Chapter 65: The Great War of Good and Evil (4)

While the Guardian and I bantered, the Medicine King boiled the extra premium mineral water. He set out his frying pan and cutting board before he began to cook. A savory smell filled up the cave.

The Medicine King was quick with his hands. Oyster soup, white fish filet topped with roasted asparagus, a mix of roasted fish and razor clams sprinkled with parsley, some cream porridge with shellfish and mushroom slices, roasted lamb chops... He had everything served in fifteen minutes.

“There you go! It’s not much, but eat up. You should eat properly when you’re young.

Tsk, tsk..

”

The line of dishes made the Murim Alliance's leader’s eyes widen.

“B-both the Heavenly Demon woman and I are quite old...” he stammered.

“Did you also drink an elixir of eternal youth or something? I would have trademarked them if I were still in Silicon Valley! Forget it. You should eat properly even when you’re old! That’s how you endure life,” the Medicine King insisted, and gave the Murim Alliance's leader a bowl of oyster soup. He was like a cursing granny—no, a grandpa from one of those restaurants.[1]

I also received a bowl of oyster soup. The smell was decent, but it was still oyster soup. I didn’t have high expectations as I took a sip.

Wow. This is amazing!

I instantly thought.

Maybe it was just because I ate that poor excuse for food they called a grain pill a minute ago.

The broth was red, apparently from the vegetables the Medicine King had added to it, and it wasn’t fishy at all. It was a little tangy but also flavorful at the same time. Even a sip of just the broth was very good. The sensation of chewy oysters on my tongue and teeth was incredible. When I bit into them, they released juice which perfectly blended with the broth. It was freaking awesome.

Even after winning the MA lottery, the limits of my luxury were adding half-and-half java chips, chocolate drizzle, and four shots to my white mocha venti frappuccino. The Medicine King’s dishes were astounding to me. It looked like the Chemist, who was still living in the slum due to her lack of popularity, was experiencing the same surprise. Her eyes were as wide as moons right now.

“My god. It’s so good... The shrimp is so plump and chewy, and it literally tastes like shrimp... It’s not smelly at all. How can shrimp taste like this? And this mille-feuille for dessert feels like the aristocracy of nuneddine[2]. Not just any aristocracy—it’s at least a marquess. The passion fruit puree adds extra freshness to the frozen yogurt on the bottom... H-how can food taste like this...?”

The Medicine King stuck his nose into the air. “That’s because the restaurant where I was owner-chef in my fifties earned three Michelin stars! If I had a proper gas stove, I would have been able to fill up your bellies until they burst like balloons.”

Was the Medicine King actually great? Could he really be a boxing champion? Had he truly worked in Silicon Valley and Wall Street?

The Viper looked like he was wondering the same thing. He ate a spoonful of the seafood porridge, which I heard was formally known as abalone truffle risotto or something, and then sarcastically asked, “Why did such a remarkable man come to the Tower?”

“Why? Should a person like me not come to the Tower? Marcus came to the Tower too!” the Medicine King scoffed.

“You guys knew each other from outside the Tower?”

“Not really. He’s just an annoying guy who was born into a filthy rich family. I made it on my own in Silicon Valley, so in my eyes, he’s just a lucky bastard. But just because he was a little unlucky in his twilight years, he went nuts and came to the Tower only with a sword...”

The story that started with a scoff ended with the Medicine King’s voice fading away.

The Chemist, the Viper, and I all had a somewhat different impression of him now.

Embarrassed by our gazes, the Medicine King swung his ladle as if he were shooing away a bird. “Just eat your food already!”

So we resumed eating the amazing food. This was it: the cook of the

Heavenly Demon Chronicle

expedition team was chosen.

“It tastes truly divine,” the Heavenly Demon, the protagonist of that very book, complimented. She never stopped moving her spoon. “Are you the cook for the Imperial Family? Hmm, no, this is a little different from the food you usually find in the Central Plains.”

“That’s what I wanted to say. I’ve eaten many dishes as the leader of the Righteous Faction, but never anything like this,” he exclaimed as he slurped down the cream pasta.

“Not only are these dishes unique, you all seem abundantly supplied... I’m really starting to wonder where you’re from and why you’re here.”

“Did people in outer

murim

find a way to cure the

jiangshi

disease?”

The two martial artists’ eyes sparkled. Their excitement was understandable. For them, the Hunters and I were the first humans they had met in years.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

I pitied them a little but shook my head. “No, we’re still searching for the cure.”

“I see...”

Their disappointment looked as deep as their excitement.

“Well, all of the doctors and sages in

gangho

tried to cure the disease, but no one succeeded.”

“Those in the Mount Mao Sect were experts in

jiangshi

, but all of them gave up. I’m sure even outer

murim

has too...”

“Are you sure that there’s no cure for disease?” I asked. “I’m not trying to boast, but you two saw our food. We have different knowledge from you, and the Chemist over here is the best doctor and pharmacist there is.”

The Chemist’s face reddened halfway into a bit of lamb chop.

“She’s just lucky,” the Medicine King grumbled.

Well, I felt a bit sorry for him as someone who was enjoying the tasty food he’d made.

“The man over there is good enough to be the Chemist’s assistant. If you help us a little bit, we’ll be able to find the cure.”

The Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance’s leader looked at each other.

“I’m not sure if ‘cure” is the right word...”

“But there is a way...”

The Chemist’s face brightened. “W-what is it?”

“...Wait here,” the Heavenly Demon told her.

After a moment, the Heavenly Demon returned with a big coffin. She opened it to show us the zombie inside.

Like the time we had talked about the warm body temperature of the Murim Alliance’s leader, the Guardian remained silent, his eyebrows furrowed.

The zombie was docile, like they usually were under the sunlight. I wasn’t sure if it was the chain wrapped around it or the giant acupuncture needles in every limb, but the zombie didn’t move one bit.

I looked up. “Who is this...?”

“He’s the Wudang Sect’s leader,” the Heavenly Demon calmly said. “Right after he got bitten by a

jiangshi

, he let us have his body so that we could study the disease. But so far, the only way we know to contain a

jiangshi

is to block every acupoint.”

She put her hand inside the coffin. Before pulling out the acupuncture needle on the zombie’s neck, she warned us, “Be careful.”

Immediately, the zombie’s eyes snapped open. The Chemist fell down on her bottom in surprise as the zombie thrashed, its teeth frantically gnashing at the air in an attempt to bite her. The chain kept it safely under control, but she still broke into a cold sweat.

“As you can see...” The Heavenly Demon put the acupuncture needle back in the zombie’s neck and its eyelids slid down. It looked peaceful, as if it had never run wild. “It’s possible to put a

jiangshi

to sleep by blocking the acupoint between the brain and the spine. However, that isn’t really a cure. It’s just a temporary measure.”

No one could say anything.

“When a

jiangshi

bites someone, corrupted energy spreads inside them through their meridians and vessels.”

Corrupted energy. Was she talking about the virus?

“No amount of time spent in the lotus position or Qi Alignment can eliminate this corrupted energy. My demons used to cultivate demonic energy, and those foolish sages in the Wudang Sect had qi as clear as rivers. But one bite is the end for everyone. Your body starts to burn up and you’ll become a

jiangshi

before long.”

The Heavenly Demon slowly closed the coffin.

“The monk from the Shaolin Temple held out the longest. Even after a

jiangshi

bit off a chunk of his arm, he maintained his sanity for a year, but he was the exception of exceptions. However exceptional they may be, most people don’t last more than fifteen days.” The Heavenly Demon sighed. “Children from the outer

murim

, do you really think you can find the cure?”

The Chemist couldn’t answer. Even the geezer Medicine King had trouble picking his next words. When none of us could answer, the Heavenly Demon smiled bitterly.

“It’s okay. I used to think that old man and I were the only ones left in this world. That we met other living people is proof that the Queen Mother of the West’s[3] grace is still with us. Feel free to stay here as long as you want.”

The Murim Alliance's leader nodded. “I’ll make beds for you, so let’s go to sleep for tonight. I feel like there’s a lot to talk about, but we can take care of that tomorrow.”

The Hunters and I had to end our first day in the apocalyptic book without results.

* * *

“Mmmm... I can’t eat anymore...”

“Marcus, you bastard. Am I supposed to be second place all my life If you leave like this...?”

The Hunters were deep asleep. Their bedding was arranged around the hot spring, so although it was a little humid, they weren’t cold.

—Why aren’t you sleeping, Zombie?

the Guardian asked.

I looked up at the hole in the ceiling, which gave me a good view of the night sky.

There’s something I need to check.

Instead of pressing me for clarification, the Guardian went quiet. He probably had similar questions and speculations as me. I pulled the blanket up to my face and pretended I was sleeping.

When the night deepened, I could feel not one but two people approaching me. I kept my eyes shut and breathed as quietly as possible. The two people delicately picked their way around us.

“...Are they asleep?” one asked, almost inaudible.

“...It looks like it,” the other whispered.

“...Then let’s get on with it.”

“...Yeah, we should finish quickly.”

The voices of the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance's leader slowly went further away. I soon heard a quiet splash; the two martial artists began to bathe, taking advantage of the Hunters’ sleep.

Now.

I quickly got up and darted through the steam toward the hot spring.

The Heavenly Demon and the Murim Alliance's leader were leisurely enjoying the hot spring in their soboks[4]. However, their rest was rudely interrupted when I came running out of the steam.

The Murim Alliance's leader gasped and hastily submerged himself deeper into the hot spring.

After briefly scanning the two martial artists’ bodies, I realized that my speculations were right.

“W-what?! I thought you were asleep!” the Murim Alliance's leader sputtered.

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes narrowed. She seemed to have understood the situation a little quicker than the Righteous Faction leader.

“...You have sharp eyes, child,” she said with a short sigh. “When did you notice?”

“I found it strange ever since I first met you two,” I answered. “The weather was really cold, but your clothes were light. One of you was only wearing your training suit, and the other was in just his sobok.”

It was freezing out there. No one could survive for even a moment if they didn’t use aura, yet the two martial artists in front of me had gone out practically naked.

“That means you’ve been using your qi to shield yourselves from the cold. In other words, you two are great martial artists who can use your qi proficiently...but your match was like a street fight, and you became tired after a short walk. It didn’t make sense,” I slowly said. “There’s only one reasonable explanation: you two are using all your qi on something else.

“You said earlier that corrupted energy spreads within your entire body once you’re bitten by a

jiangshi

.” I looked straight at the Heavenly Demon and the Righteous Faction leader despite the steam. “You two are already bitten, aren’t you? I believe that you two were infected by the

jiangshi

long ago, but you two are leaders of your faction. You’re using your incredible qi to suppress the corrupted energy. Am I right?”

After my question, the hot spring was silent until the Heavenly Demon stood up with a quiet

splash

.

“D-Demon, you...”

“Forget it, old man. He already saw us.” The Heavenly Demon shook her head. “You’re right, child. The old man and I were bitten by the

jiangshi

three years ago.”

She turned around and showed me her pale back, which had a purple, festering wound.

The Murim Alliance's leader slowly showed me his nape.

“But you’re technically wrong about one thing,” he noted. His wound was equally rotten, but everything above his neck was clean. “We aren’t suppressing it. We blocked the acupoint between the brain and the spine to stop the spread.”

—Fuck. It’s Qi Interference.

The Guardian shook his head in disbelief.

Qi Interference?

—You know what Sword Telekinesis is, right?

Yeah, you envelope your sword with your qi and make that fly ar— No way.

Yes way.

—Yeah, with the acupoint they blocked, they won’t be able to feel a thing below their neck. They can’t move. In other words, they’re paralyzed, but they’re moving because...they’re using qi to move their entire body like they would with Sword Telekinesis. Their hearts, lungs, joints, waists, ankles, feet... They’re controlling everything using their qi.

It was everything they needed to live and move. To stop the zombie virus from spreading to their brains through their spines, the two martial artists had closed off all access to their brains.

I stayed silent.

—They’re basically using Sword Telekinesis 24/7. Of course they would pant after a couple of steps. They’re crazy...

“That is how we’re fighting the Great War of Good and Evil,” the Heavenly Demon said as if she were replying to the Guardian.

“It’s already been three years,” the Murim Alliance's leader added.

1. Some restaurant owners in Korea don’t hesitate to curse at their customers. People aren’t offended by that because that reminds them of their grandparents’ rough manner of speech. But it’s becoming harder to find this kind of restaurant because people are becoming more uncomfortable about this kind of restaurant over time. ☜

2. A Korean snack pastry. ☜

3. A mother goddess in Chinese mythology. ☜

4. Hanboks usually worn during funerals, but can also refer to all undyed hanboks worn for ceremonies to show humility. ☜