19 – 02# Rain After Drought (2)

The sight of a person floating downriver like a log was far more grotesque than I imagined. Regardless of whether or not I usually imagined such bizarre sights.

At least her face was turned to the sky. If she had been floating upside down, she would have certainly looked like a corpse. Sua and I quickly pulled the girl onto the bank.

She seemed to be about the same age as Sua. Her skin was as pale as a corpse, and her hair, while white like her skin, was closer to a worn and faded color than pure white.

I could easily discern that something was amiss with the girl. The tips of her fingers were covered in cuts, as if she had been scraping at something hard for a long time.

“Like she’s been scraping at a rock or a wall for a long time…”

“Do you have any idea what happened, Master?”

“No, I can’t be certain. But the wounds are troubling, so let’s take her back to the house first.”

“Understood.”

Fortunately, aside from a contusion from falling from a high place, causing a fractured bone and swelling, there were no other visible external injuries. We could do some basic first aid, like applying a splint.

In any case, to treat her properly, we needed to show her injuries to the village doctor. But that was only possible when the girl regained consciousness and could move on her own.

Forcibly carrying her while she was unconscious could worsen her injuries. In the end, the only option left was to call the doctor here.

“Shall I go and fetch him?”

“No, moving alone right now is far too dangerous.”

“Pardon? What exactly do you mean…”

“I don’t know the story, but judging from appearances, it seems she was being chased by someone and jumped from a high place. Thankfully, she lives… but those villains on her trail could be nearby.”

Sua, being a martial artist herself, was faster than ordinary folk, but those chasing this girl were likely martial artists as well. A misstep could lead to a direct confrontation with those fiends.

Therefore, it’s crucial that I, having reached the pinnacle of my abilities, rush to the village. With my current speed, I can make a round trip in half a *gak*. Only then did Sua understand my intent.

“In that case, I will move the girl into the house.”

“Good, I will fetch a physician from the village as quickly as possible. If those villains attack the house, don’t push yourself, just try to buy time however you can.”

“I understand.”

In Seoche, at the foot of Mount Geumhyeon, resided a physician named Lee Cheong-woo. He was a bit… no, very greedy for money, but his skills were undeniably the best in the area.

“Are you telling me that at my age, I have to be carried up a mountain on some old man’s back?”

“I have prepared a bolt of silk as payment.”

“If you wish, I will crawl up the mountain, Esteemed Warrior.”

Thus, the silk I had brought just in case proved to be incredibly helpful. Even Lee Cheong-woo, who initially refused, suddenly developed manners he never possessed before upon seeing the silk.

The sight was quite amusing, but with treatment being the priority, I had no choice but to carry the physician on my back as quickly as possible back to the thatched house.

Thankfully, perhaps they hadn’t been able to find us in the short half *gak* I was gone. Sua was alone in the thatched house, taking care of the girl without any problems.

“You’ve returned.”

“Aye. How is the child’s condition?”

“I’ve done what treatments I could… but her fever is quite high.”

“Well done, leave things to me from here on.”

It seemed the rumors of the physician’s skill were not exaggerations. As soon as Lee Cheong-woo began tending to the patient, the girl’s expression visibly relaxed.

“I’ve done everything I can do. Fortunately, the wounds aren’t deep, so with proper medication, she should be fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you? I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you ever need anything, summon me anytime. For an Esteemed Warrior like yourself, I would come running at once.”

It was just a problem that the person was too consistent. After the treatment was completed and Lee Cheong-woo returned to the village, leaving the two of us alone, Sua looked at me with a serious expression.

“Do you perhaps have any ideas about what’s going on?”

“Why do you think that?”

“You always seem to know things that we don’t.”

It’s difficult to live up to such high praise.

I’m merely a reader who has indulged in many martial arts novels. In truth, the existence of the Demonic Sect or the dangers of Demonic Arts should be something that anyone who reads martial arts novels can’t possibly be unaware of.

“It’s not as if I have absolutely no ideas, but it’s not good to make assumptions about other people’s circumstances. For now, it would be best to wait quietly until this child wakes up.”

“Forgive me, I… I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s fine. You know now. Just don’t do it again.”

Actually, that’s a lie. At best, they seemed like the Demonic Cult or perhaps the Unorthodox Faction… but even that wasn’t certain. And depending on the novel, the Orthodox Sects could be just as wicked as the Demonic ones.

Seeming to think I had scolded her, Sua drooped, head hanging low. I ended up reaching out, giving her head a pat, just right. Good girl, good girl.

The only thing I could reliably predict in this situation was that the girl had been imprisoned somewhere. Had she escaped in the chaos? Or had someone released her?

“…”

“…”

It was right then, as I was patting Sua’s head. I felt a presence and turned my head without thinking, soon meeting the gaze of crimson eyes lying on the floor.

A surprise!

When did she wake up?

The girl with the worn, white hair and crimson eyes was still fixed on me, raising her upper body before suddenly thrusting her head towards me.

“Pet me too.”

“…”

Is she… perhaps a child with a bad headache…?

◇

Explaining all the differences between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions would require a hundred mouths. But the most fundamental difference boils down to history and legitimacy.

The origins of the Orthodox Factions lay in the martial arts of Buddhist and Taoist schools, naturally drawing from the wisdom and knowledge left behind by sages – in short, the martial arts of the educated.

But the Unorthodox Factions were closer to primal violence than martial arts. Violence, then as now, was a necessary evil that could never be eradicated wherever people gathered.

Not only the bands of thieves, swindlers, and murderers, but also the self-proclaimed Orthodox monks and false shamans united, forming a group.

That was the origin of the Unorthodox Factions, fiercely opposed to the Orthodox. But not all members of the Unorthodox Factions were ruthless criminals, willing to do anything.

Perhaps in the war-torn past, but now that the country was unified and stable, even the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, like cats and dogs, did not clash as violently as before.

In fact, they often cooperated subtly when necessary, which some saw as a good thing, while others considered it an eyesore.

Those cloaked in black and wearing deep-brimmed bamboo hats were no exception. They searched the mountains with a burning intensity, but they had not achieved any meaningful results by the time the sun began to set.

“Find it. It is the poison necessary for our cause.”

“Understood, Lord.”

“What shall we do with those who lost the poison?”

At that, the one called Lord turned his head. Two martial artists, stripped of their clothing and tied to a tree, came into view. As soon as they saw the Lord, they wailed pleadingly.

“We… we are in the wrong, Lord!”

“Please, just show mercy!”

“…That child was the ultimate poison, created with the support of Vice-Lord for ten years for our Black Plague Sect. You know that, don’t you?”

The Blackblood Sect had once swayed even the orthodox sects of the Central Plains, let alone just the unorthodox. If they hadn’t been defeated by the Tang Clan of Sichuan back then, thus crumbling to ruin, things would be little different even now.

The present state of the *Lian* was a pathetic sight, so much so that one could scarcely bear to look. To seek cooperation with the likes of orthodox sects? Was such a thing even remotely acceptable for a member of the unorthodox factions?

Just a little bit more, and it would have been done. Cooperate with ‘them’, oust the pitiful Sect Leader, and send the poison, perfected over ten years, to the Martial Alliance. That was all that remained.

To throw ashes on a finished meal was one thing, but there were limits! Unfortunately, the Sect Leader had overstepped in such a significant manner as to preclude any display of mercy. The Sect Leader mimed slitting a throat.

“Kill them all, without exception, and throw their corpses to the wild beasts!”

“H-have mercy! Please, just one chance!”

“aaargh!”

The death cries of the failures echoed briefly. Yet, the Sect Leader remained unmoved, listening to reports from other subordinates. It seemed it had drifted towards Geumhyeon Mountain…?

“Then the first place we must search is a place called Seochae.”

“We will dispatch warriors immediately.”

“No, I shall go this time as well.”

Red light flickered ominously through the cracks of the aged, splintered bamboo blinds. For the sake of reviving the Asura *Lian*, now effectively a dog of the orthodox sects, they absolutely had to retrieve the poison.

Even if it meant burning down an entire village.