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Chapter: 46

The leader wants to meet me? There was no time to waste. I had to drop everything and rush over.

Arriving in the middle of the day, I had some time to spare. Unlike the places I\'d passed through before, Wolhan Fortress was my destination, so I planned to stay longer.

And that\'s exactly what I did. I rushed over. Dropped everything, mounted a horse, and galloped to the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group Leader.

I rushed to the Wolhan Fortress branch of the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group, thinking of the documents or gifts Shin Gwiryung might have sent someone to deliver, or perhaps even an important person sent in his stead.

"Oh my, Your Highness, in this humble place...?"

Go Yeong-shin, who had arrived with me but entered the fortress first, was leisurely strolling in the courtyard of the Pyeonggwang Merchant Group branch when he spotted me and made a fuss.

But that was only for a moment. He and the other merchants led me to the reception room as if they had planned it beforehand.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

I swear on the fine hairs of Blood Cloud Fortress Lord\'s toes, I didn’t think I\'d meet Shin Gwiryung himself.

He wouldn\'t be staying here, and I rarely saw him even in the capital, so how could I possibly run into him in this northernmost fortress? Unless he was a good-for-nothing idler, why would he come all the way from the capital to Wolhan Fortress?

But that was just my wishful thinking.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

A familiar, flamboyant face and an unfamiliar old man beside him.

Who the former was, there\'s no need to say.

The moment I saw Shin Gwiryung\'s smile, goosebumps spread all over my body.

Why is this guy here?

I wasn\'t even cold, but I got goosebumps. Not only goosebumps, but I felt like a chicken. A chicken in front of a cat.

If it were a lynx, I\'d be eaten alive, but since it was a cat, I could at least fight back and run away, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Better than a lynx like Queen Woo, anyway.

In any case, it was one of the top five most surprising experiences of my past and present life combined.

"Why are you so surprised?"

Flustered, I entered the reception room like a wooden puppet, stretching my arms and legs forward at the same time.

"Why am I surprised?"

"You look surprised no matter how I look at you, so I\'m just saying."

He said that, but Shin Gwiryung\'s head didn\'t move an inch, as if it were stuffed.

He even gave a half-hearted greeting, showing a hint of defiance.

"Anyone would think you\'ve seen a ghost, Your Highness."

He might have meant it as a joke, but it wasn\'t really funny. Honestly, would a guy like me be afraid of ghosts? I\'m a ghost myself.

And not just any ghost. I haven\'t seen any other ghosts except Taejo, but even among ghosts, I\'m probably pretty strong.

"Nonsense."

"My apologies."

His face didn\'t look apologetic at all.

With a constipated expression, I pulled a nearby chair and sat down.

Then I turned my gaze to the old man next to Shin Gwiryung.

"Who are you? You haven\'t said a word."

The old man stood up and bowed his head.

"My apologies. I\'ve never seen such a noble person before, so I..."

Now that I looked, the old man\'s body was trembling as if he had been rolling in the snow all day.

Where did he pick up such an extraordinary old man? I was very curious about his origin.

As if sensing my gaze, Shin Gwiryung spoke.

"It\'s a symptom of drug addiction. There\'s nothing to worry about."

What? I scoffed in disbelief.

"Nothing to worry about? It seems you don\'t know who I am."

Shin Gwiryung smiled again. Someone who didn\'t know any better would think he was just in a good mood.

"Please understand. At least it\'s not contagious."

It was as if he was saying, "What are you going to do if you don\'t understand?" Of course, there\'s nothing I could do.

An eerie feeling made me pull my chair back as far as I could, creating some distance.

"You wouldn\'t bring an old man trembling from drug addiction in front of me without a good reason, would you?"

Shin Gwiryung nodded. The old man sat down again. One hand gripped the chair, the other the table. While his hands seemed momentarily steady as they held onto the furniture, the arms attached to them trembled uncontrollably. The sight made me uneasy.

"There is indeed a reason," he said.

I leaned back deeply into the chair, crossing my arms.

"Speak."

As if waiting for this cue, Shin Gwiryung began his introduction.

"This man was originally a physician..."

At those words, my face contorted in disgust. Not just a simple frown, but a full-on grimace with every muscle in my face contorted.

Shin Gwi-Ryung paused for a moment before asking, "What\'s wrong?"

"What do you mean, \'what\'s wrong\'?"

"You seem displeased."

"Displeased?"

"Perhaps."

Of course I\'m displeased! Wouldn\'t you be? You\'re introducing an old man who\'s shaking like a leaf from drug addiction, and the first thing you say is that he\'s a physician.

Damn it. His hands were shaking so much that they left afterimages. Who in their right mind would entrust their life to those hands? Only a madman would. Unfortunately, I wasn\'t that crazy yet; I knew the value of my life.

"Continue. Let\'s hear it."

Maybe he was a decent physician when he was younger? His past experiences could be of some use.

"His name is Soon Gang."

Soon Gang?

The name caught my attention.

Soon Gang was a physician who would later save a military leader from the brink of death, an event that would catapult him to fame.

To think I\'d meet him here, like this.

It was hard to reconcile the image of the renowned physician I\'d heard about with the drug-addled man before me, but if this was the Soon Gang I knew, he must possess considerable skill.

Suddenly, Soon Gang\'s finger shot out with lightning speed.

It pierced my chest, two finger-widths above my heart.

"Gah...!"

It hurt. It really hurt.

Soon Gang quickly withdrew his hand, and I stared back and forth between him and Shin Gwiryung in disbelief, clutching the spot where I\'d been poked.

Shin Gwiryung abruptly opened his fan. The colorful bird feathers adorning its tip caught my eye. He sure loved flamboyant things.

Hiding his mouth behind the fan, Shin Gwiryung spoke.

"It\'s said to be an acupuncture point that induces a powerful awakening effect. It\'s so powerful that, with a bit of exaggeration, it can supposedly pull someone back from the brink of death and give them the strength to move mountains."

What nonsense!

I blurted out, frustrated because I hadn\'t felt any awakening, only pain.

"Awakening, my foot..."

Shin Gwiryung chuckled as I grumbled.

"Haha, it\'s only natural that there\'s no awakening effect if it wasn\'t done properly."

I retorted even louder, "Bringing in a quack..."

"With all due respect, Your Highness, this man is not the kind of charlatan commonly referred to as a quack."

He looked like a quack even if you squinted.

"This Gwiryung vouches for him, so please trust me."

Somehow, that made me even more suspicious. Of course, as the leader of a top-tier merchant group, his judgment and credibility were undoubtedly far superior to mine. But regardless of logic, I couldn\'t shake off my doubts.

"Ah, and I\'ve already obtained permission from General So, so I haven\'t done anything wrong."

Even my grandfather?

That was unexpected.

Surely, my upright grandfather wouldn\'t casually participate in some chest-poking game.

This meant there was a high probability that this seemingly insane, drug-addicted old man was indeed the legendary physician Soon Gang...

Hmm.

"Was there a mistake?"

"Yes."

"...If that\'s the case, there\'s nothing we can do. Try again."

I subtly lowered the hand that was rubbing the poked area, exposing it.

It was a signal that he could poke me again.

But the answer was different from what I expected.

"That acupuncture point is very delicate..."

The old man said, his lips trembling.

It was a wonder that coherent words could come out of that mouth.

"...If it\'s not found directly, then, cough, hack, cough!"

Soon Gang suddenly started coughing in the middle of his sentence. I quickly moved away from him.

Shin Gwiryung said in a dismissive tone.

"He has asthma."

Huh? Asthma? And he\'s a renowned physician?

Is he even a real physician, let alone a renowned one?

"Your Highness, please come closer."

"Why should I go near someone who’s sick?"

"I\'d like to locate your acupuncture point first."

I kept my distance from Soon Gang, observing him with a doubtful expression, before reluctantly approaching him.

The moment he extended his hand and pressed on the acupuncture point, I gasped sharply.

The instant the point was pressed, I felt a strong sensation of lightness throughout my body.

However, it was only a fleeting feeling. As soon as Soon Gang withdrew his hand, the lightness disappeared.

Still, there was an effect. A subtle vitality started to flow through my body.

"Something feels different?"

Not only did I feel energized, but my vision seemed clearer and my hearing sharper. It wasn\'t a huge difference, but it was noticeable.

"So he\'s not a quack after all?"

"Didn\'t I already tell you?"

Shin Gwiryung added, as if scolding me.

"He is indeed a skilled physician whose abilities are unmatched."

Soon Gang coughed a couple of times, seemingly embarrassed.

"Anyway, I\'ve shown you the location of the acupuncture point, so how you utilize it is up to Your Highness."

"Can I at least ask about how to use it?"

"It\'s simply an awakening, so I\'m not sure what to tell you... Ah, since the location of the point is delicate and difficult to find the exact stimulation point, once you master it, you should be able to adjust the degree of awakening according to your needs."

It seemed Shin Gwiryung hadn\'t brought Soon Gang in as an ally, as he didn\'t say a word about the bellflower.

But it was clear he was talking about the side effects of the bellflower.

It dulls the senses in exchange for neutralizing the pain caused by supernatural abilities. In my case, if I consumed just a little bit more of the bellflower, there were times when the arm holding my sword felt like a foreign object.

"I believe being able to control the degree of awakening and the body parts to be awakened will be a significant advantage."

The spot where I was poked was still tingling. How hard did he press?

I glanced at Soon Gang\'s fingers, and they were thicker than mine. The thickness of his joints seemed to be at least twice the size of his knuckles.

No wonder the acupuncture point was so strong.

The comparison was even more striking because my fingers were quite slender for a man.

"I hope you find the exact acupuncture point. May you recover quickly."

With those words, Shin Gwi-Ryung rummaged through his pocket and pulled something out. It was something wrapped in white paper, smaller than half the size of his palm.

I thought he was giving it to me, but he wasn\'t. Shin Gwiryung handed it over, and Soon Gang hurriedly unwrapped the paper and poured the contents into his nose and mouth. Only then did Soon Gang look satisfied.

How could such a degenerate person be the future renowned physician? Even after witnessing it with my own eyes, I couldn\'t believe it.

It was pointless, but I pressed the acupuncture point with my finger. As expected, it was futile. Nothing happened.

I nodded once and requested, "Please keep this a secret."

"Of course, Your Highness."

After hearing those words, I left the reception room.

I had found a solution, so the rest was up to me.

But why did it feel like things were getting more and more difficult?

At this rate, it seemed like it would have been better to live as an orphan like I was originally, instead of a prince. Just like my past self, Baek Yeon.

"Hmm."

Surely, Taejo wouldn\'t have given me a worthless solution, would he?