Although several physicians had visited but failed to determine a proper diagnosis, those who had been bedridden for a long time would already have weakened considerably. Hence, that was the issue to begin with. Care had to be taken to recover quickly when consciousness was regained later.

Moreover, as Sahbeok had also learned martial arts, he had the ability to some extent to check even the internal energy and blood flow. Therefore, there was a possibility of identifying problems that doctors who primarily treated commoners had not even discovered.

Danju had four children, two sons and two daughters each.

Excluding the eldest son who was the oldest, the remaining three were in a state of almost no consciousness, and so they were attended to first. Ha Hyun and I ran various errands around Sahbeok or recorded the condition of the patients he had checked.

‘Not an assistant to an assistant, just an assistant.’

My initial thoughts before coming were wrong, but I didn’t dislike it.

‘This is better.’

The subtly subdued atmosphere, the gloomy expressions of the people wandering inside the compound, and the gaze of Danju who seemed to try to remain calm but could not fully hide his expectations and hopes.

It would have been more difficult to do nothing and dawdle in such an environment. Assisting Sahbeok was not particularly difficult or tiring.

‘Only, I don’t feel very good…’

I felt a strange sense of empathy because I, too, had been cursed without knowing why. They must have never thought they would suddenly get entangled in a curse.

‘Just like when ‘Baek Yeo Heun’ was being manipulated without knowing anything.’

I was fortunate enough to break the spell, but had I not realized that curse in my mind back then… I don’t even want to imagine what my situation would be like at 18.

After checking on the three unconscious ones in a row, we finally attended to Danju’s eldest son.

The eldest son, who was said to be seventeen this year, had been the last to fall ill among his siblings, seemingly receiving less impact from the curse.

Thus, unlike his other siblings, he was not unconscious and could even sit up and have tea and converse.

“Thank you for coming, master.”

“Infinite life, infinite light. Don’t mention it; it’s only natural given the deep relationship between Kongja’s family and Hwasan.”

Of course, Sahbeok did all the talking, and Ha Hyun and I stood silently by his side like folding screens.

But just because I was silent didn’t mean I couldn’t think. Looking at Danju’s eldest son seated before Sahbeok, I inadvertently harbored an impolite thought.

‘He really doesn’t look like Danju.’

In fact, from the moment I entered this room and first saw the eldest son, I had thought as much.
The man I saw yesterday had an ordinary appearance, typical of any middle-aged man you could encounter anywhere. And the other sons I just met also looked unremarkable, with no peculiar features.

However, in contrast to that, this eldest son in front of me was not just dissimilar, to put it mildly.

To emphasize again, and I mean this in the most disrespectful way, he looked as though he might not even be his son.

The eldest son seemed to be the polar opposite of ordinary. Unlike his plain siblings, his features were particularly refined and his face was strikingly handsome. What’s more, I just realized that his eyes even had a faint blue tint.

It also felt like he looked slightly different from the people of the Central Realm.

‘Did he inherit everything but the hair color from a Western mother?’

Like Earth, this world also has various races and many countries. Originally, it’s a world from a Wuxia novel published on Earth, so the similarities are expected.

However, marriages between people of different races and nationalities are very rare.

‘I suppose he could have a concubine.’

Given the era that serves as the backdrop.

Similarly, acknowledging someone who’s not the child of the main wife as the eldest son or heir is also rare.

Does that mean the man is one of those rare cases? To not care about societal views and marry someone of a different race, even going so far as to make her his main wife?

‘If that’s the case, what about the siblings? Why does no one resemble him…’

I abruptly stopped myself from pondering further. In life, anything could happen. It’s entirely possible for siblings to not resemble each other!

It’s never good to be overly concerned about someone else’s family matters.

‘Especially since I’m a Taoist. Just a Taoist.’

I need to stop thinking about it. I quickly diverted the course of my thoughts.

‘…Well, he doesn’t look like a patient, at least.’

That was the impression I got as I continued to stare at the eldest son’s face.

He didn’t look particularly pale for a patient. Rather, it seemed like his skin was naturally fair. He had collapsed recently compared to his siblings, so perhaps his illness hadn’t worsened to the point of affecting his complexion.

‘Right, thinking he doesn’t look that sick would be a great offense to a patient…’