Chapter v10c2

Fingers as delicate and white as pearls hesitated as they approached a point, then stopped abruptly, suspended in mid-air.

“Umm…”

The owner of these slender, jade-like hands was standing in front of the medical center where Bi Ryu Yeon was reportedly receiving intensive treatment. Her hand, too, was hesitating to grasp the doorknob, just as someone else had done moments before. It seemed that today, the door to the medical center had a special ability to make people hesitate. Earlier, it was a man with a cold, icy demeanor, and now it was a woman with a beauty so stunning that it could overshadow the brilliance of the sun itself. Receiving a visit from such a woman could be considered a great luxury in itself.

‘Why am I here right now?’

That was the question Na Yerin was pondering.

She stood motionless in front of the door to the medical center, debating whether to enter, but the preceding question was why she was here in this place at all. When she thought about it with her cold reason, there was no reason, duty, or responsibility that required her to be here. Yet, despite this, she was here, and that was the reason for her dilemma.

She could not convince her own reason with any explanation. The rumor that Bi Ryu Yeon had been beaten up after provoking the Ice Sword Master and was now admitted to the intensive care unit of the medical center had spread throughout the academy with the unrestrained speed of a wildfire in dry winter. People unanimously agreed that it was a natural course of fate, a divine punishment. There were even groups celebrating in taverns, a testament to the ‘achievements’ and ‘excellent’ interpersonal relationships Bi Ryu Yeon had built up over time.

If Na Yerin’s current position had to be clarified, like the Ju-jakdan, she too found it hard to believe Bi Ryu Yeon’s serious injury. Despite the event seeming so natural and without any possibility of doubt, she felt a strange sense of alienation, as if it wasn’t quite real. Perhaps that was why she was here, desperately searching for a convincing reason.

Na Yerin questioned herself again in her mind.

‘Do I really need to go this far? Why am I here right now? What am I standing here to find out? What do I want to know? What does my heart truly desire? Do I have the answers to these questions in my heart?’

Her mind cruelly refused to answer any of her many questions. The only certainty was that she was here in this place right now. There were too many uncertainties to decide on her next action.

“Should I go back?”

After what felt like an eternity of waiting and pondering, she murmured to herself.

‘Yes! This must be the best choice!’ Na Yerin thought to herself. She ultimately did not touch the doorknob. The door to the medical center was only a han (about 3.3cm) away, but it might as well have been a cliff edge for all she was able to approach it.

‘Yes!’

She finally made up her mind. She turned on her heel to leave, intending to depart without regret from the place she had come to unintentionally. But she could not walk forward. Her feet would not move.

Fortunately, it was not for some absurd reason like suddenly finding Bi Ryu Yeon unbearably desirable. It was not a psychological barrier but a physical one. It felt as if night had suddenly fallen.

The reason she couldn’t walk away after turning around was because of the towering shadow of a man in front of her, blocking her path right in front of her.

A man dressed entirely in red, reminiscent of a blazing flame! It was Yeom Do. Standing side by side, Na Yerin and Yeom Do looked like ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ Yeom Do, being much taller, looked down at Na Yerin. However, the fierce light that usually shone in his eyes was not present.

“What are you doing here?”

Yeom Do was the first to speak, his face showing surprise. As far as he knew, Na Yerin had no reason to be here. She could not readily respond to his question, as her mind felt as if cold water had been poured over ice, chilling her thoughts. She was frozen in silence, an unexpected turn of events for her.

‘How could this happen, even if I was off guard!’

Na Yerin was incredulous at her own vulnerability. It was something that would never happen under normal circumstances, even if the other party was Yeom Do, one of the five great wanderers of the martial world. And this was clearly her mistake.

“Huh?”

Yeom Do tilted his head at Na Yerin’s sudden silence. She looked very confused and flustered.

‘To be caught off guard so easily. To allow someone to invade my personal space without any reaction, even if that someone is Master Yeom Do, how could I have been so mentally unguarded?’

Na Yerin was shocked. This was something that had never happened before. No matter how skilled Yeom Do was, she had always been aware of someone approaching her. Even if someone was hiding their presence, she could definitely feel it. But this time was different. She had allowed someone to approach her from behind without sensing anything. If it had been an enemy instead of Yeom Do, she would no longer be alive. For a martial artist to expose their back was akin to saying ‘please kill me.’ It was an unforgivable mistake.

There was undoubtedly a small, fine crack in the solid ice crystal of her resolve.

‘Have I forgotten even the mindset of a martial artist?’

Her heart grew colder and colder.

“Are you alright? You don’t look well.”

Yeom Do asked with a concerned face. This was not his usual behavior. Normally, a man would have received a slap for lacking manners or would have had to sweat buckets in the training yard all day. But in front of Na Yerin, he could not act that way, and the man usually called the ‘burning wreck’ by his peers seemed to have transformed into a gentle neighbor or a kind teacher. Finally aware of Yeom Do’s presence, Na Yerin hurriedly greeted him.

“Master, have you been well?”

Yeom Do’s face bloomed with an embarrassed smile upon receiving her greeting. His behavior was becoming increasingly suspicious. It was possible that letting one’s guard down around him could be dangerous. It seemed as though his patience, which was usually as dry as the bottom of a well during a drought, had suddenly sprung forth like a hot spring. As evidence of this, he was asking the same affectionate question to his lovely female disciple for the third time—a truly earth-shattering event for Yeom Do.

“What brings you here?”

“Um…”

Na Yerin found it very awkward to respond. She couldn’t just say that she had come to visit Bi Ryu Yeon and, feeling disinclined, was about to turn back. Hesitating, she looked at Yeom Do’s left hand, which held a large basket.

Typically, swordsmen and warriors would carry their swords or blades in their right hand, so it was rare for them to carry anything in that hand unless it was a special case. Therefore, Yeom Do was holding the items he brought in his left hand.

As Na Yerin closely examined the contents of the basket, their identity became clear. She was puzzled by what she saw. The contents were items that did not seem to match Yeom Do at all. There were bland seasonal fruits, various types of jeon (Korean pancakes) and hangwa (traditional Korean sweets), and next to them, a whole roasted chicken and a bottle of alcohol. Other various snacks were also piled up noticeably. It was clear that Yeom Do had brought these as a get-well gift for Bi Ryu Yeon, which made Na Yerin even more perplexed.

‘Wasn’t his condition serious enough to require intensive care?’

If his condition was that bad, he would only be able to eat porridge or rice gruel. However, what Yeom Do had brought was an array of food that would be overwhelming even for a healthy person to eat.

“Um…”

But her thoughts and suspicions were abruptly shattered by Yeom Do’s words as he burst into a hearty laugh.

“Oh, I see you’ve come to visit Ryu Yeon. How commendable!”

While Na Yerin hesitated, Yeom Do’s usually nonexistent perceptiveness seemed to stretch out like a dragon’s whiskers. He was becoming more and more unreserved in his actions and even found an opportunity to casually address his master.

“Then what are you hesitating for? Why not go in? Come on, let’s go in. He should have regained consciousness by now.”

“Even if he has just regained consciousness, can a seriously ill patient eat such burdensome food?”

A patient with such serious injuries would normally need to be nourished with medicinal soups. But Na Yerin could not fully dispel her doubts, as Yeom Do’s actions were too sudden. Yeom Do, who had presumptuously determined Na Yerin’s purpose—though not entirely incorrectly—actively pushed her into the medical center. She had no chance to refuse or decline.

Yeom Do’s actions could not be defined as mere guidance. However, Na Yerin had no right to refuse, so she was swept along by Yeom Do and reluctantly stepped into the medical center.

The Divine Healer of Cheonmu Martial Arts School, Heo Ju-un

And the bizarre intensive care unit

As the pungent smell of medicine rushed in, the Ice Sword Master hesitated for a moment but then stepped into the medical center.

Recognizing the Ice Sword Master’s face, one of the attendants who was on duty gasped in surprise and stood up to greet him. When the Ice Sword Master gestured that it was enough, the attendant hurried inside to deliver the news. The Ice Sword Master stood quietly amidst the medicinal fragrance, waiting. Soon after, the head of the medical center, Heo Ju-un, came to greet him with a bow.

“Hehehe. Welcome, Grandmaster. It’s been a long time since your last visit.”

He greeted the Ice Sword Master with a smile on his face. The Ice Sword Master also returned the greeting with proper respect.

“It has been a long time, Physician Heo. You have worked hard caring for the lives of many.”

The Divine Healer, known for his miraculous medical skills that could even revive the dead! There was no one in the Cheonmu Martial Arts School who had not, for one reason or another, passed through his hands. As martial artists always lived on the edge of danger, everyone at some point inevitably relied on his services. Naturally, the Ice Sword Master had several memories of being indebted to him. He was someone even the Ice Sword Master could not treat lightly. And this was true for everyone at the Cheonmu Martial Arts School.

“You wouldn’t have come here because you are sick or injured…”

Heo Ju-un looked at the Ice Sword Master with a quiet gaze. He had the skills to be called a divine healer. He could usually diagnose a patient’s condition with a single glance.

“It seems like there is no illness in the body, but perhaps in the mind. Are you troubled by something lately?”

A talent that could make even a soothsayer weep with envy! For a moment, the Ice Sword Master’s complexion faded, but he quickly recovered, and Heo Ju-un missed this brief change.

“It’s just that there are mountains of tasks to handle due to the upcoming Hwanma Dong exam, nothing more.”

The Ice Sword Master brushed it off casually. His cold demeanor made it difficult for Heo Ju-un to probe further. Sensing the general nature of the visit, Heo Ju-un said,

“I have a rough idea why you’ve come. You’re here to see that boy, the one who was severely beaten a few days ago and admitted to the intensive care unit. His name is…”

Heo Ju-un paused, searching his memory, and the Ice Sword Master helped him.

“Bi Ryu Yeon.”

His tone was blunt and cold. It was not a tone that could be said to help build social connections.

“Ah! Yes, that’s the name. But as much as training is important, this time you went too far. He may look fine on the outside, but inside, he’s a mess. How can a person’s pulse be so irregular, like a wild colt? I knew he had been affected by your unique techniques, but the energies of the five elements within his body are so tangled up, it’s difficult to know where to start… I’ve seen signs of various martial arts injuries, but I’ve never seen symptoms like these before. Anyway, as you instructed, I haven’t taken any measures and have just been keeping him in absolute rest.”

The Ice Sword Master listened silently to Heo Ju-un’s lengthy explanation and nodded.

“That’s enough. He was affected by my unique palm technique, the Snow Shadow Formless Traceless Palm, so he needed special treatment. I’ve already taken the necessary steps, so his body will gradually recover. For now, do not touch his body and let him rest completely. That will be sufficient. I will take care of the rest.”

“Understood. If the Grandmaster says so, then that’s how it is. I will show you the way.”

The Ice Sword Master followed his guidance past the ward for the less seriously injured, where patients tried to get up to greet him, causing him some trouble as he had to refuse them. The door to the intensive care unit was no different from the one to the general ward, but the inside was worlds apart.

As the Ice Sword Master entered the intensive care unit, a smell far more potent than that of the general ward hit him—a stench so strong that it could have knocked out an ordinary person.

‘That’s potent!’

The Ice Sword Master grimaced for a moment. The sight of beds stained with pus, the thick medicinal smell that stung the nostrils, would have made any ordinary person immediately scrunch their face and cover their nose to prevent suffocation, seeking out clean air at a breakneck pace. The medicinal fragrance was so intense and overpowering that it could numb the sense of smell. Amidst this, the Ice Sword Master stood with a furrowed brow, while Heo Ju-un seemed completely unfazed, as if he had grown accustomed to it.

“Right this way.”

Heo Ju-un led the way, and the Ice Sword Master followed. The groans of patients hit his ears from all sides.

“Ugh…”

“Ah…”

“Kuh…”

Inevitably, the Ice Sword Master’s gaze was drawn to them. It was a sight that could not be described as aesthetically pleasing. However, Heo Ju-un seemed indifferent, accustomed to such daily scenes.

The intensive care unit lived up to its name, differing in severity from the general ward. Many people with severe, frightful injuries or strange and peculiar symptoms were receiving treatment here. No matter how careful one is, accidents are ultimately unavoidable in this world. The best one can do is to reduce the frequency and impact of these accidents. Yet, those who had not managed to prevent accidents were the very ones being treated here, with symptoms as varied as the trinkets on a peddler’s tray.

One patient, who had been practicing toxic techniques, had become poisoned instead, with colorful blotches spread all over their body. Their hands were tied above the bed with ropes.

“The poison has penetrated the skin, causing constant itching. If not tied up, they would scratch until the skin peels off, or even until the flesh falls away. That’s why we have to restrain their limbs like this.”

Heo Ju-un explained calmly.

Next to them was a patient with unusual injuries.

“Those are peculiar wounds.”

For some reason, the patient had seven wounds on their chest arranged like the Big Dipper constellation.

“They got into a fight over a woman with their closest friend and ended up like this. Don’t misunderstand; it’s not for show. It’s a tragic story. Even if they recover, those scars will remain on their chest for life. They were practicing the North Star Divine Fist.”

“I see.”

The Ice Sword Master nodded at his kind explanation. Then, his gaze settled on a patient. Their pupils were completely dilated, and drool was continuously dripping from their open mouth.

“Huh…”

If not an idiot, then certainly a madman. They looked like someone who had lost their soul. The patient’s face was covered with an unkempt beard, and they appeared to be quite old, at least around 50. They might look a bit younger if they shaved.

“Who is that patient?”

“Um… well…”

Heo Ju-un seemed to find the question somewhat uncomfortable to answer, hesitating in a way that only piqued the Ice Sword Master’s curiosity further. What was it that made him reluctant to answer? The response was soon to come.

Heo Ju-un was reluctant but did not avoid answering.

“That’s a guard who suffered an accident during the last Hwanma Dong exam 18 years ago. Since then, for 18 years, he has been living in a state of idiocy. He remembers nothing about who he is, where he is from, or what he did. They say he was once a promising talent of the Hwasan faction. It’s truly a pity.”

Heo Ju-un’s answer was astonishing. Even the Ice Sword Master, known for his composure, was noticeably shocked. What exactly was the Hwanma Dong that it could reduce a once promising talent of the Hwasan faction to such a state? If such information were to leak out, it could cause a stir within the Cheonmu Martial Arts School.