Chapter 65 - The Great War Between Orthodox and Demonic Forces (4)

While my attendant spirit and I chatted, the Medicine King brought that Evian-like bottled water to a boil. Meanwhile, he deftly laid out frying pans and cutting boards and started cooking.

A savory aroma filled the cave.

“Hup, hah!”

The Medicine King worked fast. Mussel soup; white fish seared crisp, skin and all, like a steak and served over asparagus; some other unidentified fish stir-fried with long strips of shellfish meat and garnished with parsley; something like porridge topped with cream and mixed with chopped shellfish and mushrooms; and even a whole roasted leg of lamb. He finished everything in just fifteen minutes and briskly set it before us.

“Here you go! It’s nothing fancy, but stuff your damn faces. You need to eat well while you’re young. Tsk, tsk.”

The Murim Alliance Leader’s eyes widened at the dishes lining up before him.

“W-well, both I and that Heavenly Demon bitch are actually quite advanced in years...”

“Did you lot take some kind of agelessness elixir too? Damn, I could’ve patented that in Silicon Valley! Never mind. If you’re old, all the more reason to stuff your damn faces! That’s how you keep your bodies going.”

As he spoke, ladling mussel soup into large bowls, the Medicine King looked exactly like a foulmouthed granny—no, a foulmouthed grandpa.

I accepted a bowl of mussel soup too. It smelled promising, but mussel soup was just mussel soup, I figured—until I put a mussel in my mouth.

Good lord.

‘This is ridiculously good!’

Was it because I’d just been eating those absurd scraps of food called grain-abstinence pills or whatever?

First, there wasn’t a trace of fishiness. And he hadn’t simply boiled it in water: the broth was red, as though he’d blended in some kind of red vegetable. It was slightly tart with a rich, savory flavor, so even the broth alone was delicious. The mussel meat was wonderfully chewy, clinging to my tongue and teeth before bursting with a perfect blend of its juices and the broth.

It was fucking delicious.

Even after winning the Union lottery, the height of luxury for me had been a venti white mocha Frappuccino with four shots, half the Java chips blended and half on top, and extra chocolate drizzle. This was a revelation.

The Apothecary, who still hadn’t gained fame and had been scraping by in the slums, seemed to feel the same. Her eyes went wide.

“Oh my goodness, it’s delicious...”

She proceeded to describe the flavors.

“This shrimp. It’s plump and firm. And it literally tastes like shrimp... Not fishy at all... H-how can shrimp taste like this? And this mille-feuille dessert tastes like a Nune-ttine pastry that’s been granted a noble title. Not an ordinary title, either—it tastes like it’s become a marquis. And the yogurt ice cream underneath has this refreshing layer of passion fruit juice, like tartness squared by more tartness... H-how can anything taste like this?”

The Medicine King’s nose rose higher.

“Of course it does! I earned three Michelin stars as a chef-owner in my fifties! Bah. If I’d had a proper stove instead of this lousy burner, I’d have made your stomachs burst.”

Could this Medicine King actually be someone pretty extraordinary, beyond just making a few medicines?

Were all his claims about Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and being a boxing champion true rather than bluster?

“Why’d a man as impressive as you come to the Tower?”

Apparently Viper was curious too. He asked while chewing a huge mouthful of seafood porridge—apparently its proper name was abalone truffle risotto.

The Medicine King snorted.

“What, someone like me isn’t allowed to come? That bastard Markus came to the Tower too!”

I see.

“So you knew each other outside?”

“Knew him, my ass. He was just an obnoxious bastard born into a filthy-rich family. As someone who made his own fortune in Silicon Valley, I say he was nothing but lucky. Then he had a little bad luck late in life, lost his damn mind, and came to the Tower with nothing but a sword...”

What began with a snort ended in a trailing murmur.

The Apothecary, Viper, and I all looked at the Medicine King with a little newfound respect. Perhaps those looks made him uncomfortable; he waved his ladle as though shooing away birds.

“Just eat, damn it!”

So we ate. It really was unbelievably good.

And that was how the Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon expedition found its cook.

“Truly exquisite.”

The protagonist of those very Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon spoke as she kept shoveling food into her mouth.

“Are you perhaps a cook from the imperial palace? Hmm, no. This is quite different from the cuisine of China.”

The Murim Alliance Leader slurped up his cream pasta and spoke, spraying spittle.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ve eaten all manner of dishes as Alliance Leader, but never anything like this.”

“These unusual dishes, your bearing that speaks of such abundance... I cannot help wondering where you came from, and why.”

“Have those beyond the borders perhaps found a cure for the living-corpse disease?”

Both martial artists’ eyes shone.

Of course they did. To them, we were the first humans they’d met in years. Naturally they were curious, and naturally they hoped someone might have invented a cure.

I felt sorry for them, but shook my head.

“No, we’re still looking for a cure ourselves.”

“Hmm. So it is as I thought...”

Perhaps their disappointment was as great as their hope had been.

Both looked crestfallen.

“Indeed. Every physician and Taoist in the martial world tried to cure this strange disease, but none succeeded.”

“Even the masters of the Maoshan Sect, experts in living corpses, admitted defeat. Things could hardly have been different beyond the borders...”

“Was there really no treatment at all?” I asked.

“I’m not boasting. You saw the food just now, didn’t you? We have knowledge that’s different from yours. In particular, the Apothecary here is better than anyone at treating illnesses and making medicine.”

The Apothecary, who was taking a big bite of lamb, blushed.

The Medicine King grumbled beside her, “I’m telling you, she’s just lucky.” Well... considering I’d just enjoyed his delicious cooking, I did feel a little guilty, but...

“That gentleman over there is also skilled enough to assist this Apothecary. If you can give us even a little help, we might be able to develop a cure.”

“...”

The Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader looked at each other.

“It would be a stretch to call it a treatment...”

“Well, it wasn’t as though there was no method whatsoever...”

The Apothecary brightened.

“W-what is it?”

“... Wait here.”

A short while later, the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader brought over a large coffin.

When they threw it open, a zombie lay inside.

“...”

The Sword Emperor fell silent, his brow furrowed, just as he had when I’d mentioned the Murim Alliance Leader’s warm body.

The zombie was as docile as if it were basking in sunlight. Whether because it was tightly bound in chains or because needles the size of large nails pierced every joint, it lay utterly motionless.

I raised my head.

“What is this...?”

“The sect leader of Wudang,” the Heavenly Demon said matter-of-factly.

“Immediately after he was bitten by a living corpse, he entrusted his remains to us, asking us to use his body for research. But we discovered only one method: blocking the acupuncture points throughout his body with needles.”

The Heavenly Demon reached into the coffin.

“Be careful.”

With a small pop, she pulled the large needle out of the zombie’s neck.

“Uuuurgh!”

At that very moment, the zombie, which had been as quiet as if asleep, snapped its eyes open.

“Eek!”

The Apothecary fell backward in fright. The zombie opened its maw to bite into her.

CLANK! CLANK!

Its attack came to nothing because of the chains, but the Apothecary broke into a cold sweat all the same.

“As you can see.”

THUNK!

The Heavenly Demon thrust the large needle back into the zombie’s neck. Its eyes slowly closed again, and its face grew peaceful, as though it had never thrashed about at all.

“Blocking the acupuncture point between the brain and spinal cord puts a living corpse to sleep. The cervical point. But this is merely a stopgap, not a cure.”

“...”

“Those bitten by living corpses are tainted by turbid energy through their acupuncture points and energy channels.”

Turbid energy.

Could she mean the virus?

“No amount of sitting cross-legged and circulating one’s energy through controlled breathing can drive this turbid energy out. Whether a demonic practitioner who has cultivated demonic energy from the beginning, or some long-nosed Taoist with pure energy clear as a stream, one bite spells the end. The whole body grows burning hot, and before long, they become a living corpse.”

The Heavenly Demon slowly closed the coffin.

“Was it that damned Shaolin monk who lasted longest? Even after a living corpse tore into his arm, he remained sane for a year. But he was an exception among exceptions. However accomplished a master may be, most cannot last beyond a fortnight.”

The Heavenly Demon sighed.

“Children from beyond the borders. Can you truly find a cure?”

“...”

The Apothecary couldn’t answer. Even the Medicine King, overbearing old man that he was, had been struck speechless.

When none of us could reply, the Heavenly Demon smiled bitterly.

“It is all right. I thought only this old fossil and I remained in the world. Merely seeing living people again is a sign of the Venerable Mother’s protection. Stay here as long as you wish.”

The Murim Alliance Leader nodded.

“We shall prepare bedding for you, so get some sleep for tonight. We have much to discuss, but let us continue our conversation tomorrow.”

Our first day inside the apocalypse.

We had to spend the night without having achieved much of anything.

“Mmm, I can’t eat any more...”

“Markus, you bastard. If you leave like that, am I supposed to spend my whole life in second place...?”

It was the middle of the night. My companions were fast asleep, mumbling in their dreams.

With our bedding laid out near the open-air bath, it was a little damp, but we didn’t have to worry about shivering in the cold.

“Zombie, why aren’t you sleeping?”

I looked up. Through the opening in the cave ceiling, I had a clear view of the pitch-black night sky.

‘There’s something I need to check.’

Instead of asking what I wanted to check, the Sword Emperor fell silent. He probably had a suspicion of his own.

Most likely, it was the same as mine.

I pulled the blanket up to my face, closed my eyes, and pretended to be fast asleep.

The night deepened.

I sensed someone slipping toward us. Not one person, but two. Without opening my eyes, I quietly held my breath. The two figures lingered near us, whispering very softly.

“... Are they asleep?”

“... It seems so.”

“... Then let us take this opportunity. Quickly.”

“... Yes. Let us finish quickly.”

The voices of the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader.

Their presence gradually receded. I heard water gently splashing. Taking advantage of our entire party being asleep, the two martial artists had started bathing.

‘Now.’

I sprang up without warning and ran toward the open-air bath. Beyond the thick steam, the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader sat immersed in the water, wearing plain white robes. They had been enjoying the hot spring with relaxed expressions, but startled at my sudden arrival.

“Gah!”

The Murim Alliance Leader hurriedly sank deeper into the bath. He couldn’t hide his alarm.

Just as I thought.

One glance at their bodies confirmed my suspicions.

“W-what is it, young man! I thought you were asleep!”

“...”

The Heavenly Demon narrowed her eyes. She seemed to grasp the situation a little faster than the old man. With a soft sigh, she gazed steadily at me.

“... A perceptive child. When did you realize?”

“I thought something was a little strange from the moment I saw you,” I began.

“It’s so cold, yet both of you were lightly dressed. One of you wore only a Taoist robe, and the other wore nothing but plain white robes.”

Outside, it was the bitter dead of winter.

Cold enough that you couldn’t last even a moment without using aura.

Yet these martial artists insisted on wearing what amounted to next to nothing in that freezing weather.

“That means you were circulating internal energy to protect yourselves from the cold. In other words, you’re exceptionally skilled at using it... Yet people like you were fighting like brawlers and getting tired after a short walk. Strange, isn’t it?”

I spoke slowly.

“There’s only one explanation that makes sense. Both of you are concentrating all your internal energy on [something else].”

“...”

“Earlier, you said that one bite from a living corpse taints the whole body with turbid energy.”

I looked straight through the steam at the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance Leader.

“You’ve both already been bitten, haven’t you?”

“...”

“Here’s what I think. Heavenly Demon, Alliance Leader—you were both infected by living corpses a long time ago. But as the foremost figures of the Demonic Cult and the orthodox factions, you’re using your immense internal energy to suppress the turbid energy. Am I wrong?”

Silence settled over the open-air bath.

SPLASH.

I heard the water stir, and the Heavenly Demon stood up.

“D-demoness. You...”

“Enough, old fossil. He has already discovered everything.”

The Heavenly Demon shook her head.

“Child from beyond the borders, you are right.”

She turned her back to me.

On the Heavenly Demon’s snow-white back—

“This old fossil and I were bitten by living corpses three years ago.”

—was a festering, purple wound.

The Murim Alliance Leader slowly showed me the back of his neck as well.

“Strictly speaking, however, there is one thing you have wrong.”

There was a similarly festering wound there.

But it stopped at his neck.

“We are not suppressing the turbid energy.”

Above it was the same unblemished human face we had seen all along.

With that unblemished face, the Murim Alliance Leader said,

“We have blocked the cervical point itself with internal energy, cutting off the turbid energy.”

The Sword Emperor clicked his tongue.

“Holy shit. Telekinetic manipulation.”

‘Telekinetic manipulation?’

“Gongja, you know about controlling swords with energy, right?”

‘Yes, wrapping a sword in internal energy and making it fly... Don’t tell me?’

That was exactly it.

“Right. Blocking the cervical point means losing all sensation below the neck. Naturally, you can’t move either. In other words, they’re completely paralyzed. So how are they moving now? They’re [moving their whole bodies with internal energy], just like controlling a sword with energy,” my attendant spirit said.

“Making their hearts beat.”

Even their heartbeats.

“Breathing with their lungs.”

Even inhaling and exhaling.

“Moving the joints as they extend an arm. Controlling the waist, knee, ankle, and sole as they step forward.”

In short, everything necessary to live and move.

“They’re controlling every single bit of it with internal energy.”

To stop the zombie virus from traveling up the spinal cord to their brains, the two martial artists had sealed their own brains away in seclusion.

“...”

I fell silent.

In other words—

“It’s like they’re controlling swords with energy twenty-four hours a day. Of course a few steps exhaust them. Crazy bastards...”