The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign - Chapter 733

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 733.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Just then, Seo An entered the Taepyeong Morgue, having finished the laundry in the courtyard.
“Let me take over now. You should rest a bit.”
“That’s not necessary.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with firm resolve.
“If I become exhausted, I’ll let you know. For now, please rest yourself.”
“These are all patients who passed away after battling illness.”
Seo An shook his head.
“Unlike those who died suddenly, among patients who succumbed to grave illnesses, there are surprisingly many descendants of respectable families.”
And he spoke with a worried expression.
“If you make even a small mistake in the preparation, you’ll bear the full brunt of their accusations.”
Some patients carry valuables with them until their final breath.
And sometimes, when bereaved families cannot find these items, they come to the funeral preparer and make a terrible fuss.
“It’s fine. I’ve worked as a funeral preparer for many years.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“The burden of proof for theft rests with the bereaved family. If they continue to cause trouble, I can report them to the Constabulary.”
And she added,
“Besides, the bereaved instinctively know whether the funeral preparer stole or didn’t steal. Their intuition becomes remarkably sharp during this time.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Seo An, having worked as a funeral preparer for many years himself, understood this well.
But he had been worried that Bu Eunseol might face harsh treatment.
However, seeing how decisively she spoke, it seemed his concern was unnecessary.
“Still, don’t overexert yourself.”
Seo An sighed.
“The living shouldn’t suffer injury for the sake of the already departed.”
Warm words.
Like something my grandfather used to say.
As Bu Eunseol gazed at him with a smile, showing no sign of strain,
Seo An shook his head with an apologetic expression.
“I worry that I’ve dragged you into hardship over a mere dumpling.”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m truly fine.”
Observing the bright sparkle in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Seo An sighed deeply and nodded.
“Very well.”
As he left the Taepyeong Morgue, Bu Eunseol immediately began examining the corpses.
Swish. Whoosh, whoosh.
And even as she worked with relentless speed, she simultaneously began analyzing the causes of death.
It wasn’t for any particular reason—it was simply a habit cultivated over a lifetime.
‘Hmm?’
Yet as Bu Eunseol examined the body, her expression grew grave.
The corpses currently being embalmed were all patients who had succumbed after suffering from grave illnesses.
‘It’s certain they suffered from serious ailments. But.’
Even without conducting an autopsy.
Most of them bore the telltale signs of prolonged suffering—skin clinging to bone—making it abundantly clear they had endured chronic illness for years.
Yet these were not the bodies of patients who had perished while battling disease.
‘The physical state shows no signs of the vitality draining away at the moment of death.’
Patients who had fought illness for years before their final breath invariably bore pallid complexions.
Moreover, their prolonged immobility left them with bedsores around the back and lower regions.
Yet several of these corpses bore the appearance of those afflicted with only minor ailments, or showed no signs of impaired mobility whatsoever.
Their vital essence had simply vanished, resulting in instantaneous death.
Bu Eunseol, in particular, had mastered the Blood Dew Seven Techniques, which dealt with death itself.
I could perceive that vital essence—the very source of life force sustaining human existence—far more acutely than anyone else.
‘Of course, sudden death can occur. But….’
There were rare instances where robust, healthy men died abruptly without warning.
Yet such occurrences were exceedingly uncommon.
But for patients to die en masse with their vital essence drained away was decidedly unusual.
‘I need to investigate further.’
My eyes narrowed with determination.
That wandering physician seemed highly suspicious.
I needed to ascertain who this Yeon Wol truly was.
To observe directly how he treated his patients.
Before the desolate entrance of the Abandoned Manor, crowds of people gathered like clouds.
For within this abandoned structure dwelt a physician as transcendent as an immortal, who wandered the world healing the afflicted.
He accepted no payment for his services.
He purchased medicinal herbs from his own purse to treat patients, and when that proved insufficient, he would ascend the mountains to gather rare herbs with his own hands.
He scarcely slept, attending to the endless stream of patients who arrived.
For those gravely ill with nowhere else to turn, he had prepared spaces within the abandoned house where they could shelter.
―Such pointless effort. As if any of this changes anything.
Yet since most of his patients were beggars or impoverished souls with nowhere to go.
Some praised his benevolence, while others mocked his futile endeavors.
Regardless, the physician had remained in this Abandoned Manor for over six months, quietly treating his patients.
Footsteps echoed softly.
The line gradually dwindled.
A tall man in gray robes stepped forward through the lengthening queue, his turn finally arriving at the Abandoned Manor’s entrance.
It was Bu Eunseol.
“Enter.”
As my turn came at last, the Middle-Aged Man from within emerged and guided me inside.
“Follow me.”
Following the Middle-Aged Man’s lead deeper inside, the Abandoned Manor revealed itself to be meticulously maintained, contrary to its appearance.
Upon entering the building before the courtyard, I found within a figure dressed in worn robes—
A very young man sat with perfect posture.
His frame was delicate as a woman’s, his nose bridge prominent and sharp, and his skin pale as snow.
This was Yeon Wol, the wandering physician who traveled throughout Zhong Yuan healing the afflicted.
“This person is…”
Bu Eunseol feigned surprise.
Yeon Wol’s eyes were firmly closed.
“It seems Physician Yeon has difficulty with his sight.”
The Middle-Aged Man standing behind approached Bu Eunseol and whispered.
“Go closer and tell him where it hurts.”
Bu Eunseol nodded and sat across from Yeon Wol.
Then Yeon Wol spoke with a subtle smile.
“Your name is.”
“Seol So.”
“I see.”
Yeon Wol smiled broadly and spoke.
“You should leave.”
“But I haven’t even mentioned where it hurts.”
Yeon Wol’s lips curved upward.
“Your gait is slow yet carries the dignity of a lion, your voice is soft and low yet clear and refreshing. With such a robust constitution that no illness could possibly afflict you… you have no need for a physician’s touch.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes gleamed.
To discern one’s physical condition from mere footsteps and voice alone, without even taking a pulse?
Either this man possessed medical knowledge beyond imagination,
or his martial prowess was extraordinary enough that his hearing alone allowed him to glean vast information.
“It is not a sickness of the body, but a sickness of the heart.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Yeon Wol tilted his head.
“A sickness of the heart?”
“Indeed.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“Each night I see phantoms and suffer nightmares. And a smoldering resentment in my heart refuses to dissipate.”
Though Bu Eunseol had never formally studied medicine, I had read
countless texts on poison and medicine to ease my isolation.
For one carrying vengeance in my body as I did, the symptoms of heart-fire were genuinely present.
If Yeon Wol was truly a physician, he would naturally be able to diagnose such symptoms.
“Let me examine you.”
Yeon Wol finally took hold of Bu Eunseol’s wrist.
No matter how high one ascended to the realm of serene clarity, one could not hide one’s inner energy.
But Bu Eunseol had mastered the secret of forming and storing an inner core,
so even a master of the Mujik Gyeong could never detect it—my internal power was perfectly concealed.
“Hmm. Indeed, that is so.”
The young physician nodded.
“It seems you suffered greatly from injustice in the past. If you fail to properly regulate your heart essence for an extended period, the kidney water becomes damaged due to the disconnection between heart and kidney.”
The physician nodded.
“You are still young and healthy, so you should be able to earn your way to recovery. I will prescribe you a decoction to separate and regulate the qi.”
The physician wrote out a prescription for Bu Eunseol with a flourish of his brush.
“If you brew and drink one dose of medicine according to this, your symptoms should improve considerably.”
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eunseol accepted the prescription with proper courtesy, Yeon Wol displayed a smile as serene as a painting.
“People with a body as healthy as yours are rare indeed. I sincerely wish for your swift recovery.”
“Thank you.”
As he stepped outside, the Middle-Aged Man guided the waiting patients further inside once more.
Bu Eunseol did not leave immediately but instead surveyed the interior of the Abandoned Manor slowly and deliberately.
Soon he discovered a space where patients appeared to be living together.
As he observed them for some time, a sharp glint of light flickered across his eyes.
‘The patients have not been separated according to the severity of their conditions.’
In ordinary medical clinics, patients are strictly segregated based on the gravity of their illnesses.
But the classification method for patients staying in this Abandoned Manor was somewhat peculiar.
An elderly patient on the verge of death lay beside a young man with a broken leg.
Next to a man groaning in agony, a boy who appeared to be less than ten years old sat blinking his eyes.
“Ahhhhh!”
At that moment, the elderly patient let out a tremendous scream.
The Middle-Aged Man who had been guiding people came rushing over in a panic.
If I lingered here without purpose, I would surely arouse suspicion.
After observing my surroundings, I had no choice but to turn and slip out of the Abandoned House.
Returning to the Xian’an Funeral House, I entered the Taepyeong Morgue and carefully examined the corpses of patients who had supposedly died from illness.
‘As expected, there is nothing.’
What if Yeon Wol had killed the patients?
What if he was such a formidable master of the Murim that he killed them without leaving external wounds?
Even if other coroners could not find evidence, there was no way I could fail to discover it.
Click.
At that moment, the door opened and an elderly man with eyes seemingly closed entered.
It was Seo An.
“You said you were going to the village for a bit—what happened?”
“I simply took a walk to clear my mind of complicated thoughts.”
“What troubles you? Your face does not look well.”
At Seo An’s words, Bu Eunseol hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.
“Elder, I have a question for you.”
“Speak.”
“Is there a method of murder that leaves absolutely no trace of foul play, even under autopsy?”
“A method of murder that leaves no trace under autopsy?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you harbor such violent thoughts while performing a funeral rite?”
When Seo An recoiled in shock, Bu Eunseol spoke candidly.
“I performed funeral rites for so long that I could discern the cause of death at a glance, merely by observing a corpse.”
“But then.”
“It occurred to me—if someone was clearly murdered by another’s hand, how could there be no trace of homicide left behind?”
As Bu Eunseol spoke with a contemplative expression, Seo An nodded as though he finally understood.
“Is that why you abandoned funeral rites?”
“No. That’s not quite it. However….”
As Bu Eunseol’s words trailed off, Seo An crossed his arms with a grave expression.
“Murder most certain, yet the method leaves no trace….”
As he pondered this, his already narrow eyes grew even more slitted.
“There is but one method of murder in this world that leaves no trace of homicide.”
Seo An gazed directly into Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he spoke.
“To compel the victim to choose suicide.”
It was a somewhat cryptic answer.
Bu Eunseol, her brow furrowed, asked again.
“Then is there truly no method—whether suicide or homicide—that leaves absolutely no trace?”
“Absolutely no trace whatsoever….”
Seo An stroked his chin for a long while, then suddenly broke into a peculiar smile.
“There is one. The method of killing through time itself.”
Seo An opened his narrow eyes slightly wider.
“Once, a woman who could no longer endure her husband’s violence resolved to kill him. But fearing discovery and punishment, she sought out a fortune teller of great renown.”
He spoke with an intriguing tone.
“And for a considerable sum, she learned from the fortune teller a curse—an incantation to kill her husband.”
Seo An wore a faint smile.
“And whenever her husband slept, she cast the curse upon him. Every day, she begged for his death.”
His lips quivered as he suppressed his laughter.
“Fortunately, the curse proved effective, and her husband eventually died. The woman was so overjoyed that she gazed toward the heavens and cried out thus.”
―Thank you! At last, after fifty years, you have finally granted my wish!
Seo An could no longer contain himself and burst into hearty laughter.
“What do you think? Is it not a marvelous method of murder? And not a trace was left behind.”
In the end, Seo An had offered an amusing tale instead of a true answer.
Upon hearing this, Bu Eunseol broke into laughter. It was the laughter of a child.
For a moment, she felt as though she had returned to those days when her grandfather would tell her old stories.
‘Ah.’
Yet in that instant, something flickered through Bu Eunseol’s mind.
‘Delay.’
Only after hearing Seo An’s jest did she grasp why she could find no trace of murder.
“Elder.”
“Hmm?”
“Where are those who died of illness recently buried?”
Bu Eunseol deployed her lightness technique and ascended the Back Mountain of the village.
The place where I finally arrived was a Communal Cemetery where countless people lay interred.
After drawing out the Hollow Heart Penetrating Technique, I examined the surroundings for a long while before finding the grave of one who had died six months prior.
“Forgive me for disturbing your peace, as I seek to reveal this unjust death to the world.”
As I pressed my palms together and took a deep breath,
the earth crackled open.
The coffin within the grave rose entirely into the air.
With a soft click,
I carefully opened the coffin and examined the corpse inside, my eyes narrowing.
‘As I suspected.’
The corpse of an old man lay within the coffin.
A body that should have gradually become skeletal with time, yet remained
perfectly preserved as though the person still lived, showing no signs of decay whatsoever.
I carefully pried open the corpse’s mouth and examined beneath the tongue.
Beneath the tongue was indeed darkened black.
Death by poisoning.
This old man had died from a potent toxin, and the lingering venom that remained
prevented the corpse from decomposing.
With a soft thud,
I carefully reburied the coffin and proceeded to excavate another grave to examine its contents.
Those who had been dead longer showed clear signs of poisoning, while those who had died more recently showed no obvious traces of toxin.
“Delayed-onset poison.”
I murmured softly.
“They used it to leave no trace.”
Poisons possess various characteristics as diverse as their types.
Some do not react immediately but manifest symptoms only after a certain duration.
Moreover, those with delayed toxicity do not inflict immediate fatal effects on the human body.
A certain threshold of exposure is required, and at the time of death, often no obvious signs remain.
In such cases, anyone observing would mistake it for natural death or disease.
“All those who died within the past six months have been poisoned with a delayed-onset toxin… and the ability to employ poison to this degree means the perpetrator is not merely a poison expert, but someone intimately versed in human physiology.”
Ultimately, there was only one answer.
There was only one person in Geun Dong versed in human physiology, and he arrived in this village six months ago.
Yeon Wol.
The reason patients died in succession was that Yeon Wol used a poison that killed people without leaving a trace.
A low hum resonated.
As I reorganized the grave, I accidentally discovered an old iron sword buried nearby.
It was heavily rusted, and the blade carried the stench of blood.
Judging from how the edge was mangled and damaged, it appeared to be a sword used by some third-rate martial artist.
‘Is this what I’m meant to use?’
I had been considering retrieving the Muk Hon Sword I had buried in the forest.
But the iron sword that lay buried by the grave seemed like the better choice.
Because it would be imbued with the resentment of those who died unjustly.
Evil.
As I drew upon my inner energy, the rusted iron sword came into Bu Eunseol’s grasp.
Now I would execute judgment upon this murderer in physician’s clothing, who slaughtered innocent patients without reason.

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