Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 15. Herb Gatherer
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After finishing the calculations and stepping out of the tavern, Paeng Jisan looked up at the third floor with a face full of irritation.
"Wahahahaha!!!"
The White Tiger Division Leader's booming laughter echoed down to the first floor.
'No way he's mocking me, is he?'
Since Yuseong hadn't shown any such signs until they parted, Paeng Jisan quickly dismissed the suspicion and glared at Jin Yeongho with unkind eyes.
It was all because this guy had picked a fight with Yuseong, ruining their chance to properly enjoy the celebration.
Most of the food they'd ordered was probably still untouched, sitting up there as is.
"Jin-hyung, are you sure you have the right info? The White Tiger Division Leader calling him White-Clothed Physician and acting all chummy like that?"
"Paeng-hyung, that guy's the second son of the Baek Family Manor, alright. But White-Clothed Physician..."
Jin Yeongho's mind raced.
There was one person who came to mind that the White Tiger Division Leader might treat so familiarly as White-Clothed Physician.
"Could Baek Yuseong be that White-Clothed Physician...? No, he hasn't even been learning medicine that long. Did he maybe study medicine before martial arts?"
"Stop mumbling to yourself and spit it out if you know something."
"Ah, Paeng-hyung. I was just wondering if that Baek Yuseong—no, that physician—is the White-Clothed Physician from Luoyang Medical Hall."
"The White-Clothed Physician from Luoyang Medical Hall... The one the Demon Subduing Division Leader raves about? But earlier you said he was from the Baek Family Manor in Hunan."
"He's from the Baek Family Manor, too. Seems like it's the same person."
Paeng Jisan had heard rumors about the White-Clothed Physician from Luoyang Medical Hall, even if he hadn't sought treatment there himself.
He was the talk of the town lately, with martial artists from the Murim Alliance recovering from internal injuries almost instantly under his care—his medical skills were that exceptional.
There were even cautious whispers that he might be the top physician at Luoyang Medical Hall.
"Hmph, no talent for martial arts, but apparently he's got some gift for medicine. Even a slow worm knows how to roll, they say."
"Yeah. Anyway, enough of that—I'll buy this round, so let's head somewhere else."
At Jin Yeongho's words, Paeng Jisan snapped out of it.
He'd lost a bit of face, but nothing good could come from dwelling on Baek Yuseong anymore.
Paeng Jisan led the Murim Academy's later-generation disciples to another spot.
Nangong Yurin trailed at the very back, lost in thought.
In truth, she'd realized the moment she heard Baek Yuseong's name that he was the White-Clothed Physician from Luoyang Medical Hall.
'Just like the rumors—he's incredibly handsome and young. No one else in Luoyang uses that name.'
Nangong Yurin had heard about him not long ago and had been planning to visit Luoyang Medical Hall.
And now, by sheer coincidence, she'd met him first.
'I heard the White Tiger Division Leader owed him a huge debt, and today it shows—he really cherishes him. Must be quite the skilled physician. Maybe he could even help my brother.'
She was Nangong Yuhyeon, the once-celebrated prodigy of a century, Nangong Yurin—his younger sister.
"Yurin, why are you lagging behind?"
"I'm keeping up fine, don't worry."
"I'll take the rear. Jin-hyung, lead the way."
"Ah, of course."
Jin Yeongho subtly clenched his fist and grinned at Paeng Jisan.
It was a gesture of encouragement: Do your best with your crush.
***
Yuseong slipped awake just before dawn.
He'd drunk late into the night with the White Tiger Division Leader and Cha Physician, yet he had no hangover whatsoever.
He hadn't gotten drunk in the first place, so it was only natural.
He wet his throat with some water and headed to the courtyard, picking up a wooden sword.
Though he couldn't circulate his internal energy cultivation method, Yuseong practiced his sword forms every morning.
Whoosh— whoosh—
The wooden sword moved in fluid, soft arcs.
Thrusting and slashing, shifting and changing.
The forms unfolded in a dizzying display.
It had started with the Baek Family Manor's hereditary martial art, the True Illusion Sword Method, but now it had evolved so far that even its roots were unrecognizable.
Insights gained from observing other martial arts were being woven in.
'The True Illusion Sword Method is a decent sword style focused on slashes. But it's hardly an advanced technique. Besides, as someone who's left the family, I shouldn't use it as is. I need a martial art of my own.'
Without internal energy, it lacked real power, but once he recovered his energy, those fluid motions would carry devastating force.
That might reveal the true value of the sword method.
The unfinished new sword style evolved bit by bit, steadily progressing.
'Whew, that'll do for today.'
After practicing sword forms, followed by fist and foot techniques, and lightness skills, Yuseong washed up, ate, and headed to the medical hall for work.
Most patients visiting Luoyang Medical Hall were people with some leisure in life.
There were separate clinics for those with less means.
But that afternoon, Yuseong received a man in shabby, mud-caked clothes.
He appeared to be in his forties, his face sunburned dark, but his droopy eyes gave him an honest, simple vibe.
With a worn sack over his shoulder, he looked like a herb gatherer.
A servant had brought him in, limping.
"Physician, I was gathering herbs up the mountain and took a tumble—sprained my ankle. I heard you're skilled, so I came. Will I have to rest long? There's this herb I really want to dig up, so I pushed myself and..."
His face was etched with worry about not being able to work.
"Let me take a look."
It was indeed hard for him to walk alone.
His right ankle was badly bruised, swollen purple—another wrong step, and he might not have made it down the mountain.
He'd need at least a few weeks' rest, maybe even over a month.
Yuseong eyed the man's appearance.
Herb gathering was a labor-intensive livelihood. A long rest meant hardship.
'I should treat him carefully. It'll use a bit of divine power.'
He had plenty stocked up from diligent accumulation.
"Acupuncture should fix it. Look away for a moment."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
The puzzled herb gatherer stared at the ceiling.
As Yuseong applied the needle and activated his healing skill, the bruising faded and the swelling began to subside smoothly.
It was easier to explain away if he averted his gaze rather than showing the real-time miracle.
He inserted the needle at the swollen spot, and the herb gatherer's furrowed brow relaxed instantly.
"Huh?"
Seeing the pain vanish, the herb gatherer looked baffled, but Yuseong told him,
"You're lucky—it looked worse than it was. Rest fully for a day or two, and if it's fine, you can head back to the mountains."
"No way, the swelling's already gone?"
"You got lucky. Don't risk it next time—gather in safer spots if you get hurt again."
Amazed, the herb gatherer rubbed his ankle, then remembered something and spoke up.
"Oh dear! Thank you, Physician. Name's Chosan. Truly, thank you!"
After Chosan left with repeated bows of gratitude, Yuseong soon received another herb gatherer as a patient.
This one had rolled down the mountain, covered in bruises everywhere, with a slightly swollen ankle as well.
'Another herb gatherer? What kind of day is this?'
Yuseong usually didn't pry if patients didn't volunteer info, but curiosity got the better of him.
"You're my second herb gatherer patient today—what's going on?"
"Oh, another one besides me? Sigh, more competition is trouble. Truth is, Shaolin Temple put out a call for herbs. Everyone's rushing for it... But with my ankle like this..."
After treating the lamenting herb gatherer's ankle, he thanked profusely and left.
He could treat those who came, but injuries in the mountains could prove fatal if mishandled.
Yuseong didn't know what herb Shaolin Temple was seeking, but he hoped no more herb gatherers would get hurt.
Yet a month later.
"Sorry, Physician. I'm back again!"
It was Chosan, the first herb gatherer, returning.
His fourth visit already.
"Hurt again?"
"This time it's milder. Please take care of it! And these are some I gathered myself—rare stuff. For your health, I brought a bit."
As Chosan pulled out herbs fussily, looking unnecessarily spirited, Yuseong sighed.
On his second visit, Yuseong had asked if it was about Shaolin Temple's herb bounty, and Chosan had spilled all sorts of stories, including that.
It hadn't taken much time during treatment, but he was quite the talker. By his fourth visit today, Yuseong had heard the rest.
Here's the inside story on why herb gatherers were combing the mountains.
Shaolin Temple had a legendary elixir called the Great Returning Pill.
For martial artists, it granted a decade's worth of internal energy; for commoners, lifelong health without illness—a priceless treasure.
But crafting it was incredibly complex, taking nearly thirty years.
Even knowing the method, they were always short on Great Returning Pills for that reason.
Now, at the final stage, disaster struck: they couldn't procure the required Fire Spirit Herb over fifty years old.
All the thirty years of effort and rare ingredients poured in could go to waste—a dire crisis.
The monks, once relaxed thinking they'd find it soon, were now desperate, issuing bounties to herb gatherers nationwide.
"How do you know such internal details?"
"Truth is, a Shaolin monk saved my life once. We became connected, and he shared the story. Since no one knows the recipe without that last herb, it's fine to tell."
"I see."
"Anyway, it's a big deal. I owe that monk my life and want to repay it. But from swapping info with other gatherers, rare herbs nationwide are dwindling. Back in the day, fifty-year Fire Spirit Herbs turned up once every few years, but now you can't find them even if you scour. Best you'll get is twenty or thirty-year ones. Anyway, thanks for the treatment."
"Please don't come back next time."
They were practically friends now.
After Chosan left, Yuseong finished his consultations and checked his divine power.
'Not quite enough for the next skill yet, but hearing about Chosan has me worried over nothing.'
The next skills on deck were [Acceleration] and [Detoxification].
The goddess Gaia, whom Yuseong had served, was the deity of earth and healing.
Low-rank priests focused on temple duties, and Yuseong, starting from the bottom, was no exception.
He'd grown plenty of herbs using Acceleration to the point of boredom.
If he learned it in time, he might rapidly cultivate Fire Spirit Herb.
Then he could help Chosan, who always showed up limping with an embarrassed grin.
'Haven't I grown attached already?'
The White Tiger Division Leader might think differently, but digestive issues were no big deal for him.
But a herb gatherer like Chosan could die from a bad fall while digging.
***
A few days later, a letter arrived from Jin Eunseon, who had left for Mosan Sect.
[Yuseong, I did it!]
So excited she skipped greetings, starting right with that.
Unable to hide his own excitement, Yuseong read on.