Chapter 77. Apology
"Yes, you said you hadn’t lost consciousness, correct?"
"You remember. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like being trapped inside a cloud. The surroundings turned completely white, and it was as if the sensation beneath my feet disappeared—my body floated up. It was an experience where reality felt distant. At first, I thought someone had put a drug in my food, but even after interrogating the cook, nothing was found. I’ve felt the same symptoms during fasting periods, so it likely wasn’t a drug. Perhaps it’s a problem with my mind."
"That’s not something we can assert yet. Even if it is a mental issue, we don’t know if it stems from the brain or if another organ is affecting it."
The Divine Physician pressed various parts of Namgung An’s body, then slightly furrowed his brows.
"Sometimes it’s a matter of the heart, but in your case, there was certainly something wrong with your body. However, seeing as you are fine now, it’s possible I missed something. I’ll need to observe you for a few more days."
"For a Divine Physician of Yeonju watching over my body for a few more days? I’ve no reason to refuse that."
"You’ve been taking your medicine well, I trust?"
"Of course. Although it's not the Yeonju pill, I was thinking that my body might have improved thanks to the medicine you prescribed."
"No, I only mixed herbs that supplement the body’s energy."
"Exactly. I was surprised, actually, since it didn’t differ much from what our Medical Hall Master had been giving me."
"Then, as it’s getting late today, I’ll return at this time tomorrow."
"Do that. Munseon, see the physician out."
"Yes, Clan Head."
"No need. How could I accept an escort from an Elder of Namgung? I’m fine."
"Hearing that pricks my conscience. The truth is, this brother of mine pestered me all day to arrange a chance to speak with you, so I called you here. He’s not someone who speaks nonsense, so have a brief chat with him on your way out."
With that, the Divine Physician had no choice but to accept. Smiling, he nodded.
"Then I'll trouble you."
The Divine Physician exited the hall with Namgung Munseon. His face remained calm, but his mind was unsettled.
Because of the symptoms Namgung An had described.
‘Feeling disoriented, as if trapped in a cloud…’
Even the memory loss closely resembled the effects of a certain medicinal herb he had recently learned about.
‘They said that’s how the symptoms of Five Minerals Powder appear.’
Lady So-hwa, who had returned from the Hubei branch, brought Five Minerals Powder to the Medical Hall. She had confirmed the symptoms in those addicted to it and compiled her findings to inform the Divine Physician and the Medical Hall Master.
So the three of them had recently been secretly researching Five Minerals Powder.
The Divine Physician had heard of Five Minerals Powder before.
Five Minerals Powder was once used as a medicinal substance in the Taoist tradition. The sensation of mental disorientation was seen as becoming one with nature, achieving unity between self and the world. However, since the formula for Five Minerals Powder had long been lost, this was Divine Physician’s first time confirming its effects.
The Divine Physician believed there must be more symptoms to Five Minerals Powder.
If the sole purpose were pleasure, Mihonsan would suffice. Its effects were similar, and it was incomparably cheaper.
Yet, the fact that someone had gone out of their way to prepare so much of the long-lost Five Minerals Powder might mean that it had another function.
What exactly are the other symptoms?
At first, he thought it might be a poison potent enough to affect even someone as strong as the Namgung Clan Head if taken for months. But then again, seeing how the body recovered within just a few days, that didn’t seem to be it.
I wanted to verify things more carefully, but I’ve hit my limits…
The Divine Physician hadn’t yet shared this information with So-hwa or the Medical Hall Master. He had intended to tell them once he was more certain, but it seemed like he needed to inform them now. Perhaps they knew something he didn’t.
As the Divine Physician calmly sorted through his thoughts, Namgung Munseon spoke up.
“Thank you for taking care of the Clan Head.”
“Not at all. I’m just doing my job.”
As the Divine Physician smiled, Namgung Munseon spoke in a low voice.
“…I truly apologize for what happened before.”
The Divine Physician turned his head at the unexpected apology. The middle-aged martial artist, who looked troubled, let out a sigh.
“At the time, I was going through a period of great confusion, and my judgment was clouded. Back then, I saw everything as remnants of the Blood Sect. I made a grave mistake.”
Only then did the Divine Physician understand what he was apologizing for.
This man had been one of the Namgung Clan’s martial artists who had come to Emei Mountain three years ago.
That day, the Namgung Clan’s martial artists had tried to take him and Jeom-chil back to Anhui, thinking they were remnants of the Blood Sect. Fortunately, thanks to Tang So-hwa’s suggestion, the two of them were allowed to stay at the Tang Clan.
The Divine Physician remembered the patients of his who had been taken to Anhui that day. He hadn’t been able to compose himself for quite some time after hearing they had died under interrogation. The Namgung Clan claimed they had already been in critical condition, but the Divine Physician couldn’t help but feel it was still his fault.
The Divine Physician was usually someone who accepted apologies easily, but now he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
It was because of Jeom-chil. Though she was now being raised with care at Wudang, had she fallen into their hands that day, who knows what would have become of her? No, there might not even have been a future to speak of—she could’ve ended up a cold corpse.
Namgung Munseon’s expression darkened at the Divine Physician’s silence.
Watching for a sign, he cautiously opened his mouth again.
“I know it’s shameless, but… could you please pass along my apology to Lady Tang So-hwa as well?”
Namgung Munseon added with a bitter voice.
“I heard that you went to the Shaanxi Branch with Lady Tang So-hwa. And that she went alone all the way to the Hubei Branch afterward. It must have been terrifying and unsettling, yet she found the courage to do it. That’s truly admirable.”
“Yes, she’s incredibly brave.”
When the Divine Physician replied reluctantly, Namgung Munseon hesitated before continuing to speak.
“In truth… I resented Lady Tang So-hwa.”
‘What a shameless man.’
The Divine Physician swallowed the words inwardly.
“Because of that incident three years ago, Namgung suffered significant losses in many ways. It wasn’t just a matter of losing wealth—internal issues arose due to the absence of the Young Lord.”
‘To call something like that a major loss… how selfish.’
A poor impression of Namgung Munseon was steadily building in the Divine Physician’s heart.
"Because of the way things were, even hearing mention of the Tang Clan pained me, so I deliberately avoided the topic."
‘So petty, too.’
The Divine Physician, uncharacteristically, kept forming negative judgments about another person.
“But hearing about Lady Tang this time has given me much to think about.”
Namgung Munseon spoke with a voice tinged with regret.
“It’s been three years since we discovered the Blood Sect, but we’ve learned absolutely nothing about them. They use martial arts we’ve never seen in the Central Plains and continue to blindfold us as if to mock us. I’ve come to accept that the Blood Sect is not a threat we can easily root out.”
Gradually, fear began to replace regret in the martial artist’s voice.
“And so, perhaps we were the ones who almost endangered the Central Plains. Perhaps that day, meeting Lady Tang was a stroke of providence for the entire realm.”
“…”
“I should be grateful to her for stopping us from making a grave mistake, but instead, I harbored resentment toward a young girl for so long. And to make matters worse, I even believed myself to be righteous. If I had never realized it, fine—but now that I have, every day is a torment of shame.”
Namgung Munseon raised his head again. His face, shadowed in darkness, reflected his inner sorrow.
“I just… wanted to apologize and give thanks to you and Lady Tang for that day, even if it’s like this.”
Perhaps it was because the emotions were evident in his expression and voice. His sincerity resonated.
The Divine Physician slowly opened his tightly shut lips.
“…Please don’t torment yourself. Suffering of the heart soon becomes illness of the body.”
In the end, he accepted Namgung Munseon’s apology.
“Your intentions that day weren’t wrong. You believed in a righteous cause, and you thought it was the way to protect Namgung and the Central Plains. There’s no need to feel such anguish.”
“Thank you for saying so… but no. My pride would never allow me to move on while knowing I was in the wrong.”
The Divine Physician gave a soft smile and nodded.
“If you say so, then yes. I understand. I’ll be meeting Lady Tang tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to convey your feelings to her.”
“Thank you.”
It was a night so dark that even the moonlight didn’t reach, yet it felt as if a sliver of light had shone down upon the path. With lighter hearts, Namgung Munseon and the Divine Physician quickened their steps again. But suddenly, Namgung Munseon came to a halt.
“Elder?”
Divine Physician asked, puzzled. Namgung Munseon quietly turned his head to the west. His gaze was fixed on a small grove used as a training ground. Then he spoke again.
“I apologize, but it seems you should go ahead without me.”
Namgung Munseon’s gaze was fixed on the place where the stored mechanisms had been cleared away. Whatever the martial artist of the Namgung Clan sensed, if an accident had occurred there, it was certain someone was seriously injured.
“No, if you’re heading to the western forest, I’ll go with you.”
The Divine Physician sighed as he spoke.
“If the elder of the Namgung Clan goes alone to the place where the Tang Clan’s weapons are stored, it could lead to misunderstandings. It’ll be less burdensome for you if I accompany you.”
That was a fair point, so Namgung Munseon couldn’t refuse.
"Then I'll trouble you."
“Yes, let’s go.”
It seemed the incident had occurred not far away.
They hadn’t walked long when voices became audible.
“What should we do? Is he dead?”
“No, he’s still breathing.”
“But why is there so much blood? Is he really going to be okay?”
“Damn it, I’m no physician, how should I know? Where’s Brother Gangchang?”
“No idea! Since when has that guy ever cleaned up after us?”
They spoke in hushed tones, but the quiet surroundings made their voices sound loud.
Namgung Munseon couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him and momentarily opened his mouth in shock.
Among the piled-up mechanisms, he saw familiar faces of children. They were Namgung martial artists. The three martial artists seemed at a loss, standing over a man lying on the ground.
Soaked in blood, Namgung Munseon could not mistake the fallen young man.
“You bastards!”
Shocked, Namgung Munseon shouted, and the three martial artists froze in place.