The procedure concluded with the seating of a flawless molar.
When the meticulously crafted Spiritual Elixir inlay slotted into place, Jin Cheon-hee felt a surge of professional satisfaction—a tactile click akin to placing the final piece of a complex puzzle.
It feels distinct from gold, he noted internally. The resonance is different.
He bonded the inlay securely with dental cement and applied the finishing touches.
“We will formulate the remaining Spiritual Elixir into an internal elixir. It would be a waste otherwise.”
“Hm? Was there some left? I thought you would use it all.”
Hearing this, the physician felt a pang of regret that he hadn’t pocketed the scraps for himself. Pushing the thought aside, Jin Cheon-hee spoke in his professional tone.
“You must reduce your intake of sweets and brush your teeth frequently. This restoration isn’t perfect, and teeth do not regenerate once cut.”
Even this world possessed toothbrushes. They were typically made by plucking neck bristles from wild boars, though bear or horse hair was occasionally used. However, they were prohibitively expensive. For ordinary civilians, willow branches were the recommended alternative.
As for toothpaste, this era relied on salt. The White Qilin Medical Pavilion specifically recommended low-concentration salt water, as scrubbing directly with coarse salt could abrade the enamel or lacerate the gums.
If I can synthesize baking soda, I could manufacture proper toothpaste, too.
Finding a soda lake was the priority. Jin Cheon-hee knew there were alkaline lakes in the Hua Empire similar to Lake Natron on Earth. The problem lay in the difficulty of purchasing land due to the local culture’s extreme wariness of outsiders.
“Please use the toothpaste once it is completed.”
“…I… I will.”
A gleam of madness lingered in Jin Cheon-hee’s blue eyes. For some reason, His Highness Geum found it difficult to meet that intense gaze directly.
“And please make sure to have the remaining Spiritual Elixir processed into a consumable elixir and ingest it.”
“I will have the Imperial Physician attend to it. Consider the leftovers yours, a reward for this dental procedure.”
“Thank you.”
Good.
It was fortunate the royal wasn’t stingy. He was generous, as befitted an Emperor’s bloodline.
“Ah, and you must not channel internal energy toward your mouth. Even though the Spiritual Elixir is durable, it will melt instantly if subjected to direct internal energy. This is a point even my master is careful about.”
“I am not a martial artist of the Gangho, so there won’t be such an occasion.”
Pung Ha-geum examined Jin Cheon-hee closely.
Indeed, the ‘Mad Physician’ lived up to his moniker. Usually, extracting decayed teeth was the standard procedure; he had never seen a physician fill a cavity with precious supplements to restore the tooth’s shape. Thanks to that, however, he was returning with a tooth that looked aesthetically pristine.
“Also, it might feel foreign for a while. If the tooth feels too high or too low while chewing, please tell me. Hot or cold water might also feel more intense than before.”
Jin Cheon-hee recorded these observations rapidly. Surely, he was writing it down to publish yet another academic journal.
Truly, is he not an impudent fellow?
But somehow, the Prince wasn’t angry. Perhaps it was because this young man’s motivation wasn’t personal profit, but something distant and hard to define—a pursuit of heavenly knowledge.
“Now, take this.”
His Highness Geum handed over a jet-black ebony plaque etched with a dragon.
“What is this?”
“It is a permission plaque to enter the Imperial Palace’s Secret Vault.”
“What!”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened. His Highness Geum could practically feel the crazy physician preparing to sprint toward the Secret Vault to raid its bookshelves immediately.
“However, I will permit entry only after you return from the Northern Sea Ice Palace. You haven’t forgotten the mission regarding the Ayesha Kingdom, have you?”
“Ah, understood.”
Jin Cheon-hee’s face fell instantly.
Is he really a genius? Good grief.
When engaging in a battle of wits with cunning elders, the boy was a formidable opponent, yet at times like this, he resembled a child obsessed with a new toy. Jin Cheon-hee pouted visibly.
“May I go now?”
“Go. By the way, I placed the luggage required for the northern journey on the spiritual beast you brought.”
“Hwanggu?”
“Correct.”
When entering the Imperial Palace, visitors were naturally required to unequip swords and entrust their spiritual beasts to the stables, as the beasts themselves were living weapons.
His Highness Eun, standing to the side, added a comment, “Going north so unprepared… I wondered if you were insane.”
“I prepared properly in my own way.”
“Not at all. You are woefully underestimating the cold of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
No matter how cold the Northern Sea Ice Palace is, surely it has limits? Jin Cheon-hee had prepared as if getting ready for a winter hike up Mount Cheorwon.
***
“Hahaha, a cloak made of polar bear skin… and a scarf of the same material. This is why you shouldn’t associate with Imperial folks.”
Do you think I’m an idiot who didn’t pack this? You crazy bastards.
Where on earth did they even catch a polar bear?
On modern Earth, polar bears were tragic victims of global warming or mascots holding cola bottles in holiday commercials. But in this era, polar bears were ferocious monstrosities that even seasoned martial artists struggled to handle.
This was a world where eagles grew to the size of tents and moths were as large as human heads. Receiving the spiritual energy of this world—that “buff”—polar bears here were the size of small houses.
Some might think it a metaphor, but they were literally the size of houses. They were massive enough to hold their ground even against tigers.
These creatures possessed intelligence rivaling the Mountain Lord, the Tiger. When they hid in the white snow, they vanished like ghosts; it was common for the hunter to become the hunted. In an era without firearms, fighting such a beast with only a harpoon and martial arts was not a task meant for humans. One would be wiser to aim for seal skin.
As a result, cloaks or garments made of polar bear skin were rare luxuries, even within the Northern Sea Ice Palace. Indeed, in the snowy fields, these white giants were more terrifying than tigers.
Yet, stitching several of these massive pelts together, the Imperial artisans had prepared everything: boots, innerwear, and cloaks. They had even tailored gear for Hwanggu and Noe-jin.
You prepared this properly just to send me away, didn’t you?
He had a suspicion bordering on divine certainty that the Imperial Palace had forced their way into the Martial Righteous Alliance’s envoy plans just to ship him off.
To think a strategist of that level received cavity treatment from me. Wow, the feeling is truly strange.
Regardless, perhaps reflecting the maker’s taste, the hood attached to the back even featured polar bear ears. If this were Earth, he would have thought, ‘Bear… I’m sorry…’ but here, the thought was, ‘Hunter, I’m sorry…’
Humans were truly terrifying. The hunters must have fought desperate battles with terrifying behemoths, armed only with harpoons, all for money or orders from the higher-ups.
There was a limit to blocking the cold by circulating internal energy. In the frozen north, even a martial artist’s fingers could freeze and shatter. Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t even fathom how they brought down such colossal beasts without heavy artillery.
Bark!
When he placed the hood on Hwanggu and Noe-jin, the result was devastatingly cute. There must have been a visionary among the Imperial Embroidery Room specialists.
***
Thus equipped, Jin Cheon-hee left Beijing and departed on a military ship.
He arrived at the port city of Dalian in Liaoning Province. Standing at the entrance to welcome him was Gongsun Yeong.
“Yo!”
Dalian Port exuded a vibrant energy, more bustling than ever before. Construction sites for towering high-rise inns and merchant guilds dotted the landscape—high-rises by the standards of this era, of course. Even without elevators, ascending such buildings was a grueling task unless one possessed martial arts prowess.
However, the skyline was undergoing a remarkable transformation. Red tiles, blue-painted tiles, and even roof tiles adorned with a shimmering gold-infused glaze captivated the eye. Dragon, immortal, and turtle decorations—symbols of longevity—were being hoisted onto rooftops in a frenzied display.
“Wow, Dalian Port is growing immensely?”
“People smell money like ghosts. Centered around the Gongsun Clan, other merchant guilds are cutting in, so Dalian Port is just getting bigger and bigger.”
Is that so? Fascinating.
Gongsun Yeong guided Jin Cheon-hee toward the Gongsun Clan estate.
“The main house is also undergoing renovation and expansion, so Sister is staying in the annex.”
Is the Gongsun Clan changing lavishly this time, too? Will they decorate heavily with dragons and phoenixes like other clans?
At that moment, what caught Jin Cheon-hee’s eye were mountains of tiles, black as spilled ink.
“Surely the Gongsun Clan isn’t…”
At those words, Gongsun Yeong smiled, showing her healthy teeth.
“Yeah. Sister likes black. The elders objected, asking if we’re some Demonic Cult to decorate the house like that, but she just suppressed them.”
I see.
Black Ice Poison Dragon.
It seemed a Gongsun Clan estate befitting that nickname was being built.
Gongsun Yeong continued, “Still, per my request, she agreed to plant lots of flowers and trees in the garden and courtyard.”
That was a relief. If there was the dark Gongsun Hyeon, there was the sunny Gongsun Yeong. At least the interior of the Gongsun Clan wouldn’t be completely desolate. In modern terms, it was ‘planterior’ balancing out the brutalist monotone tile house.
Walking to the temporary annex located some distance away, Gongsun Yeong spoke.
“I heard from Sister that the Martial Righteous Alliance entrusted something troublesome. Benefactor Kid.”
“Ah, you heard already?”
“Of course. Although an Elder went instead of Sister, she participated in the meeting properly. She said they entrusted you with coordinating the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”
“Yes. I heard the Ayesha Kingdom uses a different language, unlike the Dadu Kingdom. I was told the Dadu Kingdom is a famous intermediate trade hub, so many there know the Central Plains language, but the Ayesha side isn’t like that.”
“You’ll need an interpreter?”
Saying that, Gongsun Yeong suddenly rattled off a few words of the Ayesha Kingdom’s language on the spot.
Jin Cheon-hee widened his eyes in surprise. “You’re good?”
He didn’t know about the pronunciation, but seeing her speak so fluently, it seemed she had studied extensively.
“Sister forced me to learn it so she could use me for trade. Though I gave up halfway through because I caused a massive deficit.”
…I… I see.
Had Gongsun Hyeon not given up on Gongsun Yeong’s business prospects yet? How could she keep injecting capital even after experiencing how spectacularly Gongsun Yeong ruined things?
Jin Cheon-hee felt the weight of love in that wasted money.
It was a huge relief Gongsun Yeong didn’t have ‘business disease.’ If she had possessed the ego of a businessman without the skill, Gongsun Hyeon would have supported her until the very pillars of the Gongsun Clan were pulled out to cover the debts.
This is love. This is true love. Even parents and children rarely went this far.
Arriving at the annex, Gongsun Hyeon welcomed them with a stooped back, wearing a jet-black scholar’s robe as always.
“I greet the One Light under the Heavens of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.”
It was a polite greeting, but playfulness was visible in the use of the title ‘One Light under the Heavens’.
“I greet the Black Ice Poison Dragon of the Gongsun Clan.”
She looked at Jin Cheon-hee with deep black eyes.
“I remain the Black Ice Poison Dragon from when we first met until now, but I do not know how many times the nickname of the One Light under the Heavens has changed.”
“Hahaha.”
Gongsun Yeong held her belly and laughed.
Why on earth is this funny?
Gongsun Hyeon also seemed pleased with her high-class humor, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. Jin Cheon-hee felt he couldn’t even dip a toe into the unique world shared by these two sisters.
Soon, Gongsun Hyeon spoke.
“No need to talk for long. Sweat-Blood Horses are prepared, so ride them and go with the Young Pavilion Master.”
“Interpret? Sister?”
“Yeah. Go and come back.”
Jin Cheon-hee replied cautiously. “I am grateful, but will it be alright?”
“Who knows. Perhaps through this journey, our Yeong-ie might finally learn the way of commerce.”
A love as tenacious as a burr stuck to a goblin.
Jin Cheon-hee felt that even if he had a daughter, he would never entrust business to her if she ruined things as consistently as Gongsun Yeong. What was this lingering attachment dripping from her words?
Moreover, Sweat-Blood Horses? The Gongsun Clan possessed Sweat-Blood Horses?
These were warhorses of a quasi-spiritual beast level. Named because they literally sweated blood, they were incredibly resistant to cold and possessed speed so great there were speculations that the legendary Red Hare of the Three Kingdoms was a type of Sweat-Blood Horse.
They were mounts of that caliber.
I want to check their pulse to see if blood really comes out as sweat and what biological principle causes it… I should slyly ask Gongsun Yeong later.
Like that, Jin Cheon-hee and Gongsun Yeong departed for the Northern Sea Ice Palace together. It was a long journey that would take them through Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, and Heilongjiang Province.