Chapter 78. The Visit of a Madman
“E-Elder!”
“This wasn’t our doing! It was an accident!”
“More importantly, this is serious. The blood—it won’t stop!”
One was unable to come to their senses, another made excuses, while yet another examined Namgung Hyun’s body—all speaking at once.
Divine Physician stepped into the chaos and checked Namgung Hyun’s condition. His calm voice cut through the frozen atmosphere.
“Tell me honestly what happened to him.”
“T-That is…”
“We don’t know. He was moving alone in this dangerous area and got caught by a mechanism.”
“He swung his sword, and some strange liquid poured out of that Black Tortoise statue. After being doused in it, he started vomiting blood and ended up like this.”
Again, their voices overlapped, but the Divine Physician seemed to know what the truth was. He held his head.
“…This is bad.”
Turning to Namgung Munseon, the Divine Physician spoke in an urgent tone.
“It’s the mechanism installed in the inner wall. It’s a potent poison, and he needs treatment quickly. But to get the antidote for this Black Tortoise poison…”
He was about to mention the Nine Turns Pavilion, but shut his mouth. Instead, he changed his explanation.
“There’s a storage where we keep antidotes, but it’s under heavy guard, so access is not easy. If I try to go in, I’ll have to explain the situation to the Clan Head, and if that happens…”
“Our Clan Head will be in trouble.”
Namgung Munseon understood what he meant. Since they had secretly entered a Forbidden Zone restricted by the Tang Clan Head, the Namgung Clan would also be held responsible.
“There is one more way.”
Seeing Namgung Munseon’s expression darken, the Divine Physician cautiously continued.
“If we move the young master to the Medical Hall’s herb storage, I can quickly fetch the antidote.”
“Would it be alright to trouble you like that?”
“It’s no trouble. More importantly, for now, we must move him and bring a change of clothes as well. Fortunately, the Black Tortoise poison volatilizes quickly. If we wrap him in this, it should be safe to carry him.”
The Divine Physician took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Namgung Hyun. One of the quick-witted Namgung martial artists reacted immediately.
“I-I’ll go quickly and get a change of clothes!”
The one who had been making excuses dashed out of the forest the moment he finished speaking.
When the Divine Physician moved to lift Namgung Hyun, Namgung Munseon gently brushed his hands away and picked up Namgung Hyun himself.
Looking at him, the Divine Physician spoke.
“Then I will go fetch the antidote right away.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
After confirming the Divine Physician had left, Namgung Munseon told the young man beside him, who still didn’t know what to do, to also bring a fresh set of clothes. Only the martial artist who had remained dazed was left behind. Namgung Munseon spoke to him in a low voice.
“You are to report what happened here as soon as you return.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes, Elder!”
As the young martial artist turned to leave, Namgung Munseon added coldly:
“Namgung Gangchang also knows what happened here. If you lie in your report, I will take it to mean that you are willing to bear the punishment in his place.”
“……”
Without saying anything further, Namgung Munseon carried the Clan Head’s son in his arms and made his way toward the Medical Hall.
***
The door to the herb storage room creaked open slightly, and the Divine Physician slipped through the narrow gap. He glanced between So-hwa and Namgung Hyun and asked in a hushed voice.
“Is everything alright?”
“The poison in the Black Tortoise mechanism only remains potent if replaced daily. It's been left alone for several days, so it wouldn't have been very lethal to begin with.”
“Then why is there so much blood…?”
“The ones who were there probably didn’t explain the situation properly. I doubt it was just one mechanism they triggered.”
So-hwa replied calmly, picking up a cloth soaked in clean water. As she wiped away the dried blood, skin covered in wounds was revealed. Some of them appeared to be very old.
“What kind of person would do this to one of their comrades!”
The Divine Physician’s face turned red in anger, but So-hwa responded in a composed tone.
“It would be better for us not to get involved in this matter.”
With a sigh, the Divine Physician sat beside her and picked up some medical tools.
He agreed with Tang So-hwa. Nothing good would come from this incident being exposed for the young Namgung either. After all, he had entered a Forbidden Zone. Considering the strict nature of the clan heads of the noble clans, it would be far better for him to quietly receive treatment and return.
The Divine Physician poured a diluted liquid over the bleeding areas, then began stitching the torn wounds with a fine needle.
As he treated Namgung Hyun’s injuries, the Divine Physician’s eyes narrowed.
Strangely, the wounds were only in areas that wouldn’t interfere with movement. Places like the tendons in the arms or the shoulders were completely untouched.
‘He must have been able to wield his sword until just before collapsing.’
It was odd for someone with such sharp senses to end up in this state.
As the Divine Physician paused in his movements, Tang So-hwa glanced at him briefly. As if aware of what he was thinking, she calmly cut off the Divine Physician’s curiosity with her composed voice.
“It seemed like he let himself be hurt on purpose, so you don’t need to feel too sorry for him.”
"But that’s exactly why it bothers me even more. Isn’t it possible that he has endured so many wounds that he feels he must quietly bear even this alone?"
Tang So-hwa didn’t respond to the Divine Physician’s words. The Divine Physician frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied.
“Young lady?”
“I don’t wish to say more since I know nothing of other clans’ affairs, but if that is your intention, you may report it to Namgung.”
Tang So-hwa finished sorting the bloodstained cloths into a basket and lifted her head.
“Just… leave out any mention that I was here.”
The Divine Physician still looked uneasy but gave a silent nod without saying more.
“I’ll wait quietly for now, then.”
He sighed as he looked down at the now-cleaned Namgung Hyun.
So-hwa stood up and said:
“The Black Tortoise poison contains a component that induces sleep. Most likely, due to accumulated fatigue, he fell asleep from even that old, weakened poison. I’ve mixed the antidote into water and given it to him, so he should wake in about half a shijin (one hour).”
As So-hwa was about to leave the room, the Divine Physician stopped her.
“Ah! I have something to tell you.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“The Namgung Clan Head’s condition is not normal.”
The Divine Physician spoke in a grave tone and glanced around. He lowered his voice to a whisper.
“I’m not certain, but… I believe he may have been exposed to Five Minerals Powder.”
At those words, a fine line appeared between So-hwa’s brows.
“Five Minerals Powder?”
“Yes, his symptoms resembled the Five Minerals Powder poisoning symptoms you described. Partial memory loss was the same as well. And also…”
“Let’s continue that conversation another time.”
Tang So-hwa covered the Divine Physician’s mouth and gestured toward Namgung Hyun.
He appeared unconscious, but one could never be too sure.
Understanding So-hwa’s intent, the Divine Physician quietly nodded.
“Yes, I’ll speak to you again another time.”
So-hwa glanced at the window, where the darkness had fully settled, then spoke to the Divine Physician.
“He’ll likely wake around the hour of Mao (5 to 7 a.m.), so I’ll come back then. If anything happens before that, let Han-won know right away.”
“Yes, I will.”
With that, So-hwa left the Medical Hall.
It was the quiet early dawn hours, nearing the end of the hour of Chuk (1-3 AM), with few signs of activity.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, So-hwa did not head to her sleeping quarters but instead went to the study.
She removed a large embroidery hanging on the wall. Behind it was a door sealed with a formation. As she opened it, rows of jars came into view.
So-hwa brought two of them to the table. One was a Poison gu jar she had cultivated from a Blood Sect member three years ago, and the other was a new one received from the bastard she met in Hubei.
She picked up the basket she had set on the floor earlier. It was filled with cloth soaked in Namgung Hyun’s blood.
Scratch, scratch.
She cut the cloth and placed it into the jars, but neither jar showed any reaction.
She hadn’t expected much—it was more of a long shot—so she wasn’t particularly disappointed.
‘Is it truly only my blood that causes a reaction?’
With time to spare, So-hwa decided to feed her Poison gu well. She brought out all the jars and drew blood. As the number of Poison gu she raised had increased, more blood was needed. She made a rather deep cut, and it took a while to heal.
Sitting at the table by the window, So-hwa quietly waited for the wound to close.
She gazed silently toward the inner courtyard when she suddenly heard the sound of friction from somewhere.
Crack.
It was the sound of a mechanism installed in her residence moving.
At the same time, a faint breeze blew in from outside the window. It was a wind heavy with the scent of peony. A scent she had encountered before—an internal energy signature she recognized.
‘No way…’
It couldn’t be.
No one in their right mind would dare come here.
But as if mocking So-hwa’s thought, a bastard from the Blood Sect dropped lightly from the roof and casually dusted off his night robes.
“Wow, I seriously almost died just now.”
So-hwa blinked slowly, wondering if she was hallucinating.
Meanwhile, Haerak, now perched on the window frame, glanced down at the table.
“Isn’t this my Poison gu? You’re hard at work even at dawn, huh?”
“You…”
So-hwa let out an exasperated breath, stunned beyond words.
“Are you insane?”
“Hm?”
“Do you even know where you are?”
“The private quarters of Tang So-hwa, within the inner courtyard of the Tang Clan.”
His textbook response made So-hwa frown.
The Tang, Namgung, Peng, Zhuge, and Hwang Bo—five of the most powerful martial clans in the Central Plains—currently had their martial artists staying at the Tang estate. Yet this madman from the Blood Sect had barged right into the heart of it all.
“This is the period of the Alliance of Noble Clans.”
Haerak crossed his arms with a look that said he didn’t see the issue.
“Exactly why I came. Normally I’d be too nervous to even think about it.”
So-hwa gave no reaction to his absurd logic, prompting Haerak to chuckle dryly.
“Think about it. On any other day, if I so much as used internal energy here, your guards would be on me in seconds. But right now? Even if I accidentally fail to hide my presence, they’ll just assume, ‘Oh, must be some hot-blooded young clan member in an argument,’ and brush it off.”
“……”
So-hwa lost all desire to continue the conversation.
This Blood Sect bastard simply didn’t operate on normal logic.
Letting out a sigh, she finally spoke.