Practicing Medicine (1)
The opportunity for enlightenment arrived without warning.
Unfortunately, Seok Geum-ryong failed to seize that chance and break through to the Zenith Realm, but he did not let it slip away entirely.
As a result, he accomplished the miracle of advancing toward the peak of the Super First-class realm, and with that, the attainments of the various martial arts he had learned naturally deepened as well.
His acupuncture, too, rose with it. Enough that the Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Gwang-rae, once said:
There are many kinds of geniuses in this world.
Some are born with gifted bones and sinews, like those spoken of in the Heavenly Martial Body and the like; some are strategists defined by intelligence and perception despite ordinary physiques; and some are talents of medicine, optimized not for killing people, but for saving them.
But you, Seok Geum-ryong, are the finest talent of all, the one who gathers every one of those gifts and completes them in perfect harmony.
Do you know the greatest strength of your talent?
It is your mental strength. A spirit that never bows, even when it meets an obstacle.
He praised him that highly.
In truth, when it came to studying medicine, Seok Geum-ryong never knew how to quit, no matter how difficult or obstructive a problem became.
No, he did not merely persist. He would keep at it for a day, or seven days and nights, until the problem made sense to him and a solution emerged.
There’s a reason for that. I’m desperate.
At his master’s extravagant praise, Seok Geum-ryong quietly thought that to himself.
The reason his mental strength shone so brightly was desperation.
Within a year, his thirteenth birthday would be upon him.
That meant whether he could save Gong Sang-pil, the Scholar in Blue, would depend on how far his medical skill had progressed.
Moreover, Seok Geum-ryong had died once already.
As the one and only being to have experienced death, he could not afford to waste the chance at this life.
“You have now learned most of my medical arts, including the Heaven-Returning Golden Needle Technique. What remains now is... practical experience.”
When Seok Geum-ryong’s twelfth birthday had fully passed, Yeo Gwang-rae made that declaration.
Medicine that never met the real world was nothing more than dead knowledge.
Only by actually treating patients based on that knowledge could one’s medical skill truly flourish and grow.
“From now on, you will accompany me in caring for and treating patients in the poor villages of Hebei.”
“Yes. I will follow gladly.”
Seok Geum-ryong traveled through the impoverished villages of Hebei with the Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Gwang-rae, to hone his acupuncture and practice medicine in the field.
Of course, he never forgot to continue training in swordsmanship and other martial arts in the meantime.
Time was all he had in excess, and even without any foundation of support, he was worshipped in those poor villages as the saintly young master, earning absolute support. No one could openly target him.
Above all, with the Golden Needle Venerable guarding him at his side, not to mention the Shadowless One, Shin Dan-woo, it was no exaggeration to say that he was perfectly safe for the time being.
“Then let us begin with the real thing.”
* * *
Thus, starting from the age of twelve, Seok Geum-ryong began tending to the patients of the poor villages in Hebei.
Looking back, the time had flown by, yet those days had never been light.
No matter how perfect a genius Seok Geum-ryong might be, how could he possibly avoid frustration?
At times he was discouraged, and at times he shed tears at the sight of the poor common folk he had failed to save.
“Do not be discouraged. A physician grows by the number of patients who die in his arms.”
Whenever Seok Geum-ryong faltered, the one who gave him courage was, of course, Yeo Gwang-rae.
As Seok Geum-ryong learned medicine, he came to understand life and death, and the divide between them, in all their harsh clarity. He found himself grateful that he had taken Yeo Gwang-rae as his teacher.
If not for the Golden Needle Venerable, I would never have grown as a physician, as a martial artist, or even as a human being.
To that extent, Yeo Gwang-rae had become a steadfast presence in Seok Geum-ryong’s life.
Their relationship grew noticeably closer, and in the end Seok Geum-ryong even made a proposal.
“Physician. Once the treatment of the patients in the poor villages of Hebei is finished, will you leave again?”
“I will.”
“Then rather than that... would you consider spending your later years at our manor?”
“No. I have no desire to grow old and die in the manor of some wealthy merchant.”
Yeo Gwang-rae was very fond of Seok Geum-ryong, but he refused to become a mere appendage of Seokga Manor.
It was a natural response from a man who had always preferred the rough and dirty realities of the field.
“My manor is not wealthy, and it hardly resembles a merchant’s manor.”
“What?”
“What I truly mean by wealth and commerce is something that lets one communicate with the people around them and care for the poor. It may be impertinent of me to say so, but unfortunately, Seokga Manor is far from that ideal at present. So I dare to...”
Only belatedly, Seok Geum-ryong laid bare his true intentions before Yeo Gwang-rae.
“Though I have no support base of my own, I intend to try becoming the head of the clan.”
“...!!”
At that tremendous ambition, Yeo Gwang-rae could not help but be astonished.
Becoming the head of Seokga Manor, one of the richest clans in the martial world, was as difficult and arduous as becoming an elder of one of the Nine Great Sects.
And as Seok Geum-ryong had said, he had no support, no proper maternal family, and no real backing.
And yet, strangely, there was conviction in his words.
“So?”
“Therefore, I would like you to help me, Physician. At present, I can barely manage to protect my own life, much less the lives of my subordinates.”
“Good heavens!”
At the words that Seok Geum-ryong’s life was in danger, Yeo Gwang-rae forgot even his dignity and jumped to his feet in real alarm.
He had raised this disciple with care, teaching him only the best and finest things until this bright and gifted boy had absorbed them all. He could not bear to lose him to some meaningless death at such a young age.
“As you know, the struggle for succession can be vicious at times, and at other times just as filthy a contest.”
“Yes, yes. I understand!”
Yeo Gwang-rae made his decision on the spot.
“Pardon?”
“I will come into your manor.”
How could he lose the disciple he had obtained only after so much effort? He absolutely could not.
“R-Really?”
Seok Geum-ryong turned in surprise when the Golden Needle Venerable, whom he had assumed would be stubborn to the end, agreed so readily.
“Of course it’s real.”
And so Yeo Gwang-rae resolved himself.
Even if I must trade this old body for you, I will save you.
Thus, the Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Gwang-rae, joined Seok Geum-ryong’s manor, and the arrival of this peak master brought great fortune and prosperity.
Not only did he possess formidable martial skill, but as a physician he also held overwhelming fame and authority. No one could treat him carelessly.
With this, I’m practically free from the threat of assassins.
With the Shadowless One, Shin Dan-woo, and the Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Gwang-rae, watching over the manor with sharp eyes, it would take at least a Transcendence Realm expert to break through them.
And to summon a Transcendence Realm expert just to kill the current Seok Geum-ryong was not a cost-effective proposition.
“Good. I will be with you, so stop worrying and devote yourself to practical medicine.”
“Yes, Physician.”
With his troubles completely resolved, Seok Geum-ryong and Yeo Gwang-rae continued their medical service.
As a result, the humble and insignificant people of Hebei received quality treatment without a single exception and were saved.
As he practiced medicine in the right places, unexpected things also began to happen.
“Young master! Young master Seok Geum-ryong!”
One day, after Seok Geum-ryong had returned to his manor with the Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Gwang-rae, the servants Deung Chon and Jang Sam came running in a panic, calling for him.
What’s happened now?
At their frantic cries, Seok Geum-ryong’s first thought was worry, but this was far from calamity.
On the contrary, it was the opposite.
“What is it?”
When Seok Geum-ryong stepped forward and asked, Deung Chon and Jang Sam, looking somewhat frightened, answered.
“It is... nothing else, but...”
“An official under the Hebei governor has visited the manor.”
“What?”
At those words, even Seok Geum-ryong, who rarely acted rashly, and Gong Sang-pil, the Scholar in Blue, turned pale and looked at each other in shock.
An official came looking for us?
Seok Geum-ryong could not make sense of it at all.
Of course, it was not as though the Hebei governor and Seokga Manor never communicated or exchanged visits.
Since Seokga Manor accounted for such a huge share of Hebei’s influence, there had been contact from time to time.
But this was the first time they had come specifically to Seok Geum-ryong’s humble manor.
“For now... receive them with due respect.”
Seeing that even Gong Sang-pil was flustered, Seok Geum-ryong calmed them both and changed out of his training clothes into a neat formal robe.
When he went outside, there was no mistaking it.
Several officials stood in a line, accompanied by the blue banner that symbolized Hebei.
“I am Yoo Ji-myeong, a worthy scholar sent to deliver Lord Hebei’s message in his stead. I will now convey the governor’s words, so prepare yourselves to receive them with reverence.”
“Understood.”
The governor’s proxy was, in effect, the governor himself.
Having come to speak in his stead, they had to be treated with the utmost sincerity.
Accordingly, Seok Geum-ryong listened with a formal and respectful bearing.
“To Seok Geum-ryong, the fifth son of Seokga Manor, I speak. You were born of the bloodline of a vast and wealthy house, yet you have cherished and tended the lives of the poor and lowly, becoming a fine model for all of Hebei. For this, I, Jo Hwang, governor of Hebei, deem Seok Geum-ryong’s service in applying medicine where it is most needed to be admirable, and I wish to bestow a small reward.”
Ohhh, ohhhhh!
At the word reward, Seok Geum-ryong’s modest manor seemed to sway with exclamations.
No, it was not only his manor; beyond it, he could feel the gazes of his many brothers and younger siblings, along with the people of their factions, all converging to watch.
It made sense. Word that the governor of Hebei had sent an official message to Seokga Manor was enough to put everyone on edge, so the main house had already been paying attention from the start.
And now, a reward from the governor of Hebei himself.
“To Seok Geum-ryong, the fifth son of the Seok family, I hereby grant the post of Hebei Magistrate, a government office equivalent to the rank of Assistant Prefect, Seventh Rank, Lower Grade. Of course, this is an honorary appointment, but it carries the same authority as the actual office. I ask that you understand the governor’s intentions.”
Waaah!
When they heard that it was an office equivalent to Seventh Rank, the cheers erupted not from Seok Geum-ryong’s manor this time, but from his brothers, his younger siblings, and the main house itself.
Even if it was merely an honorary post, the governor had personally stated that it carried the same authority as an actual office, so it was by no means trivial.
Far from being small, the office of magistrate would ensure that even in a county village, and even if he traveled to another province, he would be treated as a valuable official.
Moreover, from Seventh Rank onward, one was officially granted a horse badge edict. With that badge, he would have the right, anywhere in the Central Plains, to present it and borrow a fine horse, then return it later.
“Furthermore, since you have done such wonderful things at so young an age and reached such superb medical skill, I am moved to reward you with official grain and various gifts.”
The governor’s gifts continued.
Compared with his other brothers and younger siblings, he had been desperately lacking in operating funds.
Of course, the recent success of his peonies had made things relatively comfortable, but compared with his rivals, it was still no more than a drop in the bucket.
Given such straits, to receive official grain, silk, and other gifts meant that Seok Geum-ryong and his faction had at last secured the basic capital needed to begin commercial ventures.
With that, the governor’s message came to an end, and his representative departed.
Though the officials had left, the afterglow remained in Seokga Manor.
“Long live Young Master Seok Geum-ryong!”
“Long live Magistrate Seok Geum-ryong!”
Even while the other brothers, younger siblings, and spies from the main house still lurked nearby, Gong Sang-pil, along with the servants Deung Chon and Jang Sam, took the lead and shouted at the top of their lungs.
Until now, Seok Geum-ryong had drawn nothing but pity and dismissal from others, without any real accomplishments to his name in Seokga Manor.
Now, however, he had truly lived up to his name and reputation and begun to soar.