Chapter 134: Chapter 7

“Ugh?”

Kanghyok hurriedly took off his back from the wall.

“Looks like something happened,” said Dolsok.

Knitting his brows, he looked outside.

The members of the Aeogae team, who got drunk and fell asleep, now began to gather around Pyonsu.

“They’re pretty rough, so you better be careful.” Dolsok shut the door quietly.

As there were no soundproof walls in Chosun, Kanghyok could still hear the noise.

“Pyonsu! Please open your eyes!”

“What the heck is this?”

“Dad! He isn’t breathing!”

Kanghyok heard a female voice among the thick voices of men there.

He already knew who it was, though he didn’t sense it was Pyonsu’s daughter.

Kanghyok carefully listened for what was going on in the next room. Dolsok was right beside him, too.

“Master, looks like someone collapsed.”

“I hear it’s Pyonsu.”

“Oh my god, I hear they’re going to perform at the mayor’s residence tomorrow. That’s impossible now. The mayor will punish them if they don’t show up…”

“He’s terribly sick. How can the mayor punish them?”

“It’s such a big show. Even your parents will be there. I think all the noble men, governors and ranking officials nearby have been invited to the show.”

“Oh, I see.”

How do they save the mayor’s face?

Kanghyok looked down at the bag he was holding in his hand.

‘Can I check his condition?’

When Kanghyok moved his hand, Dolsok became tense, too.

“Master, you want to go and check him?”

“Can I?”

Dolsok closed his lips for a moment.

Kanghyok normally didn’t want to interfere with others.

‘I am here in Chosun.’

Who would touch a noble man like him?

In addition to that, he was not in a remote village, and it’s broad daylight anyway.

Dolsok felt the same way. “I think you can go…”

Kanghyok was a noble man of the powerful Paek family. Though his father was not incumbent, Sungmun once served as a justice minister. And his juniors were still in the court. As he was still powerful, many ranking officials nearby constantly sent him gifts.

“Let’s go then.” Holding the bag, he walked out of his room.

The door was flung open. When he looked inside, they were shaking and spraying water on Pyonsu.

“Call for the doctor! Doctor!”

Orumsani now gave up her role as a male. She was shouting at the top of her voice. As she had a mask on, some of her hair was wet with sweat. Some of them were crying as if they were resigned to the helpless situation.

“What’s the point of calling for the doctor? He died already,” someone said.

Kanghyok cleared his throat and knocked on the door. Though the door was open, Kanghyok wanted to let his presence known. “Is he okay?”

They were all wary about the stranger’s voice.

“Who is it?”

The guy who was playing on the swing cheerfully stood before him.

Though he was smaller than Kanghyok, he had thick forearms and muscled calves. As he was crying until a moment ago, he still had tears welled up in his eyes.

Dolsok hurriedly stood between them.

“Well, well, How can you behave like that before a nobleman of the Paek family of Suwon?”

“Paek family?”

The guy didn’t move back, but he reluctantly stood down. In his eyes, Kanghyok looked like a nobleman.

“Are you a doctor?”

Dolsok wasn’t sure of that, though it was the first time that his master showed his medical skill yesterday.

“Umm…” Dolsok couldn’t answer.

In the end, it was Kanghyok who answered. He went into the room and approached the sick man. Even the well-built guy had to step aside when Kanghyok came in.

“Yes, I’m a doctor.”

Kanghyok approached Pyonsu, who collapsed. He felt Pyonsu’s neck.

Typically, a doctor of the Chosun era touched a sick man’s wrist. Though Kangkyok’s actions were unfamiliar to them, nobody dared to stop him.

Kanghyok, who seemed relaxed a moment ago, was now tense. ‘I don’t feel any pulse…’

When one’s blood pressure was too low, it was sometimes impossible to feel the pulse in one’s carotid artery. In that case, the doctor usually tries to touch the artery in the thigh right near one’s groin.

“What the heck is he doing…”

When Kanghyok touched around his groin, those around him protested instantly.

Of course, it didn’t last.

“Be quiet! Oh my god…” said Kanghyok. He recalled that Pyonsu got hurt while performing. ‘Obviously he was hit in the chest with someone’s head.’

Come to think of it, it must not have been a small shock.

“Heart problem. Take off his jacket!”

“What…?”

“Do it now!”

Dolsok responded first. As he witnessed his master’s medical skills yesterday, he immediately took action as instructed. “Yes, master.”

“Hey, how come you guys are trying to take off his clothes…”

“Stop it. You help him, too!”

“Ugh… uh…”

Led by Orumsani, some of the men quietly followed Kanghyok’s instruction.

They did so, not just because Kanghyok was a nobleman, but because they could feel a sort of overwhelming confidence and persuasive power in his voice.

“Huhh…”

Pyonsu’s jacket was taken off immediately. On his chest was a black and blue bruise.

Kanghyok checked out his chest and told Dolsok, “Dolsok, open the bag.”

“Yes, master.”

He took out a large injection needle and a stethoscope.

“Ugh, I know that!”

There was very feeble heartbeat.

But it was not good enough the ventricles of the heart was full of blood.

“Dolsok, hold him tight.”

“What?” Even before Dolsok answered, Kanghyok pierced Pyonsu’s heart with a syringe. Red blood was sucked inside the syringe quickly.

Orumsani screamed, “You must be crazy!!!”

But Kanghyok didn’t pay any attention to what’s going on around him. “Dolsok, do as instructed.”

“What did you say?”

“This is the art of saving one’s life.”

Though Kanghyok removed the blood pooled inside the heart chamber, Pyonsu’s heartbeat was still pretty weak. Kanghyok immediately pressed on his heart.

He did CPR on Pyonsu, but they felt as if Kanghyok was killing Pyonsu.

This time, too, Orumsani was very embarrassed and shouted. But Kanghyok didn’t care. He totally focused on Pyonsu’s pulse.

“His heartbeat is not back yet. You do CPR now, Dolsok.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, press on his chest with both palms, with your arms stretched.”

“Okay, master.” Feeling that the atmosphere around him was getting dangerous, Dolsok nodded.

While Dolsok was at it with all his might, Kanghyok did something bizarre.

Mouth-to-mouth respiration.

With her patience exhausted, Orumsani pulled Kanghyok’s shoulder hard.

“Hey, bastard! How can you make fun of my dad like this?”

But nobody could move Kanghyok at the moment. Without looking at her at all, he shouted at Dolsok, “Stop for a moment!”

They now surrounded Kanghyok and Dolsok, with some of them holding cudgels.

Swallowing dry saliva, Dolsok answered, “Yes, yes!”

Kanghyok quietly touched Pyonsu’s neck again. And then he nodded, relaxing a bit.

“I can breathe a sigh of relief now. He’ll wake up any moment.”

At his remarks, Orumsani, whose real name was Yoni, widened her eyes with surprise.

How could her father, who looked dead just a moment ago, come back to life?

Everybody was looking at Kanghyok with curious expressions.

And the guy who played on the swing now tapped his palm with a club, saying, “Okay, guys. If Pyonsu can’t wake up again, you’re going to pay for this!”

All the members of the Aeogae team glared at Kanghyok and Dolsok.

Obviously, they had far more respect for Pyonsu than fear of the nobleman.

“Master, it looks like nothing scares them,” said Dolsok.

“Don’t worry. I can guarantee he’ll get better.”

“Really?”

Dolsok kept praying to his forefathers whose names he didn’t even know.

‘Oh, please, please! Save him!’