Chapter 41: Crisis Escape - Hong Samae

Hong Shin quickly used light footwork to distance himself from the Black Cat Gang as much as possible. He feared that the madman's mind might change and issue another order to capture him. Since he couldn't predict what the fake executioner was thinking, his fear of the fake executioner grew even more as he fled.

Naturally, his steps headed towards a place where the Black Cat Gang's reach wouldn't extend.

After running fiercely for a while, Hong Shin suddenly frowned and gradually slowed down his light footwork. At this moment, a word popped into his mind.

'Diarrhea?'

Following the word 'diarrhea,' another word came to mind.

'Impossible?'

They say that 'impossible' can kill a person. As if 'diarrhea' and 'impossible' had formed an unpleasant alliance, his stomach churned, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

'Why here of all places? Could it be because of the poison?'

Hong Shin walked for a moment, his hand on his stomach.

Poison comes in various types, but most of them involve a worm (蠱, gu) growing inside the body after a certain period. If the antidote doesn't kill the worm, the person will die. This is why such a terrifying poison isn't widely used; it's extremely difficult to manufacture. However, since Hong Shin didn't know the true identity of the fake executioner, he couldn't simply doubt whether the poison was real or fake.

It was a matter of life and death.

Thus, the sudden abdominal pain was even more bewildering. He had never taken this poison before and didn't know that diarrhea could accompany it. But since he had taken the poison on an empty stomach, it seemed natural that his stomach would hurt.

Hong Shin swallowed hard and looked around, twisting his body.

'Please... please... I'll be good. Please...'

He couldn't see a toilet.

Feeling frustrated, Hong Shin tried to hold back his tears. He thought that if he started crying, he might lose control even faster. Struggling to maintain his consciousness, he tried to find a toilet or a secluded area with tall grass.

Whenever he passed by, a few peddlers would glance at him with strange looks. Each time, Hong Shin, with a red face, used light footwork to quickly leave the area.

'Please... anyone, help me.'

He stopped again in a sparsely populated area.

He might have an accident while running.

On a quiet path, Hong Shin took deep breaths while simultaneously tightening his sphincter muscles. If he hadn't practiced martial arts, he might have already had an accident. Nonetheless, Hong Shin managed to barely hold it back with the resilience of his well-trained body.

At this moment, he saw someone running towards him from the direction he had come, creating a dust storm.

A truly storm-like speed.

Hong Shin thought that even if his light footwork was quite good, he wouldn't be able to outpace this person on a good day.

A man dressed in a neat white robe passed by and glanced at him.

Hong Shin swallowed hard as the man passed by.

'An expert.'

At this moment, the white-robed man, who had stopped a short distance away, asked Hong Shin.

"Miss, is something wrong? Your face is very pale."

Hearing the deep, resonant voice, Hong Shin hesitated and then replied with a tired voice.

"Poison..."

As soon as he spoke, Hong Shin was startled.

'Ah, what am I doing?'

The man was a martial artist; how could he casually mention being poisoned? Regardless, Hong Shin, feeling too bad, said what he felt.

"I'm... looking for a toilet."

The man walked over and, with a very serious expression, said.

"To summarize, you're poisoned and urgently looking for a toilet? Quickly, get on my back. I'm heading to a regular place, and if you don't want to solve it in the mountains, I'll take you there quickly. Your face is very pale. Quickly..."

The man showed no suspicion and offered his back. He was a man of great presence.

Hong Shin, wondering if the man was planning to ambush him, asked.

"Is it close?"

"I'll run at full speed."

"Please."

Hong Shin got on the man's back and tightened his sphincter. If he hadn't practiced diligently, he would have had an accident the moment he got on.

The man ran as fast as a wild horse and said.

"Hold on tight."

As Hong Shin frowned and barely managed to respond, the scenery around him quickly passed by.

"Thank you."

It was an incredible speed, but the man's voice remained calm throughout.

"Calmness can overcome any crisis."

A short while later, they entered a small town with a few shops. The man quickly passed through a construction site and, upon reaching the toilet behind a regular shop, gently placed Hong Shin down.

"Go quickly. I'll be in the shop, so take your time..."

With a pale face, Hong Shin finally made it to the toilet. As soon as the man disappeared, Hong Shin, after lowering his pants, solved his crisis. He couldn't help but admire the man's considerate nature. The diarrhea was so loud.

It was undoubtedly a moment of crisis in his life.

Hong Shin, covering his nose with his hand, thought.

'Thank you, but I can't possibly look at you again.'

Hong Shin couldn't help but shed a tear. He didn't know why he was crying. The sound of something clashing below was continuously loud. Hong Shin, fearing that he might burst into tears from an unknown emotion, put his fist in his mouth and barely held back his tears.

Still, he felt relieved.

As the clashing sound subsided, Hong Shin had a look of enlightenment.

"Life, what's there to it?"

* * *

Hong Shin, having perfectly escaped the crisis, walked around the town to let the smell on his body dissipate, occasionally taking deep breaths to steady himself.

He felt like he was regaining his composure.

While deliberately keeping a distance, Hong Shin peeked into the shop where he had used the toilet. The white-robed man was eating something with his back turned, occasionally lifting his head to chat with the shop owner.

After much deliberation, Hong Shin, with a newfound sense of enlightenment, entered the shop.

The white-robed man, who looked perfectly fine, turned his head and asked in a calm tone.

"Are you okay?"

The shop owner bowed.

"Welcome."

Hong Shin replied.

"Yes, thanks to you, I'm better. Thank you very much."

Suddenly, Hong Shin, thinking of offering thanks, reached for the money pouch in his chest but realized it had been taken by the Black Cat Gang.

'Oh no...'

Seeing this, the white-robed man said.

"It's fine. If you're okay, have a bowl of warm noodles. The broth is clear, so it might settle your stomach."

"I'm fine. I don't want to eat right now."

"I won't force you."

Hong Shin felt his legs go weak and sat down for a moment. As the white-robed man slurped his noodles, the shop owner said.

"Have you been starving? You're eating well. Wait and see."

The white-robed man replied.

"Oh, can I look forward to it?"

The shop owner, with a warm expression, came out of the kitchen and placed a large piece of meat, dripping with oil, on the white-robed man's table.

The white-robed man rubbed his hands and said.

"What a windfall. Eating it with the broth, there's no better delicacy."

"Eat a lot. If you hadn't come today, it would have gone into the rice soup. You have the luck to eat it."

"Even though I'm an unlucky person, I have the luck to eat."

Hong Shin, looking at the oil-coated meat, couldn't help but swallow and asked.

"What is that? I'll have to try it next time."

The shop owner said to Hong Shin.

"It's pork ribs."

The white-robed man, tearing the meat with his bare hands and looking at Hong Shin, said as if to remind him.

"Pork ribs."

"I see."

The shop owner, as if offering a taste, said.

"Don't refuse. Try a piece."

Hong Shin waved his hand.

"No, I'm..."

"Aww, it's fine. You have to taste it to come back next time."

The shop owner brought out a piece of pork ribs from the kitchen and placed it in a small bowl on Hong Shin's table.

"Eat it with your hands. Don't use chopsticks. The seasoning is already done, so don't dip it in anything. Hold the ribs on both sides and tear it."

Hong Shin, feeling his mouth water, replied.

"Aww, you don't have to..."

Indeed, was this the same woman who had just had a serious accident in the toilet? Hong Shin started tearing the pork ribs. The shop owner and the white-robed man, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, turned their gaze and chatted among themselves.

"Is everything okay?"

"What could go wrong? It suddenly got too quiet, so I was bored."

"Being bored is good."

"That's true. How about you?"

"Ah, there's no place like home. The food doesn't taste good. People are so cunning, old and young alike. There are many slippery characters."

"But it suits you."

In the meantime, Hong Shin was tearing the meat off the pork ribs, even sucking the small pieces of meat from the bones. It seemed that he was actually very hungry after emptying his stomach.

The shop owner finally spoke.

"Is it good?"

Hong Shin, unable to express it in words, gave a thumbs up.

The shop owner smiled.

"Come often. But we don't always have pork ribs. Try the noodles or the rice soup when we don't."

Hong Shin, with oil on his lips, nodded and looked around the shabby shop.

"This is a hidden gem."

"If you come too late, the shop might be gone. Keep that in mind."

Hong Shin asked.

"Are you moving?"

The shop owner pointed outside and asked.

"Didn't you see the construction site on your way here?"

"I did."

"When it's completed, we'll move there."

"Oh, they're building something huge. What is it?"

The shop owner smiled and replied.

"A large inn is being built. It will be a landmark in this area."

Hong Shin, with wide eyes, replied.

"Wow, an inn that big? Amazing. This must be a wealthy area?"

The white-robed man took out a money pouch from his chest and handed three silver coins to the shop owner. The shop owner, who looked simple, suddenly brightened up.

"Wow, you really are successful."

"Will this cover my past debts?"

"And more. Hahaha."

Hong Shin, thinking about the white-robed man's generosity, didn't miss the shape of the money pouch returning to his chest.

At that moment, Hong Shin's expression hardened.

"..."

In the silence, the sound of Hong Shin swallowing hard echoed. The white-robed man slowly turned his head and silently looked at Hong Shin.

"..."

Hong Shin, noticing the man's gaze, confirmed it again.

"Impossible?"

They say that 'impossible' can kill a person. Zhang Deshui, not understanding the situation, looked back and forth between the two and asked.

"What's the relationship between the two of you?"

The white-robed man, with a calm expression and a deep voice, called out to Hong Shin.

"Samae."

The moment Hong Shin heard 'Samae,' memories of the poison, the fake executioner, diarrhea, the toilet, the clashing sound, the pork ribs, the money pouch, and various scenes and voices overlapped in an instant, and she fainted. It was a moment of sudden possession.

Even in this state, a very faint consciousness remained. At this moment, the fake executioner's voice whispered from nearby.

"Ten days left."

Then, Hong Shin's consciousness completely faded.