Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Unless It's the Queen of Medicine
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With the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric getting serious, the wound on his shoulder was treated in an instant.
Gok Yangdu's condition was more severe, but there was no issue in keeping him alive.
However, restoring his martial arts was impossible.
He had taken such a beating from Byeok Taesan that his internal meridians were severed in multiple places, and his dantian was severely cracked.
Even now, his energy was constantly leaking out.
Though he was treated, he didn't have much time left.
He would probably die in a few years, no matter how well he recuperated.
To keep him alive longer would require constant and continuous management and treatment from physicians on the level of the Divine Doctor of the Ages or the One-Needle Eccentric.
After hearing the full report, Byeok Taesan nodded nonchalantly.
The reason for keeping him alive was to extract any information Gok Yangdu might have, not to fix him up for some other use.
In any case, after receiving treatment and getting enough rest, the group followed Byeok Taesan to where the half-jiangshi were located.
In truth, they hadn't yet looked for the half-jiangshi's location, so they had to start searching now.
No, they thought they would have to search the entire water fortress from top to bottom.
But that wasn't necessary.
"Young Master, shall we split up and search?"
Byeok Taesan shook his head at Hwaok's question.
"No need."
"Pardon? The fortress is quite large. Wouldn't it be better to split up rather than move in a group like this?"
"I know where they are, so there's no need."
"Pardon? You know?"
Hwaok instinctively glanced at Gok Yangdu.
Gok Yangdu was still unconscious, slumped over Cheon Gyeongwan's shoulder.
Hwaok had guessed that Byeok Taesan might have learned the location of the half-jiangshi while fighting Gok Yangdu.
Of course, that wasn't it.
From the moment he entered the fortress, Byeok Taesan could tell where the half-jiangshi were.
The unique sensation they emitted was that strong.
Everyone silently followed Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan entered one of the buildings in the fortress and gestured to the floor with his chin.
"Tear it up."
The moment Byeok Taesan's command was given, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon rushed forward.
Cheon Gyeongwan set Gok Yangdu down nearby and quickly began to tear up the floorboards.
Not to be outdone, Yu Seoyeon diligently tore up the floor as well.
The floor was made of tightly woven bamboo. Once it was removed, a vast space was revealed below.
"Hoh. There's a basement? I thought it was just a building constructed over the water, but it seems I was wrong."
This water fortress was half on land and half over the water.
The building itself was over the water, so it was natural to assume water flowed beneath it.
But upon tearing up the floor, they were surprised to find a huge space with stone walls.
And within that space stood countless half-jiangshi, standing perfectly still.
The half-jiangshi stood motionless in neat, tight rows. When the floor was torn away, opening the view above, they all raised their heads in unison to look up.
It was eerie.
"Shit, that startled me."
The One-Needle Eccentric jumped in surprise and took a step back.
Seeing this, the Divine Doctor of the Ages cackled.
"My, my, why are you so jumpy?"
"Wouldn't you be startled if they all looked at you at once?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages puffed out his chest and slapped it a few times.
"I wasn't startled. Hehehe."
The One-Needle Eccentric, his face flushed, gave the Divine Doctor a shove.
"Agh!"
As the Divine Doctor of the Ages was about to fall, the gazes of the half-jiangshi all converged on him.
Just as he was about to tumble, the One-Needle Eccentric grabbed him tightly by the scruff of his neck.
With only the tips of his toes on the edge, his body dangling in the air, cold sweat trickled down the Divine Doctor's forehead.
Just as he was about to shout something, the half-jiangshi all twitched slightly.
"Aaaargh!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages screamed.
The One-Needle Eccentric quickly pulled him back up.
The half-jiangshi returned to their original state.
The One-Needle Eccentric cackled, looking at the Divine Doctor of the Ages who had collapsed onto the floor in a daze.
"Why are you so jumpy? And even if you're scared, what's with that undignified scream? Have you no shame?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, his face contorted in anger, whipped his head around to glare at the One-Needle Eccentric.
"Are you serious right now?"
"What did I do?"
"I almost fell!"
"Why would you fall? I caught you just fine."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages clenched his fists, trembling with rage.
"What's with those fists? You look like you're about to throw a punch."
"Who said anything about punching? I just clenched them to gather my strength."
At the Divine Doctor's words, the One-Needle Eccentric smirked.
"Go ahead and hit me if you want. If you can handle the consequences, that is."
"We'll see about that."
"Ooh, I'm so scared."
While the two were bickering, Byeok Taesan stepped forward.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric flinched and quickly stepped back.
Byeok Taesan looked down.
Unlike when the Divine Doctor or the One-Needle Eccentric had looked, the half-jiangshi remained perfectly still.
The others also approached and looked down.
"There are so many of them. Could this be all the half-jiangshi they have?"
At Hwaok's words, Yeon Harin, who was standing beside her, nodded and said.
"Indeed. There are over three hundred."
Byeok Taesan could tell in more detail. Among them, two hundred and fifty were half-jiangshi made from ordinary people, and the rest were made from martial artists.
"A veritable feast."
With those words, Byeok Taesan leaped down.
Instantly, the half-jiangshi collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Byeok Taesan walked slowly towards the half-jiangshi that were still standing. As he drew closer, they too collapsed.
The surroundings filled with high-quality spiritual energy.
The place where the half-jiangshi were was like a deep pit dug into the ground.
Thus, the spiritual energy didn't disperse easily, and its concentration only grew thicker.
Of course, it would all dissipate over time, but it would linger here far longer than when he had defeated the half-jiangshi elsewhere.
After felling all the half-jiangshi, Byeok Taesan stood in the center and gently closed his eyes.
Last time, he had simply let the flowing spiritual energy that suited him enter his body, but now, he took it a step further.
Byeok Taesan drew the spiritual energy into his body.
A gentle but steady suction force was generated, causing the spiritual energy to swirl like a vortex and be drawn into Byeok Taesan's body.
He didn't absorb all of it, simply letting it flow through him.
As a result, only the spiritual energy that perfectly matched his body accumulated inside, while the rest simply passed by.
After rotating the spiritual energy several dozen times, no more compatible energy remained.
Only then did Byeok Taesan slowly open his eyes.
"Overwhelming."
Today's elixir was overwhelming.
The quantity was one thing, but the quality was exceptional.
He had just obtained several times more spiritual energy than the sum of all the half-jiangshi he had absorbed so far.
The quality was also far superior.
Byeok Taesan directed the absorbed spiritual energy to his severed or damaged meridians.
Now, this high-quality spiritual energy would naturally heal the meridians on its own.
He glanced around, seeing fallen half-jiangshi everywhere.
At the far end, there was a staircase leading up.
He could have leaped up in a single bound, but there was no need, nor did he want to.
As Byeok Taesan ascended the stairs, the group watched him with sparkling eyes.
The eyes of the two physicians from the Heavenly Medicine Hall, in particular, were shining with an excessive brilliance.
The two physicians approached Byeok Taesan as if mesmerized.
"Um..."
One of the physicians spoke cautiously to Byeok Taesan.
"I would like to take your pulse."
Byeok Taesan looked at the physician who had just spoken and smirked.
"Take my pulse?"
The physician, excited, quickly poured out his words.
"I wish to know more about what you have just shown us. I believe it is certainly related to your constitution, Young Master, and to confirm that, a pulse diagnosis is essential."
"You can confirm it by taking my pulse?"
A slight smile played on Byeok Taesan's lips as he asked.
The physician nodded vigorously.
"Of course. When it comes to constitutions, our Heavenly Medicine Hall is the best. Understanding a person's constitution is the most crucial step in prescribing the correct medicine, so we have researched it for a very long time."
The physician said this and looked at Byeok Taesan with a confident expression.
He didn't doubt for a moment that he would be given permission.
"Well, that might be true."
At Byeok Taesan's positive remark, the physicians' expressions brightened.
"But that doesn't apply to you."
"Pardon?"
Byeok Taesan turned his head to look at the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric standing nearby.
"Are you confident you can do a better job than those two?"
"Ah...!"
Only then did the two physicians realize they had been too forward. But they couldn't help it. How could one simply ignore such an incredible sight?
Byeok Taesan spoke to the physicians who were having such thoughts.
"You want to take my pulse? You dare?"
The physicians' faces turned pale.
"Unless it's the Queen of Medicine."
At Byeok Taesan's following words, the physicians' expressions hardened.
The two physicians remained silent for a while before speaking with difficulty.
"We will pretend we did not hear that last remark."
With those words, the two physicians discreetly withdrew.
Byeok Taesan frowned and looked at the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"What's with them?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned and said.
"I'm not sure if you said it knowingly, Young Master, but the current Queen of Medicine is a woman."
"Hm?"
"And a woman renowned for her beauty, at that. She is one of the Three Flowers of the Martial World."
"That's news to me. But what of it?"
What did the Queen of Medicine being a woman have to do with those physicians' attitudes?
"There must be many who are after her. Countless men try to make contact with her under the pretext of a pulse diagnosis."
Finding it too absurd, Byeok Taesan let out a chuckle.
"I should pull them out one by one."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, getting excited, continued his explanation.
"The current Queen of Medicine ascended to the position of master of the Heavenly Medicine Hall at a young age, so she is known to stop at nothing to improve her skills."
As Byeok Taesan watched him silently, the Divine Doctor thought he was interested and explained even more eagerly.
"If word of what you just said reaches the Queen of Medicine's ears, she will surely come. Just to ask to take your pulse. So, wouldn't they be concerned?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said this and cackled.
"You seem to be enjoying this."
Realizing Byeok Taesan's words were devoid of any emotion, the Divine Doctor of the Ages immediately shut his mouth and wiped the smile off his face.
He cautiously peeked at Byeok Taesan's expression.
"No, why would I enjoy it, when those fellows dared to speak to our Young Master in such a manner? I will give them a stern scolding. Just leave it to me."
Byeok Taesan nodded and walked past the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
"You seemed to be enjoying it."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, his face crestfallen, quickly followed Byeok Taesan.
"I really wasn't!"
The One-Needle Eccentric sidled up next to the Divine Doctor.
"Not enjoying it? From what I saw earlier, you were laughing so hard it looked like your mouth would rip."
"Argh! Brother! Isn't it enough that you pushed me into that crowd of half-jiangshi earlier? Are you trying to push me into hell now? Are you really going to be like this?"
"My, my, did you just say hell? Why would our Young Master be hell? I've heard your thoughts loud and clear."
"Argh! That's what you said yesterday, brother! That being with the Young Master is like being in hell!"
The One-Needle Eccentric leaped up.
"You crazy bastard! When did I ever say that! If you want to die, die alone! Why are you dragging me into this!"
"My, my, why would the Young Master kill you, brother? What do you take our Young Master for?"
"Hey, you crazy bastard!"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages quickly moved to stand right next to Byeok Taesan.
"In any case, you don't need to worry about a thing, Young Master. I will personally make sure the Queen of Medicine comes to you."
Byeok Taesan didn't answer and just kept walking.
The reaction came from somewhere else.
Yeon Harin had approached them at some point.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why are you making the Queen of Medicine come?"
"Uh? Well, that is..."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages was at a loss for words. He couldn't very well say that he was arranging it because he thought Byeok Taesan would like one of the Three Flowers of the Martial World.
Not in front of Byeok Taesan's fiancée, of all people.
The One-Needle Eccentric sidled up, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really don't think, do you? Did you really have to say that right here, right now, to feel satisfied?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, infuriated, was about to say something to the One-Needle Eccentric but then met Yeon Harin's gaze.
Seeing her eyes shimmering as if tears were about to fall at any moment, he found himself unable to speak.
"Uh... Oh dear, that fellow Gok Yangdu should be waking up soon. I'd better go check on him."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages scurried away to where they had laid Gok Yangdu.
As he was hastily running, the Divine Doctor felt an eerie sensation and glanced to his side.
Yeon Harin had somehow caught up to him, following closely and staring at him. Still with those eyes, shimmering as if she were about to burst into tears.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages, terrified, ran even faster.
Watching this scene, the One-Needle Eccentric cackled.
End of < Unless It's the Queen of Medicine >