Chapter 619

**Chapter 619 – The Lazy One Absorbs (4)**

“Gulp.”

The sound of someone swallowing was clearly heard.

Those present here could be considered people who had been through all kinds of battles. To be more precise, although there are many people in the martial world, few have suffered as much as they have.

Especially, among them, Wei Jeonghan was the king of extreme suffering.

He spent his youth in the war against the Demon Cult. No, he was one of those who most intensely lived through that war. So much so that, even without having actively traveled the martial world since then, his fame still resonates in the world thanks to his exploits from that time.

And now, in his maturity, he and his son were still involved in all the great events of the world.

Common events didn’t even make them flinch. But even someone like Wei Jeonghan was now extremely tense.

If he had a sharp sword at his neck, fighting between life and death, he wouldn’t feel this way. After all, he had already risked his life many times.

But what was at stake now was not his life.

‘Thousands.’

What if they couldn’t cure them?

Everyone would die.

Everyone affected by this strange disease would die. Just thinking about it, even the powerful Wei Jeonghan felt a chill.

Upon his shoulders rested the fate of the martial world. To be exact, Wei Yanho carried the fate of the martial world on his back, while the others only lent a helping hand, but the weight of that help was unimaginably great.

But this was different.

They knew perfectly well that if they didn’t stop the Demon Cult and Baekgeom Fortress, the martial world would turn into a bloodbath. But abstract death and the tangible death before their eyes had a vast difference in their sense of reality.

At this moment, the lives of thousands depended on an instant. That pressure made even the great Wei Jeonghan tremble.

And then…

Wei Jeonghan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Wei Yanho’s steps as he approached the nearest fallen warrior were extremely careful. So much so that one might wonder if Wei Yanho had ever been so cautious.

‘It’s understandable.’

Wei Yanho was still young.

Sometimes they forgot, but Wei Yanho was barely a young man who had just turned twenty. Since he always took care of important matters, it was easy to lose sight of his age.

But that boy now had to decide the fate of thousands. It was natural that his legs were trembling and he was tense…

“Hey, why are you hesitating so much?”

‘How the hell hasn’t this idiot starved to death?’

It was inevitable to ask. Beggars had to live by being cunning. Wasn’t it always said that a beggar without cunning was destined to fail?

But how this guy, who totally lacked cunning, had survived without starving and become the Young Beggar of the Beggar Sect was a mystery.

“Hey, beggar.”

“What?”

Just when Wei Jeonghan was about to say something, Wei Yanho, with his face full of anxiety, asked:

“They don’t bite, do they?”

“……”

“……”

Everyone lost their speech and stared at Wei Yanho.

The atmosphere cooled, but Wei Yanho, as if he didn’t care at all about the state of the others, shuddered.

“Hey, lunatic! They’re not dogs, why would they bite!”

“Would you prefer them to be dogs?”

“They’re unconscious!”

“What if they suddenly wake up and bite me?”

“Argh!”

Jangil twisted his body as if he couldn’t bear the frustration. Although they didn’t express it, the others felt the same.

“Hey, imbecile! Is this the time to worry about that? And at least say something sensible! You were the one who left them like that! What are you afraid of?”

“Aren’t you afraid of a rabid dog?”

Jangil stuttered before answering:

“…Yes, I’m afraid.”

“With a stick, killing a dog is no big deal. But if a rabid dog comes at you, it’s scary.”

“That’s right!”

Wei Jeonghan, on the verge of collapse, shouted:

“Why are you agreeing with that?!”

“W-well, it’s the truth…”

Band of righteous people.

He now understood. That beggar deserved his position in the Beggar Sect. With that personality incapable of lying, it was perfect.

‘Damn it.’

Wei Yanho, nervous, touched the warrior lightly with the tip of his toe.

“He won’t have a seizure, will he?”

“Hey, you bastard! What kind of attitude is that with a patient?!”

“He’s about to become one himself!”

“Why are you going to be the patient?!”

“What if he bites me and I get infected?”

“Grrrr.”

Wei Jeonghan twisted his mouth tightly.

He had a wonderful son. Every time he felt guilty or regretful for him, this boy took care of eliminating those feelings. Thanks to that, Wei Jeonghan could feel completely free and relieved.

“Examine him right now!”

“Tch!”

Wei Yanho frowned. If he could, he would tear that mouth off and throw it away. But, as if he had yielded to Wei Jeonghan’s pressure, Wei Yanho crept closer to the unconscious body.

Seeing him advance so timidly made his blood boil, but he couldn’t do anything.

Wei Yanho glanced at Wei Jeonghan and crouched next to the body.

“Grrr.”

Then, with an expression of absolute disgust, he took his wrist to measure the pulse. He channeled his internal energy to examine his state.

“How is it?”

“Do you think rushing me will make it work? Rice needs to cook.”

“Are you at least examining him, right?”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Wei Jeonghan took a step back, thinking that maybe he had gone too far. For Wei Yanho it might be unfair, but no matter how much he tried to trust him, it was difficult. He had brought it upon himself.

Wei Yanho grumbled as he increased the flow of energy in the hand holding the wrist.

“Hmm?”

Wei Yanho’s brow furrowed.

After a long examination, Wei Yanho jumped up and took the pulse of another fallen person nearby.

He repeated the process a couple more times before turning around.

“It seems similar, doesn’t it?”

“To the members of the Tang Family?”

“Yes. Almost identical, I’d say. The difference is that before the poisonous energy was strong, but now there’s no poison. Instead, the demonic energy is thicker.”

“Thick demonic energy…”

Wei Jeonghan tilted his head.

“So is it different or the same?”

“Same and different. Before the demonic energy was weaker. The empty space was filled by the poisonous energy. I think…”

Wei Yanho looked at Jegal Munin.

“The Inkstone was right. It’s the same disease. And back then, it was a premature outbreak.”

“The reason?”

“How am I supposed to know? But it probably has to do with the poison.”

Jegal Munin responded for Wei Yanho:

“Everyone who had outbreaks at that time were poison researchers. It seems that a specific poison from the Tang Family stimulated the demonic energy. That’s why they had premature outbreaks.”

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan nodded.

This disease is triggered when those who practice certain Demon Arts release demonic energy. If the poison that the Tang Family was researching had properties similar to that demonic energy, the outbreaks could have started independently of the intention of those who spread the Sword Emperor’s Treasure.

“Of course, it could also be that Baekgeom Fortress infiltrated them to test the outbreaks. Being in Sichuan, it wouldn’t spread to the Central Plains, and since they were poison researchers, any strange symptoms would be attributed to external factors. It was the perfect place to experiment.”

“That also makes sense.”

“It doesn’t matter what the case is. The important thing now is not the cause, but the cure.”

Wei Jeonghan nodded. Jegal Munin was right.

Determining how this happened was also important. But now it couldn’t be the priority. When something has already happened, it’s more important to solve it than to understand its cause.

“Can you cure them?”

“Well…”

Wei Yanho scratched his head.

“There’s a small problem.”

“What problem?”

“Mmm…”

Wei Yanho hesitated. His expression was strange. He seemed worried, but there was also something indecipherable in his gaze.

Seeing that face made a feeling of unease creep over everyone.

“What problem? Say it at once.”

“Well, in short…”

“Yes.”

“It’s curable. It won’t be very difficult. We can treat them the same as last time.”

The same?

How had Wei Yanho cured them last time? Ah, yes…

“By absorbing it?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yanho shrugged.

Previously, Wei Yanho had cured the members of the Tang Family by absorbing all the poisonous and demonic energy in their bodies. The demonic energy suppressed their internal energy, and the poison destroyed their bodies.

“In comparison, this is a better situation.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you remember how they were?”

Wei Jeonghan couldn’t help but nod. Back then, the members of the Tang Family were unconscious while their bodies were rotting. Compared to that, these were much better.

“Those who had complete outbreaks are these, why are they in a better state?”

“Because of the poison.”

“The poison!”

Wei Jeonghan finally understood. The Tang Family works with poisons. But humans cannot harbor poisons naturally. The reason they can do it is because they protect their bodies with internal energy.

But the demonic energy suppressed all their internal energy. That’s why, even with their resistance, they couldn’t withstand it. Their own poisons began to melt and rot their bodies.

But these didn’t have poisonous energy. That’s why they hadn’t reached that extreme.

While the members of the Tang Family took a long time to recover even after treatment, these wouldn’t need to go through that. It was good news.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“The problem… is that the demonic energy is stronger.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yanho shrugged.

“Before, the outbreaks weren’t so severe, so they only lost part of their internal energy. But now it’s different. There’s no poison, but the demonic energy is stronger. And that demonic energy comes from their own original internal energy.”

“…What implications does that have?”

“Yes, exactly. If we cure them in the same way, they will lose most of their internal energy.”

Wei Jeonghan’s face hardened.

He now understood the gravity of the situation.

“…Isn’t there another way?”

“Probably. But I don’t know it.”

“Grrr.”

Lose their internal energy?

What separated a martial artist from an ordinary person was precisely internal energy. Even the greatest masters, without internal energy, weren’t very different from a street fighter.

And they would have to lose most of their internal energy to be cured?

This wasn’t something they could take lightly. If they didn’t handle the situation carefully, those cured might end up hating them.

‘What do we do now?’

Wei Jeonghan’s brow furrowed.

“What do we do?”

Faced with Wei Yanho’s question, Wei Jeonghan spoke gravely.