The Living Corpse Doctor
The Doctor of Life and Death spoke urgently.
"Put me down and run away, at least you! Even if I'm caught, I can still survive, but your life will be in danger! You've truly done your utmost up until now! I will never forget this debt of kindness!"
Hearing his voice, I clenched my teeth.
Was that really the only way?
My insides boiled with frustration.
At that moment—
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from somewhere.
"Jin! Keep running!"
I froze in shock.
That was a voice I could never forget.
The voice of Squad Leader Seol Pung, my idol and benefactor, the man I had respected the most since my past life.
Grinning, I shouted to the Doctor of Life and Death.
"Sir! Hold on tight!"
Then I started running.
There could be no more hesitation.
Heukgwangryun Gak ki-hyo, who had been advancing toward me, was now looking around to find where that voice had come from.
But when he saw me charging straight at him, he shouted with a ferocious glare.
"You're like a moth rushing into the flames! Surround him and capture that bastard!"
"Yes, Law Protector!"
It was at that moment.
From the bushes on the right side of the encirclement, Squad Leader Seol Pung burst out like a thunderbolt.
Whoosh!
The momentum was like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
As his roaring figure leapt into the midst of the Black Fragrance Gang warriors, the lower-ranked fighters were blown away in all directions, spraying blood as if struck by an explosion.
Splaaat!
"Aaaargh!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Gaaaah!"
In an instant, an empty space was created around him.
But that was only the beginning.
The squad leader began charging straight at Gak ki-hyo. Lower-ranked warriors, caught in his path, were flung aside like pebbles caught in a storm.
It looked as though a typhoon was sweeping through.
Kwak-kwak-kwak-kwak-bang!
"Gaaaaah!"
"Uwaaaah!"
It was overwhelming martial might.
From his closed eyes, a faint crimson glow seeped out.
"Wh-what the hell?! Who is that?!"
Startled at the squad leader rushing straight toward him, Gak ki-hyo lifted his wheels and focused on him.
At that moment, I grinned and threw a concealed weapon while dashing forward.
It was Sujeon, the black shuriken of Dongpaekyung.
Shiiiing!
The weapon flew with all my strength, as though it would pierce him, and startled by the sudden ambush, he hastily swung his wheel to deflect it.
Ting!
That instant, the squad leader closed in on him.
"Haaaaah!"
His full-body spinning kick struck Gak ki-hyo's upper torso.
"Ugh!"
Gritting his teeth, Gak ki-hyo desperately defended, but an overwhelming downward strike crashed onto his twin wheels.
Kwaaaang!
"Grrrrgh!"
The impact was so great that his legs sank ankle-deep into the ground.
That alone would have been a devastating blow, but unfortunately for him, the squad leader's Beast Fist specialized in continuous chained strikes.
Riding the blocked force, the squad leader spun instantly in the opposite direction and this time struck Gak ki-hyo with Tiger Claw Hand.
Startled, Gak ki-hyo barely managed to block it with his wheel.
Thump!
But as if waiting for that, the squad leader grabbed onto Gak ki-hyo's wheel, yanking it down while striking his face with a straight fist.
The punch carried the force of a cannonball, flying at his head to pierce through.
Swoosh!
Gak ki-hyo's face turned ashen.
But he, too, was a seasoned peak-level master. He twisted his head at the last moment to barely evade it.
Then, abandoning the wheel in the squad leader's grip, he mustered all his strength to kick off the ground and fling himself backward.
He clearly wanted to escape the squad leader's attack range.
But then—
From the squad leader's arm guard, four long iron spikes suddenly shot out.
Pulling his arm inward, he slashed with them.
Shaaak!
The crimson energy covering the spikes left blood-red trails in the air like a rainbow.
It was such a vivid scarlet it looked as if it contained real blood.
Retreating, Gak ki-hyo opened his lips to speak.
But with four deep gashes carved into his face, he could no longer utter a word.
Blood gushed out from the wounds, and he collapsed dead on the spot.
Though he had escaped the squad leader's arm's range, he had not escaped the Tiger Strike's range—that was why he fell.
The sudden, unbelievable turn of events threw the Black Fragrance Gang into terror.
"Uuugh?! The Law Protector?!"
"To think the Law Protector was defeated by such a young man!"
"And so easily at that?!"
As the squad leader cast a beastlike gaze around, the warriors recoiled in fear, hastily retreating.
Even as he calmly sheathed the Tiger Strike back into place, defenseless, none dared to approach him.
Landing beside him, I shouted joyfully.
"Squad Leader!"
He smiled brightly and said to me.
"Sorry I'm late, Jin."
Damn, he shows up just in time, rescues me in the coolest way possible, and then says he's sorry he's late.
How can someone that cool also be that humble?
Could a man truly be this perfect?
Well… aside from his fear of women.
Smiling, I shook my head and answered.
"You're not late at all. You just wanted to make a cool entrance, didn't you?"
Then—
A furious roar from Gu Ju-yong echoed out.
"You dare kill Gak I-je?! You bastards! I'll never let you live! Capture them all! Kill every last one of them!"
Shouting so, Gu Ju-yong himself charged down the cliff like a madman.
Seeing that, the squad leader spoke.
"Best we save the details for later. Let's go."
And once again, we started running.
But it wasn't in the direction I had originally planned.
"This way!"
Guided by the squad leader, we ran further north.
And soon after, I realized why he had led us this way.
"Welcome! You've worked hard, Jin!"
"Sa-yeong!"
By the riverbank, where the water stretched about ten jang wide, Bi Sa-yeong was waiting for us.
Apparently, she had met with the squad leader beforehand.
Moreover, she held one end of a rope tied to the other side of the river.
Pulling the rope taut, she said.
"Let's save the greetings for after we cross. You first!"
I glanced at the river. The current was swift, and even for martial artists, swimming across would be difficult.
But with the rope, if we crossed first, we could surely shake off our pursuers for a while.
Still, worry suddenly struck me.
But then—
How was Bi Sa-yeong supposed to cross after we went over?
I asked him in a worried tone.
"If we all get across, what about you, Sa-yeong?"
In response, he smirked confidently, pointed at himself with his thumb, and asked back,
"Don't tell me you're worrying about the First Disciple of the Bi Sect?"
I couldn't help but chuckle at his confidence.
"All right. Then I'll leave it to you."
With the Doctor of Life and Death on my back, I dashed across the rope and quickly reached the other side of the river.
After me, Squad Leader Seol Pung also crossed in an instant.
But it seemed that even this much had delayed us.
Behind us, I could already see Gu Ju-yong and the Black Fragrance Gang warriors charging forward with roars.
"Catch them! Don't let them escape!"
"Just get your hands on them, and I'll gnaw their bones clean!"
Gu Ju-yong and his third sworn brother, Han Jeok-sam, looked as if fire was blazing from their eyes. I had thought their bond was only contractual, but it seemed there was still some attachment between sworn brothers.
Worried, I shouted to Bi Sa-yeong.
"Sa-yeong! Hurry and cross!"
Glancing at them, Bi Sa-yeong smirked, then pulled hard on the tied rope.
Using not only his strength but also the rope's rebound, he suddenly shot forward and leapt like a bird right at the river's edge.
Tap!
His footwork was truly astonishing.
Like a bird, he soared lightly through the air, leaping nearly five jang in a single bound.
But even so, it was only half the width of the river.
His body began to lose momentum and was about to drop into the raging current.
"Sa-yeong!"
We called his name in alarm.
But the next moment, our jaws dropped in shock.
At the instant his body began to fall, Bi Sa-yeong released the rope he had been holding, stepped on it as it dangled down through the air, and used it as a foothold to launch himself upward once more.
Tap!
"Th-that!"
Both we who were watching and even Gu Ju-yong's pursuing men were stunned at such masterful footwork.
Bi Sa-yeong repeated this a few times—stepping on the falling rope to bound forward—and in an instant, landed safely beside us.
We burst into cheers of admiration.
"Whoa, Sa-yeong! What was that?!"
"I thought Sun-woo's martial footwork was already impressive for his age, but this is unbelievable! That's some incredible lightness skill!"
"Amazing, Sa-yeong! With a little more, you might even pull off the Sky-Leaping Void Step!"
Sweeping back his hair and pretending to act cool, he replied,
"Hmph, for the First Disciple of the Bi Sect, this much is nothing. Maybe not the Void Step yet, but someday I might pull off a Soaring Flight."
For once, I didn't scold his arrogance. Instead, I looked at him with a warm smile.
Since reaching the level of a first-rate martial artist, Bi Sa-yeong's mastery of footwork had clearly improved by leaps and bounds.
In my past life, he had never even escaped the second-rate realm before giving his life to save me. To see my friend now growing so rapidly—it filled me with joy.
Perhaps this is how it feels to raise a disciple, I thought to myself.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, Gu Ju-yong had arrived, only to stare helplessly at the rushing current—like a dog that had lost its prey.
Finally with some leisure, I introduced my companions to the Doctor of Life and Death.
"Sir, this is the friend I told you about, the one who rescued Maeng Woon and Yong Ji. And this is my squad leader from the Thirteenth Flying Dragon Corps, Seventh Squad."
"Ohh, so you are the ones who saved our children. Thank you, truly, thank you!"
"A-ah, well… I just did what Sun-woo Jin told me. I didn't really do much…."
"It's an honor to meet you. And I'm glad you're safe, senior."
After a brief exchange of greetings, we set off once more.
The Black Fragrance Gang, meanwhile, still seemed to be scrambling for a place to cross the river.
Once they were out of sight, I came to a stop again.
"Squad Leader, where do you think they'll cross?"
After a short thought, Seol Pung answered.
"About one gak upstream, the river narrows. That's likely where they'll cross. The current is about the same whether upstream or downstream, so that's their only option. But why do you ask?"
I grinned and replied.
"Because we'll be crossing back. It would be best for us to go downriver."
Everyone looked puzzled.
Bi Sa-yeong was the first to ask.
"You mean we're not escaping now? It doesn't look like they'll catch us if we just keep running."
The squad leader and the Doctor of Life and Death both nodded.
"I agree. If we just keep moving, we can get away."
"That was my thought as well, Jin."
Of course, they were right.
We could have escaped without issue.
But that wasn't what I wanted.
"Sure, we could escape like this. But then wouldn't those bastards keep harassing the elder in the future? And since we didn't hide our faces, they might even identify who we are."
Not to mention, though I didn't want to say it aloud, they had seen my Black Wolf Sword. Soon they would discover that we had plundered their treasury.
If we left now, trouble would surely follow.
The squad leader nodded slightly, seeming to understand.
"Jin, you mean we should stay and make things harder for them. To keep ambushing them in the forest like this?"
That was certainly possible.
But I shook my head with a grin.
"No. We won't need to go that far."
"Oh? We won't?"
"Soon enough, those who want the elder's Life-and-Death Pill will swarm here. Even if we don't lift a hand, Gu Ju-yong and the Black Fragrance Gang will meet their end. All we need to do is make them believe the elder is still captive until then."
Bi Sa-yeong's jaw dropped in awe.
"Damn, you wicked bastard. To plan a borrowed-knife killing like this… even the Blood Cultists aren't this devious."
"Oh, it's nothing. My principle is simple—good to the good, evil to the evil."
While Bi Sa-yeong and I joked like that, Squad Leader Seol Pung frowned thoughtfully, then spoke.
"I understand your thinking, and I admit it's a good plan. But… I worry we don't have that kind of time. Our leave only has three days left."
He was right.
Out of our seven-day leave, four days had already passed. That meant, subtracting the return trip, we had at most two days to resolve this.
But I grinned confidently.
"Two days will be plenty. Don't worry."
The squad leader still looked doubtful, but in the end, he nodded.
And truly, it was natural not to believe such words.
Process aside, results belong to the heavens. Unless one is a prophet, how can anyone guarantee when something will happen?
That my companions trusted me even with such near-prophetic words—it made me proud.
It felt like I was living this life far better than the last.
And sure enough, my prediction came true the very next day.