Things Gone Awry (2)
The white-haired physician's words prompted Governor Po to counter.
"How would we know that? Do you know?"
I nodded, sharing the same sentiment. I turned to the white-haired physician.
"Is there a particular reason you're asking?"
"Well... Judging solely by your daughter's symptoms, it's already too late for any treatment."
"What?"
"Based on the symptoms alone, she shouldn't survive past this autumn."
"......"
"Yet when I took her pulse, the progression had halted. No—her condition has actually improved. Enough that it can be fully treated."
"......"
We fell silent for a moment.
Is that even possible?
Well, that's why even the white-haired physician is asking us.
Governor Po pondered briefly before speaking.
"All we did was stop her from drinking those teas."
"Mugak-su poisoning progresses even without further ingestion after about three years of exposure."
"Ah! Speaking of which, there was the snow."
"Snow...? You mean the snow that falls from the sky? But this place..."
The white-haired physician looked puzzled. And rightly so—this region never saw snow.
Governor Po pointed at me.
"I commissioned Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho here, who brought it from the North Sea."
"Ah, so that's why Young Master Eun Seo-ho is here."
"Yes. Thanks to him, we discovered the young lady's symptoms."
I continued smoothly.
"I believe heaven recognized Governor Po's heartfelt concern for his daughter."
"I'm embarrassed."
Governor Po cleared his throat awkwardly and pressed on.
"When does treatment begin?"
"Right away."
"I entrust my daughter to you."
"Yes. I'll do my utmost. And if it's not too rude, after today's acupuncture session, might I examine the snow that Young Master Eun Seo-ho brought?"
***
Governor Po returned to his study.
Sitting in his chair, he recalled events from two months prior, just before departing for Beijing.
Dong Ja-ryeong had sat pale on her bed, speaking to him.
"Father, my fate... it hasn't changed."
"No, Ja-ryeong. Your fate can surely change."
"I'm done struggling now."
"......"
"I wanted to go to Beijing with you this winter and see the snow, but it seems I won't be able to."
"Ja-ryeong..."
"Oh, when you go to Beijing, heed the scholars' advice. It will help you achieve what you're seeking."
"I understand."
She nodded and handed him a book.
"What's this?"
"It's a record of future events I've foreseen while reading the omens."
A sort of prophecy book, then.
"I wrote it hoping it would help you, Father."
Her thoughtfulness, even on her deathbed, moved him deeply. But he scolded her sternly.
"You foolish girl! Writing this in your weakened state must have strained you further! Don't you know it shortens your lifespan?"
"I was shortsighted. I'm sorry, Father."
"Hmph! I'll be back."
He hurriedly left her room.
He didn't want to shed tears in front of her like some sentimental fool.
She'd only worry if she saw him cry.
Thus, he departed for Beijing and visited the scholars.
While handling his affairs, her words suddenly came to mind.
Just then, a scholar asked at the perfect moment.
"My lord, why the dark expression?"
He shared his troubles, and the scholars recommended the Eunhae Merchant Group.
He followed their advice because of his daughter's counsel.
Otherwise, he'd have commissioned a local Guizhou firm—easier to reward and leverage.
Yet Eunhae delivered the snow faster than expected.
And traveling with Eun Seo-ho, the deliverer, revealed Dong Ja-ryeong's poisoning.
Today, the white-haired physician confirmed her words: she wouldn't have survived autumn.
But the poison's progression halted—due to something—making treatment viable.
The only unusual events? Contact with the snow and conversing with Eun Seo-ho.
Reports of color returning to her face came twice, sharing one commonality: close talks with Eun Seo-ho.
He'd chalked it up to his daughter's feminine reaction to Eun Seo-ho's handsome features.
But now, it seemed more than that.
"Yeon-gyeok."
"Yes, my lord."
His guard entered from outside.
"You said before that Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho seemed extraordinary."
"Yes, that's right."
"What exactly did you say?"
"I mentioned that transporting snow from the North Sea without melting likely relied on his martial prowess."
"Right. But didn't he use some artifact?"
"Yes. I examined it closely, but it wasn't an artifact."
"Not an artifact?"
"Precisely."
He spoke with conviction.
"I believe it's a form of sleight of hand. The energy in that 'artifact' matched Eun Seo-ho's own—he must have infused it with his qi."
Governor Po's guard, Yeon-gyeok, was a peak expert.
But he was exceptionally sensitive to qi, rivaling super first-rate masters.
"In my view, Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho has surpassed the peak realm. Yet his qi isn't fully contained, suggesting he's recently entered the super first-rate."
"What? At his age?"
"It's undoubtedly astonishing."
Yeon-gyeok continued.
"From what I know, proximity to pure yang or extreme yin qi affects those nearby."
"A bad effect?"
"It varies, but for the young lady, middling yang qi would aggravate the poison, while extreme yang would burn it away."
"I see."
"But Eun Seo-ho's qi is extreme yin. Yin qi halts poison progression."
He went on.
"Moreover, extreme yin qi purifies all impurities."
"Like poison?"
"Exactly. Poison counts among impurities."
Thus, Dong Ja-ryeong's halted poisoning stemmed from Eun Seo-ho's influence.
But Yeon-gyeok wasn't finished.
"It's peculiar, though."
"What is?"
"Extreme yin qi that potent is rare even among North Sea Ice Palace disciples—let alone in a man."
"That reminds me: I heard Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho inherited the signature art of the hero from two centuries ago, Extreme Heaven Sword Gwak Hoon."
"That explains it."
Governor Po recalled Dong Ja-ryeong's words.
"We should get close to Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho."
"What do you mean?"
"According to the future I saw, he'll become this empire's hero."
He'd planned to favor Eun Seo-ho anyway, especially with her words.
Now, believing Eun Seo-ho saved her life, he owed a profound debt.
"But my lord, we should pretend ignorance."
"True. Hiding behind the artifact excuse means he doesn't want it known."
Pressuring him could drive him away—a disaster.
***
I scratched behind my ear.
Hm, itchy ear—someone talking about me?
After acupuncture and the decoction, she drifted into peaceful sleep.
Then I showed the white-haired physician the snow, per his request.
He examined it closely but found nothing unusual—the phenomenon was novel even to him.
As if I weren't equally baffled.
Back in my room, I shed my outer robe, lay on the bed, and pondered.
Something from my earlier talk with Governor Po and the physician nagged at me.
In that situation, he hadn't asked the obvious.
"Can my daughter live?"
The Governor Po I'd observed was consumed with worry for her.
Come to think of it... his complexion had brightened mysteriously these past few days.
As if he already knew Ja-ryeong would survive...
Already knew?
I bolted upright.
That resolved the oddities I'd noted.
She knows the future.
Could Ja-ryeong be a returnee like me?
I considered it briefly but shook my head.
If so, she'd died young in her past life too, ignorant of what followed.
Hypothesis dismissed.
Only one possibility remained: Ja-ryeong could foresee the future.
Given her personality, she'd recorded future events out of concern for after her death, passing it to her father.
That explained his smooth governance of Guizhou.
But why her poisoning halted—and improved—I still didn't know.
Mugak-su continued progressing post-three years, even without more doses.
Then my hand felt an odd texture where it rested.
Fluffy blanket, but hard?
Looking down, I understood.
Ah...
My qi.
Recently entering super first-rate, I hadn't fully contained it yet.
Though far better than at first.
"Huh?"
I blinked at my hand.
My qi was from the Tae-eum Binghae Divine Art.
Pure purification in essence.
Did my uncontained qi affect Ja-ryeong?
Thus...?
A highly plausible theory.
Need to be careful.
If others realized my qi detoxified, it'd expose my art from the destroyed Seol-pung Palace.
Even without that, seekers would exhaust me.
The gains would be immense, but I wouldn't haggle over lives.
Saving lives demands sacrifice few possess.
That's why physicians who toil sleeplessly, tormented by worry, earn respect—regardless of fees.
Thugs who bully them... what scum.
Some don't deserve the title, of course.
Anyway, I know myself.
I lack such sacrificial spirit.
"Well, a good outcome?"
Unintentional, but it enabled saving Ja-ryeong.
Neither Governor Po nor the physician noticed.
.
.
.
Days passed.
Ja-ryeong's complexion improved daily, signaling successful treatment.
The attending physician assisted the white-haired one, learning detoxification firsthand.
He explained treatment and detox followed different paths.
I received Governor Po's summons and headed to his study.
"You called for me?"
"Ah, come in."
He offered a seat; I sat at the low table.
"I thought we'd share tea. All right?"
"Of course."
A maidservant brought tea and poured for us.
"Please."
"Thank you."
As expected from the governor's residence—fine quality.
Then a voice from outside: his adjutant's.
"My lord, it's Ji Yeong."
"Enter."
The door opened; the adjutant I'd seen on the ship entered.
"Apologies, but you must come at once."
"Is that so?"
Governor Po excused himself to me.
"Mind if I step out briefly?"
"Not at all. Go ahead."
He left with the adjutant; I savored the tea alone in his study.
He trusts me quite a bit?
Leaving an outsider alone in his sanctum.
He'd shown favor before, but now it felt like he'd welcomed me into his inner circle.
Then I noticed a book on his desk. Feminine script?
I spread my qi to scan the surroundings.
Checking for surveillance.
Clear. I approached and glanced at the book.
"Father, a great famine is coming soon, and it will last a very long time. You must prepare."
My hunch was right.
Ja-ryeong foresaw the future.
Huh?
I froze at the passage that followed.