“Absolute Pulse?”
Dang Mujin had never heard of such an illness before. Yet, the expression on the mysterious doctor’s face, as well as that of Baek Chuseo, the head of the Jeweon Baek family, turned grave.
“Is it the Absolute Pulse Syndrome I think it is?”
“It likely is.”
Baek Chuseo glanced at his daughter, then lowered his voice to whisper to the doctor.
“Can Hyang-ah be saved?”
The doctor pondered for a moment before responding.
“Has Miss Baek ever had a seizure?”
“This summer, her body went rigid, and she was unconscious for three days.”
“Just once… Then there’s still a chance.”
“A chance?”
“With the right treatment, there’s more than an eighty percent chance she can survive.”
In other words, there’s a twenty percent chance she might not. Yet, Baek Chuseo’s face brightened slightly, as if he had glimpsed hope.
Until now, every doctor they consulted only saw her condition worsen. Recently, it had become so severe that she hadn’t left the house since last year.
In a world where countless people die from minor ailments, it wasn’t surprising that thoughts of her imminent death had begun to creep in.
“Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll sell everything I own if I have to, just to pay for the medicine.”
“Understood.”
With that final word from the doctor, the group left the Jeweon Baek family estate.
As soon as they stepped outside, the doctor noticed Dang Mujin’s somber expression.
“Why the long face?”
“This Absolute Pulse Syndrome… Even the head of the Baek family knows about it, but I was clueless.”
Dan Seol-young chimed in with a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t know about it either.”
“Really? That makes me feel a bit better…”
Dan Seol-young chuckled softly.
The doctor, looking at the two with a hint of exasperation, began to explain.
“There’s no need to blame yourself. Absolute Pulse Syndrome is known among martial artists, not something ordinary doctors would be familiar with.”
“Martial artists know it better?”
“Yes. It’s a peculiar condition. It’s caused by an innate, powerful yin energy blocking the blood vessels. There are a few types, like the Taiyin Divine Pulse and Nine Yin Absolute Pulse, but they’re all quite similar. It’s so rare that ordinary doctors never encounter it, and even if they did, they wouldn’t diagnose it as Absolute Pulse Syndrome.”
Dang Mujin recalled how he had sensed something unusual about Baek Hyang-ah’s symptoms by mimicking the doctor’s technique and channeling his internal energy into her acupoints.
In other words, a regular doctor with no internal energy training would have no way of identifying Absolute Pulse Syndrome.
“Yesterday, when Doctor Seop described Miss Baek’s symptoms, you suggested prescribing Ijin Gunggui Decoction or Astragalus Turtle Shell Powder, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“That’s a typical response. Absolute Pulse can easily be mistaken for other conditions like severe cold limbs or coughing up blood. Of course, if treated as a different ailment with ordinary medicine, she wouldn’t live past twenty.”
“But the head of the Baek family knew about Absolute Pulse Syndrome.”
“He didn’t know his daughter had it. He just knew the condition existed.”
“That still doesn’t make sense. How can a disease be more famous among martial artists?”
“It’s due to the nature of the condition itself. How should I put it…”
The doctor paused, then posed a question to Dang Mujin.
“If you came across a plant with immense power for the first time, what would people call it?”
“They’d call it a spiritual herb.”
“And if it were an animal with extreme yang energy?”
“A spiritual beast, perhaps?”
“What if it were a two-legged creature that could talk and had extreme yin energy?”
“Uh…”
“Who do you think would know more about such spiritual entities, martial artists or doctors?”
It was a harsh but straightforward explanation.
From a distance, someone with Absolute Pulse Syndrome wasn’t much different from a spiritual herb or beast.
“Surely, martial artists don’t consume people with Absolute Pulse Syndrome?”
“No. There’s a more efficient way to absorb yin energy. Have you heard of ‘Yin Absorption and Yang Nourishment’?”
“Oh.”
Surprisingly, Dang Mujin knew what it was, even before he learned martial arts.
Boys going through their rebellious phase often become well-versed in certain areas of knowledge.
“Long ago, there was a martial artist named Waryong who mastered extreme yang martial arts. He thought he could use Absolute Pulse Syndrome practically, rather than cure it.”
“Through Yin Absorption and Yang Nourishment?”
“Exactly. Waryong sought out women with Absolute Pulse, using his charm and eloquence to repeatedly practice Yin Absorption and Yang Nourishment, eventually becoming the greatest martial artist. Remarkably, most of the women survived because Waryong absorbed their yin energy and shared a bit of his yang energy.”
“The treatment seems simpler than I thought.”
“The problem is that very few people have pure extreme yang internal energy. But many covet the extreme yin energy.”
Those who mastered extreme yang internal energy could absorb the extreme yin energy, achieving a balance of yin and yang and dramatically increasing their internal power.
Conversely, those who practiced cold yin techniques could refine their internal energy by absorbing more extreme yin energy.
However, for someone with Absolute Pulse Syndrome, the outcomes could be drastically different.
If the person they encountered practiced extreme yang techniques, their condition could improve.
But if someone with cold yin techniques sought to absorb more yin energy, the person with Absolute Pulse Syndrome would die from an overload of yin energy.
“Now I understand why the head of the Baek family looked so worried. If word got out that his daughter had Absolute Pulse Syndrome…”
“Dark forces would target Miss Baek. And it might not just be the dark forces.”
Those who practiced extreme yang and cold yin techniques would target the Jeweon Baek family, and the head of the Baek family, with his limited martial prowess, couldn’t protect his daughter.
It was fortunate that the people he encountered were Dang Mujin and the doctor, neither of whom practiced extreme yang or cold yin techniques, nor had any intention of harming others to absorb yin energy.
“What was the medicine you mentioned to the head of the Baek family earlier?”
“The fastest and most certain treatment would be to obtain the inner core of a Solar Fire Carp, but such a spiritual creature is hard to find, even with a fortune.”
“And the next best option?”
“Gather medicinal herbs with yang energy and various spiritual herbs, then brew them into a medicine.”
There are many herbs with hot properties, ranging from rare ones like deer antler and bezoar to common ones like jujube and ivy.
The doctor instructed Dang Mujin.
“Go to Doctor Seop and ask to borrow the largest cauldrons he has. I’ll gather the herbs, and you’ll brew the medicine day and night.”
It seemed he could escape the city, but not the cauldron.
Dang Mujin felt a bit disheartened.
Dang Mujin squinted as he lifted a bright yellow snake.
“Where do you get all these spiritual herbs and creatures?”
“When it comes to healing, the means don’t matter.”
It seemed he had acquired them through less than legal means.
While Dang Mujin and Dan Seol-young took turns watching over the cauldrons, the doctor roamed around, gathering herbs with hot properties indiscriminately.
From common herbs like cinnamon and deer antler to those imbued with both fire and poison, there was a wide variety. The poison could be absorbed by Dang Mujin.
Even items that should be classified as spiritual herbs or creatures were occasionally mixed in.
That much was expected. The problem was that the method of preparation defied Dang Mujin’s understanding.
‘Using herbs like this…’
A typical decoction is made by boiling herbs for half an hour to an hour.
Boiling it longer to reduce it slightly is called a decoction.
If boiled even longer until it thickens like porridge, it’s called a drink, and if it’s boiled until it becomes sticky like honey, it’s called a paste.
But what Dang Mujin was making now went beyond that.
After making several sticky pastes, they were gently dissolved in warm water and mixed. Then they were boiled down again to create a new paste, repeating the process.
Contrary to popular belief, boiling herbs longer doesn’t always make them better.
Each herb has a specific boiling time, and exceeding it can reduce its efficacy. That’s why herbs are added in sequence when making a decoction.
But the medicine simmering in the cauldron overcame such issues simply by pouring in an endless supply of herbs to compensate for any lost efficacy.
‘These precious things…’
However, the medicine was incredibly potent. Even someone as accustomed to various decoctions as Dang Mujin felt dizzy from the aroma.
Dang Mujin spent his time adjusting the fire beneath the cauldron.
Ten days had passed since the fire was lit under the cauldron.
Shortly after Dan Seol-young, who had stayed up all night, went to rest, the doctor appeared to inspect the cauldron’s contents.
“This should be enough.”
Inside the cauldron was a black mass.
Despite being boiled in a cauldron, it had solidified like a block of ink. It wasn’t a pill, elixir, or decoction.
Dang Mujin had never made such a medicine before. It was a nameless concoction, crudely concentrated with yang energy.
“Fortunately, treating Absolute Pulse Syndrome isn’t as complicated as I thought.”
The doctor frowned.
“It’s not complicated, but it’s not a method an ordinary person can use. The herbs and spiritual ingredients in this one medicine alone could be sold for a fortune… And it has to be taken until she’s fully recovered, so unless you’re incredibly wealthy, this method is out of reach.”
“True, I suppose.”
The martial arts of a genius may vanish when they die, but the wealth they amass doesn’t disappear overnight. Baek Hyang-ah was essentially being saved by her grandfather’s fortune.
The doctor patted Dang Mujin on the shoulder.
“Pack up the medicine. Let’s go right away.”
Gwi-ui and Dang Mujin arrived at the Jeweon Baek family estate and knocked on the large gate several times.
But no one came to greet them. The house was vast, and there were few people working there, so it was understandable.
“Let’s go in…”
Fortunately, the gate was unlocked. Dang Mujin and Gwi-ui made their way toward the main hall of the Jeweon Baek family.
Even as they approached the main hall, no one appeared.
Dang Mujin called out toward the interior of the hall.
“Master Baek, are you inside?”
There was no response. It seemed Master Baek was not at home.
He wanted to deliver the medicine to Miss Baek immediately, but barging into a woman’s room unannounced could lead to all sorts of rumors.
With no other choice, Dang Mujin and Gwi-ui wandered around the vicinity of the main hall.
Eventually, they sensed someone behind the hall. It was Master Baek Chuseo practicing martial arts.
Baek Chuseo’s martial arts seemed somewhat clumsy, as if he could be easily defeated. Dang Mujin thought so and quickly turned away, but Gwi-ui continued to watch Baek Chuseo intently.
Dang Mujin nudged Gwi-ui in the side. Watching someone else’s martial arts practice could be a serious breach of etiquette.
“Sir, you can’t just spy on someone else’s training. Let’s go back and wait.”
“No, it’s just… that martial art seems oddly familiar.”
“I thought you said the Jeweon Baek family’s martial arts weren’t distinctive? Maybe it just feels familiar because it’s common.”
“No, it’s not that… Hmm.”
Dang Mujin and Gwi-ui returned to the front of the main hall and waited for quite some time. Eventually, Master Baek appeared, wiping sweat from his brow, looking slightly surprised as if he had forgotten about them entirely.
“Oh, you’re here. It took longer than I expected.”
“That means the medicine will be all the more effective.”
When Gwi-ui opened the bundle, a small bowl of medicine was revealed, its potent aroma spreading in all directions.
“Let’s go inside and check the effects of the medicine.”
At Gwi-ui’s suggestion, Master Baek hesitated for a moment, then spoke with an awkward expression.
“I’m sorry for telling you so late, but we no longer need the medicine.”
Dang Mujin and Gwi-ui’s expressions turned grave. If Dan Seol-young had been there, her expression would likely have been no different.
Master Baek quickly waved his hands.
“Of course, I’m not saying we won’t pay for the medicine.”
“The payment is important, but there’s something more crucial. What about Miss Baek’s condition?”
“There’s a family in Luoyang called the Sama family, known among martial artists for their Hongyeom Divine Qi technique. Fortunately, we’ve made arrangements with them, so we won’t need the medicine.”
“Ah.”
It seemed they planned to marry into a family skilled in the Yeolyeom technique to treat the condition. Aside from the rushed nature of the marriage, it was a reasonable choice. It was better to find a way to utilize Miss Baek’s condition rather than simply dispel it.
And if they could form an alliance with a powerful martial family, it would be an ideal situation for the declining Baek family.
Aside from the fact that Dang Mujin and his group had made the trip for nothing, things had worked out well. They would be compensated, and Baek Hyang-a’s condition would be treated.
“What will you do with the medicine?”
“I don’t think I’ll have any use for it, so dispose of it as you see fit.”
”…Understood.”
Master Baek instructed an elderly servant to pay for the medicine. Dang Mujin and Gwi-ui left the house with a hefty piece of gold.
Dang Mujin’s expression was bright as they left the Jeweon Baek estate. He had no specific plans for the gold, but it felt good to have it in hand.
However, Gwi-ui still looked uneasy.
“What’s bothering you?”
“It’s the martial art Master Baek was practicing.”
“What about it?”
“The technique he was practicing wasn’t the Jeweon Baek family’s style. It looked like the Flame Essence Fist.”
It was a martial art Dang Mujin had never heard of. Not that he knew many martial arts to begin with.
“What does it matter what martial art someone practices? Maybe he found a manual somewhere.”
“The Flame Essence Fist is a well-known training technique. It’s not suitable for combat, but it helps with energy cultivation.”
“Then it’s not a stolen technique. There’s no problem, right?”
“The problem is that the Flame Essence Fist only aids in cultivating the Yeolyeom technique’s internal energy. And the Jeweon Baek family’s technique isn’t Yeolyeom.”