Chapter 343

The Six Poison Cliques were targeting Jin Ja-gang.

But Leper Mound and Funeral Parlor had instead been defeated by Jin Ja-gang.

Naturally, Bang Muk, who belonged to Physician Bell Healers, couldn’t be unaware of Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang showed no killing intent. He just looked at Bang Muk. However, Bang Muk couldn’t even look at Jin Ja-gang and sweated profusely. His throat seemed parched as he drank liquor with trembling hands.

Jin Ja-gang soon shifted his gaze to An Ryeong. Unlike when looking at Bang Muk, it contained uncomfortable emotions.

“I extremely dislike it when someone meddles from the middle.”

Knowing the relationship between Physician Bell Healers and Jin Ja-gang to some extent but deliberately revealing it could only be seen as having other intentions.

An Ryeong’s answer was simple.

“It’s interesting.”

An Ryeong gulped down a bowl of liquor and smiled brightly as if asking what he would do about it. Since she had such a pretty face, even saying absurd things didn’t make her hateful. But Jin Ja-gang’s expression hardened further.

“Your expression is so stiff. You’re more serious than this young Taoist here.”

“Do you find people dying interesting?”

“Ah, so you were thinking of killing him?”

The conversation was between Jin Ja-gang and An Ryeong, but it was Bang Muk whose face was rotting away.

Sensing the atmosphere wasn’t normal, the farmers present gradually slipped away from their seats.

Jin Ja-gang warned An Ryeong.

“Don’t joke around.”

“How disappointing. If this looks like a joke to you, then you’re not ready to stand in this martial world yet.”

An Ryeong still didn’t erase her smile, but her voice dropped from before.

“The one law that works in this martial world full of all kinds of idiots. Acting as a hero through martial arts. Don’t you know?”

“I’ve never seen heroism.”

An Ryeong asked Jin Ja-gang.

“Then what are you?”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes narrowed. An Ryeong continued.

“You’re from medicine sects, and poison sects have destroyed medicine sects in the past. So you’ve been stirring up all of Central Plains for revenge until now, haven’t you? Even making the Martial Alliance your enemy?”

It wasn’t wrong.

Woon-jeong hiccupped while admiring.

“Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen someone suppress Poison Dragon with words. That’s right. Cause and effect! One who loses sect and blood relatives in the martial world but doesn’t seek revenge cannot be called a gentleman! Huh? Come to think of it, if Poison Dragon is… hmm, it’s strange that someone who kills people like that would be a hero and gentleman.”

At the mention of killing people indiscriminately, Bang Muk hunched his shoulders while An Ryeong smiled slightly and said.

“Revenge is the only justification that can take precedence over any great cause in the martial world. As those who live with our lives on blade tips, we need to respect others’ blood debts. We must neither avoid blood debts nor carelessly interfere in others’ blood debts.”

An Ryeong looked straight at Jin Ja-gang and said.

“So I respect your revenge. If Two Dragons One Phoenix interfered in your blood debt, it’s right they pay with their lives.”

Bang Muk, who had been suppressed by the aura, gathered courage to speak.

“Phew… Miss An Ryeong is right. As martial world people, we cannot ignore blood debts. But openly instigating was too much. How many jars of liquor have we shared while traveling together for over half a month?”

An Ryeong patted Bang Muk’s back.

“Don’t worry. If you die, I’ll definitely collect your blood debt!”

Bang Muk spat out the liquor he was holding and coughed.

“Cough cough.”

Woon-jeong asked as if puzzled.

“Excuse me, aren’t you going to avenge your friends Two Dragons One Phoenix?”

An Ryeong lowered her voice and said seriously.

“Actually, this is just between you and me, Taoist… I wasn’t very close to those guys. The kids were stuffy and didn’t like drinking. Rather, Brother Bang here could be considered much closer. He was a very good drinking companion.”

Bang Muk twisted his face and protested.

“I can hear everything. I’m not dead yet! I’d prefer if you didn’t talk about me as if I’m already dead!”

Though Bang Muk was much older, he was speaking respectfully while being suppressed by An Ryeong’s aura.

An Ryeong raised her liquor cup and shouted.

“Fair-weather friends! Though we call drinking companions who don’t share hardships but only hang out together fair-weather friends, for me, only fair-weather drinking companions are true friends who understand me, and the only ones I can call close sworn friends! Gulp gulp.”

Sworn friends was a term from Du Fu’s poetry meaning close friends who share the same aspirations.

She loved liquor so much that she said only drinking companions were real friends.

An Ryeong had already emptied her bowl-sized liquor cup several times.

Woon-jeong nodded as if he finally understood.

“I wondered why she was called Burning Phoenix… indeed…”

Bang Muk smiled bitterly and said.

“Her personality is very fiery. Like burning. Of course, her drinking capacity is even more fiery than that. You shouldn’t be fooled by her appearance alone.”

An Ryeong said seriously.

“This isn’t my fault but because of my master, no, if we trace it deeper, it’s clearly family heredity. Do you know why doctors are doctors?”

An Ryeong looked at Jin Ja-gang, Woon-jeong, and Bang Muk in turn and said.

“The character for medicine (醫) contains the character for jar (酉) representing a vessel that holds liquor. Since ancient times, doctors have cured diseases by giving patients boiled liquor or sprinkling liquor on affected areas. So our An family medical house has an inseparable relationship with liquor!”

“Would the Medical Immortal think the same way?”

“My grandfather? Grandfather is actually a tremendous drinker too. Though I’ve never seen him drunk to unconsciousness.”

An Ryeong poured more liquor and held up her cup while looking at Jin Ja-gang.

“So, now! What will you do?”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“About what?”

“If you’re going to collect the blood debt here and now, I won’t interfere. But if you kill Brother Bang, then I’ll have to collect Brother Bang’s blood debt from you.”

Though the tone was relaxed and bright, the content within was completely opposite. It was closer to a threat.

Since the Six Poison Cliques had already moved to eliminate Jin Ja-gang, Jin Ja-gang and Physician Bell Healers were also enemies. But before Jin Ja-gang could touch Bang Muk, An Ryeong had struck first to block him.

Woon-jeong was surprised that one could pressure an opponent this way too.

Jin Ja-gang sneered.

“Now I see you weren’t trying to sow discord. Are you threatening me?”

Jin Ja-gang responded with killing intent. Rough, unrefined killing intent slowly spread to the surroundings.

Crackle, crackle.

The sparks from the fire roasting the wild boar flew particularly fiercely toward An Ryeong’s direction.

An Ryeong’s cheeks, flushed from drinking, and her eyes reflecting the flames formed crescents as she smiled.

“Killing intent, nice.”

Though it was beauty that any man would be enchanted by, Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent only grew thicker.

An Ryeong met Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent with fighting spirit.

Whoosh!

The fire near An Ryeong blazed up greatly. As if the fire had split in two, the flames heading from Jin Ja-gang toward An Ryeong were blocked by a wall of fire. Though the fire was in one place, the flames intertwined and spiraled upward.

The fire intensified, causing black soot to stick to parts of the wild boar’s legs.

Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent and An Ryeong’s fighting spirit clashed, making the flames stronger and stronger.

Whoooosh!

No, the wild boar began burning and producing black smoke.

Woon-jeong and Bang Muk exchanged glances. Bang Muk in particular couldn’t sit still and finally stepped forward.

“There’s no need to do this because of me!”

Suddenly An Ryeong waved her hand.

Swish!

The enormous blazing flames were extinguished at once. It was a move showing An Ryeong’s internal energy was beyond imagination.

Bang Muk swallowed dry saliva and spoke to Jin Ja-gang.

“Poison Dragon. If you came to collect a blood debt, I’ll respond. But if that’s not it and you want something else… if there’s still room for dialogue, I’ll try my best to persuade our leader. I don’t want our sect brothers to die or get hurt.”

Jin Ja-gang stared at Bang Muk.

He hadn’t expected things to proceed this way.

“How can I trust you?”

Bang Muk said with emphasis.

“We are wandering martial physicians. Originally we’ve lived selling medicine and practicing medical arts without interest in martial world affairs. Most who belong to Physician Bell Healers are ordinary wandering doctors with no interest in fighting.”

Jin Ja-gang asked coldly.

“Then why did you betray the medicine sects?”

“About that… I have nothing to say. Our leader, worried about suffering damage by being caught up in the fight between medicine sects and poison sects… judged that medicine sects couldn’t defeat poison sects and decided to surrender quickly. Though there was internal opposition, we had no choice to survive…”

Bang Muk waved his hands and said.

“But we absolutely did no evil to medicine sect brothers. In exchange for surrendering first, we received a promise to do nothing. So we just watched until the fighting ended…”

Just turning away from medicine sects, and the fact that they just watched, was still betrayal. Bang Muk seemed to realize this while making excuses, as his voice grew smaller.

An Ryeong said.

“I, no, our An family medical house guarantees. Brother Bang’s words aren’t false. Our family has long exchanged with Physician Bell Healers through medical arts. We pride ourselves on knowing Physician Bell Healers better than anyone.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’m meeting you for the first time today too.”

“What? The famous Poison Dragon evaluates people by how long he’s known them? Is that all you amount to?”

An Ryeong grabbed Bang Muk’s head, put it in front of Jin Ja-gang, and opened Bang Muk’s eyes wide.

“Ah, Miss An Ryeong! What, what are you doing?”

“Look at his eyes. His eyes. Look at Brother Bang’s eyes here.”

Ordinary eyes. But the gaze was very kind. Absolutely not the eyes of someone who would lie or make up excuses to get through a momentary crisis.

An Ryeong huffed with her cheeks red from drinking.

“Brother Bang might fail at persuasion. Brother Bang is conscientious, but Physician Bell Healers might not be. But when such a person stakes his true heart and says he’ll try something, shouldn’t you believe him once? Haven’t you ever had that? A heart hoping someone would believe you!”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t.

At age ten, in the year of the Hundred Flower Valley tragedy, Jin Ja-gang had visited the Martial Alliance’s Yunnan branch.

Hoping someone would believe his words.

Though such a thing never happened.

Jin Ja-gang asked An Ryeong.

“Why are you trying so hard to help this person?”

“You don’t know how precious one trustworthy drinking companion is in this murderous martial world. I can risk my life for this one drinking companion here. Can you?”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer.

An Ryeong continued.

“Poison Dragon. I don’t know how you think of yourself, but you’re already a big shot. You’ve struck Leper Mound and Funeral Parlor. When you rise up, regardless of results, Physician Bell Healers will suffer great damage. Even for Physician Bell Healers, it would be hard to refuse your proposal.”

“Are you telling me to take risks?”

“So what if you do? Do you think it would be easy for Physician Bell Healers to trust you? They have to take risks too.”

An Ryeong stared at Jin Ja-gang as if glaring and said.

“Don’t look down on the world. To avoid bloodshed, you have to take that much risk. To smell humanity in a martial world rampant with betrayal and blade fights, you need that much resolve.”