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."

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 Davey's 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."

* * *

Ugo and Bugo returned to the Green Forest Fortress ahead of Davey and Perserque. As soon as they arrived, they promptly looked for their superior and the King of the Green Forest. The brothers shared their encounter with a mighty young man and a beautiful woman who had descended from the sky.

Initially furious, the King of the Green Forest contemplated punishing Ugo and Bugo on the spot for disclosing the location of the fortress. However, their desperate pleas, in addition to a very persuasive argument, changed his mind.

"Sir... That woman was even more beautiful than the celestial maidens! Once we drug that guy and deal with him, you will obtain the greatest beauty in these land! To have a real heavenly maiden is the very start of your rise as the supreme ruler, dominating over the 72 other Green Forest Kings!"

Moved by Ugo and Bugo's fervent appeals, the King of the Green Forest stroked his rough beard. "Fine. If you fail to bring them here, I'll have your heads displayed at the entrance of the fortress."

With that, the two brothers could only kneel and pray that the couple would be stupid enough to follow their indications. Lo and behold, their prayers were answered! The two actually just casually strolled into the fortress! Whether they were confident in their abilities or brazenly relying on their status as messengers from the heavens, that was a problem for another time.

"Welcome, please come in!"

Having survived the wrath of their king thanks to the visitors, the two brothers greeted Davey and Perserque with absolute glee.

The young couple entered the fortress, instantly drawing the attention of every bandit in sight.

"We actually need a few supplies for treatment. Can you help us?"

"Supplies?"

"Clean cloth, water, and medical ointments should do."

"Of course, we have everything! I'll guide you myself! Maybe you'd like to have a meal as well? We have the best delicacies of the mountains and sea here! For messengers of Heaven like yourselves, we will spare nothing!"

'Once you eat that, it's the end for you, idiot!' With that thought in mind, Ugo laughed heartily.

"Why, that's quite nice of you. The Heavens will be grateful. Please help us with the medical supplies for now, we need to treat these people first."

"Don't worry! Bugo, guide them quickly!"

"Yes, brother!"

With brisk steps, they led the pair into a tent. Thanks to the King's orders not to cause any trouble until he had put the visitors at ease, the bandits refrained from making a scene. Under normal circumstances, they would have been making all sorts of lewd remarks and rude jokes upon seeing such a beautiful woman. However, if they provoked the young man's rage before they could make him harmless, they would be in serious trouble.

While the celestial messengers treated the injured youngsters, the two brothers went straight to the kitchen and started on some dishes. The secret ingredient was, of course, an herb that suppressed qi. As they cooked, they couldn't help envisioning the most blissful outcomes in their minds.

"Brother! Are we finally going to get a good position for ourselves?"

"Of course, you fool! Remember how that guy from the Cheon family flaunted power? Now, it's our turn." Ugo chuckled, and Bugo grinned maliciously.

"But she really is pretty. It's a bit regrettable to offer her to the King of the Green Forest..."

"Eh... don't worry about unnecessary things. The King is rough with women; he never leaves them in good shape and he has a habit of throwing them away after they're ruined. Just give it a few days, and once her spirit is broken, she'll come to us. Then, we can do whatever we want."

"Hehe, losing her mind doesn't mean losing her face, right? Hahaha—" Bugo laughed loudly, but then stopped himself and looked around cautiously. "Uh...maybe we should watch our mouths."

Meanwhile, the King of the Green Forest, a giant man over two meters tall and weighing more than 140 kilograms, was feeling quite excited.

"The heavens really have sent me a gift... All the maidens I've seen before pale in comparison!"

He gulped dry as he watched the silver-haired girl enter the tent. Even that red-haired celestial maiden known as the greatest beauty of the world was nothing compared to a real heavenly maiden descending from the sky. She was just too damn beautiful. He would have to treat her more carefully than the other women he had mistreated in the past.

"Heh... If those boys do well, I'll have to treat them a lot better from now." The King thought of Ugo and Bugo and chuckled quietly to himself.

Everyone in the Green Forest Fortress had their own plans, but the plans of the newlywed couple and the plans of the bandits were quite the mismatch.

* * *

"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?"

"I'll 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 you're 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). ☜