By Zephyria I need to get out of here. (1)
Seong Mu-yeon, the seventh son of the Cult Leader, the so-called ‘Seventh Young master,’ recalled his past life one day.
He was drinking herbal medicine at the time, and he spat it out at the physician.
“Ptoo!”
“……Young master, are you feeling unwell?”
“Cough, ah, no.”
Seong Mu-yeon calmly wiped his mouth with the cotton cloth the physician offered. But cold sweat was streaming down his back.
‘I’m screwed.’
His eyes squeezed shut involuntarily.
This world was the world of the martial arts novel ‘Finger Sword Lone Battle.’
Finger Sword Lone Battle was a typical martial arts novel, a munchkin martial arts story where a righteous orthodox sect protagonist smashes the Demonic Cult.
So…….
His father was the Demonic Cult Leader Seong Hyeok-gwang, and he had six older brothers. That meant Seong Mu-yeon was as good as dead.
Seong Mu-yeon looked around anew.
This was Xinjiang, his residence in the Demonic Cult’s Main Palace. The physician, who seemed to suspect the Seventh Young master’s mental state with wide eyes, also belonged to the Demonic Cult. The assistant standing behind the physician was also Demonic Cult, and the passing servants were all Demonic Cult.
This residence would eventually be burned down by the protagonist.
That was fate.
“Seventh Young master? Was there something wrong with the medicine?”
Seong Mu-yeon touched his forehead and waved his hand.
“No. Get out.”
He wished he hadn’t known.
“Damn it.”
All that came out of his mouth was a grand sigh.
Why was he born into the Demonic Cult of all places?
This space, which had been his sanctuary for 25 years as Seventh Young master Seong Mu-yeon, suddenly began to feel eerie.
‘What should I do?’
“Yeon, how are you feeling?”
“Ah, Brother.”
The one who visited Seong Mu-yeon’s residence was Second Young master Seong Mu-ryong.
He was the only one who took care of the insignificant Seventh Young master.
“I heard you threw up all the herbal medicine today.”
He asked worriedly.
It was more accurate to say he spat it out, but.
“How are you going to manage being so weak? You need to take your medicine properly.”
“Yes, Brother.”
Seong Mu-yeon was so sickly that he couldn’t even go about his daily life without medicine. Until yesterday, he had been dissatisfied with that fact…….
But it was a good thing in a way.
“Brother, that’s why I was wondering.”
“Hmm?”
“What if I went to the Central Plains to recuperate?”
“Recuperate?”
Seong Mu-yeon nodded.
Soon, his father, the Cult Leader, would be bedridden, and the fight for succession would begin. In any case, Seong Mu-yeon had virtually no chance of becoming the Cult Leader.
The Cult Leader had six more formidable sons. Seong Mu-yeon was the youngest of them, and his martial arts were also insignificant. In the original work, Seventh Young master Seong Mu-yeon was only mentioned and never actually appeared.
‘……He must have died early.’
He had to get away from the bloodbath that would sweep through the Demonic Cult as soon as possible.
“But Yeon, it’s called recuperation, but the road to the Central Plains is so long, I don’t know if you can endure it.”
“It’s okay. I can go slowly, taking breaks.”
“I’m worried.”
“……Brother, I know too. I won’t live long. I want to see the Central Plains before that. Is that much of a wish too greedy for me?”
Seong Mu-yeon lowered his voice as pathetically as possible. As intended, Seong Mu-ryong was distressed and didn’t know what to do.
“If that’s what you want.”
‘……Yes!’
With that, Seong Mu-yeon left Xinjiang and set out on a long and arduous journey to the Central Plains for recuperation.
No one came to see him off, so it was lonely, but Seong Mu-yeon didn’t care. He was rather pleased.
The Demonic Cult’s large and magnificent Main Palace had as many people as it was large. However, no one except his second brother, Seong Mu-ryong, cared about Seong Mu-yeon. He was as good as nonexistent in the Demonic Cult. He didn’t have any family affection left either.
To Seong Mu-yeon, who had recalled his memories of his past life, this place was a place where common sense didn’t prevail.
He just wanted to get away as soon as possible.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage shook incessantly.
“Young master, are you alright? You look pale.”
The escort, Il-gwang, asked. He was riding a horse, and he approached after seeing Seong Mu-yeon leaning against the window. Disguised as a young master from a wealthy family, he looked like he was about to die.
Seong Mu-yeon waved his hand.
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“……Yes.”
Il-gwang moved away.
Seong Mu-yeon was completely miserable. The most common means of transportation in this era was a carriage, and the roads were rough. Sitting on a hard chair was also a chore.
‘I have to endure it. I have to live.’
He burned with determination. He could endure this much. As long as he could preserve his life.
Seong Mu-yeon planned to disappear without a trace at the right time after going to the Central Plains.
‘The problem is the escorts.’
Seong Mu-yeon glanced at Il-gwang, who was watching the surroundings of the carriage with the eyes of a hawk. The only visible escort was Il-gwang, but hidden escort warriors would be surrounding him.
‘How do I get rid of those guys?’
“Young master, we’ve reached a fork in the road.”
Il-gwang called out. Outside, they were using the title ‘Young master’ to conceal his identity.
“If we go straight, we’ll reach Shanxi. I hear there are very good hot springs there. It would be helpful for Young master’s health…….”
“Shanxi is out of the question!”
Seong Mu-yeon screamed.
“Yes? Why is that?”
“Ah, no……. Sichuan would be better than Shanxi. I want to try Sichuan food.”
“Yes.”
Il-gwang seemed puzzled but nodded without questioning further.
Seong Mu-yeon was trying to maintain a calm face, but his heart was pounding.
‘Shanxi! That’s where the Hwasan Sect is! Are you trying to kill me!’
Even if he wasn’t caught up in the Demonic Cult’s succession battle, there were many dangers lurking in the Central Plains.
In particular, the Hwasan Sect was the most dangerous place among them.
‘That’s where the protagonist lives!’
The protagonist of this novel, Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign Baek Ryeo-il, was someone he absolutely didn’t want to meet. Baek Ryeo-il had a tremendous grudge against the Demonic Cult. None of the demonic cultists who caught his eye returned alive.
Seong Mu-yeon tried to calm himself.
As long as he hid his identity well. He hadn’t learned Demonic Art, so they wouldn’t be able to recognize his origins just by looking at him. The carriage and escorts were all disguised as ordinary people, so as long as he behaved himself, he would be fine.
If he didn’t meet the Sword Emperor, he might be able to live a peaceful life even in this harsh Central Plains.
He had to.
The carriage turned and headed for Sichuan Province.
The carriage traveled for a long time and arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan. Seong Mu-yeon, who had booked a room in a high-class inn, suffered for several days.
He only had to receive the food and medicine that Il-gwang brought him three times a day. While lying in bed, he briefly made plans for the future.
‘If I succeed in escaping, I’ll hide in the countryside until the war is over.’
He had enough wealth to live without working for several years.
‘It’s a good thing the Demonic Cult has a lot of money.’
He could make a lot of money just by selling the clothes he was wearing now.
‘And then…….’
“Cough, cough!”
Seong Mu-yeon burst into a violent cough. His sleeve was stained red as he coughed as if he would cough up his lungs.
‘Then I have to fix my body.’
Damn body.
He was suffering from Severed Meridian Disease. It was one of the diseases that often appeared in martial arts, and those who suffered from it had their qi and blood twisted, making it impossible to properly learn martial arts.
Seong Mu-yeon, as a young master of the Demonic Cult, had to learn Demonic Art from a young age, but he couldn’t because of this disease, and as a result, he became a son who was out of favor with the Cult Leader.
Severed Meridian was mainly a disease that the protagonist or heroine suffered from.
If the protagonist had this disease, they would soon encounter a powerful opportunity. It was a device to make the protagonist stronger, such as falling off a cliff and discovering a rare spirit pill, or discovering the hermitage of a hidden master.
In addition, ‘Severed Meridian Disease’ for the heroine was a strong connection with the protagonist. Because the description of having to roll around with the protagonist to cure the disease usually came out.
‘Curing the disease by doing that. It doesn’t make sense.’
Seong Mu-yeon snorted harshly.
“Young master, are you alright?”
Il-gwang cautiously asked from outside the door, having heard the coughing.
“Shall I bring you some herbal medicine?”
“Yes.”
A moment later, he swallowed the hot, steaming, bitter medicine.
“I’m glad the medicine seems to be working.”
“I guess so.”
Seong Mu-yeon smiled bitterly, rolling the candy that Il-gwang handed him in his mouth.
‘Actually, it doesn’t work at all.’
How could he cure twisted qi and blood with this kind of herbal medicine?
Fortunately, he knew the location of several precious spirit pills that the protagonist would obtain in the future. He could get them whenever he needed them.
But all of that was for later. Seong Mu-yeon said to Il-gwang, looking forward to the future.
“Il-gwang, prepare for an outing.”
“Yes? It’s a time of day with a lot of traffic right now. If you go out for no reason…….”
“It’s not like I’m an old man about to die, and I’ve been cooped up for days, so I’m getting restless. I need to see the outside world.”
“If that’s the case, there’s a performance at the market. Would you like to go see it?”