It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 96. Renowned Physician (4)

“Why the hell do we have to do this crap?”

Lü Bu, strolling through the streets, pouted as she spoke. Her eyes were hidden under a deeply pressed straw hat, but they were probably twisted like those of a ferocious dog.

Yes, we were currently wandering the streets.

Originally, she would never have descended from the mountain, so it wasn’t surprising she was voicing her displeasure like this.

“We have no choice. I heard the lady over there can’t even move.”

“That’s why, dammit, why do we have to do this shitty stuff?”

Lü Bu growled at the middle-aged man leading the way ahead of us.

I let out a deep sigh.

“The reason we wield swords in the first place is to help the weak. But if we neglect the weak and only focus on training, wouldn’t that be the height of hypocrisy?”

“Heh, and who’s helping whom when you’re practically half-dead yourself?”

I was of two minds as well. I never intended to reveal myself like this.

However, as I told Lü Bu, if we dismissed the weak and focused solely on training, there would be no reason to have learned martial arts in the first place.

That’s how I had lived.

That was why I took up the sword.

If I hadn’t had such a motivation, I would’ve probably ended up as some street thug.

Then suddenly, thud—

The middle-aged man, staggering unsteadily, bumped into a group of burly men.

It seemed his mind and body were too exhausted to notice what was in front of him.

A man among the burly group, with a scar slashed across his chin, stepped forward. He was Scarface.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!”

“S-Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Damn it, no wonder the weather is so gloomy today. Damn bastard.”

The middle-aged man looked frazzled. He kept his gaze glued to the ground, bowing repeatedly.

Just as he tried to continue on his way—

“Hey, what’s this?”

Scarface grabbed the man’s shoulder roughly.

The relatively frail man fell onto his backside.

“Just ‘cause you’re old, you think you can do whatever? Apologize properly!”

“I-I have urgent business…”

“You think you’re the only one with things to do? I’ve got my own busy life too.”

Tap, tap, tap.

I stepped forward, leaning on my cane.

“What are you?”

“This man’s wife is gravely ill. He was distracted by worry, so could you please let this go?”

“Hah, now we’ve got a cripple rolling in too?”

For something as trivial as a bump on the shoulder, this guy was really going overboard.

He was clearly just a thug.

But we didn’t have time to get entangled in such nonsense.

“I’ll make sure to repay this favor someday, so please let us pass.”

“Hey, you crippled bastard.”

Scarface kicked at my limping right leg with the tip of his foot.

“If you block someone’s way, you should at least kneel, right? So kneel, along with that guy.”

At his words, mocking laughter erupted from the thugs behind him.

“…Sigh.”

A sigh escaped me.

My fists were itching.

These damn bastards—this was perfect timing.

I was already in a foul mood, so maybe a little stress relief—

“Gah!”

In an instant, Scarface’s body was sent flying far away.

Red hair tickled the side of my face as Lü Bu charged at him.

— Thud!

She then stabbed Scarface’s leg with her halberd.

I was so shocked that I couldn’t even react.

“Arghhh!”

“You filthy bastard, how dare you. What?”

“W-What the hell are you…!”

“Mind your tongue, huh? Back in the day, trash like you wouldn’t even dare meet my eyes. And now you touch my prey? With that dirty leg?”

Lü Bu twisted the halberd embedded in his leg little by little.

With each twist, Scarface’s screams grew louder.

The lackeys behind him fumbled in panic, drawing their weapons.

“Go ahead and try. Today, I’m going to kill every single one of you. Let me carve into your flesh what happens when you mess with someone else’s prey.”

“L-Lady Yeo.”

“What?”

“Please, calm down. No matter how far out we are, causing a scene like this will bring the guards down on us.”

“Heh, do you really think those worthless bastards could stop me?”

Did she eat something bad?

What’s gotten into her?

I thought she’d calmed down recently, but now she was acting like a complete mad dog.

Was she also bottling up stress, just like me?

I lightly tapped Lü Bu’s shoulder.

“That middle-aged man is frantic. These guys aren’t our objective.”

“…Hah.”

— Plop!

Lü Bu swiftly hoisted the halberd she had stabbed into Scarface’s leg onto her shoulder.

“Show up in front of me again, got it? Next time, I’ll shove this into your neck, not just your leg.”

“Huff, huff!”

Scarface, supported by his lackeys, fled in a hurry.

I finally took a deep breath, relieved.

The middle-aged man, who had fallen, looked up at us with fearful eyes.

I nudged his back with my cane.

“Hurry and guide us. Your wife is teetering between life and death, so get a grip.”

“Y-Yes, I understand!”

And so, we resumed our journey in an awkward atmosphere.

—

“This should do it.”

“…Are you sure?”

The middle-aged man gently stroked the forehead of his wife, who still lay with her eyes closed.

I nodded as I watched him.

“The worst is over. I’ve removed all the impure qi from her body, so she should wake up by tomorrow.”

“T-Thank you. Thank you so much, physician…!”

“I’ve told you, I’m not a physician.”

Seeing an older man kneeling and sobbing like that felt rather surreal.

So, I got up.

There was no reason to stay here any longer, and I didn’t want to remain in this uncomfortable atmosphere.

“A, wait a moment…!”

At that moment, the middle-aged man called out to me.

“How should I repay you…?”

“No need.”

“Pardon…?”

“Just take good care of your wife.”

“But, but I cannot simply overlook such a great favor!”

“You’re quite a rigid person. I said it’s fine, didn’t I?”

Judging by the modest state of his home, he was likely just an ordinary man struggling to make ends meet each day. How could someone like him afford a proper reward?

He’d have to offer up everything he had.

It was obvious that his future life would become more difficult.

Besides, I never intended to accept any payment in the first place.

Even so, the man showed no sign of backing down.

I lightly tapped the middle-aged man’s head with my cane.

“Do you really want to repay me that much?”

“…”

The man just kept touching his head repeatedly, seemingly unable to believe he’d just been hit.

Looking at his surprised expression, I spoke again.

“If that’s the case, show your face with your wife later. Live your life with renewed effort. Just live as you always have, without any worries.”

In the end, I chose words that seemed fitting enough.

The man stared at me for a moment before slowly bowing his head.

“Yes… Great One.”

“And don’t lose your spirit like today. If there’s someone beside you who needs protection, you must resist. Don’t end up looking more like an invalid than your wife does. You’re the head of the family, aren’t you? The pillar that supports this household. If the pillar doesn’t do its part, what will become of the house?”

“I’ll remember that…”

“If you understand, that’s enough. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, Lü Bu and I left the house.

Then, from a distance, I saw a girl running towards us, panting heavily.

It was a familiar face, Hyeryeon.

She had apparently sprinted all the way here, and upon reaching me, she could barely catch her breath to speak.

“Hah, hah… Sir, Sir Physician…! When I heard you had come to the village…!”

“…Just perfect timing.”

It’s not like I told anyone, but she might as well have announced it to the entire town.

“Is your mouth always this loose?”

“N-No, that’s not it…! That’s not what happened…!”

Then, I noticed another woman slowly running behind Hyeryeon.

It was the same lady who had previously carried a sick boy on her back to visit me.

“I-I’ve committed a grave offense!”

“…”

“I didn’t know there were such circumstances, Sir Physician, and for causing such trouble, I’m deeply, deeply sorry…!”

The woman bowed her head deeply, looking extremely flustered.

Only then did I understand what was happening.

“Sigh…”

While I was sighing, Lü Bu, standing beside me, clicked her tongue loudly.

“That’s why I keep telling you not to associate with such trash. They always repay kindness with hostility.”

“It’s fine. We saved a life, so it’s a good thing.”

I tugged on Lü Bu’s sleeve and leaned on my cane.

“How could anyone stay cooped up in the mountains forever? Let’s just think of it as taking a little stroll.”

In truth, the middle-aged man’s wife was in an extremely critical state.

Her neck was filled with impure qi, and if I had been any later, even a fake physician like me wouldn’t have been able to help.

So, I decided to see it as a good thing that ended well.

Eventually, the woman lifted her head slightly and cautiously looked at me.

I responded with a faint smile.

“Is the boy doing well?”

“Yes…”

“That’s truly fortunate.”

With those words, I released Lü Bu’s sleeve and continued walking.

Lü Bu followed silently behind me, her lips tightly shut.

***

It was when the pale yellow light had begun to seep into the land.

Beyond the horizon, the figure of a man gradually disappeared.

“Aah…”

The woman was on the verge of fainting. Hyeryeon felt the same.

“To think such a great person exists in this land…”

“What do we do, Ma’am? I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

While the two women were whispering excitedly, the middle-aged man who had received Unryong’s help also stepped outside.

“Is he gone?”

“Oh my, you look much better.”

The woman said this, and the man smiled brightly.

“He saved my wife’s life. Yet, he refused any sort of compensation…”

“Aah, as expected.”

The woman’s eyes sparkled with joy.

Hyeryeon was also beaming.

“He is our savior.”

For years, they had been exploited by the newly formed Green Forest group and had also gone without the protection of the Imperial Court for just as long.

But the one who saved them was Unryong, who had been living hidden in the mountains.

These three had no idea how to repay such kindness.

But.

After exchanging peculiar glances for a while, they turned their eyes to the horizon where the sun was setting.

For a very long time.