Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
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“Whew, let’s rest for a bit now.”
Dan Ak-seon let out a sigh as he removed the last needle from Cho Ak-ryang’s body. At the same time, Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi released Cho Ak-ryang’s arms.
They both looked as if they had just been through a grueling battle.
“This is harder than I thought.”
At Han Seol-hwa’s words, Beom Gye-wi nodded with a weary face.
“This kind of delicate work doesn’t suit me.”
Dan Ak-seon forced a smile and tried to comfort them.
“We’re saving a life. It’s not supposed to be easy.”
Han Seol-hwa studied Dan Ak-seon’s face and clicked her tongue briefly. She knew that he had worked harder than anyone else here.
“You need to take care of yourself first.”
Having exhausted a significant amount of his mental energy, Dan Ak-seon’s pale face was covered in a cold sweat. Dark shadows hung under his eyes, and his lips were dry and chapped.
“We don’t have much time. We have to complete the treatment within a few days at least. The patient won’t be able to hold on for much longer.”
Dan Ak-seon's voice was filled with unwavering determination.
As the two of them watched him with pity, a voice cut in.
“Ah! This feels great!”
Cho Ak-ryang exclaimed, his eyes fluttering open.
At this, Han Seol-hwa’s and Beom Gye-wi’s gazes turned hostile. Seeing Cho Ak-ryang acting as if he were living in a different world all by himself made them feel an unwarranted surge of anger.
“Does it seem to be effective?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Cho Ak-ryang lightly stretched his body and nodded.
“In this state, I feel like I could lay this place to waste and still have energy to spare!”
The ultimate yang and the ultimate yin.
The therapeutic effect of using two internal energies at their extremes far exceeded Cho Ak-ryang’s expectations.
His organs, his bones, his muscles.
He felt as if his energy meridians and all the nerves in his body were returning to their proper places. The flow of his true energy was also incomparably smoother than before.
“Some of us are breaking our backs here, and you’re living the good life, huh?”
Cho Ak-ryang grinned at the sharp voice directed at him.
“You should blame yourselves for being so healthy.”
“What?”
“Or you could try being as sick as I am.”
Han Seol-hwa and Beom Gye-wi fell silent. On second thought, they didn’t want that.
Just then, Pung Jin-seong entered, carrying a medicinal tonic.
“I’ve brewed the Nine-Branched Immortal Leaf Herb as you instructed.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Dan Ak-seon took the tonic and dipped his pinky finger in to taste it.
“As expected, your skill with medicinal herbs is the best, Uncle Pung.”
Pung Jin-seong responded to Dan Ak-seon’s praise with a humble smile.
“You must circulate your energy immediately after drinking this. Don’t try to force it into your dantian; feel it spreading throughout your entire body. Focus on spreading it evenly to the very ends of your finest meridians.”
Taking the tonic from Dan Ak-seon, Cho Ak-ryang gave an awkward smile.
“Haha, how can I drink something so precious all by myself?”
Feeling a prickling sensation on the back of his head, Cho Ak-ryang glanced over his shoulder.
After flashing a grin at the two demons glaring at him with murderous intent, Cho Ak-ryang gulped down the tonic. Then he immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy.
Beom Gye-wi, who had been staring at him, suddenly spoke up.
“Physician Dan.”
“Yes?”
“Brother Cho is much better now, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then, can’t I just hit him once? Just enough not to kill him.”
“After all the hard work we put into treating him, wouldn’t that be a waste?”
At Dan Ak-seon’s dissuasion, Beom Gye-wi hesitated for a moment before sighing and giving up.
“The effect is astonishing.”
Pung Jin-seong remarked in admiration, looking at Cho Ak-ryang's face, which had regained a noticeable amount of color.
“This is a truly groundbreaking treatment method. In all the world, only you, Valley Lord, could have devised such a thing.”
“I’m surprised too. And I’m not the one who did this.”
Dan Ak-seon gave the credit to the two who were still glaring at Cho Ak-ryang.
“Because this is something only the two of them can do.”
Pung Jin-seong nodded in agreement.
“It’s clear that an unprecedented internal energy treatment has been born.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly at the pair.
“We did it.”
“And Brother Cho is excluded from that ‘we’, right?”
“Of course. That man did nothing.”
In that instant, Han Seol-hwa quickly reached out and caught Dan Ak-seon as he collapsed.
Pung Jin-seong hurriedly checked Dan Ak-seon's pulse.
“It's exhaustion. He must have pushed himself too hard.”
Beom Gye-wi looked at the unconscious Dan Ak-seon with pity.
“Physician Dan should have been the one to drink that tonic.”
Han Seol-hwa raised her hand and wiped the sweat from Dan Ak-seon’s face.
“He’s trying so hard… We have to save him.”
At her words, Beom Gye-wi and Pung Jin-seong nodded with firm resolve.
That afternoon.
Dan Ak-seon, having drained the tonic Pung Jin-seong gave him, smiled and spoke.
“For some reason, the tonics you make always taste sweet, Uncle.”
“I’m glad to hear that. When you feel the medicine taking effect, don’t try to fight it. Just relax and get some deep sleep.”
“Yes, I will.”
Beom Gye-wi, who had been listening to their conversation, sidled over.
The comment about the medicine being sweet had piqued his curiosity.
He dipped his finger into the dregs of the tonic at the bottom of the bowl and brought it to his mouth, his face instantly contorting.
“I think Physician Dan is losing his mind. How can he call this sweet?”
“Is that so? It’s sweet if you savor it as you drink…”
“Why would anyone savor medicine? That right there is already…”
Beom Gye-wi couldn’t finish his sentence. Dan Ak-seon had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
Pung Jin-seong looked down at Dan Ak-seon for a moment before belatedly starting to clean up the bowl and the scattered medicinal herbs.
“You’re the busiest of us all, Family Head Pung.”
Pung Jin-seong looked bewildered at the rare compliment from Beom Gye-wi.
But he soon smiled quietly.
“Thank you for noticing.”
At that moment, from a corner of the room, Cho Ak-ryang, having finished circulating his energy, slowly opened his eyes.
“Hooo.”
A stable power could be felt in his long exhale.
“You’ve improved a lot.”
At Pung Jin-seong’s words, Cho Ak-ryang smiled sheepishly.
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to your efforts, Family Head Pung.”
Cho Ak-ryang’s condition had improved to an extent that was incomparable to when he first arrived at the Divine Demon Valley.
No one felt this more keenly than Cho Ak-ryang himself.
Even to Dan Ak-seon and Pung Jin-seong, his recovery speed was astonishing.
“By the way, Brother Cho.”
“Hm?”
“Why don’t you thank me?”
Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly.
“Thank you, alright.”
He then extended his gratitude to Han Seol-hwa as well.
“Thank you too, Sister Han.”
“Just with words?”
Cho Ak-ryang brushed off her usual icy demeanor with a laugh.
That was how grateful he was to both of them.
“Your recovery will be even faster once we start using the medicinal herbs from the Martial Alliance. The same goes for the other two of you.”
Cho Ak-ryang looked at the sleeping Dan Ak-seon.
“I suppose so. Knowing Physician Dan’s personality, he won’t be sparing with the herbs.”
Pung Jin-seong smiled bitterly.
The amount of medicinal herbs Dan Ak-seon consumed was truly staggering. Guessing Pung Jin-seong's inner thoughts from his expression, Cho Ak-ryang hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Were the Divine Physician and the Demonic Physician also like that?”
“They were more so, never less.”
“And you could still manage the household?”
“That’s why I volunteered to be the steward.”
Recalling those times, Pung Jin-seong shook his head.
“The two of them fought so much over the allocation of medicinal herbs… In the end, they agreed to entrust all matters concerning the valley’s management entirely to me. At least after that, they never fought over management issues. However…”
“However?”
“I was the one who suffered in the middle. The pressure from both sides was immense.”
“You… you really went through a lot.”
“It certainly felt that way then, but looking back now, I just miss those days.”
It was then.
“That’s a good idea.”
Beom Gye-wi’s eyes lit up as he looked at Han Seol-hwa. The two had grown noticeably closer recently.
“Let’s find a steward too!”
Beom Gye-wi continued explaining to an indifferent Han Seol-hwa.
“We’ll entrust the entire management of the valley to the steward. That way, we won’t have to get into arguments with Physician Dan. If anyone’s to be blamed, it’ll be the steward.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
The gazes of all three naturally turned towards Pung Jin-seong.
In response, Pung Jin-seong smiled faintly and shook his head.
“If the Valley Lord permitted it, I would do it, of course. But he will never permit it.”
Beom Gye-wi spoke with a disappointed expression.
“Ah, isn’t there anyone sharp with money? If I saw one, I’d go and grab him right now.”
At that moment, a person popped into Cho Ak-ryang’s mind.
“There is one guy.”
“Who?”
“We met him not long ago.”
“Ah! That money ghost?”
Beom Gye-wi nodded.
“He’d be perfect. But how do we find him?”
Cho Ak-ryang began to ponder something. It seemed there might be a way.
“I’m going to get some fresh air.”
“You’re going to wear out the doorstep. Where are you always wandering off to? Did you secretly charm a woman without my knowledge?”
“I’m just taking a walk to clear my head.”
“Tch, lucky you. We’re exhausted thanks to someone.”
Cho Ak-ryang chuckled and went outside, prompting Han Seol-hwa to chide Beom Gye-wi.
“Do you really think he’s just going for a walk?”
“Then what?”
“Have you forgotten where we are?”
“Where else? The Martial Alliance…”
Beom Gye-wi’s eyes widened in realization.
“He’s scouting in advance for the next time we attack? In that case, I can’t be left out.”
Han Seol-hwa blocked the excited Beom Gye-wi as he tried to head out.
“The fool should just stay here.”
“What?”
“There’s something more important.”
With those words, Han Seol-hwa held out her hand.
Beom Gye-wi stared blankly at her hand, then asked with suspicious eyes.
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Take it.”
“If this is a confession, I must respectfully decline. As I said before, I’m not interested in you…”
Beom Gye-wi hastily shut his mouth.
He could feel a cloud of killing intent rising over Han Seol-hwa’s shoulder.
“Why are you getting so worked up over something so small? People get rejected sometimes!”
An unconcealable irritation flared in Han Seol-hwa’s eyes.
“We need to practice. Are you just going to let Physician Dan collapse like this every time?”
“What? Is that what this was about? You should have just said so.”
The key to their treatment method using their combined internal energies was the synchronization of their breathing. Only by achieving perfect balance and harmony could they shorten the treatment time and multiply its effectiveness.
As the two joined hands and began to circulate their energy, Pung Jin-seong, who was watching them, smiled quietly and looked at the sleeping Dan Ak-seon.
‘He’s fortunate to have met such good people.’
He might lack in other areas, but if there was one thing Dan Ak-seon had in abundance, it was the good fortune of being surrounded by good people.
* * *
‘So this is the layout.’
As Cho Ak-ryang strolled through the Martial Alliance grounds as if on a walk, he thoroughly committed to memory the arrangement and structure of the buildings, as well as the locations of ponds, rocks, and garden trees.
Fortunately, most of the martial artists coming and going knew who he was and paid him little mind.
After walking for some time, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly stopped.
The face of a man entering the Martial Alliance entrance was familiar.
‘That bastard?’
A thick murderous aura erupted from Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes.
A traitor to the Unorthodox Faction, someone he didn’t even want to exchange words with.
The man who was once called the Seven Severing Demonic Lord, No Dan-yang, was standing there.
He had met him a few times in the martial world, and Cho Ak-ryang’s feelings about No Dan-yang hadn’t been particularly negative. There were a few suspicious things about him, but what villain didn’t have such traits?
On the contrary, looking at some of the things he had done, Cho Ak-ryang had thought they were quite similar in many ways.
His martial arts were decent, and he was a man of conviction and resolve, so when he first heard that No Dan-yang had surrendered to the Martial Alliance, it was true that he couldn’t believe it.
And to think he was personally leading the Evil-Shattering Corps.
If he had his way, he would snap his neck right here and now, but Cho Ak-ryang managed to suppress his rage.