The blade cut through flesh.
The stagnant blood was forcibly drained.
Then, with swift precision, the wound was sutured.
This was done to save the frostbitten hands and feet by removing the dead blood from the necrotic tissue.
At the same time, a hand reached toward the dantian of the Sect Leader.
"My qi isn't enough to regenerate dead nerve cells. The quantity is insufficient. Although the meridians are a mess, the internal energy itself can be forcibly drawn and used through the Five Elements Divine Technique. So, I must use this."
"Long needle."
A long needle was placed in Jin Cheon-hee's hand.
She inserted it and simultaneously channeled the Five Elements Qi.
The Five Elements Qi came into contact with the Sect Leader's vast and profound energy.
Under normal circumstances, such a clash of different types of qi could easily lead to a severe qi deviation.
But Jin Cheon-hee gritted her teeth, sweating profusely, focusing her mind and controlling the qi.
Like a reed swaying in the wind, she channeled the Five Elements Qi, trying to move the other's energy.
"Move!"
Thud.
Thud.
Thump.
"Move, I said!"
Whoosh!
The Sect Leader's internal energy began to flow like a raging tide.
At the same time, the needles inserted all over the Sect Leader's body started to tremble.
The qi, which should have gone haywire due to the qi deviation, was controlled by the needles and spread throughout the body.
"It's done! Now, if only that part works..."
The bleeding stopped instantly.
The wound was sutured.
But this much was expected.
The real challenge was yet to come, so Jin Cheon-hee widened her eyes and stared at the frostbitten areas.
From where the blade had cut, rotten blood gushed out.
Soon after, clear blood began to flow.
The countless needles inserted into the frostbitten, darkened hands and feet trembled as they met the qi.
Jin Cheon-hee stared at them intently.
And then she saw it.
Twitch.
Twitch.
The fingers twitched.
The muscles, the nerves—they were alive!
"How... how is this possible! A hand that had frozen and necrotized is moving!"
"Indeed, as expected of the Sect Leader's direct disciple!"
Jin Cheon-hee didn't hear the astonished murmurs of the surrounding physicians.
She had to pour her mental energy once more to pull out the long needle from the Sect Leader's dantian.
The dantian is where internal energy is gathered.
Inserting a needle there is difficult, but pulling it out is no ordinary task either.
Jin Cheon-hee focused her mental energy until the very last moment.
The physicians watched her with wide eyes, as if engraving the scene into their memories.
The old man was lost in a dream.
It was a memory from before he became the Sect Leader of the Beggar Sect, when he had picked up a child.
A winter mountain, a child crying under a fallen tree.
The mountain nights come quickly, deep and cold.
If today passed, the child would surely be eaten by wolves or freeze to death.
Back then, the old man, younger than he is now, approached the child.
"Where are your parents?"
The child shook his head.
After a while, he answered in a strained voice, "I'm alone now."
It was a common occurrence.
But it was strange because the child's clothes, though worn, were of decent quality.
"Do you have any relatives to rely on?"
The child shook his head again.
As soon as the words ended, a growling sound came from the child's stomach.
"I only have beggar's food, but do you want to eat that?"
The child nodded.
The young old man carried the child on his back.
"First, let's find a doctor. We'll eat after that. Then I'll take you to the government office. Someone will come for you, no matter who they are."
"Who are you, old man?"
Though younger than now, the old man was still an old man back then.
"A beggar."
"They said that's a bad job..."
"Kukuku, you talk well for someone saved by a beggar."
The child pressed his cheek against the old man's back.
It was a small, cold cheek.
He had never had children, nor even a lover.
He thought, what use is it for a beggar to have a family?
The old man had lived his entire life under the sky as his roof and the earth as his blanket, wandering the martial world alone.
The old man didn't even ask the child's name.
He just left the child with a doctor, fed him, and then handed him over to the government office.
Fifteen days passed.
No one came for the child.
After a hundred days, the old man finally asked the child his name.
"Seolhwa. I don't know my family name."
It was strange.
He knew his name but not his family name.
But it was possible for a child to forget such things.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to be a beggar like you."
"Hey! Brat! What's so good about being a beggar..."
"No! I want to be a beggar like you! I like beggars! Beggars!"
"Absolutely not! Not until I'm six feet under!"
"I! Will! Be! A! Beggar!"
From that moment, Seolhwa's stubbornness was extraordinary.
The old man slowly opened his eyes.
"If there's one thing I did right in my life, it was saving you back then."
The old man took in the child and gave up his solitary life in the martial world.
Then, he passed on everything he knew to that child.
Though not related by blood, she was like a granddaughter to him.
The old man tried to move his limbs.
"......"
He felt no sensation in his arms or legs.
"It's like they're wooden blocks. I heard two could be saved, but perhaps I should have amputated all four."
It would be a lie to say he wasn't disheartened.
"But there's still so much I haven't passed on to that child. I can't die until I've given her everything."
Though he had formally become the Sect Leader of the Beggar Sect, it was just an empty shell.
It was time to pass on the secrets of the martial world, the hidden sanctuaries of the Beggar Sect, and the countless stories only the Sect Leader could access.
"Limbs aren't needed for that. Hmm..."
He forced a brave smile, hiding his pierced chest.
"I still have some internal energy left, so I can still pass it on."
Heaven must have blessed him to allow him such fortune.
The old man thought so.
At that moment, Jin Cheon-hee entered.
"You're awake!"
Her voice was bright.
"Child, thank you for saving me. The Beggar Sect will never forget this kindness."
"Kindness? Let me check the wound first."
As she said this and lifted the leather blanket, Seolhwa's voice rang out.
"Old man!"
"What is it, you mad dog?"
She tried to hug the old man, but as a patient, he couldn't move and just flailed his limbs in the air.
The sight was so comical that the old man burst into laughter.
"Even in this state, you're still spouting nonsense."
"Do you know how worried I was? And you say such things!"
"Kukukuku..."
The old man laughed.
Seeing Seolhwa's swollen eyes, his heart ached.
"As long as I'm alive, that's enough, isn't it?"
"Always with the words..."
She wiped her face with the back of her hand, as if hiding tears.
The old man thought.
There was still more to give.
Until then, he absolutely wouldn't die.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
"I'm sorry. I should have done better..."
A sigh filled the cave.
But the old man shook his head as if brushing it off.
"Even if Baek Rin's Divine Doctor had come, I don't think they could have done better."
"But..."
"It's fine."
Seolhwa said.
"That's right. The little White Dragon did her best. That's more than enough."
"No."
Her voice deepened.
"In the end, I had to amputate two fingers. A significant portion of your internal energy was also lost."
"But if you rest well, you can still use martial arts, right?"
"Yes. Martial arts..."
At that moment, a light flashed in the old man's head.
"W-what? T-two fingers? You said two?"
Jin Cheon-hee spoke hesitantly.
"Yes. The index and middle fingers of your right hand couldn't be saved. For a martial artist, those are important fingers..."
"N-no! That's not it!"
The old man felt the greatest shock of his life.
"You're saying only two fingers are gone, and the rest of my limbs are intact?"
When the old man shouted, Jin Cheon-hee's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes, yes! The rest will recover with proper care."
"They're alive!? I can hold the Tagu Staff again!?"
"Of course, though without two fingers, it won't be like before..."
"... What are you talking about! My limbs were almost gone, and you're worried about two fingers!?"
Laughter burst forth.
It wasn't the hollow laughter from before.
"You saved them. You saved them. You saved them...!"
The old man's eyes turned red with tears.
"Mad dog, it seems there's still more I can do for you."
"Huh? Are you saying you'll hit the back of my head more?"
"Hahahaha. Yes. That's what I mean, brat!"
Now, he could teach her directly, not just with words.
At that, Seolhwa said.
"Old man, now that you're back to normal, can't you return this?"
It was the knot tied at his waist.
The symbol of the Beggar Sect Leader.
The old man shook his head.
"Stop tormenting this old man. Let me rest."
"Anyway... I'm the one who's going to die."
Her grumbling voice was clearer than usual.
It was the voice of someone who had escaped the demonic influence.
Stubborn, sharp, and yet never missing what was important.
"Mad dog."
"Yeah?"
"Even if I went back to that time, I'd still pick you up."
"......"
Seolhwa sat beside the old man.
"If I were reborn, I'd still be a beggar."
"Don't say that."
"Keukeukeu."
Seolhwa laughed mischievously.
The old man laughed with her.
Jin Cheon-hee quietly slipped out, leaving the two behind.
In her entire career as a doctor, this was the scene she had always wanted to see, and today, she had witnessed it.
After the first treatment ended and the condition stabilized, the Beggar Sect Leader was moved to Baek Rin's Divine Doctor's branch.
He would need continuous care until fully recovered, and for that, medicine and treatment were necessary.
Jin Cheon-hee emphasized that the future was crucial, and the two nodded.
"The Beggar Sect will not forget this kindness," the old man said.
Seolhwa also nodded and added, "As the Sect Leader, I will personally visit Baek Rin's main branch in the future."
Indeed, having escaped the demonic influence, Seolhwa now showed enough spirit to be called Seolhwa (Dog).
Though still a dog, she had returned to a state where she could even write characters.
Thwack!
"Ow!"
A teacup hit the back of Seolhwa's head.
"Sect Leader? You're far from being a Sect Leader, you brat!"
'Old man, you can even manipulate objects in the air.
Well, considering you've been the Beggar Sect Leader for so long, it's no surprise you have at least sixty years of internal energy.'
The problem was that he was using that ability to smack his disciple's head.
"You old man! Hitting someone who's taking care of you!"
"You haven't even settled into the position yet, and you're already acting like a Sect Leader, you brat!"
From the outside, it looked like they were mortal enemies.
'Being too close is also a problem.
Hahahaha.'
While the nursing disciple and the strict master bickered, Jin Cheon-hee quietly slipped out after a brief farewell.
She couldn't stay any longer.