Episode 51. It Was Good to See You Smile.
How terrifying can a man become when the one who once healed others begins to harbor hatred?
The one who proved that truth was none other than the Poison Demon.
He grew strong through his knowledge of the human body and medicine, and when that was not enough, he studied poison. The very legs that once rushed through the streets to save patients in pain began to wander through perilous lands, searching for toxins instead.
Even that did not satisfy him. Realizing he could not kill Daenachal with skill alone, he began to experiment with poison on his own body—poisoning himself, treating himself, repeating the process over and over. The kind doctor who once saved lives spent years steeped in venom and vengeance until, at last, he killed Daenachal.
But when his revenge was complete… was he satisfied?
When I met him in my previous life, he had already killed Daenachal—but he hadn’t stopped there. He hunted down Daenachal’s disciples one by one, and even those Twelve Generals who had long abandoned their titles and lived as ordinary men. He found them. And he killed them all.
When I met the Poison Demon, he no longer hated just martial artists—he hated people themselves. Perhaps it was because he had once saved so many of them. Even as he went mad, no one dared to help him, fearing Daenachal’s shadow.
And so, the Divine Healer, Moyong Baek, faded into the martial world as the Poison Demon.
I later learned, while drinking with him, where that hatred came from.
Long ago, when he was still an ordinary physician, he had saved the life of a gravely wounded Daenachal—and treated the Twelve Generals multiple times when they were near death.
In the end, Moyong Baek sought out those ungrateful patients and killed every last one with poison.
The look on the Poison Demon’s face when I met him was utterly hollow.
When you’ve killed everyone who wronged you, and the fire of revenge has burned out… What do you live for then?
With no one left to love, and no enemies left to kill, the Poison Demon continued to train and refine his poisons—waiting, perhaps, for someone to come seeking revenge for Daenachal.
I am grateful to that man because, despite vowing never to save another life, he broke his oath to heal me from deviation. A man who had long since gone mad pitied another madman—perhaps that was why we understood each other.
As I sat alone in the waiting room, I couldn’t help but recall those old memories.
Moyong Baek returned after tending to the patients and sat across from me, speaking calmly. “The injuries aren’t serious. You need not worry.”
I wasn’t worried, but I nodded solemnly. He must have thought I was their guardian.
“Strangely,” he continued, “their wounds are light, yet their minds are unstable. Especially Lady Hongshin—she seems to have gone several nights without sleep. Keeps asking what her senior is doing. Also… mentioned she’s been suffering from diarrhea.”
He gave me a curious look, silently asking for an explanation.
“Is diarrhea a serious illness?” I asked.
“At times, yes.”
“In what way?”
“You’re a martial artist, aren’t you? If you face an enemy and lose because of diarrhea—that’s life and death. A very serious matter indeed.”
“Hmm.”
I never imagined I’d be discussing diarrhea so seriously with the man who’d once been called the Poison Demon.
Knowing his curiosity, I decided to explain. “Truth is, I told my junior she’d been poisoned and gave her a laxative. Told her to kill three of the Twelve—Nok-sul, Hwang-oh, and Baek-ja. If she’d resisted, I’d have killed her like I did the Black Cat Hall Master. So really, the laxative was saving her life, not ending it.”
A perfect lecture on the philosophy of defecation.
Moyong Baek tried not to laugh, but his nostrils flared. “I see. Then if I prescribed her something to stop the diarrhea…”
I snapped my fingers. “You’d earn a reputation for curing poisons. Brilliant.”
“I’ll pass on that honor,” he said with a faint smile.
“Anyway, since she killed Nok-sul, I promised to have her treated. I’d appreciate your help.”
“Of course. It’s simple enough. Leave it to me.”
For a conversation about diarrhea, the air had turned strangely solemn. I met his eyes and nodded once. “Let’s drop the poop talk here.”
“Agreed,” he said. “As for Lord Geumhae, he seems to have suffered mental shock as well.”
“Do you know what that man loves most?”
“Not to judge, but—money, elixirs, and food, perhaps.”
“You read him well. He lost both his money and much of his internal energy to me.”
“I see. Those who rise too high tend to fall the hardest.”
I gestured toward the patient rooms. “Help my junior first. Then come back.”
He bowed slightly. “I will.”
As he left, I watched his back and thought— Those words apply to you too, my friend. But not to me.
I’ve rarely known success.
My inn burned down. I was fired as a gravekeeper. I lost every wager in martial duels. I fell into deviation while training, and my Haomun fell apart as soon as it began. Whether I studied martial arts or took elixirs, nothing ever went smoothly.
My life was one long chain of failures. That was my past.
That’s why I was hunted—by both the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Sect.
And why I swallowed the Celestial Core.
Failure, to me, is just part of the process. What matters is enduring it without destroying yourself.
Suddenly, from the patient room, Hongshin’s voice rang out: “Thank you!”
Yes. That’s enough—live with gratitude.
The hope that her diarrhea had stopped, and the anticipation of a solid bowel movement— It seemed even Hongshin now addressed Moyong Baek as “Doctor.”
That same doctor who once received such respect… would one day be betrayed by his patients.
That betrayal would erase the Divine Healer—and give birth to the Poison Demon.
Therefore, Daenachal must die by my hand before Moyong Baek loses his sanity.
Lost in such thoughts, I realized my stream of consciousness kept circling back to… feces. I took a deep breath and calmed my mind.
Pretty nurses passed by now and then, bowing politely. Their faces were pale, their robes pure white—and yet my mind was full of filth. I almost felt guilty.
“Fool.”
After giving the nurses instructions, Moyong Baek returned and said, “Lord Lee, Lady Hongshin needs rest. Lord Geumhae will be meditating for some time as well. You may return tomorrow.”
“Are you busy, Doctor?”
“Not particularly.”
I pointed to the opposite seat. Once he sat, I slid a chest of gold across the table. He blinked. “What’s this?”
“Payment.”
“May I open it?”
“Of course.”
He lifted the lid—fifty gold bars gleamed inside. “This is far too much. Why give so much?”
“I need a quiet place to meditate while my disciples recover. A small room will do.”
“That’s easy enough,” he said, pulling out three bars and pushing the chest back. “These three are plenty.”
We bickered briefly. “Take it.”
“I refuse.”
I remembered the Poison Demon’s stubbornness in my past life and sighed. Then he smiled lightly. “I’m a physician, sir. I treat all without prejudice—but I’m still human. I have people I like and dislike. Take this as my support for your cause. Keep the rest. Use it well.”
His words carried a hidden wish—use it to kill Daenachal.
“You’ll keep refusing, I see,” I said. “Then I’ll spend it myself.”
“As you wish.”
“But this—you must accept.”
Round two began.
I handed him the box containing the four White Flame roots, ready to counter whatever excuse he gave. “You must stay healthy to save others.”
He didn’t even open the box. Just smiled. “Lord Lee,” he said gently, “to absorb this properly, I’d need to meditate for ten days straight. I have patients who rely on me every day. Would it not be better if you took it instead? I’ll prepare a tonic to help balance the energy.”
I sighed. He wins.
Speechless, I could only nod as he began giving orders. “Escort Lord Lee to the inner chamber. He’ll be cultivating after taking the elixir, so be careful.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Hang the ‘Closed for the Day’ sign. We’re done early tonight.”
“Understood.”
The nurses moved with swift precision, and I let them treat me like a patient.
“Please, sir. This way.”
“All this for just three gold bars? Feels unfair.”
Moyong Baek smiled. “Having a guest stronger than the Black Cat Hall Master is a blessing for us. We’re honored. Please rest well, Lord Lee.”
And so, a man with a head full of filth followed pure white nurses into the inner room.
Left alone, Moyong Baek clasped his hands behind his back, watched the busy nurses for a while, then went into his office.
He untied his sweat-soaked band and washed his hands and face. Then, with a fresh white band across his forehead, he began gathering herbs from the drawers—one by one—placing them on the table.
He recalled the Haomun Master’s tone, gaze, complexion, and breathing, pondering what ingredients could balance the fierce energy of White Flame Grass.
“Seems he has chronic anger,” he murmured.
He didn’t fully trust his patient’s words; he trusted his own observation. Some herbs needed grinding to powder, so he sat down and worked by hand—slow, precise, devoted.
Usually, he left such tasks to his assistants, but today, he prepared everything himself.
As he worked, his thoughts naturally returned to his patient.
To him, the Haomun Master was a man with narrow emotional range—quick with jokes, but fundamentally cold. Rarely did he show true joy or rage.
In Moyong Baek’s mind, based on his studies and his own experience, he concluded:
If this man’s path goes wrong, he’ll wage war against the world itself. If it goes right, he’ll protect many people beneath his command.
Either way, he was not born for a quiet life. He was a man made for war—a general type, destined to lead.
So Moyong Baek ground the herbs even more carefully.
He wished that man would spend his gold meaningfully, overcome his anger, resist the heart demons to come, defeat Daenachal, and maybe—just maybe—protect Moyong’s humble clinic in the future.
He gathered the finest herbs and ground them into fine powder with care and devotion.
After a long while, Moyong Baek’s lips curved upward. A small chuckle escaped him.
“Damn it… I can’t stop thinking about that diarrhea talk.”
And for the first time in a long while, the man who was once the Poison Demon smiled brightly.