The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 110

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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 110

When I first met Chairman Choi Gwi-jae, she was lying in bed with limited mobility, and I had continued to see her as a patient in a doctor-patient relationship ever since.

So I had been worried about her in many ways, but when we actually climbed the mountain together, she walked much better than I had expected.

“Isn’t this too fast?

She was even concerned about my pace.

“This is perfect for me!”

She definitely had good cardiorespiratory endurance, probably from running for a long time.

Although she said it had been a while since she last went hiking, she quickly got used to the mountain and found the leisure to have conversations.

“…That’s how it was back then. Everyone thought it was absurd – what cars could you sell in a country without even paved roads? But that’s exactly why it was an opportunity! If you move when everyone else says it’s good, it’s already too late. You have to move one step, no, three steps faster and prepare in advance.”

As old people tend to do, Chairman Choi Gwi-jae began telling stories from the past.

“I’ll keep that in mind and think about whether there are such fields. I’m also running a business, albeit a small one.”

“That’s right. When you’re young, you need to know how to dream and paint such pictures. These days, kids really have… no vision and no grit!”

Although old-fashioned remarks popped out from time to time, it wasn’t particularly surprising.

At least she was someone who had lived the life she preached, so I felt respect for her.

“Clinic Director, you’re hardly sweating. Isn’t it difficult?”

“I come to this mountain often.”

“Whew, I thought I had pretty good stamina too.”

“Have you enjoyed exercising since long ago?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, when I was stranded in Russia…”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae’s old stories were so interesting that time flew by quickly.

We only rested once during the climb, didn’t we?

Since it wasn’t a very high mountain, we were able to reach the summit in just two hours.

Grumble-.

A sound came from Chairman Choi Gwi-jae’s stomach.

Although we had met after eating breakfast, since we had been hiking, it would have been more than enough time for digestion.

Moreover, the smell of food being eaten by people who had spread their mats in groups of three to five around the summit stimulated our sense of smell.

“Ahem!”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae turned her head away in embarrassment.

Even a chaebol grandmother can’t resist the smell of cup noodles, huh.

“Chairman, would you like to have some ramen if you don’t mind?”

“Oh, is there a convenience store here?”

At my words, Chairman Choi Gwi-jae looked around, but that wasn’t the case.

All there was someone selling ice water.

“I prepared some just in case.”

I had packed emergency supplies and medical tools in my bag just in case.

Since she said she had slight diabetes, candy for when her blood sugar dropped was essential.

While stopping by the convenience store to buy that, I also purchased cup noodles and brought hot water in a thermos.

“Oh my!”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae was greatly pleased when she saw the cup noodles I took out.

“But I’m not sure if you like this ramen.”

“When you’re eating at the mountain summit, wouldn’t anything taste good?”

We spread out a mat and began eating ramen.

“I was talking about preparedness earlier, but Clinic Director, you really are… Ah, if someone like you were my granddaughter, I wouldn’t have any worries.”

“You’re too kind.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with my children – they hate exercise, and they don’t know how to prepare necessary things promptly without being told. And yet they talk about making money.”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae kept grumbling while eating ramen.

After retirement, whether you’re from the martial arts world or a merchant, you seem to get lonely. Just listening to her heroic tales a bit and preparing ramen, and she’s this happy.

In the martial arts world, I even inherited some wealth… I should warn Park Seon-yun to make sure no strange flags get raised.

“Next time with Director Park,”

Just as we finished eating our snacks and were about to clean up the trash and get up.

“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”

A terrified scream came from behind us.

“Huh?”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae was startled and staggered, so I hurriedly supported her.

It would be terrible if she fell from a scream after safely climbing all the way here without getting hurt!

“Let me go see what’s happening for a moment.”

I tried to assess the situation.

I didn’t sense any particular presence, but had someone gotten hurt?

Someone suddenly collapsed, or a body was discovered, or someone threatening with a knife… countless scenarios came to mind.

“It’s a snake!”

But the sound came before I could see the scene with my eyes.

“Kyaaaah”

“Ugh, honey. What should we do!”

“Sh-shouldn’t we report this?”

“Where? Hiiiiek!”

“Hey, there might be some snakes on the mountain! Get out of the way!”

Fortunately, there was someone who could deal with the snake without me having to step in.

Unlike the young people who had panicked, an old man jumped up and sprayed bottled water.

Hissss-!

The snake then retreated into the thicket to avoid the water.

“Was that really a snake?”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae also seemed afraid of snakes, shrinking back as she asked me.

“Yes. It looked like just a common snake. Fortunately, someone chased it away.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. Snakes still come out on mountains these days.”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae startled and hugged her arms to herself.

I put my arm around her shoulders and patted her comfortingly.

“Whew… Thank you. I was a bit startled.”

The other people besides us soon regained their composure as well.

“Ah, that was crazy. I thought I was going to get bitten.”

“That’s why I asked why we had to go hiking.”

“No, I come here often but this is my first time seeing a snake too.”

Though they were terrified, fortunately no one had fallen or gotten hurt.

“Let’s hurry down.”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae urged me on.

Even though she hadn’t seen it directly, she seemed quite anxious.

I hurriedly cleaned up all the trash and supported her.

Who would have thought that a chaebol grandmother’s weakness would be snakes? How unexpected.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested coming here. You must have been very startled.”

“Not at all. These things can happen. It was just a coincidence. Still… next time let’s go running. Running by the seaside would be better.”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae descended the mountain three times faster than when we had climbed up.

She seemed as familiar with mountains as I was, stepping surely on safe spots and practically running down the mountain.

After coming down the entire hiking trail in just 40 minutes, when the parking lot was starting to come into view

‘Hmm?’

I felt a powerful energy approaching me at an incredibly fast speed.

I wasn’t planning to practice energy circulation today, and since it was a weekend with many people around, I hadn’t opened my energy senses except for the bare minimum.

But this level of energy was absolutely impossible to miss.

Swoosh!

I stepped in front of Chairman Choi Gwi-jae.

And I was about to take out my acupuncture needles when-.

– Squeak!

What flew toward me was… a ball of fur? No, a mammal?

“Eek! …It’s not a snake. A chipmunk…?”

Once bitten by a snake, twice shy of a well rope, as they say.

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae, who had been startled, calmed down when she saw it was a chipmunk.

– Squeak… squeak…

Do chipmunks normally make such strange sounds?

Though the sound was odd, it looked very cute to the eye.

Unlike snakes that instinctively inspire fear, just seeing its perky ears made my heart soften. Moreover, its sparkling eyes were like beads, and its fluffy long tail was like cotton candy – watching it tremble and twitch while swishing its tail was enough to trigger protective instincts.

“This mountain really has a lot of animals. Phew. Do chipmunks normally cling to people like this?”

“I’m not sure either.”

“Hmm, I didn’t grow up in the mountains either.”

Since neither of us knew much about chipmunk behavior, we just tilted our heads in puzzlement.

I had occasionally seen chipmunks in the martial arts world too, but I had never once seen them cling to people like this.

And since coming to South Korea, I had only seen one once in Gyeongju.

That peculiar one that had interrupted my energy circulation and then acted as if guiding me to the heavenly pine poria… Wait?

‘This little guy, could it be?’

The chipmunk from that time had been reluctant to get close to me.

Its appearance and energy. My memory isn’t perfectly clear.

But when I tried hard to recall that vague form.

‘I think it’s the same chipmunk?’

It seemed to be the same individual… no, the same animal.

Though I hadn’t paid much attention to its energy at the time, it was definitely similar.

Besides, there was no way such a powerful chipmunk could occur naturally. The most natural hypothesis was that it had grown and accumulated spiritual energy after eating that poria.

“It really likes you, Clinic Director. It’s not even a dog or cat.”

Chairman Choi Gwi-jae looked puzzled while glancing toward the parking lot.

It seemed the fear the snake had given her, or perhaps the fatigue of wanting to rest at home, took priority over the chipmunk’s cuteness.

“You must be tired, so please go ahead. I’ll send this little guy back and then leave.”

I escorted Chairman Choi Gwi-jae down to the parking lot while holding the chipmunk in my arms.

“Thank you for today. Let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes, President. It was so enjoyable.”

Only after confirming that she got in the car did I return to the mountain.

This time it wasn’t the hiking trail, but the rough path I usually use when climbing for breathing exercises.

– Squeak! Squeek!

The little guy seemed like it wanted to tell me something, but unfortunately I don’t have any skills for interspecies communication.

All I could figure out was that the chipmunk was extremely frightened.

“…What am I going to do with you. I can’t take you home with me.”

– Squeeek…!

“Go back to nature quickly!”

I tried my best to persuade it, but now the chipmunk rubbed its tail against my leg.

Should I give it some food? No, if I do that it’ll cling to me even more.

‘…I have no choice.’

I steeled my resolve.

Whether it’s some kind of selection or whatever, pets are prohibited in the house where I live. Keeping one at the Oriental Medicine Clinic doesn’t make sense hygienically either! I can’t take it home anyway.

Whoosh!

I completely concealed my presence and shook off the chipmunk.

– Squeak?

When I suddenly disappeared from sight, the little guy was very flustered.

Last time in Gyeongju (if it’s the same animal), it did run at a speed that seemed like it could barely keep up with me, but there was no way it could detect my energy when I was determined to hide it.

The chipmunk circled around the area, not knowing what to do.

– Squeeeeeak!

…It’s crying out, isn’t it?

I’m starting to feel a little sorry…

I hid and watched what the chipmunk was doing.

I could leave it and go if I wanted to, but I was curious about why it was acting so strangely.

I followed the chipmunk while keeping my presence hidden.

The little guy ran frantically in one direction as if looking for me, then circled around a tree again.

It looked like a person who had fallen into panic.

Had about 10 minutes passed like that?

Not long after I started my surveillance, I learned the reason why the chipmunk was acting strangely.

Whoooosh!

I felt an internal energy much stronger than the chipmunk’s, almost at the level of a peak beginner master.

“…?!”

Hissss-.

“…”

The owner of the internal energy was a snake.

Hissss-!

This is certain. It’s that thread snake I saw earlier.

But unlike earlier when I felt no energy beyond that of an ordinary animal, it was now clearly pursuing the chipmunk with obvious intent.

– Squeeeeek

The chipmunk quickly climbed up a tree, but the snake also coiled up the tree at tremendous speed, chasing the chipmunk.

‘If it were an ordinary snake, there’d be no reason to target a chipmunk.’

It’s not an ordinary snake.

It’s not an ordinary chipmunk either.

Whooosh!

The chipmunk jumped from the tree to the next tree.

Hissss!

The snake released its internal energy and… transformed.

That was the only way I could describe it.

I mean, what do you call it when an ordinary thread snake suddenly puffs up its body like a cobra?

It was fortunate that President Choi Gwi-jae didn’t see that scene.

I had experienced all kinds of battles on land, sea, and air, and even witnessed people falling into qi deviation, but this was my first time seeing a spirit beast.

Yes, that’s a spirit beast.

I’m suspicious whether I’m dreaming about why such a thing exists in the rear mountain of Busan… well, not exactly the heart of Busan.

But it’s definitely a spirit beast.

Even though I have no knowledge of zoology, I don’t think an ordinary chipmunk would frantically throw leaves to block a snake’s path.

– Squeak?!

For a moment, my eyes met with the chipmunk’s.

I had hidden my presence, but I didn’t have the ability to become invisible.

It had seen me with its eyes.

– Squeak! Squeeeeek!

And this time, what it was trying to say got through.

It was definitely pleading to be saved.

“What should I do about this.”

I had stopped people from threatening other people before, but I had never interfered with the law of the jungle among animals.

But it would be hard to see this as a natural phenomenon.

Even if you could say the spirit beast was defending its territory, what the snake was doing was a bit….

“Is it after the chipmunk’s inner core?”

No more appropriate hypothesis came to mind.

I threw the acupuncture needle.

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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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