A month later, at lunchtime.

Jin Cheon-hee was eating with his Master, Zhuge Rin, in the pavilion’s communal dining hall. In the past, Zhuge Rin had to be extremely careful about his diet, but since the surgery, his health had improved to the point where he could now eat normal meals like this.

After his recovery, Zhuge Rin had begun eating in the communal hall more often than not. The official reason was ‘to better look after the pavilion members.’

‘What a load of crap.’

It was the exact same situation as a CEO eating in the company cafeteria. It was a one-way ticket to indigestion for all the employees.

There were two real reasons for this.

First, Zhuge Rin was not the kind of man who lived his life worrying about what others thought. His refined appearance gave him a kind, humble, and considerate aura, but his actual personality was pure “My Way.” If a pavilion member got indigestion from being nervous? They could just treat it with acupuncture. Any physician who couldn’t handle their own nervous stomach had no business being in the pavilion.

Second…

‘When I think about it, the real problem is that I started eating my meals here.’

Jin Cheon-hee was swamped with work. Between the flood of patients, his own personal training, and educating the pavilion members, it was best to keep his meals as simple as possible. The communal hall was perfect for that. But if he ate with Zhuge Rin, his Master would fuss over him, push side dishes onto his plate, and radiate a disciple-obsessed love, saying things like, “Hee-ya, I had them prepare your favorite.” It was so burdensome that Jin Cheon-hee had fled to the communal hall.

Here, he could eat and leave quickly, and it was also a chance to discuss surgical plans with the physicians he’d be operating with. His network within the pavilion was growing by the day. After his accidental Metamorphosis, his height had also shot up—not as tall as his Master or Yoo Ho, but enough to give him a truly manly appearance—so there was nothing holding him back.

And his Master, upon witnessing this, had declared that he, too, would eat in the communal hall. Which led to him sitting right next to Jin Cheon-hee.

“I had them prepare your favorites for today’s meal.”

“…Master.”

The sight of the CEO sitting next to his right-hand man, personally placing side dishes on his plate, was truly a spectacle. But it was also a familiar one. The other pavilion members, trying desperately not to look in their direction, were all clustered in the far corner of the hall, eating their food.

‘Don’t leave me, guys! At least say hello!’

But no one did. When Zhuge Rin had first come to the hall, everyone had greeted him. But his Master, in a voice devoid of warmth, had given a flat order: “Treat me as you would anyone else.”

In other words: “Do not approach during my mealtime with my disciple.”

‘The food quality has gotten ridiculously good, though. It’s gotten so good it’s hard to believe…’

He had scouted and hired a famous royal chef, formerly of the imperial palace. He was supposedly a god-given master of medicinal cuisine. Even the rice grains themselves looked different.

Jin Cheon-hee decided to just give up. His Master’s doting was clearly here to stay, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know his Master’s personality. If he really hated it, he could just ask Yoo Ho to pack him a lunchbox. But he genuinely enjoyed talking with his Master, so he just put up with the change in venue.

Of course, his Master wasn’t just ‘eating’ either. He was looking over several documents as he ate, passing them to Yoo Ho when he was done.

“I wish you would at least rest while you eat, Master.”

“Are you worrying about this Master? How thoughtful.”

“Your health is important. Besides, the Dragon Phoenix Assembly is coming up soon.”

The end of the year was approaching, which meant the Dragon Phoenix Assembly was too. This year, the Martial Righteous Alliance had once again requested the White Qilin Medical Pavilion’s services for the event.

“It’s a nuisance. But it’s also a request I cannot refuse.”

“Isn’t it a position of honor that other medical pavilions are dying to get?”

A parent’s heart is such that their child’s body is more precious than their own. The Dragon Phoenix Assembly was the one place where all the great families of the Murim showed off their cherished children. Naturally, they were extremely picky about the physicians who would treat their offspring. To be entrusted with that role meant you had the trust of countless martial families. From small and mid-sized pavilions to the Three Great Medical Pavilions of the World, every medical house coveted the position.

“From the establishment of the Surgical Arts Department to the White Qilin Divine Elixir, there is no part of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion that hasn’t advanced. I stormed out in the middle of it last year, and yet the Alliance Leader still sent an invitation.”

That was right. At last year’s event, his Master had “liberated” a massive black stallion, the Reigning Dark Horse, which the Namgung Clan had been boasting about. Worried his disciple might be in danger, his Master had galloped off without a second glance.

“I wonder how the Reigning Dark Horse is doing.” It was a stallion that, during its brief stay, had hit on every single mare in the pavilion stables. They had returned it via an escort agency after things settled down, only to discover a short time later that several of their mares were pregnant. He was a thoroughbred, alright.

His Master replied, “I heard that the ‘Azure Dragon Sword’, Namgung Woon, will be riding it here. He beat Wudang to win last year’s tournament. I heard the Wudang elders’ pride was severely wounded.”

“Is he competing again this year?”

“I’m told he is no longer an official participant. Instead, his younger sister, Namgung Yeon, will be competing.”

“Ah! Really?” Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes went wide.

His Master smiled playfully. “You may not have noticed, but Namgung Yeon is strong. If she can just get her mental state under control, she could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the talents of Shaolin and Wudang.”

“Will Tang Ah be attending?”

“I heard the Tang Clan elders are deliberating until the last possible moment. To quote the letter, ‘Her inner darkness deepens by the day, and we do not know if it is wise to unleash that predator. An inner darkness, once released, consumes the future self even more than it consumes others.’”

In short, Tang Ah’s chūnibyō personality was getting worse, and they were worried about sending her to a public event. Not for the sake of others, but for the sake of the future Tang Ah.

Right now, Tang Ah was the subject of a few… rumors… but it was a ‘secret chūnibyō‘ that only those in the know were aware of. The bloodlust and darkness she kept proclaiming could still be kept under wraps. But if she went to the Dragon Phoenix Assembly, it would no longer be a secret. Everyone would know. And because she was strong, she would almost certainly advance to the upper ranks.

His Master continued, “Tang Ah, apparently, begged them to let her go. She also requested that her main hidden weapons all be engraved with a ‘Black Dragon’.”

“Black Dragon? Why?”

“It seems she was… inspired… by that thing you wear on your arm.”

Jin Cheon-hee looked down at the bracelet. The Dark Heavens Blood Thread. A gift from the Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryoon. That was an item born of true madness. Tang Ah’s fake madness had just responded to the real thing.

“She has also, apparently, begun wrapping her arms and legs in bandages. The Tang Clan elders are worried because she learned ‘proper bandaging techniques’ from the White Qilin Medical Pavilion, and now they don’t come off easily.”

“Which means…”

“Yes. She may be on the verge of following in the footsteps of the former Patriarch.”

“I see.”

“The former Tang Patriarch officially changed his name, you know. His parents even gave him their cheerful permission.”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee was now seriously wondering if the ‘Blood Whip Queen’ from the novel was, in fact, the future Tang Ah. The novel had never once mentioned her real name.

“In any case, if the Sichuan Tang Clan fails to seal Tang Ah away, we will likely see her at the Dragon Phoenix Assembly.”

His Master spoke in a solemn, tragic tone.

Jin Cheon-hee just muttered, “A whip master… wounds from a whip will be tricky to treat.”

“Indeed. It’s an unfamiliar weapon, so many of our pavilion members will ‘die’ treating the wounds. And on top of that, poison…” His Master trailed off, lost in thought, before continuing. “The Pharmaceutical Department Head, Man Pa-gok, is desperately praying that Tang Ah is ‘sealed’ by her family. Tang Ah is truly strong, and she shows no restraint. She will send many patients our way.”

How to treat a combined poison and whip-laceration attack? Yes, the pavilion members were looking at this event from a completely different perspective than a martial artist.

His Master’s brow twitched. He looked like he was debating whether to just scrap the whole mission. Jin Cheon-hee quickly cut in. “Master, seeing you like this… it makes this disciple respect you all the more.”

“What is it now.”

“To stand before such hardship! And never! Flinch! To work so hard to treat the people of the Murim! Is that not truly magnificent?”

“Hahaha. Hee-ya, stop your scheming.”

“But Master…”

“Yes, yes. I know you’re scheming, and yet, a part of my heart is swayed all the same.” Zhuge Rin pressed his fingers to his temple as if a headache was coming on.

His disciple was a truly righteous man. He himself might deny it, but to Zhuge Rin, he was. And for Zhuge Rin, that was a nuisance.

“If I were to say I am not going, you would say you would go, wouldn’t you?”

The masters of his generation. The young, hot-blooded youths gathered at the Dragon Phoenix Assembly would never leave Jin Cheon-hee alone. He could clearly see them trying to pick a fight, just to test their strength against a strong master. And he knew Jin Cheon-hee wouldn’t show his true strength against anyone who wasn’t truly evil.

‘A physician to the bone…’

Jin Cheon-hee changed the subject. “Still, it’s a relief the surgical training is progressing smoothly. At this rate, many of our physicians will be able to perform surgery at the Dragon Phoenix Assembly.”

“You mean surgery?”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Jin Cheon-hee often forgot and called surgery ‘surgery in english’or ‘surgeon in english’. The ‘surgeon’ part had mostly faded, but ‘surgery’ still slipped out. Eventually, the others had begun to get used to it, and some pavilion members, mimicking Jin Cheon-hee, had started calling it ‘surgery’ too. It was a natural human instinct to want to be like someone you respected.

“They are still only capable of simple procedures.”

“But you, Master, are already capable of highly complex ones.”

“Mm. So it seems.”

Once he’d made the first cut, his Master’s progress had been immediate and unstoppable. A body that knew no fatigue, exquisite dexterity, and a genius-level intellect that could weigh human life itself—when these combined, his Master grew at a rate that astounded even Jin Cheon-hee.

“That alone is incredible progress,” Jin Cheon-hee said.

“Thanks to you, Hee. By our pavilion’s standards, you are already a Intermediate-level Physician or higher. Many in the world are praising you as a genius.”

The praise made him blush. In his eyes, the real genius was Zhuge Rin. He had just recalled things he already knew and endlessly practiced what his Master had taught him.

“You will be a High-level Physician soon enough.”

“I’m more than grateful just to be a Intermediate-level Physician.”

The medical pavilion was divided into Lower-level Physician, Intermediate-level Physician, and High-level Physician, based on medical skill. It was a system similar to that of a modern hospital. A Lower-level Physician was a trainee who could treat simple illnesses. A Intermediate-level Physician could make their own diagnoses and write prescriptions under their own authority. Only at this stage could one return to their hometown and open their own clinic. The rank of High-level Physician was granted only to those who had mastered all medical arts, treated countless patients, and were capable of writing their own medical texts.

Jin Cheon-hee had achieved High-level Physician level in surgery, and Intermediate-level Physician level in traditional medicine.

“The Head of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department already rates you as an upper-level Intermediate-level Physician. I never thought I’d see that old perfectionist say such a thing.” Zhuge Rin couldn’t hide his pride. A disciple’s achievement is a master’s greatest joy.

Jin Cheon-hee shook his head. ‘This is mostly because I was a doctor in my past life, combined with the Profound Primordial Complete Foundation Divine Art and all that studying.’

He felt that if he became complacent, he would make a mistake, and he quickly recentered himself. Zhuge Rin watched this change in expression with a relaxed gaze.

“I do not know why you feel the need to suppress yourself so.”

“Master.”

“There are times, Hee-ya, when I feel as though you have lived much longer than I.”

Jin Cheon-hee joked, “If I were some old master who had achieved Reversion to Youth, do you think I’d be living like this?”

“That is true.”

“On that note, Master, I have something to tell you.”

Zhuge Rin nodded.