Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Helping Hand
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‘The sunlight is especially nice today.’
Cho Ak-ryang thought to himself, sitting cross-legged on the wooden bench in front of the thatched hut. The wind was warm, and the air was crisp.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed such pleasant weather.
‘That's how little peace of mind I had.’
Reflecting on himself, Cho Ak-ryang wore an immensely satisfied smile.
His complexion had improved greatly compared to when he first arrived.
The same was true for Beom Gye-wi.
Beom Gye-wi, hanging upside down from a large tree nearby, also had a relaxed expression.
His perpetually bloodshot eyes had cleared up.
*Clatter.*
Just then, a loud noise from somewhere shattered the peace of the valley.
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi turned their heads toward the sound.
"Oh dear. Did you fall again?"
Beom Gye-wi clicked his tongue, and Dan Ak-seon replied with a laugh.
"I'm okay. I'll just put some medicine on it."
Dan Ak-seon quickly got up and started gathering the spilled medicinal herbs back into his basket. He shouldered the basket, which was as big as he was, and headed for the main building again.
But his staggering steps still looked precarious.
After Dan Ak-seon disappeared, Beom Gye-wi spoke.
"Looked like he was bleeding, didn't it?"
"It was a loud fall. He's probably aching all over."
*Fwoosh.*
Crimson flames erupted from Beom Gye-wi's hands.
"What are you doing?"
"How dare they trip our Doctor Dan! I'm going to burn all those weeds over there."
Cho Ak-ryang clicked his tongue.
"That's not going to solve anything."
"So you want me to just stand by and watch Doctor Dan fall every day? If I burn every last blade of grass on this mountain..."
"Tsk, tsk. When will you ever grow up?"
Cho Ak-ryang glared at him sideways and said.
"Isn't Doctor Dan getting hurt because he's trying to gather herbs for us? The problem is us, yet you want to take it out on some innocent weeds."
"Well..."
Beom Gye-wi scratched his head.
Watching him, Cho Ak-ryang let out a soft sigh.
"Alright. You're not entirely wrong. We should have some decency."
"Decency?"
"What does Doctor Dan do all day?"
"He treats us."
"What else?"
"Gathers herbs, pulls weeds, cleans, cooks... He does everything, doesn't he?"
"So how can that young body possibly endure it all? He pretends he's fine, but he's clearly exhausted."
After a moment of thought, Cho Ak-ryang made up his mind.
"From now on, let's have Doctor Dan focus solely on treatment."
"How do you mean?"
"We'll take care of everything other than his medical work."
"The Blood Hand Honored One, pulling weeds and doing laundry?"
"Why are you trying to sneak out of it?"
"Because I've never done anything like that."
Cho Ak-ryang gave Beom Gye-wi's confident attitude a look of pity.
"You think I have? We're doing it because it needs to be done."
"Then you can do it all, Brother Cho."
"Fine, I'll do it. What are a few chores if it helps our benefactor?"
Beom Gye-wi felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He felt like he was being made out to be the shameless one.
"Should I just go to the village and grab a few guys to work as laborers?"
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
"And announce to everyone that we're here? Are you trying to put Doctor Dan in danger too?"
"That... would be problematic."
Cho Ak-ryang let out a small laugh.
"Well, you live and learn. To think the Mang Mountain's Thistle would be worried about what others think."
Finally, Beom Gye-wi got annoyed.
"Then what do you want me to do!"
"What do you mean? We'll split the work."
At Cho Ak-ryang's firm stance, Beom Gye-wi sighed.
"But, Brother Cho."
"What?"
"How do you clean? Or cook and wash dishes?"
"Well..."
Cho Ak-ryang's voice trailed off. He, too, had no experience in such matters.
"I suppose... we'll get better as we go? It can't be harder than martial arts training, can it?"
"True."
The two men ambitiously started washing the blankets, but it wasn't long before they ran into trouble.
*Riiip!*
He had only shaken the blanket with force to get the dust out, but it was torn to shreds.
Even without being able to use his internal energy, Cho Ak-ryang was a master.
His body, honed over many years, was long past the point of comparison with an ordinary person.
"Why is this thing so flimsy?"
While Cho Ak-ryang was flustered...
*CRACK!*
On one side of the valley, a large tree was uprooted with a deafening crash and fell over.
"Huh? Was this a tree root?"
Beom Gye-wi looked back and forth between the tree root in his hand and the fallen tree.
The commotion brought Dan Ak-seon running out from the main building with a startled look on his face.
"What are you two doing?"
Beom Gye-wi grinned and continued what he was doing.
"From now on, Doctor Dan, you just focus on medicine. Leave the rest of the chores to us."
*Riiip.*
"Hmph! This cloth is so weak."
Dan Ak-seon stared at Cho Ak-ryang, bewildered.
"Are you... trying to dust the blanket?"
"Yes, that's right. It seems I'm still a bit clumsy, so it's not going well."
*Riiiiip.*
"Please stop! If you tear it any more, I won't be able to mend it!"
As Dan Ak-seon tried to stop Cho Ak-ryang, he froze on the spot. It was because of the sight of Beom Gye-wi enthusiastically tilling the ground.
"That's a medicinal herb..."
"Huh?"
Beom Gye-wi looked awkwardly at the herb in his hand.
"This is? It looks just like the other weeds."
Dan Ak-seon sighed.
"That's just what that herb looks like. You have to tell it by the smell."
"So what should I do with this?"
Beom Gye-wi started replanting the weeds he had pulled.
Seeing this, Dan Ak-seon shook his head.
"What you're planting now are the weeds."
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi stopped what they were doing and watched Dan Ak-seon's reaction. But Dan Ak-seon brushed off their mistakes with a single laugh.
"It's alright. I was planning to go to the apothecary today anyway. I can just buy a new blanket and some more herbs while I'm there."
With more people around, the list of necessary items had grown longer.
"Are you planning to go alone?"
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's question.
"Because you two need to stay hidden."
"When will you be back?"
"I'll be back by evening."
"It'll be dangerous at night, won't it? There must be a lot of wild animals."
"It's okay. I can carry an herb that predators hate."
"Still..."
"It's something I've always done."
Just then, Beom Gye-wi stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
"But the people from the Martial Alliance are looking for you."
"I can just disguise myself."
Seeing Beom Gye-wi's eagerness, Cho Ak-ryang grew anxious. At that moment, Beom Gye-wi rubbed his jaw and cheeks with his palm.
*Sizzle.*
White smoke rose from between Beom Gye-wi's palm and his face.
A pungent, rancid smell like burning animal hair filled the air.
Beom Gye-wi's porcupine-like beard fell off in clumps.
He had summoned the Samadhi True Fire to burn off his entire beard.
"Wow!"
Dan Ak-seon gasped at Beom Gye-wi's unrecognizable appearance. Just by losing his bristly beard, he looked like a different person.
Beom Gye-wi grinned.
"How's this? No one will recognize me now, right?"
Dan Ak-seon nodded.
"Yes. You look like a very handsome..."
Beom Gye-wi's face crumpled at Dan Ak-seon's next words.
"...monk."
In contrast, Cho Ak-ryang burst out laughing. The situation was all the more amusing because he knew there was no malice in the boy's words.
"But are you sure that's okay?"
Beom Gye-wi asked in response to Dan Ak-seon's question.
"What do you mean?"
"Your beard. You'll have to grow it back for your next disguise, won't you?"
"No problem. It grows back quickly after just one night's sleep."
Cho Ak-ryang snickered.
"His beard grows so well, but I wonder why his hair doesn't."
"What did you say?"
Cho Ak-ryang struggled to suppress his laughter at Beom Gye-wi's flared temper.
"Still, I guess you weren't just making things up."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm talking about what you said last time. You really do look quite striking without the beard."
Only then was Cho Ak-ryang able to let go of some of his worry.
Because no one who knew Beom Gye-wi would ever recognize him now.
And so, Beom Gye-wi accompanied Dan Ak-seon on his trip to the village.
"I hope nothing happens..."
Cho Ak-ryang muttered as he saw the two off.
That afternoon.
The two returned much earlier than expected.
It seemed that what Cho Ak-ryang had feared didn't happen, but a problem arose from an unexpected place.
A problem caused not by Beom Gye-wi, but by Dan Ak-seon.
***
Cho Ak-ryang greeted the two who had returned earlier than expected.
"Hm? You're back early."
"Yes! Mister Beom gave me a ride using his lightness skill!"
Dan Ak-seon, his cheeks flushed, was completely thrilled.
Beom Gye-wi grinned.
"Just say the word anytime. I'll run you all the way beyond the borders if you want!"
"Hehe. Thank you. I've always wanted to go there someday."
Until now, Dan Ak-seon had only traveled between the Divine Demon Valley and the nearby village. So he had always dreamed of traveling.
Dan Ak-seon hopped down from Beom Gye-wi's shoulder.
Cho Ak-ryang looked at them with a puzzled expression.
"But you don't have many things with you."
He had heard there was a lot to buy before they left, but the baggage Dan Ak-seon brought back was very modest.
"Ah!"
As if just remembering, Dan Ak-seon untied the bundle he was carrying.
"Look at this!"
Cho Ak-ryang nodded after checking the item Dan Ak-seon presented.
"Isn't this a fleeceflower root?"
"It's not just any ordinary fleeceflower root. It's a thousand-year-old one!"
"Oh! Such a rare item?"
"I'm good friends with the apothecary I trade with."
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
"It will be a great help in treating you two. I'll go get things ready right away."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dan Ak-seon ran toward the main building with the fleeceflower root.
After Dan Ak-seon disappeared, Cho Ak-ryang looked at Beom Gye-wi.
"So. You couldn't buy the other things you needed?"
Beom Gye-wi nodded.
"How much did that fleeceflower root cost?"
"He spent every coin he had."
"What?"
"And even then it wasn't enough, so he went into debt."
"And you just stood by and watched?"
Beom Gye-wi grumbled at Cho Ak-ryang's scolding.
"You're only saying that because you didn't see how happy Doctor Dan was."
"He was happy?"
"He was so thrilled he didn't know what to do. Said our treatment would be much faster now."
Cho Ak-ryang was speechless.
"So it's because of us?"
Beom Gye-wi glanced in the direction Dan Ak-seon had gone.
"You know what the really heartbreaking part is?"
"…?"
"He was searching the mountain the whole way back. Said he needed to find some fruit or something."
Beom Gye-wi answered Cho Ak-ryang's questioning gaze.
"Apparently, we don't even have any food for tonight."
"And yet you seem so calm."
"What does it matter? As long as Doctor Dan is happy."
"So we starve tomorrow?"
"I can just go catch a wild animal, can't I?"
"Let's say food is taken care of, what about the other things? We don't even have blankets to sleep with tonight."
"Just sleep rough. You used to sleep just fine under flea-infested straw mats back in the day."
"That was ages ago. And didn't I tell you not to bring that up?"
"Ah, whatever. Anyway, he decided to go back tomorrow to pay off the rest of the debt for the root."
"Does he have the money?"
"He said he'd probably have to sell off whatever valuables are in the house."
Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
"I had a bad feeling about sending you with him."
Beom Gye-wi let out a dry laugh.
"I'm telling you, it's because you weren't there to see it. Even if you had been, you wouldn't have been able to stop him."
"True. Doctor Dan is brilliant at medicine, but he's not exactly worldly-wise."
"He's a twelve-year-old kid. What do you expect? And don't worry about the money. I'll get some if we need it."
"From where?"
"There are plenty of rich bastards out there."
Realizing what Beom Gye-wi was thinking, Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
"What if you get caught? You want to be branded a villain?"
"I won't get caught."
"What if he finds out later? What if he learns we bought food and medicine with that money?"
"Then I'll have to make sure he never finds out."
"Are there any eternal secrets in the martial world?"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Hoo... Let's find another way."