Chapter 41. Black Market (1)

“Hahahahaha.”

Just as I laughed so hard my stomach pulled and it felt like the blood from the stab wound the slave trader gave me would burst open again.

Nam Geon, who had been off somewhere, returned.

“B-brother, are you o-okay?”

Perhaps because I kept bursting into laughter, the lad asked with a face full of worry.

As he approached me with a gait befitting his size, he suddenly covered his nose.

“Ugh. It smells like poop.”

“Smells like poop?”

As I wondered what nonsense he was spouting, I too caught a whiff of the foul odor.

I easily realized the source of the smell.

It was because of the turbid energy that had been expelled from my body.

That turbid energy had seeped into the cloth wrapped around my body to stop the bleeding.

Whether Nam Geon also realized the smell was coming from the cloth, he made a gloomy expression.

“Hing. Brother has gone crazy. Y-you were laughing by yourself and pooped your clothes.”

“……”

“B-but I won’t abandon b-brother. Brother helped me. I-I have to take care of crazy brother too.”

I couldn’t understand why he was spouting nonsense all by himself again.

“I’m not crazy.”

“R-really? T-then why did you poop on the cloth, brother?”

Finding it bothersome to waste time on useless talk, I asked him.

“More importantly, where have you been?”

“Y-your treatment finished, brother. I-I moved all night. I-I was hungry. I’m sorry, brother. I-I didn’t know you had to poop, brother.”

“Haa. It’s not poop, it’s turbid energy that came out of my body. But it’s a relief that you ate. Now, try swinging your sword. I’ll watch your form.”

Even if I couldn't move my own body right now, I could still teach Nam Geon.

For some reason, Nam Geon let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoo. T-talking about training as soon as you wake up. B-brother isn’t crazy. What a relief.”

***

Quite unfortunately, I couldn't watch over Nam Geon’s training right away.

“W-what in the world happened here?”

This was because the pharmacist, who appeared just in time, was startled and stripped off all the cloth wrapped around my body.

He said that if the cloth stained with poisonous energy was kept against the wound, the wound could get infected again.

As the pharmacist applied new medicine and wrapped the cloth, I asked.

“Still, since all the poisonous energy has been expelled, I should be able to start training once the cloth is wrapped.”

The pharmacist, who was wrapping the cloth, flinched and glanced at me.

Somehow, it was a familiar gaze.

“Ahem.”

After letting out a dry cough, the pharmacist spoke in a polite tone.

“You have too many wounds. Right now, it will be a strain for your body just to focus on healing. If you overexert yourself now, all the wounds could get infected, and what could have healed in ten days might take a full month.”

“So, you’re telling me to rest from training for ten days?”

“chivalrous warrior? If the sword that went into your side had been just an inch deeper, you would have had to rest from training for a lifetime, not ten days……”

“But I survived, didn't I?”

For some reason, the pharmacist gritted his teeth and said.

“chivalrous warrior. Please consider my situation a little. If it gets out that a patient I was treating died, I won't be able to do business in this neighborhood anymore.”

Only then did I realize the source of this déjà vu.

Before I returned to the past.

Whenever I went to the Poison Immortal covered in wounds, a similar conversation would take place.

Later, the Poison Immortal, who had given up on conversation altogether, would press my Paralysis Point to force me to rest.

“Hmm. I understand. For now, I will rest until the wounds heal.”

Recalling that time, I decided to accept the pharmacist’s advice for now.

Come to think of it, I wonder if the Poison Immortal is doing well.

He probably wasn’t.

It wasn't a curse on my bad friend, nor was it because of the Poison Immortal’s temper.

I had gone to the Poison Immortal countless times whenever I was covered in wounds.

Just once.

After treating my body, the Poison Immortal, dead drunk, had complained.

A man not only well-versed in poison and medicine but also having reached a sublime realm was drunk.

To be drunk despite being able to push away the intoxication at will must have meant that he intended to get drunk in the first place.

I had listened to the Poison Immortal’s complaints appropriately.

In truth, I was in a position where I couldn't not listen, as my Paralysis Point had been subdued.

“Hmm. This is better than being treated by the Poison Immortal.”

“P-Poison Immortal? Who’s that, brother?”

“There’s a guy like that.”

After giving a brief answer to Nam Geon's question, I recalled the events of that day again.

The Poison Immortal’s complaints were about the past.

The things he experienced and the situations he faced when he was young.

The reason he secluded himself in the mountains despite reaching a sublime realm, and the reason he, a physician, became an eccentric called the Poison Immortal, might have been because of the emotional wounds he suffered back then.

The Poison Immortal had said such a thing.

If only he could go back to the past, he would not have lived like he did back then.

Funnily enough, it was not the Poison Immortal who returned to the past, but me.

Since I had received a lot of help from him, I thought about helping the him of the past for the sake of the him of the future.

But, not right now.

If I went to see him now, the probability of dying was very high.

I didn't care if I died while rampaging to kill some trash-like bastards, but dying after going to see the face of a bad friend I would make in the future was a different matter.

Yes. It seemed best to visit him at least after reaching the Peak Realm.

In my past life, it would have been a dream-like story, but not anymore.

“Will about three years be enough?”

Most of the energy from the Azure Spirit Pill was used to push out the turbid energy and inflammation.

The internal energy increased by the Azure Spirit Pill was not much.

However, thanks to the training I had consistently done and the power gained from the Ten-Thousand Year He Shou Wu, a considerable amount of internal energy had already accumulated in my Dantian.

What I needed was about twenty years of power.

Three years at the shortest.

Five years at the longest.

Considering the speed at which internal energy accumulated with the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, that would be enough.

It was a speed that couldn't even be compared to when I accumulated internal energy with the Jade Cloud Divine Art or the Revolving Cloud Divine Art in the past.

Well, if I was lucky enough to pick up another spirit herb, the time might be shortened even further.

***

A few days passed.

Except for visiting the pharmacy once a day to change the medicine and cloth, I was spending my time at the Hegemonic Tiger Gang’s manor.

“Haa. Hoo.”

Most of the day was spent circulating the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art.

It was a pity that I couldn’t train my External Energy and martial arts, but it seemed I could increase my internal energy quite a bit during this opportunity.

As I had realized while learning the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, being impatient and doing one's best were different issues.

So, for now, I was planning to focus on the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art.

If such a small change had occurred in me, one change also occurred in Nam Geon.

“Haa. Hoo.”

Nam Geon, who had finally succeeded in memorizing all the secrets and acupoints of the Jade Cloud Divine Art, was training the Jade Cloud Divine Art next to me.

Fortunately, there was no problem with him sensing Qi.

In the first place, the Iron Blood Golden Skin Art he had learned was also an External Energy that could only be trained after sensing Qi beyond a certain level.

Come to think of it, Nam Geon was also a peculiar fellow.

Not only was his Qi sensation outstanding, but his bones and muscles were worthy of the term ‘innate martial body’.

His physique was truly that of a born genius.

It was just his head that was a bit lacking.

Suddenly, a wry smile escaped me.

I was in no position to call anyone lacking.

Insight, bones and muscles.

Even Qi sensation.

I was nothing but mediocre in all areas.

At that moment.

A fierce sound of something cutting through the air, whoooosh, reached my ears.

It seemed Nam Geon, having finished his Jade Cloud Divine Art training, was practicing the Mighty Sword Art.

I briefly stopped the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art and watched his training.

“Hmm.”

As expected of his talent in using his body, the form was already completely settling in.

Now that Nam Geon had also started accumulating internal energy, it seemed I had to create the secrets for the Mighty Sword Art.

I quietly closed my eyes and emptied my mind.

All that remained was the sword and myself.

In the world of my mind, I reviewed the techniques of the Mighty Sword Art I had taught Nam Geon.

Naturally, the internal energy leaving my Dantian raced through my acupoints.

What is the most suitable flow for the form of each technique?

How long had I been concentrating on the Mighty Sword Art with that question in mind?

As if hearing a sound from outside while underwater, a somewhat dull shout pierced my ears.

“Brother! Brother!”

My concentration broke, and I frowned as I opened my eyes.

“What is it?”

“B-brother, what are you doing! Y-you were told to rest!”

Wondering what he was talking about, I looked at him, and his eyes were on my hand.

At some point, a sword was in my hand, and blood was faintly seeping from the palm of my left hand holding the sword and my side, staining the cloth.

“Goodness.”

I was even standing on the training ground, having gotten up at some point.

It seemed my mind wanted to rest, but my body couldn't bear it.

***

Fortunately or unfortunately, the wounds didn't worsen.

It was thanks to Nam Geon stopping me early.

For a few days, I forced my twitching body to calm down and devoted myself to resting and practicing my divine art.

Finally, all the wounds healed, and the day to leave the village arrived.

After packing medicine, poison, and the hidden weapons I had requested from the forge, I left Dongin.

The sword hanging from my side was the one from the Peak Realm master, the leader of the slave merchant group I had killed last time.

Nam Geon also followed behind me with his bundle and the Mother's Affection Sword.

“Brother. A-are we going to that Black Market now?”

“Yes.”

“B-but w-what is a Black Market, brother?”

“It’s a market. A market where trash gathers.”

As Nam Geon didn't seem to understand, I added a brief explanation.

“It's a market where they buy and sell people, and also buy and sell things that were stolen or taken by killing people.”

“T-there must be a lot of b-bad guys.”

“Yes. It's crawling with trash.”

“T-then, are there many scary masters like t-that guy from last time?”

He seemed to be referring to the slave merchant leader who had made me a patient.

Well, it didn't matter anyway.

“Yes. So, shouldn't you train your best until we get to the Black Market? Now. Let's start training our movement arts at full speed from now on.”

To make up for the training I missed in the last ten days, I would have to train twice as hard on the way to Zunyi, where the Black Market was said to be.

As I started running using my movement arts, Nam Geon followed and shouted.

“B-brother is s-smart but s-stupid! I-in your head, there’s only t-training and killing b-bad guys!”

It was certainly true.

I had no intention of living differently.

But the feeling was strange.

It seemed to be because I was being pointed out by a guy who only knew how to eat.

***

Late at night.

A small tea shop located on one side of Zunyi.

As a man in black entered the tea shop that had already closed for business, the owner there opened his mouth.

“How are the preparations for opening the next market coming along?”

“The things we need to prepare are proceeding without a hitch, Branch Leader.”

“Hmm. It sounds like there’s a hitch on another side.”

“There are rumors that the leader of the Wolhyang Merchant Group has been missing recently.”

At the black-robed man's reply, the man called Branch Leader frowned.

The Wolhyang Merchant Group had been regular customers and sellers of slaves at the Black Market.

In particular, their leader had bought an Azure Spirit Pill for a large sum at the last Black Market.

The Branch Leader, whose thoughts reached that point, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. He must have tried to do some business with the Azure Spirit Pill and messed things up.”

“It seems so.”

“Even if he was at the Peak Realm, a mere merchant was too greedy.”

In this world, power was truth.

If you were greedier than the power you possessed, you were bound to lose your life.

Although the Branch Leader himself was a Peak Realm master just like the Wolhyang Merchant Group’s leader, their levels were different.

The Wolhyang Merchant Group’s leader, who had reached the Peak Realm solely through the power of his internal energy and was engrossed in business.

And himself, who had overcome countless real battles from the bottom to rise to the position of a Branch Leader of an organization that controlled the underworld of the Central Plains.

The very act of comparing the two was a humiliation to the Branch Leader.

Furthermore, he had no intention of being satisfied with the position of Branch Leader.

“It’s better this way. Find the remaining trash of the Wolhyang Merchant Group and absorb the group. We have to satisfy the customers looking for playthings, don’t we?”

“I will look for the remnants.”

After the man in black left.

The Branch Leader approached the window.

He opened the window and looked at the back mountain where the Black Market would be held.

The faint moonlight shone down, illuminating his scar-covered face.

“I will climb higher.”

Even if it meant killing everything that got in my way.

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