I recall a time from my childhood.
Back then, illness was an overwhelming disaster for Sayoon.
It couldn’t be helped.
The memories of when she was a beggar before meeting the Sword Saint still lingered with her.
Both she and those around her were people who couldn’t survive without moving day by day.
If they couldn’t earn at least a penny, they’d have to starve for the day.
So even if they were sick, they had to keep going.
They had to wake up at dawn to find work, and if they couldn’t find a job, they had to beg.
Thus, there was no time to take care of a sick body.
Because of that, Sayoon saw far too much.
An elderly woman who just had a cough became a cold corpse a few days later.
Her sister, who only complained of a little stomachache, collapsed while coughing up blood days later.
The younger sibling, who simply felt a bit dizzy, one day just didn’t wake up.
So Sayoon couldn’t calm down.
To her, Yu Wol was precious like the Hongseong Clan, like “Mister.”
Seeing someone so dear suffering from illness brought forth enough fear about sickness that Sayoon had carried.
“…Will the innkeeper be okay?”
Sayoon murmured in a wet voice, unable to even touch the tea that Yohwan prepared for her. Seeing her like this, Hongryeon forced a bitter smile.
It reminded her of the time when Sayoon first came to Hongseong. Back then, she was smaller and skinnier, but her gaze was intense, and she trembled in fear.
This was when her direct senior disciple, Yoohee, was suffering from a cold.
Since becoming the first disciple of the Sword Saint, Hongryeon naturally took on the role of the eldest sister and cared for her disciples for a long time.
It wasn’t just martial arts training.
She also soothed the mental anguish needed to carry on the difficult teachings of the Hongseong Clan and occasionally took care of them when they got sick or injured during training.
So when Yoohee caught a cold, it was something she could laugh off.
Martial artists who had properly learned their arts didn’t get sick easily, and even if they did, they’d recover quickly!
But the sight of Sayoon back then was shocking to Hongryeon.
She took care of Yoohee with all her heart, utterly frightened.
Of course, considering they viewed each other like sisters, it wasn’t that strange, but Sayoon’s devotion seemed a bit more intense.
Still, she thought time would have softened that intensity, but to see Yu Wol collapsed brought back those memories.
Hongryeon smiled wryly and patted Sayoon’s head.
“The innkeeper is a strong person. You don’t need to worry. The physician also said they were fine, remember?”
“B-but…”
“It’s alright. It’s alright.”
While soothing the trembling Sayoon, Hongryeon lifted her head.
Yohwan was simply sipping tea impassively. As she watched, thinking it might be wisdom, she turned her eyes to Chaejin.
She watched with a look that seemed to ponder the weight of experience and then turned her gaze to Chaejin.
Chaejin was deep in thought, wearing a serious expression.
“Why?”
“No, I think it’s because I’m lacking… I should have taught better… Ah, I should contact Moonjeong and request some herbal medicine for Father.”
It was Chaejin who was teaching him martial arts. As such, it seemed she was feeling quite guilty.
If she had taught him properly, would this have happened?
If instead of overburdening him with work, she had made him train more to take care of himself, he wouldn’t have collapsed like that.
As she was feeling down, Hongryeon smirked.
No matter what, it was both annoying and reassuring that her feelings for Yu Wol were genuine.
“Anyway… we need someone to take care of the innkeeper.”
The moment Hongryeon said that, Chaejin’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll do it!”
“Can the esteemed person of Moonjeong really handle this?”
“Uh… I’ve seen it done many times.”
At Hongryeon’s sharp remark, Chaejin flinched.
She was right. Chaejin didn’t have anyone around her suffering like that, and even if there were, she had never taken care of a patient.
“Maybe it’s better if I do this.”
After all, unlike Chaejin, she had plenty of experience taking care of sick sisters.
When Hongryeon confidently said that, the doctor next to them, who had been having tea and chatting with Yohwan, chuckled.
“It’s better to leave the care of the innkeeper to the inn’s servants. And since you’ll be staying at my inn today, don’t worry about it.”
“…I could make time for it, though.”
“Taking care of the sick means you’ve got to stay close… I doubt Yu the Innkeeper would want that.”
That was certainly a valid point. If Hongryeon gave up her responsibilities to take care of him, Yu Wol would be just as apologetic, and Hongryeon knew that all too well.
“Then it has to be me!”
“I’ve heard from Nakil that it’s not wise to leave this to you.”
“I can learn, right?!”
“Learn later. He’ll likely recover in a day or two.”
In the end, Chaejin kept her mouth shut. To them, the doctor calmly said while sipping his tea:
“If you really want to, come by tomorrow for a hospital visit. If you eat well and rest, he should be almost better by then. So where has the Sword Saint gone?”
As the doctor was curious, the Sword Saint descended from above. As she took her seat, Yohwan poured tea for her and cheerfully comforted everyone.
“Well then, let’s all have a cup of tea before we head back. I need to start preparing for lunch, so I’ll get going now.”
Yohwan poured tea for the Sword Saint too before heading to the kitchen, while the doctor casually stretched and went upstairs.
The physician lazily stretched and ascended.
The women who remained in their seats didn’t utter a word.
They were just thinking about how they could help Yu Wol in their own way.
As soon as Hongryeon returned to Hongseong, she moved along with her sisters.
After all, there were things to be done.
Under Hongryeon’s guidance, they continued their training on Hongseong Mountain. As always, Sayoon, who was going up and down the mountain for her training, was asked by her partner Yoohee.
“What’s with that face?”
“Well…”
As Sayoon shared that she had just met Yu Wol and heard he had collapsed due to a cold, Yoohee also became worried. After all, Yu Wol was someone who had helped Hongseong a lot.
“Shall we look for some herbs that are good for his health?”
Searching for and harvesting herbs during training on Hongseong Mountain was a daily routine for the Hongseong disciples.
Besides, Chaejin had mentioned it, right? She even said she would special order a tonic for the Doje.
“Hongseong Mountain has plenty of herbs, right? Who knows? We might find something good to use as a tonic.”
Nodding slightly at Yoohee’s suggestion, Sayoon replied, “That makes sense.”
“Of course, it takes luck to find something like that. But still, if we think of the Innkeeper, maybe we can find something?”
“Hehe. I hope so.”
Sayoon forced a smile and nodded at Yoohee’s comfort.
As she climbed the mountain using her skills, which had no trails, Sayoon suddenly stopped.
“…Huh?”
“What’s wrong?” Yoohee, who was moving alongside her, asked. Sayoon tilted her head before leaping towards what caught her eye, coming to a stop there.
“Yoohee, look at this…”
“Huh? Huh?!”
It was a plant with red berries. It had palm-like leaves at the end of its stem, pointed at the tips, and the leaf surface was covered in fine hairs.
Gazing intently at it, Sayoon asked in a trembling voice, “Y-Yoohee, this…”
“It’s mountain ginseng?! It seems to be at least ten years old?!”
Ten-year-old mountain ginseng is used as a premium tonic ingredient. Its medicinal properties boost stamina and can even ward off illness just by eating it.
“Wow! Wow!!”
Sayoon grabbed Yoohee’s hand and jumped up and down. Who would have thought they’d find mountain ginseng like this?
Did some disciples come because they heard Sayoon’s jubilant cheers? A few disciples approached, among them Ryuhyun, who had expertise in herbs, looked surprised.
“My goodness. This would be quite valuable as a tonic, right?”
“Hehe.”
“Well done, Sayoon. You found it, didn’t you?”
“Hehe… Yes. Um, Ryuhyun…”
“I know. I heard from Senior Sister that the Innkeeper has fallen ill, right? How about giving him this?”
As expected of Ryuhyun.
When Sayoon happily nodded, realizing Ryuhyun’s intention, Ryuhyun carefully dug up the ginseng.
Of course, it was Sayoon who found it, but since even one little root can ruin its medicinal properties, it’s better left to someone skilled.
And Ryuhyun was experienced enough to earn Sayoon’s trust.
While everyone held their breath, watching, Ryuhyun dug into the ground and gently brushed off the dirt.
Looking at the ginseng they obtained, Ryuhyun patted Sayoon’s head.
“I’m glad I can repay you this way, after always receiving help.”
“That’s really true!”
Sayoon couldn’t hide her joy and beamed.
Unexpectedly returning to Hongseong with the ginseng, Sayoon was even happier.
No wonder, considering she had seen what Hongryeon brought back.
“This is… precious stone honey, right? Used for tonic.”
The jar was filled with honey from red-hued honeycomb.
It was honey collected from the thousand-day plum blossoms of Mount Yeongsan.
She had searched the mountain thoroughly to find something suitable for him and spotted it by luck, but she thought it unnecessary to mention that, chuckling leisurely.
“Hehe. By the way, Sayoon, you found the ginseng, didn’t you?”
“Hehe. Yes!”
“Well done.”
With the ginseng and the equally precious honey, it should be enough for Yu Wol’s recovery.
As she pondered giving it to him tonight, just as the healer instructed, Hongryeon thought.
– Boom!
“…Master?”
The Sword Saint returned, holding a massive tiger in her hands.
“Why is there a tiger?”
While Mount Yeongsan was a sanctuary with no monsters, dangerous beasts did exist.
That was why the Hongseong Clan always hunted the beasts of Mount Yeongsan, and she thought there shouldn’t be any huge ones left.
When Hongryeon asked, puzzled, the Sword Saint shrugged.
“I was walking while thinking about something, and this guy tried to eat an old herbalist woman. He’s got a murderous look in his eyes, having tasted human blood a few times, so I took care of him.”
The Sword Saint said nonchalantly, then gave the tiger a light tap.
“I heard that the bones, blood, and meat of such a massive tiger are good for health. This should help him. Uh… or maybe not? I’m not good with this sort of thing…”
With a slightly sheepish tone, when the Sword Saint spoke, Hongryeon and Sayoon burst into laughter.
Surely, it would be a big help.
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