At the Musan Gorge, where he had been deeply impressed by the Haomun Lord, Magunja of the Swift Party was now leisurely fanning himself while staring at a signboard.

「Moyong Medical House」

‘I found the right place.’

This was the clinic Magunja had sought out using the name Moyong Baek. He had simply shown up.

***

Once Magunja sat down, Moyong Baek asked in a calm tone,

“What discomfort brings you here today?”

After asking, the two men stared at each other as if locked in a staring contest.

Moyong Baek instantly recognized the man in front of him as someone from Jianghu, though he didn’t show it.

Magunja placed his folding fan on the desk and replied,

“To be honest, I came to see you on a matter of business.”

“I’ll hear you out first.”

Magunja took a book from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

“I plan to give this to you after we’ve talked.”

“What kind of book is it?”

“I’ll ask your understanding in advance. I’ll tell you what it is after we speak.”

Moyong Baek replied with a somewhat displeased look.

“You’re not dragging me into something shady, are you?”

Magunja nodded.

“It’s nothing like that.”

“Then speak freely. I’m listening.”

Moyong Baek already knew the man before him was no ordinary figure.

Magunja extended his hand.

“Check my pulse first. I did come to a medical house, after all.”

Moyong Baek placed his middle and index fingers on Magunja’s wrist.

“…….”

After a brief moment, Magunja asked,

“Well?”

Moyong Baek lifted his hand and said,

“Nothing serious. Actually, you’re in perfect health. But please, stand up for a moment.”

Magunja responded in surprise.

“You want me to stand?”

“Yes. Just stand there as you are.”

As Moyong Baek gestured for him to rise, Magunja stood up.

“I’m sorry, but please turn around slowly.”

Since his opponent was a physician, Magunja complied without a word and turned in place. Moyong Baek nodded and gestured for him to sit again.

Moyong Baek said,

“You’re healthy. However, you’ve maintained certain postures for long periods, which has misaligned your neck, shoulders, waist, and hips. Also, it seems you’ve used your legs extensively, which has thrown off the overall balance between your upper and lower body.”

Magunja touched his neck and asked, testing him,

“What’s wrong with my neck?”

“You’ve probably spent a long time reading books.”

“Hmm.”

“Come closer. I’ll check your [N O V E L I G H T] eyes.”

Magunja leaned his head forward.

After checking his eyes, Moyong Baek reached out and pressed a spot on his shoulder with a finger.

“How does this feel?”

Magunja replied,

“It hurts a lot.”

Moyong Baek gestured with his hands in various ways as he explained Magunja’s condition.

“First, your reading posture is too rigid. The muscle I pressed is swollen, and your cervical spine is curved like a bow, which likely gives you migraines. Your eyes must be under heavy strain too. Are you practicing light footwork?”

Magunja asked back,

“How’d you figure that out?”

Moyong Baek chuckled awkwardly.

“That was just a guess. I’d imagine you’ve spent long hours training light footwork with your hands behind your back. It might not be a problem now, but if you maintain this state for another three or four years, the physical strain will be severe. But it’s not a major issue. Since you practice martial arts, with some attention, you could correct it in a year or two.”

“A year or two?”

“Because your martial arts are advanced, I’m shortening the expected time.”

“How did you judge my martial arts?”

“I read your pulse, didn’t I?”

“A physician can detect internal energy?”

“I didn’t check only internal energy. It’s a part of the body, so it was assessed along with everything else.”

Magunja dropped all suspicion and looked at Moyong Baek again.

A rare, distinguished physician indeed.

With that thought, he suddenly remembered—he was the sworn brother of the Haomun Lord.

Magunja spoke with a relaxed tone.

“Please, teach me. I’ve made up my mind to correct myself.”

“In truth, you likely already know how, since you’ve trained for so long. It’s a matter of awareness. Sit properly, straighten your posture, and run with proper form. It sounds simple, but it’s a dull and painful process. It’s hard to stick to with just willpower.”

Magunja nodded.

“That’s the kind of answer I like.”

He stretched, then rolled his neck until it popped.

Moyong Baek smiled.

“Shall we get to the real reason for your visit?”

Magunja nodded, organized his thoughts, then opened his mouth.

“Do you know the Haomun Lord?”

“Yes.”

“I met him once. He said you’re sworn brothers. Is that true?”

Moyong Baek answered calmly.

“He didn’t specifically say we were sworn brothers…”

“So he lied?”

“That’s a bit ambiguous. If the Haomun Lord were gravely injured, I’d drop everything to go treat him. And if the Moyong Medical House were in trouble, he’d rush to help. Though we call each other ‘Sir’ and ‘Lord,’ in terms of mutual loyalty, calling us sworn brothers isn’t an exaggeration.”

“I see. Is the Haomun Lord suffering from internal deviation?”

This time, Moyong Baek didn’t answer right away. Instead, he replied with a question.

“Are you his enemy?”

Magunja smirked.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I wonder why you’d think that. What would you do if I were?”

Moyong Baek stroked his chin.

“I suppose I’d be in trouble today.”

“That won’t happen. Enemy? No. Like I said, I came with goodwill. I’ve brought a somewhat difficult matter, and I came to consult with you first.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“So what exactly is the Haomun Lord’s condition?”

Moyong Baek glanced at the book on the table and said,

“He suffers from madness.”

“Madness? Is it serious?”

“That, even I, as a physician, can’t say for certain.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s aware of it himself. It’s complicated. There’s a psychological component, and it’s tied to his martial arts. It’s not entirely a side effect either. It’s connected to his ambitions, a vague sense of loss, anger-induced illness, depression, and a tendency to wear a mask.”

“A mask?”

“Not a literal one. I mean a psychological state where the person changes depending on the situation.”

“What kind of situation…?”

“Combat, most likely. I have a great interest in the Lord myself. Partly because he’s my patient, but also because he’s a rare type of person. So I occasionally ask around—what he’s been up to lately, who he’s fighting. Not just because he’s my patient—it’s also a matter of loyalty.”

“How does the Lord fight?”

“Well, according to subordinates and those around him, it’s always about the same.”

“A madman?”

“Yes.”

“Is the entire Haomun like that?”

“Only the Lord is.”

“Ah. Then what kind of faction is Haomun exactly? What’s your view?”

“Have you looked into it?”

“I spent a few days asking around. Thought it might just be a branch of the unorthodox sects. I know what the word ‘Haomun’ implies.”

“Then you haven’t spoken with the Lord for very long.”

“That’s true.”

Moyong Baek explained,

“Haomun is not an unorthodox sect.”

“But he’s crushed many from the unorthodox path…”

“This is something even I find hard to explain. Ask him yourself if you ever get the chance. In any case, Haomun doesn’t collect tribute. He disbands unorthodox factions that extort merchants and laborers, usually by killing the leaders, and then absorbs the rest of the force. But it’s not mere absorption—he often lets them live or disperse. Tells them to go off and find their own path. So there’s no strict hierarchy… to be honest, it’s a mess. And yet, he continues down that road knowingly. You understand a bit now, don’t you? Many more factions will probably be forcibly dismantled by the Lord in the future.”

“Ah… is that so?”

“Yes. From what I can gather, he only allows those with nowhere else to go—those truly from the bottom—to remain by his side. That’s why I think it’s called Haomun.”

Magunja mulled over Moyong Baek’s words several times.

‘What a strange way of thinking this man has.’

Then, Magunja asked something he’d suddenly grown curious about.

“Then… are you part of Haomun as well?”

“I’m not someone with nowhere to go. As you can see, I’m a physician at Moyong Medical House.”

“Ah, so you’re not?”

Moyong Baek grinned.

“But I imagine the Lord considers me part of Haomun. Even if I’m not officially affiliated.”

Magunja glanced at his own arm, suddenly noticing the goosebumps rising.

“Ah… so that’s the kind of group it is. Then it’ll become something far greater than any concrete organization.”

“It’s probably already growing.”

Moyong Baek pointed at the book.

“Are you going to explain this now?”

As if he had just remembered, Magunja placed a hand on the book.

“Ah, right. Let me clarify one thing first. Once you hear this, you may end up in danger too.”

“What do I stand to gain by accepting that risk?”

Magunja answered with a grave expression.

“You might be able to cure the Haomun Lord’s affliction.”

Only then did Moyong Baek truly feel how formidable the man across from him was. He had read his character perfectly before speaking.

‘This man… is no pushover.’

Moyong Baek let out a brief sigh, then answered.

“In that case, I’ll listen.”

Magunja nodded.

“Good. But don’t worry too much.”

He ran his hand over the book as he spoke.

“This is demonic martial arts. And a rather old one at that.”

This time, Moyong Baek let out a genuinely deep sigh.

“Now I definitely feel like I’m in danger.”

Why would a man who looks like a Confucian scholar from a prestigious orthodox sect suddenly hand over a book of demonic arts? It was completely unexpected.

Moyong Baek said,

“You’ll need to explain this in detail.”

Magunja began his explanation.

“After meeting the Haomun Lord, on a sudden impulse—as if possessed—I found myself searching for this book. He said he has a yin-yang body. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“He claimed the imbalance between extreme yang and extreme yin is the cause of his internal deviation. This is a demonic art that cultivates extreme yin energy—in other words, Ice Art.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you know why Ice Art is disappearing from the world?”

“I don’t.”

“Because it lacks supporting resources. Medicines and spiritual beasts imbued with yang energy are rare, but they do exist. But the ingredients required to cultivate extreme yin techniques are almost nonexistent. Even if someone trains in it, development is hard. Because it’s difficult to reach mastery, fewer and fewer people research or practice it.”

“But hasn’t it always existed in the demonic path?”

“That’s why it’s the demonic path. Elixirs are hard to come by, spiritual beasts are rare. Even if you’re lucky enough to find a single Snow Ginseng, how much stronger could you get? So they turned to another method of supplementing extreme yin energy: people. You follow what I mean?”

“Are you saying Ice Art can’t be strengthened through standard breath control?”

“It can. It’s just slow. And because it’s slow, people began to look for alternative methods.”

“You’re referring to absorbing a person’s vital energy like a substitute elixir?”

“More or less. If you look into the reasons behind some of the mass killings by demonic practitioners, many of them were trying to obtain a substitute for an elixir. In the end, certain demonic arts became what they are because the practitioners didn’t care about methods or consequences.”

Moyong Baek listened calmly, then pointed to the book.

“And this one?”

Magunja smiled.

“You should always hear someone out to the end. Yes, there are methods like that written inside—but why do you think I came to the Haomun Lord’s sworn brother first? I want you to remove all the inhuman parts, anything you find unsuitable, and refine it. Boil it down to pure cultivation of extreme yin energy, and deliver it to the Haomun Lord. I want you to reinterpret the Ice Art and pass it on to him.”

Moyong Baek tilted his head slightly.

“I understand some parts… and others I don’t.”

“Ask me.”

“Why do you think I can do something like this?”

“I only realized that after coming here and talking to you.”

“Hmm. Well, if the Haomun Lord gets his hands on Ice Art, it’ll definitely help. His condition is strange, that much is certain.”

Moyong Baek reached out toward Magunja.

“But I still don’t understand—why would you go this far to help him? What’s your motive?”

Magunja smirked.

“That question took quite a while to come out. You’re a very patient man. But if I speak frankly, you’ll understand.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Magunja took a moment, a strange look on his face as he organized his thoughts, then spoke.

“How do I even explain this feeling. I…”

“…….”

“I want to know if the Haomun Lord is more of a genius than I am.”

At that, Moyong Baek suddenly came to full attention and looked closely at the man before him.

Before him was not just any man—but an arrogant, unhinged lunatic… staring at him with a calm, composed expression.

That arrogant lunatic continued speaking.

“Moyong Baek, you understand how I feel, don’t you?”

“…….”

Magunja smiled with certainty.

“We’re not the kind of men who are bound by common sense… aren’t we?”

Only then did Moyong Baek gaze silently at the book on the table.

His heart was conflicted, burdened by layers of complexity.