Chapter 88
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: I Was Arrogant
Morning had dawned.
The cadets of Fierce Dragon Corps Squad 7, who had arrived at the training ground right on time for practice, flinched in surprise.
It wasn't Ha Mu-baek waiting for them.
"Are you all here?"
Han Seol-bing looked around at the five of them and asked.
"Yes."
Dang Jin-san answered on their behalf.
"I'm just here to pass on what Instructor Ha told me. I've got to look after my own kids."
At those words, the five could already guess what would come out of Han Seol-bing's mouth.
"Self-study. Alright, I'm off."
Just as the Squad 7 cadets had predicted, Han Seol-bing left those words behind and departed.
"What could it be this time?"
Dang Jin-san said, turning to the cadets. But the others had no idea either.
They just tilted their heads in confusion.
Among them, only Dan Mok Un-roe harbored a small spark of hope in his heart.
'Maybe...'
Perhaps he was moving to find a way to cure his little sister's illness.
Around that time,
Ha Mu-baek was walking through the slums of Wu-chang alongside Wi Ji-gun.
Wi Ji-gun looked around at his surroundings with a complicated expression.
"The place where we met you was somewhere like this, wasn't it?"
It was a remark reminiscing about the distant past.
Ha Mu-baek simply smiled faintly in response.
"I think I understand now why you're so concerned about that child."
Ha Mu-baek remained silent at Wi Ji-gun's words.
Before long, they arrived in front of Dan Mok Un-roe's house.
"Is anyone home?"
At Ha Mu-baek's call, the sound of someone moving inside the house could be heard.
It was cautious movement.
After a short wait, the door to the shack opened, and Yeo Hwa appeared.
"Ah, Instructor. What brings you to this humble abode?"
Yeo Hwa recognized Ha Mu-baek at a glance and bowed deeply.
Ha Mu-baek stopped her excessive courtesy and spoke.
"Un-roe mentioned something to me. He said your daughter Un-hye is quite ill."
At those words, Yeo Hwa's face darkened abruptly.
"Yes... I'm sorry to say this, but she had a rough night last night and only just fell asleep a little while ago."
That explained the careful movements.
"This gentleman is a physician I know. He's well-versed in difficult illnesses, so I brought him along."
Ha Mu-baek introduced Wi Ji-gun, who was disguised in simple traveler's garb.
Yeo Hwa's eyes widened round.
She never imagined that Dan Mok Un-roe's instructor would hear of their plight and show up with a doctor in tow.
"I don't even know what to say to express my gratitude..."
Tears streamed down Yeo Hwa's face as she spoke.
Her daughter's current condition made it impossible for her to even think of refusing.
She knew it was proper etiquette to decline, but she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.
"She was in a lot of pain last night?"
"Yes."
Yeo Hwa answered Wi Ji-gun's question in a voice choked with sobs.
"What's the cycle like?"
"It used to be about once every ten days... but lately, it's been every four or five days."
Wi Ji-gun's expression stiffened slightly at her words.
The progression of the severed meridians seemed faster than expected.
"I'll take a look first."
"It's humble, but please come inside."
At Wi Ji-gun's words, Yeo Hwa opened the door wider and led the two men inside.
Passing through the shabby entrance, they entered the inner room, where Dan Mok Un-hye lay sleeping soundly.
Her hair, damp with sweat, told of how much agony she had endured the night before.
Wi Ji-gun carefully took Dan Mok Un-hye's wrist pulse and infused it with his internal energy.
With his own qi, he slowly and gently scanned her internals.
Yeo Hwa watched with a desperate expression.
This time, she prayed they would at least identify the illness.
They were lost in a fog, not even knowing the name of her condition.
"You take a look too."
At Wi Ji-gun's words, Ha Mu-baek also carefully grasped Dan Mok Un-hye's wrist.
Ha Mu-baek cautiously infused his internal energy into her.
"Mm."
Dan Mok Un-hye stirred slightly, as if uncomfortable. It hadn't happened at all when Wi Ji-gun was holding her wrist.
Ha Mu-baek's face hardened a bit.
'I'm still not good enough after all.'
Reading Ha Mu-baek's mood, Wi Ji-gun patted his shoulder lightly and shook his head.
With even more careful control of his qi, Dan Mok Un-hye's stirring stopped.
Ha Mu-baek slowly examined her internals.
He had no prior experience scanning Seol-ran's body.
When Ha Seol-ran had first developed the Seven Yin Severed Meridians, Ha Mu-baek's cultivation had been too low to dare attempt it.
He had feared damaging his little sister's body.
He thought he had reached a sufficient level now.
'I was arrogant.'
After fully examining her, Ha Mu-baek gently released Dan Mok Un-hye's wrist.
"H-how is it?"
Yeo Hwa asked with a tense expression.
When Dan Mok Un-hye had stirred just moments ago, she had unwittingly clenched her fists tight.
"Let's step outside for a moment."
Wi Ji-gun said this as he softly pressed Dan Mok Un-hye's sleeping acupoint.
She fell into an even deeper sleep naturally.
They left the bedroom and sat at the table in the sparsely furnished dining area.
A worn teacup was placed on the table.
"What illness is it?"
Trembling eyes. Restless gaze. A desperate wish that this time, at least, they would know the name.
"It's called Seven Yin Severed Meridians. Or more precisely, it's not an illness but a constitution."
"Ah... ahh..."
A complex mix of emotions escaped her lips.
Relief at finally knowing the cause of the illness blended with despair over what it meant.
She had once lived as the daughter-in-law of a martial clan.
She had heard of the Seven Yin Severed Meridians constitution before.
Tears flowed endlessly as she looked at Wi Ji-gun.
"Then... does that mean our Hye-ah just has to wait for the day she dies? Enduring that suffering nonstop... Is there at least some way to ease the pain?"
It's said that ignorance is bliss and knowledge is a curse.
If she hadn't known about severed meridians, she might have shown determination to seek a cure now that she knew the cause.
But knowing about it, she had already let go of any hope.
"Do you know about Seven Yin Severed Meridians?"
Wi Ji-gun asked carefully.
"Though we're living like this now... my two children were once legitimate heirs of the clan. Only we survived the horrors of war. As a member of the clan myself, I have some basic knowledge."
Wi Ji-gun nodded slightly at Yeo Hwa's answer.
"How much do you know?"
"It's a constitution where innate yin energy is excessively strong, and the meridians are thin and weak, causing them to fray bit by bit until death. Usually, they don't live past eighteen..."
She knew it exactly.
That was why she had given up so quickly and only pleaded to ease her daughter's pain.
Wi Ji-gun spoke up.
"And the so-called treatments that are known are all absurd. No one has ever been fully cured."
Yeo Hwa nodded faintly.
"I've heard it might be possible to treat it at Seon Yu Valley."
It was a cautious remark.
Seon Yu Valley.
One of the Eight Great New Sects, a faction renowned for possessing the world's foremost medical arts.
Not just medicine, but also sorcery that rivaled the best in the martial world.
There was no way Yeo Hwa could ask such a place for help.
"You know well. But it's too early to give up."
"Pardon?"
A flicker of hope appeared on Yeo Hwa's face at Wi Ji-gun's words.
"It's not widely known, but I have treated Seven Yin Severed Meridians before. It was a grueling process, of course."
"Ah... ah... ah!"
Unable to continue speaking, Yeo Hwa dropped to her knees with a thud.
"S-sir! Please, please, please!! Our poor Hye-ah, Hye-ah... please... s-save her..."
Yeo Hwa knelt and clutched at Wi Ji-gun's trouser leg, pleading desperately.
Ha Mu-baek tried to help her up, but she wouldn't budge.
It was the manifestation of her resolve to hear a promise of salvation first.
"You'll wake Hye-ah. Please stand first, ma'am. Why else would I have brought this gentleman here?"
Only then did Yeo Hwa rise at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"I suspected it might be this illness when I came. Mu-baek told me."
Yeo Hwa's gaze turned to Ha Mu-baek.
"My own little sister had the same constitution. So when I saw her last time, I suspected as much."
"Th-then, your sister..."
It was a question laden with desperate hope.
"She's a cadet in Fierce Dragon Corps Squad 20 now."
Ha Mu-baek said with a gentle smile.
"Ah!"
Hope bloomed in Yeo Hwa's eyes.
"And that was thanks to this gentleman too...?"
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"S-sir..."
Yeo Hwa's gaze shifted back to Wi Ji-gun.
"I'll treat her. It will take quite some time, and it won't be easy."
"Th-thank you so much."
Yeo Hwa dropped to her knees again.
"Sob sob. Huh huh sob. Sob sob."
And she wept endlessly.
This time, even Ha Mu-baek didn't stop her.
Understanding her feelings, he simply let her cry her heart out.
After a long while, Yeo Hwa calmed down.
"The treatment isn't difficult. We weaken the yin energy, strengthen the yang energy, fortify the meridians, and then widen them."
"That's..."
Yeo Hwa didn't know how to react to Wi Ji-gun speaking so casually.
"But since no one knew how to do it, it's been deemed incurable until now. Finding the method was grueling for me too. And the treatment itself was painful and arduous."
"Hye-ah will endure it."
"Then for today, we'll start with a light acupuncture session to suppress the yin energy. Since she's asleep, let's do it now."
"Please, I beg you."
Soon, Dan Mok Un-hye lay naked on the treatment bed.
Her emaciated body was skin and bones.
"Hic."
Seeing her daughter's gaunt frame, Yeo Hwa swallowed tears once more.
Wi Ji-gun looked at Ha Mu-baek.
"Observe carefully with full focus."
"Yes."
This too was a lesson.
Ha Mu-baek immediately activated his Infinite Bright Wheel Eye.
Wi Ji-gun impassively placed needles into Dan Mok Un-hye's body. Swift and precise hand movements.
Each one imprinted itself deeply in Ha Mu-baek's mind.
As the acupuncture progressed, the flow of energy within Dan Mok Un-hye's body began to change.
The yin energy, filled to the brim just short of overflowing, calmed to a gentle stillness.
Every time that yin energy surged, her meridians must not have been able to withstand it, causing excruciating pain.
The fortunate part was that none had severed yet.
Considering Dan Mok Un-hye's age, that was to be expected.
Over the course of about an hour, over a hundred needles pierced her entire body.
With the final needle, the yin energy's flow seemed to halt completely, then reversed direction.
It trickled slowly into the three main meridians, then seeped out bit by bit through the needles into the air.
Cold air began to form faintly around them.
"Wh-what is this?"
Feeling the chill, Yeo Hwa looked at Wi Ji-gun.
"The yin energy is leaking out little by little. Even this faint amount coming out shows how much was crammed into that tiny body. How much she must have suffered. Tsk."
Wi Ji-gun gazed down at Dan Mok Un-hye with eyes full of pity.
"Keep it up for about an hour. That should greatly reduce her nighttime pain. To about once every half month. Of course, I'll come back before then."
"Th-thank you, sir."
Yeo Hwa bowed deeply.
"She needs to eat well. Judging by the progression stage of Seven Yin Severed Meridians, Hye-ah's yin energy is still in the early phase. Yet that level of pain is a symptom of transitioning to mid-stage. Her weak body made it appear sooner."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
An hour passed.
Wi Ji-gun removed all the needles and left the house.
Yeo Hwa saw them off all the way to the door.
"Take care."
Leaving her with a deep bow, the two men set off.
"Did you see it?"
"Yes."
"I learned and perfected it while treating Ran-ah. Master it properly. It's an acupuncture technique born from Ran-ah's suffering. Even in that process, she had to endure pain because of her inadequate master."
Recalling that time, moisture gathered in Wi Ji-gun's eyes.
"Thank you."
Ha Mu-baek had no other words.
"But can that child Hye-ah eat properly and hold on?"
"That's for me to handle."
With those words, Ha Mu-baek bowed deeply and headed off in a different direction from Wi Ji-gun.