Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Interlude
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Wi Hwan was at least twenty years older than Dang Mujin, but he adopted a fairly cautious demeanor in front of him.
To Wi Hwan, Dang Mujin and his group were unparalleled benefactors to the Flicker Sect. It wasn't even a personal debt—they had shouldered the entire sect with a massive one.
That was largely true. Without Dang Mujin and his companions, the Flicker Sect would still be quietly earning money and squandering it on futile hopes through endless gambling.
Yet at the same time, Dang Mujin felt a profound sense of debt toward Wi Hwan. Contrary to their beliefs, he hadn't done much for them.
Yu Jingwang winning money at the gambling house had been purely his luck and skill. All Dang Mujin had done was use a few tricks to help him win at the cockfighting bets.
Sure, those bets had multiplied their money several times over, but still.
It had only been minor sleight of hand.
But the Flicker Sect warriors had thrown themselves into the fray without hesitation to protect Dang Mujin and his group, even sacrificing their lives. Wi Hwan's younger brother, Wi Yeong, had lost his life at the hands of the Three-Eyed Buddha.
The old Dang Mujin would have set out without a second thought upon hearing Wi Hwan's request. But things were different now.
'I have a family now.'
Just three days ago, Dang Yeong had succeeded in rolling over for the first time in his life, right in front of the people from the Dang Family Clinic.
Dan Seolyeong strutted about as if she had done it herself, while Mok Wan-a and Dang Jesun clapped with wide eyes, beaming with joy.
Hyeon-gong and Namgung Myeong seriously discussed the martial prowess of a baby not even half a year old, and Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae quietly listened to their tales.
Not long ago, Dang Mujin hadn't particularly liked children. He saw neighbors' babies rolling over, toddling about, and learning to speak clumsily as just natural occurrences.
But after Dang Yeong was born, Dang Mujin's mindset changed. There was something beyond a mere tiny movement in that roll-over.
Every day felt like a dream.
Accepting Wi Hwan's request would mean drifting away from these dreamlike days—it was as obvious as fire burning.
Dang Mujin wondered how long it would take to return if he accepted.
The time to travel beyond Shaanxi Province, the time to track down Yu Jingwang whose whereabouts were unknown, the time to assess and treat his condition.
'At least I could hope to return before the year ends.'
If it only took that long, he'd count himself lucky.
There was no guarantee they'd even find Yu Jingwang, which weighed on him. Hong Geolgae might be lucky, but the odds seemed higher they'd fail.
By the time he wrapped things up and returned home, Dang Yeong would have grown noticeably. He might even miss his first steps.
Dang Mujin thought.
'Do I really have to go? It's not like someone kidnapped Hero Yu. He must have had his reasons for heading to Shaanxi.'
His heart was filled with the desire to refuse Wi Hwan's request.
But Dang Mujin couldn't voice it rashly. Memories of the Flicker Sect warriors charging like arrows flooded back.
At that moment, Dang Yeong's cries echoed from the next room. Soon after, the soft voices of Dan Seolyeong and Mok Wan-a soothing the baby followed.
Wi Hwan startled and glanced at Dang Mujin's face.
A baby's cry. Dan Seolyeong's voice from the next room. A young Dang Mujin.
That was more than enough to grasp the situation.
Wi Hwan asked Dang Mujin,
"Could that be... Young Hero Dang's child?"
"Yes."
Wi Hwan wore an awkward expression.
"My apologies. I had no idea Young Hero Dang had taken a wife."
"The distance between Chengdu and Yunnan isn't short, so it's only natural the news of the wedding wouldn't have reached you."
"No. Ever since I saw you traveling with Miss Dan, I figured you'd marry soon. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to consider it. I've said something terribly inappropriate."
Wi Hwan apologized so profusely that Dang Mujin grew flustered instead.
Guilt surged within him. What right did he have to hesitate in front of a man who lost his brother because of him?
Dang Mujin spoke firmly.
"No need to worry. I'll go with you."
But Wi Hwan shook his head.
"No. Pretend you never heard it."
As always, Flicker Sect warriors never spoke empty words.
"There's an order to things. My vision narrowed, and I only thought of my own situation. I know full well how painful it is to be separated from family, yet I asked anyway. My thinking was shortsighted."
Wi Hwan thought of his own family, the day his child was born.
He recalled leaving his wife and three children behind in their hometown, venturing to a distant land to earn money.
Just two or three years ago, he'd chased risky opportunities dreaming of returning to his family.
Wi Hwan believed he couldn't ask Dang Mujin to leave his family and help with Flicker Sect matters. Anyone else, perhaps—but not him.
"No. I can go just fine."
Dang Mujin insisted again, but Wi Hwan stood, feigning a stern expression.
"Stay put. Do you want to see me get an earful from Miss Dan?"
"..."
"My request was excessive. Don't feel burdened. I'll bring Yu Jingwang back to Chengdu before the year is out, so just check on him then. You're a physician, aren't you?"
Wi Hwan softened his expression and smiled warmly.
*
The next day, before Wi Hwan departed the Dang Family Clinic, Hong Geolgae came to see Dang Mujin.
"Mujin. I'm heading out for a bit."
Hong Geolgae wandered here and there as a matter of course.
But he never told Dang Mujin where he was off to.
That meant, unlike usual, he was going somewhere fairly far.
There was only one place Hong Geolgae would go.
"You're going with Elder Wi?"
"Yeah."
Hong Geolgae had readily accepted Wi Hwan's request.
Unlike Dang Mujin, he wasn't married or tied down with children, and he wasn't the type to back down from such matters.
He acted like a fool most days, but Hong Geolgae valued loyalty and never hesitated to help those in need. Unlike Namgung Myeong or Hyeon-gong, he embodied the ideal orthodox martial artist.
Unlike with Dang Mujin, Wi Hwan couldn't compromise with Hong Geolgae. He couldn't borrow Hong Geolgae's luck to set out either.
Dang Mujin asked sheepishly,
"You'll have to cross into Shaanxi—it's quite a distance."
"Perfect timing. I've been stuck in Chengdu for over a year; I was getting itchy."
True enough—Hong Geolgae loved to travel, almost wanderlust incarnate.
Dang Mujin grumbled pointlessly.
"You're the deputy branch leader of the Central Division—surely you can't just wander off that far?"
"If I cared about that, I'd be holed up in the capital, not Chengdu."
Brazen attitude. Classic Hong Geolgae response.
That afternoon, Hong Geolgae departed north with Wi Hwan.
*
Months passed since Hong Geolgae left. A long time if long, short if short.
Dang Mujin himself hadn't changed, but in that span, the Dang Family Clinic and the way people viewed him had undergone tremendous shifts.
The death of the Righteous Physician was widely known, but it had been years since news of the other two great physicians—the Demonic and Strange Physicians—had ceased.
That duration was long enough for people to think, "Has the era of the Three Great Physicians of the World ended, giving way to the age of the world's greatest physician?"
Then the second rumor spread across the Central Plains, eliciting explosive reactions from physicians everywhere. The Medical Dragon—possibly the world's top physician—was teaching his arts to anyone willing.
For physicians who valued medical skill over profit, this was impossible to ignore.
Countless physicians flocked to Chengdu themselves, while even more sent their children.
As a result, the area around the Dang Family Clinic teemed with people, feeling like a new village had sprung up within the city.
Dang Mujin, Dang Jesun, and Chu Sam did not betray their expectations, teaching with utmost sincerity.
The physicians who learned returned the favor by scouring Chengdu for patients to test their new skills. Their fierce competition meant Chengdu's patients no longer needed to pay or even reveal their ailments—doctors begged to treat them.
Beyond physicians, crowds of others arrived. Merchants quietly expanded their presence, and late defectors from the Demonic Cult settled near the Dang Family Clinic—specifically around the Three-Eyed Buddha's former home.
To top it off, poison researchers recently appeared, seeking advice from Dang Mujin and Mok Wan-a.
Amid all this, they had to watch over Dang Yeong's antics, leaving Dang Mujin dizzy with busyness.
Dang Mujin stepped into the courtyard and looked around. The acacia fence that once enclosed the Dang Family Clinic had vanished without a trace, replaced by a makeshift stone wall.
'What a mess.'
With so many people flooding the Dang Family Clinic, the acacia fence had collapsed dozens of times.
Finally, Hyeon-gong, in charge of maintenance, lost patience and threatened the crowds. Instead of heeding him, they tore down the fence and built their own stone wall—as if it were a good thing. That was the origin of the current wall.
Dang Mujin recalled the Wall of a Thousand at the Je Yeon Baek Family estate.
'If this keeps up, the Dang Family Clinic might get its own Wall of a Thousand.'
The timing was uncanny.
With the Dang Family Clinic so bustling, people jokingly called it the Dang Family Manor.
It started as a joke, but reality was bending toward it. Gathered crowds. A stone wall expanding around the clinic. It was starting to look like a proper fortress anyone would call a manor.
Not long ago, Mok Wan-a had quietly asked Dang Mujin if his old talk of the Sichuan Tang Family had been prophecy, not jest.
Dang Mujin had laughed it off, but at this rate, even if not the Tang Clan of Sichuan, a Dang Family Manor seemed plausible.
Deep down, he liked the prospect. Being the head of a manor sounded more impressive before his daughter than a mere clinic owner.
*
On the day the makeshift stone wall nearly fully encircled the Dang Family Clinic, and Dang Yeong progressed from rolling over and babbling to taking his first steps. Without warning, Hong Geolgae returned. Exhausted and disheveled from the long journey, he looked the part.
When he left, his clothes were worn but didn't scream beggar. Now, he was the spitting image of one.
Dang Mujin greeted him warmly.
"Did everything go well?"
"No."
A firm denial. Dang Mujin turned serious.
"Did you meet Hero Yu?"
"No. We kept missing each other. He never stays in one place."
"What about Elder Wi who went with you?"
"Dead."
Thinking he'd misheard, Dang Mujin stared at Hong Geolgae.
But Hong Geolgae wasn't one to joke about such things.
Caught off guard, Dang Mujin felt dizzy.
Images flashed of the Flicker Sect warriors throwing away their lives like straw. His breath grew short.
What have I done to Elder Wi?
Dang Mujin looked at Hong Geolgae again. His expression was hard to read.
He didn't know why Wi Hwan died, but now wasn't the time.
Dang Mujin asked,
"Quitting?"
"No."
This time, Hong Geolgae asked,
"Going or not?"
The arrow that had pinned him down for over a year answered.
"I have to go."