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Chapter: 04
Within the human body flowed qi (energy), and through it ran the meridians, the pathways that carried that qi.
If qi was water, then the meridians were rivers.
When a river was blocked, the water stagnated.
In the early stages of Severed Meridian Syndrome, the stagnant qi could actually make a person unusually intelligent or sharpen their senses. But stagnant water always rotted in the end.
The true qi that had become trapped inside Jeong Soryong’s body was gradually turning into poison.
“It’s Severed Meridian Syndrome.”
“H-How did you…”
“No wonder your aura felt strange for someone your age. Let me suppress the attack first.”
“P-Please!”
Bzzz!
Jin Cheong-un pushed his qi into the boy’s body, gently eroding part of the wall of impure qi.
Whoosh.
A tiny opening formed in the blocked meridian, and like water leaking through a crack, the stagnant qi finally began to flow again.
“…Phew.”
Jin Cheong-un withdrew his hand and smacked his lips.
He could taste blood rising in his throat.
My body isn’t what it used to be… yet I moved before I even thought.
At that moment, Jeong Soso, who had been anxiously fidgeting beside them, finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Is… is he better?”
“For now.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Her eyes reddened as she repeatedly bowed.
“It’s only a temporary fix. You don’t need to thank me that much.”
“…What?”
“The illness has progressed too far. At this rate…”
Her heart felt as though it had dropped into her stomach.
No… That can’t be!
She wanted to deny it, but the words refused to leave her lips.
An illness that never improved.
Attacks that came more and more often.
How could she not know?
She had known all along.
She had simply refused to face it.
“…How bad is it?”
Soso’s voice trembled.
“…Should I prepare myself…?”
“No, it’s not that serious.”
“I already suspected as much. So please, just tell me honestly… Huh?”
Jin Cheong-un answered casually.
“It’s an extremely rare illness, but there’s a treatment. Why would you need to prepare yourself?”
Confusion spread across her face.
Then…
Does that mean… Soryong’s illness can actually be cured?
She hurriedly cried out,
“Please! Please cure my little brother!”
“Hm? Me?”
“I’ll repay this kindness somehow. Please!”
“Well… I only know the method. It’ll take quite a bit of time, and there are a lot of things that need to be prepared…”
“So… you’re saying you can’t do it?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Jin Cheong-un awkwardly avoided her gaze.
Do I really have to?
To be honest, his body still hadn’t recovered, and he already had mountains of things to do.
Going through all that trouble for a child he’d only just met…
Yeah… I should just introduce them to someone I know.
Just close your eyes and let it go.
It was unfortunate, but he had enough problems of his own.
But…
“Haa… haa…”
The sight of Jeong Soryong struggling for breath kept catching his eye.
Jin Cheong-un let out a sigh.
…Still, he’s just a kid.
Yeah.
He was just a sick child.
Even if it was troublesome, taking things slowly should be manageable.
But then—
Jin Cheong-un’s sigh was interpreted very differently by Jeong Soso.
Panicking, she quickly exclaimed,
“I’m begging you! If there’s anything I can do—anything at all—I will!”
Jin Cheong-un paused.
“Anything?”
“Anything!”
Her eyes shimmered with tears.
To her, it almost seemed as though a halo was shining behind him.
You really couldn’t judge someone by first impressions.
Perhaps…
Perhaps he was the benefactor Heaven had sent out of pity for the two siblings…
“In that case… sell me your land deed.”
…Maybe not.
“W-Why did the conversation suddenly go there…?”
“Well, you said you’d do anything.”
She looked at him suspiciously.
“So… you really can cure him?”
“Of course.”
“…Fine. If my brother can be cured… what wouldn’t I do?”
“Just trust me.”
Jin Cheong-un instantly became serious.
“I swear I’ll do everything I can to cure your brother.”
“…O-Okay…”
His sudden change in attitude left Soso feeling strangely uneasy.
Is this… a scam?
Could he really cure Soryong?
Or was he just making things up?
We’ve only met today. Can I really trust him?
But no one had ever correctly diagnosed the illness after only seeing him briefly.
No one had ever stopped an attack so effortlessly.
In fact, Soryong looked healthier now than he had in months.
Well… if he’s lying, I just won’t sell him the deed.
Since they had the issue with the house anyway, she could keep an eye on him while remaining suspicious.
It wasn’t that she trusted him.
She simply…
Wanted to.
Because…
Things had been so unbearably hard.
“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble today. I never imagined you were a physician…”
Soso bowed.
“Hm? A physician?”
“…?”
“I never said I was one.”
She blinked.
“You’re… not?”
“I’ve dealt with plenty of patients, but I’m not a physician.”
“…If you’re not a physician, then how did you treat patients?”
“Well… rather than treating patients, I suppose I was in the business of creating them. They say opposites have something in common, so it’s close enough. Hmm.”
What kind of insane nonsense is that?
Soso almost exploded before barely calming herself.
L-Let’s hear him out first.
After all, even physicians hadn’t been able to cure this rare disease.
Come to think of it, years ago, several physicians had suggested inviting martial arts masters from the jianghu.
“Um… may I ask one thing?”
“As much as you like.”
“What kind of treatment is it…?”
Jin Cheong-un answered as though it were nothing.
“There are several methods, but there’s one that’s the best and most reliable.”
Then, with complete confidence, he declared,
“Learn martial arts.”
“…Martial arts?”
“The truth is, I came to Cherry Blossom Village to open a martial arts academy. The martial arts I teach help expel impurities from the body, improve your complexion, and even make you smarter.”
I’ve definitely heard this somewhere before.
Isn’t that exactly how those people selling miracle medicines from village to village talk?
“And this is a little embarrassing to say myself, but I used to be an incredible master known only to those in the know.”
“…”
“You’ve heard of the Martial Alliance, haven’t you? I sparred with the Alliance Leader, ate meals with him—we did all sorts of things together. That’s the kind of person I am, so you can trust me.”
“…”
“You get to learn martial arts from someone like me and cure your body at the same time. Two birds with one stone. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Chances like this don’t come around often.”
“…”
Silence filled the air.
Soso shut her mouth tightly and sighed.
Then…
“Well, it’d be better to make things official. Should we write up a contract?”
“Y-You…”
“Come to think of it, would that make you the first student of the academy? In that case, I’ll generously waive the tuition— What’s wrong?”
“Y-You…!”
As Jin Cheong-un continued talking, her face turned bright red.
Then she finally exploded.
“Y-You scammer!!”
In the end…
She snapped.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Jin Cheong-un headed into town.
After a while, he glanced over his shoulder.
“Why do you keep following me?”
Jeong Soso flinched before forcing an awkward smile.
“I-I thought you might need someone to show you around…”
“…”
Last night…
After a long conversation, they had finally cleared up the misunderstanding.
It had taken nearly two hours and involved a fair amount of shouting, but technically speaking…
It had been a calm discussion.
Honestly, she still felt a little justified.
Anyone would have thought he was a scammer.
Still, considering he hadn’t complained after she apologized…
Maybe he was more broad-minded than he looked.
“A scammer?”
“…”
“I don’t know why anyone would willingly follow a scammer. What if I stab you in the back?”
…Never mind.
He definitely held grudges.
“I said I was sorry…”
“I know. Now go take care of your own business. It’s not like I’ll get lost in my own hometown.”
“But you said you’ve been away for a long time! What if you do get lost? Let me guide you! No—please let me!”
Without replying, Jin Cheong-un simply turned his head away.
…He acts like that, but I think he’s already forgiven me.
Soso secretly felt relieved.
There had been a small misunderstanding, but no matter how she looked at it, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
Just this morning, he’d gotten up at dawn to check on her brother.
Maybe…
He really was someone she could trust.
“You can ask me anything! There’s nothing about Cherry Blossom Village that I don’t know!”
“Oh?”
“Of course!”
“Then is there somewhere nearby that sells alcohol?”
She froze.
“…That inn should still be open at this hour, but why do you need alcohol—”
Before she could finish speaking, Jin Cheong-un had already gone over and returned with two bottles of liquor.
Glug, glug, glug.
“Ahhh… that’s good.”
“…”
“So this is what daytime drinking tastes like. I can’t believe I never knew…”
…She’d postpone deciding whether he was trustworthy.
The two walked silently for a while.
Sneaking glances at him, Soso cautiously spoke.
“By the way… I was surprised when you said you came here to open a martial arts academy.”
“Why?”
“…Actually… I used to attend one too. Later, my family even ran it.”
A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.
Her memories were so old they had almost faded away.
But whenever she thought back on those days…
They were always happy memories.
“You used to?”
“When I was very young, all the students eventually left. My father, who was an instructor there, stayed behind to protect the academy…”
Her expression darkened for a moment.
But she quickly smiled again.
“Anyway, it’s only temporarily closed now. I still clean it every now and then.”
“…”
“But someday, once we’ve paid off all our debts and Soryong gets better…”
She clenched her fist.
“I’ll revive our martial arts academy.”
“Actually, it hasn’t officially closed yet. It just doesn’t have any students.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“If there aren’t any students, isn’t that basically the same as being closed?”
“W-Well…”
She opened and closed her mouth without finding a response.
Meanwhile, Jin Cheong-un narrowed his eyes.
So they were in the same business.
He’d wondered why only two children were living in that house.
Apparently, there was a story behind it.
“So that’s why you learned external martial arts?”
“I knew you’d noticed.”
Soso smiled bitterly.
“I barely remember it now… I was three? Maybe four? The instructors who were still at the academy taught me before it fell apart. They all adored me.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing Jin Cheong-un’s indifferent expression, she cautiously asked,
“What is it?”
“I was wondering… your family’s in such a difficult situation, yet you’re trying to preserve the academy just because of a childhood memory. Is there another reason?”
She answered without hesitation.
“It’s my sect.”
“…”
“Do I need another reason?”
For a moment, Jin Cheong-un couldn’t reply.
Because it was her sect.
Yes.
That alone was reason enough.
“I believe they’ll come back someday. The people who left. And even if they don’t… I’ll rebuild it with my own hands.”
Her voice was straight and unwavering despite her age.
But soon, a bitter smile crossed her face.
“It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? My family’s falling apart, I barely know any martial arts, and yet I’m talking about rebuilding a martial arts academy.”
She turned toward Jin Cheong-un.
Then she paused.
For the first time, she saw an expression of genuine seriousness on his face.
“I’m in a pretty similar situation, so what’s so ridiculous about it?”
“…What?”
“I came here to revive a ruined martial arts academy too. You’re better than I am.”
“I abandoned all of that and lived my life.”
There was an indescribable regret in his voice.
Soso quietly closed her mouth.
What kind of past does he have?
So when he said he was opening an academy…
He hadn’t meant a brand-new one.
He meant reopening an old one.
Is this… what they call kindred spirits?
All of a sudden, he felt much more familiar.
She smiled softly.
“Now that I think about it, we’re surprisingly alike.”
“You can say that again.”
From losing their homes and land…
To martial arts academies…
How could they have so much in common?
Jin Cheong-un and Jeong Soso chuckled.
“…”
“…”
Then, almost simultaneously, both of them fell silent.
At that exact moment, they were thinking the same thing.
…But isn’t this a little too similar?
A short while later, they stopped at a fork in the road.
“This used to be a single road…”
“See? I told you you’d need a guide. Just tell me whatever you remember, and I’ll point you in the right direction.”
“I remember it being near the top of a hill. There was a path leading to the cliff behind the mountain… Ah, and there used to be an inn a little farther down.”
Soso froze.
“…The cliff behind the mountain?”
“What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing. If that’s where you’re talking about… then it should be this way.”
Following her directions, Jin Cheong-un quickly regained his bearings.
“Ah. I remember from here.”
From that point onward, he confidently took the lead.
But seeing where he was headed, Soso was visibly startled.
“W-Wait! Why are you going that way?”
Jin Cheong-un tilted his head.
“What do you mean, ‘why am I going that way?'”
“W-Well…”
Looking thoroughly flustered, Soso answered,
“…Because that’s the road leading to our martial arts academy.”
“…?”
