Chapter 650: Still, I'm the Best, Right?

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Demonic Buddha was in the yard, organizing the poisonous herbs scattered across it. The ones that needed to be collected early were already gathered, leaving only those that required a long time to dry.

Then, a voice came from behind him.

"I'll help."

He turned to see Geom Muyang walking toward him.

"Would you?" the Demonic Buddha asked, not refusing the offer.

He knew this was Geom Muyang's own effort to get closer to someone.

Geom Muyang walked over to his side. He watched what the Demonic Buddha was doing for a moment and then began to organize the poisonous herbs with him.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you if you wanted to be alone," Geom Muyang said.

"Not at all. In fact, I was starting to get a little bored."

Geom Muyang had always felt there was a sharp edge to the Demonic Buddha. Seeing him these days, however, he was so gentle it felt like dealing with a different person. He wondered if he also looked that different to the Demonic Buddha.

"I didn't know you were so interested in medicinal herbs."

"Actually, I'm not interested in medicinal or poisonous herbs."

The Demonic Buddha paused his work for a moment.

"I've just discovered the joy of finding them."

There was a pure fun in finding the herbs. The thrill of discovering something no one else could find, and the satisfying feel of carefully digging up the herb without damaging its roots, provided the greatest pleasure a hobby could offer.

Of course, it was not to the point where he would go out foraging for herbs alone, so he focused on carving statues when he was not interacting with the Poison King. However, that could not compare to the joy of gathering herbs.

And most importantly.

"It's even more enjoyable when there's someone who appreciates it."

After all, no one was as happy to see the poisonous herbs he brought back as the Poison King.

"First Young Lord, do you have any hobbies you've been enjoying lately?"

What new hobby could he possibly have? Still, upon reflection, he found he had an answer.

"I've recently developed a hobby for working."

He was working several times harder than when he had been fighting for the succession. As a result, his reputation within the academy had actually improved.

"Shall we call it Karmic Retribution for losing the succession fight to a Young Cult Leader who loves to play?"

As he squatted next to the Demonic Buddha, organizing the herbs, Geom Muyang glanced at the main gate. Geom Mugeuk had gone to the Myeongsim physician and had not yet returned.

"Are you worried about the Young Cult Leader?"

He expected him to shake his head no, but Geom Muyang nodded.

The Demonic Buddha smiled and said, "No matter how outstanding a younger brother is, he's still a younger brother."

Geom Muyang was not just saying it. He was sincere.

"If Mugeuk gets hurt, I won't be able to face our father."

It was a separate issue from Geom Mugeuk being far superior to him in martial arts. He believed it was his duty to look after his younger brother when they were out together. To be more honest, he did not want to disappoint his father. If he lost even that expectation…

That was why, for today's matter, if the opponent had not been a poison user, he would have definitely gone along.

How could the Demonic Buddha not understand Geom Muyang's heart?

"It's not easy being the older brother to such a talented younger brother, is it?"

Especially when that younger brother was Geom Mugeuk.

"Living as a shadow isn't so bad."

After a brief pause following Geom Muyang's candid words, the Demonic Buddha said, "I think it is bad."

There was something the Demonic Buddha desperately wanted to tell Geom Muyang. He just never imagined he would be saying it while drying poisonous herbs in the front yard of Wuhan.

"The reason the Young Cult Leader tried to fight for the succession without bloodshed probably wasn't because he wanted the First Young Lord to become his shadow and harbor killing intent."

"!"

"Please be the kind of older brother who keeps the Young Cult Leader on his toes until the very end. For the Young Cult Leader's sake, and for the First Young Lord's sake."

Geom Muyang was silent for a moment. The Demonic Buddha, who had been his shadow for so long, was telling him not to become a shadow.

The Demonic Buddha knew.

Living as Mugeuk's shadow.

It might sound like a grand sacrifice, but it was not.

He knew it was a desperate struggle to protect his pride, a plausible excuse found at the end of his escape.

That he was not protecting him by becoming a shadow, but trying to hide by becoming one.

This small man before him, the Demonic Buddha, knew. This person was truly seeing him for who he was.

Staring silently at the poisonous herbs, Geom Muyang murmured, "You make things difficult for me until the very end, Demonic Buddha."

The Demonic Buddha looked up at the sky and said, "Don't try to endure it. Just live as the First Young Lord you are. I'm certain your footprints will remain."

Geom Muyang's gaze also turned to the sky.

Isn't living as myself a harder task than living a life of endurance?

However, Geom Muyang did not voice the thought. To someone who was trying so hard to be on his side, he wanted to show effort instead of excuses.

But next to those footprints, another set of footprints is absolutely necessary.

The footprints of someone smaller than anyone, yet taking immeasurably large steps.

That alone was enough.

Geom Mugeuk, having emerged from the underground secret chamber, left So Cheongrak's residence.

The Myeongsim physician was operating as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Geom Mugeuk headed for the infirmary where the patients had been put to sleep earlier.

Everyone who had been asleep in the infirmary was now awake.

He had expected the physicians who woke up here to be in an uproar looking for So Cheongrak, but surprisingly, things were running as normal.

Geom Mugeuk walked to a corner of the infirmary.

A man was there, lying with his back exposed and receiving acupuncture.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

The man answered while still lying face down. "My back's been hurting from digging up poisonous herbs lately."

"But the Demonic Buddha should have done all the herb gathering."

The man pretending not to hear was none other than the Poison King. He was also the one who had woken everyone who had been put to sleep here.

When Geom Mugeuk came to the physician, he had come along too. Even though he himself had Myriad Poison Immunity, Geom Mugeuk had not let his guard down against So Cheongrak, a master of poison arts. He could have released a mass-slaughter poison as he died.

"I thought the physicians would be in an uproar when they woke up, but it's quiet."

The Poison King spoke, still lying face down.

"I told them. That Physician So had to leave for a few days to treat some old masters of the murim."

Many people had seen him heading from the infirmary to So Cheongrak's residence with the Demonic Fire Lord and the White Bone Spirit Demon.

"I spun a tale that the masters wished to be treated in secret, so I put everyone here to sleep. I told them not to worry since the patient is an elder master from the Murim Alliance. And if they wanted to confirm, they could check with the Demon Slaying Brigade."

Everyone was relieved by his words. By the time his disappearance became an issue later, this whole affair would be over.

"You know, you're really smart, Poison King! How are you so good at handling things? You must sneak around the Central Plains, right? You've probably made lots of lovers all over the Central Plains, haven't you? One in Chongqing, another in Hubei, all over the place!"

The Poison King chuckled to himself while still lying down. The blatant compliments about his intelligence, the ridiculous stories about women, these were things he only heard when he was with Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk perched lightly on the edge of the bed where the Poison King was lying.

"If you needed acupuncture, you should have gone to the Demonic Physician."

"I only go to him when an arm falls off."

It was a matter of pride for the Demon Supreme. He could not possibly go for a simple backache.

Having said that, Geom Mugeuk realized it had been a long time since he had seen the Demonic Physician. No matter how much he resolved to take care of everyone, reality was that he always ended up missing things like this. Come to think of it, he had been so busy as the Acting Cult Leader that he left the Cult without even having a drink with Jo Cheonbae.

Geom Mugeuk looked up at the sky visible through the window. White clouds were drifting by, slowly but ceaselessly.

"You're not asking what happened."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, the Poison King replied from his prone position. "There's no need to ask."

His words were filled with pride in his own poisons, and at the same time, trust in Geom Mugeuk. That was why he did not ask about So Cheongrak, nor about the two old demons who had violated the Demonic Seal Mandate.

"But did you fight while rolling around in a pile of poisonous herbs? What is that smell?"

Only then did the Poison King lift his head to look at Geom Mugeuk.

"……"

His eyes fell on the leather pouch Geom Mugeuk was holding preciously. Seeing the leaf of a poisonous herb peeking out from the edge of the pouch, the Poison King's eyes widened.

"The Snowy Dream Flower?"

SHUK SHUK SHUK SHUK SHUK!

The needles embedded in the Poison King's back pulled themselves out.

The Poison King shot up into a sitting position and began to sniff earnestly.

"I smell the Black Smoke Grass, too."

Geom Mugeuk opened the leather pouch and looked inside.

"Oh, you're exactly right."

The Poison King correctly identified the items underneath, in order.

"Gihwacho, and even the Yin Wind Flower!"

With a surprised expression, Geom Mugeuk looked back and forth between the pouch and the Poison King. It was no easy feat to guess what was inside the pouch, but amazingly, the Poison King was listing them in the exact order they had been placed.

"The Seven Colored Grand Sun Grass, and even the Moon Shadow Grass!"

With just his sense of smell, he identified every poisonous herb down to the very bottom of the pouch.

"The Ecstasy Grass is incredibly hard to find."

These were truly precious poisonous herbs that So Cheongrak had collected over a long time.

As the Poison King reached out a hand to take the leather pouch, Geom Mugeuk slyly placed it on his other side.

"I'm only saying this now, but I was a bit hurt. Wasn't I originally your favorite person, Poison King?"

"You are."

The Poison King swallowed, glancing at Geom Mugeuk. Of course, his gaze was fixed on the leather pouch.

"It doesn't seem like it lately, though."

"It's definitely you."

"Really?"

The Poison King nodded.

"You have to say it clearly in front of our second forager, too. 'You come after the Young Cult Leader!' Can you do that?"

The Poison King was seen flinching.

Seeing that, Geom Mugeuk held back a laugh. That was enough teasing about their friendship. Geom Mugeuk handed the leather pouch to the Poison King.

"So Cheongrak asked me to tell you this is a gift for you, the Poison King. He said he sincerely respects you."

These words were enough. Enough to inform him that So Cheongrak had died by the Poison King's poison.

The Poison King opened the pouch, a huge grin spreading across his face in delight. How could he love poisonous herbs this much?

"Are you that happy?"

"With these, I can try making the new poison I've been designing."

Eager to return to his residence, the Poison King immediately left the infirmary, and Geom Mugeuk followed him.

After walking for a while, the Poison King said abruptly, "Thanks for bringing it."

Their gazes met in mid-air for a moment. Geom Mugeuk could feel the Poison King's sincere gratitude. He gave a faint smile, and the Poison King returned it with one of his own.

And Geom Mugeuk was not one to let such an opportunity pass.

"I'm so glad you appreciate it. Phew, since we're on the topic, do you have any idea how hard I worked to grab these while fighting the Demonic Fire Lord and the White Bone Spirit Demon? I fought a bloody battle of over three hundred exchanges with the two old demons, and in between, I had to run over and stuff the herbs into the pouch. My protective enhanced qi was melting under the Demonic Fire Lord's palm strikes, and the White Bone Ghosts created by the White Bone Spirit Demon revived and reformed five whole times. If it wasn't for my devotion to you, Poison King, I never would have been able to bring these back."

"……"

"……"

"Tell me the truth. How many techniques did it take to win?"

"I told you, three hundred techniques."

"……"

"Two hundred techniques. No, one hundred techniques."

As the Poison King continued to stare at him, Geom Mugeuk finally told the truth.

"One technique."

The Poison King was not surprised and nodded.

"I thought so."

Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Poison King had sensed that he had achieved a new level in his martial arts.

Were the Poison King's poison arts also growing?

The Poison King started walking again, and Geom Mugeuk followed.

"Even if I brought them back easily, I'm still the best, right? Right?"

"I should buy some food that the Demonic Buddha likes on the way."

"Why are you suddenly talking about the Demonic Buddha?"

"He's the one who should be getting acupuncture."

"Has your number one changed already!"

As the two walked down the street in front of the physician, trading jokes, they could feel the furtive glances of passing women.

"Do you feel those gazes? We should definitely have a drink with the female warriors of Wuhan before we go back."

Just then, one of the women who had been glancing at them walked over.

"Um…"

The woman blushed as if she were shyly making a confession.

She lifted her head and spoke. He naturally expected her to ask for a drink or a cup of tea.

"Go back to the Demonic Cult, Geom Mugeuk."

In an instant, the expressions of Geom Mugeuk and the Poison King hardened.

The woman's gaze and expression were no different from when she had walked over. Her eyes did not look possessed. However, the woman was clearly under a Soul-Hypnosis Art.

She reached into her robes and pulled something out. To his surprise, it was a forged Jingeuk.

She was not trying to launch a surprise attack. She pulled it out very slowly.

It was as if she were announcing, 'I am now taking out hidden weapons to attack you.'

Before she could aim the Jingeuk, Geom Mugeuk fired a finger qi bullet to subdue her ma-hyeol.

At that moment!

The woman's eyes rolled back, and her whole body began to tremble violently.

The veins on her forehead bulged as if they would burst. If left alone, she would certainly lose her life.

Geom Mugeuk quickly fired another finger qi bullet to subdue her su-hyeol. He thought it might be better to just knock her unconscious. However, it was useless.

"Uuuuugh!"

The woman's veins bulged even more.

She was under a Soul-Hypnosis Art that would kill her the moment any kind of suppression was attempted. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a technique.

If subduing her acupoints did not work, then knocking her unconscious would likely have the same result.

Geom Mugeuk first released the pressure on her ma-hyeol and su-hyeol.

As he did, the bulging veins subsided, and the woman came to her senses.

She slowly aimed the Jingeuk.

She moved so slowly it was as if she were saying, 'If you want to live, kill this woman.'

It was a crowded place, so if he dodged the Jingeuk, a passerby behind him could be killed.

There were too many people around to erect the Impenetrable Demonic Wall, so Geom Mugeuk stepped in front of the Poison King and gripped the hilt of the Black Demon Sword.

It was close range, but he intended to deflect the Jingeuk's hidden weapons with his sword. He would knock them all to the ground!

The Jingeuk was aimed. In the moment his eyes met the woman's beyond it.

The woman slowly put the aimed Jingeuk back into her robes.

And she looked at Geom Mugeuk and asked, "…My friends are over there, would you like to have a cup of tea with us?"

The woman had no idea what she had just done. She probably did not even know she had a Jingeuk in her robes.

There was no change between her two different actions.

No shift in her eyes, no emission of any dark energy.

The two actions flowed together so naturally. It was as if the woman were simply playing two different roles.

Geom Mugeuk smiled and replied, "That's a shame. I have somewhere I need to be right now. Let's definitely have a drink next time."

The woman lowered her head as if embarrassed and ran off into the crowd.

"That's an astonishingly skillful Soul-Hypnosis Art."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, the Poison King silently nodded. There had been no sign that the woman was under a Soul-Hypnosis Art. It showed just how tricky this new enemy was.

"A warning to go back."

He naturally assumed Geom Mugeuk would think the same.

"No, it sounded different to me."

Geom Mugeuk's gaze deepened.

"They must know that I won't turn back because of a threat like this."

So for them to do this anyway?

"They have some other intention."