Episode 70: An Unexpected Encounter (1)

Healing With Loovely Druid

Episode 70: An Unexpected Encounter (1)

"This is a gift for you, Sihyeon," the village chief said, thumping the arrowroot lying on the table. It was the sturdy arrowroot that had been displayed alongside the iced arrowroot tea when they were selling it, and it weighed well over 20 kg.

"Ohhh."

How did she know!!!

Sihyeon’s jaw dropped. He had been eyeing it anyway! He had been using much more arrowroot than expected since he was sending some to Jay and the Shaman Lee Hwa-yun. He had combed the mountain behind his house, but there were no pieces this large and old. He also really took a liking to its twisted shape.

Bureau Chief Lee Dong-bok spoke as he removed his orange hat that read 'Gayang County Athletic Association.'

"Oh, come on. Why give raw arrowroot to a young person? If you're going to give him something, at least give him arrowroot juice."

"Do you even know how much that costs?"

"Exactly! This young punk is talking about things he doesn't understand."

As the elders each chimed in with a word, Bureau Chief Lee Dong-bok let out a sly laugh.

"No, I mean, how much could a piece of arrowroot possibly be?"

"With that size and quality, I bet it’s worth well over 500,000 won."

When Bureau Chief Lee Dong-bok's face registered utter shock, the village elders burst into a hearty laugh. Old Man Jeong explained:

"Sihyeon has been coveting it since a while ago. The way he kept eyeing it while selling the arrowroot tea... there was no way we wouldn't notice."

"Gosh, what a unique taste."

At Lee Dong-bok's words, Sihyeon flashed a clear, innocent smile. Lee Dong-bok patted Sihyeon on the shoulder and looked around, searching for Baduki.

"Baduki. Where did you go? Baduki!"

"…She's right here?"

Feeling a patch of warmth by his feet, he looked down to find Baduki clinging closely to him. Come to think of it, has this kid's habits improved a bit? Sihyeon lifted Baduki into his arms and asked:

"Is Baduki still going to the training center?"

"Yeah, she is. Actually, I ran into Ms. Jang Miso there last week. Michelle has improved a lot, too."

Sihyeon scratched Baduki on the scruff of her neck. Lee Dong-bok glared at Baduki as if she were being obnoxious. The dog leaned her head against Sihyeon's arm, avoiding Lee Dong-bok's gaze.

"Her lunging forward to bite has gotten better, but she's still barking. The director said it's even worse because she's timid. She has a lot of fears."

"Ah."

Sihyeon nodded, stroking Baduki's head. The puppy burrowed herself even deeper into Sihyeon's embrace.

"Michelle doesn't nip anymore either. Ms. Jang Miso says she's planning to move from her apartment complex to a house with a yard. It seems she's having some trouble taking her out for walks in the early morning or late at night."

"If she can't take her out for walks properly, moving sounds like a good solution. Michelle absolutely needs her exercise. She felt quite heavy."

"Apparently, she's doing it. Oh, by the way, she was kicking up a fuss because you only gave her a small amount of herb tea."

Lee Dong-bok shook his head from side to side.

Although he was sending various herbal teas to Jang Miso, his phone calls were mostly handled through her manager. Since they mentioned she was feeling on edge due to a new role she had taken on, he had recommended chamomile and lavender, which have a nerve-calming effect, and she had purchased a large quantity a few days later. He had distributed it across several bottles because she mentioned sharing it with her colleagues, but it seemed it still wasn't enough.

"Haha. It's not like it's a daily necessity, it's just something they drink for enjoyment, so it'll be fine."

"I heard her acquaintances are stealing all of it from her? You know Ko A-young, right? That actress with cat-like features. Apparently, she covets it so much."

"Yes, I've heard. But well, they should share it and enjoy it together."

Lee Dong-bok looked at Sihyeon with a frustrated expression.

"No, I'm telling you this so you can strike while the iron is hot. It would be great if you made more and sold a ton of it."

"Ah, it's alright. I'm busy enough even without doing that."

By profession, a druid was a researcher of flora and fauna, a healer of the forest, and a practitioner possessing skills to manufacture deadly toxins, among various other profiles, but a 'herbal tea vendor' was not on that list. Such simple tasks failed to provide any inspiration, so he had no interest. It was merely a small gesture of goodwill.

Once everyone was seated, the village chief led the first toast.

"Jihwaja!" (Cheers!)

"Let's eat!"

Glasses clinked back and forth, and the meat sizzled on the grill plates.

The grilled duck was delicious. Sihyeon was too busy marveling at the mushrooms grilled alongside the meat and the wild greens served as side dishes to focus on the meat itself. Even though the bracken, aster scaber, and perilla leaves were heavily seasoned with garlic, he seemed to have adapted completely, finding them nutty and delicious.

After a short while, Lee Sumin and Nurse Saetbyeol arrived. It looked like they had only just closed up the clinic. While Lee Sumin conversed with Old Man Jeong about calves, Nurse Saetbyeol approached Sihyeon and subtly handed him a paper bag.

"This is a token of my appreciation."

"But you've already thanked me more than a hundred times……."

"I still feel like it's not enough. Thank you once again. You truly saved our entire family."

It was a heavy expression of gratitude. Sihyeon scratched his head. Nurse Saetbyeol lowered her voice and said:

"It was such a brave and incredible deed that it wouldn't even be enough if it appeared on the news, but you even turned down interviews out of consideration for Heemang……."

"Broadcasts are really out of the question, haha. More than that, it's such a relief that Heemang doesn't remember. Is the child doing okay?"

Nurse Saetbyeol's face clouded with worry. What's wrong? Just as he was about to ask, she hesitated before replying:

"She hasn't been sleeping very well. She used to be such a happy little girl who fell into a sweet sleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Now she keeps waking up, searching for me and crying. I wonder if something remains in her subconscious. She seems quite anxious, too."

"Have you taken her to a hospital?"

"I asked some of my nurse friends who work at a sleep center. They mentioned prescribing sleep-inducing medication. But that makes me feel a bit uneasy."

Sihyeon pondered for a moment before extending an offer to Nurse Saetbyeol.

"She's too young to be taking things like that, so would you like some herbal tea that helps with deep sleep? If you mix in a bit of honey, she'll find it delicious. I guarantee its effectiveness."

"I already know very well how wonderful the herbs you cultivate are, Sihyeon-ssi. Then, in return, I'll take full responsibility for Geum, Eun, and Dong's health."

"Oh. That sounds wonderful too."

Sihyeon nodded, looking at Nurse Saetbyeol.

Just then, Lee Dong-bok, who had a few drinks in him, approached and muttered a word to Baduki, who was glued to Sihyeon like a stick of glue. He looked a bit pouted.

"Who exactly do you belong to, Baduki-aaaaah? You little rascal~."

Despite the sorrowful gaze, Sihyeon patted Baduki gently, but Baduki coolly turned her head away and licked the back of Sihyeon's hand.

---

As the taxi passed through the tunnel, the scenery shifted slightly. The taxi driver turned gently to the right and struck up a conversation.

"The weather has suddenly turned cold. It seems autumn will be short this year too."

"Summer felt far too long, I guess."

"Listening to the news, they say it's more accurate to consider the weather as summer all the way through September……."

Listening to the taxi driver's lament, he looked out the window and saw the edge of a shrine topped with black roof tiles beginning to appear in the distance.

A few days ago, he had received a phone call from the Shaman Lee Hwa-yun.

— The sacred tree is telling you to move on to the next step. Can you come?

The message implied that she seemed to have resolved the first assignment of controlling the power of the sacred tree. Sihyeon had asked if he could harvest a few medicinal herbs from the mountain behind the old estate. 'You're welcome anytime. Just don't push the rocking stone over, and do whatever your heart desires! Hoho.' He felt grateful for her unhesitating response.

To complete Cerberus, he required a few more varieties of toxic plants. The poisonous grasses present on his mountain or on Ginkgo Tree Road weren't enough. To be precise, their toxicity was far too potent compared to what he desired. He required a wider variety.

Click.

"Thank you."

As the taxi departed, Sihyeon crossed the road and headed toward the shrine.

Through some mysterious harmony, the closed gate slid open smoothly on its own. Just like his previous visit, a middle-aged woman clad in a brown dress appeared like a shadow. The two exchanged polite bows and walked inside.

Long sheets of white cotton cloth were hung up here and there across the yard like curtains. They ranged in various colors from black to yellow, fluttering gently in the mountain breeze and obscuring the area surrounding the zelkova tree.

"Godmother."

The moment the middle-aged woman opened her mouth, Lee Hwa-yun, who had her hand placed against the zelkova tree, cracked her eyes open slightly. The woman vanished as silently as she had appeared.

Sihyeon carefully checked Lee Hwa-yun's complexion. The tree's power, which used to radiate outward with painful intensity, had transformed into something significantly more stable.

"Would you take a look at this?"

As Lee Hwa-yun's fingertips moved smoothly, the power of the guardian tree shifted along with her guidance. Then, a yellow flower bud of a wild mountain herb near the tree slowly began to bloom. The corners of Sihyeon's mouth lifted.

"That's a perfect score."

Now that he had taught her the method of controlling it, she was moving beyond merely thinning the energy to executing practical applications. Even Sihyeon was learning for the first time that one could cause a flower to bloom utilizing solely the power of a sacred tree. Then again, considering the fairies surrounding the World Tree were significantly stronger than the elves of other regions, it was perhaps a natural outcome.

However, if there was an issue...

"If I take my hand off the tree, I can't use it."

Sihyeon placed his hand against the zelkova tree. The power of the sacred tree felt warm yet refreshing at the same time. It sounded like an oxymoron, but that was exactly how it felt. He could feel a body-like warmth while simultaneously experiencing a crisp sensation akin to washing one's body with cold water—a unique energy that even Sihyeon's pine tree, Orin, would find difficult to possess.

"Shall we run a test?"

"Would it be possible?"

"Let's give it a try."

Though it was an entirely different method from Sihyeon's, which utilized even the natural energy floating in the air, he felt it could be done. Standing a step away, Sihyeon extracted the tree's power and channeled it over to Lee Hwa-yun. The shaman's pupils trembled.

"Can you feel the power?"

"I can feel it."

Sihyeon carefully extracted his own presence from the middle.

"The tree's power remains connected."

"Ah!"

Lee Hwa-yun seemed to have caught onto something, but she lost her grip on it almost instantly. Honestly, even reaching this point was remarkable. The shaman attempted it several more times with a look of regret, but it kept scattering into nothingness right at the final stage of completion. Sihyeon racked his brain to choose simple words to explain.

"You have to visualize it very concretely. You need to understand and accept that the tree's power is connected to you by a cord. Once you achieve that, you'll be able to widen the distance as far as the cord allows."

"Visualizing it concretely is no easy feat."

Sihyeon shook his head.

"You're doing exceptionally well. Let's try it one more time."

Sweat trickled down Lee Hwa-yun's face, but her resolve didn't waver.

"Ah!"

Sihyeon clicked his tongue softly.

"Wow, it was almost there this time. Let's push just a little further."

"……."

Utilizing phrases like 'just one more,' 'just a bit further,' 'the final one,' 'this is the real final one!', and 'this is the real, real, real final one!' that he had learned from 'Hip Jane's 25-Minute Full Body Core Workout,' Sihyeon continued the training.

In truth, compared to the agony Lee Hwa-yun had originally endured, this level of effort was something she could do with a smile, and above all, because her goal of ensuring Jerome and Jay wouldn't have that pain transferred to them was crystal clear, the shaman didn't stop despite sweating profusely.

"Ah!"

Clap. Clap.

Lee Hwa-yun finally managed to seize the tree's power.

"Excellent."

"Whew—."

"From now on, meditate and continue this training while taking walks to see how far that cord can stretch. Once you master that, you'll be capable of doing anything."

Joy and wonder showed simultaneously on the shaman's face.

"……How on earth is this even possible."

"You just pulled it off yourself."

"I merely followed your instructions."

"It's possible because the sacred tree's will aligns with your own, Shaman. No matter how much you might desire the tree's power, if the sacred tree refuses to yield it, you wouldn't be able to use it."

"……Though the method was something you taught me."

Lee Hwa-yun questioned Sihyeon with a peculiar expression.

"How do you know about things like this?"

Sihyeon merely smiled, meeting her eyes.

"I didn't ask expecting an answer. The sacred tree is telling me not to pry, either."

"How miraculous."

"Ha! What a strange fellow."

Lee Hwa-yun slowly wiped her sweat and bowed elegantly to the sacred tree. Witnessing her serious attitude brimming with reverence, Sihyeon also retreated a bit further from the tree.

The two made their way toward the building, parting the white cotton cloths.

"As I mentioned earlier, I'll head out to the mountain for a brief moment. There's something I need to look for."

"Ah, yes. Traverse the mountain whenever you wish. Whether wild ginseng pops up or a hundred-year-old glossy ganoderma appears, you can keep all of it."

The druid's heart fluttered. Are you truly giving me everything?

"Really? You might regret that??"

Lee Hwa-yun burst into laughter.

"Oh, please! Thanks to you, several lives have been spared. What's a little mountain product compared to that!"

"Haha. Thank you in advance, then."

"Yes. But for now, follow me for a moment. The one I serve wishes to see you."

"The one you serve?"

"Yes. Follow me. You won't regret it."

A swarm of question marks filled Sihyeon's mind. If it's the one a shaman serves, is it the Seven Stars god? The Mountain Spirit? Who could it be? She flashed a meaningful smile and gestured for Sihyeon to follow.