Chapter 238: When Red Clouds Gather, a Rain of Blood Falls (1)

Jongri Mu-Hwan quickly brought the situation under control.

His first concern was the Demon Slaying Army, which was comprised of young boys. Having lost their leader, Gwak Sung, they were disoriented, but they quickly regained their composure under his command.

Once they had settled down, his next concern was the mercenaries. These mercenaries had eyes to see and ears to hear. The Iron Sect was still an unfamiliar name to them, but they knew exactly how formidable its predecessor, the Iron Brigade, had been.

To a mercenary, the Iron Sect was on par with the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans. Most of them dreamed of establishing something similar. For most of them, however, their mediocre martial arts skills made that a pipe dream.

Perhaps that was why they admired the Iron Sect all the more. Additionally, given the circumstances, they accepted Jongri Mu-Hwan’s command of the Iron Sect without argument.

The Demon Slaying Army now numbered only about eighty, and the mercenaries were similar in size. A force that had once exceeded five hundred had now dwindled to fewer than two hundred, serving as proof of just how strong the Supreme Demon Squad was.

Everyone knows the Third Company under Hong Ak-San is the weakest of the Supreme Demon Squad’s three companies. If Po Yeong-Hwi’s Second Company or Cheok Cheong-Yeong’s First Company came after us, these people wouldn’t escape annihilation.

Jongri Mu-Hwan rated the odds of pursuit as high. The Cheok Cheong-Yeong the world knew was neither a man who could live with an unsettled score nor would he sit idle after dozens of his subordinates were killed.

As soon as the group was somewhat organized, he ordered them to move out quickly. Chae Yak-Ran led the Demon Slaying Army, and Gongson Chang led the mercenaries. Jin Mu-Won followed behind in the carriage.

Four injured members of the Demon Slaying Army rode with him, having been injured too badly to walk on their own.

The youngest-looking boy was in the worst shape. He looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, and a gruesome gash split his abdomen. The Supreme Demon Squad had cut him so deeply that his internal organs were exposed. Someone had given him temporary first aid, but he was breathing faintly and could die at any moment.

“M-Mom!”

The unconscious boy kept calling for his mother, bringing tears to the eyes of the other boys.

Jin Mu-Won called over the boy who appeared to be in the best condition. “Can you drive a carriage?”

“Yes!”

“Then take the reins for a while.”

“I understand.”

Jin Mu-Won handed over the reins and climbed into the carriage. Yu Geon-Yeop followed him in.

He examined the boy’s worsening wound. As he lifted the cloth covering it, the boy’s face contorted in pain.

“It’s okay to scream if it hurts. What’s your name?”

“...Ah-So.”

Jin Mu-Won’s expression grew grim. The wound was horrific. It was torn open as though raked by a bear, exposing the organs, which were already rotting while necrosis spread across patches of skin. It was a miracle that Ah-So was alive at all.

His longing for his mother and his will to survive were the only things keeping him alive. Without either, he would already be dead.

“Okay, Ah-So. As you already know, your condition isn’t good.”

“A-Am I going to die?”

“Perhaps...”

“Eeek!”

“But you might not, either.”

“Really?”

“The treatment will hurt a lot, though. It will be so bad that you might wish you were dead. Even so, you have to clench your teeth and endure it.”

“I-I’ll endure it. I have to live to see my mom. I have to!”

“Alright!” Jin Mu-Won patted Ah-So on the head.

Ah-So looked up at him with desperation, and he saw the raw desire in his eyes. He turned to Yu Geon-Yeop.

“Geon-Yeop, bring me my bag.”

Yu Geon-Yeop fetched the bundle from a corner of the carriage without a word.

Jin Mu-Won rummaged through it and took out a small porcelain bottle. He uncorked it, revealing ten leeches the size of an adult’s thumb, each with a peculiar grayish-white sheen.

The Nine Heavens Leech.

They were one of the poisons that Tang Gi-Mun had asked him to procure. During his recent trip to Shandong Province, he had come across them by chance.

The Nine Heavens Leech was far more vicious than an ordinary leech. While ordinary leeches fell off their host once full, the Nine Heavens Leech never released its grip and drank blood until the host died. How such a small body could hold so much blood was a mystery, but that was how vicious and tenacious they were.

Despite their lethality, these leeches boasted one notable trait. A component in their saliva kept their host alive as long as possible, in order to drain every last drop.

Tang Gi-Mun had asked Jin Mu-Won to bring them back for that very reason. The Nine Heavens Leech was a fine tool to buy time for surgical intervention.

Before using the leeches, Jin Mu-Won looked at Yu Geon-Yeop. “Other leeches numb pain while they feed, but this one is different. I heard they cause the worst agony in the world, so bad that a man would rather wish for death. Why else would it have such a wicked name, one that suggests a man wanders the Nine Skies while being drained dry?”

“......”

“For that reason, I hope you’ll stay by Ah-So’s side and take good care of him.”

“Okay!”

Jin Mu-Won placed three Nine Heavens Leeches on the wound. They immediately crawled across Ah-So’s organs, devouring necrotic tissue and blood. As they fed, they swelled at an alarming rate.

“Gyaaaah!” Ah-So thrashed madly in excruciating torment. He felt as if someone were slowly sawing through his flesh and bone. A pain so intense he thought his soul would be flung straight into the afterlife tore through him, and he let out a desperate, guttural scream.

Jin Mu-Won forced a piece of wood between Ah-So’s teeth and pinned his arms and legs down.

Yu Geon-Yeop looked back and forth between the two of them.

“You have to stop them from eating anything but the dead flesh,” Jin Mu-Won explained. “Use a twig to keep them away from the healthy tissue.”

“Yes!” Yu Geon-Yeop nodded and did exactly as he was instructed.

The leeches’ gluttony knew no bounds. They gorged themselves on Ah-So’s blood and flesh, swelling until they grew to the size of a small child’s fist.

“Ugh!”

Groans of horror escaped the other boys in the Demon Slaying Army. Ah-So was foaming at the mouth and trembling violently. His eyes rolled back until only the whites showed, and every vein in his body stood out.

Finally, when Jin Mu-Won decided that they had consumed enough dead flesh and blood, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pill.

This was the Berserk Blood Pill, a poison pill created by Tang Gi-Mun to save a dying person. The idea was to poison the body in order to stimulate the innate life force and reinvigorate the organs.

Jin Mu-Won administered the pill. The instant it touched Ah-So’s saliva, it dissolved, and the leeches dropped off of their own accord. Sensing the poison, they had stopped feeding.

Jin Mu-Won returned them to the porcelain bottle and bound Ah-So’s wound with clean cloth.

“I’ve done all I can. The rest depends on Ah-So’s willpower. Geon-Yeop, stay by his side and attend to his needs.”

“I understand.”

Jin Mu-Won treated the other boys’ injuries as well. Compared to Ah-So’s injuries, their injuries were minor.

Once he had finished, he returned to the driver’s seat.

The carriage had entered a mountain path. Gold King Mountain was extremely rugged, and the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries struggled to make headway across it.

Chae Yak-Ran approached Jongri Mu-Hwan. “We can’t go any further. Everyone’s drained. We need to rest.”

“They might catch us while we rest.”

“I know, but...”

Chae Yak-Ran looked back at the Demon Slaying Army with pity. Exhaustion was plainly visible on the young boys’ faces. They gritted their teeth and pushed on, but their legs wobbled beneath them.

Jongri Mu-Hwan noticed this, too. “Understood. We’ll rest for an hour.”

“Thank you.”

“In the meantime, have them gather as many vines as they can from the surroundings.”

“Got it.”

Chae Yak-Ran relayed the order. The Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries finally allowed themselves to collapse where they stood. A few of the stronger ones followed the instruction to gather nearby vines.

After watching them for a while, Jongri Mu-Hwan walked over to the carriage. “Will he be okay?” he asked, looking at Ah-So.

JIn Mu-Won nodded. “I think he’ll be fine.”

“I certainly hope so. Right now, I just want to save one more person.” Jongri Mu-Hwan flopped down on the ground beside Jin Mu-Won.

Looking at him, Jin Mu-Won thought the man had changed a great deal.

The Jongri Mu-Hwan of the past had been incredibly selfish. He prioritized the welfare of the Iron Brigade above all else and was ruthless enough to sacrifice anyone for his own survival and the Brigade’s without thinking twice.

Jin Mu-Won hadn’t expected such a man to risk his life to save the Demon Slaying Army and a group of mercenaries.

What happened to him?

He was curious, but he didn’t show it. Jongri Mu-Hwan knew him well enough that the slightest hint might lead him to the truth.

“What do you think, Master Dan? Will the Supreme Demon Squad come after us?”

“Perhaps... No, I’d say the odds are high.”

“As I thought!” Jongri Mu-Hwan nodded, his expression darkening.

Jin Mu-Won asked, “If they do come, most of the people here won’t survive, including the Iron Sect. Why are you taking a risk like this? You could easily choose to leave us behind.”

“I didn’t know I’d make this kind of decision either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I met someone a few years ago. After meeting him, I started thinking about a lot of things, and I suppose my character has been changing little by little ever since.”

“......”

“You resemble him a great deal, Master Dan. Your face is different, but you have that same peculiar air about you.”

“Who is he?”

Jongri Mu-Hwan smiled, but did not answer the question. He planted his hands on his knees and stood. “Nngh! Well then, I suppose I’ll have to lay a few traps around here. I’ve no idea how well they’ll work against that lot, though. Would you mind helping me?”

“Gladly.” Jin Mu-Won got to his feet as well.

Jongri Mu-Hwan gave him simple instructions. Drive a wooden stake into the ground here. Shift the position of a rock there. As he worked, he calculated the angle of the sun and the strength of the wind.

He’s setting up a formation.

Jin Mu-Won understood his intentions immediately. The man intended to use a formation to slow down the Supreme Demon Squad. Considering their current situation, it was the best available option.

Nearly an hour later, the work was done, and a satisfied smile spread across Jongri Mu-Hwan’s lips. “This is the Blue Jade Illusion Formation. I’m not sure how long it will hold those bastards up, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Hmm...”

“Who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen... No, I hope one does happen. Thank you for your help, Master Dan. I’ll be counting on you again.”

“Anytime.”

“Well then, see you!”

Jongri Mu-Hwan returned to the Iron Sect group, and Jin Mu-Won stared blankly after his retreating back.

Time can change people. Although some never change at all, others change for the better. Jongri Mu-Hwan seems to be one of the latter.

The old Jongri Mu-Hwan would never have thought to try to save people in this situation.

“A miracle...”

Jin Mu-Won looked back down the path they had come. A cold wind was blowing.