Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Part 22: Grandfather and Grandson
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"Everyone, leave us."
At Jeong-a's command, the twins scurried out of the room.
Even after they left, a heavy silence lingered in the room for a long while.
"...So-hyeon."
The old man called his name once more, and Yeon So-hyeon let out a deep sigh.
"The old man's eyes are sharp as ever. I hid it so carefully, yet he sees right through it."
Truth be told, this situation wasn't something Yeon So-hyeon had intended.
Unwittingly, he had once again proven that the title of Medicine King was no empty name.
"...What happened to your body? You hid it so thoroughly that I can't even sense the breath of your upper dantian, starting from the crown of your head."
In the end, his desperate efforts to conceal the demonic qi of the Jeam True Heaven Scripture had only made it stand out more.
"The old man's insight is a hundred times sharper than most. No wonder they say folks should die when they get old."
In his words, Jeong-a sensed Yeon So-hyeon's desperate wish to avoid hurting his master's feelings, right up to the end.
"...So-hyeon, give me your wrist."
Unable to meet the old man's eyes, he closed his own instead.
Jeong-a gently placed her hand on her master's shoulder without a word.
Yeon So-hyeon let out a deep sigh and extended his hand.
"...Don't faint on me. No one's here to clean up after the old man if you soil yourself."
It was a warning to prepare himself mentally.
But the old man paid it no mind and began taking his pulse without hesitation.
Who could dare stop a grandfather worrying over his grandson?
"...This."
A faint twitch crossed the Medicine King's face.
"Both the Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel are twisted. No, that's not all. All eight extraordinary meridians are inverted...!"
Cold sweat poured endlessly from his forehead.
Jeong-a quietly wiped the old man's brow.
"This can't be. It defies reason. This isn't the qi of a living person...!"
The old man's eyes snapped wide open.
"It's demonic qi...! But it's nothing like the demonic cult's."
His eyes rolled back, and violent convulsions wracked his body.
"I... I've never...! Such horrific demonic qi...! I've never even heard of such a thing in my life...!"
Yeon So-hyeon yanked his wrist away.
Any further, and it might not just hurt the old man's heart—it could shatter his mind and body.
"......."
The old man clutched his trembling hands to his face.
He was drowning in utter despair.
There was nothing he could do.
No—simply grasping what it was had nearly splintered his sanity into pieces.
Even though Yeon So-hyeon had sealed that unidentified demonic qi with some bizarre technique beyond comprehension.
A long time passed.
The old man lifted his head, his face aged several times over in that span, and looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
"...You're no longer human."
Yeon So-hyeon could only nod silently in agreement.
* * *
A heavy silence dominated the room.
The old man clamped a short pipe between his teeth and quietly reminisced about the past.
[I had a baby. A healthy baby boy.]
When Yak So-yu sent word of the birth through an acquaintance, the old man was deep into vital research in Tianzhu, a pursuit spanning several years.
But how could research matter when his most cherished disciple—practically a daughter—had given birth?
He rushed to Luoyang in all haste.
[This child's name is So-hyeon.]
Filthy and unkempt, without even a proper bath or sleep, his master smiled warmly as always.
She unwrapped the bundle and offered the tiny new life, breathing softly.
But he couldn't bring himself to take the child.
How could he touch a babe untouched by the world's filth with hands unwashed for months?
He neither approached nor retreated far, simply gazing at the infant from afar with longing eyes.
Yak So-yu whispered to the child with a smile like spring sunlight.
[This is your great-grandfather.]
Me, of all people...?
A lifetime devoted to medicine had earned him the title Medicine King, but no grandchildren.
Hearing his beloved disciple call him great-grandfather was enough to well tears in the old man's eyes.
He bowed his head to hide them, staring endlessly at the child.
The infant, wriggling with jet-black eyes fixed on him, seemed purer and nobler than any he'd ever seen.
[Our little So-hyeon. Isn't he precious?]
His disciple had lived a far from easy life.
Her fame pierced the heavens, known to all, yet few knew the trials she'd endured.
Overwhelmed by her radiant presence, the old man said nothing.
He simply gazed at the beautiful mother and child, like a painting come to life.
It was far too late when he realized she'd sacrificed her life for her child.
[Master, please visit Luoyang now and then to check on little So-hyeon.]
The letter in his hand trembled violently.
It was her final words.
The letter brimmed with page after page of gratitude toward him.
But her sole request was that one line.
She returned to nature's embrace at far too young an age.
For months, he offered nightly rites toward where her body lay, praying for her rebirth in paradise.
It was he who sent a near-threat of a letter to the Zhongyuan Emperor's court, compelling shrines in her honor across the land.
[You've come.]
His first visit was two years after Yak So-yu's passing.
So-hyeon greeted him with a composure beyond his years.
The boy was so brilliant, the old man wished to take him as a disciple.
Yet seeing So-hyeon's face pained him deeply.
Every glimpse of Yak So-yu in his features, expressions, and mannerisms piled up emotions he could no longer bear.
How must a father's heart feel, sending off his daughter first?
He came to understand why a child departing before parents is called the ultimate filial impiety.
He left behind books containing all his secret arts.
On a moonlit night, as he prepared to slip away quietly, So-hyeon saw him off—as if sensing his heart.
[We'll meet again, Great-Grandfather.]
After that, he visited the Sword Clan occasionally to spend time with So-hyeon.
Before long, they were like friends.
Exchanging barbs, critiquing each other's skills.
Then one day.
His grandson was dubbed the Swordless One, a disgrace to the family.
Like others, the old man tried persuading him many times, but So-hyeon only smiled softly, just like his mother.
[I simply wish to live content in poverty, delighting in the Dao. The world's rumors will fade in time.]
Even if they didn't, it was fine, he said.
Better to live quietly without ambition.
Refusing to wade into the turbid world was a way of life too, wasn't it?
The old man beat his chest and lamented.
The boy was too yielding.
Too gentle.
Too much like his mother.
Like a small, beautiful wildflower unfit for a cruel world.
The once-genius child had grown disillusioned early.
Worn old before his time.
What had happened, he never learned.
His grandson simply withdrew from worldly affairs.
* * *
And now, that child—his grandson—had lost his humanity.
No vital energy stirred in that body.
It harbored demonic qi more horrific than he could imagine.
[...I just want to take responsibility too.]
What responsibility?
What had this vast clan done wrong? How rotten was the world for this boy to forsake his humanity to shoulder it?
His grandson, so kind-hearted he never raised his voice at sneering servants.
A child who wished only to live quietly and depart.
Poisoned repeatedly, yet he endured in silence to spare the clan turmoil, treating himself.
So many toxins, he'd surpassed even the Medicine King—his grandfather—in detoxification.
How much pain?
How much resentment?
He himself couldn't have borne it a moment.
"This madhouse of a clan...!"
The bowl the old man hurled shattered against the wall.
"A clan full of trash like this...!"
His enraged roar echoed thunderously.
It wailed in grief.
"You damned lot! Power-hungry, money-grubbing scum!"
He collapsed there and wept.
Sobbing bitterly.
Wailing in anguish.
Tears and snot streamed down, uglifying his already wretched face further.
But no one could mock him.
He'd sent off his daughter first.
Now his grandson too, in a way.
* * *
"So, you're finally going to stir things up?"
"Stir? I'll upend the whole damn pot."
Only the two remained in the room.
Jeong-a had long since left to spare the old man face.
Yeon So-hyeon bared his teeth in a grin.
"If need be, I'll gut it clean and start over."
Chilling words.
The old man clapped in delight.
"Good! If you're doing it, do it right, eh?!"
He burst into hearty laughter.
"Those bastards will learn who they messed with!"
The grandfather and grandson clinked cups in celebration.
"Anything else I can do?"
"Could you stay in Luoyang a while?"
The old man nodded.
"I came anyway for the prescription your father might need."
He ground his teeth.
"Might as well bleed this money-grubbing clan dry while I'm at it."
Yeon So-hyeon chuckled wickedly.
Watching So-hyeon, the old man broached cautiously.
"Before coming to you, I stopped by Yeon Bi first. Needed poison from the Sichuan Tang Clan's secrets. Got it, of course, but..."
Yeon Bi was the Fourth Young Master's name.
"Did the kid throw another tantrum?"
Scratching his head at Yeon So-hyeon's words, the old man replied.
"Same as always. He adores you so much, but you hole up and won't see him..."
Yeon So-hyeon nodded readily.
"Got it. I was planning to visit him anyway."
The old man's face lit up.
"Perfect. Then..."
Just then, Jeong-a's voice came from outside.
It brimmed with unmistakable urgency anyone could hear.
"Master. A guest has arrived."
A guest at this hour?
"Who is it?"
The reply came not from Jeong-a, but the guest himself.
"Eldest Young Master. This housekeeper has come on Elder Yeom's orders to escort the Medicine King."
The Medicine King's brow twitched.
"These lunatics..."
He moved to rise, but Yeon So-hyeon had already kicked open the door.