Chapter 1535: What Do You Know? (Part 5)

Despite the late hour, Chung Myung's quarters were empty.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since evening."

Even when asked in other rooms, the only response was that no one knew.

Yoon Jong, just in case, checked the lodgings of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's senior members, but there was no trace of Chung Myung anywhere.

He sighed, furrowing his brows.

Of course, a day's delay in conversation wouldn't change anything. However, he wanted to find Chung Myung right away and somehow alleviate this frustration.

"Where the heck is that guy...?"

At that moment, he unconsciously turned his head, and in a corner of the Mount Hua disciples' quarters, something white peeked out. A small, white creature that tilted its head, as if asking for food.

Yoon Jong's eyes narrowed a little more for an instant.

"Hey, can you find where Chung Myung is?"

The small, white creature, Baek-Ah, tilted its head. Its face quickly lost interest.

"Sorry, no can do."

Only then did Baek-Ah discreetly come forward. After sniffing a few times with its black nose, it quickly gestured for Yoon Jong to follow. Yoon Jong hurriedly followed.

The white marten led the way through Hwaeum. Crossing the newly cultivated wide plain and soon delving into the high mountain range behind it.

'Where on earth is it going?'

As Yoon Jong, gritting his teeth, followed Baek-Ah, his breath caught slightly when Baek-Ah reached a deep forest where even moonlight barely penetrated.

Thud!

Yoon Jong, who had also stopped abruptly, immediately fixed his gaze. A fierce slashing sound was coming from ahead.

"Thanks."

Yoon Jong, who nodded with a small voice and gestured to Baek-Ah, took a deep breath. Then, he advanced through the forest.

After a while, a magnificent sight came into view.

Kwaaah!

A red glow poured from the sky, deeply plowing the ground, not to mention smashing rocks.

It was a slashing intent that completely excluded the Taoism of a living person, only filled with the determination to destroy the enemy. More than the power contained in the sword, the terrifying murderous intent made Yoon Jong's hair stand on end.

Thunk!

The sword energy exploded right in front of him. Gradually, the dense murderous intent and rough sword energy that had covered the surroundings disappeared as if washed away.

"Hoo."

Revealed in front of him was Chung Myung's rising up and down as he breathed heavily. The training was so intense he was covered in sweat from head to toe.

Yoon Jong, for a moment, forgot the purpose of coming here and was lost in his thoughts again.

If it weren't for the conversation with Jo Gol, Yoon Jong would probably have tidied up and gone to sleep by now. After all, he needed to prepare for tomorrow's training.

But both Baek Cheon and Chung Myung were pushing themselves relentlessly, as if they were driving themselves mad in the time designated for rest. It was as if they were being chased by something.

Baek Cheon chasing was the state of his own condition.

So, what about Chung Myung chasing?

Chung Myung turned his head slightly to look at Yoon Jong. Despite his heated body emitting steam due to intense training, his gaze was as chilling as ever. Yoon Jong felt an inexplicable pressure.

"What is it."

Finally, Chung Myung lightly clicked his tongue and trudged towards a nearby rock. Using a cotton cloth placed there, he wiped away the sweat streaming down his face, looking at Yoon Jong with a frown.

"How'd you know about this place?"

It was the usual casual tone. Yoon Jong exhaled the breath he had unknowingly held.

Where should he start speaking?

"Why did you come all the way here for training?"

"It's noisy."

"Well, that's true."

"Besides, if I practice near Hwaeum, everyone and their uncles will come to watch. Do you think I can swing a sword comfortably there?"

"That makes sense."

Yoon Jong suppressed a bitter smile.

Probably, people wanting to see Chung Myung's swordsmanship would line up outside Hwaeum. And Yoon Jong was confident that Namgung Dowi would be at the forefront.

"No, but seriously, how did you know about this place..."

At that moment, Chung Myung's eyes narrowed sharply. He had spotted Baek-Ah, who had peeked its head out from behind a tree behind Yoon Jong.

kiiiii!

In an instant, Baek-Ah hid its head behind the tree.

"That weasel, how dare it sell out its owner?"

"..."

"That's right. Keep at it. Continue. It's almost winter."

Then, a faint whining sound, like a whimper, came from behind the tree.

Chung Myung, with a cold expression, turned his gaze back to Yoon Jong.

"What's going on? You didn't come all the way here on this late night without a reason, did you?"

Chung Myung picked up a gourd placed on a rock. The gourd remained intact despite the intense training.

"Sahyung?"

When Yoon Jong remained silent, Chung Myung called him. Yoon Jong looked at him and said.

"Do you know?"

"What?"

"Sasuk."

After uttering the words, Yoon Jong scrutinized Chung Myung's expression. He expected some change in his demeanor, but there was surprisingly little change in Chung Myung's expression.

"Sasuk? Why?"

"...About Sasuk's physical condition."

Yoon Jong's voice carried a hint of tension.

He couldn't tell whether it was because of the annoying guy who was picking a fight or because he didn't like the nonchalant response.

"Ah."

Although Chung Myung should have clearly sensed the edge in Yoon Jong's tone, he was simply nonchalant.

"So that's what you're talking about."

"Yeah... you know about it, right?"

"I know."

Chung Myung casually tilted the gourd. Yoon Jong's forehead slightly wrinkled. Every move Chung Myung made today seemed strangely irritating to him.

"So? Did you come all the way here on this night just to talk about it? To here?"

"What else can I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do about Sasuk? Are you just going to leave him alone like this?"

Chung Myung furrowed his brow without saying anything. Yoon Jong sighed like a breath.

"Sasuk is going to war."

"..."

"He will probably try to lead us from the front as usual. No, as it is a war, he won't hesitate to do more dangerous things than usual."

Chung Myung, with an expressionless face, faced Yoon Jong.

"So you know what will happen, right?"

"Sahyung."

"Sasuk will die."

A cold light passed through Yoon Jong's thin eyes.

"We'll do our best to help Sasuk. But this is a war. In a situation where even protecting my own life is difficult, there's no way Sasuk can be perfectly protected. Sasuk won't accept that either."

"..."

"Do you understand? Sasuk can't go to war like this."

Chung Myung faced Yoon Jong without saying anything.

"So if you have any thoughts, don't waste any more time and do something now. Of course, as always, you must have your own reasons. But you also know. The situation where war could break out tomorrow has become real. Now it's more dangerous."

Yoon Jong's voice was much more serious than usual.

It couldn't be helped. There would probably be no one else who could stop Baek Cheon right now. Even if it were Hyun Jong, there was a high chance that he couldn't stop him completely. Even if his blood vessels were cut and his limbs were severed, Baek Cheon would probably crawl to the battlefield.

If there was someone who could stop Baek Cheon, it was only Chung Myung.

And there was secretly another hope.

Perhaps, this guy might have a way to solve his physical condition rather than just stopping Baek Cheon. No... there must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Baek Cheon alone for so long.

But Chung Myung's reaction was somewhat different from Yoon Jong's expectations.

"Tsk."

Chung Myung, who briefly clicked his tongue, picked up the cloth thrown on the rock.

"I thought you came all the way here because you had some great story to tell."

"...What?"

Yoon Jong's face stiffened. What could be more important than Baek Cheon's current condition?

Putting on the discarded clothes and leisurely tying a knot, Chung Myung sent a meaningful gaze.

Yoon Jong didn't readily accept Chung Myung's words.

"Well, if it's not a great story, it means you already have a plan, right? Like using elixirs?"

"No."

"...What?"

"Baek Cheon probably knows. He used internal energy excessively, and it went out of control. So, the vessel that holds the energy itself is broken."

"..."

"Using elixirs would be like pouring water into a leaking bottle. To fill it continuously, you'd probably have to give him all the medicine in the Central Plains. But even then, it will eventually all leak out. That's what it means by a leaking bottle."

It meant his Dantian was broken. And Yoon Jong was already aware of that. They hadn't been idly sitting around, even though they hadn't explicitly mentioned it to Baek Cheon. They had questioned Tang Soso multiple times, even after the battle at Kaifeng.

- I can't fix it. And... this can't be fixed even in the Tang Family.

An answer, similar to a death sentence, came back.

- It's not completely broken, so he won't lose all of the martial skills at once. But... he'll gradually lose them. More and more. No matter how hard he tries, he won't be able to stop it.

It was unimaginable.

How it would feel to watch everything built up over a lifetime gradually slip through one's fingers. How it would feel to helplessly watch as everything that defined oneself crumbled away.

Yet, the reason they endured until now was one.

"I understand. But if it were you, wouldn't you have some solution?"

Chung Myung remained silent.

There was no way this guy hadn't noticed. But Chung Myung had remained unchanged even after the battle at Kaifeng.

So everyone believed. They believed that this goblin-like guy had a miraculous solution they couldn't imagine. Until now... yes, it had always been like that.

However, the straightforward words from Chung Myung completely shattered Yoon Jong's expectations.

"No, there isn't."

"...What?"

"There's no solution or anything."

Yoon Jong just stared at Chung Myung in silence, seemingly trying to confirm the truth of the answer.

"I'm not a doctor, nor am I a monk. I'd like to turn the question around. Why do you think I would have a solution? Even the Tang Family can't fix it."

...This was genuine. Yoon Jong could tell. There was no falsehood in Chung Myung's words as he spoke.

What came to Yoon Jong at that moment was not despair, but deep doubt.

"Is there no way?"

"That's right."

"Really? There really is no way?"

"That's right."

Yoon Jong's eyes pierced through Chung Myung.

"Then... why have you been quiet until now? You knew how Sasuk was living each day, what kind of determination he had. You knew what kind of preparations he was making."

"..."

"Why did you just watch?"

Chung Myung looked at Yoon Jong with a steady gaze.

"Should I give you some comfort?"

There was no boiling anger or imposing authority. It was a calm and indifferent tone, lacking any dignity.

"You... What are you saying right now?"

"Isn't it regrettable? But there's nothing you can do, so just accept it. Shall I give you advice like that?"

Yoon Jong's fingertips trembled.

"Because you can't do that, that's why you've been idly watching Sasuk, right?"

"You..."

"After all, Sasuk made his own decision. He knew the consequences himself."

"Chung Myung?"

Yoon Jong doubted his ears. What was this guy blabbering about?

Why did this happen in the first place? Why did Baek Cheon's Dantian break? Why was Baek Cheon forced into such a desperate situation?

But...

"He said he would take responsibility for his own decision. So why...?"

Yoon Jong grabbed Chung Myung's collar with his trembling hand.

Thud.

A firm grip, strong enough to rip apart a tight uniform.

Yoon Jong held onto Chung Myung's collar, struggling to suppress the power and frustration in his hands.

"You..."

Suppressing his anger, Yoon Jong bit his lower lip.

"What are you saying?"

The rage and sorrow he couldn't hold back emerged in the trembling of his voice.