Chapter 136
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: A Father's Journal
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An inexplicable heat flickered in Beom Gye-wi's eyes.
But he wasn't the only one.
Cho Ak-ryang, who had been sipping his tea as if uninterested, had silently scooted his chair closer to Dan Ak-seon.
Seeing this, Han Seol-hwa furrowed her brow.
“Brother Cho.”
A chill laced Han Seol-hwa's voice.
“Have you turned into an idiot too, hanging around that fool?”
Cho Ak-ryang flinched for a moment but soon met Han Seol-hwa's gaze with a serious expression.
“Sister Han. This is not something to be criticized, nor is it something to be ashamed of.”
Han Seol-hwa was inwardly dumbfounded.
This was because, unexpectedly, Cho Ak-ryang's attitude was remarkably confident.
Beom Gye-wi, not backing down, chimed in.
“Exactly! This is a matter of great importance. Women wouldn't understand.”
What was even more baffling, however, was that Dan Ak-seon was nodding in agreement with the two of them.
“That's right. My father said the same thing.”
“Hm? The Divine Physician?”
“What did he say?”
Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ak-ryang.
The two men were completely oblivious to Han Seol-hwa's increasingly cold gaze.
“He said the same thing as you, Uncle Beom. And he asked my mother how to make the Potency Calculation Pills.”
“And? What was the result?”
Just as Dan Ak-seon was about to answer.
*Creak.*
The door opened, and Jeongyeon Sinni entered.
Dan Ak-seon, who was about to speak, closed his mouth. Thanks to this, frustrated groans escaped from Beom Gye-wi and Cho Ak-ryang.
Unaware of the situation, Jeongyeon Sinni glanced around for a moment before placing the item she was carrying on the table.
“What is this?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Jeongyeon Sinni pushed the cloth-wrapped object toward him instead of answering.
With a curious expression, Dan Ak-seon unwrapped the cloth.
A single book that had been inside was revealed.
It was a thick book with no title or author.
Dan Ak-seon tilted his head and opened the book.
“...!”
Dan Ak-seon's eyes widened.
The handwriting inside was incredibly familiar.
The medical text he had read and reread until it was tattered.
The script inside was identical to it.
“Do you recognize it?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Jeongyeon Sinni's question.
Recognizing his father's handwriting, Dan Ak-seon looked up at Jeongyeon Sinni with bewildered eyes.
“Why is this...?”
Jeongyeon Sinni smiled warmly and sat down across from Dan Ak-seon.
“Our sect was originally a place forbidden to men. It was extremely rare for us to receive outside guests as we do now. Especially if the guest was a man.”
However, that taboo was broken by one man.
The Divine Physician of Sacred Hands.
After he first set foot in this forbidden area, they themselves set aside the long-standing traditions of Emei.
Because no tradition is more important than a human life.
“His sincerity in saving people was so fervent it could move a stone Buddha.”
The Divine Physician's will was so firm that he risked his life to cross the gates of Emei.
Thanks to his medical skills, the disciples of Emei who had been merely awaiting death were able to save their lives.
“These are the records he wrote at that time. Out of consideration for us, he did not take them with him when he left.”
“Ah!”
Dan Ak-seon could easily guess the reason.
Emei is a sect of nuns.
No matter how much the contents were recorded for the sake of medicine, some parts could still be perceived as embarrassing or shameful.
Jeongyeon Sinni smiled softly.
“Now, I am returning it to you.”
“What? Is that really alright?”
“I believe it will be far more useful to you, a physician, than it is to us. And isn't that the best way to honor his wish to save even one more person?”
“...”
“Emei already owes him a great debt. If we do not show our sincerity in at least this way, we would be ashamed as followers of Buddha.”
At those words, Dan Ak-seon slowly nodded.
Dan Ak-seon lowered his head and began to check the contents of the book.
The contents themselves were simple clinical records.
And yet, it felt as if his father was speaking to him through the book.
A wistful look colored Dan Ak-seon's eyes.
Seeing Dan Ak-seon's eyes redden, a solemn silence fell over the room.
Not a single one of them dared to offer words of comfort.
They simply watched him in silence, sensing the complex emotions swirling within him.
How much time passed like that?
Belatedly realizing the awkward atmosphere in the room, Dan Ak-seon closed the book. He then rewrapped it in the cloth and carefully tucked it into his robes.
“Thank you so much.”
Jeongyeon Sinni responded to Dan Ak-seon's thanks with a warm smile.
But it was then.
“Aah! Wait a minute!”
“Don't push.”
“Wait your turn!”
Hearing the presence of many people outside, Dan Ak-seon turned his head toward the door.
At the same time, the benevolent smile on Jeongyeon Sinni's face stiffened.
She slowly rose, grabbed the door handle, and flung it open.
At that, the nuns who had gathered at the entrance tumbled inside in a heap.
“You are nuns! Have you no dignity?”
The nuns flinched at Jeongyeon Sinni's sharp reprimand.
But they soon protested with aggrieved expressions.
“But if not now, who knows when we'll get to see him again?”
“That's right. Please, at least let us express our gratitude.”
The nuns peeking in from outside the hall were middle-aged, and one could tell at a glance that they held some seniority.
But the way their eyes sparkled as they looked at Dan Ak-seon was as bright as a young girl's.
The goodwill and interest in their eyes.
Seeing the nuns searching for his father's face in his own, Dan Ak-seon could once again feel how deep the connection between his father and the Emei Sect truly was.
“It's alright.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled and approached the nuns.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Dan Ak-seon.”
As Dan Ak-seon offered his greeting, gasps of admiration erupted from all around.
“He's so cute! And yet so gallant!”
“His father was quite the looker himself.”
“How can he resemble him so much?”
As people who held memories of the Divine Physician, they were especially fond of Dan Ak-seon.
Watching the scene, Cho Ak-ryang wore a look of disbelief.
Whenever the nuns of the Emei Sect made their rare appearances in the secular world, they always maintained a stern and serious demeanor.
To think he could disarm them all in an instant...
It was a moment when Dan Ak-seon, who had so effortlessly accomplished something impossible even with the most profound martial arts, seemed truly remarkable.
Four hours later.
It was only when dusk began to settle that Dan Ak-seon was able to leave the hall.
“Phew.”
Dan Ak-seon let out a sigh.
His weary face was etched with exhaustion.
He was very grateful for the Emei Sect nuns' hospitality, but the longer he spent with them, the more he felt his energy being drained for some reason.
“Stay for a few days.”
Dan Ak-seon bowed his head toward the disappointed nuns.
“I'll come visit again in the future.”
For now, with Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi present, it was difficult for him to stay.
Besides, there were still many places he needed to visit to complete the Joint Signature Petition.
The nuns of the Emei Sect began to give Dan Ak-seon various things.
From snacks to pocket money for his travel expenses.
In an instant, all sorts of gifts were piled up like a mountain.
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi, who had suddenly become porters, wore troubled expressions.
“If there is anything you need, come find us anytime. The gates of Emei will always be wide open for you.”
At Jeongyeon Sinni's words, Dan Ak-seon smiled and nodded.
Although it was a short visit, he was glad he could stay here and immerse himself in memories of his parents after so long.
After exchanging goodbyes, as they were leaving the Emei Sect.
Dan Ak-seon's eyes glinted with a strange light.
A hall located far away, on the edge of a cliff.
Inside, he spotted I Rip talking with someone.
The person facing I Rip had their back to him, so he couldn't see their face, but from their closely shaven head and gray monastic robes, they appeared to be a nun of the Emei Sect.
“That must be the Abbess Jeongin.”
Dan Ak-seon stood there for a moment, silently watching the two converse.
“What is it?”
At Han Seol-hwa's question, Dan Ak-seon gave a bitter smile.
“I was just wondering if it was this hard for my mother and father, too.”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
“Well, it couldn't have been easy for them to be together. It wasn't widely known, but if their marriage had been revealed, it would have caused just as much of a stir in the martial world as those two.”
Dan Ak-seon nodded. Then, with a wistful gaze, he looked at I Rip and the Abbess.
“It's truly a shame.”
“What is?”
At Cho Ak-ryang's question, Dan Ak-seon let out a soft sigh.
“My parents loved each other terribly, too. Even though they fought every day.”
Cho Ak-ryang nodded silently.
But at least their love bore fruit, and they had Dan Ak-seon.
In contrast, between I Rip and Abbess Jeongin lay a gap of time that could never be bridged.
No matter how much they missed each other, too much time had now passed.
“Who can know their personal circumstances?”
At Han Seol-hwa's words, Dan Ak-seon smiled and nodded.
“That's right. It's not something others can judge rashly.”
So as not to disturb I Rip and Abbess Jeongin, Dan Ak-seon left the Emei Sect as quietly as possible.
However, Dan Ak-seon was silent the entire way down the mountain steps from the gate.
He was simply lost in deep thought, his gaze profound.
Then, at a certain moment.
Dan Ak-seon slowly raised his hand and placed it over the medical book tucked inside his robes.
It was because he wanted to feel his father's warmth, if any remained within it.
Of course, he knew better than anyone that such a thing was impossible.
But just doing that warmed his heart.
Watching him, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi's eyes met for an instant.
*He must miss his parents a lot.*
*Why wouldn't he? It's amazing he's held it in this long.*
He was so composed and mature that they sometimes forgot, but Dan Ak-seon was still just a child.
An age when he should still be doted on in his parents' arms.
And yet, he was wandering the martial world for their sake.
They felt more sympathy for Dan Ak-seon than anyone.
As they were descending Mount Emei, Hong Jeok-mun, who had been loitering at the foot of the mountain, naturally joined the group.
As they exchanged greetings with their eyes,
the figure of I Rip running toward them came into view.
When I Rip arrived, Hong Jeok-mun abruptly spoke.
“Why does your face look such a mess? Did you cry?”
I Rip, who would normally have flared up, just shook his head with a lonely smile.
“It would have been better if I could have at least shed some tears...”
I Rip sighed.
“She and I... we were both so calm that it almost made us feel sorry for each other.”
Though he said that, an unconcealable pain was deeply etched in I Rip's eyes.
Suddenly, I Rip's eyes met Dan Ak-seon's, and he spoke abruptly.
“You were right.”
“Pardon?”
“You're throwing your entire being into fighting the world to protect the one you love, aren't you?”
I Rip gave a bitter smile.
“Looking back now, I didn't have the courage to fight. But you... you have that courage.”
I Rip patted Dan Ak-seon's shoulder.
“I will cheer on that courage of yours.”
“Thank you.”
Dan Ak-seon didn't ask any more about his conversation with the Abbess.
He knew that in this situation, no words could offer him comfort.
And so, they were silent for the entire journey back to the inn.
But an unexpected event awaited them when they arrived at the inn.
A single letter was lying on the table in their room.
*Something urgent has come up, so I don't think I can be with you for a while. Let's finish our match when I return.*
The letter was from Ga Du-dal.
And next to the letter lay a folding fan.
Cho Ak-ryang unfolded the fan and let out a low exclamation of awe.
The painting on it was anything but ordinary.
At first glance, it looked like a landscape painting, but it also depicted an immortal playing among the clouds, making it a curious piece that also resembled an auspicious painting meant to bring good fortune.
“Ah! I wanted to at least say goodbye...”
Dan Ak-seon couldn't hide his disappointment.
Beom Gye-wi, on the other hand, was staring intently at Dan Ak-seon.
‘How should I ask?’
Somehow, they had moved on without him getting an answer, but the entire way down Mount Emei, only one thought had consumed Beom Gye-wi.
The possibility of producing the Potency Calculation Pills.