Dokmaeuiseon - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 20

 

 

Thud.

The poisoned Chang Hwa-geom.

He collapsed just like that.

 

“Phew. Is it over?”

 

Only then did Jung Myeong release the tension he had held until the very end.

 

‘That was close.’

 

He had set the stage. He had used his tricks.

And he had succeeded.

Though it looked easy on the surface, it really wasn’t.

To deal with opponents much stronger than his own capabilities.

He had to keep all his nerves on edge continuously.

The things he had accumulated in the medical clinic.

His knowledge. His behavioral patterns.

On top of that, he had to keep using his skills.

 

[You have completely exhausted your mana.]

[Mana depletion occurs.]

[You have completely exhausted your internal energy.]

[Exhaustion phenomenon occurs.]

[You have achieved victory against martial artists of the same level.]

[Your martial art proficiency increases.]

 

As the price for that.

His body trembles uncontrollably. His head screams in pain as if it might split apart.

Tremendous agony envelops him.

However, Jung Myeong could smile through the pain.

 

‘I did it.’

 

Because he had won.

As a reward, he had even gained an increase in proficiency.

In Jung Myeong’s own assessment, his current level was at the edge of first-rate.

Though he lacked proper real combat experience.

He was at a level where he could display even stronger abilities depending on the environment.

 

‘It’s thanks to past experiences.’

 

The experience of achieving victory against enemies stronger than himself, just like now.

It was thanks to that.

Such experiences were not new to him.

He didn’t need to go as far back as his previous life.

Even in this current life, such experiences overflowed.

They had to overflow.

 

‘These Central Plains are always overflowing with danger too.’

 

For him wandering alone, there were always many threatening opponents.

 

A few bandits at the village outskirts.

Robbers who had been slash-and-burn farmers before turning to crime.

Thieves disguised as beggars.

 

Jung Myeong had survived alone against such people.

Not because he was strong.

But because he had survival skills.

 

‘It was the same back then…’

 

Even when wandering alone, he used every possible means available.

Combat methods.

Even techniques that might be cowardly but were powerful if successful.

When possible, he would use poison to intoxicate his enemies.

He had truly done everything to survive.

He had simply used those same methods here.

If there was one difference from before.

 

‘The system was just added as a new means.’

 

The experiences and power from his previous life given to him were simply added.

In any case.

The result created by all that was right before his eyes.

All collapsed and lying there.

 

“Eight dead. Three survivors? That should be enough.”

 

Creak—

Jung Myeong ignored the screams his exhausted body was making.

He moved his body without rest.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Ugh…”

 

Chang Hwa-geom regained consciousness.

 

‘Where is this?’

 

He couldn’t see anything. Only darkness.

Something was covering him.

It was difficult to grasp what situation he was in.

Before he could fully regain his senses, his whole body was throbbing with pain.

 

“Ugh…”

“Does it hurt?”

“!!!”

 

At that moment.

A cold, emotionless voice drifted over.

Chang Hwa-geom felt his mind fully awaken.

 

“You bastard…! This voice! Are you that physician!”

“Hmm. As expected of a squad leader. You’re different from the others. Quick to regain consciousness.”

“How do you know I’m a squad leader…!”

“But you’re not very perceptive.”

 

Crunch.

The pain felt in his leg helped clear his still-foggy mind.

 

“Urgh…! Gah…! Stop…!”

“Doesn’t seem like you became squad leader through perception. Must be skill after all.”

“That’s… right…”

“I see.”

“But who… exactly…”

“They all talked quite readily.”

“!!!”

“Curious who talked?”

“Y-yes!”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Now it’s just you and me left.”

 

…Now only two remained.

Chang Hwa-geom knew well what that meant.

They were all dead.

Nothing strange about it.

It was a method he often used when capturing prisoners too.

After obtaining information.

Only disposal remained.

A natural course of events.

There was only one way to escape this inevitability.

 

“If, if I give you money, will you spare me? I’ll pay my ransom. Even if not me, if you go to the quarters…”

“You’ll give money? Isn’t money the reason you came here in the first place?”

“How do you know that…! Ah…!”

“I told you. They all talked.”

“Then why are you keeping me alive?”

“Do you think it’s because you might be useful?”

 

It wasn’t that.

 

“Then what?”

“Confirmation.”

“Confirmation?”

 

Hadn’t everything already been confirmed?

What more could there be to confirm here?

Chang Hwa-geom didn’t need to think deeply.

 

“Right. From now on, if anything I say is wrong, shake your head. If it’s correct, nod.”

“I refuse… Aaaahhh…!”

 

The confirmation process began immediately.

His trampled foot.

Chang Hwa-geom writhed from the intense pain felt below.

Whatever had been done, the pain was too great.

So much that he could barely even think of resisting!

 

“Again. When I speak. Nod. Or shake. Understood?”

“…I, I understand.”

“Good. The reason you came here was to give me a lesson. You didn’t intend to kill me. Right?”

“That’s right. Urgh…!”

“Just nod.”

“…This crazy. Ugh… Urgh…”

“Quiet.”

“…Gurgle.”

 

How exactly did this guy earn a reputation as a divine physician in Hangzhou?

He’d heard that the man treated many people at cheap prices.

Clear Intestine Decoction, was it?

It cost less than half the price of medicine sold at other medical clinics.

Yet its effects were twice as good.

He’d heard the man was someone who practiced benevolence.

But why was he showing the opposite here…

Why was he displaying even greater resolve, no, cruelty than himself, an Evil Sect martial artist?

It was beyond his understanding.

 

‘Just what kind of personality does this bastard have… Huu…’

 

One thing was certain.

Chang Hwa-geom had picked the wrong target.

However, it was too late a realization.

Already captured, he had no other options.

 

“Now, let’s start again.”

“…”

“The reason for the lesson was because I didn’t pay protection money, correct?”

“Correct…”

 

Nod. Nod.

 

“Good. The one who ordered this was the Vice Guild Master?”

 

Nod. Nod.

 

“That’s right. Hmm… Well then, next.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The interrogation ended quickly.

 

‘Simple enough.’

 

Including Chang Hwa-geom, he had already confirmed things three times.

Through this, he could roughly guess the situation.

 

‘It seems they caused this trouble because I didn’t pay protection money. Well, the medical clinic does span across Donghwa Guild’s territory.’

 

Speaking of which, the medical clinic where he had established himself.

This place existed at the edge of Donghwa Guild’s territory.

To be precise, it straddled the boundary between the Western Market and Donghwa Guild.

Anyway, what mattered was that it spanned across territories.

This whole concept of territories was ridiculous.

But in Hangzhou, it was quite an important matter.

 

‘Because it determines whether they collect protection money or not.’

 

Protection money.

It seemed like gangster behavior.

But this was how the Central Plains originally operated.

Because the government offices were rotten to the core.

Under the excuse of non-interference with martial affairs, they left the tyranny of gang factions and sects alone.

As a result, people had no choice but to pay protection money.

Because they didn’t want to suffer from their tyranny.

However, anyone who knew understood the reason.

In fact, the government offices turned a blind eye because of the tribute money they brought.

 

‘They’re all the same bastards.’

 

In the midst of this, when you came to Evil Sect territory like Hangzhou.

That degree became even worse.

Unlike Orthodox Sect territory, they openly attached justifications like protection money or tribute money and collected it blatantly like now.

 

‘It’s amazing that the country manages to function at all in the midst of this.’

 

This was an incident that occurred in such circumstances.

As the medical clinic prospered, a request came from Donghwa Guild.

To pay tribute money.

Jung Myeong didn’t immediately pay it.

Instead, he stalled for time.

The reason was simple.

 

‘Black Point.’

 

Its branch leader, On Yang-ja.

Jung Myeong was curious about how he would move if he stalled.

There must be a reason why he had arranged for him to stay in such a place.

So he watched instead.

He thought that if he acted sluggishly.

Some kind of incident would occur.

 

Well, it worked perfectly.

Wasn’t there movement?

 

‘It’s unexpected that Donghwa Guild moved more impatiently than On Yang-ja though.’

 

Anyway, movement had occurred.

Here.

Jung Myeong had two choices he could make.

 

“Hmm…”

“Are, are you sparing me?”

“…”

“Ple, please…”

“I’m thinking about it.”

 

Chang Hwa-geom, who was still alive and desperately pleading.

The first method was to spare this guy and use him as a messenger.

Then things would become easier.

 

‘I could use Chang Hwa-geom as Donghwa Guild’s messenger. That’s also the conventional method.’

 

A kind of peace messenger, you could say.

He could spare this guy and send him to Donghwa Guild.

Then the current incident would be resolved.

Since first-rate masters weren’t common even in Donghwa Guild.

The very fact that he spared him would become a signal.

A kind of cooperation signal.

The deaths of the other scoundrels?

The guild didn’t care about such drifters.

Given time, more bottom-feeders would gather on their own.

After that, things would become easier too.

 

‘I showed my strength. And I spared Chang Hwa-geom too, so the tribute money I’d have to pay would be reasonable.’

 

At this point.

Donghwa Guild couldn’t extort much either.

Even paying tribute money itself wasn’t particularly objectionable.

Hadn’t he paid tribute money when he was acting as a Gangho Physician too?

Things like site fees.

These weren’t things you stopped paying.

So since it wasn’t particularly strange, his dignity wouldn’t be damaged either.

 

“If, if you just spare my life, I’ll go and say the right things… Kugh… I’ll do well.”

“I’m sure you would. For now, at least.”

“No. I’ll consider you my lifesaver forever…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

 

In the end, he could just send this guy.

It could be resolved easily.

But.

 

‘This doesn’t appeal to me at all.’

 

For some reason.

He didn’t like it.

It wasn’t that he wanted to talk about justice or anything like that now.

Jung Myeong was someone who knew how to compromise appropriately to survive.

 

It’s just that it didn’t appeal to him at all.

Should he say something was bothering him?

 

‘In the end, going round and round, it comes back to Black Point.’

 

What was bothering him was Black Point.

So in the end, if he excluded the Donghwa Guild from consideration, what remained was Black Point.

Drawing them in.

This was the second method.

Black Point, On Yang-ja. If he drew him in, he would move somehow.

 

‘Whether he attacks the Donghwa Guild or negotiates with them. What he’ll gain from those negotiations is… Huh? Wait?’

 

While thinking of the second method.

Jung Myeong suddenly realized one fact.

 

‘…Ah, now I understand. I know why On Yang-ja arranged a residence for me.’

 

Should he say it suddenly occurred to him?

 

‘Perhaps…’

 

Black Point might have been waiting for this very moment.

The moment when he would cause this kind of trouble.

Regardless of which faction it was.

A conflict would arise due to his medical clinic’s tribute money.

They clearly wanted that conflict to grow or for some kind of movement to occur.

 

‘Movement being created would mean change. Did they want that change?’

 

That change. What it was remained completely unclear.

On Yang-ja’s true purpose was also shrouded in mystery.

But it didn’t matter.

Whether he paid tribute here or caused conflict, On Yang-ja would use it.

 

‘This is the right answer. On Yang-ja, this fellow. Did he plan to use me like this while staying put? Maybe he even arranged the medical clinic here for this moment.’

 

His intuition told him.

That it was correct.

Then, returning to the starting point to think.

 

‘The second method of sending this guy to Black Point. If I do that, things will become easier for me. On Yang-ja will use Chang Hwa-geom, who falls into his hands, to suit his taste and scheme.’

 

Rather than sending him to the Donghwa Guild to pay tribute.

On Yang-ja would handle things more easily.

He would probably give him a reward too.

From what he could see, that seemed like the better answer for now.

The problem was.

 

“Hmm… What’s this? This doesn’t appeal to me either.”

“Pardon?”

 

Neither the Donghwa Guild nor Black Point appealed to him.

Being dragged around in any way didn’t sit well with him at all right now.

If he had no cards at all, it might be different.

But now the situation was different.

 

‘It’s precarious. But here, stirring things up in a direction that neither On Yang-ja nor the Donghwa Guild wants would be right.’

 

At this rate, he would only be dragged around.

And when a bigger situation came.

Then he wouldn’t just be dragged around but devoured.

If he just went with the flow, he would never gain the initiative.

It was just intuition without basis.

But he was certain.

 

‘I haven’t properly created even one spine as a hedgehog yet.’

 

At least that touching him would hurt.

He felt he should let them know that much.

Even if it was meaningless struggle.

 

‘I have to do it.’

 

This too seemed right to do.

Then, excluding both Black Point and the Donghwa Guild.

 

‘What do I do?’

 

He had to find a third answer that didn’t exist before.

Should he say it was fortunate?

The third solution came to him quickly.

 

“Chang Hwa-geom. No, Chang-gyeon. Do you know something?”

“Yes?”

“Autopsies of the dead are usually done by physicians.”

“What?”

“In other words, ordinary physicians are….”

“Kuk….”

 

Puuuuk-

 

“…able to slightly alter the cause of death. Don’t resent me. We were both trying to kill each other anyway.”

“…!!!”

 

Kuung-

That answer also included Chang Hwa-geom’s fate.

With the result of death.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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