Chapter 490

The one day Great Buddha shortened had considerable meaning.

Great Buddha would come faster by the shortened day.

“Great Buddha’s ability exceeded the Sword King’s expectations. Great Buddha is much stronger than expected.”

However, there was an even bigger problem.

“Great Buddha noticed my thought of choosing Wuhan as the decisive battle location. Even though there’s two days’ leeway time-wise, moving it up by one day means he won’t meet at the location I set.”

Jin Ja-gang habitually had ingrained in his body the practice of always surveying his surroundings and memorizing terrain.

He knew all the advantages and disadvantages of places he’d been to once. He had previously come to Wuhan. Therefore, if he couldn’t meet Great Buddha at the location Jin Ja-gang planned, the plan would go awry.

Son-bi and Yeong-gwi nodded.

“Then let’s hurry.”

The group hastily rushed their journey.

Yeong-gwi and Son-bi alternately went ahead on the road to prepare food and horses to change to.

Since horses also tire, they couldn’t pull a carriage for more than half a day. They had to keep changing horses. To save even that time, one person ran ahead in advance.

They switched to the carriage Yeong-gwi prepared, and this time Son-bi got off the carriage and ran out. Yeong-gwi entered the carriage and sat with a tired look. It couldn’t be easy to overtake horses running at full speed.

“You worked hard.”

Jin Ja-gang offered water.

Yeong-gwi drank water, caught her breath, and said.

“Hurry and circulate qi for healing. I’ll stand guard.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded. He held Divine Ladle River Sword and entered internal injury treatment again.

***

On the fifth day since Jin Ja-gang hastened his journey, someone suddenly blocked the carriage.

It was An Ryeong.

Son-bi made a welcoming face. She grabbed An Ryeong’s hand and brought her into the carriage, showing her happiness.

As soon as An Ryeong got on the carriage, she grumbled.

“The carriage is so fast I thought I’d die trying to catch up.”

The smell of alcohol wafted from An Ryeong. Her face was also flushed, seeming somewhat drunk.

“It’s been a while. Are the wounds you got before okay?”

An Ryeong had suffered severe injuries with her stomach pierced by Ham Geun’s Plum Blossom Sword Energy and her elbow broken.

At Jin Ja-gang’s question, An Ryeong pursed her lips.

“What? Did you forget our family is the world’s best medical family? My arm’s a bit uncomfortable but it’s okay. And you’re still thoughtful and delicate.”

She herself was still rebellious and grumbling An Ryeong. But An Ryeong soon looked at Jin Ja-gang’s face from all angles in surprise.

“I heard you were incredibly badly hurt, but you’ve already healed this much?”

Though scabs had formed abundantly, many places already had scabs fallen off with new flesh grown. In a few days, the external wounds would heal with almost no traces.

“The inside is a mess though.”

“Well, of course that’s so. If you massacred hundreds of people and were fine, even heaven wouldn’t look favorably.”

When An Ryeong kept grumbling, Son-bi grabbed An Ryeong’s hand to stop her.

However, Jin Ja-gang raised his hand telling her to leave it.

“What brings you here?”

“I could come for no reason.”

“Your face doesn’t look that way.”

“Ahh… Does it all show?”

An Ryeong lifted her gourd and drank alcohol in one gulp. Son-bi took away the gourd with worried eyes.

Son-bi sighed.

She stared at Jin Ja-gang then opened her mouth with difficulty, unlike An Ryeong.

“Stop here.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t ask why.

An Ryeong took back the gourd, gulped it down, and said.

“If you meet Great Buddha in that condition, you can’t win. The moment you bring up the letter ‘H’ of Hungry Ghost King, you’ll die.”

“If he don’t answer about the Hungry Ghost King, Great Buddha will die.”

At Jin Ja-gang’s spirited answer, An Ryeong looked at Jin Ja-gang as if absurd then shook her head.

“If recklessness reaches that point, it’s a disease. You can’t win.”

“If there’s no chance of victory, I wouldn’t have stepped forward.”

“I know. I don’t know what you’re thinking but seeing you came in that condition, you must have a plan. You might be able to corner Great Buddha considerably. Because you’re that kind of person.”

Jin Ja-gang asked as if tossing it out.

“Has An Clan Medical Family decided to intervene?”

An Ryeong’s expression hardened, struck at the vital point in one go. Unlike herself, An Ryeong couldn’t even look Jin Ja-gang in the eye directly and turned her gaze away.

Son-bi also grabbed An Ryeong’s arm asking if it was true, deliberately looking at her face.

“Damn it.”

An Ryeong laughed irritably.

“Right. Master, no, Grandfather led the family’s elites and departed for Shaolin Temple. He’ll watch you Poison Dragon and Great Buddha fight, then intervene when Great Buddha becomes troubled and take Great Buddha’s side.”

An Clan Medical Family didn’t think Jin Ja-gang would win. But if Jin Ja-gang troubled Great Buddha, they planned to help Great Buddha and gain favor at that time.

“We’re thinking of establishing a direct relationship with Shaolin Temple through this opportunity without going through the Righteous Alliance. Then we can achieve two birds with one stone for our family: not being subordinate to the Righteous Alliance and settling the past with Shaolin Temple.”

Jin Ja-gang asked as if confirming.

“So, is Divine Physician going to Shaolin Temple?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Even if you don’t corner Great Buddha, it’s fine. You’ll naturally use poison, so we can help neutralize that poison and treat poisoned patients. Just that alone can make Shaolin Temple indebted.”

Son-bi looked at An Ryeong with a shocked expression. An Ryeong saw Son-bi’s expression and laughed madly.

“What, that expression. Like you just found out our family was like that? You already knew originally. That though we speak of trust and chivalry with our mouths, in the end we just attach here and there to parasitize to survive.”

At An Ryeong’s self-deprecating words, Son-bi vigorously shook her head.

“What, why are you being unlike yourself, Son-bi?”

An Ryeong looked at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“Well, if you want to curse, I’ll take it. But resent King of Hell. King of Hell provoked our grandfather. If King of Hell hadn’t sent a letter, Grandfather wouldn’t have thought to move.”

“King of Hell?”

“Right. He threatened us to help you.”

Jin Ja-gang stared at An Ryeong.

An Ryeong pursed her lips.

“What? That look.”

When Jin Ja-gang looked silently, An Ryeong’s expression began to gradually grow cold. She seemed to get angrier.

An Ryeong ground her teeth and jumped up.

“Don’t… look at me with those eyes. Because I want to kill you. Someone kindly came to inform you of danger. If you want to die that badly, go or don’t, do whatever you want!”

An Ryeong immediately tried to jump off the carriage.

Then Jin Ja-gang said.

“I’m not going to Shaolin Temple.”

Flinch!

An Ryeong turned to look at Jin Ja-gang asking what he meant. Her hair fluttered wildly in the strong wind.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“Great Buddha also knows. That I’m not going to Shaolin Temple.”

“Th-then where… Where is this carriage going!”

Though An Ryeong was acting roughly, from An Ryeong’s position, it was as if she came betraying her family.

Jin Ja-gang knew the reason. He could fully feel the conflict and anguish arising inside An Ryeong.

So Jin Ja-gang answered.

“To Wuhan.”

Jin Ja-gang looked directly into An Ryeong’s eyes. An Ryeong’s pupils shook left and right.

An Ryeong’s face changed strangely as if smiling yet not.

“Wh-what does that mean? You’re really not going all the way to Shaolin Temple?”

An Ryeong grabbed Son-bi and shook her.

“Son-bi, is what that Poison Dragon bastard just said true? Huh? Is it true!”

Son-bi nodded.

Jin Ja-gang wasn’t going to Shaolin Temple.

But An Clan Medical Family was going to Shaolin Temple.

To Shaolin Temple, which was no different from an empty place with almost all Arhat monks out in the martial world because of the Righteous Dharma March, and even Great Buddha out.

In a situation already in a bad relationship with Shaolin Temple, if they led elites to Shaolin Temple, how would Great Buddha accept it?

“Ah…”

An Ryeong’s face was colored with terror.

An Clan Medical Family’s martial power wasn’t low. Great Buddha would take An Clan Medical Family’s journey to Shaolin as a sufficient threat.

***

An Yul-jin headed to Shaolin Temple with fifty elites.

From Huguang to Henan Mount Song wasn’t a long road. However, to match Jin Ja-gang and Great Buddha’s speed, he had to hasten steps considerably.

An Yul-jin thought of Tang Qing and clicked his tongue.

“It’s a matter you brought upon yourself, so don’t blame me too much. From when you knelt to Poison Dragon, such things were already foreseen. No matter how much Poison Dragon flies and crawls, Shaolin Temple is Shaolin Temple. Poison Dragon cannot surpass Shaolin Temple. So how could I take Poison Dragon’s side?”

Though there was no one listening, An Yul-jin muttered to himself the whole time. Perhaps this was An Yul-jin’s way of letting out even a trace of guilt.

But then…

While An Yul-jin was running with fifty elites, sudden fighting spirit was felt. Everyone stopped in place.

“Namo Amitabha. Where are you going?”

An Yul-jin and the fifty elites looked up.

On the hill stood a figure of enormous physique and numerous bald monks.

An Yul-jin blinked his eyes for a moment, unable to understand the situation.

The road going to meet them was correct, but these weren’t people to meet here.

“Great Master Beom-bon?”

An Yul-jin quickly came to his senses and said.

“We… Ah, were on the way to meet Great Master!”

“This humble monk?”

“That’s right! Since rumors spread in the martial world that Poison Dragon was going to Shaolin Temple, we were going in case we could help Shaolin Temple if he used terrible poison.”

However, Beom-bon’s expression looking down at An Yul-jin was extremely cold.

“Is that true?”

“Why would I speak falsely?”

“Didn’t you come after receiving a letter? King of Hell’s.”

An Yul-jin was startled. If he knew that far, lying would be useless.

An Yul-jin made a groaning sound and conceded.

“Correct.”

Beom-bon gestured. An Arhat monk next to him held up a letter and read.

“Friends, have them strike Shaolin Temple while Poison Dragon is holding Great Buddha. This is a good opportunity to stop Shaolin Temple’s cruel and brutal actions. I, King of Hell, will lead the way and open the path.”

Beom-bon asked.

“Such letters were delivered to various sects in Huguang and Henan. You came after receiving this letter?”

An Yul-jin felt something was wrong. His spine grew cold.

“No! No! Not that letter!”

He fell into a trap!

Unexpectedly, Beom-bon nodded and conceded.

“Ahh, I know. With this humble monk out, how many would be so bold as to dare strike the main temple? This letter is likely someone’s scheme.”

An Yul-jin’s expression brightened a bit.

“That’s right! My family purely stepped forward to help Shaolin Temple, with no other intention. Please believe me.”

“I believe those words. However, you already harmed our temple’s disciples. And…”

Beom-bon’s thin eyes opened and glared at An Yul-jin.

“It happens to be the words of An Clan Medical Family that attaches to the liver then the gallbladder. Though it’s unlikely, if this humble monk goes wrong, how can you guarantee you won’t harm our temple?”

An Yul-jin swallowed dry saliva.

Beom-bon asked.

“Do you know what’s even more unpleasant?”

An Yul-jin didn’t answer. Perhaps Beom-bon didn’t expect an answer from the start as he continued speaking.

“Even knowing I’m being played by someone’s hands, I have no choice but to be played. Even knowing this letter is a scheme, because it happens to be you, I had no choice but to turn back. Do you understand what I mean?”

Killing intent gradually mixed into Beom-bon’s tone.

“Because of you, unavoidably because of you, I wasted a precious half day detouring. That sin, even if repaid with death, will be difficult to quell this humble monk’s anger.”