Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Foolish Quarrel
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as dawn broke, Dan Ak-seon went to see Beom Gye-wi.
In the meantime, another thatched hut had been built—a dwelling for Beom Gye-wi, constructed from interwoven logs.
Beom Gye-wi was hanging upside down from its eaves.
Spotting this, Dan Ak-seon smiled quietly.
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.
Fortunately, the two of them had followed his instructions without causing any trouble.
Sensing a presence, Beom Gye-wi’s eyes snapped open.
A chilling glint streamed from his bloodshot eyes.
Dan Ak-seon greeted him.
“Did you sleep well?”
Beom Gye-wi’s brow twitched.
“It stings like hell. The insides of my eyes are so itchy I feel like I’m going crazy.”
Beom Gye-wi rolled his eyes, gesturing toward his head.
“How much longer do I have to stay like this?”
Instead of answering, Dan Ak-seon approached him.
Several needles were densely embedded in Beom Gye-wi’s shiny scalp. Dan Ak-seon pulled out one that was particularly dark.
Pop!
Blood gushed from the spot where the needle had been.
It was dark, stagnant blood with a foul stench.
A moment later, when the blood flowing from his head turned a bright crimson, Dan Ak-seon inserted a new needle into the spot as if plugging a hole.
“How do you feel now?”
Beom Gye-wi’s face brightened.
“My head has never felt this clear in my entire life!”
His ferocious killing intent had vanished, replaced by a serene smile that filled his face.
“Stay like that for another quarter of an hour, then come down.”
“For a couple of hours. No, a whole day would be fine.”
“Don’t overdo it. Staying up there longer isn’t necessarily better.”
Beom Gye-wi nodded obediently.
“Alright. But when will you fix what’s below my belt?”
Instead of answering, Dan Ak-seon raised a finger and pointed.
“...!”
Following his finger, Beom Gye-wi’s eyes widened. He had just noticed the distinct bulge in his lower region.
“Ohh!”
Bursting with ecstatic joy, Beom Gye-wi shouted at Dan Ak-seon.
“Thank you, Physician Dan. Thank you so much!”
Smiling warmly, Dan Ak-seon then headed to Cho Ak-ryang’s hut.
Cho Ak-ryang was seated on his bed, circulating his internal energy. Seeing his noticeably improved complexion, Dan Ak-seon nodded.
“You’re looking much better.”
Cho Ak-ryang slowly opened his eyes.
“It’s all thanks to your hard work, Physician Dan.”
“You can start taking short walks today. Just don’t leave the valley.”
Dan Ak-seon added a few more instructions.
“Avoid any strenuous movement, and if you feel short of breath or dizzy, rest immediately. You must not overexert yourself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Having finished his morning rounds, Dan Ak-seon returned to the main hall and went straight to the second floor.
It served as both his bedroom and study.
From the bookshelves flanking the entrance, he pulled out two volumes. One was the *Record of the Sacred Physician: Ailments*, and the other was the *Record of Life and Death: Essentials*.
Dan Ak-seon meticulously compared the two books.
Whenever he came across a blank space, he would pick up his brush and fill it in.
The vast clinical treatment records left by his parents.
This work of summarizing, categorizing, and compiling them had long been part of his daily routine.
He was deeply engrossed in his writing when suddenly...
CRASH!
A tremendous impact shook the entire building.
Dan Ak-seon frowned.
The jolt had shaken his brush, splattering ink across the pages.
He picked up a cloth and was carefully dabbing at the ink when...
BOOM!
Another earth-shattering roar followed.
“...”
Dan Ak-seon closed the book and stood up.
As he stepped out of the hall, the first thing he saw was Cho Ak-ryang’s hut.
Half of it was collapsed, the other half blown away.
As he approached to assess the situation, a thunderous voice tore through the air.
“You swindler!”
It was Beom Gye-wi’s voice.
Cho Ak-ryang immediately retorted.
“You ungrateful bastard!”
“Ungrateful? You only lured me here because you needed my money!”
Beom Gye-wi shouted even louder.
“Introducing me to Physician Dan was just you repaying the favor I did for you twenty years ago!”
“I repaid that by saving your life. If I hadn’t told you the Martial Alliance was looking for you, you would’ve been caught off guard and killed. Introducing you to the Divine Physician was a separate matter.”
“I’m paying for my own treatment, aren’t I? For this much money, any other physician would risk their life to treat me!”
“If you’re so confident, then go find another physician!”
“Hmph! You think I wouldn’t dare?”
Furious, Beom Gye-wi fumed and turned away.
At that moment, he came face-to-face with Dan Ak-seon.
“Are you really leaving?”
Beom Gye-wi flinched at the sight of Dan Ak-seon’s worried face.
But he had already made his move.
After shouting so loudly, backing down now would be too pathetic.
“I’ll come back when that bastard is dead!”
Perhaps it was due to his excessive agitation.
Fwing!
A needle shot out from his head and embedded itself like a hidden weapon in the rafters of the half-demolished hut.
“Sir, wait a moment.”
Dan Ak-seon hurried back to the hall and returned. He held something out to Beom Gye-wi.
“Here, I’m returning this.”
It was the promissory note Beom Gye-wi had brought.
“Keep it. Use it to repair the hut. What does that paltry sum matter?”
“But you’ll need money to get treatment from another physician.”
As Dan Ak-seon pressed the note into his hand, Beom Gye-wi looked puzzled.
“What’s this?”
Along with the note, there was a small pouch containing pills.
“Take one if your mind becomes clouded. It will help clear your head.”
Dan Ak-seon said with concerned eyes.
“But do you really have to go? I heard the Martial Alliance is looking for you...”
“Hmph! They should be the ones worrying, not me. I’ll kill every last one of them on sight!”
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang interjected.
“It’s not too late. Just stay here quietly.”
Cho Ak-ryang’s attempt to stop him only added fuel to the fire.
“Hmph! And who would that benefit?”
With a cold laugh, Beom Gye-wi shot off into the distance.
Dan Ak-seon sighed as his figure vanished, shrinking to a tiny dot in an instant.
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head.
“Hoo. That damn temper of his.”
“But why were you two fighting? You seemed close enough to save each other’s lives.”
“Well...”
Cho Ak-ryang wore an uncharacteristically troubled expression.
“You don’t have to tell me if it’s difficult.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just a little embarrassing.”
Cho Ak-ryang laughed awkwardly.
“The truth is, there’s a ranking among us. We didn’t decide it; the gossips did. That’s how the Ten Great Villains came to be.”
“And?”
“As I said, I’m the head of the group, and that bastard Beom Gye-wi is third, but he keeps insisting he’s second.”
“And so?”
Cho Ak-ryang’s face turned red.
“That’s it.”
“What?”
“That’s all...”
“Is that really something to fight about like this?”
Cho Ak-ryang awkwardly turned his head, avoiding Dan Ak-seon’s gaze.
“Things always get strange whenever I’m involved with him.”
Dan Ak-seon stared at Cho Ak-ryang thoughtfully.
There was a clear difference between the Cho Ak-ryang who was alone and the one who was with Beom Gye-wi.
“I see. Still, let’s wait and see. He might come back.”
“Him? Forget it. You say that because you don’t know him.”
Cho Ak-ryang continued.
“He’s the kind of man who, even if you tell him he’s taken the wrong path, will insist he’s right and take a three-day detour. When it comes to stubbornness, he’s the best in the martial world.”
“Even so.”
Dan Ak-seon said with a smile.
“If there’s no one waiting for him, he can’t come back, can he?”
***
Late at night, during the Hour of the Rat.
As Beom Gye-wi moved through the deep darkness, he suddenly clutched his head, struck by a throbbing headache.
“Ugh... Damn it! Why is this happening again?”
While receiving treatment, his head had always been clear, so he had forgotten for a while.
This pain was a part of his daily life.
“I should have never gotten treatment in the first place.”
Having experienced a completely clear mind, the recurring headache was now even harder to bear.
“Don’t tell me...?”
Beom Gye-wi lowered his head and looked down.
As expected, there was no response.
The thing that had so vigorously asserted its presence just this morning was now completely still.
“...”
Beom Gye-wi was at a loss for words.
The sense of loss was so great that he lost the will to do anything else.
But just then.
A foul, gamey smell assaulted his nostrils.
“...?”
The moment he turned his head in confusion.
His eyes met with a pair of bright yellow ones.
It was a tiger.
A massive one, large enough to be called the lord of the mountain. It had crept up on him while he was distracted.
“Grrraaaawwwr!”
The tiger's thunderous roar shook the cold night sky.
Ignoring it completely, Beom Gye-wi swung his Great Thistle Staff and smashed the tiger's head.
In that instant, blood splattered across Beom Gye-wi’s face.
As he wiped the blood from his face, Beom Gye-wi froze. His vision was beginning to turn red.
“Ugh...”
A suppressed groan escaped Beom Gye-wi’s lips, and then...
“GRAAAAAAH!”
His madness erupted.
Beom Gye-wi began to swing his Great Thistle Staff like a madman.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
A series of terrifying impacts shook the night air.
How much time passed like that?
The tiger, once the size of a house, was gone.
It had been crushed and pulverized into a bloody pulp.
Still not satisfied, Beom Gye-wi scanned his surroundings with bloodshot eyes.
Then, he launched himself into the darkness.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions erupted throughout the mountain.
Having surrendered himself to madness, Beom Gye-wi was a walking disaster.
He began to destroy everything that entered his sight.
***
The next morning.
When his senses returned, Beom Gye-wi let out a low groan, filled with a deep sense of emptiness.
The scene before him was a gruesome tableau of hell. Mighty trees that had once stood tall were shattered like twigs, and the ruined forest was littered with the mangled carcasses of beasts.
“Damn it all!”
He was sick of it.
How much had he struggled to avoid creating situations like this? But this was not something he could control with willpower alone.
Once again, the metallic scent of blood tickled his nose.
At the smell of blood, his madness began to stir again.
“Aaaargh!”
Beom Gye-wi let out a tormented scream.
Just as the madness was about to flare up again.
*It will help.*
Dan Ak-seon’s words flashed through his mind.
He fumbled inside his robes and his hand closed around the pills Dan Ak-seon had given him before he left the Divine Demon Valley.
Beom Gye-wi hastily chewed and swallowed one.
Like magic, the madness subsided.
Now, only two pills remained.
Of course, this was just a temporary solution. Without Dan Ak-seon’s help, he could never escape this dreadful curse.
“First, I need to wash myself.”
Washing the scent of blood from his body was the priority.
***
The Wang Family Clinic, located in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province.
Since the first patriarch established it, this prestigious medical family had continued its practice for three generations. The current head, Wang Seok-pil, was also renowned as a great physician.
For that reason, patients had been flocking to the clinic since dawn.
The four prepared sickbeds were already full.
Wang Seok-pil let out a sigh.
He had skipped lunch to tend to the sick, but the line of patients showed no sign of shrinking.
Still, what could he do?
He had no choice but to treat them to the best of his ability.
“Alright, what brings you here?”
No sooner had Wang Seok-pil asked than the patients on the beds all answered at once.
“I’ve been having trouble with my bowels lately...”
“I sprained my wrist while working.”
“I keep coughing and breaking out in cold sweats.”
After examining the patients' symptoms, Wang Seok-pil’s expression brightened slightly.
Their ailments weren't particularly difficult to treat.
Just as Wang Seok-pil turned to write a prescription.
Whoosh!
A fierce gust of wind suddenly swept in from nowhere.
“Aargh!”
Screams erupted amidst the thick dust and prescriptions scattering in the air. The gale that had swept through the clinic vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
The problem was, the wind wasn't the only thing that had vanished.
The patients lying on the sickbeds were also gone, every last one of them.