“Hah, haaaaaah!”
Splash!
Finally, the exhausted Ten-Thousand Fire Carp was dragged out above the water surface.
Its massive body flops on land. But compared to fighting underwater, what cos next is easier.
Jin Cheon-hee pulled the spear shaft out of its mouth. The mont it thought it was free and tried to flop back towards the water.
Jin Cheon-hee stabbed its gills with the spear.
The spear shaft filled with lightning penetrated through.
Even though it was a short attack, the creature’s body, like a ball of fire, scorched Jin Cheon-hee’s hand.
‘Whew, it’s really hot!’
He never intended to have a slugfest with this thing from the start.
Yeo Ha-ryoon had his way, and Jin Cheon-hee had his own.
Screech-
With the final strike, the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp’s life was finally extinguished.
“I… did it!”
Jin Cheon-hee clenched his fist.
His legs were trembling.
Not a single muscle in his entire body was unhard. Even his bones ached.
Extre fatigue.
But he couldn’t stop here.
‘It’s hard to collect the internal core of the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp.’
The internal core of the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp, which contains heat itself, quickly disperses its internal energy the mont the creature dies.
If left here for a few shichen, it would beco an ordinary stone.
The Heavenly Demon ate it on the spot, but Jin Cheon-hee had to deliver it to his master.
He had to extract the internal core properly to preserve its heat.
Jin Cheon-hee pulled out the spear shaft.
“Whew…”
The Profound Origin Divine Technique kept Jin Cheon-hee’s mind clear despite the extre fatigue.
Jin Cheon-hee forcibly moved his muscles, which were screaming in fatigue, to cut open the creature’s belly.
Slash-
***
Hwanggu kept waiting for Jin Cheon-hee with its chin on the ground.
Waiting was one of the things Hwanggu did best.
Hwanggu closed its eyes and half-dozed off. Flying insects buzzed around its ears.
How long had it waited?
Suddenly, Hwanggu’s eyes opened.
Woof, woof woof!
Hwanggu suddenly started barking.
And after a while.
Thud-
A human hand erged from the underground hole and touched the ground.
“Ha… I thought I was going to die.”
As soon as Jin Cheon-hee ca out, hot spring water erupted from the hole.
It wasn’t a temperature that ordinary people could bathe in.
Literally boiling water.
Hwanggu quickly fled to a safe distance.
Jin Cheon-hee used the Rolling Escape technique to roll away.
“I’ve used even the last miscellaneous skill thoroughly.”
Rolling Escape.
It ans escaping by rolling on the ground. It was from the miscellaneous books section of the Zhuge Library, and Jin Cheon-hee had deliberately taken and learned it.
The reason was simple.
When you have no strength or internal energy left, the last thing you can rely on is a miscellaneous skill like Rolling Escape.
Although it’s called a miscellaneous book, it’s still a martial arts manual. Perhaps because he learned it properly with proper form.
Without using any internal energy, he could roll and avoid danger in one breath for three zhang (about nine ters).
If he used internal energy, he could roll faster, but if he had internal energy in the first place, there would be no need to resort to Rolling Escape instead of using an evasion technique.
It could be said to be Jin Cheon-hee’s survival instinct, trying desperately to live and avoid death even when facing certain doom.
Being a doctor to his bones, he wasn’t bound by the dignity of martial artists.
‘Being able to avoid nine ters in one breath without any internal energy is really a good skill.’
Jin Cheon-hee panted heavily.
‘I had to gamble since there was no way to know the timing of the dragon spring water, but sohow it erupted right when I was leaving.’
Just catching the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp had exhausted him completely.
But dragging that body, extracting the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp’s internal core, and using the mud from the lake bottom along with the Five-Elental Divine Technique to prevent the fire energy from dispersing was an even greater test.
On top of that, Jin Cheon-hee ticulously collected everything from the flesh under the gills, back muscles, belly flesh, blood from the heart, to the ribs.
While not as much as the internal core, these parts also contained considerable fire energy.
Jin Cheon-hee didn’t miss a single part.
Just as he finished collecting and was about to leave, the already hot spring began to boil and erupt.
It was hell.
Of course, he could have left the luggage behind and just taken the spirit pill.
‘I can’t do that! Do you know how much this is worth! The Ten-Thousand Fire Carp that can’t be bought even with money!’
The idea of doing all that insane work and only taking the internal core didn’t exist in Jin Cheon-hee’s dictionary.
The novel’s protagonist Yeo Ha-ryoon might have mountains of internal cores and spirit pills piling up until the novel’s conclusion, but Jin Cheon-hee was different.
He squeezed out every last drop of internal energy and didn’t miss anything, taking everything with him.
The finale was the three-zhang Rolling Escape.
A desperate survival skill!
Hwanggu, seemingly overwheld by Jin Cheon-hee’s determination, took three steps back.
“Hwanggu, you’ve worked hard. I’ve prepared so Ten-Thousand Fire Carp at for you too. It’s not as good as the internal core, but it’s still a spirit dicine, so eat it.”
Pant pant!
As if it had never been intimidated, Hwanggu wagged its tail and swore loyalty.
Jin Cheon-hee took out the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp back at he had cut for Hwanggu.
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!
It devoured it ravenously without even sniffing.
“That’s right. You like spirit dicines and internal cores, don’t you?”
This was the Hwanggu that had swallowed the bitter White Dragon Divine Pill in one gulp. It ate anything good for its body relentlessly.
Woof!
After finishing, Hwanggu panted and licked Jin Cheon-hee’s cheeks frantically.
“How cute. Let’s go back now.”
***
Resting at an inn was a luxury.
Jin Cheon-hee boarded a ship right away. The Trio Assassin Rats welcod him warmly.
“Thanks to you, Young Hero Little White Dragon, Third Rat has survived!”
“Sob… Thank you, Young Hero Little White Dragon.”
First Rat and Second Rat made a fist-and-palm salute to Jin Cheon-hee while crying.
Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.
“I too thought the final outco was in heaven’s hands. We’re fortunate.”
“No, normally one would have to destroy the danjeon and sever the limbs’ ridians. You not only treated him but also guided us. We’re deeply grateful.”
The Trio Assassin Rats looked at each other and exchanged glances.
Eventually, First Rat spoke.
“It’s not just because of the blank contract, but we sincerely want to follow you, young master. That’s our brothers’ wish.”
It was unexpected.
‘I was just thinking of working them without pay for exactly the value of attempting on my life, but…?’
When Jin Cheon-hee didn’t answer, thinking he wasn’t accepting them, First Rat spoke urgently.
“You’re the first person who has sincerely treated lowlifes like us.”
“We believe making us row instead of severing our limbs’ ridians was ant as guidance.”
“We may be ignorant fools, but we want to keep following you, young master!”
Jin Cheon-hee scratched his head.
‘I suppose I’ll need people to handle non-dical matters if I’m going to manage the White Dragon dical Pavilion.’
A dical pavilion in the martial world is different from a modern hospital.
To survive in the martial world’s cutthroat environnt, he needed people to handle these minor tasks.
The Trio Assassin Rats would be excellent subordinates.
Especially if they ca not just because of the blank contract, but out of genuine gratitude.
‘In this world, the act of treating injured people itself carries more weight than I thought.’
It felt like a good lesson.
He wouldn’t have realized this if he hadn’t left the dical pavilion.
Jin Cheon-hee nodded.
“Alright. I understand. But it won’t be an easy path.”
At that mont, Flying Dagger, who had been watching quietly, approached.
“I also want to join the Three Killer Rat brothers.”
Even Flying Dagger?
As Jin Cheon-hee looked at Flying Dagger, he spoke urgently.
“…If it weren’t for the Three Killer Rat brothers, this Flying Dagger would have only thought about running away from you, young master! I’m grateful to all four of you for awakening .”
Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘You seem to have been sowhat tricked…?’
It was like soone following a friend and signing a multi-level marketing contract together.
But Jin Cheon-hee had no reason to refuse.
“Alright. Then, Flying Dagger…”
He smoothly took out a blank contract from sowhere and handed it to Flying Dagger.
It was the sa contract the Trio Assassin Rats had signed.
Flying Dagger pricked his finger and signed in blood.
Slave number four had joined.
Woof!
When Hwanggu barked, the four slaves flinched and moved away from it.
“Young master, is it just or does that dog seem bigger?”
“It looks that way to too.”
They each comnted on Hwanggu. Jin Cheon-hee tilted his head.
‘Can eating the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp flesh show effects so quickly…?’
If we have to say, both the Ten-Thousand Fire Carp and Hwanggu are spirit beasts.
It’s a case of one spirit beast eating another.
Normally, spirit beasts wouldn’t fight to the death unless it was a territory dispute, and spirit beasts themselves are rare.
This happened artificially because of Jin Cheon-hee.
‘Um… Getting stronger is good, right?’
Jin Cheon-hee rubbed Hwanggu’s forehead vigorously.
Pant pant pant.
Hwanggu seed to like it, licking Jin Cheon-hee’s hand enthusiastically.
‘Country dogs are really the cutest after all.’
When he got tired from hospital work, he used to watch dog videos on his phone.
Even then, Jin Cheon-hee was more interested in the so-called country mutts, or mixed breeds, rather than purebred dogs.
He liked their sturdy-looking front paws and that simple, lively atmosphere.
Although Hwanggu had grown much larger than a simple country dog, it still looked cute to Jin Cheon-hee.
On the other hand, the Trio Assassin Rats and Flying Dagger felt a chill.
‘The testicle crusher has gotten stronger.’
Third Rat, who had directly experienced Hwanggu’s destructive power, turned particularly pale.
***
Arc 15: Twisting History
They returned to the White Dragon dical Pavilion’s main mountain with all their might.
In the middle, the Trio Assassin Rats and Flying Dagger briefly left to pay off Third Rat’s gambling debts.
Originally, they had planned to capture Jin Cheon-hee to pay off the debt, but since that was impossible, they had to pay it off in another way.
Third Rat revealed the true amount of his debt, and was beaten to dust by First Rat and Second Rat.
They made a pact to cut off his fingers if he ever touched gambling again, but we’ll have to wait and see how that turns out.
‘If the four of them work together, they should be able to pay it off.’
Jin Cheon-hee had no intention whatsoever of paying off their debt for them.
Instead, he did give them a brief letter of introduction to the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency.
Since they specialized in tracking and escaping, even if they didn’t pull off one big job, they could quickly pay it off by steadily doing small jobs.
And so, Hwanggu and Jin Cheon-hee arrived at the entrance of the valley connecting to the closed-door training grounds near the White Dragon dical Pavilion’s main mountain.
“Hwanggu, your job is done, so you should head back now.”
Woof.
Hwanggu barked softly and then sat down.
No matter how many tis he told it to return to the Beggar’s Sect, Hwanggu kept following Jin Cheon-hee.
‘Why is it doing this? It’s not like Hwanggu doesn’t know the way back to follow .’
Should he send a ssenger bird to the Beggar’s Sect to have them take it back?
Before that, he needed to return to the closed-door training grounds, and it would be a problem if Hwanggu followed him there.
It was just Jin Cheon-hee when he went in, but if it’s Jin Cheon-hee and a dog when he cos out, that would be a problem in itself, wouldn’t it?
“Alright, fine. I get it. Wait around here. You can do that, right? I’ll co back after I finish my closed-door training.”
Pant pant pant.
As if it had been waiting for those words, Hwanggu wagged its tail.
Jin Cheon-hee rubbed Hwanggu’s forehead vigorously.
‘Good. Now all that’s left is to return to the training room through the water path.’
His master was originally supposed to die.
Saving that person ant the world would change.
It would have a much greater impact on the martial world than all the people he had saved so far.
That’s how much of a change-bringing existence a divine doctor was in the martial world.
‘It’s okay. If I can save Master.’
Jin Cheon-hee was prepared to accept however history might change.
Jin Cheon-hee prepared to enter the water.
At that mont, he sensed soone’s presence.
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