I Became the Protagonist Who Monopolizes Fortuitous Encounters in a Martial Arts Novel Chapter 32: Save the Henan Yun Family! (4)
“My, my God!”
“No way!”
In the face of that monumental situation, even Peng Jincheon—who rarely ever lost his cool—along with the timid Meng Yuon and myself, all openly showed our raw emotions for once. In truth, the Henan Yun Family had always provided medical care to the common folk without discrimination, but they never gave special attention to martial artists. That made this benefit all the more precious and invaluable. It was to the point where even the governor of Henan Province wouldn't receive such treatment.
“And as for what Young Master Cheon Myeong originally wanted—treating your friend's chronic illness—I'll handle it personally.”
At those words from Yun Yeop, one of the foremost physicians in the jianghu, Meng Yuon's face lit up with joy. Our primary goal had been achieved, so the three of us hugged it out in celebration. It was a moment that deepened our friendship even further.
“Now, shall we see what ails you?”
Yun Yeop, who would later become an unparalleled figure and was already hailed as the world's greatest physician, finally began examining Meng Yuon.
Swish!
Meng Yuon extended his hand, trembling slightly from nerves.
“Oh ho, I think I know why you came to me.”
As expected of a master physician. The moment Yun Yeop took Meng Yuon's pulse, he saw right through it.
“There's a massive root of pent-up rage festering in his heart. This friend's nature is inherently gentle and timid to the extreme, yet something forced it to erupt.”
He pinpointed it so accurately, it felt like we'd brought him to a shaman instead of a doctor.
“You came to the right place. Even top-tier physicians would struggle to cure this completely. If more time had passed, that root of rage would have dominated his entire body, turning into a vile demonic force. You dodged a bullet.”
Meng Yuon and I exchanged glances and grinned. Thank goodness we'd hurried to the Henan Yun Family.
“On top of that, you've suppressed that raging temperament perfectly with an excellent cold-energy herb. That's flawless treatment in itself.”
I felt rewarded for feeding him the Moon Spirit Herb.
“The rest is up to this physician. Leave him to me, will you?”
Peng Jincheon and I nodded eagerly in agreement.
“How long until he's fully cured?”
When I asked, Yun Yeop smiled and replied,
“Three days at the shortest, a week at the longest?”
Even the timeline was perfect. We could wrap it up within our academy holiday, no problem. And in the meantime, I planned to study the transcribed copy of the Yun Family Heavenly Mandate Manual that Yun Yeop had given me. With this innate talent of mine, even a short time should be enough to master it, right?
* * *
Yun Yeop's words proved spot on. Exactly three days later, that night, Meng Yuon returned to us with the most refreshed look on his face.
“Yuon!”
“How's your body feeling?”
We ran to greet him after so long. Up close, his complexion was pristine, and the shadows that once darkened his features had vanished completely long ago.
“I feel so good, I wonder if it can get any better.”
Meng Yuon approached us with a beaming smile. A close inspection revealed no trace whatsoever of the Sword Ghost.
With this, the seed of demonic energy inside Meng Yuon had been utterly eradicated.
But the gains didn't stop there.
“Paradoxically, that demonic energy can also become the spark of martial talent. There's no such thing as pure evil, you might say. So in removing it completely, I arranged things so Young Master Meng can fully claim his talent for martial arts.”
Yun Yeop, who had followed behind Meng Yuon, explained while looking noticeably worn out. He'd downplayed it in front of us, but three straight days and nights of acupuncture and herbal brews for Meng Yuon had clearly exhausted him.
“It was thanks to that Moon Spirit Herb you gave him. I don't know where you got such a rare herb, but you saved a life with it.”
Feeding him the Moon Spirit Herb had truly been a brilliant choice. It forged a bond between Meng Yuon and me, and even altered his tragic future for the better. Two birds with one stone.
“By the way… how far have you gotten in the Yun Family Heavenly Mandate Manual? The basics? The herbs section?”
Yun Yeop, well aware I'd been staying to study medicine, asked with barely concealed anticipation.
“I've passed the decoctions and am now on the acupuncture section.”
And I gave him an answer that exceeded his expectations.
“W-what?!”
Stunned by my progress, Yun Yeop stared at me again.
“Is that true?”
In my stead, Yun Ja-so, the Yun Family's vice head who'd been assisting my studies, stepped forward.
“It's true. Young Master Cheon Myeong here has a heaven-sent talent for it.”
Yun Ja-so explained everything that had happened, marveling repeatedly. In truth, mastering the Yun Family Heavenly Mandate Manual had come so easily to me that I wondered if it was too straightforward. At first, I thought maybe the protagonist Cheon Myeong had talents beyond martial arts.
But isn't this the protagonist buff—the reward for the remake?
Since the remake had gone smoothly so far, maybe this was a perk granted to me. Yun Yeop's reaction to my hands had changed, after all—a sign of shifting fate, perhaps.
“Impressive. As encouragement to keep at it… here, take this.”
Clearly proud of me, Yun Yeop handed over his own silver needles, urging me to delve deeper into medicine with his blessings.
“Thank you! This is invaluable!”
I recognized at a glance how precious the silver needles were. They were the Yun Family Silver Needles, rare and superior tools used exclusively by the Yun bloodline physicians. Notably, they had the unique property of turning pitch black at the tip upon the slightest contact with poison, making them ideal for detection.
This will come in very handy.
Deeply satisfied, I carefully stored the Yun Family Silver Needles in my bosom.
With some holiday time left at Cheonmu Academy, we each immersed ourselves in martial arts and medicine while bonding with the Henan Yun Family. A week later, the day to return arrived.
“This is a shame.”
As our departure neared, Yun Gwang—the young master who'd recovered his health and grown close to us—smacked his lips regretfully.
“Tell me about it.”
Leaving Yun Gwang, who was just a year or two younger than us, felt truly regrettable.
“Yun Gwang, we'll drop by again sometime.”
“Yeah, we're not strangers, after all.”
Not just me—Peng Jincheon and Meng Yuon had also bonded deeply with him and shared the reluctance. Yun Yeop, delighted to see his son befriending such talents, came to see us off.
“Cheonmu Academy's in Hebei anyway—not too far. We'll meet again.”
Moreover, Yun Yeop mentioned he'd visit Cheonmu Academy multiple times to teach emergency treatments essential for martial artists. No eternal goodbyes here.
“It was a true pleasure meeting you.”
Those were my parting words to Yun Yeop as we left the Henan Yun Family. And I meant every bit of it. Our meeting had come at the lowest points for both sides. I'd met him dragging my crippled leg until middle age, while he, on the verge of an extreme choice, was consumed by thoughts of his long-lost son. In the original story, he'd treated me immediately—perhaps because I reminded him of his boy.
“Indeed. You've got real aptitude for medicine. Don't neglect it.”
“Of course I'll pursue it diligently.”
I'd fully internalized medicine's importance and resolved to master it. Saving precious lives was just as fulfilling as raising my cultivation to crush evildoers. No room for slacking.
“Well then.”
Setting aside our regrets, we departed the Henan Yun Family and returned to Cheonmu Academy.
Back at the academy, before we could even mourn parting from those we'd grown fond of, new challenges awaited.
Returning after so long, the place buzzed with fresh gossip.
“Hm? What's going on?”
Peng Jincheon, on decent terms with some upper-class cadets, asked one.
“You're late getting back. Haven't heard?”
He shrugged as if we were the only ones out of the loop and continued. Everyone except us, delayed by our Yun Family trip, seemed to be talking about the hot topic in the capital.
“They're officially exchanging with Paecheon Academy's upper class—various sparring formats and all.”
“What?”
“For real?”
We were stunned and immediately sought confirmation. And rightly so—Paecheon Academy was the unorthodox counterpart to our righteous Cheonmu Academy. Where Cheonmu represented the orthodox sects, Paecheon stood for the unorthodox factions; they were the cradles of each side.
“Obviously. Haven't you noticed the instructors, vice head, and headmaster all geared up for the exchange?”
Indeed, as representatives of orthodox and unorthodox, clashes between Cheonmu and Paecheon were like mini-sect wars. With each faction's pride on the line, the mind games alone were intense. Lately, with improving relations between the sides, these exchanges had resumed to foster communication.
“It's upper-class Cheonmu versus upper-class Paecheon, so we need to focus more than ever.”
Hearing that, I smiled in repeated surprise. While we were away, such a massive plot hook had dropped.
“Rewards? What do we get?”
When I asked, the cadet—not on great terms with me—still answered grudgingly.
“The one who racks up the most merits against Paecheon gets a martial art taught personally by the headmaster.”
At those words, every upper-class cadet, including us, ignited with passion. Cheonmu's headmaster outranked even Vice Head Soft Wind Silver Sword Dan Ri-cheong and was an extraordinary figure. Learning a technique from him was a fortuitous encounter in itself.
The academy's pinnacle, the headmaster, ranked among the world's ten strongest—Ten Great Warriors of the World—having transcended peak mastery to reach the Entry to Divinity.
Our headmaster is Baek Ho Jun, the Flame Flower Divine Lord, number one among the Ten Great Warriors.
As his epithet suggested, Baek Ho Jun wielded the fiercest, hottest Hot Yang Technique in the jianghu, a man brimming with fiery energy. Learning from him meant acquiring a blazing fire-attribute art—a huge boon.
Especially for me, practicing the cold Cold Seal Palm; a differing attribute was essential. Mastering multiple affinities granted advantages in elemental matchups.
I'll claim the Flame Flower Divine Lord's art!
Now I had every reason to pour everything into the Paecheon Academy exchange.