Medicine and Poison
Mujin's heart pounded wildly, his head swirling with countless emotions.
The sticky discomfort of hot blood. The thrill of battle. The exhilaration of victory. The joy of survival.
And the storm of passion that killing had stirred up.
Yet the shock wasn't as great as one might expect. From the moment he left home, he knew such situations could arise.
Those who flocked to the Cheongseong Sect's Chengdu branch were of two kinds.
Those who came early to learn the sword in preparation for future battles—or those who had already fought, barely survived, and come seeking training after.
In truth, the latter were the majority. Men who had killed in war, escorts who had fought bandits, third-rate martial artists who had survived life-or-death duels.
Yes. It was a world filled with unforeseen fights.
Of course, the best outcome would be never killing and never being killed. But the next best was to survive—even if it meant killing the other.
And Tang Mujin had survived.
The faint traces of guilt washed away in the rain, buried under the joy of victory.
"Dangtou Banghe !"
From the side came Hong Geolgae's voice—followed by a sharp crack. The pirate he was facing collapsed where he stood.
He had been struck on the head, and from the blood flowing from his nose it was clear the inside of his skull was damaged. He would not likely survive.
Hong Geolgae's eyes gleamed strangely as he glanced around. It might not have been his first, but killing was still far from natural for him.
Panting heavily, Mujin and Hong Geolgae looked down the hill.
The noise from their clash hadn't spread far, drowned out by the pounding rain. The other pirates were still busy piling up dirt along the embankment.
"Hoo…"
Mujin let out a long breath and sank down to sit. Hong Geolgae did the same.
For a while they rested in silence, until Mujin broke it.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Did you hear what that guy said?"
"No, what?"
"He called me a master."
Hong Geolgae just chuckled. Mujin laughed too. He hadn't said it because he believed it—but there was no denying he had improved.
Unlike the day he first picked up a wooden sword, now he could vaguely sense how an opponent would attack, and how he should respond.
Suddenly, another question crossed his mind.
"Hey, Hong Geolgae. Let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Why do you shout the names of your techniques?"
Mujin's real combat experience might have been lacking, but so far he hadn't met a single fighter who shouted their move names aloud.
The Jiayang twin killers hadn't, nor had Goiyi. Even the pirates they just fought swung their blades without a word.
Only Hong Geolgae and Ma Jeonggae shouted out the names of their techniques.
"Well… maybe because it looks cool?"
"Don't give me that nonsense."
"Our master taught us that way. Said when you swing your weapon, you should shout the name with strength."
"But why?"
"Don't know."
Mujin couldn't understand Ma Jeonggae's bizarre teaching. But Hong Geolgae could guess why.
Training usually involved shouting out technique names—but only during practice. In real combat, shouting them was foolish.
Yet Ma Jeonggae had never received formal martial training, nor had he ever fought in real combat.
All he knew of martial arts was what he had secretly watched from the fields. So of course, he might believe that even in real fights you had to shout the names.
"Anyway, stop shouting them when we fight. What if the enemy figures out your moves?"
"Hmm. Habit. Not sure I can stop."
Hong Geolgae thought he probably wouldn't be able to break that habit. But he didn't mind. After all, wasn't it part of what Ma Jeonggae had left behind?
As they chatted idly, the tension eased. Mujin stood up.
"Anyway, good timing. Let's change clothes first."
The fight had been caused entirely by Hong Geolgae's rash actions, but the result was two sets of pirate clothing. With the heavy clouds and pouring rain, it should be easy to pass themselves off as pirates.
They quickly changed clothes. Fortunately, the outfits included wide bamboo hats (zhuli, 竹笠) to shield from the rain, which nearly concealed their faces entirely.
"Perfect disguise."
"Let's go."
The two descended the hill cautiously, inspecting the buildings. The first small building they checked was a storage shed.
"Nothing much here."
No gold or jewels. Just some gear and weapons used in plundering.
They then checked the second and third buildings. Unlike the first, these were clearly living quarters, but they were empty.
Which meant Soseon must be in the fourth.
Mujin and Hong Geolgae approached it carefully and pushed open the door.
"Oh, you're back."
A pirate inside greeted them as soon as they entered. With their faces hidden under bamboo hats, he must have mistaken them for fellow patrolmen.
The two didn't answer. They scanned the room. No sign of Soseon. Only two pirates were inside.
The one who had spoken was lying down, his shin splinted as though his leg were broken. The other, uninjured, was lounging idly—likely someone with enough clout to avoid working in the rain.
Mujin nudged Hong Geolgae, gesturing toward the injured one. Then he strode toward the lounging pirate. A large scar ran across the man's face, giving him a menacing look.
The scarred pirate sneered.
"What are you dawdling for? At your rank, you should be working. Get back to the embankment."
Mujin didn't reply. He thrust out his palm. It was a form of the Flying Cotton Palm (Biseoja) he had learned from Goiyi.
The scarred pirate quickly raised his arm, batting Mujin's hand away. Unlike the others, this one had at least some foundation in martial arts.
"Intruders, are you?!"
Mujin deliberately allowed him the space to stand.
He had lost the chance to finish it in one strike, but that was fine. He wanted to test the power of the Flying Cotton Palm. Only by gauging his skill accurately could he hope to survive in the martial world.
The pirate spread his arms shoulder-width and lowered his stance.
"You'll regret hesitating."
Mujin's palm shot forward again. The pirate once more deflected his arm, but this time Mujin did not stop. His arm coiled like a snake, sliding up along the pirate's.
"What—what is this?!"
The pirate tried to shake him off, but it was too late.
Mujin's fingers pressed hard into Jianjing (GB21) and Jiquan (HT1). Goiyi might have been able to slip qi into the points and immobilize him instantly, but Mujin didn't know how to seal acupoints.
It didn't matter. Both Jianjing and Jiquan were vital spots in themselves.
"Aaagh!"
The pirate's body folded instinctively in pain.
In that moment, Mujin slipped behind him. Without realizing it, his movement had even contained a hint of Jaunbo's subtlety.
His hands clamped onto the pirate's head and jaw—and twisted in opposite directions. Crunch.
Hong Geolgae cried out in shock.
"What the—did you kill him?"
The injured pirate lying in front of him was already unconscious. Of course—how could a crippled man resist Hong Geolgae's attack?
"No. He won't die from this. Let's drag him outside and interrogate him."
The two dragged the pirates outside, taking special care not to be noticed by the others—it was far too suspicious a sight.
Only after they had gone far enough that even screams wouldn't be heard did Tang Mujin kick one of the pirates awake.
"Ugh… urgh."
The man clutched at his throat as he slowly regained awareness, looking around.
Mujin expected him to be terrified, but to his surprise the pirate had a fair bit of backbone.
"Why would a master like you come to Jang Sangchae? What do you want?"
"The girl you captured. Where is she?"
The pirate sneered.
"Did you think I'd just tell you?"
He didn't realize it himself, but Mujin had already gained one piece of information from his words—that it really was Jang Sangchae who had taken Soseon.
But unless they learned her exact location, it was meaningless. Mujin drew his sword, brandishing it menacingly.
"I never thought you'd talk easily. Where should I carve the first hole?"
"A hole? Go ahead. I've killed more than ten men, and I've been cut up dozens of times during raids. You think I'll be frightened by that?"
Even with the blade at his throat, the pirate didn't flinch. In fact, the closer the steel came, the more stubbornly his pride showed.
Mujin realized this one was serious. Those steady eyes and the dozens of scars etched into his body spoke louder than words—it wasn't bluff.
He glanced at the other pirate Hong Geolgae had subdued. That one, with his injured leg, looked weaker. But seeing his comrade endure with such iron will seemed to give him confidence.
"This is troublesome."
Mujin didn't know much about torture, nor did he want to.
He might know acupuncture points as a physician, but those were for needles, not blades. A misstep with a sword could kill the man, and then they'd lose a source of information.
Hong Geolgae whispered:
"Hey, got any ideas?"
"None. I thought waving a sword would make him spill everything."
"Try something!"
Mujin pondered for a long time, then pulled out a small metal medicine case. Inside was a little processed cao wutou —the root of monkshood, and the most poisonous part of that already deadly plant.
It was a dangerous medicinal material, requiring utmost care in preparation. Improperly processed, used in excess, or not cooled sufficiently, it caused burning heat to surge through the body in agonizing waves—and could easily kill if not treated.
Which also meant it could be used in interrogation. Its pain was unlike the pain of blades, and might even crack the will of this hardened pirate.
Mujin pointed at the scarred one.
"Hong Geolgae, pry open his mouth."
The scarred pirate sensed something ominous and clamped his mouth shut, twisting violently. His jaw strength was frightening; even with both hands, Hong Geolgae could barely pry it open. Each time he forced it apart, it snapped shut again.
Panting, Hong Geolgae said:
"Not working. Got another plan?"
Finally, Mujin thought of something. What if he injected the cao wutou through the skin, the way a bee injects venom with its stinger?
He caught a few drops of rainwater in a pouch and mixed in the processed cao wutou. Testing it with a needle, though, the amount clinging to the tip seemed too small.
"I've never tried delivering medicine through the skin, but at this rate it'll take forever to work."
So he added more. He took chuanxiong , powdered shudihuang , and ginger—herbs that quickened the flow of blood—and mixed them into the little water. The result was a thick slurry.
Mujin dipped the needle and struck at the pirate's acupoint, choosing the chest's danzhong , close to the heart, to spread the effect quickly.
He wondered how many times he would need to repeat it for results, when the man suddenly began to react. After only a few breaths, the skin around his eyes was red.
"What did you do to me?!"
"Huh…?"
The effect had been immediate.
The pirate writhed, groaning in agony, then rolled his eyes back and convulsed violently. His suffering was plain to see.
"What went wrong? Too much blood-quickening herb?"
After a moment's thought, Mujin realized the truth.
He had mixed three hot-natured herbs that sped up circulation with a highly toxic root. And unlike ordinary ingestion, the concoction had gone straight into the bloodstream without passing through the stomach.
The result was a catastrophic synergy.
Normally, he would never have made such a mistake—but pressed for time, with limited ingredients, he had… Or was it even a mistake at all?
The scarred pirate shook uncontrollably, his body wracked with spasms. Perhaps dousing him in cold rain might save him, but Mujin wasn't sure. What mattered was that he was clearly in torment.
Mujin turned his eyes to the lame one. The man's jaw trembled.
Moments ago he'd looked bold, but seeing his comrade collapse into seizures filled him with terror.
"Since it's come to this, I'll use it."
Mujin dipped the needle into the pouch again, making sure the other pirate saw. His face was cold, as though he had intended it all along.
"One prick of this needle, and every vein in your body will feel as though it's being ripped apart. Unless you want to end up like him, you'd better answer. Where's the girl?"
The injured pirate screamed desperately:
"The cave! She's in the cave!"
He pointed toward a corner of Jang Sangchae's grounds.
There, hidden from sight when viewed from the hilltop, was a cave.