Chapter 322
Chapter 322
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 322
Chapter Title: Tu Hui
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"Tu Hui... It sounds like I've heard the name somewhere."
It was exactly as the straightforward description suggested.
Dang Mujin had heard of Tu Hui somewhere, but he didn't know the details.
Even so, just from the nickname alone, he could guess two things. A short and crisp epithet like that wouldn't be given to just anyone—it had to belong to an expert. And with the character for "beauty" included in the name, she was undoubtedly a woman of exceptional looks.
Dang Mujin felt pure curiosity. Just how stunning must she be to earn such a title?
The mere fact that Dang Mujin had heard the nickname before was enough to light up the woman's face with joy.
"That's a relief. Might I ask for your help? Oh, and my name is Kang Jiso."
"Of course. You're planning to set out today, right?"
When Dang Mujin responded without hesitation, Kang Jiso—the woman who had just introduced herself—was the one who ended up flustered.
In situations like this, people usually asked a bunch of questions first, didn't they? Like where the place was, what the symptoms were, how much the treatment fee would be, and so on.
Kang Jiso stammered in reply.
"Truth be told, we're not well-off, so we can't offer much in terms of payment. We'll gather whatever medicines we can, but..."
"Please don't worry too much about the fee."
In the past, he had charged a set amount, but ever since becoming financially secure, Dang Mujin had added one criterion to his treatments: ensure the patient wouldn't face hardship paying for it.
Every now and then, someone would sell their belongings just to cover medicine costs.
From what Dang Mujin had observed so far, those people without exception ended up falling ill again.
Illness might not discriminate, but it was a plain fact that it struck the hungry and weary far more often.
"...It's not just the fee. Are you really okay traveling all this way without even hearing the symptoms?"
"In my experience, it's more accurate to go see for myself than to rely on descriptions. Symptoms might seem easy to convey at a glance, but there are countless ones that get muddled in the telling."
The Yeom Physician nodded in agreement from the side. Having been through similar situations countless times, he couldn't help but empathize.
Dang Mujin stood up as he spoke.
"I'll let my group know. Meet us on the west side of Dongting Lake in about two hours."
Kang Jiso watched Dang Mujin's retreating back with a somewhat bewildered expression as he left the inn.
She had been in a position where she needed to summon the world's top physician for next to nothing, so she had fully expected rejection.
Even bringing up Tu Hui's nickname right away had been a desperate bid to lower the odds of refusal.
But from the vibe, it seemed the Dragon Physician would have reacted much the same even without the name.
And that was exactly right. Dang Mujin had never abandoned a patient for lack of payment, nor did he plan to start now.
*
Kang Jiso and her group headed south from Dongting Lake.
Heading south meant entering the unorthodox factions' territory proper, but Namgung Myeong was actually pleased. Once they were in unorthodox lands, the chances of him getting nabbed by Namgung Jinya and dragged back to the Namgung family would drop, wouldn't they?
Not just Namgung Myeong—Hong Geolgae's expression had brightened a bit too, though no one noticed.
Along the way south, Dang Mujin's group noticed something peculiar.
"You don't know what kind of person Tu Hui is?"
"That's right."
Everyone in the group except Seolhwa had heard the nickname before, but not a single one knew anything more about her.
The Yeom Physician spoke up.
"Well, I don't chat much with martial artists, so it's no surprise I don't know the details about Tu Hui. I think I just overheard the name in passing at an inn or something."
Dang Mujin and his friends were in a similar boat. As non-martial folk, they'd only caught the name once or twice at inns or taverns. Famous, but apparently not very active.
Of course, their guide Kang Jiso would have answers if asked, but Dang Mujin saw no need to pry into Tu Hui's personal life.
It was his firm belief that an ideal physician shouldn't show excessive interest in anything but the patient's condition.
*
Contrary to claims it was a two-day journey, the group arrived at the destination in a day and a half—thanks to pushing the pace as hard as possible without leaving anyone behind.
The village sat midway up a fairly rounded hill, in what looked like a prime spot.
With massive trees blanketing the hillside, it didn't seem prone to landslides even in the rain. And the stream flowing at the base made fresh water easy to come by.
As they crossed the stream, Dang Mujin dipped his hand in and took a sip. Seeing this, Kang Jiso remarked.
"You must be thirsty from all the rushing about."
"Not at all. Sometimes illnesses stem from the water or soil, so I was just checking its quality, out of caution. Seems fine."
The group followed Kang Jiso into the village.
It didn't differ much from any other village in most ways, but there was one oddity.
'...What the hell is that?'
Perched midway up the hill, one side of the village bordered the slope, which had a concave dip. A massive boulder sat right in front of it.
A lone boulder might not have raised eyebrows, but it wasn't alone. A slightly smaller one sat before the big one, and another in front of that—like rocks deliberately hiding something.
Dang Mujin's curiosity zeroed in on them, but Kang Jiso ignored the rocks entirely and led them to an empty house.
It felt subtly lived-in rather than abandoned, without that characteristic chill of a vacant home.
"You can stay here."
Dang Mujin shot back at Kang Jiso's words.
"Stay? Can't I see the patient now?"
"It'll be two days at the shortest, maybe three or four at the longest. We got here sooner than expected, so... But if you need anything, just say the word. I'll do my best to get it."
Her voice brimmed with apology, as if she felt guilty for stealing away these important people's time.
"Is the patient outside the village?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then why—"
As Dang Mujin started to press again, a sound transmission pierced his ear.
- Wait it out for now.
It was Namgung Myeong's voice.
Namgung Myeong lived life without much thought by default, but unlike Hong Geolgae, he occasionally used his brain.
This seemed like one of those times, so Dang Mujin held his tongue and nodded.
"...Understood. Let me know when you're ready."
"Yes."
Kang Jiso gave a light bow to the group and vanished outside.
Once her footsteps had faded far enough, Dang Mujin turned to Namgung Myeong.
"Why the sound transmission all of a sudden?"
"If you push her and wrap up the treatment right away, the chance slips away. Better to hold off till tomorrow."
"...What chance?"
"You saw those rocks in the corner of the village earlier, right?"
Dang Mujin nodded. It was the only suspicious thing in an otherwise ordinary village—impossible to miss.
"I did."
Hyun-gong, Hong Geolgae, even the Yeom Physician and Seolhwa nodded too. People tended to notice the same oddities.
"So why the rocks?"
"Three in a row like that. Doesn't it seem fishy?"
"In what way?"
"Anyone could tell it looked like they were blocking an entrance."
An entrance. What kind?
After a brief ponder, Dang Mujin got it. The only kind of entrance on a hillside like that: a cave.
"There's a cave behind them? I didn't spot a thing."
"Me neither. But not everything in the world only exists if you see it. I have a feeling. There's definitely a cave beyond, and something valuable inside."
Who knew Namgung Myeong could think—who'd have thought his instincts tied to his trade were spot on.
And they rarely missed in this direction.
Dang Mujin clicked his tongue.
"So you want to steal whatever valuable thing's in that cave?"
Normally he'd nod eagerly, but Namgung Myeong startled and waved his hands frantically.
"Steal? Who said anything about stealing? I'm just curious and want to take a peek. You know how curious I get."
Dang Mujin realized why the sudden reaction—Seolhwa and the Yeom Physician were right there.
The two knew nothing of Namgung Myeong's thieving history. Not even after he'd snuck out twice around Dongting Lake.
Tempted to shatter Namgung Myeong's social image, Dang Mujin backed off a step.
"Fine, curiosity... Got it. You just want to see what's in that cave, right?"
"Exactly. Finish the treatment today, and we'll have to leave the village right after—no chance to check it out."
In short, he'd delayed the group's schedule for his hobby.
Dang Mujin itched to fetch Kang Jiso right then, but unexpectedly, Hyun-gong blocked him.
"Sure. A day's delay shouldn't hurt. Kang asked us to wait a bit anyway, so let's do that."
Hyun-gong had a simple reason for siding with Namgung Myeong.
In his mind, Namgung Myeong currently outranked Dang Mujin slightly.
Truth be told, Hyun-gong wanted to report Namgung Myeong's location to Namgung Jinya immediately and ship him back to the Namgung family.
Better to have the de facto head of the Namgung family as backup than the nominal one. He just lacked a way to contact Namgung Jinya without Namgung Myeong's eyes on him.
Either way, a "de facto head" was an impressive patron, so Hyun-gong had been exceedingly humble and agreeable around Namgung Myeong lately.
With Hyun-gong stating his stance clearly, the mood swung that way in an instant.
The Yeom Physician was eager to check the patient ASAP, but he couldn't override the other four.
*
Night deepened. Namgung Myeong, who had seemed asleep, smoothly sat up, and the other four—minus the Yeom Physician—rose and gathered.
The Yeom Physician was curious about the cave too, but the previous day's forced march had drained him completely, leaving him in deep slumber.
Namgung Myeong, his friends, and Seolhwa—the five of them slipped quietly outside. The villagers noticed nothing.
They approached the slope with the rocks. Even up close, no cave was visible.
But Namgung Myeong pressed his ear to the largest boulder and held his breath.
A moment later, he spoke in a pleased tone.
"...I can hear wind flowing inside."
No one expected Namgung Myeong to lie about something like this.
One problem remained: how to move the boulder and enter.
The group inspected the rocks this way and that.
Soon enough, they spotted round iron handles embedded on either side.
Namgung Myeong crowed triumphantly.
"See? Definitely placed there on purpose. Told you I was right."
Judging by the height, they probably used animals to push or pull it.
At any rate, the big boulder clearly served as a door.
Dang Mujin replied.
"So how do you plan to move it?"
"Uh..."
Handles or not, it wouldn't be easy to shift.
But since Namgung Myeong clung to the handles hopefully, Dang Mujin prodded.
"Gonna sneak a cow from someone's house to drag it open? Like a cattle rustler?"
"Hey, as if!"
He'd thought Namgung Myeong planned to flaunt his hobby even in front of Seolhwa, but apparently not.
In the end, Namgung Myeong proposed the simplest solution.
"We've got five martial artists here—we can handle it ourselves. Let's just push."
Seolhwa edged back subtly and yawned awkwardly.
"Nah, I'm sleepy."
Hyun-gong hesitated between Namgung Myeong and Seolhwa, then sided with her.
"I'll take Seolhwa back."
Naturally, Namgung Myeong had no intention of letting them go and blocked their path like a third-rate thug.
"Where do you think you're going? You're up already—help out."
Hyun-gong looked displeased.
Namgung Myeong switched to targeting Seolhwa. Convince her, and Hyun-gong would follow.
"If something amazing's inside, I'll give you my share. Deal?"
Seolhwa pondered briefly, then sidled up to the boulder. Namgung Myeong's flimsy pitch had worked. Hyun-gong fell in beside her as if he'd never objected.
The five pooled their strength on the boulder. Too many for its size made for awkward stances.
But training in martial arts meant knowing how to exert force even in discomfort.
Rumble...
The boulder shifted slightly, accompanied by a low growl.
Confirmation of a cave inside. Curiosity fueled their strength.
"One, two!"
They pushed again.
Groooan...
It moved substantially, revealing the cave beyond. The rumble wasn't too loud—thankfully, no villagers stirred.
It hadn't rolled fully aside, but there was space for one at a time.
Namgung Myeong dusted his hands with satisfaction.
"Good enough to squeeze through. Let's go."
Then, a low growl sounded again.
Grrrr...
"...?"
No one had pushed—why the noise?
'Something alive inside?'
The group held back from entering and peered in.
From the darkness, something charged.
A person.
A woman, on the younger side of middle-aged.
Her hair was a wild mess—clearly out of her mind, by any measure.
But not just any madwoman. She was unmistakably trained in martial arts.
Her approach was unnatural. Some unfamiliar lightness skill, hard to pin—two legs or four like a beast?
The key was her ferocious momentum.
As she closed in, her left shoulder rose slightly, arm tensing. They wanted to slam the boulder shut, but they couldn't waste their hard work that easily.
Hyun-gong shouted.
"Seolhwa, Namgung Myeong! Behind me!"
Hyun-gong lunged forward, thrusting his sword to block.
Her left hand deflected his blade's flat, while her right hovered near her waist.
The group knew the gesture: a swordsman's instinctive reach for the hilt.
At least her waist bore no sword—small mercy.
She switched tactics, clenching her fingers into precise claw strikes. Sharp enough that even Hyun-gong struggled.
Hyun-gong yelled.
"Hong Geolgae! Dang Mujin! Help!"
Unlike Namgung Myeong or Seolhwa, Hong Geolgae and Dang Mujin were outright ignored. But they had to help.
Dang Mujin drew poison from his toxin pouch. He started to coat his needles with viscous venom, then switched and opened the jar with the blood locusts.
Unfortunately, they were all dead. He'd forgotten to feed them.
...
Mok Wan-ah might scold him, but Dang Mujin calmly drew a needle from his case and applied paralyzing toxin.
He flicked his fingers—three needles arced gracefully toward her back.
Her deranged state left her oblivious to them.
They struck her nape, and her movements visibly slowed.
Hong Geolgae darted out, leaped, and kicked her flying. She tumbled deep into the cave.
"Shut it now!"
If Dang Mujin's group were legendary heroes from tales, they'd have shoved the boulder closed without a word, as if waiting for the cue. But they weren't.
So Hong Geolgae dashed to the other side first and started pushing. Seolhwa and Namgung Myeong joined, faces red with effort.
The boulder ground low as it moved, sealing the entrance once more.
...
Rather than talk, they pressed ears to the rock.
Beast-like snarls echoed from within.
Silence stretched long.
Finally, Dang Mujin spoke.
"Um..."
No clue what to say.
So he blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"That lady... I think she's Tu Hui?"
No one objected. Experts like her weren't exactly common.
The awkward air grew heavier, and Hong Geolgae chimed in.
"At least she looks healthy for someone who's supposed to be down."
Contrary to his hopes, the mood chilled further.