Chapter 19 : Misunderstandings Draw Swords (1)

Chapter 19: Misunderstandings Draw Swords (1)

Ten days ago, Sewoon, the Young Master, suddenly appeared at the Heaven’s Medicine Hall.

“I want to repay the debt I owe to the clan and contribute to the family.”

It was the first meaningful step Sewoon took the moment the house arrest imposed by the Clan Head was lifted.

However, neither the Vice Hall Leader of Heaven’s Medicine Hall, Tang Serin, nor the Hall Leader, Tang Jun—

In fact, no one from the Heaven’s Medicine Hall had any great expectations.

This was because everyone knew that Sewoon’s medical skills barely amounted to handling hands or managing minor illnesses.

But...

“Who could’ve known! That in the meantime, the Young Master’s medical skills had reached the heavens!”

“There’s no disease he can’t cure with just a needle, that’s why so many people are flocking here.”

“Rumor has it he even received teachings from the Divine Nun of Mount Emei.”

“Oh, that might actually be true!”

What sort of enlightenment had he gone through?

From the very first day Sewoon appeared at the Heaven’s Medicine Hall, he displayed tremendous skill.

The patients treated by his divine acupuncture all recovered completely and returned home healed.

As the Tang Clan’s fortunes declined, the Heaven’s Medicine Hall had also fallen to the point where only a few regulars came.

However, rumors about Sewoon spread rapidly, and even if temporarily, he managed to overcome this slump.

‘So what the Fourth Elder said about there being something to emulate was referring to his medical skills.’

Only then did Hayoung feel her suspicions clear up.

She had already heard of the Heavenly Punishment disease afflicting Sewoon, as it was widely known throughout Sichuan’s martial world.

If he had been immersing himself in medicine rather than martial arts all this time, such results were certainly possible.

“Lately, the escort agency has gained fame, but during the time when the Tang Clan was one of the Seven Great Clans, the best things were the forge and the physician’s hall!”

“Of course, they were the very foundation!”

“Sigh. It’d be perfect if only the line were a bit shorter.”

“…Still, if we’re going to wait this long, wouldn’t it be better to go to Mount Emei, where they’re even more skilled?”

Cheong Yeon, feeling insulted, subtly joined the conversation, but the patients quickly scoffed.

“Hmph, only the rich can even get inside the gates there. For regular commoners, getting diagnosed is like plucking stars from the sky.”

“And unless you’re meeting the Divine Nun herself, our young lord is way better.”

“Exactly. Just the other day, he cured a nobleman suffering from a boil—someone even Mount Emei refused outright!”

“Phew, our young lord alone is a hundred, no, a thousand times better than Mount Emei!”

Hayoung’s face flushed red from embarrassment.

The other two were the same.

Thinking of her master’s dignity, Hayoung sent a telepathic message to Geum Hwa.

However, Geum Hwa rejected the offer.

Startled, Hayoung asked again.

It seemed the previous patient’s words had struck Geum Hwa’s pride in the Emei Sect.

Geum Hwa’s alias was the “Living Medicine Sword.”

She was regarded as having perfectly inherited the medical skills of the Divine Nun Boyeon, known as the “Divine Physician,” so her pride must’ve taken a significant hit.

‘No, I’m probably the same way.’

In the end, Hayoung didn’t try to stop her master either.

It wasn’t just that she couldn’t go against her master’s will as a disciple—

She too felt discomfort and doubt about the situation, just like Geum Hwa.

“Ugh, when are we going to be done waiting?”

Having been dragged into lining up, Cheong Yeon started whining, but they didn’t have to listen for long.

Though the line was incredibly long, Hayoung expected it would take at least half a day.

However...

“Next patient, please come in.”

“The patient after that, come in too.”

‘…This fast?’

The patients ahead in line were disappearing so quickly, it was almost unbelievable.

‘This is impossible.’

That was when Hayoung came to a conclusion.

This speed wasn’t natural at all.

Even if it were just diagnoses without treatment, it should’ve taken more time.

There was only one way such a thing could be possible.

“These people…”

Geum Hwa’s eyes had grown icy cold.

There was even a sense of deep anger.

Dulling pain with something like paralysis powder and pretending the patient was healed, then collecting the consultation fee—

This was what they called “fraudulent medicine.”

It was something only lowlifes of the Demonic Alliance or Black Path would do.

The patient not only lost money but also the precious time they could have used to survive—making this the act Geum Hwa despised the most.

‘Did they think we’d overlook this farce just because the Alliance owes them?’

In that instant, even Hayoung’s gaze, which had briefly viewed Sewoon positively, turned cold.

“Next patient, please come in.”

At last, their turn had come.

Guided by a female physician, the three of them finally entered the Heaven’s Medicine Hall.

Physicians and medical students, wearing the Tang Clan’s distinctive green robes and white headbands marked with the character for “medicine,” bustled about.

“To receive a consultation from the Young Master, please wait here a little longer. There is a designated attendant who will guide you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

The moment the female physician bowed and disappeared, the three of them couldn’t hold back a sigh.

‘Ha, this is textbook fraudulent medicine. Just how much more are they planning to extort from us in the middle?’

Even without seeing it, they could already envision what was about to happen.

Soon, a middleman would show up and pressure them—saying that without additional payment, the Young Master would not provide a consultation.

The three of them were dumbfounded.

It wasn’t the Demonic Alliance, and yet a legitimate orthodox clan was brazenly engaging in the same tactics as black-path lowlives.

However—

“Oh dear, apologies. The three of you must have waited a long time?”

Contrary to their expectations, the one who appeared shortly after was a young servant boy, seemingly around Cheong Yeon’s age.

Wiping away the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, Jang Il spoke up.

“Phew, there are more patients than usual looking for the Young Master today. Please follow me now.”

“…Is that all?”

“Pardon?”

At Hayoung’s question, Jang Il blinked, not understanding what she meant.

As the three of them stared at him for a long moment, Jang Il, flustered, suddenly looked as though something dawned on him.

“Oh dear, I completely forgot to ask the most important thing.”

There it was—finally, the moment had come.

The three of them simultaneously focused on Jang Il’s lips.

“Well then, which of you came here injured?”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

This time, it was the three of them who blinked in confusion.

No matter how long they waited, there was no mention of additional fees.

No, this couldn’t be right.

Just as confusion settled on their faces—

“…Is no one here actually sick or injured?”

Jang Il asked cautiously.

Ah, right.

In order to get a consultation, someone needed to be injured.

Just as suspicion began to flicker in Jang Il’s eyes, who was tilting his head—

Thunk!

“Ack!”

“Gasp! A-Are you all right?”

“Ahem, as you can see, this child has injured her foot.”

Cheong Yeon suddenly grabbed her shin and began hopping on one foot.

Geum Hwa had lightly kicked Cheong Yeon’s shin at an incredible speed—one the martial-arts-ignorant Jang Il could never have caught.

“U-Um.”

“Ack! I-I’m sorry.”

“N-No, it’s fine.”

Startled, Jang Il had quickly tried to support Cheong Yeon but backed away in a hurry.

Cheong Yeon’s face was turning red.

In the slightly awkward air that followed, Jang Il, afraid of getting into trouble, quickly guided the three of them to the front of Sewoon’s consultation room.

“Please wait here. Once the previous patient’s treatment is done, he’ll see you right away.”

Bowing deeply, Jang Il then went off to call the next patient.

The three of them stood in a small courtyard, gazing at the consultation room ahead.

Because of the hot weather, the door was left half open.

‘…Is that him?’

Unlike the others, the figure wore a green robe lined with purple silk—a mark of a Tang Clan direct descendant.

Since he was turned away, they could only see his back.

But the outline of his body seemed far too slender to be that of a martial artist.

“Huuuh. Young Master, please, I beg you—please help my child.”

“Don’t cry, Mom.”

At that moment, it wasn’t Sewoon who came into view first.

It was a weeping woman and a child, about five years old, who was comforting his mother.

Geum Hwa’s expression grew solemn.

Swish!

After exchanging telepathy, a golden glow began to form in the eyes of the three.

It was the manifestation of the true energy of Golden Purity Eyes, the supreme internal art of the Mount Emei Sect.

Though they were seated quite far away, once the true energy activated, it was as clear as if it were right before their eyes.

The woman’s clothes were noticeably shabby at a glance.

A sharp, fishy scent lingered near their noses, suggesting she likely worked as a fish vendor in the city markets of Chengdu.

“Calm yourself. I will surely heal him.”

“Sob, sob. Young Master…”

But unlike the hypocrites of the other martial clans, Sewoon calmly patted the woman’s shoulder without hesitation and gently soothed her.

Then he spoke to the child, who sat sullenly.

“All right. What’s your name?”

“Soha. Jin Soha.”

“That’s a wonderful name. So, Soha. Where does it hurt?”

The child pointed to his left leg.

His pants were clean on the right side, but the left side was stained with dirt and dust.

It meant he had fallen countless times on that leg.

“Here. My left leg suddenly stopped working three months ago.”

“Oh dear. That must’ve been hard. May I take a look?”

“…The other doctors said I’ll never walk again.”

“Goodness, you must’ve only met a bunch of quacks.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Sewoon replied to the child’s lifeless words.

“Soha, I promise you this.”

“Huh? Promise me what?”

“Once we’re done here, you’ll be able to walk home just fine.”

“Wow, really?”

“Heh, of course, really.”

Excited, the child rolled up his pants.

His ankle, unused for three months, looked severely emaciated.

Sewoon examined the affected area with a gentle touch.

‘…That’s…’

A strange gleam rose in Hayoung’s eyes.

She caught sight of the mysterious black gloves Sewoon was wearing.

Then, Sewoon quietly asked the child:

“Did you ever have to dodge something suddenly?”

“Oh, now that I think about it, I rolled away from a carriage that was coming at me.”

“Just as I thought.”

The mother’s eyes widened in shock.

She had visited countless physicians to heal her son, but none had diagnosed the issue just by looking.

Her body trembled as she clung to that newfound hope.

“D-Did you figure out what the illness is?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, Sewoon explained fluidly.

“It’s a condition called foot drop. It seems the nerve running down this part of Soha’s shin bone is damaged. The trauma to this area caused all the surrounding muscles to become paralyzed.”

“Then… can it be cured?”

“I was planning to cure it right now anyway.”

Smiling slightly to reassure the woman, Sewoon transitioned smoothly from diagnosis to treatment.

Cheong Yeon, watching this, let out a breath in disbelief.

But her words scattered into emptiness.

Unlike Cheong Yeon, who seethed with anger, the other two were deeply unsettled.

Cheong Yeon, whose medical knowledge fell short of her martial skills, hadn’t caught it.

‘Hearing it and looking again, the diagnosis is too precise.’

‘…No, even I couldn’t have diagnosed that at a glance like he did.’

Sewoon’s assessment of the patient’s condition perfectly matched their own conclusions.

Because they had been so certain it was a scam, their shock was all the greater.

However—

‘…No. It’s still too early to cast aside suspicion.’

They decided to observe a little longer.

No matter how perfect the diagnosis, the rapid string of complete recoveries they had seen earlier was still impossible.

Diagnosis and treatment were two different realms.

While pain could be numbed with paralysis powder, getting someone who couldn’t walk to stand again required real treatment.

Geum Hwa and Hayoung focused their qi even more into their eyes.

Then it happened.

Swish!

Geum Hwa and Hayoung’s pupils shook violently, as if hit by an earthquake.

From the very tip of Sewoon’s glove, which had previously shown nothing—

‘That—?’

‘W-What the—?!’

Like a goblin’s trick.

An unidentified black needle was revealing itself.