****
Early in the morning, Dang Baek arrived in Soheung at the head of the Black Ox Division, having received orders to secure the Azure Clarity Oil.
Dang Baek had set up a hideout in a small tavern on the northeastern outskirts of Soheung. He immediately dispatched his subordinates to track down Sima Geon's whereabouts. By dusk, the men who had scattered in all directions returned one by one with their reports.
"A butcher shop? That bastard's running a butcher shop?"
Dang Baek asked, his face a picture of disbelief.
"Yes."
"You sure?"
"Yes. We confirmed it."
"Ha!"
Dang Baek let out a hollow laugh.
The amount Sima Geon had spent to buy the Azure Clarity Oil exceeded three hundred taels of gold.
An unimaginable fortune. The fact that he could wield such a sum meant he possessed considerable wealth.
Dang Baek had been on edge, assuming that wealth implied strength as well. But a butcher shop? It was almost laughable.
"What about the Azure Clarity Oil? Has he used it?"
This was the crucial point. Tension crept into Dang Baek's expression as he asked.
"We looked into it discreetly. He hasn't used it yet. But we need to hurry."
Dang Baek's eyebrow twitched at that.
"What do you mean?"
"He's staying at the Pure Heart Clinic right now."
"Pure Heart Clinic?"
"It's the most famous clinic not just in Soheung, but in the surrounding areas."
At the mention of a clinic, Dang Baek shot to his feet.
"A clinic? Doesn't that mean he's already used the Azure Clarity Oil on the girl?"
His face paled.
"No, that's not it. Tonight, he's planning to use the Azure Clarity Oil to treat the girl's illness."
Relieved to hear the oil was safe, Dang Baek slumped back into his seat and wiped his chest.
"Whew! I just lost ten years off my life. Nearly too late."
Unlike the relieved Dang Baek, his subordinate's face remained grim as he continued.
"But there's a problem."
"A problem? You mean he might use the Azure Clarity Oil before we get there? Yeah, can't rule that out. We need to move now."
Dang Baek had just answered his own question and was rising when—
"The Living Immortal Physician Family's doctors are at the Pure Heart Clinic."
Dang Baek froze and shot his subordinate a chilling glare.
"What the hell? Why are doctors from the Living Immortal Physician Family here? Bad intel?"
"No. We double- and triple-checked."
"So those are the ones using the Azure Clarity Oil on the girl tonight...?"
Dang Baek's eyes flashed suddenly.
"The Living Immortal Physician Family doctors at the Pure Heart Clinic. Are they the ones who smashed Thousand Kill Hall? The ones who treated the imperial family in Hangzhou and left?"
"Not certain, but it seems likely."
"Damn those bastards!"
His ominous premonition confirmed, curses spilled from Dang Baek's lips.
"What do we do, Division Leader? We can't just mess with the Living Immortal Physician Family."
Vice Division Leader Hwan Su asked with a stiff expression.
The Yeongho Family boasted fame rivaling the Nangong Family, but the Living Immortal Physician Family was no pushover.
In raw martial power, the Yeongho Family held overwhelming superiority, it was true. But the Living Immortal Physician Family's strength lay not in force, but in their medical arts.
The name Living Immortal Physician Family had resounded through the martial world for centuries, and over that time, they had aided countless people from righteous, evil, and demonic sects alike. They were one group you absolutely did not touch.
"We have orders from our lord to secure the Azure Clarity Oil, no matter what."
"But the opponent is the Living Immortal Physician Family. Even our lord would understand."
"..."
"We could bring disaster on the main family."
Hwan Su argued strongly, concerned about repercussions, but Dang Baek couldn't give up easily.
The man he served, Yeong Ho Jung, was locked in a fierce succession battle with his brothers for the next family head position.
Despite his superior talent and broad support from the family retainers, his lower birth order was pushing him out of the running.
The Azure Clarity Oil was a game-changer that could reverse it all in one stroke.
What to do.
The best option now would be to contact Yeong Ho Jung for new orders, but even sending a messenger bird would take at least a day for a reply.
The problem was that tonight, the Azure Clarity Oil would be gone.
I can't let go of the Azure Clarity Oil.
Decision made, Dang Baek faced Hwan Su's worried gaze with a hardened expression.
"There's a saying: a theft is no crime if you're not caught."
"Division Leader!"
Hwan Su startled, but the Black Ox Division members standing by didn't flinch. To men who lived and died by Dang Baek's word, future fallout was irrelevant.
"Our lord needs that Azure Clarity Oil. We take it tonight. Hwan Su."
"Yes, Division Leader."
"I know what worries you. But leave no evidence, and it's fine."
Hwan Su grasped his meaning immediately.
"Massacre and erase all traces?"
Killing intent filled Hwan Su's voice.
Realizing Dang Baek's resolve was ironclad, Hwan Su reverted to the man who'd cut down the King of Hell himself on orders.
"Exactly. Wipe out the Living Immortal Physician Family and anything that could serve as evidence."
"This place too, I assume."
"Sorry to the innkeeper who fed us well, but no choice."
"I'll handle it right away."
At Hwan Su's slight nod, two subordinates slipped quietly from the room.
"Make it quick and painless."
Dang Baek tossed the remark like generous mercy, drained his last cup, and stood.
"Let's go."
<><><>
The Pure Heart Clinic lay shrouded in darkness, quieter than ever before.
Occasional groans from patients echoed faintly, but even those faded. The crickets that chirped endlessly had fallen silent too.
Sima Geon, unwittingly dominating the atmosphere, sat cross-legged in the pavilion opposite the central ward.
Sima Ho paced endlessly around the pond below, biting his nails in evident anxiety, while even Cheol U—who'd laugh through a mountain collapsing—leaned on the railing with arms crossed, rocking back and forth.
"It'll work out, right?"
Sima Ho halted before Cheol U and asked.
"Asking again?"
Cheol U scowled but answered.
"Of course it will. Absolutely!"
"When will we know the results?"
"Not even half a gak has passed. They probably haven't even started properly."
Cheol U nodded toward the ward.
"Damn, they say one gak feels like three years, but it feels like a whole shichen already."
Unable to bear the wait, Sima Ho sighed and glanced at the ward.
Sima Jin was inside the central ward, along with Hwang Yeong, Hwang Jeong, Yu Sa Ha, and Gok Ja Yu treating her.
Yu Sa Ha and Gok Ja Yu, who couldn't assist directly with the treatment, stayed as protectors for Hwang Yeong.
The golden needle technique Hwang Yeong would perform on Sima Jin was the Living Immortal Physician Family's secret art, Penetrate Heaven Soul Return.
Penetrate Heaven Soul Return demanded the practitioner's full inner energy and utmost concentration. As perilous as guiding qi circulation, even the slightest external disturbance could prove fatal. Thus, protectors were mandatory.
"Quit yapping and wait patiently. Your fussing won't help a—"
Scolding Sima Ho, Cheol U suddenly fell silent.
Sima Geon's aura had shifted abruptly.
A change too subtle for Sima Ho to notice, but Cheol U sensed it clearly.
"What's up, boss?"
As Cheol U asked, Sima Geon rose slowly.
"We have uninvited guests."
"Uninvited guests?"
Cheol U scanned around, frowning, then tilted his head.
"Not sensing anything."
"They're pretty far. Hiding well too. But I'm sure. They're after this place."
Cheol U's face hardened.
"Which sons of bitches!"
His scowl turned his already fierce face demonic.
"W-what's going on?"
Sima Ho asked in a trembling voice at the sudden tension.
"Nothing much. Some idiots who can't read the room..."
Cheol U's words cut off again. Sima Ho, who needed the explanation, had collapsed limply.
Sima Geon had struck Sima Ho's blood points to put him to sleep, then carried him to lay in the pavilion.
"What kind of bastards are they?"
"No idea. But they're concealing their energy well—not amateurs."
"After the Pure Heart Clinic? Or the Living Immortal Physician Family doctors?"
"Who knows. If they're targeting something, probably not them."
"Not them? You don't mean the Aurhze Clarity Oil...?"
As Cheol U's eyes widened, Sima Geon brushed past.
"We'll know once we check. Oh, and not here. Even a little noise could ruin the treatment."
"Obviously."
Cheol U cracked his knuckles and followed Sima Geon.
In the bamboo grove overlooking the Pure Heart Clinic.
After erasing all traces of their tavern hideout, Dang Baek caught his breath and asked the subordinate who'd watched the clinic all day.
"Where?"
"Central ward. We need to hurry."
Dang Baek nodded and turned to his men.
"Priority is the Azure Clarity Oil. The Living Immortal Physician Family goes to me, the vice leader, Team One, and Team Two. Team Three Leader."
"Yes, Division Leader."
"Not a single one escapes."
"Understood."
"Secure the front gate first. Move now."
"On it."
Team Three Leader sprang forward with his men.
Just as they were about to exit the bamboo grove—
"Hey, you little rats!"
With a gravelly shout, Cheol U appeared and swung his fist.
The startled Team Three Leader twisted to dodge, but the fist had already smashed his face.
A dull thud echoed as he flew back faster than he'd charged, crashing into the dirt.
"Who the hell are you!"
Hwan Su and the team leaders instantly surrounded Cheol U and the following Sima Geon.
Cheol U scratched his ear with a mocking grin.
"That's my line. What are you clowns, showing up in matching outfits like some parade?"
Hwan Su and the leaders said nothing, awaiting Dang Baek's command.
Dang Baek's gaze fell to Team Three Leader sprawled at his feet.
Never handsome in life, now with his face—no, his entire head—blown away without a trace, it was grotesque.
To do this in a single blow.
The human body is fragile.
Riddled with vulnerabilities, life ends easily.
Even so, this is...
He'd never seen the body's toughest part, the skull, shattered like that.