Episode 29: Medicine and Poison

My heart was pounding, and my mind was a whirlwind of emotions.

The sticky warmth of blood, the thrill of battle, the euphoria of victory, and the relief of survival.

And the intense rush that comes with taking a life.

Yet, the shock wasn’t as overwhelming as I had anticipated. I had known this could happen ever since I left home.

People flocked to the Cheongseong Sect’s training grounds for one of two reasons.

Either they wanted to learn the sword in preparation for future battles, or they had already survived a fight by the skin of their teeth.

The latter was more common. There were those who had killed in war, guards who had fought bandits, and third-rate martial artists who had barely survived death matches.

Indeed, the world was full of unexpected battles.

Ideally, no one would die, and I wouldn’t either. But if it came down to it, better them than me.

And I had survived.

The faint guilt was washed away by the joy of victory and the sound of rain.

“Take that!”

I heard Hong Geolgae’s voice beside me, followed by a sharp crack. The bandit he faced crumpled to the ground.

He’d been struck on the head, and blood trickled from his nose. It was clear his brain had been rattled. Survival seemed unlikely.

Hong Geolgae scanned the surroundings with a strangely wild look in his eyes. Despite not being his first time, he was no more accustomed to killing than I was.

Panting, we both looked down the hill.

The noise of the fight was drowned out by the rain, not carrying far. The bandits continued to build their barricade.

“Ahh.”

I let out a sigh and sank to the ground. Hong Geolgae did the same.

As we rested, I broke the silence.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Did you hear what that guy said?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“He called me a master.”

Hong Geolgae chuckled, and I joined in. I didn’t bring it up because I believed I was a master now.

But I was definitely better than before.

Unlike the first day I held a wooden sword, I could now vaguely sense how my opponent would attack and how I should respond.

A question suddenly popped into my head.

“Hey, Hong Geolgae. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you shout the names of your moves?”

Though my experience in real combat was limited, I had never met anyone who did that.

Neither Ziyang Shuangsha nor Gwai Yi shouted their move names. The bandits we just fought didn’t either.

Only Hong Geolgae and Ma Jeongae did.

“Well, it’s for style, I guess.”

“Don’t give me that nonsense.”

“My master taught me that. He said to shout the move names with vigor when wielding a weapon.”

“Why on earth?”

“No idea.”

I couldn’t understand Ma Jeongae’s strange teaching, but Hong Geolgae seemed to have a guess.

Training often involved shouting move names. But that was only during practice. In real combat, shouting move names was foolish.

However, Ma Jeongae had never formally learned martial arts or experienced real combat.

All he knew about martial arts was what he had spied on from the hemp fields, so it wasn’t surprising he thought shouting move names was necessary in real fights.

“Anyway, stop shouting move names in battle. What if the enemy figures out your moves?”

“Not sure if I can break the habit.”

Hong Geolgae doubted he could change that habit. He didn’t mind, though. It was part of Ma Jeongae’s teachings, after all.

As we chatted about trivial things, the tension eased. I stood up and spoke.

“Anyway, it worked out. Let’s change clothes first.”

The fight had started because of Hong Geolgae’s impulsive actions, but we ended up with two sets of bandit clothes. With the sky overcast and rain pouring down, we could easily pass as bandits.

We changed into the clothes, which included large bamboo hats that concealed our faces almost completely.

“Perfect.”

“Let’s go.”

We descended the hill and cautiously began inspecting the buildings. The first small building we chose was a storage room.

“Nothing much here.”

No treasures, just some equipment and weapons for banditry.

We checked the second and third buildings. Unlike the first, these were clearly living quarters, but they were empty.

That meant So Seon must be in the fourth building.

We approached the fourth building cautiously and opened the door.

“Ah, you’re back.”

As soon as we opened the door, a bandit greeted us, mistaking us for fellow bandits returning from patrol.

With our faces hidden by the hats, he didn’t realize who we were.

Ignoring him, we scanned the room. So Seon was nowhere to be seen. There were two bandits inside.

The one who greeted me was lying down with a splint on his leg, and the other seemed uninjured but was lounging around. He must have some influence to avoid working in the rain.

I nudged Hong Geolgae and pointed at the bandit with the splint. Then I approached the lounging bandit. A large scar across his face made him look intimidating.

The scarred bandit spoke.

“What are you doing? Get moving and help with the barricade.”

I didn’t respond, instead extending my palm toward him. It was a move I learned from Gwai Yi.

As my palm flew toward his face, the bandit quickly deflected my arm. Unlike the bandits we faced earlier, he had some martial arts training.

“An intruder!”

I allowed him to stand, giving up an immediate attack opportunity. But I wanted to test the power of my move. Only those who objectively assess their skills can survive in the martial world.

The bandit spread his arms shoulder-width apart and lowered his stance.

“You’ll regret hesitating.”

I thrust my palm forward again. The bandit deflected it once more, but this time I didn’t stop. My arm, seemingly pushed back, slithered up his arm like a snake.

“What the—!”

The bandit tried to shake me off, but it was too late.

I struck two pressure points on his shoulder and chest. Gwai Yi might have used internal energy to instantly paralyze him, but I couldn’t do that.

It didn’t matter. Those points were vital on their own.

“Argh!”

The bandit instinctively hunched over.

I swiftly moved behind him. My movement had a hint of the subtlety of the Cloud Step, though I didn’t realize it.

I grabbed the bandit’s head and jaw with both hands and twisted. A sickening crack followed.

Hong Geolgae, startled, asked, “Did you kill him?”

The bandit in front of Hong Geolgae was already limp. A bandit with a broken leg couldn’t possibly evade Hong Geolgae’s attack.

“No, he won’t die from this. Let’s take them outside and interrogate them.”

We dragged the bandits outside, careful not to be seen by others.

Once we were far enough that their screams wouldn’t be heard, I nudged the bandit awake.

“Ugh… ugh.”

He clutched his neck as he came to, slowly taking in his surroundings.

I expected him to be terrified, but he was surprisingly composed.

“Why would someone like you come to Jang Sang Chae? What do you want?”

“The girl you took. Where is she?”

The bandit smirked.

“You think I’ll tell you?”

He didn’t realize it, but I gleaned one piece of information from his words. Jang Sang Chae had indeed taken So Seon.

But without knowing her location, it was meaningless. I drew my sword and threatened him.

“I never thought you’d talk willingly. Where should I start cutting?”

“Cut away. I’ve killed over ten people and been stabbed countless times as a bandit. You think that scares me?”

Even with a blade at his throat, the bandit didn’t flinch. If anything, he seemed to take pride in it.

I realized he was serious. His unwavering eyes and the scars etched into his body weren’t just for show.

I glanced at the bandit Hong Geolgae had subdued. Though he seemed weaker, he gained confidence from his companion’s defiance.

‘This is troublesome.’

I didn’t know how to torture someone, nor did I want to.

As a healer, I knew pressure points, but that knowledge was for acupuncture, not stabbing. If I hit the wrong spot and killed him, we’d lose a source of information.

Hong Geolgae whispered, “Hey, got any ideas?”

“No. I thought he’d spill everything with a little threat.”

“Try something.”

After much deliberation, Dang Mujin finally pulled a small metal case from his pocket. Inside, one compartment held a carefully prepared dose of aconite.

Aconite, derived from the root of the monkshood plant, is known for its potent toxicity. It’s the most dangerous part of the plant, requiring meticulous attention when used in any prescription.

If improperly prepared, used in excess, or not cooled adequately, aconite can cause a searing heat to surge through the body, resulting in excruciating pain. Failure to cool the body in time could even lead to death.

This meant that administering more than the safe amount of aconite could be a useful tool for interrogation. The pain it inflicted was unlike the sharp agony of a blade, potentially effective even against the most hardened of foes.

Pointing to the bandit in front of him, Dang Mujin spoke.

“Hong Geolgae, pry this guy’s mouth open.”

The scarred bandit sensed something ominous was about to happen. He clamped his mouth shut and twisted his body in resistance.

His jaw was surprisingly strong, and even with Hong Geolgae’s efforts, it barely budged. There was nothing to wedge it open with, so it snapped shut again each time it was pried open slightly.

Panting, Hong Geolgae asked, “This isn’t working. Got any other ideas?”

Dang Mujin considered another approach. Just as a bee injects venom with its tiny sting, perhaps he could introduce the aconite through the skin.

He collected a few raindrops in a small pouch and mixed them with the prepared aconite. Testing it with a needle, he found the amount on the tip too minuscule.

“I’ve never tried administering it through the skin, but at this rate, it might take too long to see any effect.”

He retrieved the case again, adding chuanxiong, ground rehmannia, and ginger to the mix. All three herbs were known to enhance blood circulation. With this combination, the effects should manifest quickly. The mixture thickened as he added the herbs to the small amount of water.

Dang Mujin dipped the needle into the concoction and applied it to the bandit, targeting the danzhong point near the heart to expedite the spread of the medicine.

As he pondered how many times he might need to apply the needle, the bandit began to react strangely. Within moments, his eyes reddened.

“What did you do to me?”

“Huh…?”

The effect was immediate.

The bandit groaned, writhing in agony, his eyes rolling back as his body convulsed violently. The sheer intensity of his suffering was evident.

“What went wrong? Did I use too much of the blood-enhancing herbs?”

After a brief moment of reflection, Dang Mujin realized his mistake.

The highly toxic aconite, combined with three herbs that promote blood flow, was rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream without passing through the stomach.

Moreover, all three blood-enhancing herbs had warming properties, which should never be combined with the extremely yang nature of aconite.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have made such an error, but the urgency of the situation with limited resources led to this… mistake. Was it really a mistake?

The scarred bandit continued to shiver uncontrollably. Exposing him to cold rain might save him, but there was no certainty. What mattered was the immediate, visible agony.

Dang Mujin turned his attention to the bandit with the injured leg, whose jaw was trembling.

Seeing his once robust comrade now violently convulsing, fear surged anew.

“Given the situation, I might as well use it to my advantage.”

Dang Mujin approached, making sure the bandit could see him dipping the needle into the pouch of medicine.

He maintained a cold, detached expression, as if everything was going according to plan.

“If you get pricked by this needle, you’ll feel your veins tearing apart as you die. If you don’t want to end up like him, you’d better cooperate. Where’s the girl?”

The bandit with the broken leg shouted desperately.

“The cave! She’s in the cave!”

He pointed to a corner of the clearing.

There, hidden from view from the hill, was a cave.