The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

The surprise at his sudden appearance was brief. Hyuk Dojin regained his composure faster than me and immediately led me away. As soon as we left the place filled with Namgoong clan martial artists, we moved quickly and let out a small sigh after putting some distance between us.

Hyuk Dojin glanced behind briefly, then spoke slowly.

“…I don’t know what he’s thinking. The Murim Alliance Leader tried to attack us, but his disciple just let us go right in front of him…”

His voice trailing off at the end gradually faded. Hyuk Dojin turned his head slightly to look at me. I had similar thoughts as well. Could he still have feelings for me?

Hyuk Dojin shook his head quickly as if trying to dismiss the thought that came to mind.

“There could be some other ulterior motive. He might let us go and then follow us to eliminate us.”

“Is there really a need for that? The Murim Alliance just needs to capture the two of us.”

What the Murim Alliance needed was my life and Hyuk Dojin’s life. They didn’t need anyone else, only demanding me and Hyuk Dojin. If they captured us two, there was no need to search the vast Central Plains like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, I couldn’t understand why Namgoong Seolbyeok, the disciple of the Alliance Leader and scion of the Namgoong clan, would let me and Hyuk Dojin go after seeing us.

Hyuk Dojin had a complicated expression as he looked behind. I too had mixed feelings.

After cutting ties with Namgoong Seolbyeok that day to avoid misunderstandings with Hyuk Dojin, I had no memory of seeing him again.

Namgoong Seolbyeok thoroughly hid himself. Whether it was intentional or not, he never showed himself at the martial arts competition.

“…Let’s go.”

Hyuk Dojin, who had been quietly looking behind, finally turned his body. He shook his head slightly and took my hand. Whatever his thoughts were, we were grateful that he pretended not to see us.

After looking towards where Namgoong Seolbyeok was, I too turned my body.

* * *

“Your expression doesn’t look good. Did something happen?”

Namgoong Seolbyeok raised his eyes at Namgoong Danghwi’s question. Namgoong Danghwi had been sitting silently with his eyes fixed on the table since the moment he sat down.

“Hmm?”

Namgoong Danghwi stared blankly at Namgoong Seolbyeok, who gave no answer to his question.

This brat? Is he ignoring even my words now? Thinking this, Namgoong Danghwi put down his chopsticks and narrowed his brows.

“Namgoong Seolbyeok!”

A short, deep voice flowed quietly. Only then did Namgoong Seolbyeok’s gaze, which had been directed at the table, rise. Namgoong Danghwi opened his mouth while looking at his face.

“This old man is speaking, yet you don’t even answer, let alone make eye contact. Are you disrespecting me?”

Namgoong Danghwi mixed a subtle killing intent into his voice. The martial artists around who were glancing at the two seemed curious about what was happening, their eyes shifting slightly.

‘Are they fighting again?’

The frequent clashes between the two in recent days made people wonder when they would fight again whenever they sat together. Unaware of the martial artists’ thoughts, Namgoong Danghwi burst out angrily at Namgoong Seolbyeok’s attitude of keeping his mouth tightly shut.

“How dare you, even when I speak like this!?”

“Haa…”

Namgoong Danghwi’s face twisted. Only then did Namgoong Seolbyeok let out a small sigh, put down his chopsticks, and answer slowly.

“Elder. Do you really intend not to follow Master’s words?”

Namgoong Danghwi stifled a laugh at the fact that when he finally opened his heavy mouth, all he said were words of concern.

Namgoong Danghwi stared blankly at Namgoong Seolbyeok, then opened his mouth with the same faint smile.

“Why? Are you worried? Afraid that this old man won’t follow the words of your heaven-like master?”

“That’s not it. Whatever it is, if it leads to a good result, it doesn’t matter. Didn’t they say ‘the sage does not err’? I think whatever decisions Elder makes will surely bring good results.”

“Then that’s fine. So what are you so worried about?”

Namgoong Seolbyeok chuckled at his words, then stared blankly at Namgoong Danghwi, who was stroking his chin beard as if acting pompous, and spoke slowly.

“The Black Dao Sect.”

“…”

“Aren’t you harboring antipathy towards them? Isn’t that why you’re moving independently like this despite Master’s words? According to the original plan, we should be waiting in Boyang by now. But…”

Namgoong Danghwi’s face twisted. He glared at Namgoong Seolbyeok with a deeply frowning expression, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“Haven’t I always told you? Don’t utter even one character of those bastards’ name in front of me.”

“I know. I remember. But this matter is not an independent action of the Murim Alliance. Don’t you know?”

“Tsk tsk. How pathetic. I don’t understand since when the Murim Alliance has bowed its head to those bastards. Namgoong Baek is truly dead. Even the fame of the Sword Saint of Thousand Streams has fallen to the ground!”

“…Elder Seolbyeok. No matter what, you should watch your words…”

“Why? Did I say anything wrong? And the one who should watch their words is not me, but you who dares to speak such words to me, isn’t it?”

“…”

Namgoong Danghwi stared intently at Namgoong Seolbyeok, who didn’t even blink at his anger.

It had always been like this. Namgoong Danghwi couldn’t guess what was in the eyes of that fellow who showed almost no emotional expression. Despite having lived nearly three times as long, he couldn’t read the thoughts of this green youth.

Whenever Namgoong Danghwi saw Namgoong Seolbyeok, he was reminded of his master Namgoong Baek. He too was equally unreadable.

No matter how hard he tried, he could only chase after him, and all the glory went to Namgoong Baek.

If he hadn’t become the Murim Alliance Leader, even the position of Namgoong clan leader would have belonged to Namgoong Baek, not Namgoong Danghwi.

Because of this, Namgoong Baek’s influence was greater than Namgoong Danghwi’s standing within the clan. Most people, though they didn’t say it, thought Namgoong Danghwi was a lucky person who got that position by chance.

For Namgoong Danghwi, who had been overshadowed by Namgoong Baek for over half a century, it was very unpleasant that even Namgoong Baek’s disciple was said to resemble his master.

“Master emphasized. He said not to act independently and to follow orders. But…”

“Master this, Master that with every word. It’s enough to make my ears grow calluses.”

Namgoong Danghwi cut off his words and clicked his tongue.

When Namgoong Seolbyeok closed his mouth tightly, Namgoong Danghwi’s lips twitched.

“Are you Namgoong Baek’s disciple or his puppet? Go this way if told to go this way, go that way if told to go that way. You have no will of your own and just repeat Namgoong Baek’s words like a parrot.”

“…”

“Yes, a master is like a father and heaven, so it’s good to follow his words absolutely. But sometimes, if the master’s words are wrong, a disciple should also know how to suggest a different path. Don’t you know that?”

“…I know. But Elder. This time…”

“Shut up.”

When Namgoong Seolbyeok tried to continue speaking without backing down, Namgoong Danghwi cut off his words in one stroke.

“If you’re going to relay Namgoong Baek’s words instead of your own thoughts from now on, don’t open that mouth in front of me. You’re just upsetting me and ruining the taste of the alcohol that was going down well.”

“…I understand.”

“Tsk tsk. Useless fellow.”

Namgoong Danghwi clicked his tongue sharply and looked at his nephew with disapproving eyes. When Namgoong Seolbyeok closed his mouth tightly again, Namgoong Danghwi’s hand moved to fill his wine cup and gulped it down. Soon, only the sound of Namgoong Danghwi’s movements was heard at the table where voices had been exchanging.

Namgoong Seolbyeok kept his eyes fixed on the table again with his mouth tightly shut. Moyong Sowol’s face was drawn in his eyes.

It was a face that had become even paler than when he saw her at the Murim Alliance. The poor complexion meant there was a problem with Moyong Sowol’s health.

The reason Moyong Sowol came here instead of returning to the Demon Cult.

Namgoong Seolbyeok guessed that she had come to find the Five Leaf Fire Grass. And the reason she came to look for the Five Leaf Fire Grass with her sick body meant that the attack that day had been successful.

-Ah, those medicines? We burned them all. There were some left, but it was only a few. It wouldn’t be enough to get from here to Guangxi. But why?

Cheol Mugi’s words circled in his head. It wasn’t him who ordered the attack on Hyuk Dojin and Moyong Sowol, but the Murim Alliance Leader Namgoong Baek and the Black Dao Sect.

By the time he found out that Cheol Mugi had attacked those two, the situation had already ended.

‘It’s my fault.’

It’s my fault for not taking any action with an ambiguous attitude. Just because of Moyong Sowol’s words, because of her face, I let go.

He deeply regretted that he could have stopped it but took an uncertain attitude, ultimately leading to Moyong Sowol falling into difficulty.

That’s why he cooperated with his master Namgoong Baek to figure out where she was going and moved directly this time.

Even if he couldn’t see her face, he wanted to help her a little bit. But he never thought he would run into her like this.

‘…She looked in pain.’

The moment he saw her face drained of blood, Namgoong Seolbyeok felt deep self-loathing again. He didn’t mean to hurt her. He didn’t mean to make her suffer either.

“If you’re done eating, let’s go. We’ll stay here for a while and observe the situation, then slowly move to Boyang. How quickly can they find one small spirit herb in that vast and expansive Huai River? We can just take our time and attack when those fools are exhausted.”

Stupid fools will suffer from exerting themselves. Namgoong Seolbyeok’s eyes narrowed as he examined Namgoong Danghwi, who was turning his body to leave after getting up from his seat.

Namgoong Seolbyeok stared blankly at his back for a moment, then stood up from his seat.

‘…This is all I can do to help you.’

Namgoong Danghwi thought he was acting wisely and cleverly on his own, but in the end, he was dancing in the palm of Namgoong Seolbyeok’s hand.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to make him disobey Namgoong Baek’s words by using his antipathy towards the Black Dao Sect and the inferiority complex he harbored towards Namgoong Baek.

By gently touching his sore spot, his footsteps heading to Boyang quickly changed to here in Anhui.

Thanks to that, it would take at least a week for the Namgoong clan to reach the Huai River. Since Namgoong Seolbyeok couldn’t directly help her, buying time was all he could do.

Namgoong Seolbyeok, who had come outside, looked towards the direction where Moyong Sowol had disappeared, then turned his body.

‘Please find it.’

I hope you won’t be in pain. His wish flowed on the cool spring breeze.