I will become the Mad Demon again.
Geumhae usually thought of herself as clever, but the events unfolding now were beyond her understanding.
It was incomprehensible that the servant, who smelled of the Black Cat Sect, possessed such strong martial arts.
It was also puzzling that the suddenly appearing Hongshin was calling the servant "senior" and was extremely frightened.
This was strange because Hongshin's personality was typically quite arrogant; she wouldn't be so afraid even when meeting a Death God.
In fact, she was a woman who would speak her mind even in front of her master, the Great Elder.
Yet, here she was, terrified of the servant.
"Who on earth is this person?" Geumhae thought, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out the identity of the smelly servant.
As I made my way to meet the physician known to Geumhae, memories of my past life resurfaced.
It was highly likely that the physician I knew was the same one.
Suddenly, I glanced at Geumhae, whose expression was complicated in the rattling carriage.
"Pig."
Geumhae unconsciously replied with honorifics.
"Yes?"
"The sound of your thinking is too loud. Clear your mind for a moment. Let go of your greed and accept the situation. Just because you think you're smart doesn't mean you can figure everything out in the world."
Just as Geumhae was about to respond, Hongshin, sitting next to her, raised a hand with a blank expression.
"Slap…!"
Geumhae felt dizzy for a moment and barely managed to reply, "Ah, I understand. I will clear my thoughts."
In that instant, Geumhae's breathing quickened, and it seemed her vital energy was about to turn upside down.
As soon as I noticed Geumhae's condition, I clicked my tongue.
"Calm your breathing. If you don't, you'll suffer from a mental disturbance."
"Yes."
"With so much money at home, if you suffer from a mental disturbance, you won't even be able to spend it before ascending. Get a grip."
Geumhae hurriedly closed her eyes and regulated her breathing.
Hearing those words made her feel even more frantic.
Whether the servant was a servant, a madman, or a senior from the Black Cat Sect, if she didn't manage her breathing calmly now, it truly felt like a mental disturbance would come upon her.
Having gathered the White Flame Herb and money, I got off the carriage first with Hongshin and Geumhae.
The coachman supported Geumhae, whose complexion was pale.
Somehow, we had ended up bringing a seriously ill person.
In truth, a mental disturbance is not a big deal.
It arises when one loses what is most important to them.
For Geumhae, what was most important was money, and the inner strength accumulated through the elixirs bought with that money.
Having those two taken away from her, and suddenly being slapped by the newly appeared Hongshin, it was a situation ripe for a mental disturbance to develop.
In short, she was on the brink of madness.
"Go in first."
After sending in Hongshin, Geumhae, and the coachman, I stood outside and stared at the sign for a while.
"Murong Medical House."
If it was a medical house run by the rare Murong family, it seemed I had come to the right place.
I found this reunion to be truly meaningful.
I had no idea how my fate with this person would unfold in the future.
As I entered, the young owner of Murong Medical House personally welcomed the patients.
"Quickly bring the young master inside."
The female physicians supported Geumhae as they entered.
I stood back for a moment, gazing at the young man with a white headband.
His neat attire, clean face, and occasional smile were all too unfamiliar to me.
I thought to myself, "This person must have truly had a happy and normal time..."
Once the coachman's explanation was roughly finished, Hongshin spoke.
"The physician should first listen to our senior's words."
I called out to Hongshin.
"Hong sister."
"Yes, senior."
"Always speak respectfully to Master Murong."
Hongshin replied with a tense expression, "Understood, senior."
Our physician glanced at me briefly before organizing the situation.
"The young master from Geumsan has sustained internal injuries, so let's begin with regulating his energy."
A female physician responded, "Yes."
"Do not speak and ensure that no one approaches."
Then, turning to me, she asked, "Master, where do you feel discomfort?"
Only after being asked did I remove my mask and meet the servant's gaze for the first time in a long while.
"......"
Of course, since we were meeting for the first time in this life, there was no way he would recognize me.
I spoke in a calm tone, more composed than ever.
"I am Iza Hara, living in Ilyang County. I am the leader of a small organization called Haowon."
Master Murong responded with a surprised expression, "You are not one of the Twelve Divine Guardians?"
I glanced at the mask before replying, "Our small Haowon is currently at war with the Great Elder. The original owner of this mask was killed by Hongshin."
Upon hearing that we were at war with the Great Elder, Master Murong blinked rapidly.
"Oh, I see. In any case, I will take care of things. Hongshin, please go inside and lie down. And Master, where do you feel discomfort?"
"I simply came to settle my accounts. I don't have any particular discomfort. I was just curious because I heard your medical skills are outstanding."
The servant awkwardly smiled and introduced himself.
"Oh, I see. My apologies for the late introduction. I am Murong Bai."
As Murong Bai instructed the female physicians, they guided Hongshin and the coachman inside.
Even as Hongshin was being led away by the physician, she did not forget to report back to me.
"Senior, I will go and get treated."
"Alright."
Once the others had disappeared, I was left alone with Murong Bai for a moment.
Murong Bai asked, "Is it true that you are fighting against the Great Elder?"
I nodded and then called Murong Bai over to the table where I had placed the box containing the White Flame Herb.
"Master, come here for a moment."
As I opened the box, Murong Bai's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why is this here?"
"Did you sense it, Master?"
Murong Bai sat down across from me and replied, "Yes, it is genuine."
"How many years would you estimate it to be?"
"Usually, we determine by the thickness of the roots and the number of branches, but it must be at least over a hundred years."
"Not three or four hundred years?"
"That would be a bit excessive. Because it is so valuable, they dig it out from dangerous places and bring it to the Central Plains. Even a hundred-year-old herb is rare these days."
In the meantime, it seemed Geumhae had lied.
"I have already consumed three roots."
Geumhae's inner strength had also been drained.
Murong Bai looked at me with a surprised expression.
"Oh, congratulations."
I asked out of curiosity, "Are you also training, Master?"
"Since I treat people from the Jianghu, I have to study as well. I am accumulating inner strength and practicing other techniques simultaneously. The injuries of Jianghu people are different from those of ordinary patients, making treatment more challenging. Sometimes they are afflicted with strange poisons, so it gets complicated."
I sighed inwardly.
"So this person was actually normal..."
Suddenly, I looked around the physician's office.
It was a clean and well-organized place.
I rested my forehead on my clasped hands and fell into thought.
The saying goes, "If you receive a favor, repay it; if you have a grudge, repay it double."
In truth, I was not much different.
"Master, where do you feel discomfort?"
When I shook my head, Murong Bai pointed at the White Flame Herb and said, "As you know, the White Flame Herb boosts extreme Yang energy, so after taking it, you must be particularly careful of fire sickness."
I raised my head and replied, "I usually have a lot of anger, so it’s fine."
"Master, if you have a lot of anger, you must be even more careful."
"I manage my anger appropriately, so it’s fine."
Murong Bai asked, seemingly curious, "How do you manage it?"
"How did I manage it? To be honest, can I speak freely?"
"A physician must not carelessly disclose a patient's secrets. Please speak comfortably."
I tapped my fingers on the table and said, "Once, my house burned down completely. It was a place that also served as an inn. I was filled with rage. So, I killed the one who set the fire. It felt liberating..."
Murong Bai, who hadn't expected such a confession, was taken aback.
"Oh, I see."
"It turned out that the people I killed were trying to establish a faction under the Black Cat Sect's permission. So, the people from the Black Cat Sect came to confront me. They called me and insulted me, telling me to kneel like a dog. So, I killed them. It felt liberating..."
Murong Bai unconsciously straightened his posture.
"Oh, I see."
"Then they sent an assassin."
"The Black Cat Sect?"
"I spared the assassin because he had guts. After sharing a meal of pig bones with him, I stormed into the Black Cat Sect. To be honest, I was thrilled."
Murong Bai swallowed hard.
"I had thought about sparing the leader of the Black Cat Sect, but what was it? If they told me to lick, I licked; if they told me to bark, I barked. In any case, I threw them over the wall and asked if I could lick if they told me to, and he ascended immediately."
"Oh, did the leader of the Black Cat Sect die?"
"Officially, he has not died yet. I am currently pretending to be the leader of the Black Cat Sect."
I tapped the mask of the Green Demon and said, "Just like this. Right now, I am both the Black Cat and the Green Demon. Do you understand?"
Murong Bai spoke as if he found it fascinating.
"You really managed your anger well at that time."
"I managed it well so that I wouldn't develop a fire sickness."
Murong Bai lowered his voice, looking serious.
"I hope you don't mind me asking this."
"Feel free to ask, Master Murong."
Murong Bai whispered, "You are an enemy of the Great Elder, yet you have come to treat their disciple?"
"You've hit the nail on the head."
I looked at Murong Bai with a serious expression, then placed two fingers on the table and mimicked walking.
"There is a Jianghu person. Walking like this, killing everyone they meet, killing again, killing even if they just farted, killing those who could have been spared, killing those they don't know. Do you know what happens if they kill everyone?"
"I will listen."
"They become a Demon Path practitioner."
My fingers returned to their original position as I walked toward Murong Bai again.
"I kill the one who burned my house, I kill the cruel ones, but if I think someone can still be useful, I spare them. The woman who spoke ill of me, the assassin who was calculating the meal cost, and the man who was kidnapped as a child and found it hard to understand the world, I spared them."
Though there were some irrelevant details, Murong Bai understood the context well.
"What does that mean? Is that the Black Path?"
"No, this is how one treats the Black Path. Even so, I treat people with the hope that some of them can be rehabilitated. Even if I am betrayed again later, I am prepared to bear that."
Murong Bai gazed at me intently.
"Then, are you a White Path practitioner, Master? The kind of hero that people often speak of?"
"I am not a White Path practitioner. It is difficult to become one now."
"Why is that?"
"Because I lack virtue."
"Not all White Path practitioners have virtue."
I agreed with that.
"However, most of their sect leaders and founding masters had high virtue. They were also outstanding in skill. They are White Path practitioners because they are the disciples of those masters and their disciples. It is the power of tradition. On the other hand, I am not like that. My house that burned down was an inn, and I was a petty thief. I am someone without a foundation, so it will take time and effort for me to become a White Path practitioner."
"What about Haowon then…?"
"I created it."
The psychological counseling of the patient proceeded in this manner.
Murong Bai, who had been deeply engrossed in my story, finally got up from his chair at the request of the female physicians to bring the patient.
"Master, let’s talk again later. I apologize."
"Please go about your work comfortably."
The reason I explained the Demon Path, Black Path, and White Path to this fellow was that I hoped Murong Bai would understand the differences early on.
In my past life, Murong Bai was the one who saved me from a mental disturbance with the medical skills he had learned.
To repay that favor, in truth, even handing over the four roots of White Flame Herb and the box containing gold would not be enough.
I could not hastily predict how Murong Bai's fate would change in the future.
I was currently altering each of our destinies.
In my past life, it was like this.
The so-called Divine Physician, who was thriving, faced a dispute with the Great Elder and suffered a calamity that led to the destruction of his family.
However, the Divine Physician Murong Bai survived and became the Poison Demon.
And as mentioned earlier, the Great Elder died at the hands of the Poison Demon.
Once again, the Jianghu is such a place.
The petty thief became a Mad Demon.
The Divine Physician became a Poison Demon.
The reason I came to find this man, putting everything aside, was this: If I could prevent the misfortune of the person who helped me, I would.
The days spent with the man known as the Poison Demon would remain just a memory.
I will become the Mad Demon again, but there is no need for this fellow to become the Poison Demon again.
It is enough for me to go mad alone.