Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 55. The Mark
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The concept of mental illness wasn't precisely defined until quite modern times.
People knew about going mad, but it wasn't treated as a disease until much later.
Mental illness can stem from congenital factors or acquired ones, and the cases Yuseong had encountered were mostly the latter.
Virtual Fantasy was by no means a peaceful world, and many patients complained of various war traumas.
Through treating people with all sorts of mental illnesses, he knew well that a gray haze detected in the brain via Divine Power indicated mental illness.
Looking back, Paeng Jisan had shown strong aggression toward Yuseong ever since he became involved with Nangong Yurin.
If he'd known much about mental disorders, he could have roughly diagnosed Paeng Jisan's symptoms.
But Yuseong was just an ordinary guy who loved playing games.
Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, anger management issues, and so on.
With only a vague knowledge from occasional news reports, he couldn't make a clear diagnosis.
He simply had a slight understanding of where Paeng Jisan's erratic behavior came from.
Even so, the guy was still detestable.
Yuseong decided to keep this from the Dao King for now.
Explaining mental illness would be complicated.
-What? Are you saying my son is crazy?
He might get a reaction like that.
'Either way, there's no way to treat it right now.'
Mental illness wasn't as severe as the mental corruption in Physician Im's granddaughter Im Yeonhwa, but it was still a problem affecting the mind.
He'd need the Purification skill to treat it.
It was something to worry about after healing Physician Im's granddaughter.
[Healing]
Paeng Jisan, who had been unconscious, opened his eyes and sat up.
“...”
He looked around in bewilderment for a moment before spotting Yuseong.
His vacant gaze met Yuseong's eyes.
His face twisted again.
“Y-You hid your skills all this time just to take Yurin from me? A sneaky bastard like you will never—”
Thwack!
The Dao King smacked the back of Paeng Jisan's head.
“You fool! If you're a true man as you sang about, accept the results. Apologize to the Medical Pavilion Leader now!”
“Ah, Father. But!”
“Enough!”
Paeng Jisan bickered with the Dao King for a bit, but realizing he had no choice with everyone watching, he gave up.
“Ugh! I'm sorry. I—”
Thwack!
“Politely!”
The Dao King doing the hitting and Paeng Jisan taking it both seemed quite practiced at it.
Paeng Jisan turned toward Nangong Yurin, tears streaming down his face.
Anyone seeing it would think he'd been dumped after dating her.
“M-Medical Pavilion Leader, I'm sorry. I apologize for all my rude words and actions. As promised, I'll... ugh... return to the Paeng Family.”
Paeng Jisan hung his head.
After that day, word of Yuseong's past realm spread widely throughout the Murim Alliance.
After he'd thoroughly crushed Paeng Jisan, no one doubted that Yuseong was a Peak Realm expert anymore.
He endured sympathetic looks from people for a while, but even those soon faded.
They realized that if Yuseong had remained at Peak Realm, he might not mind, but pity only wounded him further.
A few days later, with Paeng Jisan, who had quit the Murim Academy, holed up in his lodging, the Dao King came to Yuseong to finish treating his arm.
Yuseong had heard he'd been quite busy attending Murim Alliance meetings regarding the recent raid.
“I'll discipline my son thoroughly, so forgive him for my sake.”
“I'll look forward to it. I hope the next time we meet, Young Master Paeng will be more mature.”
“That fool will improve in time.”
The unknown mental illness afflicting Paeng Jisan.
Without treating it, he'd probably stay the same, but under the Dao King's control, he wouldn't bother Yuseong anymore.
And neither would he bother Nangong Yurin.
***
After defeating Paeng Jisan, Nangong Yurin had come to see Yuseong alone.
-Thank you for beating Young Master Paeng, Medical Pavilion Leader. You have no idea how much he's tormented me.
-I figured as much. I'd built up plenty of resentment myself. Glad I could help.
Her big eyes sparkled as she chattered excitedly.
It was the first time he'd seen her so talkative.
He'd only ever seen her quiet and hanging back.
-Watching a spar was fun for once, instead of agonizing.
After saying that, Nangong Yurin made a startled face, bowed hastily, and left.
Why would a child of the martial Nangong Family find watching a spar agonizing?
Yuseong wondered, but without peering into her heart, it was something he couldn't know.
***
Yuseong's day off.
With only his acupuncture kit in hand, Yuseong stepped out the Murim Alliance's main gate, where a large carriage awaited him.
A familiar face peered out from inside the carriage.
“It's been a while, Medical Pavilion Leader. I couldn't keep our appointment last time off because internal matters weren't settled.”
“It's fine, So-ok. Should I call you House Leader now?”
The woman two generations his junior gave an embarrassed smile.
“Just call me comfortably. The inauguration was so recent, it still feels awkward.”
“Got it. But you're busy—why come out in person today?”
“Because it's the first time. I'd love to come every week, but I don't have that kind of leeway anymore. It's a shame.”
So-ok had officially become the House of Revelry Leader a short while ago.
Juyeon had stepped down to Supreme House Leader citing health reasons, and in the meantime, various elders had been replaced, making the House of Revelry quite lively, or so he'd heard.
As they boarded the carriage and set off, So-ok handed him a small silk pouch.
He felt it with his hand.
It contained something like a small, square stone.
“What's this?”
“A Heavenly Fortune Stone.”
“...!”
He opened it in surprise, and sure enough, it held a Heavenly Fortune Stone.
But it was too small.
Smaller than the one he'd obtained before.
“Gathering more will take time, I'm afraid.”
Yuseong felt a bit disappointed but didn't show it.
In a position of receiving help, he couldn't complain about meager results.
“No, it's fine. I'm grateful you're keeping at it.”
“Honestly, I thought we could get more. I figured if we just paid enough to those who had them, we could buy them up.”
That was part of what Yuseong had hoped from the House of Revelry.
Unless they got lucky and a meteor fell to yield new Heavenly Fortune Stones, the best option was collecting those scattered across the Central Plains.
And for that, organizations with networks across the Central Plains like the House of Revelry or Beggars' Sect were ideal, but the Beggars' Sect wouldn't do such things.
“Sounds like there was a problem.”
So-ok let out a faint sigh.
“Yes.”
“What kind? If it's money, I can contribute.”
With the House of Revelry providing all the herbs and setups for treating the poor, Yuseong's own expenses had dropped sharply.
However.
“It's not about money. I looked into wealthy folks with records of possessing Heavenly Fortune Stones, and most had been robbed of them.”
“Robbed of Heavenly Fortune Stones?”
“Yes. It's not widely known yet, but at the sites where they were stolen, a black butterfly mark was left behind.”
“A black butterfly? My knowledge is limited, so I wouldn't know.”
“The black butterfly is the mark used by the legendary thief, the Shadowless Divine Hand. It was last seen fifty years ago and vanished since, but it's reappeared in the last few years. They steal the item and leave the mark behind.”
Things had gotten complicated.
Of all things, a thief targeting Heavenly Fortune Stones had been active for years.
Even in the vast Central Plains, who knew how far the thief's reach extended.
“But there must still be plenty not stolen yet?”
“Yes. One person couldn't steal them all. The issue is that almost everyone known to have one has been robbed.”
“...”
“Don't worry too much. Our disciples are investigating hard, so we'll surely find more.”
He must have looked too dejected.
So-ok consoled him carefully.
“Of course. If not, at least uncover the thief's identity.”
“Naturally. We're doing our utmost on that front too. Who knows? We might get all the Heavenly Fortune Stones you need at once.”
Right.
Catch that thief, and they might seize all the ones he'd hoarded in one go.
As they changed the subject and chatted variously,
The carriage soon arrived at the venue prepared by the House of Revelry.
Inside waited about a dozen courtesans, each dressed up, and around twenty people in shabby clothes that looked like they came from the slums.
“I didn't know how many patients you'd see in a day, so I prepared the ones in the worst shape. If you want more or fewer, just tell my coachman.”
So-ok introduced the coachman he'd seen before and left briefly for some business.
Yuseong began treating patients in the clinic room.
After healing the most severely afflicted among the poor,
Yuseong called in one of the courtesans.
“Oh my, I didn't realize you were so handsome?”
The courtesan smiled flirtatiously at Yuseong as she entered.
Her profession had coquetry ingrained in her.
'She's pretty enough, but the makeup is heavy... Have my standards gotten too high lately?'
Jegal Yeongyeong and Nangong Yurin came to mind.
Like a full moon versus a half-dime candle—embarrassingly incomparable to a courtesan.
Even a cute courtesan stirred no feelings in him.
“I heard you're suffering from a strange illness.”
“Yes. I can't work because of it—might as well die.”
Grumbling, the courtesan suddenly hiked up her skirt wide open without warning.
“...!”