed martial artists patrolled the area with sharpened vigilance.
Looking for somewhere quiet, So-hwa headed toward the lakeside and soon stopped.
Through the open windows of the Red Radiance Hall, she could see the people seated inside.
About a dozen martial artists from the Namgung Clan, the Tang Clan, the Wudang Sect, and Mount Hua Sect were sitting in the hall holding a meeting. They seemed to be key figures of each sect. She could see the Clan Head, the Sect Leaders, and familiar faces as well. Black Sky Demon, the Tai Chi Sword Saint, Muso, Namgung Jin, and Namgung Hyun were all there.
Perhaps sensing her presence, they glanced her way once, but without much interest, continued their conversation.
She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could roughly guess.
Since they had witnessed the emergence of the Demonic Sect with their own eyes, it must be an emergency.
She had seen this before twenty years ago, so it wasn't particularly surprising.
However, the sight of those in the meeting felt unfamiliar.
In the past, Namgung Hyun, who had become the Clan Head of Namgung, sat at the seat of honor, and the Murim Alliance members who visited Namgung sat before him.
Moreover, it was before the existence of the Blood Demon and the Blood Sect was known to the world, and since the Demonic Sect was ultimately annihilated, there were no particularly great figures who came to convey opinions to Namgung.
But now, everyone knew that the Demonkin attack was a declaration of war by the Blood Sect.
They were all focused on the serious discussion.
Only one person kept turning his gaze and glancing this way.
At this age, Namgung Hyun could not sit in such a place. Perhaps he knew his position well, because the discomfort showed plainly on his face.
Others likely couldn't read that expression, but she could. She had watched him closely for decades and could distinguish pretense from truth.
So-hwa did not know what emotion she was feeling right now.
Anger surged, then fear swallowed her, then relief at the changed reality, then sudden anxiety at the repeating situation. The emotions rampaged chaotically, muddling her mind so she couldn't think straight.
Her feelings toward Namgung Hyun were the same. When he overlapped with his past self, anger still surged, but when she thought of how the situation had changed thanks to his help, she also felt grateful.
She couldn't afford to pile past emotions onto her already complicated thoughts.
So-hwa turned her steps, looking for somewhere to clear her head.
She headed toward the bamboo grove near the lake.
As she entered the bamboo forest, green stalks filled her vision, and the cool sound of the wind washed her thoughts away.
Swaaahhh.
Walking through it, her thoughts gradually began to settle.
The Blood Demon had crossed the line.
The resurgence of the Demonic Sect was not a rumor that could be stopped even by raining down Five Minerals Powder Mountain on the Central Plains. The fact that the Blood Sect and the Demonic Sect were intertwined could not be concealed either.
'Is he planning to wage war in the Central Plains?'
So-hwa had never seen or heard of such a future.
The Alliance Leader had also said he had never faced the Blood Demon in the Central Plains.
He had tried to lure him into the Central Plains, but said he had never seen him leave Jin Yin Mountain before he completed his plans.
Except for that one time, the day the sorcerer took her own life.
If the Blood Demon had the intention to come to the Central Plains, the assumption that he would not leave Jin Yin Mountain could also change.
With plans changed, there was no reason for the leader of the Blood Sect not to step into open warfare.
So-hwa curled her fingers. Blood welled up where her nails dug into her flesh, but she couldn't unclasp her hands.
No matter how much she walked, no good method came to mind.
If the Blood Demon decided to cross into the Central Plains.
'Where would he establish his base?'
The one who might know that was the Alliance Leader.
However, he was not on her side and was quietly holding his breath in his chambers, hiding his intentions.
Zhuge In-hwi said the Alliance Leader was drunk on Five Minerals Powder Mountain and had not left his hall, but So-hwa did not believe that.
He must have something in mind. Whatever it was, since it was advantageous for her that he stayed inside, So-hwa remained silent.
For a moment, she considered going to see the Alliance Leader, then discarded the thought.
Even if he answered obediently, she couldn't trust what he said.
He might fabricate a story to hand her over to the Blood Demon.
Whether his words were true or not, since she already suspected him, she couldn't move based on his words.
Tap.
So-hwa stopped as something came to mind.
There was one more person.
If the Blood Demon crossed into the Central Plains, someone who might know his whereabouts.
And someone who might tell her that fact.
So-hwa recalled the second son of the Zhuge Clan, who had said he told the Alliance Leader the path to Jin Yin Mountain.