A middle-aged man in his fifties lay in his sickbed, his face pale. He kept coughing, as if even breathing was a struggle. Each time the old physician watching over him wiped the corner of his mouth with a cloth, it came away stained with black blood.
“Haa...”
Seeing this, a sigh escaped the old physician's lips. His condition was worsening by the day; the end was not far off. He had used all his knowledge and experience to treat him, but in all his long years as a physician, he had never encountered such an illness.
‘Is there truly nothing I can do?’
As the head physician of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, the events that would soon unfold flashed before his eyes. A bloody conflict would erupt between the brothers.
‘Manor Lord. Why did you not name a successor?’
The Manor Lord had not appointed a successor. Because of this, even the vassals could only watch the current situation with frustration. In truth, it was something everyone knew.
‘If you favored him so much, why did you not make the youngest one your heir?’
The Manor Lord cherished the youngest, Mok Yu-cheon. His talent was so outstanding it was said to appear only once in three generations. At fourteen, he had mastered the family's martial arts and reached the level of a first-rate master.
Now, a mere two years later at the age of sixteen, he had reached the threshold of the Peak Realm. It would be no exaggeration to say that his overwhelming talent placed him among the top ten of the younger generation. Moreover, his character was the spitting image of the Manor Lord's. ‘Young Master Mok Yu-cheon.’
If the Manor Lord had openly supported him, the vassals would have stepped forward to solidify his position. Even if he was merely the son of a courtesan. Of course, doing so would have incurred the wrath of the great madam.
‘This is a disaster. A true disaster.’
The great madam's affection for the first young master, Mok Yeong-ho, was utterly devoted. That did not change, even though he was called a scoundrel. Because of this, the second and third young masters were beginning to openly reveal their greed.
The moment the Manor Lord breathed his last, the Lotuswood Sword Manor would be stained with the blood of brothers.
‘What will become of this place? Huu.’
As a mere physician, there was nothing he could do to interfere. It was while he was sighing thus. The door to the Manor Lord's room opened.
‘Who?’
The old physician turned his head, his expression stiffening. A pale face, its wrinkles hidden by powder. Lips reddened with rouge, a lavish dress adorned with precious metals.
This middle-aged woman, with upturned eyes full of arrogance, was the great madam of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, Madam Seok. The old physician bowed his head.
"Gre-Great Madam."
"Just as I thought."
In response to her unasked question, the old physician nodded with a faint sigh.
"This humble one's medical skills are lacking. It seems there is nothing to be done."
"I see. So there is no way for him to survive through medicine."
"It is because this humble one is incompetent. This humble one..."
Madam Seok waved her hand, showing she did not want to hear any more. Then, she sighed and said, "Since you and all the renowned physicians in the area do not even know the name of the illness and call it an anomaly that cannot be explained by medicine, there is only one method left."
"Madam!"
At her words, the old physician's white beard trembled as he looked at Madam Seok. Madam Seok shot him a cold glare and said, "My husband's life hangs by a thread. Are we in a position to be picky?"
"However, occult arts are nothing more than strange tricks for fortune-telling. How can such trivial and miscellaneous..."
"Did you not just say with your own mouth that my husband's illness is nothing short of an anomaly?"
"That is true, but..."
"Then why do you oppose using an Occultist who deals with anomalies? Are you telling me to simply wait for my husband to die?"
"That is not what I meant..."
"I don't want to hear it. I have already summoned an Occultist to the annex, so Physician Ha, you may take your hands off this matter and withdraw."
"Madam!"
"Do you wish to be dragged out by force?"
At these words, the old physician had no choice but to withdraw, as if he were being chased out. The situation was already beyond his control. Once outside, the old physician clicked his tongue in pity and looked toward the main building where the sickbed was.
‘Bringing in an Occultist to treat an anomaly? Haa. She's determined to kill a man with a quack shaman.’
"... This is the current situation of the Lotuswood Sword Manor."
"What an interesting family this is."
‘Interesting?’
How can he say that after learning of his own predicament? Go Chan was astounded by Mok Gyeong-un's reaction. In a way, it was no exaggeration to say that Mok Gyeong-un was in the most precarious position of all.
If the fact that he was an imposter were discovered, he could be torn limb from limb not by the other young masters, but by the hands of the vassals. And yet, even after hearing this, he was utterly composed.
‘I have no idea what he's thinking.’
If it were him in Mok Gyeong-un's shoes, he would be trying to escape by any means necessary. After all, the situation was hopeless. His senior brother, Guard Gam, was also preparing to abandon this fellow.
In the end, the fellow was bound to be tossed around and eliminated.
‘... Even if you subdued me with poison, there's nothing you can do about this situation, you bastard.’
For now, he had no choice but to obey. However, he didn't have the slightest intention of helping Mok Gyeong-un succeed. That's why he had hidden some of the information.
If seventy percent was the truth, then he had hidden the thirty percent that concerned them.
‘Huu. Just you wait.’
If I can just detoxify the poison, I'll get revenge somehow... Go Chan's body trembled as his eyes met Mok Gyeong-un's. Just looking into the fellow's eyes sent a chill down his spine. He felt pathetic for being frightened like this, but this fellow was different from ordinary people.
There was something about him that inspired fear.
‘A devilish bastard.’
Yes, that description fit him best. He still couldn't forget those sinister eyes.
"Guard Go Chan."
"Ye-yes."
Go Chan replied with sharp discipline. Regardless of his inner thoughts, his instincts told him that for now, he had to obey the fellow unconditionally.
"So, the original Mok Gyeong-un and Guard Gam planned to use me as a stand-in, then manipulate the first young master, Mok Yeong-ho, to kill Mok Eun-pyeong."
"... That is correct."
That was the best plan they had initially devised. Codename: The Fisherman's Gain. They painted a picture where the first young master, Mok Yeong-ho, would backstab the second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong, who would be relieved after thinking he had killed the substitute.
To this end, they were even using a hired courtesan to put foolish ideas into Mok Yeong-ho's head.
‘They certainly used their heads.’
Mok Gyeong-un let out a small laugh. The plan was plausible. If they had followed this method, the great madam, mother to the two young masters, and her side of the family would not have been able to interfere much.
In fact, it would have become a shameful affair for them.
‘It would have been a good plan, but I became the variable.’
Now I think I understand why he's trying to switch sides. Guard Gam doesn't trust me. If he had trusted me or was confident he could control me completely, he would have slightly altered this plan and carried it out.
But because he distrusts me, he won't do that. In the end, Guard Gam's change of heart and this family's situation were bound to work against me in one way or another.
‘So there's only one conclusion.’
I must either kill Guard Gam or bring him to my side. However, both options were difficult. The latter was difficult because he had no trust in me whatsoever, and as for the former, unlike Go Chan, Guard Gam was certainly stronger than me.
Therefore, killing him would be hard.
"Guard Go Chan."
"....... Yes."
"How much stronger is Guard Gam than you?"
"Than me?"
"Yes."
"... Guard Gam is a first-rate master, so he is probably two or three times stronger than me."
Go Chan possessed the skills of a second-rate martial artist. On the other hand, Guard Gam was a first-rate master. In terms of internal energy alone, it was almost half a cycle, so numerically speaking, it was more than twice as much, but considering enlightenment and skill, it had to be seen as three times.
That was the typical difference between a second-rate and a first-rate martial artist.
"In your opinion, Guard Go Chan, do you think I can kill Guard Gam?"
"What?"
"I mean exactly what I said. Do you think I can kill him?"
Go Chan frowned at this question. Has he decided he needs to kill Guard Gam after learning about the family's situation? But this fellow still doesn't know that we're planning to switch sides.
Or did he deduce it from just a few pieces of information? If that were the case, his insight was truly astounding. What kind of person is this?
His way of thinking was on a completely different level from the real Mok Gyeong-un's. "Is the question difficult? You've fought me, Guard Go Chan, so you should have a rough idea." At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Go Chan hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Yo-Young Master, you may be strong and have good movements, but a first-rate master's technique and internal energy are hard to compare to that of lesser fighters like myself."
"So, the conclusion is I can't win."
"....... Yes."
"Don't hold back. I think so too."
"........."
If he knows, then why is he asking? While he was wondering, Mok Gyeong-un changed the question.
"Then if I were to learn these 'martial arts', would the odds change a bit?"
"What?"
"I'm asking what would happen if I learned martial arts."
At this question from Mok Gyeong-un, Go Chan almost scoffed. He admitted that this fellow was stronger than him, a second-rate martial artist. He also admitted that he was different from ordinary people.
However, learning martial arts was an entirely separate matter. Go Chan barely managed to control his expression and said, "........
Young Master.
The foundation of martial arts is what we call internal cultivation."
"Internal cultivation?"
"Yes. Internal cultivation refers to gathering internal energy by circulating the energy of nature within the body through breathing, that is, a breathing technique."
"And?"
"When internal energy accumulates, you become stronger and more powerful."
"So it seems."
In his life, Mok Gyeong-un had never met anyone stronger than himself. But those who practiced martial arts were different.
"However, this internal energy cannot be built up overnight."
"You mean it takes time?"
"Yes. It varies from person to person and with each breathing technique, but internal energy is formed and accumulated through long years of training. Just because you learn martial arts, do you think you can catch up overnight to someone who has trained for many long years?"
‘And you're already too late.’
Internal energy training also has an appropriate starting age. The ideal time is between the ages of five and nine, because when one is younger, the body is flexible and impurities have not yet accumulated in the meridians. At Mok Gyeong-un's age, a considerable amount of impurities would have already built up, narrowing his meridians.
"So it's difficult in the short term."
"Yes."
‘No. It would be difficult even if you trained for a lifetime.’
Go Chan did not mention this fact. He felt no need to bring it up, and figured that telling him would only displease him, which might lead to him doing something harmful to him.
‘It's useless to struggle. Do you finally understand your predicament?’
The Manor Lord was on the verge of death. The head physician of the Lotuswood Sword Manor and other renowned physicians had all said it was hopeless. It was an illness with an unknown cause, to the point that they called it an anomaly.
When such a Manor Lord lost his life, no matter how much this fake fellow struggled, it would be the end for him too.
‘Just wait. When that moment comes, I will repay all this humiliation...’
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un stood up. Then he gestured to Go Chan and said, "Let's go."
"What? Where?"
Is he trying to run away? If so, that's a foolish choice...
"Please guide me to where this Manor Lord person is."
"What? Why suddenly ask for the Manor Lord's location?"
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un gave a small laugh and said, "Since my lifeline is tied to this Manor Lord's life and death, I'd like to see for myself just how critical his condition is."
‘!?’