The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

At Hyuk Dojin’s words, Moyong Hyeon’s face twisted.

In-laws with the Demon Cult. A family relationship. That was the world’s evaluation of the Moyong clan.

The transaction that had been carried out in secret was already known to everyone under heaven, and in that process, all kinds of curses were poured on the Demon Cult and the Moyong clan.

Many knew that the Murim Alliance had become a bridge connecting the two groups in between, but deliberately ignored it.

The beginning of the Murim Alliance was just a group gathering the will of the Righteous Sect, but at some point its power grew so much that many families and sects couldn’t help but be wary of the Murim Alliance.

At Hyuk Dojin’s words, Moyong Hyeon opened his mouth to say something haltingly, but it was unintelligible.

Instead, Hyuk Dojin’s words flowed in place of his voice.

“My wife was greatly distressed by this incident. It’s sad enough that her brother collapsed from poison, but if he suffers a default loss in the martial arts competition too, not only my wife but I, who would be his brother-in-law, would be sad.”

“…Young Cult Leader.”

“I don’t know how the Moyong clan thinks of the Demon Cult, but aren’t we in the same boat anyway? So…”

“Who’s in the same boat with you!”

“Are we not?”

Hyuk Dojin’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Moyong Hyeon without saying anything.

A moment of silence flowed, and just when it seemed the time of facing each other was getting long, a reaction came from Moyong Hyeon.

He visibly flinched his shoulders and showed a clearly flustered appearance.

Moyong Hyeon looked at Hyuk Dojin with shaking eyes, then bit his lip and avoided his gaze.

Huh, a sneer escaped from Hyuk Dojin’s mouth. Moyong Hyeon alternately looked at me and Hyuk Dojin, then gritted his teeth.

“…We forcibly saved someone who was almost dead and gave them a chance to repay the favor, but now they don’t even recognize their own family and are so arrogant as if they’re something.”

“Did you forget what I said earlier? Even if everyone else says such things, the Moyong clan shouldn’t. You must be very comfortable, Elder Hyeon. Sometimes you treat me as a bloodline of the Moyong clan, and when unnecessary you draw a line calling me the Young Madam of the Demon Cult. Isn’t that right?”

When I smiled slightly, Moyong Hyeon gritted his teeth hard, then abruptly turned his body. I blankly looked at his back leaving the room, then looked ahead.

They were fellow disciples who had trained with me in the Moyong clan. As I quietly looked at the faces whose names I remembered, awkward greetings came back.

They hurriedly left the room following behind Moyong Hyeon.

When I let out a small sigh, Hyuk Dojin approached from the opposite side and looked down at Moyong Do. After glancing at Hyuk Dojin, I spoke quietly.

“What did you threaten him with?”

“Threaten… I just admonished him with good words.”

“Admonish… It’s the first time I’ve seen Elder Moyong Hyeon, who has such strong pride, look so flustered. What did you say to make him like that?”

Hyuk Dojin smiled languidly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, it’s nothing much. I just told him not to keep forcibly trying to steal my treasure.”

“…Treasure?”

“Like before and this time too. Every time I turn my eyes away, he keeps reaching out his hand, so I gave him a sharp word. Are you worried I might have threatened him while saying some brutal words?”

Of course I didn’t think he would do that, but recalling Moyong Hyeon’s appearance, it seemed quite possible.

I stared at him intently, then turned my head to look at Moyong Do again and narrowed my eyes.

[What do you think? Why do you think the Black Dao Sect used poison on my brother?]

[That’s unknowable. Only the Black Dao Sect, those people, would know their intentions. More importantly, treatment comes first. Until the Sichuan Tang Sect takes charge of the treatment, let’s try to persuade the Murim Alliance Leader. Wouldn’t it be unfair to suffer a default loss after making it all the way to the finals because he collapsed from poison?]

[That’s right…]

In fact, I didn’t care about the martial arts competition or anything else. Seeing Moyong Do wake up and be healthy was more meaningful to me.

But there was nothing particularly helpful I could do just by sticking close to him.

I let out a long sigh and reached out my hand. I carefully caressed Moyong Do’s cheek as he lay unconscious.

“I didn’t want to have a conversation like this. …You must get well, brother. I’ll come again.”

After smiling slightly at him, I turned my body.

* * *

After leaving the building used by the Moyong clan, the next place we headed to right away was the Murim Alliance.

Namgoong Baek had already received a report, and as soon as he saw me and Hyuk Dojin, he expressed regret and apology for Moyong Do’s incident, lamenting that such a thing had happened.

However, he took a firm stance regarding Hyuk Dojin’s proposal to postpone the martial arts competition finals.

Namgoong Baek shook his head while stroking his chin beard.

“That’s not something I can decide alone.”

“…What?”

Namgoong Baek’s answer was just bewildering. It was about postponing the martial arts competition finals by a few days, nothing else. To say the Murim Alliance Leader alone couldn’t decide that? Even passing children knew how great the current Murim Alliance’s prestige and the Alliance Leader’s authority were. If others heard his words, they would all laugh.

Even Hyuk Dojin seemed to have difficulty hiding his bewilderment as he urgently asked in a cracked voice.

“What do you mean? You’re saying it’s not a matter the Alliance Leader can decide?”

“Hmm… I understand your surprise. As you know, this martial arts competition wasn’t held by the Murim Alliance alone, but included the Golden Blood Sand Sect and the Black Dao Sect. Not to mention the Demon Cult.”

“So you’re saying it can’t be done? If so, the Demon Cult agrees to postponing the martial arts competition finals.”

At Hyuk Dojin’s words, Namgoong Baek made a pitiful expression and slowly shook his head.

“Regrettably, the Demon Cult’s opinion isn’t important. The Demon Cult officially gave up participating in the martial arts competition, so naturally the opinions of the Murim Alliance and the Black Dao Sect, who will compete in the finals, are important. The Murim Alliance would of course postpone it considering the Moyong clan’s position, but we can’t hastily make any decisions without hearing the Black Dao Sect’s position.”

His words calmly mentioning why it couldn’t be postponed seemed to have no problem at first glance.

It was easy to understand and had no logical issues. But in the end, it was just word play.

Saying the Demon Cult’s opinion wasn’t important meant that the Murim Alliance’s opinion was important, and if the Murim Alliance could decide, they could ask the Black Dao Sect for understanding as much as they wanted.

It was just a martial arts competition. No matter how prestigious the martial arts competition was, taking it for free was a shame for martial artists.

Even if the Black Dao Sect was an evil sect, they could postpone it as much as they wanted if politely asked.

But Namgoong Baek used that as an excuse to shift responsibility to the Black Dao Sect.

Depending on how one listened, it could mean the Murim Alliance was taking a neutral stance or was on the same side as the Black Dao Sect.

I stared quietly at Namgoong Baek, then rolled my eyes. Hyuk Dojin also didn’t look very pleased, as if thinking the same as me.

“Then do you, Alliance Leader, agree to postponing the finals?”

“I have no reason to oppose. If the Black Dao Sect agrees, that is.”

Until the end, his appearance of passing responsibility to the Black Dao Sect made me certain that Namgoong Baek was by no means a favorable existence to the Demon Cult.

Even if outwardly friendly, there was no reason for him to grant the request of the Demon Cult, which was hostile to the Murim Alliance.

Since Namgoong Baek had left the decision to the Black Dao Sect, persuading him was meaningless.

We briefly greeted him and immediately got up to leave the Murim Alliance.

Naturally, the next place we went after the Murim Alliance was the Black Dao Sect’s lodgings.

Before going to the Black Dao Sect, Hyuk Dojin said he would go alone as it could be dangerous, but that wasn’t possible. It was a matter concerning none other than Moyong Do.

I couldn’t just leave it to Hyuk Dojin and quietly watch.

When we reached the Black Dao Sect’s lodgings, the creepiness I felt when I first saw Lee Jehak seemed to penetrate my skin.

Killing intent… no, a fear closer to the essence than that. It was a pressure different from demonic energy.

When I hesitated in front of the door to the lodgings, Hyuk Dojin placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke quietly.

“Operate your true energy to push out the evil energy settling in your body. With Sowol’s skills, you won’t be pushed back by this level of evil energy.”

Hyuk Dojin’s quiet voice dug in. The true energy gathered in my dantian moved slowly as if responding to his voice.

My body that had seemed stiffly frozen loosened, and the energy that had made my body cold gradually dissipated.

“Haa…”

I exhaled softly. Hyuk Dojin’s hand left my shoulder. When I raised my head, Hyuk Dojin was smiling faintly. His mouth moved slightly.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes. I’m fine. What was that just now?”

Unlike other things, it was a suffocating energy that tightly gripped my neck. Feeling like its aftereffects were still lingering, I rubbed my arms.

Hyuk Dojin looked at the building and spoke quietly.

“It’s evil energy. Unlike demonic energy, it touches the most fundamental part of humans and maximizes negative emotions. When someone who knows nothing is exposed to evil energy, they just feel scared and chilled.”

“…I felt it from Lee Jehak before too.”

“Probably because Black Demon’s mind method is an internal energy cultivation method based on evil energy.”

Hyuk Dojin stared intently at the door, then nodded his head and pushed open the tightly closed door.

As the door opened, the scenery inside entered my eyes.

The lodgings were quieter than expected. There were few people visible too. Considering the huge lodgings prepared by the Murim Alliance, the number of people staying inside was too small.

When Hyuk Dojin entered, the man closest approached and bowed his head.

“I greet the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. What brings you here?”

Unlike the Murim Alliance, it was a polite greeting.

Hyuk Dojin stared at the man intently, then rolled his eyes.

“I’d like to meet Lee Jehak, who has advanced to the finals.”

“He was waiting for you. This way.”

The man’s reaction of turning his body and leading the way first was puzzling. As he faced Hyuk Dojin, he seemed to feel my gaze too and tilted his head while examining me.

‘…He was waiting?’

Did they know we would come?

“This way.”

I slowly moved while looking at the man waiting for us in front of the stairs.

The gazes of the few Black Dao Sect members turned towards me and Hyuk Dojin. I scanned them with my peripheral vision while climbing to the second floor.

The man guiding us told us to wait a moment in front of a door, then knocked and slowly opened it.

“You may enter.”

Passing by him who turned his body to make way, when we entered the room, Lee Jehak with a calm face and a smile on his lips came into view.

A neat impression and slightly raised corners of the mouth. Judging from the faint energy emanating from his body, I could vaguely tell how much of a master he was.

He stood up from his seat and made a cupped hand salute while speaking politely.

“I greet the Young Cult Leader and Young Madam of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

Again, a polite attitude. Hyuk Dojin scanned him and slowly opened his mouth.

“I heard you were waiting for us… Did you know I would come?”

“I heard that Hero Moyong Do collapsed. I also heard that he probably won’t be able to climb up for the finals in three days. Because of that, I anticipated you would come to me if you hoped to postpone the finals. That’s all.”

It was a more rational answer than expected. After exchanging glances with Hyuk Dojin, I carefully spoke towards him.

“If you know why we came, about the martial arts…”

“Ah, I apologize for interrupting. It’s very rude behavior, but I should say what I want to say first.”

He sat down and neatly placed both hands on the desk, then showed a thick smile.

“I have no intention of postponing the date of the martial arts competition finals.”

“…What?”

When I asked back in surprise at his words, Lee Jehak opened his mouth leisurely once again.

“It’s exactly as I said. I will compete in the finals in three days, and I don’t mind even if Hero Moyong Do can’t climb up. What I want is not the honor and satisfaction of meeting an excellent opponent in martial arts and winning, but only victory.”

Lee Jehak’s eyes shone like a beast’s.

“My goal is to win the final victory in the martial arts competition.”