Off to Hakgyeong: Patients, Birds, and a Spicy Hypothesis
"My legs hurt too, but is there blood coming from my ears?"
"Pardon? Silver Peak Manor in Hakgyeong?"
Cho Hyang blurted out in surprise, asking again. Was the question too out of left field?
Well, she's not even connected to Silver Peak Manor herself. How would she know if they'd make the equipment or not?
After a moment of thought, Cho Hyang finally spoke up.
"I've heard the master craftsmen at Silver Peak Manor are the best in Hakgyeong. Why? Hakgyeong's famous for its silverwork, right? If they're the top there, they could probably do it."
Oh, really? So Silver Peak Manor was that good. Music to my ears.
"Sounds good. Guess I should pay them a visit soon. Even just having those tools listed would make treatments so much smoother."
"Um, Doctor? Do you know how long it takes to get to Hakgyeong?"
"No idea. I've never been."
"Knew it. It's a full two days—two days! It's not like popping over to the town."
"Two days on your legs, right? I've got lightness skill."
"Doctor, I'm pretty fast on my feet too, you know? What's the point of lightness skill if you don't even know the way?"
Cho Hyang never backed down, not even an inch. Nothing came to mind to shatter her undefeated streak.
Truth is, I'm clueless about the geography around here in Yunnan. Makes sense—since possessing this body, I haven't left Namgye Village once.
"Anyway, sounds like I'll have to leave the clinic empty for quite a while."
One way took two days, so round trip was four.
Factor in time waiting for Silver Peak Manor to make the stuff, and generously, I'd be away from Namgye Clinic for ten days.
In the modern world, I'd just post a clinic closure notice ahead of time. But this was Namgye Village. The only doctor around was me, so vanishing without a plan would be trouble.
"Gotta sort out a bunch of things. It'll take some time."
"Obviously! I nearly jumped out of my skin when you said you were heading straight to Hakgyeong."
From that day on, I methodically prepared for the trip to Hakgyeong. Starting with patients who needed regular check-ups.
"Jeon Sam, the needle site looks pretty well healed. You don't need to come every day anymore."
"That's a relief. How often should I come now?"
"I'll give you a fortnight's worth of meds. Come back after that."
"A whole fortnight?"
"I'll be away for a bit. Heading to Hakgyeong."
"All the way to Hakgyeong? That's a long haul…."
Jeon Sam with his alcoholic cirrhosis was responding well to treatment, so I gave him extra meds leisurely.
"Whoa, this Golden Injury Ointment really works. It's almost healed."
"Haha, that's thanks to your fine stitching, Doctor."
I didn't forget about woodcutter Yang Su either. I'd been uneasy and checked the sutured site daily, but thankfully no signs of infection.
Whether it was the ointment's effect or Yang Su being one tough guy, the wound had healed decently in just four days. What a relief.
"I can take the stitches out today. Hold still."
"Urk! Ack! Why no acupuncture this time?"
"Anesthesia for stitch removal? Don't be such a baby."
I pulled the stitches and checked the site again. Tsk, a bit bumpy.
"Gonna scar pretty bad. Sorry about that."
"Nah, as long as it heals clean!"
Yang Su seemed satisfied, but... in a modern university hospital, that'd be a complaint waiting to happen. Reason number one to get proper suturing needles ASAP.
"At least it's on your thigh, so it won't show. Next time something like this happens, I'll do better. I'm stepping away from the clinic for a bit—don't go rubbing dirt in it, okay?"
"Nag, nag. Like a wife. Got it, got it."
I spent the next while in a frenzy. I stocked up regular patients with extra meds ahead of time and tended to any emergencies that came up.
After handling big and small tasks one by one, the day of departure for Hakgyeong finally dawned.
"Doctor Hong. Heading all the way to Hakgyeong? We're going to the town ourselves, so ride with us."
"Doctor's coming along today? Come on in."
"Gye-hwa's pack looks heavy—Doctor, mind helping? Haha!"
Departure day morning, I was mixed in with a group of five or six.
Wouldn't you know it—today was market day in town. So up to Heukhyang Town, Namgye Village's local market, I traveled with the villagers.
"Doctor, got all your stuff? Shall we head out?"
Cho Hyang stood at the front of the group, buzzing with excitement. She'd be my guide for the long haul to Hakgyeong.
"You don't know the roads, and you're no good with Hakgyeong's layout. Someone's gotta go with you, right?"
She'd volunteered herself. Admirable dedication from an employee volunteering for a business trip. But what had she been yapping about these past few days?
"Uncle, I'm going to Hakgyeong this time! They say the noodles called Overbridge Noodles are famous!"
"Hakgyeong market has this food called Milk Fan! Super soft and nutty, they say!"
"Granny! Hakgyeong market day has White Theater performances! Ever seen one? I haven't. Can't wait!"
Hmm. Her real motive for tagging along was crystal clear. But I needed a guide anyway, so no complaints here.
"Looks like everyone's here. Let's roll out."
With the village head's words, we left Namgye Village. I figured it'd feel routine, but surprisingly, it stirred new emotions. First outing in Hong Yak's body, after all.
"Doctor, first time to Heukhyang Town?"
Gye-hwa from Song Manor struck up a chat.
"Yeah, embarrassing as it is, I've never had reason to leave the village."
"Oh my. So you've never even been to market?"
"Ahem, I've always handled the Doctor's shopping for him!"
Cho Hyang, who'd been listening, straightened up proudly. Annoying as her smug look was... she had been handling my market runs gratefully.
"Feel kinda bad about that. From now on, I'll tag along on market days."
"Huh? Then I can't skim the change."
Sudden confession of employee embezzlement. As I pondered how to respond, Gye-hwa cut in.
"Heukhyang Town's a good three shi away. Nice to have a fresh face in the usual crowd."
"Happy to be welcomed. What are you shopping for, Gye-hwa?"
"Running Song Manor, so mostly ingredients. You're going to Hakgyeong? Swing by again on your way back."
We kept walking, chatting amiably with the villagers.
Three shi was six hours—half a day. Brutal for a frail modern guy, but these medieval folk took it in stride. No one showed fatigue.
I wasn't bored either.
"Hey, Cho Hyang, hear that sound?"
"Huh? Oh, that laugh—I've heard it before."
"White-browed laughingthrush. That laughing cry is its signature. They flock, so if you spot one, others are nearby…."
White-browed laughingthrush. Korean name for the white-browed scimitar babbler or similar, but anyway.
Seen it once around Namgye Village, but luck was with me today.
Like that, I spotted birds I rarely saw, chatted with folks, and enjoyed the rare outing.
Before I knew it, three shi had flown by.
"Whoa, almost at Heukhyang Town... Huh?"
"Shh, Cho Hyang, see that?"
"Yeah...? What now...?"
"Pretty, right? Any guess what bird it is?"
"No clue…."
"Thought so. Also called long-tailed ribbon bird. Wanna guess male or female? ...No idea? You can tell by the tail. Males have tails three times body length…."
Cho Hyang went silent as a monk in meditation. Weird. She'd been chatty at the start of the trip.
Long-tailed ribbon bird—long-tailed broadbill. Lukewarm reaction even to that.
Was she tired already? A herb-gathering girl shouldn't tire this fast.
We had two days to Hakgyeong. The road ahead worried me.
We reached Heukhyang Town around lunchtime.
Huts lined the riverbanks, with a huge market in between….
Wow, hundreds of people? Everyone from nearby mountains must've come.
Merchants with stalls under tents, ladies clutching chickens, the smell of grilling meat wafting from somewhere.
A vibrant scene unimaginable in Namgye Village. Modern equivalent: rural flea market. But hey, all relative. Bustling with life, anyway.
After lunch at an inn with the villagers, Cho Hyang and I stood.
They had business at Heukhyang market; we were bound for Hakgyeong.
Time to part ways.
"Yeah, sis Gye-hwa. Now that you mention it, he is kinda weird? Nah, he's not usually that bad.... Yeah, he talks a ton. Anyway, see you later, sis!"
After Cho Hyang bid the villagers farewell, we kept walking.
"Next stop?"
"Sacheon. Decent-sized town. From there to Hakgyeong is another full day."
"Gotta overnight there then. Make it before sundown?"
"If we hustle!"
Best part of a navigator? Just follow without thinking.
Of course, navigators err too, so stay alert—but on unfamiliar roads, what could I do?
So I trailed Cho Hyang brainlessly.
At some point, she stopped answering. Walking must've worn her out.
Me? Fine as ever. Martial arts training paying off?
When tired, liven the mood—that's the way. As a mood genius, I gave it my all.
"Pines and oaks alternating. Altitude's rising. Different elevation means different birds, and this reddish soil…."
I pep-talked Cho Hyang hard as we walked. Up hills, down, crossed streams, clutched ropes through narrow valleys.
As the sun nearly dipped behind the peaks, we barely made it to Sacheon's inn.
"Whew, thought I was gonna die!"
Cho Hyang slumped at the inn table with a sigh.
"Told ya. Walking's tough, huh?"
"No, the walking was fine.... Never mind."
"Good work. Let's eat up. What'll you have?"
"Anything but spicy! Of the stuff here…."
Food talk revived her.
As Cho Hyang picked dinner, I pondered. My legs felt fresh—no soreness.
From treating murim folk, I'd noticed: martial artists rarely get symptoms. Thanks to inner power flowing through meridians from their cultivation methods.
Meridians exist in non-martial artists too.
Inner power comes from nature anyway. Normals take in vital qi through breath and circulate it naturally.
Just no dantian or breathing techniques to gather it. So even normals have inner power flowing faintly… which means….
"Doctor, I picked! Grilled tofu and wild mushroom soup?"
"Nice choices. Pricey, though."
"When else to splurge? Not like I'm paying."
"...So it's on me, huh? Fine. So, why no spice?"
"Huh? Burns my stomach. I'd eat it daily otherwise, but even a little later and my gut… urgh."
"Stomach burn keeps you from it, eh…."
A hypothesis dawned.
"Cho Hyang."
"Yeah?"
"What if there's a way to eat spicy without the burn…."
One way to test it.
"Wanna try some spicy food?"
Experiment time.