Survivor

The Wudang Taoists quickly searched the thicket.

Light flowed from their eyes.

They were using an eye technique.

“We found him! Thunder qi?! It’s Young Master Namgung!”

At someone’s shout, the Taoists all hurled themselves into motion.

And when they saw Namgung Hyeok’s condition, a low groan escaped them.

He was in worse shape than Gyo-ha.

It looked like his breath could stop at any moment.

“…If we go to the sect, it’ll be too late.”

Jin-un bit his lip.

Soon, something came to him.

“The Beggars’ Union. We go to the Beggars’ Union.”

There was a Beggars’ Union branch lodge at East Lake.

Not far from here.

If it was there, they could receive treatment. But Jin-un’s expression stayed dark.

‘…An ordinary physician would have difficulty with this.’

Even if they received treatment, there was no certainty they would recover.

To save the two of them, at least one of the world’s Three Great Physicians had to come.

“Jin-gun.”

“Yes, Sahyung.”

“Inform the Murim Alliance of this news at once.”

There were people from the Tang Clan at the Murim Alliance.

The Poison Physician, Tang Ja-gyeong.

One of the Three Great Physicians.

Unlike the other great physicians, his whereabouts were known.

The Taoist named Jin-gun nodded and hurled himself away.

Because he had read Jin-un’s intent.

The problem was that Sichuan was far too distant from here.

They couldn’t wait for only the Poison Physician.

“Jin-ang. You inform the sect and the Namgung Clan.”

“Yes, Sahyung.”

Jin-ang left immediately as well.

Anyone would do. They needed someone who could keep the two of them alive until the Poison Physician arrived.

“The rest go to East Lake. They’re patients, so be especially careful when moving them.”

“Yes.”

The Taoists nodded with grim faces.

They also knew how serious this was.

It was fortunate that it was them who were here.

Wudang’s movement lay in softness.

Even when using footwork, there was little jostling. No one was more suited than them to carry the injured.

Just as they were about to leave, one Taoist spoke.

“Over here, a survivor. There’s another survivor.”

The Taoist helped someone up.

A man with an arm cut off. But he was in better condition than the two of them.

Looking at the wound, it was blackened as if scorched.

An injury from thunder qi.

It was easy to infer who had done it.

Which meant he was an enemy.

The Taoist supporting the man looked to Jin-un.

A question of what to do.

His deliberation was brief.

“We take him too. He’ll know about what happened here.”

With their condition, they wouldn’t be waking up for a while.

They needed information.

And so, the Wudang disciples hurled themselves toward East Lake.

The atmosphere at the Beggars’ Union East Lake branch lodge was heavy.

They were already busy with the war steadily intensifying, and then the Namgung Clan’s Qilin was brought in.

Of course, if Namgung Hyeok had ended up like that in Anhui, it would be regrettable, but it wasn’t something the Beggars’ Union had to worry about.

Even if Namgung Hyeok was one of the world’s top talents, he wasn’t a card they could use right away.

But.

“You’re saying the Cold-Blooded Grim Eunuch was at East Lake?”

For the Beggars’ Union, not even knowing he existed while he was at East Lake was fatal.

Especially when this was a sensitive time because of the war.

“Fuck. This is that carriage. I told you to look into it, didn’t I?”

“…We’re sorry.”

At the branch master’s rebuke, the Beggars’ Union disciples lowered their heads.

But the branch master had only mentioned it in passing, and hadn’t given a proper order.

Rather, he had told them to pay more attention to the Unorthodox Sects’ movements than to such useless rumors.

Even so, what could they do?

He was the branch master. And the Beggars’ Union disciples understood how he felt, too.

A carriage pulled by people.

That rumor had already spread as far as the marketplace.

Ordinary people might not know it, but anyone who liked gossip had heard it at least once.

That was how famous it was.

And to think it was the Cold-Blooded Grim Eunuch, one of Anhui’s Three Great Evildoers.

Of course, the Namgung Clan or the Murim Alliance wouldn’t openly blame the branch master over this.

But the Beggars’ Union main lodge was different.

If the Beggars’ Union Leader or elders found out, a reprimand would surely come.

With the war starting, they were already hearing that their intelligence was falling behind the Hao Gate.

They were on the verge of losing the name of the world’s number one intelligence group.

And then this happened.

‘If that bastard was going to fight, he should’ve fought quietly. Why drag a carriage around.’

It drew everyone’s attention.

Now it was impossible to climb higher.

No, climbing higher wasn’t the problem.

The branch master pressed his lips together.

“Find physicians. Bring every physician around here with any skill.”

If the Namgung Clan’s Qilin died because of this, the branch master might be forced from his post.

With help from the Beggars’ Union and Wudang, many physicians came to the Beggars’ Union branch lodge.

Even so, there was no improvement.

Of course, that was only in Namgung Hyeok’s case.

“To have recovery like this. Incredible!”

“Not that one. Look at this one.”

“That one is…”

The physician looked at Namgung Hyeok and shook his head.

“This is beyond my ability. I took every measure I could, so all we can do is hope it doesn’t worsen. More importantly, this person’s condition…”

“Why are you worrying about someone who heals fine even lying still!”

The physician flinched at the Beggars’ Union disciple’s scolding.

In times like these, physicians were very proud. But they weren’t bold enough to lose their temper at martial artists.

And it wasn’t just any martial artists. This was the Beggars’ Union, one of the Nine Sects One Union.

If it were only the Beggars’ Union, maybe.

But Taoists from Wudang were here, and even martial artists from Namgung Clan.

Those managing nearby businesses had heard the news and rushed over.

Their faces were full of worry.

“Th-then, I will take my leave.”

The physician lingered with regretful eyes on Gyo-ha, then left.

People sighed as if used to it.

Because most physicians were like that.

No, leaving as easily as that was rarer.

“The future of Central Plains medicine! You can change the future!”

“Hey, you ignorant fools. That’s a treasure. Ignorant fools shouldn’t monopolize it.”

There were even physicians who tried to take Gyo-ha’s flesh.

If the Beggars’ Union disciples hadn’t stopped them, they would have actually cut into him.

At this point, the resentment toward Gyo-ha for being the only one healing began to fade little by little.

“Now, it would be better to move Taoist Gyo to another room.”

At Jin-un’s words, the others nodded along.

The dangerous moment had passed. Even without hearing the physicians’ opinions, you could tell his breathing had steadied.

They had kept them together so physicians could examine them easily, but it was only getting in the way.

It had become a situation where they had to protect Gyo-ha from physicians.

“In the end, do we have to wait until the Poison Physician arrives.”

It was hard to treat without one of the Three Great Physicians.

The problem was whether Namgung Hyeok could hold on until then.

Even though he had received treatment, everyone was pessimistic.

“The Three Great Physicians. Are the other two still of unknown whereabouts?”

A Namgung Clan martial artist asked.

“We are searching, but it is difficult to find their whereabouts.”

The East Lake branch master scratched his head. Even while bragging they were the world’s best information group, they couldn’t even find one physician. It was shameful.

“…If it’s the Three Great Physicians, you mean Grandpa Medicine, the Medicine Immortal, right?”

Then, an unfamiliar voice cut into the group.

When they turned, Gyo-ha had opened his eyes.

“Taoist Gyo!”

“You’ve woken up.”

Relief mixed with regret crossed their faces.

It would have been better if the one who woke was Namgung Hyeok. But they couldn’t show that in front of the one who had risen.

The Namgung Clan martial artists were the same.

If you got down to it, he had been dragged into the Namgung Clan’s grudges.

Even if they knew it in their heads, their hearts didn’t follow.

But Gyo-ha didn’t care.

He looked at the branch master and spoke.

“So, we should find Grandpa Medicine Immortal, right?”

The Medicine Immortal. Along with the Medicine Sage and the Poison Physician, one of the Three Great Physicians.

“That’s right.”

When the branch master nodded, Gyo-ha wriggled.

But his body didn’t move properly. In the end, he asked someone beside him.

“Could you take out the pouch at my waistband?”

“Yes.”

A Beggars’ Union disciple beside him nodded.

Then, with an uncomfortable expression, he put his hand into the waistband.

“Not there, the side. Yes, the back.”

Soon, the Beggars’ Union disciple pulled out a small pouch. People watched, puzzled by the sudden action.

Because they believed there must be a reason.

And the name ‘Medicine Immortal’ coming from Gyo-ha helped too.

And from the pouch came a broken wooden token.

“Ah.”

But the token had been split in half.

That was only natural. Considering what he had been through, it was impressive he hadn’t lost it.

A shabby wooden token.

Even small and mid-sized sects didn’t use tokens like that.

Disappointment rose on a few faces.

The Beggars’ Union disciple hadn’t been told to, but he fitted the broken halves together.

“Sun, Eui, Gyeong? Sun Eui-gyeong? Sun Eui-gyeong!”

“The Medicine Immortal!”

“My heavens!”

Names burst out of people like screams.

The branch master quickly snatched up the token.

“Th-this is real? No, it has to be real.”

He wouldn’t lie in a place like this. And how could he have prepared for something like this, not knowing when it might happen.

He looked like that, but Gyo-ha was from a prestigious sect too.

The Kunlun Sect.

It wouldn’t be strange for him to have ties to the Medicine Immortal.

“Where is Grandpa Medicine? Continental…”

“The Continental Merchant Guild!”

The branch master’s eyes lit up.

With even the Continental Merchant Guild mentioned, the credibility grew stronger.

“Yes. He said if you show it to them, they’ll know. But it’s broken. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. We’ll make it fine. Thank you, Young Master!”

It was a Namgung Clan martial artist.

His eyes were burning. Hope had been born.

The Continental Merchant Guild was counted among the top ten in the world.

Fortunately, East Lake had a Continental Merchant Guild branch.

The Namgung Clan martial artist received the token carefully, as if it were treasure.

No, it was treasure.

A means of contacting the Medicine Immortal. No different from a lifeline.

“Now, now, let’s go to the guild. You, guard the young master at his side.”

“Yes, Captain.”

And so, people poured out in a rush.

In the end, the token was real.

The Continental Merchant Guild’s branch manager confirmed it personally.

“From time to time, people come looking for Elder with convincing-looking tokens. This is to stop such people.”

At the branch manager’s words, the group nodded.

Who would have thought that shabby token would be real.

And that wasn’t all.

If it was the Medicine Immortal’s token, many would covet it. This was to prevent that.

If you hadn’t received it directly from the Medicine Immortal, you would never imagine it.

“I will take this matter to my grave.”

At the branch master’s words, the others nodded too.

Then the branch manager smiled gently.

“There’s no need to go that far. Even if he receives contact, whether he responds or not will be Elder’s decision.”

It was true. Even with the token, it could be stolen. And people could sell it, blinded by money.

And so the group returned to the Beggars’ Union branch lodge.

Now, all they could do was wait.

And that wait was not long.

The moment a day passed, word arrived.

They hadn’t expected a reply this fast, so they couldn’t help but be shocked.

The group understood why.

“They say he is currently in Jingmen.”

Their eyes widened.

Jingmen.

If you rode hard on horseback, it was a distance you could reach in four days.

It could only be called heavenly fortune.

“They say he’s leaving right away, so he’ll arrive soon.”

At the branch manager’s words, a Namgung Clan warrior spoke carefully.

“Would it be all right if we go to escort him here?”

Four days was only if you were on horseback. On foot, it could take longer.

Then the branch master stepped forward.

“I will go fetch him myself. I will be faster than a horse.”

A place where Wudang and the Namgung Clan were present.

But the Beggars’ Union had the right to say that.

In terms of speed alone, the Beggars’ Union’s movement art was the best among the Nine Sects One Union.

The Namgung Clan martial artists brightened. There was no reason to refuse.

It would mean owing the Beggars’ Union, but it was better than leaving Namgung Hyeok like this.

And they could guess why the branch master was going personally.

The group’s gaze naturally went to the branch manager.

After a brief thought, the branch manager nodded.

And not long after, the branch master left the branch lodge with a frame carrier on his back.