Murim Login - Chapter 341

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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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Chapter 341
A conversation I’d had with Moon-kyung a few days ago flashed through my mind.
“I’m grateful for everything you’ve done.”
“Don’t thank me. Just focus on becoming an excellent physician.”
“Like the Divine Physician?”
“Yes, like the Divine Physician.”
And those final words he’d let slip so casually.
“Unfortunately, I can’t go with you this time. I need to return to my master.”
How had I not seen it?
Looking back, Moon-kyung had always possessed something extraordinary. The remarkable resourcefulness he’d displayed when bandits threatened his life, composure beyond his years, and exceptional medical skill.
“That wasn’t all.”
The boy who’d nearly been dragged to the bottom of the Yangtze River by bandits had casually hitched a ride on a merchant vessel, and had even visited the notorious Sichuan Tang Sect—infamous throughout the Martial World—just to obtain medicinal herbs from their pharmacy.
He’d accomplished feats that would make even the most audacious martial artists hesitate, as if they were nothing.
“And the words and actions he just displayed….”
I didn’t know what the Black Hand Seal that Moon-kyung had mentioned was, or what level of power it possessed.
But one thing was certain.
“Divine Physician. You were the Divine Physician’s disciple all along.”
“…!”
“…!”
The others widened their eyes and stared at Moon-kyung upon hearing my words, which mingled joy and disillusionment.
Moon-kyung’s body shrank in the suffocating silence that descended in that moment.
“I’m so sorry. But I couldn’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
I asked reflexively, then immediately regretted it. The Divine Physician had lived his entire life concealing his identity. It was only natural that his disciple Moon-kyung would keep silent.
Had Myo Ryeong Sae-tae’s life not been in critical danger, Moon-kyung would certainly never have revealed his master’s identity.
“Where is the Divine Physician—your master—right now?”
Moon-kyung, who had been hesitating, bit his lip firmly.
“Before that, could you promise me one thing?”
“I’ll keep the secret. Without fail.”
I gave a firm answer and produced something from my robes to show him.
It was an object I’d been pulling from my inventory to examine whenever I had a spare moment lately.
[The finest galls come from the lands of Sichuan.]
Moon-kyung’s eyes widened as he saw the faint characters written on the jade-colored silk.
“This is….”
“Do you recognize it?”
“Yes, it’s unmistakably my master’s handwriting.”
Moon-kyung examined the [Divine Physician’s Token] with wonder, then let out a small exclamation of realization.
“Now that I think about it, my master once told me. A long time ago, he left a token for a certain renowned physician, asking them to come to Sichuan. But how did you come to possess this….”
“I received it directly from that renowned physician. There’s a patient only the Divine Physician can treat.”
I continued with emphasis.
“He’s someone I absolutely must save.”
“I don’t know who you are or where you’re from… but it seems the Master holds this person very dear.”
Someone precious.
Yes, that’s what it feels like. To me, Jeok Cheon-gang is a precious person. He gave me everything, and now it’s my turn to protect him.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Moon-kyung smiled faintly and nodded.
“Please follow me. I’ll guide you to my Master.”
* * *
Crunch, crunch.
The accumulated snow compressed beneath each footstep.
I surveyed my surroundings. Frost-covered, skeletal branches. Wherever my gaze fell, pristine white snow lay gently piled.
‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s still remarkable.’
Outside, early spring had arrived with budding sprouts, yet the landscape we walked through now was that of a winter day blanketed in snow.
‘So this is the Qimen Formation….’
The place Moon-kyung led us to—claiming he would guide us to the Divine Physician—was the very same mountain we’d searched with the Qingcheng Sect before. But when he reached a certain point and grunted while moving several large boulders aside, an entirely new path and landscape unfolded before us.
‘Everyone, myself included, stood there with our mouths hanging open at the sight we’d never witnessed before.’
Moon-kyung told us that the person who had set this up was Ki Hwan Old Master.
According to Gung Ki-bang’s explanation, delivered with such fervor that spittle flew, Ki Hwan Old Master was a figure from the distant past who had been called the greatest formation master under heaven.
I had no idea what connection he had with the Divine Physician, but to have set up something like this… We nearly got lost searching right in front of our noses.
‘No wonder no one could find it.’
What good was unleashing countless skilled martial artists and government soldiers?
If we had searched mountain by mountain in the orthodox manner, half a century wouldn’t have been enough time, let alone half a year.
“Wow, wow!”
Chung Poong, bounding ahead like a puppy let loose in a snowy field, let out a cry of amazement. I was about to scold him for it, but in the next moment, the completely transformed scenery left my mouth agape as well.
“…Wow, damn. What is this?”
In just a few steps, the world had changed again.
From a midwinter landscape blanketed entirely in white snow to unmistakable spring.
Everything around us was verdant, and flowers of unknown varieties bloomed in full splendor. Hyuk Moo-jin approached with a dazed expression and asked.
“Captain. Am I seeing things right now?”
“I have no idea either, man.”
Even Gung Ki-bang, the most experienced among us in martial world matters, stood muttering with his mouth hanging open in bewilderment.
“Huh… Huh! Pfft! What is this!”
“Butterflies?”
Goodness, real butterflies indeed. And not just one or two.
A riot of colors.
Hundreds of butterflies perched throughout the flower garden suddenly took flight in unison—a sight that was nothing short of magnificent.
Whoooosh.
The breeze that blew in at that very moment—where had it come from? The sunlight that poured down so brilliantly—where was it entering from?
To me, each and every thing I saw now was one of the seven wonders of the world.
‘Compared to this, the pyramids are nothing.’
There are places where the seasons change within a few steps—what’s a pyramid compared to that? Some Egyptian administrator probably had children build it.
The Pharaoh would look stern and say he was disappointed in you, then after a few lashes, you’d find yourself hauling stones while being whipped.
But this place… is an entirely different realm.
“Young Master Jin?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“We’re almost there. Just need to cross that hillside ahead.”
Snapping back to attention, I followed Moon-kyung and resumed walking.
As we crested the low hillside blanketed in verdant grass, a small thatched cottage standing alone on the flat expanse came into view.
And there… he was.
“Master!”
At Moon-kyung’s cry, the old man who had been planting something in the vegetable garden before the cottage straightened his hunched back. His beard was as snow-white as the eyes I’d seen on the journey here. His wrinkled gaze and transparent pupils held a clarity that transcended age.
Upon noticing us, the old man’s eyes curved gently with warmth.
“An honored guest has arrived.”
At last, I had found him. The Divine Physician.
* * *
It was much later before I had a proper conversation with the Divine Physician.
After examining Myo Ryeong Sae-tae’s condition, the Divine Physician had Moon-kyung move the patient into the thatched cottage, and the two of them reappeared after an hour had passed.
“It has been long since someone came seeking me.”
The Divine Physician’s voice, which came suddenly, was like a cool spring breeze. I, who had been pacing around the cottage, hastily bowed.
“Jin Tae-kyung of the Taiyuan Jin Clan greets the Divine Physician.”
“Dong Feng.”
“Pardon?”
“That is my name. The title Divine Physician is too much honor—please call me Old Master Dong.”
He wasn’t some fortune teller named Kim, and there was no way I could call the greatest physician under heaven by such a casual name.
‘Especially when he’s old enough to be my grandfather.’
But facing the benevolent gaze in the Divine Physician’s eyes, I could only acquiesce in silence.
“Very well. Old Master Dong.”
“Thank you, Young Master Jin.”
The Divine Physician smiled gently at my response, then continued exchanging greetings with each person individually.
He showed courtesy even to us, who were vastly younger, and never rushed through anything.
“Hello! I’m Chung Poong!”
He did not lose his smile even before the madman of this region.
“Haha, you are full of spirit indeed. I am Dong Feng. You may call me Old Master Dong like the others.”
“Well, but my grandfather said I should show respect to my elders.”
“Your grandfather has given you excellent teachings. Yet if our hearts are in accord, what does formality matter? Think of me simply as a friend who happens to be a bit older.”
“A friend?”
“Yes, a friend.”
Chung Poong broke into a radiant smile.
“Then I’ll count on you, Old Master Dong!”
“Haha, hahahaha!”
Is he laughing at this?
Is he the joker of the Martial World? The type who laughs whether angry or bewildered.
“Old Master Dong, have you ever tried candy?”
“I’m quite fond of it. There was a time when I regularly enjoyed Bing Tang Hu Lo.”
“Hey, me too!”
The setting was like a healing film, but the conversation content was pure horror thriller. Eventually, Gung Ki-bang, his face drained of all color, clamped both hands over Chung Poong’s mouth and slowly backed away.
Watching this, the Divine Physician chuckled and turned his head toward Moon-kyung.
“You’ve brought some entertaining people.”
Moon-kyung bowed deeply.
“My apologies. I did so without your permission, Master.”
“No, no. Fate is woven by heaven. This too follows the natural order. Don’t you agree?”
The final question was directed at me. I nodded and produced the [Divine Physician’s Token] I had prepared beforehand.
“This is….”
“A token left long ago by the Divine Physician—or rather, by Old Master Dong. The Luoyang Eccentric Physician gave this to me and told me to seek you out.”
“I did?”
“Pardon?”
Wait, could he have forgotten this?
The Divine Physician tilted his head in confusion for a moment, and only after Moon-kyung reminded him again did he let out an exclamation.
“Ah yes, that’s right. It’s such an old memory that I had momentarily forgotten.”
“Phew. I thought you’d completely forgotten.”
“In any case, the fact that you possess this token means… there must be a matter that requires this old man’s aid.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Could it concern the female cultivator that the young man brought? If so, there’s no need for great worry. We’ve already passed the most critical phase.”
The Divine Physician continued, gazing toward the thatched cottage where Myo Ryeong Sae-tae lay.
“Though the path ahead won’t be smooth… if proper recuperation follows the completion of treatment, full recovery is possible.”
It was welcome news to hear. That Myo Ryeong Sae-tae had escaped death’s grasp, and that the Divine Physician truly possessed medical skills befitting his reputation.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
“There is another patient.”
“Another patient?”
“The one who gave me this token said that only the Divine Physician in all the realm could possibly treat this person.”
“Only I can treat them….”
The Divine Physician murmured softly, then parted his lips.
“Birth, aging, sickness, and death are not matters a mere human can decide. But if even a sliver of possibility exists, I will do my utmost as a physician.”
“That’s… that’s all I need.”
Long ago, my Mother had fallen ill.
The surgeon who performed the operation said the same thing. I will do my best.
For Ha-yeon and me, those words were our only hope, and the surgery succeeded.
Just as I had done with that doctor in the past, I firmly grasped the Divine Physician’s weathered hand.
“Please. Old Master Dong.”
The Divine Physician smiled benevolently as if he understood everything and spoke.
“Let’s examine the patient first.”
After that came an endless cycle of waiting and anxiety.
Once Jeok Cheon-gang was moved from the stretcher to the thatched cottage, I paced back and forth, waiting for the Divine Physician and Moon-kyung to emerge.
Even as I watched butterflies and bees flitting through the flower garden and trees sprouting fresh green leaves, I felt no sense of wonder.
‘It will be fine. It has to be fine.’
Afraid of hearing anything negative, I couldn’t bring myself to approach the cottage.
I walked on like that for quite some time, repeating the same single thought endlessly.
Only after the sunlight faded and a gentle darkness settled over the land did I finally return to the cottage.
And there, despite their exhaustion, the Divine Physician and Moon-kyung awaited me with faint smiles on their faces.
“We believe we can treat him.”
The moment I heard those words, my legs nearly gave out beneath me, and a familiar notification pierced through my consciousness.
Ding.
– Quest condition,
[Receive treatment from the Divine Physician]
has been completed!
– Quest,
[Find the Divine Physician in Sichuan]
has been successfully completed!

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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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