In the deep hours of early dawn, darkness had settled.
Through thick fog, a figure was walking along a rough mountain path.
He appeared to be in his mid-fifties.
A middle-aged man with sharp, striking features, his eyes were as sharp as his looks.
However, his complexion was extremely pale.
His martial attire was torn and shredded like rags, and blood continuously trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The exposed wounds were all ghastly.
Particularly, a stab wound that started near his right collarbone stretched across his chest, reaching the opposite side of his waist.
His thigh was also missing a large chunk of flesh.
A deeply embedded projectile in his shoulder rose and fell with each breath he took.
He was a complete wreck.
It was a wonder that he was even alive, considering how critical his injuries were, but he did not collapse.
He simply gritted his teeth and kept moving step after step.
How long had he walked like this?
"Ugh..."
Before long, a groan escaped the middle-aged man's mouth.
‘Is this the end?’
The faint inner energy that had barely sustained him finally broke.
Blood began to flow from all his wounds in thick, gushing streams.
He had been barely suppressing the bleeding with his internal energy, but he could no longer hold it back.
A weary smile crept across his face.
Then, he collapsed as if his body had given out.
A looming sense of overwhelming despair.
Just when he was gasping for what might be his final breath, a faint scent brushed past the tip of his nose.
Cho Ak-ryang struggled to lift his eyelids.
He saw flowers in full bloom.
With the last of his strength, he barely managed to turn his body over.
Looking at the starry night sky, he thought, 'Dying while gazing at this... isn’t such a bad way to go, is it?'
But then...
'Damn it.'
Because of the thick mist, he couldn’t see anything.
Everything was just foggy and pitch-black.
'Just like my situation.'
That’s when he felt the strength draining from his body.
At the same time, his consciousness began to fade. He tried to lift his heavy eyelids once more, but even that was no longer easy.
'So this really is the end... huh?'
Cho Ak-ryang couldn’t continue his final thoughts.
Because of the face that suddenly appeared before him.
A face of, at most, a twelve-year-old boy?
Just looking at it lifted his spirits—it was such a cute face.
And the boy's clear, bright eyes stood out in particular.
Without even having time to study the boy’s face further, Cho Ak-ryang lost consciousness.
When Cho Ak-ryang regained consciousness, a significant amount of time had passed.
Opening his eyes, Cho Ak-ryang couldn’t hide his confusion.
Because the person who clearly should have died was still alive.
‘Where is this?’
Come to think of it, the surroundings had also changed.
He was lying in a strange room, on a clean bed no less.
He looked around.
It was a simple room with just a bed, some furniture, and a single table. On one of the walls hung a scroll.
Even someone like him, who had no knowledge of art, couldn't help but admire the elegant calligraphy on the scroll.
As Cho Ak-ryang instinctively tried to raise his body, he let out an unconscious groan.
“Ugh!”
The moment he moved, the pain that had been lying dormant throughout his body suddenly awakened.
It was an excruciating pain, so intense that it made him tremble.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and sat up.
“Huff... huff...”
Cho Ak-ryang leaned against the wall with both hands, breathing heavily.
All he had done was sit up from the bed, but sweat poured from his body as if it were raining.
‘Damn it!’
Forcing his unresponsive limbs, he staggered and made his way outside.
“...!”
In an instant, Cho Ak-ryang's eyes widened.
He was speechless at the sight before him.
A basin surrounded by sheer cliffs that rose like a screen.
A waterfall cascading down from the cliffs, creating a misty spray, was a breathtaking spectacle.
At the base of the waterfall was a pond.
It was a clear pond, so refreshing to look at that it cooled his chest.
The stream that started there flowed across one side of the basin.
Next to the pond stood a two-story pavilion, exuding an elegant charm like a painting.
As he surveyed the surroundings, his gaze stopped at one spot.
A crimson flower, so red that it seemed like touching it would stain his hand with blood.
It was the wave of vivid red flowers that filled the field and caught his attention.
It was then that a breeze blew in.
The rich fragrance, carried by the gentle wind, quickly filled the valley.
‘I collapsed there, didn’t I?’
As Cho Ak-ryang recalled the moment, a bitter smile spread across his face.
“Oh? You shouldn’t be getting up yet...”
Cho Ak-ryang turned his head toward the voice he heard.
Not far away, the boy he had seen just before losing consciousness was approaching.
“You need to rest right now.”
Cho Ak-ryang, instead of answering, stared at the boy for a moment before cautiously speaking.
“Who are you?”
“Me? I’m Dan Ak-seon.”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“I didn’t ask for your name.”
The boy, who had introduced himself as Dan Ak-seon, tilted his head in confusion for a moment, then nodded as if he understood.
“I’m the one who saved you.”
“You saved me? You?”
“Yes, because I’m a doctor.”
Cho Ak-ryang was flustered.
The child was truly audacious. How could a kid, who still hadn’t lost all his baby fat, be a doctor?
“Let’s talk in detail inside.”
Dan Ak-seon urged again.
“You’re in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if you died at any moment, so it’s better if you lie down inside.”
Dan Ak-seon passed Cho Ak-ryang and entered the small hut, pointing to the bed. However, Cho Ak-ryang didn’t readily follow. He simply couldn’t accept the situation.
“Are you really saying that you treated me?”
Seeing Cho Ak-ryang’s wary expression, Dan Ak-seon quietly smiled.
“There’s no one here besides me. If not me, there’s no one else who could have treated you or attacked you. So, please come inside and lie down.”
Cho Ak-ryang’s eyebrow twitched.
“Do you know who I am?”
Dan Ak-seon hesitated for a moment before replying.
“A sick person.”
“...”
Cho Ak-ryang was at a loss for words. Then Dan Ak-seon urged him once more.
“Hurry up. If we don’t continue the treatment soon, it’ll be hard to reverse. Do you know how hard it was to save you?”
Cho Ak-ryang swallowed hard.
‘Indeed…’
What the boy said was true.
Wasn't he as good as dead before he lost consciousness anyway? Moreover, Dan Ak-seon's face showed an innocent expression, free of any ulterior motives.
In the end, Cho Ak-ryang lay back down on the bed.
Dan Ak-seon handed him a cloth soaked in water.
"First, wet your throat. You’ve been unconscious for three days."
Seeing Cho Ak-ryang's puzzled expression, Dan Ak-seon explained further.
"You lost a lot of blood. If you drink water like usual in your current state, it could strain your body. Just hold this in your mouth and slowly suck on it."
Without a word, Cho Ak-ryang followed Dan Ak-seon's instructions.
"Now, I’ll begin."
Dan Ak-seon took out a small wooden box from his robe. Inside, he pulled out needles of various sizes.
At a glance, the needles were clearly made from extraordinary materials.
The handles of the blue-tinged needles were made from ivory, an unusual material, and the needleheads were intricately carved.
A memory flashed in Cho Ak-ryang's mind.
"Seonang* Needles?" (T/N: Roughly translates in English as 'Celestial/Divine Needles'.)
"Oh? You know of them?"
Surprised by Dan Ak-seon’s question, Cho Ak-ryang was even more astonished.
"How do you... How did you come to possess the divine tools of the Divine Doctor of the Sacred Hands*?" (T/N: I'm not really sure how to translate this, but it's like he's saying that the Divine Doctor has miraculous hands or something.)
"He's my father. Now, I’ll start finding the pressure points."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dan Ak-seon’s hands moved. In the blink of an eye, needles were inserted all over Cho Ak-ryang's body.
"...!"
Cho Ak-ryang was shocked as he felt his entire body stiffen in an instant.
'He hit both the demon and mute pressure points at the same time?'
It was truly an exquisite and refined acupuncture technique.
However, it was nothing compared to the astonishment that would follow.
'The pain is disappearing!'
As the agitated flow of his internal energy settled, his body quickly began to feel more comfortable.
'Could it be...?'
Cho Ak-ryang's heart began to race.
If the boy in front of him was truly the son of the Divine Doctor of the Sacred Hands...
And if he had inherited his medical skills?
'I can live!'
The Divine Doctor of the Sacred Hands was known to save anyone, as long as they still have breath in them.
'Wait a second?'
But there was a problem.
The Divine Doctor of the Sacred Hands had only ever treated those from the Orthodox Sect.
'Has it been twenty years since he disappeared from the martial world?'
At one time, all the intelligence organizations in the martial world scoured the land looking for him—Tianyi Gate, the Beggar Sect, Hao Gate, and even the Six Immortal Gates of the government.
But no one had ever found any trace of him.
As Cho Ak-ryang was lost in these thoughts—
Swoosh.
The area around his shoulder suddenly felt cool, and all his blocked meridians were cleared.
Cho Ak-ryang let out an exclamation.
'So it’s true that he saved me.'
Now there was no room for doubt. He had seen it with his own eyes and experienced it firsthand. How could he possibly continue to doubt?"
However, another question quickly arose.
“Why did you save me?”
Dan Ak-seon asked, widening his eyes.
“Does a doctor need a reason to save a patient?”
“That’s... all there is to it?”
Cho Ak-ryang sighed and replied.
“I am not an orthodox sect member.”
“Is that so?”
“As far as I know...”
Cho Ak-ryang cautiously continued.
“The Divine Doctor has only ever treated people from the orthodox sect.”
“Ah! So, you’re from the unorthodox sect?”
“That’s right.”
“I see.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled as if he found it amusing.
Meanwhile, Cho Ak-ryang's gaze turned cold.
“The answer to my question?”
“Apologies for laughing. It’s just difficult to give you an answer.”
Dan Ak-seon, having stopped laughing, looked at Cho Ak-ryang.
“I’m not my father, you know.”
But Cho Ak-ryang still couldn't shake off his doubts. Seeing this, Dan Ak-seon pouted.
“I was never taught that saving lives is a wrong thing to do.”
And then he continued bluntly.
"Because you only have one life. You should cherish it. There must be someone who would be sad if you died."
"There is no one who would mourn for me."
Cho Ak-ryang said firmly.
"Really?"
Dan Ak-seon added bitterly.
"I would be sad. If you died."
This time, Dan Ak-seon took out another wooden box.
When he opened the box, a red-colored needle appeared. It was a needle with a handle made of jet-black black-wood. Seeing the evil spirit engraved on the handle, Cho Ak-ryang was startled and shouted.
"The Ma-ryeong Needle (Demonic Spirit Needle)!"
Dan Ak-seon asked with a slightly surprised expression.
"You know this too?"
"How could I not recognize the sacred relic of the Demonic Doctor of Life and Death?"
A doctor who stood at the pinnacle of the Unorthodox Sect's medical arts, alongside the Divine Doctor.
She, too, had disappeared around the same time the Divine Doctor vanished. She only treated members of the Unorthodox Sect and was as famous for her eccentric personality as she was for her unparalleled medical skills.
Even the words she left behind when she disappeared are still talked about today.
—"Ungrateful wretches, may you all become eunuchs or pigs."
"Could it be...?"
Cho Ak-ryang asked, and the boy nodded.
"Yes. She's my mother."
"The Divine Doctor and the Demonic Doctor got married?"
"That’s why I exist now, isn't it?"
He wore a slightly sulky expression. That doubt soon turned into certainty.
"This time, it's going to hurt a bit."
The moment Dan Ak-seon inserted the Ma-ryeong Needle.
"Ugh!"
A groan, close to a scream, erupted from Cho Ak-ryang's mouth.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to press the acupoint."
At that moment, Cho Ak-ryang felt his whole body become paralyzed again. But the pain remained the same.
He was a man who had stayed calm even at death’s door.
But the pain now was incomparable to anything he'd ever experienced.
The problem was that there was nothing he could do about it.
All he could do was swallow his screams silently.
***
Three days later.
When Cho Ak-ryang opened his eyes in the morning, he looked down at himself and muttered,
"I…."
He could tell his physical condition had changed.
"I'm alive."
He had made it through a critical situation.
"The son of the Divine Doctor and the Demonic Doctor…."
Cho Ak-ryang slowly moved and stepped out of the small hut. It was still hard and painful, but it was nothing compared to three days ago.
Could there be any greater fortune?
Meeting Dan Ak-seon just before death itself had already been a miracle.
As Cho Ak-ryang was savoring the rare sunlight, it happened—far off in the distance.
There was a figure entering the entrance of Shinma Valley.
It was Dan Ak-seon.
“Oh? You’re awake?”
Dan Ak-seon spotted Cho Ak-ryang and came running over.
His face was much brighter than usual.
“Look at this, uncle!”
Dan Ak-seon pulled something out of the pouch hanging from his waist and held it out. It was a plant with pure white flowers and nine leaves.
“Hehe. I finally found it!”
“Is that why you're in such a good mood?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded with a bright smile.
“Yes! This is Giryungcho, a medicinal herb good for internal injuries. It's hard to find, but I was lucky.”
“Don’t tell me... you found it because of me?”
“Of course! Just wait a moment. I’ll prepare it for you right away!”
As Dan Ak-seon turned around, Cho Ak-ryang stretched out his hand and grabbed him.
“How did you end up like this?”
Cho Ak-ryang asked, staring at Dan Ak-seon's hands, which were scratched and covered in blood.
'Come to think of it...'
It wasn’t just his hands.
His entire body was covered in dirt, and his neck and cheeks were full of cuts. Since the blood hadn’t dried yet, it seemed the injuries were recent.
Dan Ak-seon smiled casually.
“Giryungcho grows in pretty rough places.”
“...!”
Cho Ak-ryang was at a loss for words.
The child before him was only twelve years old.
This young boy had risked danger, climbing the treacherous mountain path alone, all for the sake of a complete stranger like him.
A pang stirred in his chest.
Decades had passed as he roamed the perilous world of blades and swords.
It had been a long time since he had felt such an emotion.
"Come to think of it, there’s something I haven’t said to you yet."
"What is it?"
Cho Ak-ryang bowed his head respectfully toward Dan Ak-seon.
"I apologize for my previous rudeness."
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
"It’s alright. It’s natural for patients to be on edge, especially someone like you who was on the brink of death."
Dan Ak-seon readily accepted the apology.
"And also..."
"...?"
Cho Ak-ryang, with sincerity in his voice, spoke to the puzzled Dan Ak-seon.
"Thank you. I will never forget the grace of you saving my life."
