****
“Brother! Brother!”
Sima Ho came running up, yelling at the top of his lungs as if the market itself might take off.
Not only Sima Geon, who had been prepping meat for a customer, but even Cheol U, who was hanging meat in the slaughterhouse, rushed out at the commotion.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Sima Geon asked, furrowing his brow after seeing off the customer.
“He’s here! He came!”
Sima Geon let out a sigh, his brow creasing deeper at the cryptic words, when Cheol U arrived late and grabbed Sima Ho by the ear, yanking it up.
“Ow, that hurts! It hurts!”
Sima Ho whined, rising onto his tiptoes, and Cheol U scowled as he spoke.
“Then stop spouting nonsense and speak properly. What’s with all this fuss?”
“Let go of that first.”
Sima Ho barely pried off Cheol U’s hand from his ear, then rubbed his reddened ear furiously and shouted.
“Argh, seriously! Why are you so violent?”
“It’s a sign of affection. Looks like you’ve never seen real violence. Want me to show you?”
Cheol U grinned wickedly, cracking his knuckles, and Sima Ho shook his head, face paling.
“No need. You were like this last time too, and...”
Sima Ho grumbled nonstop, then suddenly went blank-faced and smacked his own forehead.
“What’s wrong with my head? It’s all because of you, Brother.”
Sending an undeserved glare at Cheol U, Sima Ho grabbed Sima Geon’s arm, who was eyeing them both pitifully.
“On my way to the butcher shop, I ran into a guy sent by the physician from Pure Heart Clinic.”
At the mention of Pure Heart Clinic, Sima Geon’s expression changed abruptly.
“He said the physician who went to Hangzhou has arrived. He brought a message saying to bring the youngest to Pure Heart Clinic.”
Sima Geon was no longer listening. He turned and headed into the back of the butcher shop, when Sima Ho asked.
“When do we go?”
Sima Geon tossed aside his bloodied apron, tidied up in the blink of an eye, and shut the shop door as he said.
“Right now.”
<><><>
The moment they heard the physician had returned from Hangzhou, Sima Geon and his brothers rushed to Pure Heart Clinic, where Oh Hwan greeted them.
Well aware of the brothers’ situation, Oh Hwan beamed at their flushed, eager faces.
“Come in. The physician is waiting.”
As they followed Oh Hwan inside, Cheol U nudged Sima Geon’s side.
Sima Geon turned, and Cheol U jerked his chin toward the men heading to the left side ward.
“That’s them, right?”
Sima Geon nodded, staring at the men in surprise at Cheol U’s question.
“Yeah.”
“Never imagined we’d run into them here.”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Sima Ho asked Cheol U.
“Why? You know them?”
“Yeah. On the way back from Hangzhou...”
“Cut the chit-chat and get inside.”
Sima Geon swiftly cut off Cheol U to avoid worrying Sima Jin with unnecessary talk. He then took Sima Jin’s hand, who couldn’t hide her tension, and led her inside.
Opening the ward door, Hwang Jeong, who had been chatting with a guest, welcomed them with a bright smile.
“Come in. I’ve been waiting.”
“We hurried over the second we got the message. Hope we’re not too early.”
“Not at all. The physician from the main family was eager to see the patient as soon as possible.”
Hwang Jeong’s gaze naturally shifted to the guest before them, Hwang Yeong.
As Hwang Jeong moved to introduce her, Hwang Yeong, who had been startled at the sight of Sima Geon and Cheol U, now smiled warmly and greeted them.
“What a fateful connection. Isn’t it?”
At Hwang Yeong’s question, Yu Sa Ha and Gok Ja Yu, who had just entered the ward and flinched at Cheol U, burst into hearty laughs and nodded.
“Sure is.”
“No wonder Thousand Kill Hall came at us so hard. They were after the pure azure oil.”
Hwang Jeong looked puzzled, and Sima Geon smiled as he explained.
“When we got the pure azure oil in Hangzhou, those guys targeted us. They helped us out then. Never dreamed they’d be from the Living Immortal Physician Family.”
“Ah! So that’s what happened. Haha! Fate works in mysterious ways.”
Hwang Jeong laughed heartily, delighted.
“I always regretted leaving without proper thanks. Let me express my gratitude again for your help back then.”
Sima Geon bowed toward Hwang Yeong.
“No need. Now that I know your situation, it makes even more sense. With your sister battling illness, you had no time to waste on something as rare as pure azure oil. As a physician, how could I not understand?”
Hwang Yeong smiled faintly. Even that light smile seemed to brighten the room.
“Jin-ah, this is the one who’ll examine you. Say hello.”
Sima Geon gently pushed forward the hesitant Sima Jin.
“I-I’m Sima Jin. Please take care of me.”
Sima Jin bowed politely.
“My! You’re as pretty as a fairy, Miss Sima.”
At Hwang Yeong’s praise, Sima Jin ducked her head, face flushing red. Unable to hold back her laughter at the sight, Hwang Yeong took Sima Jin’s hand gently.
“I’m the one who should ask that. Illness can’t be cured by the physician alone. The patient and physician must fight it together. Understand?”
Sima Jin nodded, head still bowed, her voice a whisper.
“Yes.”
Satisfied with the answer, Hwang Yeong looked around.
“Everyone, please step out for a bit.”
At the request to clear the room, all hurried out of the ward.
Even Hwang Jeong, though given permission to stay, quietly left to avoid disturbing her pulse diagnosis.
Hwang Yeong smiled as she gently took the wrist of Sima Jin, who lay on the bed looking anxious.
“Now, I’ll check what illness has taken root in your body, Miss Sima. Relax as much as you can. No need to worry. We’re fighting the illness together, right?”
Sima Jin squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Hwang Yeong’s eyes softly closed as she began the pulse reading.
Exactly half a shichen later, Hwang Yeong, having examined Sima Jin, called in the anxiously waiting Sima Geon and the others from outside.
“How is it?”
Far more time had passed than expected, and Sima Geon’s expression wasn’t good.
A long examination meant a tough case. Dark thoughts crept in that even Hwang Yeong might not identify Sima Jin’s illness.
“First off, I think I’ve identified the illness.”
Hwang Yeong said with a somewhat darkened face. Sima Geon drew a sharp breath.
“What is it?”
“Miss Sima was born with Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian.”
“Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian? Not Nine Yin Severed Meridian?”
Considering all Sima Jin’s symptoms, Hwang Jeong had suspected Nine Yin Severed Meridian, though not certain. He couldn’t hide his confusion at the unfamiliar name.
“It’s natural for you to suspect Nine Yin Severed Meridian, Brother. The symptoms are very similar.”
“So symptoms match Nine Yin Severed Meridian, but it’s ultimately a different illness.”
Hwang Jeong sighed.
“Yes. Definitely different. Coincidentally, just before I left the main family, a patient with the exact same condition visited. I started treatment assuming Nine Yin Severed Meridian, but something felt off. Subtle differences. No effect from treatment. If I hadn’t found records of Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian in the family library, I never would’ve diagnosed her.”
“What happened to that patient?”
Hwang Yeong hesitated at Sima Geon’s question, unable to answer.
“It failed.”
“Yes. It did.”
Sima Geon clenched his fist without realizing.
“Why?”
Hwang Jeong couldn’t comprehend failing to treat a patient even after identifying the illness, despite the Living Immortal Physician Family’s prowess.
“Brother, you sometimes overestimate the main family’s abilities too much. Even we can’t cure everything. Far from it.”
Hwang Yeong smiled bitterly.
“Nine Yin Severed Meridian is rare, but curable with our arts. You said Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian matches it in symptoms and all else. I don’t understand why it couldn’t be cured.”
“Three reasons.”
“Three?”
Hwang Jeong swallowed hard.
“First, it was too late. She was twenty-one when she came. Yin energy had invaded her marrow; all medicines failed. Acupuncture only prolonged life slightly.”
“Twenty-one...”
A low groan escaped Hwang Jeong. No Nine Yin Severed Meridian patient had lived past eighteen, so surviving to twenty with similar Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian was miraculous.
“Second, though symptoms similar, the yin energy in Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian sufferers is stronger than Nine Yin Severed Meridian. Far more severe.”
“But she lived past twenty, right? Opposite of Nine Yin Severed Meridian, which kills by eighteen untreated.”
“That’s...”
Hwang Yeong trailed off, glancing at Sima Geon and his siblings before sighing.
“There’s a reason for that.”
“Reason?”
“She took pure azure oil too. That’s how she lasted past twenty.”
Everyone in the ward paled at her words.
Shocked that a Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian patient, like Sima Jin, died despite taking the pure azure oil they believed the only solution.
“If we’d used the family acupuncture with the pure azure oil, it would’ve been different. But we didn’t. That’s the third reason.”
Hwang Yeong added hastily, but couldn’t easily lift the disappointment.
“So, can it be cured or not?”
Cheol U asked gruffly. Yu Sa Ha and Gok Ja Yu’s brows twitched at the rudeness.
“What the hell?”
Sima Geon snapped, and Cheol U thumped his chest.
“Everyone’s dying here, and you keep skirting the point. The past failure isn’t what matters now.”
“Shut it. Be quiet.”
Glare fixed on Cheol U, Sima Geon bowed politely to Hwang Yeong.
“Sorry. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
“It’s fine. I understand.”
Despite grounds for anger, Hwang Yeong kept her gentle smile. Then to Cheol U:
“I can’t give a definite yes. The previous patient was too late for proper treatment. But records state the family acupuncture definitely works on Heavenly Yin Divine Meridian. So...”
“But wait.”
Hwang Yeong’s words cut off again as Cheol U interjected.
“What about the patient in the records? Did they survive?”
“...”
All eyes turned to Hwang Yeong, but she couldn’t answer this time either.
<><><>
“That’s what happened earlier.”
Sima Hyeon’s face was stiff as he listened after returning from escort work. Especially shocked at the possibility that even with pure azure oil, Sima Jin’s illness might not be fully cured.
“Don’t worry too much. Unlike past patients, Jin-ah’s case is better. We know the illness exactly, have the elixir to treat it, and skilled physicians. She’ll definitely recover.”
Sima Geon patted Sima Hyeon’s worried shoulder gently.
“So treatment’s started?”
Sima Hyeon asked, fighting back tears ready to fall.
“Yeah. But she’s physically very weak, they said. Could collapse any moment. So they’re taking it slow.”
Sima Hyeon’s eyes widened.
“No way, she didn’t seem like that.”
“She held it in for us. We’re the fools who didn’t notice.”
Sima Geon continued bitterly, self-reproachful.
“Anyway, they’ll try treating with pure azure oil and family secrets as soon as possible.”
Sima Hyeon’s face darkened again.
“Why?”
“Escort duty tomorrow.”
“Busy, huh? It’s only been days since you got back.”
“Seems jobs picked up since trouble hit Shang Hua Escort Agency recently.”
“I see...”
Sima Geon, knowing exactly what happened at Shang Hua Escort Agency, nodded with an awkward smile.
“Don’t worry, go do it. When you return after the escort, you’ll see a healthy Jin-ah.”
“Yeah... right?”
Sima Hyeon asked in a trembling voice.
“Of course. It’ll happen for sure.”
Sima Geon nodded confidently. But the anxiety deep in his eyes matched Sima Hyeon’s.