The Youngest Member Chapter 112

The Sichuan branch of the Black Plaque Star, right after Cheon Woojin left.

In this place where rough Unorthodox Path martial artists resided, only one hall was decorated in an elegant atmosphere.

In fact, the renovation of this hall was a recent affair, because the physician called the Divine Doctor had threatened that he had no intention of staying for even a mont unless it was decorated to his taste.

The Black Plaque Star imdiately decorated the hall according to the Divine Doctor's wishes.

Such was his fa in the martial world of that ti.

In a martial world where sword fights broke out daily, the existence of a physician was originally precious. How much more so for a Divine Doctor who was said to be able to persuade King Yama to bring a dead person back to this world.

Anyway, in that quiet room, there was a person lying down, wrapped from head to toe in white bandages.

He was a man with a physique twice as thick as an average adult male, and thin, large needles were stuck all over his large torso.

"There we go."

The Divine Doctor, who had inserted the one hundred and thirty-fourth large needle, wiped away a drop of sweat.

Around him were Ma Yongseok, a few martial artists who had co to watch, and a dozen or so physicians, but the Divine Doctor did not lose his concentration, as if he could only see the patient.

Suddenly, Ma Yongseok asked.

"Uh, Divine Doctor. Do you normally insert this many?"

In Ma Yongseok's view, the Divine Doctor's acupuncture was closer to a martial arts ultimate technique than dicine. The current appearance of the Black Tortoise Unit Commander was as if he had been sward by the martial artists of the Tang family.

The Divine Doctor clicked his tongue.

"Basically, the large needles are inserted into the acupoints where the ki ridians are completely damaged or on the verge of being severed. For a normal patient, I wouldn't have even used half of these large needles."

Ma Yongseok swallowed hard.

He had only placed needles in the damaged areas. But the number of those needles exceeded a hundred. In that case, wasn't it a level where all the ki ridians in his entire body were torn to shreds?

He knew that the Black Tortoise Unit Commander's condition was serious, but he hadn't known it was to this extent.

"...How on earth is he still alive?"

"It seems he still has a reason to remain in this world."

The Divine Doctor said nonchalantly as he washed his hands in a basin.

Ma Yongseok looked intently at the Black Tortoise Unit Commander with sohow strange eyes.

Twitch.

In an instant, Ma Yongseok's eyes widened like lanterns.

"E-elder! The Black Tortoise Unit Commander just moved his finger."

"Nonsense. Even if he were an iron golem made of iron, it would still be a while before he wakes up..."

The Divine Doctor's words were cut short.

The Black Tortoise Unit Commander had opened his eyes. He even sat up. Thanks to that, the needles stuck in his body fell off and rolled on the floor.

A tallic sound flowed from his mouth, which had woken up after several days.

"Tang Bicheon, you bastard, how dare you touch my subordinate..."

Cheol Jiak suddenly stopped talking and looked around.

He had clearly closed his eyes while rushing to block the Poison King's ultimate technique. He had thought that even he, with his good endurance, would have no choice but to die.

But, he had opened his eyes in an unfamiliar landscape and among unfamiliar people.

And the sll of decoction that grazed the tip of his nose...

Cheol Jiak's eyes gradually widened. He had seen sothing like this in the righteous warrior novels he always read when he had no missions. The protagonist who awakens anew in a stranger's body with the mories of a past life.

Such novels were popular these days. Commonly called regression, possession, and reincarnation.

"Don't tell

I..."

"Black Tortoise Unit Commander, I had heard rumors that your body was sturdy, but you truly exceed my expectations."

The Divine Doctor said, clicking his tongue.

Thanks to that, Cheol Jiak, who had awakened from his delusion, made a sohow disappointed face but asked in a polite tone.

"Did the physician save ?"

"Then did that bear-like fellow save you?"

The Divine Doctor suddenly pointed at Ma Yongseok. At that, Ma Yongseok scratched his head as if embarrassed.

Cheol Jiak got up from his seat. Since he hadn't fully recovered yet, a terrible pain ca from his entire body. Nevertheless, he had to do what he had to do.

Cheol Jiak, who had managed to get up, cupped his fists towards the Divine Doctor with a polite attitude.

"Elder, thank you. I will definitely repay this grace. May I ask for your esteed na?"

"Pyeonbaek."

"Yes, Physician Pyeon. First, after I return to the Alliance, I will definitely..."

In an instant, Cheol Jiak sat down on the floor with a thud.

It wasn't just because his wounds hadn't fully healed, but because he had rembered that the physician nad Pyeonbaek was the Divine Doctor of the martial world.

"D-Divine Doctor?"

"What do you an, return? You'll have to be observed here for at least seven days."

"Yes? But..."

"Since I've been in dicine, there hasn't been a single person I couldn't save. Naturally, you, whom I have treated, must also be so. Don't tell

you're going to openly tarnish my reputation?"

Cheol Jiak made a troubled face.

Although he was a Divine Doctor who had co here at the invitation of the Unorthodox Path, he was a physician respected by all of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions.

Above all, he was the physician who had saved his life.

He couldn't possibly take the Divine Doctor's words lightly.

"It'll take about seven days for your subordinate to return anyway."

"Subordinate...?"

As Cheol Jiak tilted his head, the Divine Doctor and Ma Yongseok explained everything from the story of Cheon Woojin carrying him on his back, to bringing the Spirit Deer Pill from the Green Forest, to heading to the Black Plaque Star's main headquarters.

Cheol Jiak's heart beca even heavier.

He had owed the youngest one again. Moreover, a debt of life.

Soon, Cheol Jiak's gaze sank low. According to their explanation, it would take ti for Woojin to return.

If he had to stay here during that ti anyway...

"By any chance, would it be alright if I trained?"

Cheol Jiak asked politely.

Although it was his own body, since there was a physician who had saved his life, it was only right to ask for permission before overworking his body.

The Divine Doctor looked at such a Cheol Jiak with narrowed eyes.

Unlike other physicians, the Divine Doctor knew the physiology of a martial artist well. In his view, Cheol Jiak was the type to develop a sickness of the mind if he were prevented from training.

Also, a sickness of the mind was bound to lead to the body.

Although it was a purely dical judgnt, the Divine Doctor spoke in a generous tone, as if he were doing him a great favor.

"What are you worried about when I am here? Do the best training you can. Even if you get a glimpse of the afterlife while doing so, I will go and bring you back."

Cheol Jiak made a moved expression.

Originally, external arts that focused on endurance and strength, like Cheol Jiak's, were bound to be broken, bent, torn, and injured during the training process.

But to have the Divine Doctor, one of the three great physicians in the world, say that, how reassuring it was.

The Divine Doctor also felt good watching Cheol Jiak go out to the front yard with lightened steps.

Of course, it didn't take long for him to regret his words.

* * *

The first night of the seven days.

Cheol Jiak sat on the training ground floor with his tattered body.

Thanks to training in the front yard of the hall where the Divine Doctor was staying, he was able to push his body to its limits as if he had two lives.

Just as he was feeling sowhat satisfied.

"Hmm..."

At the sound of a displeased sigh from the side, Cheol Jiak turned his head.

A sturdy man with a physique similar to his own was standing in a corner of the training ground.

'He said he was the Young Star Lord's guard.'

Just as Ma Yongseok had looked at Cheol Jiak, Cheol Jiak also noticed that the opponent was a martial artist of a similar type to himself.

Although it was uncomfortable to show his training to an Unorthodox Path martial artist, and a martial artist similar to himself at that, there was no other choice as this was the Black Plaque Star.

On the second day of training.

Ma Yongseok, who had only sighed the day before, this ti said in a low voice as if in passing.

"That's not how you do it."

"..."

Cheol Jiak, who was sitting on the floor with a thud, sent a displeased gaze at Ma Yongseok. At that, Ma Yongseok flinched and hurried away.

However, this was only the beginning.

On the third day, it was, 'Can't you push it a little more?'.

On the fourth day, it was, 'Ahem! If you just lower your center of gravity a little more, you'll surely be able to climb a new step.'

After four days of unsolicited advice, Cheol Jiak finally couldn't stand it and asked bluntly.

"If you know so well, why don't you show

yourself?"

Cheol Jiak had expressed his dissatisfaction, but Ma Yongseok smiled brightly, as if he had been waiting for this mont.

"Ahem, shall I?"

The approaching Ma Yongseok slightly lowered his posture and then offered one shoulder to Cheol Jiak.

"They often say that offense is the best defense, don't they? But, that's half wrong. It's a story for strange people like our Young Star Lord or your Alliance mber Cheon. People like

or the commander should aim to beco infinitely sturdy."

Saying so, Ma Yongseok patted the shoulder he had offered, as if telling him to hit it once.

Cheol Jiak, thinking that it was a good opportunity since he had been annoyed for several days, struck Ma Yongseok's shoulder. Of course, apart from being annoyed, since he was the one who had provided the environnt for him to train, he did it to an extent that wouldn't injure him.

However, the result was completely different from Cheol Jiak's expectation.

Jjeo-eong-!

A loud noise erupted as a human fist and shoulder collided.

Cheol Jiak was greatly surprised by the hardness he felt from his fist.

It felt like hitting an iron lump.

Ma Yongseok said triumphantly.

"You see. It's similar to the commander's martial arts, but isn't it much sturdier?"

Cheol Jiak's expression beca serious.

With the blow just now, it beca certain that Ma Yongseok was a master at least one level above him.

A person with a similar physique, who had learned similar martial arts, was giving him a lesson on martial arts.

This was sothing that, as a martial artist, he had no choice but to be humble about, regardless of ideology, age, or seniority.

Ma Yongseok, pleased with his changed attitude, continued his explanation.

His own training thod, the principle of muscle damage and recovery, and the thod of incorporating internal arts in the process to construct a different level of skin and muscle.

Also, the intensity of training that had to be followed to achieve all of this.

Cheol Jiak could not hide his surprise.

He had thought that he also did more ignorant and radical training than most martial artists, but Ma Yongseok was on a different level.

In Cheol Jiak's opinion, Ma Yongseok's training thod was nothing short of hell.

At that sight, Ma Yongseok smiled gently.

"That's right. You can't endure it with an ordinary ntal strength. But, I knew when I saw the commander's physical condition when he first ca here. That a man who could exert that much ntal strength to protect his subordinates would also be able to handle my training thod."

"..."

Cheol Jiak made a strange expression.

As a commander of the Martial Alliance, was it alright to be happy about the recognition of an Unorthodox Path martial artist? Apart from that question, he could not deny that his heart was filled with joy right now.

"To be honest, I felt a sense of kinship beyond respect. Just as the commander did, I am also a person who has protected others my whole life. The problem is that the one I have to protect is stronger than ."

It was a feeling of having an identity crisis as a guard.

At Ma Yongseok's words, Cheol Jiak, for the first ti, extrely sympathized. He had also felt the sa way when he saw Cheon Woojin.

"It's humiliating. I also have doubts about my own value. I also felt a sense of self-loathing, wondering what my lifelong training was for."

Cheol Jiak brought up words he had never said to anyone.

Was it because they had learned similar martial arts and were in a similar situation?

Sohow, looking at Ma Yongseok, he felt a comfortable feeling that was hard to describe in words.

"Commander, but what can we do? Both you and I are the type who don't know any tricks. We have to train to the point where others point fingers and click their tongues, calling us ignorant. I can't think of any other way."

Cheol Jiak felt those words touch his heart and stick. It was because they were no different from the thoughts he usually had.

"Will you train with

until Alliance mber Cheon returns?"

At Ma Yongseok's proposal, Cheol Jiak nodded.

And so, the hellish training of the two who were so alike began.

* * *

"Aah! Those damn guys! They're doing that training again, again!"

The Divine Doctor let out a sigh as he looked at the two in the front yard.

He had coolly told them to train as much as they wanted, but he hadn't known that they would throw their lives away several tis a day like that.

As a result, the Divine Doctor also had no choice but to practice his dicine as if his life depended on it.

As the Divine Doctor let out a roar, the Poisonous Hand, who had subtly approached, said.

"But isn't it a good sight? A young martial artist should have that kind of flavor. Kids these days..."

"What do you an, a good sight! They're getting more and more brazen, so now they just co and lie down without a word. They're telling

to treat them on my own."

"Then you, the Divine Doctor, are also good at fixing them."

As the Poisonous Hand said with a sly smile, the Divine Doctor's neatly trimd beard trembled.

"Of course! That Black Tortoise Unit Commander is a patient I treated myself. If I let him die, my reputation will be tarnished, so how can I just leave him be?"

"Tsk, tsk, those two are using your desire for fa."

As the Poisonous Hand continued to be cheeky, the Divine Doctor suddenly picked up the large needle next to him.

"If you're going to keep scratching my insides, get the hell out! I was a fool to think that the Poison King's older brother would be sowhat reasonable."

Originally, poison and dicine were a fine line apart.

For that reason, the Tang family was well-versed in dicine, and the Divine Doctor also had a considerable connection with the Tang family.

That was probably the reason why the Demonic Doctor, a disciple of the Dark Heavenly Son, had targeted and approached the Tang family first.

At the ntion of the Poison King, the Poisonous Hand, who had only been smiling slyly, suddenly said in a serious tone.

"That Poison King fellow. I saw him this ti, and his dentia is really severe. You can't cure that either, can you?"

"In my ignorant youth, I tried a few tis. But I only learned that it was not in the human domain."

The Poisonous Hand nodded.

He also knew that dentia could not be cured by human dicine.

However, there was another reason why he had brought this up.

"But, as I thought about it carefully, in the end, isn't dentia also a kind of demon in the head?"

"Well, that's right."

"Then what if we burn the demon with poison?"

"Would sothing like that be possible?"

The Divine Doctor snorted. In essence, a demon was a formless energy. How could one burn it with poison?

No, even if such a thing were possible, the idea of putting poison in a person's head was itself unrealistic. At that point, it would be a matter of life, not dentia.

At the Divine Doctor's question, the Poisonous Hand said in a low voice.

"Is there anything that is impossible with the poison of the Tang family?"

"Well. If the Poison King had said that, I might have had so faith..."

"I am also a master of poison arts, no less than him!"

Although the Poisonous Hand shouted as if having a fit, the Divine Doctor just looked at him with still suspicious eyes.

And so, the two bickered and chattered for a long ti. Since their ages and interests were similar, they also had a side where they got along well.

In the middle, they pulled over writing materials and wrote sothing densely together, and they even laid out all sorts of dicinal herbs and had a debate.

Before they knew it, dawn had broken, and both of them had beco so engrossed that they had consud a great deal of ntal energy, and their faces were gaunt.

After chattering all night, seeing the brightly shining sunlight made them feel sowhat nauseous.

However, it was not a aningless endeavor.

The conclusion of the all-night conversation was surprising.

'In theory, it is possible.'

It was to put a very small amount of deadly poison in a tangible energy and send it carefully to its destination.

However, to burn only the problem area precisely without injuring the surroundings while infusing the energy into the body was close to the realm of a god.

A martial artist with that level of ki control ability would not exceed three or four in an era. Moreover, among them, there were no martial artists who could handle poison.

The Divine Doctor asked casually.

"Are you really going to do it?"

"I have to. He's my younger brother, after all."

"You're not on such good terms with the Poison King, are you? Huh, don't tell

you're going to kill him on this occasion?"

"Don't talk nonsense. In fact, I have hated him. No, until a few days ago, I hated him every day. But, my thoughts have changed this ti. Do you know what he said when I told the half-mad guy that I was his older brother, the Poisonous Hand?"

"..."

"A guy who wasn't in his right mind said that. That the Poisonous Hand is a proper martial artist of the Tang family. To be honest, I was surprised. That he would think that..."

Snore.

"You crazy bastard!"

The Divine Doctor had fallen asleep while sitting.

The Poisonous Hand, while making a bewildered face, laid the Divine Doctor down.

In any case, the conversation he had with him all night was truly amazing. He could realize anew why the martial world praised this brazen old man as a Divine Doctor.

The Poisonous Hand looked at the sleeping Divine Doctor and muttered to himself in a low voice.

"In fact, I know one person who can do such an unrealistic thing. I was surprised at that ti too.”

(End of Chapter)