The following day, four teacups steamed in the quiet air of the meeting room.

Seated at the four cardinal points—evoking the formation of the Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird—were Yoo Ho, Mu Wol, Zhuge Rin, and Jin Cheon-hee. They had gathered to carve out the future of the sect.

“Leaving aside the Escort Head, who made it vividly clear from the start that she wouldn’t touch this sort of administration with a ten-foot pole, the Four Great Department Heads are conspicuously absent,” Yoo Ho noted dryly.

“In the past, there was no one to replace them, so their attendance was mandatory. But now?” Mu Wol sipped his tea, his expression pinching as if he had swallowed vinegar. “It seems they finally found a slave to grind into dust in their stead. If they can focus solely on medicine, they will happily abandon all else.”

“You can say what you want, General Manager of the External Affairs Department.”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s playful title usage, Mu Wol glanced nervously at Zhuge Rin before stammering, “No, even so, treating a person like a slave…”

His inner nature could not completely suppress his ego as a middle manager, yet he hesitated, his protest timid. Jin Cheon-hee answered with a smooth, disarming smile.

“Think of it as a testament to their trust, General Manager Mu Wol. If it were before, they would have been forced to attend. Now, they trust you to handle it.”

“Trust? There was a time I was suspected of being a spy. Though I wasn’t.”

“Right. You weren’t! You are the General Manager of the External Affairs Department of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion! You endured the impossible workload alone and worked yourself to the bone! It was you who trafficked medical supplies to the field tents during the war, and you who secured food and potatoes when the fighting stopped!”

Jin Cheon-hee slapped him on the back, attempting to boost Mu Wol’s flagging spirit. However, Mu Wol only felt like a plant withering in a drought.

Is the workload of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion supposed to be this lethal?

Damn it all. The benefactor, the Young Pavilion Master, launched new businesses every other day; Yoo Ho balanced the budgets for those ventures; and it fell to Mu Wol to inspect land and recruit manpower. The work didn’t just pile up—it bred.

“I… I went to ask the Four Great Department Heads to assist with just a fraction of the work… but they are nowhere to be seen.”

“The White Qilin Medical Pavilion is originally like a maze. It is understandable that you get confused with the geography.”

“Every time I go, I am told they are on rounds.”

“Rounds are a sacred duty for a physician.”

“So when I follow the path of their rounds, they vanish into thin air.”

“Hahaha, the paths are complex. It is not good for Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic patients to cross paths, after all.”

“No… I… I had the distinct impression that perhaps they knew I was coming to delegate work and were preemptively avoiding me…”

“Would that be possible? Hahaha. Surely a misunderstanding.”

If it had been a month or two, Mu Wol might have thought, ‘I must be bad at navigation.’ But for the first few months after his arrival, the Four Great Department Heads were ubiquitous. In fact, he encountered them so often he wondered if they were monitoring him. Yet, from some point onward, not even a hair of them could be seen. If he tried to entrust work to them, they disappeared so thoroughly one might wonder if they ever existed at all.

Is this the legendary footwork of the Wannong Mountain Assassins?

As expected of the Zhuge Clan’s people; one cannot survive here if they are clumsy. Although not strategists by trade, their art of survival had reached the level of masters. Or perhaps it wasn’t just the Zhuge bloodline. These were people who had survived under Zhuge Rin for years. To handle their duties and win budgets under that temperamental Pavilion Master, ordinary political skills would not suffice. They had monitored the newcomer Mu Wol, and the moment they judged him competent enough to carry the load, they vanished like ghosts.

Still, isn’t it too much for all four to flee?

At least Pharmaceutical Department Leader Man Pa-gok met him with a probability of one in five. She wasn’t a symbol of benevolence for nothing. With a generous, Buddha-like smile, she would accept a sliver of distributed work—very occasionally—and bestow restorative medicine upon him in return. Since Mu Wol came from the Unorthodox Faction, he habitually checked the ingredients for poison, but they were always just ordinary tonics and powerful stimulants.

It was a silent command to work without sleeping.

The hardest person to corner was Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department Leader Sama Byeong. Recently, the Surgical Arts Department had become the busiest, but historically, the work of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department never decreased. He was a gentleman who was originally hard to find, but now he seemed determined to ascend to immortality just to escape paperwork. That damn old geezer.

Next was Therapeutic Massage Department Leader Ju Dan-ha. Rumors claimed she had lived in the Southern Barbarian region, though nothing was certain. She liked alcohol and acted the hero… but she was an expert at tactical retreats. She appeared with a probability of one in ten.

In the past, Yoo Ho had subtly advised him: ‘If urgent, uncork a bottle of high-quality liquor. She will appear to confiscate the “contraband” from the Medical Pavilion.’ She possessed a ghost-like nose, and only her stomach knew where the confiscated alcohol went.

Finally, there was Martial Affairs Department Leader Dokgo Jung-hu. He lived with the phrase “let me retire” constantly on his lips, but he was relatively easy to meet. Of course, he refused all administrative work, claiming he didn’t have a head for paperwork.

Right. Ultimately, everything is survival of the fittest; the weak are meat and the strong eat. Unorthodox or Medical Pavilion, the rule of the jungle does not change. What matters is whether I can survive on my own.

Foolish Mu Wol. Since when did you rely on the strength of others? Humans are beings born alone who die alone.

He felt his mind spinning slightly from the excessive workload, breathing in the deep, grounding scent of Dragon Well Tea. Eventually, he steeled himself and opened his mouth.

“First, the revenue of the Medical Pavilion has increased by a whopping three times compared to half a year ago.” He slid several bamboo scrolls and paper documents across the table toward Jin Cheon-hee and Zhuge Rin.

The two masters quickly scanned Mu Wol’s report, their blue eyes darting over the figures.

“The retained funds have risen significantly,” Jin Cheon-hee observed.

“At this level, it would surpass the combined capital of three of the top twenty merchant guilds in the Central Plains. In other words, looking strictly at retained funds, we deserve to be called a heavyweight among the Ten Great Merchant Guilds.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Mu Wol continued, his expression brightening with the success of his labors. “The primary profit drivers are entertainment products like Blue Jade and Red Jade, followed by premium medicines like the White Qilin Divine Elixir and Golden Tiger Divine Elixir. Then there is the logistics distribution, the White Qilin Convenience Stores, and finally, the Martial Arts City.”

“The Martial Arts City is unexpected. It’s a money-eating hippo by design, yet to earn this much is impressive.”

“In that sense, how about raising the entrance fee and tuition of the Martial Arts City a bit?”

At those words, Jin Cheon-hee shook his head firmly.

“That is not allowed.”

Strangely, the young man unconditionally blocked any price hikes for the Martial Arts City. There seemed to be a specific reason, likely not financial. Perhaps it was simply good for the martial world; if aspiring warriors waited, their turn would eventually come, ensuring no one was denied entry due to poverty.

“Money doesn’t help just by hoarding it,” Mu Wol said, pivoting. “Using it appropriately is what matters.”

“How do you think it is best utilized, General Manager?” Jin Cheon-hee asked.

“I believe expanding influence is key. Of course, I am ashamed as this contradicts my own advice to raise the Martial Arts City fees, but looking strictly at expansion, I see that as a viable method.”

Hmm. Influence.

Jin Cheon-hee glanced at Zhuge Rin, who was deep in thought. Eventually, the master folded his fan with a sharp tak.

“It has been quite some time since we began operating the Hundredfold Benevolence Foundation. Now, those who graduated from it must have accumulated significant experience. What became of them?”

Yoo Ho answered immediately. “They have advanced into various fields. Some joined the military and rose to government posts; many entered as physicians of the Medical Pavilion; others learned martial arts and joined the martial forces. A bit uniquely, some became interested in manufacturing and entered ironworks.”

“Ironworks…? That is unexpected.”

“Yes. They say they became interested while selling wood to the blacksmiths. Since the White Qilin Medical Pavilion exchanges various technologies with the Sichuan Tang Clan, they can craft usable items, even if they aren’t up to the Tang Clan’s mastery.”

“Good.”

The Master nodded, then dropped a heavy stone into the pond of conversation.

“It is time to make our next move. We will formalize an advance into Zhejiang.”

“Yes?”

Jin Cheon-hee and Mu Wol exclaimed in unison. Only Yoo Ho poured tea calmly, showing no sign of surprise.

“M… Master? Why suddenly Zhejiang…?”

“In Zhejiang Province, the Putuo Sect exists, but their base is isolated in the Zhoushan Archipelago. Because they are island-bound, they cannot seize the entire province or place it under their influence. Furthermore, since the Putuo Sect reveres the Buddhist Way rather than the Way of Supremacy, they actively exclude secular expansion.”

Suddenly, the image of Abbess Abi rose in Jin Cheon-hee’s mind.

She had greeted him with a humble half-bow, her skin wrinkled with age. Yet, to become a Sword Emperor, she had fought a duel with the Namgung Clan Head. Only the Namgung Clan Head and Abbess Abi knew the result, but the silence spoke volumes.

Probably… a draw. Or a high probability that Abbess Abi won.

The Namgung Clan had reigned with the Emperor Sword for generations, priding themselves on never losing in swordsmanship. They settled in the heart of the Central Plains, expanding their power and reigning as the ultimate sword. From their perspective, the Putuo Sect was a countryside Buddhist sect in a forgotten corner. Even if the Zhoushan Archipelago was their base, to the Namgung Clan, it was a backwater that didn’t even belong to the Nine Great Sects or the Eight Great Clans.

If the Clan Head had been cut by an old nun from such a place, it was a matter of devastating pride.

Abbess Abi, true to her nature, focused only on her own martial learning, likely holding little interest in fame within the Central Plains. When cholera had spread in the past, her sect had chosen to close their gates without hesitation—not out of cowardice, but because human life was more important to them than the pride of martial disputes. People claimed the morality of the Murim had fallen to the ground, but true chivalry still breathed within the Putuo Sect.

Amitabha. I should send affiliated physicians for a house call to check her pulse soon.

Zhuge Rin continued, pulling Jin Cheon-hee from his thoughts.

“Zhejiang Province is a region where both the Unorthodox and Orthodox factions are running rampant; it is truly resembling the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period. Since the White Qilin Medical Pavilion’s funds have become abundant, it won’t be difficult to seize that chaotic vacuum and bring it under our influence.”

“Hmm…”

Jin Cheon-hee fell into thought. Eventually, he signaled Mu Wol with his eyes.

“Since it is the immediate post-war period,” Mu Wol analyzed, “most sects have to refine and retrain the martial artists who returned from the front. In contrast, the power of our White Qilin Medical Pavilion remains intact. The timing is advantageous.”

“Well… The physicians who went to war are resting, though.”

“Yes. They are on vacation in turns.”

However, from this point on, it was a battle of commerce, not swords. It wasn’t a fight for physicians, so the White Qilin Medical Pavilion held the high ground.

“On top of that,” Jin Cheon-hee added, “if we link with the Putuo Sect and share interests with them, wouldn’t it become easier?”

“That looks like a judgment mixed with emotion.”

“Well, perhaps. Is it wrong to trust the Putuo Sect?”

“If it means trust based on character, that is not a bad strategy either.”

Jin Cheon-hee nodded, his expression firming.

“I think if we have to invest in Zhejiang Province, the Putuo Sect—with whom we have ties—is the right partner. Of course, the world is a mountain of knives and a forest of swords, and since the Putuo Sect is also operated by fallible people, one could argue they might betray us, but…”

Huruk—

He swallowed a sip of tea and exhaled deeply. Then, he continued with unshakable eyes.

“The chivalrous heart of those people I experienced was genuine.”