Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 510

510. The Realm of Art

The next day, Unhyun and his group departed from Chongqing.

With the suspected manufacturing location of the Ghoul Pill near Xi’an, there was no reason to stay in Chongqing for long.

Leaving Daru, who was favored by Cheonsu Shinni [likely a deity or influential figure] and the elders, behind, the group headed towards Xi’an in a carriage.

Clatter, clatter.

Inside the carriage traveling along the main road, Unhyun spoke.

“How did you confirm that the Xi’an area is the manufacturing location of the Ghoul Pill?”

“Because the Seolyeongdae couldn’t infiltrate it.”

The Grand Palace Lord replied in a calm voice.

“The Seolyeongdae had no difficulty secretly infiltrating other places. Most of them were either ordinary medicine merchants or places that made fakes. But the Xi’an area…….”

“Wait a minute. Fakes?”

Unhyun asked with a puzzled expression.

The Grand Palace Lord gave a bitter smile.

“Some merchants who jumped in late after the Ghoul Pill was sold at a high price tried to manufacture it. Of course, the result was a poison that only smelled similar.”

The Ghoul Pill uses a large amount of highly toxic, rare, and expensive medicinal ingredients.

Without Gekoeng [likely a master alchemist or expert in medicinal ingredients], even imitating the manufacturing method would be impossible.

“But the merchants don’t care. They won’t be held responsible for whatever the outcome may be.”

Those who illegally manufacture drugs will never take responsibility.

In the end, only those who unknowingly pay a high price suffer the damage.

Even losing the very lives they are trying to save.

“It’s already this bad, but if the rumors about the Ghoul Pill spread, the damage will only increase.”

The Grand Palace Lord was right.

The Ghoul Pill itself has great toxicity and side effects, and already these secondary damages were occurring.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of horseshoes echoed in the silent carriage.

Unhyun asked in a quiet voice.

“How is the investigation into the Ildaesangin [likely a powerful merchant guild or organization] going?”

“As you said, we started with major cities and historically old areas first. And coincidentally…….”

The Grand Palace Lord gave a subtle smile.

“Xi’an and its surrounding areas are also highly likely places.”

Xi’an and its surrounding areas, formerly known as Chang’an, were the first recorded capital and the capital of numerous dynasties.

At one time, it was a bustling international city where numerous artifacts from the Western Regions entered Xi’an, and ‘Chang’an’ was used as a synonym for a large city.

However, after several rebellions, Xi’an lost its power and declined.

Still, its geographical and symbolic importance remained, and even now, Xi’an was one of the leading major cities in the world.

From the beginning, Unhyun had expected that the Ildaesangin might be located in a historically significant metropolis like Xi’an.

“Of course, we can’t say for sure yet. But it’s clear that it’s highly likely.”

Xi’an is vast, and the population is enormous.

Even with the Seolyeongdae’s outstanding abilities, it was not easy to investigate all of Xi’an.

Moreover, there were other major cities to investigate besides Xi’an.

“So, you’re heading to a small city near Xi’an now.”

“Yes. Entering Xi’an would be reckless. Especially with all of you.”

Unhyun’s group included the elders and heads of each faction, as well as the Sword Saint and Gekoeng, among other supreme masters.

If anyone recognized even one of them, the news would surely spread throughout Xi’an in an instant.

“How do they bring in the medicinal ingredients?”

Gekoeng suddenly asked.

The Grand Palace Lord bowed lightly and replied.

“They bring them in at night or early in the morning, avoiding people’s eyes. The timing is irregular, but seeing that the quantities are the same, it seems they are bringing in things that have been collected somewhere.”

“Hmm.”

Gekoeng nodded.

“Can you know when the medicinal ingredients are coming in?”

“Prediction is impossible, but…….”

The Grand Palace Lord pondered and replied.

“If we expand the surveillance area as much as possible, we can detect it about an hour before the medicinal ingredients arrive at the manufacturing site.”

“That’s enough.”

Unhyun looked at Gekoeng with a questioning expression.

The same was true for Lee Geomhak and Sa Ilcheon.

However, Gekoeng said nothing more.

Clatter, clatter.

Along with the sound of horseshoes echoing on the main road, the group’s carriage was heading towards a small city near Xi’an.

***

Thump, thump, thump.

The Old Doctor (醫老) [a respectful title for a highly skilled physician] was grinding medicinal ingredients in his clinic as always.

It was a tedious and repetitive task, but his expression was unique.

The Old Doctor’s eyes, grinding the medicinal ingredients with the same force, were quite eerie.

Click.

The door to the clinic opened without any sign.

A short, fat old man who entered roughly spoke in a blunt voice.

“There’s a problem at the place where they make the Ghoul Pill.”

Thump.

The Old Doctor’s movement stopped.

And he turned his head to look at the old man who had just entered, In Taesang.

“A problem? I gave them the manufacturing method and sent them all the necessary medicinal ingredients, so what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know.”

In Taesang said as if throwing it away.

“Isn’t it your job to find out? Let’s go quickly.”

“Tsk.”

The Old Doctor clicked his tongue.

He wiped his hands with a cloth next to him and got up from his seat.

Then, he organized the medicinal ingredients that were placed and packed something.

In Taesang frowned and said.

“Hurry up. Sword Old Man is waiting.”

The Old Doctor looked back at In Taesang with a puzzled expression.

“Sword Old Man is going with us?”

It was rare for Geomong Ji Taesang [likely a highly skilled swordsman] to move.

Especially in this situation where there was no need to compete with anyone.

“Cheontaesang [likely a high-ranking figure] told him to do so.”

In Taesang said, not hiding his displeasure.

“He also told you to be careful. He said the celestial aura is suspicious, so you should prepare for the worst.”

“The worst is what…….”

The Old Doctor said with a hollow laugh.

“If you’re destined to die, you’ll die no matter what you do. If possible, I hope I die from a poison I’ve never seen before in my life.”

The Old Doctor, who had packed some medicinal ingredients and tools, turned his body.

The impatient In Taesang was already leaving the clinic.

The Old Doctor followed him with an indifferent expression.

The dark outside told them that it was the middle of the night, but no one cared about it.

The Old Doctor, accompanied by In Taesang and Ji Taesang, headed to the Ghoul Pill manufacturing site outside Xi’an.

The carriage they were riding in was not small, but In Taesang, who was fat, and Ji Taesang, who was well-built, took up the seats, so the Old Doctor had to endure the discomfort.

They drove the carriage relying on the moonlight and soon arrived at an old and dilapidated manor.

It was a place with a large mansion built for show and unnecessarily large land, commonly seen in the suburbs of historic Xi’an.

As soon as the Old Doctor got off the carriage, he asked the subordinate in charge here.

“What’s the problem?”

“The finished Ghoul Pill smells rotten.”

The subordinate, who knew the Old Doctor’s personality, bowed lightly and replied.

The Old Doctor wrinkled his brow.

“Rotten smell?”

“Yes. There was no problem during the manufacturing process, but…….”

“Let’s go.”

The Old Doctor moved before the subordinate could finish speaking.

The subordinate hurriedly followed the Old Doctor.

In Taesang and Ji Taesang, who were looking around, also moved silently.

Click.

The Old Doctor entered the mansion with the subordinate.

And he headed straight to the Ghoul Pill storage.

The warriors who were lighting the fire and guarding silently bowed to the Old Doctor, In Taesang, and Ji Taesang.

“Hmm.”

In Taesang frowned even before entering the storage.

The Old Doctor was the same.

Because the rotten smell was already permeating the air.

It was a foul and intense smell, like rotting food.

Click.

The door opened.

The inside of the storage, dimly lit, was visible in front of the Old Doctor.

The black Ghoul Pill was even glossy, but the smell was terrible.

“Since when has it been like this?”

The Old Doctor asked in a calm voice.

The subordinate tried hard to suppress the nausea rising from the foul smell and replied.

“It hasn’t been a full day.”

“What?”

In Taesang frowned.

“Is that even possible? The old ones are already rotting, but it hasn’t been a day?”

It would never be possible for it to rot this much in just one day.

Besides, the Ghoul Pill is not made quickly.

Among the things stored here, the oldest ones were manufactured three months ago and were being aged.

The fact that even those were already giving off a rotten smell, it was impossible to understand that it hadn’t been a day.

“Could it be that you guys were careless in storing it…….”

“It’s true that it hasn’t been a day.”

The Old Doctor’s voice interrupted In Taesang’s words.

He picked up the Ghoul Pill that was placed closest to him.

Squish.

Like the smell, the Ghoul Pill was half-rotten.

The Old Doctor dipped a part of it with his finger and unhesitatingly brought it into his mouth.

After tasting it for a while, the Old Doctor frowned and groaned.

“What is it?”

In Taesang asked.

The Old Doctor spat out what was in his mouth and said.

“It’s corpse poison (屍毒) [a type of poison derived from decaying bodies]. Moreover, it delays the manifestation of the poison so that the effect appears later. But once the decay starts, it makes even the things around it rot rapidly.”

Swish.

The Old Doctor, who raised his head, looked around the inside of the storage.

He hadn’t noticed it in the dim light, but black stains were appearing here and there.

“Even sturdy wood is like this, so there’s no need to mention delicate medicine like the Ghoul Pill. It wouldn’t have taken even half an hour for all the Ghoul Pills here to rot.”

In Taesang frowned.

“How did such a poison get in?”

The Old Doctor stared at the remains of the Ghoul Pill on his hand and pondered for a moment.

The conclusion came quickly.

“Maybe they tampered with the medicinal ingredients.”

“With the medicinal ingredients?”

The Old Doctor nodded.

“Yes. Without being detected at all in the dozens of steps of the Ghoul Pill manufacturing process, and even coming into this storage and making even the intact ones rot. If it’s this level…….”

The Old Doctor sighed.

The problem is not just the Ghoul Pill here.

The corpse poison in the medicinal ingredients must have already spread throughout this place.

“It’s truly the realm of art.”

The Old Doctor said with an expression that was even disheartened.

The opponent who ruined the Ghoul Pill, which could be said to be the Old Doctor’s life’s work, is by no means an ordinary person.

It is something that would never be possible without knowledge of medicine and medicinal ingredients, as well as understanding the pharmacological structure of the Ghoul Pill.

Even the Old Doctor himself, who created the Ghoul Pill, doubted whether he could do it.

“Stop the manufacturing work.”

The Old Doctor said to the subordinate in a calm voice.

“Discard all the medicinal ingredients you have now and burn all the tools. Take everyone who touched the medicinal ingredients to another place without leaving a single person, wash them thoroughly, and incinerate all the clothes and belongings they were wearing.”

The subordinate looked at the Old Doctor with a surprised expression.

That meant closing down the entire manufacturing site.

But the Old Doctor silently stared at the rotting Ghoul Pill.

This place, where the Ghoul Pills, which are just strange pills to others but like children to the Old Doctor, are rotting, is now like a tomb.

“It can’t be helped. We can’t use this place again unless we know how far the corpse poison has spread.”

“It’s too late.”

That was the voice of Geomong Ji Taesang.

As the Old Doctor turned around, In Taesang also clicked his tongue.

“Tsk.”

In Taesang frowned and looked up at the sky.

“It seems he has appeared. The one who tampered with the medicinal ingredients.”

Rustle.