Chapter 50: The Slacker's Ordeal (1)
“You mean the Sacred Hand Grounds?”
The Historian tilted his head. There was only one place called the Sacred Hand Grounds that he knew of.
“Are you perhaps referring to the *Sacred Hand’s Greatest Grounds*, the 'Best Medical Sect in the World'?”
The Divine Mad Dog scratched his belly roughly and blew off the grime from under his nails.
“Is there another Sacred Hand Grounds besides that?”
The Historian furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t make sense of it.
“Are you telling me that the Sacred Hand Grounds, the best medical sect in the world, looked that shabby just a hundred years ago?”
The Divine Mad Dog looked at the Historian with a face full of pity.
“What have you even heard?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“The Sacred Hand Grounds has a tradition that stretches back centuries.”
“That’s true.”
“The problem is, when that guy arrived at the Sacred Hand Grounds, that centuries-old tradition was on the verge of collapse. They’d sold off the buildings, the physicians had run away… it was total chaos.”
The Historian nodded.
From the sound of it, things didn’t look good at all.
“But considering that the Sacred Hand Grounds is now renowned as the best medical sect under heaven, doesn’t that mean that Great Hero Wi Yeonho gave them a huge helping hand?”
The Divine Mad Dog clutched his belly and rolled on the floor.
“Bwahahahah! What did you just say? A huge helping hand?”
The Historian blinked at the Divine Mad Dog’s reaction, completely bewildered.
“What’s so funny?”
The Divine Mad Dog wiped away the tear that had leaked out and shuddered, as though just remembering it gave him the chills.
“Whatever you do, never say that at the Sacred Hand Grounds. Unless you want a golden acupuncture needle stuck in your death point and a one-way ticket to the afterlife.”
“What are you talking about?”
The Divine Mad Dog clicked his tongue.
“You know what’s the scariest thing about Wi Yeonho?”
“Well… not exactly…”
The Divine Mad Dog pulled out a pipe from his robe and lit it with a flick of his finger using his Threefold True Flame.
Then he exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“He has no malice.”
“Excuse me?”
“Wi Yeonho—he’s got no malice. I’ve never once seen him curse someone, hate anyone, or torment anyone on purpose.”
“How is that something scary?”
“Scary? No, it’s way beyond that. It’s terrifying—absolutely terrifying!” Think about it. What if someone with absolutely no malice, just by being near you, brings misfortunes so unimaginable that you can’t even fathom them? What then?”
The Historian flinched.
“Well… that’d…”
“You have no answer, right?”
“No.”
The Divine Mad Dog closed his eyes and nodded.
“Exactly, there’s no answer. That’s the biggest problem. But people, being people, always try to find one. And in doing so…”
The Divine Mad Dog paused dramatically and then grinned, showing his yellowed teeth.
“…they just sink deeper into the swamp.”
---
That guy drags misfortune wherever he goes.
No, no—that’s not quite right. To be precise, not only does he bring misfortune, but he also has an uncanny knack for sniffing it out.
What do I mean?
Wherever he goes, trouble always brews. But from another perspective, wherever he ends up, some kind of catastrophe is already waiting for him.
It’s a ghostly talent, I tell you.
Eventually, I caught on. Whenever he showed up looking for me, I’d drop everything and inspect my surroundings. And sure enough, there was always a bomb ready to go off somewhere.
What?
You think that means I managed to solve situations peacefully?
What the hell have you been listening to?
The moment he arrives at a place with a bomb, that’s the end of it. Just spotting the bomb and pouring water on it will make it explode and blow the whole foundation to hell.
What?
You think I’m exaggerating?
Let’s see if you can still say that after hearing what happened at the Sacred Hand Grounds.
Listen carefully.
---
“I knew it. What good fortune could a guy like me ever have? I should just be glad lightning hasn’t struck me dead on the road! Aaargh! That damned Master—why’d he send me on this errand?! I wanna go home!”
Wi Yeonho’s voice, full of resentment, echoed loudly through the skies of Hubei.
The boy who had introduced himself as the young head just blinked in confusion, not knowing how to react to Wi Yeonho’s outburst.
“What’s going on?”
A clear voice rang from within the gates. Upon hearing it, the boy responded respectfully.
“Sister, we have a guest.”
“Is he ill?”
“No, he came to meet Father.”
Creeeak.
The door opened.
Sitting hopelessly on the ground, Wi Yeonho looked toward the door that had opened.
“Huh?”
His eyes widened.
The person who stepped out from inside was a young woman who looked to be about the same age as him.
But that wasn’t what startled Wi Yeonho.
What surprised him was that the woman stepping out was a beauty the likes of which he had never seen in his entire life.
Phrases like skin as pale as white jade or hair like polished ebony may sound cliché, but they fit her perfectly.
A sharp nose, red lips, and large eyes.
Wi Yeonho’s mouth fell open.
Seeing the look he gave her, the woman tilted her head slightly.
“What’s the matter?”
Wi Yeonho answered honestly. His inability to lie was both his greatest strength and his biggest flaw.
“It's just… you're really beautiful.”
The woman’s face immediately flushed red.
“You’re quite the mischievous one, aren’t you?”
“I was just telling the truth…”
Wi Yeonho felt wronged.
It was just as the world said—honesty never pays.
‘No one who speaks the truth ever makes it big, and no one who speaks the truth ever lives long.’
Wi Yeonho reaffirmed the bitter truth of life.
“You said you came to see Father?”
Wi Yeonho nodded half-heartedly.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Right now, the current Head of the Grounds is my younger brother, Soa. But since you’ve come looking for our father, it would be proper for me, as the eldest daughter, to confirm the matter.”
Wi Yeonho pulled a letter of introduction from inside his robe and handed it to the woman.
It was a letter that had already lost its usefulness. What did it matter who read it now?
The woman tore open the letter and began reading it with a serious expression.
‘She looks like a painting.’
She was merely reading a letter, and yet she looked like a scene from a painting.
‘This is why women should be beautiful and men should be handsome.’
Suddenly, Wi Yeonho began to resent his parents.
‘My older brother is so handsome!’
Why couldn’t Wi Yeonho inherit even half of that?
Of course, from his parents’ perspective, a younger son who didn’t even live up to half of his brother was probably no source of pride either.
Once the woman finished reading the letter, she folded it neatly with a hardened expression.
“Soa.”
“Yes, sister.”
“Tidy up the back room and prepare it for our guest.”
“But, sister, that room is where the patients stay.”
“Is there a patient there now?”
“It’s currently empty.”
“Then that’s fine. Make sure the room is cleaned and that nothing is lacking in receiving our guest. He came here to meet our father. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“Yes, sister.”
The boy called Soa lowered his head deeply. Though the woman’s voice was clear, there was a quiet authority behind it.
As the boy went off to prepare the room, the woman turned back to Wi Yeonho.
“My name is Jin Yeran. And the boy you just saw is my younger brother, Jin Soa.”
“I’m Wi Yeonho.”
“I understand you came here to see our father. But I’m afraid he passed away last year.”
“I see.”
“From the letter, it seems you came here to learn from the medical clan. Am I right?”
“Well, something like that.”
Jin Yeran let out a soft sigh. Not because Wi Yeonho was burdensome, but because she knew that the current state of the Sacred Hand Grounds made it difficult to offer any proper teachings.
“As you can see, our Sacred Hand Grounds is no longer in any shape to present itself as a proper medical clan. But even so, sending someone away who was introduced by Uncle Mun would bring shame to our late father. This place may be lacking, but I ask you to stay.”
Wi Yeonho quickly waved his hands.
“No! I’m really fine. There are other medical clans out there, and I can just go to another one, so if it’s too much trouble for you, I’ll just leave.”
In that moment, Jin Yeran’s face turned firm.
“That is not acceptable.”
Wi Yeonho flinched.
“If we send away a guest who came to see our father, the world will point fingers at us. We don’t want the Sacred Hand Grounds to be known as a place that lacks proper manners, and we certainly don’t want our father’s honor dragged through the dirt.”
“S-Still, if it’s too much for you…”
“That will never happen!”
Wi Yeonho made a face like he was about to cry.
He had just barely escaped the Confucian Forest, only to arrive at a place that was even more old-fashioned.
If he had known it would be like this, he wouldn’t have come to the place recommended by Mun Yuhwan. That guy’s laziness always complicated things.
‘Now that I think about it, I should’ve been more wary the moment I heard he was close with that rock-like Scholar Mun.’
There was no point in regretting it now.
He should have expected this from the start!
“I… still feel like I’m putting a burden on you…”
Jin Yeran shook her head.
“The Sacred Hand Grounds is not a place so rude as to feel burdened by a guest. Don’t worry.”
“No, I mean *I’m* the one feeling like the burden…”
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
Just then, Jin Soa returned.
“It’s ready, sister.”
“Guide the guest.”
“Yes!”
Wi Yeonho’s face looked as though he were about to cry.
‘I’m doomed.’
He had the strong feeling that things were going off the rails right from the beginning.
And thus, Wi Yeonho was (somewhat safely) admitted into the Sacred Hand Grounds.
---
Which was the most powerful organization in the world?
Two hundred years ago, asking that question would have resulted in many different answers.
Shaolin, known as the immovable peak of martial arts.
Wudang, the ancestral seat of Dao.
The Ming Cult, the root of a thousand deaths.
The Ten Thousand Sword Clan, said to be the final destination of the sword.
Many sects would have been named by people back then.
But if one were to ask the same question today, there was only one answer.
The Sungcheon Righteous Martial Alliance.
Formed by sects that once dominated the world and noble clans that once denounced the world—this was the strongest organization in the history of the martial world.
As mediators, rulers, and overlords, their presence meant no other faction could dare place their name alongside theirs. Only the Heavenly Righteous Union could look them in the eye.
And at the deepest heart of the Sungcheon Righteous Martial Alliance—
A place even harder to enter than the Alliance Leader’s Hall:
The Strategist’s Hall.
Paeng Dogeuk now stood blankly inside that very Strategist’s Hall.
‘Why am I here…’
Cold sweat began to form on Paeng Dogeuk’s forehead.
To him, what he had experienced was a life-or-death crisis. But from the perspective of the Sungcheon Righteous Martial Alliance, which oversaw the entire world, it must have been a trivial matter, a speck of dust.
And yet, the moment he reported the incident, he was promptly and almost forcibly escorted to this place.
‘What did I do wrong?’
He wiped the sweat with his sleeve.
No matter how noble his background, the martial world was full of prestigious heirs. He had never once imagined he would be granted a one-on-one meeting with the strategist of the Sungcheon Righteous Martial Alliance.
It wasn’t just pressure. His whole body felt like a block of wood.
Creeaak—
At that moment, the door opened, and a man with the aura of a true immortal walked in.