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EP.66 The Divine Physician (3)

I began to slowly explain my situation to Maehwa Seon, but I couldn’t tell her everything.

So, I conveyed the truth without outright lies, but held back certain details.

“…For now, I’ve been carrying the treasure with me since leaving the clan.”

I omitted any mention of Demonic Power, simply saying that after finishing my training, I fell asleep and woke up feeling stronger.

To be honest, that was all I could explain.

It was truly the case that I woke up one morning feeling like I had devoured energy.

Should I mention Shin Noya? I considered it but decided against it for now.

I thought it best to discuss that only after talking with Shin Noya.

Explaining my situation didn’t take long.

Once I finished my brief explanation, Maehwa Seon stroked her beard.

Would she really believe me? Honestly, even I found it hard to swallow.

As expected, Maehwa Seon, with a troubled expression, spoke up.

“It’s a story that’s hard to believe…”

Swoosh.

In the brief silence that followed, the sound of her pouring tea was extraordinarily loud.

“The tale about swallowing the energy of a treasure is one thing, but to begin with, that energy shouldn’t be in the hands of an outsider. It’s unbelievable that you possess it.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The co-existence of different energies.

Moreover, their fundamental characteristics differ.

Not only the Technique of the Flame Wheel but also the defeating energies possessed by other fire techniques.

Those of the Daoist Qi contradict it.

It’s a statement suggesting that there exists a balance between the natural flow and a violent determination to break through any obstacle.

It was already strange that I’d pierced through to the fourth star with such an improbable combination.

What’s even more remarkable was that I was walking around without being affected by mania.

I couldn’t tell if it was due to Demonic Power.

But that was the only explanation I had.

If it wasn’t for this damned ability, tightly wrapped around me like a noose since my regression, such ridiculous things wouldn’t be happening to my body.

‘…Hah.’

Maehwa Seon was still looking straight into my eyes.

“In that situation, I can sense the energy of the plum blossom within you, something usually only possessed by a select few disciples of the main text.”

The energy hidden within my Lower Dantian.

Since Shin Noya had mentioned she concealed her scent, it was something I hadn’t even sensed myself.

But it seemed Maehwa Seon sensed it instantly.

In the end, whether intentional or not, this had become a troublesome matter.

If someone from the Hwasan Sect were to train in the Technique of the Flame Wheel, and if their realm was quite high—

This would be no ordinary matter; the clan leader of the Gu Sect themselves would need to confirm it.

“I don’t think you’re lying, but this is something that can’t be easily accepted, and as the Sect Leader, I must verify it.”

“Yes…”

“Fortunately, it seems there are no significant issues with the treasure…”

No significant issues, you say?

Just how casually had they brushed this off, and when had they confirmed it…?

‘Amidst all this, a confirmation?’

If they were to confirm, how would they intend to do so?

It certainly wouldn’t be in a manner that harmed my Lower Dantian or body.

To begin with, they came here to return the ownership of the treasure that was seized during a drunken bet.

Trusting that Hwasan’s Sect, despite being part of the Gu Sect’s righteous faction, wouldn’t do anything too bizarre.

If it were any other faction, I would be more cautious, but coming from Hwasan, I found it somewhat trustworthy.

After a long pause, Maehwa Seon seemed to have thought of something, her expression brightening as she clapped her hands.

“Great! It seems this has worked out nicely.”

“Yes?”

Maehwa Seon gulped down the remaining tea in one go and stood up abruptly.

“Sect Leader…?”

“You mentioned your youngest sister came with you to Hwasan; is that correct?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

Why was she bringing this up all of a sudden?

Nodding at my answer, Maehwa Seon said, “Perfect. Follow me.”

Suddenly standing up, Maehwa Seon walked ahead and told me to follow.

I asked in a daze, “Where are we going?”

With a slight smile, Maehwa Seon replied, “Since we’re at Hwasan, shouldn’t we go see your sister?”

“…What?”

I couldn’t help but stare blankly at her words.

…In this moment, all of a sudden?

Rumble-thud!

The sound of a waterwheel echoed heavily in the forest.

Birdsong broke the silence, and sunlight filtered through the tree branches.

At the end of a path lined with such a beautiful backdrop, there stood a small hut.

A little distance away from Hwaeum-hyeon.

The hut, built by the 10th Sect Leader of Hwasan after retirement, now served as a sanctuary.

“It’s all ruined.”

Inside the hut, an old man with white hair remarked.

His voice, thick and raspy, made for an unpleasant listen, but there was no one inside the hut to care.

Considering the name of the old man, it was no surprise.

The Divine Physician.

That was how he was referred to in the Central Plains.

He couldn’t bring back the dead, but if someone was alive, he could save anyone—such was the heavenly title bestowed upon him.

Due to his nomadic lifestyle, he was rarely found, yet here he was.

“The Blood Qi is all twisted up; as my body decays like this, how did you manage to endure the pain?”

“It wasn’t that painful…”

A woman glanced at her disciple while she replied.

But this earned a sharp frown from the Divine Physician.

“How can you say that when you’re in such a state? A child must know some things.”

“…Divine Physician…”

“Don’t call me that.”

At his reprimand, the disciple next to him shuddered.

With teary eyes, she looked up at her master.

“Master…”

Tsk!

The Divine Physician clicked his tongue.

It had been long since he last examined someone, and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

A boy, who had been quietly sitting beside the Divine Physician, pulled out a cloth from his pocket and began to wipe the old man’s forehead.

The Divine Physician gingerly removed the woman’s arm he had been holding.

Though he had roughly finished his pulse-taking, the old man’s expression didn’t ease.

The woman’s body was decaying, including her Lower Dantian.

She looked like an ordinary old woman, but considering her age, it was quite an alarming sight.

Given the realm of non-action she had attained, this shouldn’t have been happening.

Plum Blossom Sword Queen.

The female swordsman, who had collaborated with various factions across the Central Plains centered around Hwasan, was now collapsing like this.

The Divine Physician felt that the only reason she was still able to move and breathe a little was due to the bet she had once made.

‘If that too falls away…’

The lifeline she clung to, the energy of the Daoists, was gradually eating away at her.

And the biggest problem was—

“…It’s a disease I’ve never seen before.”

At the Divine Physician’s words, someone involuntarily swallowed hard.

This was a statement from someone whose medical skills were unrivaled across the Central Plains.

“Sword Queen.”

“Yes…”

“How long has it been since this started?”

The Sword Queen glanced at her disciple and continued, “About… three years.”

“What happened?”

“…That’s…”

Kuuuh.

Suddenly, the Sword Queen clenched her trembling fist.

As she failed to articulate her thoughts, blood trickled from her lips.

“Master!”

Seeing this, the disciple rushed to support her.

At the same time, the boy next to the Divine Physician handed another cloth to the Sword Queen like before.

“…Thank you.”

Nodding, the boy responded to the Sword Queen’s gratitude.

Watching the Sword Queen slowly wipe the blood, the Divine Physician stroked his beard.

“…Is it a Golden Binding?”

An unknown illness, and a Golden Binding.

The very idea of a binding that affects the act of merely speaking was something the Divine Physician had never encountered in his life.

‘If it was a Golden Binding, I should have noticed something during pulse-taking.’

There should have been some trace of a binding affecting a martial artist’s physical body somewhere.

Especially a binding affecting a certain action usually leaves a strong trace.

Yet the Divine Physician sensed no such indications whatsoever.

He could only perceive the Sword Queen’s decaying body.

After studying for nearly eighty years, it felt as if all that knowledge was crumbling down.

‘This is unpleasant….’

The discomfort of ignorance.

The anxiety that arose from the fear of being unable to save someone.

It was this repugnant sensation that had driven the Divine Physician away from the world of medicine.

‘Dohwa, that damned brat….’

If it weren’t for the calling of the Heavenly Lord, he would have never gone to Anhui.

And had he not been in Anhui, he would never have answered Maehwa Seon’s call.

…In any case, the rough ways of these martial artists were ridiculous.

“Divine Physician…”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“I’m sorry… Elder.”

“Fine.”

“Is it okay if I ask how much time I have left?”

At the Sword Queen’s question, the Divine Physician sighed.

No one knew better than him about such matters.

And this was something he dreaded discussing the most.

“If you’re lucky, you might hold out until winter; otherwise, it’ll be over in two months.”

Even so, she wouldn’t survive the year.

The underlying remark he chose not to voice remained in his heart.

After having spoken, the young girl who had been crying in her master’s arms continued to weep.

That was something he detested.

To see such a sight, especially when it couldn’t be fixed.

‘Life is truly disgusting.’

No matter how much knowledge one accumulates, there are still those who can’t be saved.

That was the reason the Divine Physician loathed being called a “Divine Physician.”

The boy cautiously approached, lightly grabbing the hem of the Divine Physician’s robe.

The Divine Physician hid his gloomy heart and prepared to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Given Dohwa’s request, and seeing our connection, I will do my best.”

But don’t hold out too much hope.

With those words, the Sword Queen quietly nodded.

Seeing that, the Divine Physician brushed his face with his hand and said to the children, “Old man has things to discuss with the patient, so why don’t you go play outside for a bit? You too.”

The boy nodded as if he understood.

However, the Sword Queen’s disciple, unwilling to part, clung tighter to her master.

“I-I want to stay with you…”

“Ryeonghwa.”

The Sword Queen’s firm voice.

The disciple flinched at her tone.

With tearful eyes, they gazed at their master, but the Sword Queen remained resolute.

“Go outside now.”

“…Yes.”

The boy had already gone outside, and the disciple grudgingly followed him out of the hut.

Emerging from the hut, a cool breeze unexpected for summer blew through.

Gu Ryeonghwa wiped her tear-streaked face with her sleeve and closed the door behind her.

I shouldn’t have cried.

Losing someone is still a difficult thing to bear.

‘…Master.’

As tears threatened to flow again, she dabbed at her eyes with her clothes.

Someone beside her offered a cloth.

It was the boy who sat beside the Divine Physician.

She had heard that he was supposedly a grandson…

Upon seeing this, an eerie chill ran down Gu Ryeonghwa’s spine.

Even if he was the same age, a boy was still a boy.

She did not like boys.

Thus, she felt the same about him.

Especially given that they were of the same generation.

She wanted nothing more than to reject his forwardness, but he was the grandson of the physician who came to treat her master.

No matter what, she couldn’t treat him rudely.

Suppressing her disgust, she had to politely decline.

“I don’t need…”

Before Gu Ryeonghwa could finish her sentence, the boy seemed to understand, saying nothing as he returned to sit nearby outside the hut.

At that, Gu Ryeonghwa let out a breath.

‘…Master.’

Every time moments like this happened, she missed her master’s face lying back there.

Thinking about how he said she wouldn’t make it through the year brought fresh tears to her eyes.

‘What should I do… What can I do?’

If even the Divine Physician, reputed as the best in the Central Plains, said he couldn’t cure her, then there was nothing she could do.

In this situation, the fact that she, young and useless, could do nothing weighed heavily on her.

“What are you doing?”

Startled by the voice that suddenly called her name, Gu Ryeonghwa looked up.

“Isn’t that Ryeonghwa? Why are you out here?”

Standing there was Maehwa Seon, the Sect Leader of Hwasan to whom she belonged.

Quickly wiping her tears, Gu Ryeonghwa composed herself.

“S-Sect Leader!”

While she was bowing and showing her respect, her gaze landed on the boy next to Maehwa Seon.

His fierce eyes and black hair, dressed in a red martial robe that declared him a member of the Gu Clan, contrasted sharply with the only genuine bloodline she shared.

And he was the one Gu Ryeonghwa resented the most.

Rage boiled within her immediately.

Why was he here?

Wasn’t he supposed to be in the clan acting like a delinquent…?

Just the fact that he had invaded her one refuge — her peaceful life — was enough to set Gu Ryeonghwa off balance.

“Why are you…?”

“You.”

Gu Yangcheong cut off her words.

He stepped closer.

As he drew near, Gu Ryeonghwa’s breath grew ragged.

What did he want?

She was now different.

With a single breath, she could subdue her elder brother, who had never put in any effort.

Though she wasn’t armed with a wooden sword, she believed she could handle it.

No matter how he approached, she was ready to respond.

Having made her mental preparations, Gu Ryeonghwa steeled herself, but—

Gu Yangcheong simply walked past her.

“What…?”

Surprised, Gu Ryeonghwa turned around.

Gu Yangcheong now stood in front of the Divine Physician’s grandson.

“…?”

The boy looked up to meet Gu Yangcheong’s gaze.

“Why are you here?”

Gu Ryeonghwa’s eyes widened.

Killing intent.

In the voice Gu Yangcheong directed toward the boy, she felt a thick killing intent.

 

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