Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Hao Gate Patients and Fire Needle Enlightenment
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I woke up that morning and immediately thought of the two people I'd seen at the Ten Thousand Winds Inn the day before.
'The woman had poor complexion and kept rubbing her temples. Symptoms of constant mental strain, headaches, and stress.'
And the man clearly had an affliction from improperly practicing the Iron Cannon Palm.
'Iron Cannon Palm is a martial art I've seen plenty of times in wuxia novels.'
An external art that hardens the skin to make it impervious to blades.
Of course, it was an inferior version of the Shaolin Temple's Vajra Indestructible Body.
It was a common trope for some arrogant side character to rely on the might of Iron Cannon Palm, only to get cleanly sliced by the protagonist's sword.
'That guy must have gone through the widely known, grueling training method.'
Pummeling trees or rocks endlessly with fists and forearms—that was the standard training for Iron Cannon Palm.
That's why his arms and fists looked rough and hard, like hammered metal. Even his skin tone was dark and metallic.
Any martial artist would admire it as the fruit of harsh training.
But to me, it was just fibrosis in the muscles and skin, with stagnant qi and blood causing discoloration.
'So when I scanned them both, quests popped up.'
Quests that rewarded one Insight each.
If quests appeared, it was certain our paths would cross somehow.
'By the way, those two seemed to know Na Ho-pyeong.'
Na Ho-pyeong had asked if he should tail them, a mischievous grin lighting up his face.
'Well, I'll find out if we meet again.'
I headed to the main hall to prepare for consultations.
Bae Seon-u, who had gone out to greet patients, soon rushed back in a fluster.
"Th-the Disruptive Maniac Hyeong So is here again."
Dang Seol-yeong, who was helping prepare next to him, replied.
"Brother Hyeong isn't scary at all. Still not used to him? Just give him a bowl of Generate Pulse Powder decoction, and he's perfectly satisfied."
"I-I'm getting used to it bit by bit. That's why I was planning to carefully ask if he needed Generate Pulse Powder today too."
"And?"
"Well, he didn't come alone today..."
Dang Seol-yeong said in exasperation.
"Who'd he come with? That senior disciple from Qingcheng Sect? I heard rumors they've been sparring a lot lately."
Dang Seol-yeong dragged Bae Seon-u out with her, as if saying she'd handle it herself.
But she came right back and said to me.
"It's a bit unusual today."
"What's unusual?"
I went out myself, and an unexpected sight greeted me.
Three people sat in the waiting room. Nothing odd there, but the atmosphere was different.
The two with Hyeong So—the same pair I'd scanned at the inn, triggering the quests.
'But why are they sitting like that? Like raw recruits standing at rigid attention.'
They sat bolt upright next to Hyeong So. From the looks of it, they hadn't come separately; they'd been summoned by him.
"Pretty unusual scene, right?"
I nodded at Dang Seol-yeong's question.
"It is unusual. Still, Brother Hyeong will be fine with his usual Generate Pulse Powder."
Bae Seon-u cautiously approached and asked.
"How many bowls of Generate Pulse Powder shall I bring?"
"One."
"O-one?"
Nod.
Bae Seon-u soon returned with one bowl of Generate Pulse Powder decoction.
Gulp, gulp.
Hyeong So downed the decoction and closed his eyes. The same ecstatic expression as always.
The two beside him stared at him in bewilderment.
But when he reverted to his usual fearsome look, they quickly averted their gazes.
'What on earth did he do to those two?'
As I watched curiously, Hyeong So stood up.
He left the Clear Seclusion Clinic with a single remark.
"Brought 'em."
Watching him go, Dang Seol-yeong put her hands on her hips and sighed in disbelief.
"What kind of nonsense is that? It's amazing Choi can hold a conversation with a guy like that just through eye contact."
"Well, I think I get his intent."
Anyway, Hyeong So left, and Bae Seon-u took down the two men's consultation records.
'Names: Do Seung-ok and Park Pung.'
We brought them into the consultation room.
"Truth is, we're from Hao Gate headquarters."
Do Seung-ok suddenly spilled everything without being asked—why they were here, their encounter with Na Ho-pyeong, and more.
Na Ho-pyeong had known all along. But from what I heard, it wasn't anything I needed to concern myself with.
'Hao Gate folks doing their job.'
I couldn't tell them not to. It wasn't harming me anyway.
"Ah, I see."
Do Seung-ok and Park Pung's eyes widened.
"Th-that's it?"
"Pardon? Why?"
"Well, we figured you'd feel spied on and upset."
"Why would I be upset? You're not watching me with ill intent. Everyone's just busy making a living in this world. You were just doing your duty as Hao Gate disciples."
The two stared at me blankly, eyes filled with surprise and admiration.
'Makes sense. In the murim world, a little offense means kill or be killed, so no wonder they're shocked.'
I had a different question.
"But how did Brother Hyeong make you show up like this and spill everything so easily?"
Do Seung-ok replied.
"H-how? He didn't do anything!"
Park Pung nodded vigorously in agreement.
'Well, with Hyeong So's intimidating aura, he could make most warriors obey without lifting a finger.'
Anyway, the priority was treating them.
"So, you'll both receive treatment, right?"
"Of course."
Nod, nod.
First, I took Park Pung's wrist to check his pulse.
Park Pung's qi and blood flow revealed itself through Pulse Eye.
"You train Iron Cannon Palm by striking trees or rocks."
Park Pung's eyes widened as he nodded.
"It's not a bad method. But your internal energy is lacking. Iron Cannon Palm is an external art. Ultimately, though, internal energy protects your qi, blood, and meridians."
Nod, nod.
"From now on, focus more on building your internal energy and train slowly. Never rush it."
This time, he stared at me blankly instead of nodding.
I asked Do Seung-ok.
"What does he mean?"
"He means it's the first time anyone's explained training methods so kindly."
I see. Considering the usual treatment of Hao Gate disciples in all those wuxia novels I'd read, it made sense.
'Anyway, the exact affliction Pulse Eye revealed is...'
Skin fibrosis and qi-blood stagnation.
Qi-blood stagnation means qi pools up and blood doesn't circulate well. If it persists, the area swells stiffly and pain intensifies.
'Start with Long Needle for the stagnation.'
I unrolled the needle pouch and took out a Long Needle.
"C-can such a thin needle pierce the skin of someone who's trained Iron Cannon Palm?"
"Of course."
Especially one at the pinnacle of mastery.
I inserted the Long Needle into the Curved Pool acupoint around his elbows and forearms.
To promote blood circulation around the elbows and relax hardened muscles, I inserted deeply to stimulate the muscle layer.
Then the rest of the points.
Do Seung-ok and Park Pung's eyes widened as the Long Needles went in in an instant.
"Amazing acupuncture..."
After a moment, I removed them and took out Lance Needles next.
Park Pung flinched at the sight of the triangular-bladed Lance Needles.
'Trained Iron Cannon Palm through brutal methods, yet scared of needles.'
I stabbed Lance Needles into the fibrous skin of both arms, at various acupoints.
Lance Needles specialize in removing stasis blood through the four rivers.
Black, dead blood flowed from the punctures, soon turning red.
At the same time, Park Pung's eyes gradually widened. He'd felt the pain vanish.
"It must have throbbed and ached before. You probably thought it was the suffering of training."
Nod, nod.
"But it was pain from stasis blood."
I wiped the blood, sprinkled hemostatic powder, and staunched it. Then a message appeared.
I checked the message and smiled at Park Pung.
"Congratulations on the full recovery. Your arms' affliction is cured, but your Iron Cannon Palm attainment remains intact."
To the slack-jawed, astonished Park Pung, I continued.
"But from now on, focus on internal energy as I said. Got it?"
Park Pung, staring blankly, nodded like mad.
His eyes brimmed with gratitude toward me.
I'm getting pretty good at conversing with eye contact too.
As Park Pung stood, Do Seung-ok inspected his arms and asked.
"They used to look so unsightly. Now they feel solidly metallic. How is it, brother? No more pain?"
Nod, nod.
Do Seung-ok quickly took his seat.
"Like you said at the inn yesterday, I get headaches and dizziness whenever I concentrate. Can I be cured too?"
Unlike yesterday, Do Seung-ok's eyes held boundless trust in me.
I smiled warmly.
"Of course. Shall we start with pulse diagnosis?"
I checked her pulse.
"As expected, classic Heart-Spleen Dual Deficiency."
"Heart-Spleen Dual Deficiency?"
"Yes. It means both heart and spleen qi are deficient."
Heart-Spleen Dual Deficiency commonly arises in stressful jobs. Especially those involving heavy mental work and worry.
"You probably have trouble sleeping, dream a lot when you do, lose appetite normally, and get dizzy when thinking hard."
Do Seung-ok's eyes went wide.
"Y-yes, exactly. Can it be cured?"
"Of course."
It was mild Heart-Spleen Dual Deficiency. Not a difficult condition.
I had Do Seung-ok lie face-down on the treatment bed and put up a screen.
'The key acupoints for heart and spleen are...'
Heart Transporter and Spleen Transporter on the back.
True to their names, they treat the heart and spleen.
Starting there, I applied Fire Needles to points like Spirit Gate and Inner Pass.
After waiting, I removed them.
As she sat up and straightened her clothes, I asked.
"How do you feel?"
"...My head felt like a tangled ball of thread, but now it's unraveled. My mind is so clear!"
"Glad to hear it. Congratulations on the full recovery."
As they paid the silver, I advised them.
"You'll have Hao Gate duties, of course, but take better care of yourselves from now on."
"Thank you, Jang Physician. This is all thanks to you."
The two bowed repeatedly in gratitude. Even the taciturn Park Pung groveled wordlessly.
'Huh? Why such excessive thanks?'
It was a bit overwhelming compared to other patients.
I waved both hands to stop them.
"It's fine. No need for such formalities."
"Honestly, almost no one cares this much about Hao Gate disciples like us..."
Now I understood. I knew well from all the wuxia novels how poorly Hao Gate members were treated.
I smiled and replied.
"We're all just people—what's there to it?"
The two stared at me blankly, faces touched.
Then Do Seung-ok cautiously asked.
"Can we report today's events to the Branch Chief when we return?"
No reason not to.
"Of course."
Seo Jin-myeong of Qingcheng Sect visited Immortal Spirit Pharmacy.
Lately, his qi and blood had been unstable, so he'd been seeing Physician Yu Ja-geom, the Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand.
He wanted to try Clear Seclusion Clinic, but the elders had ordered Immortal Spirit Pharmacy, so he complied.
'Many elders are here for Qingcheng Sect sub-branch business.'
Still, Yu Ja-geom was a renowned physician called Immortal Spirit Miracle Hand. No major complaints about the treatment.
'Plus, Yu Physician's demeanor has been off lately.'
His speech and behavior had gradually changed.
And today was no different.
"Welcome. Was the trip arduous? Come, sit comfortably."
"..."
The old Yu Ja-geom would have said, "Here? Sit."
"Let's see how much you've improved."
Yu Ja-geom's brows furrowed deeply during the pulse check. A face full of dissatisfaction.
Seo Jin-myeong flinched instinctively, expecting the old man's bellow.
But Yu Ja-geom forced a smile and spoke.
"Your mind is still restless. Still so impatient?"
"Yes. I'm sparring with Hyeong So. It's enjoyable, but I can't help getting anxious over my lacking skills."
"Can't help it, my foot!"
After raising his voice, Yu Ja-geom muttered, realizing his mistake.
"Treat patients calmly and kindly. Always match the child's eye level."
He mumbled for a while before continuing.
"Keep that up, and heart demons might seize you. Even I couldn't treat a body gripped by heart demons."
Same as what Jang Wol had said.
"Yes. I'll be careful."
"I'll prescribe two days' worth of Calming Pulse Decoction to suppress anxiety and impatience. Take it every morning."
As Seo Jin-myeong left the room, Yu Ja-geom flashed his kindest smile.
"Take care on your way back. Come again."
After finishing that day's consultations, I checked my current Insight count.
A total of six Insights.
'I could upgrade Fire Needle next.'
I hadn't strengthened Fire Needle yet because the other needles weren't advanced enough.
But now, Blunted Needle, Probing Needle, and Round-Prick Needle were at Proficiency, while Fire Needle, Lance Needle, Long Needle, Great Needle, and Fine Needle were at Mastery.
'Wing Needle is still Basic, but anyway.'
With the others on track, now was perfect for Fire Needle.
'Fire Needle is versatile, and testing an upgrade now would be useful.'
Even using five on Fire Needle would leave one for emergencies, like bumping Wing Needle from Basic to Proficiency.
'Upgrade Fire Needle first.'
Unexpected effects appeared.