Jang-woo couldn't understand the situation.
Just a moment ago, he had been lying in a hospital bed, but when he came to his senses, he was in the middle of a mountain.
To make matters worse, two fiery orbs were floating right in front of him.
"Gasp!"
Jang-woo, realizing belatedly that those orbs were actually someone's eyes, shrank back in fright.
The owner of those blazing eyes, a burly, bald man with a scruffy beard, spoke in a low voice.
"What's hurting you?"
"What?"
"Why did you go to the doctor? What's wrong?"
"My wrist was hurting..."
"Anywhere else?"
"Uh, no. Besides my wrist, everything else is fine."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why aren't you hurting anywhere else?"
"Well, that's because..."
The man, already intimidating in appearance, furrowed his brow, causing Jang-woo's heart to skip a beat in fear.
At that moment, the bald giant turned his head.
"What's hurting you?"
It was only then that Jang-woo realized there were other people here as well. They were the same people who had been lying in the hospital beds with him.
The elderly man, who had been questioned by the burly man, hurriedly responded.
"It's just a cold."
"That's not right."
"Excuse me?"
"Just by looking, it's obvious that the condition is serious. Your skin lacks elasticity. You have too many liver spots. And you're sweating cold sweat."
"That's just because I'm feeling a little weak..."
"Tsk!"
With a disapproving expression, Beom Gye-wi clicked his tongue and turned his head. The other two, who made eye contact with him, quickly responded.
"It's just constipation!"
"I simply strained my back!"
All they wanted was to get out of there. But the atmosphere was becoming tense.
"This won't do..."
Beom Gye-wi trailed off and then slapped his knee.
"Alright, let's do this."
He pointed at each person, one by one.
"From now on, you're all in pain. Your whole body aches. It feels like your insides are twisted and your bones are crushed."
The absurdity of Beom Gye-wi's words left the them dumbfounded.
"But that's not our condition..."
Beom Gye-wi laughed.
It was a terrible laugh—one that was worse than not laughing at all.
Sensing Beom Gye-wi's demonic presence, one quick-witted man grabbed his stomach.
"I-I really do feel that much pain."
"That's it."
When Beom Gye-wi was satisfied, the others, too, started twisting their bodies and trembling all at once.
"Don't worry too much. You'll meet someone who can fix things up cleanly. You'll end up thanking me."
It was when he said those words.
"Mister?"
Hearing a voice from behind, Beom Gye-wi turned his head.
Next to a rock about a chapter's distance away.
At some point, Dan Ak-seon had been standing there.
"Huh? Doc... Doctor Dan!"
Beom Gye-wi was startled and quickly stood up.
Then, he hastily pointed to the people.
"While coming down the mountain, I found these people on the verge of death. I couldn't just pass by them..."
"You came at the right time."
"Huh?"
"I was waiting for you."
Dan Ak-seon smiled as he approached Beom Gye-wi.
"First, I'll check on the patients. Please wait a moment."
While Dan Ak-seon tended to the patients, Beom Gye-wi stood there with a dazed expression.
"You were waiting? For me?"
For some reason, a corner of his heart felt touched.
'Now that I think about it...'
There had been no one other than his late master who welcomed him like this. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Had about two hours passed like that?
Dan Ak-seon worked diligently, treating the patients.
"It's all done."
Surprise flashed across the faces of the villagers.
It had only taken a few acupuncture needles, moxibustion, and a simple touch on the painful area, but their symptoms had improved as if by magic.
"You can go back now."
At Dan Ak-seon's words, the villagers looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
It was because they didn’t know how to get back.
'Oh no!'
Realizing the situation too late, Beom Gye-wi quickly stepped forward.
"I’ll take you."
Beom Gye-wi lifted all the villagers onto his back at once. Then, glaring at them, he spoke.
"What are you doing? Shouldn't you say thank you?"
The villagers hastily opened their mouths.
"Th-thank you, great one!"
Beom Gye-wi frowned.
"Not me."
"Pardon?"
"Did I treat you?"
"Oh!"
Finally understanding Beom Gye-wi’s intention, the villagers turned to Dan Ak-seon and bowed.
Only then did Beom Gye-wi turn around.
Just as Beom Gye-wi was about to take off.
"You’ll come back again, right?"
Beom Gye-wi grinned mischievously.
"Fine, I will."
Beom Gye-wi's body cut through the air.
"Ahhh!"
Along with the screams of the villagers, Beom Gye-wi's figure quickly disappeared into the distance.
* * *
Two *shijins* later (approximately four hours).
Beom Gye-wi returned to Shinmagok.
However, what greeted him was a harsh scolding from Cho Ak-ryang. Having heard about what had happened, Cho Ak-ryang began to pour out reprimands.
"Why don’t you just go ahead and announce to the world that we’re here?"
"Hey, they’re not martial artists. How would they even recognize me?"
"Do you think people who look like you are common? Once they see that face of yours, it would even appear in their dreams!"
Beom Gye-wi retorted indignantly.
"What's wrong with my face? Back in the day, I was even called the Jade of Jiangxi. People acknowledged my looks!"
"You're talking nonsense! Were the people of Jiangxi all blind? How could they call you the Jade? You’re more like Zhang Fei*." (T/N: He's a military general known for his great strength and courage but also for being rough, brash, and less refined in manner. So, Cho Ak-ryang is basically mocking Beow Gye-wi, telling him that he lacked refinement and grace.)
As their argument grew heated, Dan Ak-seon intervened to calm them down.
"Please stop fighting. In any case, those people wouldn’t even know where we are."
Considering that someone of Beom Gye-wi's caliber had used his advanced movement technique to travel for an entire *shijin* (around two hours), it would be hard for ordinary people, who knew nothing about martial arts, to judge the distance or direction.
When Dan Ak-seon sided with him, Beom Gye-wi shrugged his shoulders.
"Exactly. When I dropped them off, they were half out of their minds. I doubt they’ll even remember it properly."
"That mouth of yours…"
Cho Ak-ryang let out a long sigh.
"Enough. Complaining is pointless. Let’s just drop it."
As Cho Ak-ryang stepped back, Beom Gye-wi smirked. Watching this, Dan Ak-seon spoke to Beom Gye-wi.
“Mister, let’s make just one promise.”
“A promise?”
Beom Gye-wi asked back with a puzzled expression, and Dan Ak-seon nodded.
“Promise me that from now on, you won’t leave this place at will.”
“I don’t usually make promises…”
“It’s because I’m worried.”
“Worried… about me?”
Beom Gye-wi stared intently at Dan Ak-seon.
There was no selfishness to be seen on Dan Ak-seon’s face—only pure concern.
Beom Gye-wi's gaze wavered.
A memory resurfaced of a time when he had once faced eyes like that before.
‘Master...’
Throughout his life, only one person had ever looked at him with such eyes.
Beom Gye-wi suddenly felt choked up.
It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since that person had passed away.
After mastering martial arts, he had been afflicted with madness.
Since then, he had only encountered gazes filled with fear, disgust, or avoidance.
“I promise.”
Cho Ak-ryang was startled by Beom Gye-wi’s words.
This was not something Beom Gye-wi, as he knew him, would ever say. Beom Gye-wi nodded once more.
“From now on, I won’t leave here without your permission.”
Only then did Dan Ak-seon smile brightly.
"Hehe. Thank you."
Beom Gye-wi couldn’t help but smile slightly at Dan Ak-seon’s innocent laughter.
Beyond Dan Ak-seon, Cho Ak-ryang caught his eye, wearing an unsatisfied expression. Beom Gye-wi expected another complaint, but Cho Ak-ryang said something unexpected.
"Good job."
"...?"
"It must’ve been tough to break that stubbornness."
Cho Ak-ryang turned around and quickly went into the small hut.
"That's my house, though?"
Beom Gye-wi's remark was met with Cho Ak-ryang's shouting from inside the hut.
"Who told you to break my house?"
* * *
Nightfall comes early in the mountains. It’s even more so for Shinmagok, a place surrounded by towering cliffs like a folding screen.
As the sun set, Shinmagok was soon enveloped in darkness.
Between the pavilion and the small hut, a small campfire in the center was all that illuminated the darkness.
Three people sat around the fire, and the meat was cooking. Dan Ak-seon took the skewered meat and handed it to Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ak-ryang.
"Here, try it. I think it’s cooked."
Beom Gye-wi happily received the meat.
"It’s been so long since I’ve had meat! You’ve been feeding me only vegetables all the time!"
Dan Ak-seon smiled softly.
"Because it’s a special day."
"A special day?"
"Uncle Beom has returned."
Beom Gye-wi, who was about to take a bite of his meat, paused.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Beom Gye-wi handed the meat to Dan Ak-seon.
"Huh? You’re not going to eat first?"
"I’m fine. But, Doctor Dan…"
"Yes?"
"Why are you being so nice to us?"
Apparently curious, Cho Ak-ryang also turned his gaze toward Dan Ak-seon.
"You two are patients, aren’t you? And I’m a doctor."
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly at the two.
"It’s only natural to take care of patients."
Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ak-ryang exchanged glances.
—Is he just an idiot? Being this nice is a problem, isn’t it?
Cho Ak-ryang frowned at Beom Gye-wi’s telepathic message.
He wanted to retort but, unable to use his inner energy, he couldn’t respond telepathically either.
"Do you think everyone in the world is like you?"
That was the best comeback he could muster. At that moment, Dan Ak-seon, who had been lost in thought, opened his mouth.
"There’s one more reason, actually."
—See?
Beom Gye-wi grinned triumphantly, sending another telepathic message to Cho Ak-ryang.
"You two are my first patients."
The two were visibly taken aback by Dan Ak-seon’s words.
"What?"
Beom Gye-wi's face suddenly twisted in frustration.
Cho Ak-ryang was just as shocked.
Judging by the medical skills shown so far, it was clear he was exceptional. But they were his first patient?
"Don't tell me you used us for practice…."
Dan Ak-seon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Of course not."
To clear up the misunderstanding, Dan Ak-seon continued to explain.
"The first time I treated a patient was when I was four years old. But that was my parents' patient, not mine."
Recalling that time, Dan Ak-seon smiled softly.
"Back then, I just applied the acupuncture and prescribed the medicine exactly as my parents had taught me. What I meant was that this is the first time I'm fully deciding the treatment method and administering it on my own."
Dan Ak-seon gave a bashful smile.
"I've really missed people all this time. After my parents passed away, I've been living alone for so long."
For a moment, Dan Ak-seon's face darkened.
"But then you two came. How could I not do my best?"
"Well, this is…."
Beom Gye-wi scratched the bridge of his nose.
"It's hard to know what to say when you're smiling while talking about something you should be crying over."
"Why cry? I'm having so much fun just talking with you two like this."
Faced with that innocent, pure smile, Beom Gye-wi couldn't help but feel his heart softening without even realizing it.
Then suddenly, he was startled.
'This is dangerous.'
The sense of crisis naturally accumulated over the many years spent in the martial world.
That instinct was sending a warning. Such was the extent to which Bomm Gye-wi’s wariness toward others was deeply ingrained.
But ever since coming here, that wariness had been crumbling.
And it wasn’t just his problem.
Even just looking at Cho Ak-ryang made that clear.
The dreaded Blood Demon, who once reigned as the living terror of the Jianghu martial world, was smiling so warmly!
How could such a thing even be possible?
If any martial artist who knew him were present, they would have rubbed their eyes and looked again multiple times in disbelief.
It was at that moment.
"Ugh."
Cho Ak-ryang furrowed his brow.
Then, he quietly set down the meat he had been chewing.
“Don't be picky about food. Just eat it carelessly. Meat is meat, after all.”
Beom Gye-wi, who had made the snide remark, took a big bite of the meat. But soon, he too grimaced.
“What is this?”
The outside was burnt, while the inside was undercooked, still dripping blood.
On top of that, the seasoning was terrible. Some parts were bland, while others were excessively salty. Yet Dan Ak-seon was gnawing on the meat with a contented expression.
‘He really was living alone in the mountains...’
Suddenly, he felt sorry for Dan Ak-seon.
Cho Ak-ryang must have had a similar thought, because when their eyes met, they exchanged a bitter smile.
―Heaven granted that child the greatest medical skills under the heavens, but it took away his sense of taste.
Cho Ak-ryang nodded in agreement.
“Heaven is never fair.”
While Beom Gye-wi was bewildered by Cho Ak-ryang’s sudden agreement, Cho Ak-ryang grinned and said,
"I mean, like how it gave you the martial arts to be ranked third in the Ten Great Evils and took away your hair."
"...!"
Beom Gye-wi threw the meat he was holding at Cho Ak-ryang.
"Why are you bringing up hair now?! And I wasn't ranked third, it was the second!"
Cho Ak-ryang dodged the flying meat skewer and threw his own meat back at Beom Gye-wi.
"Well, it didn’t just take your hair, after all."
Following Cho Ak-ryang's gaze, Beom Gye-wi lowered his head, and his eyes stopped at his own groin.
Clang.
Just as Beom Gye-wi was about to pick up his great hammer, Dan Ak-seon intervened.
"Why are you two acting like kids? If you don’t want to eat, give it to me. I’ll eat it."
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi looked at each other.
There was a brief moment of hesitation, but it didn’t last long. The two of them began chewing and gulping down their own meat.
They couldn’t bring themselves to dump this awful food on Dan Ak-seon.
On a quiet night under the moonlit sky...
And so, the night deepened in Shinmagok.
