Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 56. The Blabbermouth
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The courtesan had a mischievous streak.
Beneath her outer skirt, another skirt peeked out.
A playful smile danced on her lips.
"...Then please describe the symptoms accurately."
When he had first met Jeong Yeon—who was now the Supreme Sect Leader—she had given him a rough rundown of the courtesans' condition.
A strange affliction plaguing women who entertained men.
The moment Yuseong heard it, he naturally suspected a venereal disease.
And that guess turned out to be spot on.
Since treating it meant he couldn't avoid examining the affected area,
he ignored the courtesan's antics and kept his composure as best he could.
Pus oozed from the sore, accompanied by a foul stench.
With the itching and pain on top of that, it must have been utter torment.
Taking customers must have been out of the question.
Yuseong's limited knowledge of STDs wasn't enough to pinpoint whether it was syphilis or gonorrhea.
But ignorance of the disease's name didn't mean he couldn't treat it.
He quietly drew out his needles.
"You're going to do acupuncture? Make it painless, okay~"
"It's going to sting a little."
"Oh come on, painless— Eek!"
Mindful of the courtesan, he placed the needle in the most painful spot and activated his Healing skill.
As expected, the Healing skill worked wonders on diseases.
The courtesan found it merely prickly at first, then marveled as the itch and pain faded away.
He went on to treat all the other courtesans suffering from the same ailment.
A good while later, So-ok returned.
"You finished treating them already? It was a disease no one else could cure... What was it?"
Feeling a bit awkward discussing it in detail with So-ok, Yuseong gave her the shortest explanation possible.
"How many courtesans in Luoyang have it?"
"Quite a few. It's spreading like wildfire."
Venereal diseases spread through bodily contact.
With no contraceptives around, prevention was probably a lost cause.
The sores were off-putting, but if he could increase his pool of divine power, he could treat even more in one go.
That would let him farm divine power on a regular basis.
To make that happen, crafting acupuncture needles from Heavenly Fortune Stone would be ideal.
"Any luck finding a craftsman who can work Heavenly Fortune Stone?"
"I was coming back with news on that exact thing. Short answer: out of all the renowned artisans in the world right now, the Tang Clan of Sichuan is the only one."
"No surprise there."
In virtual fantasies, dwarves handled orichalcum, so he hadn't expected many here either.
Still, having it confirmed as solely the Tang Clan left him disappointed.
"There used to be a place called Iron Family Manor too. An old-line blacksmith clan—some of them even learned secret martial arts to aid their work. They had dozens of skilled smiths, or so the stories go."
"..."
"Rumor has it some of those artisans had the skill to handle Heavenly Fortune Stone. But twenty years ago, Iron Family Manor went under."
"Why would a place with that kind of talent collapse?"
"Word is there was a major quality issue on a big commission. It's all pretty suspicious, though."
Suspicious or not, it happened twenty years ago—no unearthing the truth now.
"But even if Iron Family Manor fell, surely some of the skilled ones survived?"
So-ok shook her head.
"I got the results of tracking their descendants just now, per the Medical Pavilion Leader's request. Every last one of Iron Family Manor's heirs vanished without a trace."
Strange as that was, hunting them down now wasn't feasible.
"So that's why it's just the Tang Clan."
"Exactly."
For Yuseong to head to Sichuan would take at least two or three months just in travel time.
Tied down to the Murim Alliance as he was, he couldn't just slip away without cause.
Going alone would be risky too.
He'd have to bide his time.
***
A month had swiftly passed since Yuseong started working at the Medical Pavilion.
In that time, things had gotten quite busy there.
Patients lined up every day as usual, but now so many flooded in—curiosity seekers included—that the casual visitors couldn't even get seen.
Some had severe injuries too.
Word was, various incidents had cropped up, ramping up the Murim Alliance warriors' external missions.
Even the Murim Academy cadets, who mostly tagged along as headcount fillers, were trickling back injured. No wonder the warriors pulling frontline duty came back battered.
"Was it dangerous enough to injure even the Division Leader?"
Jong Hakjin had assessed the minor cases first; now the White Tiger Division Leader entered the exam room.
Yuseong had been curious about his condition too, after several White Tiger Division members had shown up hurt before.
No external wounds, but internal injuries to the chest.
Bruised handprints glowing purple. Traces of palm strikes.
"The unorthodox scum were banding together, plotting something. I got careless and took a hit. Think you can fix it?"
"Of course. I'll make it good as new."
"Phew, good to hear. Got a drink planned with the guys when I report back. Medical Pavilion Leader, you're welcome to join if you're up for it. I'll introduce you properly to my friends."
"..."
Had he ever seen someone this obsessed with booze?
For the first time, Yuseong regretted not forcing the White Tiger Division Leader to quit drinking.
Even heading home injured, all he'd thought about was booze and meat, no doubt.
But seeing him beam at the prospect of imbibing again, it probably hadn't been easy.
'No way someone like this would quit cold turkey just because I said so.'
Even after treating the White Tiger Division Leader, the line of patients didn't let up.
The growth in his divine power was welcome, but to pursue the bigger picture, he needed time to breathe—and to conserve his divine power.
A few days later.
Some welcome faces arrived.
"Man, finally working here. All thanks to the Medical Pavilion Leader!"
One scanned the Medical Pavilion interior, grabbed Yuseong's hand, and pumped it vigorously.
"You've had it rough on your own. Heard you've been swamped—starting tomorrow, I'll give it my all to help."
The other nodded reassuringly at Yuseong.
Cha Physician and Yang Physician.
Cha Physician had barely scraped by on the exam Yuseong had given him personally.
According to Yang Physician, after Yuseong notified Cha Physician about the test,
he'd hounded Yang Physician relentlessly to study medicine together.
Always showing up with arms full of snacks, apparently.
He'd put in effort his own way to join the Medical Pavilion.
Yuseong had felt a twinge of guilt for poaching them from Luoyang Medical Hall,
but So-ok just laughed when he mentioned it.
-Don't worry about Luoyang Medical Hall. Word that the Murim Alliance Medical Pavilion produced three famed physicians has top doctors lining up to help. Patients trust it more now too.
-Good to know. I was worried I'd caused trouble by taking them.
-Of course, no one can replace the Medical Pavilion Leader. Or Yang Physician.
She skipped mentioning Cha Physician.
Either way, their arrival was a huge boost for Yuseong.
Starting the next day, the Medical Pavilion ran more systematically.
Yuseong took the critical cases first, fully healing those he could easily cure and stabilizing the rest before passing them to Yang Physician and Cha Physician.
Yang Physician handled patients who didn't need Yuseong's touch, plus those handed off from him.
Cha Physician stuck to minor injuries mostly, pitching in on severe cases when needed.
And each night, one of them stayed over at the Medical Pavilion, ready for any late-night emergencies.
The Medical Pavilion was humming along nicely.
But then Nangong Yurin walked in—her expression drastically darkened these past few days.
After Paeng Jisan quit the Murim Academy, her brighter demeanor had set the hearts of the Medical Pavilion's single men ablaze.
Nangong Yurin was the sole Murim Academy cadet to volunteer for Medical Pavilion guard duty.
She and Yuseong were on friendly terms too.
With his duty to handle the pavilion's affairs big and small, Yuseong approached her once shifts ended.
"Everything alright lately? You look down."
Unless it was a medical issue, even Yuseong couldn't help Nangong Yurin.
It was more a casual check-in.
Nangong Yurin responded to the question with one of her own, her face grave.
"Was me being here actually helpful at all?"
She cut straight to it, so Yuseong had just one answer.
"Of course. The Medical Pavilion felt brighter with you around, Nangong, and you helped in all sorts of ways."
"...Thanks for saying that."
Her expression softened noticeably.
Yuseong thought nothing of it.
If a straightforward compliment could ease her worries even a little, he'd gladly oblige.
A few days later, her guard duty stint ended, and other cadets replaced Nangong Yurin at the Medical Pavilion.
Volunteers could reapply after one rotation.
***
The blabbermouth Jang Chil stopped by the butcher on his way home from work.
"Give me a generous cut of tender beef!"
He bellowed boldly at the butcher.
'Definitely the right call following the Medical Pavilion Leader.'
His money pouch bulged with this month's pay.
First thing after getting home with the beef: check on his mother.
He was unmarried, caring for his widowed mom.
"Mom, I'm back. Got paid today, so I bought beef."
His mother had been going blind for about five years now, unable to do much beyond staying home.
Yang Physician had examined her once; presbyopia, untreatable.
Luckily, she could still make out shapes dimly enough to manage housework by feel.
Jang Chil boiled beef soup with her and spilled tales from the day's Murim Alliance gossip.
"Oh, get this—the Medical Pavilion Leader locked eyes with this female warrior, and sparks flew! She was so gorgeous, even Jong Hakjin hyung had a crush on her once..."
He knew where to draw the line.
No leaking secrets, but juicy stories like this thrilled his mother, who still had a girlish heart—she'd pepper him with questions.
Jang Chil spiced the tales higher.
Before long, Nangong Yurin and Baek Yuseong had morphed into a warrior clan's daughter and a doctor stripped of his martial arts, star-crossed lovers thwarted by family opposition, able only to gaze longingly.
He'd gone beyond seasoning—cooked up a fantasy feast.
Soon as his mother dozed off, the day wrapped up.
But then.
"Cough!"
His mother, lying still with eyes closed, listening quietly—suddenly spewed bright red blood.
"Mom!"
As the white quilt stained crimson, one thought flashed through Jang Chil's mind.
'I have to fetch the Medical Pavilion Leader right now!'