The Granddaughter of the Manhyang Escort Agency Hides Her Magic - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16

Doctor Ju, who was kneeling, kept wiping the sweat flowing down his forehead.

It was because he found it difficult to withstand Hyeokho’s piercing blue gaze.

It wasn’t just Hyeokho. Even Cheonrim, known for his kindness, had an unusual intensity about him.

‘I should have come when the master was alone.’

Doctor Ju regretted his decision to rush over immediately after examining Shin Ah’s pulse.

“Say it again.”

Hyeokho’s voice fell heavily. Even without internal energy infused, Doctor Ju flinched and steadied his breathing before speaking.

“The young lady of Biwongak has a deformed dantian.”

So Hyeokho squeezed his eyes shut, and Cheonrim clenched both hands on his knees. Doctor Ju also couldn’t hide his despair and lowered his head.

Deformed—literally meaning strange form, but commonly interpreted as disabled.

And in an incomplete dantian, internal energy could not be properly accumulated.

For an ordinary child it would be no problem, but for a child wanting to become an escort, it was a fatal issue.

“Are you certain?”

Cheonrim asked Doctor Ju as if protesting.

“Yes. I re-examined her pulse several times, but nothing changed.”

Silence descended upon Wolhwa Hall. The gloomy atmosphere continued.

At the end of it, Hyeokho asked.

“Is there no way to cure it?”

Doctor Ju deeply bowed his head.

“This is an illness I have neither heard of nor seen before. However, when I examined the young lady’s pulse when she was younger, it was not like this. The form changed as she grew, so we have no choice but to observe over time.”

He was a renowned physician in Seomsu.

The reason such a man was sweating profusely and acting like a criminal was because he had diagnosed the illness but could not provide a clear treatment method.

As a physician, his pride was not just hurt but devastated.

Hyeokho and Cheonrim let out sighs.

Martial arts were basic requirements for escorts. The more outstanding one’s martial arts, the better treatment they received.

Escort missions led by weak escorts easily became targets for those seeking packages.

Enemies were diverse and armed conflicts were inevitable. Sometimes entire escort groups were completely wiped out.

So if Shin Ah’s dantian deformity could not be treated, all the effort the child would make in the future would be useless.

“Have you truly never seen or heard of such a case? Can you be confident that you’ve seen all medical texts from every region?”

Cheonrim pressed Doctor Ju. Doctor Ju hesitated.

“All of them… if you put it that way, then no. But one thing is certain. It cannot be cured with medicine. Unless it’s someone who deeply knows both martial arts and medicine…”

Cheonrim pondered Doctor Ju’s words. Soon, Cheonrim’s eyes widened as he looked back at Hyeokho.

“If it’s impossible with medicine, shouldn’t we look for a way to solve it with martial arts? Murim knows more about dantian and internal energy. I must meet the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Why hadn’t he thought of that until now!

It was when Cheonrim was lamenting his own foolishness and sighing deeply.

“Do you think the Murim Alliance Leader meets anyone just because you want to meet him?”

The Murim Alliance Leader, the highest authority in the current Murim, was Namgung Ganggyeong.

“There’s no reason he wouldn’t meet me.”

Since the Murim Alliance had been dealing with Manhyang Express for a long time, Cheonrim believed he would readily accept his request for an audience.

However, Hyeokho thought differently.

Though Cheonrim didn’t know, the relationship between Manhyang Express and the Murim Alliance had grown distant several years ago.

This was also related to Biwongak.

The packages that the Murim Alliance Leader commissioned to the escort agency instead of having his subordinates handle were mostly letters sent to various noble families throughout the Central Plains.

By their nature, they required thorough security while being delivered swiftly without ever being stolen.

The skilled individuals capable of such work were few.

Among them, the Murim Alliance Leader specifically requested that Cheonrim, a former lay disciple of Mount Hua, handle the commissions exclusively.

Therefore, until a few years ago, Cheonrim had handled most of them exclusively, but…

‘This fellow went into seclusion, saying he had to nurse his daughter.’

However, Hyeokho, as the head of the So Family and master of Manhyang Express, could not be away for months just for the Murim Alliance Leader’s commissions.

It was natural for the Murim Alliance Leader to be displeased with repeated rejections.

Moreover, even an important commission from a year ago had to be reluctantly refused due to internal circumstances.

Since then, even the private letters exchanged with the Murim Alliance Leader had completely stopped.

“Stop it.”

“Father!”

“I told you to stay quiet.”

Hyeokho suppressed Cheonrim’s rebellious momentum. Sparks flew between the two men.

Though only gazes were exchanged, Doctor Ju’s knees went weak.

The intensity in the eyes of those acknowledged as masters exceeded what ordinary people could handle.

The brief confrontation ended with Hyeokho’s victory. No matter how much Cheonrim had been called a martial arts genius since childhood, it was impossible to defeat Hyeokho, who had accumulated internal energy for as many years as he had lived.

Moreover, Cheonrim hadn’t even been able to cultivate properly for the past few years while caring for Shin Ah.

However, understanding a father’s heart, Hyeokho did not coldly dismiss Cheonrim.

“Let’s discuss contacting the Murim Alliance Leader separately later. Doctor Ju.”

“Yes, Master.”

Doctor Ju, who had been sweating coldly, barely managed to answer.

“What can you do?”

“Though I cannot cure the dantian’s deformity, I can supplement the young lady’s weakened vitality. I will prepare tonic medicine.”

“Haven’t tonic medicines shown no effect so far?”

“This time will be different.”

This time, Doctor Ju spoke with conviction.

“Why?”

“In the past, when I gave the young lady ten parts medicine, she would reject nine parts. But now it’s different. I guarantee that if I give ten parts, she will absorb more than five parts.”

“What has changed?”

In Doctor Ju’s mind flashed the image of Shin Ah when he examined her pulse earlier.

The expectation in her bright eyes looking at him and the will to live.

People believe that medicine and acupuncture cure illness, but in reality, the patient’s will influences more than half of the treatment.

In the past, Shin Ah had no will. She found pulse examinations bothersome, disliked taking medicine, and refused acupuncture and moxibustion.

But the Shin Ah he saw today was different. When he said he would only examine her pulse, Shin Ah asked:

‘What about acupuncture? What about moxibustion? Aren’t you giving me medicine?’

Doctor Ju thought then that he could treat Shin Ah. If only it had been a different problem rather than the dantian’s deformity.

Even now, having given up on treating the dantian, one thing remained unchanged.

Making her body as healthy as an ordinary child was possible.

The reason was simple.

“Because the young lady wants it.”

For the first time in a long while, bright light appeared on Hyeokho and Cheonrim’s faces. It was like a ray of light breaking through dark clouds.

* * *

Chirp chirp, Shin Ah’s eyes snapped open at the sound of birds chirping.

The child who had slept sweetly looked at the excessively bright room and screamed.

“Danmi! Danmi! What time is it now?”

Danmi, who rushed in frantically, answered.

“Young lady, what’s wrong! Are you hurt somewhere?”

“I’ve been robbed.”

Shin Ah muttered helplessly.

Danmi tilted her head. There was nothing in Shin Ah’s bedroom worth stealing that a thief could take after breaking through the escort agency’s tight security.

“What was stolen from you? Should I bring the head of the family?”

“No, there’s no need. What I had stolen… even if father comes, he can’t get it back for me.”

“What on earth is it that has you like this?”

“My time… my night, my whole day!”

Time is money, and with the escort examination right around the corner, she had wasted a whole day when she was already short on time.

Shin Ah lay face down and stamped her feet in frustration.

Danmi’s shoulders slumped, feeling deflated by such trivial words.

She brought water that she had prepared for Shin Ah, who was prone to eccentric behavior and spouting incomprehensible words.

“Drink some water first. And stop kicking your feet. Also, about the child you asked me to bring.”

“Oh, Mugyeol!”

“He’s been waiting since dawn. He waited until late last evening yesterday but left without seeing you.”

“Ah…”

Feeling sorry, Shin Ah gulped down the water.

“You’ll get indigestion, young miss. Slowly!”

Though Danmi scolded her, Shin Ah felt too sorry toward Mugyeol to dawdle any longer.

Shin Ah moved busily.

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