The Return of the Crazy Demon

Cha Sung-tae, who returned with Moyong Baek, asks while looking around the inner courtyard,

“Where is the Leader?”

A man doing chin-ups replies,

“He took his bandits for a short walk in the mountains.”

Moyong Baek tilts his head.

“Did he hold bandits’ captive in the Low-Down?”

Cha Sung-tae explains,

“Yes, they were caught in the midst of banditry.”

“Oh, I see.”

Moyong Baek, who immediately gets the picture, says while looking at the patient tied to wooden bedding below the plum tree,

“The patients are outdoors. Let me take a look.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he approaches the bedridden Master Yukhap, Moyong Baek says,

“Master Yukhap, I am a local practitioner. Can you speak?”

He had gotten a brief run down from Cha Sung-tae.

Moyong Baek had previously heard rumors about Master Yukhap. You’ll eventually hear about what happens in Kangho once you start treating Kangho warriors.

On the other hand, Yukhap, who was tied up lying under the hot sun, could only let out a sigh because he could sense how this would somehow tie into the schemes of the Low-Down Sect Leader.

‘What is he up to this time?’

Moyong Baek grabs the lying Master Yukhap’s hand and feels his pulse. After a while, he looks into Master Yukhap’s eyes and asks,

“Master Yukhap, how did a respectable man from the southern orthodox faction end up facing such humiliation?”

Master Yukhap replies,

“You know me?”

“I heard you were the last disciple of Six Shift Sect (六合門). You ended your revenge by exterminating most of the orthodox factions in the South. Low-Down Sect is nowhere an orthodox, why did you invade this place?”

Master Yukhap goes silent.

“…….”

Smiling softly, Moyong Baek says,

“Master Yukhap, I can treat your injuries. Leader stabbed you nowhere near any of your vital points. If you have the will to recover, you will be able to get up soon. However, the problem is not your treatment.”

“Then what is it?”

Moyong Baek says,

“I’m a local practitioner who often helps the Leader. And the Leader is also helping me. However, if you recover and decide to take revenge on the Low Down, I will be troubled. That’s the bigger problem.”

Master Yukhap snorts.

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Regardless, Leader Lee will capture and tear your limbs out if you mess with Low-Down Sect anyway. You should know that it is not medicine or treatment that saves you.”

As soon as Moyong Baek sees daggers shooting from Master Yukhap’s eyes, he responds,

“Rest up today. I’ll write up a prescription and then start the treatment.”

Suddenly, Master Yukhap, who feels ominous, replies,

“What medicine?”

Nonchalantly, Moyong Baek utters scary words.

“If you don’t take the antidote regularly, your inner Qi will gradually disperse. If you don’t take it on time, your muscles will get soft. I will pass this antidote to Leader Lee. If Master Yukhap does any harm to the Low Down in the future, you will naturally be forced to leave Kangho. If the survivors of the Nansong orthodox region hear about this, they’ll come for you. Do you understand?”

As soon as the immobilized Master Yukhap realized that this was the reason that he checked his pulse, he went hysterical.

“How is that medicine? That’s poison! Just kill me already!”

“I can’t do that. There must be a reason why the Sect Leader kept you alive. I’ll take responsibility and save you.”

“Kill me!”

Moyong Baek gently pressed Master Yukhap’s wounds with his hand.

“Look, Master Yukhap.”

“Gngh!”

“Are you sick? If you consume something that keeps you alive, it’s medicine. How can it be poison? I will be the judge of whether or not Master Yukhap will be a threat to the Low Down. If the Leader allows, I will neutralize the poison. Rest up. The patient’s health is my priority.”

Moyong Baek lifts his hands and looks around. The warriors of Black Rabbit Union doing chin-ups say their greetings..

“Doctor Moyong, that’s a brilliant idea.”

“This will suffice.”

Moyong Baek slightly nods to the warriors.

“I’ll see you next time.”

When Moyong Baek says he is leaving, Cha Sung-tae replies,

“Ah, doc. You’re leaving already?”

Moyong Baek replies,

“Manager Cha, the patient’s internal Qi is fine, so it won’t be a problem to eat the medicine I made. And please take note.”

“Yes.”

“Master Yukhap is a man who has wiped out all the orthodox factions in the Nansong region over the course of a few years. He gained a reputation for his vengeance and perseverance. But I will prepare the medicine so no future problem will ensue. Please tell the Leader this.”

Cha Sung-tae, who only understood half of what Moyong said, simply nods his head first.

“Yes, I understand.”

While looking at the restrained Master Yukhap, Cha Sung-tae says,

“Hey, Master Yukgap. You’re scary. Did you get to all the Nansong orthodox? I thought you were an idiot because you were beaten up by Leader, turns out you’re not.”

Cha Sung-tae raises his hand when the lying Master Yukhap glares.

“You wanna die…? Be nice. Or else. Before you die accidentally.”

This time, the Gold Silver Seven Insects hanging upside down speak in a hoarse voice.

“…Water, please.”

Cha Sung-tae replies,

“Water? You had it yesterday. Do you think the Low-Down Sect is a charity house that gives out water?”

Cha Sung-tae approaches the Gold Silver Seven Insects and roasts them hard, then glances at Master Yukhap. Somehow, the lying down Master Yukhap is more intimidating than these guys, so he only lashes out on the lackeys.

After kicking the hanging man with his foot, he says to Moyong Baek,

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

After physical training in the mountains with the bandits, I enter the inner courtyard. I receive an enthusiastic welcome by the monkeys’ doing chin-ups.

“Welcome back, Leader!”

I look at the lying Master Yukhap and the pests hanging upside down.

“Anyone dead?”

“…….”

“I guess not.”

I walk to the bed and look down at Master Yukhap. Master Yukhap stares at me then closes his eyes.

Cha Sung-tae, who comes out of the main hall, reports.

“Doctor Moyong just left Leader.”

“Why is he working so hard?”

“He came by to take a look at Master Yukgap. Doc said if he doesn’t swallow the antidote he prescribed, he will bring a panacea¹ that disperses his inner Qi. And then he will proceed with treatment. I’ve been given the antidote to pass to you.”

“Why is he working so hard on the antidote?”

“I think he’s worried Master Yukhap will take revenge on Low-Down Sect after the treatment. According to Doc, he wiped out the orthodox in Nansong.”

“Ah, really?”

I stare at Master Yukhap, who has his eyes closed, with my hands behind my back. After Moyong Baek’s visit, his face had gotten even more pale.

“Hey, Yukgap”

“What do you want?”

“He’s shaking, Sung-tae.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let the bandits rest for a while and then get to training them afterwards. Chop chop. Train them until they’re about to die.”

“As you wish. Where are you going?”

“I should catch up with Doctor Moyong. He came all the way here, so I should at least say hi.”

I casually gaze at the hanging Gold Silver Seven Insects and stop in front of one of the guys.

“This punk… You’re still laughing. Who are you?”

Looking at the order they were hanging, it was Sam Chung.

“No, I’m not.”

“You have a trashy personality or what? You’re laughing?”

To his surprise, Sam Chung replies,

“…My tooth is protruded, so my mouth just keeps opening. I’m not laughing, I’m sorry.”

“Ah…”

Surprised, I scratch my head. Turns out he just has an ugly mouth. I cough dryly and say to Cha Sung-tae,

“Untie these guys from the tree now.”

Cha Sung-tae replies with a surprised look on his face.

“What?”

“Put them down. Also, give them some water.”

“Ah, of course.”

With a deadpan face I say,

“……Yuck, they are so ugly. Anyway, I’ll be back.”

“Yes, have a safe trip.”

I quickly catch up with Moyong Baek, who is on his way back to his infirmary, using footwork.

“Doc.”

Moyong Baek turns around with a startled look.

“Leader? You’re here.”

I slow down to a walk and gesture my hands ahead.

“Let’s go.”

“Well, you’re busy. I heard you went for a walk with bandits.”

“It just happened. Did you see the patient? You don’t have to try that hard. How is he?”

Moyong Baek, who had been agonizing for a while, replies,

“He was stubborn. And feisty. You’ll have a hard time making use of him.”

“I see.”

“Is there a reason why you spared him?”

“Hmm.”

While walking with Moyong Baek, I think about the reason for a while.

‘Poison Demon, Ghost Demon, Crazy Demon, Pervert Demon.’

In terms of the evilness as Murim’s Public Enemy, we’re about the same. All four of us were nutcases. However, I did not save him because we share a past. I tell Moyong Baek my honest feelings.

“I’m just trying something different. I can kill him any time anyway. If I can’t spare him and kill him afterwards, that just means that’s where my limit is at.”

“Hm.”

“I went to Namak and killed a lot of bandits with my own hands. The Alliance was on a conquest, and I got the Low-Down Sect involved, so I ended up joining.”

“How many people have you killed?”

“Over a hundred.”

“Oh my… single-handedly?”

Keeping my eyes ahead, I walk down the street with Moyong Baek. The man walking next to me is not Poison Demon, but a Great Doctor, so I reveal my innermost feelings.

“Ever since I came back, I think about it often. I have no regrets about fighting and killing the strong but killing over a hundred weaklings no matter how evil they are… the bandits appear in my dreams sometimes.”

“How do you react when a bandit appears in your dream?”

“I’ve been killing them all at once. Wishing that they won’t show up again.”

“But I guess I can’t get rid of them completely since it’s a dream.”

“I think so.”

Moyong Baek nods beside me.

“That’s why you didn’t kill Master Yukhap and kept him alive for now.”

“For now, I spared Master Yukhap and the subordinates he brought.”

Actually, I don’t think much about Master Yukhap.

If I had killed the Gold Silver Seven Insects that I had killed in my previous life again with my own hands, it may overlap with the 100 bandits incident, and it feels like something’s going to happen to me mentally.

This is how I feel honestly.

Moyong Baek says,

“Leader, you have done a good job for choosing to save them. It’s easy to kill, but hard to spare. This is the same for me as a doctor. Saving people is the hardest thing.”

I pause and look at Moyong Baek.

“We’re both thinking about saving people.”

Moyong Baek nods.

“Yes. Do you remember this finger from the other day?”

Moyong Baek raises his finger upside down and imitates walking. When I nod, Moyong Baek says,

“If you kill the people you meet on the way, you say that’s the Demon’s Way.”

“I remember.”

Moyong Baek nods and looks into my eyes.

“You have madness and anger issues and so if you walk into the Demon Cult, you will obtain the nickname Crazy Demon.”

“…it doesn’t sound that bad.”

Moyong Baek says with a smile,

“Leader, if you become much stronger than now, you will have more options. Once you grow even more powerful, you won’t have to do what you did in Namak. I’m sorry, it’s a consequential story, but…”

“I’m sure you’re right. Since it was to protect the alliance troops.”

Moyong Baek gestures forward.

“Let’s keep walking.”

I walk down the path with Moyong Baek again. Suddenly, Moyong Baek sighs and says,

“There are many masters in this world. The standard of being strong has become very high. I thought things would be comfortable with your level of skill, but I was wrong.”

I nod. It doesn’t seem like he was expecting a response.

Moyong Baek asks in curiosity,

“Leader, what do you think of the Alliance Leader’s skills?”

“He’s a strong man.”

“Is he stronger than you?”

“Of course… for now.”

Im So-baek was way stronger than me even during my Crazy Demon days. Suddenly, I watch Moyong Baek’s expression and say,.

“Doc, do you have any concerns these days?”

As if it were no big deal, Moyong Baek says,

“These days, I spend more time reading martial art manuals than medical books. I tend to study poison more than medicine.”

It wasn’t a big deal, but I suddenly burst into laughter and snort.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Well, it’s fine to do research on poison if you like it. What’s wrong with that? It’s not like there’s a law that practitioners should be weak in martial arts. What’s wrong with being stronger? Sometimes when I have a big problem, I get help from Doctor Moyong… I was worried about how to deal with Master Yukhap today, you said you’ll make a Qi-Dispersing Poison, so I felt relieved. Poison is medicine, so please study it well.”

“Yes.”

Looking back, we both have a lot of worries. I console Moyong Baek presumptuously.

“You’re doing great, Doc.”

Past life Murim Public Enemies comforting each other.

“Leader is doing well, too. If you get stronger than now, your madness will gradually get better.”

I nod and direct my hand near Moyong Infirmary.

“Then, I will see you again.”

Moyong Baek says with a nod.

“I will be back with the Qi-Dispersing Poison soon. It would be better to use him like this than killing Master Yukhap.”

I nod.

“That’s right. See you again.”

Moyong Baek turns around with a bright expression and heads back to Moyong Infirmary. For a moment, I stare at Moyong Baek’s back. He somehow seems like the former Poison Demon.

Well, it’s not that strange since the Great Doctor and the Poison Demon are the same person.

Editor’s Notes