Chapter 58: Wandering with the Righteous Sword (1)
Because they had taken in over ten critically injured patients all at once, everyone at the Sacred Hand Grounds was left scrambling with barely a mont to catch their breath. Even the lowest-ranked servants had to cut into their sleeping hours to tend to the patients.
However, there was one person who managed to rise above the frenzy and live in leisurely detachnt — and that was, of course, Wi Yeonho.
“Haaaam!”
Since that day, neither Jin Soa nor Jin Yeran asked anything of Wi Yeonho. Or more accurately, since that day, Wi Yeonho had nothing left to do.
Examining the patients in detail and prescribing treatnts accordingly was beyond his capability.
Wi Yeonho, whose hands lacked finesse, couldn’t even wrap a bandage properly. If anyone were to assign him a task that others could finish in a mont, it would clearly take him four to five hours.
Everyone now understood this, and no one even considered assigning anything to Wi Yeonho.
Thanks to that, Wi Yeonho had been left completely alone for more than five days.
He was so thoroughly ignored that it was almost a blessing he still got als during alti.
Anyone else might have felt insulted at being treated with such indifference while visiting as a guest, but Wi Yeonho had no such complaints. In fact, he was quite pleased with the situation — no one looking for him suited him just fine.
Even Jin Soa, being busy, no longer nagged at him while delivering als, and thanks to that, Wi Yeonho was able to lie around on the floor without a care in the world.
But that didn’t an Wi Yeonho was doing absolutely nothing.
Even as he rolled around on the floor, he kept track of the clinic’s operations as if seeing it in the palm of his hand. Simply lying there didn’t stop the sounds from reaching him.
“Sister, we’re running low on Bone-Setting Powder.”
“Go to the dispensary and ask for Bone-Setting Powder. There’s no ti to prepare it from raw ingredients.”
“But if we buy it directly, the cost is quite steep.”
“Is saving lives sothing you put a price on?!”
“But we’ve already spent over ten taels of silver since those patients arrived. They're laborers from the quarry; we won’t get any paynt from them. If we keep spending like this…”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?! I’ve told you ti and ti again — petty matters like money are none of your concern! You should focus only on treating patients and advancing your dical skills!”
“But…”
“Just go and get the Bone-Setting Powder. I’ll cover the cost.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.
“Ten taels of silver?”
He knew Jin Soa was underestimating. That figure only accounted for the cost of the dicine used on the patients. If they included all the other incidental expenses and the treatnt fees they were supposed to collect, at least twenty taels had gone up in smoke already.
It hadn’t even been that long since Wi Yeonho gave Jin Yeran thirty taels of silver, yet only ten remained.
Given that Jin Soa and Jin Yeran were doing work that was practically volunteer service, the actual remaining amount was likely higher if they excluded labor costs — but it was only a matter of ti before the Baek Silver Jade necklace, which had barely been reclaid, would have to return to the pawnshop.
“Tsk.”
Wi Yeonho closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
He was learning a lot here, but it ca with emotional discomfort.
Living for others was admirable.
But that very greatness was what made Wi Yeonho feel uneasy.
---
At Great Scholarly Institute.
After Wi Yeonho’s departure, Mun Eunji had finally regained so peace when she received an unexpected visitor.
A composed young man with a heavy air, and a beggar with a face full of suffering.
They made a strange pair.
“Who did you say you were looking for?”
The composed young man spoke with a stiff expression.
“Is soone nad Wi Yeonho here by any chance?”
Mun Eunji tilted her head.
“Young Master Wi Yeonho? Yes he was.”
“And now?”
“He’s not here anymore. It’s been a while since he left.”
Disappointnt flashed across the young man’s face.
“Is that so? Do you perhaps know where he went?”
“Yes. He went to the Sacred Hand Grounds in Hubei.”
“Are you sure?”
“I personally arranged for an escort to accompany him, so I rember it clearly. Young Master Wi Yeonho headed to Hubei with an escort from the Swift Dragon Escort Agency.”
The young man nodded.
“Thank you. Then…”
He turned to leave.
At that, the beggar widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Where are you going?”
The young man answered flatly.
“To Hubei.”
The beggar collapsed to the ground, screaming.
“No! I’m not going! Just kill , you bastard! I ran all the way from Kaifeng to here without a drop of water! And now you want to go straight to Hubei in the dead of night? Kill ! Kill ! Just kill already!”
The young man said coldly.
“Get up.”
“Oh gods! Look at this heartless wretch! Who drags around a starving beggar and puts him through this kind of torture?!”
Mun Eunji sighed.
“You should rest before going.”
The cold young man shook his head.
“No. I can’t trouble you.”
“Letting guests who ca at this hour leave like this will bring sha. I’ll prepare a al and a bath. Please rest before continuing.”
A look of hesitation appeared on the young man’s face.
“I’ll die before I go! My feet are on fire, on fire!”
The young man frowned.
Heading to Hubei wouldn’t be that difficult in itself, but finding the Sacred Hand Grounds alone would certainly take a considerable amount of ti. If he wanted to get there quickly, the beggar’s help was essential.
‘No helping it, then.’
Though he had rushed due to urgency, he realized he had indeed moved too hastily. It was fine for a beggar to look like a beggar, but right now, the man’s condition was downright disgraceful.
“Then I’ll accept your hospitality.”
“There’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“What is your relation to Young Master Wi Yeonho?”
The young man answered with a light smile.
“I’m his older brother. The na’s Wi Sanho.”
Wi Sanho entered the room Mun Eunji had prepared and took a bath.
After drying off and putting on his lower garnts properly, he stepped out, and a freshly cleaned Jang Il grumbled.
“Just look at the state of a High Beggar from the Beggar Sect — if the King Beggar saw now, he’d foam at the mouth.”
Wi Sanho chuckled.
Mun Eunji had prepared a room, but there was no way he could bring soone in looking like that. So Jang Il had no choice but to set aside the rags he had cherished for years and soak in warm water for the first ti since he ca of age.
The bathwater had turned pitch black, which ant it had to be replaced, but at least the room could maintain a sense of cleanliness that didn’t make it feel like a beggar had entered.
Grumbling, Jang Il whistled when he looked at Wi Sanho.
“Whew\~ now that’s sothing.”
Wi Sanho’s solid, muscular upper body — shaped by countless hours of training — was impressive to anyone who saw it.
Though marred by scars both big and small, rather than looking unsightly, they only emphasized Wi Sanho’s masculinity.
“You really are the Demon-Banishing Sword. No one gets a physique like that without going through real battles from an early age. But…”
Jang Il stared at a long diagonal scar stretching across Wi Sanho’s chest.
It looked quite old, but just one glance was enough to tell how severe it must have been.
“Is that from the ti you fought the Tail-less Phantom Demon? I heard you almost died.”
Wi Sanho looked down slightly and examined the scar. With his fingers, he traced the long wound that ran from his left chest to his right side.
“Tail-less Phantom Demon?”
“Yeah. Heard you nearly kicked the bucket that ti.”
“If you compare it to when I got this scar, that was just a scratch.”
Wi Sanho gave a bitter smile.
“Then who gave you that scar? You’re the Demon-Banishing Sword — are you saying there was a demonic practitioner strong enough to drag you to death’s doorstep?”
“Demonic practitioner, huh…”
Wi Sanho stared into empty space.
“Brother! Hey! Snap out of it!”
Wi Sanho continued to gaze into the air before finally opening his mouth.
“It’s a wound caused by my own arrogance — not knowing how terrifying the sword could be.”
“Huh?”
“Because of it, I nearly died… and almost ruined him too.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ignoring Jang Il’s words, Wi Sanho muttered to himself.
“I should’ve stopped there. But I made another mistake.”
Jang Il stared at Wi Sanho with a puzzled expression. He wanted to retort, but Wi Sanho’s heavy atmosphere kept him silent.
“That kid…”
Jang Il flopped onto the bed.
“Ugh, I don’t care anymore. I’m just starving. If I don’t get sothing in , the hungry ghosts in my gut are gonna eat from the inside.”
“Are you planning to beg?”
“Beg? With this getup? I’d get beaten to death! A perfectly healthy guy going out to beg?”
Knock knock.
“May I co in?”
“Yes, please.”
Wi Sanho quickly threw on his upper robe.
The door opened, and Mun Eunji entered the room with attendants carrying trays. The trays were laden with a variety of dishes.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought a al.”
Before the tray even touched the floor, Jang Il lunged at it.
“Wow! Miss, thank you! I’ll never forget this kindness, even if I die!”
Wi Sanho frowned at Jang Il’s disgraceful display of stuffing his face and offered Mun Eunji a deep bow.
“Thank you for your generosity.”
Mun Eunji waved it off.
“No need to thank . Honestly, we owe a great debt to your younger brother. This is nothing in comparison.”
“You said ‘a great debt’?”
Mun Eunji hesitated awkwardly.
“I can’t really go into detail. It’s not sothing to be shared outside. Just take it that way.”
“I understand.”
Mun Eunji tilted her head as she looked at Wi Sanho.
He didn’t resemble Wi Yeonho much.
Whereas Wi Yeonho was lazy and talkative, Wi Sanho was serious and reserved.
Even setting aside personality, their appearances didn’t match either. Wi Sanho was objectively handso — rugged and defined.
Wi Yeonho, too, could be considered handso in his own way, but compared to Wi Sanho, he didn’t quite asure up. His features were softer and more delicate.
‘Siblings don’t always have to look alike.’
Plenty of brothers shared no resemblance. It wasn’t anything to be surprised about.
“In any case, please get a good night’s rest. I’ll call for the escort tomorrow.”
“You ntioned an escort?”
“Yes. He traveled with an escort.”
“With his personality, he wouldn’t have gone as an ard guard or escort, so I suppose he must’ve gone as a cargo escort.”
Mun Eunji chuckled.
“No. He just went along with the escort — as the cargo.”
“The cargo?”
Wi Sanho tilted his head at the strange explanation, but Mun Eunji didn’t make an effort to clarify. Wi Yeonho was not soone who could easily be explained in words. Perhaps Wi Sanho already knew that, because he didn’t press her for more.
“And if you happen to et him…”
“Yes.”
Wi Sanho calmly waited for what would co next.
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