Chapter 51 Anhui Province was more crowded than usual.
Martial artists brimming with ambition had come to declare their intent at the Murim Alliance martial competition, and spectators had gathered to judge their bearing.
Merchants and gamblers trailed behind the spectators, while renowned sects and clans heading toward Henan Province also stopped here to witness with their own eyes the famed "Namgung Chu-myeong's human-skin mask." It was no wonder the place bustled as though a grand banquet were underway.
Every inn and tavern near the Namgung Clan was already full.
With even slight attention, one could tell that the topics heating Anhui Province were the Murim Alliance competition and the Namgung Clan.
Street vendors repeated exaggerated tales of Blue Sword One Flash Namgung Jeok-myeong's exploits dozens of times a day, drawing in coins.
Jin Cheong-ak watched the spectacle with a bored expression.
Resting his chin in his hand and blinking lazily, he looked on the verge of dozing off. His unmoving posture made one question whether he was even alive.
Though the surroundings were noisy, the table he occupied alone was peculiarly quiet.
Yet no one in the inn paid him any heed. Neither patrons nor servers spared him even a glance, as though he did not exist at all.
Amid this, a beauty clad in blue silk robes suddenly appeared before him.
The men in the inn stared at her as if bewitched. Some even rose to approach.
Her long hair fluttered in the breeze like silk. Her skin was white as jade, her forehead neat and refined. She was breathtaking enough to leave jaws hanging.
A fragrance spread from her.
The scent swiftly filled the upper level of the inn. Those intoxicated by the overwhelming aroma gradually turned their gazes away once more.
"Hey. Why did you suddenly stand up?"
"…Hm? Indeed. Why did I? Possessed by a ghost in broad daylight, perhaps."
As attention drifted elsewhere, the beauty in blue and the broad-shouldered man beside her knelt before Jin Cheong-ak.
"We greet our Lord."
"We greet our Lord."
Only then did Jin Cheong-ak turn his head from the bustling street toward the interior of the inn.
At his slight nod, the two took seats opposite him.
"This medicine is somewhat bitter. Exercise caution."
The beauty produced a small vial from her sleeve.
Jin Cheong-ak drank the liquid in one gulp, rolled his tongue in his mouth a few times, then wore a peculiar expression.
"It does not even reach my tongue. Did you prepare it properly?"
"Of course, my Lord. It is said to dissolve not only yang gu but even yin gu depending on the dosage. Please take care of your body today in case of unforeseen side effects."
Medicine capable of dissolving gu certainly existed in the world.
However, most such medicines also dissolved the internal organs and thus held no practical value.
The gu coexisting with Jin Cheong-ak had already endured nearly ten poisons and remedies and remained intact. Truly tiresome.
"A medicine should at least taste bitter to be effective. This can dissolve yin gu? I would need to drink a river's worth."
"It is crafted by a physician whose skill would make even Hua Tuo weep. Trust it, my Lord."
At that, the broad-shouldered man beside her snorted loudly.
"Hmph. I can already guess. Danghong, you must have rummaged about again and fallen for the honeyed tongue of some convincing charlatan. How much did you hand over this time?"
"Oh my. Such unsightly jealousy, Beomjung. Do you know any other villain besides yourself who makes a beauty pay the price?"
"Bullshit. A man who hands over goods just for a pretty face will not give proper medicine. The fool selling flavored water as medicine and the fool buying it are equally brainless."
While the two bickered, Jin Cheong-ak remarked casually,
"The antidote to Hongyu I tasted not long ago was unbearably bitter."
Beomjung and Danghong froze, eyes wide.
"Hongyu? Surely you mean the Hongyu used by Salmak?"
"My Lord! To think your precious body was subjected to such a dreadful poison!"
Bang!
Danghong slammed the table, her eyes reddening as she bit her lip.
"Yeo Il, that vicious wench—planting gu in you was not enough, and now Hongyu as well—!"
"Do not make a scene. It was not I who was struck by Hongyu, but that Yeo Il."
The ordered dishes arrived just then, briefly halting their commotion. Once the server departed, Danghong muttered with lingering confusion.
"Then… to have tasted the antidote means…."
Suddenly she clutched her long hair and shrieked.
"Ah! That will not do, my Lord! How could you—! This loyal Danghong must cleanse you—!"
"Compose yourself, you madwoman. If you extend that filthy mouth toward our Lord, I will cut it off myself."
While Danghong and Beomjung resumed their quarrel, Jin Cheong-ak merely stared into the dark mouth of the vial, his thoughts unreadable.
Tapping the bottle lightly with his finger, he murmured as if to himself,
"Every meeting ends in noise. Perhaps next time I should summon others."
"..."
"..."
The two immediately fell silent.
"So, is today's business concluded with that?"
When Jin Cheong-ak asked, Beomjung answered swiftly,
"It appears the Jin family has located you, my Lord."
"It appears? Curious phrasing."
"It is certain."
Danghong added,
"I also believe it certain, my Lord. Though he pretends otherwise, Beomjung has been ostracized by the Jin family of late."
"Ostracized?"
Ahem.
Beomjung cleared his throat loudly and puffed out his chest with peculiar pride.
"Well… it seems that in the Jin family, only this Jin Beomjung enjoys your overwhelming trust and favor—"
"The issue lies not with the Jin family but elsewhere."
Cutting him off with a disdainful glance, Danghong continued gravely,
"According to our informant, Cho I-ryang has also found you."
Cho I-ryang.
The First Great Young Master of the Demonic Cult, and the one closest to becoming Minor Cult Leader.
More than anyone, he wished for Jin Cheong-ak's untimely death. In consequence, he was the very reason Jin Cheong-ak now found himself in this state.
Danghong ground her teeth.
Had Cho I-ryang not sent my Lord to Gwangbyeok, he would not be suffering such hardships….
And of all times, trouble had erupted when her Lord was entangled elsewhere.
Cho I-ryang would never let such an opportunity slip. He would surely seek to tear Jin Cheong-ak apart by any means.
A countermeasure had to be devised.
…The best course would be to kill Yeo Il.
But with her currently disguised as the illegitimate daughter of the Namgung Clan, the timing was ill-suited. The Demonic Cult presently had no intention of openly entering the Central Plains; conspicuous action would be unwise.
Moreover, Jin Cheong-ak himself seemed entirely at ease.
Lost in such thoughts, Danghong suddenly recoiled in shock and collided noisily with Beomjung.
"Huh!"
A madwoman hung upside down from the inn's roof, observing them.
She wore jade-colored palace attire of refined elegance, her expression filled with distrust of the world. Above all, her striking beauty stirred Danghong's fighting spirit.
Few women possessed all these at once.
Therefore, the figure must be—
a ghost!
"Royal ghost! Hanging upside down in broad daylight like this—!"
"Pull yourself together, you pathetic fool. That is no royal ghost. It is Yeo Il."
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