Chapter 166: A Single Word Is All It Takes
Chapter 166: A Single Word Is All It Takes
The buzzing of the poisonous insect’s wings in Chung-ui’s hand heightened the mounting tension.
The creature looked ready to dart forward and strike at any moment, but I stared at her calmly and spoke.
“I have a subordinate I treasure deeply. She was abandoned by her parents at a young age, yet despite that, she grew up to be incredibly bright and resilient.”
Chung-ui’s fingers tightened, and the buzzing of the insect’s wings grew even more frantic.
“There was likely a turning point for her as well. Had she taken a different path then, she would have lived a miserable life fueled by resentment and a desire for revenge against her parents.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you, Physician, are the signpost at that very turning point.”
“!”
Chung-ui was visibly startled. “You knew?”
“Yes. I am aware of the deeds you perform in secret.”
I knew why she was so obsessed with money.
She was sponsoring countless abandoned children—providing them with food, sending them to schools, and enrolling them in martial arts halls. She paved a way for them to survive and sent them out into the world. Though she was mocked with the derogatory nickname ‘Money Grub,’ she was the godmother of orphans, having dedicated her entire life to children.
This fact would only be revealed after her death. My offer of five hundred thousand taels was a donation for those children; it covered the treatment costs and left a massive surplus.
She stared at me for a long moment before crouching down. She tore the wings off the poisonous insect, plucked off its legs one by one, and ate them.
“I’ve developed a resistance to poison, so ordinary medicine can no longer manage the toxins in my system. I’m barely holding on through the principle of poison-on-poison treatment.”
Perhaps the resulting pain was severe, as she began massaging her shoulders, arms, and legs.
“How did you find out about my affairs?”
I sat down beside her.
“I am the second son of the Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
There are perks to being my father’s son. When you are the successor to the Heavenly Demon, people tend to accept that you might know almost any secret.
“Then why did you give me more money?”
She wasn't surprised even after I revealed my identity, nor did she try to curry favor. It was likely this steadfast nature that allowed her to endure a lifetime of insults while remaining devoted to the children.
“I simply wished to add my own heart to your good deeds. To me, you are not ‘Chung-ui,’ but a Great Divine Healer.”
At the words ‘Great Divine Healer,’ Chung-ui’s eyes trembled slightly. It was the highest praise that could be bestowed upon a physician.
“I hid my tracks precisely so I wouldn't have to hear such empty compliments.”
Chung-ui chewed and swallowed the rest of the insect’s body. She grimaced at the bitterness but forced it down.
She claimed she didn't want praise, but I believed her true feelings were different.
Wouldn't she want someone to recognize her good deeds at least once? Wouldn't she want to receive sincere respect and praise just once? Just once.
I learned something from my life before the regression: there are times when a single word can unravel deep-seated wounds and emotions that have piled up over a lifetime.
Someone just needs to say that one word. It only needs to be said once. Yet, we rarely get to hear it.
Thank you. You worked hard. I’m sorry. It’s thanks to you… A single word is all it takes.
Because we don't hear that one word—the one that feels like it's on the tip of someone's tongue but never comes out—we develop a sickness of the heart. We carry wounds for a lifetime that could have been healed with just one sentence.
I hoped the words I just spoke to her would serve that purpose. I hoped they would be the words that unraveled her arduous life. Your life has been magnificent.
Chung-ui turned to look at me as I sat beside her. I stared back, and suddenly said, “You’re holding my wrist right now.”
Without me realizing it, she had grabbed my wrist. I could have avoided it, of course, but I didn't.
“Ah, my apologies. It’s a habit of mine to check the pulse of anyone I see.”
She said that, but she was examining me. She wanted to know if my words were true. She intended to judge me not by my speech, but by my body’s reactions. Through the subtle changes in my pulse, she could discern whether a person was telling the truth or a lie.
A martial artist never gives up their pulse easily. The fact that I didn't stop her was no different from saying, ‘I truly trust you.’
Suddenly, Chung-ui, who had been examining my body, asked in shock, “Could it be? Have you achieved the Twelve-Star Great Achievement of the Thousand Meridian Strengthening Technique?”
A Divine Doctor was indeed a Divine Doctor. In that brief moment of pulse-reading, she had realized I had mastered the Thousand Meridian Strengthening Technique. I had been able to achieve that Great Achievement previously thanks to the Blade Ghosts, the subordinates of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“That is correct.”
For the first time since we met, I saw her eyes truly tremble. I knew exactly where her surprise stemmed from.
*
Seo Dae-ryong was dreaming.
It was a nightmare where he was stabbed and killed during the semifinals, failing to even reach the finals.
Looking down at his dying self, Geom Mu-geuk said, “I spent five hundred thousand taels on you, and you die so pointlessly? This is too much.”
Hurt by the cold reaction, Seo Dae-ryong felt a surge of resentment.
“You’re the one who’s too much, Pavilion Master! I’m dying! I’m literally dying!”
“Everyone dies. Though usually not right after receiving a five-hundred-thousand-tael treatment.”
In his bitterness, Seo Dae-ryong shouted, “That’s why I said I wouldn't do it!”
With that shout, Seo Dae-ryong woke up. He flinched at the sight before him. Just like in his dream, Geom Mu-geuk was looking down at him.
“I told you not to do it, too.”
Unlike in the dream, Mu-geuk’s gaze was soft, and Seo Dae-ryong let out a sigh of relief.
“I had a dream that I died in the semifinals.”
“Dreams are the opposite of reality, so it’s fine.”
“In the dream, you said the five hundred thousand taels were a waste while watching me die!”
“Then it’s not the opposite, is it? I guess you’re going to lose in the semifinals.”
“Please, stop saying such unlucky things.”
Seo Dae-ryong tried to get up, but his body wouldn't move.
“Huh? My body won't move.”
Seo Dae-ryong lifted his head to look at his body. He was horrified. His entire frame was densely packed with acupuncture needles.
“I think the needles were placed wrong and paralyzed me. I can't move a muscle!”
“They are important needles. Chung-ui suppressed your demonic acupoints.”
Only then did Seo Dae-ryong feel relieved.
“I’m sorry. For getting hurt for no reason. And for making you spend so much money.”
“Listen, Investigator Seo. In times like this, you’re supposed to say: ‘No, Pavilion Master. It’s your fault for telling me to enter the tournament and getting me hurt like this. You’re too much. Even if it costs five million taels instead of five hundred thousand, you must fix me!’”
“Ugh, please just leave instead of making me feel even more guilty.”
As Geom Mu-geuk turned to leave, Seo Dae-ryong spoke from behind him.
“To be honest, I wanted the treatment. I said it was too much money, but in my heart, I hoped I could be treated and stand on the sparring stage again. That’s why I pretended to give in and accepted the treatment. If it had been my own money, would I have gotten it?”
“You would have.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because someone who spends other people’s money but refuses to spend their own wouldn't even have these kinds of worries in the first place.”
“It could be a deceptive tactic, couldn't it? Trying to act nice until the very end.”
“What would you gain by acting nice to me? Give me just one reason.”
“……”
“See? You’ve got nothing.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Leaving him behind, I stepped outside.
Chung-ui was sitting under the window of the room I had just left, soaking up the sunlight. I sat down beside her. Having likely heard the conversation in the room, Chung-ui asked me, “Then why are you acting nice to me? Is the successor of the Demonic Cult actually worried about the orphans of the Central Plains?”
As she asked the question, Chung-ui grabbed my wrist to check my pulse again.
At this moment, which marked another turning point in my life, I revealed my honest feelings.
“As you said, being the successor of the Demonic Cult means I am walking a path where I never know when I might die. So, isn't it only natural that I’d want to be on the good side of someone with medical skills that can bring the dead back to life?”
“Is that all?”
“What else could there be?”
She let go of my wrist.
After staring at me for a moment, she suddenly held something out. It was the poisonous insect she had been eating earlier.
“Do you want to try some? It’s delicious.”
“As long as I don't die from eating it, I’ll try it.”
“Shall I make sure you don't die?”
In that moment, I knew I was standing before another turning point in my life.
“There is one thing I’ve wanted to achieve in my life as a physician. However, it’s something that cannot even be attempted unless it’s by someone with powerful blood vessels like yours. It might be dangerous, but if it succeeds, it is a trial that will be of great help to you.”
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Why don't you ask what kind of trial it is?”
Because I know what kind of trial it is, and I already know the result.
While bringing Seo Dae-ryong here, I had wondered if this fated encounter would reach me. It was a fated encounter that couldn't be obtained by force. So, I had made up my mind to take it if it came, and let it go if it didn't. But now, that fated encounter was reaching out to me. In that sense, it was Seo Dae-ryong who had led me to this opportunity.
“It’s because of my belief that a trial given by someone who has lived their entire life for orphans wouldn't be one that would harm me.”
“Are you a fool? It could be a plot to kill the successor of the Demonic Cult.”
“It’s fine. There are others to take my place. There’s a whole line of them behind me.”
Chung-ui chewed on the poisonous insect and patted her shoulder.
“The pain is killing me. Give me a massage.”
I began massaging Chung-ui’s shoulders.
“It seems you have a lot of work. Why don't you take on a disciple? Someone to massage your shoulders, too.”
“What young person these days would like poisonous insects? They all run away after enduring it for a month or two.”
It seemed there really had been disciples who ran away like that.
“Shall I become your disciple?”
“Don't say things you don't mean.”
“Are you alright with this, Physician?”
“With what?”
“If the trial succeeds, the person who will become the successor of the Demonic Cult will become even stronger, won't he?”
“I’ve lived a life where I’ve been cursed at anyway, so what is there to worry about? Harder. Right there, to the side. Ah, that feels good.”
*
When Seo Dae-ryong woke up again, all the needles in his body had been removed. He felt as refreshed as if he had just had a long, deep sleep.
Seo Dae-ryong sat up and moved his arms; there was no pain at all. It felt as if he hadn't been injured in the first place. No, he felt even better than before he was hurt.
How can this be?
When Seo Dae-ryong went outside, Chung-ui was sitting in the yard, massaging her arms and legs. He walked over hesitantly and sat a good distance away from her.
“Aren't you going to say thank you for the treatment?”
“You received five hundred thousand taels for it.”
“You brat. Does paying money mean you don't have to say thank you?”
“I’ll say it in a little bit.”
“Why is a boy who looks so kind being so cranky?”
“You said I looked like a crybaby.”
“A crybaby, cranky, and narrow-minded to boot?”
As she spoke, she continued to massage her arms and legs.
“How did you get hurt?”
“I got hurt catching bugs.”
“Why didn't you treat yourself?”
“I’m treating myself right now.”
“What kind of bugs were you catching to get hurt like this?”
“Stop grumbling and come massage my shoulders.”
“We paid five hundred thousand taels, why do I have to massage your shoulders too?”
Though he grumbled, Seo Dae-ryong went over and massaged her shoulders.
“Ah! That’s the spot. You’re better than that master of yours.”
“I’ve heard since I was young that I have a good touch. I used to massage my grandmother’s shoulders a lot.”
“Are your shoulders alright?”
“Really, how did that wound heal so perfectly? You’re amazing.”
“Your internal energy has probably increased a bit, too.”
“What?”
Startled, Seo Dae-ryong checked his internal energy. It had increased significantly. Compared to other rising stars, his internal energy had been relatively lacking. But now, having gained internal energy comparable to theirs, his greatest weakness had vanished.
Deeply moved, Seo Dae-ryong prostrated himself.
“You are my savior!”
“Not a quack?”
“How could that be? You are a Divine Doctor!”
“Save your thanks for your master who paid the money.”
“Speaking of money, could you give us a little discount?”
“Are you worried your master will go broke?”
“Our master has plenty of money, so I’m not worried about that.”
“Then?”
“It’s just that it’s such a huge sum for me to pay back.”
“You plan on paying all that back?”
“I have to.”
A slight smile played on Chung-ui’s lips as she looked at Seo Dae-ryong.
“If you massage my shoulders well, I might knock off ten thousand taels.”
“Yes, Divine Doctor! I’ll even massage your arms!”
Seo Dae-ryong began diligently massaging her shoulders and arms again.
“By the way, where is the Pavilion Master?”
“He’s in that vat over there.”
Seo Dae-ryong flinched. She was pointing to a vat in the middle of the yard filled with a strange liquid. He had been barely holding his breath because of the foul smell coming from that vat since he first stepped outside.
“You don't seem worried?”
“Who’s worrying about whom? Even if I worry about everyone else in the world, I don't need to worry about our Pavilion Master. If I worry for no reason, I’m the one who looks weird. He probably went in because it was worth going in.”
“There was a reason he was willing to spend five hundred thousand taels on you.”
Since it was a compliment to himself, Seo Dae-ryong felt good.
“Go over there and bring that purple vat.”
“Yes.”
Seo Dae-ryong grimaced as he carried the vat over. It, too, was filled with a liquid that gave off a pungent odor.
“You brat, do you know how precious that is? Why are you holding your nose?”
“What is all this?”
“My body became a wreck like this from catching those things.”
Chung-ui took it and poured it into the vat where Geom Mu-geuk was submerged. As the liquids mixed, bubbles began to froth and boil.
“How is he breathing in there?”
“If you’re so worried, why don't you go in instead?”
“I’ll pass.”
Seo Dae-ryong took several steps back.
“But what kind of trial is it?”
“There was a wish I’ve wanted to fulfill throughout my life of researching poisonous insects. Your master willingly became the subject of that research. He’ll either come out dead, or he’ll come out transformed.”
To Seo Dae-ryong, Geom Mu-geuk’s death was not even a possibility.
“Transformed into what?”
Then, incredible words that he never could have imagined flowed from Chung-ui’s mouth.
“A Body Immune to All Poisons.”