Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Afterwards
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Hwang Bo-yun was watching Wi Sowol with a cautious demeanor, gauging her mood.
'What's going on?!'
Things had clearly been going well between them.
At the start, Wi Sowol's spirits had seemed excellent.
Her prayer-like focus was impeccable, her posture straight, and her hand movements crisp and precise.
But at some point, everything changed.
Her hands remained delicate, yet they began to exude a rough edge somewhere. Her prayer-like focus stayed undisturbed and serene to the end, but her aura grew noticeably colder.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Hwang Bo-yun spoke up.
"Hey, Sowol. Is something wrong? Can I help with anything?"
"...No. It's fine. The surgery went well. I removed the swelling, drained the fluids, and everything. The kidney deficiency stemmed from insufficient blood flow—a blood stagnation issue—and I confirmed the meridians are clear now."
As Wi Sowol explained, Ji Ho-san's breathing was incomparably steadier than before.
It was so comfortable that he was even circulating his qi through a breathing technique.
"Then why is his abdomen still open?"
"I'm deliberately delaying the suturing. We need to keep the abdominal pressure low in the open state until the organs recover somewhat before closing it up."
It would take more time for full recovery of the organs, but at least restoring minimal function seemed feasible.
Ji Ho-san's body was sturdy enough, and he had a fair amount of internal energy.
She had roughly mapped his qi circulation pathways while expelling the stagnant qi, so she planned to perform a few sessions of true qi infusion during the meridian work before closing the abdominal wall.
"But why are you mad?"
"Mad?"
Wi Sowol had been about to say she wasn't mad at all.
Just a bit irritated.
Unpleasant, that's all.
That was her intention, but her tongue wouldn't move.
"Hmm, ah... yeah. I guess I am a little mad."
Wi Sowol took a moment to introspect on her emotions.
Since starting her new life, she had been reviving emotions she once thought had withered away inside her.
Relieving Ban Tae-seung and Bang Elder had brought her relief and a sense of connection.
Meeting the Weird Physician and witnessing his martial arts had stirred envy and sorrow.
Jang Rok's death had taught her about regret and the value of what truly matters.
And from Seon Ye and the three great disciples of Mount Hua Sect, along with Hwang Bo-yun right beside her now, she had learned friendship and joy.
But she hadn't expected to discover yet another emotion in this way.
Even against the Silver Sword Sect thugs who killed the young beggars, what she felt was more dutiful killing intent than outright anger.
'I felt it back in my hometown too.'
When the Reverse Hardship School and Rampaging Demon Heaven slaughtered the villagers, Wi Sowol had confronted the anger she had been ignoring.
But what she felt now was markedly different.
Weaker than killing intent, stronger than mere irritation—a sentiment of disgust.
Anger. Rage. Fury.
It seemed to fall under that broad category, yet it carried a subtly different nuance.
Wi Sowol wanted to share this emotion she was feeling with Hwang Bo-yun.
She was curious what he called it, how the world defined it.
So, she carefully chose her words to express it.
Finally, refined thoughts flowed out as language.
"For example, suppose you have an item you really like, Bo-yun."
"It's Hwang Bo-yun."
"But that item isn't actually yours—it's something you borrowed from someone."
"Hwang. Bo. Yun."
"You're admiring the item, and then you see some stranger's name—not the original owner's, not yours—plastered boldly all over it. How would you feel?"
"First off, my name is Hwang. Bo. Yun."
It was a bit vague, but Wi Sowol couldn't think of a better way to explain it right then.
Emotions were still somewhat foreign to her, hard to put into words.
Especially this one, which felt like anger but with subtle differences, making it extremely difficult to articulate.
"A borrowed item with someone else's name on it. Hmm... it'd be annoying, but I don't think I'd get mad."
"Why?"
"Because it's not mine."
Then am I overreacting?
As Wi Sowol grew confused again about the nature of her emotion, Hwang Bo-yun pressed her like an impatient child.
"What is it really? Don't beat around the bush—spit it out straight."
"The physician who operated on the patient before me carved his name into the liver."
"What kind of crazy bastard does that?!"
Ah, he's mad now.
So it is anger, after all.
As Wi Sowol had explained, time passed, and after completing the suturing, Ji Ho-san began recovering his health at a rapid pace.
His voice, which had been raspy and lifeless at first, was now booming after just a few days.
"Lying here before my life savior like this—it's embarrassing and shameful."
Ji Ho-san laughed heartily.
He was genuinely apologetic, yet his attitude showed no hint of cowardice.
The moniker "Fine Man of Hunan" was neither exaggeration nor belittlement.
"Then it's time to settle the bill."
Wi Sowol had learned much from the Weird Physician.
And claiming payment after treatment was one of those lessons.
This was crucially important.
Even beggars should never be treated for free; always take at least a single coin.
That way, people value the medicine, and out of reluctance over its cost, they take better care of their bodies.
The price of medicine must be fair to all.
Take payment, but not at a level that significantly impacts their livelihood.
This wasn't just the Weird Physician's philosophy; it was a universal ethic for physicians, as outlined in the Five Precepts and Ten Essentials of the Medical Ancestor.
Of course, whether all physicians followed it was another matter entirely.
Why else would Truth Gong establish the Five Precepts and Ten Essentials, only for the imperial court to adopt them?
Everyone knew the reason they became the oath for medical academy graduates was precisely because they weren't upheld in reality.
The infamous Merciless Needle Ghost, one of the Six Great Physicians, was notorious in Jiangnan for charging a minimum of 100 silver taels just for a consultation without even treating the patient.
Slightly tense, Ji Ho-san straightened his posture.
"I'm all ears."
Wi Sowol made her rightful demands.
"First: All information on the ongoing Guangzheng Church matter in Shaanxi Province. Second: Safe passage by ship to Nanchang County. Third: Ten silver taels for the surgery. Fourth: All information on the one who operated on you before."
At Wi Sowol's words, the hand of the Left Elder beside Ji Ho-san busied itself.
When the sound of the abacus stopped, the Left Elder whispered to Ji Ho-san.
Unfortunately for him, both Wi Sowol and Hwang Bo-yun heard it all.
Those unable to use transmission arts had to watch their words even before experts.
Even if he was barely at that level, Ji Ho-san, a peak master in his own right, knew this well.
"Speak loudly. Both of them are better than me—they'll hear everything anyway."
"Ah, um, ahem. Well..."
"It's fine. We heard it all."
What the Left Elder had whispered to Ji Ho-san was urgent advice: it's a steal, so wrap it up here no matter what.
Ten silver taels.
An enormous sum by commoner standards.
Two silver taels could sustain a modest life for a year.
In other words, ten silver taels could comfortably support an entire family for a year.
But to the Hao Gate, it was pocket change.
Just the Nanju branch's informant fee alone had been twenty-two silver taels to Wi Sowol.
In that sense, the information Wi Sowol demanded was far more valuable than the silver.
Safe passage went without saying.
Huguang Province was crawling with ships.
"Aren't you pricing it too low?"
Ji Ho-san joked lightly.
"It was a simple surgery. And no special materials were used."
The Weird Physician had charged Mount Hua Sect one gold nyang partly because the material costs were high.
He fundamentally used high-purity alcohol, so his base fee was steep.
Wi Sowol charged high too when using her own alcohol.
But this time, the Hao Gate had provided it, so she excluded it.
The same went for the suturing.
Ji Ho-san's surgery was just opening the abdomen and cleaning the insides.
Of course, something no ordinary physician—not even surgeons—could do.
By Wi Sowol's standards, though, it truly was simple.
But Ji Ho-san didn't seem satisfied with that.
"I'll pre-deposit funds at headquarters in my name. Mention my name at any branch and prove you're seeking Zheng Pi-hwa's info—you can get it from that pot. If it exceeds, you'll pay extra."
"No need to refuse."
"Then we'll settle it that way. For the passage, I'll send a runner later."
With their original goal perfectly achieved, Hwang Bo-yun clenched his fist tightly.
He was so honest with his emotions.
'A puppy after all.'
He needed to learn to hide them better.
Anyway.
One thing remained.
"Fortunately, I can provide both pieces of information right here."
"Start with the first."
"Shaanxi. You might be disappointed, but it's mostly in a lull now. Both the orthodox martial world and the Seongheon Church have pulled back."
"Guangzheng Church."
Wi Sowol immediately corrected the name Ji Ho-san used.
And there was one sidelong glance at her doing so, but Wi Sowol was unaware.
"Right, Guangzheng Church. Since you're worried about your master, let me add: the Weird Physician is safe. Word is he clashed with the top disciple Blood Knight Fortress, but the Mount Hua Sect leader repelled them."
"And after that?"
"They seem to have headed to Hanjung. Tracks are vague after. By the way, Mount Hua Sect is clashing with Nether Luo Sect again. Their young lord Black Martial Dragon sent a challenge letter to Mount Hua—it's buzzing everywhere."
Knowing Wi Sowol's ties to those giant sects, Ji Ho-san grinned slyly as he tossed in extra info.
Of course, Wi Sowol let the part about Mok Ja-un pass without comment.
"Hanjung..."
"Heading to Sacheon, maybe?"
"Probably."
Once in Sacheon Province, safety would be assured.
It was a basin terrain, cut off from the outside.
The world inside was another realm entirely from the Central Plains.
Even the Guangzheng Church, which had infiltrated the Hui Church spreading through the Central Plains for an intel network, held no sway in Sacheon.
"Finally, about the one who operated on me first."
"Seop Un-mok."
"...You knew?"
"He wrote his name on your liver."
At Wi Sowol's bombshell, Ji Ho-san's eyes nearly popped out.
The Left Elder beside him forgot to breathe, choking and gasping.
"...That's shocking. I suspected, but on the liver... he's utterly mad!"
"So, what kind of guy is he?"
At Wi Sowol's wording, which revealed her displeasure, Ji Ho-san regained his composure and answered.
"He's from the Covenant Sword Society. Excluding the Chairman and Vice Chairman, they gathered the top eight and call them the Eight Covenant Origin Swords. This guy's newly ascended to that rank."
Being the latest change, it wasn't even in Hwang Bo-yun's Jianghu Figures lectures.
Covenant Origin Eight Swords: Seop Un-mok.
His nickname was none other than...
"The Dissection Sword Physician."
"What bullshit."
It was the first time Hwang Bo-yun heard Wi Sowol curse.
His face froze in shock, mouth agape.
How could Sowol say something like that? His expression screamed it.
But Wi Sowol had no time to mind Hwang Bo-yun.
"Where is that bastard now?"