The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

“Huk… Huk…!”

Rough breathing sounds rang out from all around.

Even if they tried to forcibly suppress it, the inner energy churning inside and muscles that felt like they would snap made it impossible to endure without rough breathing.

When they started the attack, they thought they would definitely succeed since considerable masters had gathered.

They thought that even if it was the Young Cult Leader, as long as a Flowering Realm master was commanding them, the rest wouldn’t be much of a problem.

But out of the 100 masters, only about 30 or so returned alive.

Numerous comrades were torn to death due to the sudden appearance of the blue wolf. They resented those who had pushed them into such a place without telling them about this fact, but it was already too late.

The man who had been running at the front returned and looked around at those sprawled on the ground, clicking his tongue.

He wanted to yell at them to get up immediately, but knowing they were people who had come back from the brink of death, he had to suppress his anger.

He grabbed the mask pressed on his head as if suffocating and roughly took it off. As his hair fell scattered, his face was revealed in the moonlight.

“Damn it…”

It was Cheol Mugi, an elder of the Murim Alliance. It had already been three days since he had hidden in the mountains after receiving orders to kill Hyuk Dojin and his group and capture Moyong Sowol alive.

Although they were far inferior to him, there were many masters, and he was confident in himself.

Cheol Mugi thought the mission was almost as good as successful. Therefore, Cheol Mugi was full of expectations about facing the supposedly strong Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult.

No matter how much he was the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult, he was still a greenhorn who smelled of milk. The hells and experiences he had gone through living more than three times as long as Hyuk Dojin were not meaningless. So he thought he could deal with someone like Hyuk Dojin anytime.

Cheol Mugi might not be able to face the Three Emperors, but he could face the Five Sovereigns anytime. But Hyuk Dojin was stronger than expected.

At first, he unleashed killing moves to attack and take him down, but he gradually had to be pushed back by Hyuk Dojin’s profound inner power and martial arts with tremendous destructive power.

In the end, he grabbed his pant legs and just hoped he wouldn’t turn his gaze in that direction.

It was a disgraceful act that shattered his pride, but he had no choice.

If he had recklessly charged in with unnecessary competitiveness and failed the mission, it would be difficult to bear the anger when he returned. That’s why he forcibly held on.

Fortunately, if Hyuk Dojin hadn’t acted flustered trying to protect Moyong Sowol, he himself would likely have been lying as a cold corpse.

Cheol Mugi gritted his teeth and looked around. His eyebrows rose as he carefully examined the faces of the fallen people.

Are they dead? As ominousness flashed through his mind, a man with a tired expression appeared, parting the bushes with a rustling sound.

Cheol Mugi’s expression relaxed as he found the man he was looking for. The man came out of the bushes and knelt in front of Cheol Mugi. Cheol Mugi’s voice flowed quietly.

“How did it go?”

“We burned everything according to plan.”

“That’s fortunate. At least we have some face to return with since the second-best plan succeeded.”

“But we didn’t burn everything perfectly.”

At the man’s following words, Cheol Mugi made a puzzled expression. The man rolled his eyes as if perplexed.

“We did burn all the boxes gathered in the bag, but since we didn’t check other places, there’s a high probability some are still left. It’s hard to think they would carelessly put all precious things in one place.”

“But if you burned everything in the bag, there shouldn’t be enough left to return to the Demon Cult. That’s enough.”

Cheol Mugi rubbed his chin and glared at the mountain beyond where the moon was setting. His eyes flashed as he stared intently at that place.

“Anyway, the problem is out of my hands now.”

* * *

A sigh naturally escaped as I gathered the remaining medicine. The medicines I had scattered in other places just in case were far from enough to return to the Demon Cult.

Even if we turned the horses around and forcibly rode, it would take at least a month to reach Guangxi. Moreover, with the Yangtze River in between, our steps would be even slower.

The medicine I had now would only last seven days even if I used it sparingly.

Even if I added the Body Refining Pills Moyong Do had given me, it would only add a few more days.

“How is your body condition now?”

At Hyuk Dojin’s question, I thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

“The internal injury I suffered earlier has recovered to some extent. But because I’ve been overexerting myself frequently lately, my body feels heavier than usual.”

“If that’s all, there’s no particular problem. But…”

I didn’t hear all of Hyuk Dojin’s trailing words, but I could guess.

Neither Hyuk Dojin nor I, the person in question, could accurately diagnose my condition.

Since it wasn’t something that showed up in numbers, it was difficult to be certain whether my condition would improve or worsen from here. Also, it was uncertain whether the deterioration of my condition would be instant or gradual.

It was ambiguous how to deal with it either way.

“We could contact the cult and have them bring medicine here.”

“If it gets caught bringing medicine here when the Demon Cult’s assassination squad is involved, that could also be dangerous.”

“…”

Hyuk Dojin brushed up his hair as if perplexed. I looked at him quietly, then turned my gaze to the remaining medicine.

I had never skipped a single day since I started taking the medicine. I thought that if I had recovered to some extent, it wouldn’t be a problem even if I didn’t take it for a few days. Such a careless thought came to mind, but I had to erase it immediately.

My life was at stake. I couldn’t make such a foolish judgment as to bet my life on an ambiguous possibility.

I chewed on my lips, then turned my head. Due to the battle that had unfolded throughout the night, the damage was severe and the injuries were serious. Although we had requested support and people would come soon, we couldn’t move right away.

We had to rest here for at least half a day.

“…If I carry Sowol and run from here to Guangxi, it should be no problem in about two weeks.”

“No matter how great Dojin is, if you carry me, who’s not even alone, and run all day, you’ll get tired.”

“But we can’t give up like this.”

“I don’t intend to give up either.”

I had no intention of recklessly throwing away my life like before. For myself, and for Hyuk Dojin who had worked hard for me.

But with no particular method available, silence flowed low. Amidst the quiet, our gazes turned towards distant places. They were all gazes cutting through empty space.

At that moment, with a rustling sound from behind, a large-built man appeared.

“Ji Seok?”

“So you were here.”

He approached with a smile. Hyuk Dojin looked at him approaching, then stepped in front of me and blocked him.

“I’m grateful for your help just now, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get too close to Sowol unless necessary. As you can see, she’s a woman receiving life threats from all over, so I think it’s safer to leave her alone for now.”

It was excessive protection, but I didn’t stop him. I thought he must have been as shocked as I was. I thought if that’s what makes him feel at ease, I should leave him be for now.

Ji Seok stared blankly at Hyuk Dojin, then nodded and stepped back. He smiled gently while maintaining distance.

“Is something wrong? Ah! Are you perhaps trying to leave?”

I asked quietly in a voice lowered due to lack of energy. Ji Seok examined me over Hyuk Dojin’s shoulder.

“If you two would allow it, I’d like to postpone leaving for a while. As I said earlier, I snuck in to you two for a reason.”

Come to think of it, that’s right. I had forgotten because it was a word that passed by in the midst of the chaos earlier. As his words ended, Hyuk Dojin was wary of Ji Seok.

At Hyuk Dojin’s change in attitude, Ji Seok showed his palms. I slightly furrowed my brows at his appearance shaking his head as if harmless.

“You don’t need to be so wary. If I intended to harm you, I would have attacked the Young Madam just now.”

Then? As I looked at him with doubt, Ji Seok made an awkward expression, then hurriedly changed the subject.

“More importantly, I heard from afar that there seems to be some problem, could you tell me what it is?”

Hyuk Dojin lowered his gaze and examined me. I too looked at him, then looked back at Ji Seok and spoke quietly.

“Why are you curious about that?”

“From what I overheard, it seemed like what was in that burned box was medicine… Aren’t you in trouble because it’s gone?”

It doesn’t seem like he just overheard. His actions and words were suspicious, but there was nothing particularly to hide. I nodded my head with a sigh mixed in.

“I’m not well, so I need medicine, but just now all my medicine was burned. The road to Guangxi is far, and I’m worried because the remaining medicine is insufficient.”

“May I examine what kind of medicine it is?”

“…You?”

I stared intently at him making unexpected remarks, then took out one medicine from my bosom and held it out.

He carefully received the medicine and examined its contents. Whether he knew something or it was simple curiosity, his eyes examining the medicine were very careful.

After examining the medicine for a while, he handed the medicine back to me and spoke quietly.

“By any chance, is the person who made this medicine Monk Jeongun?”

“…How did you know that?”

Each of his words and actions was suspicious. He hadn’t revealed why he had snuck in to us, and on top of that, how could he know who made it just by looking at the medicine? As suspicion sprouted, even his actions became irritating.

As my and Hyuk Dojin’s eyes changed, Ji Seok shook his head as if it was a misunderstanding. His voice came out urgently.

“The pungent scent rising from the surface of the medicine must be from fleeceflower root, and the fact that there’s still hot warmth left despite being used as medicine means it’s fleeceflower root containing a considerable amount of yang energy. Thousand-year-old fleeceflower root… isn’t it?”

“…”

“As far as I know, there’s only one person who has the skill to handle such an amazing medicinal ingredient skillfully while preserving its yang energy.”

“You mean that’s Monk Jeongun?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

I stared intently at him speaking very cautiously. Hyuk Dojin too seemed to have the same thought as me, only staring intently at Ji Seok. I turned my gaze back to Ji Seok and asked quietly.

“Before answering, could you first answer how you were able to analyze the medicine in such detail? Along with your relationship with Monk Jeongun.”

“It’s not difficult. In fact, the reason I snuck in between you two is also related to this medicine.”

He took out a small box from his bosom and opened the lid to show. Inside was medicine similar in form to what I had.

“This is…”

“Jade Spirit Powder.”

“Jade Spirit Powder? Isn’t that the internal injury medicine said to be produced by Shaolin?”

He slowly nodded his head and handed the box to me. The medicine in the box he handed over and what I had were similar in form. Of course, the scent and temperature they gave off were different.

As I raised my head, Ji Seok put strength in his voice.

“If it’s alright, could you help me meet Monk Jeongun? If you help, I’ll make medicine that can last until you reach the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“…Who on earth are you?”

It wasn’t ordinary medical knowledge. For a Shaolin monk, moreover one who was said to become a Zuo Zuo monk after mastering the Reverse Muscle Sutra to the extreme, he knew too much.

At my question, he made a cupped fist salute different from the prayer gesture Shaolin monks do, one that martial artists do.

“The successor of Shaolin’s pharmaceutical arts whose lineage was cut off. I am Monk Jeongun’s one and only disciple.”