What, You Think Anything in This World Is Free? (2)
"COUGH! COUGH! Aahhh!"
Im So-byeong wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and let out a strained groan as he tipped his head back toward the sky.
...Is it going to rain?
For a master still so young—more than that, the leader of an entire sect—to be able to sense the weather in his bones ahead of time was nonsense.
And yet, what could he do? It was true.
Im So-byeong kneaded the numbing tips of his fingers hard.
Damn that Severed Meridians.
Lately, the symptoms felt as if they were getting worse by the day. The yin energy within his body had grown so strong that even learning martial arts had become a serious problem.
Bang.
Just then, the door was shoved open with brutal force. It was Beon Chung, carrying a medicine bowl.
"It's time for your medicine."
"This useless, cou—cough! Medicine! Cough!"
"You still need to take it."
"Ugh."
Looking like a man being led to his execution, Im So-byeong took the bowl. Taking it faithfully wouldn't cure his Severed Meridians, but it did ease the symptoms a little, so he couldn't refuse it outright.
"Besides, this was prescribed by a renowned physician."
"Haa, right. That's true."
It had cost tens of thousands of nyang to find medicine that had even this tiny, ant-fart level of effect, and the annual cost of the pills alone ran over one hundred thousand nyang.
With his face twisted in disgust, Im So-byeong gulped the medicine down.
Thud!
He set the empty bowl down as if throwing it away, then slowly leaned back into a chair upholstered in tiger hide.
"Still no word from Mount Hua?"
"Yes."
"...They're late."
As Im So-byeong let out a pained groan, Na Gok of the Green Forest Ten Shadows carefully spoke up.
"Could those bastards have taken the goods and run?"
"Th-that..."
"You little bastard?!"
Just as Im So-byeong was about to open his mouth, Beon Chung suddenly blazed with anger, fire practically spitting from his eyes as he roared like thunder.
"How dare you spout such nonsense! Are you saying Brother would cheat people like some lowlife swindler? Get over here! I'll rip that filthy mouth of yours apart right now!"
Na Gok, startled as if he'd been cursed by someone's parents, stumbled backward in alarm.
"...Why does that man act like that?"
"If you ask, it'll only give you a headache."
Im So-byeong sighed and sighed again.
One idiot after another.
He couldn't trust a single one of them. Not one.
This was exactly when he needed to be in perfect condition, and yet his body worsened with every passing day. What a miserable joke was that?
"...Still, they're righteous sect types in name. They wouldn't so easily break a promise they made with their own mouths."
"I heard they looked like bandits..."
"...."
"I also heard they looked like con artists."
At the follow-up, Im So-byeong turned to Na Gok with a face like his soul had already left his body. Na Gok tilted his head.
"Am I wrong?"
"...You're not wrong, so that's the problem."
Im So-byeong let out another heavy sigh, feeling his insides knot up.
"Anyway, they wouldn't go to war with the Green Forest just for one spirit pill. So by now they should be arriving soon..."
That was when it happened.
"Green Forest King!"
A booming voice came from outside, and then the door was flung open.
"...If you're going to do that, just leave it open."
These bandit bastards had no concept at all of asking permission before opening a door. For someone as refined and delicate as Im So-byeong, this fortress was a rough, barren place to live.
The one who rushed inside in a panic was Heuk Ya-ho.
"A letter has arrived from Mount Hua!"
"Oh?"
Im So-byeong's eyes widened, and he shot to his feet.
"They've come!"
A letter? That wasn't what he'd expected, but whatever the method, it was still a good thing, wasn't it?
"Fine. What came with the letter?"
"...Pardon?"
When Heuk Ya-ho tilted his head, Im So-byeong's brow shot down sharply.
"Was there nothing else with it? A wooden box, perhaps?"
"No."
"...Nothing?"
"No."
"Nothing at all?"
"Yes."
"...Cough."
"...."
After a violent shudder, Im So-byeong asked in a slightly distorted voice,
"There wasn't something bulging inside the letter or anything?"
"It's perfectly flat."
"...Bring it here."
"Yes."
Heuk Ya-ho respectfully presented the letter he was holding.
With a sour expression, Im So-byeong tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter inside.
"...."
At the same time, his eyes and mouth flew wide open.
"Ughh...."
He clutched his chest and lurched to the side.
"Green Forest King!"
"Call a physician! Right now!"
"W-water... Physician or no physician, water... Hurry!"
"Yes! Here!"
Heuk Ya-ho hurriedly grabbed a water bottle and handed it over. Im So-byeong snatched it up and gulped the water down in huge swallows.
"Khaaaack! Cough! Aaaagh!"
Then, apparently choking, he coughed violently and sprayed the water back out.
At this rate, he might actually die.
Heuk Ya-ho picked up the letter that had fallen to the floor.
What on earth did it say...
His eyes widened just like Im So-byeong's had.
I'm going up north to get the materials for the Honwon Dan, so wait a bit.
Oh, and if you make a mess while I'm gone, that'll be hilarious.
"W-what the hell is this...."
Heuk Ya-ho gaped, unable to continue.
"...T-that crazy bastard...."
"Cough! Cough! Kuhak, keugh-atch!"
Im So-byeong coughed as if he were about to hack up a lung. Finally, when blood began spurting from his mouth, the Green Forest Ten Shadows rushed toward him in alarm.
"My lord!"
"Are you all right?"
Im So-byeong looked at them with tearful eyes.
"I bit my tongue."
"...."
"...."
"But... that crazy bastard...."
He stared at the letter with a hollow look on his face.
Up north? What kind of nonsense was that? What about the Honwon Dan he said he would bring?
"This is not something we can just let slide! We must go to Mount Hua at once and demand an explanation!"
Na Gok's face turned crimson as he roared. But Beon Chung and Heuk Ya-ho, who should have been backing him up, only stood there blankly.
Na Gok pressed on without giving an inch.
"The Green Forest King himself should cut down the neck of that insolent brat called whatever-his-name-is, Chung Myung, and make him pay for daring to toy with the Green Forest—"
"You."
"Yes?"
Im So-byeong beckoned him over with a tired face.
"Come here. Over here."
"Yes?"
Na Gok tilted his head and stepped forward.
The next instant—
Thwack!
"Kyak!"
Im So-byeong kicked Na Gok square in the shin. And not satisfied with that, he began hammering the fallen man with both hands.
"What? Cut off his head himself? That bastard, I knew there was something damn suspicious about the way he was eyeing my position—who are you planning to kill?! You want me to come back with my head lopped off, don't you? You bandit bastard!"
"Agh! Aaagh! That's not what I meant! I—Aaaagh!"
"Die! Die!"
As Im So-byeong furiously pummeled Na Gok, Beon Chung sidled over and tried to calm him down.
"At this rate, he'll really die. Please, calm yourself."
"You die from this?"
"No. You, my lord."
"...."
Still panting, Im So-byeong seemed to accept that, straightened his back, and caught his breath.
"...Lock that bastard in the shed and starve him for three days."
"Yes."
Na Gok, who had been beaten senseless and now faced imprisonment as well, staggered out sobbing. With a dry cough, Im So-byeong sat back down and let out a long sigh.
"...That Taoist really does have a talent for turning people's insides inside out."
"What will you do?"
"Tsk."
Taking up the letter again, Im So-byeong stared at the handwriting for a long moment before burning it to ash with Samadhi True Fire.
"That slippery bastard wouldn't go up north without a reason. There must be some purpose behind it. If he told us to wait, then waiting is all we can do."
"Are you sure?"
"...What, am I supposed to go chase him all the way to the North Sea?"
"...."
"Ugh. He's someone who sees the big picture. There must be a reason! Of course there is! There has to be a reason!"
Beon Chung looked at his lord's bloodshot eyes and somehow couldn't shake the feeling that Brother had once again managed to play him for a sucker.
How unfortunate.
"Hey."
"What is it?"
"My ears keep itching. Is somebody talking trash about me again?"
"...That's strange. If that were true, your ears should be itching all day long."
"...."
Just as Chung Myung was about to roll his eyes, a flurry of voices rang out from the front.
"Martial Uncle!"
Baek Cheon's head snapped around.
The person lying on the bed, eyes shut weakly all this time, had begun to flutter their lashes and open them.
"H-he's waking up!"
Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Hye Yeon all stared at the child regaining consciousness with tense faces.
The child opened their eyes, stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment as though trying to find focus, then weakly said,
"...Mom."
"Yes! Are you feeling a little better?"
"I'm hungry."
The mother, who had waited so desperately to hear even those two words, burst into tears and clutched the child tightly.
Baek Cheon finally let out a breath of relief.
"The condition is improving. It really is."
"What a relief, Martial Uncle!"
"Amitabha. It is all thanks to the Buddha's virtue."
But Chung Myung, standing behind them, narrowed his eyes.
"Soso found the illness, and I went and caught the fish, so what the hell did the Buddha do that you're thanking him? If anything, you should be thanking Grand Supreme Elder Lord!"
"...Benefactor."
"Yeah?"
"Are you not afraid of hell?"
"Hell my ass."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and snorted. The patients were one by one beginning to sit up. It had only been a day since they were given raw food, but just as Dang Soso had said, they were improving dramatically.
"We've made porridge!"
"Cool it before you give it to the patients! If they eat too fast, it could upset their stomachs, so take it slow!"
"Yes, Physician!"
Seeing the patients regain consciousness with their own eyes, the villagers had reached the point where they looked ready to leap into a fire if Dang Soso asked them to.
And why wouldn't they?
From their perspective, she was a physician who had cured in just a few days a monstrous illness that no one else had been able to treat no matter what they tried. It would have been stranger not to trust her.
"Soso. So now we just keep feeding them raw food? No other treatment is needed?"
"Yes, Martial Uncle. But they're all terribly malnourished overall, so we need more food."
"...The grain we brought is starting to run out."
"Anything they can eat will do. If possible, it'd be good to give them a little more fish..."
"Hiiik! Amitabha! Amitabha! Namu Amita Bul!"
Seeing Hye Yeon suddenly panic, Dang Soso tilted her head in confusion.
"Why is the monk acting like that all of a sudden?"
"...There are some things in this world it's better not to know."
Baek Cheon had no intention of teaching the youngest disciple something so horrifying.
"But it's really amazing, isn't it? That it could be solved so simply..."
"If it had been before, they wouldn't have gotten sick at all."
"Hm?"
Dang Soso's face hardened slightly with anger.
"Like I heard from an elder before, these people would normally have gone fishing in winter and eaten fresh food. But the recent situation up north kept them from going outside."
"Hmm."
"That's why those who govern a region always need to think and think again. You never know how even a small action of theirs will affect the common people living there."
Dang Soso was the daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family, a house that was almost as good as ruler of Chengdu. It couldn't compare to the Ice Palace in the North Sea, but the Tang Family likewise had great influence over the people of Chengdu.
So she would not look kindly on this situation.
Bang!
Just then, the door was shoved open roughly, and the village chief from before came rushing in, nearly out of breath. The way his cane trembled in his hand made it clear how deeply shaken he was.
"Ah...."
After confirming that the patients had regained consciousness, the old man's hands shook violently. Then he turned to Dang Soso and, without warning, seized her hands. His gaunt shoulders trembled, and a half-sob escaped him.
"Thank you.... Truly... thank you."
The disciples of Mount Hua couldn't say a word. Until now the village chief had treated them poorly, but this single gesture showed how tightly wound he had been all along.
"I don't know how we can ever repay this kindness...."
Seeing the faint sheen of tears in the old man's eyes, Dang Soso gave an awkward smile.
"I only did what I should have, Village Chief."
"No. How could this be something so ordinary?"
The chief bit his lip hard.
"You could have left without saying anything, and no one would have blamed you. But you persuaded us to let you treat the illness, and you even gave us grain to help us through this harsh North Sea.... I don't even know how to express my gratitude. Truly... truly, thank you."
When Dang Soso tried to find something to say in reply, Chung Myung, standing beside her, smiled with obvious satisfaction and answered for her.
"No problem. We just did what any Mount Hua Taoist ought to do."
"What, that brat?"
"What did he even do?"
Baek Cheon and the others glared from behind, but Chung Myung didn't so much as breathe in their direction.
"Just remember that the Taoists of Mount Hua did everything they could for this village."
"Ev-even Shaolin too..."
"What are you talking about? You didn't do a damn thing."
Hye Yeon drooped his head. Yoon Jong gently patted his shoulder.
"We know, Monk. Please don't be too disappointed."
"...."
The village chief bowed his head again and again, looking unbearably grateful. Then he asked carefully,
"Then... does that mean everyone is cured now?"
"They're a bit undernourished, but they'll all recover in no time."
Dang Soso carefully explained the cause of the disease and how it had spread. After hearing everything, the village chief let out a sorrowful sigh.
"...So that was it."
Given how dire the situation had been, they had kept everyone from going outside—but who could have imagined that would be what caused an epidemic?
"So it was my fault...."
"Don't blame yourself. Village Chief, you did the best you could. The problem isn't you—it's the Ice Palace."
At the word "Ice Palace," fear flickered at once in the old man's wrinkled face.
Watching the chief silently, Chung Myung's lips curled slightly upward.
"All right, then. Time to collect payment."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
The disciples of Mount Hua whipped their heads toward him in alarm.
"Payment? You're going to take compensation?"
"Of course! Where in the world is anything free?"
"...."
He wasn't wrong, of course. But it was not exactly the sort of thing to say in a situation like this.
Baek Cheon was about to scold him when the village chief bent low and said,
"If we receive help, repaying that kindness is only human duty. But... as you can see, we are not exactly well off, so all I can do is apologize."
"Hey, don't worry about that. We're not here for money."
"Pardon?"
"We're rich, so money's fine."
Chung Myung stuck his belly out and grinned broadly.
For some reason, Baek Cheon suddenly had an overwhelming urge to stab that puffed-out stomach and deflate it.
"Then what should we give you...?"
The old man asked, looking slightly flustered. Chung Myung laughed as if delighted and said,
"Village Chief."
"Yes."
"How about we sit down with a warm cup of tea and have a little talk?"
Chung Myung's eyes grew faintly cold.
"About what the hell has been going on here."