Chapter 3. I Can't Escape
This was what Jaha remembered about the Hell Physician.
Byeokho's twenty years of internal energy isn't enough for revenge. At this level, he's more likely to get beaten to death somewhere.
But I can't exactly sit cross-legged and calmly cultivate my energy for years. Even after my hair turns white, I probably wouldn't have accumulated even sixty years of internal energy.
In that case, it would be better to find the Hell Physician in Yeosan and learn if there's a way to increase my internal energy.
Instead of heading to Cheongun Martial Hall, Jaha decided to go to Yeosan.
"Chief Merchant, would it be possible for me to accompany you to Yeosan? I happen to have some business there as well."
His body was still in poor condition, so traveling with them would be much safer.
"Of course. When we pass Hwasan, some Taoists from the Hwasan Sect will join us. I've already asked them for help. Yeosan is famous for having many bandits."
The moment Jaha heard the name Hwasan Sect, instinctive disgust rose inside him.
From the perspective of the Demonic Cult, the Nine Great Sects were practically sworn enemies.
He had grown up harboring hostility toward them, so his expression naturally twisted the moment he heard the name.
"Is something bothering you?"
Jeogeumsan asked after noticing Jaha's expression.
For a moment, Jaha had forgotten that he was supposed to be Byeokho.
Damn. I need to be careful.
I have to think and act as if I really am Byeokho. Otherwise, people will find me suspicious.
Maybe at times like this, it would be better to let Byeokho's baek spirit influence me. I might act a little servile, but at least no one will suspect anything.
Even now, merely frowning at the mention of the Hwasan Sect had immediately caught Jeogeumsan's attention.
Jaha quickly came up with an excuse.
"Ah, the wound on my chest suddenly started throbbing."
"My apologies. I'd forgotten how serious your injuries were because you've recovered so quickly. We're leaving early tomorrow morning. Will you be able to travel?"
"The medicine must be good. The wound is healing quickly. And even if I have to push myself a little, I should go with you."
Jeogeumsan nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
Jaha waited for him to come out of his thoughts before asking,
"By the way, did you happen to see the wax I had wrapped around my chest?"
Jeogeumsan answered as though he had only just remembered it.
"I put it aside and placed it in that drawer. It looked valuable. The physician who treated you said the wax caused the sword to miss your heart. Apparently, it also helped stop the bleeding."
He continued,
"Simply put, that wax saved your life."
Byeokho had bundled his money certificates together, sealed them in wax, and tied them around his chest.
Ironically, that bundle had ended up protecting his heart.
The money Byeokho had earned during his three years as an escort was little more than pocket change to Jaha.
However, Byeokho's baek spirit kept reminding him that he absolutely must not lose it.
"Then get some rest. We'll leave early tomorrow morning."
"Understood."
After Jeogeumsan left, Jaha's expression became dissatisfied.
A moment earlier, he had nearly replied in the blunt manner he was accustomed to.
Fortunately, Byeokho's ingrained habit of behaving humbly toward his superiors had saved him.
That allowed Jaha to confirm several things.
Byeokho's baek still remained inside the body, so Byeokho's emotions and lifestyle from when he was alive were still deeply rooted in it.
Part of the reason was that Jaha had not yet completely taken control of Byeokho's body.
But another reason was that Byeokho's baek spirit was unusually strong.
After thinking about it carefully, however, Jaha realized that this might actually be fortunate.
Now was not the time to clash with other people.
His first priority was to increase his internal energy and then learn martial arts powerful enough to oppose the Seven Heavenly Demons.
Because of that, Jaha tossed and turned for a long time without being able to sleep.
Learning the Cheonil Honwon Gong, which even his father had failed to complete, would be like carrying firewood into a burning building.
I need another way.
I need a martial art comparable to the Cheonil Honwon Gong...
But no such martial art existed.
In the thousand-year history of the Demonic Cult, the Cheonil Honwon Gong was considered its strongest martial art.
There couldn't possibly be anything stronger.
And without learning it, fighting the Seven Heavenly Demons would practically be suicide.
At least there's still hope that I can increase my internal energy.
Suddenly, Jaha sat upright.
A half-forgotten story buried deep in his memories surfaced in his mind, as though his desperation had dragged it out.
For the first time, he realized that when a person desperately struggled over a problem, sometimes a path really did appear.
In truth, Jaha had never desperately wanted anything before.
He had been the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
Anything he asked for was given to him.
Even when he was the Young Cult Leader, he had possessed everything he wanted.
He had enjoyed a life luxurious enough that even an emperor would have seemed unimpressive.
There had never been any reason for him to desperately yearn for something.
I once asked Father something when he was alive.
I asked him which experts were powerful enough to make even someone as strong as him cautious.
The question and his father's answer slowly returned to him.
Back then, Jaha had naturally assumed that the people capable of threatening his father were the so-called Ten Great Masters of the martial world.
But Jagang's answer had been completely unexpected.
Jaha hadn't believed him at all.
"The people who nearly defeated me weren't the leaders of the Nine Great Sects, nor were they among the Ten Great Masters of the martial world."
"If they had been just a little stronger, some of them might even have surpassed me."
At the time, Jaha had viewed his father as a monster who had already surpassed the limits of humanity.
So those words had shocked him greatly.
"The people who occasionally appear in stories of the martial world, only to be quickly forgotten... those were the ones who came closest to me."
Jaha asked,
"Who were they? If they weren't the leaders of the Nine Great Sects or the Ten Great Masters, then who could possibly threaten you, Father?"
Jagang quietly answered as he sank into his memories.
"The fishing technique and staff technique of the Dongjeong Fisherman who once challenged me were unlike anything I had ever seen before. His strange techniques put me in difficult situations several times."
"And there was Cheonbung-eum, a master of sound arts. His sound techniques were unmatched under heaven. That was when I realized that every single note could become a martial technique."
"The Strange Physician also used techniques whose direction of attack was impossible to predict. Fighting him fascinated me from beginning to end."
"Then there was the Green Forest King. His martial art seemed to resemble a tree and broadened my understanding of martial arts. Even now, I remember how his martial art felt like an ancient tree that had stood for a thousand years."
Jagang chuckled.
"And then there was the Divine Thief. His mysterious movement technique and grappling arts tore my clothes."
"In fact, he was the first person who ever managed to lay a hand on my body."
Back then, Jaha had not truly understood the meaning behind his father's words, so he asked again.
"What exactly was it about them that surprised you so much?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
"They were all considered second-best in the martial world."
"Because of that, they struggled even harder. They spent their lives thinking, studying, and comprehending martial arts that could surpass those ranked first."
"Just imagine how many exceptional methods must have been added to their techniques during that process."
"Every time they revealed another method I had never even imagined before, I couldn't help but admire them."
Jagang paused.
"But they were all missing something."
"After fighting and defeating every one of them, I had a thought."
"If those people could gather everything they had learned, combine their martial arts, and complete them as a single system..."
Jagang looked at his son.
"...then that martial art might even surpass my Cheonil Honwon Gong."
Jaha had answered dismissively.
"The martial arts of people who are only second-best can't be that impressive."
After saying that, Jaha had soon forgotten the entire conversation.
Back then, only the strongest people and the martial arts of those standing at the very top had interested him.
The Dongjeong Fisherman, the master of sound arts, the Strange Physician, the Divine Thief, and the Green Forest King were always treated as second-rate figures in stories about the heroes of the martial world.
In some ways, they weren't even second-best.
