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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Zhuul Village
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The child's breathing grew steady, and his wife, who had lost consciousness, came to her senses. For now, that was enough.
"I'm Wi Rip. You've done us a tremendous favor."
The head of the household, Wi Rip, gently stroked his child's cheek as he introduced himself.
The gruff expression he'd worn earlier was gone. This must be closer to his usual self.
"It's just a temporary relief of the symptoms. He's not cured."
"I know. But it wouldn't do to act stiff and cite reasons like that in front of my benefactor."
"Benefactor? That's too much."
"No matter how you see it, Physician Dang, you're my benefactor. My money had run out—if you hadn't come, I would've had to helplessly watch my child slip away."
One part of Wi Rip's story struck Dang Mujin as odd.
"What does running out of money have to do with anything? Having money doesn't make the illness go away."
"That's true enough. But with money, you can at least hold the illness at bay for a while."
Holding illness at bay with money. Anyone else might not grasp it, but Dang Mujin understood immediately.
"Do physicians charge a lot for treatment?"
Wi Rip shook his head.
"The fees aren't high. Our physician isn't very greedy. Ever since the epidemic hit, consultations have been free, and he only charges a pittance for acupuncture or moxibustion."
"Then why did your money run out?"
Wi Rip's face darkened.
"It's the cost of the medicine. The herbs don't grow around here, so he has to buy them from a merchant, and the price is steep. He sold off all his possessions just to purchase them."
"What kind of medicine costs that much..."
"I'm not sure. But with nearly two hundred people in Zhuul Village alone needing it, even if it's not some rare herb, it's hard to keep up."
"Hmm."
"At first, the physician dispensed it for next to nothing. Now he charges for it. He needs to save up to buy more before the merchant comes back around."
Wi Rip let out a deep sigh.
"Lately, he's had to see those who can afford the medicine first. There's only one of him and patients galore, so families are shoving money at him to get priority."
"I see."
"I know he has no choice. But watching my wife and son dying with no money left—it tore me up inside."
The epidemic had brought misery to everyone in the village.
Not only had many died from the disease, but the villagers' and the physician's wealth had all flowed into the herb merchant's pockets.
'Still, the Zhuul Village physician seems to know what the disease is and is using the right medicine.'
Dang Mujin resolved to seek out the village physician and at least learn the name of the illness.
"Where does this physician live, by any chance?"
"He used to stay on the outskirts of the village, but these days, I hear he barely comes down from the mountains except to treat patients."
"The mountains?"
"Yes. He spends all day scouring them for any usable herbs. We're truly grateful for him."
"Does no one know where he is exactly?"
"Probably not."
"I see. Got it."
The two physicians and two beggars left Wi Rip's house.
Dang Mujin scratched his head vigorously. With no way to meet the village physician right away, they should start by examining the patients.
The Strange Physician thought the same.
"Mujin, let's split into pairs and tend to the people. You Beggars' Sect folks, handle guiding us around."
"Of course. Jusam! Escort Physician Dang."
"Right away."
Dang Mujin paired with Hong Geolgae and Hong Jusam. The Strange Physician with Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Gyeon. The four split up to check on the patients.
Sure enough, the people of Zhuul Village were all suffering from the same affliction.
Unsure of the exact name, all they could do was use their internal energy to perform acupuncture.
Of course, acupuncture alone wouldn't cure it outright. Without addressing the root cause, it could only ease the pain and delay death at best.
Even so, the villagers didn't hide their gratitude.
How could they, when the faces of their dying spouses and children grew peaceful and their breathing steadied?
"Thank you, Physician. You've eased my worries. I thought for sure I'd lose my outsider kin today."
"It's not a full recovery. I'll see you again tomorrow."
Dang Mujin and the Strange Physician poured their efforts into treating the sick. But for those with severe symptoms, it wasn't much help. You couldn't save someone on death's door with a few thin needles.
It was quite late by the time they finished seeing everyone in the village.
The two Beggars' Sect disciples led the physicians to a fairly large empty house.
"Rest here. It's the biggest of the vacant ones, and some furnishings are left."
"Thank you."
"No need— you're our village's benefactors."
No sooner had the two entered than the villagers swarmed in, each unloading a bundle of gifts.
One man brought an armful of firewood and charcoal. A woman brought food.
But Dang Mujin and the Strange Physician only accepted a little and returned most of it.
Having combed every corner of the village that day, they knew better than anyone how dire the people's circumstances were.
The empty house had a kang. It was a raised platform about knee-high in one corner, hollow inside, where charcoal was burned for heating.
Late spring meant they didn't desperately need heat, but to soothe their fatigue, they lit the charcoal and warmed the kang. Lying on the toasty surface felt like melting away.
Dang Mujin spoke in a drowsy voice.
"Old timer, you don't know what this village plague is either, do you?"
The Strange Physician nodded.
"I know a few diseases with similar symptoms, but none fit perfectly. It might be something I've never encountered."
Just then, a faint wail drifted in from outside. One of the villagers with severe symptoms must have passed, or perhaps it was grief for someone who died yesterday or the day before.
Hearing the cries brought everyone's mood down. Dang Mujin felt it, and surely the Strange Physician did too.
So Dang Mujin pretended not to hear, asking teasingly instead.
"You have things you don't know? You've answered everything I've asked so far—I thought you knew it all."
The Strange Physician shrugged.
"Things I don't know? Plenty. For every one thing you learn, five more unknowns crop up. That's how the world works."
"Still, with a nickname like Strange Physician, I figured you knew every disease out there."
At that, the Strange Physician chuckled softly.
It wasn't laughter from amusement so much as from some regret.
"Nonsense. If there were no diseases I didn't know, I wouldn't be wandering the world."
"Is there a disease you want to cure? What is it?"
"No. It's not about curing some specific disease. There was one once, but now I know how to treat it. A bit late, though."
"...Too late how?"
The Strange Physician poured some village brew the locals had given him into a bowl and downed it in one go.
It was the first time Dang Mujin had seen him drink.
The Strange Physician wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then poured another bowl and slid it toward Dang Mujin.
Alcohol wasn't unfamiliar. He'd shared drinks with the herb gatherer Jonggwak a few times. Dang Mujin drank without hesitation.
The long-overdue liquor made his stomach tingle warmly.
The Strange Physician answered after a long pause.
"My wife and daughter died from an illness."
"Uh..."
It was unexpectedly heavy.
While a flustered Dang Mujin stayed silent, the Strange Physician continued as if no response was needed.
"One day, my wife and little girl were burning up with fever all over, covered in red spots. We called a physician, but he didn't know how to treat it. We sent to the next village for a renowned one. But he didn't know either. By the time we sought out others, my wife and daughter were gone. Four days after falling ill."
Suddenly, Dang Mujin recalled the rumor that the Strange Physician had killed dozens of physicians.
He'd dismissed it as nonsense until now, but maybe it wasn't.
And this story might be connected to why.
Dang Mujin hastily cut in.
"Uh... sorry I asked. Rest in peace to them. Tired—shall we sleep early?"
The Strange Physician waved it off with a wry chuckle.
"Nah. It's not as gloomy as you think. The rest is actually pretty amusing."
He poured another bowl of brew and downed it.
"I moped around for a while, then impulsively left my hometown. About ten days later, I reached a small village over the mountains. I'd taken the long way around—it was really just a day's brisk walk from home."
"..."
"There was a physician there too. I remember him vividly. A shabby-looking guy with a ratty mustache. Didn't seem skilled at all. But on the off chance, I described my wife and daughter's symptoms from before they died. Guess what he said?"
Dang Mujin slowly shook his head.
"...No idea."
"He said it'd be fine as long as they took the medicine on time—no need to worry. Then he whipped up two packets of herbs and handed them over. Five copper coins, he said. And I had dozens of taels of silver in my pouch—not even coppers."
The Strange Physician laughed like a madman.
"My wife and daughter didn't die from lack of money. Nor from no physician who could cure it. Nor from no herbs. They died simply because the physician in my village didn't know what this one did. How ridiculous is that?"
"..."
"So I became a physician. To gather every scrap of medical knowledge from every physician in the world."
As Dang Mujin fell silent, unable to reply, the Strange Physician chuckled and patted his back.
"No need to look so grave. It's been nearly thirty years. So long ago, I can't even remember my wife's or daughter's faces anymore."
Of course, Dang Mujin knew that wasn't true.
If he'd truly forgotten, the Strange Physician wouldn't wear that tearful expression.