The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

His hands were drenched with his uncle’s blood.

Yi-gang hastily wiped his hands on his clothes. Wearing red was convenient, as bloodstains didn’t show.

Yet, no matter how much he wiped, drops of blood continued to smear from his hands.

“Ah.”

A sharp pain coursed through his forearm. There was a cut. It seemed he had been slashed during the exchange of swords.

Yi-gang tore a piece of his garment to tie and compress the wound. Unconsciously, he wiped his face. Blood had splattered there too.

In the end, he gave up trying to clean the blood off completely.

The cold winter wind blew, chilling his body.

“Cover him.”

Someone placed a coat over Yi-gang’s shoulders.

Turning around, it was the Clan Head, Baek Ryu-san.

“Father.”

“You’ve had a hard time.”

“Not at all.”

It wasn’t just the Clan Head present.

The general, Neung Ji-pyeong, and members of the Biyeon Squad. To prevent any possible misfortune, they had this place surrounded.

The general wiped Yi-gang’s face with a cloth soaked in hot water. Only then did the dried blood start to come off.

Baek Jin-tae lay there, having become a cold corpse.

In front of the body of the man who was once the commander of the Red Dragon Corps, people seemed to feel a mix of complicated emotions.

Yi-gang felt it too.

He had wanted to take care of the matter himself, thinking of the Sohwa incident. He had picked up the sword because he thought he could win.

‘It wasn’t easy.’

But his uncle Baek Jin-tae was strong. Despite losing his internal energy overnight and his body being damaged by torture, Yi-gang nearly died several times.

「The mere ability to draw sword energy or to shape Sword Aura does not make one a martial master.」

The Immortal Divine Sword quietly offered its counsel.

Without its help and advice, defeating Baek Jin-tae might have been impossible.

Thanks to the advice striking his mind in real time, he was able to block his uncle’s final surprise attack.

「Such things, as a martial artist grows to completion, are naturally obtained. That is why it is important to experience fights against stronger experts.」

‘Is that so?’

The Immortal Divine Sword had insisted that he must face Baek Jin-tae. It said that fighting for one’s life against a higher-level martial master was an opportunity akin to fate.

Even though it meant cutting down a family member connected by blood.

“You’ve done well. Squad Leader Neung. Thanks to you, we’ve uncovered hidden information.”

“Was it my achievement? It was thanks to Pil Hwan who did well.”

The Clan Head and Neung Ji-pyeong had such a conversation.

They had deceived Baek Jin-tae and extracted various pieces of information.

“Based on the list received, weed out those who sided with Jin-tae once more, General.”

“I will do so, Clan Head.”

“As for Jin-tae’s body… have it cremated.”

“What should we tell Young Master Baek Young-il?”

Baek Jin-tae had a son. He should be at the Murim Alliance now, dealing with the affairs of the Seven Stars Conference.

“…We should bring that boy in as well.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

The boy probably doesn’t yet know what has happened to his father.

The Clan Head and the general asked Yi-gang various things.

They, too, had seen Yi-gang and Baek Jin-tae’s exchange.

“Hmm, Jin-tae knew the identities of those people.”

“That could be a lie, Clan Head.”

“Yes, that’s possible.”

Baek Jin-tae had promised to reveal the organization that Heuk-am and the assassins belonged to if Yi-gang won.

However, Baek Jin-tae had deceived Yi-gang until the very last moment and died.

There was no way to open the mouth of the dead.

If Baek Jin-tae had become a ghost like the Immortal Divine Sword, perhaps there could have been questions asked, but that was not the case.

Like all deaths seen before, he simply vanished into nothingness.

‘Could he have fallen into hell?’

「If there is hell, then perhaps. But again, I wouldn’t know since I haven’t been there myself.」

‘What happens when Ancestor attains Nirvana?’

「I wouldn’t go anywhere, would I? I’ll either fall into the cycle of reincarnation… Or if I end up in hell, then I shall punish that child Baek Jin-tae once more.」

‘If by any chance you go to heaven, please take good care of Sohwa. I’ll be heading there too when I die, so please wait for me.’

Yi-gang and the Immortal Divine Sword exchanged such trivial jokes.

Then, a chilling scream echoed.

“Aaaagh!”

It was the cry of a member from the Biyeon Squad who was handling Baek Jin-tae’s body. What could have scared a warrior who had survived a battlefield to such an extent?

People, including Yi-gang, rushed towards the source of the noise.

And they, too, were inevitably startled.

“Ah!”

“What on earth is that…?”

Baek Jin-tae’s corpse had grown cold in death.

His once stiff face was now contorting.

Crack- Crunch-

A creepy sound echoed along. The dead skin of Baek Jin-tae bulged and receded as if something was crawling underneath.

“It’s like something is crawling under his skin.”

“Bring a torch.”

Baek Ryu-san said so.

The general quickly brought a torch.

Yi-gang also did not let down his guard and stared at Baek Jin-tae’s body intently.

This time, he clearly saw something. Something moved from Baek Jin-tae’s cheekbone down to his neck.

‘A bug?’

「That, is certainly…!」

The Immortal Divine Sword was horrified. It seemed to recognize what was happening with Baek Jin-tae’s corpse.

‘Do you recognize it?’

「How can it be, it’s impossible. That thing should have been long gone…」

Before the Immortal Divine Sword could explain further, chaos ensued.

Baek Jin-tae’s mouth gaped open, and something burst out from it.

“Caught it!”

“Aaargh!”

It was like a black caterpillar. It was a long, plump insect, about the combined width of two adult fingers.

It was even more horrifying because it had what seemed like dozens of legs, similar to a centipede. How long had such a creature been inside Baek Jin-tae’s body?

From the head of the insect, orange antennae-like appendages wriggled. Soon, the creature started to flee quickly.

“I’ll catch it.”

Yi-gang declared as he stepped forward.

「No! My Shooting Star Fang…!」

The Immortal Divine Sword urgently tried to stop him, but Yi-gang had already pierced the bug’s body with his Shooting Star Fang.

The insect flailed, stuck to the ground. Yellowish bodily fluid splattered around, giving off a foul smell.

The atmosphere turned chillingly tense.

The general murmured.

“Is this… a Gu?”

A bizarre insect had come out of a person’s body. They had no choice but to suspect the presence of Gu poison, a method of using insects to harm people.

“The appearance of a forbidden Gu poison…”

Baek Jin-tae was unaware that a worm was growing inside his stomach.

Then, when and who could have planted such a worm in his stomach?

It was possible that someone else here was also harboring such Gu poison within their body. The thought turned several faces pale with fear.

“This Gu poison, I’m sure I’ve heard of it before.”

The general examined the carcass of the worm with trembling eyes.

“Do you recognize its nature, General?”

“I can’t be certain since it’s from very old records.”

There were hardly any sects, either orthodox or unorthodox, that used Gu poison.

It’s such a detestable technique that only those from Yunnan’s Five Poison Sect or Xinjiang’s Demon Cult would employ it.

However, there was a time in the past when such Gu poison was widely used.

「Yes, it’s undoubtedly true.」

The Immortal Divine Sword also recognized the identity of the Gu poison because of that.

「I wasn’t sure because it hadn’t grown to its full size, but it’s definitely the Guiyi Gu.」

“Guiyi Gu… it seems to be.”

The Immortal Divine Sword and the general came to the same conclusion simultaneously.

An incredulous sigh erupted.

“Are you talking about the Gu poison of the Evil Cult?”

“Could it be that vile trickery has somehow…”

The name of Evil Cult’s Guiyi Gu was still remembered among the martial artists.

Evil Cult had implanted Gu poison into the bodies of many renowned martial artists. And the fully grown Guiyi Gu could commit atrocious acts.

It could drive the host to suicide or even madness, causing them to go on a rampage.

A martial artist, once respected for their virtue, suddenly went mad and slaughtered their entire family. Then, from the throat of that subdued martial artist, a grotesque worm emerged.

The fact that no one knew how the Guiyi Gu was implanted made it an object of terror.

“Evil Cult was already annihilated.”

The Clan Head’s words were correct.

It was the Immortal Divine Sword who had cut down the Evil Cult Leader. After that, the Evil Cult’s main stronghold was burned down by the furious orthodox martial artists.

「I burned it all myself.」

The Immortal Divine Sword seemed greatly surprised as well.

‘Could there have been remnants left?’

「Yes, those dreadful and vile people could have survived somehow.」

Why they have reappeared now was a mystery.

But it seemed certain that there were still those alive who could handle the Guiyi Gu of the Evil Cult.

The Clan Head spoke with a heavy voice, “Ensure that today’s event… remains strictly confidential.”

The resurgence of Evil Cult, the public enemy of Murim.

Their revival, even more vicious than the Demon Cult, was not to be taken lightly.

Yi-gang saw the face of his deceased uncle.

‘In the end, you did reveal something.’

The deceased Baek Jin-tae had kept his promise in the end.

Heuk-am and that organization. They are connected to the Evil Cult.

Meanwhile, far from where Yi-gang and his party were on a high mountain slope, so high that Yi-gang’s party appeared no bigger than grains of rice, a group of people stood.

Especially conspicuous was a man wearing a black cloak. He would have stood out for his height alone at six chi, or two meters, but he appeared to be almost seven chi tall.

His expression was obscured by the shadows that fell on his face.

“We have wasted time.”

He had grasped what had occurred below. His eyesight was impressive.

His follower, lacking such visual acuity, was peering through a long, cylindrical object instead. It was a telescope, acquired for a hefty sum from western sailors.

“It appears that Baek Jin-tae has completely perished.”

Removing the telescope from his eyes, the reporting subordinate’s face was twisted with burns.

It was Sam-ho, the masked man who had given Baek Jin-tae the weeping mask and the holy medicine.

And the man in black robes whom Sam-ho obeyed, he was Heuk-am, the one who had corrupted Baek Jin-tae, the Red Dragon Corps Commander.

“Thinking that he might have sensed the movement and escaped… Tsk.”

“The female Gu started to wriggle…”

Beside Sam-ho, there was a small jar placed.

Covered with a semi-transparent muslin cloth, inside was a repulsive-looking worm wriggling about.

It was a jar containing a female Gu, which could observe and control the Guiyi Gu from afar. They were the ones who had planted the Gu poison in Baek Jin-tae’s body.

“Ah, it seems the Guiyi Gu has left his body and died.”

Sam-ho reported such. It was the moment when Yi-gang had plunged his sword into the body of the Guiyi Gu.

“It’s a tremendous loss. If the Guiyi Gu has been revealed…” Heuk-am muttered so.

Their true identity was close to being exposed to the world.

Sam-ho, who was next to him, cautiously suggested an idea.

“How about we kill them all now?”

He was proposing to completely annihilate Yi-gang, Baek Ryu-san, and the Biyeon Squad below.

It was a story that would make anyone snort in disbelief. It was as if they were talking about capturing a local pig, except that the party they were discussing included the Clan Head of the Baek Clan.

However, Sam-ho was not joking, and Heuk-am also considered the matter seriously for a moment.

“No, let it be. It’s no small matter if the Clan Head dies. It could be enough to stir the entire Seven Great Clans into action. Leave them alone.”

There was a feeling of confidence that they really could kill them if they wanted to.

No, it was spoken not so much with confidence but as if it were simply a matter of fact.

“We shall do so.”

“Although we have not found the ghost of the Immortal Divine Sword…”

At least Heuk-am was convinced that the spirit of the Immortal Divine Sword remained in this world.

“We have unleashed poison in Wudang, awakened Namgung’s blood… and spread fog in the Emperor’s garden; that should suffice.”

None of the entities mentioned by Heuk-am were to be taken lightly.

To him, the matter of the Baek Clan was just a very small part of the plan.

Heuk-am then leaped from the rock cliff.

His figure vanished into the dark forest.

But there was no one who worried about him.

“Erase the traces, and we too shall follow our lord.”

Sam-ho quietly commanded his subordinates.

No one would know they had been here.