Chapter 80. Futility (5)

"I have no idea what's going on."

Ma Dongphil's face was a picture of confusion.

Zhu Hua shook her head.

"We'll find out the reason later. For now, it's best to rest."

Ma Dongphil nodded. In fact, there was no immediate way to find out the reason.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Indeed, he seemed to be much better. His complexion had returned, and his movements were very natural.

However, the swelling on his face had not yet gone down. No matter how great his martial arts were, it was not a wound that could heal in less than half a day.

"When do you plan to set off?"

"When Master wakes up."

That's right.

Ma Dongphil looked at Houmi's carriage. Master was currently practicing martial arts after taking the medicine in there.

'Sigh.'

Truly, this operation was full of embarrassing moments. If he had known Master would end up in such a mess, he would have abandoned Zhu Hua's protection and rushed over.

'But...'

He couldn't help but be amazed.

He and all the other martial artists had examined the traces of the fierce battle on the hill.

And they were shocked. They knew how advanced the martial arts had to be to leave such marks.

It was a level of martial arts that even the leaders of the Inner Palace's combat units could only dream of.

In fact, it was questionable how many martial artists in the entire Inner Palace could survive such a fierce battle.

'Could Master...?'

Ma Dongphil's face flushed.

'Has he already reached that realm?'

Supreme Master.

It's a term easily used, but the status of those called Supreme Masters is immense.

Even a talented martial artist who practices the highest-level martial arts without a single day's break for decades might not reach this realm without luck.

The very term "beyond the peak" proves the difficulty of this realm. "Peak" means the end, and to surpass even that end is no small feat.

'Considering Master's age, this is...'

Xuliang was only around twenty-five years old.

To reach such a realm in his mid-twenties? It was beyond comprehension.

'I envy him.'

Ma Dongphil clenched his fist.

'I want to follow him.'

Jealousy didn't arise. He wasn't the type to feel jealous, and Master wasn't someone to be jealous of.

He was just incredibly envious.

And he wanted to follow. Even if he couldn't catch up, he wanted to reach a place where he could see Xuliang's back.

"I don't really understand such relationships."

Suddenly, Ma Dongphil, startled by the voice, looked at Zhu Hua.

Zhu Hua, with her usual expressionless face, said,

"You look like a man gazing at the woman he loves."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Weren't you looking at Master?"

Ma Dongphil nodded.

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

"That's not what I meant."

"Understood."

"Don't misunderstand. I..."

"I'm not misunderstanding. I'm just saying it's like that."

"..."

"You seem to have a close relationship with Master."

"It's not that close. I just worked hard for Master, and Master kindly gave me a good evaluation."

Zhu Hua shook her head.

"Whatever it is, your relationship seems special."

"That's not true. If you say that, I feel too guilty towards Master. I'm just a sword and a shield for him."

A consistently tough and solid person.

Zhu Hua turned her head towards the carriage, following Ma Dongphil's gaze.

"Who is he?"

"What do you mean?"

"Master."

"Defining a person in a few words is impossible. Especially someone as great as him."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Hua spoke. She felt she had been talking more since she broke free from the demonic possession.

"Master healed my body."

She didn't mention the deal. She wasn't sure if Ma Dongphil knew the details, and even if he did, it wasn't something to be spoken of.

"My body was a mess due to the demonic possession. Master restored it to normal in less than a fortnight."

"I see."

"It didn't end there. During the journey here, I recovered about seventy percent of my martial arts."

"..."

"Don't misunderstand, it's not my full strength. Without Master's help, it would have been impossible."

"Hmm..."

"Commander San also saw it, didn't he? Master dealing with those monsters."

"Of course."

Even now, recalling that moment made his heart shudder.

At the same time, it warmed.

Master, appearing like a savior in a life-or-death situation, swept away the wolves with terrifying martial arts, which was truly moving.

The relief is something only those who experienced it can understand. The wind of hope that blew in the moment of despair sparked a thrilling flame in everyone's hearts.

"I've seen more powerful martial arts. But I've never seen more mysterious ones."

Ma Dongphil shook his head.

"Whatever impression you have, it's disrespectful to evaluate Master."

"I know. But..."

"..."

"I envy him."

"Envy? What for?"

"Never mind."

Ma Dongphil, who had been staring at her, turned his head. He didn't want to force someone to speak if they didn't want to.

A moment of silence.

Zhu Hua broke the silence.

"When do you think he will wake up?"

"Master?"

"Yes."

"Hard to say. Given his abilities, it shouldn't take long. However, his muscles were almost torn, so it might take at least half a day..."

At that moment, a somewhat weak voice came from inside the carriage.

"Half a day, my ass."

Thud!

The carriage door opened, and Xuliang stepped out, followed by Jin Huo, who was trailing behind nervously.

"Master!"

The two startled people quickly approached Xuliang.

Xuliang's complexion was still pale. His unstable aura, due to the lack of internal energy, flickered, and he was unsteady on his feet.

Ma Dongphil quickly supported him.

"Are you alright?"

"Damn, does it look like I'm fine to you?"

"Sorry, sorry!"

Xuliang chuckled.

"Sorry for what? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm... fine."

"Huh? What's with that face? Did you get dumped or something?"

The flustered Ma Dongphil quickly shook his head.

"N-no, nothing like that!"

"Hehe, still fun to tease."

"Master, should you go back inside and practice more? You still look unsteady."

"I'm fine. This is enough."

"But..."

"Shh!"

"Sorry."

"I came out because I can move. The job is done, so there's no need to worry. And this, get your arm out of my armpit. It's suffocating."

Ma Dongphil sighed inwardly, knowing how stubborn Xuliang could be.

When he let go of his supporting arm, Xuliang wobbled for a moment.

But after a deep breath, he straightened up. He looked tired, but there didn't seem to be any major issues with his movements.

"Hey, Chief Zhu."

For someone who was on the brink of death from severe internal and external injuries, this was an incredibly fast recovery. Zhu Hua, surprised, quickly knelt on one knee.

"Please kill me, Master."

"What's this about?"

"We have caused you great trouble and deserve to die."

Xuliang shuddered in disgust.

"What kind of trouble did you cause that you want to die?"

"..."

"Stop this nonsense and get up. Are all martial artists so noisy?"

As the leader of the martial artists, they couldn't make such bold statements.

"By the way."

Xuliang's face turned cold.

"What did you do with that guy's body?"

He wanted to cut off his limbs, torture him, and then send him to hell.

But his body couldn't take it, so he broke his neck immediately. He couldn't risk falling into demonic possession again just for revenge.

Ma Dongphil calmly replied.

"I left it near the red wolf corpses. Just in case, I collected all his belongings, including his clothes."

"Good."

"Yes."

Xuliang looked up at the sky.

A clear sky with a burning red sunset.

"Good job."

Ma Dongphil cleared his throat.

At first glance, it seemed like a relief, but a closer look revealed a hint of bitterness. He seemed to have mixed feelings.

"Dongphil."

"Yes, Master."

"Try not to hold grudges against people."

"Huh?"

"I'm not saying don't get angry or don't hate. Just let go of those feelings quickly and forget them."

Xuliang sighed.

"Living with grudges like me will make your life tiring."

"..."

"Whatever, you can just ignore it. You're a guy with strong principles anyway."

"No, Master. I will take your words to heart."

"Whatever."

Xuliang forced a bright smile and looked around.

"Did you find everything?"

"Yes. And... there's a man who seems to be part of the group. Should I bring him to you?"

"No need. I'm done here."

"Understood. Should we set off now? I think it would be better to stop at the branch and rest."

"Sure. Let's go eat some good food and rest on a soft bed."

Xuliang cheerfully called out.

"Let's head back..."

Suddenly, his expression turned blank.

Ma Dongphil, who hadn't seen Xuliang's face, loudly called out.

"Chief Zhu! We can set off now!"

"Yes."

"Commander San, prepare the team! We're heading to the branch!"

"Understood!"

Startled by the loud response, Xuliang stumbled and grabbed Ma Dongphil.

"Dongphil! Dongphil!"

"Yes? Do you have any orders?"

"No, it's just that I..."

Before Xuliang could finish, Ma Dongphil's face hardened.

"Master!"

"I was just thinking, I have a bit more to do..."

Suddenly, Xuliang's knees buckled.

At the same time, blood trickled from his nose. His body wasn't fully healed, and the exertion was too much.

'What the hell?'

Ma Dongphil quickly supported Xuliang.

"We need to move as quickly as possible."

"Cough! No! That's not it..."

"Skilled doctors are always on standby at the branch. It would be better to have them examine you."

"Damn..."

"Chief Zhu! Hurry, prepare! Master's condition is worsening!"

Zhu Hua quickly responded.

"Transport team, get in the carriage! We'll travel without stopping!"

Urgency was evident on Xuliang's face. His head was spinning, and his limbs were weak, but that wasn't the main concern right now.

'I can't go there! I have to stop at Anjia! I can't go! Please, not there!'

Ma Dongphil laid Xuliang down in the carriage.

Xuliang's vision gradually darkened.

'I won't go!'

Thud!

The carriage door closed.