Episode 28: You're My Lifesaver...
The two sat across from each other, brewing and drinking tea.
Won Seung was curious about what happened after leaving the Assassin Training Center.
"Not much. Once you get to the main sect, you're immediately assigned a mission."
Jong Bi said with a gloomy expression.
"Half of the peers I graduated with are already dead. It was better when we were training in the mountains."
"Hmm. Weren't you supposed to follow a senior for the first year?"
"That was only for the first year. After that, I was thrown straight into the field. I never imagined there were so many people eager to kill others. These days, the main sect is practically empty."
Won Seung was slightly surprised to hear that the Red Blood Mountain main sect was so busy. He felt sorry for Jong Bi, who looked pale from the heavy workload.
So he offered some comfort.
"Hmm. Killing someone isn't easy. You'll be tormented by guilt."
Jong Bi shook his head.
"Guilt? Why feel guilty about killing someone who deserves it? I'm more worried about how to survive without losing all my hair."
Jong Bi showed his crown, where the hair was thinning.
"Don't you feel any guilt for killing innocent people?"
Won Seung asked reproachfully, and Jong Bi laughed heartily.
"No one dies without a reason. They all did something to deserve it. You don't need to worry about that."
"Are there really that many bad people in the world?"
"You act all high and mighty, but you don't know much about the world. Good people are usually struggling at the bottom and don't become targets. Those who get assassination requests are the ones with something and are all bad."
"Is that so?"
Won Seung was slightly shocked by Jong Bi's unique perspective.
'It seems he's rationalizing his actions as an assassin.'
"How many have you killed so far?"
"Not many. I haven't kept count."
Jong Bi shook his head as if he didn't even want to think about it.
"I'm just living, waiting for time to pass."
Then he ground his teeth.
"They said I'd be free after ten years, but they pulled a trick on me..."
"As I said before, Red Blood Mountain spent a lot on us. They won't just let us go. They'll want to recoup several times their investment. They're ruthless enough to kill hundreds of kids."
Won Seung shuddered and then suddenly remembered something.
"Now that I think about it, you really have it rough. Seeing you suffer to the point of losing hair makes me feel bad. Let me detoxify the Blood Drying Powder for you. It's a chronic poison that destroys bone marrow, so it's best to detoxify it as soon as possible."
"Really?"
Jong Bi's eyes sparkled.
"You know that chronic poisons are harder to detoxify, right? The longer it stays, the harder it is, and the more expensive the medicine. It's been four years already, so detoxification alone won't suffice. It'll take a year to completely remove the accumulated toxin."
Jong Bi was enraged by Won Seung's detailed explanation.
"Those bastards."
"Still, you're lucky. After five years, even if you take the antidote, you'll die because your bone marrow is destroyed. Meeting me is a stroke of luck."
Won Seung finished explaining and opened his bundle to reveal a medicine box. Then he clicked his tongue.
"Darn! I'm missing Dragon Blood Tree Root and Firestone. They're the most expensive ingredients."
"What?"
Won Seung closed the medicine box.
"After the assassin mission, you can return to the mountain. I have some hidden there. I'll make it for you then."
Jong Bi was anxious. Knowing about the Blood Drying Powder made him realize he couldn't delay even a moment.
"You said Dragon Blood Tree Root and Firestone, right? I'll get them."
Jong Bi, eager to find the ingredients himself, prompted a chuckle from Won Seung.
"Do you even know what they look like?"
Since Dragon Blood Tree Root and Firestone are advanced materials not covered in the Poison Arts Basic Course, Jong Bi wouldn't know.
"I'll just ask for them at the herb shop."
"They're both used to make extreme poisons. Regular herb shops don't carry them, and even if they do, they won't sell them."
"Then what should I do?"
"Of course, you can get them if you have money. Let's first find some funds... I wonder if there's a rich person in Xiangyang who deserves to die..."
Jong Bi thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Well, actually... I have some money left."
"What? You said you spent it all."
"You have to keep an emergency fund. You'll learn the importance of it once you start doing assassin missions."
"Are you suggesting we use that emergency fund?"
"When else would I use it? How much are those ingredients?"
Jong Bi spoke decisively. Even assassins who take lives value their own lives.
The next day, Jong Bi went to the bank and withdrew a banknote equivalent to one hundred silver taels.
"Will this be enough?"
"Wow. Do you get this much money when you become a main sect assassin?"
"Not exactly. It's more like a side income."
He didn't go into details, but it seemed he had made some extra money during his missions.
'He's not exactly a good person either...'
Won Seung briefly wondered if he should detoxify the Blood Drying Powder for him, but then realized he would probably pocket the money if it were in front of him.
Moreover, he felt a bit guilty since he had already obtained one hundred silver taels by leveraging the Dragon Blood Tree Root and Firestone he already had.
Jong Bi didn't know, but Won Seung always carried important or expensive ingredients with him.
"Let's go to the herb shop after lunch."
After lunch, Won Seung left the guesthouse.
He needed a few more ingredients to make the antidote for the Blood Drying Powder, and they were common enough to be found at the herb shop.
However, a warrior guarding the guesthouse stopped him.
"Don't you know you're under confinement?"
"I have something to do outside. I'll leave my servant here in my place."
Both Jong Bi and the warrior shook their heads at Won Seung's words. Jong Bi worried that Won Seung might escape, and the warrior thought it was a ridiculous proposal.
At that moment, Hua Yeo-wol appeared. She was curious about what happened after Won Seung was summoned yesterday and came to find out.
"Perfect timing. I'm trying to go out, but they're stopping me."
"Why are they stopping you?"
"This person is currently under confinement. He cannot leave."
With the warrior's firm words, Won Seung sighed.
"This is my situation."
After explaining the situation to Hua Yeo-wol, she got angry.
"That's ridiculous. They can't catch the real culprit, so they confine the wrong person? I'll go and..."
"No, there's no need for that. Just take me out to the market for a bit."
Soon after, Hua Yeo-wol assured them of their return and left Qingshui Gate with Won Seung.
Officially a servant, Jong Bi could do nothing but watch anxiously as Won Seung and Hua Yeo-wol disappeared from view.
Won Seung wandered around Xiangyang with Hua Yeo-wol, sightseeing and snacking. It was only at sunset that they stopped by the herb shop to gather the necessary ingredients.
"You know a lot about herbs as well as flowers?"
"I wouldn't say I'm knowledgeable. I've just picked up a few things from the family doctor."
"What are all these ingredients for?"
"My servant's been losing a lot of hair lately, so I'm going to make him some medicine."
"You're a good master."
"Indeed."
On the way back, Won Seung asked Hua Yeo-wol.
"Can we go out again tomorrow?"
The one hundred silver taels Jong Bi gave him were still intact. Hua Yeo-wol was generous, paying for everything before Won Seung could even reach for his money pouch. She even bought the herbs.
'Who knew there was such a pushover.'
He wanted to go out with her every day, but Hua Yeo-wol sighed deeply.
"I have to go to the Academy in the morning. In the afternoon, I have to train. Today is the last day I can rest. It's really tiresome."
At seventeen, spending all her time training must be frustrating. Won Seung, more disappointed, consoled her with a gloomy face.
"I see. Being from a prestigious family is exhausting."
When Won Seung returned, Jong Bi, who had been waiting impatiently, rushed out.
"Did you get them?"
"I searched all day and barely managed to find them."
Jong Bi was overjoyed. Knowing he could rid himself of the Blood Drying Powder's fear was a relief.
"Hurry and make the medicine."
"Alright. But wait outside. I can't reveal the secret recipe."
Won Seung locked the door and spread out the herbs he carried and those he bought on the table.
Having made the antidote for the Blood Drying Powder before, he could prepare it quickly. Jong Bi needed not only the antidote but also medicine to restore his already damaged bone marrow.
Additionally, Won Seung planned to make Monghonsan. It's a desirable practice for the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Poison Sect to make poisons whenever possible.
After mixing the herbs, Won Seung went to the guesthouse kitchen.
He needed a brazier to complete the medicine. As the smell of medicine filled the kitchen, the warriors peeked in, but Jong Bi stopped them.
"The master is brewing medicine."
After about two shichen, Won Seung emerged from the kitchen. Jong Bi, who had been waiting anxiously, greeted him with excitement.
"Did you make it?"
"Yes. It was really tough. Chronic poisons like the Blood Drying Powder are very tricky to detoxify."
"Well done."
Jong Bi praised him and looked at him with expectant eyes. Won Seung handed him three packets of powdered medicine and ten packets of decoction.
"Take the powdered medicine every evening for three days and practice cultivation. The decoction is to restore the damaged bone marrow after detoxification. Brew one packet and drink it over three days. I've prepared a month's supply."
Jong Bi was moved.
"Thank you. You're my lifesaver..."
Just as Jong Bi was about to embrace Won Seung, he suddenly remembered that this lifesaver had given him a poison that could kill him in a month.
"But, the poison you gave me..."
"I told you I'd give you the antidote in a month."
"Does that poison have any aftereffects?"
Won Seung looked at Jong Bi with a smug expression.
"Do you think I'm some amateur? I poison cleanly and detoxify cleanly. I don't deal with messy poisons like the Blood Drying Powder."
*
After taking the medicine for three days and detoxifying the Blood Drying Powder, Jong Bi was in the guesthouse kitchen on the fourth day, brewing the decoction.
"What are you doing?"
A warrior guarding the guesthouse, smelling the medicine, came to ask.
"It's medicine to grow hair. As you can see, my hair is like this."
Jong Bi showed his thinning hair. He had thought it was due to the stress from his assassin missions, but Won Seung had said it was a side effect of the Blood Drying Powder and that his hair would grow back once the toxin was removed from his bone marrow.
Jong Bi, who had resigned himself to going bald, looked much brighter.
After a few days of taking the decoction, new hair began to grow on the previously bald spot near his crown. Seeing this, a warrior mentioned it to a colleague over drinks, and a middle-aged warrior who heard this came to see him. He was losing hair earlier than his age, making his forehead more prominent.
"Can you make me some medicine too? I'll compensate you well."
"The reasons for hair loss vary from person to person. Can I take your pulse?"
The middle-aged warrior extended his hand, and Won Seung took his pulse for a while before nodding.
"Did you find out why?"
"Your heart is strong, but your kidneys are weak. In other words, your fire energy is too strong, and your water energy can't keep up. That's why your hair can't grow."
"Then there must be a way to fix it."
"It won't be easy."
When Won Seung showed reluctance, the middle-aged warrior asked anxiously.
"Why is it difficult? If you know the reason, there must be a solution."
"Well, I can make the medicine. But you'll need money to get the ingredients."