“Hyung, you’re not carrying that pipe around anymore.”

“I’ve recovered. Honestly, with my serendipitous constitution, the fact that I was bedridden this long was strange in the first place.”

“TBH? Is that what that means? ‘To Be Honest’?”

“Why does everyone around me keep picking up my speech habits? Man.”

Jin Cheon-hee scratched his head vigorously. But that was only for a moment; his hands began to move ceaselessly, resembling the Thousand-Armed Guanyin. In a way, it looked as if his hands had multiplied. At this point, he looked less like a Buddha and more like an Asura with three heads and six arms from the depths of hell.

Indeed. Jin Cheon-hee wasn’t treating patients; he was at war with paperwork while sitting at his desk.

Ugh… I miss Yoo Ho and Mu Wol. If those two were here, this would have been done in no time, but now I have to do it all alone.

He would have to ask their opinions on this later. Regardless, Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes flashed consistently, as if he were applying his newfound martial enlightenment to his paperwork.

“Hyung, if you work like that, you’ll die.”

“Send me either Yoo Ho or Mu Wol. Just one of them. Then I won’t die.”

He would definitely have to ask their opinions on this.

It was true. The suddenly established Medical Pavilion Branch, the abruptly constructed Hundredfold Benevolence Foundation building and its personnel, and on top of that, the White Qilin Convenience Stores. Who was supposed to clean up the mess of this business expansion?

That would be me. Kuaaagh!

Taking control of Hangzhou was good, expanding the business was good, and successfully combating the epidemic while at it was also good. But didn’t fantasy and wuxia stories always say the same thing? Great power comes with a price due to the laws of causality or whatever. He couldn’t sacrifice his soul as the price for this Miracle Hangzhou Project—because Jin Cheon-hee’s soul had already worn away from overwork.

Therefore, the adult Jin Cheon-hee had to toss aside childish innocence, dreams of youth, and all that nonsense, and work while gulping down medicinal decoctions and strong tea like water. Right now, the soulless Jin Cheon-hee had to handle the following tasks:

Reviewing resumes before hiring interviews, calculating taxes, calculating labor costs, calculating food expenses, organizing and deciding on incidents and accidents, classifying patients, classifying personnel, calculating revenue, calculating expenses, calculating wandering vagrants hiring fees, establishing/operating/comprehensively adjusting management plans, establishing the Branch Management Executive and Medical Research Society, handling Hangzhou Development Cooperation Headquarters duties and establishing the Regional Maintenance Council, attending Government Policy Public Institution Policy Cooperation Team meetings, overseeing pharmaceutical management, establishing Hundredfold Benevolence Foundation education plans and goals, designing the General Theory of Core Value Management for the White Qilin Medical Pavilion Branch, establishing White Qilin Medical Pavilion PR planning and strategy, establishing and implementing advertising plans, and producing and managing promotional publications.

And so on and so forth…

Of course, if other figures of the Gangho, especially someone like Namgung Woon, the Young Pavilion Master of the Namgung Clan, saw this, they might ask, ‘Why is the Young Pavilion Master doing this himself?’ Usually, a Young Pavilion Master was a position that only approved the intermediate work that the Patriarch found too bothersome to review personally. But Jin Cheon-hee was doing it all himself.

Also, there were certainly documents that made one wonder, ‘No, why is he doing this?’

[White Qilin Medical Pavilion Public Relations Planning and Strategy Establishment]

Documents with bizarre titles that were definitely not of the Murim style, but reading them made one’s mind go distant, as if one had to ride a carousel of Qi Deviation after a six-hour meeting. However, for the modern man Jin Cheon-hee, this was one of the tasks that absolutely had to be done.

When a sect (corporation) grows, image… ah, no… reputation management is naturally important, isn’t it? It was a propaganda operation to widely publicize the greatness of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion and win the people’s favor!

“Uh… Hyung. Even without doing that, aren’t the rumors already spreading well enough, and don’t the civilians follow us already?”

“True. But since we’re doing it, isn’t it better to spread the rumors even more effectively?”

Through the events in Hangzhou this time, he learned how easily evil was created and how sweet it could be. The gold obtained from raiding just one small Unorthodox Path faction was truly staggering; it still shimmered before his eyes. There was no other reason why those who woke up at dawn every day to learn martial arts and endured such hardships to become warriors fell into the Unorthodox Path. Civilian blood was just too efficient for making gold.

The Unorthodox Path were excellent alchemists.

“So… we actually believed that righteousness triumphs, but that wasn’t the case.”

If this were a world where righteousness triumphed, the night wouldn’t be this scary. Were we simply believing in something symbolic? Reading fairy tales, believing they would actually come true. Perhaps the truth was so horrific that they chose to believe the fairy tales were reality.

Thinking up to that point, a bitter smile escaped his lips.

“I’m a realist. It would be nice if things ended like this, but I know there’s a high probability they won’t. So. Hmm…”

Jin Cheon-hee stamped the approval seal. The heavy weight of the seal made the responsibility feel real.

“Simply put, let’s row while the tide is coming in.”

Jin Cheon-hee completed two request letters and sent them to a warrior. These request letters would arrive at the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Sect. Both places would simultaneously spread news of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion’s good deeds. It wasn’t spreading fake news, but packaging existing facts a bit more softly and spreading them far and wide, so it was good for everyone, wasn’t it?

Cheon Woo fell into thought. What he learned at Wudang and what Jin Cheon-hee was doing were definitely different things.

Jin Cheon-hee spoke. “No, of course, normally rumors spread on their own and you just wait for people to praise you, but I’m saying let’s build a stronger foundation.”

Wasn’t the modern era the age of self-PR? In the Gangho, this might look bizarre.

“I think our youngest brother would like this.”

“Hyeon probably would. Maybe… he’ll follow suit, do some good deeds in the Golden Blood Chamber, and deliberately spread rumors about it to improve the Golden Blood Chamber’s image?”

“He would definitely do that. Second Brother probably wouldn’t care much.”

“Because he’s Demonic Cult.”

“Yes. Because he’s Demonic Cult.”

Jin Cheon-hee asked, “Did you meet Abbess Abi? I definitely caught a glimpse of her when we were sparring. That’s why she gave you a challenge letter too.”

“Yes. She said she’d visit by today. She suggested we just do it roughly behind the branch building.”

“Hmm… Usually, someone of Abbess Abi’s stature would be picky about the sparring location…”

“Yes. She has a very unpretentious personality.”

She was always like that.

“Since she said she’s coming today, I should make some time.”

“Are you going to observe the spar?”

“Of course. My little brother is sparring; how can I call myself a brother if I don’t watch?”

Flap, flap, flap!

At the same time, the sight of him reading, approving, and processing documents again was awe-inspiring in itself. Even while maintaining this speed, his brother would click his tongue and mix in strange complaints like, ‘Why is there no Excel? Why doesn’t this world have Ex-cel? It’s been years since I did math. Argh, someone calculated this wrong. Tell them to do it again.’

Jin Cheon-hee asked Cheon Woo. “So, when exactly… Oh, she’s here.”

“Ah, I see.”

Jin Cheon-hee’s paperwork came to an abrupt halt. And Cheon Woo’s gaze also detached from Jin Cheon-hee to look out the window. The two were in the office on the 4th floor. The presence felt below the window was soft yet fierce.

And, above all—Woof, woof!

Hwanggu was running toward somewhere. Seeing its tail wagging so violently it was invisible, it was definitely going to greet someone it knew well.

“Shall we go then? Are you ready?”

At those words, Cheon Woo’s mouth set in a grim line of tension.

“Yes.”

***

“Amitabha.”

Abbess Abi pressed her palms together in a half-bow to Jin Cheon-hee, just as usual. Jin Cheon-hee also responded with a fist-palm salute.

“Long time no see, Abbess Abi.”

“I inadvertently ended up observing when you defeated the Unorthodox Path last time.”

“Yes. I saw your face.”

“Indeed, you had the leeway to look around even in the midst of that, Benefactor. I suppose the Zhuge Clan’s Profound Primordial Complete Foundation Divine Art has always been like that.”

A smile hung on her benevolent face. Behind Abbess Abi, two women poked their heads out and looked at the two of them.

Abbess Abi spoke. “What are you doing?”

“A-Amitabha. Greetings to the Young Pavilion Master of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.”

“I also greet the Young Pavilion Master of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion!”

They were awkward with Gangho etiquette, and their nervousness at meeting the ‘Blue-Eyed Mad Physician’ was evident.

Abbess Abi sighed. “It’s the first time either of them has left the island, so they are lacking in many ways.”

“First time in the Gangho.”

“Yes. That is the case. They are no different from chicks, but I still wished for them to broaden their horizons through this spar.”

Both young nuns wore swords slanted at their waists. However, their shoulders were tense, and their stiff bodies betrayed their nervousness… If they get ambushed, they’re dead. Their entire bodies were full of openings.

Especially seeing how they fussed over everything passing by—‘Junior Sister, look at that! It looks super delicious!’, ‘Wooooow! The color is totally pretty!’—they looked less like swordsmen of the Putuo Sect and more like ordinary country bumpkins sightseeing in Hangzhou.

“I told you to always act with weight.”

“Ugh!”

The two swordsmen, stung by the rebuke, lowered their gazes and deliberately put on calm expressions.

Abbess Abi sighed. “Despite appearances, these children have considerable martial talent.”

“Yes. Even at a glance, their bone structure is excellent and their solar temples are developed.”

“Correct. The only thing lacking is mental cultivation.”

“Experience will be important to fill that.”

“That is so.”

Jin Cheon-hee extended his hand and gently guided the two nuns.

“Please, come inside. The White Qilin Medical Pavilion welcomes the Putuo Sect.”

Woof, woof!

Hwanggu welcomed them the most. The two young swordsmen, faces flushed red, frantically petted Hwanggu’s forehead.

Hmm, that’s the age to love dogs. Me too.

Woof!

Abbess Abi also stopped walking, turned around, and kneaded Hwanggu’s cheeks.

Abbess Abi is also at the age to love dogs.

It couldn’t be helped. Escaping the charm of a dog that snuggled up to you wasn’t easy.

***

The White Qilin Medical Pavilion was a medical pavilion, but since it naturally dealt with Gangho people, it also had a sparring ground. Usually, it was used by resident warriors of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion, like the White Qilin Squad.

This time, Abbess Abi and Cheon Woo stood in the sparring ground, facing each other.

“This poor nun intends to use a sword. What will Taoist Cheon Woo use?”

The sword hanging at her waist was old and scarred, but it showed signs of long and careful maintenance. She must have cherished it her entire life.

Cheon Woo spoke without hesitation. “May I face you with my fists?”

“Hmm, I thought you would use a sword. That is unexpected.”

“Yes. However, I have realized something recently, so I wish to use my fists this time.”

“Very well. Since you are a disciple raised personally by the Wudang Fist Emperor, you surely have a thought in mind. Then, I shall concede three moves.”

Abbess Abi treated Cheon Woo as a junior without being shaken in the slightest by his massive physique.

Cheon Woo accepted without declining.

“I gratefully accept Senior’s concession.”

Saying this, Cheon Woo took a few steps back and assumed a stance.