“By the way…”
In an attempt to change the subject, Cho Ak-ryang asked a different question.
“Why aren’t your parents around?”
No matter how advanced his medical skills were, Dan Ak-seon was still a child. Cho Ak-ryang had always found it strange that such a young child lived alone in these deep mountains.
He just hadn’t had the chance to ask.
However, Cho Ak-ryang immediately regretted it upon seeing Dan Ak-seon's face darken rapidly.
“They passed away.”
“Oh no! How did that…”
Cho Ak-ryang hurriedly swallowed his words.
He realized he had asked the wrong thing. The bright, cheerful child was now engulfed in sorrow.
That sight alone was enough to fill him with guilt.
An awkward silence fell between them.
Who knew how much time had passed like that. As Dan Ak-seon silently continued the treatment, he put away the acupuncture needles into a box.
“I’ll be back.”
Dan Ak-seon stepped out of the hut.
Only after Dan Ak-seon had completely disappeared from view did Cho Ak-ryang let out a long sigh, feeling remorseful.
“I’m not just shameless, I’m also completely clueless.”
Even the mighty Blood Demon, one of the Five Great Masters of the world, was troubled by the change in the young doctor’s expression.
* * *
Dan Ak-seon walked past the market and entered an alley where old shops were clustered.
At the end of the alley stood a shabby herbal medicine shop.
It was a store he had frequented for a long time.
“Hello, uncle.”
Dan Ak-seon stepped inside and greeted.
“Oh? Who do we have here?”
The middle-aged man, who had been grinding medicinal herbs with a mortar, smiled brightly as he welcomed Dan Ak-seon.
“Welcome, Doctor Dan.”
“Have you been well?”
“Haha, thanks to you, I’ve been doing fine. How about you? No major issues?”
The owner of the herbal shop spoke to Dan Ak-seon with ease.
“More or less.”
Dan Ak-seon took out the medicinal herbs he had brought and placed them on the table. The owner of the herbal shop nodded in satisfaction.
“Everything you've brought is top-quality, as usual. As promised, I’ll pay you an extra 10 percent from now on.”
“Thank you. Instead of money, could you give me the herbs I need?”
The owner of the herbal shop, who received the list Dan Ak-seon handed over, had an awkward look on his face.
“Orpiment, realgar, and even musk?”
“Is it difficult?”
“I’m not sure about the others, but musk might be hard to get. These days, the price of musk is whatever people are willing to pay.”
“Is it that expensive?”
“Just a few months ago, it was worth the same as gold of the same weight, but now you can’t even catch a whiff of it at that price.”
The owner of the herbal shop smiled bitterly.
“How about using ox bezoar instead of musk? It could have a similar effect.”
Dan Ak-seon shook his head.
“It won’t achieve the result I want. So, could you still look into it for me? I’ll find a way to come up with the money.”
“Is that so? Alright then, I’ll ask around. But don’t get your hopes up too high.”
"Thank you."
"Thank you for what? If anything, I'm the one who's grateful. Most of the rare herbs sold at my shop are brought by you..."
The owner of the herbal shop raised his hand and pointed in one direction.
"Over there, you'll find realgar and orpiment, so go take a look. You're going to pick them out yourself anyway, aren't you?"
"Yes!"
Dan Ak-seon cheerfully answered and approached the drawers where the herbs were stored.
Watching this, the herbal shop owner smiled warmly.
"You always seem happy whenever you go over there."
"Yes, it reminds me of my mom and dad."
Dan Ak-seon carefully inspected the herbs and started gathering the ones she needed.
Then, something happened.
Some people entered the herbal shop.
"Is this the village clinic?"
The herbal shop owner paused.
It was no wonder—besides the man who asked the question, the other two people were also armed with swords.
With a timid expression, the owner responded.
"It's not exactly a clinic, just a humble herbal shop. As you can see, it's a poor village..."
The man took a glance around the shop before abruptly speaking.
"Have you seen any strangers around here recently?"
"Strangers?"
"They might be seriously injured."
"No such person has come here."
"Is that so? Then, is there perhaps a clinic or doctor nearby?"
"If you mean a doctor..."
The owner of the herbal medicine shop glanced at Dan Ak-seon without realizing it. Naturally, the gaze of the men also shifted toward him.
The shop owner suddenly shouted in frustration.
"That boy is at it again! Hey, you brat! Those are all items for sale! They're not your toys!"
It hit him a little too late.
The atmosphere among the men was intense, to say the least.
Fortunately, his quick thinking seemed to have worked, and the men's attention turned away from Dan Ak-seon.
He was simply too young.
To them, he likely looked like nothing more than a local kid looking for something to play with.
The man once again looked at the herbal medicine shop owner.
"If you see any strangers or hear any related rumors, could you inform the inn? I will compensate you generously. But if you were to hide anything..."
He let his sentence trail off.
Instead, the chilling aura he emitted made the shop owner's face turn pale in an instant.
"Remember this: that man is a villain like no other under the heavens, and anyone who helps him will be treated the same."
"W-wouldn't even dream of it. I'll do as you say."
Sweating nervously, the herbal shop owner nodded at the man's threat.
A little while later, the warriors left the shop.
Watching their distant backs, Dan Ak-seon muttered softly.
"Anyone who bullies regular people is a bad guy."
To threaten someone so blatantly who hadn't even learned martial arts—certainly a contrast to Cho Ak-ryang's behavior.
The owner spoke to Dan Ak-seon, who was gathering medicinal herbs and standing up.
“You saw it earlier, right? The atmosphere in the village has been uneasy lately, so it’s best to be cautious for a while.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“No, no. This is hardly something worth worrying about.”
The herbal shop owner escorted Dan Ak-seon to the door.
“Be careful, twice or thrice. Don’t get caught up in unnecessary trouble.”
After returning to Shinmagok, Dan Ak-seon headed straight to the hut where Cho Ak-ryang was staying.
After explaining what had happened in the village, Dan Ak-seon asked.
“Are they here to find you?”
“They probably are.”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
“They won’t rest easy until they confirm my dead body.”
“Who are they?”
“They're probably the guys from the Murim Alliance.”
Cho Ak-ryang responded calmly.
“They declared not long ago that they would capture and kill me and a few others.”
It had already been four months since they declared they would eliminate the Ten Great Evils of the martial world. Since this was an annual occurrence, they thought it would be wrapped up with some vague justification, but this time it wasn’t.
Who would have thought that the head of the Arhat House, the leader of the Tang Clan, and even the elder of the Namgung Family would step forward? Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the core masters of the Murim Alliance would all be deployed to kill him.
'The others probably haven’t fared well either.'
If even he, the head of the Ten Great Evils and one of the Five Great Masters of the world, was in this situation, what could be said about the others?
“My mother always said, ‘Martial artists never change.’”
Cho Ak-ryang cast an apologetic glance towards Dan Ak-seon, who sighed deeply.
"By the way, it seems I’ve put you in a difficult situation because of me."
Dan Ak-seon shook his head with a smile.
"Don’t worry. This place is hard to find. There’s a barrier formation at the entrance."
"Are you saying you’ll keep taking risks because of me?"
"You’re still not fully healed. At least until you can move on your own, I’ll need to continue treating you."
"Is there a particular reason why you have to do it?"
"Because no one else can treat you."
"Ah..."
Cho Ak-ryang nodded in agreement.
Indeed, that was true. Then suddenly, as if recalling something, Cho Ak-ryang looked at Dan Ak-seon.
"Would it be alright if I brought one more person here?"
"Are they also a patient?"
A vague emotion flickered across Cho Ak-ryang’s face.
"If you call it an illness, yes. Based on symptoms alone, his condition might be worse than mine."
"What kind of symptoms?"
"He goes mad at the sight of blood."
Dan Ak-seon’s eyes lit up with interest.
"Really? That’s a very intriguing case."
"Why are you so pleased?"
"Well, the symptoms are unique. If possible, I’d like to see it for myself."
"But there’s a problem."
Cho Ak-ryang made a troubled expression toward the puzzled Dan Ak-seon.
"He’s one of the Ten Great Evils."
"Like you, Uncle?"
"He’s different from me. In many ways..."
Dan Ak-seon replied indifferently.
"I don’t mind, so go ahead and bring him."
Cho Ak-ryang's face brightened.
"Are you sure about this? If we bring him in, the medicine costs will be covered. He’s got quite a few valuable items hidden away."
"Two birds with one stone, then. But where should we go to find him?"
Cho Ak-ryang waved his hand.
"I’ll bring him myself."
"Aren't a lot of people looking for you?"
"Even so, I have to go. No one else could persuade him."
Cho Ak-ryang continued explaining.
"Besides, I can’t risk putting you in any more danger."
"Will you be alright?"
Cho Ak-ryang felt a slight tickle in his chest.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be back in ten days. But..."
After hesitating for a moment, Cho Ak-ryang spoke with a troubled expression.
"I should warn you in advance—aside from his madness, he’s a bit unusual."
"If it’s about being unusual, my parents have that covered."
At that, Cho Ak-ryang burst into laughter.
"Haha, come to think of it, you’re right. I was worrying for no reason. Alright, I’ll head out right away."
Just as Cho Ak-ryang was about to spring up, Dan Ak-seon stopped him.
"Please wait a moment."
Dan Ak-seon quickly went back to his quarters.
"If you feel dizzy, take this."
Cho Ak-ryang nodded as he accepted the medicine that Dan Ak-seon handed him.
"Don't worry. Fortunately, his hideout is not far from here, so I should return within ten days."
With those words, Cho Ak-ryang immediately set out from the small hut.
Although he couldn't use his internal energy, the fact that he could still walk on his own two feet was something to be grateful for.
If he hadn’t met Dan Ak-seon, even that would have been impossible.
After walking for quite some time and leaving Shinmagok behind, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly stopped and looked back.
In the distance.
He saw Dan Ak-seon still waving at him.
It was the first warmth he had felt in a long time.
Five days had passed since he left Shinmagok.
Cho Ak-ryang was wandering through the deep mountains.
The valley, true to the name Geomdan Mountain (Sword Rapids Mountain), was filled with sharp rocks that looked like upright swords. Between them, raging rapids fiercely churned, creating whirlpools in several places.
A single misstep would mean being swept away by the current and torn apart.
"Phew."
Cho Ak-ryang exhaled a rough breath.
Once his internal energy recovered, something like this would be no problem, but for now, his stamina was worse than even an old farmer’s.
Still, he had no time to rest, because it was only a matter of time before the Murim Alliance discovered this place. Fortunately, there were no signs of anyone approaching yet, but it wouldn’t be long before Cheonidan, the information network of the Murim Alliance, found this location with its eyes and ears.
Cho Ak-ryang ventured deeper into the ravine.
How long had he walked like that?
The scenery in front of him changed.
Instead of the sharp rocks that had been jutting out, a wide gravel field appeared.
It was a terrain that had been artificially altered by sheer force.
'That temper of his is still the same.'
Cho Ak-ryang sat down on a flat rock that had been partially shattered. Then, he opened the cap of the bottle he had brought. The sharp scent of liquor filled the valley, carried by the wind.
Thud!
Before long, with a heavy impact, a man fell beside the rock.
At the same time, a chilling sound of air being torn apart echoed through the atmosphere.
Whoosh.
"It's me."
Thud.
In an instant, a massive object that had rushed forward stopped right in front of Cho Ak-ryang’s nose.
