CLS-Chapter 480

Chapter 480:

‘Anyway, this place is ridiculously huge.’

Even when I had wandered around looking for the dining hall before, I’d gotten a real sense of it, but the Tang Family estate was absurdly vast. It was large enough to make you truly realize that martial families with history and tradition could grow to such enormous proportions.

To put it with a bit of exaggeration, even the Tang Family’s doghouse would probably be bigger than the Guandong Wei Family estate.

The same went for the pavilion visible before my eyes.

If a pavilion of this size existed at another house, it would be proper to call it a palace, but here it was just one of countless common pavilions.

Since it was such an old place, the building itself showed some signs of age, but even that would normally feel antique and elegant.

However, not right now. While you might feel that way under normal circumstances, you definitely couldn’t call this pavilion antique at this moment. The stench wafting from inside the pavilion was crushing the atmosphere.

‘This is severe.’

There probably wasn’t another place in all the world that would produce such a smell. Normally when corpse odor begins to emerge, they put the body in a coffin, seal it, and bury it underground, so ordinary people would never have occasion to smell something like this.

But the ones currently emitting this stench were all living people. You can’t just bury living people just because they smell terrible.

“Wait a moment.”

The Medicine Hall Master stepped forward and knocked on the door.

“Is anyone inside?”

After a short time passed, the door opened and a physician with cotton stuffed in his nose opened it.

“Hall Master, you’ve come?”

“Yes. Are there any special problems?”

Before the Medicine Hall Master finished speaking, a deep sigh came in response.

“I don’t know. They’ve now reached a state where I can’t gauge their condition by appearance or pulse.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m doing what I can with pulse diagnosis and medicine, but whether it’s having any effect or not…”

The physician’s complexion darkened.

The time when a physician feels the greatest despair is probably when they can do nothing even with a patient right in front of them. A situation where they can’t even grasp a thread of treatment. The patients’ conditions were worsening day by day, so how great must his sense of despair be?

Moreover, if this matter wasn’t properly resolved, there was also the danger that this damnable disease could spread throughout the entire martial world.

The physician glanced up to look at Wei Yan-ho standing behind the Medicine Hall Master.

At that moment, his face contorted.

‘Why is that bastard here?’

He couldn’t hide his unpleasant emotions.

He too had heard the rumors that had begun spreading recently.

That groundless rumor claiming all these incidents had actually started with Wei Yan-ho.

He had dismissed it as nonsense. The Tang Family was currently full of ill feelings and fear toward Wei Yan-ho. Spreading malicious rumors about a person who’s being shunned is one of those things humans have naturally chosen to do since ancient times.

But seeing Wei Yan-ho’s face in person, unpleasant feelings welled up first.

‘I need to calm down.’

When the physician hesitated, the Medicine Hall Master frowned slightly.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah… I, I’ll guide you right now. Please come inside.”

“Hmm… You seem quite tired.”

“I apologize.”

“That’s understandable.”

The physician let out a low sigh.

Rumors tend to spread from below. Unless it’s a rumor deliberately spread from above, all rumors flow from bottom to top. By the time those in high positions encounter rumors, they’ve usually already spread everywhere.

In the Medicine Hall, everyone knew about the rumors regarding Wei Yan-ho except for the Medicine Hall Master alone. That’s why he could remain so composed.

‘There’s no need for me to say anything.’

Words have no feet. Even if he didn’t pull the reins to control it, the Master would naturally come to know. He already had plenty to do, so there was no need to add more work.

The physician who had closed his mouth went inside and pulled away the cloth covering the patients.

“Hmm…”

“Ugh…”

Even Jang-il, who prided himself on having seen all manner of terrible sights growing up, turned his head away.

‘How horrible.’

Watching people rot away while still alive was no ordinary matter. Ordinary people should have died already. But the robust vitality of martial artists wasn’t even permitting these people death.

When everyone couldn’t bear to properly look at the patients, Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue and stepped forward.

“They’re corpses, corpses.”

“Hey, you bastard. Watch your mouth!”

“They’ve gotten worse.”

Though Jang-il exploded in anger, Wei Yan-ho ignored his words and approached one of the patients to take their pulse.

Faint.

The pulse was far too faint.

“Hmm.”

Wei Yan-ho scratched his cheek.

“People who should have died are still alive…”

His brow furrowed. Wei Yan-ho, who seemed to ponder briefly, turned his head to look at the Medicine Hall Master and asked.

“Hall Master.”

“Yes.”

“By any chance, have you heard about the symptoms of Explosive Blood Pills?”

“Of course. Thinking it might provide a clue for treatment, I investigated everything thoroughly. But… well, it wasn’t particularly helpful.”

“Then do you perhaps know how long those who took Explosive Blood Pills managed to survive?”

“Pardon?”

The Medicine Hall Master tilted his head.

“You said those who took Explosive Blood Pills mostly died, right? So do you happen to know how long it took for them to die?”

“That far…”

The Medicine Hall Master trailed off.

This wasn’t the Medicine Hall Master’s fault. Taking Explosive Blood Pills meant preparing for life-or-death combat, and far more people died in battle than from the medicine’s side effects.

Moreover, most Explosive Blood Pill users were Demonic Cult members. While there were said to be some among the orthodox faction who had taken Explosive Blood Pills, it wasn’t as if so many had taken them that information could be obtained about how long they survived on average.

“It’s a bit strange, you see.”

“Strange?”

“Yes. Shouldn’t they have died?”

When Wei Yan-ho pointed at the patients, the Medicine Hall Master closed his mouth.

“They could have tenacious vitality because they’re martial artists. But to this degree, they naturally should have died. Yet they’re still alive.”

“Well, that’s…”

The Medicine Hall Master couldn’t easily answer either.

‘It’s not wrong.’

Medically speaking, these people had already exceeded their limits. The current phenomenon could only be accepted because of the special nature of martial artists – if these were ordinary people, it would be absolutely impossible.

“But aren’t these martial artists?”

“Do swords not cut martial artists?”

“Pardon?”

Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“Being a martial artist doesn’t mean they’re physically superior to ordinary people or have particularly tenacious lifelines.”

“No, that’s…”

The Medicine Hall Master looked at Wei Yan-ho with an expression asking what on earth he was talking about. That was already a proven fact, so what was he supposed to do if Wei Yan-ho started picking apart the fundamentals?

“Young Master Wei, martial artists are stronger than ordinary people.”

“That’s right. But that’s because of the existence of internal energy.”

“That’s…”

The Medicine Hall Master’s eyes widened.

What is the boundary between ordinary people and martial artists?

Internal energy – or more precisely, whether one can accumulate and utilize qi. Martial artists draw in external qi and store it as internal qi. Based on that energy, they accomplish things ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

Breaking rocks with bare hands, leaping over small mountains, running on water.

So what about martial artists without qi?

While they’d be superior to common people due to their knowledge and experience with martial arts, they wouldn’t be able to display any particularly remarkable power compared to ordinary people.

When the Medicine Hall Master began opening and closing his mouth as if he had realized something, Wei Yan-ho nodded.

“All the qi has drained from these people. If vigorous energy were flowing through their bodies, we could somehow understand the current situation. But the fact that people without a trace of qi are enduring the current situation is completely incomprehensible.”

“…There’s certainly that aspect.”

The Medicine Hall Master acknowledged Wei Yan-ho’s words. It was a part he had overlooked. What mattered wasn’t pride, but how these people could be treated. Even if it was an opinion from someone who wasn’t a physician, it should be accepted if it could help.

“It could be a clue.”

“Yes. I think so too.”

At that moment, Zhuge Mun-in spoke up.

“My lord.”

“What?”

Zhuge Mun-in’s face was gravely serious.

“This is just a thought I had, but perhaps we’ve been thinking about this wrong.”

“Huh? About what?”

“About Explosive Blood Pills.”

Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.

“What about Explosive Blood Pills?”

Zhuge Mun-in swallowed dryly and continued.

“Until now, I thought Explosive Blood Pills were created to trigger latent potential. Medicine that triggers latent potential so one can fight more powerfully while throwing away their life. That was our interpretation of Explosive Blood Pills.”

“That’s right.”

“Everyone thought so. But… perhaps triggering latent potential isn’t the goal but the process.”

“Huh?”

“Triggering latent potential to make them fight while throwing away their lives. I never could understand that. That’s throwing away the future. The Demonic Cult’s forces aren’t so weak that they need to take such risks. Mutual destruction is a tactic used by the weaker side.”

“…Until now there were no complaints that it was strange.”

“Because it’s the Demonic Cult. What couldn’t those crazy bastards do? Naturally, we thought those bastards could pull such insane stunts. But… looking back, there are more than one or two strange things.”

Wei Yan-ho stared intently at Zhuge Mun-in before speaking.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Perhaps…”

Zhuge Mun-in hesitated. As if the words he was about to say were more than even he could handle.

“Explosive Blood Pills might have been a process to create this kind of state.”

“This kind of state…”

Wei Yan-ho looked around at all the patients and tilted his head.

“Going to the trouble of creating this state? Unless they force-fed it to our side, it would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?”

“But it has gained meaning, hasn’t it?”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho couldn’t answer.

It certainly had gained meaning. Victims had already begun appearing on this side.

“So you’re saying they tested on their own cult members first what they planned to use on us?”

“I don’t know that much. However, I have a strong premonition. A premonition that Explosive Blood Pills themselves might not have been created for the purpose we know.”

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho scratched his cheek.

“Well, that’s not what’s important right now.”

“…Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho, who had cut off Zhuge Mun-in’s words, quietly gazed at the patients.

‘That makes sense.’

Though it sounded like grasping at clouds, there were certainly aspects that resonated. Before his eyes lay people who shouldn’t exist in reality.

People from whom all qi had completely drained.

People who were still alive nonetheless.

Bodies like blank slates lay before him.

‘The question is what they’re trying to accomplish by forcibly creating this state of qi void…’

Wei Yan-ho shook his head.

‘Treatment comes first for now.’

He might find out once he tried treating them.

Having firmed his resolve, Wei Yan-ho raised his head to look at the Medicine Hall Master.

“Medicine Hall Master.”

“Yes, Young Master Wei.”

“I’m asking just in case.”

“Yes?”

Wei Yan-ho tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“If a patient dies while a physician is treating them, is the physician at fault?”

“…”

What the hell is this bastard planning to do?

Anxiety washed over the Medicine Hall Master’s face.