Chapter 68
“W-well, that is... one was a beggar with a wild, unkempt white beard, carrying a gourd at his waist, and wearing clothes so patched up there wasn’t a single intact spot on them. And the other one was...”
At that moment, Yuhwa, who had been steeped in sorrow, lifted her head.
“It was a small old man carrying a staff taller than himself.”
Yuhwa had suddenly interjected into the conversation.
“By any chance, did that staff have flowers blooming on it?”
“Yes? Yes... Actually, the sight of leaves and flowers blooming on a withered staff was so peculiar that I came to report it.”
Hearing this, Yuhwa sprang to her feet.
“Master...!”
A glimmer of hope had risen on her face.
* * *
“Master!”
Bing Yuhwa ran barefoot all the way to the entrance of the Azure Sky Pavilion.
The Grand Patriarch Namgung Ho and Namgung On, along with Baek, Heuk, and Jeok, having heard the news, came to greet the guest together.
“I, Namgung On, Clan Lord of the Namgung Clan, pay my respects to the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles!”
Starting with the Clan Lord, the direct descendants of the Namgung Clan offered their greetings one by one.
The old man holding the flowering staff stroked his beard, which reached down to his chest.
Every time he stroked his beard, the scent of medicinal herbs permeated the air.
“An ‘Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles,’ you say? That title is still too grand for this old body. I am the physician Bang So-bong.”
Seeing this, Jeok whispered quietly to Heuk.
“Brother, are the flowers and leaves on that staff real?”
“That’s what they say.”
“But how can flowers bloom on a wooden staff that’s been cut for so long?”
“That’s why he’s the Immortal Physician! Since he can make flowers and leaves sprout from a withered staff, they say he can even save someone who is on the brink of death!”
“Wow...!”
Indeed, there were still many wondrous things in the martial world. At Heuk’s explanation, Jeok’s mouth fell wide open.
Just then, Bing Yuhwa knelt on the stone floor and bowed.
“Your unworthy disciple, Bing Yuhwa, pays her respects to Master!”
The Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles stroked his beard and stopped her.
“Ho ho, rise quickly. The floor is cold. I told you that because of your constitution, you must keep your body warm for the rest of your life.”
“Yes.”
Having risen, Bing Yuhwa looked extremely restless.
She rubbed her palms together and bit her nails, then, as if having made a decision, she took a deep breath and spoke.
“Unworthy disciple that I am, it is only right that I should provide you with a comfortable place to stay, but...”
As her master, the Immortal Physician seemed to have already read her mind.
Judging by the way he kindly patted Yuhwa’s back, that was clearly the case.
“Ho ho, I know. You say there is a child whose life hangs in the balance? I shall see her at once. Lead the way.”
“This way.”
Yuhwa quickly led him to Hong-seol’s quarters.
“The rest of you wait outside. If it is noisy, it will hinder the treatment.”
At the Immortal Physician’s words, the others were suddenly left behind.
“Hmm...”
“Ahem...”
This included the Grand Patriarch Namgung Ho and the Beggars' Clan leader Cheontonggae, who were as incompatible as dogs and cats.
Namgung On forced a smile and tried to ease the atmosphere.
“Well, Father. Why don’t you take the Elder Cheontonggae to the tea room and have a cup of tea?”
The corners of Namgung Ho’s mouth twitched with dissatisfaction.
“...What kind of tea does a beggar drink?”
Cheontonggae did not back down.
“Your temper is still as tough as a cow’s tendon that even a beggar wouldn’t chew and spit out...”
Namgung On rubbed his throbbing forehead and urged them once more.
“Father, no matter what, Elder Cheontonggae came here to help Hong-seol. You should treat him accordingly.”
“Ahem!”
“Forget it. I had urgent business at the Beggars' Clan anyway.”
Namgung On caught Cheontonggae at the doorway as he turned to leave.
“Elder, thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“I know you called the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles for Hong-seol’s sake. Since this wasn’t a matter that could be settled in a day or two, you must have mobilized the entire Beggars' Clan from the day we went to visit you.”
Silence followed.
“The bet was merely an excuse, wasn’t it? You intended to find the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles regardless. I do not know how to repay this kindness.”
At those words, Cheontonggae looked Namgung On in the eye.
In the cloudy eyes of the old beggar, Namgung On found a strange sense of guilt.
“There is no need to be grateful. It is enough if the child can recover.”
With those final words, Cheontonggae quickened his pace and disappeared.
* * *
Hong-seol’s room, with the blinds drawn, was dark and silent.
Only the occasional pained moan let them know that the child was still clinging to life.
“Ugh...”
At the sound, a pained furrow appeared on Yuhwa’s brow.
Seeing Hong-seol, the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles sighed with pity.
“It is the Yin-Yang Severed Meridians.”
“You haven’t even checked her meridians, so how...?”
“She is covered with a blanket up to her neck, yet there are dried sweat stains on her pillow, her eyes are red, and her lips are pale. It is clear that two opposing energies are fighting viciously inside her body.”
“As expected of my Master.”
“Furthermore, her forehead is dark and her fingernails are pale, so she must have recklessly used her Inner Energy.”
Yuhwa’s face brightened.
Her master’s skill was still at the pinnacle.
‘If it’s Master, he will surely save the little one!’
“However, it is strange. In such cases, the breath should have already ceased...”
Yuhwa quickly interjected.
It is a physician’s basic duty to clearly state a patient’s medical history.
“She is a child who has consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root to nourish her body.”
“I see!”
The Immortal Physician’s eyes lit up.
“No wonder her meridians are holding up better than I thought. I must personally prepare a Decoction of Settling Qi and Blood. That will allow her to overcome this crisis.”
Yuhwa’s brightened face darkened again.
While she was immensely grateful that her master would prepare such a precious decoction for Hong-seol, it required more than just herbs; it needed a special medicinal water that could purify the body’s energy.
“Is there a way?”
“Normally it would be difficult, but since we are in Hefei, there is a way.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t there a place nearby that your father-in-law, the Sword King Namgung Ho’s friend, enjoys visiting?”
Yuhwa searched her memory. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly talking about Namgung Ho’s friend.
“If you mean Father’s friend...”
“I mean that snake from the Tang Clan of Sichuan. There must be a small pond nearby that he used to frequent.”
“Ah!”
Yuhwa’s eyes widened.
Her master was referring to Namgung Ho’s close friend, the Poison King Dang Yimu.
In his youth, he was famous for traveling here and there while on his ‘Ten Thousand Poisons Wandering.’
Poisons and medicines are but a hair’s breadth apart. It was said he wanted to find every poison and medicine in the world.
That was why, even now, traces of Dang Yimu’s visits remained wherever there was a decent medicinal spring or spiritual medicine.
For instance, traces of where he had brewed herbs or mechanical trap formations.
“If I recall correctly, There was a pond inside an earthen cave... Where was it?”
A moment later, Namgung Uigyeol, with a leather pouch tucked under his arm, leaped over the Namgung Clan’s wall like the wind.
* * *
The door to the Azure Sky Pavilion’s reception room swung open.
Everyone who saw Yuhwa and the Immortal Physician stood up at once.
“The child is fine.”
“Phew!”
“Haa.”
At the Immortal Physician’s words, the group all let out sighs of relief.
Namgung Uigyeol turned away, wiping away tears.
“Thanks to her drinking the Decoction of Settling Qi and Blood in time, her meridians are recovering rapidly. If she rests in bed for a few more days, she will be able to go about her life as usual. Though she will not be able to practice martial arts for the time being.”
“How can we ever repay this kindness...”
“It is not over yet. You didn’t seek me out in advance just because you knew the child’s energy would boil over.”
The group fell silent.
He was right.
They had asked the Beggars' Clan to find the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles to cure Hong-seol’s Yin-Yang Severed Meridians.
“To judge whether that illness can be cured, the child’s body must return to a completely normal state.”
“Does that mean...!”
Yuhwa smiled brightly for the first time in a while.
“Master will be staying at the guest hall for the time being.”
“Thank you so much, Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles! During your stay, the Namgung Clan will treat you with the utmost sincerity.”
At the Grand Patriarch Namgung Ho’s words, the Immortal Physician bowed his head quietly.
“Oh, right. There is one thing I must tell you. It concerns the child’s health, so I would like you to listen carefully.”
At his serious expression, the group tensed up.
“W-what is it?”
“Please, stop giving the child so many sweets.”
At those words, every adult in the tea room felt a sting of guilt.
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