Chapter 48
“Is Yin-Yang Vein Disorder really that rare?”
“Among all vein disorders, yes, it’s one of the rare ones. Like the name says, it’s a condition where the flow of energy in the body is blocked because the Yin and Yang forces are both too strong.”
“Usually, in other vein disorders, only one force—either Yin or Yang—is strong. But Yin-Yang Vein Disorder is chaotic because both forces are swirling around inside. That’s why it’s hard for most doctors to diagnose.”
Just then, Dangpa, who had stepped out for a moment, returned and continued where Dang Jinak left off.
He placed his hand on Eun Sowol’s forehead, then checked her pulse.
“Your fever’s finally gone down. But you still need at least two more days of full rest. Right now, your energy is only temporarily stabilized. If you overdo it, you might fall sick again.”
“Even doctors from Sichuan’s Divine Medical Hall can’t cure Yin-Yang Vein Disorder?”
Eun Sowol’s innocent question made Dangpa pause. Dang Jinak and Dang Jinmyeong quietly glanced at him.
Dangpa frowned as if his pride was hurt and turned his head away.
“Yin-Yang Vein Disorder is much more difficult to treat than other vein problems!”
“Why?”
“To cure these kinds of disorders, you need special medicine with the opposite energy. For example, to treat a Yin-based disorder, you use medicine rich in Yang energy—and the other way around. But what do you think is needed for both Yin and Yang?”
“…Both types?”
“Exactly. And not just any—you need rare and powerful ones. Do you even know how expensive the ones inside your body right now were?”
Eun Sowol shrank back into Dok Goryeong’s arms, startled by his sharp glare.
“What the elder said is true. Dang Jinak has been very generous to us.”
Since Dok Goryeong wasn’t someone who said nice things easily, Eun Sowol felt guilty for questioning them earlier.
“I don’t doubt Elder Dangpa’s skills. But the child isn’t cured yet. If I manage to gather all the necessary medicines, will you cure her?”
Dok Goryeong asked calmly. Dangpa scratched his head, looking troubled.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t promise that. I’ll try, but the child could die during the process.”
“What are the odds?”
“Fifty-fifty. She might live, or she might die.”
Eun Sowol’s heart sank at his blunt answer.
“…That still means there’s a fifty percent chance she’ll live. That’s enough for me.”
Hearing Dok Goryeong’s firm reply, Eun Sowol looked up without realizing.
“You’re unexpectedly optimistic. I didn’t think you were like that.”
“Up until now, we didn’t even know what her illness was. But now we do. Elder, you said it might be curable.”
“That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.”
“Then should we just sit and watch her die?”
“Ugh… I didn’t mean that, but…”
Dangpa folded his arms, frustrated.
“Grandfather, isn’t there any of the medicine left in the family vault? Can’t we get permission from the clan leader?”
“What nonsense! Why don’t you just suggest tearing down the family house to make medicine while you’re at it? We don’t have any of it left—and you’ve done more than enough already!”
“But, Grandpa! If it weren’t for big brother, Jinmyeong might’ve died! I wasn’t going to say this, but…”
Dang Jinak leaned in and whispered sharply after covering Dang Jinmyeong’s ears.
“They tried to kill Jinmyeong. Brutally.”
‘That’s true,’ Sowol thought. She knew, since she’d read the original novel. It wasn’t an exaggeration.
Dangpa sighed and shook his head.
“…Even so, we don’t have it. If you really want to repay the favor, go find the medicines yourself!”
Dang Jinak opened his mouth again, but Dok Goryeong stopped him.
“That’s enough. You’ve already done more than enough. Just introducing me to Elder Dangpa repaid the favor.”
“But, hyung…”
“From now on, I’ll handle it. You still have things to finish.”
Dang Jinak bit his lip and left. Dang Jinmyeong hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed.
“A future clan head shouldn’t be that reckless…”
“Don’t worry. Even if they had it, we wouldn’t have taken it.”
Dangpa cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. Eun Sowol quietly looked at Dok Goryeong.
“Uncle.”
He tilted his head slightly, asking with his eyes, “What is it?”
“Did you eat something weird? Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? You don’t feel like the uncle I know.”
Dok Goryeong was usually rude to everyone regardless of status. But now he was polite and respectful to Dangpa. It felt weird.
His eyebrow twitched. Then—thunk!
“Oww! Why’d you hit me?!”
“What, you want me to be rude to the one guy who can cure your illness?”
It was a fair point, but her head still throbbed. She pouted.
Dok Goryeong let out a deep sigh, then placed his hand on her head.
“You can tell just by looking at her—this kind of kid, even if she’s drowning, only her mouth would float above the water. Seeing her so weak and sick… It’s really sad.”
Was that an insult or genuine worry?
“Please tell me what medicines are needed. I’ll find the ingredients myself.”
“…It’s not hard to list them. Actually, there’s no specific recipe. Just remember three key things.”
Yin energy, Yang energy, and Balance.
“First, get medicines filled with Yin and Yang energy. But things like Ice Essence or Fire Spirit Herb won’t be enough. You’ll need things like the core of a Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Ginseng or a Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp.”
Eun Sowol’s jaw dropped.
‘What the heck is that ridiculous list?’
Even Ice Essence or Fire Spirit Herb were rare. But Ten-Thousand-Year ones? That sounded like something from legends.
“Do those even still exist?!”
She yelled in disbelief. Dangpa clicked his tongue.
“That’s why I said it’s hard. Hmm… But since the child is young, you might not need ones that old. A Thousand-Year Ice Ginseng or Thousand-Year Fire Carp should be enough. They’re still rare but slightly easier to find.”
Easy for him to say—those were still near impossible to get!
Eun Sowol started to wonder if maybe she was the one with weird standards.
“So, as long as the medicine has strong Yin and Yang, it doesn’t have to be those exact ones, right?”
“Right. As long as the two types of energy are balanced. If one side is stronger, it’ll become poison instead.”
Dok Goryeong nodded quietly. Eun Sowol felt even more guilty seeing how calmly he was taking all this.
“What about the last one—Balance?”
“Balance means herbs that can harmonize Yin and Yang. They can’t be ordinary either. You’ll need something like Nine-Leaf Purple Branch Grass. I’ll write down the full list for you later.”
“I understand. Is that all?”
“There’s more, of course. But the rest can be bought if you have money and request from a merchant guild.”
That part made Sowol breathe in relief. But Dangpa’s gaze was still sharp.
“Still, the ones I mentioned earlier—those are hard to find even if you spend millions in gold. Are you really thinking of looking for them?”
He was clearly trying to talk her out of it.
Eun Sowol nervously glanced up at Dok Goryeong.
“Yes. If I wasn’t going to try, I wouldn’t have asked in the first place.”
Her answer was calm and steady, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
It made her heart flutter.
Dangpa left to prepare the list of medicines.
Maybe it was all the conversation, or maybe her body just hadn’t recovered yet—but Eun Sowol felt weak and tired.
Dok Goryeong gently laid her back in bed.
She poked her round eyes out from under the blanket and watched his broad back.
“Uncle.”
“What?”
“Do you think we’ll really be able to find those medicines?”
“…You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that… It’s just, even the elder said they’re hard to find…”
Dok Goryeong didn’t answer for a moment. Then he sat by her pillow.
“It’s hard to find them… but not impossible.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. And besides, you’ve already taken one of those hard-to-find medicines before.”
“…Huh? I did?”
