Chapter 300

Getting a crack in your bone really hurts like heck.

If you bump into something, it’s like your breath is caught and all your energy just drains away.

To the point where if a rib gets a crack, just breathing hurts so much that tears start to well up, and when you realize crying only makes it worse, you’re just left with tears streaming down.

With fractures all over your arms and legs, it totally makes sense why Seoliri was stumbling around like some old geezer over a hundred years old or a seriously ill patient.

But seriously, the fact that she managed to keep her mouth shut and didn’t complain even once? It’s almost like she’s not a real person.

“Wait, you were walking around like that? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Yeah. Just a little.”

I asked her to answer one at a time, and she obeyed pretty well. She said yes to having walked around and just a tiny bit for her hurt.

With no part of her limbs uninjured and her muscles barely hanging on, how could it just hurt a little?

Then it hit me; wasn’t Seolga the one who couldn’t even wake up while resting her forehead on her arm?

“Is that a side effect of that Ice technique? Like, does it make your senses dull?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“But it’s still really painful, isn’t that why you were stumbling?”

“No.”

Then why the heck?

I waited for her to elaborate, but no further explanation came.

“Seol-soja. Usually after that, you should explain why you were walking around like an old man of a hundred. It can’t just end with a no.”

“Gotta move slowly to heal fast.”

Hmm. I tilted my head. For someone who says they’re not in much pain, she sure didn’t look well at all. Was she shaking so much that she couldn’t even hold a spoon properly?

The idea that she was staggering slowly to heal makes some sense, but honestly, when a person feels fine, they tend to just zoom past like it’s nothing.

Of course, if I’m suspicious, I don’t hold back.

So I raised my finger and poked her side.

If it genuinely didn’t hurt, she wouldn’t react; if it did hurt and she was trying to hide it, just one good poke should give me the real story.

“Aah!? Hah…! Huh, hmm…!”

Seoliri jumped back like she’d just been shocked.

Of course, all her muscles tensed up at once, and she couldn’t catch her breath, making those awful choking sounds as she nearly died from it.

Suddenly, she was dripping with cold sweat on top of that.

That made me squint my eyes a bit.

“See? It hurts. You can’t even breathe properly.”

“Hah, cough, I can handle it… Huh.”

“No, if it hurts, you should just say it. Why are you trying to hide it all the time?”

“No, I’m fine.”

It’s like she listens well until she decides to be stubborn, and then it’s like talking to a brick wall.

“Not fine? You want me to poke you again?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Did you just say yes? You want me to poke you again?”

“Yes. Yes.”

So I sighed heavily.

Seriously, even when she looks like she’s about to kick the bucket, she’s still asking for me to poke her. Why is she like this?

“At this rate, you won’t be able to walk at all.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Alright then. Anyway, I’ll be staying in the city for now, so just stay put and make sure to rest. Put on the medicine and maybe start taking off your clothes too.”

“Yes.”

Then she clung onto her clothes again, swaggering and groaning, putting every ounce of effort into making it look as difficult as possible.

I let out another deep sigh watching her.

“Ugh. Just stay put for a minute.”

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While Geoltaran was off recruiting key technicians, I originally planned to just stick around, but then taking off felt wrong.

The city was a complete mess, and with a lack of hands on deck, what I thought would be just a few days of helping turned into a long-term commitment.

Qing’s strength had already surpassed human limits.

Plus, being a Supreme Martial Artist, she could take on the work of thirty men, so if I slipped away, the workload would really pile up.

And besides, Seolsoja was in a bad state. I figured I’d help out since I was here anyway, finish up at Zhangxing Company after heading to Jang An, and then swing by Jongsan and Wudang before heading home.

Honestly, Sichuan feels pretty far… it’s already hot, and probably hotter than it was before.

So during my time in Nangyeong, Qing’s days were pretty busy.

She woke up in the morning, washed up a bit, helped Seoliri splash some water on her face, and then it was breakfast time.

This useless, incompetent girl couldn’t even eat properly by herself.

I could see her trembling hands revealing the pain she was trying to endure.

Counting in my head, I could see her lifting the spoon and bringing it to her mouth like it took a monumental effort, and then scooping another bowl of porridge took just as much out of her.

She couldn’t even lift chopsticks, so she was just feeding on porridge and soup.

Left unattended, she’d probably eat until lunchtime and right after that, dive into lunch.

So what could I do? I had to feed her.

Still, she wouldn’t fuss over the side dishes, and she’d gobble down hot food without needing to cool it down, practically opening her mouth wide like a baby bird being fed. Honestly, it was kind of cute.

Honestly, without her face being so easy on the eyes, I probably wouldn’t have had the patience to keep her around.

But since her looks are my type, just seeing her makes my heart melt…

After I fed her breakfast, it was off to the flood recovery site.

Digging up to find bodies, clearing rubble, reinforcing the foundations, and putting up pillars like it’s nothing.

By lunchtime, I’d head back to the facility to eat and make sure she ate too, then after a quick rest, it was back to the trenches helping with the recovery all afternoon.

If it wasn’t raining, it was reconstruction; but if it was, it was digging drainage ditches, blocking water, and removing it, so honestly, it was tougher when it rained.

This darn rain still comes down hard on occasion.

When evening comes, I’d head back, take a bath, and clean up Seoliri who’s all sticky and sweaty from doing nothing.

Last time, I left her alone during bath time and when I couldn’t find her, she was stuck in the tub, bloated in the cold water.

Then it was applying ointment, changing the bandages, and only after that, it’s finally time for dinner.

After dinner and feeding her, just as I thought I could finally lie down, that old man comes around to bother me again.

“Ah, this age is really taking its toll on my eyesight. Oh, look at that. Good thread work. I thought you were just muscle, but you’ve got skills.”

Qing found old men hard to refuse.

She had a tendency to be even softer when dealing with those of higher standing.

But the old man should have had some decent standing too.

So Qing couldn’t help but follow his directions obediently.

It turned out he was a famous physician known as Langzhongdaoren.

Langzhong means wandering physician.

And those wandering physicians are mostly quacks. They can’t settle down anywhere because they lack skills, causing them to run from the side effects of their own medicine.

So the term Langzhong has become somewhat of a derogatory term for a fraudulent physician.

But this one was among the rare gems.

He wanders into cities facing epidemics or major disasters, helping without asking for a dime, hence the title “Great Healer.”

After being an involuntary physician, I’d collapse from exhaustion and the next thing I know, it’s morning again.

So I’d quickly wash my face, giving a solid scrub to Seoliri’s face as she just stares at the basin with trembling hands.

Then it’s back to more recovery work.

“Have the divine lady arrived!”

“Oh, divine lady, thank you!”

“Wow, divine lady! Divine lady!”

The neighborhood kids sang praises as they chased after me.

Every single person in Nangyeong would bend at the waist, rubbing their hands together, showering reverence just at the sight of Qing.

She was basically treated like a walking temple or something.

And it’s easy to see why.

For the people of Nangyeong, suddenly encountering a stunning beauty who not only dishes out food but also brings physicians and handles recovery work, lifting entire logs like it’s nothing? It’s like a goddess descended from the sky.

The term “divine lady” refers to supernatural beings or heavenly beings, which makes the respect they showed so overwhelming that you’d believe a donkey was a horse.

To put it accurately, they might not fully believe it, but they’d start seeing her as a divine being because they’ve been told to.

Initially, when helping, I was called various titles like Young Lady, M’lady, Sir Warrior, all sorts of things.

But after I conducted a joint funeral ceremony and performed a prayer offering, it was like everyone made a pact to just call her the divine lady.

In truth, the prayer offering was pretty haphazard, making the title all the more embarrassing.

Qing, being part of some righteous sect, had often helped Seomun Sulin during such ceremonies, so she could at least fake it decently.

She borrowed from what she’d seen, burnt some joss paper, recited some incantations, and awkwardly pretended to pray for the deceased’s peaceful rebirth.

But the townsfolk were none the wiser.

And in the end, the prayer ceremonies are meant for the living to find solace, not for the dead to actually gain anything out of it.

Three weeks flew by just like that.

It’s astonishing how quickly people can get used to things.

Now, Qing was a full-blown rookie carpenter.

By now, she was recognized as a carpenter anywhere she went, certified by the local carpenters.

Once she figured out how to insert wood without nails, she was whipping up ladders, chairs, and beds in no time.

It wasn’t just “slap together” work; when she sliced wood with her Sword Aura, it was a smooth sound, and with her extraordinary strength, it would fit perfectly without any need for hammering.

But even so, now calling herself a rookie carpenter? The road of carpentry was tougher than I expected…

Having played the role of a physician too, she’s gotten the hang of it.

Stitching wounds and basic treatments are now simple enough that she could do it with her eyes closed.

With her exceptional senses combined with her dexterity, she could easily pull things off even without looking.

But the old physician still claimed she had a long way to go.

The journey through medicine is long and winding.

Hearing the sage advice of Langzhongdaoren to think about the pain of the sick and take care of them, Qing has come to understand how tough it actually is to save lives as someone walking the path of medicine.

So tonight, I must read medical texts, flipping through a few pages.

And from that aspect, taking care of Seoliri had also become second nature.

Now, I could wash her face without soaking my clothes, scrubbing her face with the Wall Han soap until it was squeaky clean with not a lather left.

When evening came, I’d bring her in to scrub her down, dry her off, apply some ointment, change her bandages, and then finally feed her…

It’s bothersome, but it’s also a fulfilling job.

The emotional bond that forms by caring for a sick animal gradually opening up is a moving story I verified through various media even in my hometown.

At some point, Seoliri’s usually sharp gaze softened around Qing, and now when I come back, she greets me warmly.

Just three days ago, she even lent her shoulder to lean on first.

It was a true emotional whirlwind.

Previously, she’d fuss about not being able to sleep if someone else was around and wouldn’t be caught dead sharing space with others, claiming it was too hot and demanding space.

But now she was taking the initiative to lean on me. Talk about a change of heart!

And now it had been a month.

Qing had become adept at washing, drying, applying ointments, and checking Seoliri’s condition.

Martial artists typically heal faster from injuries, and according to Langzhongdaoren, Seoliri had hurt herself just enough without any serious damage.

Now, the bones probably healed enough and the bruises had faded to a soft brown.

“Now that the bruising is almost gone, you won’t need to apply ointment starting tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Ready to head for dinner?”

“Yes.”

Seoliri opened her arms towards Qing.

Qing skillfully scooped her up.

Taking care of Seoliri had completely become second nature.

Seoliri had gotten accustomed as well, now when washing her face in the morning, she happily blows her nose, and when picked up, she naturally leans into the embrace, even making it easy for Qing to bathe her.

Thus, Qing, having gotten the hang of caring for Seoliri while she herself perfectly adapted, became easier to care for day by day…

“Wait.”

Isn’t it weird that I’m getting comfortable with something that shouldn’t be?

And isn’t it also strange that someone who shouldn’t be, has gotten comfortable too?

“Seol-soja? You should be pain-free by now, right? Or hold on, since there are still some bruises left, you’ve probably not been in pain for a while now?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Huh.”

“Aah.”

Only then did Seoliri seem to realize and gave a surprised sound.

What do you mean understand? It’s ridiculous!

This is why getting too comfortable is scary.

When you get used to something, it becomes common, and without thinking, you forget the original purpose of it all.

Qing, didn’t you once feel at ease while being cared for?

Back when they were mimicking being a cripple in the anime sect, wasn’t it your uncle who dressed you, washed you, held you, and tucked you in?

Qing suddenly felt a jolt of clarity.

Wait, why am I even working as a carpenter?

Why am I thrilled just for being recognized as a rookie carpenter?

What’s with studying medicine all of a sudden?

Why do I feel the urge to study medical texts every night so naturally?

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