Chapter 82. Symptoms of Five Minerals Powder
“What?”
The Divine Physician asked back in surprise.
The Medical Hall Master let his gaze slide over to So-hwa and then spoke in a solemn voice.
“I’ve already ordered the minerals based on the ratio Young Lady So-hwa brought. They should arrive at the Tang estate sometime next week. We’ll need to confirm whether they produce the same effect, so I’ll have to take it myself at least once.”
Whenever the Hall Master administered poison to the direct descendants, he would address the children formally to show respect to the Clan Head.
Especially with So-hwa, because he had been giving her different poison mixtures and conversing closely for several years, he continued to speak formally to her even after she entered the Medical Hall.
Habit is a frightening thing. Whenever he was tense or emotional, like now, he would unconsciously revert to using honorifics.
So-hwa realized that even though the Hall Master spoke casually, he was nervous.
“There’s no need for that. In Hubei, dozens of people were poisoned by Five Minerals Powder, and I’ve already compiled the symptoms.”
“No. That should be considered the immediate reaction. It’s different from the symptoms of long-term exposure.”
A somber tone entered the Hall Master’s voice.
“To be accurate, I will take it myself over several months.”
“T-That’s dangerous, Hall Master.”
The Divine Physician tried to dissuade him, but the Hall Master did not yield.
“There was such a large quantity of it in the Hubei branch—this isn’t something we can handle carelessly. Sooner or later, our Tang Clan might be targeted as well. If the Medical Hall of the Tang Clan of Sichuan cannot even respond properly, how shameful would that be?”
The Hall Master was resolute. Perhaps moved by his conviction, the Divine Physician looked at him with teary eyes.
Gaining confidence from the gaze, the Hall Master suddenly opened the box placed on the desk. Inside was the Five Minerals Powder.
He spread a thin cloth on the desk and placed the minerals one by one on top of it.
“How should it be taken?”
Having regained his composure, the Medical Hall Master addressed So-hwa informally once more in a calm voice.
So-hwa rose from her seat and moved beside him.
She wrapped the minerals in a cloth and struck them several times with her fist. As befitting a woman of a Murim noble clan, she easily ground the relatively soft mineral into powder.
She handed the mixed Five Minerals Powder to the Medical Hall Master.
“You can eat it as is or mix it with water and drink it.”
“I’ll just eat it.”
The Hall Master poured the powder straight into his mouth.
“Mm. When will the effects kick in?”
“They should start right away.”
No sooner had she spoken than the Hall Master frowned.
“Ugh, I feel strange.”
His vision seemed blurry, and he blinked several times.
So-hwa, having taken it once before, could guess the symptoms he was experiencing.
“Your strength will fade—please lie down on the bed.”
She helped him up by the arm. As she tried to guide him to the bed behind the desk, the Divine Physician stood to assist her.
“Thank you. Still, the onset is incredibly fast.”
The Hall Master’s breathing had become irregular.
So-hwa gently closed his eyes and said,
“Your consciousness will fade soon. It’s more comfortable to keep your eyes closed.”
The Hall Master didn’t respond, as if he had already lost consciousness. He only breathed quietly, like someone sleeping.
Watching this, the Divine Physician asked softly,
“How long will the effects last?”
“It’ll vary by person, but since the dose wasn’t large, he should regain consciousness within a gak (15 minutes).”
The Divine Physician let out a sigh.
“A one gak isn’t short. If someone’s in such a defenseless state even for that long, isn’t it dangerous?”
“That’s true. But on the other hand, it’s not quite dangerous enough. Compared to Mihonsan, which lasts a full hour or even more than half a day, Five Minerals Powder effects are far too brief.”
At So-hwa’s words, the Divine Physician gave a small nod.
He, too, had once thought the Five Minerals Powder was an inefficient medicine compared to Mihonsan. That’s why he was curious about its true efficacy.
A one gak—brief, yet long.
The two of them stood before the bed, enduring the awkward silence.
In the end, the Divine Physician couldn’t bear it and opened his mouth.
“I heard from the Clan Head. You’ve applied for the Martial Arts Tournament, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
The Divine Physician smiled casually.
“Then you’ll see Young Master Namgung again when you go to Hubei.”
So-hwa responded only with a slight curl of her lips.
A smile also touched the Divine Physician’s lips.
‘Well, she is that age.’
The Tang Clan young lady he’d once met at seventeen had now taken on the full bearing of a woman.
Soon, a trace of bitterness appeared in the Divine Physician’s eyes.
‘Jeom-chil must’ve grown up by now, too.’
Seeing So-hwa reminded him of Jeom-chil.
The Divine Physician was surprised by the flow of his own thoughts.
Aside from being around the same age, the two shared nothing in common. They were as different as red jade and white jade.
And yet, watching So-hwa naturally brought Jeom-chil to mind. Somehow, she overlapped with Jeom-chil in his eyes.
Perhaps it was the plain, embroidery-free clothing, or the long hair tied simply without ornamentation.
The clean impression and the sense of blank space were similar.
But unlike Jeom-chil, who found anything on the body bothersome, Tang So-hwa appeared as someone who had deliberately set everything aside herself. The atmosphere was different. Unlike the free-spirited Jeom-chil, Tang So-hwa exuded strong restraint and emptiness.
‘To carry such emptiness at this age…’
The Divine Physician let out a faint chuckle and brushed the thought away.
‘It seems I'm getting old. Judging people by how they feel to me.’
He scoffed at his own thoughts and changed the subject.
“Namgung is leaving today as well. Did you get to say goodbye?”
“Yes, I saw him before coming here.”
“Oh? What did he say?”
The Divine Physician asked with interest, but the woman rumored to harbor feelings responded calmly.
Apparently uncomfortable with the topic, Tang So-hwa shifted the conversation.
“Why didn’t you volunteer for the Martial Arts Tournament, Divine Physician? If you went, you could see Young Lady Jeom-chil as well.”
At those words, the Divine Physician gave a bitter smile.
“I actually applied as well.”
“I didn’t see your name on the list. You should speak to the Medical Hall Master. It seems your name was omitted.”
“No. I was rejected.”
“What?”
Rejected?
While martial artists participating in the tournament had to undergo separate trials within the Tang Clan, physicians were usually allowed to accompany them as long as they applied.
And this was the Divine Physician. It was hard to believe the Medical Hall would refuse to take him along.
As if to answer So-hwa’s doubt, the Divine Physician spoke again.
“During the Alliance of Noble Clans, many people requested Yeonju Pills. Some said they’d return later since materials were lacking, but others asked us to send it to their clan as soon as it was prepared.”
“Can’t that be done after you return?”
“I’d like to do that too, but it seems the Medical Hall Master is worried about delays in the schedule.”
So-hwa’s eyes dropped to the man lying unconscious.
Mouth slightly open as if in a trance—completely out of it.
As the father of Tang Hae-han, the Medical Hall Master was a strict enforcer of rules.
Even if it was a gift, he clearly believed production schedules had to be maintained.
After all, with the ordered medicinal ingredients arriving soon, if the Divine Physician were gone for a month, some of the herbs would spoil.
So-hwa looked down at him with a bitter gaze.
The Medical Hall Master, so serious about his budget, didn’t seem like someone who would make exceptions.
‘He knows the Divine Physician’s circumstances… he could allow a little leniency, even if it means a small loss…’
After a brief pause, So-hwa spoke again.
“Don’t worry. The Hall Master will help you go to the Martial Arts Tournament.”
The Divine Physician simply smiled silently, taking it as a comforting remark. But So-hwa was being sincere.
She recalled a few secrets she knew about the Medical Hall Master. Even revealing just one of them would be enough to get the Divine Physician, permission to go.
“The Hall Master understands your circumstances, he’s a parent too—he’ll help you meet Young Lady Jeom-chil. Any decent person would understand something like that. Don’t worry about anything, and start preparing to go to Hubei.”
“Well… It’s embarrassing, but I already tried explaining it to him that way. Still, the Hall Master was firm…”
The Divine Physician chuckled helplessly, his voice trailing off.
“Ugh.”
It was because the Hall Master’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
The Divine Physician leaned in to check his face.
“Hall Master, are you conscious?”
As the Hall Master slowly opened his eyes and spotted the Divine Physician, he suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
The Divine Physician tried to pull away in surprise, but the Hall Master, his eyes red, clutched his hand even tighter.
“Hurry and go…”
“What?”
“Get up right now and pack your things.”
So-hwa and the Divine Physician exchanged glances at the strange behavior.
But the Hall Master, oblivious to their exchange, gently stroked the back of the Divine Physician’s hand with a choked expression.
“I understand… I’m a parent too. Any decent person would understand something like that. Don’t worry about anything, and start preparing to go to Hubei.”
A heavy silence fell.
So-hwa and the Divine Physician looked at each other again, almost as if by agreement.
It was because the Hall Master had repeated So-hwa’s exact words.
“Are you sure I can really go to Hubei?”
The Divine Physician asked cautiously, and the Hall Master nodded vigorously.
“I won’t say it twice! Go prepare at once.”
As if to confirm something, So-hwa gently interjected.
“Then what about the Yeonju Pills?”
“Yeonju Pills?”
“Yes, the ones that the guests requested. You even ordered new medicinal ingredients for it. Some of them will lose effectiveness if not used quickly.”
“Ah, that’s right! What am I thinking? They even left the payment in advance—must prepare it quickly!”
The Hall Master seemed to come back to himself and widened his small eyes.
“Then the Divine Physician won’t be able to participate in the tournament. He’ll have to stay at the Tang estate, won’t he?”
When So-hwa asked again, the Hall Master suddenly sprang up from the bed.
“No, no! He still must go! Who knows when the Divine Physician will get another chance to see that Jeom-chil girl he cherishes like a daughter? We can buy more ingredients later. Just go.”
“…I appreciate your words, Hall Master, but just this morning you were so firmly against it. This sudden change is a bit confusing.”
The Divine Physician, too, found it unsettling and tried to confirm his true intention.
“Ah, yes, I did say that. Until this morning I felt that way… but I just changed my mind.”
“What made you change? Jeom-chil was already like a daughter to me this morning, and you were already a parent then too.”
“That’s…”
The Hall Master’s mouth opened and closed silently as he tilted his head.
He looked genuinely baffled by his own thoughts.
After a long pause to gather his words, he sighed and confessed honestly.
“I don’t know. I just… felt that the Divine Physician needed to go see Young Lady Jeom-chil.”
Seeing his confusion, So-hwa asked quietly,
“Could it be because of something I said?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
He asked back calmly, using informal speech.
The Hall Master would sometimes slip into formal speech when flustered—especially when scolding So-hwa for overspending the medical hall’s budget or when he suspected her of lying.
But now he seemed composed.
It didn’t feel like he was lying.
After a moment of silence, the Divine Physician cautiously spoke up.
“Hall Master, perhaps I’m being overly sensitive, but…”
He hesitated before voicing his suspicion.
“When you were under the influence of the Five Minerals Powder, it felt as if you heard our conversation and changed your mind because of it.”
“What? I didn’t hear anything.”
So-hwa explained in his stead.
“While you were lying on the bed, I told the Divine Physician that you’d understand and help him go see Young Lady Jeom-chil, since you're a parent too. I said not to worry about anything, and to start preparing to go to Hubei.”
“I don’t recall hearing that. But… that’s strange. I spoke as if they were my own thoughts…”
Only then did the Hall Master’s face harden as if he, too, sensed something was off.
“...Have I been brainwashed somehow?”
He wasn’t certain—but the suspicion was there.
“Could that be one of its effects…”
The Hall Master muttered blankly.
But none of the people in the room had a reply for that murmured thought.
***
The Hall Master abandoned the idea of further examining the symptoms of Five Minerals Powder.
The mere thought that someone could manipulate his thoughts—perhaps even brainwash him—had completely terrified him.
So-hwa almost offered to try the Five Minerals Powder herself, but stopped.
Honestly, she was scared, too.
Though she trusted that neither of the two men would use her for such a thing, the possibility that someone might tamper with her thoughts unsettled her deeply.
That made it hard to ask the Divine Physician, and he, perhaps frightened as well, didn’t volunteer to try it either.
So-hwa let out a sigh.
‘If Five Minerals Powder can really alter thoughts… this could be a serious matter.’
And yet, another part of her doubted the drug’s potency.
She recalled the amount of Five Minerals Powder she had seen at the Hubei branch.
With that much, the Zhuge Clan should have been able to seize the Wudang territory without much resistance.
But what she had seen at the Hubei branch was a long, arduous negotiation—endless meetings as they struggled to persuade the Wudang Taoists.
‘Could it be that the effect is only temporary? Or perhaps it only shifts a very specific thought?’
So-hwa, now doubting the true efficacy of the substance, began to assess its limitations.
No matter how powerful a poison might be, there would always be a limit.
It had to enter through the bloodstream, or maybe through the respiratory tract. Perhaps its effect would dissipate after more than a day’s exposure to air or moisture.
So-hwa let out a breathless scoff at the absurdity of her own thoughts.
Speculating about the Five Minerals Powder’s limitations meant she was, at least halfway, accepting that it did possess such mind-altering abilities.
‘…I should’ve asked him when he came.’
The Blood Sect bastard had said he was heading to Guangdong to meet the one who’d distributed the Five Minerals Powder. Surely, the moment they met, that was the first thing he’d asked.
But when he had come to the Tang estate, she’d been too taken aback by his presence to do anything but try to drive him away. Because of that, she’d failed to ask him anything about the Five Minerals Powder.
Suppressing a frustrated breath, So-hwa forced the cluttered thoughts aside.
She would be heading to Hubei soon—she’d find him as soon as she arrived.
‘Ah… maybe I should slip him some Five Minerals Powder under the pretense of eliminating the Poison gu.’
Since he had already agreed to let her use his body as a host, it wouldn’t be suspicious to test the drug on him—especially when it came to someone like the Blood Sect bastard. No need to feel guilty.
As she pondered this, her hand instinctively reached for the Five Minerals Powder sitting on her desk.
…But did she really need to use someone else?
After a moment’s hesitation, So-hwa locked all the doors to her study, ground the minerals into a fine powder, and prepared to test it herself.
First, she swallowed the neutralizer she had developed earlier. Then, a short while later, she took a small dose of Five Minerals Powder.
“Ugh…”
Maybe because she had taken the neutralizer first, the reaction wasn’t as strong as before—but her head still spun.
While preparing for the journey to the Murim Alliance’s Martial Arts Tournament, So-hwa devoted herself to refining the Five Minerals Powder antidote, aiming to make it act faster than the poison itself.
A few days later—having completed all her preparations—she set off across the Central Plains, now abuzz with the upcoming tournament, heading toward Hubei.