Chapter 53

Chapter 52. The Doctor Who Treated Seohui (2)

Xu Guang, the leader of the White Dream Hall's White Blood Squad, was seething with anger.

The incident began like this.

Early in the morning, while practicing in the wild hills, he accidentally discovered a self-growing herb that emitted a purple glow.

Feeling that something was unusual, he entrusted it to Doctor Hong for appraisal.

But then this mess happened.

Doctor Hong suddenly fled, claiming he needed to verify something.

'I was naive.'

The problem started with his intention to monopolize it.

If he reported it to his superiors, the better the elixir, the less likely it would end up in his hands.

On the other hand, he couldn't just eat it recklessly due to its components.

It would be dangerous to consume it immediately if it contained poison or if the yang or yin energy was excessively strong.

So, he made the foolish mistake of handing it over to Doctor Hong.

'It must be an elixir. A very rare one.'

A treasure so valuable that assessing its worth was meaningless.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Doctor Hong to flee so urgently.

'Even if I can't take it, I must kill him.'

All assets within the main hall belong to the Blue Pill.

Since he had violated the rules by not reporting to his superiors, he had to eliminate the evidence by killing him.

The opportunity was only possible within the White Dream Hall territory.

If they went to other pavilions or were caught by the warriors while heading to the subordinate branches within the hall, the problem would escalate.

Moreover, because of the special position of a doctor, he couldn't kill without a proper reason and evidence, or he would face punishment.

"I must not let him escape from this mountain. Understand!"

"Yes! Leader!"

His subordinates responded in unison to his shout.

But one of them did not respond.

It was the subordinate who was trailing at the very back of the formation.

'What should I do?'

Seohui, who was at the very back, thought as he watched the members moving to the right.

At the same time, he confirmed that his decision to join the formation was correct.

[!]

The target for the mission.

The distant marker was now getting closer.

Fortunately, it was heading in the direction of the cave he was moving towards.

"Wait here for a moment."

At someone's command, the sixth squad stopped at the entrance of the cave.

Because of the darkness.

Whish—

The roughly 14 subordinates, accustomed to such situations, maintained their formation calmly.

Some took out fire flints from their pockets and lit the torches they had brought.

As the surroundings brightened, a member who seemed to be the squad leader spoke.

"Form two rows on each side. When we encounter another fork, two of you will go in."

He took a step back and continued.

"I will stay here. There's no place to run if he's inside. Focus on a thorough search."

Indeed, it was a skilled response.

And he naturally positioned himself on the right side.

'This isn't the right direction...'

This time, they split based on position.

Because he saw a transparent marker on the left side.

But he decided to follow their formation's actions.

* * *

"Huff. Huff."

Hong Chui was sitting on the ground.

Unfortunately, while trying to escape with the elixir, he was caught by them.

He had definitely tried to slip away secretly, but he couldn't avoid the eyes of Xu Guang's subordinates.

"This isn't just any ordinary elixir."

He took out the herb that might lead to his death from his pocket.

It emitted a faint purple glow even in the darkness, and its oval leaves, about half an inch long, were layered to form a flower shape.

Zilong Grass.

This rare elixir, hard to find even in the martial world, explosively increases one's inner energy.

Though its use is different, its efficacy could be compared to the Great Revitalizing Pill of Shaolin.

"I'm sorry, Lord Gonma..."

Hong Chui bowed his head, thinking of Gonma.

After all, an elixir like Zilong Grass was beyond his capacity to handle.

It was valuable enough, and he wanted to offer it to his loyal lord.

But unfortunately, he was surrounded before he could cross the threshold of the territory.

- You go that way. I'll go this way.

The whispering voice indicated they were already close.

Now was the time to make a choice.

Would he commit suicide here, or make a last desperate attempt?

Or...

"I have to destroy this before I go..."

"Stop right there."

Just as Hong Chui was about to put the Zilong Grass in his mouth, a man appeared and spoke from the entrance of the cave.

He had definitely heard some movement from a distance...

"Even the slightest movement now will result in death. Not just death, but a very painful one."

Hong Chui's eyes wavered.

He had been discovered.

Now, the only option was to commit suicide.

But what if he failed?

He would probably suffer until the end.

Swoosh.

'What...?'

But before he could make any decision, a faint sound reached Hong Chui.

He couldn't see clearly, so he didn't know what was happening.

Then, a voice came from the darkness.

"I see you here."

Hong Chui was sure it was someone else.

The voice was different from the man who had just spoken.

* * *

Seohui moved faster than anyone else in the cave.

The Ghostly Trace Technique he learned from the Education Master was a great help.

Looking for the right opportunity, he broke away from the group and sprinted to where Doctor Hong was.

And now, he was face to face with Hong Chui.

"Don't worry. I'm on your side."

Perhaps he didn't believe it.

Using his Night Vision ability, Seohui saw that Doctor Hong's face was still tense.

It was perhaps natural that he didn't trust him.

Whoosh.

Seohui burned his inner energy to create a small flame at his fingertips.

Then, Hong Chui immediately recognized his face.

"Y-You? How did you get here...?"

"Why not? Since you helped me, it's only right to help you back."

'Why isn't the mission window showing up?'

Seohui tilted his head.

The mission window, which should have appeared by now, was not active.

After a moment's thought, Seohui asked the man who was sitting against the wall, dazed.

"But what kind of help do you need?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of help do you need?"

Hong Chui tilted his head in confusion, then smiled slightly.

Then the mission appeared.

['Doctor Hong' has given you a mission.]

○ Mission: The White Blood Squad is chasing Doctor Hong Chui. Instill a sense of trust in him.

Success: Attention from the White Dream Hall Master, Manjeopsura.

Rewards: Zilong Grass [Elixir - Supreme Grade], a torn map of the secret sect's leader (1/4).

'The White Dream Hall Master? Supreme Grade Elixir...'

Seohui's gaze wavered as he looked at the rewards.

Manjeopsura, the White Dream Hall Master.

A figure with significant influence in the sect.

But wouldn't it be better to avoid conflict by dealing with the White Blood Squad?

"Wait here for a moment."

Seohui glanced behind him.

He could sense someone approaching slowly.

As soon as he emerged from the narrow cave, he changed his appearance using the Reverse Use Technique. Just then, a White Blood Squad member walked towards him.

With his appearance, the mission notification also appeared.

[The mission notification window has been activated.]

[Mission Notice, Mission Notification]

▼ (Expand)

▽ (Expand)

○ You must show absolute power to make Doctor Hong hand over the Zilong Grass.

○ Any delay will result in a stronger opponent appearing.

Seohui looked at the warning window again.

○ If Doctor Hong dies, this mission will fail.

○ You must not reveal your existence to the enemies to complete the mission.

"Is he not inside?"

The man with the torch asked as he approached.

Seohui subtly moved his head to the side and said,

"I'm going deeper. Do you want to check here?"

"Sure, why not."

Without any suspicion, the man inserted his body into the narrow cave.

And that was the end of them.

"Aa...!"

"Krk!"

Seohui stabbed one man in the chest with his sword and then used the man's sword to pierce another's abdomen.

Squish.

Seohui kicked out the torch and said, looking behind him,

"Let's go."

It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.

The priority, as stated in the mission reference, was to get out of the cave as quickly as possible.

* * *

[Warning! Squad 6_8 of the White Blood Squad has detected a weakness in Seohui. How will you respond?]

'What is this?'

He thought he was smoothly heading towards the entrance.

Clearly, it wasn't visible in his front view, but the weakness window appeared.

'He must have approached from behind.'

▶ Counterattack.

▷ Defend.

▷ Flee.

Seohui pondered for a moment after looking at the list.

A defensive or fleeing stance could lead to even greater trouble.

The best approach was to eliminate the threat quickly.

As expected, the moment he chose, a swift attack came from behind.

But it wasn't in the direction he predicted.

It flew towards Doctor Hong, not him. Despite the delayed reaction, Seohui's sword overpowered the attacker.

Clang!

He deflected the enemy's sword with his short sword and created an opening with two consecutive attacks.

Swish!

He shot a sword qi into the enemy's abdomen.

"Aa..."

Hong Chui, who was following behind, let out intermittent groans.

Even if he couldn't see clearly, he guessed that he had been in a very dangerous situation just now.

And the man in front had eliminated everything.

"Now, we just need to take care of one more at the entrance."

Seohui walked forward again.

Based on his guess from the path they had taken, there was likely a squad leader at the entrance.

Eliminating him would allow them to escape.

He believed it was possible.

"You had an ally."

But as soon as they reached the entrance, Seohui realized it.

Whoosh!

All members of the sixth squad were already waiting here.

Whoosh!

The remaining three were also approaching from behind.

'Damn it.'

Unfortunately, he was surrounded by everyone.