“Cheon Woo!”
“Hyung! Wow, just as I expected. Coming to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly means I get to see you.”
Cheon Woo’s eyes sparkled with genuine delight.
“Yeah. Were you on your way to the Gathering after your martial travels?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Sama Hye is with me this time. You two are acquaintances, right?”
At the introduction, Sama Hye hesitated before offering a greeting.
“I am Sama Hye, Branch Leader of the Hangzhou White Qilin Medical Pavilion. Greetings, Taoist Cheon Woo.”
“Ah, uh… no need for such formality, Lady Sama Hye. I am glad to meet you like this.”
“…….”
Sama Hye didn’t answer. She only blushed, her gaze drifting downward.
Only then did Jin Cheon-hee realize the problem. Her eyes were fixed on Cheon Woo’s muscles.
The training uniform, stained with dried blood and torn from fierce battles, failed miserably to cover the giant’s physique. The massive pectoralis majors, biceps, and pectoralis minors of the eight-foot-tall titan glistened defenselessly under the sunlight.
Hmm, Cheon Woo… needs new clothes. Immediately. Before we arrive at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly…
Cheon Woo was a Taoist prohibited from marriage, yet here he was, unintentionally sniping women’s hearts with sheer physical presence. Wasn’t this a sin in itself? The laws of Wudang were strict, so breaking his vows now wouldn’t be easy. Though, if he did decide to break them, as his sworn brother, Jin Cheon-hee would support him regardless.
Sure enough, Sama Hye quickly averted her gaze, her face heating up.
“S-Sorry. Taoist Cheon Woo. I was rude…”
“Not at all. Usually, everyone gets scared seeing my face, so it’s a relief that you don’t, Lady.”
Ah, right. Usually, people look at the face first.
“Anyway, Cheon Woo. Can you give me your spare clothes? Hyung will mend them for you.”
“Ah, no, Hyung! I’m good at mending clothes too. And…” Cheon Woo mumbled, unable to continue. “…They are all torn. Even the White Silk Robe you sent me recently ended up in shreds.”
“I see.”
Wasn’t the Wudang Sect known for the profundity of Softness Overcomes Hardness, characterized by soft and elegant martial forms? Why was Cheon Woo’s martial arts taking a path of domination that would make even the Unorthodox blush?
Sama Hye kept trying not to look below Cheon Woo’s neck out of a mix of apology and embarrassment. At this rate, Jin Cheon-hee worried she might develop a crick in her neck.
He needed to get the man some clothes. Quickly.
***
Jin Cheon-hee took Cheon Woo to a fabric shop in a medium-sized city near the Martial Righteous Alliance, a place renowned for crafting the finest martial arts uniforms. Skilled artisans who catered to various martial artists gathered here.
“Let’s use as much fabric as needed. Cheon Woo.”
“Hyung…”
“Don’t worry about money. Hyung has enough to clothe his little brother.”
Cheon Woo looked at Jin Cheon-hee with slightly misty, moved eyes.
It was natural. Cheon Woo was a Taoist. He lived avoiding meat and eating greens, but since he ate as much as an elephant, his food expenses were constant. The silver coins given by the Wudang Sect would have been long spent during his travels. Even taking small jobs like escort requests, covering mere sustenance must have been a struggle.
It was different from a clan member’s leisurely travel. Moreover, Cheon Woo didn’t have a family sending him support, and he absolutely refused to ask Jin Cheon-hee for help, trying to manage on his own. He must have traveled in poverty.
Deep scars were carved into every corner of Cheon Woo’s muscular body. It was proof that his journey had been intense.
While the artisans measured him for the fit, Jin Cheon-hee checked his pulse and treated the minor injuries.
“At least no fatal wounds.”
“Yes. I defended properly.”
“That’s a relief.”
They stayed leisurely in the city for a few days.
Making clothes in this era was different from buying ready-made garments in a modern shop. One brought suitable fabric and had it made to measure. Since it wasn’t a factory system, most clothes were inevitably bespoke.
There was a reason weaving was so lucrative. In an era without steam engines, those with weaving skills always made good money. If they were skilled in needlework too? And if their skills were outstanding enough that nobles entrusted their silks to them? They could feed three generations.
Especially a specialized establishment dealing with martial artists like this—they made money just by breathing.
Jin Cheon-hee ordered the sturdiest cotton cloth and commissioned five sets of uniforms. While waiting, he decided to make an eyepatch for Cheon Woo with Sama Hye.
“You’re good at leather sewing, Hye-ah? This requires quite some hand strength.”
“Ah, I find the sensation of the needle popping through fun. I made a lot of leather dolls too.”
Chatting back and forth, they crafted eyepatches for Cheon Woo in various colors. After feeding him delicious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the transformation was complete.
The ‘Mad Unorthodox Demon’ covered in enemy blood and rags had transformed into a ‘Wealthy Unorthodox Demon.’
Thanks to being well-fed and washed, he looked magnificent. And then came the day the long-awaited clothes arrived.
“Cheon Woo. Hyung asked them to make the Wudang Sect’s Taiji symbol extra large this time. Let’s see it together.”
With a serious expression, Jin Cheon-hee unveiled the uniform.
A gigantic Yin-Yang Taiji symbol was embroidered on the back.
It was the result of a brainstorming session by all the artisans of the workshop, racking their brains on how to make this man look ‘Orthodox.’ The massive Taiji on the back screamed Wudang even from a li away.
“Hyung…”
Was it an illusion that Cheon Woo’s voice trembled slightly?
“Cheon Woo. Try it on. With this, people won’t run away.”
Cheon Woo happily donned the new ink-colored Wudang Sect uniform. Then, wearing the new eyepatch, he stood before Sama Hye.
“How is it? Lady Sama.”
“…….”
Sama Hye first thought it was a relief her gaze didn’t drift to his chest. Raising her head, she saw an Unorthodox Demon with a neat impression standing there.
Ah… Benefactor trimmed his hair too.
Certainly, he looked cleaner.
But a man with a frame like a mountain, wearing neat ink-colored clothes… To emphasize he was Wudang as much as possible, a giant Taiji glittered with embroidery.
…A scammer…?
She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Sama Hye’s pupils shook violently.
“Much cooler!”
“Right? As expected of Hyung.”
“Yes. How should I put it… It conveys a feeling of being a Taoist yet breaking the mold of a Taoist. It looks like you have a wild backstory, and a sense of freedom not bound by the Taiji is also felt.”
Sama Hye tried hard not to lie. Anyway, if one looked at anything positively enough, it became positive, didn’t it?
“Plus, you are so handsome that a heroic impression stands out well!”
“Hahaha, you flatter me.”
It was a secret that she couldn’t say ‘pure and elegant’ even if she died.
“Hyung! Thank you!”
“Yes. Cheon Woo! This will do. With this, everyone will recognize your affiliation!”
Cheon Woo and Jin Cheon-hee embraced.
The older brother’s body was buried and almost invisible due to the younger brother’s massive frame, but they were happy, so it was fine.
And that happiness lasted until just before the Gatekeeper of the Martial Righteous Alliance stopped them. Even after seeing Cheon Woo’s identity tablet, the guard couldn’t believe it, asking where exactly he looked like a Wudang disciple and if he wasn’t a Demonic Cult Junior Cult Leader in disguise.
Until just before that moment, they were happy.
Exactly until just before that.
***
“Suspecting a person even after seeing the White Qilin Medical Pavilion flag is too much!”
Honestly, wasn’t it excessive? Why did they always detain Cheon Woo like this?
Cheon Woo burst into laughter—a deep, booming sound.
“It’s okay, Hyung. Still, I was happy for a while. And the uniform Hyung gave me is really good.”
“Let’s pull up the collar again. Cheon Woo.”
The collar kept loosening.
In the past, the Wandering Vagrants King Mok Dam-hwa’s collar kept opening, which was embarrassing, and now Cheon Woo was the same. Did this naturally happen if the frame was too big? No, his Master kept his collar well-closed. Was it a problem with the sash? Should he get him a new sash too?
While Jin Cheon-hee worried like a mother hen, the atmosphere around them buzzed.
Many rising stars had already arrived at the Martial Righteous Alliance, drinking, bonding, and occasionally fist-fighting in corners to pass the time. Naturally, they saw the flag of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.
“Oh, it seems the Young Divine Physician has arrived.”
“Young Divine Physician? You mean One Light? The One Light who forbids alcohol to patients?”
“Right. While the Hwaju Medical Pavilion recommends moderate alcohol as medicine.”
“Oho, look at this person. Don’t you know White Qilin Medical Pavilion is superior in treatment? What’s so important about mere alcohol?”
“What a man without romance. What remains for a martial artist if you take away alcohol?”
Such bickering sounds reached Jin Cheon-hee’s ears.
“Since the noise about White Qilin Medical Pavilion being the best under heaven keeps growing, I heard the Hwaju Medical Pavilion entered this time too. The Martial Righteous Alliance eventually compromised and decided to ask both Medical Pavilions for treatment.”
At those words, Sama Hye’s eyes shone with a dangerous glint.
She whispered low.
“Benefactor, will the Hwaju Medical Pavilion bastards participate too?”
Right. Fists are faster than words. Hye-ah.
But there was no way the Sect Leader would participate here; probably some low-ranking physician from a martial family would represent them. Beating them up wouldn’t make her feel bet—
No. It’s better than doing nothing.
Suddenly, Jin Cheon-hee recalled the old days when he raged because of the Hwaju Medical Pavilion.
Better than not beating them.
“Either way, I can’t stand being pushed around by the Hwaju Medical Pavilion. Benefactor!”
“Seems you suffered quite a bit, Hye-ah.”
“Yes. In the blink of an eye, they took everything, even dandelion roots!”
“Hahaha.”
Jin Cheon-hee had wondered if there was a Branch Leader who went that far, and it turned out to be Hye-ah. Oh my.
“Still, the people of Hangzhou helped a lot, so I somehow got through the crisis. Some even said they’d become herb gatherers again because of me.”
She created her own route. As expected of Sama Hye.
Even at the White Qilin Medical Pavilion headquarters, when martial artists who used to work as escorts wanted to retire, the Pavilion arranged herb gathering jobs for them like this.
Even if they built a hut in the mountains, it was extremely rare for them to go into a hermitage completely isolated from civilian houses. After all, humans need food and clothing to live. Even if they caught a bear and wore its skin roughly, farming was essential to spin thread for sewing. And considering salt and spices for food, living near a village was better. So they usually ended up living in slash-and-burn villages, and money became indispensable.
When Jin Cheon-hee explained this, Sama Hye had replied in surprise:
“That’s amazing. Benefactor?”
“I systematized what Master was already doing while running the Training City and Escort Agency. But it will be a bit hard in Hangzhou.”
“Yes. Hangzhou… is basically a bustling place, and you’d have to walk a long way to reach a slash-and-burn village.”
“Right. So ultimately, the Hangzhou Branch must find its own method. You did ask nearby branches for help first, right?”
“Yes. I received some. But it was still insufficient.”
“Right. The ingredients used by the Hangzhou First Branch are always just barely enough. They don’t have much room to help others.”
Sama Hye smiled. Very brightly.
“Benefactor. I really like this kind of thing. Competition where we crush each other’s heads until only one shop remains… I’ve admired it for a long time, you know?”