I Possessed a Cultivator Destined to Die at the Hands of the Protagonist - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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26.
That’s right.
I wasn’t merely talentless at cooking—I was born with the worst possible aptitude for anything requiring manual dexterity, a true klutz.
Though I suppose I was like this even before the possession.
To be honest, how often does a modern person actually need to prepare medicine by hand?
In the contemporary world, lacking manual skill posed no obstacle to survival whatsoever.
“…There is. A cat that occasionally wanders around Bikyun Pavilion.”
“Why is the cat’s name Popi?”
Hearing “Popi,” I’d assumed it was some kind of dog.
Wait, so I’m even more useless than a cat right now?
I cast a sidelong glance at the mushy medicinal paste collapsing inside the cauldron.
This is strange. I was told to add the Cheongsu Herb once it reached a gentle boil, so why did it burn like this?
“Sigh, that’s enough. It’s my fault for entrusting this to you, miss.”
“That’s too harsh.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Eun Hui-gyeom examined the cauldron’s state, then poured in Cheongsu Herb and Spirit Spring Water.
Before long, the color returned to normal.
Wow, when I poured things in trying to adjust the concentration, nothing worked, but his does instantly.
This is discrimination!
“Perhaps you could assist with something else, miss.”
“Understood.”
I went over to Kang Jin-heon, who was grinding dried Cheongsu Herb.
“I think it would be better if I just did it myself.”
All one had to do was grind the dried Cheongsu Herb finely with a mortar, yet somehow when I ground it, instead of becoming powder, it clumped together into a paste.
“Yu Do, I’m sorry to ask, but could you form them into uniform sizes?”
“But I already formed them into uniform sizes.”
“This isn’t medicine—it’s rice balls.”
Jin Seok-jun showed me the medicinal pellets of varying sizes.
The pellets he had crafted were perfectly consistent, while mine were an absolute mess in terms of dosage.
“Ugh, I’m like an anemone. Completely useless.”
“That’s not true. Even an anemone must have some purpose somewhere. Miss. …Though perhaps not here.”
Eun Hui-gyeom patted me on the shoulder as I crouched in the corner.
You’re even worse than me!
While the others continued preparing the Vitality Pellets without me, someone knocked on the door.
“Yes? Who is it?”
With nothing else to do, I hurried over and opened the door.
“There’s been a strange smell coming from this room, and I must ask—what exactly are you making?”
“Ah, well…”
Boiling deer antler produced a peculiarly bitter-sweet aroma that had apparently spread throughout the entire floor of the inn.
“Haha, we were just preparing some medicine.”
“Medicine? What sort of medicine are you making?”
“A remedy for petrification sickness.”
“….”
“In any case, I’ll do my best to minimize the odor. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
I bowed my head, thinking I would need to employ Kang Jin-heon’s cultivation method to dispel the smell.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“What did you just say? You’re making medicine for petrification sickness?!”
“That’s right.”
“Is it possible to actually cure petrification sickness?”
The Middle-aged Man pressed me with urgent intensity.
“Yes. Once the medicine is complete, most cases should be treatable….”
“Please! Treat my daughter, I beg you. I’ll pay any price!”
He suddenly dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.
Startled, I hastily helped him to his feet.
The man who had sought us out was Hwang Dae-geun, the proprietor of Nakryeon Inn.
“I lost my wife to petrification sickness not long ago. My only daughter has recently shown symptoms as well, and now she cannot even rise from her bed.”
“Then we must certainly help.”
Eun Hui-gyeom, who had been brewing the medicinal herb, approached us.
Though the medicine was not yet complete, we possessed some remedies on hand.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!”
Hwang Dae-geun’s demeanor transformed at the promise to treat his daughter.
Eun Hui-gyeom and I briefly left the room and made our way to where Hwang Dae-geun’s daughter lay.
Upon the bed lay his daughter, Hwang Yu-ha, whose body was growing increasingly rigid and hardened.
Eun Hui-gyeom examined Hwang Yu-ha’s condition.
“This is…. Had we arrived much later, it would have been dire.”
She was in no state to swallow anything.
Eun Hui-gyeom finely ground a vitality pill, dissolved it in water, and carefully administered it to Hwang Yu-ha.
“Cough, cough…!”
Hwang Yu-ha coughed as she swallowed the medicine, then collapsed back onto the bed.
When I checked her condition again, her breathing had improved considerably from before.
“I could not administer all the medicine at once, so I gave her only a small amount. Grind the remaining medicine and have her take it three times daily with water, and she should gradually improve.”
Hwang Dae-geun’s expression brightened as he witnessed the slight improvement in his daughter’s condition.
“Thank you. Sob. Honored guests, as for compensation….”
“We require no payment.”
“Then please, stay at the inn as long as you wish. I shall see to your every comfort.”
“Then we’ll accept that as our reward.”
Perhaps because we had treated Hwang Yu-ha, Hwang Dae-geun ceased his complaints about the medicine-making.
Rather, when we mentioned using it to help the people of Nakryeong City, he actively stepped forward to assist us.
“If it’s merely a matter of rolling them into spheres, I’ll summon the skilled workers! You may also assign tasks to Inn Keeper here!”
“There’s no need to go to such lengths…”
“Besides, the inn has no guests anyway!”
Thanks to their help with the chores, I was able to complete the Life-Restoring Elixir sooner than expected.
“The inn?”
“Goodness, esteemed guests. Were you planning to provide treatment out in the streets? Nakryeong City is overflowing with patients. If you did that, everyone would come rushing in hoping for a cure, and it would turn into complete chaos.”
Hwang Dae-geun stepped forward first, offering to lend the entire inn for the patients.
For Nakryeong City to thrive would mean better business, and if the name of Nakryeon Inn spread through this deed, it would prove beneficial to him later—so the proposal was far from a losing venture for him.
“Exactly. I also think his words are sound.”
“I will do my very best!”
I heard that Hwang Dae-geun’s daughter had regained consciousness yesterday and had begun eating rice porridge.
As his daughter’s condition improved, Hwang Dae-geun’s expression grew brighter.
Having operated an inn in the bustling district for so long, Hwang Dae-geun was a man of considerable trust among the people.
Patients came hesitantly upon hearing from Hwang Dae-geun that there was medicine for treatment.
Not only did patients with mild cases recover and leave, but thanks to Eun Hui-gyeom’s expertise in pharmacology, the Petrification Plague and even chronic ailments that had plagued them vanished—so much so that Nakhwa Inn became far more renowned under the name Nakhwa Medical Center.
While Eun Hui-gyeom tended to Hwang Dae-geun and the patients at Nakhwa Inn, Kang Jin-heon and I sought out those with mobility issues or severe cases, delivering medicine to them.
According to Eun Hui-gyeom, he had used slightly better materials when making this batch of the Life-Restoring Elixir compared to the first time.
Perhaps for that reason, the medicine proved remarkably effective even for severely afflicted patients.
But several days later, a different problem emerged.
“Sister, something is amiss.”
“What is it?”
“Patients whose Petrification Plague should have halted with the medicine I made are experiencing worsening symptoms again, or those who recovered once are relapsing and returning for treatment.”
“The Petrification Plague is a contagious disease, after all.”
“Even so, once someone takes the Life-Restoring Elixir and recovers, they shouldn’t relapse for at least several months.”
According to Eun Hui-gyeom, such rapid relapses were unprecedented.
Especially when he had used even better medicinal ingredients this time.
“There aren’t many such patients yet, but the fact that this is happening even though I destroyed the source…”
“…means we’re still pouring water into a bottomless vessel?”
“Precisely.”
It was while we were contemplating the patients experiencing relapse.
“Gasp, huff. Esteemed guests! This is, this is terrible! Yu-ha. My daughter has collapsed!”
Hwang Dae-geun came rushing over, his face drained of all color.
Hwang Yu-ha lay in her room, drenched in cold sweat.
Eun Hui-gyeom’s expression darkened as he examined her condition.
“Her condition suddenly worsened starting this morning, and it has come to this.”
Hwang Yu-ha’s skin was cracking in ashen fissures across various places, and her breathing had grown shallow.
The Petrification Plague was spreading rapidly and violently through her body.
“I understand. I need to begin treatment, so please step outside for a moment.”
Eun Hui-gyeom ushered Hwang Dae-geun out of the room.
Then he withdrew a small box from the depths of his robe.
“What is that?”
“It’s an elixir pill I’ve been working on recently.”
“You’re going to feed her an elixir pill?”
Elixir pills were nearly miraculous tonics for those of the Monastery, but to ordinary people without the strength to withstand them, they were little better than poison.
Eun Hui-gyeom pinched off a small portion of the elixir pill and mixed it with the Life-Returning Powder.
“Her condition is far from normal, so I believe she’ll accept it. If we do nothing, she won’t survive even a single day. The question is whether she can endure the spiritual essence contained within the elixir pill.”
I checked just to be certain, but Hwang Yu-ha was an ordinary person without spiritual roots.
From Eun Hui-gyeom’s perspective, it was a gamble of sorts.
“Wait—what if we tried this approach instead?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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