“Open the door, please!”
“…”
“Please open this door right now! Are you not feeling well? I am a physician! I need to examine your condition, so please open the door immediately! Please hurry!”
“…”
Despite multiple attempts to call for a response, nobody answered. Baek Cheon let out a sigh and was about to leave when Tang Soso spoke up.
“Sasuk.”
“Hmm?”
“Break it.”
“…”
“What are you waiting for? Break down the door right now!”
“O-okay!”
Crack!
Baek Cheon held onto the door and forcefully pushed it open. As soon as the door fell off its hinges, Tang Soso surged forward and entered. Baek Cheon moved aside and followed closely behind.
“Please don’t come in!”
The two people inside the house yelled. A frightened woman was trembling, and there was another person…
‘A child…!’
Tang Soso’s eyes were filled with compassion.
“Get out of my way!”
“I-It’s not my child!”
“I don’t want to harm any of you, so please move aside! This is a matter of the child’s life!”
The woman blocking her path to the child flinched when Tang Soso shouted. She looked at Tang Soso and Baek Cheon, clearly confused.
“If you don’t move, I will have to force you to step aside. Move if you don’t want the child to witness a distressing sight!”
“…”
Even though fear consumed her, the tearful woman was still confused, and Tang Soso met her eye as she spoke.
“I am a member of the Physician Hall.”
“…”
“I can treat any illness, so please let me examine the child.”
Tang Soso took out a plaque from her sleeve and showed it to the shocked woman, who then asked.
“Are you really a member of the hall?”
“Yes.”
“Truly?”
“Even now, as we talk, the child is on his way to death.”
Only then did the woman lower her guard and step aside, clearly feeling helpless. Tang Soso sat down beside the child and felt his pulse.
“… weak.”
It was faint and weak, as if it could stop at any moment.
Tang Soso took off the child’s blanket and began undressing him.
“Soso, what are you doing?”
“I need to check his body!”
“But it’s cold out…”
“Then go and stop it!”
“Yes!”
Baek Cheon ran like the wind and grabbed the torn-out door to block the entrance. Jo Gul, startled, held the door, helping him.
‘I can’t even say a word.’
‘Shh. Be quiet. Or you get beat.’
The moment she realized the disease might be circulating in the village, Tang Soso transformed into someone else. Her force was so strong that even Yu Yiseol couldn’t speak to her anymore.
After checking the child’s body, Tang Soso frowned.
“Erythema… small erythema and congestion.”
She covered the child with the blanket again and looked into his mouth.
“… the gums are receding.”
His symptoms were similar to the others she had just checked.
“How long has he been like this?”
“…. About a month.”
“And his schedule?”
“He sleeps a lot, but lately, he hasn’t been able to wake up once he…”
“How was he before he collapsed?”
“Before the collapse?”
The woman glanced at Tang Soso.
“Stay calm and think clearly. Tell me anything you know, something out of the ordinary.”
“Yes, of course!”
Tang Soso’s voice became softer, and the woman, now composed, continued speaking.
“Well, the child suddenly became weak and started sleeping a lot. And… he had frequent nosebleeds too.”
“Nosebleeds?”
“Yes. It all happened so suddenly.”
Tang Soso seemed deep in thought and was biting her lip.
“Gather everyone…”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, someone began knocking on the door.
Baek Cheon looked at Tang Soso in shock, and after a moment, she nodded.
“Open it.”
As Baek Cheon and Jo Gul moved the door aside, they saw men armed with fur and spears.
“Who are you, people?”
“How dare an outsider try to disrupt our village!”
Their eyes were filled with anger, and Baek Cheon looked at them, confused. Though their eyes were fierce and their spears sharp, he knew they were good people.
Besides, they were all suffering from the same disease, with pale skin and trembling hands grasping the spears.
“Make way.”
“Chief!”
“Step aside now.”
The men moved to the left and right, revealing an elderly man with a cane.
“… what’s going on?”
“The village chief?”
“Yes. You’re all outsiders. I don’t know what’s happening, but leave the village immediately.”
“No.”
“… You refuse?”
“Yes, I do.”
Tang Soso gently touched the child’s forehead.
“Do you not see? Everyone is sick.”
“I know.”
“If we don’t treat it properly, everyone will die at this rate!”
“… there’s nothing we can do.”
“Huh?”
Tang Soso’s eyes widened. What was this old man talking about?
However, the old man shook his head as if he didn’t know anything.
“If it’s known that outsiders are here, we’ll die either way. If you have even the slightest concern for our well-being, then leave this village right now.”
His words were serious, and Baek Cheon decided to persuade them.
“Elder, we want to treat and help with this…!”
“Can you handle the demons?”
“…”
“If you don’t leave, we will be the ones in trouble.”
Then, Tang Soso, who was listening, spoke with a cold expression.
“I’m angry.”
“…”
“This disease is like the demons. If we continue like this, everyone will die! Can’t you see? This isn’t just a common cold; it’s a plague now!”
The old man sighed.
“This isn’t something that can be treated with human power.”
“What?”
“There are demons in the North Sea right now. This disease is spread by them, so it can’t be undone with human skills.”
“…what do you mean…”
Baek Cheon whispered quietly.
“Do you mean the Demonic Sect?”
“…did the Demonic Sect spread the disease?”
The old man nodded, looking at Tang Soso.
“This is a disease I had never seen before in my life. As those demons started showing up and moving, this disease was born.”
“….”
“Human power alone cannot fix this.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Tang Soso groaned.
“No disease cannot be cured by human hands!”
“….”
“Even if there is such an illness, giving up is not an option. Lives are at stake! Don’t talk nonsense about demons! A physician won’t just ignore the disease.”
Tang Soso’s eyes stared at the old man. Seeing those intense eyes, the old man let out a groan.
“… we tried our best too. But…”
“It is still not enough.”
“Are you confident about curing it?”
“Even if it can’t be cured, I won’t let it end like this.”
Tang Soso and the old man locked eyes, and the old man sighed.
“… are you really that sure about treating it?”
“I will give it my all.”
“Your best, huh…”
The old man suddenly turned his head and gazed at the blue sky. The snow had stopped at some point.
“… that’s a word I haven’t heard in a long time here in the North Sea.”
The old man, with a bitter expression, quietly muttered.
“Yeom Hyo.”
“Chief.”
“Tell the villagers to come get checked by this physician. Whoever is able should cooperate.”
“B-But then….”
“Death is death, no matter how it happens.”
“….”
“Do as I asked. I’ll take responsibility.”
“… I understand.”
The old man gazed at Tang Soso.
“If there is any problem, come see me.”
“… thank you.”
“Please. Make sure to save the lives of our villagers.”
“I will do my best.”
After hearing Tang Soso’s words, the old man nodded and exited.
The disciples of Mount Hua sighed, but their determination quickly replaced the tiredness in their eyes.
“Soso! What do we do now? Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
“Sasuk!”
“Hm?”
“Bring Chung Myung sahyung here, right now!”
“Sasuk!”
“Hm?”
“…..”
That…
Wasn’t this order too much from the start?
Hm?
People had their own roles in things. Farmers were good at farming, swordsmen were good at wielding swords, and scholars were knowledgeable.
And no matter what they thought, this wasn’t something Chung Myung should do.
“So…”
Chung Myung looked unfazed.
“… is this what I have to do?”
“Yes.”
“I should?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
“Ah, I’m losing it, be quiet!”
“….”
Chung Myung fell silent at Tang Soso’s cry and looked at her with sad eyes, but all he could see was her black core and not her calm blue eyes.
“NO!”
Chung Myung screamed as he grabbed the pot on his head.
“Do we have to use fire and boil for the soul? Why do I have to do this, even?”
“This isn’t the Central Plains, so there is no stove here to put a large pot like this!”
“There’s a hearth over there!”
“We would have to dismantle the vent for that! And that’s not a place to put the pot!”
“Then we can create a flame instead!”
“Ah, that would be too much!”
“Huh?”
Chung Myung looked bewilderedly at Tang Soso.
“T-this top and I’d be bottomless….”
“What is this man from Mount Hua talking about!”
“…”
Chung Myung’s eyes began to tear up in response as if he had been struck.
‘Sect leader sahyung,’
I lived this way.
I was living this way!
“Well, that’s not such a bad thing.”
“KUAK! This man! What do you mean by that!”
“What?”
“UGHHH”
Chung Myung lowered his head, wishing for death instead.
Tang Soso spoke as she placed the medicine in the pot.
“We cannot control the fire with a newly made flame. Only one person can brew medicinal herbs with their flame Qi!”
“…”
“This is about saving lives. Let me request this from you. There really is only sahyung for me. If not, everyone dies, and this is something sahyung would be held responsible for too!”
As she continued speaking, Chung Myung’s shoulders subtly tensed.
“Well… when did I say no?”
Chung Myung adjusted the pot.
“Even if not in a day or two, there is no problem. I will do it quickly!”
“Thank you, sahyung! Please warm the pot a little more.”
“OH!”
Chung Myung pushed the flame qi into the pot, and in an instant, the pot heated up, and the water began to boil.
The party, watching the scene from afar, exclaimed one after another.
“She’s handling him well.”
“Wow, she’s really good at coaxing.”
“I should give it a try as well.”
“Oh my goodness! Disciple Tang Soso is truly something else. But when you look at it from another perspective, doesn’t disciple Chung Myung also seem human?”
“Eh, not really.”
“….”
Tang Soso’s choice wasn’t an easy one, but it was a great method. Chung Myung was someone who didn’t handle compliments well, and once you got to know him, you couldn’t help but praise him.
Especially for the disciples of Mount Hua, it was too much. The way they complimented and pampered him so naturally…
“But if you look at the herbs she’s brewing now, does she already know the disease?”
Yu Yiseol shook her head in response to Jo Gul’s question.
“She doesn’t know yet.”
“Then…?”
Baek Cheon sighed and answered without saying a word.
“First of all, she said that since they’re in poor condition, she needs something to boost their energy. It’s not a treatment.”
“….”
“It’s fortunate that she brought herbs and medicine from Mount Hua. We wouldn’t have anything to use here if it weren’t for that.”
The disciples of Mount Hua were grateful for Hyun Young’s preparedness.
“But you know… this can’t be cured with just that, right?”
“First, we need to help them relax and then figure out the illness.”
“… could it be one that we’re not familiar with?”
“Nevertheless, we’ll do our best.”
Yoon Jong, who was listening to the conversation, spoke in a hushed voice.
“Those who underestimate the value of life are unfit to wield the sword of Mount Hua. How can someone who prioritizes their own interests speak of swordsmanship and enlightenment?”
“… No, I don’t mean to suggest otherwise…”
Jo Gul let out a sigh and interjected.
“Most of the villagers are displaying symptoms… could this possibly be a plague? If we fall ill during our journey to the North Sea…”
“That’s enough.”
Baek Cheon halted him mid-sentence.
“You may be correct, but I’d rather not voice that in front of a young student of Mount Hua who is doing her utmost best.”
“… Yes, sir.”
Baek Cheon poured the herbs into the pot and closed his eyes, observing Tang Soso pour her heart and soul into the task.
‘I must protect that child from harm.’
The burden Tang Soso had taken upon herself was too great.
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