“Hye-ah. Listen to me closely. You must choose your lunch with absolute seriousness. The same applies to dinner. Don’t you think it’s only fair that I treat myself to a sumptuous meal after rolling in the dirt all day? Imagine hunting from dawn until dusk only to be tossed a piece of dried rice cake. Even slaves aren’t treated so poorly.”

“Choose lunch seriously, and for dinner…”

“Dinner must be grand. You have to eat well. Eating well makes you feel good. Think of it as rewarding yourself every single day.”

“…”

“Call it the wisdom of adulthood.”

Jin Cheon-hee concluded his sermon as he sat in the tent, receiving a serving of the meal he had prepared himself. It was fried rice crowned with spicy stir-fried pork and a perfectly soft-boiled egg. Beside it sat a bowl of refreshing marsh clam soup and a side of seasonal greens.

A savory, mouth-watering aroma wafted through the air.

Sama Hye stared at the spread for a long moment before finally letting out a chuckle.

“You’re right, Benefactor. I guess I did push myself a little too hard.”

“See? Looking at delicious food made you realize how exhausted you were, didn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s eat. Tomorrow, I’m going to buy fresh fish from the Hangzhou market and make something special, so you’d better start looking forward to it the moment you open your eyes.”

“Is breakfast important too?”

“Of course. You need to eat something delicious to get your brain working properly from the start of the day. People usually skip it because they lack the energy to prepare it, but if you have the means to eat, you should enjoy it as much as possible. Isn’t it a waste otherwise? The human stomach has a limit, you know.”

It was a novel logic. Jin Cheon-hee continued with utmost seriousness.

“Hye-ah, listen. Martial arts may have no limits, but the stomach certainly does. Therefore, the stomach is more precious.”

It was a bizarre philosophy. Is this why they call him the Mad Physician? Hye wondered.

Jin Cheon-hee went on, undeterred.

“You must cherish every single meal. You have to desperately contemplate what to eat. Especially for us physicians, it’s not easy to eat on time. Since you’re in orthopedics, you’ll likely have plenty of emergencies interrupting your schedule. That’s why you have to take extra care to feed yourself well.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

In a way, it was the meddlesome advice of a senior, but he spoke at length because he knew the reality all too well.

“When you get old, your teeth weaken and your digestion slows down, so the list of things you can eat keeps shrinking. Eat plenty of delicious things now. That is the first step in treating yourself with value.” He gestured towards Cheon Woo with his chin. “Like that guy.”

“Hyung. This is seriously tasty.”

Just then, Cheon Woo approached, his plate piled high with a mountain of spicy pork.

“I prepared dessert too. Do you want some after you finish?”

“What is it?”

“Fruit mixed with solidified fermented milk.”

In modern terms, it was Greek yogurt. He planned to garnish it with honeycomb, pine nuts, walnuts, and sunflower seeds to create an unforgettable flavor profile.

***

After the delightful dinner, the physicians retired to their sleeping quarters.

Sama Hye must have been very satisfied with the meal, as she unconsciously repeated how delicious it was between bites. She seemed to particularly covet the Greek yogurt, hinting that she wanted more, so he promised to make it for her again later. Hye-ah was visibly overjoyed.

Ideally, a physician heals people, but ironically, it is remarkably easy for them to lose their own physical and mental health. There were plenty of temptations, too. In his past life, he knew of a gambling ring that had formed among doctors who knew each other through mutual acquaintances.

It wasn’t surprising. They started betting small amounts, but the stakes grew larger over time. He heard rumors that one of them even ended up at Kangwon Land Casino and eventually made it onto the news. When asked why, he replied that life was boring, so he did it just to feel something.

That was the nature of this field. Then and now, it was the same.

Often, smart kids who didn’t seriously contemplate what they wanted to do were pushed into medical school by parents who thought, You study well, so you must become a doctor. Or, because the parents were doctors themselves, they decided, You should be a doctor too, and sent their child off to medical school.

Of course, gaining admission was difficult. Some families started preparing in elementary school, others in kindergarten. Recently, he heard stories about kids destined for medical school mastering English conversation by the time they were in primary school.

But children’s dreams were bound to change. A kid might write “Doctor” as their future dream in kindergarten because their parents said it was a good job, only to wake up later and realize how much they hated the sight of blood and the texture of flesh. But by then, it was often too late to turn back.

If they at least knew what they wanted to do, that was fortunate. They didn’t have to make it their main profession; they could just make it a hobby. One could be a doctor and still compose music; a doctor who wrote novels; a doctor who drew comics. There was no need to abandon medicine. As long as a person knew what they loved, they could be happy. It didn’t have to be grand. The hobby could be gardening or cooking.

But surprisingly, the majority of people didn’t know what they wanted to do or what they liked until they stumbled upon it. It was fortunate if they at least knew what they hated, but sometimes they didn’t even know that much.

That’s why whenever I meet a chick, I buy them something tasty.

Of course, given that Jin Cheon-hee worked in such a harsh environment, it might look like a ploy to… kidnap… the kid. Not that he didn’t have some intention of recruiting them. Still, feeding them delicious food helped them develop preferences.

He wasn’t an expert in psychology or education, but judging from his life experience, if a person wanted to know what they liked, starting with what food they enjoyed was a good first step. As they figured that out, they naturally gained insight into themselves. And if he was lucky, they might even come to work under him.

Back then, too, the kids I mentored said they didn’t miss me, but they missed the meals I bought them.

It was the same here. Since the work was hard, they needed to eat well. Deliciously. Sama Hye would likely follow the same path.

And for that to happen, I need to clean up the surroundings.

The kids needed to be able to eat in safety. That was the only way food would taste good. But the current Hangzhou was not such a place.

“Shall we get moving?”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s words, Cheon Woo rose to his feet.

“Ready, Hyung.”

“Good. Man Seon?”

“You’re leaving the fish I caught to go to the fish market instead? That’s too much, Young Pavilion Master.”

Jin Cheon-hee chuckled at her remark.

“But night fishing is impossible tonight.”

“True. Instead of fish, we’ll be hooking scumbags.”

She slung her fishing rod over her back and followed behind Jin Cheon-hee.

“Wow, the moon is bright.”

“Our position will be exposed in plain sight, Young Pavilion Master.”

“It doesn’t matter. For something like this, the more spectators, the better.”

Saying this, Jin Cheon-hee picked up an axe that had been stuck in a corner. It was the very axe Cheon Woo had used to chop firewood all morning, well-worn and stained with hand grease.

“Hyung, aren’t you going to use the Ice Clarity Sword?”

“You can’t use a cleaver meant for slaughtering oxen to kill a chicken. Let’s see…”

The next item he picked up was none other than an iron poker. It was blunt at the end, used simply for flipping firewood to keep it burning well—in other words, just a fire stick. He gripped one in each hand and looked back.

“Do you think they’ll come to their senses if I beat them with these?”

Man Seon sighed. “They will certainly feel the humiliation. And they’ll understand why the nickname ‘Blue-Eyed Mad Physician’ exists.”

“Oh, that’s good. I like it.”

He swung the axe and poker through the empty air—Swish, swish.

Usually, dual blades involved wielding two identical swords so the left and right hands could execute techniques in harmony. However, Jin Cheon-hee was moving while swinging two items that weren’t even proper weapons. Since he was using both hands, the movements were creaky at first.

“…”

“Man Seon, how does it look?”

“…Can I be honest?”

“Yes. Please speak. It’s a strict order from the Young Pavilion Master.”

“It looks like the dance of a madman.”

“I see.”

The poker required thrusting motions, while the axe required chopping motions, so they didn’t harmonize at all. The diagnosis of this ‘Madman’s Dance’ was complete. But how should he treat it? No, do I even need to treat it? Wouldn’t the person getting beaten by a Madman’s Dance be even more pissed off? If done right, he might be able to send them to their graves from sheer anger.

In a way, that was a good thing. It’s unfair if I’m the only one dying of frustration, right?

In Hangzhou, there were no fewer than fifteen sects classified as belonging to the Unorthodox Path. The Crimson Wine Gang was counted among the strongest five. To lead such a sect, one had to be at least a Peak Realm master, and the Crimson Wine Gang Leader was indeed at the Peak Realm.

Rumor has it he’s not at the Transformation Realm, though.

That was how the Unorthodox Path operated. If they called themselves a Peak Master, they were usually just a First-Rate warrior. If they called themselves a Supreme Peak Realm Master, they were likely just at the Peak Realm. If someone claimed to be at the Transformation Realm, they were probably at the Supreme Peak Realm.

How did he know? …Working as a physician, you naturally found out. When their stories changed before and after taking their pulse, you had no choice but to know.

He understood it, roughly. It was like a wild animal puffing itself up in front of an enemy. The Unorthodox Path had to look as strong as possible. An Unorthodox Path faction that wasn’t strong was no longer Unorthodox Path. They were people without the support of the populace. If they were weak on top of that, the Gangho—the martial world—would never leave them be.

“Since he called himself a Transformation Realm master, the rumor that he’s actually at the Supreme Peak Realm is probably true.”

Man Seon seemed to be of the same mind.

The Crimson Wine Gang occupied a pavilion with an attractive bright red roof, their symbol being a liquor bottle with red cloth wrapped around its neck.

“I heard the rows of large liquor jars at the entrance are quite a spectacle.”

“No, if they have that kind of dedication, they should pour it all into brewing alcohol. Why go around extorting pocket money from kids?”

“They probably started with good intentions, too. But selling alcohol likely led to corruption over the generations. Just as it happens with most Unorthodox Path factions.”

Cheon Woo nodded at Man Seon’s words.

“Even the Orthodox Path becomes corrupt if they hold power for too long.”

That was also the story of the Wudang Sect at one point. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. There was a time when Wudang had been tainted. Though it had been set right again, Cheon Woo had witnessed that process, so the Crimson Wine Gang’s situation likely didn’t feel like someone else’s business to him.

Is it the same for martial artists?

With just a little force, they could grind a civilian’s head to dust. Living like that their whole lives, even the Taoists of the Orthodox Path were bound to develop a sense of elitism, so the Unorthodox Path went without saying.

“Anyway, the moon is incredibly bright tonight. Hyung.”

“Yeah. We’ll be able to see their faces very clearly.”

Jin Cheon-hee slung the axe over his shoulder and deliberately walked with a swaggering, wide gait. He intended to look like a street thug, but his excessively handsome appearance rather diminished the intimidation factor.

“Ah, right. I didn’t change clothes.”

He was still wearing the loose cotton clothes he wore at the relief station. He had come out without changing.

“Well, considering I’d just have to change again after work, this might be better.”

At that moment, Cheon Woo spoke. “People are gathered.”

“Numbers?”

Cheon Woo stared for a long while with his single eye before speaking.

“About… a thousand?”

Wow, they gathered a lot.

As expected of the Unorthodox Path. It seemed they had gathered in droves, using the memory of their past beatings as a lesson.