〈 Episode 429 〉 Apathy.
The last time I saw Sin-ui.
It was probably right before Wi Seol-ah left the Gu Family.
So roughly two years ago.
I heard from Iljang-ro that he had left for the Jang Family with the Sword Sovereign.
I hadn’t heard any news since then.
‘Why is Sin-ui here…’
Suddenly, at the Tang Clan.
And of all times, to run into him just as I arrived in Sichuan.
“What are you doing? Come sit here.”
“...”
At Sin-ui’s words, I approached and sat down.
I had wondered who could be given such fine lodging, but if it was Sin-ui, it was understandable.
While one might not be able to choose the greatest under heaven in the current Central Plains,
when it came to being the best among physicians, there was none other than Sin-ui. Such a man was not someone you could easily meet, even if you offered a fortune.
I sat before him, paid my respects, and cautiously asked.
“…Have you been well?”
I started with greetings first. At my words, Sin-ui slightly frowned and spoke.
“What comfort is there in old age? I’m just living.”
“...”
Still an old man who spoke as crudely as ever.
“I heard you had arrived, so I called you to see your face.”
“Yes. Thank you for calling me.”
“Your face tells a different story. You look dead tired, as if you’re wondering why I called you.”
“...”
Still as quick to read people as ever.
Sin-ui took a sip of the tea before him and looked at me with sharp eyes.
“Lately, there hasn’t been a day without hearing rumors about you.”
“…Ugh.”
“I knew this would happen someday, but I felt the timing was quite fast.”
It seemed Sin-ui had heard my rumors too.
Well, the Alliance and the Beggar’s Sect were spreading them together throughout the land, so not hearing would be stranger.
“It is fortunate that you seem to be doing well somehow.”
“…Thank you.”
Poison King, listening to our conversation, looked surprised from behind.
He seemed amazed that Sin-ui was being so amiable.
Sin-ui looked at such a Poison King and spoke up.
“Tang Family Head.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“I have something to speak with this child alone. Please step aside for a moment.”
“…!”
To so boldly tell the Tang Clan Head to get lost—he was an amazing person in many ways.
It was probably only possible because he was Sin-ui.
Hearing this, Poison King showed a moment of hesitation, but soon bowed his head, closed the door, and disappeared.
After confirming that, I turned my gaze back to Sin-ui.
So he had something to tell me to go this far.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes. As I said before, I called you to see your face since I heard you happened to be arriving.”
“What brings you to Sichuan?”
At my straightforward question, Sin-ui pondered for a moment.
Then he spoke with slight annoyance.
“I hadn’t intended to come, but…”
His voice mixed with a sigh contained complex emotions.
“Karmic ties from the past are not so simple.”
I widened my eyes at Sin-ui’s words.
Those words meant…
“Could it be… that Old Wi came as well?”
The reason Sin-ui went to the Jang Family was because the Sword Sovereign was heading there.
That is to say, the Sword Sovereign and Sin-ui had a connection. And in Sichuan…
‘Wi Seol-ah is here.’
His granddaughter was in this land, so it wouldn’t be strange for the Sword Sovereign to appear.
If the Sword Sovereign had appeared… was it to take Wi Seol-ah away?
Just as bitter emotions began to rise.
Sin-ui looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Why is that old man being mentioned here?”
“Pardon?”
“That gentleman didn’t come.”
“…Then with whom…”
“If I tell you, would you know?”
“...”
Well, that was true.
Feeling slightly awkward, I scratched the back of my head.
“Of course, you might know.”
“Do you mean someone I would know?”
“He is out on business now, but when he returns, come see him.”
“What? So suddenly?”
“That old man wanted to see you anyway… Just show him your face.”
“…Ah, yes.”
I was already anxious.
Remembering that the old men Sin-ui spoke of were all monsters, the person he was referring to now was very likely an extraordinary figure as well.
‘Well, there’s no one left to surprise me at this point.’
Since my regression, I had met the Sword Sovereign.
After that, Paejon became my master, and the King of Darkness, the top figure of the dark world, was nearby.
I had seen all the heads of the Four Great Families.
I had seen the Sword Empress and even a former Sword Empress candidate.
How many more great martial artists could there be?
‘Unless it’s one of the remaining Three Sovereigns, there’s nothing to fear.’
Yes, unless the Heavenly Sovereign was suddenly in Sichuan.
There would be nothing more surprising.
“Then, if you call me later, I will come pay my respects.”
At my words, Sin-ui nodded roughly. Then someone tugged at my sleeve from the side.
Wondering what it was, I looked to see Jegal Hyeok.
“What.”
Jegal Hyeok was writing something on the table with his finger. Watching the movements, it roughly looked like ‘Long time no see, Hyung.’
Seeing that, I roughly ruffled his hair.
“Yeah, it’s been a while for me too. Looking at how you’ve gained some weight, you must have been eating well.”
At my words, Jegal Hyeok smiled brightly. Looking at that smile, I thought inwardly.
‘…He’s smiling?’
I had to be slightly flustered at Jegal Hyeok’s smile.
Proportional to how he seemed bigger than before, his emotional expressions felt particularly strong.
That must mean he had been doing well.
“I heard Seol-ah is here too.”
“…Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Is she doing well? That child.”
By that child, he probably meant Wi Seol-ah.
If he asked whether Wi Seol-ah was doing well, it was actually a bit difficult to answer.
Was she doing well?
I hoped so.
“I’m trying to make sure she does.”
“Unlike before, it’s not a bad answer.”
“...”
What had I said before to deserve being called bad?
I didn’t think much had changed.
Just as I was thinking that, Sin-ui spat out abruptly.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“…In a good way?”
“It means both.”
Both good and bad.
“The thorns I saw then seem to have mostly died down. But the tension you hold has grown greater.”
At Sin-ui’s words, I held a slight smile inwardly.
Because he was right.
“And…”
Sin-ui slightly extended his wrinkled hand to me.
“Roll up your sleeve and give me your arm.”
“…Sin-ui?”
“Hurry.”
Sin-ui’s eyes as he asked for my arm were unusually serious.
Being examined by him was something that had happened occasionally before, so I cautiously extended my arm…
‘…Which one should I give?’
I stopped just as I was about to offer it.
Because both arms were in strange states.
On my left arm, a dark red bandage was wrapped.
On my right arm, scales were protruding.
After pondering for about three seconds, I extended my left arm.
Because the bandage seemed better than scales.
Sin-ui’s eyes became subtle after checking my arm.
“Did you get hurt somewhere? Your arm seemed fine.”
“No… It just happened to end up like this… well…”
As I hesitated, unable to explain, Sin-ui seemed to realize something and nodded slightly.
What?
“Yes, you’re at that age.”
“Pardon?”
“Wrapping bandages and wearing eyepatches. It’s that kind of age, isn’t it?”
I seemed to have incurred a strange misunderstanding.
That’s not it. Really not it.
I urgently tried to speak to clear up this misunderstanding, but Sin-ui grabbed my arm and started the examination.
‘…Damn it.’
I shouldn’t speak at this time.
If I spoke during the examination, Sin-ui would fly into a rage, saying his concentration was broken.
So, was I to remain as an embarrassed adolescent boy who liked bandages and eyepatches for no reason?
Wow, that’s really not it…
I thought it wasn’t, but I couldn’t speak.
In the end, I could only keep my mouth tightly shut and wait for the examination to end, unable to say anything.
That time felt particularly bitter and long.
******************
The examination took longer than expected.
As if there were some problem, Sin-ui’s examination, which would normally end within minutes, had already lasted about a quarter of an hour.
Swish.
Soon, as if the examination had ended, Sin-ui’s eyes finally opened slightly.
Only then could Gu Yangcheon ask the words he had been holding back.
“Is there something wrong with my body?”
Because the examination had taken so long.
To this, Sin-ui asked Gu Yangcheon with a somewhat solemn expression.
“First, I will ask.”
As Gu Yangcheon tensed slightly at that serious voice, Sin-ui continued.
“Have you learned the Mad Lord’s martial art?”
“…!”
Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened at Sin-ui’s words.
How did he know?
To the surprised Gu Yangcheon, Sin-ui explained indifferently.
“There is no martial art besides his that can create such muscle condition and meridians through post-heaven means.”
“...”
“It would be different if you had undergone the commonly spoken Hwangoltaltae, but since you have no traces of that, this is the only method. Is it not?”
“…Yes.”
He hadn’t known it could be detected through muscle condition.
Gu Yangcheon was greatly flustered at having been found out, but a hint of sadness swirled in Sin-ui’s eyes.
“So he finally found a successor… and of all people, it had to be you.”
“Sin-ui…?”
“I had hoped no one else would be swept up in the obsession he seeks to fulfill. But things have turned out this way.”
“...”
It seemed Sin-ui knew the problems of Toapacheonmu.
A martial art that inflicted terrible pain to forcibly change muscles and meridians.
An otherworldly martial art that included artificial Hwangoltaltae and even forcibly sent the spirit to a state of selflessness, but Paejon had emphasized several times that extremely few humans could endure the pain for this.
This couldn’t be a very pleasant story from the standpoint of Sin-ui, a physician.
“Does your father or that Gu Ryun fellow know about this?”
“…The Family Head knows. Iljang-ro does not.”
“Of all people, Gu Ryun doesn’t know. He’ll be severely scolded when he finds out later.”
“...”
It did seem likely.
If he even found out about the previous record of selling him out, wouldn’t he be beaten like a rat that day?
‘No, now I can run away.’
Since Gu Yangcheon had reached the Flame Realm, he could probably escape from Iljang-ro.
That was enough.
While Gu Yangcheon was steadily forming an escape plan, Sin-ui continued speaking.
“It seems you had occasion to use your energy greatly recently.”
“Ah, yes… a little.”
The energy used to demonize Tang Deok and hatch the Red Needle Snake.
His exhausted physical state because of it as well.
It was all discovered by Sin-ui.
Sin-ui was still Sin-ui indeed.
“You seem to have accumulated much fatigue. You must feel it too.”
“Yes.”
“You should rest thoroughly at least once.”
At those words, Gu Yangcheon smiled bitterly.
He had been about to do just that, but he had failed because he was called here.
He didn’t bother saying this.
He knew how valuable Sin-ui’s examinations were.
And he knew this was done purely out of Sin-ui’s goodwill.
“And.”
Just as Sin-ui’s words continued and Gu Yangcheon tried to focus again.
This time, something was different.
Much heavier and weightier.
Gu Yangcheon felt that from the emotion contained in Sin-ui’s voice.
“Sin-ui…?”
“Do you remember when I called you a walking corpse before?”
A few years ago.
That is… when Gu Yangcheon had just regressed and it hadn’t even been a year, when he went to Mount Hua to take Gu Ryeong-hwa.
Words Sin-ui had spoken after examining his body at Maehwa-seon’s request.
A walking corpse.
He had definitely said that.
“Yes. I remember.”
That because the energies contained in his body were more than one, it wouldn’t be strange if they exploded at any time.
That problem had been fine because Old Shin helped him control his Tao energy, and the efficacy of Madocheonheupgong combined with that beast fellow to create balance.
Thanks to that, Gu Yangcheon had even been able to learn Paejon’s Toapacheonmu.
A fact he had temporarily forgotten because there seemed to be no particular problem.
Why was Sin-ui bringing this up again?
Just as Gu Yangcheon harbored this question.
“At that time, I could not be properly certain. But this time, I speak with certainty upon my name, so listen well.”
Sin-ui made a deeply bitter expression and spoke to Gu Yangcheon.
“At this rate, it won’t be long before you die.”
At the decisively spat-out words, Gu Yangcheon’s eyes grew wide as lantern flames.