Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Helping Ha Jin (3)
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Neighhhh!
The four-horse carriage raced madly onward.
It was going so fast that the horses let out fierce cries.
As soon as the horses began whinnying loudly, Seok Geum-yeong opened the window just in case—and sure enough.
"We've finally caught up, huh?"
Amazingly, the face peering through the window belonged to none other than the Heavenly Demon, Gunryong.
There were precious few in the entire world who could catch up to a rampaging four-horse carriage by flying through the air almost horizontally.
"Gunryong!"
Seok Geum-yeong cried out in a high-pitched voice the moment she saw the Heavenly Demon, losing her usual composure in a way that was unlike her.
Truth be told, she had been feeling uneasy the whole time after leaving the Heavenly Demon behind alone.
She knew his martial prowess well, but for some reason, her heart felt empty.
She never imagined they'd reunite this quickly.
"You've arrived."
"Please, have a seat."
As soon as the Heavenly Demon arrived, Sogang and Yang Hui-gun both lit up with joy and welcomed him.
"No issues on your end?"
"Of course not."
Inside the carriage were Seok Geum-yeong and Ha Jin as well, while Ha Yeon-seol breathed steadily with a much improved complexion compared to before.
At this rate, they might actually make some progress when they met Yu Cheon-baek, the Merciless Physician.
"Did you wrap things up properly?"
Ha Jin asked.
"Oh right! What happened to Brother Ho-gwi?"
Seok Geum-yeong seemed to have momentarily forgotten that Seok Ho-gwi had threatened her life, only now remembering him.
"Hmm, he's probably regretting his mistakes so deeply and repenting that he won't show his face in front of Geum-yeong anytime soon."
The Heavenly Demon couldn't know Seok Ho-gwi's exact intentions.
Not that he'd asked, and even if he had, the man was in no state to answer now.
"Gasp! Does that mean..."
"Come on, Geum-yeong. What do you take me for? I'm not that ruthless."
The Heavenly Demon waved it off, looking wronged.
'He killed him.'
'Yeah, he did.'
Of course, Sogang and Yang Hui-gun didn't buy it.
"I just roughed him up enough to make him reflect on his errors. He'll be staying in the Jin Yak Hall for a while, so no need to worry about him anymore."
"Phew... That's a relief."
Seok Geum-yeong finally let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that Seok Ho-gwi's issue had been cleanly resolved.
She'd been putting on a strong front, but it was a perfectly natural reaction for someone her young age—and a woman at that.
Even after the Heavenly Demon joined them, the carriage pressed on relentlessly, arriving near the Seok Family Manor before long.
"It's Physician Yu Cheon-baek!"
"The Merciless Physician!"
Sogang and Yang Hui-gun managed to bring Yu Cheon-baek aboard the carriage.
"We raced nonstop from Ghost Sword Manor."
Yu Cheon-baek looked quite fatigued from the long, grueling march.
As the Merciless Physician boarded, Seok Geum-yeong and Ha Jin stared at him with eyes full of surprise and curiosity.
'Unlike the terrifying rumors... he has such a kind face?'
'Is that man really the fearsome Merciless Physician?'
Not just Seok Geum-yeong—even Ha Jin, who had consulted every renowned physician under the sun, couldn't help but doubt her eyes at the changed appearance of the Merciless Physician.
But that doubt didn't last.
"Is this young one the patient?"
After boarding and exchanging light greetings, Yu Cheon-baek immediately focused on his work.
He glanced at Ha Yeon-seol, the patient before him, and discerned her condition at once without even taking her pulse.
"Crushed Bone Severed Meridian Syndrome."
"Gasp! H-how did you know?"
Ha Jin had been inwardly skeptical, finding him far too gentle compared to the rumors—more like a seasoned warrior than a physician—but she was stunned.
The incurable disease afflicting Ha Yeon-seol was so rare that even diagnosing it was difficult, and it had taken Ha Jin three full years of seeking out famed doctors far and wide to even identify it.
'Yet he names this obscure rare disease at a single glance.'
Even the brilliant physician who first diagnosed it had spent hours painstakingly checking her pulse before confirming it.
But Yu Cheon-baek had pinpointed it exactly with just a look, without touching her pulse. What else could he be but the greatest of the great physicians?
"For a girl under ten, with an intractable, incurable disease unrelated to internal energy or the dantian... there aren't many possibilities. Besides, I've encountered a few cases of Crushed Bone Severed Meridian Syndrome before."
Yu Cheon-baek explained.
The condition called Crushed Bone Severed Meridian Syndrome meant that, quite literally, as the child grew, her bones twisted in unnatural directions, warping her muscle meridians and acupoints in a horrifying manner.
"Then, if I may be so bold... what happened to those patients?"
Ha Jin couldn't help but ask out of sheer curiosity.
"They were all fully cured."
Of course, back then as the Merciless Physician, he had demanded the lives of the patients' guardians in exchange—but still.
"Then... could our Seol-i possibly be cured completely too?"
"Hmm."
Only then did Yu Cheon-baek take Ha Yeon-seol's pulse.
"To be frank, this child's condition is worse than any Crushed Bone Severed Meridian Syndrome patient I've treated before. She's the youngest among them, with the most severe symptoms, and above all, it's been neglected for far too long."
"Urk, that bastard Seok Ho-gwi!"
At the word "neglected," Ha Jin couldn't contain her rage, clenching her fists tightly.
She even regretted not handling Seok Ho-gwi herself instead of leaving it to the Heavenly Demon.
But that regret was fleeting.
"Forgive the interruption, Physician. The Seok Family Manor will provide every herb and spiritual medicine you require. Even so... will it be difficult?"
Seok Geum-yeong asked politely and courteously.
"With perfect support, there's no reason for failure. It's entirely possible."
"Oh! Ohhh!"
Ha Jin finally exhaled deeply as a father, relieved at the bold assurance from no less than the Merciless Physician himself.
"Excellent. Then write down the medicines you need here, and I'll procure them all, no matter the means."
What's more, Seok Geum-yeong was desperate to save Ha Yeon-seol, Ha Jin's only daughter.
"Miss..."
Moved by her heartfelt efforts, Ha Jin felt even deeper gratitude toward Seok Geum-yeong; he was now ready to lay down his life for her.
"Very well. Let's get to it!"
With those confident words from Yu Cheon-baek, Ha Yeon-seol's full treatment finally began.
In a room inside the Seok Family Manor where Ha Yeon-seol was receiving treatment.
"Hmmm. Hngh."
Ha Jin paced back and forth restlessly in that room, unable to sit still for even three full days.
"Uncle, she'll be fine."
Seok Geum-yeong had stayed by Ha Jin's side—except when sleeping—moving many to tears.
"Yes. Surely she will."
By contrast, the Heavenly Demon had boldly asked Seok Geum-yeong to set up a temporary training ground in the open space right in front of the treatment room.
"Haaap!"
"Here I come!"
And without tiring, he sparred furiously with Yang Hui-gun, honing his martial arts.
One might think such apparent nonchalance would hurt Ha Jin's feelings, but the Heavenly Demon stood firm.
"Does pacing outside the treatment room raise the odds of a full recovery? If so, I'd join you. But it doesn't. Better to stay away and do my part—that helps more."
Ha Jin didn't feel angry or slighted at those words.
"I was foolish, Gunryong. Please let me join your training."
He had finally found his answer and gained peace of mind.
'Right. If even I, her protector, falter now... what good is that?'
He wanted to show his daughter the steady, reliable father figure she'd need upon her full recovery.
"Hahaha, that's the spirit. Team up on me—two against one!"
And so began a sparring match like a battle: Heavenly Demon versus Yang Hui-gun and Ha Jin.
Ha Jin figured that even if the Heavenly Demon was amazing, teaming up with Yang Hui-gun—who matched him in skill—for a joint assault might hold their own.
But no.
Bam!
The Heavenly Demon's fist slammed into Ha Jin's abdomen like it pierced right through.
It shouldn't have been that easy to breach normally, but Ha Jin's concern for the Heavenly Demon had caused him to let his guard down.
"Gah! Cough, cough!"
Ha Jin nearly met his end before even seeing Ha Yeon-seol again.
"Eyes front! In a real fight, you'd be dead!"
"Y-yes?"
"What 'yes'? You wanna die before your daughter?!"
"S-sorry!"
At the Heavenly Demon's terrifying rebuke, Ha Jin—who knew neither his age nor true identity—instinctively straightened up in obedience.
Ha Jin hadn't even wondered about the Heavenly Demon's background to begin with.
'He's clearly a natural-born absolute master, a hidden expert who's returned to youth!'
He was convinced the Heavenly Demon was some recluse from the previous or prior generation.
The way he casually used informal speech with Yu Cheon-baek—the Merciless Physician even older than himself—and treated him like a limb only reinforced that his youthful looks were a ruse.
Even more astonishing things were yet to come.
Whoosh!
About two days after sparring with the Heavenly Demon alongside Yang Hui-gun...
'Impossible! My internal energy and martial arts, stagnant for so long, have made massive progress!'
The unbelievable had happened.
Invincible Golden Capital Ha Jin had reached the Entry to Divinity realm at a remarkably young age—a great achievement—but after that, he'd hit a wall with no further growth.
To make matters worse, tied to the Seok Family Manor where he couldn't devote himself solely to martial arts, preventing regression was challenge enough; advancement was out of the question.
Eventually, he'd settled for maintaining the Entry to Divinity realm—a realistic outlook.
But heavens...
'This is far faster progress and insight than solo training.'
Reflecting on how he'd achieved it: survival.
Facing the Heavenly Demon—who treated training like real combat—he'd struggled desperately to stay alive, reigniting the sense of threat dulled by the safe confines of the Seok Family Manor, pouring every ounce of effort into it and breaking through.
"How's it feel? At least worth risking your life in every session, right?"
Yang Hui-gun sidled up to Ha Jin, who was still gaping in awe at his gains, and grinned.
It was the camaraderie and empathy only those who'd faced the calamity called the Heavenly Demon together—fellow sufferers risking death—could share.
"Young Master Yang Hui-gun. Have you been doing these death-defying drills every day?"
"Heh, yes."
"Damn! I'm envious... yet pity you too. Mixed feelings."
Yang Hui-gun and Ha Jin shared a complex, bittersweet mood—unsure whether to laugh or cry.
As the men sweated it out, bonding in the process, at last!
"Uncle Ha Jin! Your daughter has finally opened her eyes!"
The news Ha Jin had awaited so desperately arrived.
Thump thump!
His heart pounded wildly, as if about to burst.
He couldn't calm himself, just like the day Ha Yeon-seol was born.
"Wh-what's the result?"
Ha Jin bowed politely to the grateful Seok Geum-yeong, who had guarded the treatment room in his stead and brought the good news.
"Fully cured. Completely healed."