On a particular day, the Demonic Gentleman looks down at the Low Down Sect with awe in his eyes and waves his folding fan.
[Moyong]
‘You did well.’
The Demonic Gentleman suddenly comes to visit the Moyong Family at a place that he recognizes Moyong Baek to be.
The man sits down, and Moyong Baek asks in a low tone.
“For what reason have you come here?”
After that question was asked, the two engaged in a staring contest. Moyong Baek realizes at once that this opponent is from Kangho, which means that he is a warrior, but he chooses to say nothing.
Putting his fan on the table, the Demonic Gentleman responds.
“To be honest, I came here because I had business with you, doctor.”
“I will listen and decide.”
The man takes out a book and places it on the table.
“After we talk, I think this should be passed on to you.”
“What book is this?”
“I beg your pardon. I will tell you after we are done with our talk.”
Moyong Baek responds with a shaky voice.
“I am not caught up in something bad, right?”
The man nods.
“You aren’t.”
“Then speak. I will listen.”
Moyong Baek realizes that the man in front of him isn’t ordinary.
The Demonic Gentleman holds out his hand.
“First, check my pulse. I have come to a physician’s place after all.”
Moyong Baek places his middle and index fingers on the man’s wrist.
“…”
The Demonic Gentleman asks.
“How is it?”
Moyong Baek releases his hand and then says.
“No big deal. No, it is perfect. Just get up for a moment.”
This surprises the Demonic Gentleman.
“You mean to stand up?”
“Yes. Just stand.”
As Moyong Baek had asked him to stand up, the man complied.
“I am sorry but please spin around once slowly.”
Since the man has a pleasant disposition, he follows the requests with little question. Moyong Baek then nods and points for him to sit down.
Moyong Baek then says.
“You are healthy. However, the neck, shoulder, waist, and pelvis lines are no good since you seem to hold a certain posture for a long time. And I think you use your legs too much, so it is natural for the upper and lower body to be unbalanced.”
The Demonic Gentleman touches his neck and asks.
“Why is my neck a problem?”
“You must be someone who reads books.”
“Hmm.”
“Come closer. I need to see your eyes.”
As he moves forward slightly, Moyong Baek checks his eyes before stretching out his hand to press his shoulder.
“How is this?”
The Demonic Gentleman responds by saying.
“Hurts.”
Moyong Baek explains the man’s state while tracing various shapes with his hands.
“First of all, your posture while reading is too right. The muscles in the place I touched, and the neck bones are like this… you might contract headaches because your neck is curved. Your eyes look exhausted. Are you practicing light footwork?”
To which the Demonic Gentleman asks.
“How did you know?”
Moyong Baek smiles.
“I was just guessing. You have been training for a long time with your back. It might not be a huge deal, but if you continue to do this while in this state for another three to four years, the pain your body will go through is too much. And it wouldn’t be just a small trouble. You are practicing martial arts, so you need to pay attention to little things. Things can be corrected within a year.”
“Just one year??”
“Since you practice martial arts, I shortened the time.”
“How do you judge that I practice martial arts?”
“Didn’t I check your pulse?”
“Did the physician check my internal qi then as well?”
“It wasn’t just your internal qi, but I also looked at your internal flow.”
After his suspicion is cleared, the Demonic Gentleman looks at Moyong Baek.
‘So it wasn’t just a name.’
As he thinks this, he looks at the man in a new light.
The Demonic Gentleman then speaks in a calm tone.
“Doctor, do teach me. I want to fix my body.”
“Actually, since you have been practicing martial arts for a long time, you might already know how. It is a matter of cognition. All you have to do is sit straight and run right. The words might be simple to say, but the execution of it is painful, and it is often difficult to solve with willpower alone.”
The Demonic Gentleman nods.
“Such a nice answer.”
He stretches his back and moves his back, causing a cracking sound.
Moyong Baek smiles.
“Now, let’s hear your real purpose.”
He nods and then speaks after arranging his thoughts.
“Do you know the Low Down Sect leader?”
“Yes.”
“I met him the other day, and he said you were like his brother. Is that right?”
Moyong Baek responds with a calm expression.
“It isn’t exactly like brother…”
“Ah, it was a lie?”
“It’s actually quite ambiguous. I will drop everything and run over to treat him if he ever gets seriously injured. If the Moyong family ever faced difficulties, he would come anytime. The titles of doctor and sect leader are of mutual significance, but the expression of brother is also not an exaggeration.”
“I see. Then is the Low Down Sect suffering?”
This time Moyong Baek does not answer. Instead, he responds with a question.
“Is my customer the enemy of the Low Down sect?”
The man chuckles.
“I don’t know why you would think so. What would you do if I am an enemy?”
Moyong Baek strokes his chin.
“I will be in trouble.”
“Well, it isn’t that. Enemy… again, I came here to ask for a favor. I have a rather difficult problem and wanted to discuss it with you.”
“Thank god.”
“What exactly is the condition of the Low Down Sect leader?”
Moyong Baek looks at the book and says
“He is manic, bipolar.”
“Bipolar? Is it serious?”
“I don’t know for sure, despite being a physician.”
“Why is that?”
“Because all I’m aware of is his manic condition. It is complicated. There is a psychological side, and it is connected to martial arts. It isn’t like there are any side effects. It is also connected with his heart’s aspirations. A vague sense of loss, melancholy, and behavior is also tied to a mask.”
“Masks?”
“I am not talking about an actual mask, but a psychological feeling which changes people in certain situations.”
“In certain situations…”
“It happens during fights. I am quite interested in him. Not only because he is my patient but also as someone with a rare character. So I often ask him about his activities and the people he fights. It’s not because he is a patient, but also someone with a kind of righteousness.”
“And where does he fight?’
“Well, here and there. According to his subordinates and other people, he’s just picking fights. So…”
“Crazy?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not the case with all members of the Low Down Sect?”
“Only the sect leader is like that.”
“Ha! So what kind of force is the Low Down Sect? What do you think about it?”
“Did you search about it?”
“I had to sell my feet’s sanity for a few days. I thought that it was just a simple Unorthodox sect. It’s not like I don’t know what that means.”
“You haven’t had a long talk with the sect leader, then.”
“Yes.”
Moyong Baek explains.
“The Low Down Sect isn’t Unorthodox.”
“But it matches all the…”
“This is difficult for me to explain. Ask him when you get the chance. In any case, I know that the sect leader doesn’t take money. He is someone who targets Unorthodox groups and then receives rewards from merchants and workers, no matter how much they give. He will then kill the other sect’s leaders and absorb their troops. He doesn’t simply absorb them either but would leave them alive or send them away. In a way, he is asking them to find something else to do. The rules aren’t strict… to be honest, they’re like shit. However, despite knowing that situation, he continued to act like that. Do you understand now? In the future, many other groups would fall to him.”
“Ah… is that so?”
“Yes. As I understand it, this process would inevitably leave only those at the bottom with nowhere else to go to gather by his side. That is probably why the Low Down Sect is so unnatural.”
The man’s thoughts become filled as Moyong Bake tells him many things.
‘Right, he is a person who has strange thoughts.’
The Demonic Gentleman then asks.
“Then, doctor, are you part of the Low Down Sect?”
“I am not someone who can do that. As you can see, I belong to the Moyong family.”
“Ah, so you are not?”
Moyong Baek chuckles.
“The sect leader might think of me as one of his own. Even though I am not someone who can belong to it.”
The Demonic Gentleman looks at the goosebumps on his arm.
“Ah, is it such a place? Then it will become a much greater force than now.”
“It will probably keep getting bigger.”
Moyong Baek points to the book.
“Anything more to say?”
The Demonic Gentleman looks at the book that he has forgotten.
“Ah, I need to explain… I will be sure of one thing. Hearing my story can put you in danger.”
“Can we gain something without being in danger?”
To which the Demonic Gentleman then says.
“Perhaps this can cure the sect leader’s disease.”
Only then did Moyong Baek realizes that this opponent wasn’t normal. It is because he is only responding after knowing his reactions.
‘This man, he isn’t an easy opponent.’
Moyong Baek sighs and answers.
“I will listen.”
The man nods.
“Good. Don’t worry too much.”
The Demonic Gentleman says this while he strokes the book in his hand.
“This is a demonic art. A fairly old and tricky one at that.”
Moyong Baek takes a deep sigh.
“I already feel the danger.”
Why did a man who looks like a scholar from an eminence family of the Orthodox Faction have a book of demonic arts with him? This is not something that Moyong Baek could have foreseen.
Moyong Baek then says.
“You might have to explain in detail.”
And then the man explains.
“After I met with the Low Down sect leader, I also came to look for this book on a hunch, as if possessed by something. I heard that he has a Yin Yang body, right?”
“Yes.”
“It is said that dissonance between the yin and yang leads to an imbalance, which is the cause of his extreme manic nature. He can train in this skill, the Ice Arts.”
“Hm…”
“Do you know why the Ice Arts have disappeared from the world?”
“I don’t know.”
“There are simply not enough materials that could support it. Pills and liquids containing yang energy are rare, but they exist. However, those who need to learn Yin martial arts are lacking. It is also difficult to develop them. It is rare for people to have such a body, after all. Very few succeeded, so the number of people continues to decrease.”
“Wouldn’t the Demonic Sect use it often?”
“In the Demonic Sect, pills and elixirs are rare and hard to find. How much stronger would we get if we were lucky enough to eat just one root of the snow ginseng? So we try to supplement the Yin Qi in other ways, but it is done by people who are fine with this. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do not understand. Is it not a martial art that can be strengthened through cultivation?”
“It is possible. It is just slow. So slow that no one would like to do it only to get exhausted.”
“Are you saying it takes a human’s innate qi and absorbs it?”
“It is something similar to that. We often find that it is the cause of such things and start supplementing it with pills. In the end, not many choose the means or methods to learn this type of martial arts.”
Moyong Baek listens to the story with a gentle expression and then points with his finger.
“Is that the same too?”
The man smiles.
“You need to listen till the end. If it is written down, why would I choose to come here to you at all then? Erasing the inhuman methods of using people to make pills and deleting the parts which don’t fit the habit of others. Can you summarize it in a way that draws out the essence of yin and then deliver it to the sect leader? The doctor can use it as an ice qi generation method and then deliver it to the sect leader.”
Moyong Baek tilts his head.
“Some parts make sense, and some don’t.”
“You will see it.”
“How can I be the one asked to do it?”
“Well, anyway, it will be helpful to the sect leader. I know that his condition is strange.”
Moyong Baek holds out his hands.
“But why would you want to help the sect leader? I… don’t know if there is any motive.”
The Demonic Gentleman smiles.
“This is such a delayed question. I really applaud your patience. If I tell the truth, maybe you might understand.”
“I will listen.”
The Demonic Gentleman opens his mouth while organizing his thoughts.
“What should I call this feeling? I…”
“…”
“I want to see if the sect leader is a better genius than me.”
Moyong Baek suddenly comes to his senses and finally looks at the man. A truly unusual, arrogant maniac is looking at him. This arrogant person continues to speak with a gentle expression.
“Doctor Moyong, you might understand my heart.”
“…”
The man smiles confidently.
“Because we are not the ones shackled by common sense, right?”
Moyong Baek then looks at the book again, his mind filled with complex thoughts.
