The Ruler of Darkness

Book 2: Chapter 22

“Everyone, leave the room.”

Upon Jung-ah’s command, the triplets promptly vacated the room.

Even after they had left, a heavy silence loomed over the room.

“…So-Hyeon.”

The old man called out the name once more, and Yeon So-Hyeon took a deep sigh.

“Why do you have such keen senses, elder? I hid it so well, and yet you managed to see through it?”

Yeon So-Hyeon had not intended for this situation to unfold.

Unwillingly, the man had proven once again that the name ‘Medicine King,’ was not an exaggeration.

“…What could have possibly happened to you? You’ve hidden yourself so effectively that even the breath originating from Baihui point (Hundred Converges point)¹ through the Upper Dantian can’t be felt.”

In the end, his efforts to conceal the demonic energy of Scripture of Dark Heavens had inadvertently exposed him.

“You truly have keen eyes, elder. It’s no wonder they say that one should die when they get old.”

Jung-ah sensed the desperation in Yeon So-Hyeon’s voice, a desperation to not wound his mentor’s heart until the very end.

“…So-Hyeon, give me your wrist.”

Unable to look into the old man’s eyes, Yeon So-Hyeon closed his own. Jung-ah gently touched his shoulder without a word. Yeon So-Hyeon then extended his hand.

“…Don’t be shocked. There’s no one here to clean up the elder’s mess.”

It was a warning to prepare himself mentally. 

But the old man began to take his pulse without hesitation.

Who would dare stop a grandfather worrying over a child as dear to him as a grandson?

“…What is this.”

The Medicine King’s face twitched involuntarily.

“The Ren channel² and Du channel³ are twisted. No, there’s more. All the Eight Extraordinary Channels⁴are in reverse…!”

Cold sweat streamed down from his forehead without a break.

Jung-ah quietly wiped the elder’s cold sweat.

“This is impossible. This energy doesn’t belong to a living human being…!”

The old man’s eyes widened in realization.

“This is demonic energy…! But it’s very different from the energy of the demonic cults.”

The old man’s pupils flipped and a violent tremor ran through his body.

“I, I…! Such horrendous demonic energy…! I’ve never heard or seen anything like this in my life…!”

Yeon So-Hyeon forcibly pulled his wrist away.

He knew that any more would not just wound the old man’s heart but might destroy both his mind and body.

“…….”

The old man clenched his trembling hands around his face.

He was engulfed in terrible despair.

He could do nothing.

No. Frankly, just by trying to understand what was happening, he felt his sanity about to shatter into pieces.

Even though Yeon So-Hyeon had firmly sealed off that mysterious, unidentified magical energy using an inexplicable method.

A long time passed.

The old man lifted his face, which now looked several times older, to look at Yeon So-Hyeon.

“…You are no longer human.”

Yeon So-Hyeon could only silently nod in response.

***

The room was dominated by a heavy silence.

The old man clenched a short cigarette holder between his teeth, silently reminiscing about the past.

[I’ve given birth. It’s a healthy baby boy.]

When Yak So-yoo notified him through a letter via her acquaintance, he had been conducting important research in Tianzhu (ancient India) for several years.

But what importance did research hold when his most cherished disciple, as dear to him as a daughter, had given birth?

He reached Luoyang within a month.

[His name is Sohyeon.]

Without having washed, or slept properly, Yak So-yoo greeted her disheveled master with her usual warm smile.

She extended her arms, holding a tiny life that emitted soft breaths wrapped in a cloth.

Yet, he couldn’t dare to take the child.

How could he touch a pure life with his filthy hands that had not been washed for months?

He stood there, neither able to distance himself nor come closer, only looking at the child with wistful eyes.

Yak So-yoo whispered softly to the child, her smile as warm as spring sunshine.

[This is your great-grandfather.]

What have I ever…

Despite a lifetime devoted to medicine, earning the title of Medicine King, he had not had any descendants of his own.

The warm introduction by his disciple, calling him ‘great-grandfather,’ was enough to bring a mist to the old man’s eyes.

He bowed his head so as not to reveal his emotion, endlessly staring at the child.

The child who looked back at him with curious, dark eyes was more innocent and noble than any child he had ever seen.

[Our So-Hyeon. Isn’t he adorable?]

His disciple had never led a smooth life.

While everyone knew of her fame that seemed to pierce the sky, very few knew the trials she had undergone.

The old master could not find words when faced with his dazzling disciple.

He only stared at her, as if she were a beautiful portrait.

It was too late when he realized she had given up her own life to protect her child.

[Master, please sometimes visit Luoyang and take care of dearest So-Hyeon.]

The scroll in his hands trembled slightly.

It was her will.

The scroll was filled with detailed expressions of gratitude toward him.

But the only favor she asked of him was that single sentence.

She had returned to the embrace of nature at a tragically young age.

For months, he offered rites every night towards the direction where her body lay, praying for her to be reborn in the Pure Land⁵.

He also sent a letter, almost like a threat, to the royal family, commanding the construction of a shrine to honor her throughout the country.

[Have you arrived?]

His first visit came two years after So-Hyeon’s mother had left.

So-Hyeon greeted him with a composure beyond his years.

He wanted to take So-Hyeon as a disciple because he was so lucid and excellent.

However, he found it too painful to look at So-Hyeon’s face.

He became overwhelmed every time he saw traces of the child’s mother in So-Hyeon’s face, expressions, and actions.

Perhaps this is how a father feels who has lost a daughter before him.

He understood why it’s considered the ultimate act of filial impiety for a child to pass before their parents.

He left behind a book containing all of his secret teachings.

As he was about to quietly leave, So-Hyeon somehow sensed his intentions and came to see him off on a moonlit night.

[I’ll see you again, grandfather.]

From then on, he would occasionally visit the sword house to spend time with So-Hyeon.

At some point, they became like friends.

They would insult each other and belittle each other’s skills.

Then one day, his grandson was labeled a swordless man, a disgrace to the family.

Like others, the old master tried several times to persuade him, but So-Hyeon only responded with a gentle smile that so resembled his mother’s.

[Simply living in contentment is my wish. The rumors of the world will eventually fade away.]

Even if the rumors never fade, it was alright.

It was good to live quietly without desires.

Isn’t avoiding the muddy waters of the human world also a way of living?

The old man beat his chest in regret.

The man before him was such a soft child.

Such a gentle child.

A child who so resembled his mother.

The child resembled a small, beautiful flower that didn’t belong in this cruel world.

An extremely clever child, he was disillusioned with the world at an early age.

He aged prematurely.

Nobody had any idea what had happened to him.

His grandson thus withdrew from the affairs of the world.

And so, his child, his grandson, had now lost his existence as a human being.

There was no sign of vitality in his body.

His body harbored a terrible magic that was unimaginable.

[…I only want to take responsibility.]

What responsibility is he talking about?

What wrong could this enormous family have committed, how awry must the world be turning, for this child to forsake his humanity and take responsibility?

His grandson was so kind-hearted and gentle, a child who never raised his voice even to servants who disregarded him.

He was simply a child who wanted to live a quiet life and then leave this world.

Even when poisoned, he treated himself quietly without causing a commotion within the family.

He had been poisoned so many times that he had reached a higher level of detoxification than even his grandfather, who was known as the “Medicine King.”

How painful must it have been,

How resentful must he have been.

Even he himself wouldn’t have been able to endure it for a moment.

“This insane family…!”

The old man hurled a bowl against the wall, shattering it to pieces.

“This garbage-filled family…!”

His roar of anger reverberated loudly.

Reverberated in agony.

“These cursed fools! Those who only know power and money!”

He fell to his knees on the spot and wept.

Wept sorrowfully.

Wailed.

Tears and snot flowed down, making the already unimpressive face of the old man even more ugly.

However, nobody could mock it.

He had already sent his daughter away before him.

And now, it was almost like he had sent his grandson away as well.

***

“So you’re thinking of making a big move now?”

“Isn’t it just a matter of stirring things up?”

Only the two of them were in the room.

Jung-ah had long vacated her seat, considering the elderly man’s dignity.

Yeon So-Hyeon revealed his teeth in a smile.

“If need be, I’m prepared to empty everything and start anew.”

His words were chilling.

The old man clapped his hands in delight.

“Excellent! If we’re going to do it, might as well do it right, don’t you think?!”

He burst out laughing.

“Those fools will realize who they’ve messed with!”

The pair clinked their glasses in a toast.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Could you stay in Luoyang for a while?”

The old man nodded. “I was planning on visiting your father to prescribe him a concoction anyway.”

He gritted his teeth.

“Might as well liquidate the assets of this useless family while I’m at it.”

Yeon So-Hyeon chuckled.

Carefully, the old man spoke.

“Before visiting you, I went to see Bi⁶ first. I needed the secret poison from Tang of the Sichuan family. Of course, I got the poison…”

Bi is the name of a boatman.

“What did that guy complain about this time?”

The old man scratched his head.

“It’s the same old story. He doesn’t like you very much. Especially since you haven’t met him because you’ve been hiding…”

Yeon So-Hyeon nodded agreeably.

“Understood. I was planning on visiting him soon anyway.”

The old man’s face brightened.

“That’s good to hear. Then…”

Just then, Jung-ah’s voice rang out from outside.

Her voice was filled with an uneasy tension.

“Master, a guest has arrived.”

A guest at this hour?

“Who is it?”

The reply came not from Jung-ah, but from the guest himself.

“My Lord, I am here on the orders of Elder Yeom to escort Master Medicine King.”

Medicine King’s eyebrows twitched.

“These crazy bastards…”

He tried to rise from his seat, but Yeon So-Hyeon had already kicked open the door.

1. The Bai Hui pressure point is the 20th point on the Governing Vessel (aka Du Mai). It is located on the midline of the head, basically at the crown.[↩]
2. The Ren channel begins on the perineum, rises up the midline over the abdomen, chest and throat and ends at the centre of the chin.[↩]
3. The Du channel runs along the midline of the body’s back, from the perineum up the spine, through the neck, and into the head, ending at the upper lip.[↩]
4. Special pathways that circulate life energy or ‘qi’ in the body. These pathways are the first to form in utero and are carriers of Yuan Qi—the ancestral energy which corresponds to our genetic inheritance.[↩]
5. Pure Land is the concept of a celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism where many Buddhists aspire to be reborn in.[↩]
6. Character for jade[↩]