Episode 317: The Healers

The next morning, Dang Mujin shared his suspicions with his friends.

”…You think that’s Ma-ui’s handwriting?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? It’s not like there aren’t people with similar handwriting in the world.”

“I’m certain. Ma-ui had a few distinctive characters in his writing. Plus, there’s talk that he studied medicine.”

Dang Mujin had never met Ma-ui. His knowledge of Ma-ui was limited to a few fragmented facts.

He knew that Ma-ui had researched poisons in the Ma Sect and that Mok Wana was one of Ma-ui’s test subjects.

By comparing the timeline of when Goeui delivered the poison manual and when Mok Wana mentioned Ma-ui’s disappearance, it seemed highly likely that Goeui had killed him.

Mok Wana rarely spoke about Ma-ui.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to talk; he simply didn’t seem to know much. The few stories he did share were mostly speculative.

‘Ah, now that I think about it.’

There was one story Mok Wana had told that stuck with him.

Ma-ui had a strong dislike for people from Noklimdo and had once caused a serious incident because of it.

As Dang Mujin showed interest in Ma-ui’s whereabouts, Namgung Myung grew anxious.

‘We can’t afford to waste time here…’

The distance between Suksong and the Namgung family estate was about five to six days’ walk for an average adult.

It was far enough to be a concern, yet close enough to be unsettling. Namgung Myung felt as if Namgung Jinya could appear at any moment to drag him back to the family estate.

With a voice tinged with unease, Namgung Myung spoke up.

“Let’s not get sidetracked. We should focus on finding the healers and leave. We’re not here to dig into Ma-ui’s past.”

But Dang Mujin couldn’t shake his curiosity.

“You’re right. But still…”

Mastering poison techniques was far more challenging than learning medicine.

While medical knowledge was widespread, only three people were known to have delved deeply into poison techniques: Goeui, Ma-ui, and the distant Odo Moon of the southern barbarians.

With Ma-ui and Goeui dead and no intention of traveling to the southern lands, Dang Mujin had to rely solely on himself to achieve mastery in poison techniques.

In such a situation, he didn’t want to miss even the faintest clue.

‘Ma-ui’s poison techniques might all be in the poison manual. But there’s always a chance…’

As Dang Mujin clung to his interest in Ma-ui, Namgung Myung abruptly stood up.

When the best option isn’t possible, you have to settle for the next best thing.

“Then you stay here. I’ll go around Suksong’s other villages and look for the two healers.”

“Fine.”

Namgung Myung quickly set off for a nearby village.

The group split up, each trying to gather information about Ma-ui’s whereabouts.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you know anything about the people who used to live in that house?”

“I don’t know anything.”

By noon, Dang Mujin hadn’t learned anything.

It wasn’t that the villagers didn’t know anything.

The villagers treated Dang Mujin’s group as if they were some kind of malevolent spirits. Their hostility was so intense that they couldn’t even hold a conversation for more than three sentences.

In truth, many people dislike outsiders.

Even in ordinary villages, there are more people who are wary of strangers than those who welcome them. Dang Mujin’s group carrying weapons only made it worse.

But never before had he encountered a village that so thoroughly rejected outsiders.

After being turned away six or seven times, a rebellious thought crept into Dang Mujin’s mind.

Instead of searching for a friendly person, wouldn’t it be better to find someone unfriendly and make them talk?

Of course, he didn’t act on it. That wasn’t his way.

As Dang Mujin trudged back home around lunchtime, planning to grab a quick bite, Seolhwa approached him.

“Go outside, quickly!”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“A merchant!”

“A merchant? Why?”

Seolhwa seemed eager to say more, but struggled with the words.

Instead, she used gestures to convey her meaning. She spread her arms wide to indicate something large, then mimed carrying a child on her back.

That was enough to understand. A traveling merchant. As an outsider, the merchant might have information to share. Dang Mujin nodded in thanks to Seolhwa and dashed out of the village.

Before long, he spotted the merchant.

Dang Mujin approached cautiously, not wanting to scare him off. The villagers might try to silence the merchant.

Instead, he discreetly followed the merchant.

Once the merchant was a good distance from the village, Dang Mujin approached him. The merchant appeared to be quite elderly.

”…Excuse me, sir. May I have a word with you?”

“Whoa!”

The merchant jumped, startled by Dang Mujin’s sudden approach. He hadn’t sensed anyone coming.

The merchant seemed even more alarmed when he noticed the sword at Dang Mujin’s waist, but relaxed upon seeing his face.

It was odd to see a stranger and feel reassured.

”…Don’t worry, I mean no harm.”

“Alright. You don’t seem like the type to draw your sword without reason. Where did you come from?”

“I followed you from the village.”

The merchant’s reaction was peculiar. He seemed ready to clam up at any moment.

Dang Mujin quickly spoke up, saying whatever came to mind.

“I practice martial arts, but I also know medicine, so I don’t harm people recklessly. Besides, I only arrived in the village yesterday…”

Hearing this, the merchant’s expression softened a bit.

“I see. Your accent isn’t from around here. Are you from the western regions? Sichuan? Or Guizhou?”

“I’m from Chengdu in Sichuan. You seem well-traveled.”

“I’m not a merchant who sticks to a set route, so I’ve been to most places… But this isn’t the time for idle chat. You didn’t leave anything valuable in the village, did you? You should leave quickly.”

“Pardon?”

When Dang Mujin asked, the merchant frowned.

“You really don’t know what kind of village that is, do you?”

“I sensed something was off. It’s not an ordinary village, is it?”

“It’s a bandit village. It’s tied to the Noklimdo. Haven’t you heard of Jamsanchae?”

Of course, Dang Mujin hadn’t. He’d never had any dealings with the Noklimdo, nor had they ever posed a threat to him.

He’d heard of a few famous bandit strongholds, but Jamsanchae wasn’t among them. They seemed to be small-time bandits notorious only in the local area.

Unaware of Dang Mujin’s thoughts, the merchant clicked his tongue.

“You really don’t know. That village is under the influence of the Jamsanchae bandits. Half the villagers are bandits, and the other half are in cahoots with them.”

Now Dang Mujin understood why the villagers had been so hostile and wary of his group.

With five armed strangers staying in the village, it was only natural for them to be on edge.

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. If they’re such notorious bandits, how have they not been dealt with? I thought the Namgung family was nearby.”

“There’s a rumor that the bandits have connections with the authorities. They’re probably bribing high-ranking officials… Anyway, you spent a night there without knowing anything.”

“I was lucky.”

“If you left any belongings in the village, it’s best to forget about them. No possession is worth more than your life.”

The merchant rummaged through his belongings, pulling out a handful of coins and some dried grains, and handed them to Dang Mujin.

”…If you head east and walk diligently, you should reach a village by tomorrow evening. Ration your food. Those coins should cover a meal or two in the village.”

The merchant’s reluctance was evident, as if he regretted parting with the money. A peddler’s financial situation was easy to imagine.

But the fact that he offered the money despite his reluctance made it all the more meaningful.

Dang Mujin accepted the coins with his left hand while discreetly slipping a few silver coins into the merchant’s pack with his right. He feigned ignorance as he spoke.

“You’ve done me a great kindness. By the way, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know of a healer who used to live in that village?”

“Doctor Jang? I traded with him occasionally. I heard he left the village some time ago…”

“Was there anyone before him, much earlier?”

The merchant thought for a while before responding.

”…There was, but it was a long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

“When Jamsanchae first took over and terrorized the village, it must have been nearly twenty years ago. I remember the healer had a daughter.”

“Was her name Yeohye, by any chance?”

“I can’t recall the name. It was too long ago.”

The merchant’s answer lacked certainty. But there was no one else to ask.

Dang Mujin inquired about Ma-ui.

“Was there a young healer living there at the time?”

“A healer… No, but there was a handyman. Ah! Now I remember.”

“What do you remember?”

“The handyman was quite clever and diligent. Doctor Shim wanted to marry him to his only daughter and pass on his practice. But he probably died in the chaos.”

Contrary to the peddler’s assumptions, the sorcerer didn’t die but fled westward, finding refuge in the demonic cult.

“So that’s how it happened.”

At first, I was ready to dismiss it, but something about the situation felt off. Wasn’t the demonic cult supposed to be a haven for those who committed crimes in the central plains?

Yet, in the story the merchant told, there was no mention of the sorcerer committing any crime.

“The bandits caused trouble, and the sorcerer supposedly fled west after committing some crime.”

But the peddler seemed clueless, and I had no leads. Pondering alone wouldn’t solve anything.

I was about to thank the peddler and send him on his way when I paused. There was one more piece of information I needed.

“By any chance, did you see two other doctors enter that village? Both around sixty years old, and it would have been less than a month ago.”

“I wouldn’t know. I only visit that village every two months. It’s profitable, but dealing with bandits is always a bit unsettling.”

“I see.”

The peddler didn’t seem to know about Doctor Yang or Doctor Yeom.

But earlier, he mentioned that a Doctor Jang had stayed in the village and left recently.

It’s rare for a doctor to leave a village, so the doctor I encountered on the way to the Namgung family must have been Doctor Jang.

Naturally, the village where Doctors Yang and Yeom stayed to fill Doctor Jang’s absence could only be this one.

So where did Doctors Yang and Yeom disappear to? A heavy weight settled in my chest, as if a stone had been placed there.

As I turned to head back to the village, the peddler looked startled.

“You’re going back to the village? I’d advise against it.”

“I left something valuable behind.”

The peddler stammered.

“I… I can’t help you with that. I warned you, remember.”

It was more like he was reassuring himself than talking to me. If the nameless young man ended up dead at the hands of the bandits, it wouldn’t be his fault.

It might seem cowardly at first glance, but it was the most kindness a decent, ordinary person could show a stranger. And indeed, the peddler wasn’t at fault.

Even sharing the information about the bandits staying in the village must have been difficult for him.

“I understand. Even if something happens, I won’t mention your name.”

I replied.

But the peddler, unable to shake off his burden, hesitated for a long time before shaking his head and walking away.

A heavy sense of regret seemed to weigh down his steps, making him move as slowly as a turtle.

I watched the peddler’s retreating figure before heading toward the village.

Upon returning to the village, I found a group of villagers loitering around the houses, clutching crude swords and clubs. There were just over ten of them.

Though they were some distance away, I could clearly hear their conversation.

“So, only that foreign woman is in the house now?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

A man with a hairy hand let out a short laugh. From the bulge in his pants, it was easy to guess what he was thinking.

I frowned.

“They didn’t dare approach when all five were there, but now that Seolhwa’s alone, they’re looking for an opportunity.”

I wasn’t too worried. Seolhwa was a skilled martial artist from the outer regions.

Even if these riffraff attacked all at once, she could probably take them all down in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

The men, oblivious to my presence, continued their crude banter.

“It’s my first time with a foreigner. I wonder if there’s anything different.”

“I heard once that blond foreigners have yellow down there too. It was a guy’s story, but still.”

“Really? I should keep a souvenir.”

“What would you even do with it?”

The men burst into raucous laughter.

I sighed deeply as I approached them.

Hearing the sound, the men turned around. They lowered their voices as they spoke.

“Hey, one of them’s back.”

“It’s just one. No problem.”

Two of the men approached me with grins. They were all larger than me and had swords at their waists. They seemed confident in their skills.

Thinking I hadn’t overheard their conversation, they put on a friendly facade and spoke.

“I heard you were asking about the doctor who lived in that house.”

“That’s right.”

As we walked toward each other, I paid little attention to their words. Instead, I watched closely as their hands moved toward their waists.

When we were within five steps of each other, the men gripped their sword handles and spoke.

“I know someone who might have information about that doctor. Need an introduction?”

Instead of answering, I swung my sword.

Third-rate? Second-rate? There was no need to gauge their level. The two men couldn’t even draw their swords before their heads fell, blood spurting.

It was only after the headless bodies hit the ground that the onlookers realized what had happened.

“Shit, he’s a master!”

“If we all attack at once, we can take him! Kill him!”

But despite their words, not a single person charged at me. They were hoping someone else would fight for them. Such was the shallow loyalty among bandits.

Against an ordinary martial artist, scattering might have been a decent choice.

But in front of me, it wasn’t a wise decision.

I sheathed my sword and spoke.

“The first one to run dies.”

The bandits ignored my warning and bolted. In their experience, the only thing they could rely on in such moments were their legs.

And just as I said, the first to flee paid the price for ignoring my words.

Four flying discs whirled through the air. The ones who ran first died in succession, unaware of what killed them.

As the first few fell, the others froze in fear, but a few quick thinkers made a decision. They turned and ran toward me.

They weren’t trying to attack me. They had simply realized that running away meant death.

Those who had fled to survive were now returning to survive. Earlier, the fastest died; now, the slowest did.

Finally, one man reached me, trembling with fear, half-crawling toward me.

I spoke.

“Not long ago, two doctors came to the village, right?”

Coincidentally, the man before me was the one who had turned me away earlier in the day.

But now, he could only nod.

“Y-yes…”

“Lead the way.”

The survivor got to his feet, his legs shaking, and began to walk.