The entrance to Yeonyahng was bustling with activity from early morning. Noise poured out from within, and soon its source, a gaunt man, was thrown out, clinging to the sturdy ankles of the doorman who'd ejected him.
"Please!" the man begged. "Just a pinch! I'll pay you back, even with my body!"
"Get lost, you fucker!" the doorman shouted. "Keep your worthless hide!"
He kicked the man away, sending him sprawling onto the street. Ryang witnessed the commotion on his way back from an early morning meeting with Seolyo Jin. The man, writhing on the ground and wailing, had bloodshot eyes that seemed about to burst with tears of blood. It was a common sight at the inn, so no one paid him any attention. Judging from his appearance, he was in the late stages of addiction. Ryang observed the man from a distance, then hurried towards the back gate.
He avoided the inn, where the scent of Crystal Haze lingered. It wasn't that he disliked the peculiar fragrance, but the feeling of being seduced by it. The agony that had dragged him through a living hell before he woke up in Wicheong Palace and returned to Nahmgyo was still vivid, but the ecstasy he felt under the influence of Crystal Haze was just as intense. Whenever he had to visit the inn for business, he had to fight the urge to inhale the enticing scent that wafted towards him. At those moments, the image of Hwan's bestial eyes in the hazy smoke would flash through his mind, making him shudder. He had moved Ryucheon to a separate house for proper treatment and respect, but the bigger reason was that he didn't want to visit the inn every time he needed to see Ryucheon.
Ryang called out to Ryucheon from outside the house. Hearing a muffled response, he cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. He frowned at the thick smoke that filled the room. Ryucheon lay with his hands behind his head, his eyes half-closed, looking at Ryang.
"You came at the right time," he said. "I was just thinking of airing the room."
After Ryang closed the door, Ryucheon sat up and asked, "Do you have bad news for me?"
"Why do you assume it's bad news?" Ryang countered.
"Just look in the mirror, and you'll know."
Ryucheon motioned towards a mirror stand, but Ryang ignored it and stated his business.
"I have a favor to ask," he said.
"Tell me."
"I'm suffering from the lingering effects," Ryang confessed.
Ryucheon had just cleared the room of smoke, but he filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it. He took a puff and said, "And here I thought you were adamant about being perfectly fine, glaring at me... What symptoms are you experiencing?"
"Lately, I've been having frequent emotional outbursts that I can't control," Ryang explained. "Whenever that happens, my heart races, and I feel a pain in my chest. I thought it would subside, but it seems to be getting worse."
"Considering what you've been through," Ryucheon said, "frequent emotional outbursts aren't unusual enough to suspect lingering effects."
Ryang glared at him. The pity in Ryucheon's eyes was unsettling.
"Killing is a life-altering experience," Ryucheon added.
"Did my sister tell you?" Ryang asked after a pause.
He wanted to know how much Ryucheon knew, but he stopped himself, knowing that pressing further would only make him look pathetic. Ryucheon chuckled and rambled on.
"You were furious at her for calling you 'brother,' and now you're asking if your 'sister' told me? Don't even get me started. I had a hard time because you revealed that I was caught that night. I had my suspicions, but the Lady has quite a temper. What exactly did you tell her that I had to be called a vulgar barbarian out of the blue? I've done nothing wrong."
Ryang, not wanting to be sidetracked, cut him off. "Is there a way to get better?" he asked flatly, but the desperation in his eyes was evident to Ryucheon.
Based on what Seon had told him, Ryucheon wasn't sure if Ryang was truly suffering from the lingering effects. Killing his beloved with his own hands could drive anyone mad, even without Crystal Haze. He almost pitied Ryang, who firmly believed his madness stemmed solely from the poison. He wasn't close enough to Ryang to offer comfort, nor did he particularly want to, so he pushed those thoughts aside.
"There are two ways," he said. "One is a common treatment here – acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, and such. I can't guarantee it will completely eliminate the symptoms, and as you know, the effects aren't immediate. But it's not entirely false that Celestial Scions recover differently, so it might be different for you."
"What's the second way?" Ryang asked.
"There's a prescription called Jeong'ahn pills(靜安丸) that calms the mind and body," Ryucheon explained. "If you take one pill every day, you won't experience emotional outbursts."
"That's no different from another form of Crystal Haze," Ryang said, irritation creeping into his voice. "Do you think I'd ask you for help if I couldn't obtain those pills?"
Ryucheon chuckled. "Consider that a nope. Neither of these methods is exclusive to me, so why do you seek my help?"
Ryang hesitated, then said, "We have many people planted throughout Nahmgyo. I don't want this to be known."
"So, there are many rebels among the physicians of Nahmgyo..." Ryucheon mused. "It seems I must never fall ill here."
Ryucheon continued his playful banter, but he couldn't ignore Ryang's insistent gaze any longer. Stretching his stiff limbs, he said, "Since the esteemed person who holds my stake is suffering from the lingering effects, I should tend to you. Come here and take off your top."
Ryang, who had only come to inquire about treatment, was taken aback by the sudden request to undress, but he obediently untied his top. While Ryang turned his back and removed his clothes, Ryucheon retrieved acupuncture needles from his belongings and heated them over the brazier, arranging them neatly. Once Ryang was undressed and seated with his back to Ryucheon, Ryucheon tapped his shoulder, gesturing for him to turn around. He pulled Ryang's right wrist closer and wiped the soft skin of his inner arm with a damp cloth before inserting the needles. The silence was awkward, and Ryang, embarrassed to be sitting half-naked before someone he wasn't close to, spoke up.
"Is this something you're all trained in?" he asked.
Ryucheon, his eyes focused on the needles, replied, "Just enough to keep us alive in emergencies. Not everyone is as skilled as I am. If we trained everyone to be a physician, how would we run the kingdom? I'm a special case. I wasn't originally meant for the Board of Diplomacy. I wanted to be a physician. Not the kind stuck in the palace, obsessed with the King's arousal, but the kind who cares for the sick and injured. Believe it or not, I was quite naive once. Well, here I am, treating your madness."
The word "madness" grated on Ryang's ears, but he couldn't nitpick every word when he was in Ryucheon's care. Ryucheon leisurely placed needles on Ryang's body. Ryang's nerves were on edge as he felt Ryucheon's delicate touch on his skin. Sensing his tension, Ryucheon chuckled.
"Relax," he said. "Although I'm not that virtuous, I'm not a perverted lecher who would covet a pair of siblings. Men don't particularly interest me."
"Watch your words," Ryang warned, his voice laced with irritation. Why are all Sungian officials like this? He couldn't tell if it was a strategy or if they were simply using it as an excuse to indulge their desires.
Silence fell again. Ryucheon gestured for Ryang to turn around again. As he inserted needles into his back, he remarked, "Except for that small scar on your left hand and the recent arrow wound on your shoulder, you have no scars. Are you sure you're a rebel?"
"I'm not a warrior," Ryang replied. "I've learned little swordsmanship. Perhaps it was three years in my childhood."
"A rebel who has learned little swordsmanship..." Ryucheon chuckled.
"Do you think a brothel owner in Nahmgyo wouldn't have any scars?" Ryang retorted.
Ryucheon laughed, then fell silent, focusing on the needles. "Don't misunderstand," he said. "I admire the struggle for survival. But your actions in Birahng will continue to haunt House Myeonghyeon. That is, if you manage to survive."
"I don't deny the sins of my house," Ryang said. "This is as far as it goes. Once the flag of Wi flies over Nahmgyo, the inn will be handed over to Lady Seolyo."
"So, you're saying that once you wash your hands of it, it's over?" Ryucheon asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I will find a way to atone to the people," Ryang replied.
Ryucheon scoffed. "There's no way to atone to those already dead from addiction. In any case, you want to get rid of the label of 'brothel owner' as soon as possible. Your reasons for clinging to the royal family are quite personal."
"It's about upholding the legacy and cause of my house," Ryang insisted. "There are no personal feelings involved."
"And the shame you feel about being a brothel owner, the guilt you carry towards the people—those aren't personal feelings?" Ryucheon countered.
Ryang frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
Ryucheon smiled. Just as he was about to reply, they heard footsteps outside, and the door opened. It was U'nso. He averted his gaze at the sight of Ryang's bare back.
"Princess Kyeong'ui requests your presence," he announced.
"Now?" Ryang asked.
"She asked you to come immediately if there's no urgent matter," U'nso replied. "I've informed the Lady as well."
Before U'nso could finish, Ryucheon swiftly removed the needles from Ryang's body. Ryang, his expression dark, redressed. Sensing his anxiety, Ryucheon handed him a small pill wrapped in paper.
"If you're worried about facing the Princess, use this pill," he offered.
"I don't need it," Ryang refused curtly.
As he was about to leave, Ryucheon called out, "Come see me once a day from now on. Preferably while the sun is still up. I wouldn't want to be misunderstood."
Ryang glanced back at him without replying, then left. He returned to his chamber and quickly prepared to meet Princess Kyeong'ui. Just as he was adjusting his black hat, Seon entered. They hadn't spoken since he returned from Wicheong Palace and lashed out at her, so the air was thick with awkwardness. Seeing Seon's casual attire, Ryang spoke first, avoiding her gaze.
"Why aren't you ready yet?" he asked.
"I can't go," Seon replied. "We have another situation."
"Explain," Ryang demanded curtly.
"Joon and the soldiers have returned," Seon said.