Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 471

A day passed, and then two. But the situation didn’t improve much.

Baek Cheon looked at Tang Soso, his expression worried.

“You need to rest,” he said.

“I’m alright, Fourth Uncle.”

“If the healer gets sick, who will help everyone else?” Baek Cheon asked with concern.

Tang Soso didn’t respond.

“You need to be well to help the sick get better,” Baek Cheon added.

“Then just a little more,” Tang Soso replied.

Baek Cheon felt sad and annoyed as he watched his niece trying very hard to continue.

The largest house in the village had become a sick bay. Patients in the worst condition and children lay there, barely awake. Tang Soso was taking care of them without stopping.

She gave them medicine and kept using acupuncture. But they didn’t get better quickly.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Chung Myung walked in with Hye-yeon.

“There wasn’t anything strange around here.”

“Are you sure?” Chung Myung asked.

“Just eyes. Oh, and ice.”

Hye-yeon sighed, looking disappointed. “I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find anything that could be causing this.”

Tang Soso sighed deeply.

Chung Myung walked over and handed her a bowl. “Here.”

“What is this?” Tang Soso asked.

“It’s medicine I made earlier.”

“I gave medicine to everyone here.”

“No, this is for you. You need to drink it.”

Tang Soso hesitated. “I’m alright…”

Chung Myung insisted, “Drink it!”

“I said, drink it!” Baek Cheon added.

Yoon Jong nodded. “Just listen to what we’re saying!”

Tang Soso flinched at their shouts and reluctantly took the bowl. “I, I’ll drink it.”

She drank the medicine quickly.

“It’s bitter,” she said, sticking out her tongue. She looked at her senior disciples with a slightly confused expression. They hadn’t slept while she stayed up all night, and they had helped her without stopping.

It was foolish, but it gave her strength.

Baek Cheon sat in front of Tang Soso and quietly asked, “Do you have any idea what this could be?”

Tang Soso shook her head weakly. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t you have any guesses?” Baek Cheon asked.

“No. I’ve never seen this kind of illness before,” Tang Soso replied.

Yoon Jong’s face became serious. “If it’s an unknown illness, is it hard to treat?”

“The illness is one thing, but they are all in very poor health. Even those without symptoms are very weak.”

“I don’t know if the illness is caused by poor health, or if their health is poor because of the illness,” Tang Soso said.

“We’re making porridge with the grain we brought and giving it out. Those who are awake should get better, right?” Yoon Jong asked.

“I hope so…” Tang Soso said, her voice trailing off. She covered her face with her hands.

‘Why am I so useless?’ she thought.

She felt like crying because she couldn’t help.

If she had known this would happen, she would have studied medicine harder. If her father, Tang Gunak, was here, things would be different.

Even if a doctor who had studied medicine properly was here, she wouldn’t feel so helpless.

“Don’t blame yourself,” a cold voice said in her ear.

Chung Myung was staring at her with a serious face. “If it doesn’t work out even after you do everything you can, it’s not your fault.”

Tang Soso didn’t respond.

“You can only blame yourself after you’ve done everything you can. Have you really done everything you can?” Chung Myung asked.

“No, Senior Brother. Not yet… not yet.”

“Alright. Then worry instead of blaming yourself. Pay attention to even the smallest thing. Blaming yourself makes you feel better for a short time, but regret stays with you for a long time. Don’t do something you’ll regret,” Chung Myung advised.

“Yes,” Tang Soso said, biting her lip and nodding.

But the fact that there was no solution didn’t change.

Seeing her like that, the Mount Hua disciples tried to think of ideas.

“Is it a local disease?” one of them asked.

“The village chief said he’s never seen this kind of illness before,” another replied.

“Then did those Demonic Sect people spread the disease on purpose?”

“Uh… I don’t think so,” Chung Myung said.

Everyone looked at Chung Myung.

“Those guys aren’t that smart or good at tricks. They’re just crazy.”

For some reason, they believed him. A crazy person recognizes another crazy person.

“Then what is it?”

Yoo Iseol, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. “Not plague.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon turned to Yoo Iseol and asked, “Junior Sister, what do you mean?”

“Plague spreads more easily to weak people,” Yoo Iseol explained.

“That’s right,” someone agreed.

“The village chief was fine,” Yoo Iseol added.

Baek Cheon’s eyes narrowed. ‘Come to think of it…’

The village chief was a weak old man who looked like he could collapse any day. But he wasn’t sick.

If this was a plague, why wouldn’t it affect such a weak old man?

“Now that I think about it, some other old people were fine too,” someone said.

Everyone agreed.

Baek Cheon looked back at Yoo Iseol, surprised. ‘She seems uninterested in everyone.’

It seemed she had been watching her surroundings carefully even in the middle of all this.

“Maybe… is there something that those old people have in common?” Baek Cheon asked.

“I don’t know about that,” Yoo Iseol replied.

Then Chung Myung suddenly spoke up. “Oh? I think I know.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon turned his head quickly. He was even more surprised that Chung Myung knew something like that than that Yoo Iseol had been watching her surroundings.

“What is it?” Baek Cheon asked.

“You’re talking about the old people who didn’t get sick, right?” Chung Myung asked.

“Yes!”

“They’re rich,” Chung Myung said with a grin, making a circle with his thumb and index finger. “They have a lot of money. Relatively, in this village.”

Baek Cheon’s face showed no emotion.

‘Of course,’ he thought.

‘It’s my fault for expecting something.’

‘I should have known better.’

Everyone gave up on Chung Myung.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Chung Myung asked.

“It’s nothing,” someone replied.

“Amitabha. Why are you blaming him? A pig only sees pigs,” one of the disciples said.

“Then do you think we’re all bald? Huh?” Chung Myung retorted.

“Ah, Amitabha! That was uncalled for!”

“It’s none of my business!” Chung Myung said.

Everyone ignored Chung Myung’s words.

But Tang Soso didn’t ignore them.

“They were rich?” she asked.

“Yeah. They seemed to be doing well. They’re just villagers, though…” Chung Myung replied.

“Wait a minute,” Tang Soso muttered to herself.

“Being rich means they have a lot to eat. So, nutrition… no. If it’s because of starvation, then giving them medicine and porridge should make them better…”

Then, as if she suddenly realized something, she looked up. “Just a moment!”

“Yes?” someone responded.

A village man helping to care for the sick looked at Tang Soso.

“In this village, when we arrived, everyone had their doors locked tight,” he said.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Was that because of the epidemic?” Tang Soso asked.

The man replied, “No, it wasn’t that. It was like that even before.”

“Why?”

“People keep disappearing, and there are rumors that devils in black clothes are wandering around outside. So, for the past few months, everyone has been staying inside.”

“A few months ago? What about before that?”

“Before that, it was normal…”

“How do you get food?” Tang Soso asked, concerned.

He explained, “Now that it’s winter, we’re managing with dried meat and the grain we’ve saved.”

Tang Soso’s eyes widened as she looked around, a blank expression on her face. She seemed bewildered.

Baek Cheon asked urgently, “Did you remember something?”

“I think I do, but… why would this affect common people?” she wondered.

“Huh?”

Tang Soso jumped up and began to examine the patients again in detail.

“That’s right. It is, isn’t it? But why?” She examined each patient, looking utterly bewildered as she turned to her martial siblings.

“Senior Uncle,” she said.

“Yes?”

“This isn’t a disease these people should be getting, but the symptoms are exactly the same!”

“What are you talking about? Speak clearly,” Baek Cheon urged.

Tang Soso’s eyes widened again. “This… this could be Seclusion Sickness.”

“Seclusion Sickness?” Baek Cheon frowned, tilting his head. “Is that even a real thing?” He had never heard of it.

But Jo Gul suddenly stood up, his eyes wide. “Wait… Seclusion Sickness? No way! Why would they have that?”

“Right?” Tang Soso said, looking confused. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“What is it?” Baek Cheon asked, getting impatient with their strange talk. “Tell us so we understand too!”

Jo Gul turned to Baek Cheon, his voice urgent. “Senior Uncle, it’s Seclusion Sickness! It’s a disease called Seclusion Sickness!”

“And what exactly is that?” Baek Cheon asked, still puzzled.

Jo Gul explained quickly, “It’s something that happens to people who stay hidden away for years, especially young people training in secret, in rich families.”

“There’s such a thing?” Baek Cheon was surprised.

Jo Gul thumped his chest, frustrated. “It’s a disease that promising disciples in rich families sometimes get after years of training in secret with expensive medicine! They become weak, like they’re haunted by a ghost. Their noses bleed, their gums swell, and their teeth get loose!”

“The symptoms are exactly the same?” Baek Cheon asked, concerned.

Jo Gul continued, “But this is known to be a problem from within, so why are these people getting it?”

Baek Cheon looked at Yoon Jong, confused. Yoon Jong looked just as puzzled. They exchanged glances and nodded.

‘I don’t understand a word they’re saying,’ Baek Cheon thought.

‘I should just stay quiet,’ Yoon Jong thought.

Whether they noticed or not, Tang Soso and Jo Gul began to talk excitedly.

“But Seclusion Sickness only happens to young people, right? Like promising students,” Tang Soso said.

Jo Gul responded, “No, no. If you think about it, older people who stay hidden away are usually masters, so they might not get it.”

“Ah, that’s right! These people don’t practice martial arts, so!” Tang Soso exclaimed.

Just then, Chung Myung tilted his head, as if he had an idea.

“That’s a disease?” he asked.

“Yes! It’s also called Family Disease,” Tang Soso explained.

“Why?”

“Because only rich families can afford to keep people hidden away for years with special, rich food. So, it’s said to be a disease that only promising students from rich families get…”

“Ah… It’s a disease. That was a disease,” Chung Myung said, staring blankly out the window with a strange look on his face.

‘I beat them for not having perseverance,’ he thought, feeling a pang of guilt.

‘I’m sorry, my martial brothers. I didn’t know… You should have said something.’

But he knew that no matter what they said, he wouldn’t have listened back then.

“Anyway, that’s not important. Is there a cure?” Baek Cheon asked, bringing them back to the present.

“Yes! It’s very simple,” Tang Soso said, her face lighting up.

“What is it?”

“Vegetables!”

“Huh?”

Tang Soso’s face was now full of joy. “This disease is so dangerous it can kill, but the cure is so easy! Just feed them fresh vegetables, raw food, or fruit!”

“Ah… It’s that simple?” Baek Cheon asked, surprised.

“Yes! The cure is very simple. They just need to eat properly to get better,” Tang Soso confirmed.

“But how do you know vegetables are the cure?” Jo Gul asked.

“People who only ate meat to take care of their bodies died,” she explained.

“…”

‘I didn’t even know that…’ A slight sense of guilt crossed Chung Myung’s face.

“I don’t know if the disease is exactly the same, but it’s worth trying!” Tang Soso exclaimed, excited that they might have found a solution.

But Chung Myung’s face was indifferent. “Oh, really?” he said, without much emotion.

“Yes!”

“But where are we going to get those vegetables?” he asked, pointing his chin towards the outside. “In this winter? In this snowfield? By the time we go to the Central Plains and come back, everyone here will be dead, won’t they?”

Tang Soso’s eyes shook. “Oh, no…”

It would be easier to catch a tiger. Where in the North Sea in this winter could they find enough vegetables or fruits to feed everyone?

The hope they had found vanished instantly. It might have been better not to know the disease at all. What could be worse than knowing the cure but not being able to use it?

“No. This can’t be happening…” Tang Soso muttered, looking defeated. Yoo Iseol, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“Again,” she said.

“Yes?”

“The cure, again,” Yoo Iseol prompted.

Tang Soso stared blankly and muttered weakly, “Vegetables or fruit.”

“Besides that. What else?”

“Yes?”

“There was one more thing. You said it.”

Tang Soso tilted her head, then startled. “Raw food!”

“That’s right,” Yoo Iseol confirmed.

Tang Soso’s eyes widened. Seclusion Sickness was rare, so most doctors didn’t know much about it. But as a member of the Tang family, she had to know something.

Most of the time, it was treated with vegetables or fruits, so she had simply remembered ‘raw food’ from the Tang family’s medical book.

“Raw food, then…”

“There is some, over there,” Yoo Iseol said, pointing beyond the window to the vast, frozen lake of the North Sea.

“Fish is also raw food. As long as it’s not grilled,” she added.

“Ah!” Everyone turned to look at Chung Myung.

Chung Myung smiled, enjoying the attention. “Chung Myung! Go and catch them quickly! A lot! As much as possible! They have to be fresh, so catch them alive somehow!”

Chung Myung looked up at the ceiling with a bright face. ‘Martial Uncle. Sect Leader Martial Uncle. Now these guys are using me so naturally. What do you think? Is it okay for Mount Hua to be going backwards like this?’

‘Don’t waste time, go and catch them quickly, you rascal!’

‘Martial Uncle, I’ll see you when I go to the Immortal Realm. I will definitely pluck out all of that beard. Definitely!’