Where on earth did he stash it?
Jin Cheon-hee ripped the blankets off Namgung Woon’s bed.
Whoosh!
No wine.
“Please just tell me where you hid it.”
“Now, wait, didn’t you just say to avoid greasy and salty foods? And to consume plenty of fluids?”
“I did.”
“Well, wine is a fluid.”
Jin Cheon-hee felt a migraine coming on. “Do not consume alcohol.”
“Al… Alco-what?”
“No! Just… don’t drink! Drink water! Water!”
It wasn’t just the elders from his old life; the martial artists of this world were just as terrible at listening to their doctor. Jin Cheon-hee rummaged through Namgung Woon’s belongings and finally found a small hip flask under the bed. He uncorked it, and the pungent aroma of Shaoxing wine hit him in the face.
“Your belongings were supposed to have been inspected when you were admitted. How did you smuggle this in?”
“Hmph. A small feat of dexterity. This, too, is a form of elegance.”
‘Elegance,’ my ass!
Jin Cheon-hee confiscated the wine and began a thorough search for any other contraband. From the shifty look in Namgung Woon’s eyes, he was sure there was more, but the man would never confess.
Finally, Jin Cheon-hee decided to use his ultimate weapon.
“Hwang-gu! Hwang-gu, where are you!”
Woof!
Hwang-gu, who had yet to return to the Beggar’s Sect since attaching himself to Jin Cheon-hee, came trotting in. Jin Cheon-hee had sent a message to the Beggar’s Sect about the dog’s whereabouts, but their reply had been simple:
‘Hwang-gu is the first disciple of the former Faction Leader, Il-geol. Until the former Faction Leader commands it, no one can decide Hwang-gu’s movements.’
In most sects, messenger animals were just that: animals. Property. But at the Beggar’s Sect, a dog was treated differently. Hwang-gu was, quite literally, a member of the sect. Considering his intelligence, it wasn’t even that strange.
In any case, at Jin Cheon-hee’s command, Hwang-gu proceeded to find every single hidden bottle of wine.
“In all my life,” Jin Cheon-hee said, exasperated, “I have never seen anyone hide a wine bottle underneath a potted orchid. Why? Couldn’t you have just hidden it in your underwear?”
“I would have, but your people come in to change the patient’s robes so often, there was no chance. Ugh… Little Brother, are you really going to take it all?”
“Do you want to die from kidney stones? Do you want to feel that ‘agony of hell’ again?”
“I didn’t have any snacks with it, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
‘You’re not supposed to drink, period! Why do you only hear what you want to hear!’
Just then, Hwang-gu barked—Woof, woof!—at Namgung Woon’s belt.
“Excuse me a moment.”
“Now, see here, a man’s hands on another man’s belt…”
“Cut the crap.”
“My, my, Little Brother, your language has gotten so coarse.”
Tucked inside the belt was a strip of beef jerky. The one thing a kidney stone patient should never, ever eat.
“So, you’ve been enjoying your snacks, too. And by the looks of it, you’ve had quite a lot.”
“Ke-heum. Little Brother… about that…”
As Namgung Woon tried to come up with an excuse, Jin Cheon-hee just sighed. “We’re going with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL). If this breaks up the stone and you pass it, you’ll be lucky. If there’s no response, we go to surgery.”
Jin Cheon-hee confiscated all the wine and snacks. He also ordered Hwang-gu to ‘patrol’ the hospital room three times a day.
“Yoo Ho, keep forcing water on patient Namgung Woon.”
“Understood.”
“Hwang-gu will probably find any smuggled food or wine, but if you catch anything, let me know.”
Namgung Woon was a formidable patient. But Hwang-gu was more formidable. The dog quickly found and devoured a new stash of lamb jerky that Namgung Woon had somehow acquired.
***
On the day of the procedure, Jin Cheon-hee had Namgung Woon lie down. The pavilion members gathered around him.
“You know, Little Brother, this feels an awful lot like I’m being made an example of.”
“Consider it ‘What goes around, comes around’,” Jin Cheon-hee replied. “Since it’s come to this, I’ve decided to use you as fertilizer for the advancement of medicine.”
“In other words, a teaching aid?”
“Yes. The other pavilion members need to learn how to treat kidney stones, too.”
In front of all the physicians, Jin Cheon-hee slowly pressed down on Namgung Woon’s lower abdomen. “The best-case scenario is natural passage through urination. When that’s not possible, we use this method. First, it is essential to identify the stone’s shape and location. The precautions before the procedure are…”
Jin Cheon-hee continued his explanation.
Scribe, scribe—
The pavilion members diligently took notes. Strangely, they weren’t using the traditional brushes, but a different writing implement: a stick of graphite wrapped in cloth. It seemed convenient, as it required no ink or inkstone and allowed for rapid note-taking.
“In Young Hero Namgung’s case, the stone is lodged between the kidney and the ureter, which is a common location. To be precise, there are two. In some people, they can form in multiple locations, requiring multiple procedures.”
“Little Brother, it’s not just in one place?”
“I never said it was. Are you perhaps feeling the urge to stay away from wine and meat now?”
Jin Cheon-hee then gave all the pavilion members a chance to press on Namgung Woon’s abdomen and feel the stones for themselves.
“Just because I snuck in a little wine and meat, you’re going to use me as a human test subject?”
Jin Cheon-hee replied calmly, “I wouldn’t have gone this far if you hadn’t shared it with the patient in the next room. Thanks to you, I performed a successful emergency surgery. We had a slight crisis, but the patient is fine.”
He smiled brightly. The pavilion members all palpated the area and scribbled more notes.
“Next is the extracorporeal shock. This is the process of breaking the stone with strong shockwaves. Some people may feel a stinging or tingling sensation.”
Jin Cheon-hee gently clenched his fist. “We use a shockwave created by combining the Five-Elemental Cultivation Art‘s Wind Qi and Water Qi. Because this uses the principles of Back Penetrating Fist, if you strike improperly, you will rupture the intestines. We absolutely must not do that, correct?”
“Little Brother… you’re not actually going to use Back Penetrating Fist on my kidney, are you?”
Jin Cheon-hee ignored him. “You must not mix in Gold Qi or Earth Qi. You must not strike, you must push. You must recall the principle of Flow.”
Jin Cheon-hee opened his fist and pressed his palm against the afflicted area.
Wooooom—
As Jin Cheon-hee focused, Namgung Woon felt a deep vibration in his lower abdomen, followed by a sharp, stinging prickle.
“We maintain this state to break down the stone. The pulverized fragments will then be passed through urination.”
A surgery performed without a single cut. Murmurs of admiration rose from the physicians. Namgung Woon, lying there as the test subject, felt a strange, profound sense of wonder.
‘I’d heard the Little White Dragon was brilliant, but I never imagined this.’
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy. A new medical art had just been introduced to the pavilion.
***
Jin Cheon-hee, his Master, and Yoo Ho visited Namgung Woon’s room to check on his progress after the procedure. Jin Cheon-hee placed his hand on Namgung Woon’s lower abdomen one last time, diagnosing him.
‘The shattered fragments passed safely with his urine, just as planned. Thank goodness.’
Seeing the desired result, a small smile touched Jin Cheon-hee’s lips. He was always happy after successfully treating a patient. It was his most important driving force.
“You should be fine to be discharged tomorrow.”
“A relief.”
“But please, be careful with the alcohol and snacks from now on. The recurrence rate is quite high.”
“I don’t know how lucky I was to have met you, Little Brother.”
In modern-day Earth, this wouldn’t even require an overnight stay. But here, with so many preparations and the risk of unknown complications, he had kept him under observation. As the treatment method became more refined, physicians with internal energy could perform it in outpatient clinics, and it would surely save many martial artists.
‘Alright. Now then, how to ‘handle’ this man.’
According to the original story, he was fated to be killed by the Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryoon. Jin Cheon-hee wanted him to survive, somehow.
As he was organizing his thoughts, Tang Ah, who had been watching, spoke up. “Little White Dragon. Duel me.”
“I don’t know the first thing about poison.”
He was about to refuse again when she spoke urgently, “I request a martial arts duel!”
“Hmm?” That was unexpected. But, while a first meeting was one thing, Jin Cheon-hee had a busy schedule. He was about to decline when Zhuge Rin interjected.
“Accept the duel, Hee-ya.”
“Master?”
“It is a rare opportunity to spar against the secret arts of the Tang Clan. It will be beneficial to your growth.”
With his Master putting it that way, Jin Cheon-hee had no reason to refuse.
Zhuge Rin added, “Lady Tang is one of the finest of the Tang Clan’s new generation, considered the most outstanding poison specialist of her age. She will be very different from the Hao Sect trackers you’ve faced.”
He knew the martial arts of the Righteous and Unorthodox factions were different. The Righteous Faction’s training method was to mold a practitioner’s very constitution to fit the sect’s arts from childhood. Even if they were at the same level, Lady Tang’s fighting style would undoubtedly be different from the Three Murderous Tracking Rats‘s.
He, too, was now curious.
***
The two stood facing each other in the training yard. His Master, Phantom Archer, and Yoo Ho were present to observe. As Jin Cheon-hee reached for a wooden sword, Tang Ah stopped him.
“In accordance with the traditions of my Sichuan Tang Clan, I request this duel be a real sword match.”
Zhuge Rin smiled faintly. “Very well, Lady Tang. However, if I or one of the others judges that either of your lives is in danger, we will intervene. Is that acceptable?”
“It is. That is what my family’s elders do as well.”
It seemed real-sword duels were the standard for the Tang Clan. ‘I guess it’s a pain to carve all those hidden weapons out of wood.’
“In return,” Tang Ah said, “I will use only a paralyzing poison. I will entrust the antidote to the White Qilin Divine Physician.”
She handed a small flask to Zhuge Rin. “Understood,” he said. “Yoo Ho, that sword…!”
As if he’d been waiting, Yoo Ho tossed the Ice Clarity Sword to Jin Cheon-hee.
Pinggreureu—
Clack.
Without looking, Jin Cheon-hee caught it.
Sreureung—
The blade slid from the scabbard, emitting a frosty mist.
Tang Ah’s eyes sharpened. “That appears to be a peerless treasure sword.”
“…”
Jin Cheon-hee didn’t answer, instead settling into his opening stance. Tang Ah smiled coldly. “No words before a duel? I like that.”
‘If you like me so much, why do you want to fight me?’
Jin Cheon-hee found the logic of people of Murim as difficult as ever. At the same time, he found it fascinating. A moment ago, she had been, for all intents and purposes, a teenager. But the moment she took her stance, she projected the unmoving pressure of a mountain.
‘Wang Gak-yeon was like this, too.’
It was a stance so natural it could have been practiced thousands, tens of thousands of times. At a glance, he could see no openings.
‘This is going to be tough.’