Episode 41
Everyone stood up in unison and greeted the Master.
The Master barely acknowledged the morning greetings with a wave of his hand and sat down in his seat.
The seat of the leader of the White Lotus Pavilion, the position of the Heavenly Origin.
It was the seat of Master Zegalin.
The Master, who always smiled warmly at Jin Cheonhee, did not even glance at his disciple today.
He seemed like a completely different person.
He spoke to the chief manager, Yoo Ho.
"Let's begin the meeting."
At his voice, the four heads of the departments straightened their postures.
The basic meetings continued.
Chief Manager Yoo Ho read the agenda in a clear voice.
"The Martial Alliance has requested our dispatch. They plan to hold the Yongbong Gathering again this year."
The Yongbong Gathering.
It refers to the martial arts tournament held by the Martial Alliance to unite the various sects by gathering their promising disciples.
For martial artists, it's a good opportunity to earn a nickname, but for the physicians, it's a period of death.
'For the physicians, it's a time when emergency trauma patients flood in.'
Scenes of the emergency room hell flashed through Jin Cheonhee's mind.
As expected, the expression of the head of the Acupuncture Department, Sama Byeong, was not good.
Sama Byeong.
With a skinny and stubborn-looking impression and a sharp voice, he was not easy to approach.
Despite his age, he was quite handsome, with a large build and solid muscles.
His hair was cut short, making him look like a seasoned boxer.
The Acupuncture Department is responsible for acupuncture and moxibustion within the pavilion.
They stop bleeding with needles or inject internal energy into acupoints for anesthesia before treatment.
If needles don't solve the problem, they use moxibustion to treat both external and internal injuries.
In short, it's the department that suffers the most during such events.
"What is the scale of the martial arts tournament?"
"It seems to be similar to last year's."
"Sigh, similar to last year..."
At Sama Byeong's words, the head of the Herbal Medicine Department, Manpagok, chuckled.
"Who can stop the youthful vigor of young martial artists?"
"Well, it's easy for you to laugh since it's not your problem."
"I'll make plenty of wound medicine. Do your best."
It might sound like a casual conversation among elderly people at a community center, but the content was anything but ordinary.
Once you pick up a sword, you're bound to get injured somewhere, whether it's an arm, a leg, or internal organs.
Even the lightest injury is just a cut on the skin.
If not treated properly, it can lead to secondary infections like tetanus.
Knowing this, the four department heads tried to gauge each other's intentions to draw out even one more supporter.
Sama Byeong rubbed his beardless chin.
"Why not just get help from the Herbal Medicine Department? We might be short-handed."
At that, the head of the Herbal Medicine Department smiled slyly.
"I hear a large number of the Tang family's promising disciples are coming to this Yongbong Gathering, so it might be tough. I'll be up all night making the antidote, Cheongmyeongdan."
"Then what about the head of the Chiropractic Department?"
The head of the Chiropractic Department, Ju Danha.
A woman in her 30s with a strong impression, thick eyebrows, and big eyes.
Her build was smaller than the two elderly men before her, but her muscles were more solid than anyone else's.
As the head of the Chiropractic Department, she was responsible for the chiropractic techniques of the pavilion.
She used chiropractic techniques to realign bones and correct energy flow.
She forcibly opened blocked blood vessels or congestion to aid recovery.
She also set broken bones or corrected twisted bones.
It's a rather rough method, but it's effective.
Ju Danha answered indifferently.
"What use is chiropractic for martial artists stabbed with swords? If you need our people, take them. We can help move patients."
"There's bound to be a lot of broken bones, isn't there? I hear there are quite a few martial artists among the new masters this time."
"Martial arts vary, but..."
"Unfortunately, I hear a new master who has realized the mysteries of Taiji is coming."
Her expression hardened.
Taiji, when used by a martial artist who controls strength with softness, inevitably leads to dislocations or fractures.
Like other injuries, fractures are time-sensitive, and chiropractic is needed to solve them.
"Why do they even hold the Yongbong Gathering? Do they enjoy getting hurt?"
She grumbled and selected a few more people to assign.
Watching this scene, Jin Cheonhee felt a strange sense of empathy.
'So this is what the Yongbong Gathering feels like to physicians.'
As a former surgeon, he even felt a peculiar sense of camaraderie.
Yoo Ho, as the chief manager, took notes on the department heads' discussions and asked.
"Does the head of the Martial Department have anything to say?"
The head of the Martial Department, Dokgo Junghu.
A middle-aged man with an eyepatch, his features were sharp, drawing people's attention.
He always exuded an air of detachment from worldly affairs, and it was said that he lost his sight in one eye while protecting Zegalin in the past.
His build was larger than Ju Danha's, and his arms were covered in scars.
He answered indifferently.
"I want to retire."
"What?"
At those words, the department heads turned their heads in his direction.
Even Yoo Ho, who had asked, was taken aback and asked again.
Dokgo Junghu spoke.
"A master who has entered the realm of enlightenment has joined the pavilion. Why should I stay here? I want to pass on my position to Gungwi Wang Chaebaek and spend my days fishing in the countryside."
Everyone was speechless at the sudden retirement announcement.
'No, this is really out of the blue.'
It was like a professor at a university hospital morning meeting suddenly declaring, "I heard an American star surgeon is joining our hospital! I'm not needed anymore, so I'm retiring!"
At that moment, Zegalin spoke.
"As you know, the position of the head of the Martial Department is not simply determined by strength. Gungwi lacks both the reputation and experience to take on the position."
"But retirement is..."
"Please continue to do your best, head of the Martial Department."
However, permission was not granted.
Dokgo Junghu spoke in a hollow voice.
"Last year, the new masters at the Yongbong Gathering kept picking fights, and it was such a hassle..."
"Hahaha, didn't you handle it well, head of the Martial Department?"
Dokgo Junghu was destined to continue being worn out like that.
After handling one agenda item after another, they finally moved on to the most important topic.
Yoo Ho spoke.
"The next agenda is about the future of Young Master Jin."
At those words, the four old masters' eyes lit up simultaneously.
'No, why are they suddenly looking at me so eagerly when they didn't even greet me earlier?'
Jin Cheonhee felt somewhat burdened by their intense gazes.
"Our pavilion originally started from the Zegal Pavilion."
It was a story from long ago.
When the Zegal family existed, they operated a medical pavilion called the Zegal Pavilion.
At that time, it wasn't one of the three great medical pavilions in the world, but it was said to have been quite prosperous.
Later, although the Zegal family fell, the last surviving member of the Zegal family, Zegalin, succeeded it.
He established the White Lotus Pavilion and made it one of the three great medical pavilions in the world.
If there had been even one more descendant of the Zegal family, they might have revived the name of the Zegal Pavilion.
However, Zegalin was in a body that could die at any moment, and he was the only one who carried the family's blood.
Therefore, he simply created a new name and established the White Lotus Pavilion.
The four department heads who remain now were the ones who had supported Zegalin since the days of the Zegal Pavilion.
They steadfastly supported Zegalin against the demonic forces of the martial world.
The head of the Herbal Medicine Department, Manpagok.
The head of the Acupuncture Department, Sama Byeong.
The head of the Chiropractic Department, Ju Danha.
The head of the Martial Department, Dokgo Junghu.
People called them the four great department heads of the White Lotus Pavilion.
Therefore, these four were like retainers who had served the Zegal family for a long time.
Their loyalty was deep and profound.
However, as befitting the old masters of the martial world, they were also highly individualistic.
They were physicians, scholars, and also martial artists.
Zegalin showed them deep respect.
"If it weren't for your hard work, I, Zegal Mo, would not be alive today."
The four of them quietly listened to Zegalin's words.
"However, when I look back, I realize we must also think about the future of our pavilion. That's why I took in a disciple. A clever child who knows a completely different kind of medicine from us. I believe the depth of that child's medical skills is enough to create a new department, so I called this meeting. Please share your honest opinions."
"It is said that a master must be careful in choosing a disciple, and a disciple must be diligent in serving the master. I acknowledge the insight of the pavilion master, and the fact that you cured Gungwi's daughter, Wang Gakyeon, was indeed remarkable."
The sharp voice of the head of the Acupuncture Department echoed in the meeting room.
"However, isn't he still too young? While his medical skills are astonishing, there are still many unverified aspects. We are responsible for the lives of our patients, so we cannot recklessly use unverified medical skills. I suggest we verify Young Master's medical skills further before creating a new department."
Jin Cheonhee thought.
'From the perspective of the head of the Acupuncture Department, it's a reasonable judgment.
But on the other hand, it's frustrating.'
Jin Cheonhee's medical knowledge was already well-verified.
He possessed modern medical skills accumulated over thousands of years.
However, of course, they didn't know that.
How long would it take to verify the medical skills Jin Cheonhee possessed?
'Moreover, the master's body won't hold out until then.'
However, Jin Cheonhee remained silent for now.
It wasn't something that could be resolved by insisting he was right without evidence.
"Isn't there a more fundamental issue?"
The head of the Chiropractic Department spoke in a languid voice.
"I've never seen or heard of such medical skills before. Even the Black Pavilion of the Blood Sage, one of the three great medical pavilions, doesn't do it this way. In fact, the suspicion about Young Master's identity hasn't been cleared either."
'I was wondering when that topic would come up.'
To anyone, Jin Cheonhee was a suspicious child.
Even geniuses have their limits.
If you don't question the roots of unheard-of medical skills, you can't be part of the martial world.
The martial world is a forest made of martial arts.
Asking about the roots of the trees that make up the forest is almost instinctual in the martial world.
"I can vouch for that part."
It was then.
Yoo Ho spoke up.
"Chief Manager Yoo?"
"Yes. I've already verified it through certain means. You can rest assured. Young Master's intentions do not harm the master."
At those words, the expressions of the four department heads changed.
"Hmm... if Chief Manager Yoo says so..."
He calmed the four old masters with just one sentence.
That wasn't something that could be done with ordinary trust.
Jin Cheonhee was bewildered and looked back and forth between Yoo Ho and the department heads.
'No, what is it? What makes them accept it just because Yoo Ho said so?'
Jin Cheonhee's curiosity about Yoo Ho grew even more.