Book 27 Chapter 7

Unlicensed Life and Death Control

—I ask Bulak Gucheok for help

Was it thanks to Ok Yu-gyeong's guidance?

Having passed the outer wall of Macheon, they were able to reach the area where the Fourth Division was located with almost no obstruction. Even from afar, they could feel the Fourth Division approaching. Not long after passing the outer wall, a strong medicinal scent wafted out. They moved towards the direction where the scent was getting stronger.

The uniforms of the Fourth Division members were peculiar. They all wore military uniforms over white, unbleached cloth. As such, their group, not wearing white robes, was bound to stand out.

"Whoa, isn't that Captain Ok!"

Two members of the Fourth Division rushed over to greet Ok Yu-gyeong. As Bilu Yeon and his party scanned their faces, the same thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

'Are these two really doctors?'

They were all massive, and both had their hair cut short and neat as if it had been chopped off. Moreover, three long scars ran across their faces, all of them long and deep, indicating they were not ordinary injuries. Their bulging arms seemed more suited for beating people to death than saving lives. It was questionable whether this was a den of doctors or a den of gangsters.

'And what is that blood?'

Their white unbleached cloth uniforms were smeared with bright red blood. Had they been through a blood fountain? Furthermore, the lower parts of their wrists under their white gloves were stained red with blood, and each held a sharp scalpel.

'What on earth were they doing?'

They looked as if they had just killed several people.

Yet, with such appearances, they were smiling broadly at Ok Yu-gyeong, making it a bizarre sight the more they looked. However, Ok Yu-gyeong seemed accustomed to their appearance and showed no particular concern.

"Where is Captain Bulak?" Ok Yu-gyeong asked.

"He's where he always is. His research has been progressing lately."

"That's something to celebrate."

"Yes, it is. But these people…"

The man with a scar on his right eyebrow scanned Bilu Yeon and his party and asked. His gaze lingered for a considerable time on Hyeon-un, who was carrying Namgung Sansan on his back.

Their eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

It wasn't killing intent. It was a kind of yearning, the desire of doctors to treat patients with their own hands.

They seemed ready to rush in and treat Sansan immediately, as if they were going to snatch the patient away. However, the reason they held back was likely due to Ok Yu-gyeong's presence.

"These are my guests. And as you can see, they are patients to be shown to Captain Bulak."

"Oh… to the Captain…"

"That's a shame."

"We could treat them well too…"

The two men's faces fell upon hearing that they were patients to be shown directly to the Captain.

"Seeing as you haven't received the Red Cross, you don't have doctor's licenses yet, do you?"

The Fourth Division had a peculiar tradition where those who passed the doctor's exam were given a red cross with equal sides.

Receiving the Red Cross meant becoming a full-fledged doctor. At that, the two men exclaimed,

"No problem. The Captain doesn't have a license either!"

"Of course. You can only improve your skills and pass the exam by seeing many patients. The doctor's exam is only two months away. From now on, the victory will be decided by who gains more clinical experience!"

Bilu Yeon and his party thought simultaneously.

'No problem? There's a huge problem…'

What kind of people were these members of the Fourth Division? Like the doctor Ha-su, none of them seemed to have a normal way of thinking.

"You said Captain Bulak is where he always is?"

"Yes? Yes."

"We have a patient, so we need to hurry. I hope you pass the doctor's exam."

"Yes! Thank you, Captain Ok!"

Otherwise, there might be more unintended victims. This was why her students always avoided coming to the Fourth Division for treatment.

"Follow me."

Ok Yu-gyeong, who seemed to have been here many times, strode forward. Finally, they arrived at a pavilion located in the deepest part of the Fourth Division's territory. The name of that pavilion was 'Saengsa-jeon' (Life and Death Pavilion). Stopping in front of it, Ok Yu-gyeong turned and said,

"Did you see those two people just now?"

Bilu Yeon and his party nodded.

"Think of the people inside as several times more eccentric than those two."

Ok Yu-gyeong said as if giving a final warning.

What kind of people were they…

Creeeak. The door of Saengsa-jeon opened.

"Ugh, it's hot!"

The first sensation Bilu Yeon and his party felt was heat, and the second was, "Gasp, what a strong smell!"

From inside, a stench so foul that it was incomparable to when they entered the Fourth Division's area flowed out.

Just smelling it made them feel like they were suffocating; it was so pungent it made them wonder if it was a poisonous scent rather than a medicinal one. It felt like dark, billowing clouds were pouring out.

Dozens of medicinal cauldrons lined the left and right sides, and all of them were lit, filling the interior with heat as intense as a blacksmith's forge.

In the middle of those dark clouds and cauldrons sat a man who appeared to be nine feet tall. The two men they saw earlier seemed like children compared to this man. His muscles were also much more bulging and hardened. Perhaps due to the heat, he wore only a thin, sleeveless linen shirt and stared intently at the medicinal cauldrons.

"Didn't I tell you repeatedly to be careful when opening the door haphazardly while boiling medicine, as it could change the heat? Will you only understand after a tympanostomy surgery?"

The giant man grumbled as he turned his head. His gaze was closer to that of a murderer than a doctor. However, upon seeing the person outside the door, his gaze softened.

"What is it, Captain Ok? I thought it was one of my foolish assistants."

"May I come in, Captain Bulak?"

Bulak Gucheok was about ten years older than Ok Yu-gyeong, so Ok Yu-gyeong maintained a degree of politeness.

"Come in."

'This guy isn't Seo-cheon.'

Looking at his bulging arms exposed from his vest, Bilu Yeon's first thought was that. His second thought was, 'Is he really a doctor?'

A scar stitched diagonally across his face, a lock of hair turned white, his nine-foot-tall physique. His thick fingers, which seemed capable of tearing through steel plates like paper, were hardly suited for holding needles, and his muscles, trained like steel, surpassed even those of external martial arts practitioners.

From top to bottom, everything about him made one exclaim, 'Is this person really a doctor?'

"He's a doctor."

After scanning everyone's faces, Bulak Gucheok said abruptly.

"H-How did you know?"

The people were startled, feeling as if their inner thoughts had been read.

"I'm used to it."

He was so accustomed to people's doubtful expressions that he could read their suspicions just by looking at their faces.

Of course, Bilu Yeon wasn't surprised by such a thing. He was also quite intrigued by this muscular doctor.

"That's incredible muscle. Why does a doctor train his body so much, not just focus on medicine?"

It was a physique that could never be achieved by neglecting training.

"Medicine is about stamina. Those without stamina can't even perform decent medical treatment and collapse. The medical field is a battlefield. A battlefield where life and death are decided. Only the strong survive on that battlefield."

This was an exceptionally peculiar way of thinking for a doctor.

"Why go to such lengths?"

"Because what I want to cultivate is a 'battle doctor'!"

There was no hesitation in Bulak Gucheok's answer.

"Battle doctor (戰醫)?"

Did it mean a doctor who fights? However, it seemed similar yet slightly different in meaning.

"Yes, it's 戰 (battle) and 醫 (doctor)!"

He was always training his subordinates by assuming extreme situations where a large number of patients occurred, as in wartime. In peacetime, there might not even be ten patients a day, but when war broke out, hundreds of patients could appear in just an hour. To save patients falling into the abyss of death in the most expeditious way possible – that was the 'battle doctor'.

To save people on that harsh battlefield, one must build a body capable of coping with extreme situations at any time. If physical stamina doesn't support it, one cannot survive. In the extreme situation of war, a doctor must also become a warrior. It was an extremely radical way of thinking, but he was always preparing his subordinates for the worst-case scenario.

"Captain Ok, why are you here? Especially now that an emergency order has been issued? I thought you'd left the island, as you were absent from the captains' meeting?"

Ok Yu-gyeong, who was about to attend the captains' meeting, had missed it due to Jang Hong's sudden visit.

"Ah, something urgent came up then."

"Was it so urgent that you couldn't attend the emergency captains' meeting?"

"Of course, it was as important as discovering evidence that my runaway husband was having an affair."

"That must have been a big problem. If you need a poison to eliminate a runaway husband who's having an affair, let me know anytime. We have plenty of that here."

Hearing that, Jang Hong's face turned pale.

"Oh my, that was just a metaphor. If something like that really happened, would there be a need to borrow poison so laboriously? This sword in my hand would be enough?"

"I suppose so. If so, let me know if you want to know where the vital points are that would only cause pain but not death. I can teach you anatomically anytime."

Jang Hong's face turned from pale to ashen at Bulak Gucheok's blunt words.

"Oh my, I said it was just a metaphor. But that knowledge seems very useful. I should receive your teachings later."

"I have a good book, so I'll lend it to you later."

"Then I won't refuse."

Jang Hong, whose face had already turned dark, resolved to burn that book later.

"By the way, is your visit here related to that urgent matter?"

"Well, you could say that."

"Did an urgent patient appear? A patient that you yourself have to take care of? A patient you want me to see personally?"

"Yes, that's right. A patient has appeared. A patient that Captain Bulak really needs to see. A patient whose life is hanging by a thread."

"Anyone who wants to die within Saengsa-jeon must receive my permission."

This was indeed an incredibly arrogant confidence.

"As expected of Captain Bulak. You are reassuring."

At Ok Yu-gyeong's nod, Hyeon-un stepped forward with Sansan on his back. Bulak Gucheok's sharp gaze swept over Sansan's pale face.

"Hmm, a considerable severe injury. Is it an explosion wound? The back seems to be from shrapnel. The cause is shock, and the bleeding is excessive."

He instantly identified the cause.

"Yes, that's right. She has been in a coma since being caught in the explosion of a brain grenade. Can you save her?"

Hyeon-un's words caused Bulak Gucheok to frown.

"Who do you think I am?"

Bulak Gucheok retorted in an unpleasant tone.

"S-Sorry."

Hyeon-un apologized involuntarily.

"Even though this young lady is on the verge of death, I can save her if I decide to."

"Th-Thank you."

Hyeon-un rejoiced at the news that Sansan could be saved and bowed his head.

"However, I will not save her."

He said flatly.

"Why? You say you can save her, but you won't? Are you even a doctor?"

Hyeon-un's bowed head shot up, and he shouted.

"She is not from our Macheon-gak, is she?"

Hyeon-un could only flinch at that question.

"We are an official delegation dispatched from the Cheonmu Academy. Macheon-gak has a duty to treat us."

"And you are also intruders."

"Gasp."

How?

"It's impossible to think that students would sustain such injuries. Moreover, the wounds on her shoulder and the abrasions you have are from fighting that Southern Sea King fellow. These wounds, which are not from swords or spears, were inflicted by his Soul-Ensnaring Tribulation, weren't they? Am I wrong?"

"……."

To identify the martial art that inflicted the wounds just by looking at them was indeed the mark of a great physician.

"Since you're broadcasting 'intruder' all over your bodies, it's impossible not to know. Now, you are asking me to treat an intruder who has invaded Macheon-gak."

"Wait a moment, Captain Bulak. They have a reason for what they did."

Ok Yu-gyeong tried to explain.

"I have no interest in reasons, Captain Ok."

His only interest was in fighting and overcoming strange diseases. That was the true world of competition he belonged to.

"However, it would be better to listen. Because you are also one of the thirteen captains of Macheon."

As long as she was sitting there, whether she liked it or not, she had a responsibility.

"Fine, speak."

He said so, but he didn't seem to be listening very carefully. Nevertheless, Ok Yu-gyeong began to recount what had happened. Especially the danger that the forces of Cheon-geob-ryeong had extended into Macheon-gak, and that some captains might have already sided with Cheon-geob. He also revealed that the identity of the person who kidnapped the daughter of Jeongcheon Alliance Leader Na Baek-cheon was Seo-cheon-myeol-geob, and that he was among the leadership here.

"Hmm, so that's how it is. Cheon-geob-ryeong… I don't care as long as I can secure many new patients."

Bulak Gucheok's reaction was unexpectedly surprising.

"Captain of the Fourth Division! You don't mean that seriously, do you?"

Ok Yu-gyeong's cry was filled with anger. She looked ready to draw her sword if necessary.

"It was a joke, so don't get so excited. Excitement disrupts the qi flowing in the body and causes waste products to accumulate. Excessive anger harms the body."

"I'm not the one who's excited, you're the one making me excited!"

Ok Yu-gyeong protested again.

"You used to be much calmer. In just a few days, you've become as temperamental as a nagging wife. Did your estranged husband come back after having an affair somewhere?"

"H-How did you know…"

Could a great physician really know such personal matters just by looking at someone's condition?

"That was just a joke, but was it true? Was that metaphor you used earlier…?"

At those words, Ok Yu-gyeong was speechless. From behind, Jang Hong mumbled with an aggrieved expression, 'I didn't have an affair,' but no one paid attention.

"Fine. For now, I'll believe the possibility of Cheon-geob-ryeong infiltration that you presented. However, that and this are separate matters."

Here, 'this' refers to the treatment of Namgung Sansan.

"But…"

Before Ok Yu-gyeong could protest, Bulak Gucheok interrupted.

"However, for the sake of Captain of the Seventh Division's face, I will consider it if you fulfill one condition."

Ok Yu-gyeong expressed her displeasure without even hearing the condition.

"That…"

At that moment, Hyeon-un stepped forward.

"What is the condition? I will do anything if it means Sansan can be saved."

Hyeon-un vowed. Hyeon-un, still carrying Namgung Sansan without having laid her on a bed, was filled with impatience.

"It's best not to make such promises easily, young man."

Ok Yu-gyeong warned.

"Why?"

The answer was predetermined.

"Why? Because you have to bet your own life!"

Before Hyeon-un could answer, Bulak Gucheok interjected.

"Ho ho, it sounds so dramatic when you say it like that. It's a simple matter. I'm making a medicine right now, and you just have to take it. I happen to need a clinical patient to test its effects."

Ok Yu-gyeong stopped Hyeon-un, who was about to nod immediately.

"You must have meant poison, not medicine, Captain Bulak Gucheok."

Ok Yu-gyeong's rebuttal surprised the others. Only Bilu Yeon's expression was hidden by his long bangs.

"Poison…"

Bulak Gucheok shrugged as if he couldn't understand their reaction.

"Even medicine, when used excessively, becomes poison, and poison, when used appropriately, becomes medicine. In the world of medicine, the boundary between medicine and poison is meaningless."

"Then, may I know the name of the 'medicine' you intend to give him?"

Of course, Bulak Gucheok had no reason to hide it.

"Of course. The name of that medicine is 'Man-dok' (Ten Thousand Poisons)."

"Eeeeeeek!"

As the entire group was shocked, Gong Sun-jeol-hwi exclaimed.

"Wait! What kind of medicine name is that? It's not medicine, it's a hellish poison! Isn't that a name that exudes a deadly scent, enough to kill you just by licking it?"

"Why are you so surprised? Didn't I just say it? Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin. Medicine, when used excessively, becomes poison, and poison can be medicine depending on the situation. Is it that strange for a doctor to research poison?"

He had said it was medicine earlier, but now he had subtly shifted to poison. Even Jang Hong choked up.

"Hey, you old man! That's not the important thing right now!"

"What do you mean not important? Researching Man-dok is also researching its antidote. We need to research poison urgently so we don't fall for the petty schemes of the Tang family. Captain Ok, you are also one of Macheon's thirteen captains, so you should know that well."

He was truly incomprehensible. Ok Yu-gyeong sighed and replied,

"I don't think the issue is your thoughts or intentions right now. It's the method."

"What's wrong with the method? Do you think progress can be made without sacrifice? How many lives do you think are lost like falling blossoms for one treatment to be discovered?"

"……."

"Progress without sacrifice is impossible. Don't forget that the treatments you are receiving were obtained through the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands, no, millions of people. The progress of medicine, gained through endless failure and sacrifice. Don't you think it's magnificent? To extend human lifespan, paradoxically, more deaths are needed."

"But does that mean you have to conduct human experiments? And use one of us!"

Hyo Ryong also stepped forward, but Bulak Gucheok remained unmoved.

"Of course. Animal experiments have already been conducted multiple times. Now, only humans are left. However, there have been no volunteers recently, so it has been postponed."

He must have meant victims instead of volunteers. Jang Hong shook his head, utterly fed up.

"Wrong. This crazy doctor is completely unreasonable. He only says what he wants to say."

"Man-dok will be completed soon. For that, I need someone to volunteer for the experiment. Just one person. If that happens, I will treat that young lady as well."

"Gasp."

Groans erupted from various people in the group.

"For your information, it's better to decide quickly. In about an hour, this young lady's life will be irreversible. So, what will you do? If you don't want to do it, I have no intention of forcing you. However, if you don't, I have no business with you anymore, so I'd like you to leave our unit."

At that moment, Hyeon-un stepped forward and said,

"I will do it."

His eyes were filled with firm resolve.

"You've thought it through well. Don't worry too much. I'm just a doctor, after all, and I don't play with people's lives."

"Does that mean…?"

"Of course, there is an 'antidote' prepared."

He then took out a blue pill and showed it.

'You should have said that earlier, you mad lunatic!!'

Everyone thought simultaneously.

"Well, whether you believe it or not."

"……."

The faces of everyone, which had been slightly relieved, stiffened again.

"Poison is only complete when accompanied by its antidote. A poison without an antidote is merely a waste that brings death. Creating something you cannot control is the act of a fool."

Uncontrollable weapons are like double-edged swords that could destroy oneself at any moment. Mass-producing them is the height of foolishness.

"Therefore, to complete the poison, you must create an antidote to neutralize it. Do you understand?"

"So, you mean I eat the red pill and then the blue pill?"

"That's right. If you take both and survive, Man-dok will be complete. If you die, Man-dok will remain incomplete. Do you still want to do it?"

Regardless, Hyeon-un had to risk his life.

"My decision is unchanged. There is no time. Let's start quickly."

"You are a friend with considerable courage. Fine, whether you live or die, I will save that girl."

"Thank you. That promise alone is quite reassuring."

At this moment, Bilu Yeon, who had been silently observing the situation from the side, raised his hand and stopped Hyeon-un. Although the doctor was suspicious, he couldn't interfere forcefully since he had to save Sansan by having Hyeon-un voluntarily undergo the procedure, and he was waiting to see how things unfolded. However, when Hyeon-un spoke that irreversible word, he could no longer stand by.

"Are you really okay with that?"

His voice was neither heavy nor light, but dry and emotionless.

"Yes, I can be satisfied with that, Senior Disciple."

*Crack!*

In an instant, stars flashed before Hyeon-un's eyes.

"S-Senior Disciple! Wh-Why are you suddenly hitting me?"

"You foolish debt collector! You deserve to be hit a few more times."

Bilu Yeon mercilessly struck Hyeon-un on the head, who had made a great decision.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

"Ouch! Wh-Why are you hitting me?"

It wasn't the first time he'd been beaten by his Senior Disciple, but he wished he at least knew the reason before being hit.

"Didn't I tell you earlier? The hardest debt to repay in this world is a debt of the heart. Did I say it or not?"

"Y-You did."

What did that have to do with this matter? Hyeon-un had no clue.

"Tsk tsk. Then, how much of a debt will you burden Sansan with?"

"……!"

"Sansan would be truly happy if she knew you died because of her when she woke up. What? You're grateful just for the promise that she'll be saved whether you live or die? What a fool!"

"Th-That's…"

Hyeon-un was speechless.

"You intend to burden Sansan with a debt of the heart for the rest of your life? You want her to suffer her whole life thinking of you? You are a truly wicked person."

Hyeon-un, suddenly labeled the worst person in the world, felt utterly wronged. Hyeon-un also had something to say.

"But she has to be alive first to suffer or not!"

He yelled at Bilu Yeon, not caring about his own life. As soon as he yelled, he realized, 'Gasp!' and 'Oops!' but it was too late to regret it.

'I'm going to get hit!'

But what came flying was not a fist.

"Tsk tsk tsk!"

Bilu Yeon clicked his tongue again as if in pity.

"You're so dense! That's what I'm saying. It's not 'live or die'! You must absolutely not die! Survive even with sheer grit! Do you understand?"

As if to drill that into his brain, Bilu Yeon poked Hyeon-un's forehead with his finger.

"Th-That's such coercion…"

"Otherwise, you'll die by my hand! Even as a ghost, you'll be beaten by me!"

The thought that his Senior Disciple could probably beat even a ghost sent a shiver down his spine.

"Yes, Senior Disciple! I will definitely survive."

Hyeon-un replied resolutely, enduring the pain that made him tear up.

However, that promise was soon to be discarded after witnessing the experiment that followed.

Squeak! Squeeeeeak! Squeeeeeak!

A mouse was rampaging. It was rampaging as if it would break the cage it lived in. It rolled around with its eyeballs rolled back and foam coming out of its mouth. Just watching its actions made people feel sick.

Squeak! Squeak!

Bubbles appeared on various parts of the mouse's body, as if it were foaming. The foam coming out of its mouth increased, and it began to dissolve the mouse's body. The blisters burst, and the fluid that flowed out from the blisters covered the entire mouse's body. Finally, it breathed its last.

"Th-This is…"

The astonishing thing was what happened next. Bubbles began to boil all over the mouse's body, and it slowly began to dissolve. It was a terrifying phenomenon, as if a basin of bone-dissolving acid had been poured on it. Soon, only a handful of bloody water remained where the mouse had been.

The entire process took only an hour. All of this happened after it had eagerly eaten the 'red pill' thrown by the man with the stitched scar across his face.

Gasp. Gasp. Gasp.

Bilu Yeon and his party, who had watched the entire scene from the beginning, were dumbfounded, only opening and closing their mouths. They didn't know where to start criticizing.

"Hmm, why are you all opening and closing your mouths like breathless carp?"

Are you asking that when you don't know? You crazy doctor! At that moment, everyone's hearts united. Even Mo Yong-hwi, his voice trembling as if his hair stood on end, asked,

"Are you telling Senior Hyeon-un to eat that?"

"Yes. So what?"

"So what? If his body melts, the antidote or anything else will be useless!"

Gong Sun-jeol-hwi exclaimed in disbelief. If the body remained, it could be detoxified or not. That's right. The red pill thrown into the mouse cage earlier was the 'Man-dok' that Bulak Gucheok had painstakingly developed recently. And the result was as they had seen.

"Don't worry. That was just a 'slight issue' because the mouse was too small and its body couldn't withstand Man-dok. A human, who weighs dozens of times more than a mouse, won't melt that much when they eat it. So, rest assured."

Rest assured about what? What a heartless, crazy doctor!

Once again, everyone's hearts united.

Gulp!

Dry saliva slid down Hyeon-un's throat. He felt an unusual burning thirst in his throat.

To him, that speech sounded like an invitation to die.

"If you don't want to, give up. That's why I showed you the animal experiment beforehand. I won't force you. Of course, I won't treat you either."

'That's what we call coercion, you crazy doctor!'

Everyone in the group cursed him in their hearts. Was it because the aura of Macheon-gak was bad, or because of their origins, but it seemed like strange individuals were gathered here.

"……."

"Hmm, only about a quarter of a quarter remains. Make a decision quickly."

After that time, it meant giving up on Sansan's life.

"I have already made my decision. Give it to me. I will eat the red pill."

Hyeon-un's decision was firm.

"……."

Bilu Yeon said nothing. It was too late to stop this foolish fellow. If there had been a little more time, they might have found a way to cure Sansan by beating up this crazy doctor… But there was too little time and too much risk for such a troublesome method.

"Yes, you've thought it through well. Here, eat it."

Hyeon-un looked down at the red pill in his hand, then at Namgung Sansan lying on the treatment bed.

"Sansan, if I wake up safely, I have something to tell you. Please live! You must! So I can hear your nagging again."

Then he looked towards Bilu Yeon.

"Senior Disciple…"

But Bilu Yeon turned his head sharply.

"I won't listen."

"What?"

"I'll listen when you wake up. And as I've told you many times, I'm not responsible."

"Senior Disciple…"

"You take responsibility for Sansan. I won't."

Only then did Hyeon-un realize. His Senior Disciple knew what he was trying to say. And he was deliberately not wanting to hear it.

"Yes, Senior Disciple."

Hyeon-un squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the red pill, 'Man-dok'.

The effect was immediate.

"Gasp!"

Swallowing Man-dok, Hyeon-un fell to his knees and began to convulse. Then, he vomited black blood from his mouth. The internal energy accumulated in his body moved to expel the poison, but it was too weak to expel Man-dok.

"What are you doing, not giving him the antidote quickly!"

Jang Hong cried urgently, but Bulak Gucheok remained unmoved.

"Wait. He is not yet in a state of complete poisoning. The poison is just spreading throughout his body now."

After coughing up blood, Hyeon-un convulsed repeatedly, clutching his throat as if suffocating and groaning in pain. He seemed to be trying to open his mouth wide to breathe, but only a mixture of black blood and saliva, like toxic fluid, flowed from his lips. It was a gruesome sight that was unbearable to watch. However, only Bilu Yeon watched Hyeon-un without looking away. Hyeon-un collapsed on the floor and twitched a few times, as if he had no strength left to resist. Soon, his entire body turned black down to the pores of his skin. Then, Hyeon-un, who had gone limp, stopped breathing.

"I-Isn't he dead? He's not breathing! Do something quickly, quickly!"

Seeing Hyeon-un's breath stop, Jang Hong, terrified, grabbed Bulak Gucheok by the collar and shouted. His voice trembled with anger.

"Don't make a fuss, he's not dead yet. He's just in a state of suspended animation. It's called 'complete poisoning'. He seems not to be breathing, but he is breathing very, very slowly. His heart is also beating very, very slowly. The important thing is what happens now."

While being grabbed by the collar, Bulak Gucheok took out a blue pill from his pocket.

"From now on, I will administer the antidote 'Man-hae' (Ten Thousand Solutions)."

The blue pill went into Hyeon-un's mouth. After stimulating a few acupoints, the pill turned into water and went down his throat. He was so close to death that he didn't seem to have the strength to swallow a pill.

Now, Hyeon-un's life depended on the effectiveness of the blue pill.

Bilu Yeon, who had been watching with his fists clenched without saying a word, finally turned his gaze towards Bulak Gucheok. Bilu Yeon smiled broadly, a smile that filled his face. Then, he said in a dry voice,

"It would be better if he lives. I hope that medicine works properly. Otherwise, you'll be the one lying on the floor next time. While savoring how horribly foul the taste of the Man-dok you created is."

Although he was smiling broadly, there was no doubt that his words were the absolute truth.

"I'll look forward to it. Now, as promised, I will see to the patient."

Bulak Gucheok walked towards Namgung Sansan lying on the bed. With a light wave of his hand, a young man in white quickly ran over and handed him a leather pouch.

"This young lady is fortunate. To have a man willing to give his life for her. I will begin the treatment now."

Bulak Gucheok sat down in front of Namgung Sansan's bed and spread out a leather pouch beside him. Inside, there were over a dozen needles of varying lengths and thicknesses, and dozens of clamps and scalpels of different shapes. Bulak Gucheok turned Namgung Sansan over and removed her upper garment. Her smooth and beautiful back was now a horrific sight, ravaged by wooden splinters. While the larger splinters had been roughly removed, many still remained embedded.

"Hmm!"

Bulak Gucheok snorted at the sight and put on a pair of white gloves made of thin leather.

"Anesthesia."

When the young man in white handed him a long golden needle, he unhesitatingly plunged it deep into Sansan's nape.

"Three!"

The young man standing beside him took out a scalpel marked with the number 'three' from the leather pouch and handed it over. This time, he raised his left hand and said briefly,

"Forceps."

The young man in white handed him the forceps again. With that, all preparations were complete.

"Hahap!"

Life and Death Boundary Technique (生死境界醫術)

O-pae begins!

At that moment, Bulak Gucheok's hands seemed to split into six, and he began to remove the splinters embedded in her back with incredible speed and precision.

'O-pae' literally means to cut deeply. It is a miraculous technique of the Life and Death Boundary Technique that allows one person to perform surgery as if they have multiplied into three, moving with such speed. It is a medical technique born from the philosophy that rapid and appropriate treatment can determine life and death.

"Suturing!"

In an instant, the splinters were removed, and the large wounds were sutured with thread. A bandage was quickly applied over them. He turned Namgung Sansan back to her original position, then dissolved a medicinal pill to restore her energy and administered it, followed by massaging all her pressure points. Slowly, color returned to Namgung Sansan's pale face. His six hands also returned to their original state.

"She should be fine now. She has escaped death. She is a lucky young lady."

Handing the medical instruments to the young man in white and ordering them to be sterilized, Bulak Gucheok said with satisfaction. At that, Bilu Yeon, who had been silently observing Bulak Gucheok's vital points with a poker face, muttered in a low voice,

"She's the lucky one."

Indeed, although this Bulak Gucheok was eccentric and held values contrary to common sense, his skills seemed undeniable.

"Amazing."

Jang Hong exclaimed involuntarily.

"Y-Yes, but…"

Mo Yong-hwi was flustered, unsure where to look. Jang Hong's admiration flowed out once more.

"Mmm, truly amazing."

Ok Yu-gyeong's entire body burned with fiery anger.

"Hey! Stop looking! Where do you think you're looking, do you want to die, you!"

Only then did Jang Hong remember, 'Ah, she's right here,' but it was too late. As Bulak Gucheok turned Sansan's body during the treatment, her exposed chest, unhindered by clothing, was revealed. It was an unintentional accident. However, the men who faced this sudden situation were flustered but did not avert their gaze, so it was not unreasonable for Ok Yu-gyeong's wrath to be incurred. Ok Yu-gyeong's Blood Phoenix Sword was already half-drawn from its scabbard.

"You! Still haven't learned your lesson! Yeong-ryeong!"

"Yes, Instructor!"

*Clang!*

Yeong-ryeong immediately answered and drew his sword.

"W-Wife! Misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding!"

Jang Hong, with a pale face, cried out in panic.

"No questions asked!"

And he shouted,

"Strike!"

"Understood!"

To avoid the sword strikes of the two enraged women, the men had to fight with all their might. It was an incident that could have resulted in many deaths if they had made a mistake.

'It's all because of her chest!'

Jang Hong felt wronged. Why should he suffer this fate when he had no grudge against chests in his past life? Although it was true that he had looked, he still felt wronged. And Bulak Gucheok, who hadn't warned him in advance, was clearly plotting this by using someone else to kill. However, of course, such excuses were of no use to Ok Yu-gyeong.

"My, my, Saengsa-jeon is a bit noisy today. Bulak, is something going on?"

If a voice from outside the treatment room hadn't been heard at that moment, Jang Hong might have lost his life today. Bulak Gucheok's face lit up upon seeing the man standing outside the door.

"What brings you here, Captain Mu-myeong? You rarely visit our side."

The people were surprised by his exceptionally gentle demeanor, incomparable to how he treated others.

Who is that silver-haired man?

Only Dan Hyo-ryong's face turned extremely pale.

"Ah, it's because I need treatment."

At those words, Bulak Gucheok looked perplexed.

"Captain Mu-myeong? That's hard to believe. You, who never gets sick, coming here. Haven't you never sought a doctor, not even for a minor illness or a scratch, since you came to Macheon-gak?"

He had never visited a doctor since he entered Macheon-gak. He was someone he desperately wanted to dissect to understand the reason behind such a phenomenon.

"Ah, it's not me who needs treatment, but this woman."

Upon seeing the woman held by the man called Mu-myeong, Bilu Yeon's eyes widened.

"Ye-rin!"

This woman was undoubtedly Na Ye-rin, whom he had been searching for so desperately.