Chapter 267 : Plague (2)
Chapter 267: Plague (2)
'What's with this thing now? Don't tell me...'
Il-mok stared down at the Ascension Sword as a possibility struck him.
He alternated his gaze between the sword and the murky stream for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"Haa. For fuck’s sake."
Spitting out a curse, Il-mok resolutely approached the riverbank.
The closer he got, the more violently the Ascension Sword vibrated, as if trying to guide him somewhere.
'Those damn Blood Cult fuckers.'
The sword reacting like this meant there was a high probability it was related to the Blood Cult's sorcery.
Il-mok drew his sword, took a deep breath and threw himself into the stream without hesitation.
The moment the visibly murky water touched his body, goosebumps crawled across his skin.
Sure, he was closer to Transcendence now, and the side effect had lessened its grip on him, but diving into water that looked this filthy was still no easy task.
'Not like I can hand this sword off to someone else though.'
After the battle at Mount Baihe, the ghostly energy in the Ascension Sword had grown plump and full again. It was a burden even for him to handle; if he let someone else hold this demonic sword, they’d probably go crazy and kill themselves in the water instead of finding the curse.
He held his breath and used his internal energy to push away the filth as he swam.
Following the sword's vibrations, he dove deep into the center of the stream until something bizarre came into view.
A corpse.
It looked like someone had performed a water burial as heavy stones were tied all over the body with ropes to anchor it down.
The corpse was pinned flat against the river bottom by the weight of the stones, and there was a talisman stuck to its forehead.
It was an eerie sight.
The stream's water kept flowing, yet the talisman showed no signs of coming loose.
And there was this evil energy coming off the body. He couldn't feel it from outside the water, but up close, it was unmistakable.
'Motherfuckers.'
Il-mok's brow furrowed deeply.
First Pingliang, then Mount Baihe, and now this shit.
Those motherfuckers had absolutely no qualms about killing innocent civilians.
Il-mok got close to the body and swung his Ascension Sword like he was taking his anger out on the water.
The Sword Qi that burst from his sword flew toward the corpse and severed the ropes binding it.
Slash!
Freed from its bonds of rope and stone, the corpse began drifting with the stream's current. Il-mok grabbed hold of it and kicked his legs, making sure the body wouldn't float somewhere problematic.
"Pwah."
He burst out of the water to breathe and then launched himself across the water using his lightness skill while gripping the corpse with his left hand.
Thud.
When Il-mok landed with the body, his group ran up to him.
"You've worked hard, Young Master."
"We apologize. We should have done that instead."
"It's fine. Now, get me some water, soap, and some strong alcohol to disinfect myself."
The moment his feet hit solid ground, Il-mok tossed aside the corpse he'd been holding and spoke urgently.
He felt like his entire body was rotting away.
***
After scrubbing his body clean from head to toe multiple times, Il-mok finally emerged from the bath.
'Damn it.'
He still felt gross, but he couldn't spend all day bathing.
After that, Il-mok entered his quarter where people were already gathered waiting for him.
Aside from his usual crew, there are also Seo Jae-pil and Chamber Master An present.
Il-mok looked at An Jeok-un and asked, "How did the investigation of the corpse go?"
"After examination, it was determined that the poison and the power of sorcery were imbued in the corpse itself rather than the talisman. The talisman seems to have been merely for controlling the Jiangshi."
"Jiangshi? You're telling me that corpse was a Jiangshi?"
"That's correct. Based on its condition, it appears to have been dead for quite some time. They likely used the talisman to make the Jiangshi tie stones to itself and jump into the stream of its own accord."
"The fact they used a Jiangshi does make it seem like the Blood Cult's work."
Il-mok's suspicions had already solidified thanks to the Ascension Sword's reaction.
"How dare they target innocent civilians!!!"
"Those fiends must face divine punishment, Young Master!"
While everyone was raging about the Blood Cult, Il-mok asked An Jeok-un another question.
"So this plague was definitely caused by that corpse, right?"
"That's correct."
"Then it shouldn't spread anymore."
Unfortunately, his words caused Seo Jae-pil to shake his head.
"While that Jiangshi was the source of the plague, Young Master, a plague is still a plague. It's already spread among the people, and the stream's water has been contaminated by the ghostly energy."
"Then purifying the stream and treating the patients should be our priority. On top of that, we need to keep the quarantine going until the patients recover."
As Il-mok briefly summarized the situation, those gathered nodded in agreement.
"Then, Chamber Master An, please work with the Divine Cult's sorcerers to purify the river water. And while you're at it, make sure no one goes near the river for a while."
"I shall do so."
"Everyone else will continue focusing on caring for the plague patients as before."
After Il-mok gave his orders, Physician Seo Jae-pil spoke up.
"Young Master, there's one problem."
"Speak."
"While caring for the patients, I've been continuously researching why their symptoms weren't improving. It is because this is not merely a plague caused by river water, but one intertwined with sorcery."
"Does that make a big difference?"
"It does. What the Blood Cult prepared is essentially a curse, and treating it with medicine alone won't suffice. Those who were exposed to the curse in small doses might recover if we strengthen their energy with medicine and prevent further exposure to the plague, but those heavily exposed need something to drive out the sorcerous power."
"Something to drive out the curse? What would that be?"
At Il-mok's question, Seo Jae-pil answered with an uncharacteristically troubled expression.
"We need something imbued with pure and righteous energy."
A vague explanation if there ever was one. Seo Jae-pil himself looked embarrassed that this was the best answer he could give.
"Pure and righteous energy?"
But surprisingly, that vague description triggered a thought in Il-mok’s head.
"Would this work?"
Saying so, Il-mok opened a cabinet in the hall and retrieved a small case from within.
The moment he opened it, a refreshing fragrance gently spread and filled the hall.
Inside were three small pills. They were Lesser Azure Pills.
'Never thought I'd use these here.'
Even Il-mok felt a strange sensation as he presented the Lesser Azure Pills.
To those who practiced Demonic Arts, these pills were no different from poison, so he had simply stashed them away for the time being.
He had never expected to find a use for these items, which were too awkward to sell and were basically useless to him.
Looking at the pills, Seo Jae-pil’s eyes lit up.
"Yes, Young Master! Those pills should be more than sufficient!"
"Won't there be too few for the number of patients?"
When Il-mok asked with a hint of concern, Seo Jae-pil shook his head.
"We don't need to give these to patients with mild symptoms. And for the critical ones, we don't have to give them a whole pill. We can just divide them into smaller portions."
"Won't dividing them reduce their potency?"
"Hehehe. We can simply add other medicinal ingredients to supplement the pills' energy and increase the quantity."
Physician Seo Jae-pil's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.
He looked like he was racking his brain for every bit of medical knowledge he had ever learned.
Or maybe he was just excited about a new experiment.
'Ahem. Well, he's a doctor. He's probably just happy he can save people... right?'
Il-mok decided it was better not to ask.
***
After the meeting ended, Il-mok and his companions moved to handle their respective tasks.
An Jeok-un and the sorcerers headed toward the stream in the slums, while Seo Jae-pil took the Lesser Azure Pills and headed to Maitreya Luminous Cult's Clinic.
The rest of the group returned together to the pavilion where the patients were gathered.
As a precaution against contagion, they donned extra layers of cloth and even masks before resuming patient care for a while.
"Whew."
Il-mok stepped outside and sighed.
'The side effect should be almost gone by now.'
Between jumping into that dirty river earlier and taking care of these patients, the feeling of being unclean was mentally draining.
It wasn't like before when his obsessive-compulsive tendencies would spike and make him feel like he was going crazy, but he still hated being around filth.
'Don't tell me this is going to stick around even after I reach Transcendence?'
The worry popped into his head, but he shook it off.
'This is way better than before. If it were back in the day, that damn side effect would've sent me into Qi Deviation just from getting near plague patients, let alone caring for them.'
—Hmph.
He felt like he could hear the side effect snorting sulkily inside his brain.
As Il-mok complained to his Demonic Art for a moment and tried to refocus—
"Mm?"
His eyes caught sight of a middle-aged man approaching the pavilion.
Why was it?
The man seemed utterly ordinary, not even radiating any particular presence, yet Il-mok couldn't take his eyes off him.
He kept looking around like some country bumpkin as he approached the pavilion like it was his first time in Lanzhou.
Watching him, Il-mok realized what felt off.
The way he walked was too natural. And there was a saber hanging at his waist.
The saber moved so perfectly in rhythm with his steps like it was part of his body that Il-mok hadn't even noticed it at first.
The problem was that despite his perfect movement, he couldn't sense any presence from the man at all.
On top of that—
'Something about his face seems familiar?'
He felt a weird sense of déjà vu.
Just as Il-mok was wondering who this mystery man was—
Grin.
The man who'd been looking around suddenly locked eyes directly with Il-mok.
Pat!
The man flew to Il-mok so fast that he left an afterimage behind.
SHHHHIIIIING!!!
Not only that, the saber hanging at his waist was drawn so fast that Il-mok couldn’t even see the drawing process.
"!?"
Seeing the saber coming to cut him in half, Il-mok’s body moved on instinct.
He stepped back to match the attacker's speed and drew his Ascension Sword instantly while using the principle of softness to deflect the attack.
CLANG!
Yet even with his attempt to deflect the attack, the resulting clash between the sword and the saber caused a thunderous impact to echo.
"Urgh."
Unable to fully dissipate the force, Il-mok let out a choked groan.
SHHHING!
The middle-aged man's second strike came flying. Before Il-mok knew it, the saber was already enveloped by a Saber Force.
Gritting his teeth and bracing for internal injury, Il-mok likewise formed Sword Force and swung the Ascension Sword to meet the attack.
BOOM!!!
A much louder crash than before echoed out, and the Maitreya Luminous Cult members and patients with mild symptoms nearby screamed and shouted in delayed reaction.
"Kyaaaa!"
"Hiik!"
As the nearby cultists rushed out in alarm—
"Lord Incarnation!!"
Il-mok, who had been pushed back about ten feet by the second clash, quickly held out his arm to stop them.
Stop.
It wouldn't do for them to use their Demonic Arts here right now.
It had only been two moves, but that was enough for Il-mok to figure out who the man was.
He finally realized why the face looked so familiar.
He'd never met him directly, but he'd seen his face in wanted posters several times.
Considering the weapon he used and his insane skill level, it wasn't hard to guess.
This man is one of the five greatest masters in the current Orthodox martial world. A legendary figure who'd risen to shoulder one pillar of the Orthodox martial world despite not being from the Seven Great Families or Nine Sects and One Gang.
The man who'd pushed aside the head of the Hebei Peng Family to be called the Greatest Saber Under Heaven, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's most wanted enemy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Alliance Leader."
The Leader of the Murim Alliance, Cheok Pae-myeong.