Chapter 7: The Yeonmok Sword Hall(3)

On the sickbed lay a pale-faced man in his fifties, struggling to breathe and coughing incessantly. At his bedside, an elderly physician wiped the man's mouth with a cloth, which came away stained with dark blood. The doctor sighed heavily, recognizing that the patient's condition was rapidly deteriorating. Despite employing all his knowledge and experience, this illness was unlike anything he had encountered in his long career as a physician.

"Is there truly nothing that can be done?" the doctor wondered, his mind racing with the potential consequences. As the personal physician to the leader of the Yeonmok Sword Hall, he could foresee the bloody conflicts that would erupt among the brothers once their father passed. The sect leader had not named a successor, leaving even his most loyal retainers in a state of anxious uncertainty.

The doctor's thoughts turned to the youngest son, Mok Yu-cheon. At just sixteen years old, he had already mastered the sect's martial arts, reaching the level of a first-class expert. His prodigious talent was said to appear only once in three generations. Moreover, his temperament closely resembled that of his father. If the sect leader had openly supported Mok Yu-cheon as his successor, the retainers would have rallied behind him, despite his birth from a courtesan.

However, such a decision would have incurred the wrath of the First Madam. Her devotion to her eldest son, Mok Yeong-ho, was unwavering, even though he was known as a good-for-nothing. This favoritism had driven the second and third sons to openly display their own ambitions. The doctor feared that once the sect leader drew his last breath, the Yeonmok Sword Hall would be plunged into a fratricidal bloodbath.

As the physician pondered these grim possibilities, the door to the sect leader's chamber opened. He turned to see the First Madam enter, her face powdered white, lips painted red, and adorned with precious jewelry. Her upturned eyes and haughty expression betrayed her arrogance.

"It's as I suspected," she stated, to which the doctor could only nod in resignation.

"My lack of skill leaves me with no way to cure him, madam," he admitted.

"I see. So there truly is no hope through conventional medicine," she mused. When the doctor began to apologize, she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Every renowned physician in the region has failed to even name this strange illness. It seems we have but one option left."

The doctor's white beard trembled as he realized her implication. "Madam! Surely you don't mean to employ sorcery? Such practices are nothing more than superstitious trickery!"

The First Madam fixed him with a cold stare. "You yourself called this illness inexplicable, did you not? How can you oppose the use of a sorcerer to deal with the supernatural? Would you have me simply wait for my husband to die?"

Realizing the futility of his protests, the doctor could only watch helplessly as he was dismissed from the room. The First Madam had already summoned a sorcerer to the estate, and there was nothing more he could do. As he left the main house, he shook his head in dismay. "To think they would resort to charlatans to treat this affliction. They'll only hasten his demise," he muttered.

Meanwhile, in another part of the estate, a young man named Go Chan was explaining the current situation of the Yeonmok Sword Hall to someone who appeared to be Mok Gyeong-un, the third son of the sect leader.

"So that's the current state of affairs in the Yeonmok Sword Hall," Go Chan concluded.

"What an interesting family this is," Mok Gyeong-un remarked, his casual tone catching Go Chan off guard.

Go Chan couldn't fathom how Mok Gyeong-un could remain so nonchalant given the precarious position he was in. If his true identity as an impostor were to be discovered, he would likely be torn limb from limb by the sect's retainers, not even lasting long enough for the other young masters to get involved.

"I really can't figure out what's going on in your head," Go Chan thought to himself. In Mok Gyeong-un's position, he would be desperately seeking a way to escape. The situation seemed hopeless, with even Gam, the bodyguard who had initially brought him here, preparing to abandon him. It appeared that Mok Kyung-un was destined to be cast aside and eliminated.

Go Chan had no intention of genuinely helping Mok Gyeong-un succeed, despite being forced to follow his orders for now due to the poison in his system. He had deliberately withheld some information, revealing only about 70% of the truth and concealing the remaining 30% that pertained directly to their plans.

As Go Chan was lost in these thoughts, his eyes met Mok Gyeong-un's, causing him to shudder involuntarily. There was something unsettling about the young man's gaze, something that set him apart from ordinary people. "Devilish bastard," Go Chan thought, finding it the most fitting description.

"Go Chan," Mok Gyeong-un called out, snapping the bodyguard to attention.

"Yes, sir?"

"So, the original plan was for the real Mok Gyeong-un and Gam to use me as a body double, manipulating the eldest young master Mok Yeong-ho to kill the second young master Mok Eun-pyeong, is that correct?"

"That's right," Go Chan confirmed. It had been their primary strategy, codenamed "Fisherman's Profit." The idea was to have the eldest son Mok Yeong-ho eliminate the second son Mok Eun-pyeong, who would be caught off guard thinking he had successfully disposed of a mere body double. They had even gone so far as to use a courtesan to influence Mok Yeong-ho's actions.

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled. "It was a clever plan. If it had succeeded, neither the First Madam nor her family would have been able to intervene much, as it would have become a scandal for them as well. But I became the unexpected variable, didn't I?"

Go Chan was impressed by Mok Gyeong-un's astute analysis of the situation, especially given the limited information he had provided. This impostor was clearly operating on a different level compared to the real Mok Gyeong-un.

"Tell me, Go Chan," Mok Gyeong-un continued, "how much stronger is Gam compared to you?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Go Chan hesitated before answering, "Gam is a first-class expert, so he's probably two or three times stronger than me."

"In your opinion, do you think I could kill Gam?"

Go Chan furrowed his brow at this unexpected query. Had Mok Gyeong-un already deduced that they were planning to switch sides and decided to eliminate Gam? If so, his insight was truly remarkable.

"It would be extremely difficult, young master," Go Chan replied carefully. "While you are exceptionally strong and agile for an untrained individual, a first-class expert like Gam is on an entirely different level in terms of both technique and inner energy."

"So, the conclusion is that I can't win, right?"

"That's correct."

"Don't be so hesitant. I thought as much myself," Mok Gyeong-un said with a wry smile. "What if I were to learn martial arts? Would that change my odds?"

Go Chan nearly laughed at the suggestion. While he acknowledged Mok Gyeong-un's unusual strength and uniqueness, mastering martial arts was an entirely different matter.

"Young master, the foundation of martial arts is internal cultivation," Go Chan explained. "This involves circulating the energy of nature through your body using special breathing techniques to build up inner power. It takes years of dedicated practice to accumulate significant inner energy."

"So it's not something that can be achieved overnight?"

"Exactly. It varies from person to person and depends on the specific techniques used, but inner power is formed and accumulated through long-term training. How could one hope to catch up to someone who has been cultivating for years in just a short time?"

Go Chan refrained from mentioning that Mok Gyeong-un had likely missed the optimal window for beginning such training, which was typically between the ages of five and nine when the body was more flexible and the meridians were clear of impurities.

"I see. So it's not feasible in the short term," Mok Gyeong-un concluded.

"That's right," Go Chan affirmed, thinking to himself, "In fact, it would be nearly impossible even if you spent your entire life trying."

As Go Chan was contemplating this, Mok Gyeong-un suddenly stood up. "Let's go," he said, gesturing to the bodyguard.

"Where to?" Go Chan asked, momentarily worried that Mok Gyeong-un might be planning to escape.

"Take me to see the sect leader," Mok Gyeong-un replied. "My life is tied to his, after all. I'd like to see for myself just how dire his condition is."

Go Chan was left speechless, once again taken aback by Mok Gyeong-un's unpredictable actions and sharp intellect.