The future was changing, little by little. But contrary to expectations, a great river does not easily alter its course. To divert its main channel required immense, back-breaking effort. One had to be prepared to be swallowed by the current, to be swept away entirely for even attempting it.

Most would have to stake their lives.

Sama Hye’s surgical prognosis looks good.

The brace for Sama Hye, which she would need to wear moving forward, had arrived. It was what Cheon-hee inwardly dubbed the ‘Jin Cheon-hee-style Milwaukee Brace.’ It was a device designed to hold the spine in place while a child grew, and frankly, he’d never met a single kid who actually liked wearing one.

It’s heavy, it looks like clunky armor. And it has to be suffocating.

How many children, at an age when they should be running and jumping, would be happy about being forced into such a contraption?

“I’ve also had a sleeping brace made, so you must wear this one when you sleep.”

Surprisingly, Sama Hye’s eyes sparkled, and she readily followed Jin Cheon-hee’s instructions.

“You think you can do it?”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s question, Sama Hye replied, “Of course. I have to wear this so that that never happens again, right?”

She was also attempting the external art exercises Jin Cheon-hee had taught her, little by little, every day, though it was a struggle. Poses that a normal person could hold easily were a significant challenge for her.

She’s allowed to whine or complain a little.

But he knew how difficult that was for her.

Jin Cheon-hee stroked Sama Hye’s head.

“You’ll have to come to the Hangzhou branch periodically from now on. We’ve assigned you a primary physician, and that person will exclusively manage your care.”

“What about you, Little White Dragon Great Hero…?”

“Me? I’m going to rest at the Celestial Inn until the next ship arrives. I’ve done everything I can here.”

The days had been a relentless, grueling march. He had saved many lives and taught many people, but satisfaction and fatigue were two entirely different things. He desperately needed to recharge.

Jin Cheon-hee decided to give himself a reward.

A deep shadow of disappointment crossed Sama Hye’s face. But it lasted only a moment. The child shook her head, as if to clear it, and spoke again.

“I… I want to become a physician when I grow up, too.”

“You’ll have to study a great deal.”

“I’ll do it. I’ll study as much as it takes…”

She clenched her small fists.

“We always welcome a new junior. But to do that, you have to get all better first, don’t forget that.”

Sama Hye nodded vigorously.

A child’s dream changes constantly. Jin Cheon-hee had no way of knowing if Sama Hye would truly grow up to be a physician, or if she would find a different dream along the way.

Just grow up healthy.

That was the most important thing. Happiness, too, was something only the healthy could obtain.

Jin Cheon-hee turned to Sama Hyeon.

“I’ve already spoken to the Celestial Inn. You’ll be able to earn money there regularly. They were very happy to have you.”

As Sama Hyeon nodded, Jin Cheon-hee continued.

“You were stubborn about not wanting to be a burden on the Medical Pavilion any longer, so they’ve also arranged a place for you to stay. You’ll be able to move out of that… house.”

It was less a house and more of a subterranean dugout pit.

“Hyung, I’m grateful, but you don’t have to go this far for vermin like us.”

“Watch your mouth. Neither you nor your siblings are vermin.”

“That’s…”

“And I’m no Buddha. The most I can do is save a few people who happen to cross my path.”

Jin Cheon-hee smiled bitterly.

“Do you know about an adult’s hypocrisy?”

“What?”

“People are beings who can find comfort for themselves just by tossing a single coin to a person in need. That’s why adults… we heal ourselves by offering these small bits of help to those within our arm’s reach.”

“Helping others is a way to heal yourself?”

“Yes. It’s good for your mental health. This is actually a pretty famous theory, you know?”

“A theory like that really exists?”

“It does.”

Just as Jin Cheon-hee had changed Yeo Ha-ryoon, just a little, could he change Sama Hyeon this time? He wasn’t confident. But he wasn’t saying this with any grand intention; he was saying it for his own sake as much as for Hyeon’s.

“In any case, as you live, the world will relentlessly wear you down. You’ll be forced to lie, you’ll be forced to do things you hate. Since you’re a martial artist, you’ll probably face situations where you have to stain your hands with blood.”

“I’m already in that situation.”

“Right. I know. What can you do when the world is like this?”

Jin Cheon-hee let out a hollow laugh.

“It’s these small, trivial good deeds that stop me from being worn down.”

“…”

“You, too. If a time comes when you feel too worn down, too ground away by the world, just do a small good deed and use that to replenish your self-esteem. That is the adult’s hypocrisy. It’s a method of protecting oneself.”

That was the very reason Jin Cheon-hee could continue to work as a physician in this Murim.

That’s it. I’ve avoided taking lives all this time to keep myself from being worn down.

It was one thing if his companions struck first, but if Jin Cheon-hee himself were to take another’s life… and then immediately have to stand at an operating table to save someone… The martial artist Jin Cheon-hee and the physician Jin Cheon-hee would be pulling him in opposite directions. If that life repeated itself, Jin Cheon-hee himself would inevitably be torn in two.

He was fine with being a hypocrite.

“You could at least feed a starving dog or something.”

Wang! — Master, acquire the jerky rations immediately!

Hwang-gu reacted instantly at the mere mention of food.

“You want to give it to him?”

Jin Cheon-hee pressed a strip of beef jerky into Sama Hyeon’s hand.

“Jeez, I’ve never fed a mutt before. I barely have food for myself, why would I give it to his highness, the dog…”

“You have some now, don’t you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Sama Hyeon offered the jerky in his hand to Hwang-gu.

Chomp, chomp.

Hwang-gu devoured the jerky in two bites and then licked Sama Hyeon’s palm.

“Hyung, you’re a real eccentric.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Sama Hyeon hesitated, then stroked Hwang-gu’s head. This was a hand that had torn the skin from a man’s face. A hand that could easily crush a dog’s skull. But Hwang-gu just pushed his head forward, clearly enjoying it.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

The scratching must have felt good, because Hwang-gu panted, a happy “heh, heh” sound coming from him.

“And hyung… for a ‘trivial’ good deed, what we received is a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“Just grow up healthy. That’s all that matters.”

And with that, Jin Cheon-hee left the branch compound. As he walked away, Sama Hyeon called out to him.

“Hyung! Where do I have to go to meet you?”

Now that they were closer, he was mixing informal and formal speech.

“I’m out wandering for now, but the White Qilin Medical Pavilion’s main sanctum is my home. Ah, if you send a message there, it might find its way to me.”

“Might?”

“It… might… get forwarded to a medical branch in another region.”

“So it’s not a sure thing, is it?”

Sama Hyeon’s eyes curved sharply. Jin Cheon-hee, oblivious to his inner workings, just said, “Grow up well, you punk.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s a trash life, so I can’t promise I’ll grow up good, but I’ll definitely grow up well.”

“I told you not to talk like that, didn’t I?”

Instead of answering, Sama Hyeon lightly punched Jin Cheon-hee in the chest.

“You’re the one who needs to be careful, hyung. Don’t get hurt. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jin Cheon-hee waved and walked away.

Sama Hyeon stood at the gate, watching for a long time until Jin Cheon-hee had completely disappeared from view. Then, as if he had made some sort of decision, he turned and vanished somewhere.

***

The Celestial Inn was warm, splendid, and delicious.

Jin Cheon-hee settled back into his room at the inn and fell into deep contemplation.

The proprietress recommended the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. But Gong Ban-ha of the Gong-woon Escort Guild never recommended this place’s version…

Was the proprietress just trying to upsell him, or not?

On top of that, the price is steep. Not many people order it. Under these circumstances, if I order the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, am I just being a total sucker?

Jin Cheon-hee’s dilemma deepened.

Three meals a day. I just want to fill them with guaranteed deliciousness. But it’s also true I want to try the new menu item.

Finally, the young man slapped the table.

Let’s just eat it! If it’s bad, that’s just part of the travel experience! But it’s an experience I’d honestly rather not have.

“Proprietress! One Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! And the Dongpo Pork! And the Four… no, the Five-Flavors Cold Platter! Bring them all out at once!”

“Yes, sir! Coming right up!”

Ah, screw it! Eat, drink, and be merry! If it sucks, I’ll just comfort myself with the Dongpo Pork.

I’m the sucker. Moooo! Moooo~!

Jin Cheon-hee the Sucker had ended up ordering the exorbitantly expensive dish. Whether he would be remembered today as a chump or as a gourmet with keen foresight was anyone’s guess.

Soon, the piping hot dishes were placed before him, one by one.

The cold platter and the Dongpo Pork are from a guaranteed all-star, but the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a different story.

Its price was more than the other two combined.

Jin Cheon-hee’s expression became deadly serious. He carefully lifted his spoon, scooped up the broth, and took a sip.

“Oh?”

A short exclamation. He immediately went for a second spoonful, this time swallowing it along with a piece of abalone.

“Ahh, hot, hot!”

It was a rich, clear stock that was faithful to the fundamentals, filled with chicken, abalone, pine mushrooms, and even swiftlet nest.

Wow, this is luxurious.

It was worth the price. It was a flavor worth taking a big risk for. Like toasting his own excellent choice, Jin Cheon-hee grabbed the hot bowl with both hands and brought it directly to his lips, drinking the soup straight.

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

Wowowowowow! How in the world can it be so exquisitely clear, yet so profoundly rich? How can those two qualities even coexist?

Was it because the pine mushrooms were grown in an unpolluted area? The size, the texture, the aroma—nothing was lacking. On top of that, there was a black-boned chicken, cut and thrown in, bones and all.

Black-boned chicken—even their bones are black. Hehehe.

He had tasted the soup; now it was time to destroy the ingredients in earnest. He was lifting them out one by one with his chopsticks, nibbling away, when someone sat down right in front of him with a thud.

Hm? Who is it?

He lifted his gaze and saw two familiar faces. An incredibly beautiful woman and a handsome man. Their faces bore a striking resemblance to each other.

Mu Hwa and Mu Wol.

In the past, when Jin Cheon-hee had developed penicillin, he had treated them for syphilis.

“Wow, you two are here? How did we manage to meet in all of Hangzhou?”

Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes went wide, and he quickly added, “Or… did you come looking for me?”

The two were from the Hao Sect. As they were from the faction that dealt in information, Jin Cheon-hee quickly deduced this was no coincidence. More than anything, the looks on their faces confirmed his inference.

“We heard that our Benefactor had emerged in the Gangho, so we came to pay our respects directly. It also happens that we both had business to attend to in Hangzhou.”

“Hoh… Is that so.”

The thought that they might have come all this way just for him crossed his mind, but he immediately shook his head. No matter how grateful they were, to assume they had crossed the vast Central Plains to Hangzhou just to see him… that seemed far too self-centered.

Mu Hwa spoke, ”We heard that our Benefactor was heading to the Zhoushan Archipelago.”

“The Hao Sect, indeed.”

“You weren’t exactly moving in secret. Most people with an interest in you would know this.”

“They say in the Gangho, the ceilings have eyes and the walls have ears. It’s really true.”

Jin Cheon-hee let out a hearty laugh.