Free Web NovelThe girl who had kidnapped the rabbit brought a basin and cloths. Sohwa took off her outer robe, covered the patient’s body, and undressed the child underneath.
The girl who had brought the basin, quick-witted, soaked a clean cloth in water and handed it to Sohwa.
Sohwa carefully wiped the child’s skin. When she touched it directly, the condition felt even worse. The body was so thin that the bones were visible. When Sohwa had finished wiping the child’s entire body, the man who had gone outside brought clothes.
“Great Hero, please wipe and change the boys’ clothes yourself. The clothes may have sulfur on them, so remove everything and wipe them down completely.”
“I understand.”
The man obediently followed Sohwa’s words. While he was changing another boy’s clothes, Sohwa, having finished her task, put an antidote pill into a new basin of water.
Ssshhh.
As the pill dissolved, steam bubbled up from the water.
“It should ideally be done in a completely sealed room so the patients can inhale enough of the steam, but since that’s not possible, we’ll leave it like this.”
She wiped her hands and turned her gaze toward the man.
“Judging by how mild the frostbite is, they must have been found not long after collapsing. They weren’t heavily exposed to sulfur either, so with this level of reaction, they should regain consciousness. Once they do, depending on their state, for about three days, the medicine—”
“How do you know they weren’t heavily exposed?”
When the man’s vigilance sharpened, Sohwa calmly answered.
“If they’d been exposed to sulfur strong enough to make them lose consciousness, they would’ve died right there. Their energy has weakened, so they must have reacted strongly even to a faint amount of sulfur.”
Sohwa’s gaze fell to the patient. What could be seen looked like bones or fingers. For a child whose strength had reached its limit, a poison harmless to a healthy adult could be fatal.
“When they regain consciousness, I’ll need to check whether their eyes have been damaged, but there shouldn’t be any serious problems.”
After finishing everything she could do, Sohwa lowered her body slightly and met the eyes of the girl who had been helping her. The girl flinched, but Sohwa paid no attention and lowered the girl’s eyelid to check the membrane. It wasn’t as red as the unconscious children’s, but the corners of her eyes were also reddish.
Rustle.
Sohwa brushed the girl’s hair back and checked her nape. On the soft skin, there were red rashes. This girl also seemed to have been exposed to sulfur. When Sohwa tried to take her pulse, the man quickly approached and hid the girl behind his back.
“This one is fine. Don’t concern yourself!”
At the man’s cold gaze, Sohwa nodded. It seemed that the child’s constitution must not be revealed to outsiders.
When she stepped back, Sohwa looked at her hand and frowned. Ash she didn’t know when she had touched was smeared on it.
At that moment, one of the boys who had lost consciousness groaned.
“Ugh.”
Sohwa set her thoughts aside and returned to the patient.
“Are you awake?”
She deliberately asked in the Central Plains tongue. The boy blinked and nodded. It seemed this child also understood the Central Plains language. Even if the Northern Sea branch had been taken over by Central Plains people, it was strange that even young commoners were fluent in the tongue. Still, Sohwa hid her suspicion and continued her questioning in Central Plains speech.
“How is it? Can you see my fingers clearly?”
“Yes, I can see well. But... who are you?”
The boy, looking frightened, hurriedly tried to sit up, then clutched his head. ƒreewebɳovel.com
“Ugh.”
Like a drunk suffering from a hangover, the boy gagged.
“Your head feels dizzy, and your stomach nauseous, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Ugh. But who are you really?”
Sohwa took out the tonic pill she had once given Namgung Jin.
“Since you’ve regained consciousness, take this first. Young Hero, you’ll starve to death before you even recover your strength.”
As the boy reached to take the pill, he glanced around, then flinched violently. Following his gaze, Sohwa saw the man glaring fiercely at him. The boy trembled, unable to resist, as if he had done something wrong.
“I-I didn’t go on purpose—”
“Be quiet. I’ll call you later.”
Ignoring the heavy atmosphere, Sohwa said calmly.
“Your energy is very weak, so restoring it must come first.”
The man swallowed a sigh and spoke to the boy.
“Eat it.”
“I... is it okay to eat?”
“If it’s food, you always go crazy, you little—!”
The man barked, then shut his mouth tightly. The boy rolled his eyes, then reluctantly swallowed the pill.
Though the man had said he went crazy for food, this boy’s body was also thin and gaunt.
Looking at the four siblings who still hadn’t regained consciousness, Sohwa said,
“I didn’t expect to face this many patients, so I didn’t bring enough medicine. I’ll need to go back to my dispensary and bring the herbs.”
“Dispensary? Where could that be?” freewebnøvel.com
The man’s face stiffened coldly.
“...Are you from the island, by any chance?”
“No. There were many empty buildings at the southernmost harbor, so I moved my herbs there and use it as my dispensary. Since no one was there, which seemed strange, I was wandering around when I found this girl and came here.”
Sohwa’s explanation seemed to heighten the man’s suspicion even further. The muscles of his jaw twitched visibly.
'So they’ve intentionally restricted outsiders from entering the harbor.'
But Sohwa pretended not to notice and continued speaking.
“You’re not in good shape either, Great Hero. You should come to my dispensary and receive treatment.”
The man seemed shaken by her words, but after a moment of silence, he let out a self-mocking laugh.
“You take the Northern Sea’s night too lightly. If I head to the southern end in this body, I’ll die before seeing daylight.”
Limping, the man approached Sohwa.
“I’m not rich, but since you saved those foolish children, I’ll give you a room for the night. Tomorrow morning I’ll show you a shortcut so you can leave. Take a look at my back and share a meal with us. Najin, tomorrow you’ll guide them and fetch the medicine.”
Sohwa smiled at the man’s offer.
Impatient, the man immediately turned and showed his back to her. Sohwa lowered her gaze and examined the boils.
“How is it?”
There was a faint hope in the man’s voice. The boils weren’t large, but there were many of them, closely packed together, even spreading to his shoulders and sides. All were swollen, hot to the touch, and ready to burst. He must have suffered terribly. With so little space on his body to lean on, sleeping must have been difficult.
'Still, the boils aren’t deep, so if he takes medicine for about a month, he should start to improve.'
Instead of saying that aloud, Sohwa let out a long sigh.
“I’d like to drain the pus right away, but that would only be temporary. After removing it, you need to take medicine and undergo proper treatment, but...”
The man interrupted Sohwa’s words.
“Just drain the pus for now. It’s grown this bad because I couldn’t do it myself.”
Sohwa shook her head.
“No. I can’t cut into flesh here. If I do that recklessly in a filthy place like this, it could cause another illness instead.”
Sohwa pressed the red skin around the boils.
“Ugh.”
The man clenched his teeth, enduring the pain. Sohwa withdrew her hand.
“I’d like you to come with us to the harbor.”
The man, perhaps trusting the diagnosis of someone claiming to be a Yeonjuda physician, remained silent. Saving the child poisoned by sulfur seemed to have built trust.
'Though that was not Yeonjuda medicine but the Gujeong Pavilion’s detoxification technique.'
After a long moment of thought, the man straightened his back, his face filled with mixed emotions.
“I’ll think about it more. Najin, give the physician the inner room and guide the warrior to the outer one.”
Because of his cold tone, it didn’t sound like consideration but rather an order. As if he meant to confine them until someone arrived. Namgung Jin, apparently feeling the same, spoke up.
“There’s no need to prepare two rooms.”
At the man’s gaze, Namgung Jin smiled. He naturally placed his arm around Sohwa’s shoulders.
“Some couples keep separate rooms, but since our wedding, we’ve never once done so. Even if you gave us two rooms, I’d just go over to my wife’s, so please don’t trouble yourself, Great Hero.”
Knowing why Namgung Jin was doing this, Sohwa didn’t move his arm away. The man looked displeased but didn’t pursue the issue.
“...Ahem. Najin, guide both guests to the outer room.”
“Yes, Uncle!”
The girl turned to them.
“This way, please.”
Having completely relaxed her guard, the girl cheerfully led them. Once they exited the cave, she spoke cautiously.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were a Yeonjuda physician.”
Sohwa, who had been scanning the gorge above, lowered her gaze again. The girl glanced at her and Namgung Jin with eyes full of curiosity.
“It’s amazing. I read about it in Central Plains books—how the Divine Physician of Yeonju could even bring the dead back to life. You’re incredible.”
The girl’s eyes shone with genuine admiration, but Sohwa noticed something strange in her words.
“Central Plains books?”
“Yes, I read several while learning the language.”
“For a young lady living in the mountains to read books from the Central Plains—it seems the exchanges between the Northern Sea and the Central Plains are quite active. Do the Northern Sea people teach the language from childhood?”
Sohwa asked in a friendly tone, but the girl flinched as if realizing she’d made a mistake.
“Ah! The path turns sharply here, please be careful!”
Namgung Jin’s gaze drifted toward Sohwa. He seemed to have sensed something off as well. Sohwa gave him a small nod, meaning don’t let your guard down.
When they turned the winding path, the view hidden by the cliff came into sight. Still, nothing special—only the endless gorge stretching on.
The girl walking ahead stopped and touched the wall. Then the massive wall slid sideways, revealing an entrance.
“Please come in.”
Inside the stone cave were several round holes that looked as if they had been dug by hand. As they approached the wall with holes, children poked their heads out.
“Wow, Central Plains people!”
“Ooh, they’re coming this way!”
The whispering voices echoed loudly through the cave. They were the same children who had fired those clumsy arrows earlier. In each small hole, seemingly their own room, rough drawings were scribbled on the walls.
The girl pointed to the lowest burrow and lowered the footbridge hanging above it.
“Please rest here for a while.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung Jin, keeping up the act of a married couple, held Sohwa’s hand and helped her step inside.
“Whoa, look, they’re holding hands!”
“Gasp, they say holding hands makes babies!”
From the upper holes, the children made strange remarks.
“T-then, please rest well.”
Blushing, the girl lowered the bridge and left. As soon as she went out, the children who had been whispering upstairs all came rushing down. But they didn’t speak directly or enter—just gathered at the entrance, whispering among themselves. They seemed simply curious about the outsiders.
“How amazing. I’ve never seen Central Plains people before.”
“So are they going to live here now?”
"[What are you all saying?]"
"[Nothing special. Just that it’s amazing to see Central Plains people for the first time.]"
Occasionally, words she couldn’t understand slipped in, but the atmosphere of the conversation didn’t seem bad. The children, who had been hostile before, now chatted lightly. Having had their friend saved, they had easily opened their hearts.
Watching the shadows moving between their feet, Sohwa turned her gaze to the warmth spreading across her palm. Namgung Jin was writing something with his finger.
[Cut Stone]
Having conveyed the word, the Namgung swordsman quietly ran his hand over the smooth wall. Sohwa finally examined the wall closely. The rock had been carved into a perfect circle.
As she touched the wall, Namgung Jin traced another word onto her palm.
[Bloodless Full Moon Sword]
Looking at her palm, Sohwa’s gaze lifted upward. Even Tang Sohwa, who had little interest in the affairs of the martial world, had heard of that sword technique.
A sword that draws a full moon without shedding a single drop of blood.
It was one of the Five Supreme Arts of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
