Episode 99: People on the Edge

The village’s food situation had improved somewhat, but the essence of people’s lives remained unchanged.

Instead of lying around aimlessly, they moved a little more, but no one moved with a clear purpose.

Occasionally, when it was their turn, they would pull a cart, and when it wasn’t, they would wander around looking for something to eat. They seemed to live just to stay alive.

Tang Mujin found this state of affairs unsettling.

A healer’s heart is a curious thing; simply curing people’s ailments is never enough for complete satisfaction.

Healers wish to see people not only recover but also live much better lives than before. Tang Mujin was no exception, and he hoped the villagers could find more fulfillment.

Yet, he knew it wasn’t something he could impose on them.

“Not everyone lives with a goal in mind. Maybe things will change with time.”

Tang Mujin reflected on why he had come to Nogunsan in the first place.

He was here solely at Haryeong’s request to treat the villagers’ illnesses. He had no reason to concern himself with how they lived or to feel any further obligation.

In fact, he had done more than just treat their ailments; he had helped with a few other things as well. Surely, Haryeong would be satisfied with that.

For some time now, Tang Mujin had been thinking it was about time to leave Nogunsan.

But there was one patient who kept him from leaving: an elderly woman with snow-white hair, Granny Ju.

“Give it to meeee!”

“Please, calm down, ma’am!”

Whenever the village was in an uproar, it was usually for one of two reasons: either the children were fighting while playing, or Granny Ju was causing a commotion.

Tang Mujin glanced out the window of his hut. As expected, the scene he anticipated unfolded. Granny Ju was raising a ruckus, trying to get her hands on even a morsel more of food.

Granny Ju was a difficult person in many ways. Unlike others who were hungry and physically frail but mentally sound, Granny Ju’s mind was clouded with senility.

And as is often the case with those suffering from dementia, her obsession with food was intense. In fact, it was far more severe than others in her condition. At times, she seemed more like a beast than a person.

Even now, despite assurances that she would be given more, she was screaming without listening.

“Give it to meeee!”

Granny Ju lived alone in a small hut, yet she was always desperate to secure enough food for two or three people.

If the people of Nogun Village weren’t kind-hearted enough to share despite their hardships, there would have been trouble long ago.

Eventually, Granny Ju was satisfied only after securing enough meat for three people and returned to her hut. Tang Mujin watched her go, clicking his tongue in disapproval.

A little later, Granny Ju emerged from her hut again, heading somewhere. She was off to scour Nogunsan for non-poisonous berries.

Her determination and greed were so intense that Tang Mujin sometimes thought it was a blessing she was senile.

If she understood how to suppress toxins by mixing berries, she would have hoarded every berry in the vicinity.

Of course, like many with dementia, Granny Ju occasionally regained her senses.

But unlike others who would feel remorse upon realizing their actions, Granny Ju became even more aggressive.

With sharp eyes and a face full of resentment, she would silently scour the village surroundings.

Yet, what troubled Tang Mujin most wasn’t Granny Ju’s dementia. Such severe dementia was beyond the cure of any healer.

The real issue was that despite hoarding so much food, Granny Ju remained emaciated.

Judging by her bone structure, she hadn’t always been so frail, but now her wrists and limbs were skeletal, and her sunken eyes gave her a ghostly appearance.

It was strange to think it was simply a matter of not gaining weight. While others had mostly recovered from their blood deficiency, Granny Ju showed no signs of improvement.

“Ma’am, are you eating properly?”

“Why, are you trying to steal my food too?”

”…That’s not it.”

Tang Mujin often glanced inside Granny Ju’s hut when passing by, wondering if someone else was taking her food. But as expected, there was no one else in her home.

He wanted to leave Nogunsan, but with just one step left to resolve, he couldn’t bring himself to go.

One day, as Tang Mujin was restlessly contemplating his departure from Nogunsan, the weather turned gloomy from the morning, and the insects were unusually quiet. Dark clouds gathered in the southern sky.

“It’s going to rain!”

People hurriedly gathered their belongings from outside and rushed indoors, and Tang Mujin returned to his hut.

Inside, he saw Namgung Myung sprawled on the floor, asleep.

Lately, Namgung Myung had been disappearing every night, returning with sacks of rice from an unknown source.

Since he hadn’t asked Tang Mujin for money, it seemed likely he was stealing from Nakseong Village. Being a prosperous village, they probably wouldn’t miss a few sacks of rice.

With no one to talk to and only the sound of rain to hear, Tang Mujin left the hut door half-open, watching the raindrops fall. Memories of his time in Junggyeong and the face of Hong Geolgae came to mind, filling his head with all sorts of thoughts.

He expected the rain to stop soon, but the drops only grew heavier.

“Good thing the village is on high ground.”

Just as the rain turned from a drizzle to a downpour, Tang Mujin noticed someone outside.

Since learning martial arts, Tang Mujin’s eyesight had become much sharper than an average person’s. He squinted through the rain to see who it was. The small figure with graying hair seemed to be Granny Ju, carrying a rather large jar.

“Is she out looking for food even in this weather?”

What a consistent person.

Tang Mujin thought to leave her be but then sighed lightly and stepped outside.

Granny Ju might be a nuisance, but wandering alone in such heavy rain could be dangerous.

“Ma’am! It’s dangerous to be out in the rain!”

His voice was drowned out by the sound of the rain, failing to reach Granny Ju.

Tang Mujin approached her. Despite carrying a seemingly heavy jar, she moved with more vigor and steadiness than usual.

“Doesn’t look like she’ll fall and hurt herself.”

Aside from her steady gait, Granny Ju’s behavior was different from usual. She ignored the edible berries nearby and headed somewhere with a clear purpose.

She seemed to have a destination in mind, leaving the main village peak for a neighboring one.

“Where is she going?”

Could she have hidden something valuable?

Driven more by curiosity than concern, Tang Mujin followed Granny Ju.

After walking for quite a while, Granny Ju suddenly stopped.

It was an unremarkable spot—a narrow, precarious path.

Granny Ju opened the jar she was carrying and threw its contents over the cliff.

Tang Mujin watched closely to see what she was discarding.

It was food. Dried jerky preserved with rock salt, some grains and roasted flatbread, and some rather good-looking fruits.

Even though the village’s food situation had improved, they weren’t so well-off as to throw away food like that.

Just as Tang Mujin was about to stop her, a hand appeared from behind and grabbed his arm. He turned to see Pyo Chung’s face.

”…You startled me. When did you get here?”

“I’ve been following from the start. I guess you didn’t notice because of the rain.”

“What brings you here?”

“I was worried something might happen to Granny Ju.”

Granny Ju continued walking with the jar in her arms.

Though Tang Mujin didn’t understand why she was doing this, Pyo Chung’s lack of intervention suggested there was a reason.

Tang Mujin glanced at Pyo Chung and then continued to follow Granny Ju. Pyo Chung walked alongside him.

Granny Ju climbed another peak and discarded more food.

Twice on the narrow path, and finally near the cliff where Tang Mujin and Namgung Myung had once been stranded.

Once the jar was empty, Granny Ju sat down in a daze, letting the rain soak her. Her mind seemed both clouded and clear.

Though the weather wasn’t cold, staying in the rain too long could be harmful.

Just as Tang Mujin was about to intervene, Pyo Chung approached Granny Ju and took her hand.

“Mom, what are you doing here?”

Pyo Chung’s voice was inappropriately cheerful, but his expression was deeply troubled.

Granny Ju looked at Pyo Chung with cloudy eyes.

“Huh?”

“Seok and Hwan are waiting for you without eating because you didn’t come back.”

“Who are you? Is it Deok?”

“Of course, it’s me, Deok. Who else would it be?”

“Ah, right… Is everything okay with you?”

“What could possibly be wrong? You must have had another strange dream. Come on, let me carry you.”

Pyo Chung crouched down, offering his back to Granny Ju. She hesitated for a moment before climbing onto his back.

The old woman, Mrs. Joo, wore an unusually bright expression. Her face, gentle and kind as one might expect from someone her age, seemed transformed, almost as if she were a different person entirely.

Carried on Pyochung’s back, Mrs. Joo chatted away, and Pyochung responded with genuine interest, engaging in the conversation. Meanwhile, Dang Mujin walked alongside them in silence, observing the peculiar pair.

When they finally reached Mrs. Joo’s home, she looked around, bewildered.

“Deok, where have Seok and Hwan gone off to?”

“They probably went out to play while waiting. They’ll be back soon.”

Pyochung gently wiped the rain from Mrs. Joo’s clothes, then laid her down on a mat in the corner, covering her with a soft fur blanket.

Though she glanced around anxiously, Mrs. Joo soon nodded off, exhausted from the trek through the rain-soaked mountain path.

Once outside, Pyochung’s expression darkened, and Dang Mujin asked, “Is Mrs. Joo your mother?”

“No, all of Mrs. Joo’s children have passed away. The place where she was throwing food earlier—that’s where her three sons died.”

“Did they die on the bridge?”

“To be precise, they died below it. They fell while building the bridge. The food she scattered was an offering for her sons.”

Dang Mujin suddenly realized that the precarious paths crisscrossing Nogunsan Mountain hadn’t appeared by magic.

The paths carved into the rock face, the ones supported by pillars—someone had risked their life to create them.

He just hadn’t known it was the people of Nogun Village who had done so.

But, in hindsight, it made perfect sense. Who else would have built paths in such a remote place?

A thought struck him.

“Earlier, didn’t Mrs. Joo scatter offerings from the cliff as well?”

“Her eldest son died there.”

“But there’s no bridge there. How did he die?”

“That is…”

Pyochung hesitated before adding, “Follow me. There’s something I need to show you before I explain.”

He led Dang Mujin to a jagged peak behind the village, where a small cave lay hidden.

As Pyochung lit a damp torch, the cave filled with acrid smoke, revealing countless wooden tablets. Each was made of chestnut wood, slightly larger than a handspan.

“Are these memorial tablets?”

“Yes.”

There were about two hundred people in Nogun Village, but the cave held well over a thousand tablets, perhaps two or three thousand.

The tablets were arranged in tiers, each family seemingly having its own section.

Dang Mujin examined a nearby tablet.

[Yang Deokjo. Age 41. Fell from the bridge.]

[Seon Jaryang. Age 13. Died of illness.]

[Chu Yeohye. Age 19. Starved to death.]

Each tablet simply listed a name, age, and cause of death. More than half the men had died from falls, followed by illness and starvation. Few had lived to old age.

Pyochung picked up a tablet and handed it to Dang Mujin.

“This is the tablet of Mrs. Joo’s eldest son.”

Dang Mujin read the inscription. The cause of death was unusual.

[Seo Songdeok. Age 29. Killed by a warrior’s sword.]

Pyochung spoke in a low, almost murmuring voice.

“I was that warrior. I killed Mrs. Joo’s eldest son.”