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

A merchant…?

Gazes looking at the middle-aged man diverged. It couldn’t be helped, as the man who called himself a merchant had a towering physique and considerable build.

The muscles visible outside his clothes and his sturdily broad shoulders were enough to believe he was a general rather than a merchant.

But considering the huge bundle he was carrying on his back, it wasn’t incomprehensible either.

Moreover, to move between not just one city but Henan and Hubei with that load, it would be impossible without such a build.

I rolled my eyes to look at Hyuk Dojin. He too had narrowed his eyes as if suspicious of the man’s words.

What are the chances of meeting a merchant in the mountains in the middle of the night?

Unlike us who were on guard with worry and concern, the man was nonchalant.

He approached leisurely, put down his bundle, and laughed heartily.

“Haha! I’m really fortunate. I was worried I might get stranded after getting lost in the mountains, but to meet people like this, it must be heaven’s will.”

The man who introduced himself as Daebok scratched his head as he spoke, then glanced at us and made an awkward expression.

He rolled his eyes slightly with the same smiling face. As if noticing the strange atmosphere, Daebok cleared his throat, turned to his bundle, and rummaged inside.

“Since we’ve met by chance, let’s see… I’ll give you this as a gift.”

Along with Daebok’s serious voice, his palm approached outstretched.

What was placed on it was a children’s toy. He crouched down and held out his palm to Harang.

“It’s the toy children love the most. Unlike other balls, it bounces high when thrown on the ground like this. How about it?”

The solid-colored ball bounced up.

Harang’s eyes followed the ball, but my eyes were directed towards Hyuk Dojin.

He stared intently at Daebok, then sighed and relaxed his posture. As he stepped forward, the other warriors also lowered their swords.

“Where are you heading?”

“I’m on my way to Hubei. There was a huge martial arts competition in Henan, so I’m on my way back after it ended. Ah! You all look like martial artists too, did you perhaps participate as a sect?”

He asked with an expectant expression and voice, but Hyuk Dojin, who had been silent, countered instead of answering.

“Even if this path is faster, you’ve chosen a very dangerous road. There’s a path that merchants use, so why did you choose the mountain path?”

“As you know, the path merchants use is safe but too long. Moreover, it’s a path convenient for pulling carts or wagons, but if your legs are your means of transport, you’d be hit by carts or wagons. It’s very chaotic, I tell you!”

“You could meet bandits on the mountain path.”

At Hyuk Dojin’s question, Daebok grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

“But it’s a faster path, isn’t it? To make a lot of money, you have to be able to bear that level of risk.”

Hyuk Dojin’s brows furrowed at the leisurely attitude that calmly countered whatever was said. He stared intently at Daebok, then closed his eyes and nodded his head.

“I understand. For now, since it’s late and we need to sleep, stay here tonight. But when morning comes, you must leave immediately. Don’t ask why, and don’t tell anyone you saw us.”

“Don’t worry too much. Merchants need to keep their mouths shut to live long. If you let me stay for tonight, I’ll just remember that kindness and leave.”

Daebok stood up from his seat and politely put his hands together.

Hyuk Dojin stared at him intently, then turned his body.

After the conversation with Daebok, Hyuk Dojin ordered him to be watched, then set up camp a little distance away.

I looked at the people moving busily, then raised my head feeling his gaze glancing at me.

Hyuk Dojin’s voice fell.

“I’m sorry. The veil must be uncomfortable, but because of that man, you can’t even take it off…”

“It’s okay. It’s just one day. Don’t worry about it.”

Hyuk Dojin let out a slow sigh. After smiling brightly at him, I glanced behind.

Daebok took out a sleeping bag from his bundle, lightly tidied up the ground, then slowly spread it out. I stared intently at his appearance, then spoke quietly.

“But do merchants usually move at this time?”

“Almost never, except when escort agencies or large merchant groups hire escorts to move. Bandits don’t just appear in one place, and merchants carry a lot of money, so ordinary martial artists can harm them in places where they can’t be seen. That’s why they have to travel in places that are easily visible.”

I turned my head while listening to Hyuk Dojin’s explanation.

But why Daebok?

Hyuk Dojin also looked at him with a puzzled face and spoke quietly.

“I don’t know why that man is here. From what I see, there’s no trace of him having learned martial arts. His Taiyang point isn’t raised, and I can’t feel any inner power inside his body. Also, I looked to see if there were people hiding around, but there weren’t.” (tl/n: Taiyang point is often depicted as a point that becomes more pronounced in skilled practitioners due to their qi cultivation, located on the temples where it’s easy to see and determine if the person has martial arts training.)

Hyuk Dojin narrowed his eyes. He stared intently at Daebok, then turned his gaze to me.

“As he said, it could be that he just happened to encounter us while passing through here, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“…”

I nodded my head slowly at Hyuk Dojin’s words.

Time passed slowly. The night deepened, and the people traveling together were also falling asleep one by one.

After having a conversation with Hyuk Dojin and seeing him fall asleep too, I turned my body and looked up at the sky.

It had been about 7 months since I left the Demon Cult. It felt like so many things had happened. I had directly confronted the Righteous Sect and swung my sword, got involved in clan matters, and met Moyong Do again.

Also, although unwelcome, I met Jeok Biwol of the Golden Blood Sand Sect, and was able to become acquainted with Peng Muryeong and Cha Yeonhwa.

Although I had encountered the unpleasant Black Dao Sect, I thought it would all be forgotten when I returned to the Demon Cult.

I quietly looked up at the sky, then slowly closed my eyes. As I was quickly flipping through the numerous memories that came up and slowly falling asleep, a voice flew into my mind and stuck.

-The Black Dao Sect is moving. It seems they’ve found something that makes their mouths water?

Why am I suddenly recalling what Jeok Biwol had said to me before?

What was the Black Dao Sect aiming for? Surely they’re not thinking of attacking the Murim Alliance to steal something?

The Murim Alliance had the Yeonwi Left Army, the most elite corps of the Righteous Sect, and Namgoong Baek, called the Sword Saint. It was a place that could only be breached if the Demon Cult poured all its strength.

No matter how great the Black Dao Sect was, they couldn’t easily breach that place. Then what remained…

A crackling sound hit my ears. When I slightly raised my head, Daebok, who had gone into the sleeping bag earlier, was out.

I stared at him intently, then slowly got up from my seat, put on my veil, and approached. As I brought my body into the firelight, Daebok’s gaze rose. He saw me and opened his eyes wide.

“Oh my, why aren’t you sleeping and what brings you here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

At my quiet voice, Daebok looked at me blankly, then grinned and nodded his head.

He offered a seat on the opposite side as if telling me to sit. I wrapped the blanket I had been covering my body with and sat down calmly.

Daebok tilted his head curiously at my appearance inside the veil, as others usually do.

When I slightly pushed the end of the veil and met his eyes, he cleared his throat as if embarrassed.

“Hehe, I’m sorry. Merchants are naturally very curious… I was looking to see if you might be a face I know, if you participated in this martial arts competition. I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

I lightly answered him as he bowed his head deeply. I picked up a long tree branch and stirred the campfire to make it burn stronger while speaking slowly.

“Where is Daebok’s hometown?”

“Xining in Qinghai.”

“Qinghai?”

“Haha, yes. Everyone shows that reaction.”

Well, of course. Qinghai was the largest land after Tibet and Xinjiang.

But despite the vast land, it was mostly barren land unsuitable for people to live in, and beyond that was largely unknown.

Considering that it was very difficult to find people whose hometown was Qinghai except for people from the Kunlun Sect, Daebok’s hometown was quite surprising.

“It’s thousands of li from Qinghai to Henan here. It’s already been 20 years since I came to this distant foreign land. I left my family behind to earn some money, but I still can’t put down this bundle life.”

He smiled bitterly. His face was glowing red in the campfire light.

“When I left my hometown, I said I would return in glory with a large merchant group after 10 years, but worldly affairs aren’t so easy. There were times when I lost all my property to bandits, times when my life was in danger. I was also scammed and even caught by government troops after being framed for a crime.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Isn’t it all like that? Everyone is living very hard lives in their own positions. While suppressing their emotions one by one tenaciously.”

He smiled brightly. Daebok rolled his shoulders and rubbed his neck as if tired. Then he looked around briefly and smiled brightly towards me.

“Ah! I’ve talked a lot. I’m sorry. By the way, shouldn’t you sleep early? It seems like a waste of time to talk with such a worthless merchant.”

“No. It was an enjoyable conversation.”

“Is that so.”

Daebok smiled brightly and stood up from his seat. I raised my eyes following his sudden movement of standing up.

He patted his bottom and looked around briefly.

At the rustling sound, I turned around and saw Hyuk Dojin, who had been sleeping soundly, standing up from his seat.

“I thought it would pass quietly, but as expected.”

“What?”

When I looked at Daebok again, he smiled brightly. I looked with puzzled eyes at the face with a kind smile on it.

Meanwhile, Hyuk Dojin approached and stood beside me, speaking slowly.

“Where’s your sword?”

As I picked up the sword I had put down on the ground, Hyuk Dojin nodded his head.

When Hyuk Dojin jerked his chin, all the people who had fallen asleep got up and gathered around the campfire.

Hyuk Dojin looked around, then looked at Daebok.

Daebok shrugged his shoulders.

As the two people’s gazes clashed, a mountain wind blew. The scent of blood brushed my nose from afar.

The sound of insects disappeared, and the cooing mountain pigeons also vanished.

A chilly air settled and ominousness enveloped.

What broke the silence of the campsite, where even the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard loudly, was the sound of flying weapons.

With a ping! sound, flying daggers stuck into the ground. A few more followed after.

The martial artists in front easily deflected the flying daggers.

They weren’t flying daggers aimed at anyone in the first place. It was like a greeting. A light greeting saying they were here.

The sound of stepping on grass was clearly heard. The bushes rustled, and soon several people appeared, cutting through the darkness.

They were suspicious people all wearing black clothes.

Hyuk Dojin didn’t ask who they were as he looked at them.

He immediately drew his sword. The killing intent contained in his body poured out.

The people in black clothes drew their swords in response.

And above them, footsteps were heard and a man appeared.

Although his face couldn’t be seen because he was wearing a mask, the energy emanating from his body was tremendous. It poured out with almost as much weight as Hyuk Dojin.

Hyuk Dojin’s face twisted slightly, and at that moment, the voice of the man in front fell.

“Kill everyone and capture the woman alive.”

As soon as those words ended, people poured down from the front, back, sides, and even from the trees.

Soon, a bloody sword fight began.