Chapter 19

Chapter 19 — Meeting the Eccentric Physician

The Eccentric Physician returned to Inui Manor after gathering the poisonous herbs he needed from the nearby marshlands.

The moment he stepped inside, he sensed that the atmosphere was unusual.

A few days earlier, several experts from the Western Gorge Gang had arrived and had been walking around while openly giving off an oppressive aura.

The Eccentric Physician had found the sight unpleasant, so he had temporarily left the manor under the excuse of gathering medicinal herbs.

Long ago, he had received a favor from the leader of the Western Gorge Gang. Because of that debt, he had been unable to refuse when they asked him to treat someone, leaving him stuck at Inui Manor.

If not for that, he would have left long ago.

"Welcome back."

The Eccentric Physician, Uk Gyeom, immediately realized that the patient must have arrived when Go Deung of the Azure-Red Twin Swords greeted him so warmly.

Go Deung wore the expression of a mother-in-law welcoming back a daughter-in-law who had run away from home.

When the Eccentric Physician put down the basket of herbs in one corner of the manor, Go Deung quickly approached him.

"The person you need to treat has arrived."

"Is that so?"

Uk Gyeom answered indifferently as he took the herbs from his basket and spread them out in a shaded area.

Then he spoke to the child who served him.

"These are poisonous herbs. Tell everyone not to touch them."

"Yes, Elder."

Go Deung kept pacing beside him like an anxious puppy.

The Eccentric Physician frowned.

"Let's go. I'm curious who this person is if even Great Hero Go is this restless."

As the Eccentric Physician stood up, Go Deung smiled brightly.

"Once this matter is finished, you'll finally be free as well. Isn't that a good thing?"

Uk Gyeom didn't answer and simply followed behind him.

Go Deung headed toward a detached room at the very back of Inui Manor.

When they arrived, three experts were standing guard around the area.

The sight of three Protectors of the Western Gorge Gang guarding one small detached room created a strange sense of tension.

Bang Baekji spoke from in front of the door.

"We've been waiting for you."

When the Eccentric Physician entered the room, he saw a young girl sitting there with an unfamiliar young man.

Jaha immediately stood and gave him a respectful martial salute.

"This junior of the martial world greets Elder Eccentric Physician."

The Eccentric Physician was unexpectedly a refined-looking old man.

However, the dignity and presence surrounding him were so impressive that it was difficult to think of him as merely a physician.

Uk Gyeom looked at the girl.

"Is it this girl? What illness does she have?"

Go Deung shook his head.

"We need you to remove the restriction placed on her."

"A restriction? What kind?"

"It's a type of soul-controlling art. All we know is that the restriction is extremely difficult to remove."

The Eccentric Physician quietly took the girl's wrist and checked her pulse.

After a moment, he released it.

He then placed his palm on the crown of her head and sent his true qi through her body, carefully examining her condition.

After about fifteen minutes, he withdrew his hand and stared at the girl for a moment.

Then he turned toward Go Deung.

"Is this girl connected to Hwancheonma?"

Go Deung's face immediately brightened.

"As expected, you recognize the restriction placed on her."

"The restriction on this girl is a soul-controlling technique unique to Hwancheonma called the Spirit-Binding Sleep Soul Art. It's an extremely vicious technique that must be used together with medicine. Unless you know the exact combination of medicines used, you cannot break the soul-controlling art."

Go Deung replied to the Eccentric Physician's explanation.

"That's exactly why we're asking you. How many people in the martial world could possibly break a technique used by Hwancheonma? If even the Eccentric Physician cannot do it, then no one can."

Go Deung was quite skilled at flattering people when necessary.

"Whatever the case, I first need to determine the medicine mixture."

Only then did the Eccentric Physician look toward Jaha, who was sitting beside the girl.

"But why is this young man here?"

Bang Baekji, who had remained silent until now, glanced at Jaha before answering.

"He's the escort warrior who brought the girl here. Apparently, ever since she woke up during the journey, she has followed only him. If he moves too far away, she suffers some kind of seizure. We had no choice but to let him stay here with her."

After hearing that, the Eccentric Physician examined Jaha with a meaningful look.

"May I ask which sect you belong to?"

Jaha looked directly into his eyes.

"I am a disciple of Cheongun Martial Hall in Yeongje County."

"And who is your master?"

"My master is Ha Seonbaek. I brought him here as well because I wished to ask Elder to treat him. The Western Gorge Gang made an agreement with us that, in exchange for bringing the girl here, my master would receive treatment from you."

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Go Deung suddenly cleared his throat as though Jaha's words had struck a sensitive spot.

"Eccentric Physician, you don't need to concern yourself with that. We will arrange for another physician to treat this man's master."

The Eccentric Physician turned a cold gaze toward Go Deung.

"Are you saying you dared to use my name however you pleased and even made promises on my behalf?"

Until now, the Eccentric Physician had seemed calm.

But the moment he released his presence, an overwhelming force swept through the room, strong enough to make even Go Deung flinch.

"Haha! How could we possibly use the Eccentric Physician's name so carelessly? This young man simply misunderstood."

Even in this situation, Jaha remained quietly seated.

He knew that protesting now would bring him no benefit.

The Eccentric Physician naturally found his gaze drifting toward Jaha, who was listening to everything with a calm expression.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Byeokho."

"Right. Byeokho. A good name... and good eyes."

The Eccentric Physician stared deeply into Jaha's eyes before turning toward Go Deung and Bang Baekji.

"Both of you, leave the room. I'm going to begin the treatment. If the two of you remain here, you'll only get in my way."

"We cannot do that. We will observe from beside you."

The Eccentric Physician snorted and immediately stood.

"Then do as you please. I refuse to treat this girl. I will leave this place now, so the two of you may handle everything yourselves."

He began gathering his belongings as though he truly intended to leave.

There was a reason people called him the Eccentric Physician rather than Uk Gyeom.

His personality was notoriously strange, and he frequently acted in unpredictable ways.

Go Deung and Bang Baekji's expressions twisted.

"W-Wait, what are you doing?"

Go Deung hurriedly tried to stop him, but the Eccentric Physician answered in a stiff tone.

"I am someone who would rather die than do something I don't want to do. Tell your gang leader that I couldn't treat the patient because of his subordinates."

He was openly insulting them.

Go Deung and Bang Baekji's faces flushed red.

However, they could not act carelessly toward the Eccentric Physician.

Not only was his seniority in the martial world higher than theirs, their gang leader had also strictly ordered them never to offend him.

The Eccentric Physician truly walked out of the detached room.

He wasn't pretending.

So this is the Eccentric Physician. He can make those two old monsters panic this badly.

Bang Baekji hurried outside after him.

"Even if we offended you, please understand. This matter is simply too important."

"Enough. I'm leaving."

"Are you truly going to behave like this?!"

Go Deung finally lost his temper and shouted.

"What did you say?"

In an instant, an enormous aura exploded from the Eccentric Physician's body.

Go Deung and Bang Baekji both frowned.

Hmm... The gang leader said that even if the two of us attacked together, we probably couldn't defeat the Eccentric Physician, so he told us to bring three Protectors along. I thought that was ridiculous... but apparently it wasn't.

Judging from his aura alone, the Eccentric Physician far surpassed both Go Deung and Bang Baekji.

Jaha thought silently.

Those men don't know that the Eccentric Physician once fought Father to a standstill. If they knew that, they would never dare treat him this way.

The fact that the Eccentric Physician had once fought Jagang, the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, was something the world did not know.

Only the two people involved—and Jaha, who had later heard the story—knew about it.

Realizing that things had gone too far, Go Deung finally bowed his head respectfully.

"Ahem. If I offended you, then I, Go, sincerely apologize. So please calm your anger."

When one of the Western Gorge Gang's Seven Great Retainers bowed and apologized, the Eccentric Physician finally stopped pressing the matter.

"From now on, while I am treating the patient, you will obey every request I make. If you refuse even once, I will immediately stop the treatment."

Go Deung gave a bitter smile.

"Understood."

The Eccentric Physician returned to the room.

Jaha had remained quietly seated the entire time.

Despite the disturbance outside, he had shown no sign of agitation.

The Eccentric Physician took particular notice of that.

"Neither of you is to enter this room. If I need medicinal ingredients, I will tell you. Bring them immediately whenever I ask."

He had completely forbidden two peak experts from entering and had reduced them to mere errand boys.

He truly lived up to the title of Eccentric Physician.

Go Deung could not dismiss the order, afraid that the old man might genuinely leave if offended again.

"Understood. We will remain outside."

Only after receiving that promise did the Eccentric Physician close the door.

Bang Baekji muttered in an exhausted voice.

"What an unbelievably eccentric old man. We tried to remove one problem and ended up creating another."

Go Deung said nothing.

He merely stared intensely at the closed door.

After shutting the door and sitting back down, the Eccentric Physician completely ignored the girl and instead looked at Jaha.

"Now that it's only us, I'll ask you directly. Hwancheonma's Spirit-Binding Sleep Soul Art is one of the soul-controlling techniques that cannot be broken through any other method. In other words, someone placed under it can never simply wake up on their own. Those two fools outside don't know that, so they probably didn't question you too deeply. But don't even think about deceiving me."

From the beginning, Jaha had expected that the Eccentric Physician would notice something.

That was why he had already considered many possibilities and prepared a story in advance.

"What I used was Jesaeng Chongyong."

"Jesaeng...?"

The Eccentric Physician's eyes widened dramatically as he repeated the name.

"Did you just say Jesaeng Chongyong?"

"Yes."

"How do you know that technique? That is a martial art of the Demonic Cult."

This was the most important moment.

Depending on his answer, Jaha might either survive...

Or die at the hands of the Eccentric Physician.

"It will take a long story to explain."

The Eccentric Physician stared straight into Jaha's eyes.

"Tell me. Even if it takes the entire night, I want to hear it."

He knew that Jesaeng Chongyong was not some ordinary technique.

It was something only the highest-ranking members of the Demonic Cult were allowed to learn.

Jaha began explaining why he had gone to Taiyuan and ended up working as an escort warrior.

Just as he had previously told Hanseol and Jo Unryong, he claimed that he had encountered a hidden master there.

Jaha based this imaginary hidden master on Yama Physician Seongseok and mixed some of Seongseok's actual characteristics into his lie.

"Hmm. The man you're describing is Yama Physician Seongseok. He was once a trusted subordinate of Jagang, the former Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. It is said that he left the Demonic Cult after Jagang died. So you met him."

"I met him and learned many things from him. He taught me martial arts on the condition that I would take revenge for him."

"Revenge?"

When the Eccentric Physician showed interest, Jaha quickly continued.

"He told me that the former Cult Leader was killed after being ambushed by the Seven Heavenly Demons. The Seven Heavenly Demons wanted to place the entire martial world under the rule of the Demonic Cult, but Jagang opposed them. Because of that, they betrayed and killed their own Cult Leader."

"He told you that?"

"Yes."

"He also said that afterward, they killed Jagang's son, Jaha, who had inherited the position of Cult Leader. That was why Yama Physician left the Demonic Cult—to escape their poisonous hands."

"Good heavens... But what does that have to do with revenge?"

"He taught me many things and asked me to take revenge on the Seven Heavenly Demons. I made a promise to him and accepted his teachings."

"You intend to take revenge on the Seven Heavenly Demons?"

The Eccentric Physician snorted as though the idea were ridiculous.

"When I asked him to teach me martial arts strong enough to do it, Yama Physician told me something. Long ago, Cult Leader Jagang had mentioned several martial artists who had the potential to surpass even him. Yama Physician said I would only have a chance of taking revenge on the Seven Heavenly Demons if I learned the martial arts of those people."

Jaha paused briefly.

"Elder Eccentric Physician, your name was among them."

"Is that true?"

The Eccentric Physician's eyes suddenly shone brightly.

He was clearly excited that the former strongest martial artist under heaven had supposedly considered him someone capable of surpassing him.

"Yes. Yama Physician definitely told me that."

However, the Eccentric Physician was not foolish enough to believe the story immediately.

He asked for something more specific.

"What did Jagang say about his battle with me?"

Jaha laughed inwardly.

The moment the Eccentric Physician asked that question, Jaha knew the old man had already become deeply interested in his story.

To make it more convincing, Jaha slightly raised his voice, adding some excitement to the calm tone he had maintained until now.

"He said Elder attacked from angles he could never predict and forced him into difficult situations several times. He even said that if Elder had pressed the attack more aggressively back then, he might have been the one who lost."

The Eccentric Physician's eyes grew even brighter.

Jaha continued.

"He also said that of everyone who had ever challenged him, Elder was the one who confused and unsettled him the most."

"Hahahahahaha!"

Jaha had taken something his father had truly said and added a few flattering details to make the story even more pleasant for the Eccentric Physician to hear.

"So Jagang really said that, did he?"

The Eccentric Physician continued laughing in obvious delight.

"That is why I decided that someday, just as I promised Yama Physician, I would find Elder Eccentric Physician and learn the martial art that once gave Jagang such trouble."

The Eccentric Physician pretended not to hear that part.

Instead, he took out a small dagger.

Without warning, he placed the blade against the girl's index finger and stabbed it.

Then he put the girl's finger into his mouth and sucked the blood flowing from it.

Jaha calmly watched his strange actions.

They call him the Eccentric Physician for a reason. I really can't predict what he's going to do.

After sucking the blood once, the Eccentric Physician wrote something on a sheet of paper.

He tilted his head.

Then he sucked the girl's blood again.

Every time he tasted her blood, he wrote down another item.

Only after doing this about ten times did he put down his brush.

"Now I know which medicines were used in the Spirit-Binding Sleep Soul Art. Once I give this girl the proper medicine, you can use Jesaeng Chongyong on her and wake her up."

Jaha quietly asked,

"Then what do I receive in return?"

"What? Look at this brat. Are you trying to bargain with this old man? Do you think I can't wake this girl without your help?"

"Then Elder can do it yourself."

Jaha had decided that ordinary methods would never work against someone like the Eccentric Physician, so he answered boldly.

"Oh? Look at this brat."

The Eccentric Physician really was different.

An ordinary old master might have become offended, but he instead looked amused.

"What do you want?"

"Please treat my master in return."

"Why don't you ask Yama Physician, the man who taught you?"

Jaha answered without hesitation.

"Yama Physician once told me something. People call the Three Physicians of the Martial World the greatest doctors alive, but in truth, the greatest among those three is Elder Eccentric Physician."

"Hmm!"

The Eccentric Physician was beginning to like Jaha a little.

The young man was bold, but he also knew exactly when to say something pleasant enough to win favor.

"I thought you would ask me to teach you the martial art I once used to fight Jagang."

Jaha smiled.

"I asked you to treat my master because I believe that if Elder truly wishes to prove that your martial art is superior even to the Demonic Cult's martial arts, you will eventually teach me yourself."

"What an unbelievable brat."

His words sounded exasperated, as if he had encountered every strange person imaginable, but the Eccentric Physician's gaze had clearly softened.

"What if I refuse?"

Jaha smiled faintly.

"Then Elder will forever lose the chance to prove that your martial arts can defeat the martial arts of the Demonic Cult. The history of the martial world will never record that the Eccentric Physician was second to no one in either medicine or martial arts."

Jaha calmly continued.

"And the martial world will also learn that a promise made in the Eccentric Physician's name has no value."

The Eccentric Physician listened to him and began grinning.

"Do you have any idea how painful it is to learn my martial arts? You'll probably end up begging me to kill you. My martial art isn't something you learn simply by memorizing techniques. It forces your body all the way to its absolute limit."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Will you still learn it?"

Jaha answered without hesitation.

"If it is something I can learn only by dying, then I will learn it even if I have to die."

"Good."

The Eccentric Physician looked pleased.

"I've never taken a successor because I never found someone like that. We shall see what you're capable of."

Then his expression turned serious.

"But first, you must survive this place. I have no intention of passing my martial arts to someone who can't even survive something like this."

Jaha smiled confidently.

"If that's the only condition, then it shouldn't be difficult."

"You really are an arrogant brat. Do you think the people standing outside are easy opponents?"

The Eccentric Physician had already noticed from several subtle signs that the people from the Western Gorge Gang had no intention of allowing Jaha's group to leave alive.

"You don't need to worry about that. I already have a plan."

"Good."

The Eccentric Physician nodded.

"Then I'll treat your master first."

Jaha smiled at him.

"Elder has gained a very good opportunity today."

"We'll see about that."

The Eccentric Physician pushed a prescription through the door.

"Bring me every medicinal ingredient written here."

The three Protectors who received the prescription immediately began rushing around to gather the ingredients.