Jin Cheon-hee sipped tea and nibbled on snacks while continuing to think.
*‘Sigh.
I feel like crying.
What if I only remember such an important thing now? Well, to be fair, I’ve been so busy with everything that’s happened since yesterday that I haven’t had time to think properly…’*
Jin Cheon-hee kept eating the tea and snacks.
Partly because he was hungry after the cleansing ritual, but also to give his brain some sugar to help him organize his thoughts.
*‘If this were a novel, we’d be in the first chapter of the first volume.
This is the part where Baek Rin’s Line heals the Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryun, right? But right after this, a crisis is going to happen.
And if things go wrong, I might die too.’*
Jin Cheon-hee clicked his tongue inwardly.
*‘Ugh, seriously.
How could I forget that? Well, at least I remembered now.
The problem is how to resolve the situation, though.’*
The tea tasted bitter.
‘Ugh… What should I do? If I can stop the conspiracy behind this incident, I might survive.’
Jin Cheon-hee continued to think.
The incident that would occur in this branch of the Unryong Pyo Nation was one of the early crises that would befall the protagonist, the Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryun.
But it was also a crisis for Jin Cheon-hee.
After exhaling deeply, Jin Cheon-hee looked at the snacks laid out before him.
Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.
‘This is it! This might work!’
Looking at the snacks, Jin Cheon-hee became certain.
He reached out and started shoveling the snacks into his mouth at an even faster pace than before.
*‘It must be in one of these… It was described as having a slightly sweet aftertaste.
But what does “slightly sweet” even mean? Ugh, I don’t know…’*
He tried all the tea and snacks, one by one.
It was for the sake of what was about to happen next.
While he was busy stuffing his face, Baek Rin’s Line and the lord of the Unryong Pyo Nation, Un Ji-sang, entered the room.
“You seem to be in good condition. If your body is this well, we can have a long conversation, right?”
Since Jin Cheon-hee was at the center of this incident, there were many questions to ask.
Who he was, where he came from, and where he learned his martial arts.
Though he was their benefactor, they needed to know these things.
It was an important duty as the lord of the nation.
As soon as they opened their mouths to speak, Jin Cheon-hee started coughing.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Lord Un Ji-sang asked with a worried expression.
“Are you alright? Is your body still not fully recovered…?”
“……”
In contrast, Baek Rin’s Line simply smiled faintly and watched Jin Cheon-hee.
This was the child Baek Rin’s Line had personally performed the cleansing ritual on.
There was no way such a child would catch a cold and cough.
While coughing, Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘He looks like he’s testing me or something.’
Though he was a sage, he was also a martial artist.
He was a remarkable figure who treated people from the righteous faction, the evil faction, the demonic cult, and even the imperial palace.
He wouldn’t fall for shallow tricks.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke up.
“My throat feels itchy because of the tea.”
“Itchy?”
The scent of expensive Iron Goddess tea wafted gently from the green teacup.
Jin Cheon-hee said,
“When I drink this tea, my throat feels itchy for some reason. Could I just have some water, please?”
“Itchy? That’s impossible… There’s no way there’s poison in it.”
“I don’t know…”
‘Yes! Childlike acting!’
Jin Cheon-hee inwardly cheered as he wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.
He looked like the picture of an innocent child.
Baek Rin’s Line sat down in front of Jin Cheon-hee.
“May I check your pulse for a moment?”
“Huh? Oh, yes! Sure!”
‘Yes! Baek Rin’s Line! You caught on right away!’
Jin Cheon-hee naturally extended his hand.
Baek Rin’s Line gently held Jin Cheon-hee’s wrist and sent a flow of internal energy into him.
‘Oh, it feels a bit ticklish.’
Though he didn’t fully understand what internal energy was, he could feel something softly entering his body.
For some reason, it didn’t clash or mix with what was already inside him.
It simply explored where it needed to go.
After a while, Baek Rin’s Line let go.
“Your internal energy is scattered.”
The lord asked in surprise,
“What? Internal energy? This child clearly has no traces of martial arts training…”
“There might be some elixirs from the Gongson family, and I also infused a bit of internal energy during the cleansing ritual. It’s nothing significant. It will all dissipate soon, so I just left a little for the future.”
“The… the cleansing ritual… I had no idea the sect leader held this child in such high regard.”
It was a shocking revelation.
Un Ji-sang, the lord of the Unryong Pyo Nation, was well acquainted with the sect leader of Baek Rin’s Line, who was also known by the title Baek Rin’s Line.
He was a remarkable figure known for his exceptional medical skills and profound martial arts, though his own health was not the best.
This was something most people in the martial world knew.
But to personally perform the cleansing ritual… It was akin to sacrificing a part of his own life.
This was no ordinary matter.
“……”
Baek Rin’s Line didn’t respond.
He simply smiled mysteriously.
It was a clear signal not to ask further.
There were already many high-ranking officials who wanted to present their children to Baek Rin’s Line.
If this news spread, his doorstep would be swarmed with their messengers.
“But… but…”
Baek Rin’s Line responded to the lord’s words.
“I owe a great debt to the Unryong Pyo Nation. Didn’t you mention that your grandson would soon begin martial arts training?”
It was a subtle way of saying, “If you want me to see your grandson, keep quiet.”
The price for silence wasn’t bad.
And the other party was Baek Rin’s Line.
There was no point in arguing.
“……I am simply in awe of Baek Rin’s Line’s medical skills.”
“You flatter me too much. I don’t know where to put myself.”
As he watched their conversation, Jin Cheon-hee thought,
*‘As expected of Baek Rin’s Line.
He’s even thinking of the lord’s grandson.
A true physician of this era.
Wow!’*
Perhaps because his previous life’s profession was a doctor, Jin Cheon-hee had a favorable view of all martial world physicians.
Baek Rin’s Line continued,
“In any case, all that internal energy has scattered. It seems to be… Scattered Energy Poison.”
“Scattered Energy Poison? Who would feed such a thing to this child? Our Unryong Pyo Nation would never do such a thing to our benefactor…”
The lord’s face turned red as if he had been falsely accused.
Baek Rin’s Line shook his head.
“Who did it isn’t important. What’s important is why it happened. The tea and snacks this child has been consuming are the same ones given to the high-ranking officers and elite warriors of the Unryong Pyo Nation, correct?”
‘Yes! Go, Baek Rin’s Line!’
As he watched Lord Un Ji-sang’s expression harden, Jin Cheon-hee struggled to hide his own expression.
This was all part of Jin Cheon-hee’s plan!
‘If this goes well, I can prevent the attack on the Unryong Pyo Nation’s branch!’
Jin Cheon-hee watched their conversation with that thought in mind.
“Hmm… Is someone targeting our branch…?”
“Dispose of all the tea and snacks immediately. And… prepare weapons in case of an attack.”
The lord nodded at those words.
“There must be more to it. An attack on the branch. And poison… There must be some conspiracy at play. I apologize, Baek Rin’s Line. It seems we’ve dragged you into our nation’s affairs…”
It seemed the lord had already grasped the situation.
“No need to apologize. Thank you for trusting my words. Let’s take the necessary steps first.”
“If I can’t trust the words of a sage, whose words can I trust? Thank you for your consideration.”
The lord then shouted toward the outside,
“Call the branch leader!”
Then, the lord looked at Jin Cheon-hee.
Baek Rin’s Line spoke to Jin Cheon-hee.
“Did you know there was Scattered Energy Poison?”
His clear gaze met Jin Cheon-hee’s.
It felt like he was testing him.
‘Time to play dumb.’
Jin Cheon-hee said,
“Scattered… Energy Poison? What’s that?”
A poison that disperses internal energy.
It’s colorless and odorless.
Though it was said to have a faintly sweet aftertaste, Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t tell when he actually tasted it.
That’s why he decided to try all the snacks.
Surely one of them would contain it.
The important thing was to be affected by the Scattered Energy Poison.
*‘Hehehe.
Whatever happens, it’s better than dying.’*
Knowing the impending disaster, Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t refuse the Scattered Energy Poison just because it felt suspicious.
Baek Rin’s Line thought,
*‘Even if it disperses internal energy, poison is still poison.
There’s no way he’d knowingly eat it… right?’*
Being a physician was such a position.
In the martial world, one had to save people amidst countless grudges and blood feuds.
You ended up seeing all sorts of human affairs.
Perhaps that’s why his instincts as a physician were telling him that Jin Cheon-hee was hiding something.
But strangely, he didn’t feel any danger.
‘I feel strangely drawn to him.’
Baek Rin’s Line said,
“If the investigation reveals something, it won’t be me who saved the Unryong Pyo Nation, but you.”
He spoke as if addressing the lord.
The lord was startled.
*‘He’s not wrong.
Even if it’s luck, at this point…’*
After organizing his thoughts, the lord said,
“After this matter is resolved, let’s arrange a meeting.”
Here, “a meeting” didn’t just mean having tea.
Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘This is an opportunity to get something out of them.’
Who doesn’t like money?
He saved someone’s life, and he needed to make a living too.
He was alone in this vast world, so he planned to take everything he could.
‘Money, more money! Show me the money! Elixirs! I don’t know much about martial arts since I haven’t learned any, but money first!’
A nation like the Unryong Pyo Nation, which controlled the Jang River, must be wealthy.
Jin Cheon-hee thought.
He smiled sadly like a shadowed child.
“I don’t remember my home or family. If someone like me can be of help, then that’s a blessing.”
At the young Jin Cheon-hee’s words, everyone fell silent.
“……”
Some even wiped away tears.
‘Is it because of my looks? It seems to be working better than I expected.’
Even the lord didn’t know what to do and tightly gripped Jin Cheon-hee’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I am, after all, the lord of the Unryong Pyo Nation. You are our benefactor, and I will never let you down.”
‘What disappointment?’
It sounded like he was making some grand resolution with a solemn voice.
Then, Baek Rin’s Line grabbed the lord’s shoulder.
“……That won’t do.”
“Huh?”
“It won’t do.”
“I know you’ve already performed the cleansing ritual on this child, but…”
“Hahaha, it won’t do.”
Baek Rin’s Line was smiling, but he firmly rejected the lord’s words.
‘What does he mean, it won’t do?’
Unaware that the lord was trying to bring Jin Cheon-hee into the nation and that Baek Rin’s Line was firmly blocking it, Jin Cheon-hee just rolled his eyes.
It was a battle of wills between two people vying for Jin Cheon-hee’s talent.