Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Chapter 8. Even the Fierce Wind Cannot Wash Away the Scent of Blood (2)

Jong Ri-yeon's pupils trembled.

Before her eyes, Dam Ho lay unconscious. His body was tattered and ruined, like a rag torn to shreds.

The most critical injury was to his chest.

The broken sword blade was still lodged in his chest. The blade that had pierced through his lung protruded from his back—if she pulled it out carelessly, the massive hemorrhage would be impossible to stop, and he would die.

Even Jong Ri-yeon, known as the Divine Physician, feared to touch such a severe wound. But she couldn't leave it like this forever.

No matter how superhuman Dam Ho's stamina and his body, trained beyond human limits, might be, if left untreated, death was inevitable.

"Sigh! There's no other choice."

Having steeled her resolve, Jong Ri-yeon drew a deep breath.

She and Dam Ho were currently in a remote cave in an unnamed hill in northern Anhui Province.

Fearing pursuit by the Namgung Family, they couldn't visit any villages or populated areas. Obtaining the medicinal herbs needed for Dam Ho's treatment was an impossible dream.

Jong Ri-yeon produced a wooden box containing silver needles from her robe. It was all she had left in her possession.

She had to save Dam Ho's life with a single silver needle. Even if she couldn't cure him completely, she had to at least keep him alive.

"I must save him. Hang in there, Jong Ri-yeon!"

Jong Ri-yeon encouraged herself as she looked at Dam Ho.

His face was deathly pale, devoid of all color. Even though he was unconscious, his lips remained tightly sealed.

"He'll be all right. He's strong."

Muttering this, Jong Ri-yeon gripped the sword blade embedded in Dam Ho's chest with her small, white hands. Then she pulled with all her might.

SHLICK!

As the smooth blade was drawn out, a massive amount of blood geysered upward.

Jong Ri-yeon hastily discarded the blade and began stanching the wound.

She first pressed the pressure points. For most wounds, pressing the pressure points alone would stop the bleeding. But Dam Ho's wound was too large and deep for that to work easily.

Jong Ri-yeon's white hands were covered in blood.

Dam Ho's face, already deathly pale, turned even whiter. If he lost any more blood, his life could not be guaranteed.

"I have to stop the bleeding quickly!"

Desperately searching for a solution, Jong Ri-yeon suddenly tore off her outer robe.

RIP!

She shredded the robe into strips and packed them into Dam Ho's wound. The gushing blood slowed slightly.

Seizing that moment, Jong Ri-yeon began stitching the wound. First, she sutured the punctured lung, then the wounds on his chest and back.

Without a moment to rest, Jong Ri-yeon began inserting silver needles throughout Dam Ho's entire body.

Life and Death Soul Suspension Needle.

The same acupuncture technique she had used to save Gwak Yeon.

Deploying the Life and Death Soul Suspension Needle was a great risk even for Jong Ri-yeon. It was a technique she had created to save Gwak Yeon, not one suited for Dam Ho.

Nevertheless, Jong Ri-yeon had no choice.

Normally, she would have administered prepared medicinal herbs and deployed the technique three times in succession. But she had neither the time nor the herbs.

Jong Ri-yeon carefully deployed the Life and Death Soul Suspension Needle.

Silver needles were packed densely throughout Dam Ho's body, without a single gap. Dark blood slowly seeped from where the needles were inserted.

Jong Ri-yeon, who had been gazing down at Dam Ho, went outside. When she returned some time later, her hands were full of plantain leaves.

Jong Ri-yeon crushed the plantain leaves with a stone to extract their juice.

"Phew!"

After wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, Jong Ri-yeon carefully removed the silver needles from Dam Ho's body.

Even then, Dam Ho did not stir.

Jong Ri-yeon smeared the crushed plantain generously over Dam Ho's wounds.

Plantain had been renowned since ancient times for its ability to stanch blood and disinfect wounds. Whether it would work on Dam Ho, who was on the verge of death, was uncertain, but with nothing else available, this was the only option.

"Haah!"

When she finally finished applying the plantain, Jong Ri-yeon leaned against the cave wall with a sigh. Her strength had been completely depleted, and she could barely sit upright.

Leaning against the wall, Jong Ri-yeon gazed down at Dam Ho.

"I've done everything I can. The rest depends on his will and the will of heaven."

She closed her eyes, praying that Dam Ho would survive.

In her dream, she met Hwa-no.

Hwa-no was smiling at her.

"Are you well?"

Jong Ri-yeon asked, but Hwa-no only smiled in response instead of answering.

"You look well. Here I am, suffering terribly."

Jong Ri-yeon grumbled petulantly.

She knew.

That she was dreaming.

That the clear image of Hwa-no was not real.

After their master died, leaving her alone in the world, Hwa-no had cared for her like his own daughter. Thanks to him, she had been able to practice medicine without worry.

"I'm sorry. And thank you."

Hwa-no nodded with an expression that said he understood everything.

Jong Ri-yeon reached out to touch Hwa-no. But like a phantom, Hwa-no's image scattered, and her hand passed through empty air.

"Hwa-no!"

Jong Ri-yeon called out loudly and opened her eyes.

Her beautiful face was streaked with tears.

"Sob!"

Even after waking from the dream, she wept for some time. Strangely, emotions surged within her, impossible to contain. The thought that she was now alone made her feel even more desolate.

While she wept, a large hand suddenly appeared and wiped away her tears.

"Ah!"

Surprised, she raised her head. Dam Ho was looking at her.

His face was so pale without a drop of blood that it looked grotesque, but even that sight was welcome to Jong Ri-yeon.

She threw her arms around him without thinking. Dam Ho's face twisted in pain, but he didn't let out a single groan.

He had only just regained consciousness. It was a miraculous result of his body, trained to the extreme, the Dark Soul Heart Method, and Jong Ri-yeon's timely treatment all coming together.

"I'm sorry."

Realizing her mistake, Jong Ri-yeon hastily pulled away from Dam Ho. Her face was flushed entirely red with embarrassment and shame.

"I owe you my life."

"No. I'm the one who owes you. This is nothing."

Jong Ri-yeon shook her head quickly.

Dam Ho gazed at Jong Ri-yeon's face. Though wounded and exhausted, his eyes burned with intense light. Jong Ri-yeon couldn't meet that gaze.

Dam Ho looked away from Jong Ri-yeon. Instead, he surveyed his own condition.

Aside from the external wounds, the energy meridians and heart meridian that served as channels for his internal power were damaged. In this state, he couldn't circulate his internal power normally.

'It's a mess.'

No, simply calling it a mess was insufficient. It was the absolute worst condition he had ever been in since he began training in martial arts.

If not for Jong Ri-yeon's acupuncture, even breathing would have been impossible.

"Where are they?"

"They?"

"The Namgung Family. They'll surely send a tracking party."

"I don't know. I just let the horse run where it would."

"Is the Dark Steed outside?"

"Yes! It should still be there."

At Jong Ri-yeon's answer, Dam Ho's eyes gleamed.

Dam Ho tried to rise. In that instant, a devastating pain crashed over him like a tsunami.

'Kugh!'

Dam Ho bit his lip hard. He had only applied a little force, yet it felt as though his entire body was being torn apart.

"You mustn't overdo it. You can't move yet."

"If I don't move, I'll die."

If he stayed here, the Namgung Family warriors would come. In his current state, he absolutely couldn't face them.

Despite Jong Ri-yeon's objections, Dam Ho rose to his feet.

His legs shook like aspen trees, and cold sweat poured ceaselessly from his entire body. Even so, Dam Ho gritted his teeth and stood.

"Really?"

Jong Ri-yeon stared at him in disbelief.

It was an inexplicable recovery power and superhuman will that defied all common sense.

Dam Ho leaned against the wall and managed to take a step.

NEIGH!

When they emerged from the cave, the Dark Steed that had been waiting pressed its cheek against Dam Ho's face in greeting.

Dam Ho silently patted the Dark Steed's neck.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can shake off their pursuit."

Dam Ho managed to climb onto the Dark Steed's back. He pushed himself too hard, and the wound reopened, revealing fresh bloodstains.

Seeing this, Jong Ri-yeon sighed.

"I'm coming with you."

"It will be dangerous."

"I know."

But she couldn't leave Dam Ho, the patient who needed help, alone. She climbed onto the Dark Steed's back as well.

Jong Ri-yeon embraced Dam Ho from behind around his waist and said:

"Go."

Dam Ho nodded and lightly kicked the Dark Steed's belly. The Dark Steed shot forward with terrifying speed.

Dam Ho's eyes burned fiercely.

'I will become stronger.'

Perhaps since coming into the world, he had felt bored. He had not met a single worthy opponent.

But now he knew for certain. The world was vast, and true powerhouses had yet to reveal themselves.

He had found a reason to grow stronger. And so, he would become stronger.

About an hour after Dam Ho and Jong Ri-yeon departed, a group appeared at the cave entrance.

"This is the place. Their trail leads here."

The man at the head of the group, with his sharp hawk-like eyes, pointed at the cave and said. The leader, who appeared to be a warrior, drew the sword at his waist.

"Everyone be careful. The opponent is the Fist Demon."

"Yes!"

They were the tracking party sent by the Namgung Family. They had followed the faint trail all the way here.

The tracking party cautiously entered the cave.

They knew Dam Ho had sustained fatal injuries that should have left him unable to move, but the tension was still overwhelming.

The extreme tension dried their mouths. But the cave they entered was empty.

The hawk-eyed man examined the traces left on the floor.

"They haven't been gone long. There's still warmth."

"Is it his trail?"

"Yes. The footprints and fabric matches."

"Damn it!"

The leader struck the innocent wall with a blow.

THUD!

His fist was buried in the wall up to the wrist.

The leader's eyes were bloodshot red.

They had been tracking non-stop, only to find that Dam Ho had already left. The sense of futility was overwhelming.

"We absolutely must not give him time to recover."

A state of emergency had been declared in the Namgung Family.

The Sword King Unit, called the Namgung Family's last bastard, had been annihilated, and the patriarch Namgung Cheon himself had returned in critical condition.

Namgung Cheon's condition was so wretched that it was impossible to predict when he might fully recover. As things stood, the mere fact that he was alive was a miracle.

The Namgung Family's fighting strength had been reduced by more than half.

All of this had been caused by a single person: Dam Ho. It was truly an unprecedented crisis.

If they let Dam Ho escape like this, not only would the Namgung Family's prestige plummet, but the consequences would be endless.

That was why Namgung Cheon, before losing consciousness, had ordered them to track down and eliminate Dam Ho at all costs.

The leader hurriedly spoke to another warrior.

"We cannot let him get away. You are to seek assistance from the Beggars' Sect and the Haoh Sect to track his trail."

"Understood."

"The rest of us will continue tracking him."

"By your command!"

Both the one giving the order and those receiving it had faces filled with desperation.

They were afraid.

If they let Dam Ho escape, and if he made a full recovery, the Namgung Family would face its worst possible enemy.

That outcome had to be prevented at all costs.

"We must kill him."

The leader's voice trembled with unease.