C 463
The old man appeared to be in his seventies.
His face was full of wrinkles and facial hair. But his eyes were as sharp as a young person's.
Upon seeing the old man, the Wind Saint changed his expression.
"Why are you here?"
"What's so strange about the owner of a medical room being in his medical room?"
The old man answered gruffly.
If a normal person had said this, the Wind Saint would have lost his temper and retaliated quickly. But he didn't dare to treat the old man lightly. He knew who the old man was.
"Heh! I didn't expect to see you here."
"Tsk! You came here on your own and now you're talking nonsense. Your face looks like you've been injured. If you want treatment, come in; if not, get lost."
"This old man..."
"Are you coming in? Or not?"
"I'm coming in. I'm coming in!"
"Hmph! What about the young man next to you?"
"He's with me."
"Then, come in together."
The old man turned around and went back into the medical room.
"His bad temper hasn't changed at all. Let's go in."
The Wind Saint grumbled and moved toward the medical room.
The poor people who had blocked his way moved aside with fear-filled expressions.
They were aware of the fact that if the Wind Saint decided to cause trouble, the entire slum would be swept away. However, contrary to the poor people's worries, the Wind Saint didn't even glance at them.
Pyo Wol followed the Wind Saint into the medical room.
Inside, the medical room was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. There were even separate rooms in the back for the patients to stay in.
In each room, patients were lying down, and young doctors who still had not lost their enthusiasm were busily treating them.
The old man entered an empty room with no patients.
The room was filled with a strong scent of medicine.
Sitting in his seat of honor, the old man looked back and forth between the Wind Saint and Pyo Wol before opening his mouth.
"I know the Wind Saint well, but who is this young man?"
"You may have heard of him. His name is Pyo Wol."
"Pyo Wol? Are you the one they call the “Reaper”?"
The old man's eyes shone.
"It seems you've heard of me."
"How could I not? You've been causing quite a stir in Kangho. Now that I think about it, that guy also talked a lot about you. I'm not sure if he's still alive."
"That guy?"
The Wind Saint looked puzzled.
The old man asked Pyo Wol.
"Do you know Yoo Soo-hwan?"
"I do."
"That guy talked a lot about you. He said you were a trustworthy and loyal person. I've worked hard to restore his martial arts skills, but that poisonous bitch came to visit......."
"You... Are you the Divine Physician?"
Pyo Wol realized the old man's identity.
There was no other doctor who could have helped Yoo Soo-hwan recover his martial arts skills other than the divine physician. Yoo Soo-hwan himself had mentioned that he had gone to find the divine physician.
"Some people call me that."
The old man, the divine physician, chuckled.
His real name was Gi Joo-yul.
Gi Joo-yul was the third head of Gi Family Clinic. But he had long since passed the torch to his son and wandered the world.
He would rush to any place with good medicinal herbs and seek out any mysterious doctors for guidance.
As he wandered around the world, he ended up staying in the southern sea for a long time, forming a connection with Yoo Soo-hwan. However, his roots were right here, in the Gi Family Clinic.
Pyo Wol asked.
"The poisonous bitch came to visit?"
"Yes! Eom Soso, that bitch came looking for Yoo Soo-hwan."
"Is Yoo Soo-hwan safe?"
"I don't know. I escaped right after she attacked. But considering Yoo Soo-hwan's martial arts skills, he wouldn't have been easily defeated."
Pyo Wol couldn't easily relax his tense expression.
Although he hadn't formed a particularly close bond with Yoo Soo-hwan, they had shared life and death experiences together, which made him feel differently about him.
Yoo Soo-hwan had not lost heart even when his martial arts skills were sealed and he was trapped in the Unreturnable Prison. It didn't seem likely that a man with such pride would be easily defeated by Eom Soso shortly after recovering his martial arts skills.
'He'll get through it. He's capable enough.'
Pyo Wol had to trust Yoo Soo-hwan.
For now, he had to focus on the task at hand.
The divine physician asked Pyo Wol.
"What is your relationship with that guy? His personality is quite peculiar, and he doesn't accompany just anyone."
"We met by chance."
"By chance? Must be a bad fate."
At the divine physician's words, the Wind Saint bristled.
"Bad fate? Watch your mouth."
"Watch your language. If you're here to be healed, be polite."
"Ugh!"
Wind Saint's face contorted.
If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he would have crushed them like a fish. But since his opponent was the divine physician, he had to endure it.
The divine physician was the only one who could completely heal his internal injuries without any after effects in a short amount of time.
The Wind Saint, who feared nothing in the world, was humbled only by the divine physician.
They were of the same age and had similarly peculiar personalities.
There was no one else they could talk to so easily.
The Wind Saint changed the subject to lighten the atmosphere.
"How are the children?"
"Busy!"
"Busy taking care of the patients, I suppose?"
"That would be better."
"Why?"
"Some people keep coming to ask for medical treatment."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know! They won't tell me. It seems they are not happy with their father, who has returned after a long time."
The divine physician spoke as if it wasn't a big deal. However, Pyo Wol didn't miss the bitter look that briefly crossed his face.
The children wouldn't like a father who neglected family matters and wandered outside.
No matter how much it was for the sake of advancing his medical skills, no child would like a father who only showed his face once every few years for a short visit.
The divine physician was dedicating himself to medical skills to help more people, but from the children's perspective, such a father would be resented. It was only natural that they would feel awkward even after seeing each other's faces after a long time. That's why they wouldn't tell the divine physician the detailed situation.
The divine physician told the Wind Saint.
"Take off your top and lie down. I'll start by applying acupuncture."
"Are you doing it right away?"
"I have nothing else to do, so I might as well spend my time treating your body with acupuncture."
"Heh! That's fine with me..."
The Wind Saint hadn't even hoped to be treated by the divine physician. He would have been satisfied to be treated by the divine physician's son. But he couldn't help but be excited that the divine physician himself was going to treat him.
No matter how excellent the son's medical skills were, they couldn't compare to the divine physician.
The wind saint hurriedly removed his robe and lay down on the ground before the divine physician could change his mind.
As the divine physician took out the acupuncture needles, he spoke to Pyo Wol.
"You should go outside. It's distracting when I'm trying to concentrate. If you're bored, you can look around the clinic. Well, I don't know if there's anything interesting to see."
Pyo Wol obediently went outside.
Even if the divine physician hadn't said so, he had no intention of watching.
It wasn't polite to spy on a master’s acupuncture technique. Even if he had nothing to do with medicine.
As Pyo Wol was looking around the clinic, a cold voice suddenly reached him.
"Who are you? I don't think you're a patient."
Turning his head, he saw a woman dressed as a doctor entering the clinic with a middle-aged man.
The beautiful woman, who appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties, had a face as cold as ice.
She stared at Pyo Wol with an equally chilly gaze.
"If you're from the Dark Sword Manor, leave, because we're definitely not selling the Gi Family’s Clinic.”
"Even if the owner of Dark Sword Manor himself comes, we can't sell it, so give up your futile ambition."
The middle-aged man next to the woman also raised his voice.
Pyo Wol stared at their faces for a moment before speaking.
"I have nothing to do with the Dark Sword Manor."
"Really?"
"I'm not a guest, but I'm not an intruder either."
"How can we trust you?"
"Ask your grandfather later, when he comes out. I am here with the man he's treating."
"Really?"
"I wouldn't tell a lie that would be found out soon."
At Pyo Wol's answer, the icy expression on the woman's face softened a little. However, she was still not entirely at ease.
"I apologize if you're my grandfather's guest. But please understand our position. As you can see, we're very anxious."
The woman was the divine physician's granddaughter, Gi Seon-hye. The middle-aged man next to her was her father, Gi Mu-seong , the current owner of Gi Family Clinic.
Gi Mu-seong looked at the divine physician's room and spoke.
"Father has a guest?"
As he gazed at the room, his eyes revealed an unwelcome emotion.
It was natural to respect a father who had reached the level of the divine physician in medical skills. However, while his father traveled the world to pursue his medical practice, he was left alone in his place to care for his patients.
Even when he married, he was alone, and when Gi Seon-hye was born, his father did not appear.
It was impossible to have good feelings towards a father who appeared only occasionally, stayed at the clinic for a short time, and then disappeared again.
While his father was wandering, he accepted and taught disciples. He had worked hard to run the Gi Family Clinic, and one day, the Dark Sword Manor, a group of unscrupulous practitioners, appeared and made his life difficult.
As a result, he was extremely exhausted.
"Hoo!"
Gi Mu-seong sighed and entered the room where the apprentice doctors were taking care of the patients.
Gi Seon-hye watched her father's back for a moment before speaking to Pyo Wol.
"I don't know what relationship you have with my grandfather, but please be quiet while you're here. As you can see, there are many critically ill patients, so their stability is our top priority."
"Alright."
"I'll be watching you."
Gi Seon-hye spoke coldly and then entered the room where the patients were.
He hadn't expected such a cold reception, but he didn't feel too bad.
"Bluntness runs in the family."
Pyo Wol muttered as he left the Gi Family Clinic.
As soon as he stepped out of the shabby door, he felt many gazes on him.
It was the gazes of the poor people who had blocked Pyo Wol and the Wind Saint earlier.
They didn't blatantly reveal themselves as before, but they were secretly watching from hiding.
They seemed ready to risk their lives and rush in if Pyo Wol or the Wind Saint did anything wrong.
The fact that the Gi Family Clinic received such support from the poor people showed how dedicated it had been.
It had been a long time since anyone had given so much without expecting anything in return.
Pyo Wol sat down, leaning against a pillar next to the main entrance of the Gi Family Clinic.
The sunlight was warm.
Pyo Wol pressed the cap on his blood-red robe deep into his head and rested.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The poor people who had been on guard also seemed tired, no longer paying attention to Pyo Wol.
It was then.
Suddenly, a group of men emerged from the other side.
They walked straight towards the Gi Family Clinic, prowling like wolves.
"Ugh!"
"It's the Dark Sword Manor."
"Those villains again?"
The poor people murmured in surprise.
They spoke quietly, but to Pyo Wol's ears, it sounded like a thunderous roar.
'Dark Sword Manor?'
Pyo Wol raised his head and looked at the approaching people.
There were about twenty of them.
They radiated a fierce energy, but their skills were far from third-rate. In Kangho, a single expert could easily wipe them all out in an instant.
But even with this meager amount of power, they posed a great threat to the poor. It wasn't for nothing that a place without a tiger was ruled by a fox.
The Dark Sword Manor’s martial artists swarmed like wild dogs and surrounded the entrance of the Gi Family Clinic.
They noticed Pyo Wol sitting with his back to the clinic's entrance pillar.
"What's this?"
"Hey! Who are you?"
The Dark Sword Manor’s martial artists looked at him with disbelief.
Tap, tap!
Pyo Wol wiped his buttocks, rose from his seat and looked at them. Then a man with a rat-like face appeared from the Dark Sword Manor’s warriors.
"Who are you? The elders are asking."
He pointed his finger at Pyo Wol's chest and poked it.
It was an act intended to be intimidating on his part. The problem was that even when he pushed Pyo Wol's body with all his might, it didn't move at all.
It was like poking a finger through steel.
"This bastard…"
The rat man's face widened and he raised his hand.
Boom!
At that moment, a loud slapping sound resounded.