Chapter 163 : The Demonic Physician
The Demonic Physician, who had dropped the stick he was holding, stared at Beak Seolhwa with wide eyes.
Then he shook his head and muttered to himself.
"That can't be. I must have seen wrong."
Namgung Hui, overhearing the old man's muttering, asked Seong Sohui.
"How did the verification go?"
As Seong Sohui looked at the Demonic Physician for a moment, he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it seems I'm not the Saintess. I'll have to be satisfied with the title of Little Saintess."
"Is that so? Then that's rather a relief. Since you won't be changing factions or being detained."
The Demonic Physician, who had picked up his stick, said stealthily.
"That won't happen. If by any chance the Little Saintess is detained by the cult, I will definitely step in and do something."
Although the Demonic Physician's words sounded reassuring, on the other hand, they also sounded puzzling.
To be so kind and favorable to Seong Sohui, whom he had just met.
Could it be that they had a lot in common because they were both physicians?
The Demonic Physician looked at Seong Sohui and Beak Seolhwa for a moment and then continued.
"It seems I'm being rude to the other guests, so this old man will take his leave now. Please rest comfortably."
The Demonic Physician disappeared with rather hurried steps, just as he had come. But unlike when he came, his steps were light.
He even looked relieved, as if he had just finished his business in the outhouse.
Nevertheless, the fact that he walked away so hurriedly meant.
'He has something urgent to tell someone. And that is probably information about the Little Saintess.'
However, it didn't seem to be in a bad direction.
Because his kind attitude and voice did not seem to be false.
And since Namgung Hui could just ask him directly, he approached Seong Sohui and spoke.
"What did you talk about with that old man?"
"Ah. That elder is a physician called the Demonic Physician, and since he's a physician, we had a lot in common, so the conversation got unnecessarily long. After talking with him, he seems like a good person."
"I see. If the Little Saintess says so, he must be a good person. Then what are you planning to do from now on? Will you be making your usual rounds?"
"I suppose so."
Namgung Hui stroked his chin as if he were slightly puzzled and asked.
"But the person called the Demonic Physician must be a great physician, so why does the Little Saintess have to take care of the Blood Cult members, leaving him aside?"
"Perhaps because he is old, he rarely sees patients unless they are critically ill. In case he catches an infectious disease, he himself would be in danger."
No matter how much martial arts one has learned, one cannot deceive one's age of over a hundred.
Moreover, it is the fate of even absolute masters to die of old age.
Ascending to immortality.
It was a nice word, 'ascending,' but the number of people who achieved it was so small that they could be counted on one's fingers since ancient times.
Should it say it was a realm that the well-known Zhang Sanfeng or Bodhidharma could achieve?
Of course, it is said that there are cases where immortals enter the immortal world, but that is also a very small part.
In fact, Namgung Hui was half-convinced and half-doubtful of the fact that his master had ascended.
"Then the Little Saintess should also be careful not to catch an endemic disease. Being young is not a panacea."
"Don't worry about me. I'm a person called the Little Saintess, you know? In that regard, I don't know if it's rude to the Demonic Physician, but I'll be better."
Indeed, it was the Divine Physician Sect that wandered the Central Plains and took care of patients.
Would such a Divine Physician Sect lose to an endemic disease?
Rather, in this regard, she would be a much better expert than the Demonic Physician.
As Namgung Hui nodded as if he understood, Seong Sohui opened her mouth with a faint smile.
"Then I have to prepare for my rounds, so I'll be going now. And for the time being, I'll be going alone, so you don't have to look for me."
Although Namgung Hui was a little worried about her, he wondered what could happen when even the Demonic Physician had approached her favorably.
"Still, if you need anything, call me. This place is no different from an enemy camp."
"It's okay. The Demonic Physician grandfather said he would attach a guard."
He felt a deep trust in Seong Sohui's tone?
No matter how much they were fellow physicians, Namgung Hui felt somewhat disappointed.
'Even though we've been together for a not-so-short time, it seems she trusts that old man less than me.'
Anyway, Since she said so herself, it was not Namgung Hui's place to say this or that here.
Namgung Hui had recommended enough, so he just followed Seong Sohui's back as she returned to her room.
And so, as Seong Sohui closed the door and disappeared, Beak Seolhwa looked at Namgung Hui and asked.
"Don't tell me you like the Little Saintess?"
"What kind of nonsense is that? Why would I like that person?"
"No. You kept saying you didn't want to, but you offered to be her guard, and you acted as if you were worried. You've never been like that with other women. You weren't even like that with Tang Soso or Eun Seolrin."
"That's because Tang Soso is skilled in martial arts, and you were guarding Eun Seolrin by her side. Besides, she's rich, so she's in a position to hire a guard whenever she wants. On the contrary, the Little Saintess is all alone, and I can't help but worry because I feel sorry that she got involved because of us. Besides, the Divine Physician Sect is a place I've had a lot of connections with since my past life."
As Namgung Hui poured out a long speech, Beak Seolhwa looked at him with still suspicious eyes.
"The fact that you're talking so long, isn't there something you're hiding?"
This time, Namgung Hui smiled slyly and said.
"Don't tell me you're jealous?"
"J-jealous? What jealousy! Why would I be jealous!"
"That's right. You're jealous. Wow, Seolhwa is even jealous. I've really lived long enough to see this."
"Hmph! If you keep saying such strange things, you won't live long. I can guarantee that."
Namgung Hui, feeling the surroundings grow cold, shook his head.
"Anyway. The one I'm most worried about is you, Beak Seolhwa. So I'm asking, what are you going to do from now on?"
He had now arrived at the Blood Cult.
He had roughly looked around the Blood Cult and had even met and talked with the person called the military strategist.
Although it would be difficult to grasp the entire Blood Cult at present, a certain direction would have been set.
"I'm thinking of looking around like the Little Saintess. Because you can only grasp the true atmosphere of the Divine Cult by looking at the lives of the common people."
Namgung Hui also agreed.
No matter how much Bukgung Jinwu wore a mask and acted.
He wouldn't be able to deceive all the people like that.
Namgung Hui was not only not a member of the Divine Cult, but he had also decided to wait for her as long as he was in the Blood Cult, so he obediently complied with Beak Seolhwa's wishes.
"Seolhwa. I know you'll do well on your own, but as I said before, it's true that I'm worried. If you think you need my help, tell me anytime, and don't always try to do things alone."
"Look who's talking. You're the one who's always running around here and there alone."
Come to think of it, Namgung Hui had nothing to say in this regard.
Because he had always left Beak Seolhwa behind and wandered all over the Central Plains.
"Alright. I'll tell you from now on. Since we have this communication device, it won't be difficult."
"Yeah. This thing is surprisingly convenient."
Beak Seolhwa swept her hair back and touched her earring.
The sight was like a painting, and Namgung Hui was lost in admiration of the painting.
Perhaps because he was not the only one admiring such a painting, someone jumped out from Namgung Hui's robes and uttered a word.
"Kiik. Kkik! (You're going to drool!)"
At Chichi's cry, who had felt a sense of crisis, Namgung Hui came to his senses with a start.
"Ahem! Then I should go and take care of my business now."
He had to rendezvous with the man named Gwon Cheong that Cheongi-ja had instructed.
He had also roughly heard where to meet him, so he just had to move to that place.
As long as he wasn't followed by someone on the way.
Namgung Hui was not a clumsy man, so he wouldn't experience such a thing.
On top of that, the concealment technique he had learned from Muchi a while ago was also quite outstanding, so he had no worries.
As Namgung Hui was about to leave, Beak Seolhwa took her hand off her earring and said.
"You be careful too. If your identity is revealed, you'll be the most dangerous one. The Dugu family guys alone would flock to you right away."
"Yes. I'll be careful for your sake, Seolhwa."
"What are you talking about? If you're going to talk nonsense, just go quickly."
"Alright."
Namgung Hui smiled, revealing his white teeth, and then left.
On the lips of Beak Seolhwa, who was watching Namgung Hui's back, a bright smile like Namgung Hui's white teeth was hung.
* * *
Namgung Hui, who had left the guest hall, wandered through the alleys here and there, looking for any signs of surveillance or pursuit.
Even when he spread his electric field wide, there was no presence following Namgung Hui.
Namgung Hui, just in case, even performed a concealment technique and twisted his path before heading to his destination.
The destination was a shabby hut located in a quiet place.
A place that exactly matched the map that Cheongi-ja had drawn.
It was said to be the place where the herb gatherer, Gwon Cheong, lived.
Namgung Hui stealthily approached the hut and let out a presence.
"Ahem. Are you inside?"
"Who is it?"
"I came because the turtle sent me."
"...Come in."
As Namgung Hui lifted the tent and entered, medicinal herbs were scattered here and there, as befitting an herb gatherer.
The medicinal scent was also thick, so he was a real herb gatherer, not just a simple disguise.
And most of all, what surprised Namgung Hui was his accent.
Not just a mimicked Cantonese, but the pronunciation of a local himself.
To say that he was planted as a spy, it was extremely natural.
'He must have been a person from Guangdong Province from the beginning. Was he recruited later?'
Rather, his Cantonese skills were superior to those of the Blood Cult members.
Come to think of it, since the Blood Cult members were not locals of Guangdong Province, it was a natural thing.
Well, since that wasn't the important thing, Namgung Hui immediately got to the point.
"Are you the herb gatherer, Gwon Cheong?"
"That's right. Are you the person sent by the elder?"
"Yes. Then I'd like to hear the mission right away."
"It's not a grand mission. You just have to dig up medicinal herbs with me all day."
"...?"
Namgung Hui couldn't help but tilt his head.
Hadn't Cheongi-ja sent a letter, calling it a favor and a mission, and given him instructions?
That was why he had thought he would be entrusted with the assassination of a key figure or the recovery of a stolen manual.
But to think it was just a matter of digging up medicinal herbs.
He couldn't help but feel a moment of letdown.
As Namgung Hui's shoulders drooped, Gwon Cheong added.
"Hmm. But you shouldn't take it too lightly. We're planning to climb the Qilin Peak, the most rugged peak to climb."
Despite Gwon Cheong's warning, Namgung Hui's drooping shoulders showed no sign of rising.
At Namgung Hui's appearance, Gwon Cheong even joked and spoke.
"Do you know why Qilin Peak is called Qilin Peak? It's a name given because a spirit beast, the Qilin, is said to reside there. As you know, the Qilin is a great spirit beast comparable to the Four Divine Beasts. As it is the abode of such a Qilin, it is an extremely dangerous place."
Did Namgung Hui not know about the Qilin?
Moreover, wasn't one of his titles the Jade Qilin?
It was an expression widely used by the common people, to the point of calling a young person with outstanding talent a 'Qilin's child'.
Such a word, 'Qilin,' stimulated Namgung Hui's curiosity.
Other people might have dismissed it as a baseless story, but hadn't Namgung Hui had a rather deep connection with spirit beasts?
In his robes was Chichi, a squirrel spirit beast.
And his friend, Beak Seolhwa, had Feifei, the Snow Mountain Roc.
Moreover, the founder of his sect was the Blue Dragon, one of the Four Divine Beasts.
"By any chance, have you seen a Qilin?"
Gwon Cheong, as if he had been joking, scratched his cheek and said.
"That's just a figure of speech. No one has actually seen one yet. Well, you might be the first to encounter a Qilin. Because it's that dangerous a place. But rest assured, even if there's no Qilin, it's a place full of spirit herbs that will make your eyes pop."
"Aren't you going to say that a legendary spirit herb grows there, but no herb gatherer has ever seen it?"
Umjjil!
"Ha. Ha. Ha... You. You have a good sense. With that sense, you might be the first to find a legendary spirit herb. Now, now. It's late tonight, so please go to sleep and let's see each other again tomorrow morning. I'll be preparing to climb Qilin Peak until then."
Namgung Hui shook his head and answered.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."
And so, Namgung Hui left with a dejected gait, and the next day, early in the morning. When he visited the hut again, there was no trace of Gwon Cheong in the hut, nor any object.