Chapter 573
After the Green Forest Bandits had retreated, Davey brought the unconscious young man and the girl together.
"This dark energy..."
"I don't know what it is, but it doesn't seem to be a very benevolent power."
It bore a resemblance to the energy of the Heavenly Destroyer, but it felt utterly repugnant. It also shared similarities with the power of the Abyss, yet it was not easily identifiable due to its overly pure nature. Of course, there was no reason for Davey to pursue the culprit.
"Let's not forget. We are here on a honeymoon. We agreed not to shed needless blood."
What Davey sought was the Absolute Gem and nothing else. Even though this world was the homeland of their swordsmanship teacher, Heavenly Destroyer Dokgo Jun, Davey did not have the luxury of being concerned about this place right now.
"Since we're here, we should also look around for eternal items like the Millennia Elixir. If we don't find any, then it is what it is, but if we do, that'll be really great. Anyway, first, we need to save this kid."
Saying this, Davey immediately started to deal with the young man's injury using a simple first aid kit, but the conditions were far from ideal. The possibility of infection was very high in the middle of this forest swarming with bacteria, and they didn't exactly have the appropriate tools to do it.
They had no idea who the young man was or why he was so injured, but that was irrelevant. He was a patient in front of Davey's eyes; that was reason enough to save him. Even if this young man turned out to be a notorious murderer, Davey, as a physician, was determined to fulfill his duty first. As for whether he'd have to behead the kid himself afterward, that was a matter for later.
Eventually, he patched up the major injuries, but the follow-up treatment needed supplies that he didn't have.
"Isn't there a place we can raid?" Perserque asked.
"Well...if you think about it, there is one."
Perserque tilted her head in confusion for a moment, but then she cracked an awkward smile. "Davey. You're not suggesting..."
"The Green Forest Bandits are a large gang of thieves. Well, they call themselves bandits, but they're really a bunch of murderers. Those guys are greedy for treasure.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com
There had to be plenty of valuable items in the ir hideout.
"Let's head there first."
With these words, Davey picked up the young man, while Perserque sighed and picked up the fallen girl on hers. She muttered, "As always, do whatever you like."
"Let's go."
Davey and Perserque strolled toward the part of the forest where the bandits had disappeared.
"The air is really pleasant here. Different from Tionis."
"Yes."
They were on the Central Plains, in murim.[1] No...strictly speaking, this was in fact the Heavenly Central Plains.
It was once on Earth in the past. Now, it had shifted into a distinct dimension. This meant that during the era when Dokgo Jun was active, the entire world had been duplicated and separated into an independent dimension.
Initially, Davey had thought Dokgo Jun was one of Earth's ancestors upon hearing stories about the Central Plains.
However, that was not the case. Similar to the world where Daveys sorcery teacher, Woochi, resided, the Central Plains had also been autonomously duplicated and isolated into a separate dimension. The murim of Earth, now devoid of its power, had evolved into something more akin to a bunch of monasteries where people trained in ordinary martial arts, unable to soar through the skies or dash over rivers like the true martial artists of old. It was quite an amusing twist of fate, as if Earth had been stripped of the supernatural abilities it once possessed.
As they leisurely walked, a large fortress caught Davey and Perserque's attention. When they approached, a guard in a watchtower noticed them and nocked an arrow on his bow.
"Halt! Who goes there?"
Davey took out a token he had received from the bandits earlier and held it up. "Some of your people told me to come here. Aren't you the Green Forest Bandits?"
Some time had passed since their encounter with the bandits. In addition, since the bandits had guided them toward a fairly roundabout path, the forest fortress had all the time needed to prepare for their arrival.
The bandit looked at the token for a moment, then nodded. "The King of the Green Forest is waiting. Enter."
"Alright, that should do."
After successfully treating the young man with supplies provided by the bandits, Davey pulled out a small badge from the belongings of the unconscious man. It was the Central Plains language that he knew, although a bit different.
"Han Ja-Seong, huh..."
"And who is this young lady?"
"Cheon Ji-Hee. Judging by her appearance, she seems to be a well-raised lady. I wonder where they come from."
The remaining dark energy inside her had been suppressed as much as possible, so there shouldn't be any more problems. With that thought, Davey tasted a bit of the food provided by Ugo and Bugo.
"Oh, this is good," remarked Davey.
"What do you call that dish?"
"Five-spice braised meat. Want a taste?" He offered her a bowl.
"Five-spice spiked meat, you mean? No, thanks. A lady like me doesn't have the habit of eating food with drugs in it."
"But it tastes good." Davey slowly savored the braised meat and said, "We agreed not to kill people randomly, so let's overlook this tiny bit of audacity."
"What if they cross the line?"
"Ill let you do your thing and then we'll see."
Perserque smirked in response.
Just as they finished the meal, the Ugo and Bugo brothers appeared, as if they had been eagerly waiting.
"Heavenly Noble Son!"
"Who's that?"
"Well, my lord, since you've descended from Heaven, it stands to reason that youre a Heavenly Noble Son, right?"
"...Sure. Call me what you will. What's the matter?"
"Well, the master of the fortress wishes to meet the guests."
Davey nodded. "Hey, Green Forest guys."
"Yes?"
"You know, maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I'd advise you not to do anything stupid."
"What... What do you mean, my lord? Hahaha, how would we dare to cause harm to heavenly messengers? We might be known for our ruthlessness, but even bandits like us are not without morals."
"Yes, I'm sure people who kill and plunder others have very high moral standards. Whatever, let's go."
In response to Davey's words, Ugo and Bugo's expressions crumpled, but they managed to squeeze out a smile.
They're really patient, aren't they? Looks like they really like living, Davey whispered to Perserque.
In any case, as far as Davey was concerned, they were easy to handle. He smirked, took Perserque's hand, and followed the two brothers to meet the King of the Green Forest Bandits.
Hehe Wonder how much I'll pocket from these guys, Davey thought.
1. Murim (literally "martial/warrior forest") is a term for the martial society, consisting of martial arts schools/sects, their members, and their interactions. Another term you might encounter in the same context is gangho (literally "lakes and rivers") which refers to the broader world in which martial artists are involved. This includes their interactions with wandering martial artists (with no affiliation), the underworld, governmental organizations, and even ordinary people. Traveling in jianghu is a form of gaining real-life experience for a murim-in (martial artist/cultivator).