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Chapter 166: Chapter 39

Kanghyok felt very bad.

Soap was not available in Joseon during those days.

Though he washed both hands dozens of times with water, they seemed to stink.

‘Damn it.’

He sniffed at his hands and then shook his head.

The guy who pooped was kneeling in one corner of the room.

“Do you feel okay now?” asked Kanghyok.

“Sorry, sir.”

Watching him with an annoyed look for a moment, Kanghyok cast a glance at his pants through which his bare legs were revealed.

Though that man insisted on putting on the pants crammed with germs after washing, Kanghyok burned it.

“Dang it. Poop here.”

Kanghyok put down a basin before him.

It was of high quality as Kanghyok used to use it, which was never intended for pooping.

“Do you mean I have to poop here? There are women here...”

In terms of human rights Kanghyok was not supposed to force him to do so, but he could not allow the smallpox virus to spread to others.

“Yes, you have to. Some more people are coming here to help you, so be patient.”

“More people?”

“Yes, the mayor dispatched many helping hands for this place. I expect many soldiers coming here to help you out.”

“The mayor did? Good heavens!”

At Kanghyok’s remark they all lowered their heads. They now had to follow Kanghyok’s direction because he was powerful enough to communicate with the mayor.

“You guys stay put here, okay? And take this medicine.”

Anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics were the only medicine that he could give them as the herbal medicine Joon Huh made, yanggyoksan and sonbanghwalmyongum, ran out already.

‘I hear some of the patients in the warehouse already found that their pus has reduced a lot.’

Apparently, the herbal medicine was effective.

Kanghyok wished Joon Huh had made more, but the problem was there were no more medicinal herbs available.

‘I guess Makbong conveyed my message to the mayor and my father well.’

Even though Makbong was a slow walker, he left the previous night, so he might have arrived at Sungmun’s house by now.

The sun was slowly rising high.

As Kanghyok expected, Makbong diligently walked and arrived at the destination at dawn.

“Who did you say you are?” half-awake from sleep, Sungmun, Kanghyok’s father, asked.

If Makbong had not been a messenger sent by Kanghyok, Sungmun would not have seen him at all because his attire was so strange.

Makbong had on a pair of gloves, a mask, and an operating cap.

“My name is Makbong, sir.”

“Makbong?”

“Yes, I’ serve your son.”

“He’s right, sir,” Oksok said, confirming his identity.

Makbong had never stood before a powerful nobleman like Sungmun before.

While he was walking along the way, Makbong kept memorizing only important words that Kanghyok taught him.

Sungmun hurriedly came down in his socked feet.

“What did you say? Smallpox? Kanghyok had smallpox?”

“No, sir. Kanghyok was immunized.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“He said if they had a shot of a cow’s pus, they could get immunized...”

“Which shot?”

Sungmun stared at Makbong sternly.

“So, why did Kanghyok send you to me like this?”

“Oh, he asked you to send the medicinal herbs written down here.”

Makbong showed Sungmun the piece of paper Kanghyok had given him.

“Medicinal herbs and people?”

“Yes, because of smallpox...”

“Do you mean there was an outbreak of smallpox in the area where Kanghyok was now staying?”

“Yes, yes, sir.”

Sungmun already knew Kanghyok went to the foot of Mt. Kwanggyo.

If that was true, Kanghyok was not far from his place, and smallpox could spread soon.

He suddenly looked gloomy.

“He’s in big trouble! Hey, Oksok. I’ve got to go out now.”

“Yes, master.”

“I think I need the mayor’s help.”

No matter how many servants Sungmun had, they were far outnumbered by the mayor’s soldiers.

As for the medicinal herbs wanted by Kanghyok, the mayor had much more than Sungmun.

While Sungmun was preparing to go out, Makbong was also busy.

“Oops! The water is so cold.”

As instructed by Kanghyok, Makbong was washing his body in one corner of the kitchen.

‘I have no other choice but to follow his directions...’

Kanghyok warned him that if he didn’t wash his body, the whole area of Suwon would be in big trouble.

‘He told me to burn this stuff.’

Makbong then put his clothes and gloves into the furnace to burn them. Then, he put on the clothes Dolsok prepared for him.

“Where are you, Makbong?” Sungmun shouted after he was ready to head out.

Makbong, who was drying his wet hair at the moment, had to rush to him.

“What the heck are you doing now? Are you crazy?”

“Well, your son directed me to wash my body...”

“Right now?”

“Yes, sir.”

Come to think of it, Kanghyok took a shower everyday.

He even forced Sungmun to do the same.

“Got it. Let’s go now.”

“Yes, sir.”

A group of servants followed him.

Holding a horse by the reins, Oksok walked ahead.

Getting on the horse, Sungmun told the servants, “You guys carry the bundles of licorice and rice and go to Kanghyok.”

“Yes, master.”

It was still dark at dawn when the curfew was still in effect.

“Let’s start now.”

As Sungmun’s company was large, the patroller noticed them quickly.

“Stop!”

Not caring at all about him, Sungmun drove the horse quickly.

The patroller noticed it was Sungmun, the powerful nobleman.

“Oh, what’s the matter, sir?” he asked.

“I need to see the mayor urgently. Escort me to him right now.”

“Yes, yes, sir.”

Sungmun’s majestic posture was all the more impressive with the patroller’s escort.

“Here we are, sir!”

“Good job. Let him know I’m here.”

It was very early in the morning, so he could not enter the mayor’s house without his approval.

Fortunately Yungil Kim, the mayor, was polite enough to get dressed up and quickly come out.

“Lord Paek, how come you came to my place so early?”

“How are you?”

“Good, I had a sound sleep.”

“As you know, Kanghyok went to the foot of Mt. Kwanggyo.”

“Of course.”

“I heard that the village around there was hit by smallpox. He asked for help.”

“What? Smallpox?” The mayor looked at Sungmun with surprise.

“Yes, that’s true. As Kanghyok examined patients and concluded it was smallpox, that might be true.”

“Huuuh... That’s a big headache. I think I have to see him first.”

“I hear Kanghyok needs medicinal herbs in stock at the mayor’s office.”

“Okay, let me order my men to have them ready.”

Dressed in official uniform, the mayor got on a horse. He headed toward Mt. Kwanggyo with Sungmun.

Behind them were the servants carrying bundles on their backs and the soldiers of the mayor’s office.

Ding, ding, ding!

The bell signalling the lifting of the curfew resonated across the whole area of Suwon. The sun was set to rise any time now.

“You see that village over there?” said Makbong, pointing to a village in the distance.

“It’s not that small,” the mayor murmured with a gloomy face.

There were at least 200 houses in the village. If smallpox spread to other neighboring areas, it could affect 1000 houses.

“We need to hurry up!”

“Yes, sir.”

As expected, Makbong was physically pretty strong.

Though he walked all throughout the night, he was far from being exhausted.

When Makbong picked up his walking pace, they also quickly moved.

As it was quite a large company, their stomping sounds could be heard from the distance.

The noise of their stomps was even heard by Kanghyok, who was taking a nap at the moment.

“Is it an earthquake?”

Yoni, who was keeping an eye on the patients’ room, shook her head.

“No, master. I see soldiers coming to us now.”

“Already?”

It was at dawn when the morning dew was not yet dry.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Kanghyok opened the bag to find a syringe.

“Let me give them an injection.”

And then he looked at the sick cow, which was discharging pus profusely.

“Good!”

He collected the pus in the syringe when Joon Huh came to him.

“I think I can help you now.”

Shaking his head, Kanghyok was agonized for a moment.

‘I gave him an injection of a cow’s pus only yesterday...’

He had a shot anyway, and he was healthy.

Besides, he put on gloves and a mask.

“Got it. But you should never touch the patients with bare hands.”

“Oh, thanks. How can I help you?”

“Let’s give an injection to mild cases first, and then...”

When Kanghyok was about to continue, people threw the twig gate open.

Then came in the mayor and Sungmun on horses.

They brought the soldiers and the medicinal herbs that Kanghyok had been urgently waiting for.