“To think he would answer a question I’ve held for so long, and with such ease.”

No matter how perfectly he treated them, the people of the Murim always came back injured. It was because of their damnable codes of grace, grudges, and chivalry. If they at least arrived with a thread of life remaining, there was something he could do, but it was all too common for that thread to snap long before they reached him. To a physician, the warriors of the Murim were like moths flying toward a flame. Even if he treated them this time, would there be a next? If not, was there any meaning in his actions?

“He pierced through my long-held Heart Demon[1] so easily. It’s so refreshing that the space it left feels empty.”

The moment he first saw the boy’s sutures, he had felt it was destiny. It was completely different from the conventional methods used in the Murim. Normally, a wound was sealed by using ‘Striking the Vital Points’ to temporarily stop the bleeding, after which treatment would be attempted. To do this, even the physician needed a small amount of internal energy, which was why healers capable of treating members of the Gangho were so rare.

But the boy was different. His method was one that could be performed without any martial arts training.

“When did you become so utterly smitten?”

“It was love at first sight. That’s why I marked him as mine, isn’t it? And now, I’ve grown to like the child even more. I will absolutely make him my disciple. And there will likely be things I must learn from him as well. In fact, I may be the one who becomes the disciple.”

“And you will do it even if I try to stop you? Well, you’ve already said that even if the treatment fails, you’ll become fertilizer for his growth, so I suppose there’s nothing more to say.” Yoo Ho stared at the ceiling and sighed. Then, he voiced the question he’d been holding back. “Do you truly think there is a possibility? With that treatment method.”

“…There are parts that need to be supplemented, but. It is not theoretically impossible.”

Not theoretically impossible. Those words alone were a monumental achievement. For years, he had given up precisely because he couldn’t even find a theory. The boy’s approach was the complete opposite of his own, and among the things he’d said were concepts White Qilin had never even heard of.

“It will take a long time.”

“Is that not a good thing? It means I can live longer.”

“It will be very painful.”

“He did say he would not let me die peacefully. I suppose it’s to be expected.”

At that, Yoo Ho finally clicked his tongue. “I really do not like that child.”

“I never thought I’d see the day you praised someone so highly.”

“Please, stop teasing me. To accept him as your disciple means I must treat him the same as I treat you, Master. Aigoo, please consider my position.”

“Hahaha.” White Qilin, Zhuge Rin, let out a cheerful laugh.

Yoo Ho grumbled, “To say he won’t let his master die peacefully, where in the world is there such an ill-mannered brat? If he had said something like that in any other sect, his head would have been sent flying.”

“What are you talking about?” Zhuge Rin said, as if the notion were absurd. “If he is to be my disciple, he must possess at least that much spirit. If he were a sapling who couldn’t even say that much, I would not have chosen him in the first place.”

Let’s win, just this once, he had said. This one time. For that one time, a physician always bets everything. Physicians are truly a hopeless breed, Yoo Ho grumbled to himself.

“I still don’t like him. That little brat.”

***

Yoo Ho summoned me, and I followed him.

What decision will White Qilin make?

There was no way to know. There was a time when I believed I could predict a patient’s decision. A so-called ‘gut feeling.’ But as time passed, I learned what a load of crap that was. Humans are unpredictable precisely because they are human. The only way to truly know is to live that person’s life. People want to live for countless reasons, but conversely, they also choose to die for countless reasons.

I had seen people choose death for an insurance payout. I had seen others choose it because they couldn’t afford the treatment, because they didn’t want to be a burden on their children. I had seen those who chose death simply because the treatment process looked too scary and painful, and even those who said they just didn’t want to live to be old. The more you knew, the less you understood the human heart.

At the end of the path Yoo Ho led me down, White Qilin was standing. He stood without the cane he usually held, his back straight against the wind. His long, silver hair fluttered.

He’s taller than I thought. Perhaps it was because of the illness that weighed him down. I had never noticed before.

“Will you walk with me for a moment?”

Before I knew it, a blunt reply left my mouth. “Is that an order?”

“No, it is a request.”

“Alright.”

Yoo Ho bowed deeply and withdrew. White Qilin began to walk slowly. Thanks to his considerable height, he looked like a large, white bird—a crane, walking serenely through clear water. Stepping on the white pebbles of the garden path, he spoke.

“You said you would not let me die peacefully.”

“Yes.”

“Then I must have you promise one thing as well. To become my disciple means that you will not learn peacefully. To become a physician in the Gangho, and one who reaches the level of a Divine Physician at that, entails a great many things.”

“You mean I have to study a lot?”

This world has something called Qi. This isn’t some modern pseudoscience like far-infrared anion therapy. It truly exists. It enters through the breath and circulates through the body. It affects humans, animals, and even plants, turning them into either poisonous herbs or miraculous elixirs.

“I know there is much to study.”

At my words, White Qilin burst out laughing. “It means more than just simple studying.” He lightly flicked his finger.

Tung—

The Flickering Finger Skill. A technique of projecting Qi from one’s fingertips. It sounds easy, but for most, its power is weaker than a sword or spear, limiting it to striking acupoints. However, the instant White Qilin flicked his finger, a hole was bored clean through a massive granite boulder. A space simply vanished as if it had been hit by a bullet.

“You will need the power to protect me. And at the same time, you must be precise enough to apply that power to the medical arts.”

Tututung—

He sent several more flicks toward the small hole. The projectiles passed through the first hole, pierced the giant tree behind it, and then bored through another granite boulder behind that. This was no easy feat. The destructive power he could generate so casually was one thing, but it also required a machine-like precision and delicacy. White Qilin, who had produced such a feat with a single finger, spoke gently.

“Learning martial arts will not be easy.”

No kidding, that’s better than a sniper rifle. What the… If you drilled through someone’s skull with that, they’d die with their eyes open without ever knowing what hit them. I was once again struck by the sheer brokenness of Murim warriors.

White Qilin continued. “Your training will be different from that of an ordinary martial family. To succeed me means you will also inherit the secret arts of the Zhuge Clan.”

“I’ll do it.”

I’m human, so of course I was scared. But a desire to make that power my own burned even hotter.

“You do not hesitate. Good. You must have greed. That is how you obtain many things.”

White Qilin looked at the child who would be his disciple. It had been this way from the first moment he saw him. There was not a single thing about him, from head to toe, that he did not like. It was enough to make him wonder if the heavens themselves had plotted for him to take a disciple.

“One last thing. I already see you as a fellow physician. In fact, there will be much that I will learn from you.”

“That’s…”

“There is no point in hiding it now, is there?”

“Hahahaha.” I just laughed.

“I will not ask what you do not wish to speak of. I will not search for your origins. Just one thing.”

“What is it?”

A breeze rustled past, shaking the flowers. Dandelion seeds from a flowerbed took flight, soaring far into the distance. It symbolized the death of one flower, and also signified the beginning of another.

“Don’t let me die peacefully,” White Qilin said.

“I won’t.”

“Can you promise me that?”

“Yes. I promise. I will do everything I can.”

“Good. Then that is settled. You may perform the nine prostrations.”

I looked at White Qilin. Was this man always this immense? A mountain’s true size is only felt as you draw closer. I could not fathom the full measure of the man before me.

And the boy performed the nine prostrations.

***

The next day, Gongsun Yeong awoke. The two sisters came to see me. Master White Qilin had left to commission various things from the escort agency, preparations that were needed now that he had a disciple, as well as things required for his long battle with his illness.

“You’re leaving soon?” Gongsun Yeong asked.

“Yes. My master said we will leave as soon as the preparations are complete. His schedule is already far behind.”

White Qilin was a man sought by all warriors. For him to stay in one place for this long was a rare event.

Gongsun Hyeon thought, It is a pity. To think the Divine Physician marked him as his disciple first. However… this is not a bad thing. The Divine Physician will not live long due to his chronic illness, and without Jin Cheon-hee, all his precious knowledge would be lost to the world. In a way, this child was the future Divine Physician. An opportunity to connect with such a person before any other clan had the chance was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. It could not be missed.

But Gongsun Hyeon wasn’t the only one thinking this.

“What’s all that back there?” Gongsun Yeong asked.

I looked behind me and saw numerous boxes wrapped in silk, all bearing the mark of the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency.

“The Chief was sad to see me go, so he gave me a few things.”

“Did he give you that hair ornament you’re wearing, too?”

“Yes. He said it was carved from Ice Mountain Coral from the Northern Sea.”

“My heavens… that thing is worth several manors.”

At her words, my eyes went wide. “Is it really that valuable?”

“Of course it is!”

Anyone else would wonder why they would lavish such a precious item on a child. But the Chief’s judgment was sound.

Yes, Gongsun Hyeon thought. You must treat them well when they are young, so they do not forget you when they are grown. What good is it to be kind only after they are established and all the other clans are swarming them? Besides, judging by that brat Jin Cheon-hee’s expression, he had no intention of returning the expensive gift. He looks like he plans to take every last thing he’s given. Behind that innocent, bright expression, his calculations were likely already complete.

Since it had come to this, the Gongsun Clan had to do something as well. And she had already made preparations while Gongsun Yeong was unconscious.

“Young Warrior, would you… accept what we have prepared?”

I waved my hands. “Oh! Gongsun Hyeon-noona, you should speak casually to me, too!”

“If I speak casually, will you accept it?”

“Hmm, I’ll think about iiiit…”

I may be a middle-aged man, but I’m going all-in on the cute kid concept!

As expected, he wasn’t saying no. Just how many schemes were hiding behind that innocent face?

“Alright. Accept this,” she said, her tone informal. She placed a small wooden box before me.