68 – Decoding (2)

Detoxification (2)

“……You.”

“Don’t fight…….”

Seong Mu-yeon mumbled weakly, his eyes closed. Even without looking, he could tell that Baek Ryeo-il and Il-gwang were glaring at each other.

At those words, he heard Il-gwang turn sharply and walk away.

Unfortunately, he was in no position to care about who was fighting whom. He felt as if he was about to freeze to death on the cold stone floor, so Baek Ryeo-il’s warm body was more than welcome.

Seong Mu-yeon pillowed his arm on Baek Ryeo-il’s and buried his face in the area where his heart was.

‘It would be nice if they could get along…….’

Whether it was because of their first meeting or because they belonged to opposing factions, Baek Ryeo-il and Il-gwang growled at each other whenever they made eye contact. It seemed to be both.

Even if the world split in two, he couldn’t imagine Baek Ryeo-il and Il-gwang chatting and laughing together.

They rested for a while before setting off again before the morning dew fell. As Il-gwang naturally approached Seong Mu-yeon, Baek Ryeo-il intervened.

“Come here.”

Seong Mu-yeon frowned.

“What is it? That gesture?”

Baek Ryeo-il was beckoning Seong Mu-yeon with his palm, as if calling a dog.

“I’m much faster than that guy.”

“That’s true, but…….”

“It’s alright, Young master. Don’t listen to what that guy says. I’ll take care of you.”

Il-gwang reached out his arm, but Baek Ryeo-il quickly approached and slapped it away. Then, as if afraid of being beaten to the punch, he supported Seong Mu-yeon’s thighs. Then he proudly took the lead.

They arrived at Daebyeol Mountain, where a thick fog hung. Before entering Yak Seon’s laboratory, Seong Mu-yeon said to Il-gwang.

“Il-gwang, you wait here. With the Black Shadow Unit too.”

“Yes?”

“Yak Seon hates the Demonic Cult.”

“…….”

Yak Seon loathed the Demonic Cult. There might not be anyone in the Central Plains who liked the Demonic Cult, but in terms of the intensity of hatred, Yak Seon rivaled the original Baek Ryeo-il.

“Young master, please be careful of your behavior. Absolutely, absolutely do not cause a ruckus here. Be polite.”

He warned Baek Ryeo-il several times. If possible, he wanted to leave Baek Ryeo-il behind as well, but he needed a shield in case something went wrong. Seong Mu-yeon was also a member of the Demonic Cult.

“What’s so serious?”

“Please. The antidote is important, but this person might be the only one who can make the medicine to save me.”

At his earnest request, Baek Ryeo-il didn’t argue any further.

“Especially! No violence.”

“I know, I know.”

In the original story, Baek Ryeo-il’s well-matured martial prowess was otherworldly, so there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish with his fists, but he wasn’t quite there yet.

Knock, knock.

Seong Mu-yeon knocked politely on the door.

“Who is it……?”

A youthful, leisurely voice came from inside the door.

“I came to see Yak Seon.”

“What business do you have……?”

The boy’s tone was very polite, but it was strangely dreamy and alien.

“I’ve been poisoned and I’d like to get an antidote.”

“Come in…….”

Creak.

The moss-covered wooden door slowly opened.

There was no martial artist who hadn’t heard the rumor that Yak Seon had cut off ties with the world and gone into hiding, but in fact, he wasn’t exactly hiding. He was just drawing a firm line when it came to martial arts affairs. He wandered around the Central Plains, lending a hand to those in need, and didn’t turn away anyone who came to him, so any ordinary civilian could meet Yak Seon.

Seong Mu-yeon’s face lit up.

‘Am I finally meeting Yak Seon?’

The first thing that caught his eye was the scenery filled with all sorts of objects. At first glance, it seemed chaotic and disorganized, but on the other hand, it also felt stable, as if it were warmly enveloping people.

The interior of the quiet laboratory, built with dark wood, was rather dark, but the warm sunlight from the windows in various places warmed the air.

Four or five boys and girls wearing various animal masks stopped what they were doing and looked at the two people who had entered. As Seong Mu-yeon swayed his body from side to side, their gazes followed as if nailed in place.

Seong Mu-yeon felt a slight chill, but he smiled without showing it. Then he poked Baek Ryeo-il, who was standing next to him blankly, in the side.

“Smile.”

“Huh?”

“I said smile.”

Seong Mu-yeon gritted his teeth and muttered with a smiling face. Baek Ryeo-il wasn’t one to listen obediently.

“I don’t want to.”

“……Do you see those masked servants? You mustn’t offend them. They are Yak Seon’s beloved servants, like his limbs. If you upset them even a little, Yak Seon won’t give you even a scrap of bandage.”

“…….”

Baek Ryeo-il didn’t like it, but he managed to raise the corners of his mouth. Only then did the servants turn their heads and continue with their work.

“You’ve been poisoned……?”

The servant wearing an owl mask, who had opened the door, asked in a dreamy, hazy tone. Seong Mu-yeon nodded.

“Do you know…… what kind of poison it is……?”

“I don’t really know. My teacher probably doesn’t know either. I heard it’s a newly concocted poison.”

“Let’s take a look…….”

The servant, who muttered in a voice that made the listener feel drained, asked for permission. Seong Mu-yeon sat on the chair he was guided to and held out his arm.

Baek Ryeo-il grumbled as he watched the scene.

“What kind of pulse can a kid like that read?”

Then the servant turned his head sharply and glared at him. His face was hidden by the mask, but that was the feeling.

Baek Ryeo-il, startled, pretended not to notice and whistled.

Fortunately, the owl mask servant soon took his eyes off him and focused on reading his pulse. Not long after, the servant let go of his hand.

“Certainly……. We don’t have an antidote……. for this poison either.”

“Yes. I know. But if I can’t detoxify it, I’ll die. Where is Yak Seon?”

“Yak Seon is away right now……. Once the master goes out, he doesn’t come back for months…….”

Seong Mu-yeon was disappointed, but he smiled because he had expected it to some extent.

“Any medicine is fine. Is there any medicine that might work? This poison has the property of flowing along the acupoint and turning inner force into poison.”

“Hmm…….”

The owl mask servant, who had been resting his chin as if contemplating for a moment, slowly raised his head.

“That medicine……. might work…….”

The owl asked for understanding and disappeared behind the bookshelf. It seemed that Yak Seon’s medicine storage was located there.

“……Isn’t this place a little strange?”

Baek Ryeo-il glanced around and asked in a low voice.

“Are those kids alive?”

“They’re walking and talking, so would they be dead?”

That’s what he said, but Seong Mu-yeon didn’t know either. What was under their masks, whether they were alive or not. The servant’s fingers, which had touched him while reading his pulse, were so cold that he shuddered.

But no one dared to touch the servants or forcibly remove their masks. What good would it do to incur Yak Seon’s wrath in a crisis situation? Everyone just thought that was the way it was.

“Are you sure there’s an antidote? Wouldn’t it be better to go directly to Yak Seon? We should show him the symptoms and ask him to make a proper medicine. How are you going to find it like this?”

Seong Mu-yeon shook his head.

“Don’t underestimate Yak Seon.”

He couldn’t explain it to Baek Ryeo-il, but Seong Mu-yeon knew that there was an antidote here. Yak Seon used to make all sorts of medicines as a hobby, and they often had unexpected effects.

That’s how medicine was. When developing it, it often had unexpected effects on other symptoms. The antidote for Evaporating Serpent Venom was one of those medicines.

It was made for another purpose, but unexpectedly, it was a specific medicine for Evaporating Serpent Venom. And that medicine had already been developed and would definitely be in this laboratory. Baek Ryeo-il had collapsed in this laboratory in the original story and obtained the result of finding the medicine that had been gathering dust without finding a use.

“Please try this medicine…….”

The owl brought a small medicine bottle and held it out. Seong Mu-yeon was about to drink the medicine without much suspicion. But Baek Ryeo-il snatched the medicine bottle first.

“Do you know what it is before you gulp it down?”

“It’s Yak Seon.”

“So what if it’s Yak Seon? Do you think he’s a real immortal? And he’s not even Yak Seon.”

The owl seemed to sense Baek Ryeo-il’s disrespectful attitude and stood still. It was impossible to know what kind of expression he was making under the mask.

Seong Mu-yeon, worried that he might be upset, said hastily.

“Oh, teacher. No! I believe you. I really do! Don’t mind this person. He’s just suspicious because he’s been through a lot of hardships in the world. He doesn’t have any bad intentions at all.”

The owl nodded slowly.

Seong Mu-yeon snatched the medicine bottle with relief and drank it in one gulp. But it had no effect.

“I don’t think this is it?”

“Don’t you feel like……. your hair is growing…….”

“No.”

“Hmm…….”

It seemed to be a medicine made for hair loss treatment.

The owl disappeared behind the bookshelf again and returned with another bottle. He kept tilting his head.

“Could it be this medicine……?”

“What kind of medicine is it?”

“Yak Seon made it as a medicine for athlete’s foot…….”

Ugh.

“It’s not effective for athlete’s foot……. but it has the effect of purifying poison……. Would you like to try it?”