Land Of Death (2)

“It would be difficult to achieve a full cure. He had been left untreated for too long… I examined several herbs the Miao use here, and thanks to that rough treatment he had at least managed to stay alive.”

Bae Ji-sang spoke as he came out of the chieftain’s house.

“Still, as long as he didn’t exert himself, his condition wouldn’t worsen further.”

“Is there no way to cure him completely? In his present state, we probably can’t get what we need…”

“Is there something we need to obtain?”

“The elder said it had been close to ten years since he entered Aenoe Mountain. I think he wants information on what changes the mountain has undergone since. That way we can avoid the dangerous places.”

“Ah… well, they say even rivers and mountains change in ten years. There is a way to cure him completely—but it isn’t easy.”

“What method is it?”

“Burning it out. Someone who practices the Blazing Fire Art would have to use true qi to perform meridian-chasing acupoint cautery, burning away the venom that had seeped into his marrow.”

“The Blazing Fire Art…!”

That was troublesome. Neung Je-gang had poison in his own body, so he had to be excluded; as for the others, he didn’t see anyone who had cultivated that art.

If anyone could attempt it, it was only Majil—but Neung doubted whether True Fire Energy could be used for meridian-chasing acupoint cautery.

‘If I make him try and he scorches the chieftain to death—or melts him—that’d be a disaster.’

Even so, it was worth testing whether Majil could do it.

“Majil!”

Neung Je-gang called Majil over. Majil approached with a mischievous grin.

“Do you know how to do meridian-chasing and acupoint work?”

“What… is that?”

“Think of it as a kind of therapeutic massage…”

“If it’s massage, I can do it. I’m really good. I always did it for my master.”

〔Have you ever infused someone’s body with True Fire Energy?〕

Majil shook his head.

〔Can you make heat flow from your hands without showing visible flame?〕

Majil nodded.

That meant it was possible. Then acupoint cautery might work. So long as he didn’t accidentally ignite flames, there wouldn’t be a tragedy.

One last check remained.

〔You can control the heat level, right?〕

Majil nodded again.

Good. Majil could be the one to do it.

“Go with Brother Bae and perform meridian-chasing acupoint cautery for the chieftain.”

“Why?”

“To detoxify him you’ll have to burn the toxin inside the body that way. Start very gently, then raise the heat bit by bit—and absolutely do not let the chieftain die.”

“Uh… I’m not sure I can do it. What if he dies?”

“Then that’s that. We’ll have to run.”

At Neung Je-gang’s irresponsible remark, Bae Ji-sang could only shake his head.

While Majil and Bae toiled to treat the chieftain, the rest of the party sprawled in the village center. The villagers had urged them to sleep in hut-like shelters, but the stench was so awful that they came back out and bedded down in the open.

At least the stars were thick overhead; it didn’t look like rain.

Neung Je-gang did not sleep. Seated cross-legged, he meditated on the formulas of the Empty Spirit Seven-Saber Formula. When that ended, he contemplated the Thunderclap Heaven-Shattering Strike, then recalled the cryptic art called the Death-Demon Phantasm.

The Death-Demon Phantasm was an illusion that feigned death—falsehood, in other words. It showed the enemy torn flesh and spraying blood, lulling them into carelessness; that was its essence.

Thus, to perfect it, one had to be struck by an attack strong enough to truly kill.

Think about it: one punch, one stab—such light damage couldn’t possibly sell the vision of a body bursting apart.

Fortunately, in the final moment of his duel with Yuk Cheon-u, just before the storm of saber-qi swept him away, Neung Je-gang had been able to cast the Death-Demon Phantasm. Had he missed that instant, he would have truly died.

And fortunately, at the instant of that single regeneration—or rebirth—the Death-Demon Phantasm reached its peak within him. Now he had the ability to invoke it whenever and wherever he wished.

The power to die to no one.

But even the Death-Demon Phantasm had weaknesses. If his head were lopped off before he could cast it, it would all be over—only death would follow. And if he cast it too early, he would be advertising that he had mastered it; rumors would spread, and he would swiftly become the enemy of the entire martial world.

After a long, quiet night of contemplation, Neung finally stirred the Demonic Mara Energy Method. When a grand circuit was done, he opened his eyes. Even then, Majil and Bae had not yet emerged from the chieftain’s dwelling.

“Is it all right to cultivate just anywhere like that?”

Go So-jeong, apparently awake, came over.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I cultivated too. It chased my sleep away. Still, it seems to be taking far too long to treat the chieftain.”

“Majil is clumsy. Now that he’s gotten the hang of it, they should be finished soon.”

“Oh? You can tell what’s happening in there from out here?”

“More or less…”

Go So-jeong sat beside him.

She idly poked at the ashes of a dead campfire, then suddenly looked at Neung and asked,

“That girl on Kuaiji Mountain… do you love her?”

She had screwed up her courage to ask. Her heart hammered at the thought she might hear an answer she absolutely did not want.

“I do love her. She’s an adorable little sister.”

To Neung Je-gang, Je So-yeong was like that—an adorable, mischievous, kind younger sister or niece.

There was no romance in it.

“Ah…”

Relief washed through Go So-jeong.

“Then…”

She meant to ask the truly important thing—what he thought of her…

But at that moment, Neung sprang to his feet.

“Looks like they’re done.”

He ran to the chieftain’s house.

Left alone, Go So-jeong let out a small sigh.

“Right, better not ask. I wouldn’t like the answer. It hasn’t been that long since I swore to kill him—what nice thing could he possibly say? Better not to ask and be disappointed. This way is actually better. At least I can stay by his side. Huh… I should have asked him to show me his real face. I might remember it this time…”

She simply lay down right there. Over her brow, countless stars glittered.

“He lives.”

Bae Ji-sang took a final pulse and nodded, certain.

“The detoxification is complete.”

They had saved the chieftain. With what they needed secured, they could move faster from here.

After dawn, they ate, received the Miao’s farewell, and set out again.

“Did you get what you wanted?”

Still following behind Old Man Gang, Neung Je-gang asked.

“They showed me where the traps laid by the ones who poisoned the chieftain are. We also learned a path that avoids them—so we’ll reach the next village quickly.”

Majil’s efforts had paid off.

None of them noticed a single strand of smoke rising from the Miao village they had left.

The “next village” Old Man Gang had called “close” proved to be three more days’ hard marching away.

And as expected, that village offered no welcome. In fact, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

“What’s with this place now?”

Majil circled and reported back.

“Chief!”

Just then Cheong Yeon called Neung Je-gang. He stood on the forest edge outside the village, having found something.

Neung went over, Majil on his heels.

“Ugh!”

A foul reek hit them.

“Bleagh!”

Majil retched and backed away.

Even Neung Je-gang had to look aside at the sight before them.

“It hasn’t been long, but the rot is severe from the poison.”

Children to women—every Miao who had lived here lay dead, shoved into shallow earth.

“But I don’t see the men. Where are they?”

Who had done it was obvious; only the men’s whereabouts were in question.

“I’ll look.”

Cheong Yeon slipped past the bodies and into the trees to scout.

Neung used the soil Cheong had turned back to cover the corpses.

Just then, Song Seok-jin approached, holding something.

“Look what I found.”

It was an animal skin, on which something had been drawn in dark red.

“What is it?”

“Looks like a drawing of some sort, but I can’t tell.”

They had no way to know whether an outsider had left it—or the villagers themselves.

Old Man Gang came over, took it from Neung’s hands, and studied it.

“This is a map. Here is this village, and what it’s pointing to lies to the north—another village.”

He traced the marks with his finger and explained, but no one in the party could make it out for themselves.

“There’s another village to the north?”

“Yes. The tribe there is fierce, so people don’t often go. It’s remote, and there’s no path beyond it.”

“Then the men from this village may have been taken there.”

“Taken? Why?”

“Everyone here is dead. Only the men are missing.”

“Is that true?”

Old Man Gang nearly staggered.

“Hmph. It doesn’t look like there was a tribal war…”

In Miao wars, the losing side sometimes became slaves—but they didn’t slaughter all the women and children.

“What shall we do?”

“What do you think we should do?”

Neung returned the question.

“It’s best not to interfere in Miao affairs if we can help it.”

Unexpectedly, the elder advised them to stay out of it.

“These aren’t Miao affairs. Poison was used. The ones we’re hunting are involved.”

“Y-you mean Heavenly Poison Grove?”

“Yes.”

“Heavenly Poison Grove used to have deep friendship with the Miao—why would they…?”

“The ‘new’ Heavenly Poison Grove will have changed. Still, if you say we shouldn’t meddle, we won’t.”

Neung left the decision to the elder. Of them all, he knew the Miao best.

“If Central Plains men are involved, then we should intervene. That may lessen the Miao’s anger toward outsiders—if only a little. Ah… this is why I quit mountain guiding, for fear I’d see something like this…”

Old Man Gang sank down. At last he understood that this trek had been sparked by a conflict among Central Plains folk.

“I’m sorry. Please show us the approximate location and remain here.”

Neung took the directions and rose.

“Majil!”

“Yes, Chief!”

“Guard the elder with Lady Go. Don’t move from here; if there’s trouble, fall back to the previous village.”

“Uh—got it. What about you, Chief…?”

“I have somewhere to go with the others.”

At that moment, Old Man Gang stood.

“I’ll go too. At my age, I’ve no reason to fear death. I need to see just who did this. Besides, you’ll need me to speak with the Miao.”

“Will you be all right?”

Because of the language issue, Neung couldn’t very well refuse. If they ran in to rescue captives, they could end up fighting the Miao.

“Let’s leave when everyone returns.”