Chapter 195 :

<A Messenger from the Past (5)>

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Yaryul Geuk felt strange.

He was clearly being beaten, yet he could no longer feel any pain.

Had his wounds festered so badly that the nerves capable of feeling anything had disappeared?

Or did he now consider even feeling pain a luxury?

His body, however, could not endure even half as long as usual before collapsing backward.

He wanted to hold out longer, but there was no strength left in his legs.

"Then I will see you again tomorrow."

Through his involuntarily closing eyes, he could see Ak Jupyeong's vile face.

Strangely, he no longer felt even the desperate desire he had harbored for so long—to land just one punch.

'Ah… I need to get up.'

The footsteps receded.

Silence settled over the area until he could hear nothing.

Even the sound of the wind brushing his ears gradually faded.

In that perfect stillness, he slowly grew numb to the surrounding air that had felt a little cold.

'I need to go home… But my eldest brother will be disappointed if I do, will he not?'

Why had he been the one to survive?

Would it not have been better if he had died and his second brother had entered the academy instead?

If his third brother had not been injured, might he have completed their martial arts?

Those futile thoughts tangled together in his mind.

He felt as though he were sinking into a bottomless sea.

'I want to rest…'

If he got up and returned to the dormitory, he could clean the filth off his body and recover, even if only for a short while.

Then perhaps he could fight back a little against Ak Jupyeong and his gang.

But what was the point?

They would only beat him again the next day.

He could not summon strength into his body.

No, he could not summon the will.

He simply wanted to do nothing and remain as he was.

'Perhaps… it is all right to stay like this.'

With his spirit broken, Yaryul Geuk lost even the will to move.

Silent darkness enveloped him.

"Huff, huff, huff, huff."

Lee Jagon, who had been chasing Jin Sowoon after receiving an emergency summons, struggled to catch his breath.

'What kind of movement technique is that…?'

Moreover, Jin Sowoon had stopped at the dormitory and bent both of Ak Jupyeong's legs in directions they should never have bent.

The instructors and training masters had joined forces to surround him, but Jin Sowoon had slipped effortlessly through their encirclement and disappeared somewhere, seemingly unconcerned.

'Is that really the same Jin Sowoon?'

When he had taken the sect-inspection envoy's test, Jin Sowoon's prowess had certainly been at the level of an outstanding young martial artist.

Yet he had made this much progress in such a short time.

It was difficult to believe.

But no one seemed to recognize how alarming his level had become.

Those who knew no better merely competed to express their immediate anger.

"They say he went to Yangsan Peak."

"We cannot let this matter pass."

"How dare he commit violence within the academy!"

Lee Jagon smiled bitterly.

Since when had violence within the academy warranted such severe punishment?

Was the academy's usual attitude not to blame the victim for neglecting their training?

'Is this the adults' politics at work?'

Looking over the instructors shouting at the tops of their voices, he found that all of them had some connection to the White Path Association.

With Ak Jupyeong suffering such an incident under their supervision, they would have difficulty facing the association.

'And he picked the wrong opponent.'

Jin Sowoon had been fighting a lonely battle all this time.

Lee Jagon had thought he was holding out quite well, only for trouble to erupt in a place like this.

'Did they say Ak Jupyeong's uncle works at the Inspection Pavilion?'

The Martial Academy already suffered from excessive interference by influential fathers. Add a Martial Alliance position to that, and the situation could spiral out of control.

For Jin Sowoon's sake as well, bringing the situation under control quickly had to take priority.

Then—

A signal came that the person they were pursuing had been found.

The instructors who reached a clearing on Yangsan Peak had discovered Jin Sowoon kneeling there.

"Jin Sowoon! You insolent brat! How dare you commit violence within the academy! Come here at once!"

One of the training masters spoke sternly, but Jin Sowoon did not move.

Just as the instructors approached to drag him away by force, Lee Jagon noticed something strange and stopped them.

"Wait a moment."

"Hmm? Training Master Lee, that brat must be disciplined immediately…"

"No, that is not what I mean."

A boy lay in front of Jin Sowoon.

As Lee Jagon slowly approached, the boy's face came into view.

An academy student he had occasionally seen in class.

Was it the Yuhwan Sect? He remembered the boy being a disciple of a sect so obscure that even its name was difficult to recall.

"Yaryul… Geuk! But was that boy acquainted with Jin Sowoon?"

Jin Sowoon was a person of particular interest within the academy.

The training masters had already made sure to identify his friends and those with whom he might come into conflict.

'I was certain this boy had no connection to Jin Sowoon…'

As Lee Jagon considered that, one training master finally lost patience and stepped forward.

"We will take him into custody first. He may try to flee. Stand up, Jin Sowoon."

The training master grabbed Jin Sowoon's shoulder and hauled him upward.

Crack.

"Aaargh!"

Instead, Jin Sowoon caught the training master's hand, twisted it, and flung him in the opposite direction.

It was such a peculiar technique that Lee Jagon could not even tell what he had done.

At that single move, the training masters and instructors assumed fighting stances.

Some even drew their swords.

"Jin Sowoon! What is the meaning of this outrageous behavior? How dare you attack a training master! Are you challenging the academy?"

Still facing away from them, Jin Sowoon spoke.

"…Why are you people here?"

His voice was low.

"Is running through the academy grounds really cause for such a fuss that you need to use the words 'take into custody'?"

"Jin Sowoon! You injured another academy student!"

"Did that bastard die?"

Was Lee Jagon imagining the ominous quality in that low voice?

Its chill seemed to conceal a blade, making his throat go dry.

"…Those bastards beat this brat for months, until he died."

Jin Sowoon turned his head and examined the faces of those surrounding him, one by one.

"I imagine some of the training masters and instructors here recognize this brat's face?"

"…"

The sound of people swallowing came from here and there.

"If you want to punish me, punish Ak Jupyeong and his gang first. Until then, you have no right to discipline anyone."

Crack, crack.

The training master who had been thrown aside with his arm twisted rose and reset his dislocated arm.

"Gah! What are you doing? This is a challenge to the authority of the teaching staff!"

The hesitant instructors readied themselves again at his words.

Jin Sowoon slowly rose and looked at the training master who had given the order.

"After seeing something like this, there is no way I could think well of you, even if I tried."

"What nonsense are you spouting…?"

Swish—

Jin Sowoon's motionless figure slowly faded like smoke.

Then a loud impact rang out a short distance away.

'When did he…?'

Leaving only an afterimage behind, Jin Sowoon had already struck the training master in the jaw.

He hit him so hard that three white fragments flew from his mouth.

At that, the other training masters and instructors seemed to decide they could tolerate no more and prepared to rush him.

Then Lee Jagon noticed something and shouted.

"S-stop!"

His voice rang across Yangsan Peak, and everyone turned toward him.

Lee Jagon slowly approached Yaryul Geuk and examined his condition.

Not only was his face bruised, but his entire body was covered in deep bruising.

With injuries like these, it was only natural to think he was dead.

'But!'

Lee Jagon had clearly seen it.

Yaryul Geuk's chest had moved, however slightly.

'He is breathing!'

It was so faint as to be almost imperceptible, but he was breathing.

When Lee Jagon checked his pulse, it was weak and irregular, but it was still there.

"H-he is still alive!"

"Alive?"

Jin Sowoon appeared beside Lee Jagon before he knew it.

"Q-quickly, to the Medicine Hall."

Before Lee Jagon could reach out, Jin Sowoon lifted Yaryul Geuk into his arms.

Then, without another word, he vanished like the wind.

Whoosh—

Watching Jin Sowoon leave, Lee Jagon could not shake his unease.

For some reason, he did not think this matter would end simply.

He could not easily forget the expression on Jin Sowoon's face as he disappeared.

Arriving at the Medicine Hall, Jin Sowoon ignored the medical attendants telling him to register the patient and went inside, laying Yaryul Geuk on a bed.

Then he immediately checked his pulse.

'H-he is alive!'

Before he could even feel relieved, unwelcome voices interrupted him.

"You cannot just barge in here!"

The medical attendants' voices were sharp.

But Jin Sowoon merely looked around.

"Where are the medicinal ingredients?"

"What…? You cannot just…"

"Where are the medicinal ingredients?"

Faced with Jin Sowoon's uncompromising behavior, one of the hesitant attendants finally pointed in a direction.

Jin Sowoon entered the medicinal storeroom without delay and began placing ingredients into a container one by one, moving with familiarity as though he already knew where everything was.

Then a man entered.

"What on earth is happening?"

"P-physician! A man suddenly came in…"

Sama Jeong, the master of the Medicine Hall, looked between the new patient on the bed and Jin Sowoon in the medicinal storeroom before addressing the attendants.

"I will handle this. Go back to your work."

"What? But…"

"Well, it looks as though the young man has some idea how to treat him. At times like this, it is better to watch."

"…"

Perhaps because he had come from the Martial Alliance's Medical Pavilion, his thinking differed from that of the previous hall masters.

With that thought, the attendant finally left.

"Hmm…?"

Sama Jeong approached Yaryul Geuk and checked his pulse.

'His vital energy is damaged, and his entire body is full of stagnant blood… What on earth happened to him?'

His condition was so precarious that he seemed liable to stop breathing at any moment.

Sama Jeong grew curious about the young man who, in such circumstances, was preparing medicine himself instead of seeking a physician.

Rising, he looked into the medicinal storeroom and saw that Jin Sowoon was already processing the ingredients.

Some he ground into powder; others he cut into large pieces.

After wrapping the prepared ingredients in cotton cloth, he enclosed them between both hands.

"Hmm?"

A moment later, white smoke began rising from his hands, and black medicinal liquid dripped down.

'He is preparing medicine like that?'

It was a method Sama Jeong had never seen in his life.

He worried that processing the ingredients that way might destroy their medicinal potency, but Jin Sowoon's expression was far too confident for that.

After filling a bowl, Jin Sowoon unwrapped the cloth, selected several ingredients, and ground them into powder again.

Then he mixed the powder with honey and formed three pills.

"…"

With the medicine ready, Jin Sowoon looked at Sama Jeong, who was blocking the doorway.

Sama Jeong abruptly came to his senses and stepped aside.

"Ah, my apologies. It was so fascinating that I was watching. Go ahead."

Without replying, Jin Sowoon passed him and approached Yaryul Geuk.

He opened the boy's mouth and slowly fed him the medicine.

"Do you know how to administer acupuncture?"

"…I would appreciate your help."

"I am glad there is something I can do."

While Sama Jeong inserted the needles, Jin Sowoon crushed one of the pills he had prepared, mixed it with the medicinal liquid, and fed it to Yaryul Geuk.

Between inserting needles, Sama Jeong checked Yaryul Geuk's pulse.

Amazingly, he could feel it growing stronger in real time.

'What on earth…?'

Normally, medicinal decoctions could hardly produce an immediate effect.

Yet the medicine Jin Sowoon had prepared through that unusual method was producing results so quickly that they could almost be called instantaneous.

Jin Sowoon seemed aware of it as well, for he then crushed the second pill and fed it to Yaryul Geuk.

The pulse grew stronger once again.

"May I… ask you a question?"

"…"

Sama Jeong knew how dangerous it was to irritate a martial artist in a tense situation, but as a physician, he could not bear to leave his curiosity unanswered.

Realizing that they had not even introduced themselves, he hastily added—

"Ah! My name is Sama Jeong."

"Sama Jeong? Thousand-Cat…"

Jin Sowoon stopped mid-sentence.

"Thousand-Cat? What is that?"

"Nothing. Are you with the Medicine Hall?"

"Not originally. I was at the alliance's Medical Pavilion."

For some reason, Sama Jeong felt as though Jin Sowoon's eyes had flashed for an instant, but he continued with his question.

"May I ask you something? It seems there is some time before you give him the next pill anyway."

After looking at Yaryul Geuk for a moment, Jin Sowoon nodded.

"Please go ahead."

"As I understand it, producing results so quickly with decoctions and pills is difficult. How exactly did you do it?"

"…Do you not already know?"

As Sama Jeong searched for the meaning behind those words, a thought flashed through his mind.

"Did you perhaps use poison?"

"Yes. Nine Yin Snake venom has the side effect of rapidly spreading through the bloodstream and paralyzing the body, does it not?"

"Ha! You really used poison?"

Jin Sowoon shrugged as though it were nothing unusual.

"But I also added Yangyang Grass, which follows behind the Nine Yin Snake venom and gradually neutralizes it."

"I see. You use the Nine Yin Snake venom to spread the medicine's effects, then slowly neutralize it with Yangyang Grass."

When Jin Sowoon nodded, Sama Jeong marveled inwardly.

Even as a physician, it was a method he had only theorized about.

Yet this young man, who looked barely past twenty, was using poison with such practiced ease.

Sama Jeong found himself intensely curious about his identity.

Then, apparently judging that the time had come, Jin Sowoon administered the third pill.

The strongly beating pulse gradually began to stabilize.

"Ha… You really saved him."

Color slowly returned to Yaryul Geuk's pale face.

His eyelids, which had remained closed as though he were dead, fluttered and slowly opened.

Opening his eyes to narrow slits, Yaryul Geuk looked around, spotted Jin Sowoon, and immediately scowled.

"Jin Sowoon, you… I am sure I warned you that I would never forgive you if you appeared before me…"

Listening beside them, Sama Jeong was bewildered.

Without this young man, the boy would have died.

Yet the first thing he did upon waking was curse at the person who had saved his life.

Unable to make any sense of it, Sama Jeong looked nervously at Jin Sowoon.

But contrary to his expectations, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the young man whose expression had remained rigid until now.

"Haa… You disrespectful little bastard…"

Beneath Jin Sowoon's exasperation lay a peculiar sense of relief.