Sichuan Dang Family (2)
"I offer my sincere gratitude to the pillars of the Righteous Path who have gathered here at the request of our Dang Family—and especially to every participant of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering who has attended without exception."
Dang Tae-un opened without introducing himself.
There was no one present who did not already know who he was.
"Once you have finished your meal, speak freely among yourselves. Should anything arise, rely on these two."
At Dang Tae-un's gesture, two of the finalists rose from their seats—one a young man, the other a young woman.
He introduced them.
"My second son, Dang Pae-ho, and my only daughter, Dang Sowol."
At their father's glance the two offered the assembly a silent bow.
Having two or more disciples from the same sect advance through the preliminaries of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was normally a cause for pride. The Zhongnan Sect's unprecedented feat of sending all five of its entrants into the finals, however, had made pure admiration impossible.
One might have expected the Dang Family—masters of Sichuan soil—to feel a certain bitterness at seeing another sect outshine them on their own ground. Yet Dang Tae-un continued without the slightest change of expression.
"I have also stationed attendants throughout the grounds. They will answer any need at once. I hope this banquet proves a meaningful opportunity for you all."
His speech was remarkably brief.
This was, after all, a gathering for the younger generation. A senior of the martial world lingering too long would only dampen the free exchange among the youth. So he chose to finish quickly and leave them the floor.
The moment Dang Tae-un withdrew, servants streamed in bearing dish after dish. The tables filled with a lavish spread, and the guests began to eat in earnest.
True conversation could wait until stomachs were full.
Even while he ate, Cheonhwa felt eyes upon him from every side.
Paeng Mu-jin, Heogong, Cheong-ha, Iryeop—four people he already knew by face alone. Beyond his own party, other finalists kept stealing glances his way. Even the young masters and ladies of the Sichuan Dang Family were watching him.
The attention was so thick he could scarcely tell where the food was going. Yet leaving rice uneaten was not an option Cheonhwa would ever choose. He forced himself to ignore the stares and finished every portion set before him.
"Urgh—!"
Suddenly Yeobhwa's face twisted.
True to his massive frame, the man could usually eat anything without trouble. Sichuan cuisine had clearly agreed with him; he had overindulged, and at last his stomach rebelled.
"Are you all right?"
Seated right beside him, Cheonhwa noticed the change at once. A young woman in green silk—Dang Sowol of the Sichuan Dang Family—approached and asked,
"Shall I guide you to the Medical Hall?"
"Please."
Cheonhwa rose, supporting Yeobhwa. The big man was so badly stuffed he could barely keep his feet.
"I'll be back shortly. Everyone else, please continue eating."
Myeonghwa and the other martial brothers looked on with open worry. Cheonhwa reassured them that he would go along and that they need not fret. As senior disciple he was responsible for the party; if he did not step forward now, when would he?
Thus, half-carrying Yeobhwa and following Dang Sowol's lead, Cheonhwa left the banquet hall.
Watching her back, he felt an odd flicker of familiarity.
We've never met before… so why does she seem so familiar?
A strange sense of dissonance clung to Dang Sowol, yet he had no leisure to examine it. Beside him a martial brother was already heaving as though he might vomit at any second. Cheonhwa set the question aside and quickened his pace.
"We're almost there. Just a little farther."
Yeobhwa's complexion had turned alarming; Dang Sowol's voice grew urgent. Moments later the sharp scent of medicinal decoctions reached their noses, announcing that the Medical Hall was just ahead.
Inside, a pale young man in pure white robes came forward to meet them. One look at Yeobhwa and he hurried closer in surprise.
"What is this, Sowol?"
"Brother Baek-seon, this gentleman suddenly took ill…"
"Let me take his pulse."
The youth called Baek-seon examined Yeobhwa and spoke.
"Indigestion—and a severe case of it. Still, with acupuncture and rest he should recover quickly enough."
He led the three of them deeper inside, laid Yeobhwa on a cot, and set needles into the acupoints of the abdomen, wrists, elbows, and knees. His skill was so refined that the needles sank in without the slightest sting. Even a martial artist who had tempered his outer body—normally difficult to pierce—felt nothing. The needles themselves were special, yet the physician's technique was finer still.
Before long Yeobhwa's color improved. An enormous belch escaped him unbidden, signaling that the worst had passed.
Relieved, Cheonhwa offered thanks to both the physician and Dang Sowol.
"Thank you. Because of you, Physician, my martial brother is better. And thank you as well, young lady, for guiding us here."
"I have merely done what any physician should, Daoist Cheonhwa."
"…You know who I am?"
"Of course. Anyone with even a passing interest in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering would know of the rising talent who, while still only a first-class martial artist, defeated a Peak Expert—Shaolin's Iron Fist Dragon, no less."
The physician smiled gently as he spoke. Cheonhwa had never imagined his face would be known beyond the contestants themselves; for a moment he looked blank, then reconsidered.
The Sichuan Dang Family is hosting the event. It would be stranger if one of their own did not know.
The physician's next words shattered that assumption.
"By now the rumor has surely spread through all of Dang-ga-ta—and throughout Chengdu itself."
"Rumor…?"
"Indeed. The Dragon and Phoenix Gathering is a tale even those outside the martial world find worth following."
"All of Chengdu…?"
"And soon people will flock from every region simply to watch the finals. The story will travel across the entire Central Plains."
"The entire Central Plains…?!"
As the scale grew, so did Cheonhwa's eyes. Seeing his face turn pale, the physician asked in mild surprise,
"Are you all right?"
"Ah—yes. I was simply… rather startled."
"Hmm. From your reaction, it seems the idea of fame is not entirely welcome."
"Raising my sect's renown is good, and I cannot pretend I am unhappy to become known myself. Yet the weight of it feels heavier still."
"That, too, is only for a time. Fame is another word for expectation, and expectation always evaporates in the end."
There was a faint edge to the physician's reply. He seemed to notice it himself; his expression softened and he apologized.
"Forgive me. I spoke carelessly while you were already unsettled."
"Not at all. As you say, this attention will not last forever. I will take it lightly."
"Thank you for receiving my words so kindly."
Once Yeobhwa's condition had stabilized, the physician withdrew the needles and addressed Cheonhwa.
"The indigestion has eased, but he is not fully recovered. It would be best if he remained here a while longer. As soon as he is well I will send an attendant with him. Why not return ahead of him?"
"I will take your advice."
Cheonhwa left his thanks and stepped out of the Medical Hall. On the walk back to the banquet with Dang Sowol he struck up conversation.
"Earlier you called the physician 'Brother.' Are the two of you siblings?"
"Yes. He is my eldest brother. His name is Dang Baek-seon."
"If he is the eldest son of the Dang Family, does that make him the young family head?"
"Well…"
Dang Sowol hesitated. There was clearly some reason she could not answer at once.
Come to think of it, I sensed no trace of martial training on the physician at all.
Even the servants of the Sichuan Dang Family practiced martial arts. That the current family head's eldest son had never learned them was strange indeed. Cheonhwa asked carefully, half-expecting the answer.
"Is it that Physician Baek-seon is unable to learn martial arts?"
"…"
Dang Sowol's silence was confirmation enough.
That the eldest son of a great martial clan—and of the Sichuan Dang Family, famed for its medical arts—should be constitutionally incapable of learning martial arts…
He must be unable to accumulate true qi within his body.
Through his qi sense Cheonhwa had felt that Dang Baek-seon's breathing followed the pattern of internal-energy circulation, yet the meridians that should have formed through outer or inner training were entirely absent. He could perceive energy and draw natural qi into himself through breath, but refining that energy was almost certainly impossible.
Even so, his skill as a physician is outstanding.
Great physicians often cultivated martial arts both for self-defense and to refine their medical craft. That a man without any martial power, relying only on tools, could match the achievements of trained physician-warriors spoke of relentless effort.
"Physician Dang Baek-seon is remarkable. To reach such heights as a healer without ever being able to learn martial arts…"
"…"
At Cheonhwa's sincere praise Dang Sowol's eyes widened for an instant. Then a soft smile touched her lips.
"Yes. He is a brother I am proud of as well."
Afterward Cheonhwa drank the medicinal decoction Dang Baek-seon had prepared, then set out once more for the banquet hall with Dang Sowol. The path back was quiet; only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the stillness. When they had first entered the inner compound it had been broad daylight; now the sun was already sinking.
"I am sorry. I have kept you until this hour because of me."
"Not at all. I only did what a host should."
"I did say that next time we met I wanted to see your true face… yet I never expected we would meet like this."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I told you when we met before, did I not—Miss Dang Soso."
At Cheonhwa's words Dang Sowol stopped dead. She stared at him with a mixture of shock and curiosity, then let out a soft sigh.
"From the way you speak, there's no point in denying it. How on earth did you know? I wasn't even wearing a disguise this time."
"It's true that your appearance, voice, figure, and clothing were all different from the Miss Dang Soso I knew—except for one thing."
"And that is?"
"Your movements. The unconscious habits matched hers perfectly."
"To notice from something so small… Daoist Cheonhwa truly is no ordinary man."
She had hoped to surprise him and now grumbled lightly that the effort had been wasted.
"When exactly did you realize?"
"While you were guiding us to the Medical Hall."
"If you knew then, why wait until now to say so?"
"Because Senior Brother Yeobhwa was with us. I guessed you had hidden your identity because the Sichuan Dang Family needed to investigate something in secret. So even though I was curious, I chose not to ask."
"Ugh… you're not wrong, but…"
Faced with Cheonhwa's consideration, Dang Sowol asked nothing further. Instead she offered a different proposal.
"Hmm. Since things have turned out this way, how about we skip the rest of the banquet?"
"Pardon? Is that allowed?"
"Ordinarily it wouldn't be, but as it happens, someone is looking for you, Daoist Cheonhwa."
"Someone looking for me? Who?"
Dang Sowol answered with a bright smile.
"My grandfather—the Grand Elder of the Sichuan Dang Family—has ordered that Daoist Cheonhwa be brought to him."