Hao Clan
A bad premonition never proves false.
The white-haired woman seemed to have been acquainted not only with the current Zhangshang chief, but also the former.
How should I answer?
When Tang Mujin hesitated too long, the white-haired woman furrowed her brow.
"Don't waste time scheming—just answer."
A light note of irritation. Yet Tang Mujin felt as though an invisible hand was tightening around his throat.
"…Yes."
"And what's your relationship with that beggar boy, Hong?"
"He's my friend."
"And Yi Chung ?"
Tang Mujin faltered. He couldn't be sure it was safe to reveal the truth about the eccentric old man.
If she were connected to Salmak, then admitting it here would mean instant death. Resistance or escape would be impossible.
Should I feign ignorance?
No.
She already knew a great deal about him—his friendship with Hong Geolgae, what had happened at Zhangshang.
If she commanded Hongmyeon Nogae, the Beggar Sect's Central Vice-Chief, as if he were a subordinate, then she likely knew everything that had transpired in Chongqing.
In short, lying was never an option.
"A companion… and in some ways, a teacher. Though I'm not sure if the old man ever truly regarded me as a disciple."
"Is that so? Good."
She nodded lightly. It seemed she and the eccentric weren't on bad terms.
Leaning forward against the table, she asked,
"Then why did you kill Gyeong?"
"Who is Gyeong?"
"The former Zhangshang chief, Bok Wigyeong."
Her tone hadn't changed, but Tang Mujin realized this was the heart of the matter.
And it wasn't a question he could dodge or stall. He answered straight.
"The bandits were kidnapping children to sell them. Should I have ignored that?"
"You expect me to believe you stormed Zhangshang for that reason alone? And the treasure inside—what did you do with it?"
"That was the only reason. And I didn't touch a single coin."
"Try lying to me and you'll lose your head."
"I have no reason to lie."
Strictly speaking, he hadn't ignored the loot because he wasn't tempted, but because there had been no chance. To seize it would have meant fighting every single bandit in Zhangshang.
The white-haired woman studied him, then clicked her tongue.
"…You're telling the truth."
At once, the suffocating pressure in the air dissipated.
"You're sharp. Had you tried to invent a story—or killed Gyeong for money—you'd already be dead."
And with that, her questioning ended. She rested her elbows on the table, lapsing into thought.
Tang Mujin had many questions of his own.
Was she truly one of those masters said to reverse age? What exactly was her connection to the former Zhangshang chief? What was her name, her title, her bond to the eccentric?
But he dared not voice them.
I just wish she'd leave already.
The atmosphere weighed heavily. What had been meant as a pleasant evening at the tavern was already spoiled. Better to send them away now than sit across from them all night.
The problem was, saying so outright felt impossible.
Tang Mujin and Namgung Myeong waited long for them to take their leave. The Zhangshang chief and Hongmyeon Nogae seemed indifferent, but the white-haired woman lingered, lost in thought.
If the thirsty man digs the well, then the one who wants the guest gone must make the first move.
At last, Tang Mujin ventured cautiously, beginning with introductions.
"…May I ask who you are, miss?"
He knew "miss" was hardly appropriate for someone who seemed to have reversed her age, but he had no better word. And in his experience, women didn't take offense at being taken for younger than they were.
She replied without even opening her eyes.
"Call me Haryeong. Or just Old Woman Ha."
Old woman. Then she truly was one of those masters who defied age.
Yet, as far as Tang Mujin knew, none of the Six Supreme Masters of the orthodox sects bore the name Haryeong. More precisely, none of them were women.
Could she be from the unorthodox side? He glanced at Namgung Myeong, but even he, well-versed in martial lore, seemed not to know the name.
He couldn't let the conversation die yet. Desperately, he pressed on.
"…Were you connected to the former Zhangshang chief?"
"I knew him since he was a boy."
A mistake.
As he fumbled for how to recover, Haryeong continued.
"Don't fret. I won't hold you accountable. I knew he had gone astray. I just lacked the will to cut him off."
"Astray, you say?"
"He did what he was forbidden. Stole money, fattened himself. That was never why I entrusted him with leadership."
Tang Mujin glanced at the current Zhangshang chief. His features were rough and bold, but unlike the former, he did not reek of blood. He could almost be mistaken for an orthodox martial artist.
The conversation flowed on. Tang Mujin asked again,
"…Then how did you know of my connection with the eccentric elder?"
"Last summer, Yi Chung came to me asking about Beggar Sect's Hong Jeong and his son. Around the same time, rumors spread of a beggar called Hong Geolgae and a blacksmith surnamed Tang roaming taverns and slaying Gyeong."
Tang Mujin recalled: back then, the eccentric had vanished for days, leaving only him and Hong Geolgae to face the Zhangshang chief. He'd thought the old man was out gathering information—but apparently, he had been visiting Haryeong.
She went on,
"Ten to one, there's a connection between Yi Chung and that Hong brat. Since you're close to the Hong boy, I figured you must be linked to Yi Chung as well."
"And what was your relationship with him?"
"Yi Chung ? He often aided me. I owed him much."
It had been a long time since Tang Mujin heard someone speak of the eccentric with warmth.
Not merely on good terms—they had been close.
"Oh, yes. You said you considered Yi Chung a teacher, didn't you? When you meet him again, tell him to come see me when he has time. Say Old Woman Ha has a request—he'll understand."
Tang Mujin hesitated, then decided to tell the truth.
Since she was on good terms with the eccentric, she might even help him. And he didn't want to face accusations later of concealing the old man's fate.
"…The old man is dead."
"What?"
For the first time, Haryeong's expression shifted. The Zhangshang chief showed no reaction, but Hongmyeon Nogae and Namgung Myeong were equally stunned.
"Yi Chung is dead? I've heard nothing of that. Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Why did he—… No, I suppose it was never strange for him to die at any moment. But how did I not hear of it?"
"It hasn't been long. And it wasn't in a situation where news could spread. I was the only one who knew."
Suddenly, it struck Tang Mujin as odd that he had not encountered a single Salmak assassin since arriving.
Maybe Salmak isn't hunting me… but searching for the old man.
Haryeong pressed her palms to her face, rubbing her temples.
"Lately there are even rumors that Yang Heun is dead. Then of the Three Divine Physicians, only the Demon Doctor remains. Tell me—are you acquainted with him?"
"…I can't be certain. But I believe the Demon Doctor is dead as well."
"What?"
Haryeong's brow furrowed deeply.
"How could such a thing happen? Did the Three Divine Physicians make some kind of oath to die together on the same day?"
"It's a complicated story. I can't explain it here."
Haryeong muttered, disbelief written on her face.
"So you're saying the lineage of the Three Divine Physicians has been cut off?"
"No, not exactly. I've managed to learn medicine to some extent."
"Weren't you taught the sword by the Eccentric Doctor? Or am I mistaken? I heard rumors before that you were a blacksmith."
"My main profession is medicine. I've done some smithing, and I've picked up swordsmanship along the way, but nothing beyond that."
Haryeong tilted her brow, scrutinizing Tang Mujin carefully.
Then, as if noticing something, she suddenly slipped her small hand into his robes. The sudden touch of skin against skin startled Tang Mujin out of his wits.
When she drew her hand back out, she held the Treatise on All Ailments (Manbyeongseo).
The reason it was tucked inside Tang Mujin's robe was simple: it was the book he happened to be reading these days.
He had already mastered the medical text left behind by the Eccentric Doctor, and he had pored over the Demon Doctor's Poison Scriptures endlessly out of a burning desire for revenge against Baek Choo-seo. So those volumes were stored away in his pack.
"And why do you have this? You've confirmed the Eccentric Doctor's death, and you say the Demon Doctor also perished… I might expect you to carry their texts, but this… No, wait."
Breaking off mid-thought, Haryeong raised her right hand.
Tang Mujin's pack, lying beside him, floated up into the air as if weightless, drawn to her palm.
With a flick of her fingers, the pack opened, and among the jumble of belongings, two more books spilled out—the Eccentric Doctor's and the Demon Doctor's texts. Haryeong stared at the three volumes.
Tang Mujin briefly worried she might covet them. But instead, without hesitation, she placed all three books back into the bundle and handed it to him.
"So I nearly severed the lineage of the greatest physician under Heaven with my sword. If I'd acted rashly, it would have been a calamity. I apologize."
To be recognized as the greatest physician under Heaven by such a transcendent master—it was a strange feeling indeed.
Unlike before, Haryeong straightened her posture and tidied her garments. Hongmyeon Nogae and the Zhangshang chief did the same.
In a calm voice, Haryeong spoke:
"Though our paths differ, I shall introduce myself properly before one acknowledged as the best under Heaven. My name is Haryeong. The Dharma name I cast aside was once Huayeon Shinni."
Tang Mujin had never heard the name Huayeon Shinni, but Namgung Myeong clearly had. He reacted at once.
"You're Huayeon Shinni? But I was told you had passed into nirvana before I was even born."
"That's what most people believe. But those who should know I live, do know."
Tang Mujin, watching, whispered aside to Namgung Myeong.
"Is she famous?"
"She was the grandmaster of Emei Sect two generations ago. I'd never heard she was a transcendent master, so she must have cast off her Dharma name, broken through the supreme wall, and achieved rejuvenation afterward."
A grandmaster was usually a venerable elder. If she was the grandmaster two generations past, then her true age must be… staggering.
Tang Mujin looked again at Haryeong. Outwardly, she seemed nothing more than a peculiar young woman.
"By casting aside your Dharma name, you mean…?"
"I grew sick of chanting empty words about saving sentient beings. I chose instead to step forward and act, and so left Mount Jinzheng behind. Now I lead a small fellowship called the Hao Clan."
Neither Tang Mujin nor Namgung Myeong had ever heard the name. Haryeong shrugged.
"Of course not. It hasn't been long since we named ourselves. Anyway—how many know of the Demon Doctor's and Yi Chung 's deaths?"
"I can't be certain about the Demon Doctor. His text somehow came into my hands, but for all I know, he may have lost only that and survived. But as for Elder Yi Chung … everyone who knows of his death is in this room."
"Then it would be wise to keep silent, for now, about the Three Divine Physicians' deaths and the existence of these texts. Who can say how people will react."
Her tone had shifted. Where before she had spoken like a superior issuing commands, now her words felt more like advice, even caution.
"What do you mean?"
"Every soul under Heaven needs medicine. And there will always be those willing to do anything to monopolize it. It is your fortune that Yi Chung 's death has not yet become known."
"I see."
Haryeong scratched her head with a small hand, then rose to her feet.
"This has been more unexpected than I imagined. I suspect I will soon need your help. Will you lend it?"
"What kind of help do you mean?"
"What else would I ask of a physician? To treat the sick, to heal ailments."
"That much, I will gladly do."
Tang Mujin was not as extreme as the Eccentric Doctor had been, but in traveling with him, he had unconsciously come to accept some of the old man's principles.
To Tang Mujin, a patient was simply someone who ought to be healed—whether evil or good, rich or poor.
Haryeong's eyes curved in a smile, pleased by his answer.
"Excellent. If ever you need my aid, come to Chongqing and seek me through Hongmyeon Nogae or the Zhangshang chief. So long as I have strength, I'll help you. Repaying the debt I owe Yi Chung through you is no bad thing."
She stood, and before leaving, added one last remark.
"And a word of advice: pass on your medical knowledge before it's too late—whether to children or disciples."
Children seemed a far-off matter, but Tang Mujin didn't bother to quibble.
Just as suddenly as they had appeared, the three left, and the room fell quiet again.
Tang Mujin and Namgung Myeong awkwardly picked up their chopsticks.
The dishes were cold now, with congealed fat floating on the broth.
"…"
Tang Mujin rose and opened the door.
There were no guests outside, but the courtesan who had guided them earlier sat by the stairs.
Tang Mujin addressed her.
"You said your name was Lady Shaolin?"
"Yes."
"Please call the mistress of Deungseonru up here."
"Very well."
"And tell her to come fully prepared."
Shaolin nodded meaningfully, then descended the stairs.
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