It was good to smile.
How terrifying could a man who healed illnesses and saved lives become if he harbored resentment? That was proven by the Poison Master.
He grew stronger with knowledge of the human body and medicine, and when that was not enough, he studied poison.
The two feet that once busily moved around the clinic, helping those suffering from deep ailments, transformed into feet that roamed treacherous paths in search of poison.
Perhaps that was not enough; the Poison Master judged that it would be difficult to kill the Great Master alone and tested poison on his own body.
After going through cycles of poisoning and healing, the man who had changed eventually killed the Great Master after years of enduring hardships.
Was the heart of one who achieved revenge satisfied? When we met in a past life, it was already after the Poison Master had killed the Great Master.
However, the Poison Master did not spare the Great Master’s disciples either.
He tracked them down and killed them, finding and eliminating them all, even those who had once lived ordinary lives, abandoning their identities as disciples of the Twelve Divine Generals.
When I met him, the Poison Master hated not only the people of the martial world but humanity itself.
This was because he had treated many sick people during that time.
Even as he was going mad, no one dared to help him out of fear of the Great Master.
Thus, the divine Mu Yong-baek gradually seeped into the martial world.
The source of that hatred became clearer when I drank with the Poison Master.
He had once treated the severely injured Great Master when he was an ordinary physician and had saved the Twelve Divine Generals several times when their lives hung by a thread.
In the end, Mu Yong-baek sought out these ungrateful patients and killed them all with poison.
The expression of the Poison Master I encountered was truly hollow.
After killing them all, when the burning desire for revenge subsided, what would he live for next? With no loved ones by his side and no enemies left to kill, he was left without answers, researching poison and training in martial arts.
He spent his days imagining that there would be those who would come seeking revenge for the Great Master.
The reason I felt grateful to this Poison Master was that he broke his vow never to save another person and rescued me from my critical condition with the old medical skills he had not forgotten.
The man who was slowly going mad seemed to have felt pity for me, who had already been mad for a long time.
Perhaps it was a shared understanding between two madmen.
I sat alone in the waiting area, unable to help but recall these old memories.
After checking on the patients, Mu Yong-baek returned to his seat and explained the condition of the patients. “It’s not a serious injury. Do not worry.” I was not worried, but I nodded with a serious expression.
It seemed that Mu Yong-baek thought I was the guardian of the two patients.
He continued speaking.
“Interestingly, while their injuries are light, they are showing signs of psychological distress. In particular, it seems that Hong-shin has not been able to sleep for several days. He keeps asking what his brother is doing. He also mentioned he is suffering from diarrhea. When in a dazed state, people tend to speak more honestly.”
Mu Yong-baek looked at me intently, as if asking for an explanation of how this had come to be.
“Is diarrhea a serious illness?”
“It can be, depending on the situation.”
“In what way?”
“You are in the martial world, are you not? If you encounter an enemy, you could die from diarrhea. It is a serious illness when your life is at stake.”
“Hmm.”
To think I would have such a deep conversation about diarrhea with the fearsome man once known as the Poison Master.
Knowing Mu Yong-baek’s character, I decided to clarify his curiosity. “Actually, I deceived Hong-sister into taking diarrhea medicine under the pretense of loneliness. Among the Twelve Divine Generals, I ordered the tyrants, Nok-sool, Hwang-o, and Baek-ja, to be killed. If Hong-shin had continued to resist me, I would have had no choice but to kill him like the Black Cat Lord. So, the diarrhea medicine is not killing Hong-shin; it is saving him.” I countered with a basic understanding of diarrhea.
Realizing the situation, Mu Yong-baek struggled to suppress a laugh, his nostrils flaring slightly.
“I see. Then, if I prescribe medicine to stop the diarrhea…”
I snapped my fingers in response.
“You would gain the reputation of having treated loneliness. Quite remarkable.”
“I will decline that.”
“In any case, since I dealt with Nok-sool, I promised to treat him. Please assist me, Mu Yong-baek.”
“Understood. It’s not a difficult task, so leave it to me.”
Why did the atmosphere become so serious over stopping diarrhea? I briefly made eye contact with Mu Yong-baek and nodded once.
“Let’s wrap up the talk about poop here.”
“Indeed. By the way, it seems that the Golden River General also experienced some mental shock.”
I posed a question to Mu Yong-baek.
“Do you know what he likes the most?”
“I don’t mean to criticize, but perhaps money, elixirs, and gluttony?”
“Well observed. He lost quite a bit of internal energy while competing with me and also lost money.”
“I see. Those who usually succeed tend to be more affected by failure.”
I nodded and pointed toward the patient room.
“First, let’s get Hong-shin out of the pit and come back.”
“I will be back.”
I gazed at Mu Yong-baek’s back, pondering.
The saying that those who have only known success are more affected by failure applies to you too.
However, it does not apply to me.
I have very few memories of success.
The inn went bankrupt, I was chased away by my employer while working as a gravekeeper, and I have a record of consecutive losses in martial arts gambling.
I fell into a bad path while learning martial arts and suffered from critical condition, and the Hawoong sect collapsed shortly after its establishment.
Whether learning martial arts or taking elixirs, I have never had smooth sailing.
A life filled with failures, that is my past life.
Because of such a thoroughly ruined life, I was chased by the Martial Alliance and the Demon Cult.
As a result, I ended up swallowing the Heavenly Jade… I think of failure as just a process.
What matters is enduring without harming oneself.
Suddenly, I heard Hong-shin’s voice from the patient room. “Thank you!” Yes, living gratefully is what matters.
The hope that the diarrhea will stop and the expectation of a solid stool.
It seems that now even Hong-shin naturally says, “Teacher.” The once-respected Mu Yong-baek had been horrifically betrayed by his patients.
The title of divine disappeared, and the Poison Master was born.
Therefore, the Great Master must die by my hand before Mu Yong-baek goes mad.
By the way, as I sat alone, feeling bored and lost in thought, I found my stream of consciousness repeatedly connecting back to poop, so I tried to calm my mind.
The beautiful female physicians occasionally passed by, slightly bowing their heads to me.
Their faces were pale, and their attire was pure white, yet my mind was filled with thoughts of poop, making me feel suddenly sorry for the female physicians. ‘What a foolish man.’ After conveying some precautions to the female physicians, Mu Yong-baek walked out again. “Lord Mun, it seems that Hong-shin needs to sleep a bit. Since the Golden River General’s breathing exercises will take longer, it seems we will have to wait a while. It would be sufficient to come back tomorrow.” “Are you busy, Teacher?” “Not at all.” I pointed to the opposite side.
After seeing Mu Yong-baek sit down, I pushed a box filled with gold coins toward him.
He looked at the box and asked, “What is this?”
“The treatment fee.”
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Mu Yong-baek opened the box, he confirmed that it was filled with common gold coins.
“This is too much. How many are there?”
“Fifty gold coins.”
“May I ask why you are giving so much?”
“Actually, I also need to do some breathing exercises. While waiting for the treatment of my disciples, please provide me with a quiet resting place.”
“That is not difficult, but…”
Mu Yong-baek took out three gold coins from the box and pushed the box back to me.
“Even this is too much.”
A brief argument ensued.
“Take it.”
“I will refuse.”
I recalled for a moment that the Poison Master from my past life had also been quite stubborn.
Mu Yong-baek spoke to me with a somewhat relaxed expression. “Lord Mun, as a physician, I treat everyone without discrimination. However, I am also human, and I have my likes and dislikes. Use this money for what you intend to do. I will accept fifty coins, but I will return forty-seven coins for you to use as funds.” Money is something to be earned and scattered like flower petals.
Mu Yong-baek gathered those petals and sprinkled them back on my face.
Moreover, if one were to examine the meaning of his words closely, it also implied to use the money to kill the Great Master. “I thought you would continue to refuse, so I will take it.” “Yes.” “But I must accept this.” The second round began.
I presented a box containing four roots of Bai Yan grass to Mu Yong-baek.
No matter how he refused, I was ready with a counter.
“You must stay healthy to save many people.”
Mu Yong-baek smiled without even opening the Bai Yan grass box.
“Lord Mun.”
“Speak.”
“To fully absorb this Bai Yan grass, I would need to devote over ten days to breathing exercises. There are patients coming every day, so I cannot afford to eat this and leave my post. Isn’t this exactly the medicine you need? I am grateful that you look kindly upon this humble village physician. Please take it now, and after taking the Bai Yan grass, I will prepare a decoction to help you quickly regain your balance.”
This is who I am.
I lost the argument, that’s what it means.
“…”
As I struggled to find a clever response, Mu Yong-baek called the female physicians to instruct them on various matters.
“Lord Mun, please go to the innermost part. After taking the elixir, you will be doing breathing exercises, so be especially careful.”
“Yes.”
“And until tomorrow morning, I will hang a sign saying I am absent and close the doors early today. I have things to do as well.”
“Understood.”
While the physician and the female physicians worked seamlessly, I remained still like a patient.
“Lord Mun? Please go in now.”
“I wonder if it’s alright to give three gold coins and still do this.”
Mu Yong-baek smiled as he said, “Having learned that a master stronger than the Black Cat Lord is our guest is actually a good thing for us. I look forward to working well with you, Lord Mun.” In the end, the man whose head was filled only with poop followed the pure white female physicians into the inner room.
After a moment alone, Mu Yong-baek, with his hands behind his back, watched the busy female physicians before entering his office.
He removed the sweat-soaked headband, washed his hands and face, and then tied a clean headband around his forehead.
He then took out various materials from the drawer where the medicinal ingredients were stored and placed them on the table.
In the meantime, he recalled the tone, gaze, complexion, and breathing of Lord Hawoong, pondering over the materials that could neutralize the energy of the Bai Yan grass, muttering to himself, “It seems there is fundamentally some kind of emotional illness.” Mu Yong-baek believed that the words of the patient should not be taken at face value.
Some materials needed to be finely ground into powder, so Mu Yong-baek sat at the desk, picked up the tools, and began to chop the materials finely.
This was quite a time-consuming task.
However, the efficacy of the medicine could be enhanced by such small actions and care.
Usually, he would leave this task to the female physicians, but today he prepared the medicinal ingredients himself after a long time.
Naturally, he could not help but reflect on the patient’s condition while making the medicine.
In Mu Yong-baek’s view, Lord Hawoong was a person with a very narrow emotional range, yet he was impressive.
He often made jokes, but that was merely a facade.
At his core, he was someone who neither greatly rejoiced nor greatly angered, possessing a cold and rational emotional state.
Based on what he had studied and the various human types he had seen in books, Mu Yong-baek thought of Lord Hawoong in this way.
A man who would turn the world into enemies and wage war if things did not go well.
A man who would lead many people and protect them if things went well.
The point was that whether waging war or providing protection, he was certainly not someone who would live a normal and quiet life.
If one were to categorize him as a type of human, he would be a warrior, a general type.
Regardless of how things turned out, he was a leader who commanded troops.
Therefore, Mu Yong-baek prepared the medicinal ingredients with even more diligence.
He hoped that Lord Hawoong would use the money for more meaningful purposes, overcome his emotional illness well, conquer the heart demons that might arise in the future, defeat the Great Master, and continue to prosper, protecting our Mu Yong family… Gathering good medicinal ingredients, he ground them into powder with care.
After concentrating on preparing the materials for a long time, Mu Yong-baek’s lips suddenly curled up slightly.
Eventually, unable to contain his laughter, he had to take a short break. “Ah, that guy’s diarrhea story keeps coming to mind. How troublesome.” The man who had once been the Poison Master laughed brightly.