Before the eastern sky began to glow, the two children arrived at the Beggar’s Sect branch.

Along with an avalanche.

Fortunately, thanks to the gorge running through the center, the disaster of a village being buried in snow did not occur.

“Wh-what is all this?”

A startled man, the Beggar’s Sect Branch Leader, came outside.

Two children and a dog. All three were pale, and their bodies were covered in wounds.

Krrrrreung—!

The moment Hwang-gu saw the Branch Leader, he snarled, baring his fangs.

“S-Sir Hwang-gu?”

As expected of the Beggar’s Sect, a group that keeps company with dogs. I didn’t expect them to attach ‘Sir’ to Hwang-gu’s name.

“Sir Hwang-gu! What has happened to you!”

Keong! Keong! Ke-ong!

It was a bark of pure fury, demanding to know what the hell this Branch Leader bastard had been doing while this disaster was unfolding.

Was it because we faced death together? Both Jin Cheon-hee and Wang Gak-yeon felt as if they were gradually beginning to understand Hwang-gu’s barks.

“Aigoo, Sir Hwang-gu!”

Krr-wang!

“Hwang-gu is angry.”

“Yeah. He looks absolutely furious.”

Jin Cheon-hee stroked Hwang-gu.

“Hwang-gu. You can’t get excited. You’re a patient who needs treatment, too.”

Kiiing—

Hwang-gu seemed to enjoy Jin Cheon-hee’s touch, closing his eyes and even wagging his tail.

The Branch Leader was dumbfounded by the sight.

“Who in the world is this young master, that he dares to stroke Sir Hwang-gu so casually?”

“A passing physician.”

Jin Cheon-hee took the token symbolizing the White Qilin Medical Pavilion from his robes and placed it down.

Tak—

The moment they saw that token, the Beggar’s Sect branch was thrown into an uproar.

***

The Beggar’s Sect. As expected of a sect that deals in information, things proceeded at lightning speed from that point on.

The moment the Branch Leader saw Jin Cheon-hee’s token, he recognized it as one issued by the White Qilin Medical Pavilion. Furthermore, he noted it was not made of wood, but of metal—silver, at that—which meant this person was, at minimum, one of the Four Great Department Heads of the pavilion.

He already knew the descriptions of the Four Great Department Heads, so he also realized that the child standing before him could only be one person.

“Could it be… Young-Young Master, are you the Little White Dragon Physician, the direct disciple of the White Qilin Divine Physician?”

His words became extremely cautious. Jin Cheon-hee replied, “This is the first I’m hearing that I’m called the ‘Little White Dragon Physician’ by the public.”

“…!”

The Branch Leader and all the beggars of the Beggar’s Sect began to murmur amongst themselves. Wang Gak-yeon, watching from the side, was also a little surprised.

He’s called the Little White Dragon Physician?

Was it true that it’s darkest right under the lamp? Being inside the White Qilin Medical Pavilion, she hadn’t realized his reputation. Come to think of it, the people Jin Cheon-hee had treated since his arrival were no ordinary figures. It was the kind of thing she would have learned much more easily had she been on the outside.

Little White Dragon. The “Little” was attached because he was young, but when he came of age, he would be the White Dragon. In the Gangho, the title of “Dragon” meant a great many things. To think her one and only friend held such a moniker. Wang Gak-yeon’s shoulders squared with pride.

Hehehe. I protected the White Dragon Physician. And I protected Hwang-gu, too.

By her own standards, her first real battle had been a failure. But in her second, she had pulled off a magnificent rescue. It was a shame she had run out of arrows at the end, but thanks to Jin Cheon-hee’s quick thinking, they had made it through. She clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. I have to reach the ‘Realm of Mind Bow’ realm, just like Dad, as quickly as possible.

Once his identity was confirmed, everything else was immediate.

Jin Cheon-hee made a request to the Beggar’s Sect Branch Leader right away.

“Please bring all the physicians from the surrounding White Qilin medical offices here. And gather all the medicinal ingredients I’m about to request.”

“What in the world…”

“I have to treat Hwang-gu. Please take the message from his collar. It’ll take some time to decrypt the cipher, won’t it?”

Messages from information-handling sects like this were almost always written in code. It was a necessary precaution against the message being intercepted.

Keong!

Hwang-gu just wagged his tail furiously. It seemed that having overcome a life-or-death struggle together, he now trusted Jin Cheon-hee completely.

Jin Cheon-hee said, “Hurry!”

At his shout, the beggars of the Beggar’s Sect began to move as one. They found a clean hut, prepared it, and brought sterilizing alcohol.

Physicians from the White Qilin medical offices began to arrive one after another.

“Is that the Little White Dragon Physician?”

Among them were physicians who were seeing Jin Cheon-hee for the first time. They looked shocked at how much younger he was than they had imagined. Whether they were shocked or not, Jin Cheon-hee immediately ordered them to prepare for treatment.

In the meantime, Jin Cheon-hee disinfected and stitched up Wang Gak-yeon’s wounds.

“Fortunately, the lacerations aren’t deep. Did you push out the poison with your internal energy?”

She nodded. “Yes. The Evil-Shattering Divine Art is strong against poisons.”

“Right. I heard that from Elder Phantom Archer. Still, that’s amazing. It must have hurt.”

For some reason, those words made Wang Gak-yeon feel like crying.

Jin Cheon-hee dressed her wounds, saying, “Thank you. I’m alive because of you. You were really strong out there.”

“What about you?”

“Hm?”

“You need treatment, too. You’re only taking care of me and Hwang-gu.”

“Hahaha, that? I’m fine. I’m an adult, after all.”

“What?”

At that, Jin Cheon-hee realized his slip of the tongue. In this world, he, too, was a child. The same as Wang Gak-yeon.

He fumbled for an excuse and said, “The Five-Elemental Divine Art… it raises regenerative abilities. My treatment can wait a bit.”

In this situation, it sounded like a lame and pathetic excuse. Wang Gak-yeon bit her lip.

“Cheon-hee-ya. Don’t overdo it.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never overdone it.”

With those words, Jin Cheon-hee pushed himself to his feet.

He was the same height as Wang Gak-yeon, with the same youthful voice. And yet, his eyes alone were so deep that she found it difficult to look at him.

Wang Gak-yeon knew that her friend was different from the other village children. She herself had always been told she was more mature and thoughtful than others her age.

But Jin Cheon-hee was different from that.

She couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but every so often, when he showed this side of himself, she found herself hesitating, unsure how to treat him.

“Cheon-hee-ya.”

“Yeah?”

“You saved a dog’s life today. And because of that, you probably saved someone important in the Beggar’s Sect.”

“That’s thanks to you, too, Gak-yeon-ah. Without you, I couldn’t have protected Hwang-gu.”

Wang Gak-yeon started to shake her head, paused, and then gave a small nod. “I will protect you.”

“Is it because I saved your life?”

Wang Gak-yeon shook her head. “No, it’s not like that. Of course, I owe you a life-debt, but this is different. What I do best is shoot a bow, and what you do best is save people. It just means we should each do what we’re good at.”

At those words, Jin Cheon-hee laughed for a long time. “I really like the sound of that.”

He laughed again. “I really do.”

He repeated himself twice. Jin Cheon-hee got up.

“I’d better go see if they’re ready. Get some rest. Oh, and eat this.”

He casually tossed a pill wrapped in yellow mulberry paper to Wang Gak-yeon.

As he turned away, the wounds on his back, still untreated, were visible.

Wang Gak-yeon opened the paper bundle. Inside was a White Qilin Sacred Liquid.

This precious…

It was too much for a gift of friendship.

Just then, she heard Jin Cheon-hee’s voice from outside the hut.

“If you don’t eat it all, I’m giving it to Hwang-gu. Make sure you chew it well.”

***

Fortunately, thanks to the excellent emergency first aid, Hwang-gu’s treatment did not take very long.

I’m getting used to this.

Jin Cheon-hee thought as he finished the surgery. In his past life, he had been a fairly competent surgeon. One of the most important skills for a surgeon was precise and fast handiwork. His original specialty had been general surgery, but he’d suddenly found himself practicing orthopedic surgery and veterinary medicine.

If only there were another way…

In the end, it came down to one of two choices: let it die, or thrash about and try something. This wasn’t a modern general hospital; the entire burden fell squarely on Jin Cheon-hee.

A comminuted fracture.

With emergency trauma like this, time was life. On top of that, he was in a situation without the facilities and support of the medical pavilion, meaning once he opened the flesh, he had to finish quickly.

Time was always a critical resource.

However, with the power of the Five-Elemental Divine Art, he could move at least three times faster than an ordinary person. And just as he’d done when treating Marquis Yu-rang, he could use the Fire Qi of the Five-Elemental Divine Art to rapidly locate the inflammation.

And that wasn’t all.

The Qi Sense he had obtained through Qi Cultivation had turned him into a living ultrasound and CT scanner. He could trace the inside of a body with his Qi and understand it through his senses!

This alone had elevated his skills to an enormous degree. It was thanks to this that he, with almost no veterinary knowledge, was able to treat Hwang-gu.

I’m just grateful he held on.

A spiritual beast was a spiritual beast. If it had been an ordinary dog, even Jin Cheon-hee would have been helpless. Moreover, the penicillin he had created, the White Qilin Sacred Liquid, had greatly prevented complications for the patient.

This is a cheat. It’s such a cheat.

As soon as Hwang-gu’s surgery was over, before he could even hear the words of thanks from the Beggar’s Sect members, Jin Cheon-hee collapsed from exhaustion.

He felt like he was going to die.

When he opened his eyes, his wounds were bandaged. It wasn’t the bandaging technique used by the old medical offices. It was the newest style, distributed by the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.

They’re all pretty skilled.

The eyes of the physicians looking at him were shining with enthusiasm. He’d expected at least one of them to look down on him for being so young, but he hadn’t expected them to be shocked for only a moment before channeling it all into a burning passion for learning.

The White Qilin Divine Physician really has a good eye for people. Ugh… anyway, for a beggar’s den, the hygiene isn’t that bad.

He’d expected it to be dirty and smelly, but the inside of the hut was surprisingly clean.

Right. Just as all martial artists have different personalities, all beggars must be different too. If there are beggars who like being dirty, there must be beggars who like being clean.

A sudden question popped into Jin Cheon-hee’s mind.

But if you like being clean, why are you a beggar?

On the other hand, he also had this thought: There aren’t many professions that bring in as much money as dealing in information. Is the Beggar’s Sect really broke?

The word “beggar” had become a sort of idiom, referring not just to the profession, but to anyone without money.

The Hao Sect rakes in money by the cartload, right? But the Beggar’s Sect must have far lower maintenance costs for their branches than the Hao Sect, so are they really broke?

Why else would a beggar be called a beggar? The sky was their roof and the ground their blanket. If a feast was held at some house, they were the ones who flocked to it like a pack of dogs. This meant the cost of maintaining their members had to be incredibly low.

Jin Cheon-hee pondered. The treatment fee… How much should I charge?

This wasn’t an ordinary person, but a dog—and a spiritual beast, at that. He had also made a house call and transported the patient.

Jin Cheon-hee’s mental abacus clicked away furiously.

Just then, the hut door opened.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

It was a young beggar. Seeing the single knot at his waist, he was likely a new disciple of the Beggar’s Sect.

The young beggar said, “The Branch Leader has urgently summoned you.”