DR Chapter 259

Zhuge Rin sighed.

“People need rest, Hee.”

“I am resting now, Master. Finished writing medical texts and training like this…”

Tak, tadak!

Master shook his head watching his disciple counterattack the wooden dummy.

“Training isn’t rest. You’ll die from overwork like that.”

Thought I’d rested quite a bit since coming to the Medical Pavilion…?

Though he thought he’d spent time quite leisurely after the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, seems it didn’t look that way to others.

Master threw a letter.

Jin Cheonhee struck the last wooden dummy’s solar plexus with his spear shaft while launching his body up like pole vaulting.

Crack–

The final wooden dummy lost strength and collapsed after being hit in a vital point.

Whirl-

The spinning spear shaft catches the letter.

Moving naturally as if performing a trick, he looked like a supreme spear master who’d honed only the spear for decades.

Jin Cheonhee’s eyes glowed blue after reading the letter.

“Uh… Master? It’s already time for His Majesty’s regular checkup? But at the border?”

“Yes. He wants to receive examination at the border in two months.”

Suddenly?

Jin Cheonhee furrowed one eyebrow.

“He must be doing something there.”

“His Majesties need rest too.”

“…Think you’re the only one?”

Master’s words hit the mark.

As Jin Cheonhee looked with an ‘urgh’ expression.

“So go do His Majesty’s checkup while getting some rest. Blood Immortal Sect will be quiet as dead mice for at least two years, so there shouldn’t be much danger.”

Master cares about his disciple’s safety more than anyone.

For someone like him to conclude this, Blood Immortal Sect must be lying flat as dead.

Moreover.

Master isn’t accompanying this time?

Probably plans to do something while his disciple is away, but.

Well, Master must have his own thoughts.

Somehow feels like something that would make Jin Cheonhee faint if he knew.

Master is quite radical despite appearances.

Ignorance is bliss.

He’s someone with many secrets, and even sharing this much with his disciple is considered a miracle in White Dragon Medical Pavilion.

Even Jin Cheonhee himself doesn’t intend to know everything Master does.

Just trust him.

“Understood. A rest after so long.”

***

Jin Cheonhee packed right away.

A world without railways or airplanes. With considerable distance, he needed to leave now to make time.

Then Phantom Archer visited.

“Come in.”

Drrrk-

Entering, Phantom Archer was somewhat surprised seeing Jin Cheonhee packing.

“All… cooking utensils and spices, food ingredients.”

Though planning to procure meat through hunting along the way, he plans to pack cheese and butter quite tightly.

Plus that expensive Tibetan pepper.

Can’t get it at local markets so packed lots of pepper too.

Seeing luggage that made it look more like going to eat than work, Phantom Archer clicked his tongue.

“Hwanggu agreed to carry things this time so it’s fine even with lots of luggage.”

Everyone at White Dragon Medical Pavilion knows Professor Jin’s obsession with fine food.

“I came to give you this.”

A composite bow. Light and elastic at that, good for taking traveling.

Must have chosen such materials deliberately.

“Though Flicking Heaven-Penetrating Finger is good martial arts, it still consumes internal energy.”

“This is perfect!”

Jin Cheonhee brightened.

Though he never learned Evil-Breaking Divine Art from Phantom Archer, he did learn some of the Thunder Dragon Bow Art that the Phantom Archer Corps practices.

That alone was enough to handle ranged attacks.

Thunder Dragon Bow Arts for ultra-long range over 300 meters. Flicking Heaven-Penetrating Finger for short to mid-range.

Ice Clarity Sword would handle extreme close combat.

Hearing this, Phantom Archer smirked.

“Indeed, young master is unlike a martial artist. Even in the military… no, there probably isn’t anyone like young master even in the military.”

Is using appropriate weapons for appropriate situations that strange…?

Well, to martial artists, weapons are like life itself.

A swordsman dies when his blade breaks, a spearman dies when his spear dulls.

The weapon itself represents that martial artist’s life.

But Jin Cheonhee was different.

To him, weapons were just tools.

If a sword breaks, just fight with another sword.

If a bow is more advantageous, just pick it up and shoot.

To begin with, for a modern person, a sword is just a sword – the very concept of treating a sword like life seems strange.

Anyway, isn’t surviving even with a broken sword what matters?

“Hmm. This should be carried on the back.”

Packing everything carefully one by one produced quite a bundle.

Woof!

“Thanks.”

Jin Cheonhee patted Hwanggu’s back for a while.

Since he’ll be going around bull-sized for a while now, must pack jerky well.

Others won’t give snacks anymore now that he looks quite like a beast.

Like that, packing various things, bidding farewell to Master.

Earnestly asking Yoo Ho to take care of the laboratory.

“If there’s no results after this much, how about giving up?”

Getting scolded too.

“What are you saying, Yoo Ho? We’ve barely reached a quarter of a quarter of the expected period. Long way to go.”

“Hah.”

Jin Cheonhee was saying with his eyes.

‘It took 20 years of full-time research to develop streptomycin on Earth but we haven’t even reached ten years!’

No answer comes watching those eyes mad with human progress.

Anyway, Jin Cheonhee has no intention of giving up this research.

Plans to pour in time and resources until it works.

Even pouring more money into expanding the laboratory day by day after Martial Training City’s success.

Continuously expanding researchers, throwing more money at necessities.

Days of recording intermediate processes, creating papers… called miscellaneous writings.

While continuously pouring in indescribable effort without showing disappointment.

“Yoo Ho, want anything?”

Asks casually.

“Don’t go causing trouble.”

“Yoo Ho likes meat so I’ll send rare jerky if I find any.”

Peep! Peep peep peep!

Behind Jin Cheonhee, Noe-jin, Cheon-jin, and Nan-man were having some conversation.

Seeing mother Noe-jin suddenly pecking Cheon-jin and Nan-man once each like nagging, it was exactly like parents going out.

Peep! Peep!

After urgent chirping, satisfied, Noe-jin fluttered up and perched lightly on Jin Cheonhee’s head.

Signal to depart.

“Then I’m off! Take good care of Master!”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Even the grumbling voice is endearing.

Hehehe. Still, Yoo Ho came to see me off this time.

Never expected someone who never cared about such things to come see him off like this.

Surely came instead of Master who’s in emergency surgery.

Still. That’s something, isn’t it?

At this rate, if he takes better care of the laboratory too, wouldn’t that alone be good?

And though it’s fine, I’m a bit frustrated too.

It’s true the streptomycin research hit a wall.

But I was just hoping there’s some answer.

Though I am planning for twenty years, it might far exceed that period.

And it might even never succeed in the end.

That’s how research is.

Just like gambling, there’s no guarantee of results no matter how much time and resources you pour in.

Conversely, someone who hasn’t invested even a quarter of a quarter of the expected time and effort might achieve new results by luck in this field.

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s too early to be disappointed by just that. Yeah!

At this point, I just need more samples.

While heading down to the Southern Barbarians anyway, I plan to collect all soil samples there too.

***

While heading down toward the Southern Barbarians, Jin Cheonhee collected soil samples.

And traveled while perfectly managing food too.

From Jiangsu Province to Guangsu.

Sometimes borrowing horses at post stations or riding merchant convoy carriages.

And Jin Cheonhee cooked dinner himself.

Sizzle sizzle-

I’ve been craving spicy dak-galbi lately. This is perfect timing.

The escort agency’s luggage cart happened to have a large flat iron plate like a dish.

The moment he saw that wide plate, could only think it was perfect for dak-galbi.

There’s a saying “chicken ribs.”

An idiom from Romance of the Three Kingdoms meaning something troublesome to eat but wasteful to throw away.

But to the Korean Jin Cheonhee, nothing’s more delicious than chicken ribs.

Dak-galbi.

What a delicious word.

Of course, he doesn’t just use the rib parts.

Uses all the meat stripped from a whole chicken.

The martial insight gained at life’s crossroads… instead of killing people, somehow only improves surgery and cooking skills.

That too, instant Chinese-style dak-galbi with Sichuan pepper and mala.

As he started cooking in earnest, not just the escort agency warriors but even the porters all stopped their chores to watch Jin Cheonhee cook.

Somehow getting better reactions than when treating them?

Still, having people watch makes cooking more enjoyable.

To raise excitement, Jin Cheonhee shakes the iron plate to make the dak-galbi jump while simultaneously spraying high-proof alcohol.

Using fire energy to raise the heat.

Whoosh!

Flames rose over the dak-galbi.

“Looks delicious…”

“Wow. They say the White-Robed Divine Dragon is peerless even in cooking.”

People stared entranced at the rising flames.

Western, Korean, and Chinese cuisine all mixed.

Whatever. As long as it tastes good.

Like that, sprinkled the secret ingredient over the flame-kissed dak-galbi.

Cheese.

Sizzzzle–!

The melting cheese began soaking the dak-galbi.

“Ooooh!”

The escort agents even clapped as if watching the performance of the century.

While the cheese melts, quickly beats eggs in another iron pot to make egg soup.

No small ingredients in this.

Compete purely with eggs and broth.

Exactly like Chinese restaurant egg drop soup.

Dak-galbi with egg soup is the way.

Craving dongchimi too but can’t help it since didn’t bring it from the pavilion.

Finally, the cooking was done.