Episode 65. < The Great War of the Righteous Demons. (4) >
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While Bae Hu-ryeong and I were chatting, the Medicine King boiled some bottled water that looked like Evian. Meanwhile, he lined up the frying pan and cutting board and started cooking.
A fragrant smell filled the cave.
“Huh, huh.”
The Medicine King had quick hands. A stew made with mussels, white fish grilled with the skin on until crispy like a steak and placed on top of asparagus, a dish of unknown fish and long clam meat stir-fried and garnished with parsley, a dish similar to porridge poured with cream and chopped clam meat and mushrooms. The dish, including the whole roasted leg of lamb, was finished in just 15 minutes and served with a bang.
“Old people! It’s inconvenient, but eat it. You should eat well while you are young. Tsutsu.”
The Murim Lord’s eyes widened as he saw the dishes lined up in front of him.
“Ah, no, so am I, and that Cheonma-nyeon has aged a bit too well… … ”
“Did you guys take some sort of elixir of immortality? Oh my, if it were Silicon Valley, I would have at least filed a patent! Okay, if you’re old, treat yourself to it! That way, your body can hold on for a while.”
The sight of the Medicine King speaking while pouring mussel soup into a large bowl was similar to that of a cursive grandmother, or rather, a cursive grandfather.
I also had a bowl of mussel soup. The smell was nice, but that was the moment I put one in my mouth, thinking it must be mussel soup.
oh my god.
‘Isn’t it so delicious!?’
Is it because I just ate some ridiculous food scraps like Byeokgokdan or something?
First of all, there was no fishy taste at all. And the color of the soup was red, as if it had been ground up with some kind of red vegetable rather than just boiled in water. It was slightly sour but had a savory taste, so it was delicious just by eating it. The mussel meat was also very chewy, so it was fantastic to see it wrap around my tongue and teeth and burst into an exquisite mixture of meat and stew juice.
It really tastes like shit.
Even after winning the Sangryun Lottery, the addition of a White Mocha Frappuccino Venti Quadra Shot Java Chip and Half Chocolate Drizzle was a complete shock to me, who was the limit of luxury.
It seemed that the pharmacist who had not yet gained fame and was wandering around the slums was the same. The pharmacist’s eyes widened.
“oh my god. it is delicious… … ”
The pharmacist explained the taste.
“This shrimp. It’s plump and solid. And it literally tastes like shrimp… … . Not fishy at all… … Ugh, how can shrimp taste like this? Plus, the mille-feuille that came with this dessert tastes like Nunetine was given a noble title. It also tastes like you’ve been awarded a marquis rank rather than an ordinary title, and the yogurt ice cream below is refreshingly spread with passion fruit juice, giving it a sweet and sour feel… … Ugh, how can it taste like this?”
The Medicine King’s nose rose.
“That’s because I received three Michelin stars as the owner chef when I was in my 50s! Eh. “If it had been properly equipped with a cooking pot instead of a burner like this, it would have blown up your stomach.”
Could it be that this person, the Medicine King, not only makes medicine, but is really a great person?
Are the things you say about Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and boxing champions not bluffs but true?
“Why did such a great man come to the tower?”
The poisonous snake must have been curious about that, too, as he took a big bite of seafood porridge (I think the official name is Abalone Ttuple Risotto) and asked.
The Medicine King snorted.
“Why can’t someone like me come? “Marcus, that guy came to the tower too!”
indeed.
“So you knew each other from the outside?”
“What do you know? He was just a very obnoxious guy who was born into a very wealthy chaebol family. As a self-made man in Silicon Valley, in my opinion, I’m just a lucky guy. That kind of guy said he had some bad luck in his later years and came to the tower with a sword… .”
The words that started with a snort ended in a blur.
The Alchemist, the Viper, and I all looked at the Medicine King with faces that seemed a bit like we had seen each other again. Perhaps because the gaze tickled him, the Medicine King stirred the ladle as if shaking off a bird.
“Just eat it!”
So we ate it. It was truly amazingly delicious.
It was the moment when the person in charge of cooking for the Annals of the Heavenly Demon Expedition was decided.
“It really is the best taste.”
The protagonist of the Chronicles of the Cheonma, the Cheonma, also spoke while pouring food into her mouth without stopping.
“Is he by any chance a servant of the imperial family? Well, no. “The texture is different from Chinese cuisine.”
The Murim Lord also spat out his saliva as he gulped down the cream pasta.
“That guy’s words are exactly what I said. “As a leader, I have tried a variety of dishes, but this is my first time trying something like this.”
“It’s the same with these unusual dishes, and with the appearance of abundance… “I am puzzled as to where you all came from and how you came.”
“Has the outside world discovered a way to cure Jiangxi disease?”
The two martial arts people’s eyes lit up.
It was natural. From their perspective, we were the first humans they had met in years. I can’t help but wonder, and I can’t help but hope that a cure has been invented.
I felt sorry inside, but I shook my head.
“no. “We are still in the process of finding a cure.”
“Umm. Is that so… .”
Was I as disappointed as I expected?
The two’s complexions became glum.
“but. “All the doctors and monks in Gangho rushed to try to cure the strange disease, but no one succeeded.”
“Even the masters of the Mosan faction, who are experts in Gangsi, raised their hands and feet, so the situation would not have been any different even if it were a new world… .”
“Was there really no cure?”
I said.
“I’m not bluffing, but you just saw the cooking. We have different knowledge than you. In particular, the pharmacists here are better than anyone else at treating diseases and making medicines.”
The pharmacist, who was taking a large bite of lamb, blushed.
The Medicine King next to me muttering ‘I’m lucky’… … Well, I feel a little sorry as someone who gets to eat delicious food.
“The person over there is more than capable of assisting this pharmacist. “If you help us even just a little bit, we may be able to develop a cure.”
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord looked at each other.
“There’s nothing wrong with saying it’s a cure… .”
“what. It’s not that there is no way… .”
The pharmacist’s face lit up.
“What is it?”
“… “Wait here.”
After a while, Cheonma and the Murim Lord brought a large coffin.
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When I opened the coffin, there was a zombie lying there.
-…….
Just like when he spoke about the warm body of the Murim Lord, the Geomje frowned and closed his mouth.
The zombie was as calm as if it had been exposed to sunlight. He was lying motionless, perhaps because he was tied up with chains or because there were spike-sized needles stuck in every joint.
I raised my head.
“This… ?”
“He is a long-time writer of independent faction.”
The Heavenly Demon said calmly.
“Right after being bitten by a gangshi, he entrusted his body to us so that we could use his body to study it. But there is only one way we found out. All I had to do was block the blood vessels in my entire body with needles.”
The Heavenly Demon reached into the coffin.
“Be careful.”
Cheonma pulled out the needle stuck in the zombie’s neck.
-Uuuuuu!!
At that very moment, the zombie, who had been quiet as if asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
“Hi!?”
The pharmacist was startled and fell backwards. The zombie opened its mouth to bite the pharmacist. Clap! Clap! Because he was chained, the zombie’s attack was in vain, but the pharmacist could not help but break out in a cold sweat.
“As you can see.”
Sigh!
The Heavenly Demon threw the needle back at the zombie’s neck. Then the zombie slowly closed its eyes again. Her zombie complexion became relaxed, as if she had been struggling for some time. She said, “If we block the blood flow between the brain and spinal cord, we can put her jiangshi to rest. She’s a cervical acupoint. However, this is merely a temporary prescription rather than a cure.”
“A person bitten by a jiangshi is stained by the takgi (獨氣) through blood and prayer.”
Takgi.
Are you talking about a virus?
“This Takgi cannot be defeated no matter how much you sit cross-legged and try to control your energy. Even a demon who has cultivated demonic energy from the beginning and a Malko Taoist with a spirit as clear as a stream are all over once bitten. “Your whole body becomes hot as if on fire, and soon you turn into a jiangshi.”
The Heavenly Demon slowly covered the coffin.
“Did Taengjung from Shaolin last the longest? Even after having my arm bitten off by a jiangshi, I remained sane for a year. But that is an exception among exceptions, and no matter how good a master he is, it is usually difficult to last more than 15 days.”
The Heavenly Demon sighed.
“You children of the outside world. “Do you really think we can find a cure?”
“…….”
The pharmacist could not answer. Even the old medicine king was speechless.
When none of our group could respond, the Cheonma smiled bitterly.
“Okay. I thought there were only two people left in the world, the old man and the main priest, but just seeing a living person like this made the old mother take care of me. “You can stay here as long as you want.”
The Murim Lord nodded.
“I’ll prepare your bed for you, so you can sleep for today. “There are a lot of things we can talk about, but let’s work together tomorrow to resolve the issue.”
The first day of falling into the apocalypse.
We had to spend the night without much success.
5.
“Umm, I can’t eat anymore…” ”
“Marcus, you bastard, if you go away like that, do you mean I’ll be in second place for the rest of my life?” .”
Midnight. The group fell into a deep sleep, muttering in their sleep.
I laid out my bed near the open-air bath, so even though it was a little wet, I didn’t have to worry about being cold.
-It’s a zombie. Why aren’t you sleeping?
I looked up at the sky. The cave had an open ceiling, so I could clearly see the pitch-black night sky.
‘I have something to check.’
Instead of asking what he wanted to check, Geomje kept his mouth shut. He must have guessed something too.
That guess is probably the same as what I guess.
I pulled the blanket up to my face. Then he closed his eyes and acted as if he was asleep.
The night deepened.
Slurp-.
I felt someone approaching. It wasn’t just one person. There were two people. I held my breath quietly without opening my eyes. Two people were walking around near us and whispering in very low voices.
“… “Did you fall asleep?”
“… “It seems so.”
“…Then take advantage of this opportunity and hurry.”
“… okay. “Let’s finish it quickly.”
The voice of the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord.
Little by little, popularity moved away from us. The sound of water was heard. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone in our group was asleep, the two martial artists started taking a bath.
‘Now is the time.’
Swish!
I suddenly got up and ran towards the open-air bath. Beyond the thick vapor. Cheonma and the Murim lord were bathing in the bathtub, dressed in traditional clothing. While the two were enjoying the hot springs with tired faces, they were surprised to see me suddenly running by.
“omg!?”
The Murim lord hurriedly dipped himself deeply into the soup. The old man could not hide his embarrassment.
Well then.
After catching a glimpse of the bodies of the two martial men, I was convinced that my prediction was correct.
“Well, something! you! “I thought you were asleep!”
“…….”
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes. She seemed to understand her situation a little faster than the old man. She sighed lightly and looked at me quietly.
“… “You’re a quick-witted child. When did you realize that?”
“I thought it was a little strange from the first time I saw it.”
I opened my mouth.
“The weather was this cold, but the two of you were dressed lightly. “One person was wearing only a uniform, and the other was completely dressed in a uniform.”
The weather outside was bitterly cold.
If you don’t use aura, you won’t be able to survive at all.
In such intense cold, the martial arts people in front of me were wearing clothes that were almost as if they were naked.
“It means that I used internal energy to protect my body from the cold. In other words, they are people who are excellent at using internal skills… People like that get into dog fights or get tired just by walking a little. “It’s strange.”
I spoke slowly.
“There is only one interpretation to understand this. “The two of you are concentrating all your energy on [other work].”
“They said that once you get bitten by a jiangshi, your whole body becomes tinged with poison. a moment ago.”
I looked straight through the steam at the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord.
‘Two minutes. “You’ve already been bitten, right?”
“…….”
“Here’s what I think. Heavenly Demon and Lord Lord. The two of you were infected by Jiangshi a long time ago. Just like the leaders of the Demonic Cult and the Righteous Sect, the two of them are just mobilizing their enormous inner strength to suppress Takgi. “Am I wrong?”
Silence fell in the open-air bath.
Snap.
The sound of the surface shaking was heard, and soon the Heavenly Demon stood up.
“Ma, Madhu. you… .”
“It is done. Old man. “Hasn’t everything already been discovered?”
The Heavenly Demon shook his head.
“Ahaha outside of the bird. “You are right.”
She turned her back on me.
The pure white back of the Heavenly Demon.
“I and Nomul were already bitten by a jiangshi three years ago.”
There was a purple, rotted wound there.
The Murim Lord also slowly showed the back of his head.
“However, strictly speaking, there is something wrong with what you said.”
Likewise, there were rotten and bruised wounds there.
However, the wound stopped at the neck.
“It’s not like you’re crushing Takgi.”
Above him was a human face as clean as ever.
The Murim Lord spoke with that clean face.
“The cervical acupoint itself is blocked with internal energy, thereby blocking the stagnant energy.”
Geomje clicked his tongue.
-crazy. It’s a fierce attack.
‘Is it an attack story?’
– Confucius. You know about Igire Sword, right?
‘Yes, it covers the sword with internal energy and makes it fly… … no way?’
That was exactly what it was.
-okay. Blockage of the cervical acupoint means loss of sensation below the neck. Of course I can’t move. In other words, they are completely paralyzed, but how are they moving now? . [Move your entire body with internal energy] as if you were using a sword.
Bae Hu-ryeong said.
-The heart moves.
Even the pounding of the heart.
-Breathing through the lungs.
Even breathing in and out air.
-Moving the joints while extending one arm, and controlling the waist, knees, ankles, and soles of the feet while extending one leg forward.
In short, everything you need to live and move.
-Those guys are manipulating everything with their inner strength.
To prevent the zombie virus from spreading through the spinal cord to the brain.
The two martial artists had closed off their own brains.
I was silent.
in other words.
-It’s like they’re using their swords 24 hours a day. So, even if you walk just a few steps, your stamina decreases. Crazy guys… .
Cheonma spoke as if receiving Bae Hu-ryeong’s words.
“We are waging a war between political and evil forces.”
The Murim Lord received those words again.
“It’s already been three years.”
etc,
