Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 21

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

Chapter 21
Inside the Medical Authority.
‘So my life as a physician ends today.’
As I gathered my belongings, a peculiar sentiment settled over my hands. They say one cannot know the future, yet the present situation felt strangely unfamiliar.
When I had left my clan and entered the Medical Authority, I had believed there would be no further connection with the Military Council.
It was then.
“Sa Ma-ryang! You’re leaving now?”
My gaze shifted to the side.
A woman approached with her hands clasped behind her back. Her eyes curved like a crescent moon, and her hair, which fell to her waist, scattered in the wind.
It was Shin Yeon-hwa, the current Medicine Hall Master.
“I was just about to pay my respects, but you’ve come out first.”
Shin Yeon-hwa’s lips curved smoothly upward.
“Is that so? I thought you’d make a fuss about leaving and draw attention. Won’t you even see me off? Already treating me as an outsider? Thinking I’m just that insignificant? That’s what I imagined you’d say.”
I smiled faintly.
“I tried to be careful, but it seems I was noisy. My apologies.”
“Apologies? Perhaps my senses have grown sharper from fatigue. This is troublesome. If I hone myself any further, I’ll only lose my temperament. I might end up venting on the subordinates and earn their resentment.”
I laughed quietly.
“The physicians will have a difficult time.”
Shin Yeon-hwa glanced around and spoke softly.
“Not at all. These fools have such keen instincts they’ve already fled. I should cut their salaries. I’ve completed the Demon-Transforming Pill refinement despite the skin damage, yet they can’t even offer congratulations.”
I asked with a startled expression.
“The Demon-Transforming Pill? Has someone achieved great merit for the Sect?”
“You seem completely oblivious?”
“Pardon?”
Shin Yeon-hwa laughed softly.
“Forget it. What more can I say to someone so stubborn yet so lacking in perception? I’m tired of looking at you, so leave quickly. And there’s no severance pay. Understand?”
I bowed my head with an awkward expression.
“What I have learned is more than sufficient. Rather, I am grateful that you accepted what amounted to an ultimatum with such generosity. Medicine Hall Master, though I am transferring my records to the Military Council…”
Shin Yeon-hwa gently cut me off.
“Sa Ma-ryang.”
“Yes.”
“I have always anticipated a day like this would come. Whenever I met with the Chief Military Commander, we would speak of you. Your departure on your own initiative is unexpected, but I thought that no matter what means were necessary, he would take you with him.”
“Is that so.”
Shin Yeon-hwa nodded.
“Yet I transmitted to you the secret arts of the Medical Authority. Acupuncture, finger techniques, celestial spirit techniques, and all manner of medical skills besides. I freely gave you the martial techniques I created and taught them without reservation.”
Her lips curved upward in a long arc. With confident conviction, Shin Yeon-hwa asked.
“What was my intention?”
I paused before answering.
“…You are certain I will return.”
“Correct. Your stubbornness, your talent, your nature—all of it is directed toward the Main Sect. Retirement? That is merely empty words.”
Shin Yeon-hwa let out a soft chuckle.
“I’m a greedy person. How else would I abandon what I already possess and turn my gaze toward new martial arts? I have no intention whatsoever of relinquishing what is mine, not in the slightest.”
“….”
Her piercing gaze cut straight through Sa Ma-ryang.
“Is there anything false in my words? Your heart still seems to linger in this place.”
“I cannot deny it. Yet I cannot assert it with certainty either….”
“That’s enough.”
Shin Yeon-hwa smiled gently.
“I’ll consider it a leave of absence. A very long leave that will make you stronger. Cursed as it is, I must think of it that way to avoid falling ill from frustration. We’re already short on hands as it is.”
“I apologize, Master.”
“Enough of that ticklish talk.”
“Please take care of yourself.”
“Yes, I must stay healthy. One last piece of advice.”
“Advice, you say?”
“You’ve endured hardship, that much is true. Remember the boundless grace you’ve received, and return swiftly to lend your hand.”
Sa Ma-ryang smiled faintly and bowed his head.
“Yes, I shall take it to heart.”
Shin Yeon-hwa lowered her voice.
“About the expansion into the Central Plains.”
At this unexpected turn, Sa Ma-ryang’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Expansion into the Central Plains?”
“Yes. Something feels off, or perhaps unsettling? In any case, the aftertaste leaves me deeply uneasy. I’m not certain how many have noticed, but that’s what my intuition tells me.”
“What specifically do you mean by something feeling off?”
Shin Yeon-hwa shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s intuition, so there you have it. You’re the one who must investigate. Isn’t that why you’re going to the Military Council?”
“….”
Sa Ma-ryang pressed his lips firmly together. Though it was merely counsel born of instinct and could have been dismissed, he resolved to etch it deeply into his heart.
These were words spoken by none other than the Medicine Hall Master herself.
There exists a saying in Jianghu: divinity dwells within the upper dantian refined to its highest degree. Profound insight that defies definition can sometimes manifest as miraculous power.
It was no mere gossip of dilettantes. The Medicine Hall Master had founded her martial arts upon such qualities and was revered as a great master for it.
Sa Ma-ryang bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Master. I shall remember this well.”
* * *
Half a day passed, and as the sun descended toward Western Mountain.
Sa Ma-ryang rubbed the blood vessels beneath his temples with eyes reddened from strain.
After leaving the Medical Hall, he had stopped by the Military Council to unpack and gather intelligence, consuming considerable time in the process.
On the way to Third Young Master’s Residence, Sa Ma-ryang suddenly let out a hollow laugh tinged with disillusionment.
“So blatant….”
-Oh my, who’s this! How have you been? It feels like forever since you graduated from the Academy… You’re working at the Military Council now? Excellent! If the Qilin joins us, everything will become smoother. Ha!
-It’s been a while, senior. I heard you became a Physician, but what brings you here… Really? Then we’ll be able to see each other often from now on. Many people have been looking for you during this time. Myself included. I look forward to working with you going forward.
It was certainly gratifying that those who had passed the examination and waited so long were now welcoming me into their ranks. Yet an undeniable unease crept over me.
These were the very people who had thoroughly ignored me whenever we happened to cross paths, and even when I had attempted to arrange meetings with the Military Council.
Their sudden reversal of attitude stemmed from one simple fact: they had learned that the Chief Military Commander had taken me into his service.
Sa Ma-ryang steadied his breathing and shook his head.
‘I cannot afford to reject kindness simply because its intentions are transparent.’
After deciding to share purpose with the Young Master and witnessing his unwavering resolve firsthand, I had hardened my own determination.
Rather, I should turn this to my advantage.
His gaze shifted to the scroll he held in his hand.
From Yi Ma-je’s likely whereabouts to his true name, his appearance, and the distinctive characteristics and names of the martial techniques he employed—this information could never have been obtained without the Military Council’s intelligence network and the assistance of their scholars.
Sa Ma-ryang’s eyes deepened as he gripped the scroll tightly.
‘What was that suspicion the Medicine Hall Master spoke of? And what comes next….’
The situation felt suffocatingly constrained. While I could formulate grand strategies, I could not determine every detail of execution.
Who among them might accept my proposal? And who must I approach with extreme caution?
Not a single answer was clear, and any careless approach would prove disastrous.
‘For now, I must focus on Yi Ma-je.’
Upon entering Cheon So-hyun’s Residence, Sa Ma-ryang surveyed the surroundings.
‘Where could he have gone?’
At this hour, he should have been training, yet the estate emanated no presence whatsoever.
Then it happened.
“You’re here now? You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
Cheon So-hyun emerged from the Main Hall.
“Yes, I’ve only just arrived….”
Sa Ma-ryang reflexively began his greeting when he froze mid-sentence. His pupils dilated sharply.
‘What… what is this?’
Strangely, the Third Young Master’s physique had transformed dramatically. The wrists and ankles visible beneath his black martial robes had grown noticeably thicker, and his skin radiated a vibrant vitality.
That was not all. His already considerable height appeared to have increased further.
Sa Ma-ryang asked in bewilderment.
“Young Master, you seem… quite different. What on earth has happened?”
Cheon So-hyun chuckled softly.
“Nothing much really. The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy brought me a miraculous elixir and I consumed it. The effects were absolutely remarkable.”
Sa Ma-ryang started in alarm.
“What? The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy?! What kind of miraculous elixir did he give you?”
“He appeared without warning and presented something called the Demon-Breaking Pill. It looked precious at a glance, so I consumed it immediately without hesitation.”
“…The Demon-Breaking Pill?”
“That’s what I said.”
Sa Ma-ryang could not help but be astonished.
‘So it was the Young Master himself who accomplished this great deed?’
Simultaneously, he understood what the Medicine Hall Master had meant when he said I lacked perception.
This matter concerned the Demon-Breaking Pill itself, and it was indeed cause for alarm. Yet Sa Ma-ryang composed himself deliberately.
‘This is not as surprising as it seems.’
Wasn’t he the very person who had transformed even me—someone notorious for stubbornness as unyielding as steel wire, yet possessed of a naturally fragile disposition?
Considering that the Cult Leader had observed the various strengths I’d come to understand through direct experience—my martial prowess, distinctive resourcefulness, and way of thinking—there was nothing strange about it whatsoever.
With an eye far superior to mine, he would have examined these matters in far greater detail. Therefore, it was right to focus on the next problem.
“The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy didn’t bring up anything else, did he?”
“Well, he asked why I met with the Chief Military Commander. It seems word of our meeting got out in the meantime.”
“Then… did you reveal your opinion on the Great Sect?”
Cheon So-hyun shook his head.
“I dodged the question. I told him if he was really curious, he should go find the Chief Military Commander himself. I thought it would come out anyway, but something about it felt off.”
Relief flickered across Sa Ma-ryang’s eyes.
“You handled it well, sir.”
“Handled it well?”
“Yes. According to what my family has heard, the Gwangmyeong Left Envoy often takes the lead in dealing with foreign invaders who breach the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.”
“What? The Gwangmyeong Left Envoy?”
“Yes. Though it should normally be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall, the Left Envoy volunteers to take on such tasks.”
Cheon So-hyun tilted his head slightly.
“Does that mean he harbors a grudge against the Central Plains?”
“Precisely. It is the common consensus of my family that the Left Envoy harbors an intense hostility toward the Central Plains as fervent as the faith he holds. Had you spoken according to your earlier logic, danger would surely have followed.”
The argument I’d made to the Chief Military Commander—that the Central Plains’ invasion was no different from harming provisional believers. Setting that aside, he would certainly have been angered by any discussion of the Cult Leader’s realm.
Cheon So-hyun nodded.
“I sensed his fortune was turbulent, and it seems I was right. So the Left Envoy should be seen as the figurehead of those who desire expansion into the Central Plains.”
At this blunt phrasing, Sa Ma-ryang questioned it back.
“…Figurehead, sir?”
“Yes. When someone of such rank also harbors such hostility, isn’t that how you’d characterize him?”
Who else would dare make such an assessment of the Divine Sect’s Gwangmyeong Left Envoy? Sa Ma-ryang let out a dry cough before responding.
“Ahem, well. Certainly that’s true. In fact, based on the circumstances thus far, it’s clear that….”
Then Sa Ma-ryang’s chattering mouth snapped shut.
“…!”
“Clear that what? Why did you stop talking?”
Sa Ma-ryang continued with an animated expression.
“I believe it would be most natural to interpret the fact that none other than the Left Envoy himself delivered the Demon-Binding Pill to you as evidence that he harbors goodwill or curiosity toward you, sir. Would you not agree?”
“I sensed something like that, but why does it matter?”
“Then it won’t be long before we learn what purpose that earlier meeting served. He’ll be curious since he couldn’t get an answer. The Dharma Protection Institute’s intelligence network may have already grasped it.”
Cheon So-hyun’s brow narrowed. What was this mad physician trying to say now?
“So what’s your point?”
Sa Ma-ryang’s eyes gleamed.
“Then not only will the Left Envoy himself show his hand, but those around him who share his views will emerge as well. Or rather, since they’ll find opposition to the Great Sect disagreeable, they’ll reveal their stance in some form.”
As if the frustration of all this time were being washed away, Sa Ma-ryang continued in an excited tone.
“So from now on, we can discern the opinions of the senior figures simply by observing the movements of the Dharma Protection Institute! Then the path forward after Yi Ma-je will become clear!”
Sa Ma-ryang gazed at him with a face full of admiration.
“Could it be… that when you called the Left Envoy a figurehead, you were already calculating all of this, sir?”
Cheon So-hyun wiped away the spittle that had splattered on his cheek with a sullen expression.
‘What nonsense has this fool been spouting since earlier?’
The dark circles beneath his eyes suggested he’d been awake all night, his mind drifting in and out of focus. Or perhaps it was the aftereffect of abandoning his position at the Medical Hall.
Cheon So-hyun looked him up and down before asking.
“You did properly locate where Yi Ma-je is, didn’t you?”
“Yes? Yes! I’ve identified five locations within Unam Peak.”
Cheon So-hyun accepted the scroll Sa Ma-ryang offered and unrolled it.
“Unam Peak… I head west from here, then?”
“That’s correct. Will you depart now?”
“I should.”
“I shall accompany you.”
Cheon So-hyun grabbed Sa Ma-ryang’s shoulder as he moved to step forward.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’ll go alone, so you head inside and get some rest.”
“But… wouldn’t it be better if I went with you…?”
“Enough. You look like death itself right now. If Yi Ma-je, who’s in seclusion, sees you, he’ll probably think some demon’s come calling and flee. Stop talking nonsense and go rest inside.”

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