chepter 247

Warrior Meets the Divine Physician, and the World Rapidly Changes (1)

With a heavy thud, Spirit Granny collapsed.

It was the death of a supreme martial artist who had dominated the era.

Everyone looked on in astonishment, alternating their gaze between Lee Gwak and Spirit Granny. Among them, Bang Ye-in’s shock was indescribable.

“My goodness! Spirit Granny has…”

It was unbelievable to witness such a mighty figure perish so anticlimactically.

Spirit Granny was one of the 8 supreme martial artists who had dominated the Jianghu for so long. Despite her unruly nature and her behavior that crossed the line between right and wrong, she was not someone who should have died so helplessly.

‘Spirit Granny wasn’t weak. It’s that Oraboni is strong.’

Bang Ye-in’s gaze shifted towards Lee Gwak.

“Sigh.”

With a deep sigh, Lee Gwak swung his blade, shaking off the blood that had clung to the blade.

After cleaning the blade, he sheathed it and looked down at Spirit Granny’s corpse.

Even though he had avenged Gwang Noh-ya, his heart wasn’t exactly at ease.

Death was fair to all. It was just a matter of when it would come.

Today, death had come for Spirit Granny, but the Jianghu was such that tomorrow, it could come for him.

‘Still, I should live my best for those who look up to me.’

For the sake of his children who looked up to him and believed in him alone.

That’s when a large shadow loomed over him. Cheol Gwang-woo had approached.

“Brother!”

“What about Yeom So-so?”

“She escaped.”

“She fled?”

“Yes, when she saw you take down Spirit Granny, she fled without looking back.”

Cheol Gwang-woo shook his head in disbelief.

Normally, a devoted disciple would attempt to save their master or at least recover their body. But Yeom So-so’s choice was different.

Facing her master’s death, she chose to flee, not looking back, deploying her qigong to the fullest.

Yeom So-so vanished in an instant, and even Cheol Gwang-woo, despite his vigilance, could not catch her.

“I’m sorry, brother.”

“It’s not your fault. Who could catch her if she’s determined to escape?”

“If we meet again, it won’t happen like this.”

“Indeed!”

Lee Gwak nodded and approached Bang Ye-in.

“Oraboni!”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, thanks to you, my life was saved. Thank you!”

Bang Ye-in, holding her broken arm, expressed her gratitude to Lee Gwak.

“Your arm is broken.”

“This is nothing. Once I meet the Divine Physician, it will be quickly healed. Don’t worry.”

“Could we possibly join you in meeting the Divine Physician?”

“You’re looking for the Divine Physician for?”

“My son is very ill.”

Lee Gwak explained the situation of Lee Cheong to Bang Ye-in. Tears welled up in Bang Ye-in’s eyes after hearing the entire story.

“How unfortunate…”

Bang Ye-in hugged Lee Cheong tightly.

“I’m fine.”

“Let’s go to meet my sister. Surely, she will be able to heal you.”

“I really hope so.”

“It will be. Definitely!”

Bang Ye-in ruffled Lee Cheong’s hair with her hand. Then, Lee Cheong smiled faintly.

Bang Ye-in looked at Lee Gwak.

“Let’s go to the Immortal Cloud Valley together, Oraboni.”

“Yes!”

Lee Gwak hoisted Lee Cheong onto his back, while Lee Soo-ah climbed onto Cheol Gwang-woo’s shoulders. They followed Bang Ye-in, heading towards Immortal Cloud Valley.

Behind them, the body of Spirit Granny lay abandoned.

Soon, wolves attracted by the scent of blood appeared one by one and began devouring the corpse.

As for Yeom So-so, she never returned.

＊＊＊

The road to Immortal Cloud Valley was extremely treacherous .

The only way to enter was by a narrow, precarious path between towering cliffs.

One false step or moment of carelessness could send you plummeting into the abyss below.

Everyone had to be extremely vigilant.

“Be careful here.”

“Do not step on this side.”

Cheol Gwang-woo led the way, ensuring their safety.

Bang Ye-in smiled as she watched his back.

It was as if a small mountain was walking right in front of her. When they encountered a break in the path, Cheol Gwang-woo would break branches to create a makeshift bridge. Thanks to him, Bang Ye-in could walk more comfortably.

After crossing several rugged valleys, by morning they had reached the Immortal Cloud Valley, hidden deep within the mountains.

“Ah!”

As soon as they arrived at Immortal Cloud Valley, Bang Ye-in and Lee Soo-ah exclaimed in awe.

The scenery unfolding before them was vastly different from the road they had traveled.

A huge waterfall cascaded down from the steep cliffs above, and all kinds of rare and precious plants bloomed, reminiscent of a well-maintained garden. Bees and butterflies busily fluttered among the flowers, and the beautiful singing of birds could be heard from every direction.

It was as if they had stepped into a paradise where immortals lived.

“Over there?”

Bang Ye-in pointed toward a small, shabby cottage beneath the waterfall.

As the group naturally moved toward the cottage, Lee Gwak’s expression hardened alone.

Crack!

Like the taut string of a pipa, his nerves were suddenly on edge.

Lee Gwak unconsciously gripped the hilt of his blade tighter, but no one noticed.

“Sister!”

Bang Ye-in ran towards the house, calling out loudly for the Divine Physician.

The door opened, revealing a man and a woman.

The woman, dressed in light yellow, was so beautiful that she could be mistaken for a celestial being who had descended from heaven. She looked at Bang Ye-in with a smile.

“Ye-in! How did you?”

“Sister!”

Bang Ye-in ran down the slope and embraced the woman.

“Sister, I missed you.”

“I missed you very much too.”

“Wow! Sister.”

Bang Ye-in teared up as she hugged the woman. The woman patted Bang Ye-in’s back with a smile.

The woman waited for Bang Ye-in to calm down before asking,

“Who are these people?”

“Ah!”

Only then did Bang Ye-in come to her senses and step back from the woman’s embrace.

“This is Oraboni Lee Gwak. We have known each other for a long time due to a connection from the past. I almost encountered a great danger on my way here, but I was able to be safe thanks to Oraboni Lee Gwak.”

“I am Lee Gwak.”

Following Bang Ye-in’s introduction, Lee Gwak greeted with a fist salute, and the woman introduced herself with a light smile.

“Nice to meet you, Grandmaster Lee. My name is Dam Soo-rin.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Dam.”

“I’m really thankful to you for helping our Ye-in.”

Dam Soo-rin thanked him, and Lee Gwak shook his head.

“No, it was what I should have done.”

“Grandmaster Lee is truly a man of honor.”

“I am humbled.”

Even while speaking with Dam Soo-rin, Lee Gwak couldn’t take his eyes off the man standing behind her.

The man had a build similar to Lee Gwak, was dressed in black martial attire, and had an expression so cold and unchanging.

Although he appeared ordinary in stature, there was an aura about him like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

He stood still like a tree, but Lee Gwak sensed that if he moved, he would unleash tremendous power like an erupting volcano.

Lee Gwak couldn’t tear his gaze away from him, and the man also remained fixated on Lee Gwak.

Just as Lee Gwak recognized the man’s strength, the man had also recognized Lee Gwak’s.

The tension between them was palpable, as if they were both ready to strike.

At that moment, Dam Soo-rin naturally intervened between the two men, easing the tension that had been tightly strung between them.

“Heroes indeed recognize each other. Please greet each other. This man’s name is Muk Cheon-gwang, he comes from the place where the continent begins.”

With Dam Soo-rin’s introduction, the man who had been silent till now spoke.

“I am Muk Cheon-gwang. Nice to meet you.”

“I am Lee Gwak. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“I didn’t know there were people like you in the Jianghu.”

“Same here.”

Muk Cheon-gwang slightly smiled at Lee Gwak’s words, but his smile quickly disappeared, and he soon returned to his original cold expression.

Lee Gwak’s gaze turned to Dam Soo-rin.

“And the place where the continent begins?”

“Korea. It’s a country located at the eastern end where the continent begins. Muk comes from a warrior clan who came from Korea for training.”

“Hmm!”

“You might not know about it. I didn’t know such a place existed until I met the Muk Family. Anyway, you’ll get to know more as you talk to each other later.”

Dam Soo-rin’s gaze then turned towards the children holding Lee Gwak’s hands, and the children bowed in greeting.

“Hello. My name is Lee Cheong.”

“Lee Soo-ah greets you.”

“Nice to meet you. But it seems Cheong has a lot of unhealthy energy in his forehead, indicating that his body is not in good condition.”

With just one look, Dam Soo-rin noticed that Lee Cheong’s physical condition was abnormal.

“It seems you’ve come to seek my help because of Cheong.”

“That’s correct.”

“Let’s take a look at his pulse.”

Dam Soo-rin immediately took Lee Cheong’s pulse. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the energy flowing within Lee Cheong’s body.

Lee Gwak felt his mouth go dry.

Dam Soo-rin was his last hope.

There were no more medicines like the Life-Saving Pill left, and without any means to sustain Lee Cheong’s life, if Dam Soo-rin couldn’t cure him, it would mean the end of Lee Cheong’s life.

The moment Dam Soo-rin took his pulse felt infinitely long.

Everyone watched her in silence, holding their breath.

“Dad!”

Lee Soo-ah gripped Lee Gwak’s hand tightly. Her small hand was already damp with sweat.

After a moment, Dam Soo-rin opened her eyes.

“The pulse is very irregular. The energy inside the body is disordered, causing chaos. The harmony of the Five Elements is disrupted, damaging all internal organs. If this had continued a little longer, it would have been beyond any help.”

“Is there… still a way to cure him?”

“My answer is ‘yes’. It won’t be easy, though.”

“Ah!”

A sigh of relief escaped Lee Gwak’s lips, and his legs wobbled.

Even in the face of breaking through the heaven and earth net or facing spirit granny, the man who never wavered was now trembling at Dam Soo-rin’s hopeful response.

“This is great, brother!”

Cheol Gwang-woo was as happy as if it were his own matter.

Lee Gwak bowed to Dam Soo-rin.

“Please cure Cheong. I will do anything you ask.”

“To cure a sick patient is a doctor’s duty. I will not turn away a patient who has come to me.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s one thing I ask in return: once the child is better, have a spar with Muk Cheon-gwang. He came to this Jianghu seeking strong opponents and has been stuck here for ten years because of me.”

“That should be my request to you.”

“Thank you, Grandmaster Lee! Please leave Cheong in my care.”

Dam Soo-rin took Lee Cheong by the hand.

Lee Cheong looked bewildered.

He had endured, gritting his teeth to survive until now, but his condition was so severe that he had always braced for the worst.

So he had prepared himself.

Even if the Divine Physician couldn’t heal him, he wouldn’t be disappointed. He had tried to keep a composed expression as Dam Soo-rin checked his pulse.

From bewilderment to shock, and then to tears.

“Sob!”

“This is really great. Sob! Wahh!”

Lee Soo-ah also started crying.

The twins, born on the same day, embraced each other and cried loudly together.

Tears welled up in Lee Gwak’s eyes too, but he tried to hold them back, comforting the children.

“Stop crying now. You’re making the supreme physician unsure of what to do.”

“Dad! Wahh!”

Then, the children hugged Lee Gwak and cried in his arms.

Lee Gwak comforted the children with a perplexed expression.

“This is really good.”

Bang Ye-in rubbed her nose, her eyes moist with tears.

Dam Soo-rin approached Bang Ye-in.

“You’re also badly hurt.”

“I’m in a lot of pain, sister.”

“Let’s treat you first. It seems we should leave them be for a while.”

“Okay!”

Bang Ye-in nodded and looked at Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak, holding the two children, looked happier than anyone else.