A Monster Lives in Geumsan
The moment the word "poison" was uttered, every single customer in the tavern froze in their tracks. And then...
"Aaaah!"
"Poison! It's poison!"
"Let's get out of here! Hurry!"
Crash! Clatter! Bang!
At the terrifying suggestion that the food they were currently eating might be poisoned, the tavern erupted into absolute chaos. People poured out like a tidal wave, and in the blink of an eye, the place was completely empty.
The only ones left were our group, the collapsed peddler and his companions, and the tavern waiter, who stood frozen with a dazed expression.
"T-They didn't even pay...!"
I felt genuinely sorry about that, but we couldn't exactly let the customers keep eating when we didn't even know where the poison was coming from. Besides, treating the man collapsed before us was far more urgent.
Pulling open the front of his robe, I placed my hand against his chest and prepared to channel my qi.
"..."
Something heavy and dense was completely blocking his acupoints. It felt similar to when I treated the vice-commander, yet different. It was as if someone was pinching the middle of a rubber hose shut. From what I could gather, his acupoints and his entire body were swelling up under the influence of the poison.
"Gye-yeong, there should be an acupuncture case in the bundle I left in the carriage. Go grab the moxa pouch from it."
"Yes, sir!"
"Is it serious enough to require acupuncture?" Man Hanseok asked.
I nodded, pulling an acupuncture case from my robes.
"His qi and blood flow are completely blocked. If we leave him like this..."
He would end up just like someone suffering from Severed Meridian Syndrome. The most famous examples of Severed Meridian Syndrome are the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and the Nine Yang Severed Meridians. It is a fatal disease where extreme yin or yang energy completely blocks the meridians, rendering the victim unable to move or breathe, ultimately leading to an early death.
"He didn't have a history of Severed Meridian Syndrome, did he?" I asked the peddler standing next to him.
The peddler shook his head vigorously in response.
"What? Oh, no! He was a perfectly healthy fellow who never had anything like that!"
Then it was one hundred percent certain that this reaction was caused by poison. If he had been suffering from Severed Meridian Syndrome in the first place, he wouldn't even have been able to step foot outside, let alone work as a peddler. For now, it would be best to expand his meridians with acupuncture needles, then stabilize him with moxibustion once Gye-yeong returned.
"Chef, I brought it!"
"Sorry to send you off again, but go get a small brazier and a bowl. Make sure it's a bowl we can throw away."
"Right away!"
Gye-yeong replied cheerfully. Listening to his receding footsteps, I began inserting the needles into the peddler's body one by one. It was definitely poison, but what kind? After placing needles at his vital acupoints, I began to take his pulse to locate the toxin.
Sssss...
As I searched thoroughly for the poison, I felt something near his stomach. It was so faint at first that I almost missed it, but whenever I channeled my qi, this 'something' seemed to nibble away at it. Oh, look at this little guy. It wasn't that the poison had a mind of its own, but reactions like this usually pointed to an organic toxin. According to medical texts, mineral or synthetic poisons tended to act violently and indiscriminately, like stabbing pain.
Like dangling a chocolate bar in front of a third-week military recruit, I wiggled my qi slightly, and the highly sensitive poison reacted immediately. I slowly lured it out using my qi. Once I had driven it all the way to the tip of his finger, I pricked the fingertip with a large acupuncture needle. This would allow it to drain out of his body.
When I held his finger over the discarded bowl Gye-yeong had brought back, a black, toxic fluid mixed with turbid qi began to drip out. After purging the poison, I retrieved the needles and applied the moxa. Placing lit moxa cones on the vital acupoints would help his body recover much faster.
Almost immediately, the lumpy swelling on the peddler's face began to subside, returning to its original shape. His flushed, red skin also faded back to its normal complexion. Seeing his companion's expression turn peaceful, the other peddler grabbed my hands, overflowing with gratitude.
"Great Hero, thank you! Thank you so much!"
"For now, keep him lying down and wait until he wakes up on his own."
Although the poison had been purged, the aftereffects might still linger in his body. I advised the peddler to keep a close eye on him, and he nodded fervently, promising to do exactly as I said. While my attention was diverted, Gye-yeong stared intently at the bowl and sniffed it. Gye-yeong... why on earth are you smelling poison?
"Ugh, it smells so fishy!"
Gye-yeong grimaced. His words, as he held the bowl containing the poison, triggered a thought. Fishy? Sniffing poison directly could cause it to invade one's system, so I used my hand to fan the air toward my nose instead.
"..."
This is it! No matter how many times I smelled it, it was definitely that scent. Just to be sure, I gestured for Man Hanseok to take a sniff. He did, only to immediately pinch his nose shut.
"This... feels like a concentrated version of the smell lingering in this tavern."
"Exactly. It's definitely that fishy smell."
Sniffing the thick, fishy odor rising from the bowl, I was certain it was the very same scent currently wafting through the tavern. The problem was, if this fishy smell was spread throughout the entire tavern, then there was indeed poison inside. Looking around, my eyes fell upon the food the two peddlers had been eating. I saw a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup (yeon-geun baegol-tang) still steaming hot. Just in case, I leaned in close. Beneath the rich aroma of the food, a faint, fishy scent brushed past my nose.
"Chef Yoon, is there something wrong with the food?"
"There's barely any smell in the other side dishes, but this soup is practically reeking of it."
"Wait, then...?"
"We'll have to check the kitchen."
Having found the clue, I answered Man Hanseok and headed straight toward the tavern's kitchen. Or rather, I was about to.
"What the hell are you talking about, you idiot! What do you mean, poison?!"
"W-Well, one of the customers shouted that there was poison..."
"Did you check it yourself? Did you?!"
"N-No, but..."
Standing in front of the kitchen door, I heard the tavern's heavily bearded chef furiously chewing out the waiter. Wait, is he getting scolded because I yelled about the poison and scared all the customers away? If so, I felt a bit guilty. No matter how shameless I could be, I couldn't just let someone else take the blame while I acted innocent. I walked straight into the kitchen, looked the chef dead in the eye, and spoke up.
"I'm the one who shouted about the poison."
"W-What?"
"I said, I'm the one who yelled for everyone to get out because there's poison spreading in this tavern."
Having suddenly lost his entire lunch rush revenue, the chef pointed his kitchen knife right at me and yelled. Talk about literally having a knife pointed at my throat.
"Y-You... Did you actually confirm there was poison?! Huh?!"
"Put the knife down."
"W-What did you say?"
"I said, put the knife down. I'll explain everything."
When I glared into the chef's eyes with a low, threatening tone, he flinched.
"Put it down while I'm still asking nicely."
Zzzzt.
Completely overwhelmed by the battle spirit I released, the tavern chef swallowed hard and asked in a cautious voice.
"A-Are you perhaps a martial artist?"
"What if I am?"
I honestly despised martial artists who used their skills to intimidate ordinary people, but how could I let this slide when he was the one who started it? Threatening someone with a knife was crossing the line. Having tucked his tail after trying to threaten me, the tavern chef carefully read my expression and asked.
"T-Then, how did you know there was poison...?"
"Gye-yeong! Bring that bowl from earlier!"
At my call, Gye-yeong came running over with the bowl of poison. When he showed it to the chef, who was watching me anxiously, the chef took one sniff and immediately covered his nose.
"Ugh!"
"Did you need to see it to believe it?"
Like Saint Peter, did you need to see it to believe it? Fortunately, the chef lowered his knife, his face filled with flustered embarrassment. Seeing how quickly he changed his attitude, it was clear how he managed to run a tavern in a world dominated by martial arts and chivalry.
"D-Did this really come from our tavern?"
"This dark, murky liquid is the pure toxic energy I extracted, but the actual poison must be dissolved somewhere in this kitchen. Do you mind if I take a look around?"
"Yes, yes! Of course, Great Hero!"
Wow, now I'm a 'Great Hero.' This is why everyone should learn a trade. Contrary to the chef's somewhat scruffy appearance, the kitchen was clean and well-organized. Seeing how well he maintained hygiene, there didn't seem to be any rats or bugs around. There was no way this chef would have poisoned a couple of ordinary peddlers. Even if it were a crime of passion, he would have done it quietly, not openly while serving them food. And even if he had, there was nothing in the kitchen that looked like a container for poison. Then where on earth did the poison come from? After looking around for a while, I noticed a large wooden barrel with a lid and asked the chef.
"What is this?"
"It's well water drawn from the well behind the tavern."
"Well water?"
There didn't seem to be anything problematic in the kitchen, and this wooden barrel was the only thing left unchecked. The moment I lifted the wooden lid, a fishy odor immediately wafted out. Sensing it wasn't just the usual smell of stagnant water, I pulled a silver needle from my case and dipped it in.
Sssss...
"It's poisoned."
Seeing the silver needle turn slightly dark, I could tell the concentration wasn't extremely high. However, if this amount accumulated in the body over time, it would definitely cause serious damage.
"What? P-Poison? In the well water?"
"You didn't know? It smells this fishy."
"W-We had no idea! Truly! We drink this water every single day. If it had smelled this fishy before, we surely would have noticed!"
To think the chef and the waiter didn't notice despite the fishy smell lingering in the tavern. Was this not a problem that started just today? Then why did that peddler collapse?
"Do you draw this water fresh every morning?"
"O-Of course. Geumsan is famous for its delicious water, so we empty out any leftover water every night and draw a fresh batch every morning."
The chef spoke with pride. If he was this confident, then the wooden barrel itself wasn't the issue.
"Where is the well?"
"It's right behind the tavern."
Guided by the chef, we arrived at a sturdy well built from circular stone blocks. As we approached, the smell grew even more pungent. The chef seemed to notice it too, grimacing in sheer panic.
"It didn't smell like this this morning!"
"Are you sure?"
"I-If I had known it smelled like this, I would have fetched new water immediately to cook with!"
"What is the source of this well?"
"There's a spring up in the mountains where medicinal water wells up. I believe this well is connected to it..."
"Where is it located?"
"Over there."
The chef pointed toward a hollowed-out valley halfway up the mountainside. Sigh, seriously. Today was turning out to be incredibly eventful. Now I had to go all the way up to that valley to find out what was going on? I was tired to death, but I had no choice. It was clear that poison was leaking from the water source, and as someone trained in medicine, I couldn't just turn a blind eye. Letting out a deep sigh, I pulled half a silver coin from my pocket and handed it to the chef.
"I'm sorry for ruining your lunch business."
"N-No, not at all, Great Hero! You saved us by finding the poison, how could I possibly take your money!"
I tried to force it on him, but he refused twice. In the end, I gave him a stern glare and shoved it directly into his pocket. A classic reverse-pickpocketing.
Having been forced to accept the money, the chef let out a sigh, glanced around cautiously, and whispered to me.
"But, Great Hero... are you really planning on heading toward the valley?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"I'd highly recommend you don't go there..."
"Pardon?"
What is he talking about now? When I stared at him, urging him to speak, the chef opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
"I'm really not supposed to talk about this, but I'm telling you because it looks like you're actually going. The spring water of Geumsan is so miraculous that rumors say even the ancient immortal, Perfected Man Yeo, used to stop by to drink it. But recently, people who go up there to drink the water have been disappearing."
People disappearing?
"Thinking a tiger might have appeared, the local magistrate hired some tiger hunters. But even those seasoned hunters shook their heads and fled."
"Did the hunters say anything before they left?"
"They said there was something far more terrifying than a man-eating tiger up there, and they flatly refused the magistrate's offer to hunt it."
Tiger hunters were people who didn't even fear facing a tiger. Yet there was something that made even them tremble? I smell something. I definitely smell something.
"But why is this a secret?"
"If word gets out, who would ever visit Geumsan? The villagers all agreed to keep it quiet."
What a mess. Leaving a deadly hazard unchecked just to protect local tourism. If they had called for martial artists instead of tiger hunters, a few hot-blooded fools would have stepped up. Leaving the chef with a nod, I walked back into the tavern where Man Hanseok and Gye-yeong were waiting.
"Gye-yeong, go find us another tavern to stay at and wait there with the carriage driver. Hanseok, grab your spear and come with me."
Gye-yeong nodded in understanding, but Man Hanseok, completely in the dark, asked.
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"Hanseok, don't you want to earn yourself a title?"
"A-A title?"
"They say there's something up in that valley. Something incredibly terrifying."
"Then shouldn't we call the government soldiers or an investigation team from the Murim Alliance? Why are just the two of us going?"
"Because I smell something."
"The fishy smell?"
"No, you idiot!"
The sweet, savory smell of money.