Jin Cheonhee is busy writing a book.

Beside him, Zhuge Rin quietly drinks his boiling decoction while watching his disciple.

“Standardized martial arts. Periodically supplied spiritual medicines. Systematized training methods. Though we’ll have to kill some individual martial artists’ uniqueness, we’ll show the power of numbers and scale through collective strength. That’s what we need to do going forward.”

A blue light flashes in Jin Cheonhee’s eyes.

“That’s more military style than martial arts world style.”

“Yes. Nothing particularly new about it.”

“Still, the details are quite different.”

Scratch scratch.

The brush wrote without hesitation.

This was one of the tasks Jin Cheonhee had been repeatedly doing since coming to White Dragon Medical Pavilion.

Namely, translating modern surgical medicine to fit the martial world.

In other words, a surgical medical text.

“That’s because we’re a medical pavilion, not the military. Plus, with martial artists coming through White Dragon Foundation, and unaffiliated wanderers, escorts, and guard backgrounds all having such different characteristics, we have to maintain some distinctions.”

“Will the management work well?”

“We’re expanding management personnel too, so don’t worry. It’s going well.”

Jin Cheonhee nodded.

Though it appeared to be casual conversation between master and disciple, this was actually quite peculiar.

The disciple Jin Cheonhee didn’t properly understand sect operations, while the master Zhuge Rin was explaining it.

Conversely, this would surprise the Four Hall Masters who knew Divine Doctor White Dragon well.

It was unprecedented for him, with his many secrets, to discuss this much about operations.

“So Hee-ah. How much of the medical text do you plan to complete?”

“I think I’ve written about seventy percent of what I know.”

Master nodded at those words.

“The remaining thirty percent must be things that can’t be shown to outsiders.”

“While that’s true… even if shown, some things would be hard to understand.”

Even during Jin Cheonhee’s lifetime, new anatomical facts were continuously being discovered.

The discovery of new organs under the skin had created a stir in academia.

And finding lymphatic vessels in the meninges provided another clue toward conquering Alzheimer’s.

Though he was writing down all medical knowledge he could remember, he wondered how many could actually understand it.

Organ transplantation knowledge shouldn’t be passed down yet.

Even in modern times, various frauds and crimes related to organ transplants ran rampant, let alone in this class-based society.

Just considering martial arts families, they’d do anything to save their children.

People might sell organs for money, trying to save their families.

Or they might raise children specifically for organ transplants, like assassins in the martial world.

Thus he was completing the medical text with everything except those two areas of knowledge.

At least the foundations of surgical medicine had sprouted in White Dragon Medical Pavilion.

Now it was time to expect it to bloom fully and grow into a massive thousand-year old tree.

“Still, I’m nearly done with the core parts. Once I finish organizing these, it’ll be easier to educate the pavilion physicians. Master, you understood everything, right?”

Jin Cheonhee asked while drying the ink on his books.

Zhuge Rin made a troubled expression.

“Though I’ve memorized all the content, understanding it all is impossible.”

“You, Master?”

“There are quite a few parts that differ from existing medical knowledge, so it’ll take time to organize. Though I’m roughly grasping the concepts… is today’s schedule finished then?”

“I still have to do rounds now. Master, you know that…”

Jin Cheonhee’s daily life runs by the minute.

Wake up at dawn for martial arts training.

Write medical texts until morning.

Then do rounds to observe patients’ conditions in the morning.

Plus emergency patients that appear intermittently.

“Still, we’ve crossed one big mountain with the medical text, so I’ll have some free time from tomorrow. But why did you ask if the schedule was finished? You know my schedule, Master.”

Master answered Jin Cheonhee’s question.

“Hmm, a message came recently with a request from quite a big shot. Asked if we could take on a patient.”

Big shot.

Such words don’t come easily from Master’s mouth.

With all the sect leaders, elders, and officials visiting the medical pavilion’s main compound.

No matter how much power they have, being wrapped in human cloth means they’ll get sick someday.

Then they naturally want to use that power to find the best physician no matter what.

White Dragon Medical Pavilion, Hwaju Medical Pavilion, and the Dark Palace Medical Pavilion for the unorthodox sects.

It’s natural to absolutely want to visit these three main compounds.

For such a word as ‘big shot’ to come from Master’s mouth means they must be quite significant.

“Seems like a very ‘special’ patient.”

In modern terms, a VIP perhaps?

Such VIPs leave massive donations.

These donations are used for pavilion operations and charitable work.

In some ways, it’s similar to the modern Earth’s hospital system, especially America’s.

They used to compete over the Emperor with Hwaju Medical Pavilion.

Master calmly continued speaking, “They’re complaining of hearing loss and dizziness.”

“Ah…”

These two symptoms alone suggest too many possible conditions.

But if a big shot comes to the pavilion’s main compound, it means their attending physicians couldn’t treat it.

Which means it’s likely quite difficult to treat.

“The message came asking if we could cure it… but the problem is they’re trying to create competition.”

“Competition?”

“They didn’t hide it from the start, saying they’d choose either us or Hwaju Medical Pavilion for treatment. They emphasized they’d pay a great price if we could treat it.”

Usually, physicians receiving such a big shot would snort confidently, declaring they’d definitely succeed.

However, Jin Cheonhee instead showed reluctance.

“It’s difficult to answer before examining the patient…”

Hearing loss and dizziness.

As a general surgeon, this wasn’t Jin Cheonhee’s specialty.

This should go to ENT, but in this world there’s no… right, there isn’t.

Though he knew the basics well and had done several joint consultations.

But that was the extent.

Unless you’re a specialist, you can’t help but worry.

“Hwaju Medical Pavilion is confident.”

“Does Hwaju have an otolaryngologist[1] specialist?”

If there’s another reincarnated ENT-related specialist besides me…

Jin Cheonhee still hadn’t given up hope that specialists might just fall from the sky.

Though he usually wanted orthopedics, now he desperately needed an ENT specialist.

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying. They said they’d try to cure it with decoctions if given the chance.”

Reality is cold indeed.

But decoctions?

Hmm…. Is the answer in naturally developed martial world medicine? Or are they just shooting their shot trying to serve a VIP?

Martial world medicine had aspects unexplainable by modern medicine, showing incredible effects especially in natural healing.

Even in 21st century Earth, there were cases of acupuncture healing patients diagnosed to need amputation due to frostbite.

Martial world medicine surpassed even that.

“Whether it’s us or Hwaju Medical Pavilion, the patient’s body comes first. I hope it’s a treatable condition.”

“Hohoho. You must be the only physician in the world who can say such things about a big shot.”

Master let out a small laugh, seemingly finding it absurd.

“Anyway, they’re coming tomorrow. After visiting Hwaju Medical Pavilion first.”

Jin Cheonhee’s eyes gleamed coldly at those words.

“That suggests they haven’t found a proper treatment method.”

“Right. The competition is merely to stimulate our and Hwaju Medical Pavilion’s competitive spirit. There must be some circumstances.”

There were many doctors on Earth who worked for fame too, so they must have wanted to use that.

This is more a politician’s method than a martial artist’s.

“Anyway… I’d like to examine them.”

Though he didn’t like it, the patient’s life comes first.

If it’s nothing serious, he could just prescribe treatment and send them off.

But having come this far, he felt that wouldn’t be the case.

***

The next day, after lunch.

A person arrived accompanied by thirty guard warriors and twenty servants.

One patient, but fifty people attending them.

That alone created considerable pressure.

Jin Cheonhee secretly watched this scene from behind the roof while munching on a rice ball.

They said it’s the Chief Eunuch Admiral[2]‘s granddaughter?

Chief Eunuch Admiral. The leader of the Eastern Depot[3], from eunuch origins.

Word was he’d entered the imperial palace and become a eunuch at a young age.

In the fierce succession struggle, he rode the waves brilliantly and entered the core of power.

They say he alone served the twin princes when no one would support them as emperor.

The only one who shouted “This coin will work! It will!” when everyone else clicked their tongues calling it a failed coin.

Moreover, it’s hard to say the emperor coin was his only goal, as he lost an arm trying to save the twin emperors in the past.

Well, there’s no way to explain this except as loyal devotion.

During the most difficult time.

The only eunuch who unhesitatingly offered his arm for him.

No reason not to favor him.

After His Majesty ascended to the throne, this eunuch became symbolic of the emperor’s trusted confidant.

Afterward, he received a surname from His Majesty and adopted and raised a son and daughter.

Though unable to bear children himself, his treating the two adopted children like his own was quite a touching story within the empire.

And his granddaughter is the patient… truly a tremendous big shot indeed.

If he loved his children so much, how much more would he cherish his granddaughter.

The story of him personally carrying her in a sling before she could walk was famous in the capital.

But having such touching stories doesn’t necessarily mean the Chief Eunuch Admiral is a warm and kind person. Everyone can guess how many things he carried out behind the scenes until the emperor seized power.

Countless bloodsheds and terrors, plots and schemes.

No matter how much he loves his children, the Chief Eunuch Admiral is still an old monster of the imperial palace.

Power struggles are another matter entirely, separate from love.

That’s a different world entirely.

Jin Cheonhee put the last corner of his rice ball in his mouth and dusted off his hands.

This should do for lunch.

Now it was time to run as if just receiving the report, perform the proper etiquette, and receive the patient.

Just then, a junior physician desperately called for Jin Cheonhee.