Chapter 54
Rage (4)
Kang Yong-un, who had sought out the physician, shouted straight away:
“Just save him. I will pay you handsomely.”
Handsely!
At that one word, the physician’s eyes lit up and he stopped everything he was doing. He quickly pulled out a secret case of silver needles and gripped it firmly.
“You’ve come to the right place. I am the finest doctor in this town. I will save him without fail. Leave it to me.”
It didn’t seem to be an empty boast.
The physician treated the patient with the same delicate care the imperial doctors would show the emperor—placing needles with precision, applying moxa.
As a result—
“Keuhh… cough, cough.”
The girl’s father spat out a lump of clotted blood. His faint breathing slowly steadied.
“Phew! It is done. The crisis has passed. From here on, with good rest and decoctions, his damaged insides will be restored. Hahaha.”
Physician Jang wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked proudly at Kang Yong-un.
Well? I did it, didn’t I? You said you’d pay well—so keep your word, his gaze implied.
“Here’s the advance.”
Kang Yong-un immediately pulled twenty taels of silver from his robe and handed them over.
“Oh my, my!”
The physician’s eyes widened at the hefty sum pressed into his palm.
“Though… recovery is still a long road…”
It was already more than enough, but he let his words trail off, hinting that more money would be required for complete recovery.
Kang Yong-un’s sharp gaze pierced the physician.
At that look—and at the sight of the Blue River Sword lying at Kang Yong-un’s side—the physician flinched and quickly changed his tune.
“Ah, I only meant that the patient’s condition could suddenly worsen, that’s all. Ahem.”
Kang Yong-un felt nothing but disgust.
So you’re just trying to make business out of someone’s life.
Surely not all physicians were like this.
In his rush, he hadn’t thought much and had simply sought the most famous doctor around—and this was the sort of man he had found.
If I leave him unchecked, he might play tricks with this man’s treatment.
A warning was in order.
“Just as a patient’s condition might suddenly worsen… my heart may also suddenly change.”
Hehh.
Kang Yong-un bared his teeth in a cold smile. He quietly raised his inner energy and glared at the physician as though he were facing an enemy of his sect.
“Huuh… I–I think you misunderstand, hero.”
Startled, Physician Jang instantly changed his attitude.
“I only meant we must always be prepared for the worst, nothing more. Ahem.”
His words now carried the meaning: I won’t try any tricks.
Kang Yong-un withdrew his chilling smile and suppressed aura. He turned to the girl, who now looked somewhat relieved.
“You said your name was Seorin?”
“Yes, hero.”
“Don’t worry. This physician will surely heal your father.”
“Thank you, hero. I don’t know how I could ever repay this grace… sob.”
Her tears, which had barely stopped, threatened to spill once more.
Kang Yong-un shook his head immediately.
Grace, my foot…
Even with what little he had, it was never enough to get by.
What could he possibly expect from Seorin in return?
No—wait!
A thought suddenly struck him.
Even if not for me, perhaps it could bring comfort to him…
Without delay, he acted on it.
He drew up his Heavenly God Art with an incantation, then spoke to Seorin in a quiet tone.
“If your heart is truly uneasy, then do this.”
As if waiting for the chance, the voices of the Elders of the Firmament resounded in his mind.
[Hohoho, have you reached Angang County?]
[When will you depart for Jongnam?]
[Huh? A physician?]
[Child, what’s going on?!]
They had yet to hear about what happened in Baekun Village, since at that time he had not summoned the Heavenly God Art with an incantation.
While the elders’ voices echoed in his mind, Kang Yong-un continued speaking to Seorin.
“Among the Eight Immortals of Sichuan, there is one named Irae. Every New Year’s Day, even if it’s only with a bowl of clear water, offer a simple rite to him. Would you do that?”
“The Sichuan Immortal Irae… Yes, hero. I’ll do my best to offer him rites.”
Suddenly, silence filled his mind.
As though the very stars had lost their light, none of the elders spoke.
“Even just clear water will suffice.”
“No, hero. I’ll cook delicious food and do everything I can to make the offering. If that can repay this grace, then I will gladly do it.”
Kang Yong-un smiled warmly and shook his head.
“Hahaha. There is no talk of grace. This is merely fate tying us together. I just wanted to pass along a good connection to you. Elder Irae is a truly kind man…”
“I see. Thank you, hero.”
Finally, Seorin managed a small, shy smile through her still-wet eyes.
[Oh, Yong-un!]
Elder Irae, moved to tears, sent his voice to him.
[That I fed you nothing but weeds?! I’ll tell you where to find the Azure Clear Jade Oil…!]
The other elders panicked at his words.
[What the—! Someone shut Irae’s mouth—!]
[You senile old fool, stop—!]
[Didn’t you say it yourself? That every elixir has its destined owner?!]
[We all agreed to guide him differently, but now you’re about to twist the heavens themselves?!]
[…I’ll tell you, the Jade Oil is located at… mmph, mmph!]
But before he could finish, his mouth was forcibly shut, leaving only muffled sounds.
I’m fine, Kang Yong-un thought, surprised.
He hadn’t expected such an intense reaction.
Don’t go against heaven’s will, Elder Irae.
Then he turned back to Seorin.
With a calm voice, he asked:
“What exactly happened? Since I’ve already intervened, you may as well tell me everything.”
“Well, it’s just that…”
Seorin lowered her head.
It seemed she couldn’t bear to put her story into words.
Her shoulders shook as she held back her grief and tears.
“Tsk, tsk. So it was her voice they coveted, and that’s what led to this mess.”
Physician Jang, while preparing herbs, muttered as if in passing.
“Her voice? What do you mean?”
“Ah! Well, that is…”
For some reason, the physician looked visibly uneasy.
Kang Yong-un asked gently:
“Surely telling the story won’t bring you any harm, will it?”
Clink.
He quickly pulled out a small silver ingot and placed it with a clear sound on the floor.
The physician glanced at the silver, then, perhaps too ashamed to take it, decided instead to speak freely.
“Phew! Forget the silver. It’s something anyone around here would know. That girl has an unusually beautiful voice.”
And he began his tale.
“It was about two years ago…”
Two years prior, Seorin and her father Seo Juseung had first arrived in Angang County. Seo Juseung was a musician, and his daughter earned their keep with her beautiful singing voice.
They mostly sang in taverns and on the streets, which caught the attention of the Guidobang gang.
At first, the gang merely demanded a few coins as protection money. But within two years, Seorin blossomed into a stunning beauty, and that’s when trouble began.
They repeatedly tried to drag Seorin and her father—especially Seorin—into their brothels.
“The father and daughter held firm. But six months ago, Seo the musician was ambushed and brutally beaten by masked men. What could they do? They had no savings, yet needed treatment. They must have borrowed money at usurious rates. And the rest… well, you’ve seen it yourself.”
The more he heard, the more Kang Yong-un seethed.
“Some believe the masked assailants were Guidobang thugs. There’s no proof, of course, just suspicion.”
The physician’s voice carried bitterness. He too must have been uncomfortable with the situation.
Kang Yong-un’s fury flared.
So they meant to use the debt as an excuse to drag Seorin into a brothel?
The papers shoved in his face earlier must have been the contract for this.
I only heard about ten taels of debt being written off…
He felt frustrated.
Had he known the full story, he would have beaten them more savagely.
By all evidence, the masked men were from Guidobang. No doubt about it.
They had plotted this from the start: engineer debt, then seize the lives of father and daughter for mere dozens of taels.
[Those vile bastards! To dare try to make our Seorin a courtesan?!]
Elder Irae’s voice roared with fury through their soul-link.
[Yong-un, go at once! Go and tear them to… mmph!]
[Irae, what is with you?!]
[Enough already—!]
[He’s lost it, truly senile—!]
Kang Yong-un steadied his mind, shaken by Elder Irae’s wrath.
Guidobang, was it?
Then he remembered.
The gangsters who had brazenly joked with Inspector Wang. When Wang’s men scolded them, hadn’t they shouted that they were from Guidobang?
Them again.
It seemed fate had tangled him with them.
But he had no intention of avoiding this.
I’m no righteous crusader… but this is too much.
They would pay.
Without fail.
And just then, as if summoned by his resolve, visitors arrived.
“Hey, Doctor Jang—!”
“Seo the musician and his daughter are here, right?”
“We know they are. Hurry and bring them out!”
A group of gangsters shouted aggressively.
They were Guidobang thugs sent by Chudam, master of the Continental Battlefield.
There were fifteen of them, each wielding a crude saber, rummaging everywhere as they searched for Seo and Seorin—and Kang Yong-un.
“Where’s that bastard?!”
“The one who touched our people is here too, isn’t he?”
“Come out, you bastard!”
“You think you can cross Guidobang in Angang and live?!”
Their voices shook the walls.
“Hero…”
“Oh dear, what now?!”
Seorin trembled in fear. Physician Jang, flustered, didn’t know what to do.
Smirk.
“Do not worry.”
With a cold smile, Kang Yong-un gripped the Blue River Sword tightly.
He rose like a mountain.
And strode out into the courtyard where the thugs waited.
His eyes locked on the men shouting with fierce glares.
“Before we burn this place down, come out already!”
“Come out, you bastard—huh?!”
Their eyes narrowed.
“Were you looking for me?!”
It was only Kang Yong-un—a mere youth in their eyes—standing alone with just a sword in hand.
Heh.
“You brat—!”
“Got guts, don’t you?”
They laughed among themselves, like hunters toying with prey, never once considering how five of their comrades had died in Baekun Village.
“No Jongnam Sect crest?”
“Right. No Mount Hua insignia either.”
They checked first for sect affiliations.
Even as Angang’s underworld overlords, they knew well enough not to mess with those two sects.
To Kang Yong-un, they were nothing but pathetic.
Second-rate, third-rate riffraff.
Their cultivation levels were paltry—like fireflies at best.
Not a single one of them was worth his time.
Kang Yong-un spoke first.
“You are Guidobang?”
“That’s right. We are Guidobang of the Continental Battlefield—”
“Yes, and this elder here is—”
That was enough.
Without hearing more, Kang Yong-un lunged first.
Chaang!
His sword left its sheath.
These are villains who only harm common folk. I shall mete out their punishment.
Unleashing his Three Talents Sword Art, he struck at the thugs who had hastily drawn their crude sabers.
“This insolent brat—die!”
They swung wildly, but it was laughable.
Clang!
Unable to withstand even a single rebound, one cried out.
And then—
Shaa!
“Gaaah!”
His wrist tendon was sliced, forcing him to drop his saber. He staggered back, spirit broken.
[Well done, our Yong-un!]
Elder Irae’s thunderous cheer rang in his mind.
