So You Should Be Consistent, a Person. (1)
Swish—swish swish swish!
“Oh….”
Swish—swish swish swish swish!
Im So-byeong swallowed hard. Inside the cold iron cauldron, faintly tinged with blue light, a thick liquid of indescribably strange color bubbled and rolled.
And before it stood Chung Myung, the sound ringing out in a steady rhythm every time he stirred the pot. His expression was as indifferent as ever, but something was undeniably being made.
“Um….”
Im So-byeong, sneaking a glance at Chung Myung’s face, cautiously spoke up.
“How much longer do I have to keep this up…?”
“Water!”
“Yes!”
Im So-byeong shot off at a speed that made it hard to believe he was ill. Before long, he came running back with a bottle of water in his hands and skidded to a stop right in front of Chung Myung.
“Here it is!”
But the moment Chung Myung saw the bottle, his face twisted violently.
“Not that one! The cold one! Water with ice floating in it!”
“Huh? Ice water?”
Startled, Im So-byeong repeated the words reflexively. Chung Myung narrowed his eyes fiercely.
“What, you trying to ruin the pill or something? You don’t know how important this is?”
“N-no, of course not!”
“If the mix is off even a little, it’s completely fucked, right then and there! You don’t want me to cure your illness? Want me to dump the whole thing over?”
“O-of course not!”
“Run!”
“Yes!”
Im So-byeong bolted off again like a thunderclap.
A little while later, he returned drenched in sweat, and in his hand was indeed a bottle of water with ice floating in it.
“Oh? Where’d you find the ice?”
“I-I got it from the cave down below! I asked the Wudang folks and found the place!”
“That’s pretty far. And you got back quick. Give it here.”
“Here! Here you go.”
As Im So-byeong hurriedly held it out with great politeness, Chung Myung took it while stirring the cauldron with one hand.
Then, without hesitation, he lifted the bottle to his mouth.
Glug! Glug! Glug!
“…….”
“Krrrraaah! So refreshing!”
“…….”
The soul in Im So-byeong’s expectant face scattered like dust.
So you were drinking it… no, the sect leader was drinking it…?
I thought you were putting it into the medicine…
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Im So-byeong forcefully pressed down the tears welling at the corners of his eyes.
But Chung Myung’s demands did not stop there.
“Ah, I’m starving. I’m losing strength.”
“Should I bring you some sweets?”
“What, do you think I live on sweets every day?”
“……S-sorry….”
“And some cold noodles.”
“…….”
Im So-byeong’s cheeks began to twitch with deep-seated irritation.
“Why?”
“……Nothing.”
What else could he do? The man with the knife held the power.
The Honwon Dan Chung Myung was making now was practically the only way to cure his illness. The moment Chung Myung botched the refinement, Im So-byeong’s life would be ruined in a single blow.
So no matter how filthy and irritating it was, he had to endure it.
If this gets cured, I’m going to…
“Oops! My hand slipped….”
“Hiiiiiiik!”
At that moment, the cauldron tilted sharply to one side. Startled out of his wits, Im So-byeong threw himself forward and wrapped both arms around it.
“B-be careful!”
“Ah, must be because I’m hungry. My hand’s got no strength in it.”
“Grrr… J-just wait a moment! I’ll be right back!”
“No need to rush. Take your time.”
“You little son of a—”
“Hm?”
“……Nothing. I’ll be right back. Right this instant!”
Im So-byeong sprinted out again. Watching him go, the Mount Hua disciples all shook their heads.
“He’s gone and turned the Green Forest King into a servant.”
“……Yeah. The Green Forest King, no less.”
In front of Chung Myung’s claws, the lofty title of North Sea Ice Palace Lord, and the infamous name of the Green Forest King, meant nothing at all. At least, not to Chung Myung.
Watching him order around the Green Forest King like a lackey made the whole thing feel strangely surreal.
“Then why did he come to Mount Hua in the first place…?”
“Because his life’s hanging by a thread, isn’t it?”
“Sasuk, then choose between meeting Chung Myung or just dying.”
“……I’ll take dying.”
“Right?”
Everyone sighed, sympathizing with Im So-byeong’s plight.
Sunken eyes. Cracked lips. A face drained of color.
Im So-byeong sat down in front of the cauldron like a patient—no, like an even more wretched patient than usual.
Meanwhile, Chung Myung, who had been stirring the pot, looked glossy and well-fed, as though he’d been eating and drinking fine all along.
“Krrr, my throat’s dry again.”
“……Here it is.”
“Hm? You already had it ready?”
“……Yes. It’s the liquor the sect leader likes.”
The fundamental question of whether one was even allowed to chug alcohol while refining an elixir had long since vanished from Im So-byeong’s head. Asking that of Chung Myung was an utterly meaningless exercise.
When Chung Myung saw the bottle of liquor Im So-byeong offered, he puckered his lips.
“It’s gone cold. I like it refreshing.”
“……Wait a moment.”
With trembling hands, Im So-byeong gripped the bottle and poured cold qi into it.
Instantly frost gathered on the glass, and a thin layer of ice floated across the liquor.
“Here you go.”
“Krrr, convenient. So the Three Yin and a Quarter Severed Meridians really does let you handle cold qi however you want! Bet summer’s nice and cool for you. Lucky bastard.”
“…….”
With that lazy remark, Chung Myung snatched the bottle and shoved it to his mouth. His throat bobbed wildly with every gulp.
“Krrr! That’s the stuff! That’s it!”
Im So-byeong could only stare, his eyes growing even more hollow.
You should just be a bandit.
I’ll be the Taoist.
Did heaven have any sense of judgment at all? If it had, it would’ve made that bastard a bandit and Im So-byeong a Taoist.
What kind of person handled things like this?
“……Do you need anything else?”
“Hmm, what else is there?”
Chung Myung moved his hands as he fell into deep thought, and Im So-byeong’s eyes twitched.
Why…?
Why the hell was that damned elixir still nowhere near finished?
He’d been refining it for three days! Three days straight!
Thanks to that, he hadn’t slept a wink the entire time and had been stuck here running around doing every little thing for him!
“……Um, Chung Myung-sect leader.”
“Yeah?”
“Is it actually going to be finished…?”
“Hey, what’s with that?”
Unable to hold it in any longer, he asked—only for Chung Myung to glare at him and snap irritably.
“Rice has to cook before it becomes rice! You think yelling at it makes it turn into a meal? What, you’re a bandit so you’ve only ever eaten raw grain? You’ve got no patience at all!”
……What kind of rice boils for three days? At that point, it’d all have burned into mush.
And bandits do cook rice, you know….
Then Chung Myung shrugged and said, “Just wait a little longer. It’s almost done.”
“R-really?”
“Do I look like I’ve spent my whole life lying?”
“…….”
Tears welled in Im So-byeong’s eyes.
How did I end up like this…?
The bandit who had somehow managed to uphold benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, loyalty, filial piety, and all the rest of it, was now learning what life was from a Taoist who had never once practiced any of those things.
“Oooof!”
And then it happened.
Though he might cheat like breathing, he never lied—no, as if to prove he lied only very occasionally, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from the cauldron.
“Oh!”
At the same time, color rushed into Im So-byeong’s near-dead face.
The multicolored brilliance pouring out from within shifted at once into violet, and an exquisitely auspicious purple light flooded the entire room.
“It’s done!”
“Ooooooooh!”
Im So-byeong jumped to his feet. His gaze was locked on the violet medicinal liquid sloshing within the cauldron.
“I-is this the Honwon Dan?”
“It’s better than that.”
“Oh….”
Im So-byeong swallowed hard.
The claim that it was “better” was a little suspicious, but even to his eyes the liquid before him was no ordinary medicine.
This… is real.
Just how many miraculous medicines had he taken to cure his illness?
Among them were even medicines that money couldn’t buy, no matter how much gold one paid. Yet none of them had ever captivated him at a glance like this.
And that clear, penetrating fragrance—what was that?
Whether it was the Honwon Dan or not, this was unquestionably a rare heavenly medicine that would be nearly impossible to find, even if one searched the whole world.
“Oof.”
Then Chung Myung kicked the cauldron hard, sending it flying into the air.
“Hiiik! W-what the—!”
The thick medicine inside splashed upward. Unlike the startled Im So-byeong, who looked as though his heart had been ripped out, Chung Myung remained calm as he drew his sword and sliced the rising mass of medicine apart.
Slash!
In an instant, the mass was cut into hundreds of pieces, each of which curled into round pellets and pattered down to the floor.
It, it’s finally—!
At last, the elixir had taken the form of perfect pills and settled in neat rows on the floor. Im So-byeong stared at the sight without even remembering to breathe.
“Can I eat it now?”
“Yeah. It’s finished.”
“Th-thank you, sect leader!”
At long last, after a tearful ordeal of endurance, he had the medicine in hand. He immediately reached toward the finished product.
But at that very moment—
“Ah, no, not that one.”
“Huh?”
“That one’s over here.”
Im So-byeong quietly turned his eyes toward where Chung Myung pointed. A little apart from the neatly lined elixirs, several pills sat in a separate pile.
“……Those?”
“Yep.”
“No, why are those set apart?”
Chung Myung grinned.
“The others are just elixirs. Those are medicine.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Hey now! Even for patients with similar conditions, the prescription is different depending on the state of the body. You can’t use the same medicine on someone sick and someone healthy! That’s basic medical knowledge.”
“…….”
“Hehe. So I even used a separate little cauldron for this one. See how careful I am?”
“…….”
So that was why there had been two cauldrons.
Im So-byeong stared blankly at his own share of Jaso-dan, suspicion written all over his face.
“Um… sect leader?”
“Yeah?”
“This one looks a little paler in color.”
“That’s just your imagination.”
“……And the scent seems a little weaker too.”
“Sniff sniff. Sounds the same to me.”
“……Can’t I just take the other one?”
“You keep doubting me. Do you think I’ve spent my whole life being fooled?”
In the end, Im So-byeong’s eyes filled with tears.
There’s a difference between people you can trust and people you can’t.
How am I supposed to trust you? You… I’d honestly trust the Maninbang before I trust you….
All the while, Chung Myung swept the Jaso-dan he had made into a sack he’d brought from somewhere, moving so quickly it looked as though he meant to keep Im So-byeong from touching it again.
“You’re taking it right away, yeah?”
“…….”
“Hurry up and take it. I’ll guide the qi for you.”
Im So-byeong looked back and forth between the pill and the sack Chung Myung held out, his suspicion practically overflowing, and finally gave up with a resigned sigh.
“I-if I take this, the illness will really be cured, right?”
“Quit yapping and eat it already.”
“……I’ll trust you.”
With the face of a man who had completely surrendered, he sat down cross-legged on the spot. His whole body was taut with tension; his heartbeat pounded so hard he could hear it.
Please!
He promptly took the pill he’d received with a solemn face and tossed it into his mouth. Then, with his eyes closed, he began to guide the qi through his meridians.
“Move it the way I lead it.”
Im So-byeong, unable to speak, gave a small nod. Chung Myung placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly guided the qi for him.
Woooong!
Before long, a pure and clear energy burst from Im So-byeong’s body.
The Mount Hua disciples watching from a distance whispered in surprise.
“That’s not a scam?”
“No way, that can’t be right.”
“Shh. Be quiet. You’ll go into qi deviation.”
Woooong.
The slowly surging energy grew stronger and stronger as time passed. Its fierce momentum lifted Im So-byeong’s body a fraction of an inch off the floor.
The colorless, transparent qi gradually tinged itself with purple, and at the same time sweat began streaming down Im So-byeong’s entire body like rain.
“Hup!”
Even Chung Myung, oddly enough, wore a serious face as he concentrated fully on guiding the qi.
Kwaaaaah!
Suddenly, pure white cold qi poured out of Im So-byeong’s body like an avalanche, mingling with the violet energy as the two swirled together.
“Oh!”
“T-that!”
The yin energy that had been gnawing away at his insides was finally being expelled from his body.
Kwaaaaaaaaah!
The violent energies slowly began to settle, and soon they flowed like a mighty river, coiling around Im So-byeong’s body before gradually being drawn back inside.
“Done.”
Chung Myung let out a small breath, removed his hand from Im So-byeong’s shoulder, and stepped back.
Now the only sound inside the hall was Im So-byeong’s low breathing.
A moment later.
After finishing the circulation of his energy, Im So-byeong snapped his eyes open. Brilliant light burst forth from them.
He looked quietly around him, then slowly rose to his feet.
“Wow….”
“Oh….”
The Mount Hua disciples watching him all gasped without realizing it.
His presence was clearly different from before. He wasn’t radiating power recklessly, but the weight and presence he gave off were unmistakably changed.
Above all, the face that had always been drained and sickly now held vitality and color.
“……Indeed.”
A confident smile curved at the corner of Im So-byeong’s mouth.
“So they said it was a heavenly medicine. That was no exaggeration. I offer my utmost gratitude to Mount Hua.”
“……Huh?”
His way of speaking had changed a bit.
Chung Myung tilted his head slightly and asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m full of vitality. My energy flows without interruption. The vile yin qi that had been blocking my chest has almost completely vanished! Truly, this is Yakseon’s Honwon Dan. Its worth is beyond measure!”
Chung Myung’s face soured a little as he narrowed his eyes.
“Your way of talking changed way too much.”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry, sect leader! I’m not some shameless wretch who doesn’t know gratitude. I shall regard Mount Hua as my benefactor and keep proper decorum! Wahahahahahaha! Hah! Ha—ugh… cough! Hm?”
Im So-byeong’s confident expression stiffened slightly, then suddenly warped with unmistakable alarm.
“Cough! Why is this…? Cough! Ugh, hahh, cough! N-no! Cough!”
Clutching his waist and doubling over, he spat out a stream of blood. He could not even think to wipe it away, and instead stared back at Chung Myung in utter bewilderment.
Chung Myung scratched the back of his head with a rather awkward look.
“Well, the problem is, you did get better, but….”
Then he clicked his tongue.
“Now it’s about a one-yin severed meridian.”
“……Wow. Full recovery?”
“Don’t worry. Treatment’s never something that ends in one shot, right? Eat it two or three more times and you’ll be clean.”
“…….”
Im So-byeong could not speak for a long while. He simply stared back and forth between Chung Myung’s face and the Jaso-dan in his hand before finally regaining enough sense to ask,
“Naturally….”
“Yep.”
“I’ll have to pay separately for the rest…?”
“Yep.”
“Heh. Of course.”
Im So-byeong smiled serenely.
“You bastard.”
Thud.
Seeing Im So-byeong faint with a face mixed equally of happiness and despair, Chung Myung smiled in satisfaction. Then he jerked his chin at the Mount Hua disciples.
“Throw him in a storeroom or something.”
“……Okay.”
“See? A person should be consistent, damn it. Tsk.”
Watching Jo Gul carry Im So-byeong away, Baek Cheon let out a long sigh.
Yes, Chung Myung.
You really are consistent.
You’re so consistent it’s the problem….
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