Chapter 61

Chapter 61
The Secret Revealed (3)

Baek So-cheon made his way straight toward Je-gal Hyeon, accompanied by the two women.

Je-gal Hyeon was visibly taken aback by their abrupt arrival. He had been pacing the room, consumed by worry over the Alliance Lord’s condition, when Baek So-cheon appeared alongside a veiled woman and a young girl.

“To preserve the Alliance Lord’s life, we must bring this person before him immediately.”

“And who might this be?”

“She is Na-sa-rin, the elder of the Sal-su Yeon-maeng.”

“The Sal-su Yeon-maeng?”

Je-gal Hyeon stood thoroughly astonished. Had anyone else spoken such words, he would have roared in fury at the sheer madness of it. Yet the assertion came from Baek So-cheon himself, and the Alliance Lord was hovering right at death’s door. Furthermore, Je-gal Hyeon was well aware of Na-sa-rin. Records detailing the ageless elder master of the Sal-su Yeon-maeng had reached the Hyun-cheon Pavilion long ago.

Then the woman concealed beneath the veil could only be the supreme leader of the Sal-su Yeon-maeng!

Je-gal Hyeon had accurately deduced Cheon-geuk’s true status. Guiding such figures straight to the Alliance Lord sounded absurd on the surface.

“Every breath matters. We must move at once.”

“Very well. Let us proceed.”

Agreeing to this was something that could never occur without complete, absolute faith in Baek So-cheon.

Outside the chamber where Ak So-gun lay receiving care stood On-byeok-hwa, the former leader of Bi-gak. She had returned to resume her watch once more.

Je-gal Hyeon addressed Pung-geuk-an.

“I have brought a physician of my acquaintance. Please permit her to examine and treat him for a moment.”

Unable to disclose Na-sa-rin’s actual identity, he presented Cheon-geuk as the physician. To outside appearances, Na-sa-rin looked merely like an ordinary young attendant assisting Cheon-geuk.

Yet even with the Divine Physician present, introducing another healer into the room was an extraordinary matter. It was a severe slight toward Ban Wol-ryang as well.

Naturally, Pung-geuk-an would not simply allow them passage.

“She must reveal her face and declare her true name and origins.”

Je-gal Hyeon understood all too well that if any link to the Sal-su Yeon-maeng were disclosed, no words would ever grant them entry.

“Due to her personal circumstances, she cannot uncover her face or reveal her identity.”

“Then she shall not enter.”

“I stake my very life to vouch for her character. If we fail to administer treatment right now, the Alliance Lord will not survive.”

Je-gal Hyeon’s readiness to wager his own life, combined with the grim warning that the Lord’s survival hung in the balance, sent a wave of shock through both Pung-geuk-an and On-byeok-hwa.

As Pung-geuk-an wavered in indecision, On-byeok-hwa stepped forward.

“Given the Alliance Lord’s dire state, clinging to rigid protocol is unwise. If the Grand Strategist insists with such conviction, we ought to let her inside.”

Right at that juncture, Ban Wol-ryang emerged from within.

“What is all this commotion about?”

The moment his eyes fell upon Na-sa-rin, he stumbled back in astonishment. Ban Wol-ryang knew of her, having crossed paths with her many years ago. Naturally, his wide, startled gaze shifted toward Baek So-cheon.

Baek So-cheon met his eyes and offered a single, resolute nod. Set your worries aside. Trust in me, his silent expression conveyed.

Ban Wol-ryang then shifted his attention to Je-gal Hyeon, who stood firm in his total faith in Baek So-cheon.

“Should anything go astray, I shall take complete responsibility upon myself.”

Assuming responsibility over the Alliance Lord’s life meant wagering his own head as well. With even the Grand Strategist going to such lengths, the guards felt assured that no treachery would befall the Lord.

Ban Wol-ryang turned to Pung-geuk-an and said, “Permit her inside.”

With the Divine Physician’s direct approval, Pung-geuk-an could voice no further objections.

“However, I shall accompany you inside the chamber.”

Baek So-cheon gave an accepting nod.

“We shall all step inside together.”

And so the entire group filed in as one.

Ak So-gun lay upon the bed, his complexion ghostly and gaunt, the ravages of sickness etched deeply across his features.

Na-sa-rin walked forward and placed her hand against his forehead. It radiated a blistering, feverish heat.

Ban Wol-ryang spoke to her.

“We have utilized every known herb to bring down the heat, yet nothing produced any effect.”

“That is because your diagnosis regarding the root cause of the affliction was entirely wrong.”

Only then did Pung-geuk-an realize that the actual healer was the young girl—and that the Divine Physician had recognized this truth beforehand.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I shall write down the necessary herbs. Concoct them precisely as instructed and deliver the broth here.”

Na-sa-rin handed the medicinal prescription to Ban Wol-ryang.

“Hurry. We have very little time remaining.”

Given the sheer gravity of the crisis, Ban Wol-ryang personally prepared and brought the medicinal decoction.

Na-sa-rin forced open the mouth of the unconscious Ak So-gun and poured the medicinal brew down his throat. Then she drove silver needles into vital points across his body and stimulated his meridians in a meticulous, precise sequence.

A moment later, an impossible phenomenon occurred.

Ak So-gun’s eyes flew wide, and he sat bolt upright.

In the very next instant—

“Keurgh!”

He violently regurgitated everything stored within him.

Pung-geuk-an’s hand instantly went to his sword hilt at the alarming spectacle. The Lord had been unable to take food, so the medicine poured out mixed with bloody, frothing bile. Yet he held his blade, for the Lord’s agonized expression had suddenly smoothed into complete, tranquil stillness.

Ak So-gun slowly sank back down onto the bed and soon drifted into a deep slumber.

Na-sa-rin retrieved a pair of chopsticks and began sifting through the expelled fluids.

“Here it is.”

She plucked a small form from the mess and raised it for all to see.

It was an exceedingly tiny insect, resembling a diminutive larva—at a fleeting glance, one might easily mistake it for a grain of rice.

“It is a gu.”

That single term sent ripples of sheer shock through everyone present.

Esoteric practices utilizing insects or venomous creatures were termed gu poison arts, which had developed into sinister methods of placing bugs inside a target’s body to control their will. They could compel a person to feel intense love, paralyzing fear, or boundless hatred—methods known to surpass even Seop-hon-sul in their terrifying ability to master the human mind.

Yet the creation of a gu was an excruciatingly difficult and exorbitant ordeal. Breeding a single specimen could drain hundreds of thousands of nyang, only for the creature to perish from the slightest error. It had long since disappeared from the Murim realm, remembered only as a lost forbidden craft.

And yet, an authentic specimen lay before them now.

“This happens to be the most elusive and precious among all gu: the Cheon-oe Won-go. When this paired male-and-female set is implanted into two separate people, whoever harbors the female will develop an uncontrollable, ever-deepening hatred toward the bearer of the male—a frenzy that will not cease until she ends his life.”

Every person in the room gasped at the revelation that a Cheon-oe Won-go had been festering within the Alliance Lord.

“If this one resided here, where is the other?”

At the Divine Physician’s inquiry, Na-sa-rin turned her eyes toward Baek So-cheon.

“Did you not state earlier that the Lord kept his distance from you over these past three years?”

A sudden realization broke across the room in a chorus of hushed cries: “Ah!”

“The male counterpart of the Cheon-oe Won-go was almost certainly residing inside your body. The vessel carrying the female bug is utterly powerless to halt the rising tide of hostility. Dark, destructive thoughts consume her entirely. The Lord must have endlessly envisioned scenarios of your betrayal. That he managed to withstand it for three long years is entirely due to his vast inner power, an unbending will of steel, and his profound trust in you. An ordinary martial artist subjected to this would have butchered the target within a matter of days.”

Baek So-cheon let out another heavy sigh. Never in his wildest thoughts had he envisioned that both he and the Lord had been harboring the Cheon-oe Won-go.

“I had no inkling that such a thing resided within me.”

“The Cheon-oe Won-go represents the absolute pinnacle of parasitic arts, mastered solely by the greatest grandmasters among gu manipulators. Detecting its presence is virtually impossible.”

Moreover, Baek So-cheon had lost his inner power during that period. He could never have perceived the dormant male bug nestled inside his body.

“Nor would the Lord have suspected that his internal changes were the result of a parasite. It is a long-lost art, unused throughout the martial world for ages.”

Manipulating gu shared close principles with Seop-hon-sul. Na-sa-rin’s master, who had passed that craft down to her, had once developed a deep obsession with gu, researching them extensively and successfully breeding simpler strains. It was from him that she had mastered the methods to purge them.

Cultivating a gu was exceptionally difficult; expelling one, however, was far less arduous. Every parasite possessed a natural, fatal intolerance to certain medicinal herbs. Had the removal been as demanding as the creation, practitioners of gu arts would rule the entire Murim without rival.

Na-sa-rin then disclosed an even darker reality regarding the Cheon-oe Won-go.

“Its ultimate aim extends far beyond mere slaughter. Had the Lord’s hijacked will driven him to take your life, the caster could have seized absolute control over him through the remaining female parasite. Though he might have fought against the compulsion for a time, he would have ultimately succumbed to the puppeteer’s complete dominion.”

A horrified silence blanketed the entire room. It was an unfathomably sinister scheme: eliminate the celebrated war hero Baek So-cheon—whether his inner power remained broken or not—and transform the Alliance Lord into a helpless, manipulated puppet.

“Then why did the Lord collapse into this critical condition?”

Na-sa-rin met Baek So-cheon’s inquiry with a question of her own.

“Did your physical constitution not experience a dramatic transformation very recently?”

She was already aware that his internal power had returned, but phrased the inquiry cautiously to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

“Indeed. Through recent, rigorous training, my physical constitution advanced a step forward.”

Baek So-cheon kept his response carefully measured for the sake of the onlookers, but in that instant, enlightenment struck him.

Ah! It happened because of the Hwan-gol Tal-tae Great Law!

Everything became instantly clear. During that total physical rebirth and skeletal transformation, the parasite implanted inside him had perished amidst the drastic restructuring of his body.

“The death of the male bug inside you was the trigger. The female parasite within the Lord anticipated feeding upon the profound satisfaction of your demise—yet that nourishment never arrived. Deprived of its sustenance, the creature went into a violent thrashing frenzy within him, producing this sudden, catastrophic collapse.”

On-byeok-hwa interjected with her own realization.

“Now that you mention it, the Lord did display an unusual surge of irritability and restlessness just over the past few days.”

Na-sa-rin offered her a polite, respectful bow.

“A rampaging female parasite ravages its host without mercy, culminating in three continuous days of blistering, uncontrollable fever—ending in the host’s death on the third day as the parasite itself expires.”

Today marked that exact third day. Had Na-sa-rin not arrived at this very moment, Ak So-gun would never have survived to witness the light of tomorrow’s dawn.

Baek So-cheon spoke once again.

“Do you have any suspicion as to who orchestrated this?”

“While deemed extinct in this era, there was an organization seventy years ago that was known to employ the Cheon-oe Won-go.”

“Which faction?”

“The Blood Cult.”

A cold tremor rippled through everyone present. The dark hand of the Blood Cult lurked behind this insidious plot.

“Among all their sorcerous masters, only Jeok Pa-rap—the mentor to the current leader, Myeol Saeng—commanded the skill to wield it. Could that century-old relic… truly still be alive? With Myeol Saeng as his sole disciple, this was executed either by the old master himself or by his direct student.”

A figure of terrifying prominence was directly implicated.

“When was it implanted?”

“Judging by the creature’s current maturity and size, roughly three to four years ago.”

That aligned precisely with the chaotic, closing stages of the war.

Je-gal Hyeon, who had been listening in taut silence, finally asked, “By what means could it have been introduced?”

Na-sa-rin replied with measured courtesy.

“Prior to taking root inside a host, it is tinier than a grain of rice, protected by an exceptionally tough outer shell that remains unbroken even if chewed. It was most likely administered through their meals. Once swallowed, it migrates toward the subtle energy channels surrounding the brain, where it quietly hides to mature.”

Je-gal Hyeon immediately turned toward the leader of Am-yeong-gak.

“Am-yeong-gak will undertake a thorough investigation to identify the culprit who administered the poison.”

“Understood.”

The perpetrator could be practically anyone operating within their walls.

Baek So-cheon held deep doubts that they would ever unmask the actual agent. More than three years had slipped away, and amidst the turbulence of the war’s conclusion, rations and provisions were distributed across countless irregular avenues. The Lord had shared common soldiers’ rations side-by-side with him on innumerable occasions. For transcendent figures of the caliber of Myeol Saeng or Jeok Pa-rap, slipping in unseen to contaminate their food would have been effortless.

“Is the Lord completely out of danger now?”

“No lingering issues remain.”

Baek So-cheon bent at the waist, offering Na-sa-rin a deep, profoundly grateful bow.

“I shall never fail to repay this immense grace.”

It was entirely through her miraculous intervention that the Alliance Lord’s life had been preserved—and the buried truth had finally been brought to light.

Na-sa-rin extended her hands, gently taking his arm to lift him upright.

“I trust you have not forgotten the request I made to you earlier?”

“I could never forget it.”

“Fulfilling that remains the single wish I ask of you.”

Her every word embodied an unyielding, selfless loyalty.

Cheon-geuk, her face veiled low, could not openly meet glances with Baek So-cheon. Yet she could distinctly feel the heat of his gaze—burning with a depth of heartfelt gratitude far more intense than ever before.

“We shall take our leave now.”

Cheon-geuk turned and guided Na-sa-rin out of the room.

Baek So-cheon’s gratitude went without saying; On-byeok-hwa, who harbored deep affection for the Lord; Pung-geuk-an, who had been drowning in bitter self-reproach over his perceived failure as a guardian; Je-gal Hyeon, who had grown painfully estranged from him in recent times; Ban Wol-ryang, who had stood on the verge of bearing eternal regret; and even Hwang Jong-shin of Am-yeong-gak, an officer who enjoyed the Lord’s deepest trust—every single person present held profound reverence and love for Ak So-gun.

All of them bowed deeply toward the departing Na-sa-rin, conveying their most heartfelt and profound appreciation.

Je-gal Hyeon spoke on behalf of the gathered assembly, his voice resounding clearly through the corridor.

“Our deepest gratitude. The Murim Alliance shall never forget this extraordinary favor.”

On this day, at the very least, political ties and martial affiliations meant nothing.

An hour drifted by until only Baek So-cheon and Ak So-gun remained together in the quiet room. The others had respectfully withdrawn, wishing to grant the two companions privacy out of deep reverence for their enduring bond.

Ak So-gun slept in serene, undisturbed peace, appearing as completely untroubled as a resting child.

A tempest of complicated emotions churned within Baek So-cheon’s chest, but rising above all the turmoil was an overwhelming wave of regret.

While his past reactions were entirely understandable given the circumstances, he knew in his heart that he ought to have placed far greater faith in the Lord.

What if he had never lost his inner power in the first place?

No—entertaining such empty hypotheticals was utterly pointless. Had he retained his martial strength, the surge of mutual fury might have unleashed an even more catastrophic tragedy. If he had failed to navigate the trial while powerless, possessing his strength would likely have altered nothing.

Throughout all those months when he had wandered through his own aimless despair, the Lord had been waging an endless, silent war against the madness fracturing his mind.

Kill Baek So-cheon!

I cannot take his life, no matter what.

Just end him cleanly!

Shut your mouth. Even if he has truly betrayed me, I will never harm So-cheon!

Fool.

He has been demoted?

Even cast down into the gutter, Baek So-cheon remains Baek So-cheon. I look forward to the day he lops off your head with a smile.

As he reflected upon three agonizing years spent resisting unnatural compulsions that would have shattered an ordinary man within mere days, hot tears welled within Baek So-cheon’s eyes. Perhaps reclaiming his personal blade had served as the Lord’s quiet, desperate attempt to offer solace. He would hear the entire truth directly from the Lord’s lips the moment he awoke.

From Baek So-cheon’s lips slipped words he had kept locked within his heart for far too long, quiet, tender, and deeply sincere.

“…Alliance Lord.”