Chapter 22: Practicing Medicine, Part 2
Seok Geum-ryong had recruited Yeo Gwang-rae, the Golden Needle Venerable, a Peak Realm master and famed physician of the jianghu, and in doing so had received a grand reward from the Governor of Hebei.
From that day on, the influence Seok Geum-ryong wielded at Seokga Manor rose sharply, though it had once been all but negligible.
As a result, different people responded in different ways.
“Geum-ryong accomplished such a feat?”
Seok Ji-sung, the manor lord of Seokga Manor, was overjoyed, his neatly aligned teeth showing as he smiled broadly. He was a man who rejoiced at Seok Geum-ryong’s achievements with complete sincerity.
“Yes, sir. It seems the Governor of Hebei has especially high expectations for Young Master Geum-ryong.”
“Hahaha! I had no idea Geum-ryong had such talents.”
“On top of that, he even recruited the distinguished Golden Needle Venerable, Yeo Dae-hyeop. This is a great blessing for our manor.”
“Indeed, it is.”
Seok Ji-sung was deeply satisfied, both as a father and as the head of the clan, with Seok Geum-ryong’s rise, which he had long regarded with the ache of a thorn in his side.
But while some took pleasure in another’s success, others felt sick to the stomach even when a cousin merely bought a plot of land.
“What? Geum-ryong is learning medicine? He’s the saint of the slums? And he was granted an official post by the Governor of Hebei?”
Beyond Seok Ji-sung, there was someone else paying close attention to every move Seok Geum-ryong made.
Despite her stunning beauty, her sharp, heated way of speaking left a strong impression. Of course, she was none other than Seok Myo-hee, the first to keep Seok Geum-ryong in check.
Her whole body trembled.
Seok Geum-ryong, whom she considered beneath her, had surged ahead of her first, and the jealousy and impatience nearly made her shake apart.
What made it even more infuriating and humiliating was this...
Maybe nobody else knows it, but I do. Geum-ryong is not cut out to be an ordinary physician.
Seok Myo-hee had been the first to move against him, so she knew better than anyone just how dangerous his talent was.
As far as she was concerned, Geum-ryong’s greatest gift had nothing to do with saving lives through medicine.
“That bastard was born with the Heaven-Defying Body, so he’s gifted in martial arts as well. And if he learns both the medical arts and hidden weapons techniques of the Golden Needle Venerable...”
It would not be an exaggeration to say that a second Golden Needle Venerable had appeared.
“Why him, and not me?!”
At last, Seok Myo-hee could no longer contain her fury and shouted in frustration.
Though she had not shown it openly, she had already reached the limit of her patience. From the apricot blossom disaster to the humiliation inflicted when the Geumhwa Merchant Group had been made to bow and scrape, she could not stand seeing Seok Geum-ryong prosper any longer.
What angered her even more was that even if she stepped forward personally now, she could no longer harm him. Worse, not only could she not hurt him, but the momentum of Geum-ryong’s faction was beginning to outstrip her own.
“What should I do? ...Should I propose peace now?”
Seok Myo-hee turned the thought over in her mind, never realizing that the chance had already passed long ago.
Not only Seok Myo-hee, but many of her other brilliant brothers and sisters were watching him as well.
Until now, Seok Geum-ryong had been nothing more than an insignificant figure to his half-siblings, rivals who thought they could kill him whenever they pleased and therefore never bothered to spare him much attention.
And now, here was yet another person who had begun to take a serious interest in him.
“My, my! That useless Young Master Geum-ryong?”
Among the Four Honored Guests who represented Seokga Manor was the naturally gifted Moon Spirit Sword Lady, Im So-gun, the youngest of the four by far and, without question, a genius among geniuses. Each of the Four Honored Guests was a Peak Realm master, and she was now showing unusual interest.
How strange. I never would have guessed that that timid showpiece had such ability.
Im So-gun was the youngest of the Four Honored Guests, whom Seokga Manor had gone to great lengths to invite, and though she was only in her mid-twenties, she was widely considered a once-in-a-generation talent in both aptitude and martial skill.
Seokga Manor had managed to recruit Im So-gun of the Moon Lady Sect only after the sect had fallen into decline and the manor had sensed its weakness, making repeated and earnest overtures until she finally accepted.
For that reason, the position of the Four Honored Guests was highly unusual even within Seokga Manor itself. Among all the experts the manor had invited, they occupied a distinctly singular standing.
Woo Do-min, the Gold-Selling Swordsman, had also once been asked to take a seat among the Four Honored Guests, but he had refused, saying he did not covet such a post.
“Well. Everyone has at least one talent, I suppose.”
Still unaware that Seok Geum-ryong’s medical skill was matched by formidable martial ability, Im So-gun continued to underestimate him.
That was only natural; she herself was strong and esteemed martial prowess, and she had no patience for weak, timid sorts.
On the day she had been invited to Seokga Manor, she had met all eight descendants who carried Seok Ji-sung’s bloodline.
Some had impressed her greatly, while others had disappointed her beyond words, and Geum-ryong had been one of those who had left her terribly let down.
That bookish little coward who couldn’t even meet my eyes properly and only stammered... could he really treat a dying life?
It was just then, while Im So-gun was thinking of Seok Geum-ryong in this most unusual way, that...
“Young Miss So-gun!”
The elderly woman known as Wol-papa, likewise of the Moon Lady Sect, came hurrying over in alarm to find Im So-gun.
“Wol-papa? What on earth is the matter?”
Im So-gun looked up in surprise at Wol-papa’s flustered expression.
Wol-papa was herself a formidable Peak Realm master and a former elder of the Moon Lady Sect, so she possessed both considerable ability and keen judgment; it was rare for her to show such agitation.
“It’s not that exactly, but Young Master Seok Geum-ryong has...”
“Yes, yes. I know. He made some great contribution, didn’t he?”
Just as Im So-gun was about to wave the topic away, tired of hearing more about Geum-ryong...
“No! Young Master Seok Geum-ryong has come to visit our estate!”
The news Wol-papa brought was more astonishing than anything she had expected.
“What did you say?”
Im So-gun stared at Wol-papa in disbelief.
Only moments ago she had been casually chewing over Geum-ryong’s story, but in truth their relationship had been, if anything, cold and distant, bordering on poor.
And yet he came to see me?
There was no reason for him to come looking for her at a time when he was rising so swiftly.
Im So-gun pondered the matter for some time, but no clear answer came.
“What should we do?”
Wol-papa asked, still rattled.
There was, in truth, only one answer.
Im So-gun was the youngest of the Four Honored Guests, yet for all her youth she was bold and unrestrained.
“Tell him to come in.”
She did not stop those who wished to enter, nor did she cling to those who wished to leave.
More than anything else, her curiosity had been piqued.
Why does that timid gentleman want to see me?
After a brief moment of thought, an idea occurred to her.
Could it be that he wants to recruit me?
The Four Honored Guests occupied a rather unique and singular position within Seokga Manor.
The original rule had been that they would belong to no faction within the manor, but in truth, all of them except Im So-gun had patrons among the younger generation they supported.
If he comes spouting nonsense about recruiting me in the name of some noble desire to save lives... I won’t let him off lightly.
No matter how unimpressive he might be, he was still a blood descendant of Seok Ji-sung, and though she could not kill him, Im So-gun knew plenty of ways to make him suffer.
If he tried some foolish scheme to recruit her, she resolved to reject him outright.
“Young lady. Young Master Seok Geum-ryong has arrived.”
While Im So-gun was lost in speculation over various possibilities, Seok Geum-ryong finally entered her residence.
“It’s been a while.”
Seok Geum-ryong greeted the Moon Spirit Sword Lady, Im So-gun, with evident pleasure at their long-awaited reunion.
“...!!”
Im So-gun had been looking on indifferently, but the moment she met Seok Geum-ryong’s eyes, she was so startled that she could no longer keep her expression under control.
Was Seok Geum-ryong always so composed and imposing?
In Im So-gun’s memory, Geum-ryong had been timid, inactive, and always with his shoulders slumped, a figure pale beside his peers.
And yet, what was this?
He was no longer merely changed; it was as though he had been reborn.
The permanently timid, dazed look he used to wear had been replaced by calm assurance, and with it, the famously handsome face that stood out even among his brothers had truly come into bloom.
She had already known in her dim way that he was handsome, even back when she dismissed him, but what struck her most now was the force of his presence and, more than that, his height.
“When did you get so...”
When she had first met him, he had been nothing more than a snot-nosed little crybaby, and now, looking at how much he had grown, Im So-gun felt her cheeks warming before she could stop herself.
“A man grows so much that if you don’t see him for three days, you might not recognize him anymore. And in this case, several years have passed, so of course the child has become a youth, hasn’t he?”
Something else surprised her too.
Seok Geum-ryong had once not dared address the Four Honored Guests at all, but look at him now.
He was not only speaking with ease; he was leading the atmosphere of the room as well.
“I suppose so.”
Im So-gun now experienced firsthand that the rumors of Seok Geum-ryong being completely changed were, at least to some degree, true, and she kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
His youthful, tender features remained, yet he had become so different from what she had expected that she kept being surprised all over again.
“Ahem. So then, what brings you to see me today? Do you need something?”
After her moment of surprise, Im So-gun swiftly fell back on her natural temperament.
She had acknowledged that Geum-ryong had changed, to a degree, but that was a separate matter from accepting any recruitment.
“Need something? Hahahahaha!”
At Im So-gun’s bold question, Seok Geum-ryong let out a bright, handsome laugh.
That too was different from before.
If this had happened in the past, he would have blushed helplessly at Im So-gun’s directness. But now, the situation had reversed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Because it won’t be me asking for a favor. It’ll be Miss Im who ends up asking me one.”
Seok Geum-ryong spoke with confidence, his words brimming with certainty.
At that, Im So-gun felt the situation becoming increasingly interesting, and she found herself drawn in all the more.
“Me? That’s amusing.”
Hearing that he had not come to ask a favor, but to receive one, only deepened Im So-gun’s curiosity.
And the fact that a single person could change so much in just a few years was astonishing in itself.
“Shall I hear a little more?”
“As much as you like. Let’s start with the main point. Can you hold out your wrist?”
“My wrist?”
She nodded.
The moment Seok Geum-ryong asked for her wrist, Im So-gun understood at once.
There were pulse points at the wrist. Since Geum-ryong had become a skilled physician, he must mean to feel her pulse personally.
“And here I thought it was something else. That favor of yours was just checking my health? If that’s all, our manor has plenty of excellent physicians...”
Im So-gun sighed as though deeply disappointed, just as she was about to dismiss the whole thing.
And then the twist began.
Would Seok Geum-ryong have gone to so much trouble just to chat about such trivial matters? Of course not. There was a reason for everything.
“As I thought. It’s exactly as I suspected.”
Seok Geum-ryong took Im So-gun’s wrist and checked her pulse, then spoke with absolute certainty.
To be honest, he had not even needed to feel her pulse.
That was because in his previous life, when he had been Woo Do-min, the Gold-Selling Swordsman, the Moon Spirit Sword Lady Im So-gun had possessed talent brighter than any of the Four Honored Guests, yet had died young before she could even pass thirty, claimed by a congenital illness.
Im So-gun, whose future had promised greatness and who had the qualifications to become the greatest female expert under heaven.
The terrifying disease that had stolen away that radiance, the one that had made her one of the strongest among the younger generation while bearing the glorious epithet of Moon Spirit Sword Lady, was none other than...
“Miss Im, I’m afraid you were born with Great Yin Severance Meridians.”
It was one of the most fearsome incurable diseases in the martial world, and at the same time, one of the finest constitutions in existence.