Chapter 10: Yeonjuda
The cave wasn't long.
Tang So-hwa squinted at the pouring light.
As her eyes gradually adjusted, a basin-shaped valley lay below the hill. A small field and five thatched huts. It truly looked like a peaceful village.
It was smaller than she expected.
She had heard that Yeonjuda had over a hundred disciples and their manor was as large as a village.
Tang So-hwa's gaze, which had been surveying the village, landed on one spot.
Yeon-a was in the thatched hut's yard.
Yeon-a, seemingly excited, gesticulated and chattered non-stop, while the old man standing before her merely nodded calmly.
Unlike the excited Yeon-a, the old man calmly listened to the child's words.
Shifting her gaze, she also saw a man leaning against the shade. Although he wore plain clothes like Yeon-a and the old man, the aura he exuded was distinctly different. Tang Min seemed to have spotted him too, and spoke in a cold voice.
"We have a guest who arrived before us."
At that moment, the man's head turned towards them. However, before their eyes could meet, her view was blocked by a green robe as Tang Min stepped in front of her.
Tang Min's shoulder blades jutted out sharply.
She worried that a fight might break out again.
Tang So-hwa, who had been about to say she would talk to them, quietly closed her mouth.
It was because a distinct scent was approaching from afar.
It was the scent of accumulated energy within the body. Fresh internal energy, filled with the essence of nature.
More than just possessing keen senses, Tang So-hwa was inherently sensitive. She perceived others' energy through various senses.
Energy would stimulate her nose like a fragrance or foul odor, or manifest on her skin as heat or cold.
Usually, it was felt as a scent. But sometimes, if the opponent unleashed internal energy, or if their accumulated internal energy was initially vast, it was sensed as temperature.
Only once in her past life had she perceived it visually.
It was a light as intense as the sun.
The owner of that energy was a merchant guild master who had come seeking Namgung Hyun. He was said to be the betrothed of Zhuge Cheonyu, the daughter of the Zhuge family head.
She found it fascinating as she watched the light emanating from Namgung Hyun's office, but she couldn't gauge the energy's level.
Since the merchant guild master wasn't known as a martial artist, she couldn't tell what level of internal energy would be visible. Was it visible because it was simply too strong, or was it a different kind of energy altogether?
All she knew now was that the energy, when perceived as temperature, felt stronger than when perceived as scent.
Then, a calm voice flowed over.
"I heard there was someone who was ill."
Tang Min turned his head to look down at Tang So-hwa, as if asking if she would now reveal her feigned illness.
Tang So-hwa took a step sideways, evading that uncomfortable gaze. Then, the old man's face came into full view.
His appearance was as clear and refined as the internal energy he had cultivated.
His posture was upright, and his complexion was clear.
A glimmer of light also flickered in his ink-black eyes, nestled in wrinkled corners.
The old physician's eyes subtly moved, examining Tang So-hwa. He asked in a voice tinged with amusement.
"Perhaps you have a toothache, or bit your tongue?"
Tang So-hwa raised one eyebrow at the sudden remark, and the old physician laughed.
"Jeom-chil said you were coughing blood, but you don't look like someone with an internal injury."
Jeom-chil?
She was taken aback by the name that didn't suit Yeon-a. Then Tang Min's voice cut in.
"Tsk tsk. Why make up a lie that's bound to be discovered and invite humiliation?"
Tang Min clicked his tongue and tattled on her feigned illness. Then, with eyes full of admiration, he looked at the old physician.
"Indeed, it seems this old man truly is the Yeonjuda physician. To see through this child's feigned illness just by looking at her complexion... Remarkable."
"My name is Jin-cheol."
Perhaps sensing the respectful address 'this old man', Jin-cheol smiled gently and cupped his hands. Tang Min returned the gesture.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Tang Min."
"You've taken the trouble to come from a prestigious Murim family in Sichuan; we can't leave our esteemed guests standing. Though our place is humble, we have enough leisure to offer tea. Please, come inside."
A momentary silence fell as Tang Min and the vice-commander exchanged glances instead of replying.
Jin-cheol smiled at their gesture.
"There's no need to be tense. Perhaps we should be the cautious ones, for the Sichuan Tang family to seek out an old man and a young girl hidden in the mountains."
He added with a warm smile.
"We happen to have some excellent tea. Please, follow me."
The old man's words held a strange power, one that eased vigilance. His upright posture and unwavering voice gave a sense of stability.
The old man turned his back and took the first step.
Tang So-hwa followed him towards the thatched hut. Then, Tang Min quietly grabbed her sleeve, pulling her behind him – a silent instruction to stay close.
Tang So-hwa didn't refuse. Understanding the burden Tang Min felt, she meekly followed behind the family elder. Tang Hak also quickly stuck close to Tang Min's side, sensing the situation.
Step.
The moment she passed the thatched huts, Tang So-hwa furrowed her brow. A thick scent of blood flowed from the huts on either side of the path, like a scarlet haze.
The thatched huts were only large enough to fit six or seven people at most, meaning there could be twelve patients at most across the two huts. Yet, judging by the intensely strong smell of blood, their condition was far from ordinary.
Tang So-hwa tried hard not to show it, composing her expression.
"It would be good to request support."
"Yes, Yun-jin has gone to send a messenger bird."
She heard Tang Min and the vice-commander whispering; they seemed to have noticed the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) situation from the entrance.
Was that why they were hesitant to enter the village? Because the condition of Yeonjuda's visitors was so unusual.
More than ten people were severely injured, their lives in danger. Considering they were hidden in this mountain in such a state, their story must be extraordinary.
Tang So-hwa cautiously surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon the Scholar Tree flowers and medicinal herbs spread out on a wooden platform. It seemed the Scholar Tree flowers weren't intended for consumption by the old physician, but had been torn off to staunch bleeding from wounds.
Tang So-hwa's brows furrowed as she examined the medicinal herbs.
A pile of snake carcasses was stacked on one side of the wooden platform.
Seven-Pace Snake.
It was a venomous snake whose bite would kill you before you could take seven steps.
Tang So-hwa's gaze darkened. This snake was very familiar; in her past life, during this period, she had used the Seven-Pace Snake's venom to improve her poison powder.
Poison powder that entered through the respiratory system took time to be absorbed into the bloodstream, and it wasn't efficient as it scattered in the air. Moreover, in the chaos of battle, the cost of hidden weapons that couldn't be recovered after individually coating them with Poison was considerable.
Reducing the poisoning time of the poison powder would not only increase combat power but also save hidden weapons, which helped financially.
Therefore, Tang So-hwa had put a lot of effort into improving poison powder for quite a long time, and the venom of the Seven-Pace Snake played a very large role in her successful improvement.
The Seven-Pace Snake's venom causes bleeding. Tang So-hwa researched how to use the Seven-Pace Snake's venom to induce bleeding in the lungs, thereby shortening the absorption time of the Poison.
One problem was that the Seven-Pace Snake was difficult to obtain and very expensive. If the correct mixing ratio wasn't found, the cost would outweigh the benefit.
Fortunately, Tang So-hwa successfully created Qi-less Hemoptysis Poison by appropriately mixing inexpensive poisonous herbs with the Seven-Pace Snake's venom.
It was a painful Poison that made you cough up blood instead of exhaling.
Realizing something, Tang So-hwa let out a hollow sigh.
Thinking back, the Seven-Pace Snake was a hard-to-find venomous snake, yet she could obtain it easily. Strangely, the Umyun Merchant Guild, which supplied medicinal herbs to the Tang family, always had rare ingredients in stock.
The Tang family called ingredients used for making Poison 'poison ingredients', and many ingredients classified as poison ingredients were difficult to obtain.
'I just thought I was lucky.'
It made sense if Yeonjuda was among the Umyun Merchant Guild's clients, as Yeonjuda used many strange medicinal herbs.
Poison ingredients and medicinal herbs often overlapped, and sometimes Poison was used as medicine for treatment.
It would be understandable if the Umyun Merchant Guild prioritized sending ingredients they procured for Yeonjuda to the Tang family.
Even if snakes were common in the mountains, it was illogical for an old man and a young girl to catch so many venomous snakes.
It seemed the Umyun Merchant Guild owed Yeonjuda a large debt, judging by how they didn't hesitate to obtain rare ingredients for them.
At that moment, a suspicion flashed through her mind.
'Yeonjuda was in Sichuan, so why didn't the Tang family know of their existence?'
Not just her, but even her father, the family head, didn't know of Yeonjuda's existence.
Most information about Sichuan flowed into the Tang family.
And all information in the Tang family was delivered to the family head.
Yet, it was strange that her father didn't know about Yeonjuda.
As she dwelled on her suspicion, she heard the old physician's laughter.
"The scent is a little unusual, but it is a precious tea. These tea leaves are precious, fit for esteemed guests, so you don't need to worry about the taste."
At the old physician's invitation, Tang So-hwa put aside her thoughts and sat on the wooden platform. As he suggested, she tasted the tea.
Tang Min seemed not to like the tea; he took one sip and put the cup down. Tang So-hwa offered her own impression.
"The scent is good."
"I'm glad it suits your taste."
Tang Min, who wasn't interested in tea, looked around and suddenly asked.
"Do you also brew liquor?"
He seemed more interested in alcohol, fixing his gaze on the stills placed in the yard. Several stills continuously emitted steam.
The old man smiled and shook his head.
"The brewing method is similar to liquor, but those aren't for drinking. It's alcohol made for disinfection."
"Disinfection?"
As Tang Min repeated the question, the old man smiled and nodded.
"Yeonju said that even if you can't see it, Poison lingers on human hands. She emphasized the absolute necessity of removing that Poison when touching a wound or cutting flesh. That alcohol is a disinfectant used to remove Poison from hands and tools."
"What a waste..."
Tang Min's eyebrows drooped.
"But is it more precious than human lives? Patients' natural detoxification abilities weaken. They easily succumb to even small amounts of Poison and die. Therefore, a physician must consider cleanliness as important as treatment."
The old physician's voice was quite serious.
Tang Hak, who had been quiet all along, subtly spoke up.
"They say the divine doctor practiced medical arts involving cutting open the human body. It seems that's true."
The old man stretched the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Instead of answering, he looked at Tang Min and asked.
"By the way, you don't seem to have come for treatment. May I ask the reason you sought out Yeonjuda?"
