Chapter 74

One

Dang Harin and Zhuge Jun, who had escaped outside, were taking care of the women not far from the cave.

A dozen or so women lay in a row, each groaning in pain.

“Guh!”

“Please... save me.”

Dang Harin, who had some knowledge of medicine, was devoted to treating the women, but there was no sign of recovery in their pitiful state.

Seeing the women writhing in extreme pain, Dang Harin bit her lip hard.

How could she save them?

No matter how much she thought, no solution came to mind.

‘...I can’t do it alone.’

Her abilities were far too inadequate.

There was only one person who could resolve this situation.

With this in mind, Dang Harin kept staring at the cave entrance, where thick smoke was billowing out.

At that moment, Zhuge Jun, who had been helping her, swallowed and spoke.

“...Don’t worry. Lord Guozhu will come out unharmed, just like always.”

However, Zhuge Jun’s expression was as dark as hers.

Both were feeling extremely heavy-hearted.

‘Ah! Such a tragedy right before my eyes, and I didn’t even notice the slightest sign...’

‘...To pass the danger to others and save my own life. What kind of righteous sect or White Way am I?’

Their frustration with their own powerlessness and their sense of guilt towards You Xinyun were tormenting them.

Suddenly,

Whoosh!

“...!”

The smoke spewing from the cave violently shook.

Then,

Whoosh!

A human figure suddenly burst out from the billowing smoke.

Immediately, the two placed their hands on the weapons at their waists.

Was it an enemy, or You Xinyun?

Thud.

Finally, the mysterious figure, moving at an incredible speed that dazzled their eyes, arrived in front of them in an instant.

‘Ah!’

Only then did Dang Harin and Zhuge Jun’s faces light up.

“Good, you’ve saved them all. Both of you have worked hard.”

The mysterious figure was You Xinyun.

He was the ultimate victor.

His disheveled appearance clearly showed how intense the battle inside had been.

Before either of them could say anything, You Xinyun immediately knelt down beside the lying women.

‘...It’s really serious.’

All of them were on the brink of death, in a state far worse than the victims in the Three Prisons.

But it couldn’t be helped.

While the Three Prisons were for storing goods, this place was more like a disposal site.

‘This won’t do.’

Whoosh.

You Xinyun took out an item from his robes.

‘...What is that?’

It was a set of acupuncture needles.

Without hesitation, You Xinyun began to insert the needles into the women’s vital points.

While the needles were used to stimulate the meridians and boost the victims’ energy, they were also a cover for using his skills.

He was simultaneously using two skills while inserting the needles: 'Reverse Purification' and 'Heavenly White Restoration'.

[Reverse Purification (S+)]

Removes the most harmful effect from the user or a designated target.

-Additional Effect: When using any recovery skill on a target affected by 'Reverse Purification', the skill’s effectiveness is increased by 20%.

-The effect increases as the skill’s proficiency and level rise.

The victims’ condition was so severe that using aura extraction as before to draw out the drug’s influence risked absorbing the last bit of life left in them.

If that happened, the victims would die.

Therefore, You Xinyun decided to use 'Reverse Purification' to remove the deep-rooted drug toxins from their bodies.

Moreover, the additional effect of 'Reverse Purification' enhanced the function of another recovery skill.

Thus, 'Heavenly White Restoration' was working even more powerfully, boosting the women’s energy.

Of course, Zhuge Jun and Dang Harin had no idea. They simply thought You Xinyun was incredibly skilled in medicine.

As You Xinyun used his skills one after another, system messages appeared before his eyes.

[Characteristic, 'Benevolent Medicine (SS)' proficiency increased.]

[New Skill, 'Divine Spirit Direct (S+)' acquired.]

[New Skill, 'Shielding Protection (S+)' acquired.]

[Hidden Quest, 'The Path to Justice II' condition, 'Treat 100 patients on the brink of death' 15/100 achieved.]

“Phew, this should put out the urgent fire.”

Finally, You Xinyun finished the emergency treatment of all the women.

The groans of pain from the women had completely disappeared, and a hint of peace now appeared on their faces.

Seeing this, Dang Harin’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

After a long while, she finally calmed down and spoke to You Xinyun in a low voice.

“...What could have reduced these women to such a state?”

“Drugs. Much more potent and destructive than opium.”

“Y-You mean, they are selling these drug-addicted women as merchandise?”

Zhuge Jun’s question made You Xinyun nod.

The notorious Nine Dragon Gang was involved in human trafficking and drugs!

Even seeing it with their own eyes, they found it hard to believe.

Drugs... the matter was too significant.

This was not something that could be resolved within the martial world alone.

‘The government will surely take action.’

This was a matter that would break the inviolable boundary between the government and the martial world.

The Lian Dynasty had no mercy for crimes related to opium. The criminals were always punished with the death penalty.

At that moment, Dang Harin spoke with agitation.

“This cannot be left unaddressed.”

“You’re right. We must inform the alliance and cooperate with the government to eliminate the Nine Dragon Gang.”

However, You Xinyun remained silent, only watching them for a moment.

“...There’s more to it.”

This made the two instinctively realize that something significant was still hidden in this matter.

“Even if we report it to the alliance, it will be dismissed due to lack of concrete evidence. And if we report it to the government, no investigation will be conducted.”

Instantly, the two turned pale. The meaning of You Xinyun’s words was all too clear.

They were bewildered.

“...Lord Guozhu, are you saying there are accomplices within the alliance and the government?”

They silently pleaded with You Xinyun to deny it.

But,

“Yes.”

You Xinyun answered without any hesitation.

They were speechless for a long time.

The shock of learning that there were people within the martial alliance who knew about the Nine Dragon Gang’s activities and turned a blind eye was too great.

They wanted to shout in disbelief, but seeing You Xinyun’s calm eyes, they couldn’t.

There was no trace of falsehood in his eyes.

Suddenly, Dang Harin and Zhuge Jun’s gazes met in the air.

Their experiences of the alliance’s corrupted justice and You Xinyun’s life-risking actions were telling them who to trust.

Breaking the long silence, Dang Harin spoke.

“...Then, who is this insider?”

They decided to trust You Xinyun, not the alliance.

‘I have their complete trust. Yes, I can tell them now.’

You Xinyun smiled slightly, satisfied.

“The cities where the Nine Dragon Gang’s drugs have spread are only two: Zhejiang and Anhui.”

“Anhui?!”

Zhuge Jun exclaimed in shock.

It made sense.

Zhejiang, long under the control of the Nine Dragon Gang, was indeed the place where the martial alliance’s influence was weakest.

But Anhui was different.

Anhui was home to two major sects that were pillars of the martial alliance.

One was the Nangong Clan, the leading family of the Seven Great Clans, known as the Cangtian Sword Family.

But the insider couldn’t be the Nangong Clan.

‘Five years ago, after the youngest master died from opium addiction, the Sword Saint has been thoroughly inspecting every member of the Nangong family every month.’

Then,

There was only one remaining sect.

“...My God!”

“Surely...”

It was none other than the Huangshan Sect, where Qing Shui Daozhang belonged.

The two covered their mouths in shock.

Before fighting Qing Shui Daozhang, You Xinyun wasn’t sure which of the two, the Nangong Clan or the Huangshan Sect, was colluding with the Nine Dragon Gang.

This part was kept secret even in his future memories.

But during the fight with Qing Shui Daozhang, when You Xinyun pushed him to the brink, the energy he unknowingly summoned in his rage was unmistakable.

‘Qing Shui Daozhang, the energy he tried to use at the end was faint but clearly the power of a monster.’

It was the same energy he felt from Guo Zhushan, Gong Sun Qiu, and Mei Yuehua.

Yes, Qing Shui Daozhang had allied with the Blood Sect and received the power of the Demon God.

While this made You Xinyun’s future even more perilous, he actually felt it was for the best.

‘I was going to destroy it anyway. Now, with no hesitation, I can only be grateful.’

With this thought, You Xinyun spoke to the two, who were waiting for his words.

“I have a plan. If you’re not afraid of the size of the opposing force and can abandon your petty pride to follow my orders, I can guarantee that we can save even more people safely than we have today.”

As You Xinyun finished speaking, a fierce determination appeared in the two’s eyes.

“Will you follow me?”

Thud.

Thud.

Dang Harin and Zhuge Jun, abandoning their pride as descendants of martial families, knelt on one knee before You Xinyun without any hesitation.

“I will dedicate everything to make the plan succeed.”

“I will do the same. Let’s root out these demons completely.”

You Xinyun smiled slightly and spoke.

“Good. I will borrow your strength for a while.”

For the first time, the three, now united in heart, smiled at each other.

After this new relationship was formed,

You Xinyun instructed Dang Harin and Zhuge Jun to take the women to Tianmu Hall, the best place for recovery and hiding.

He included a letter to Dao Nanjiang, entrusting the women’s care to him.

After they left,

‘Now, this will be my message.’

You Xinyun deliberately threw the bone mask he had used before at the entrance of the cave, which was now charred black, and returned to the courier agency.

Martial World Reborn