Chapter 429: Numbness (No Feeling)

The last time I saw the Divine Doctor.

It was probably right before Wi Seol-ah left her former home.

That would be about two years ago.

I heard from the First Elder that he left for the Jang Family with the Sword Master.

I hadn’t heard any news since then.

‘Why is the Divine Doctor here….’

Unexpectedly, at the Tang Clan.

And of all times, to run into him just as I arrived in Sichuan.

“What are you doing? Come sit here quickly.”

“…”

At the Divine Doctor’s words, I first approached and sat down.

I wondered who on earth could have provided such a fine place, but if it was the Divine Doctor, it was perfectly understandable.

While we can’t pick the number one under heaven in the current Central Plains.

If you spoke of the best among physicians, it was solely the Divine Doctor. And such a Divine Doctor was someone you couldn’t easily meet, even if you offered billions wanting to see him.

I sat before him, paid my respects, and asked carefully.

“…Have you been well since then?”

I offered greetings first. At my words, the Divine Doctor frowned slightly and said.

“When you’re old, where is there comfort? You just live.”

“…”

He’s still an old man who speaks like a total asshole.

“I called you because I heard you arrived and wanted to see your face.”

“Yes. Thank you for calling me.”

“Unlike your words, your face looks like you’re dying of exhaustion, with a look asking, ‘Why did you call me?'”

“…”

He was still quick-witted, too.

The Divine Doctor took a sip of the tea placed before him and looked at me with sharp eyes.

“Lately, there isn’t a day that goes by without me hearing rumors about you.”

“…Ugh.”

“I knew it would be like this someday, but I felt the timing was quite early.”

Apparently, the Divine Doctor had also heard my rumors.

Indeed, since the Alliance and the Beggars’ Sect joined forces to spread them throughout the region, it would be stranger not to hear them.

“Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”

“…Thank you.”

The Poison King, who was listening to our conversation, looked back as if surprised.

He seemed amazed that the Divine Doctor was acting so friendly.

The Divine Doctor looked at the Poison King and began to speak.

“Tang Clan Head.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“I have something to talk about with the child alone, so please excuse us for a moment.”

“…!”

To boldly tell the Tang Clan Head to leave… he’s an amazing person in many ways.

It’s probably only possible because he’s the Divine Doctor.

The Poison King, hearing this, showed a moment of hesitation but soon bowed his head, closed the door, and disappeared.

After confirming that, I shifted my gaze back to the Divine Doctor.

Does he really have something to talk about with me to this extent?

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Yes. As I said earlier, upon arriving, I heard you were coming and called you over to see your face as well.”

“What brings you to Sichuan?”

At my direct question, the Divine Doctor hesitated for a moment.

Then, with a hint of annoyance, he said.

“Originally, I didn’t intend to come, you know…”

His voice, mixed with a sigh, held various emotions.

“Past connections aren’t that simple, are they?”

My eyes widened at the Divine Doctor’s words. That means…

“Perhaps… Elder Wi also came?”

The reason the Divine Doctor headed to the Jang Family was because the Sword Master wanted to go there.

This means the Sword Master and the Divine Doctor have a connection. And coincidentally, in Sichuan…

‘Wi Seol-ah is here.’

Since his granddaughter is in this land, it wasn’t strange for the Sword Master to appear.

If the Sword Master appeared… is it to take Wi Seol-ah away?

Just as a sour feeling began to rise little by little.

The Divine Doctor looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Why is that old man’s story coming up here?”

“Huh?”

“He didn’t come.”

“…Then with whom….”

“If I told you, would you even know?”

“…”

Indeed, that’s true.

Feeling slightly awkward, I had to scratch the back of my head.

“Of course, you might know.”

“Are you saying it’s someone I might know?”

“He’s out on business right now, but when he returns, come see him once.”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Anyway, that old man said he wanted to see you too… just show your face.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I’m already feeling uneasy.

When I recall that the old men the Divine Doctor talks about are all monsters, the person he’s talking about now is likely another great figure.

‘No, at this point, there aren’t many people left who could surprise me.’

Since my regression, the first person I encountered was the Sword Master.

After that, the Hegemon became my master, and the Dark King, known as the number one figure in the underworld, is nearby.

I’ve seen the heads of the Four Great Families.

I’ve even seen former Sword Empress candidates.

At this point, how many more great martial artists could there possibly be?

‘Unless it’s one of the remaining Three Venerables, there’s nothing to fear.’

Right, unless the Heavenly Venerable suddenly showed up in Sichuan.

There wouldn’t be anything surprising anymore.

“Then, if you call me later, I will visit.”

The Divine Doctor nodded vaguely at my words. Just then, someone beside me suddenly pulled on my clothes’ hem.

Wondering what it was, I looked and saw it was Zhuge Hyuk.

“What?”

“…”

Zhuge Hyuk was writing something on the table with his finger. Observing its movement, it looked roughly like, ‘It’s been a while, brother.’

Seeing that, I roughly patted his hair.

“Yeah, it’s been a while for me too. Seeing you’ve gained some weight, looks like you’ve been eating well.”

At my words, Zhuge Hyuk smiled brightly. Seeing that smile, I thought to myself.

‘…He’s smiling?’

Seeing Zhuge Hyuk’s smile, I had to be slightly taken aback.

In proportion to his appearance, which seemed a bit bigger than before, his emotional expression felt particularly deepened.

It must mean he’s been doing well that much.

“I heard Seol-ah is here too.”

“…Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Is she doing well? That child?”

If you mean that child, it probably means Wi Seol-ah.

If you ask if Wi Seol-ah is doing well… in reality, it’s a slightly difficult part to answer.

Is she doing well?

I wish she were.

“I am trying to make her do well.”

“Unlike before, that’s not a foolish answer.”

“…”

What did I say before that earned me the label of foolish?

Well, it doesn’t seem like much has changed.

Just as I was thinking that, the Divine Doctor abruptly spoke.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

“…In a good way?”

“It means both.”

It meant there were both good and bad aspects.

“The thorns that were visible then seem to have died down, but the tension held within has grown even greater.”

At the Divine Doctor’s words, I inwardly suppressed a slight smile.

It was because it was just as he said.

“And….”

The Divine Doctor gently extended his wrinkled hand to me.

“Roll up your sleeve and give me your arm.”

“…Divine Doctor?”

“Quickly.”

The Divine Doctor’s gaze, asking for my arm, was particularly serious.

Getting examined by him was something that often happened before, so carefully, my arm…

‘…Where should I give it?’

I hesitated, about to give it.

Both my arms were in strange conditions.

My left arm was wrapped in a purplish-red bandage.

And scales had sprouted on my right arm.

After thinking for about 3 seconds about what to do, I extended my left arm.

I thought the bandage would be better than scales.

The Divine Doctor’s eyes became subtle upon checking my arm.

“Did you get hurt somewhere? Your arm looked fine.”

“No… It just happened somehow… really…”

As I hesitated, unable to explain, the Divine Doctor seemed to realize something and nodded slightly.

What is it?

“Right, your age is the age for that.”

“Huh?”

“Wearing bandages and eye patches. Isn’t that all part of that age?”

It seemed I had caused a strange misunderstanding.

That’s not it? It’s really not.

I felt I had to resolve this misunderstanding somehow, so I tried to speak urgently.

The Divine Doctor grabbed my arm and started the examination.

‘…Damn it.’

I shouldn’t speak at this time.

If I spoke during the examination, the Divine Doctor would get extremely angry, saying his concentration would be broken.

Then, am I supposed to remain like this, a shy adolescent boy who likes bandages and eye patches for no reason?

Wow, that’s really not it…

Although I thought it wasn’t true, I couldn’t speak up.

In the end, unable to say anything, I had to wait for the examination to end with my mouth tightly shut.

That time felt particularly bitter and long.

*******************

The examination took longer than expected.

Whether there was some problem, the Divine Doctor’s examination, which usually ended within a few minutes, had already taken about an hour.

Srrk.

Soon, whether the examination had ended, the Divine Doctor’s eyes finally opened slightly.

Only then could Gu Yangcheon ask the words he had held back.

“Is there any problem with my body?”

It was because the examination took so long.

Regarding this, the Divine Doctor asked Gu Yangcheon with a somewhat serious expression.

“First, I will ask.”

As Gu Yangcheon felt a slight tension at that serious voice, the Divine Doctor continued speaking.

“Did you learn the Flying Arts?”

“…!”

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened at the Divine Doctor’s words.

How did he know?

To Gu Yangcheon, who looked surprised, the Divine Doctor explained calmly.

“Martial arts that create such muscle conditions and acupoints acquired postnatally can only be his martial arts.”

“…”

“If one were to undergo the commonly known Metamorphosis, it would be different, but since there are no such traces on you, this can only be that method. Is that correct?”

“…That’s correct.”

I didn’t know he could figure this out just by the state of the muscles.

Gu Yangcheon was greatly flustered by the fact that this was discovered, but a hint of sadness lingered in the Divine Doctor’s eyes.

“In the end, that guy found a successor… and it had to be you.”

“Divine Doctor…?”

“I hoped someone else wouldn’t get swept up in that guy’s obsession, but things have turned out this way.”

“…”

Apparently, the Divine Doctor knows the problems associated with the Heaven-Shattering Dance.

It’s a martial art that inflicts terrible pain to forcibly change muscles and acupoints.

It’s a transcendent martial art that includes artificial metamorphosis and even sends the mind into a trance, but…

The Hegemon emphasized several times that humans who could endure the pain for this were extremely few.

This is likely not a very good story from the perspective of the Divine Doctor, a physician.

“Does your father or that guy Gu Lun know about this?”

“…The Clan Head knows. The First Elder does not.”

“Why does Gu Lun not know? He’ll be severely scolded when he finds out later.”

“…”

It seemed likely.

If he even finds out about the record of selling himself out, won’t he be beaten like catching a mouse that day?

‘No, now I can escape.’

Since I’ve reached the Transformation Realm, I should be able to escape from the First Elder.

That was enough.

While Gu Yangcheon was steadily making his escape plan, the Divine Doctor continued speaking.

“Recently, it seems you had an event requiring great use of energy.”

“Ah, yes… there was a little.”

The energy used to turn Tang Deok into a demon and hatch Jeoksu-sa.

Even my exhausted physical condition due to that.

Was all discovered by the Divine Doctor.

The Divine Doctor was still the Divine Doctor, it seemed.

“It seems fatigue has accumulated a lot. You must feel it too.”

“Yes.”

“You should rest well at least once.”

Gu Yangcheon gave a wry smile at those words.

I was just about to do that anyway, but being called here foiled my plans.

I didn’t need to bring this up.

I knew how valuable the Divine Doctor’s examination was.

And I knew this was purely out of his goodwill.

“And.”

As the Divine Doctor’s words continued, the moment Gu Yangcheon tried to focus again.

Something was different this time.

Much heavier and weightier.

Gu Yangcheon felt that way due to the emotion imbued in the Divine Doctor’s voice.

“Divine Doctor…?”

“Do you remember when I called you a walking corpse before?”

A few years ago.

That is… a few years ago, not even a year after Gu Yangcheon regressed, when I went to Mount Hua to take Gu Ling-hwa.

These were the words the Divine Doctor said after examining my body at the request of the Plum Blossom Immortal.

A walking corpse.

I definitely remember him saying that.

“Yes. I remember.”

That the energy contained in my body wasn’t just one, so it wouldn’t be strange if it exploded anytime.

Those problems were managed by Elder Shin’s Dao energy, the effects of the Demonic Path Absorption Technique, and the beast working together to create balance, so it was okay.

Thanks to that, Gu Yangcheon could even learn the Hegemon’s Heaven-Shattering Dance.

It seemed there were no particular problems, but it was a fact I had forgotten for a while.

Why was the Divine Doctor bringing up this point again?

As Gu Yangcheon pondered the question.

“Back then, I couldn’t be sure, but this time, it’s a certainty I stake my name on, so listen carefully.”

The Divine Doctor looked at Gu Yangcheon with a deeply bitter expression and began to speak.

“If things continue like this, you will die before long.”

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened like saucers at the words spoken resolutely.