Chapter 52: Hah, So This is the Great Man Who Arrived? (Part 2)

"Well, you see…"

"How is it?"

"There's an order to things."

"Isn't this the most urgent matter?"

"We've come a long way, and we're hungry."

"Once the treatment is over, I'll prepare a grand feast for you."

"...I'm also exhausted."

"Should I prepare some tonic for you?"

Chung Myung glanced sideways at Hwang Jong-ui.

His eyes were burning.

Right now, Hwang Jong-ui was like a drowning man clutching at straws—and that straw was Chung Myung. The determination in his eyes was unmistakable: if Chung Myung failed to cure Lord Hwang, there would be no mercy.

Chung Myung licked his lips.

"Well, first, let's check his pulse…"

"Hurry!"

"...Alright, alright. Stop rushing me."

Chung Myung turned his head and looked at the sickbed. A man lay buried under thick silk blankets.

"Hmm."

After seeing the patient's face, Chung Myung slightly furrowed his brows.

'It definitely looks like the symptoms of demonic corruption.'

To be sure, he needed a closer look. Chung Myung stepped forward and pulled back the blanket.

And then, without realizing it, his brows twitched.

Though clothed, there was no hiding the skeletal thinness of the body.

Like a withered mummy, the old man's breath came in weak, ragged gasps, as if it might stop at any moment.

'His condition is worse than I thought.'

Chung Myung stroked his chin.

'It's demonic corruption, but not the real deal.'

If he had been struck by a high-level demonic technique, he wouldn't have lasted a year. Even those who had trained their entire lives in orthodox martial arts rarely survived three days once demonic corruption took hold.

This old man shouldn't have been able to endure it.

Which meant…

"I'll check his pulse now."

"Yes."

Chung Myung reached out and grasped Lord Hwang's wrist.

Then, he pushed in a faint stream of energy. As Chung Myung's pure internal energy entered Lord Hwang's body, the turbid energy inside recoiled in shock, retreating backward.

'Amateurish.'

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.

The symptoms were indeed demonic corruption. But it definitely wasn't caused by a properly mastered demonic technique.

Withdrawing his hand, Chung Myung crossed his arms and sank into deep thought.

Hwang Jong-ui watched him, unable to hide his impatience. Anyone would feel the same seeing a doctor withdraw their hand after a pulse check with such a grave expression.

Unable to hold back any longer, Hwang Jong-ui spoke.

"...How is it?"

"Uh, well…"

Chung Myung scratched the back of his head vigorously.

"Is it difficult?"

"No. The treatment itself shouldn't be too hard."

"As expected! That's— Wait, what?"

Hwang Jong-ui's body trembled violently.

"What did you just…?"

"I said the treatment isn't that difficult."

"Y-You're serious?"

"Yes. But I can't start right away. There are a few things I need to prepare first."

"What kind of preparations…?"

"First!"

Chung Myung grinned.

"Let's eat."

"..."

Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp.

Chung Myung's mouth mercilessly crushed and devoured everything in its path. Hwang Jong-ui watched the spectacle with utter disbelief.

He had met many Taoists through his dealings with various sects, but he could say with certainty that he had never seen a Taoist tear into meat like this before.

Even now, a whole duck leg disappeared into Chung Myung's mouth as if it had never existed.

And that wasn't all.

Gulp gulp gulp gulp.

As soon as his cup was filled with expensive Yan Tai wine, he downed it in one go.

"Aaaahhh! This is it! This!"

"..."

This was also the first time he'd seen a Taoist enjoy alcohol so enthusiastically.

Under different circumstances, Hwang Jong-ui might have laughed and said, "Today, I've met quite the lively Taoist." But the current situation didn't allow for laughter.

"Uh… Young Taoist."

"Huh? What?"

Chung Myung responded with his mouth full of meat. Hwang Jong-ui took a deep breath to steady himself.

"About the preparations for the treatment…?"

"I'm doing them right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, it's nothing major."

Chung Myung set down his chopsticks.

"The treatment requires a lot of stamina, so eating well is important. By the way, the chef here is really skilled."

Of course he was.

He was the best chef in Xi'an.

"Back at Mount Hua, all we ate was stuff that barely counted as food. Now, my stomach's finally satisfied."

Chung Myung patted his belly.

"Are you finished?"

"Nope. This is just the beginning."

"..."

Was there a bottomless pit in his stomach?

He'd heard Mount Hua was struggling lately, but to be this starved… No, even if he was starving, how did all that fit inside a human stomach? Shouldn't there be a limit?

This Taoist was full of surprises.

"You didn't come here just to eat."

"Killing two birds with one stone."

"But there's always an original purpose."

"Those who cultivate the Tao live as the flow takes them."

"You're flowing a bit too freely…"

"I'm keeping it within reason."

Where?!

Hwang Jong-ui couldn't hold back his frustration and let out a sigh.

"Young Taoist. I'm well aware that rushing you after your long journey is unreasonable. But shouldn't you, too, try to understand the heart of a son whose father lies on his sickbed?"

"I understand perfectly."

Hwang Jong-ui shot up from his seat.

"Listen here! Young Taoist! My father—!"

"He won't die."

"...What did you just say?"

"I said he won't die. Sit down."

Chung Myung poured himself another drink and downed it without a care.

His face showed no reaction to Hwang Jong-ui's anger.

"I took some measures earlier, so he won't pass away. Fully curing him will take time, but the critical moment has already passed."

He treated him?

When?

"There's a saying: 'The more you rush, the more you must slow down.' Right now, curing Lord Hwang isn't the most important thing. What's truly important is figuring out why he collapsed in the first place."

"...You really treated him?"

"Have you been deceived all your life?"

Chung Myung shrugged.

"If you doubt me, go check on him. You'll see the dark energy between his brows has significantly faded."

Hwang Jong-ui stared at Chung Myung intently before nodding.

"It's not that I distrust you, Young Taoist. But certainty is best in all matters, so I'll verify it now."

"Go ahead."

Hwang Jong-ui hurried out. A short while later, he burst back in, looking at Chung Myung with disbelief.

"Wh-What in the world did you do?"

"I told you, I treated him."

"When?!"

Chung Myung didn't answer, instead calmly pointing to the seat across from him.

"Aren't you going to sit?"

"..."

Hwang Jong-ui stared at Chung Myung with eyes full of suspicion.

Having lived as a merchant, he had seen all kinds of people, but he could say with certainty that he had never met anyone like this before.

At times, he seemed like a mischievous child, yet at other moments, he gave off the aura of a cunning and experienced elder.

'It's as if an old man is living inside a child's body.'

Of course, that couldn't be. It just meant this child had experienced things far beyond his years.

'Can I trust him?'

But he had no choice. From what he had seen, Hwang Mun-yak's condition had clearly improved.

Unaware—or perhaps fully aware—of Hwang Jong-ui's turmoil, Chung Myung poured himself another drink and spoke.

"If you don't want to sit, then answer me standing. I have a few questions…"

Hwang Jong-ui sat back down.

"Who is the person closest to Lord Hwang?"

"Closest, you say?"

"Yes. Someone who guards him at all times—from sleep to business. Or at the very least, someone who wouldn't be suspected no matter what they did."

"...Why do you ask?"

"Let's just say it's necessary for the treatment."

Hwang Jong-ui tilted his head before answering.

"That would naturally be me. Attending to my father is my duty."

"Other than you."

"If not me…"

After deep thought, Hwang Jong-ui shook his head.

"I'm not sure. My father handled many affairs, so of course, he had many attendants. By your criteria, there are at least five people."

"More than I thought. Hmm. So that's how it is."

Chung Myung scratched his cheek as if troubled.

But then he shrugged and chuckled.

"With five, it won't be easy to narrow it down."

"Narrow what down?"

"You're not really asking because you don't know, right? Come on. Surely not?"

"..."

Hwang Jong-ui's face hardened.

Of course, he wasn't asking out of ignorance. He just didn't want to admit it.

"Are you saying there's a traitor among us?"

"I initially thought he was attacked from the outside, but after examining Lord Hwang's condition, it doesn't seem that way. In my opinion, it's the work of an insider."

Hwang Jong-ui's expression turned to stone.

"Watch your words, Young Taoist! The members of the Silver River Merchant Group are like family! They've spent their lives with us, and every one of them respects my father! How could they—!"

"Or not."

"...Huh?"

Chung Myung patted his belly nonchalantly.

"We'll suspect them first, and if they're innocent, all the better. Right?"

"...That's true, but…"

Chung Myung let out a long yawn.

"So don't worry. Once we investigate, the truth will come out."

Hwang Jong-ui nodded heavily.

Watching him, Chung Myung clicked his tongue inwardly.

'For a merchant, he's quite naive.'

Few understood how cruel people could be as well as Chung Myung did.

He had seen monks, who preached mercy, smash heads and descend into madness. He had watched Taoists, who sought enlightenment, ponder how to behead people more cleanly.

Humans were dual-natured creatures.

To some, they could be saints. To others, they could be demons.

'Well, that's not the important part.'

What mattered was that within the Silver River Merchant Group, there was someone who had tried to kill Hwang Mun-yak.

From the looks of it, someone who had dabbled in demonic techniques had been slowly feeding demonic energy into Hwang Mun-yak's body. At first, it wouldn't have been noticeable, but after prolonged exposure, it led to demonic corruption.

Even someone with some knowledge of demonic corruption wouldn't recognize the cause unless they had seen and experienced it firsthand like Chung Myung.

'The old man must've lived a kind life.'

Luck was on his side.

If Chung Myung hadn't read the letter… No, if he hadn't taken an interest in Lord Hwang in the first place, Hwang Mun-yak would have withered away and died.

'Ahh. This is what good deeds feel like.'

Saving a life and making money.

Catching the rabbit and the pheasant… Well, maybe not the pheasant.

"But how do you plan to investigate?"

"I'm already doing it."

"...Huh?"

Hwang Jong-ui blinked in confusion.

"You're investigating now?"

"Yes."

"Eating is part of the investigation? Is it… the chef?"

"Tch. No. The fact that I'm sitting here, drinking and talking with you in this room—that's the investigation."

Hwang Jong-ui tilted his head. He couldn't make sense of it at all.

"Just watch. Something interesting will happen soon. All you have to do is observe. Oh, there is one thing you can do for me."

"What is it? I'll do my best."

Chung Myung picked up the wine bottle beside him.

"One more bottle."

"..."

"Hurry."

"..."

A deep sense of despair settled in Hwang Jong-ui's heart.