The dark-colored phantom dagger reflected and scattered the light from the torch.
When Pyo-wol pulled out a dagger right in front of his nose, Gong-jin felt terrified and stepped back.
It was then.
“There’s no need to cut open his body. Let me check.”
A middle-aged man walked out of the crowd.
The appearance of a skinny man with a nervous expression made the people nearby buzz.
“Isn’t that person Shim?”
“If it’s Physician Shim, then we can trust him.”
The man’s name was Shim Hak, a reputed doctor who is rumored to have divine powers. His medical techniques were so mysterious that he had a reputation for healing a few wounds with just acupuncture.
He was so reliable that even in the Wudang sect, if a disciple suffered a serious injury, they would send the said disciple to Shim Hak for treatment.
Shim Hak approached Hong Mugwang’s body without hesitation and examined it closely.
Gong-jin and the warriors looked at Shim Hak with tense eyes.
Shim Hak first examined the sword wounds, then looked closely at Hong Mugwang’s abdomen, eyes, and nose.
After a while, Shim Hak stood up.
His eyes became red and bloodshot like Soma’s from being on edge.
Shim Hak looked around the people surrounding him and said,
“I can guarantee that the sword wound on this young warrior’s body is not the cause of his death.”
“Really?”
“I’m saying it with my honor on the line. The sword wound is quite deep, but it’s not fatal enough to take a person’s life.”
“Then his words were true?”
The murmur of the crowd of warriors grew louder.
Shim Hak did not pay attention to their reaction, and continued,
“Like what this young man said, all of the corpse’s internal organs are damaged. Among them, the liver is seriously damaged.”
“Liver?”
“The liver is the organ that reacts greatly when the body is poisoned. It’s already obvious why the liver is damaged like this.”
“So it’s because of poison?”
“A poison which makes a person’s potential explode at once usually shows this kind of reaction.”
“Is it possible he failed from doing the bone marrow cleansing?”
“I’ve treated patients who suffered from failed bone marrow cleansing, but it doesn’t cause major damage to the stomach or small intestine.”
“Hmm…”
Gong-jin was silent at Shim Hak’s calm explanation.
This is because Pyo-wol’s words prove to be true.
Shim Hak continued,
“Above all, look at the blood shed from his orifices. The blood coming from the body’s other wounds are still wet, while the blood from his nose, eyes and mouth has already dried up. It’s a phenomenon that happens when the blood in the intestines has been poisoned with some kind of drug.”
Since a person like Shim Hak had already come to a diagnosis, there was no reason to doubt any more.
“If you don’t believe me, cut open his stomach like what that man proposed. You can see that the color of the body’s intestines are different from usual.”
“So you’re saying he fought that kid while on drugs that made him dramatically increase his strength and potential?”
“This kind of poison doesn’t have a big effect on the body if it stays still. However, the moment the person moves violently, it reacts immediately and attacks the body.”
“Hic!”
In the end, Gong-jin had no choice but to admit that Shim Hak’s words were true. His reasoning was well-organized and sound. Furthermore, he had no connection or relationship with Soma. He had no reason to defend him.
Morever, Gong-jin knew better than anyone else Shim Hak’s personality and tendencies.
In the first place, he was not a person who could be persuaded by someone. If he was such a person, the Wudang sect would not have sent critically ill patients to him.
At this time, it was already clear that Soma did not kill Hong Mugwang.
Now, the question is who poisoned Hong Mugwang.
Hong Mugwang could not have taken poison himself.
Soma may have been cleared of charge, but the truth remains to be seen.
“Who on earth gave him the poison? Once we find him, we will never let him go.”
Gong-jin’s white beard trembled.
Then Pyo-wol coldly spoke to him,
“Before that, shouldn’t you apologize to Soma first?”
“You just won’t let it go, would you?”
Gong-jin’s face was miserably distorted.
It was the first time for him, a proud member of the Wudang sect, to be driven into such a predicament.
The eyes of the numerous warriors and taoists were on him
Gong-jin closed his eyes tightly.
‘O Primordial God, why are you giving me such an ordeal?’
He resented his carelessness for stepping out prematurely.
It takes a lot of courage for a person to admit their own mistakes. This is especially true for those who occupy a high position like Gong-jin.
After a moment of agony, Gong-jin opened his mouth,
“I’m sorry, I was rash and hastily pointed you out as the culprit. Forgive me for my mistake.”
Gong-jin bowed to Soma.
His appearance of honestly admitting his mistakes and bowing down left a great impression on the warriors gathered here.
Some warriors even felt ashamed. They reacted the same as Gong-jin. They criticized Soma without hesitation.
“Kheup!”
“Um!”
However, no one had the courage to apologize to Soma like Gong-jin did. They all just turned their heads away and coughed awkwardly.
Soma said to Gong-jin,
“I told you. I didn’t kill him.”
“Yes. I was wrong.”
“Don’t worry, I forgive you!”
“Thank you.”
“But just this once. If you threaten me again without proof, I will fight back.”
“Heh heh…”
At Soma’s threat, Gong-jin turned his gaze away with an awkward expression. He finds it embarrassing to keep looking into Soma’s eyes.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Pyo-wol walking towards somewhere.
The direction Pyo-wol’s footsteps were headed was towards Jang Muyeon and the White Tiger Sword Corps.
Jang Muyeon’s face stiffened as he saw Pyo-wol approaching him.
He had been smiling like a winner just a moment ago, but he couldn’t do so anymore.
‘Just when the rice is already cooked…’
It was Jang Muyeon who instigated Hong Mugwang.
He persuaded Hong Mugwang to do his bidding by saying that he would be protected by the Rain Mountain Manor.
He was also the one who gave Hong Mugwang drugs. He deceived Hong Mugwang by saying that it was a pill that temporarily increases a person’s vitality, but in fact it was a poison called Black Blood Pill. 1
The Black Blood Pill causes a person’s inherent potential to explode, thus making them squeeze out power beyond their limits.
The price?
It was the death of the user.
But Hong Mugwang believed his lies and took the Black Blood Pill.
Another side effect of Black Blood Pill is that it paralyzes the person’s cognition. It would prevent them from thinking rationally and would amplify their anger.
So upon seeing Soma, Hong Mugwang’s anger exploded. His anger toward Pyo-wol was expressed towards Soma.
Everything went as Jang Muyeon’s expected up to this point.
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