Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Little Physician
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A weapon that looked utterly vicious at a single glance.
It was a great flail, bristling with spikes in every direction.
“Brother Cho?”
A bald giant with a spiky beard, like a porcupine's quills, thrust his face forward.
Beom Gye-wi, who had been staring blankly at Cho Ak-ryang, tilted his head.
“What's this? The Blood Hand Honored One, of all people, letting me get this close so easily?”
“Forget that. Just pack your things, quickly.”
“Your voice and face are definitely Brother Cho's.”
Clang.
Beom Gye-wi asked as he put away his weapon.
“But why the sudden rush to pack?”
“Because those bastards from the Martial Alliance are coming.”
“Huh? Why are they coming?”
“Don't tell me... you don't know anything?”
Seeing the clueless expression still on his face, Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
“The Martial Alliance has declared its intent to subjugate the Ten Great Villains.”
Beom Gye-wi scoffed.
“Just when I thought it was quiet for a while, they're at it again. I'll take care of them right now...”
“Don't.”
“...?”
“Can't you see the state I'm in?”
“Huh? Now that you mention it...”
Beom Gye-wi grinned as he sized up Cho Ak-ryang.
“You look like you're about to keel over any second.”
“...”
His pride wounded, Cho Ak-ryang fell silent.
“Don't tell me the greatest master among the Ten Great Villains was embarrassingly beaten by those Martial Alliance scrubs?”
“Are you dropping the honorifics with me?”
“Seems like a good time for it, doesn't it?”
A muscle in Cho Ak-ryang's eye twitched. But with superhuman patience, he suppressed his anger. Time was too precious to waste bickering with this idiot.
“That's right. I came to save you in this wretched state. So stop wasting time and pack your things.”
“Since when were you so concerned about me? Weren't you the one who said you'd pluck out my beard and plug my asshole with it?”
“And you said you'd gouge out my eyeballs and use them as a third testicle!”
The two glared at each other in silence. But once again, Cho Ak-ryang exercised his patience.
“Let's just go. We can talk on the way.”
“Where are you so eager to go? You said the Martial Alliance guys are coming, didn't you? We should wait here and smash their heads in as they arrive.”
“Let's save that for later and treat your illness first.”
“Illness? What illness?”
“That madness of yours! The one where you go berserk at the sight of blood!”
“Tch... If there was anyone who could cure that, I would have turned the world upside down three times over to get it fixed.”
“There is. Someone who can cure your heavenly punishment.”
Beom Gye-wi couldn't hide his surprise at Cho Ak-ryang's next words.
“I've found the Demonic Physician.”
“...!”
But that wasn't all.
“I've found the Divine Physician, too.”
Beom Gye-wi looked at Cho Ak-ryang with suspicion.
“Brother Cho, are you by any chance a spy for the Martial Alliance?”
“What?”
“You're trying to trick me, take me away, and sell me out to them, aren't you?”
Cho Ak-ryang let out a soft sigh. Then, he abruptly held out his hand toward Beom Gye-wi.
“What are you doing?”
“Check for yourself. You'll know once you take my pulse.”
Offering one's wrist meant entrusting one's life to the other person. It was suspicious, but Beom Gye-wi wasn't one to miss such a golden opportunity.
Like a bolt of lightning, Beom Gye-wi's hand shot out and grabbed Cho Ak-ryang's wrist.
A moment passed.
A look of bewilderment spread across Beom Gye-wi's face.
“Brother Cho, are you a walking corpse?”
His pulse was barely perceptible, and his qi meridians and blood circulation were a twisted mess.
It was literally a miracle he was still alive.
“I met the Divine Physician. That's how I survived.”
“Oho! Is that so?”
A chill ran down Cho Ak-ryang's spine.
It was because he had read the killing intent that flickered in the eyes of the smiling Beom Gye-wi.
“So, you're saying if I wanted to, I could send you on your way right now?”
Cho Ak-ryang quickly spoke up.
“Think of all the memories we've shared!”
“Memories, my ass. Have you forgotten you poisoned my food last time? I had diarrhea for a month because of that nasty poison.”
“You pissed in my wine!”
“You were the one who set me on fire while I was sleeping!”
“That's because you messed with my lover!”
“Messed with her? She came to me on her own. Who told you to cheat on her?”
“You were the one who told me about it!”
“Well, that's because...”
The two, who had been going back and forth, fell silent at some point.
It was because they felt embarrassed even thinking about it themselves.
It was a past far too shameful for two masters who made the world tremble to speak of.
After a long moment passed.
With a sigh, Cho Ak-ryang spoke.
“If I fail to achieve immortality, it'll be all your fault.”
“Don't go around saying things like that. A man's got to have some conscience.”
“What, you bastard?”
“An immortal? After killing so many people? The Daoist priests holed up in the deep mountains trying to ascend would laugh so hard they'd fall off a cliff if they heard you.”
“The origin of my martial arts is...”
Cho Ak-ryang, who was about to explain, shook his head.
If this guy was someone he could reason with, their relationship wouldn't have soured in the first place.
“Anyway, isn't your martial progress stalled because of that madness? If you cure it, you'll be able to break through your current limits. Then, even those Martial Alliance bastards won't dare to touch you.”
“Hmm...”
Beom Gye-wi rubbed his bald head.
If nothing else, he had long been troubled by the plateau in his martial arts. After a moment of deep thought, he nodded.
“Alright. Let's go. I'll trust you this once, Brother Cho.”
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“We're not coming back here anyway, so grab anything valuable. We need money for the treatment.”
Beom Gye-wi looked dumbfounded.
“Don't tell me you came here just for the treatment money?”
“You bastard! I risked my life to come and save you! Anyway, with this, we're even for that old debt!”
“Aha. So that's what this was about? Fine. If I'm cured like you say, Brother Cho, then we'll call that debt settled.”
* * *
An hour later.
Cho Ak-ryang was flying through the air. On Beom Gye-wi's back, of course.
Beom Gye-wi, who was sprinting at a terrifying speed, suddenly roared.
“Hey, stop moving! I told you, I'm not into rubbing skin with another man!”
“If you want to cure your illness, shut up and run.”
“That's why I'm saying, just tell me where we're going, and I'll dash there myself!”
“You think I don't know you're just planning to ditch me?”
“You don't trust me?”
“Do you trust me?”
The two of them fell silent.
* * *
Another day passed, and Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi entered the Divine Demon Valley.
Dan Ak-seon, who was waiting at the entrance, brightened up when he saw Cho Ak-ryang.
“You're not late.”
“Ugh!”
A scream erupted from Cho Ak-ryang's mouth at that moment.
Beom Gye-wi had tossed him aside like a piece of luggage. Impatient, Beom Gye-wi immediately pressed Dan Ak-seon.
“I was told the Demonic Physician is here. Take me to her! Now!”
But an unexpected answer came back.
“She passed away.”
“What?”
Beom Gye-wi blinked.
“Then bring me the Divine Physician.”
“He passed away, too.”
Whip.
Beom Gye-wi whipped his head around to glare at Cho Ak-ryang.
“That boy is their son.”
Cho Ak-ryang grimaced, rubbing his aching back.
“He inherited all of their knowledge.”
Beom Gye-wi pointed at Dan Ak-seon.
“This little runt?”
Beom Gye-wi couldn't believe it.
“Did the Martial Alliance beat you so bad you lost your mind?”
“Have you forgotten already? You checked my condition yourself.”
Beom Gye-wi gestured at Dan Ak-seon.
“And that was his handiwork? What could a kid the size of a chestnut possibly do...!”
Beom Gye-wi hastily swallowed his words.
It was because Cho Ak-ryang was glaring at him with a terrifying gaze.
“Watch your mouth, Beom Gye-wi. He is the benefactor who saved my life.”
“No, what I meant was...”
Beom Gye-wi flinched and trailed off.
He hadn't expected Cho Ak-ryang to display such blatant killing intent.
Even if he couldn't use his internal energy, Cho Ak-ryang was still Cho Ak-ryang.
The name of the Blood Hand Honored One, one of the Five Absolutes Under Heaven, was not earned for nothing.
Just a change in his gaze was enough to transform him in an instant.
‘Was it all an act?’
Otherwise, there was no way to explain his overwhelming presence.
In the end, Beom Gye-wi backed down.
“Ahem. Alright. I'll be careful. Why get so serious over something like that? You're making me feel awkward.”
It was a loss of face, but a Cho Ak-ryang with that look in his eyes was not to be trifled with.
That was one of the lessons he had learned after roaming the martial world for many years.
“Shall we start with a pulse diagnosis?”
As Dan Ak-seon approached, Beom Gye-wi hesitantly offered his wrist. After checking his pulse with closed eyes, Dan Ak-seon opened them with a sigh.
“This won't be easy.”
Dan Ak-seon began, looking at Beom Gye-wi.
“The biggest problem is that the qi meridian leading to your head is out of place. So when you circulate your true qi to its limits, it agitates the Naohu acupoint. That's what causes you to lose consciousness.”
“...!”
Beom Gye-wi turned his head toward Cho Ak-ryang.
“Did Brother Cho tell you?”
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.
“Only that you go crazy when you see blood.”
Beom Gye-wi believed him. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Cho Ak-ryang never lied.
Dan Ak-seon continued.
“The second problem is the Quchi acupoint in your left arm. With this key point of the Pericardium Meridian in such a state, it must have been very difficult to bend your arm...”
Beom Gye-wi couldn't hide his astonishment.
“You were injured recently, weren't you?”
Beom Gye-wi nodded unconsciously. He had no choice but to acknowledge the medical skill of the boy before him.
Even Cho Ak-ryang hadn't known about the injury he just mentioned.
“And the last thing is...”
Dan Ak-seon gestured for Beom Gye-wi to come closer.
Then, he whispered something in Beom Gye-wi's ear.
“...!”
Beom Gye-wi's eyes widened.
A weakness he had kept buried as his own secret for years! The young physician before him had pinpointed it exactly.
“C-Could you possibly...”
Beom Gye-wi asked cautiously.
“Can you fix that too? N-No, I mean, would you be able to fix it?”
His tone had suddenly become respectful.
Dan Ak-seon smiled gently.
“Of course.”
“Then I guess I'll take a chance and trust you.”
“In that case, could you lower your head for a moment?”
“Like this?”
“Yes. And just breathe comfortably in that position.”
In that instant, Beom Gye-wi felt a sharp prick on the crown of his head.
Belatedly spotting the needle in Dan Ak-seon's hand, Beom Gye-wi jumped in surprise.
Dan Ak-seon calmly turned and approached Cho Ak-ryang.
He then reached out and inserted a needle near Cho Ak-ryang's solar plexus. Cho Ak-ryang felt the tightness in his chest ease considerably.
At that moment.
Dan Ak-seon swiftly pulled out the needle.
Simultaneously, a stream of dark, dead blood spurted from where the needle had been.
The bleeding stopped quickly, but Cho Ak-ryang's face turned pale.
“Watch out!”
Cho Ak-ryang grabbed Dan Ak-seon's shoulder and quickly pulled him behind his back.
“Didn't I tell you! That bastard goes crazy when he sees blood!”
Cho Ak-ryang stood between Dan Ak-seon and Beom Gye-wi.
But...
“Huh?”
Cho Ak-ryang was at a loss for words. As was Beom Gye-wi himself.
Beom Gye-wi looked at Cho Ak-ryang with surprised eyes.
“I'm fine, right?”
“It seems so. Normally, your eyes would have glazed over instantly...”
The two men stared at each other for a moment before their gazes simultaneously shifted to Dan Ak-seon.
Dan Ak-seon said with a smile.
“I told you I could treat it. A full recovery will take time, though.”
Beom Gye-wi prostrated himself before Dan Ak-seon.
“Teacher!”
“Physician Dan is fine.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled gently.
“Welcome to the Divine Demon Valley.”