Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Heavenly Physician
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People poured out of the carriages to assess the situation.
The three horses pulling the lead carriage had collapsed somehow, bleeding from their legs and crying out in agony.
One of them had a gash so deep its bone was visible.
"This is..."
Cheongun Elder shook his head.
It was clear at a glance that those horses couldn't pull the carriages anymore.
"Have you figured out why the horses collapsed?"
One of the warriors handling the horses replied.
"We checked the path we took, but there was nothing unusual on the road. It must have been a sick horse mixed in when we swapped them out. When that one fell, the others went down too."
One of the warriors nearby stepped forward, fidgeting anxiously.
"I'm sorry! I must have picked the wrong horse when we swapped them!"
He was the one who had volunteered to handle the horse exchange.
"No, no. These things happen. How much could you know about horses anyway?"
Cheongun Elder tried to reassure him, but the warrior took pride in his knowledge of horses, thanks to his father who bred and sold them.
He had selected the best ones based on his experience, and now he couldn't lift his head.
What was done was done, and Cheongun Elder was leading the group.
He looked around.
Fortunately, there were a few warriors on horseback escorting the group.
"For now, we'll have to borrow the escort warriors' horses."
It had been half a day since they left the last village.
Turning back to swap horses now would be too much trouble.
With the escort horses, they could make it to the next village.
"We can ride in the cargo holds if needed."
"Hm, just until the next village, then."
As the discussion wrapped up, Yuseong approached the three fallen horses.
The horses, wracked with pain from their broken legs, twisted their bodies and whipped their tails violently.
One even lay on its side, threateningly kicking out with its uninjured leg.
Nangong Yurin tried to stop him.
"Don't get too close."
"It's fine."
A horse, on edge from the pain, lashed out with a kick toward Yuseong.
He dodged lightly and placed his hand on the wound.
'I'll fix you up quick.'
[Healing]
No time for saliva, so he just poured Divine Power into the affected area.
The bone from the severe fracture, exposed enough to see, automatically realigned and knit together. The bleeding stopped, and healing began.
Since the injury wasn't old enough to leave permanent damage, it was treatable right away.
"Huh?"
Those watching anxiously, fearing Yuseong might get hurt, noticed the change.
"You're... healing the horse right now?"
There was a reason they hadn't asked Yuseong to treat the horses.
How could anyone heal a fracture that severe—on an animal, no less—in one go?
Even for a person, it was questionable if it could be done with time.
But Yuseong had pulled it off in an instant.
Neigh?
Even the horse's cry carried bewilderment at the immediate effect!
Cheongun Elder praised Yuseong with an impressed expression.
"Divine Arts are truly wondrous! My skills, trapped in the limits of ordinary medicine, feel shameful by comparison. Could you treat the other horses too?"
"Of course."
Yuseong healed all three horses in turn.
The ones that had been thrashing about stood up one by one, lowering their heads to inspect their legs repeatedly.
Humans and animals alike reacted the same to strange phenomena, it seemed.
'But that one's still staggering?'
One horse's condition was off, even after its leg was fixed.
If its leg was normal but it was still acting like that, something was wrong.
When he quietly used his Detoxification skill, it reacted.
"This horse was poisoned."
"Poisoned?"
"Yes. It seemed off with the staggering, so I checked."
"I thought it was just aftereffects, but you're right. Can you detoxify it too?"
"Of course."
Yuseong easily detoxified the horse.
Detoxification was the easiest thing in the world compared to treating wounds.
"Does the Medical Pavilion Leader think the poisoning was deliberate, or just something it ate by mistake?"
"I wouldn't know that far."
There were many ways it could have been poisoned.
It might have had issues from the start when bought, or eaten a toxic plant while grazing freely.
Since everyone in the group had been thoroughly vetted, sabotage wasn't on their minds.
"Hm, hard to say now. But better safe than sorry."
The group pressed on.
They checked the horse feed for toxic plants before feeding it and took other precautions, so no more horses collapsed.
Still, there were minor delays now and then—massive trees blocking the road, bridges over streams washed out.
A warrior who had frequently traveled to Chang'an, though not as often as Cheongun Elder, found it odd.
"The road to Chang'an is always used by big merchant caravans. It's usually well-maintained. This is strange. Almost like someone did it on purpose."
"No way... Someone might be targeting us. Everyone, heighten your vigilance!"
"Yes!"
Fortunately, all were skilled in martial arts, so they overcame the small obstacles easily and reached Chang'an.
The sun had already begun to set.
No attacks had come in the meantime.
"So this is Chang'an. As expected of a great city that rivals Luoyang."
Chang'an's streets buzzed with energy.
The shopping districts teemed with people, and there were plenty of merchants with carts and folks from high families.
"We'll rest at an inn tonight."
As befitting a metropolis, Chang'an was vast.
It would take another full day from here to reach the Murim Alliance's Chang'an branch.
Yuseong's group secured rooms at an inn and began dinner.
'No need for Divine Power today except healing the horses. Gotta make plenty of holy water again tonight.'
Yuseong rarely used Divine Power while traveling.
Treating the group wasn't a daily thing—how often do martial artists get sick?
Without the holy water production skill, he'd have wasted a ton of unused Divine Power on the trip to Sichuan.
Even now it was a loss, but helping that Transformation Realm expert would net a good amount, and he'd visit the Tang Clan too, so that was consolation.
"Eat up."
"You too, Elder. Enjoy."
During the meal, the inn grew noisy outside.
One of the warriors guarding outside came in to report.
"Not sure how they knew, but people have gathered wanting to see the Medical Pavilion Leader."
"Patients, by chance?"
"Yes. Lots of them look unwell and want treatment from you."
Yuseong glanced at Cheongun Elder.
'Treating patients beats holy water production by a mile.'
Holy water helped, but boosting his total Divine Power was better long-term.
Cheongun Elder stroked his beard.
"You seem eager to see the patients, Medical Pavilion Leader."
"Of course."
"A true physician indeed."
Not exactly.
Yuseong swallowed his words.
Sure, like anyone, he felt pity for the sick.
He wasn't out to sacrifice himself, but he'd help as much as he could.
But.
His main goal in treating patients was to build Divine Power.
Clearing this game safely—to escape whatever possession this was—that was Yuseong's aim.
If he could see patients while resting at the inn, great.
The group praised him.
"As expected of the Medical Pavilion Leader. Such compassion for patients."
"Riding carriages all day must be tiring, but no rest for you."
"It's fine. I'm just worried it might disturb everyone else's rest."
The warriors would have to guard him during treatments.
Taking away their downtime.
"No one would mind you doing good deeds, Medical Pavilion Leader. Just watch for suspicious types among the patients."
"Cheongun Elder is right. We're fine. We'll take shifts guarding you, so see as many as you want."
"Thank you all."
Yuseong set up in a wing of the inn and began his consultations.
The Murim Alliance warriors stood guard without a single complaint.
They had all received help from him, big or small.
The patients' illnesses were resolved on the spot, and trauma cases without permanent damage healed cleanly.
"Oh, thank you! I heard the rumors and wanted to go to Luoyang but never made it. To think you'd come to Chang'an!"
For those with disabilities too old to treat now, he soothed them and sent them away.
And so Yuseong treated patients late into the night.
Afterward, at Nangong Yurin's request, he took a short stroll around the inn.
"You must have been born to be a physician, Medical Pavilion Leader. I watched while guarding, and your face lit up treating them."
"Did I?"
"Yes. You looked so moved when they got better, like it was your own joy. Does healing people make you that fulfilled?"
Treating patients built Divine Power in real time.
Feeling himself grow was just enjoyable,
But Nangong Yurin seemed to see him as a noble physician driven by duty.
No need to shatter that illusion.
"It's fulfilling. Enjoyable. Isn't it heaven's will that I was given this special ability—to heal as many patients as possible?"
"Heaven's will..."
Nangong Yurin mulled over his words.
"That's a grand way to put it. Anyway, I plan to treat even more patients. Right now I'm tied to the Murim Alliance, but ideally, I'd heal every sick person under heaven."
Yuseong kept one thought to himself.
'And to do that, I'll reclaim my martial arts and take down this game's final boss.'
Nangong Yurin gazed at Yuseong's profile, burning with resolve.
His sparkling eyes, straight nose, firmly set lips.
He seemed far more handsome than her brother, once called the Jade Kirin.
Even the female classmates at the Murim Academy had shown their favor toward him.
'So cool... I can't even make use of my talents and stay this weak, but he's incredible.'
A large full moon shone down on the two walking side by side.