Chapter 66: Immortal Healer (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: Immortal Healer (3)
I explained my circumstances to the Celestial Plum Blossom slowly and carefully, though for obvious reasons, I couldn't reveal everything. In the end, I decided to stick to the essential truths, omitting the rest.
“…I first came into possession of the treasure after I left the clan,” I began.
Without mentioning my demonic ability, I simply told him that I had discovered this power within myself one night, after a long day of training. Honestly, that was all there was to it. It was what had truly happened that night.
I considered bringing up Elder Shin, but ultimately decided against it. Matters concerning the elder were better left for him to disclose himself; I thought it wiser to seek his permission first.
It didn't take long to lay out my story. When I finished, the Celestial Plum Blossom fell silent, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Would he actually believe me? Even I found my own explanation difficult to swallow.
As expected, he spoke with a troubled expression. “That is… rather difficult to believe.”
Pour—
He refilled his teacup. In the quiet room, the sound of the liquid seemed unnaturally loud.
“You claim to have absorbed an energy that should be impossible for an outsider to possess, let alone control. It is a hard thing to accept.”
“I understand.”
It was a completely foreign type of Qi, its nature diametrically opposed to my own innate energy. Not just the destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art, but all flame-based techniques were fundamentally different from the Qi practiced by orthodox Taoists. One embodied peace and harmony; the other, pure destruction.
It was already strange enough that I had reached the Fourth Star of Gu Flame Wheel Art with such a contradictory combination of energies. But the fact that I remained perfectly stable, without any signs of Qi deviation, was even more bizarre.
I didn't know if my demonic ability was responsible. But if this cursed power that had clung to me even through regression wasn't the cause, I had no other explanation.
“…Hmm.”
The Celestial Plum Blossom’s gaze remained fixed on me. “I can sense the power of the plum blossoms within you—a power only a handful of my direct disciples have mastered.”
The energy hidden deep inside me, which even I couldn't feel when Elder Shin had concealed it, was instantly detectable to him. Whether I had intended this or not, I was now facing an inescapable problem.
To put it another way: if a member of the Mount Hua Sect were found to wield destructive Gu Flame Wheel Art, and to a high degree at that, it would be a scandal serious enough for the sect leader himself to intervene.
“I do not believe you are lying,” he said. “But as the sect leader, I must verify this for myself, however unbelievable it may seem.”
“Yes…”
“Fortunately, the treasure itself seems unharmed…”
Unharmed? When did he check it after tossing it aside like that? And he wants to verify it himself? How?
I assumed his methods wouldn't be physically harmful. After all, I had gone through the trouble of returning the treasure he'd lost in a drunken bet. Furthermore, as part of the Orthodox Factions, Mount Hua wouldn't resort to violence against me. I still had faith in its people.
After a moment of contemplation, the Celestial Plum Blossom clapped his hands together, his expression brightening as if he'd found a solution. “Alright, let's do it this way, then.”
“Huh?”
He drained his tea and stood up swiftly.
“My Lord…?”
“I heard you also came to Mount Hua to see your sibling, is that correct?”
“Yes… that's right.”
Why is he bringing her up now?
He nodded at my response. “Good timing. Follow me.”
The sudden command left me bewildered. “Where are we going?”
A light smile touched his lips. “You came all this way to Mount Hua. Shouldn't you go see your little sister?”
“…Huh?”
His words made me zone out for a second.
…Right now? Suddenly?
* * *
The sound of a water mill echoed through the forest. Birds chirped intermittently, and sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the trees. A path wound through this serene scenery, leading to a small hut situated some distance from Huayin City.
This humble abode, built by the retired tenth-generation sect leader of Mount Hua, now served as a secluded shelter.
“It's completely ruined,” an old man with a head full of white hair said from inside the hut.
His voice was raspy and unpleasant, but nobody present cared about that. They were focused on the weight of the title he carried.
The Immortal Healer.
That was what the world called him. He could not bring back the dead, but he was blessed with a heavenly gift: the ability to heal anyone who still drew breath. A wanderer who never stayed in one place for long, making him notoriously difficult to find, he was now here, in this very hut.
“Your body and your energy flow are a complete mess. How have you endured the pain while your body rots away like this?”
“It… wasn't so painful.”
The woman responded, her gaze shifting to her disciple. The action only made the old man frown.
“You still act like this, even in your condition? The child will have to learn the truth eventually.”
“…Lord Immortal Healer…”
“Do not call me that.”
The disciple listening nearby flinched. She turned tear-filled eyes toward her master. “Master…”
Tsk!
The Immortal Healer clicked his tongue. He had been examining the patient for some time now, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Seeing this, the boy sitting quietly beside him took out a towel and gently wiped the sweat away.
The Immortal Healer carefully laid down the sickly woman's arm. He had finished taking her pulse, but his expression remained grim.
Her body was slowly decaying. Outwardly, she appeared to be an ordinary elderly woman, but she looked far older than her years. For someone who had attained her level of martial excellence, this should have been impossible.
The Plum Blossom Sword Queen. The woman who had played a monumental role in the world as the Lord of Mount Hua was now rotting away from the inside.
The Immortal Healer concluded that the only reason she could still move and breathe was due to the profound level of Qi she wielded.
But when that runs out…
The very energy sustaining her life was also deteriorating. And the most significant problem was…
“…I have never seen a disease like this.”
Someone coughed at his words. They carried immense weight, coming from the greatest healer in the world, unmatched by any other.
“Sword Queen.”
“Yes…”
“How long have you been like this?”
The Plum Blossom Sword Queen glanced at her disciple before answering. “It has been… about four years.”
“What happened?”
“…That is…”
The Plum Blossom Sword Queen suddenly clenched her trembling hands tightly. She could say no more, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her quivering lips.
“Master!”
The disciple rushed to support her master. The boy beside the Immortal Healer also stepped forward, offering a towel to the Sword Queen, just as he had for the healer.
“…Thank you.”
The boy nodded silently in response.
The Immortal Healer stroked his beard as he watched the Plum Blossom Sword Queen wipe the blood from her face.
“…A forbidden curse, then.”
An unknown disease, compounded by a forbidden formation placed upon it. A formation that harmed the victim internally should they attempt to speak of the affliction—he had never seen anything like it.
I should have detected traces of a forbidden formation during the examination.
Such spells usually left a dense, palpable residue on the victim's body. Yet, the Immortal Healer could find no trace of one on the Plum Blossom Sword Queen. All he could sense was her body slowly crumbling.
It felt as though eighty years of study and accumulated knowledge were utterly useless at this moment.
How disquieting…
The discomfort of the unknown. The anxiety of being unable to save a life because of it. He had become a healer precisely because he could not bear the feeling of loss.
Dohwa, you old fool…
If not for the summons from the Lord of Heaven, he would never have gone to Anhui. And if he hadn't been in Anhui, he would have ignored the Celestial Plum Blossom's plea.
…The way these martial artists handle things.
“Lord Immortal Healer…”
“I told you not to call me that.”
“My apologies… Elder.”
“That's better.”
“May I ask… how much time do I have left?”
The Immortal Healer sighed heavily at her question. He knew the answer better than anyone. And he hated being the bearer of such news.
“Two months, at worst. If you are fortunate… you may live until winter.”
But you likely will not see the end of this year. He swallowed those final words, unable to voice them. The young girl beside her master was already crying.
He hated this. He hated witnessing such scenes. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Life is as sickening as ever.
No matter how much he studied, no matter how much knowledge he gained, there would always be those he could not save. That was the very reason he despised being called the Immortal Healer.
The boy sitting beside him slowly approached and tugged on his sleeve. The Immortal Healer pushed down the negativity swirling in his heart and patted the boy's head.
“Since it's Dohwa's request, and we've known each other for a long time, I will do everything I can.”
“But… do not hold onto hope.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Queen simply nodded slowly.
Seeing this, the Immortal Healer turned to the children, rubbing his face wearily. “Grandpa needs to speak with the patient alone. You children go play outside. You too.”
The boy nodded and complied. But the Sword Queen's disciple refused to leave, burying herself deeper into her master's embrace. “I-I want to stay with my ma—”
“Ryunghwa.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Queen's voice was low and serious. Her disciple flinched at the tone. Though tears welled in her eyes as she looked at her master, her resolve didn't change.
“Go outside.”
“…Yes.”
The boy had already gone out. The disciple followed reluctantly, her eyes full of despair.
* * *
A cool breeze, unseasonable for summer, brushed against her as she closed the hut door behind her.
Gu Ryunghwa wiped the tears welling in her eyes with her palm. She didn't want to cry. But the thought of losing someone was still too much for her to bear.
…Master.
She was about to use her sleeve to wipe her eyes again when someone offered her a towel from beside her.
It was the boy who had been with the Immortal Healer. She had heard he was the healer's grandson.
The sudden gesture sent a ripple of unease down her spine. Even if he was around her age, a boy was still a boy. And Gu Ryunghwa hated men. That included boys. She particularly despised boys her own age.
She wanted to slap his hand away, but he was the grandson of the man trying to save her master… She couldn't afford to act recklessly.
Swallowing her disgust, she tried to refuse as politely as possible. “I don't need—”
She didn't even finish her sentence, but the boy seemed to understand. He withdrew the towel without a word and simply sat down near the hut.
She couldn't help but sigh…
…Master.
She already missed her master, who was lying ill inside the hut. Remembering that she might not live to see the end of the year made the tears flow freely once more.
What do I do… What can I possibly do…?
The Immortal Healer was renowned as the greatest physician in the world. If even he had no solution, then there was no hope left. There was nothing she, a mere disciple, could do.
“Why are you out here like this?”
Startled by the voice that suddenly reached her ears, Gu Ryunghwa quickly looked up, hastily wiping her tears.
“Ryunghwa? Why are you outside?”
It was the current lord of Mount Hua, the Celestial Plum Blossom, standing before her.
She quickly bowed her head. “G-Greetings, My Lord.”
As she bowed, her eyes fell upon the young man standing beside the sect leader. A face with sharp features and black hair met her gaze, along with the distinctive red uniform of the Gu Clan.
This boy was a pure-blooded descendant of the Gu Clan, unlike her, who was considered only a half-blood.
He was the person Gu Ryunghwa despised most in this world.
A surge of anger heated her chest.
Why is he here? Why is that guy here, when he's supposed to be causing trouble back at the clan…?
She couldn't calm down. The person she hated most was standing right here, in the one place she had considered a safe haven.
“Why are you…”
“You.”
Gu Yangcheon cut her off. Then, he suddenly stepped closer.
Gu Ryunghwa's breath hitched as he approached. What was he going to do? She was different now. She was confident she could easily defeat this lazy, good-for-nothing brother of hers who did nothing but play and eat all day, putting no effort into anything. She hadn't brought her wooden sword, but she was sure she could handle him empty-handed. She believed she could defend against anything he might try.
Having steeled herself mentally, Gu Ryunghwa was completely unprepared for what happened next.
Gu Yangcheon simply walked past her without so much as a glance.
“Huh…?”
Dumbfounded, she turned around.
She saw Gu Yangcheon standing directly in front of the Immortal Healer's grandson.
“…?”
The boy looked up at Gu Yangcheon.
“Why are you here?”
Gu Ryunghwa's eyes widened. A threatening aura… She could feel a dense, palpable pressure emanating from Gu Yangcheon's body as he spoke to the boy.