Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The last time I had seen the Divine Doctor was probably just before Wi Seol-ah left the Gu family.

That would make it about two years ago.

I had heard from Elder Il that he had left for the Zhang family with the Sword Lord.

After that, I hadn’t heard any news about him.

‘Why is the Divine Doctor here…?

’Of all places, at the Tang Clan.

And of all times, right when I arrive in Sichuan.

“What are you doing just standing there?

Come, sit down.

”Without a word, I approached and sat in front of him.

I had been wondering who could be important enough to be given such luxurious accommodations, but it made sense now that I saw it was him.

You couldn’t really declare anyone the absolute number one in the world of martial artists, but when it came to physicians, the title of the best belonged solely to the Divine Doctor.

He was someone so highly sought after that even enormous sums of money couldn’t easily buy a meeting with him.

After sitting and paying my respects, I cautiously asked.

“…Have you been well?

”It seemed like a polite enough way to start, but the Divine Doctor frowned slightly and replied.

“Do you think someone my age has ever been well?

I’m just living, that’s all.

”Still the same old grumpy old man.

“I heard you arrived, so I thought I’d call you over to see your face.

”“Yes, thank you for calling me.

”“Your words say thanks, but your face looks like you’re cursing me for calling you when you’re exhausted.

”“…"He was still as sharp as ever.

The Divine Doctor took a sip of the tea in front of him, then turned his keen gaze back to me.

“I hear your name almost every day recently.

”“…Sigh.

”“I figured it would happen eventually, but it’s happening much sooner than I expected.

”It seemed he had also heard the rumors about me.

Well, with both the Martial Alliance and the Beggars’ Sect spreading the word, it would be stranger if he hadn’t.

“At least it looks like you’re doing well.

That’s good.

”“Thank you.

”The Poison King, listening to our conversation from behind, looked at us in surprise.

He was clearly astonished to see the Divine Doctor speaking so casually with me.

The Divine Doctor glanced at the Poison King and then spoke.

“Tang family head.

”“Yes, elder.

”“I need to have a private conversation with this boy.

Could you leave us for a moment?

”“…!

”To boldly tell the head of the Tang Clan to leave—he really was a remarkable person in many ways.

Only the Divine Doctor could get away with such a request.

The Poison King hesitated for a moment but soon bowed his head and quietly left, closing the door behind him.

After making sure the Poison King was gone, I turned my gaze back to the Divine Doctor.

He must have something important to discuss if he wanted to talk to me alone.

“I heard you were looking for me.

”“That’s right.

As I mentioned earlier, when I heard you were coming, I thought I’d take the opportunity to see you.

”“What brings you to Sichuan?

”The Divine Doctor hesitated for a moment, his face growing slightly irritated before he spoke again.

“I didn’t intend to come originally…”His voice, tinged with a sigh, carried a weight of mixed emotions.

“Past ties are never as simple as we think they are.

”I widened my eyes at his words.

Did that mean…“Are you saying that… Master Shin Noya is here as well?

”The reason the Divine Doctor had gone to the Zhang family was because the Sword Lord had wanted to go there.

In other words, the two of them were connected.

And now, in Sichuan…‘Wi Seol-ah is here.

’If his granddaughter was here, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Sword Lord to appear.

If the Sword Lord had come, was it to take Wi Seol-ah with him?

Just as my mind began to swirl with emotions, the Divine Doctor gave me an exasperated look.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up that old man?

”“Pardon?

”“He didn’t come.

”“…Then who are you here with?

”“If I told you, would you even know who it is?

”“…”He had a point.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

“Though, I suppose it’s someone you might recognize.

”“Someone I might know?

”“He’s out at the moment, but when he returns, come and see him.

”“Excuse me?

”“The old man said he wanted to see you, so just show your face when he gets back.

”“…Uh, alright.

”This was already making me anxious.

Considering that the people the Divine Doctor usually associated with were all formidable individuals, whoever this was must be someone important.

‘But there’s no one left who could really surprise me now.

’Since my return, I’d already met the Sword Lord and even had Paejon as my teacher.

The Shadow King, the strongest figure in the underworld, was also nearby.

I’d seen the heads of all the Four Great Families and even crossed paths with the Sword Queen and a Sword Queen candidate.

At this point, how many more legendary figures could there possibly be?

‘Unless it’s one of the Three Elders, there’s nothing to fear.

’Yeah, as long as it wasn’t the Heavenly Elder suddenly appearing in Sichuan, there was nothing left to shock me.

“Well then, I’ll visit later if I’m called.

”The Divine Doctor nodded absentmindedly at my response.

At that moment, I felt a light tug on my sleeve.

When I looked to see who it was, it was Je Gal-hyuk.

“What?

”He pointed at the table and scribbled something with his finger.

Watching the motion, it seemed like he was writing, ‘It’s been a while, brother.

’I ruffled his hair roughly.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.

Looks like you’ve been eating well, haven’t you?

Put on some weight.

”Je Gal-hyuk smiled brightly in response.

Seeing that smile, I couldn’t help but feel a bit thrown off.

‘…He’s smiling?

’Je Gal-hyuk’s smile caught me off guard.

He seemed taller than before, and his emotions were more expressive.

It must mean he’s been doing well.

“I heard Seol-ah is here as well.

”“…Yes, she is.

”“How is she doing?

Is she alright?

”When I said ‘she,’ I was referring to Wi Seol-ah, of course.

As for how she was doing… that was a bit of a tricky question.

Was she really doing alright?

I could only hope so.

“I’m doing my best to ensure she’s doing well.

”“That’s a much better answer than what you would’ve said before.

”“…”What had I said before to make him think I’d given such lousy answers?

I didn’t feel like I’d changed that much.

As I pondered that, the Divine Doctor spoke again.

“You’ve changed quite a bit.

”“…In a good way, I hope?

”“In both good and bad ways.

”So there were positive and negative changes.

“The sharp edges I saw before seem to have smoothed out, but the tension within you has only grown stronger.

”I couldn’t help but smile at his words.

He was right.

“And…”The Divine Doctor extended his wrinkled hand toward me.

“Roll up your sleeve and give me your arm.

”“…Doctor?

”“Hurry.

”His gaze was unusually serious.

I cautiously extended my arm to him, though I hesitated for a moment.

‘Which one should I give him?

’Both of my arms were in odd states.

My left arm was wrapped in a bandage with a faint purplish hue, while my right arm was covered in scales.

After contemplating for about three seconds, I extended my left arm.

The bandage seemed like the safer option compared to the scales.

The Divine Doctor examined my arm with a curious expression.

“Did you injure yourself?

Your arm seemed fine before.

”“It’s… nothing serious.

Just something that happened.

”As I struggled to explain, the Divine Doctor seemed to understand something, nodding slightly.

What?

“Well, it’s that age, isn’t it?

”“Pardon?

”“The age where you wear bandages and eye patches for no reason.

It’s just a phase.

”It seemed I had earned myself some kind of strange misunderstanding.

That’s not what this is!

Not at all!

I felt an overwhelming urge to correct him, but before I could, the Divine Doctor had already started his examination.

‘…Damn it.

’Now wasn’t the time to interrupt him.

The Divine Doctor was notorious for getting extremely angry if you disturbed him during a diagnosis.

So now, I was stuck letting him think I was some teenager going through a bandage-and-eye-patch phase?

That wasn’t it at all…As much as I wanted to explain, I couldn’t say anything while he was in the middle of his work.

All I could do was keep my mouth shut and wait for the examination to end.

It was a long, bitter wait.

******************The examination took longer than expected.

The Divine Doctor’s diagnosis, which usually only took a few minutes, had stretched to nearly an hour.

Finally, he finished and opened his eyes slightly.

Only then did I feel comfortable enough to speak.

“Is there something wrong with me?

”The long examination had made me anxious.

In response to my question, the Divine Doctor’s expression grew more serious as he replied.

“Let me ask you something first.

”Hearing the weight in his voice, I couldn’t help but tense up as the Divine Doctor continued.

“Did you learn Bi-ju’s martial arts?

”“…!

”My eyes widened at his question.

How did he know?

The Divine Doctor gave a calm explanation, as if reading my thoughts.

“The only martial art that could cause such changes in your muscles and blood vessels is that one.

”“…"“Of course, if you’d undergone a complete transformation, it would be different, but I don’t see any traces of that.

So it must be that technique, correct?

”“…Yes, that’s correct.

”I hadn’t expected him to figure it out just from examining my muscles.

The Divine Doctor really was something else.

While I was still surprised by how easily he’d uncovered my secret, I noticed a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

“So, in the end, that bastard found a successor… and it had to be you.

”“Doctor…?

”“I had hoped no one else would get caught up in that man’s obsession.

But it seems that wasn’t meant to be.

”It seemed the Divine Doctor knew about the dangers of the Tua Pacheonmu technique—the brutal martial art that rewires the body by inflicting immense pain.

It was a method of forcing one’s muscles and meridians to transform, sending the practitioner into a state of transcendence.

But even Paejon had emphasized that very few people could survive the process.

For a healer like the Divine Doctor, it must have been a difficult subject to discuss.

“Does your father or Elder Il know about this?

”“The family head knows.

Elder Il… doesn’t.

”“Hah.

So Il doesn’t know?

When he finds out, you’ll be in for a good scolding.

”“…"That sounded about right.

If Elder Il found out I’d sold him out to the enemy, he’d probably beat me within an inch of my life.

‘Then again, I could just run away now.

’Now that I’d reached Hwagyeong, I could at least outrun Elder Il.

That should be enough.

As I plotted my escape plan, the Divine Doctor continued speaking.

“It seems you’ve recently used a lot of your energy.

”“Yes… quite a bit, actually.

”There was the matter of demonifying Tang Deok, hatching the Red Serpent, and draining my energy in the process.

The Divine Doctor had seen right through me.

“Your fatigue has accumulated.

You’re aware of that, right?

”“Yes.

”“You need to take a proper rest at some point.

”I gave him a bitter smile.

That had been the plan until I was dragged here.

I didn’t bother mentioning that part.

I knew how valuable the Divine Doctor’s services were, and I was aware that this examination was purely out of his goodwill.

“And…”Just as I refocused my attention on him, I felt something shift.

His words suddenly became much heavier, his tone more serious.

I could feel the gravity of the moment.

“Doctor…?

”“Do you remember when I once called you a walking corpse?

”Several years ago.

It had been just after my return, less than a year after I’d been reborn.

Back then, I had gone to Mount Hua to retrieve Gu Ryeong-hwa, and the Divine Doctor had examined me at the request of the Plum Blossom Sword.

A walking corpse.

That’s what he’d called me.

“Yes.

I remember.

”He’d told me that because I had more than one type of energy in my body, it wouldn’t be surprising if I exploded at any moment.

Those issues had been somewhat resolved thanks to Shin Noya’s guidance, the effects of the Mad Demon’s absorption technique, and my strange connection with that beast.

Because of all that, I’d been able to endure and even learn the Tua Pacheonmu technique from Paejon.

It hadn’t caused any problems for a while, so I’d pushed it to the back of my mind.

But why was the Divine Doctor bringing it up again?

As I pondered, the Divine Doctor spoke with a pained expression, one I hadn’t seen before.

“I wasn’t certain back then.

But this time, I am.

”He took a deep breath, his face full of sorrow, before delivering his verdict.

“If things continue as they are, you won’t survive much longer.

You’re going to die.

”His words, delivered with absolute certainty, made my eyes widen in shock.