The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

It wasn’t martial arts that made the All-knowing Master famous.

While his martial arts were at Peak prowess, they weren’t considered extraordinary for his age or the respect he commanded in Jianghu.

His fame came from his extensive knowledge about everything.

The All-knowing Master knew no bounds in his thirst for knowledge. His intellectual curiosity transcended ordinary limits, especially delving deep into the mysteries of Qi Men Dun Jia and the knowledge of the Left Path.

That’s how he came to possess the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron, a precious Treasure, and annihilated an unorthodox sect.

The All-knowing Master’s research wasn’t confined to just the Central Plains.

His insight reached as far as the distant Western Regions, where he encountered an important epic from there.

It was an epic from the country of Greece. As he deciphered the Greek language, he uncovered a great riddle from the mythology.

A riddle posed by a mystical creature encountered by a hero crossing the vast desert. This creature, described as having a human head and a lion’s body, had asked a riddle.

“Now, in the morning it walks on four legs, at noon…”

“Sigh.”

But this sigh?

Although the riddle was meant to be unsolvable, the All-knowing Master’s eyebrows twitched at Yi-gang’s attitude.

“…At noon it walks on two legs, and in the evening, on three. What is it?”

The All-knowing Master pondered for a full three days, deliberately avoiding reading the part of the epic where the answer was revealed.

And the thrill he felt when he finally figured out the answer…

“As it will take about 15 minutes for the hourglass to run out, you better hurry…”

“It’s a human.”

“Not a human, I said 15 minutes… What did you say?”

“The answer is a human, isn’t it?”

As an infant, one crawls on all fours, walks on two legs in youth, and uses a cane in old age.

Yi-gang perfectly explained the answer.

The All-knowing Master’s face contorted.

“H-how did you…”

His eyes were filled with suspicion before admiration. It seemed to him that Yi-gang already knew the riddle. But there was no way Yi-gang could have known about this problem that even the All-knowing Master had only just deciphered.

The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was also amazed.

「You’re incredible! I thought it was a four-legged yokai.」

‘What? How’s that the answer?’

「In the morning, it crawled on four legs, but got caught by someone around noon, so two legs were cut off, and by evening, one leg had regenerated.」

Should that be considered creative?

Yi-gang barely managed to suppress a twitch in his lips.

Because the All-knowing Master was looking at him with suspicion.

“I was just lucky.”

“…It’s not the kind of riddle one could guess correctly just by luck.”

Yi-gang humbly maintained a calm face.

But the truth was that he had given the correct answer.

‘I remember reading this riddle somewhere before.’

「Oh, so you’ve read some books, is that it?」

Eventually, the All-knowing Master clicked his tongue and nodded.

“You wouldn’t have found and read an epic written in Greek… Quite impressive.”

“It’s the correct answer. Now, the internal elixir is mine.”

Yi-gang didn’t think the All-knowing Master was the type to break a promise out of pettiness.

The All-knowing Master nodded.

“That’s right.”

“And now, as promised, you have to tell me. What exactly is this item?”

Yet, it seemed too easy for the All-knowing Master to admit defeat.

As expected, the All-knowing Master explained with a cunning smile.

“The bloodstone is not actually a proper internal elixir. It’s because the Samgwi was not a true yokai.”

“What do you mean?”

“That thing was a monkey cub raised in the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron. Eventually, it became a yokai.”

It was a bizarre and ominous tale.

“The blood and lives it consumed have condensed into the bloodstone. That immense evil energy is not something a human can purify. If eaten, it will certainly lead to death.”

The fact that eating the bloodstone could result in death was true.

Yi-gang felt a chill down his spine.

「That can’t be! It seemed so beneficial to the body.」

While the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, being part yokai, might not be affected, Yi-gang couldn’t consume the bloodstone.

Yi-gang’s expression grew colder. An internal elixir harmful to the body was useless to him.

“The only way to use the bloodstone is to create a new Treasure like the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron.”

“…!”

The All-knowing Master added more details to his explanation.

What he was describing was different from the concept of an artificial Treasure.

Since the bloodstone was practically the main component of the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron Treasure, it was akin to replacing its power source.

Regardless, the All-knowing Master kept his promise and gave an answer, but there was nothing Yi-gang could do.

The All-knowing Master knew this, which was why he proposed the wager.

“Hehe, only I know how to create a new Treasure. What do you say, shall we make another bet?”

“What are the stakes?”

“If I win, you return the bloodstone to me. If you win…”

“Give me the now-useless Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron.”

“…!”

The All-knowing Master burst into laughter as if he had heard something ridiculous.

“Hahaha, the more I see, the bolder you get. Do you think you can do anything with that and the bloodstone?”

“Do you disagree?”

“I’m fine with it.”

The All-knowing Master picked up the hourglass again.

Yi-gang felt like he was beginning to understand what kind of person the All-knowing Master was.

He was someone with a strong desire to win.

“Let’s do it the same way. But this time, you have to solve three riddles. Any objections?”

“Just get on with it.”

Yi-gang accepted the proposal without any unnecessary argument.

The All-knowing Master disdainfully spat out the riddles.

“So what is round when drawn, but angular when written?”

“The sun. It’s round in shape and angular when written as ‘日’.”

“…Then, what is black under the sun, yet still black when white, red, or blue?”

“It’s a shadow.”

“…”

Yi-gang answered without hesitation.

「Did you read this somewhere too?」

‘No, it’s different.’

Yi-gang’s mind worked fast, just like he had read the All-knowing Master’s character.

For example, the All-knowing Master’s personality.

A man whose desire to win was overflowing. Yet, at the same time, someone who would not hesitate to use any means to secure victory.

Like now, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, making such statements.

“My hands behind my back are holding up a number. What is it?”

“…”

This couldn’t really be called a battle of wits.

The All-knowing Master was expecting Yi-gang to use some kind of trickery or quickly move to catch a glimpse of his back.

Ssshhhh…

More than half of the sand in the hourglass had slipped away.

But contrary to the All-knowing Master’s expectations, Yi-gang didn’t move.

He simply waited and then opened his mouth.

「Three.」

“Three.”

The All-knowing Master’s expression turned icy.

Yi-gang watched as the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, who had been scrutinizing the All-knowing Master’s fingers, turned back into a ring, and then he moved to a corner of the room.

It was only after picking up the intact Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron that he turned to look at the frozen All-knowing Master.

“I’ll be taking this then, senior.”

“Wait a minute! How did you figure it out? You didn’t just guess, did you!”

“Farewell.”

Yi-gang no longer played along with the All-knowing Master’s tempo.

The All-knowing Master, jumping up and down, tried to grab hold of Yi-gang.

“Wait! Let’s do it one more time! You don’t even know what to do with those items!”

“There’s no need to see me off.”

“My bloodstone…”

Yi-gang clutched the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron and dashed out of the All-knowing Master’s residence.

“That con artist!”

Fortunately, the All-knowing Master did not follow.

He could only fume as he watched Yi-gang disappear into the distance.

His face was the epitome of frustration.

“Fine, take it!”

Although his pride was severely bruised, the All-knowing Master eventually collapsed onto his seat.

“What can that wretch do with it, damn it!”

After all, it wasn’t like he could recreate the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron Treasure.

Moreover, to utilize the bloodstone and that item to create something new would require someone skilled in the supernatural and knowledgeable in the Left Path. Someone proficient in knowledge that would disgust even the Taoist fools of the Azure Forest.

It was unlikely that such a person would conveniently be by Yi-gang’s side.

“Kuk, yes, that must be it. Phew…”

With this thought, the All-knowing Master’s mind eased slightly.

“Khihihi…”

Dam Hyun laughed sinisterly.

He was caressing the bloodstone handed to him by Yi-gang as if it were a treasure.

Yi-gang pondered over Dam Hyun’s laughter.

“Khihit.”

“Please don’t laugh like that. It’s embarrassing.”

“I-is it?”

Looking perfectly normal yet laughing in such a manner, people walking by kept staring.

“Any ideas on how to use it?”

There was a reason Yi-gang had refused the All-knowing Master’s bet on the use of the bloodstone and ran out.

His senior brother, Dam Hyun, possessed knowledge extending even to the demonic path and dark arts. Given that he knew things even the Grand Library Master Yu Jeong-shin didn’t, Yi-gang trusted him.

And he did not disappoint Yi-gang’s expectations.

“I can think of about a hundred ways to use it.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But there is a particularly good way to use it.”

Dam Hyun immediately figured out the uses of the bloodstone and the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron.

“That bronze cauldron is no ordinary item either. That old man, the All-knowing Master, might have given it to you thinking little of you, but the material that contained the yokai is no ordinary bronze. Especially this lid.”

The lid of the Three Ghosts Bronze Cauldron had an extraordinary pattern engraved on it.

“The bloodstone, as that old man said, is not something to be consumed. It’s more akin to a core than an internal elixir.”

“A core?”

“Something like a power source, giving the force to move… Ah, never mind, you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Every time Dam Hyun spoke like this, it was astonishing. Speaking of a concept like a core was not something you would find in ordinary Taoist practitioners.

It was surprising how he could still act so haughtily after being outwitted by Yi-gang.

But Yi-gang patiently bore it.

“With this, I can make a doll for you.”

「Yahoo!」

The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon joyfully floated in the air.

The first thing Dam Hyun thought of was making a body, a doll, that the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon could use.

“A doll, like that shabby wooden doll from before?”

“Shabby? That was a precious item made from lightning-struck jujube wood, or rather Pizao Wood.”

It was unclear why a doll had been made from Pizao Wood, a type of wood said to ward off yokai.

“With these materials, I can make a more intricate and beautiful fox doll.”

“Well, let’s do that then.”

Yi-gang nodded as well.

With Dam Hyun’s eyes gleaming and the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon so happy, it seemed like a good situation.

Dam Hyun, however, suddenly looked around with a sheepish expression.

“But why is everyone staring at us? Is it because of me?”

“Maybe it’s because of me?”

As they walked inside the Murim Alliance, they started to attract more and more attention.

Moreover, the place they arrived at was bustling with people.

“Why?”

“I was supposed to come here.”

“Where is this?”

“It’s the dueling ground.”

There were several official dueling grounds within the Murim Alliance.

The one Yi-gang and Dam Hyun had come to was one of these.

The crowd gathered here consisted entirely of spectators.

“Who are you supposed to duel with?”

“I’ve arranged a match with the successor of the Jegal Clan.”

“That poor guy,” said Dam Hyun with a chuckle.

As Yi-gang approached the dueling ground, the crowd parted to make way for him.

Near the dueling ground, many familiar faces were visible.

There were Peng Mu-ah and Baek Ha-jun, as well as the successors of the Dragon-Phoenix and Seven Stars Conferences.

And on the dueling ground, leisurely waving a fan, was a person.

“Since you hadn’t arrived on time, I was wondering if something had happened.”

Jegal Seon spoke in a tone that seemed almost mocking.

Yi-gang leaped onto the dueling ground.

“I was a bit delayed dealing with another matter.”

“Hoho, taking your time, I see.”

Yi-gang set down the pot he was carrying in one corner of the dueling ground.

Then he laid his hand on his sword.

“Let’s start.”

“…You’re in a hurry, I see.”

“I dislike wasting time.”

Veins throbbed on Jegal Seon’s forehead.

“Fine. The martial artists gathered here will bear witness to our duel.”

Since Yi-gang made his appearance in Jianghu, in front of the future representatives of the orthodox Murim, Yi-gang’s first duel began.

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