The exhausted Tiger Hunting Squad was dispatched to the Martial Righteous Alliance, leaving Jin Cheon-hee and the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger to race toward Hangzhou. Pushing their movement techniques to the limit, they targeted the official residence of the Governor of Zhejiang Province.

Upon arrival, they identified themselves as messengers from the Alliance. A soldier emerged shortly after with a curt reply.

“The Governor has a prior engagement and cannot receive guests. Please return another time.”

“Hmm. We arrived with some urgency, but I suppose it cannot be helped. Understood. We shall return tomorrow.”

Yet, when they returned the following day, the excuse was suspiciously similar.

“The Governor is feeling unwell and is not receiving visitors. Please return later.”

Unwell?

The rich, vibrant strains of music drifting over the Governor’s walls suggested a constitution far too robust for a sickbed. No invalid summoned entertainers to host a banquet.

Jin Cheon-hee glanced at the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger. Her expression held no surprise, only the dull resignation of someone accustomed to such slights. Perhaps she was slightly disappointed, at best.

Elder Sister expected this.

The realization struck him immediately. The government troops had already colluded with the pirates.

She had mentioned it before—that there was too much blood on the Sea Sand Gang Leader’s hands. By simple calculation, for the Unorthodox to squeeze the life out of innocent civilians for this long, there had to be those in power turning a blind eye.

And one of those complicit officials was sitting right behind these walls.

Looking at the lavish main gate and the magnificent statue of Guan Yu guarding it, Jin Cheon-hee sighed. The Sea Sand Gang Leader had conveniently omitted this detail. Then again, there was no need for the pirate to reveal his own corruption now; his end would be miserable regardless. Having paid to close the eyes of the authorities, the pirate captain wouldn’t live another three years.

“What will you do, Little Brother?”

“Where I used to live a long time ago, Elder Sister, everyone found it hard to endure even a single day of silence. So, when a carrier pigeon exploded, people would lose their minds.”

“Carrier pigeon?”

“Yes. A fellow named LTE.”

“LTE? That is a strange name.”

The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger didn’t take him seriously. It wasn’t just a day or two that ‘One Light’ had acted like a madman; tales of his eccentricities were widespread. Some of his words held deep philosophical meaning, while others were utter nonsense spoken for reasons known only to the heavens.

Thus, like everyone else, she listened with one ear and let it flow out the other.

Jin Cheon-hee rummaged inside his sleeve. He had pushed the item deep past his wrist, nearly to his elbow to keep it hidden, so it took a moment to retrieve.

“Please take a look at this.”

A golden dragon twisted its body, glaring imperiously at the soldier.

“This is…!”

Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes quickly assessed the soldier’s reaction.

He doesn’t recognize it. He sees the golden dragon and assumes it represents high rank, but he has no idea what it actually is.

As expected, a mere low-ranking gatekeeper could not identify the token of an Imperial Inspector.

“It is an Inspector’s Medallion.”

“…An Inspector’s Medallion!”

Only then did the soldier flinch. He didn’t doubt the authenticity of the object. After all, the one presenting it was Hangzhou’s One Light.

Jin Cheon-hee spoke, his voice carrying the weight of command.

“Guide us to the Governor of Zhejiang.”

“Yes, sir…!”

Indeed, power pulled all procedures forward at incredible speed. At the speed of light, no less.

***

“A mere Inspector dares to demand an audience with me, the Governor of Zhejiang?!”

The roar echoed down the hallway.

They were skipping several bureaucratic steps and moving rapidly, but hearing this shout confirmed that someone had rushed ahead to tip off the official.

“I am not such a pushover that a nameless Inspector can order me around… But who did you say the Inspector was?”

No sooner had those words left the Governor’s lips than Jin Cheon-hee slid the silk paper door open.

Slide.

“Greetings!”

“Hiiiiiiek?! One Liiiiiiight?”

The Governor tumbled backward, his limbs flailing in a display reminiscent of a slapstick comedy. Seeing him recognize the visitor instantly meant he had either seen Jin Cheon-hee from afar or studied his portrait extensively.

“…Wait, you are not a stranger. Is your spine holding up well?”

Oh my. He was a former inpatient at the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.

Jin Cheon-hee usually kept quiet about a patient’s personal history or position. Unless they returned for treatment, he rarely paid attention to how they lived after discharge.

“Oh, you have become the Governor of Zhejiang. Congratulations.”

His memory of this man was vivid. He had come in for a spinal disc herniation and arrogantly demanded to rent out an entire annex. At the time, the annexes were full—it was during Han Yi-jeong’s hospitalization. Another high-ranking official had visited back then, and whatever the Governor heard, he had become quiet on his own accord.

In fact, such incidents were common enough in the Medical Pavilion that there was no need to catalog them one by one.

You’ve succeeded in life, haven’t you?

“Ahem, ahem. I have been so busy with official duties that I have been negligent. For what reason does the Young Pavilion Master of White Qilin wish to see me?”

It was amusing to see him suddenly feign modesty, leaving one to wonder where his temper from moments ago had vanished. Internally, however, the Governor of Zhejiang’s mind was racing.

Isn’t this One Light, rumored to be favored by the Emperor lately! Damn it…!

He never expected the bearer of the Imperial Inspector’s Medallion to be One Light. Whether he received it temporarily or was working as an Inspector long-term, the Governor couldn’t know, but it was certainly a crisis.

Rumors abounded that this young doctor had treated Wangya Ju’s Consort, gained His Majesty’s favor, received a fiefdom of two thousand households, and was even offered a Private Army. Although the Governor hadn’t personally attended the Morning Assembly in the capital, the gossip alone was deafening. The Emperor had reportedly praised him for stopping the smallpox outbreak and was delighted by a mirror that reflected objects perfectly.

Was that all? His contributions in the war against the Suksin Tribe were spoken of until people’s tongues went numb.

And the Governor had delayed seeing such a man for two days?

Stupid subordinates. If One Light came, they should have told me immediately! If he has an Inspector’s Medallion and says something wrong to the Emperor… I am…?!

Indeed. To rise to the position of Governor, one had to be sensitive to the currents of power. Especially since he wasn’t a titled King like Wangya Ju; he was a mayfly official who would die instantly if the Emperor ordered his execution.

The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger, observing this sudden attitude shift, sent a telepathic message.

[ Our Little Brother has quite the sway in politics. I knew about the Inspector’s Medallion, but it seems there is more to it than just that. ]

[ Hahaha. It is fortunate. ]

[ Is it because of your achievements in the war, treating Wangya Ju’s Consort, and also treating His Highness… herself? ]

[ Ah, the information has reached that far. ]

At Jin Cheon-hee’s mental reply, the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger chuckled.

[ Even though my body wanders remote mountains, my ears are always open. Everyone is careful not to speak carelessly, but rumors circulate. Like the rumor that the ‘Twin Yellow Dragons’ who were thought dead are actually alive… ]

[ Hahahaha. ]

[ You won’t tell me the details. ]

[ Is everyone not already guessing on their own? And my life is precious to me. Just pulling out this medallion is burden enough. ]

[ Is it not immense authority? Why did you hide it so tightly, as if it were a sacred relic? ]

Responsibility followed all authority. Who knew what would happen if he swung it around happily? Right now, he was poking around the Gangho like a wild rabbit, but one wrong move and he could become a domestic rabbit caged in the Imperial Palace.

There was an ending like that in a ‘Scholar’ novel.

In Wuxia novels where the protagonist started as a scholar—often titled Scholar [Something] or [Something] Scholar—half ended up fleeing while working in the palace, and the other half learned martial arts out of nowhere while studying. The rest were forced into Confucian studies because they reincarnated into a scholar’s family.

In the ending, some cut the Emperor’s throat to achieve a revolution, others gave the court officials a sharp rebuke before ascending as immortals, and some never connected with the Imperial Family at all.

Surprisingly, an ending where they simply returned to being an official was… uncommon. Not nonexistent, but rare.

Unlike foreign Wuxia, Korean Wuxia treated politics as a critical part of the plausibility. If the country wasn’t governed properly under Confucian ideals, readers got suspicious.

Why hasn’t a rebellion like the Yellow Turbans risen when the country is in chaos and the people are groaning? The Emperor is misgoverning, and on top of that, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is weak? Non-aggression between government and martial world aside, why do the Unorthodox behead civilians so easily but never the Emperor?

The Korean spirit dictated that a true loyal subject must berate a tyrant even with a sword to their throat. So whenever events like Great Famines or Great Plagues appeared—not just turning a blind eye to pirates for bribes—comments questioning the administrative logic would always flood in.

Right. I shouldn’t let my guard down either.

Jin Cheon-hee had to use this Inspector’s Medallion only when he absolutely could not wait.

Leaving behind Jin Cheon-hee, who was struggling not to become the protagonist of a tragic scholar novel, the Governor of Zhejiang listened to the detailed situation from the Three Perfections Tracking Tiger.

“Unbelievable! To think there is a den of such pirates among the islands belonging to Zhejiang Province! Of course, we must suppress them! We must, absolutely! Yes, yes.”

[ Little Brother, does becoming a Governor make a person like this? ]

[ Losing the bribes will hurt, but isn’t it better than losing his head right now? ]

[ The authorities are scary. Scary indeed. ]

Jin Cheon-hee smirked. To her, a Gangho warrior to the bone, the official’s obsequious attitude must have been absurd.

“Do not worry! I will summon the Naval Commander immediately, so rest assured!”

[ Hey… Acting as if it is the first time he has heard of it is disgusting. There must have been over hundreds of reports already. ]

[ Elder Sister, please endure. If we dig into that, even what can be done might be overturned. ]

[ You seem used to this, Little Brother. ]

[ Running a Medical Pavilion makes you used to these things. ]

The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger found Jin Cheon-hee’s calm response fascinating. Though she met them only briefly, these people were distinct from typical Gangho warriors. Having felt that distinction deeply, she simply shook her head inwardly.

Just as they finished their rough business and were about to leave, the Governor suddenly called out to Jin Cheon-hee.

“I have an urgent favor to ask. Could you listen for a moment?”

“What is it?”

Jin Cheon-hee replied with his practiced business smile.

The Governor hesitated for a long time, but eventually opened his mouth as if he couldn’t miss this opportunity. Unlike in the past, competitors had increased, and securing treatment from the Young Pavilion Master of White Qilin was becoming increasingly difficult. Fearing he would regret letting this moment pass, he finally mustered the courage.

“Lately, my energy feels weak, and my… nightly vigor is difficult to maintain. That is to say…”

“Hmm, I see.”

Leaving behind the dumbfounded Three Perfections Tracking Tiger, Jin Cheon-hee nonchalantly reached out to check the official’s pulse.

[ Little Brother, do all physicians of the Medical Pavilion live while cultivating sarira in their bodies like patient monks? ]

[ Hmm. That is why Master built the Medical Pavilion in the mountains. To avoid committing murder if possible. ]

The Gangho warrior was shocked.