"Ugh…"
The moment the figures of the Four Sects Alliance disappeared from sight, a deflating sound escaped from Jo Gul's mouth. As if on cue, the other disciples of Mount Hua lost strength in their legs and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Baek Cheon, staring blankly at the horizon as if his soul had left him, spoke in a voice completely drained of strength.
"…Are they gone?"
"I think they are."
"They won't be coming back, right?"
"Don't say such unlucky things, sasuk."
Baek Cheon shook his head weakly, looking pale.
"…I really thought we were done for."
Though they had overcome countless crises before, this was the first time they had been so anxious. Just facing the Demonic Cult alone was enough to make their hearts feel like bursting, and on top of that, they had to deal with that damn Jang Ilso and Black Ghost Fortress.
Yoon Jong muttered while sprawled on the ground.
"I think my lifespan has been shortened by at least a year…"
"For me, three years."
"I lost five years…"
Everyone shook their heads with drained faces. Yet, they couldn't fully relax, constantly fearing that those Four Sects Alliance bastards might change their minds and return at any moment.
'Jang Ilso.'
Baek Cheon gazed beyond the desolate land toward the horizon. If you think about it, this war began with the high priest Dan Ja-Kang and ended with Jang Ilso. The fierce martial prowess shown by Dan Ja-Kang was ultimately overshadowed by Jang Ilso.
'And… that high priest.'
Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly without realizing it. Thinking of the one who pierced Dan Ja-Kang's heart made his body tremble involuntarily.
'Are there really so many monsters in this world?'
He seemed to understand why the murim world was called the Dragon's Lair and Tiger's Den. There were three monsters who each turned the murim world upside down. To see all three at once was hard to tell if it was a blessing or a curse.
'No… it's not three.'
Baek Cheon turned his head.
'It's four.'
He saw Chung Myung standing expressionlessly among them.
'Come to think of it, this guy is truly amazing.'
At least Jang Ilso led Black Ghost Fortress and the Red Dogs, and the high priests led the Demonic Cult members. But Chung Myung only brought about a dozen people and shook the battlefield where monsters rampaged to devour each other.
'I wonder how I would have felt if I were the enemy facing this guy?'
Perhaps those who faced Chung Myung left carrying something even greater than the fear they felt facing the high priest or the intimidation they felt facing Jang Ilso.
In times like this, he was reminded anew. Though so familiar that he often forgot, just how incredible this guy was.
"What?"
Feeling Baek Cheon's steady gaze on him, Chung Myung asked gruffly. Baek Cheon hesitated briefly before speaking.
"Is your body alright?"
There were many things to ask, but the most important question was this. Though a bit late, it had to be asked.
Chung Myung chuckled upon hearing the question.
"Don't worry about it…"
He spoke calmly but suddenly closed his mouth and tilted his head slightly.
"Why? Is someone coming?"
"No, it's not that."
"Then?"
"…No. I just felt something was a bit off."
Just as Baek Cheon was about to ask what he meant, red blood gushed from Chung Myung's nose and mouth. Baek Cheon's eyes widened instantly.
"You… you, you… ah, no, why are you like this?"
"Huh?"
Reacting to Baek Cheon, Chung Myung reached out and wiped his face. Seeing the blood soaking his palm, his expression changed bewilderedly.
"…Huh?"
"You, you were cultivating your qi! Damn it! Why are you like this after cultivation is done?"
"…No. I was too busy regaining my internal qi… I barely did any healing through the cultivation…"
"What?"
Seeing the blood drain from Chung Myung's face, the Mount Hua disciples were shocked and jumped up.
"No, it's okay. This much is nothing… huh? Why am I dizzy…"
"So-Soso! Soso! That guy is dying!"
Jo Gul screamed as he saw Chung Myung staggering backward, dizzy.
"Hey, you crazy bastard!"
Before his scream even ended, Tang Soso had already rolled her eyes back and lunged at Chung Myung.
Chung Myung lay back staring at the sky, emptiness in his eyes. His lips moved slightly.
"Um…"
Thud!
"Ugh…"
A large acupuncture needle pierced the center of his upper lip as Chung Myung rolled his eyes and trembled.
"W-why are you sticking a needle in my lip?! This has nothing to do with healing!"
"It's a mouth treatment technique I developed. The mouth is the biggest problem for my sasuk."
"No!"
Thud!
Before Chung Myung could say anything, another large needle pierced the center of his forehead.
"…Keep talking. Keep going."
Tang Soso glared with the needle in hand, exuding a chilling aura like a hellish cold wind.
Chung Myung quietly closed his mouth. Surprisingly, even he had some sense, especially at times like this.
"No, this crazy person, I gave you so much time to cultivate qi, and what? You didn't heal? Are you crazy wanting to die, you bastard?"
"Soso… but he is your sasuk…"
"What?"
"…There's one spot left on the crown of his head for a needle."
"Yes."
Thud!
The moment the needle pierced his crown, Chung Myung twitched like a fish hooked on a fishing line. His tear-filled eyes glared at Baek Cheon with resentment. Baek Cheon avoided the gaze with a guilty face.
"I'm sorry."
But isn't it wiser not to avoid the blowing wind?
"By the way, sasuk."
"Yes?"
Jo Gul asked incredulously.
"Usually… can cultivation be divided into recovering internal qi and healing the body separately?"
"Usually, no?"
For a moment, a complex emotion appeared on Jo Gul's face. He thought while looking at Chung Myung: using such incredible skill like that is a skill in itself.
Un Geom stared at Chung Myung, who was trembling with needles stuck all over his body like a porcupine, and asked Tang Soso.
"How is he?"
"He's a mess."
Tang Soso said bluntly and then sighed deeply.
"He's hardly human, so he'll recover, but if he had fought more, he would have really died. No, does he even have any sense…"
"If not for that, it wouldn't have been me dying, but everyone here would have died…"
Unable to watch the needles flying like rays of light toward Chung Myung's mouth, Un Geom tightly closed his eyes.
Thud.
"Ugh…"
If only he kept his mouth shut, fewer needles would be stuck, but is that so hard…?
A deep sigh escaped from Un Geom's mouth.
"It's not something I can't understand."
Tang Soso was angry and frustrated with Chung Myung, but she probably knew too. If Chung Myung had ended his cultivation a bit later, who knew how the situation would have changed for them all.
Recovering internal qi and healing the body simultaneously in such a short time was impossible. Chung Myung had no other choice in that situation.
Tang Soso's anger was probably due to her helplessness and guilt for pushing Chung Myung so hard, just as Un Geom was feeling now.
"No. Even when I saved her, she complains! Do you think there was another way if I hadn't done this? These youngsters these days… ugh!"
Yu Yiseol, crouching by Chung Myung's head, pressed one of the large needles deeper into his forehead with her fingertip.
"Sago. I understand your feelings, but if that goes in too deep, sahyung will really die."
"That's what I wanted."
Tang Soso glanced at Yu Yiseol's expressionless face and quietly lowered her eyes.
"…The issue at hand is sorted out."
"What do we have to do if the issue starts up again?"
"…Still, he'll survive."
"Hmm."
Yu Yiseol looked at Chung Myung with displeasure. Even the great Chung Myung couldn't avoid her gaze at that moment.
"That crazy bastard, really."
Baek Cheon, watching the scene, muttered and shook his head.
"Soso."
"Yes, sasuk."
"So, when will the treatment end?"
"Complete recovery here is impossible. It's just enough to breathe life into him. That part is already done."
"Hmm? Then why do you keep the needles in?"
"Shall I remove them?"
Baek Cheon hesitated briefly, then nodded heavily.
"Let's keep them in a little longer."
"Yes."
Listening to the conversation of the Mount Hua disciples in the cold wind, Im So-Byeong suddenly shivered from the chill.
"…His mental stability must be painfully good."
Looking at his clothes pierced with hundreds of holes, Chung Myung grimaced. Then Tang Soso grabbed the needles she had taken back once more.
"Why? Feeling cold? Should I plug those holes again?"
"…W-what did I say? I didn't say anything."
Chung Myung slowly backed away from Tang Soso. Personally, Tang Soso was scarier than the high priest at times like this.
"Anyway, really."
Tang Soso gritted her teeth fiercely. The sound was terrifying. Im So-Byeong gave a bitter smile alone.
'Should I say they owe a debt?'
Even if he hadn't pushed this far, Jang Ilso would have let Chung Myung live. Im So-Byeong thought so. Chung Myung was someone Jang Ilso absolutely could not afford to lose at this point.
But Im So-Byeong knew that Jang Ilso only needed Chung Myung. The other Mount Hua disciples' deaths didn't matter. In fact, it might have been better if they died.
'In my case, there's no question.'
If he were Jang Ilso, he would have definitely killed Im So-Byeong here, by any means.
Knowing all this, Chung Myung tried to regain power that could threaten Jang Ilso, taking the risk of cultivating internal qi in the middle of this dangerous battlefield.
'As a result…'
In the end, they succeeded in having not a single casualty in this brutal battlefield. Absurdly so.
Im So-Byeong had thought that Mount Hua having no casualties until now was just luck. Considering the battlefields they had faced, it was stranger if there were no casualties.
But after this battle, he knew for sure.
'It wasn't luck.'
Luck means something given unintentionally. The result of a leader being so thorough and meticulous is not called luck.
Im So-Byeong, leading a group himself, also knew how meaningless and difficult it was to exclude sacrifices in the murim world.
But the Mount Hua's Sword Saint was actually accomplishing things that seemed impossible. Sometimes preparing, sometimes charging, sometimes risking their lives on adventures.
Im So-Byeong couldn't even imagine how much Chung Myung had worried leading the Mount Hua sect this far.
"Truly an amazing person."
Im So-Byeong looked at Chung Myung with renewed eyes. Chung Myung's back standing tall on the desolate land felt immensely grand at this moment.