Book 10 Chapter 2

The Heavenly Physician (天手神醫) Heo Juun (許朱雲) and the Critical Care Unit

The crisp medicinal scent that suddenly rushed in made Bing Geom's body falter for a moment.

However, he soon took a step and entered the Medicine Hall.

A guard who recognized Bing Geom's face and was in charge of reception gasped in surprise and quickly stood up to greet him. When Bing Geom raised his hand to stop him, the guard rushed inside to relay the message. Bing Geom stood still, waiting amidst the medicinal aroma that surrounded him. After a short while, Heo Juun (許朱雲), the Head Physician of the Medicine Hall, who had received the message, approached him and greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, bowing slightly.

"Ho ho ho. Welcome, Head Elder. It's been a while."

He greeted Bing Geom with a smile that filled his face. Bing Geom reciprocated with respect.

"It has been a long time, Doctor Heo. You work tirelessly caring for so many lives."

A divine physician whose medical skills could even revive the dead! Among the members of Cheonmu Academy, there was no one who had not, for any reason, been treated by him. Martial artists lived on a dangerous edge, so it was natural for anyone to owe him a debt at least once. Of course, Bing Geom also had memories of owing him favors multiple times. He was someone Bing Geom could not treat carelessly, even as a Bing Geom. Not only that, but everyone in Cheonmu Academy felt the same.

"Someone like you, the Head Elder, wouldn't have come here because you were sick or injured…"

Heo Juun looked at Bing Geom with a quiet gaze. He was a physician whose skills were said to be divine. He could usually grasp the opponent's condition at a glance.

"There is no sickness in the body, but it seems there is sickness in the heart. Are you troubled by anything lately?"

His skill was enough to make even a clairvoyant, who boasted of knowing everything in the heavens and the earth, weep. Bing Geom's complexion flickered for a moment, but he quickly restored it, so Heo Juun missed this brief change.

"It's just that I have a mountain of work to do because of the upcoming Huanma Dong exam. Nothing else."

Bing Geom vaguely brushed it off. His cold demeanor made it difficult for Heo Juun to press further. Seemingly guessing the reason, Heo Juun said,

"I can vaguely guess why you've come. You've come for that child. The child who was severely beaten by the Head Elder a few days ago and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Their name is…"

Bing Geom helped Heo Juun, who was rummaging through his memory for a moment.

"Bilyeon, I believe."

His curt tone carried a chill. It was a way of speaking that certainly didn't help build social skills.

"Ah! That's right. That was the name. But while training is good, you went too far this time. Though they looked fine on the outside, they were a mess on the inside. How could someone's pulse beat so irregularly, like a bucking foal… I knew they had been subjected to the Elder's unique techniques, but the five elemental energies within their body were so tangled that I was at a loss where to begin… I'm aware of the signs of various martial arts, but I've never seen symptoms like this before. In any case, as you instructed, I have taken no action and am keeping them under absolute rest."

Bing Geom nodded as he listened silently to Heo Juun's lengthy explanation.

"That is sufficient. They were subjected to my unique secret technique, the Snow Shadow Formless Trace Palm (雪陰無形無痕掌), so my special treatment was necessary. The necessary measures have already been taken, and they will gradually recover. For the time being, do not touch their body and allow them absolute rest. That is enough. I will take care of the rest."

"Understood. If the Elder says so. Then I will guide you."

Bing Geom followed his guidance, passing by the rooms of the lightly injured patients and heading to the intensive care unit where only those with severe conditions were housed.

As they passed the lightly injured ward, patients who were not severely injured got up from their beds to greet him, causing him considerable difficulty in refusing them. The door to the intensive care unit was not much different from the door to the lightly injured ward. However, the inside was worlds apart from the lightly injured ward.

As Bing Geom entered the intensive care unit, an offensive smell, disguised as a medicinal scent, assaulted him far more intensely than in the lightly injured ward. It was a pungent odor that would have instantly made an ordinary person faint.

'How potent!'

Bing Geom's face contorted for a moment.

Beds stained with pus, a strong medicinal scent that pricked the nose, an ordinary person would have immediately grimaced, covered their nose, and rushed to a window with clean air to avoid suffocation. That was how strong and intense the medicinal scent was, to the point of numbing the sense of smell. In the midst of it all, Bing Geom stood, frowning. Heo Juun, however, seemed accustomed to it, remaining nonchalant.

"Here, this way."

Heo Juun led the way, and Bing Geom followed behind. Groans from patients reached his ears from all around.

"Ugh…"

"Aaaargh…"

"Keeeeeuk!"

Naturally, Bing Geom's gaze was drawn to them. It was a sight that could never be described as aesthetically beautiful. However, Heo Juun paid it no mind. Such sights were his daily routine.

As expected, the intensive care unit lived up to its name; the severity of the conditions was on a different level from the lightly injured ward. Many people who had suffered rather terrifying and ghastly injuries or exhibited unique and bizarre abnormalities were being treated here. No matter how careful one is, humans are prone to accidents, and there is no ultimate way to prevent them in this world. All that can be done is to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents. Nevertheless, those who could not prevent accidents were being treated here. Their symptoms were as varied as the trinkets on a game board.

A person who had been poisoned while practicing poison techniques, with a body covered in reddish-purple spots, had their hands tied securely to the sides of their bed.

"The poison has penetrated the skin, causing constant itching. If they are not tied like this, they scratch until their skin peels off, or even until their flesh falls off. That's why their limbs are restrained."

This was Heo Juun's calm explanation.

Next to him seemed to be a case of external injury.

"A peculiar wound."

For some reason, or perhaps due to some technique, seven wounds were carved into his chest, forming the Big Dipper.

"They say this happened during a fight with their closest friend over a woman. Please don't misunderstand; it wasn't done intentionally for show. It's a regrettable friend. Even if they are fully healed, these scars will remain on their chest forever. He was practicing the Big Dipper Fist (北斗神拳)."

"I see."

Bing Geom nodded at his kind explanation. At that moment, Bing Geom's gaze fixed on a patient. Their pupils were completely unfocused, and saliva constantly dripped from their mouth, which refused to close.

"Heeeee… Heeeeeeee…"

If they weren't an idiot, they were clearly mentally deranged. They looked like a person who had lost their mind. Unkempt beard grew abundantly on the patient's face, with saliva dripping from their mouth. Moreover, they appeared quite old, at least around 50 years old. Perhaps they would look a little younger if they shaved.

"Who is that patient?"

"That… well…"

Heo Juun seemed somewhat uncomfortable to answer. His hesitation further piqued Bing Geom's curiosity. Why was he reluctant to answer? The answer came soon enough.

Although Heo Juun hesitated, he did not evade the question.

"That's a guard who was injured in an accident during the last Huanma Dong exam 18 years ago. They have been living in this idiotic state for 18 years, up to this very day. They don't remember who they are or where they were or what they were doing. They say they were once a rising talent of the Huashan Sect, which is truly regrettable."

Heo Juun's answer was astonishing. Even Bing Geom, known for his unyielding composure, was considerably surprised. What on earth was this Huanma Dong that could reduce a rising talent of the Huashan Sect to such a state? If this fact were to leak out, it would be of no benefit to Cheonmu Academy. Bing Geom could understand why Heo Juun tried to evade the answer.

Besides him, there were patients with various other symptoms in the intensive care unit. A person whose left arm was twisted at a geometric angle, someone whose finger bones had suffered a chain fracture, and someone who had been densely embedded with needle-sized hidden weapons thrown by an opponent. The sight was truly horrific. The attending physician was carefully extracting the hidden weapons one by one with long tweezers.

"Since there was no poison on the weapons, they survived instant death. It will likely take half a day to remove all these hidden weapons from their body. Safety is paramount when practicing dangerous martial arts like with hidden weapons… Lately, many guards, relying on their youthful vigor, don't pay much attention to safety. It's a regrettable situation."

Every time Heo Juun explained about the patients lying in the intensive care unit, even Bing Geom, a man of cold disposition, couldn't help but frown.

Many patients were miraculously still alive.

Some had their intestines spilling out from their abdomen, grazed by an opponent's sword during a sparring match. Had the physician not been the Heavenly Physician Heo Juun, they would have already departed this world. People of all kinds, suffering from unknown illnesses, bizarre symptoms, and fatal wounds, were receiving intensive treatment.

Pushing past the patients who were miraculously still alive, Bing Geom went further inside, and a door appeared. Above the door, at eye level, a sign was hung, with eight characters written in red on a white background: "Forbidden Entry! Absolute Rest!"

This was where Heo Juun stopped.

"This is the place. As you requested, a private room has been prepared and isolated."

Heo Juun said, turning to Bing Geom. Bing Geom nodded. It meant he had no complaints about Heo Juun's actions.

Creak!

As the door opened, the strong medicinal scent from before was almost non-existent, and clean air filled Bing Geom's lungs. Unlike other rooms, this room was filled with clean air because no medicine was used. Heo Juun added that a special device to neutralize the medicinal scent had also been installed.

This was one of the few VIP private rooms in the Medicine Hall. Ordinary guards had to share a room with others, but this patient had an entire room to themselves… Bilyeon could be considered quite a fortunate patient.

Inside the neat room, there was a large sickbed, and on it lay a patient with their eyes closed, as if dead, in a comatose state. Their long bangs covered their eyes, making it impossible to confirm whether their eyes were open or closed. However, not everything needs to be seen with the eyes; sometimes, everything can be discerned through qi alone. Judging by their regular but faint breathing, they were indeed in a state of unconsciousness.

That patient was Bilyeon.

"Here, Head Elder. As you can see, they are still unconscious. They have been in a coma for several days now. Do you have any questions?"

"No. I hope this state continues."

"I understand."

Heo Juun readily replied.

"I would like to be alone for a moment."

He meant for Heo Juun to leave. Heo Juun nodded.

"Then I will take my leave."

As Heo Juun said goodbye and was about to leave, Bing Geom bowed respectfully in gratitude for his consideration. Then, the door closed, and the sound of Heo Juun's footsteps fading away could be heard. In the bleak and empty hospital room, only Bing Geom and the motionless Bilyeon remained. Bing Geom gazed at Bilyeon for a long time with a complex and nuanced expression.

As if still unconscious, Bilyeon showed no movement despite someone entering the room. Judging by their breathing, which was much deeper than that of a sleeping person, they were clearly in a comatose state.

"Kkck!"

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Bing Geom's chest.

Grabbing!

Bing Geom clutched his chest tightly with his right hand as if squeezing it. He even doubted whether he was standing in reality or wandering in a dream.

'Is this reality? Or is it a dream? If this is a dream, then I am currently caught in the most terrible nightmare in this world.'

Otherwise, the events of that day were simply impossible to explain. Silence fell again, and it took a considerable amount of time for the silence to be broken.

"How long are you going to lie there?"

Finally, Bing Geom, who had been silent, spoke.

Then, Bilyeon's eyes, which had been reported as unconscious, suddenly snapped open. However, their eyes still lacked focus. Of course, Bing Geom did not notice this due to Bilyeon's long bangs. A moment later, their body began to tremble, and all the pores of their body seemed to open, emitting white vapor.

Groooan!

The air in the room began to swirl around him.

Crackle! Snap! Pop!

Then, his stiff arms and legs, like wood, began to twitch. His bloodless, pale skin began to regain its rosy hue. His entire body's bones and muscles were regaining vitality. It was evidence that qi was flowing smoothly throughout his body. It was a wondrous sight, as if inanimate objects were coming to life. Bing Geom watched this grand spectacle in a daze for a while.

"Huuup!"

The white vapor that had been swirling around his body rotated with the airflow and finally began to be inhaled into Bilyeon's nose. A sharp light returned to his previously vacant eyes.

Swoosh.

Bilyeon slowly sat up from the bed. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips as he looked at Bing Geom.

"Is playing sick fun?"

Bing Geom asked.

"It's bearable, except for the boredom,"

Bilyeon replied, his body writhing convulsively.

"That's some great feigning sickness skill."

It was a sincere admiration. In fact, with such powerful skills, even with his help, it would have been impossible to deceive the Heavenly Physician's eyes. To deceive the keen eyes of Heo Juun, a divine physician second to none in the world, it truly deserved to be called an unparalleled feigning sickness skill. And Bilyeon, the one who performed it, was certainly fully qualified to be called the world's greatest feigner.

"Please call it the Great Law of Heart Stopping Ghostly Slumber (心停鬼眠大法 : the great law of the heart stopping and sleeping like a ghost)."

This divine skill—though its qualification to be called a divine skill was questionable—had an incredibly effective outcome. Those who mastered and operated this great law could endure for four to five days buried in snow with ease. For instance, Bilyeon had a history of surviving several days buried in snow in Amisan by operating this divine skill. Of course, even terrifying illnesses like the common cold dared not approach his body.

When this divine skill was employed, the pulse and breathing slowed as if the heart had stopped, and all the qi in the body gradually sank deep within, making one appear as if dead. However, this was due to the nature of the divine skill, which minimized the amount of energy consumed by the body.

Bilyeon had used this qi technique to deceive even the divine physician Heo Juun's eyes. Now fully restored to normal, Bilyeon looked at Bing Geom with a smile full of hidden intentions. Smiling very brightly and cheerfully, he said without hesitation,

"It's nice to see you after so long, but… you're not saying much, are you?"

At his impertinent remark, the winter man's face instantly turned ashen. Had Bilyeon lost all fear? To pick a fight with Bing Geom by saying his words were too short… Despite Bilyeon's rudeness, Bing Geom remained speechless for a long time. He was literally frozen.

His cold, transparent, ice-like eyes were once again wandering through the nightmare of a while ago.