“To think… such a surgical technique existed…”

“Can a person truly live after having their organs washed like that?”

“That must be the same medical art that saved Escort Head Woon.”

The water was first boiled, then cooled. Then, it was used to wipe the contaminated intestines clean. After carefully suturing a part of the organ, he placed it back inside the abdominal cavity. Before doing so, he meticulously wiped the inside of the body with a clean cloth soaked in a combination of strong liquor¹ and medicinal herbs. Finally, he stitched the wound closed. The young boy’s hands moved with an unbelievable speed and precision.

It was only natural that the other physicians watched with wide, astonished eyes. Though this was a world where martial arts existed, their medical foundation relied on traditional principles. Medically, they excelled in internal medicine, focusing on poisons and diseases, yet struggled with treating external trauma like severed organs. In a world that didn’t even know what bacteria were, this was to be expected. And it was precisely why they were so utterly amazed.

However, Jin Cheon-hee, the subject of their admiration and praise, was cursing internally.

‘Dammit, I don’t know if he’ll even live. A secondary infection is almost guaranteed. I don’t have a suction machine, and there are no proper disinfectants…’

A grim expression settled on his face. Without a suction machine, he had to wipe the blood and filth from the abdominal cavity with a cloth. It was inevitable that foreign matter would be left behind. Despite that, there was nothing more he could do.

I can only hope that Qi, that all-purpose energy, does some good…

In this world, the energy known as Qi possessed almost miraculous effects. With enough Qi, one could ingest poison and survive. There were even special demonic arts that allowed for regeneration, like a lizard regrowing its tail.

Please let the Qi kill off any secondary infection bacteria.

With that thought, Jin Cheon-hee moved to the next patient. There were still more to treat. The battle during the night had resulted in thirty-five minor injuries and twelve severe ones. Of those twelve, White Qilin had deemed six of them impossible to save. Those six were the ones with severed organs or catastrophic damage to their bodies.

Still, this ‘Striking the Vital Points’ technique is amazing. The patient’s vital signs are relatively stable, and it even works as anesthesia. Under normal circumstances, this level of blood loss would be fatal.

Even as his mind raced, his feet moved swiftly to the next patient—a man with a punctured lung. Arriving at his side, Jin Cheon-hee picked up a dagger. It was slightly larger than a scalpel, but compared to the other blades of this era, it was tiny. They called it a bido, a flying dagger.

“Stop staring and hold this! Hurry!”

“Ah, right!”

The other physicians weren’t here just to observe. Jin Cheon-hee had called on them to act as his surgical assistants. With the Escort Chief’s permission, they were to follow his every command.

He gripped the sword that had pierced the man’s lung and shouted.

“‘Striking the Vital Points’! Quickly!”

Normally, he would be using forceps to clamp the blood vessels, but the world of the Gangho had the wonderful technique of ‘Striking the Vital Points’. Just stopping the bleeding dramatically increased the chances of a successful surgery.

At that moment, a large, pale, and beautiful hand appeared.

Pat, papapat!

The hand moved with lightning speed, pressing points near the punctured right lung.

Huh…?

It was White Qilin, Zhuge Rin. He had come to stand beside him.

“Will this suffice?”

Jin Cheon-hee started to answer, then pressed his lips shut. He gave a firm nod and tightened his grip on the sword.

“I’m pulling it out. The rest of you, hold the patient steady.”

Shuuuuuck!

The sword came free. Blood gushed from the wound. Jin Cheon-hee’s brow furrowed. Seeing this, Zhuge Rin asked.

“Is the blood the problem?”

Nod.

Without a word, Cheon-hee nodded and reached for a cloth.

“Wait a moment. Yoo Ho.”

“Yes, Master.”

Yoo Ho? Why is he here?

Hearing the voice, Cheon-hee looked up, slightly puzzled. And then, something incredible happened.

Shuuuuuuk!

The blood filling the patient’s lung cavity was being sucked up into the air. It flowed in a stream toward Yoo Ho’s outstretched hand.

‘Whoa! The Void-Grasping Art!’

The Void-Grasping Art. A martial technique that used true energy to levitate or pull objects through the air. It was said to have an effect similar to psychokinesis, and seeing it in person was utterly astonishing to Jin Cheon-hee.

It’s real?

“Is that sufficient?” Zhuge Rin’s voice broke through his amazement.

Jin Cheon-hee snapped back to reality and nodded. “Yes. Perfect.”

He immediately spread the opening and inspected the wound. This… I’ll have to perform a resection.

His experience assisting in surgeries for other departments in emergency situations now shone through, even in these primitive conditions. The alveoli of the lungs were different from other organ tissues. Damaged to this extent, even modern medicine couldn’t save them.

Clicking his tongue, Cheon-hee attempted the resection and suture. Of course, without the proper tools, the procedure was not to his satisfaction, but he couldn’t just leave it. The man would certainly be dead within the hour.

Beside him, Zhuge Rin watched his every move with sparkling eyes, a fact Jin Cheon-hee was completely oblivious to. He continued the surgery for some time. After finally finishing with the second patient, he was able to move on to the others. At some point, Chief Woon Jin-sang had arrived to watch, as had the veiled woman in the wide-brimmed hat.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Jin Cheon-hee continued to operate.

However, of the seven most critical patients, two died before he could even begin surgery. And of the five he did operate on, two more died before the day was over.

***

After dealing with the attackers, the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency quickly began to restore order. They held funerals for their dead and gathered the bodies of the assailants to be burned. They repaired the damage to the compound and continued to care for the wounded. Jin Cheon-hee was a part of that process, as he was the only one in this world with knowledge of surgery.

Throughout this, he was able to witness firsthand the mysterious power of the Gangho he had only ever read about in novels. The surviving critical patients began to recover at a shocking rate. The speed at which their surgical wounds healed far surpassed that of a normal person.

The first word that came to Jin Cheon-hee’s mind was: They lived.

They had survived with only the tools and medicines of this era. Their rapid recovery was thanks to their Internal True Qi—a power utterly incomprehensible to modern medicine, but one for which he was profoundly grateful. After confirming their survival, he collapsed into sleep. The young boy’s body, while healthier than his previous one, lacked stamina.

He was awoken by voices.

“He’s a stubborn one. Won’t talk no matter what, and tries to kill himself any chance he gets. The guards are at their wits’ end.”

“Even after you severed his tendons and meridians?”

“They’re bringing in a master from the Hao Sect soon. He’ll probably talk then.”

“The speculation is that they were after the young lady Gongsun…”

“There was nothing special among the cargo, so that’s the most likely possibility.”

He had stumbled into one of the guest rooms and collapsed. He had been so tired that he had just entered the nearest empty room in the building where the patients were being kept. He didn’t even remember where this room was exactly; it seemed to be somewhere near the servants’ quarters.

How long was I asleep…?

Young Jin Cheon-hee tried to move his body, but it felt incredibly heavy. His limbs were numb with accumulated fatigue. Knowing it would pass if he just lay still for a while, he remained in bed, waiting for his circulation to return.

“Lady Gongsun Hyeon from the main family came to visit, you know.”

“I bet she was disappointed to see her little eyesore of a cousin still alive. Still, she has to make an appearance to avoid suspicion.”

Well now, isn’t this an interesting conversation.

Jin Cheon-hee listened with a wry smile. People didn’t know the truth: that Gongsun Hyeon loved her younger cousin more than anyone. She had come with her face veiled to avoid her parents’ scrutiny, but she couldn’t stop the rumors from spreading within the escort agency. But prejudice is a fearsome thing. People interpreted even this act as a part of Gongsun Hyeon’s facade.

“You’re sure there was no poison in the tonic?”

“Good heavens, sister. A poisoning here would cause an uproar. Do you think the Black Ice Poison Dragon wouldn’t know that?”

Listening to the male and female servants chat, Jin Cheon-hee pondered the nickname. The Poison Dragon. They called her that because her schemes were said to be inhuman. In a martial family, for a child of the main house to be unable to practice martial arts was worthy of scorn. Her sharp mind was a great talent, but it also made her seem like a petty schemer. The fact that they still attached the word “Dragon” to her name was a testament to how much they feared her.

“By the way, is ‘that’ child doing okay?”

Hearing them talk about him, Jin Cheon-hee perked his ears.

“He has some marks on his neck, but they say he’s fine. Apparently, the boy sleeping next to him had a nightmare and did it.”

He could explain away most things, but the handprints on his neck were hard to cover up. So he had told the truth, but left out the important parts. It was true that the kid had a nightmare and choked him. The feeling on his neck had bothered him throughout the surgeries; it was still a bit swollen.

“Tsk, tsk… he must have gone through so much to be having such nightmares.”

“Still, I feel bad for our little one. To do that to such a kind child. Think of all he’s done for our escort agency.”

“Do you think Jin Cheon-hee might have just said that to protect the other boy? He’s such a deep and gentle soul…”

“And that’s not all! The Divine Physician himself has acknowledged his medical skills.”

“Yes, if he hadn’t treated them, many more would have died. Think of all the warriors whose lives he saved…”

“My older brother thought he would lose his arm, but he saved it.”

Hmm, my plan to win them over is working perfectly.

He had saved the Escort Head’s blood-brother and a key member of the Gongsun Clan. On top of that, he was the one who had discovered the poison. And with his every action being clever and endearing, all the escort warriors had begun to dote on him. In just a few days, Jin Cheon-hee had become quite the popular figure within the Cloud-Dragon branch office.

“That’s right. Even the Chief went to fetch an ointment for Jin Cheon-hee’s neck.”

“Though the Divine Physician had already applied some for him.”

“…Right.”

“He’s a good luck charm, that child.”

“He certainly is.”

“I hear he has nowhere to go. I wish he would stay with our escort agency permanently.”

The servants fell silent as they were called from outside. After they left, Jin Cheon-hee could finally move his body again.