DR Chapter 229

“Anyway Hee-ya, such things aren’t important. Originally, the Medical Pavilion’s role in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering is mainly treating tournament injuries. You and your brothers knocked people unconscious and caused out-of-bounds defeats, but everyone returned home healthy—that’s what matters.”

“Long live! Long live Little White Dragon!”

“Long live Minor Pavilion Maaaaster!”

The physicians who experienced last year’s, the year before’s, and the year before that’s… Gatherings danced wildly cheering.

Their swaying looked like modern inflatable tube men.

Like those installed in front of new store openings.

Master answered with a pleased expression:

“Thanks to this, we even have time to drink tea, how wonderful.”

The two entered the tearoom prepared in the back of the emergency room.

Originally meant for receiving distinguished guests visiting the emergency room, it hadn’t been used in years.

Usually when nobles came here, it was mostly to grab their injured children and declare, ‘There won’t be aftereffects, right?’ or ‘You fool! Didn’t I tell you to forfeit immediately if you were going to lose!’

The emergency room during Dragon Phoenix Gathering was like a burning hotteok^[1] shop.

A hellish triathlon of endless incoming patients.

Physicians losing their souls, patients screaming in pain, patients’ parents (family heads) losing their minds asking how much money would get their child treated first.

Of course, taking money for that is absolutely forbidden.

Prioritizing one sect’s child means pushing back another sect’s child, which starts new grievances.

Anyway, Jin Cheonhee and Zhuge Rin became perhaps the first guests of the emergency room reception tearoom.

They savored the finest Dragon Well tea awarded by the Martial Righteous Alliance.

“By the way, you used part of the Realm of Martial realm. What opportunity led to that?”

As the Wudang’s Fist Emperor recognized, Master seemed to have noticed too.

No point speaking indirectly.

Knowing Master would believe whatever he said, Jin Cheonhee answered honestly:

“I met the Heavenly Demon.”

Master’s teacup rippled.

Heavenly Demon. One of the Three Venerables^[2] among the world’s ten great masters, also called Demon Venerable.

Such a being visiting her own disciple couldn’t be coincidence.

After organizing his thoughts, Master answered:

“Indeed. Only such an opportunity could enable that realm. However, I can’t fathom the intentions.”

Jin Cheonhee told everything about how he met the Heavenly Demon and what he learned.

Master calmly listened to his disciple’s words.

“Causality… Yes, I’ve read about it in very old texts. It was written that those attempting ascension typically withdraw from worldly affairs. I’d forgotten since it was just one miscellaneous text.”

Knowledge both dubious in credibility and useless unless you could ascend.

So naturally paid no attention. But to hear those words again from his disciple’s mouth…

“She says I’m a being who disrupts heaven’s energy. Said those sensitive to heaven’s energy might target me…”

At those words, killing intent gathered in Zhuge Rin’s eyes.

“Ha, she said that? Then I shall grind all such creatures to dust.”

“Master, calm down! Even if this room is soundproof, the emergency room is next door…”

At his disciple’s plea, Master somewhat withdrew his anger.

“Hmm… Right. Must stay calm. I’ll have to proceed with what I was planning.”

“Proceed?”

At Jin Cheonhee’s words, Zhuge Rin smirked.

“Expanding influence. I’ve already given instructions but must handle matters faster. If our power grows, none will dare target you.”

Master spoke.

He would build a dam to protect his disciple.

That plan was steadily progressing.

Just how many things does Master handle at once?

Jin Cheonhee himself certainly didn’t work little.

But compared to Master’s work, it was on a different dimension.

What Jin Cheonhee did was individual work.

While he saved people, helped the Medical Pavilion, researched, and wrote books, Master handled affairs between groups and groups.

It was hard even imagining how difficult that must be.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, do your best tomorrow too. I’d like you to fight that one without holding back.”

“Master, he’s my brother.”

“Hahaha, Hee-ya. In a martial world where children stab parents and siblings slaughter each other, everything besides master-disciple bonds are illusions.”

Master still disliked Yeo Ha-ryoon.

And he’s not someone to go easy on anyway.

Already achieved the goal of ending the Dragon Phoenix Gathering without casualties using RPG-7^[3].

Fighting Yeo Ha-ryoon was now a bonus goal.

I’ll end this World’s Best Sworn Brother Selection Tournament with my own hands.

None of you will be the winner.

You’ll all be eliminated equally.

***

The Nine Sects One Faction and Eight Great Families form the Martial Righteous Alliance’s core.

Though varying slightly by wuxia novel, the ten sects comprising the Nine Sects One Faction in Supreme Heavenly Demon are:

Shaolin Temple, Wudang Sect, Beggar’s Sect, Emei Sect, Huashan Sect, Kunlun Sect, Zhongnan Sect, Kongtong Sect, Diancang Sect, and Qingcheng Sect.

Called Nine Sects One Faction because only the Beggar’s organization defines itself as a faction.

Except for the Beggar’s Sect composed of beggars, the other nine schools were typically religious Daoist and Buddhist organizations that became martial sects.

Thus they tend to show relatively fewer secular moves.

In contrast, though core orthodox sects, the Eight Great Families are family-centered powers.

Extremely secular and often clashed with unorthodox sects.

The Eight Great Families include the Namgoong, Moyong, Hwangbo, Yue, Tang, Peng, Eon, and Gongsun families.

The Zhuge clan was once among them, but now the Eon family holds that position.

Master shows no attachment to the Eight Great Families.

What happened in the past?

Though he never specifically said himself, at least reviving the “Zhuge clan” wasn’t a major goal for Master.

When he had a time limit it couldn’t be helped, but even now he’s letting it go…

Though sometimes his emotions differ from normal people and his behavior patterns and motivations are severely twisted.

In this Confucian society, letting go of family attachment couldn’t have been easy.

Especially as the last survivor.

But just as Master didn’t ask when Jin Cheonhee didn’t speak, Jin Cheonhee didn’t ask when Master didn’t speak.

To others it seemed a very strange master-disciple relationship.

He’ll tell me when the time comes.

Having things he hadn’t told himself, Jin Cheonhee couldn’t force it from Master.

Anyway, the unorthodox sects opposing the orthodox sects.

The Unorthodox Alliance had only eight main sects, called the Unorthodox’s Eight Sects.

Hao Sect, Sea Sand Gang, Assassin-Swords Tower, Eighteen Strongholds Green Forest, Yellow River Yangtze Water Bandits, Blood-Axe Gang, Five Poisons Sect, and Ghost Spirit Sect^[4], win!”

“Wooo!! White Medical Strange Dragon^[5]! Break that demonic cult bastard’s aaaaarm!”

And Jin Cheonhee’s title upgraded from Little White Dragon to White Medical Divine Dragon, or White Medical Strange Dragon!

White Medicine meaning white physician combined with Divine Dragon.

Now seemed he wouldn’t be embarrassed by his title anywhere.

White Medical Strange Dragon was… a title born as Jin Cheonhee’s strange behavior became known…

Some martial artists added the character for strange (怪) because he fought strangely and said strange things.

Martial artists who directly experienced his hits also called him White Medical Mad Dragon^[6].

“White Medicine Mad Dragon! Kill all those demonic cult bastards!”

Jin Cheonhee wiped his face dry.

Thought Sama Hyeon would get a title with strange (怪) or mad (狂) first! Or at least Yeo Ha-ryoon?

Why give such titles to him instead of his unorthodox sect brother or demonic cult brother?

Amid people’s cheers, Jin Cheonhee thought:

R-right. Only a tiny minority call me that. My title is White Medical Divine Dragon.

The white (白) from White Dragon Medical Pavilion, medical (醫) representing Jin Cheonhee’s medical arts, plus Divine Dragon (神龍)!

Quite a heroic title fitting a wuxia novel, right?

Plus, people’s gazes toward Jin Cheonhee were different from before.

They prayed for his victory with one heart and mind.

Hehehe… Nice. But why are more people betting on Yeo Ha-ryoon from the demonic cult?

Is money more honest than cheers?

No, our martial world friends have loyalty, they couldn’t be such people.

Isn’t the demonic cult the orthodox sects’ mortal enemy!

Surely they wouldn’t try to profit by predicting the demonic cult’s victory.

So those crazy odds gathering before Yeo Ha-ryoon must be from unorthodox sects’ bets.

Jin Cheonhee decided to trust his orthodox sect friends.

No matter how much they wanted to make money, they wouldn’t do something crazy like betting on the demonic cult.

Unorthodox sects are rich these days.

Climbing onto the arena, masked Yeo Ha-ryoon stood quietly.

His mechanical appearance, still without perceivable breath, created discomfort.

“…”

Even some unpleasantness.

“Never thought Brother would be like this.”

Jin Cheonhee answered Yeo Ha-ryoon’s sound transmission:

“Like what?”

“Knew you’d interfere with my eliminating them one by one to prevent sworn brotherhood, but didn’t think you’d risk your life for it.”

“…Seems you misunderstand something, but anyway Cheon Woo and Sama Hyeon are good kids. They’re not the type to threaten my life during matches.”

“How can you believe that?”

He asks a fundamental question. Come to think of it, Master asked similar questions too.

But no matter what answer I give, I can’t convince this guy.

In the end, only one answer. Must speak well. How to speak well?

“Ha-ryoon. Let’s make one thing clear.”

“What?”