Chapter 232: Chapter 232

Chapter 232: Rehabilitation (7)

At a vacant lot in the corner of Pingliang County’s market, the locals swarmed the place as always to watch the theatrical duels.

Actually, it wasn't just the locals anymore.

Tourists who'd come to visit Mount Kongtong were also showing up. Some out of pure curiosity, others chasing rumors they'd heard from somewhere. The tourist numbers weren't huge yet, but they were growing.

After two rounds of flashy performances from minor martial artists playing bit parts, the band stationed at the back began playing an eerie, foreboding tune. Moving in sync with the ominous melody, a robust man clad in black robes descended to the ground with a flamboyant movement.

"Get lost, you bastard!!"

Immediately, the crowd erupted with jeers and insults.

The man known by the alias Black Wind Killing Demon had been building quite the reputation over the past few days through these staged battles, and not in a good way.

He was seen molesting women and tormenting the weak.

Of course, it was all scripted. The woman he'd "harassed" was actually a former courtesan who now performed in the Maitreya Luminous Cult's band, and the "weakling" he'd picked on was a beggar from the Beggars’ Gang.

Anyway, since he kept winning fights and acting like a jerk, the crowd's hatred for him had reached a fever pitch.

The audience believed wholeheartedly that karma was coming for him. And it would be delivered by Pingliang's hope, the Azure Sword Hero.

Right on cue, as the band shifted to a more elegant, hopeful melody, the man they all trusted appeared.

The Azure Sword Hero himself.

"Hehehehe. Today, I'll kill you and claim this entire Pingliang County as my own."

The Black Wind Killing Demon's taunt was met with the Azure Sword Hero's deep, righteous voice.

"Hmph. As long as the righteous path of the Jianghu still stands, I'll never fall to scum like you."

Thanks to all the practice he'd been getting, the Azure Sword Hero was delivering his lines smoothly by now.

"Kick that piece of trash's ass!"

And so, with the crowd's passionate cheers echoing around them, the duel began.

Every time their weapons clashed, cheers and curses flew back and forth.

The two fighters seemed evenly matched, exchanging blow after blow in a back-and-forth struggle that went on for quite a while.

Even when the Azure Sword Hero was pushed onto the defensive a few times, the crowd never lost faith.

They believed he would win just as he always had before.

The Black Wind Killing Demon suddenly rolled on the ground, grabbed a handful of dirt, and threw it at the Azure Sword Hero’s face.

Everyone’s favorite hero quickly covered his face, but then—

The villain's sword cut across the hero's chest.

The Azure Sword Hero let out a pained groan as blood began gushing from his chest.

Obviously, it was just a dye pack he had hidden under his clothes, but to the crowd, it looked like real blood.

The hero dropped to one knee, barely propping himself up with his sword as he lifted his head with difficulty.

"BWAHAHAHA! There’s no such thing as fair play in a fight to the death!”

True to his trashy character, the Black Wind Killing Demon just sneered.

He struck the Azure Sword Hero's chest again.

With that final blow, the hero collapsed and lay completely still. A cold silence descended over the plaza.

People wanted to scream curses at the villain's underhanded methods, but—

"BWAHAHAHA! Now Pingliang County belongs to me!"

—the Azure Sword Hero, their protector against this terrifying villain, was gone.

"BWAHAHAHA! I love seeing you all paralyzed with fear."

As if savoring the silence and terror, the Black Wind Killing Demon scanned the crowd before approaching a particular woman.

"What a pretty face. Tonight, you'll—"

Just as he was about to harass her—

A hidden weapon came flying from somewhere with a sharp whistle, and the villain quickly swung his sword to deflect it.

Right then, the band started playing music again.

It was a melody similar to the Azure Sword Hero's theme, but somehow fresher and more uplifting.

At the same time, a jade-faced young man appeared on the stage.

'Why... why am I here again...?'

She had social anxiety and trouble communicating, so she couldn't say no to people.

It was just too hard for her to give a firm "no."

When people had asked her, she'd stammered things like:

—C-can I really do it?

She kept mumbling vague answers like that, and before she knew it, she was cast as the lead.

Seeing her abrupt entrance—or rather, the entrance of the Jade-Faced Young Master—the Black Wind Killing Demon frowned and shouted.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Since Jeong Hyeon could barely talk to people one-on-one, shouting a line in front of a crowd was a nightmare.

That’s why she barely had any lines.

The Jade-Faced Young Master pointed her sword at the villain and spoke, "My master's... avenger."

Jeong Hyeon had to use every bit of her willpower just to get those words out.

To block out the presence of everyone around her, she pushed her Ghost Spirit Divine Bow to its absolute limit, focusing all her senses in one direction.

Specifically, toward the sky above her head.

After she managed to squeeze out that line, the narrator standing nearby immediately jumped in with enthusiastic commentary.

"Behold! This is the Jade Sword Young Master, the Azure Sword Hero's disciple whom he’d raised like a son since childhood! He has risen to avenge his master, who was killed by a dirty trick! He is here to protect the people!”

Truly an excellent exposition dump—er, narrator.

"BWAHAHAHA! Even your master couldn't stop me! You think a brat like you stands a chance?”

The Black Wind Killing Demon charged at the Jade Sword Young Master, and their match began.

Surprisingly, the fight between them was completely even.

Just as the villain had said, it didn't make sense for the student to beat the guy who killed the master. So of course—

“Oh! It looks like the Black Wind Killing Demon used up too much internal energy fighting the Azure Sword Hero! He’s moving way slower now!”

Thanks to the narrator's loud explanation, the audience easily bought the situation.

Meanwhile, the match between the Black Wind Killing Demon and the Jade Sword Young Master continued.

Jeong Hyeon kept fighting while pushing her Ghost Spirit Divine Bow to its absolute limit to maintain the fight.

She was trying so hard that sweat began to drip down her face.

The women in the crowd erupted in cheers.

They exchanged several more blows after that.

"Ahhh! The Black Wind Killing Demon's internal energy has run out! The Jade Sword Young Master is pushing him back!"

Right on cue with the narrator's shout—

With a fierce booming sound, their weapons clashed, and the Black Wind Killing Demon was sent flying back nearly ten feet.

"Kugh...! Next time, I won't let you off so easily!"

After delivering that perfectly villainous line, the Black Wind Killing Demon used his lightness skill to flee the scene.

Once the villain had escaped, the Jade Sword Young Master lowered his sword and let out a deep sigh, raising his head to gaze at the sky.

It was a scene worthy of a painting.

"KYAAA! Look at those melancholic eyes!"

"My goodness. He must be mourning the Azure Sword Hero."

"How can someone look so beautifully tragic?"

As the crowd showered her with various reactions and cheers, Jeong Hyeon couldn't bring herself to lower her head from looking at the sky.

'S-someone... save me...'

For if she were to make eye contact with any of the people cheering around her, she felt she would faint right where she stood.

The debut of the Jade Sword Young Master replaced Azure Sword Hero and made the theatrical duels even hotter.

Unlike the Azure Sword Hero who always won, the Jade Sword Young Master was still a rookie.

Sometimes he struggled against underlings sent by the injured Black Wind Killing Demon, and sometimes even lost fights.

But the audience didn't get disappointed when the Jade Sword Young Master was defeated.

Because he always got his revenge in the next match. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

A story of the protagonist's growth—the kind that resonates across all times and places, with people of all ages and genders—was unfolding through these staged martial arts performances.

While the performances grew more popular by the day, many physicians, including Seo Jae-pil, were also doing their absolute best to look after the severely addicted patients.

Everyone here was so far gone that daily life had become impossible for them.

Since their conditions were practically untreatable, all the medical staff could really do was provide care and comfort.

That's why the physicians and medical assistants had to take turns leaving the estate to make rounds throughout Pingliang County.

The people who truly needed their attention were actually outside the estate.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

They communicated with the county's residents daily while directly and indirectly discussing symptoms of drug addiction.

Among them, the person who talked with residents the most was Kwan Mu-yeol.

"Let me tell you something. I went through something similar once. I ate some strange mushrooms and ended up seeing hallucinations. After that, for a long while, life just felt... empty. All I could think about were those damn mushrooms."

"You too? I can’t stop thinking about it lately either.”

Kwan Mu-yeol nodded sympathetically.

"I thought nothing could ever feel as good as that, but once I actually got through it and kept living, life turned out to be pretty worth living after all. Got anything fun going on these days?"

"Fun? Not really. But there’s a lot to see in the market these days, so that keeps me going.”

"Haha! That's what life's about, isn't it? If nothing else, hold on for that. I managed to pull through, so you can too."

Kwan Mu-yeol recalled his own struggle to overcome hallucinogenic mushroom addiction and offered encouragement to the Pingliang County residents.

"If you ever need anything or things get tough, come talk to me anytime.”

"What's there to be tough about? Still, thanks for saying that. Hehe."

Checking on the locals with the physicians and medical staff to look after the county's residents gave Kwan Mu-yeol a strange warmth in his chest.

'The Young Master was right.'

He remembered the advice Il-mok had given him two and a half years ago.

Punishing evildoers through martial force wasn't the only way to live according to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's doctrine.

Ultimately, the core of the cult's teachings was about saving the common people from evil.

Helping those victimized by wicked people and protecting the masses from the evil of Butterfly Dream Grass was also a life befitting the doctrine.

Feeling proud of himself, Kwan Mu-yeol made his way back to the estate where the critical patients were being cared for.

"Welcome back, Warrior Kwan. We've been waiting for you."

Il-mok greeted him cheerfully.

"Did you finish preparing the task I gave you last time?"

The question made Kwan Mu-yeol flinch involuntarily, but at least he had prepared something.

Kwan Mu-yeol led Il-mok inside and handed him the proposal he had written.

"Here it is, Incarnation of Maitreya."

Il-mok took the document and quickly read through it.

After setting the document down on the table, Il-mok spoke, "Not bad. However, if we go with this first option, some patients will slip through the cracks of our management system. Have you thought of a contingency for that?"

"Oh, and this part here is also a bit lacking."

Il-mok systematically pointed out problems in Kwan Mu-yeol's proposal and asked for solutions in an extremely business-like tone.

Kwan Mu-yeol found himself sweating bullets as he tried to explain—or rather, make excuses.

"Well, it's not terrible overall. Just revise it a bit more based on what I've mentioned."

After finishing his critique, Il-mok left the pavilion with light steps.

'Compared to that useless boomer team leader I used to have, I’m basically a saint.'

Il-mok thought he was being pretty nice.

Inside the pavilion, a deep sigh echoed.

Kwan Mu-yeol stared up at the ceiling with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Any magic mushrooms around here?”

He was starting to worry he might become a patient himself at this rate.

Time flew by quickly.

The massive new building they'd started constructing was nearing completion, and the residents of Pingliang County had finally opened up to the physicians and medical staff and fully committed to their treatment.

The number of tourists gradually trickling into the county via Mount Kongtong was increasing, and word about the upcoming cooking competition was slowly spreading through them.

Watching the town come back to life, Il-mok nodded.

'Things are finally falling into place.'

As if agreeing with his thoughts, the demonic sword hummed with a familiar tone.

Its sinister aura had thinned considerably compared to what it was before.