Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Kinship
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Wi Sowol reflected on the immediate past in an instant.
After the Medicine King burst in, no one had uttered Wi Sowol's name.
Yet the Medicine King knew her.
"Do you know me?"
Was it because the conversation with the Weird Physician up to that point had been about her mother?
She told herself it couldn't be, yet she couldn't help harboring faint expectations.
"Of course I do."
The Medicine King spoke in a tone full of wonder.
Wi Sowol barely held back her urging tongue and clenched her fists.
No way, no way...
"I heard plenty about you from my friend Deung Hwa."
Like a bowstring drawn taut to the breaking point suddenly snapping, Wi Sowol felt her tension drain away.
"Deung Hwa—you mean the monk?"
"He'd hinted that if there was a child aspiring to be a physician, this old monk might offer some guidance. Then one day, that child set out on their own path, leaving the temple."
Transcending the City to Take Orders.
Leaving home and crossing the city walls.
In Buddhism, it referred to Shakyamuni abandoning worldly life as a king, with all its glory and wealth, to become a seeker on the path to enlightenment.
Deung Hwa had likened Wi Sowol's departure from the temple to seek knowledge on her own—not under his introduction to the Medicine King—to Shakyamuni's own choice.
Considering that the one he'd meant to introduce her to was none other than the Medicine King himself, it wasn't entirely off-base; after all, she was forsaking the path of a temple successor.
Beyond the metaphor, though, it revealed just how highly Deung Hwa regarded Wi Sowol.
"But to think she'd become the Weird Physician's disciple... The profundity of karma remains beyond even my grasp at this age. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, Miss Wi, I sensed a karmic tie, but I couldn't fathom why—now it all makes sense."
A soft "Oh..." of admiration slipped from between Wi Sowol's lips.
It wasn't wonder at the mystery of karma as the Medicine King described, nor at the man himself.
Zenith Temple was, of course, an impressive place, but to think even it had connections to the Medicine King—that was what drew her awe toward Deung Hwa.
'Considering Deung Hwa's circle of friends, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised by the Medicine King.'
The Crimson Blaze Twin Dragons, Seon Woo Hoon.
His ties were anything but ordinary.
In the northern Hebei region where the Seon Woo Clan held sway, merely mentioning Seon Woo Hoon's name could resolve any trouble.
The fame of Seon Woo Hoon, the blood brother of the Seon Woo Clan head, might not surpass the Shaolin's pride, the Medicine King, but it stood proudly alongside the top transcendent masters.
For one thing, the Medicine King wasn't quite at the transcendent level.
'I heard he came from Shaolin, but impressive nonetheless.'
Unaware that Wi Sowol was marveling at Deung Hwa, the Weird Physician shot the Medicine King a displeased look.
"Shaolin doesn't accept nuns, though."
"Amitabha. That's a precept limited to martial nuns. Female practitioners seeking enlightenment through meditation, not martial arts, cultivate the Dharma in meditation cloisters. Why should medicine be any different? As long as they don't enter the martial quarters, women can learn the Dharma at Shaolin just fine."
"Haven't you learned through bitter experience that martial prowess is essential for any physician not tied to one region?"
"He can hire escorts for protection. Haven't you yourself compensated for your lacking skills with guards?"
Wi Sowol struggled to follow the thread of their conversation.
Why were these two debating her fate when she was right there, perfectly content?
She was the Weird Physician's disciple anyway, and she had no intention of climbing Mount Song to study under the Medicine King.
Deung Hwa's greatness was one thing; entering the Medicine King's tutelage on his recommendation was another entirely.
'I just wish they'd get back to discussing the patient.'
Wi Sowol had studied enough basic materia medica to take her first steps into pharmacology.
Even so, she couldn't imagine treating Yujin the Daoist's non-union fracture with medicine alone.
In the end, the answer lay in the surgery the Weird Physician proposed.
This wasn't some biased judgment because she was his disciple or an aspiring surgeon captivated by the procedure.
It was a strict, cold, objective conclusion.
But with the Medicine King... maybe there was a chance.
If the Medicine King, who had elevated the Great Returning Pill—a remedy said to have no further potential—could take it even higher.
The Medicine King's secret elixirs versus the Weird Physician's surgery.
It would be a legendary showdown of epoch-making medicine the world over would watch...
Yet their debate—which she couldn't even recall how it started—only intensified.
"The mystery of karma is beyond anyone's comprehension. But karmic ties will eventually connect, and inevitabilities will inevitably come to pass. Moreover, among the Twelve Great Vows of the Medicine Buddha to whom this old monk has devoted himself, one is to aid women in attaining Buddhahood."
"That absurd vow about turning a woman's body into a man's to grant her enlightenment?"
Wi Sowol's ears perked up at that.
She herself had gone from man to woman, after all.
So the reverse might be possible too.
"Can that be done?"
"Of course not."
"Namo Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light... He knows no such limits. The grace of the Medicine Buddha and the boundless depths of pharmacology are still beyond even a fraction of our mortal comprehension."
"So you're saying it's impossible now. Even Flower Adornment Preservation can't fully transform someone into a true woman's body—it only reaches a yang-stabilizing state. To turn a woman's body into a man's would require becoming an immortal."
Just as she thought.
Besides, even if she could revert to a male body now, with her Nine Yin Absolute Meridian constitution, she couldn't wield the martial arts built up in her past life anyway.
Wi Sowol reluctantly set aside her lingering regrets and reluctance.
'Still, I need to study materia medica more.'
You never know.
"More importantly, Master. So how do we mend Yujin the Daoist's arm?"
"Ahem, right. That's the matter at hand."
The Weird Physician turned to the Medicine King.
His gaze asked plainly for the diagnosis.
The Medicine King pondered for a moment.
In truth, he had no real intention of taking Wi Sowol from the Weird Physician as his disciple.
He'd simply interjected out of astonishment at the uncanny workings of karma.
The ensuing debate with the Weird Physician was little more than playful teasing aimed at one who walked the unorthodox path of surgery.
While other physicians scorned and shunned surgeons, the Medicine King didn't view the Weird Physician harshly.
On the contrary, he held him in higher regard than most.
This stemmed partly from Buddhist teachings of treating all beings equally, and partly because the Weird Physician's arts ultimately served to grant all limbs and faculties whole—a noble pursuit.
Thus, the Medicine King could admit it readily.
"To be frank, I believe this injury is beyond my solitary efforts. With a Great Returning Pill possessing the effects of Reviving the Householder's Soul, it might be feasible—but as things stand, it's difficult."
He acknowledged that regenerating Yujin the Daoist's bones with his pharmacology alone wouldn't be easy.
No one reacted more fiercely to this than Yulhan Zhenren, the master of Yujin the Daoist himself.
"Th-then does that mean he must undergo the Weird Physician's surgery?"
"I believe that's the surest path."
"I heard it all! Three patients the Weird Physician operated on—all died! What's to guarantee my Yujin won't meet the same fate?!"
Yulhan Zhenren cried out in horror.
From the start, he'd seemed uneasy rather than pleased at the sight of the Weird Physician—that explained why.
"Calm yourself. No physician is infallible by nature. Even I have failed countless patients, just like him."
"That's ancient history! Since earning your title as Medicine King, has there been a single patient you've seen who didn't survive?"
"Only those able to reach me."
As the Medicine King soothed Yulhan Zhenren, the Weird Physician waited patiently, arms crossed.
Once the man's breathing had somewhat steadied, he spoke up.
"Hey, Yulhan."
"...What?"
"Those three patients I treated? They all died, but for different reasons. The first was entirely new surgery for me too—I failed to complete it fully, and he perished. That was my failing. The second was too old; even after successful surgery, he couldn't recover. That was heaven's will lacking. The third was middle-aged, and by then it was my third such operation—I finished without error. But he grew overconfident in the surgery's success, ignored my warnings, went mountain-climbing again, fell, and died. That was the patient's failing."
As he addressed Yulhan, the Weird Physician fixed his gaze on Yujin the Daoist.
It was a blade-sharp stare, as if asking what kind of man he was.
"Yujin the Daoist. You're fortunate. My failings have been remedied, and heaven's timing couldn't be better. What about you?"
The Weird Physician didn't treat just anyone.
He only operated on patients he chose—and only those who truly wished to be healed.
If Yujin refused or dodged the question, the Weird Physician would abandon any lingering desire to redeem his past failures and descend Mount Hua.
His time was too precious to waste persuading someone who couldn't even decide for themselves.
Pure Void Daoist held back Yulhan Zhenren as he moved to intervene.
Pure Void Daoist could sense the resolve behind the Weird Physician's question.
Under the watchful eyes of grandmaster and master.
The one to undergo surgery.
Yujin the Daoist answered.
The surgery was scheduled for four days hence.
§
That night.
Having received the mask Jang Rok brought from the scripture pavilion, Wi Sowol stepped out at the Weird Physician's summons.
A crisp autumn breeze brushed coolly against her cheek.
"Over here."
The Weird Physician stood atop an unnamed peak of Mount Hua.
Like most of Mount Hua's summits, it was treacherously steep—but for those versed in the Nine Palaces Rescue Step and Star Lodge Divine Traces, supreme lightness skills, it posed no challenge.
"Today's events... they gave me much to think about."
Too much had happened in a single day.
For the Weird Physician, and for Wi Sowol.
But perhaps the one lost in even deeper thought was the Weird Physician himself.
The Mount Hua Sect Leader, signaling the start of his vengeance.
His disciple, who seemed no older than a child himself, playing with the other young ones.
Then memories of the mother his disciple suddenly recalled.
The Medicine King appearing out of nowhere, speaking of karmic bonds with her.
The patient dredging up his past failures, and the guardian throwing tantrums.
All of it brought one person to the Weird Physician's mind.
Someone he had, at some point, tried to flee from remembering—yet paradoxically created the Unforgetting Heart Method, a mnemonic martial art, just to ensure he never forgot.
"Now I understand you a little."
"Me?"
"I know your hometown. The path your heart follows. Your past life."
He'd known a bit about her time at Zenith Temple, but today's talk with the Medicine King had revealed more details of Wi Sowol's life story.
Of course, if she delved into her previous incarnation, three days and nights wouldn't suffice—but her current life as Wi Sowol was approaching just one year.
"And that made me think."
In contrast.
"I've told you nothing of myself."
Wi Sowol didn't know the Weird Physician.
"Why did you become a physician?"
"...Because it's the path closest to goodness."
What an exemplary disciple.
But he was different.
"Not me. I didn't learn medicine to save lives—I learned it to take them."
The Weird Physician remembered.
His own sister, whom he'd seen reflected in Wi Sowol.
"I had a younger sister."
Regret laced the voice of the Weird Physician, Ma Yu Seung.
Merely speaking her name, merely dredging up those cherished memories from deep within, deepened the somber tone of his words.
"She was lovely. She stole the hearts of every boy in the village. Had she grown into adulthood, they all would've slain oxen just for a single smile from her."
He spoke with a hint of joy, of pride—but Wi Sowol immediately caught what couldn't be overlooked.
Had she grown into adulthood.
That implied she never had.
And Wi Sowol herself had never heard rumors of the Weird Physician, Ma Yu Seung, having a sister.
Suddenly, she recalled the grief she'd glimpsed through the Unforgetting Heart Method's incantation.
That must be the one.
Intuition told her so.
"...Master."
Emotions are contagious, or so they say.
A tentative quiver escaped Wi Sowol's lips, carrying a strange tremor.
She couldn't help but see it.
Moisture gathering at the corners of Ma Yu Seung's eyes.
To Wi Soil's heart, it would have been unwelcome—but to Wi Sowol's, it was different.
Not to the loner she'd defined herself as, embracing utter solitude to live in the world—but to Wi Sowol, who had begun to think of family.
"We Hui people follow Islam."
The Hui were called as such precisely because they adhered to Islam.
That was Ma Yu Seung's tragedy.
"In Islam, there is a rite called circumcision."
And Ma Yu Seung's sister.
Died from that circumcision.