Chapter 72. Bad Friend (3)

He had known the Poison Immortal for over ten years.

At first, the Poison Immortal had been busy just mocking Jin Yuseong, but once, he had told Jin Yuseong his life story.

Jin Yuseong thought that this meant the Poison Immortal had opened his heart to him—

—he had never thought that.

At that time, the Poison Immortal had Jin Yuseong's entire body tied up with a rope and was drinking by himself.

There was a reason for it, of sorts.

Jin Yuseong had gone to the Poison Immortal with an injured body to receive treatment, and then, unable to wait, had started swinging his sword, saying he would train.

- If you can't stand your body itching that much, just be my drinking buddy.

The Poison Immortal, who had subdued Jin Yuseong, said so and then drank alone next to the bound Jin Yuseong, rambling on about his past.

At that time, Jin Yuseong had thought.

Seeing him drink alone and utter the words 'drinking buddy,' he wondered if he had learned his letters wrong as a child.

It was absurd at first, but Jin Yuseong just quietly listened to the man's story.

He didn't have much choice since his whole body was tied up, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Just how desperate must he be for someone to talk to, to spill his life story like this.

The Poison Immortal was just an eccentric who stayed cooped up in the mountains, researching only poison and medicine.

He was a man who suffered from extreme distrust of people, and the only person he consistently interacted with was Jin Yuseong.

So, he thought that perhaps he was venting his resentment, even if just a little, by talking as if to himself.

In any case, the lengthy life story that the Poison Immortal told at that time also contained such content.

- I believed my mother's last words. I believed the promise of that bastard called a father that my mother told me about.

For more than ten years after his mother passed away, he trained relentlessly.

He finally succeeded in proving his talent and skill.

He had managed to win a fair duel against his half-brothers who had tormented him all that time.

But the result was disastrous.

- T-that bastard used poison! As expected of the son of a dirty concubine bitch! Since that's all he's learned, he used poison despicably!

The half-brothers who lost the duel insulted and framed him.

Funnily enough, the clan head sided with them.

- What the clan head wanted from the beginning were my mother's medical skills and the art of alchemy for making elixirs. Because I inherited those skills, he just planted false hope in me to keep using me.

The Poison Immortal had said so, sneering at himself.

Recalling the memory of that day, Jin Yuseong looked down at Jang Sopyeong.

Jang Sopyeong, who was still looking up at him with a foolish expression even after being slapped.

Jin Yuseong opened his mouth towards him.

“This is at the request of that acquaintance.”

That's right.

He was absolutely not taking revenge on the Poison Immortal for nearly killing him, or for always treating him like a psychopath or a cripple, or for tying him up by force and drinking alone.

This was purely because of the Poison Immortal's request.

Jin Yuseong's bad friend had said.

- If only I could go back to the past, I would find my younger self and slap him to get him out of that hellish place.

That he wanted to awaken his foolish past self.

And that he wanted to get him out of the damn Sichuan Sword Clan before he got hurt even more.

Looking at Jang Sopyeong sprawled on the ground, he felt like he understood why the Poison Immortal had said such things.

“B-by any chance, is t-that acquaintance my brothers? W-were you sent by my brothers?”

Some stranger had suddenly slapped him, yet he was spouting such nonsense with a completely intimidated face.

“It is just a request from someone who knows you very well. I have no acquaintance with the young masters of the Jang Clan.”

After saying so, Jin Yuseong approached Jang Sopyeong, who was still sprawled on the ground, and extended a hand.

Unlike the venomous Poison Immortal, his eyes flickered here and there with anxiety.

He didn't like it at all.

Jin Yuseong once again slapped the cheek of Jang Sopyeong, whom he had helped up.

Slap!

Jang Sopyeong, unable to fall as he was held by Jin Yuseong's hand, clutched his stinging cheek with his other hand and looked at Jin Yuseong.

“Why, why… are you doing this? I-is this also a request from t-that acquaintance?”

“No. This is my share.”

“A-as I thought, you were sent by my brothers?”

At Jang Sopyeong's nonsense, Jin Yuseong tripped him this time.

Jang Sopyeong curled up his body, giving up on resisting and preparing to be beaten.

Seeing that state, anger surged up on its own.

“Don’t you even have the courage to fight back?”

“……”

He could understand why the Poison Immortal had described his past self as an idiot.

Thus, Jin Yuseong kicked and punched the cowering Jang Sopyeong like a turtle.

Just like he had been beaten by the Poison Immortal in his past life.

“You pathetic fool.”

Thwack!

After the one-sided beating continued for a while.

“You’re nothing but a bastard son.”

Thwack!

“Keuk……”

As Jang Sopyeong clutched his stomach and caught his breath, a little bit of venom finally appeared in his eyes.

“I-it’s not you, not my b-brothers, so w-what right do you have to d-disdain me for being a b-bastard son!”

Jin Yuseong let out a sigh.

“I thought only your head was idiotic, but your ears are idiotic too. When did I say the word ‘bastard son’?”

Jang Sopyeong shouted as if overcome with rage.

“I-if this isn’t tormenting me for being a bastard son, th-then what is it!!”

Funnily enough, that appearance for the first time overlapped with the future Poison Immortal.

Jin Yuseong didn't like this either.

That night when the Poison Immortal had recited his long-winded story.

The Poison Immortal, who had confessed his entire past, sneered at himself and tilted his cup.

- Hehehe. A mere bastard son trying so hard to be recognized as a member of the clan. What do you think they thought while watching me?

Even then, Jin Yuseong had expressed the same sentiment as now.

- Truly pathetic.

- Indeed. Isn't it truly pathetic? The mother who, not knowing she was deceived, pushed her child into hell, and I, who followed only that mother's last words until I was nearly twenty-five, must have looked like just a pathetic fool in their eyes. Hehehe.

Thus, only after all hope was shattered did the Poison Immortal escape from the Sichuan Sword Clan.

Becoming an eccentric who suffered from extreme distrust of people and stayed cooped up in the mountains, researching only medicine and poison.

But what Jin Yuseong called pathetic was not because of the foolish actions of Jang Sopyeong.

- I’m not saying being deceived is pathetic, I'm saying the way you think is pathetic.

Jin Yuseong looked at the bastard son sprawled on the ground, glaring at him.

This was to resolve the resentment of the bad friend who had treated him for over a decade.

But he had no intention of just acting out his bad friend's lament.

That night, Jin Yuseong threw the same words he had said to the Poison Immortal at the young Jang Sopyeong.

“A bastard who doesn't even think of avenging his mother and just seeks protection trapped in the clan, if that's not a pathetic fool, then what is it!”

The Poison Immortal's story had, at some point, become focused only on the contempt and torment he had endured as a bastard son, and the fact that he had been deceived.

Jin Yuseong thought. It was certainly a pitiful story.

A typical move by the hypocritical Righteous Path bastards who only think of using others. It was enough to make one's teeth chatter.

But wasn't there a much more important issue that remained?

“Those trash-like bastards who murdered your maternal grandparents and tormented your mother! Doesn’t the thought of those bastards make you angry!”

The story of his parents' enemies had been neatly omitted at some point.

He couldn't understand.

For Jin Yuseong, who had thrown himself into the Jianghu at the mere age of sixteen with the thought of killing those trash bastards, it was simply incomprehensible.

Therefore, Jin Yuseong had no intention of granting his bad friend's request as it was.

Because he couldn't be satisfied with just getting this bastard out of the Sichuan Sword Clan.

“I’m asking if you have any intention of avenging your mother with your own hands!”

In addition to getting this foolish bastard out of the Sichuan Sword Clan, he would punish the trash who had tormented innocent and kind physicians together with this guy.

That was Jin Yuseong's own way of repaying the debt he owed to his bad friend from his past life.

At the unexpected point, Jang Sopyeong's eyes widened.

How on earth did this madman who suddenly appeared and beat him up know the story of his mother and maternal grandparents?

That fact was surprising, and he also had a sense of injustice, so Jang Sopyeong opened his mouth as if making an excuse.

“D-do you think I’m just playing around! Th-that's why I'm t-training like this!”

“Like this, just sneaking out at night?”

“……I-it's because of circumstances.”

At Jang Sopyeong's words, Jin Yuseong snorted.

“You mean the last words of your late mother?”

Jang Sopyeong's eyes, which had begun to swell from being hit by Jin Yuseong, widened.

“H-how do you know that?”

It was a last wish he had never even told Jang Ik, the person he was closest to in the clan.

But how did that madman know of that last wish?

However, Jin Yuseong had no intention of answering Jang Sopyeong's question.

“You foolish bastard. The clan head does not see you as a son. He is only interested in your medical skills and alchemy.”

The moment Jang Sopyeong tried to refute Jin Yuseong's words, a presence and a voice came from the nearby bushes.

“I was going to overlook it, but your mouth is so arrogant that I can no longer turn a blind eye.”

A middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of the Sichuan Sword Clan.

“For the crime of daring to speak of the Clan Head so carelessly, I will take your head.”

Even seeing the suddenly appeared man, Jin Yuseong was not flustered at all. He had known from the start that the man was hiding there.

It wasn't because the man's concealment skill was sloppy. It was because of the story he had heard from the Poison Immortal.

- There were two reasons I secretly practiced swordsmanship at the river. One was that if those damn direct descendants found out, they would obviously interfere again. The other reason was to surprise the clan head. If I hid my training, my talent would seem exceptional.

He added, sneering at himself.

- It was a stupid thought. I realized it late, after my realm had risen, but there was a monitor that the clan head had assigned. Stupidly, at that time, I noticed the monitor's existence and was actually happy. Thinking that the clan head cherished me and had assigned a personal guard.

At the man's appearance, Jang Sopyeong was startled like a child caught doing something bad and asked.

“M-Martial Artist Kang, what brings you here?”

“I apologize for not informing you in advance, Young Master. It was the Clan Head’s order. He told me to secretly hide and protect you so that you could move about with a peaceful mind.”

“My father said that?”

“That is correct. The Clan Head cherishes you so. Therefore, you must not commit the folly of believing that lawless man’s nonsense.”

Jin Yuseong, who was listening to their conversation, scoffed.

Not because of the monitor's words, which were a refined threat, but because of Jang Sopyeong, who wore an expression of being moved by those words.

“Is your head just for decoration? A man who didn't show his face even when you were being beaten black and blue couldn't possibly be a personal guard.”

No sooner had Jin Yuseong's words finished than Jang Sopyeong's eyes wavered again.

Martial Artist Kang hurriedly opened his mouth.

“It is a misunderstanding, Young Master. Because of your shout, I thought that man was associated with the other young masters…”

It was Jin Yuseong's wild laughter that cut off his words.

“Hahahaha. So it doesn't matter if he's beaten by the other young masters, I see. Well, that's why you just watched when he was being beaten by his half-brothers.”

At Jin Yuseong's point, Jang Sopyeong's gaze wavered, and Martial Artist Kang faltered, unable to find a rebuttal.

Then, Jin Yuseong looked intently at Jang Sopyeong and added.

“Look. The clan head does not see you as a son. No. Your late mother either. What man in the world would just leave the enemy of the woman he loves alone.”

“!!!”

“That man came forward because I mentioned the alchemy you learned. He must have come forward thinking I approached you to aim for the alchemy.”

Saying so, Jin Yuseong pointed at the monitor with his hand.

Jang Sopyeong's gaze followed his finger.

Martial Artist Kang and Jang Sopyeong's eyes met.

Martial Artist Kang let out a sigh filled with annoyance.

Because he felt the deep distrust in Jang Sopyeong's eyes.

Soon, Martial Artist Kang turned his head and looked at Jin Yuseong.

“For the crime of insulting the Clan Head and spouting wicked words to the Young Master, I will cut out your tongue and take your head.”

The monitor who said so suddenly launched his movement technique and rushed towards Jin Yuseong.

On the sword he had drawn at some point, a whitish sword qi had formed.

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