The Youngest Member Chapter 45

"It's not a plague? What do you an by that?"

"I can't explain it accurately right now, but it's probably poison. It will be certain if I check."

"...How on earth are you going to check?"

Although it was an unbelievable story, Head Escort Jang continued to ask. As a head escort, he had a duty to finish the escort on ti, so he might have wanted to grasp at any sliver of hope.

Cheon Woojin answered nonchalantly.

"I'll know when I see the patient."

"What do you an..."

Cheon Woojin imdiately turned his steps and approached the middle-aged n who were talking about the plague.

Since Cheon Woojin's appearance was unmistakably that of a martial artist, they were clearly sowhat frightened.

Cheon Woojin, who noticed this, revealed his identity first.

"I am Cheon Woojin from the Black Tortoise Unit of the Martial Alliance."

It seed that the na of the Martial Alliance was effective even in a rural village, as their wariness seed to be slightly relieved.

Cheon Woojin, who confird this, continued calmly.

"I think you have a rough idea of the situation from what you've heard. Please guide

to the house of the person called Ma Butcher."

As Cheon Woojin ntioned Ma Butcher, the man was startled and hurriedly lowered his voice.

"Ahem! C-can't you speak a little more quietly?"

Ma Butcher's personality was not ordinary. There was even a story that he had been a martial artist before coming to the village.

If he was caught spreading such rumors, it was obvious that he would co looking for him with a butcher's knife and that scary face.

Whether that was the case or not, Cheon Woojin asked again.

"Please guide . It's a matter of saving a person's life."

If Cheon Woojin's prediction was correct, and if he could find the antidote, he could save many people in Bogang County.

As Cheon Woojin spoke seriously, the man also groaned but fell into deep thought.

How much ti had passed like that?

The man who got up from his seat gulped down the cup of wine on the table and then said in a low voice.

"...Follow ."

* * *

Juksan County, a small rural village.

In that place, which had always been peaceful, a man's booming roar erupted.

"What do you an! My daughter has the plague!"

"N-no. He said it might not be a plague..."

The man who had guided Cheon Woojin's party here was dizzy from the cold butcher's knife that was going back and forth in front of his eyes.

Head Escort Jang and Song Yiyeon also showed an embarrassed look. No matter how much it was the Martial Alliance, they couldn't just barge into soone's house without permission or evidence.

"Ahem, young hero Cheon. Seeing how he's coming out so stubbornly, it seems his daughter is really fine. It seems there was a misunderstanding..."

"What misunderstanding!"

The man who had guided them all suddenly shouted. He was also convinced that this family's daughter had the plague based on the testimony of several people.

If he admitted it was a misunderstanding now, he would just beco a guy with a uselessly light mouth.

In particular, he was also afraid that the martial artists of the Martial Alliance would reprimand him for making them take a useless trip.

As the man ca out like that, Ma Butcher's face turned red and blue. If he was left alone, that butcher's knife was on the verge of cutting the man, not a cow or a horse.

Song Yiyeon glanced at Cheon Woojin.

While the situation was steadily becoming a ss, young hero Cheon was just standing still.

'Young hero Cheon, do sothing...'

Ma Butcher's anger was so fierce that if it had really been a misunderstanding, he would have had to bow his head and apologize.

It was then.

"Are you going to let your daughter die?"

"What, what did you say! What did you just say, you punk!"

Ma Butcher let out a heavy roar like a lion's roar.

Even the martial artists, Head Escort Jang and Song Yiyeon, were startled, but Cheon Woojin just looked straight into Ma Butcher's pupils calmly.

"The energy I feel from inside is very unstable. It ans that the flow of ki is not normal. If she is left like that, she will die without lasting more than two days at most."

"What do you know..."

"Did you perhaps have a doctor you know co?"

"..."

Ma Butcher shut his mouth.

Cheon Woojin stared at Ma Butcher. Although he was trying to hide his ki, he could feel the traces of him having learned martial arts at one ti.

"It seems there was also a doctor among the connections you made while traveling the martial world. Since you have sothing to believe in, you are stubbornly denying it even though you have hope that your daughter can live."

"W-what..."

"Even if the doctor you called arrives now, he won't be able to cure her. Because there is a high possibility that she was affected by a poison art, not a plague."

Ma Butcher's flushed face gradually cooled down. Cheon Woojin's words were all correct. Nevertheless, the reason he couldn't easily let them in was...

"Are you perhaps on the run?"

"..."

Ma Butcher couldn't say anything. He had once been a part of the black path. Although he had co to his senses late after having a daughter, the evil deeds he had committed did not easily let go of his ankle.

He had truly been to every land in the central plains. He had run, and run again, and the place he had finally settled in was this Juksan County.

But his daughter had caught the plague. If this fact was revealed, he would be kicked out of the village. Even if not, the mont the Martial Alliance guys found out that he was from the black path, a rumor would quickly spread and he would be kicked out.

So, he wanted to chase them away quickly. Since he had urgently called a doctor he knew, he would solve it. He was a doctor who had a rather high reputation when he was scraping by in the black path.

"Move aside."

Cheon Woojin said to Ma Butcher. There was no more politeness. Since he could clearly feel that a person was dying inside, he had no intention of considering the circumstances of a timid man.

Ma Butcher instinctively extended his hand to block Cheon Woojin.

For a mont, Ma Butcher, who made eye contact with Cheon Woojin, froze.

'W-what kind of person's eyes...'

A long ti ago, even in his days of rolling around in the black path, such eyes were rare. He had seen them only once in his life, and the unknown soldier of that ti was now called the number one of the black path.

Cheon Woojin, who had glanced at Ma Butcher, went into the house, and Head Escort Jang and Song Yiyeon, who were watching his expression, followed him.

* * *

Cheon Woojin, who saw Ma Butcher's daughter, narrowed his brow. The room was filled with a foul sll, and her face was bright red, as if she had a high fever.

Cheon Woojin let out a deep sigh.

"In a situation like this, you were going to wait for a doctor..."

Ma Butcher, who was standing behind him, just shut his mouth and bowed his head. Since it had co to this, there was nothing he could do. He just hoped that Cheon Woojin's words were true.

Cheon Woojin, who was examining the woman's condition, was convinced.

'It's the sa as what my Black Master said.'

It was definitely the work of the madman called the Poisonous Hand, or soone who had learned poison arts from him.

"I will send my ki."

Cheon Woojin, who said so, gently placed his hand on the woman's chest before Ma Butcher's answer could even be heard.

"T-this!"

"Ahem..."

"Ahem, ahem!"

The people showed an embarrassed look and glanced at Ma Butcher. However, Ma Butcher was unexpectedly calm.

He, who had once been a martial artist, knew. That the way to effectively perform ki art on a daughter who had no dantian was to attack the middle dantian.

What was commonly called the dantian was, to be precise, the lower dantian, and in reality, there was a middle dantian in the chest area and an upper dantian in the head area. As one's martial arts beca stronger and the scope of one's enlightennt widened, one would awaken the middle and upper dantians.

Of course, unlike the lower dantian, the middle and upper dantians were sothing one was born with.

Cheon Woojin raised his ki and sent it to the woman's middle dantian.

'The poison ki is damaging her ki and blood.'

The thod of detoxification was simple. He just had to burn all the poison ki and then discharge it from the body. Of course, if soone with a deep knowledge of poison arts had heard it, they would have been shocked.

Cheon Woojin chose the dark side of the two heart formulas he had learned from the White Master and the Black Master, respectively.

To treat the woman's ki ridians without any damage, it would be right to operate a gentle ki, but since the damage to the ki ridians was already great, it was better to get rid of the poison ki at once.

His Black Master's martial arts were truly domineering, and especially the internal energy accumulated through the Dark Heaven Heart Art was more destructive than anything else in the world.

"Ugh..."

The woman let out a groan. At that, Ma Butcher was startled and was about to approach Cheon Woojin, but Song Yiyeon and Head Escort Jang barely managed to stop him.

If he was disturbed in a situation where he was operating his ki so delicately, there was a possibility that both would fall into qi deviation.

Cheon Woojin narrowed his brow.

'It's hard.'

He had already burned most of the poison ki that was blocking her ki and blood. However, the poison ki in the most important Baihui acupoint was very tightly clumped.

It would be fortunate if he could burn it all in one go, but if even a little poison ki remained, it would rummage through her head as if it were making a last-ditch effort.

If he made a mistake, she would die, or if she was lucky, she would beco an idiot and have to live under care for the rest of her life.

Cheon Woojin focused his nerves on his fingertips. He couldn't withdraw his ki now.

In the end, he had no choice but to believe in the Dark Heaven Heart Art, his Black Master's teachings, and, crucially, what he had accumulated himself.

Soon, Cheon Woojin sent his ki in one go.

"Kkeueueuk!"

A voice full of pain ca out of the woman's mouth. However, Cheon Woojin did not stop. Instead, he just pushed his ki even more roughly.

Bang-!

An explosion was heard from behind. Ma Butcher had roughly thrown Head Escort Jang.

"W-wait a minute. Young hero Cheon, are you not done yet?"

At least Song Yiyeon was trying to stop Ma Butcher, but he was so strong that it was getting difficult.

He didn't know if he was originally a high-level martial artist, or if it was the superhuman strength of a father with his daughter in front of him.

He was just certain that the black of Ma Butcher's eyes was gradually disappearing.

It was then.

"It's over."

Cheon Woojin took his hand off and got up from his seat.

Song Yiyeon, praying, 'Please don't let it be that the woman's life is over,' let go of Ma Butcher's arm, which he was holding.

At the sa ti, Ma Butcher's fist shot out like an arrow at Cheon Woojin.

While everyone was surprised by his sudden action, Cheon Woojin just stood in his place without flinching.

Soon, his fist, the size of a pot lid, was right before it reached Cheon Woojin's face.

"..."

Surprisingly, it stopped just an inch away. Ma Butcher's gaze was not on Cheon Woojin, but on his daughter.

His daughter, who had not even been able to open her eyes properly, was looking at him. Her flushed face seed to be gradually returning to its original color, and most of all, her expression looked much more comfortable.

"Father?"

Ma Butcher slumped down and checked his daughter's condition.

She was alive. Although she had not yet regained her strength, his daughter was definitely alive. Soon, the bear-like Ma Butcher hugged his daughter and shed tears.

In the anti, Cheon Woojin walked away without any lingering attachnt and said to Song Yiyeon.

"It was a poison art. We can just go through Bogang County and finish the escort. It's a good thing."

"...Is that what's important right now?"

Cheon Woojin tilted his head. Since they were on a mission, if that wasn't important, what was?

Song Yiyeon shook his head with an expression that said 'let's not talk about it'.

Soon, Song Yiyeon, who was looking at Cheon Woojin's receding back, swallowed hard.

'By the way, how delicate is his ki operation...'

To detoxify such a severe poison in one go. He had never even heard of such a thod in his life.

"How much more surprised do I have to be before I'm not surprised anymore?"

For so reason, Song Yiyeon had a feeling that such a day might not co.

(End of Chapter)