Chapter 87 : The Slacker Grabs a Sword (3)

Chapter 87: The Slacker Grabs a Sword (3)

Wi Yeonho's wide grin looked ever so gentle, but to Gwak Dosan, it seemed no different from a demon’s smile.

“M-Master Wi…”

Cold sweat began to bead on Gwak Dosan’s forehead.

Who would have thought that brat was such a monster?

“Hmm… what should I do?”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

Wi Yeonho smiled lightly and said,

“My master once told me, there’s no need to punish every bad guy who passes by, but to let someone who has wronged you go unpunished is no different from disgracing your teacher.”

Strength left Gwak Dosan’s legs.

“I don’t like leaving things unsettled. I’m not a great disciple, but I try to uphold my old man’s words whenever I can.”

“Hahaha, Master Wi, you’ve become an adult now. You should walk your own path.”

“And that’s what I’m planning to do.”

“...Pardon?”

“Let’s go.”

“...Go where?”

“Back to where you came from.”

Wi Yeonho smiled softly.

“I actually felt a little off when I saw what you were doing at the Sacred Hand Grounds last time. The only reason I let it go was because that person over there has such a kind heart…”

Gwak Dosan turned his gaze toward “that person.”

Jwa Geol stood there in an awkward stance, not knowing what to do.

To think someone like Jwa Geol was being called kind now. Gwak Dosan felt that maybe it really was time for him to retire.

“I… I seem to have made a mistake, but anyone can make a mistake once, can’t they?”

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a mistake though…”

“It truly was a mistake.”

Gwak Dosan dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

“If you’d forgive me just this once, I’ll turn over a new leaf and live like a decent human being.”

Wi Yeonho nodded gently.

“Turning over a new leaf is a good thing. But when someone who’s been leeching off others suddenly claims they’ve changed, isn’t it a bit much to ask others to believe them right away?”

“Then what should I…”

“Hmm, killing you seems a bit much… Let’s go with the same method.”

“The same method?”

Gwak Dosan’s eyes shifted to the men in black robes lying on the ground.

As soon as he saw them—collapsed with their qi centers sealed—he snapped back to his senses.

“Are you saying you’ll seal my qi center?”

“You catch on fast. I like people I can communicate with.”

“...Isn’t there another way?”

“To be honest, it’s hard to build any trust with someone I just met today.”

Gwak Dosan bit his lip hard, then suddenly stood up.

“I won’t allow it!”

For someone who had lived his entire life in the dark side, sealing the qi center was no different from a death sentence.

Without another word, Gwak Dosan charged at Wi Yeonho.

“Oh?”

Wi Yeonho tilted his head as he saw Gwak Dosan coming at him with ferocity.

“Someone’s in a real hurry.”

Wi Yeonho waved his hand.

“Urgh!”

In that instant, Gwak Dosan clutched his lower abdomen and collapsed to the floor.

‘M-My qi center…’

As the inner force he had accumulated over decades drained from his body, Gwak Dosan lay sprawled, drooling, his mouth agape from the emptiness. Only those who had experienced it could understand the despair of losing their life’s work in a single moment.

Wi Yeonho quietly watched the scene, then turned his head toward Jwa Geol.

“We meet again.”

“Huh? Y-Yes! Yes, Master Wi!”

“You seemed like a decent person when we met before. Why are you hanging out with people like these?”

“...Just trying to survive.”

“That’s a sad story.”

Wi Yeonho walked up to Jwa Geol and patted his shoulder.

“Then, lead the way.”

“Where to?”

“That place… Spider Web Manor, or was it Black Land Manor?”

“…”

From Wi Yeonho’s entire body came a cracking sound, like joints being loosened.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yes.”

And from that day on…

The Black Land Manor, once the largest power in Hubei, was completely destroyed—cleanly and without a trace.

“Where on earth did he go?”

Jin Yeran gazed up at the sky, now dark with the setting sun, her face stiff with worry.

There were still many patients who needed tending, yet Jin Soa had been missing since morning. Now, even with nightfall, he still hadn’t returned.

“To just abandon the patients…”

Jin Yeran tried to suppress the rising anger within her.

She could understand the desire to play—he was still young after all. But no matter what, a physician abandoning their patients to wander outside was unacceptable.

“Why is he becoming more and more rebellious…”

She let out a long sigh.

“Mother…”

Caressing the keepsake around her neck, Jin Yeran wiped away the tears welling in her eyes.

Thinking of her mother’s last words—to raise Jin Soa into a fine physician and restore the family’s honor—she steadied her resolve.

‘It’s my fault for being inadequate.’

It was only natural for a child to develop stronger opinions with age, yet she had continued treating him the same as before. Rebellion was inevitable.

‘I should’ve paid more attention.’

She knew Jin Soa might feel crushed by the weight of his inherited duty. Still, as the heir to the Sacred Hand Grounds, she believed it was something he simply had to endure—and so, she had always been strict.

Jin Yeran decided she would have a heartfelt conversation with him when he returned.

“Sister! Sister!”

At that moment, Jin Soa burst through the front gate.

“What’s with all the noise at this hour!”

Jin Yeran quickly turned her head, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. At the same time, she made sure her voice revealed no trace of emotion.

“Sister! Come outside! Hurry!”

Alarmed by Jin Soa’s urgent tone, Jin Yeran stood up.

‘What’s going on?’

Though still young, Jin Soa had a naturally steady temperament. He wasn’t the type to raise his voice over trivial matters. If it were about a patient, maybe… but Jin Soa’s voice wasn’t filled with anxiety—it was brimming with joy.

Outside the room, Jin Soa was dragging in Wi Yeonho, who looked half-exhausted.

Wi Yeonho was wearing what appeared to be a fine silk outfit—though it was so thoroughly covered in dust that it looked more like a beggar’s rag than luxury clothing.

‘What’s with this beggar look?’

Not just Wi Yeonho—Jin Soa looked equally shabby. She couldn’t believe they had walked around in public looking like that.

“Let go! I said Let go!”

Wi Yeonho shook off Jin Soa’s hand and, in a burst of energy unbefitting his usual self, charged straight toward his room.

“I’ve done everything I needed to! For the next ten years, I could freeload here, and you still wouldn’t have a word to say! So stop bothering me! I’m going to sleep!”

With that final cry, he slammed the door shut behind him.

What puzzled Jin Yeran, though, was Jin Soa’s behavior.

Even though Wi Yeonho had just acted like politeness was beneath him, Jin Soa continued to bow respectfully toward the door he had entered, grinning as if everything were fine.

“Young Hero Wi! Please rest well! Would you like dinner?”

“Not eating!”

“Yes, of course!”

Grinning from ear to ear, Jin Soa darted over to Jin Yeran.

“Sister!”

“What is all this noise?”

“Sister! Sister! Do you know what I did today?”

“Hmm?”

Normally, if he raised his voice like that, Jin Soa would shrink under her glare. But today, her scolding didn’t even register with him. Rather than irritation, she felt curiosity. What had happened to make Jin Soa so elated?

“What happened?”

When Jin Yeran asked, Jin Soa beamed and said,

“I paid off all our debts.”

For a moment, Jin Yeran didn’t understand what he meant.

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean I’ve paid off all the debts tied to the name of the Sacred Hand Grounds.”

“…You must be dreaming.”

“That’s not it, Sister!”

Jin Soa launched into a full recounting of the day, spitting words out as fast as he could. How he barged into Golden Flower Manor, won money through gambling, and everything that followed. He even described how Wi Yeonho stormed Black Land Manor and flipped the whole place upside down. By the end of the story, Jin Yeran’s eyes were wide like a rabbit’s.

“Is that… really true?”

“I’m telling you, Sister! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Ahh…”

Jin Yeran covered her eyes, gently touching her Baek Silver Jade necklace.

“We’re free now. We no longer have to suffer under the burden of debt. All thanks to Young Hero Wi.”

“I see. That’s truly fortunate.”

Jin Yeran cast a glance toward the room Wi Yeonho had entered, quietly expressing her deep gratitude.

“We’ve received a great favor.”

“Yes. Young Hero Wi is a good man. Who would’ve thought he’d step in like that?”

“Yes… but still…”

“Yes?”

“Trying to pay off debts through gambling was wrong.”

“…Sister.”

“It’s not something a righteous man should ever do. This time, I’ll overlook it—but from now on, don’t even think about stepping foot in a gambling house again. Just knowing you were there makes me want to give you a beating. But since you didn’t actually gamble yourself, I’ll let it go this once.”

Jin Soa’s face twisted.

“Does the method really matter that much?”

“Those who don’t walk the right path will always hit a wall. There’s a reason people say ‘A gentleman walks the great road.’”

“If I’d insisted on being a gentleman, the Sacred Hand Grounds would be bankrupt right now, and you might’ve been dragged off to a brothel. And yet you’re saying the method is the problem?”

“Yes.”

Jin Yeran’s tone was firm and unyielding.

“Especially for a physician, walking the right path is essential. Someone whose mistake can end a person’s life cannot afford to stray. You know very well what happened to our father when he fell into gambling.”

Jin Soa stared at her, his face full of frustration, before letting out a long sigh.

“You’re too stubborn.”

“Soa.”

“I did my best for you. But instead of saying one word of praise, you only look for faults.”

“It’s all for your own good.”

“Look around you.”

Jin Soa gestured at their surroundings.

“If I live the life you describe, I’ll spend my whole life treating patients here and die an old man in this place. Is that really the life that’s best for me?”

“What kind of life should a physician seek beyond devoting himself to medicine?”

“I don’t want that.”

“Soa!”

Jin Soa shouted, his expression resolute.

“I don’t want to live like that. I want to become famous. I want to make money. I don’t want a life where I grow old treating nothing but patients.”

“How can you say such things?”

“Wasn’t Sacred Hand Grounds famous not because of its medical skills, but because of its influence? No matter how great one’s skills are, if all they do is give and give like this, who’s going to recognize them? Even our ancestors wouldn’t have wanted this kind of life.”

Jin Yeran’s body trembled.

For the first time, Jin Soa was defying her.

She had always known that day would come—but it had come much earlier than she expected. And what shook her more was that he was rebelling over something she had never even imagined.

“After seeing Young Hero Wi today, I’ve come to realize many things. I no longer want to live the way you want me to. I want to live my own life—not in the shadow of the Sacred Hand Grounds, but as myself.”

Moonlight quietly streamed between the two as they stood face-to-face.

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