With the guidance of the locals, the party was able to move even faster.
“There’s a shortcut that outsiders don’t know. Let’s go this way.”
They moved easily through the mountains, navigating without a compass. And so, the party was able to arrive at the foot of the Ailao Mountains.
“The Five Poisons Sect is located on the mid-slope. From here, you just have to follow the path up.”
“Are there no shortcuts this time~?”
“None.”
The way he cut him off so curtly made it seem like this really was the only path. As they followed the road up, the Five Poisons Sect finally revealed its magnificent form.
‘The architectural style… is certainly not from the Central Plains.’
It was different from the Central Plains, but quite splendid. The eaves of the roofs were swept high, and the overall structure was large and grand, using a lot of marble. On top of that, thick ivy vines grew like a spiderweb along the building walls, and countless snakes and poisonous insects crawled over them.
‘Wow… if an unknowing outsider were to grab the wall, they’d be on a one-way trip to the afterlife.’
The fact that they didn’t give a rat’s ass about the convenience of outsiders was just so typical of the Five Poisons Sect.
“Wow, this is cool~”
Sama Hyeon whistled and looked around. He didn’t seem to pay any mind to the poisonous spiders passing under his feet. Jin Cheonhee was dumbfounded by his nonchalant attitude, as if he had come on a sightseeing tour.
‘Even I’m tense, but this guy is just enjoying it.’
When he had asked the physician who had come to the Five Poisons Sect for the last medical exchange, he had been told that the sect originally raised their poisonous insects by letting them roam free. He had clicked his tongue at the fact that they wouldn’t lock up the poisonous creatures they were raising, no matter what guest had come.
And so, they entered the Five Poisons Sect and passed through the main gate. The disciples of the sect, having received a message from down the mountain beforehand, were lined up in an orderly fashion on the left and right.
“Welcome to the Five Poisons Sect. White Dragon Medical Pavilion, and Golden Blood Chamber.”
The white-robed leader of the Five Poisons Sect was descending from the top of the stairs. He had facial features like that of a foreigner, but only his hair and eyes were black.
‘I heard the current sect leader is of mixed blood.’
He had heard it was a very unusual case even in this region. Perhaps because it was a hot region, he was wearing a sleeveless top, made of white snakeskin.
Jin Cheonhee took a step forward and offered a light bow. “For a mere medical exchange, you have given us such a grand welcome. This humble village doctor does not know where to put himself.”
“Hahaha, a village doctor? The Blue-Eyed Mad Doctor is far too modest.”
It seemed the leader of the Five Poisons Sect valued the title ‘Blue-Eyed Mad Doctor’ more than ‘White-Robed Divine Dragon’. Well, in a region where you had to kill all challengers to become the leader, the White-Robed Divine Dragon would probably seem hypocritical.
“However, our Five Poisons Sect has a culture of verifying a guest’s qualifications before we entertain them.”
‘Hmm? I didn’t hear anything like that from my master.’
Sure enough, the physician who had come to the Five Poisons Sect last time was also waving his hands, looking as if this was the first time he had heard of it.
The sect leader said, “It was a custom that had once disappeared, but I have revived it.”
“Aha…” In a word, it was an excuse. He must have been itching to confirm for himself how much of Jin Cheonhee’s fame was true.
“Are you willing to follow our custom?”
It seemed this sect leader was quite a belligerent person.
“I shall.”
When Jin Cheonhee answered calmly, the sect leader replied with a pleased expression. “Excellent, then.” He shouted loudly to the disciples behind him. “Who will verify our guest’s qualifications–!”
At the booming shout, a handsome young man with cat-like eyes quickly came forward. “This disciple shall step forward.”
This man’s sleeves were also sleeveless, but he was wearing a formal martial arts uniform. His lean, resilient muscles were similar to those of a gymnast.
‘That man… he’s the one who guided us earlier.’
Mayasuri of the Tiger Clan. At his words, the other Five Poisons Sect disciples who had been picking a fight with Jin Cheonhee had no choice but to retreat.
‘He came up first and was waiting.’
Although he had said this was the only path, it seemed there was another hidden path. Well, he couldn’t very well teach that to an outsider.
He was wearing Tiger Claws[1] on both hands, which, as the name suggested, were knuckles shaped like a tiger’s claws.
‘They say the Southern Barbarian Beast Sect of the past became the Five Poisons Sect.’
There was a history that the former Southern Barbarian Beast Sect had grown in power and absorbed the clans to become the current Five Poisons Sect. As expected, the characteristics of the Beast Sect were still being passed down.
“He is Mayasuri, one of the three great disciples of the Five Poisons Sect and a direct disciple of the sect leader. In the Central Plains tongue, he is called ‘Flowing Tiger Cloud’, but when he works outside, he uses the name Ho Woon-yeon[2].”
Mayasuri is probably the more familiar name.
“I am Jin Cheonhee, Minor Pavilion Master of the White Dragon Medical Pavilion.” Jin Cheonhee made a fist-and-palm salute and took a dueling stance. At that, the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect retreated with excited expressions.
A tense air flowed between Jin Cheonhee and Mayasuri. Mayasuri took a ready stance.
“Begin the duel!”
At the sect leader’s words, it was Mayasuri who moved first. He used a fist style that seemed to be modeled after a tiger, running on all fours before immediately leaping towards Jin Cheonhee. The Tiger Claws on both hands were like the claws of a tiger itself, and they were shrouded in Sword Qi.
‘It’s fierce, but… Tang Ah really is something else.’
Jin Cheonhee merely took a single step to the side. Step— It was by no means a flashy footwork stance, yet he had narrowly dodged his Tiger Claws. But Jin Cheonhee’s form was undisturbed and leisurely.
Mayasuri’s Tiger Claws tore through the air, creating dozens of afterimages. Even so, Jin Cheonhee only dodged his attacks and did not counter. At this point, even Mayasuri couldn’t help but notice that Jin Cheonhee was going easy on him.
“Eeeek! How dare you humiliate me! Use your full power!”
Mayasuri’s eyes began to turn red. A killing intent so intense that it seemed like a berserk rage from a demonic art erupted from him, and a black liquid began to flow down his Tiger Claws.
Drip, drip—
The moment the black liquid hit the ground, something incredible happened.
Chiiiik—
The moment it touched the floor, it began to melt the stone.
‘This isn’t a matter of detoxification; if that touches me, I’ll melt and die.’
Was he planning to have a life-and-death duel instead of a simple friendly match?
‘This… is not the way I had hoped for.’
Thinking that, Jin Cheonhee immediately slid his body. Poison on the Tiger Claws; the longer this dragged on, one of them would be seriously injured or die. Since he had crossed the line of a friendly duel, Jin Cheonhee had no intention of going easy either.
In that moment, Mayasuri saw Jin Cheonhee’s body disappear as if sliding away. It flickered as if his vision had been cut off. And the next thing he saw was the Ice Clarity Sword, which was emitting a chilling blue aura in this heat.
Seokeong-!
It sliced through the Tiger Claw, which was imbued with Sword Qi, in a single blow, and then Jin Cheonhee’s sleeve covered his eyes. “Rest.”
Pow!
The moment he felt his shoulder bone dislocate, a shockwave hit the back of his neck. A dislocation and an acupoint seal, simultaneously.
‘How on earth so fast…!?’
But his thoughts ended there. Jin Cheonhee caught Mayasuri, who had lost consciousness and collapsed. “It’s a light acupoint seal, so he’ll wake up in a bit.”
Then, he set his shoulder bone back in place with a crack. It must have been quite painful, but the unconscious man was silent, and even Jin Cheonhee, who performed the action, was nonchalant. Everyone was speechless at his familiar skill, as if he had done it hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
“…”
Clap, clap, clap!
Amidst the frozen training grounds, only the sect leader clapped, expressing his sincere admiration. “Indeed, indeed! The fame of the martial world was not a lie! To have achieved so much at such a young age! Our sect will gladly treat you as a guest. However…!” He gestured towards Sama Hyeon with his chin. “What about you, from the Golden Blood Chamber?”
[Ah… that old man, he’s planning on testing me too, isn’t he~?]
[Go easy on him. It’s a friendly duel, so don’t kill him. And don’t make it so I have to treat him too much.]
[As you know, brother, subduing someone without killing them is too difficult for me.]
That was also due to the nature of the martial art Sama Hyeon had learned. The Thousand Changes Ten Thousand Inspection Art[3] he had mastered did not presuppose a situation where the opponent was left alive in the first place. Either kill or be killed.
Jin Cheonhee clicked his tongue, and his eyes turned blue. He seemed to be quickly calculating how to treat a seriously injured patient. Given the nature of Sama Hyeon’s martial art, there was no guarantee of the opponent’s life after the duel ended.
[But~ if it’s just playing around, I can manage somehow.]
[What?]
Instead of answering, Sama Hyeon playfully made a fist-and-palm salute. “Sama Hyeon, Head of the Silver Hall of the Golden Blood Chamber! I, too, will accept the test.”
At that, the Red Bear Clan member who had picked a fight with him before stepped forward. “I will be your opponent! My name is Dedabatta! The one who will crush you!”
Wanting revenge for their previous encounter, he stood before Sama Hyeon and took a fighting stance. His self-introduction was overly simple, to the point of feeling rude. But no one else reacted.
“Oh, good~ good~ come on~ come on~”
Facing the man from the Red Bear Clan, Sama Hyeon grinned slyly and began to bounce lightly on his feet. It was like a rabbit hopping around. The way he lightly bounced on his feet like a boxer doing footwork was the very picture of frivolity.
[I prepared for a time like this, Gaga~ This is the Rabbit Form Step[4]~]
It was a footwork literally modeled after the form of a rabbit.
[You learned something like this in advance?]
[Since Gaga detests it so much, I had no choice~ And firing up the stage is my specialty, too~]
Sure enough. At Sama Hyeon’s hopping footwork, even the members of the Five Poisons Sect burst into laughter. “Is this bastard making fun of me?!”
“Ooh~ It’s not like that~ Rabbits are terrifying animals, you know~?”
The man from the Red Bear Clan put on iron fist guards. It was a sign that he wouldn’t be holding back. Then, with the iron fist guards on, he brought his attack down on Sama Hyeon from above like a hammer. A powerful blow using his massive physique!
‘Since Sama Hyeon brought out the Rabbit Form Step, is that side using the Bear Form Fist?’
A bear facing a rabbit. Looking at the matchup alone, the Bear Form Fist might have the advantage. But Sama Hyeon was no pushover either.
Tong!
It looked like a light hop, but Sama Hyeon’s body instantly shot up, narrowly dodging Dedabatta’s fist. In an instant, his body had leaped up to the Red Bear Clan man’s shoulder, and with it, his body spun like he was doing a handstand. And then, his palm, imbued with a soft internal energy technique, struck the Red Bear Clan man’s shoulder.
Paang!
“Keohehehet! That tickles!”
Then, the Red Bear Clan member lifted the hand he had just brought down and swung it wide. But Sama Hyeon had already used the recoil from hitting his shoulder to drop to his side and was in the middle of retreating. “Wow, if you had been knocked out right there, it would have ended with less pain. What a shame. Your external fortitude is quite something.”
As he said that, Sama Hyeon’s two hands began to emit a golden light.