Empty Stone Milk (3)
While Yusa-ha was holding back the enemy attacks, Gok Ja-yu moved, setting his sights on Gadeung.
"Pathetic."
In the blink of an eye, Gok Ja-yu cut down several enemies blocking his path. Not a single drop of blood stained his sword.
"You should have disappeared when the young lady showed mercy. If you had, you might have lived. Still, the current situation is more interesting."
At Gok Ja-yu's cold smile, Gadeung felt his heart shrink with fear. But having ruled Hangzhou's underworld nights for nearly ten years, he possessed enough nerve to turn that fear into rage.
Before Gok Ja-yu had even finished speaking, Gadeung hurled himself forward, bringing his blade down with all his might.
"Oh! Not bad."
Sensing the ferocity of the attack, Gok Ja-yu immediately raised his sword.
Blade and sword collided midair with a deafening clang.
Under the full force of Gadeung's strike, one of Gok Ja-yu's knees bent slightly.
In contrast, Gadeung staggered back, unable to withstand the shock. The grip of his sword hand split open, blood pouring down.
"Kraaah!"
Forcing down the blood surging up his throat, Gadeung charged like a beast, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
His movements and the energy behind his blade were far more powerful than in his first attack.
Faced with Gadeung's reckless assault that ignored life and death, Gok Ja-yu abandoned any hint of contempt and responded cautiously.
Gadeung's attacks continued without pause.
Though they seemed wild, they were sharp enough that Gok Ja-yu had to retreat momentarily to assess them.
But that was as far as it went.
There was no need to look for a weakness.
Flaws were laid bare in every single movement.
Taking a short breath, Gok Ja-yu thrust his sword forward.
Though the motion was simple, Gadeung recoiled in terror.
Gok Ja-yu's sword had slipped past Gadeung's blade and was stabbing straight toward his heart.
Gok Ja-yu had no intention of letting the retreating Gadeung escape.
He pressed the attack mercilessly, thinking it a disgrace that the fight had lasted this long.
With every movement of the sword, new wounds opened on Gadeung's body, blood spraying in all directions.
Gadeung struggled desperately to turn the situation around, but there was nothing he could do.
With a searing pain like being burned, he saw his left arm fly away.
'Damn it! The Azure Clear Stone Milk…'
By sheer chance, he had discovered that the Water Dragon Merchant Guild possessed the Azure Clear Stone Milk, and how hard he had struggled to obtain it.
He had dreamed of escaping Hangzhou's underworld and standing proudly in the world by his own will, no longer anyone's puppet.
He realized far too late that it had all been a futile dream.
'It was greed—'
The thought went no further.
Gok Ja-yu's sword sent Gadeung's head soaring into the air.
Watching Gadeung's head fall and roll across the ground, Gok Ja-yu calmly turned around.
In the meantime, Yusa-ha had finished cleaning up the surroundings and spoke with a bored expression.
"Why did it take so long?"
"A leader is still a leader."
At Gok Ja-yu's reply, Yusa-ha looked surprised.
"He was that good?"
"He had some momentum. But we've got prisoners."
Gok Ja-yu gestured toward several ruffians kneeling with their heads bowed.
"Once a few of them died, they dropped their weapons on their own. I'd rather cut them all down, but the young lady told us to spare them."
"Yeah. That's our young lady."
Gok Ja-yu smiled naturally at Hwang Yeong's warm-heartedness.
"Thank you. We survived thanks to you."
Sima Jian expressed his gratitude to Hwang Yeong.
"No, it was only right. I'm just glad we could help."
Seeing Hwang Yeong's bright smile, a faint smile formed on Sima Jian's lips as well.
'Even after being dragged into trouble, she's relieved she could help instead. What an interesting young lady.'
Sima Jian looked at Hwang Yeong with renewed interest.
Perhaps due to her long journey, she looked slightly tired, with a light layer of dust on her clothes, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty. Her bright, clear eyes were especially captivating, drawing people in with just a glance.
'Hah… a remarkable beauty.'
As Sima Jian was thinking this, he noticed the cold gazes from Yusa-ha and Gok Ja-yu and quickly lowered his head.
"We should properly thank our benefactors, but we're pressed for time…"
"Benefactors? Not at all. Please go on. We'll take care of these people."
Hwang Yeong maintained her courtesy to the very end.
"My name is Sima Jian. If the opportunity arises, I will surely repay this debt."
After suddenly giving his name, Sima Jian spun around before Hwang Yeong could fully react and walked away without a hint of hesitation.
Cheolwoo hurried after him, snickering.
'If the opportunity arises, I will surely repay this debt?' Boss, that sounds awfully itchy."
"Shut up."
Waving him off as if unwilling to respond, Sima Jian picked up the pace.
Though he hadn't revealed his true ability under their watch, he was still fast enough.
"They're strange fellows."
Watching the two disappear into the distance, Gok Ja-yu spoke with a puzzled expression.
Yusa-ha agreed.
"They're rude too. No matter how urgent things are, if the trouble started because of them, they should clean up before leaving."
It was clear Yusa-ha wasn't pleased about having to deal with the remaining prisoners.
"They did ask for our understanding. And I agreed. Honestly, I was so scared—"
As Hwang Yeong smiled and tried to soothe Yusa-ha, her expression suddenly stiffened.
"What is it, young lady?"
Gok Ja-yu and Yusa-ha asked at the same time.
"They weren't afraid."
"…What?"
"Not even a little."
Hwang Yeong continued while looking around at the scattered corpses.
"Even with so many people bleeding and dying, there wasn't the slightest sign of agitation."
She abruptly turned her head in the direction Sima Jian had disappeared.
"That look, as if it had nothing to do with them… Yes, it was the attitude of people casually watching a spectacle."
As Hwang Yeong murmured, goosebumps rose across her body.
"Please wait a moment. My master will arrive shortly."
Ohwan said as he set down the tea. Before he had even finished speaking, the door burst open.
Upon hearing that Sima Jian had arrived, Hwang Zheng, who had been treating a patient, came running in a hurry.
"Did you obtain it?"
As soon as the door opened, Hwang Zheng shouted. Sima Jian pulled out a small jade box from his robes and showed it to him.
"Yes. Fortunately, we retrieved it safely."
At the sight of the jade box, Hwang Zheng slumped into his seat, all strength leaving his face.
"That's wonderful. I was so worried something might go wrong."
His concern for the patient was palpable.
"Thank you. Did you receive the guest who was coming?"
Sima Jian asked with a bright smile.
"Thanks to you. I truly feel ashamed. I should have gone with you myself, but all I could do was deliver a single letter."
"Please don't say that. Just telling us how to obtain the Azure Clear Stone Milk was more than enough. And with so many patients relying on you, how could you put our desires above theirs?"
"Thank you for understanding. But the younger brother who was with you…"
When Hwang Zheng wondered why Cheolwoo, who usually accompanied him, was nowhere to be seen, Sima Jian set down his teacup.
"I sent him to bring the youngest. I told him to hurry, so he should arrive soon."
"Ah, I see."
Hwang Zheng's attitude became slightly awkward.
Sensing some unspoken difficulty, Sima Jian felt apologetic for thinking only of their own convenience and added a few words.
"I'm sorry. Since we've obtained the Azure Clear Stone Milk, I thought it best to begin treatment immediately and rushed here. We can visit again at a time that's more convenient for you."
"Oh, you misunderstand. It's not that I'm short on time or inconvenienced."
Flustered, Hwang Zheng waved his hands and hurried to explain.
"You remember I said a guest would be coming to see me?"
"Yes."
Sima Jian nodded as if it were only natural. Because of that, Hwang Zheng, who had planned to accompany him to Hangzhou to get the help secure Gongqing Oil, remained in Shaoxing.
"They were people coming from the main family."
"The main family, you say…?"
Hwang Zheng paused for a moment and asked cautiously.
"Have you heard of the Hwalseon Medical Family "(The Family of Living Immortal Physicians")?"
Sima Jian looked at Hwang Zheng with a face of surprise.
The Hwalseon Medical Family, capable of even bringing the dead back to life, was a renowned household known throughout the world for their exceptional medical skills.
Even though he had taken a different path, there was no way Sima Jian, who had spent time in the martial world, wouldn't know of the Hwalseon Medical Family.
"I didn't realize that the physician was from the Hwalseon Family. From the moment I heard that you treated the youngest, whom no one knew how to heal, I sensed your extraordinary skill. Indeed, it's remarkable."
Sima Jian could not hide his admiration, and Hwang Zheng blushed in embarrassment.
"You flatter me. I was only focused on maintaining the current state, not actually treating him."
Hwang Zheng regretted that his lack of skill had prevented him from properly mastering the techniques of the Hwalseon Family. If he had fully learned their secret methods, he would have been able to cure Sima jin's illness completely.
"To be honest, once I learned of your younger sibling's condition, I consulted the main family several times and requested a physician. Because the illness was so unusual, the main family showed great interest, but unfortunately, in recent years, various epidemics have swept across the Central Plains, leaving no capacity to send a physician. However…"
Sima Jian, excited, hurriedly interrupted.
"So a physician came from the main family?"
"Yes. After finishing work in Namchang, he was returning to the main family, but it seems an urgent matter arose in Hangzhou. Since Soheung lies along the way to Hangzhou, he stopped briefly. He discussed your sibling's illness with me."
Even Sima Jian, who had maintained composure in front of thousands of enemy troops, could not hide the tension and swallowed hard.
"He decided to come here after finishing work in Hangzhou to examine your sibling's condition."
"Ah!"
A sound of astonishment escaped Sima Jian's lips.
"This physician is among the most skilled in the main family. My own skills, learned only in passing, cannot compare. Therefore, rather than attempting treatment with the help secure Gangqing Oil myself, I plan to entrust it to the physician from the main family. The probability of success is much higher that way."
Entrusting one's patient to someone else could have been a matter of pride for a physician. But seeing Hwang Zheng prioritize the patient's life over his own pride moved Sima Jian once again.
"Thank you. Thank you, Physician. I don't know how I could ever repay this favor."
Sima Jian bowed deeply, sincere in his gratitude.
"Favor? I am only doing what is natural as a physician. Rather, I should apologize for my own lack of ability that brought us here. In any case, I appreciate your understanding. I said I would finish my work and return as soon as possible, but I cannot give an exact time. It may take a little longer than expected."
"Do not worry. If the illness can be cured, what does it matter to wait? I can wait for days, even weeks."
Sima Jian seemed thrilled, as if Sima jin's illness could be cured immediately.
"Well, the thing is…"
Hwang Zheng, fully aware of how dangerous it was for a physician to make guarantees about an illness, hesitated to speak of the possibility that the desired outcome might not occur. Seeing Sima Jian so happy and grateful, with tears in his eyes, he could not bring himself to say anything further.