Chapter 230: Chapter 230

Chapter 230: Rehabilitation (5)

"May I ask what that is?"

Physician Seo Jae-pil's eyes sparkled as he asked.

I felt a bit like I'd become some kind of research specimen, but this had been weighing on me pretty heavily, so I decided to be honest about it.

“I don’t feel anything when I kill people. Of course, it's not like I've been going around slaughtering innocents. It’s just been the fanatics who attacked us at the Hall of the Demonic Way, and the scumbags who were hurting people here in Gansu.”

I wasn't trying to justify my killings.

This era differs greatly from the modern world in the first place. Violence is basically the people’s main language here.

"Those fanatics were definitely my first kills. To be fair, my life was on the line, so I wasn't exactly thinking straight. But here in Gansu, it was different. Even though those guys were criminals, I honestly never felt like I was in any real danger. And even so, I killed them without batting an eye.”

It's because of this weird feeling of being disconnected that I’ve been having lately that I’ve been trying really hard not to kill anyone unless they’re a complete monster.

That's why I gave the Hao Clan’s people a chance, and why I deliberately left the Beggars’ Gang alone.

"So that's what I want to ask you, Physician Seo. Is this just how all Demonic Arts work? Or is there something wrong with me specifically?"

That was why I'd been so candid with him.

I needed to know if it was just me, or if everyone who uses Demonic Arts ends up .

At my question, Physician Seo Jae-pil fell into contemplation, seeming to sift through everything he'd studied over the years.

After a moment, he organized his thoughts and spoke.

"First, I should mention that in our Divine Cult, there hasn't been a single person who's ever complained about struggling with having killed someone. However, I can't definitively say that practicing Demonic Arts removes one's aversion to killing based on that alone."

He paused for a second, as if trying to figure out how to phrase this precisely, then continued.

"As you know, Young Master, our Cult’s teachings say that killing evildoers is considered completely natural. So even if there were people who felt uncomfortable about killing, they wouldn't have been able to easily bring it up."

"Everything I've said so far is based on objective observation and study. But if I'm being honest with my personal opinion... I think you might be a special case, Young Master."

“...What makes you say that?”

"Because of what happened at the Hall of the Demonic Way. Remember how the disciples were all suffering from mental scars after the attack? That's when I learned the truth. People were definitely struggling, but they were just enduring it for the sake of our doctrine."

“Hmm. So maybe it’s the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword that’s unusual."

"Whether it's the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword that's the problem, or if you have a unique constitution, Young Master... we'd need more research to say for sure. It would help if there were someone else who practiced the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword to compare with."

Physician Seo muttered to himself with an intrigued expression, "I wonder who else has learned the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword..."

“There is one. The Lord of Peach Blossom Ridge."

Seo Jae-pil let out an exclamation as if he'd just remembered.

“In that case, how about staying at Peach Blossom Ridge for a while in the future? This seems like an excellent research topic."

Sorry to say, but while I wouldn't mind occasional volunteer visits there, actually living there was a hard pass.

“…Ahem. My work keeps me busy, so it would seem difficult for me to stay there.”

"Then, after I examine your condition in detail, I'll visit there myself later. Hahaha."

Going to live among dementia patients for research. Not just any dementia patients, but ones who'd reached the Extremity or beyond.

Physician Seo really was remarkable in many ways.

The people I'd been waiting for arrived in Lanzhou. Several physicians from the Pure Mind Hall at the main headquarters, along with a certain martial artist.

"Warrior Kwan. It's been a while."

Kwan Mu-yeol bowed his head respectfully at Il-mok's greeting.

"It's an honor to see you again, Eighth Young Master."

This was the guy who had been Il-mok’s bodyguard right after he joined the cult, the one who ended up going to the Pure Mind Hall later after they found out he was using mushrooms to handle his side effect.

Seeing Il-mok again after more than two years, he was completely blown away.

'I'd heard the rumors, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.'

From where he stood, he couldn’t even begin to guess how powerful Il-mok had become.

And it wasn't just Il-mok.

Jin Hayeon, who'd been two levels below him when she was just Il-mok's escort guard, had somehow reached the same height as his own.

It's not like Kwan Mu-yeol had been slacking off during his time at the Pure Mind Hall. After overcoming his dependence on the mushrooms and learning to control the side effect, he'd thrown himself back into training.

He'd even broken through to the next level. But she’d still caught up.

The Eighth Young Master's growth rate had never been within the realm of common sense to begin with, so he wouldn't dare compare himself there. But being caught up to by Jin Hayeon left a bitter taste.

Still, Kwan Mu-yeol quickly brushed aside such distracting thoughts.

'Right. Everyone has their own pace. It's enough to just walk my own path.'

After spending two and a half years receiving treatment at the Pure Mind Hall, his mental fortitude had grown quite strong.

Strong enough to resist the temptation of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Meanwhile, after exchanging greetings with Kwan Mu-yeol, Il-mok also briefly greeted the other physicians from the Pure Mind Hall. Thıs text ıs hosted at novel⁂fire.net

"Two of you will remain here to care for Lanzhou's patients alongside the nurses. The rest will accompany me to Pingliang County."

Following Il-mok's instructions, the physicians selected who would stay in Lanzhou.

Watching them, Il-mok turned to Seo Jae-pil and Dam Bin.

“Please select a few people from among the inn-waiters or courtesans in the red-light district. They will be the ones to care for the severely addicted in Pingliang County."

"Should we look for ones who can read and write?"

"That's not necessary. Their main job is ‘caregiving,’ not actual medicine. Oh, and if you mention we'll teach them to read and write in their spare time, that should attract some interest."

Of course, the actual teaching would be dumped on the physicians.

Dam Bin thought for a moment at Il-mok's instructions, then replied.

"There's one problem, Young Master. According to the Red Blossom Pavilion Mistress and several others, there's already a shortage of workers in the red-light district.”

That made sense; they'd already pulled a lot of people out to become nurses and musicians.

It got especially bad after he took the main band to Pingliang. It’s to the point where they had to hire a new band just to play the hymns back in Lanzhou.

Il-mok thought about it for a second, then shrugged.

"Most of the criminal gangs in the Gansu Province area have been cleaned up anyway. So why don't we see if anyone from the other counties wants to move to the big city and work in the brothels here? That should solve the problem, right?”

Honestly, he'd love to just shut down the whole red-light district. But he couldn't do that until he had a new way for all those people to make a living. Otherwise, they’d all just become beggars.

(TL Note: Lol, my man here revived a dying economy just because he hates beggars so much.)

Besides, brothels were just a normal part of life in this era, so it felt a little weird to just get rid of them based on his modern values.

That's why he planned to gradually phase them out through education and job creation, like he was doing now.

And if, after all that, some people still chose to do that kind of work, well, it wasn't his business to stop them.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you find any courtesans in the other counties who can read, recruit them and bring them here to train as nurses. I’m taking some that we’ve already trained here with me to Pingliang County. We'll need senior staff to manage the new recruits, even if it's just caregiving."

Following Il-mok's instructions, they hired new people and got the old hands ready to leave for Pingliang County.

A convoy of wagons filled with several physicians as well as Seo Jae-pil and Kwan Mu-yeol departed for Pingliang County.

A few nurses who'd been working at the Maitreya Luminous Cult’s estate, and several people recruited from the courtesans' district for caregiving duties were also on the convoy,

There are also Deok Gwang and his crew of former beggars.

All in all, more than fifty people set out on a journey to revitalize Pingliang County.

Several wagons rolled into Pingliang County.

Their first destination was the estate where the severely addicted had been gathered.

Physician Seo Jae-pil stepped down from the wagon and his eyes lit up at the sight of the critical patients.

Il-mok shook his head.

'Yep. I’ve known it for a while. That guy’s not normal, even by the cult’s standard.'

The other physicians didn't have the same fervent scholarly enthusiasm as Seo Jae-pil.

"From now on, you'll conduct regular consultations and treatment for Pingliang County's residents here. Even those who aren't severely addicted have been exposed to the Butterfly Dream Grass and retain at least minimal symptoms of addiction.”

Il-mok then looked at Kwan Mu-yeol and added.

"Warrior Kwan's role is important here. You’ve been through something similar, so talk to the people who come here and help encourage them to get clean.”

"I will do so. Eigh—I mean, Incarnation of Maitreya."

Kwan Mu-yeol almost let slip his familiar form of address.

Seeing that, Il-mok switched from talking out loud to sending a voice transmission.

—One more thing. Since the side effect of your martial art is similar to mine, organize a care system for the severely addicted here and write up a detailed plan. I trust you'll produce a flawless, comprehensive proposal.

Kwan Mu-yeol was left speechless.

As Il-mok said, their side effects were similar. But...

'I couldn't overcome those side effects, that's why I ended up turning to those weird mushrooms!'

Not everyone could just come up with perfect solutions like Il-mok did.

If he could do that, he never would have started eating those magic mushrooms in the first place!

'Ugh. My head suddenly...'

Kwan Mu-yeol felt like all the progress he’d made in the last two and a half years was about to go right down the drain.

While Kwan Mu-yeol suffered from his success...

"Hahaha! You've finally arrived!"

A hearty laugh rang out from behind them.

Il-mok turned to see beggars approaching.

And right in the middle was the Little Tiger Beggar who'd left this place about a month ago.

"Did your visits to the Murim Alliance and the Beggars’ Gang headquarters go well?"

Little Tiger Beggar nodded.

“Yep. Both the Alliance and the Gang have started hunting for the Blood Cult, following up on rumors from all over the country.”

This country was so big that there were always a million stupid rumors floating around. Normally, they ignored most of them unless they were confirmed or a bunch of different reports with multiple circumstances aligned.

But now there was a chance that the Blood Cult might be back; things were different.

“We cross-referenced the intel, and we found a few other places with rumors that sounded a lot like what happened here and on the Ghost Valley Mountain. So, we’ve sent our beggars and guys from the Flying Dragon Pavilion out all over the country to check those places first.”

“That’s great to hear.”

Il-mok beamed since there was no reason to hide his smile when he heard they were going after those pieces of trash from the Blood Cult.

'With the Murim Alliance and Beggars’ Gang focused elsewhere, I’ll have some breathing room for a while.'

He could smile without having to hide what he was really thinking.

Seeing that bright smile beyond the mask, the Seven-Knot Beggar also laughed heartily.

“I knew it! The Maitreya Luminous Cult was also worried about the people! That’s why I waited here to tell you in person, to put your mind at ease. This kind of news is better delivered face-to-face, don't you think?"

After saying that, the Seven Knot Beggar suddenly seemed to remember something and rummaged inside his clothes with an "Ah, right!"

A second later, he pulled out a piece of paper.

The sight of him pulling that paper out of his filthy clothes, which probably stank of sweat, made Il-mok wrinkle his nose without even realizing it.

“And if you happen to see this guy anywhere in Gansu, make sure you catch him.”

At Little Tiger Beggar's words, Il-mok examined the wanted poster with a furrowed brow.

Whoever it was, they had an annoyingly handsome face.