It was pure luck.
The first person he t just so happened to like the Namgung Clan.
He thought—Heaven must be helping him.
The martial artist guided Namgung Cheon inside.
Once seated, Namgung Cheon spoke carefully.
“I would like to et the Divine Physician with Sacred Hands.”
“Ah! So you’ve heard the rumors. Very well. Please wait here—I’ll see if it’s possible for you to et him.”
At the man’s words, Namgung Cheon clasped both of his hands in gratitude.
“Thank you! Truly—thank you! I will never forget this favor.”
“Please, think nothing of it. You’ve had a hard journey—allow to guide you to a place where you can rest and unpack.”
“I would normally refuse... but I must accept your kindness for now. Thank you.”
“They say all under Heaven are brothers. Who knows? Perhaps soday I’ll need help from the Namgung Clan.”
“If that day cos, you’re always welco. You’ll be treated as a benefactor of our clan.”
“Hahaha! From how you speak, it sounds like you hold so rank within the Namgung Clan.”
“I am the clan head.”
“What? R-Really?”
“Yes.”
“To think I’d et the Azure Sky Sword King himself—what an honor.”
“It’s just an empty title.”
“Don’t say that. I’ve always wanted to et you.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung Cheon had begun to trust the man completely.
“Your wife seems to be in poor condition. I’ll take you sowhere quiet, away from the crowds.”
“That’s... very kind of you. Thank you.”
As Namgung Cheon bowed with a martial salute, the man turned forward again.
A twisted smirk curled at the edge of his lips.
****
A place completely devoid of people.
And yet, there wasn’t even a proper resting place in sight.
“How much farther?”
“We’ve arrived.”
The martial artist stopped.
“This... this can’t be the place, can it?”
“It is.”
“There’s not even a building here.”
“I’ll prepare a comfortable spot for you—right here on the ground.”
Namgung Cheon saw the man’s expression change—and only then did he realize he’d been targeted.
“Is this sothing a martial artist of Mushincheon should be doing?”
“Of course not. But chances to capture the Azure Sky Sword King don’t co often, you know.”
As the man shed all pretense, Namgung Cheon grit his teeth.
His opinion of Mushincheon had just plumted to rock bottom.
“To think there are such disgraceful n in a land that claims to revere martial virtue...”
“It's precisely because we revere martial strength that I’m doing this. If I capture you, my na will rise—and I’ll no longer have to guard the gates. I’ll rise much higher.”
“You bastard! You think I’ll go down so easily?!”
“Hahaha. You sure drank that water I left in the resting room without a second thought, didn’t you?”
“What?!”
“You really think you can use your internal energy properly right now?”
Damn it.
He had placed too much faith in Mushincheon’s reputation.
He hadn’t expected them to stoop ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to such cowardice.
After running nonstop, his exhausted mind and body had been unable to resist the San Gong Poison he had been given. It spread quickly.
He could feel it—his internal energy wouldn’t gather.
And worse—he couldn’t move recklessly.
Because his wife, gravely ill, was still on his back.
Maybe... maybe he should’ve listened to his retainers.
Regret surged within him.
Cursing his own foolishness, Namgung Cheon drew his sword.
He would not die quietly to a lowly scher like this.
“You can’t even use your qi properly, and you draw your sword? Stay still, and you could’ve died peacefully.”
“You think beating makes you strong? The reputation you’ll gain from this cowardice will unravel before long.”
“I’ll handle the consequences. That’s no concern of yours.”
Hummm—
Sword qi flared across the martial artist’s blade.
He wasn’t so low-level thug.
“You’re no simple gate guard, are you?”
“Correct. I am a Division Chief of the Gatekeepers of Mushincheon.”
A Division Chief—soone of high rank within Mushincheon.
At this mont, without usable inner strength, Namgung Cheon stood no chance against such a man.
It was bitter.
To fall like this—so senselessly.
He cursed the heavens.
And then—
“...You know, the more I listen, the more pissed off I get.”
A voice, from sowhere nearby.
Both n turned toward it.
There sat a man.
The Division Chief flinched and barked,
“Who... Who the hell are you?”
The man stood up quietly, brushing dust off his robes.
“I’ve been here this whole ti. This is where I train.”
“What?”
“I was just resting during training when you all showed up. And honestly, hearing all that was making my blood boil.”
The Division Chief scanned the surroundings.
Was soone else nearby?
“What? You planning to kill too to shut up?”
“Seems that way.”
“You’re a bad man. A man like you holding a Division Chief post in Mushincheon? This whole place is ssed up.”
“I’ll start by cutting off that tongue of yours.”
Smirk.
The man laughed and said,
“I’m a little pissed off right now. So how about I throw your own words back at you?”
“What?”
Whoosh—!
In an instant, the man appeared before the Division Chief.
Splat—!
“Guhh!”
His fist landed squarely in the man’s mouth, sending yellow teeth scattering in every direction.
Crash! Thud!
The man stepped forward and, without pause, shattered the Division Chief’s limbs.
Crack—! Crunch—!
“You won’t be using martial arts ever again.”
“Gaaaargh!”
It was brutal.
But what was even more shocking—this wasn’t a weak opponent.
This was a Division Chief.
And yet this man had handled him like a child’s plaything.
At a glance, he didn’t even seem that old.
Black eyes?
His irises were entirely black.
The man stared down at the unconscious, broken body at his feet—then turned.
Namgung Cheon instinctively kept his guard up.
But when their eyes t, the man’s irises had returned to normal.
The man bowed deeply with a martial salute.
“I apologize. On behalf of Mushincheon, I sincerely apologize.”
Namgung Cheon’s eyes trembled.
He hesitated.
Once bitten, it was hard to trust again.
There was no guarantee this man wouldn’t turn on him too.
“Huh?”
Whoosh—!
In a blink, the man appeared beside him.
Fast. So fast.
Even at full strength, Namgung Cheon couldn’t be sure he could beat this young man.
“Your wife is in danger. She needs urgent care.”
Then, the man pulled a needle case from his robes.
“Acupuncture? Are... Are you a physician?”
“Yes! You can ask questions later—right now, lay her down! Hurry!”
Could he trust him?
“Please!”
...All right.
Just one more ti.
Let believe in soone—just once more.
Namgung Cheon quickly and carefully laid his wife down.
Her condition truly did look dire.
Her breath was faint—as if it could stop at any mont.
Papatapat—
The mont she was laid down, dozens of acupuncture needles pierced Hong Seolhwa’s face in an instant.
Namgung Cheon had never in his life seen a physician needle that quickly.
Then, as her breathing stabilized, he realized—this wasn’t an ordinary physician.
“Please loosen the upper clothing.”
“Understood.”
He moved without hesitation.
And once again, the man applied needles to her upper body at a speed the eye couldn’t follow.
Color began returning to her deathly pale face.
It had been so long.
So long since he’d seen color return to her face.
“Whew! If we’d been even a little later, it would’ve been a disaster.”
The man wiped sweat from his forehead and let out a breath of relief.
He was sincere.
Namgung Cheon, who had been so disappointed in Mushincheon, found his heart softening a little.
He’s strong in martial arts too... So Mushincheon even has physicians this powerful.
With that thought, he bowed in gratitude.
“I will never forget the grace you’ve shown —saving both and my wife.”
“No need. Besides, that guy isn’t even part of Mushincheon anymore, so you can forget about him. And your wife’s treatnt isn’t finished yet. It’ll take about a month to fully cure her.”
“...What did you say?”
“I said, to fully heal your wife, it’ll take about a month.”
“You... You really... can heal her?”
“Yes. What she’s suffering from is a condition where the innate true energy fails to circulate properly, causing her qi to dry up. The treatnt is extrely painful, so it can’t be done all at once. It needs to be administered gradually over a month.”
Unbelievable.
This was a first.
The first ti anyone had said she could be cured.
“You... You really an it? You can really heal my wife?”
“Yes!”
Tears began to stream from Namgung Cheon’s eyes.
“So you’re from Mushincheon after all... Even if you’re not the Divine Physician, Mushincheon has such amazing healers...”
At that, the man flinched slightly and scratched his cheek.
“Agh... I can never get used to that whole Divine Physician business.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m the one they call the... Divine Physician.”
“What? B-But the rumors said you wore a mask during treatnts...”
“I don’t like people recognizing my face.”
The man looked at Namgung Cheon and introduced himself.
“I’m Yeon Woo Jin.”
“I am Namgung Cheon, head of the Namgung Clan.”
“Whoa! The Namgung Clan! I’ve never t anyone from there before! I’ve only ever heard about the Five Great Clans.”
Unlike the Division Chief, his admiration was sincere.
Namgung Cheon recalled the betrayal from earlier and gave a bitter smile.
Seeing this, Yeon Woo Jin looked over at the twitching Division Chief and muttered,
“Tch. That guy really sared shit on Mushincheon’s na. I’m sorry. Mushincheon is a place that strives for justice, and yet your first impression of it must’ve been awful.”
“No, not at all. Thanks to you, Divine Physician, I think I’ll be able to forget it.”
“He’ll be properly punished. Ho Seong-ssi.”
He called soone—and without a single sound, soone appeared.
“You called.”
“Please dispose of that man.”
At Yeon Woo Jin’s words, Chun Ho Seong fixed the Division Chief with a cold, murderous glare and replied:
“Yes, sir.”
And with that, he vanished—and so did the Division Chief.
A warrior of such terrifying power that Namgung Cheon knew he would stand no chance even if he fought with his full strength.
To have soone like that guarding him—there was no doubt now.
Yeon Woo Jin really was the Divine Physician.
Namgung Cheon bowed to the ground.
“I beg you—please, please save my wife! Heal her!”
Yeon Woo Jin gently lifted him up and said,
“Yes. Trust .”
“Th... Thank you.”
“Then I’ll take you sowhere you can rest.”
Yeon Woo Jin extended his hand.
At once, the needles embedded in Hong Seolhwa’s body leapt into the air and returned neatly to the needle case.
It was a display of Air-Grasping Technique that was so natural, it seed effortless.
Namgung Cheon’s eyes widened.
Just how far has he cultivated...?
“Please carry your wife and follow .”
“R-Right.”
Namgung Cheon carefully lifted Hong Seolhwa onto his back—and instinctively tried to circulate his internal energy.
But then—
It’s working!
His qi was gathering.
What was this?
He rembered the fresh, invigorating feeling he had when Woo Jin helped him to his feet earlier.
Wait... did he cure the poison back then?
Namgung Cheon looked at Yeon Woo Jin in shock—then slowly nodded.
He was the real thing.
He had truly t the Divine Physician.
They say life is full of twists and turns...
Co to think of it, if he hadn’t encountered the Division Chief’s treachery, he might not have crossed paths with the Divine Physician like this.
In that mont, all of Namgung Cheon’s resentnt toward Mushincheon faded away.
****
dicine King No Sobaek was examining Hong Seolhwa’s condition.
When Namgung Cheon heard that he was the dicine King, he had been utterly shocked.
The Divine Physician and even the dicine King—treating his wife together.
He was overwheld.
But sothing felt off about the way the two n addressed each other.
The Divine Physician called the dicine King “Master.”
And the dicine King referred to the Divine Physician as “Young Lord,” serving him with extre deference.
Which ant...
The Divine Physician held higher status than the dicine King.
But if he called him “Master,” didn’t that an he had learned dicine from him?
And yet the dicine King was treating him with such reverence?
What kind of status could command this level of respect from the Lord of the Hall of the dicine King himself?
From how much he valued Mushincheon, it was certain Yeon Woo Jin was part of it.
Could he be blood of the Mushincheon Lord?
No, that couldn’t be.
He’d heard there was no heir, which was why there was a competition for the position of Lesser Lord.
Then... was he a descendant of one of the fad Five Divine Houses?
As he thought of the Five Divine Houses, Namgung Cheon smiled bitterly.
That seat had once belonged to the Five Great Clans.
Now, a new Five had taken their place.
While he was lost in such thoughts, Yeon Woo Jin approached.
“We’re about to begin treatnt. Your wife is going to be in a lot of pain—so please, hold her hand tightly throughout.”
How painful must it be, that he had to say it so many tis?
Namgung Cheon nodded solemnly.
“I understand.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)