Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Hidden Dragon's Prowess
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Doubt filled the eyes of the members from Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and the Beggars' Sect.
He certainly seemed less skilled than the other martial doctors they had traveled with, but being laymen in medicine, they couldn't find fault.
Instead of all this talk, why don't we check the contents of his medical pouch? See what kind of medicine he's carrying.
I agree with Young Doctor Wi Ji-cheon.
Ahem, this Hong Gae concurs as well.
Cheong Song and Hong Gae defended Wi Ji-cheon, and just as Hyun Woon and Jang Myeong, the representatives of the Mount Hua and Zhongnan groups, were about to nod
You insolent brat! How dare you try to ruin everything! Long live the Blood Cult!!
Young Doctor Wi Ji-cheon!!
The martial doctorno, the Blood Cultistlunged at Wi Ji-cheon like lightning, his sword flashing.
The disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan were startled and tried to block him, but the Blood Cultist was faster.
And yet.
A slight shift.
Wi Ji-cheon moved his feet, executing his footwork.
A simple movement.
That alone was enough.
Whoosh!
Huh?
The Blood Cultist's sword sliced futilely through the empty air.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Something unbelievable had just happened.
Was it a coincidence?
No, it wasn't a coincidence.
You bastard!!
The Blood Cultist gritted his teeth and swung his sword again.
He ignored the people from Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and the Beggars' Sect behind him, determined to at least kill Wi Ji-cheon before he was taken down.
Whoosh!
Another clean miss.
In the end, the man was captured and immediately bit down on a poison pill, taking his own life.
As the situation concluded, everyone present stared at Wi Ji-cheon in astonishment.
The Medical Immortal Medical House of Nanyang, was it? I think I've heard of it. The so-called World's Greatest Medical House of the past? So a hidden dragon was being nurtured there. When I heard the story from that boy Cheong Song, I was half in doubt.
Medical Immortal Sword of Nanyang.
It was the title Wi Ji-cheon had earned after cutting down an envoy of the Blood Cult in Xi'an.
However, few people had taken the title seriously.
It meant the sword of the Medical Immortal Medical House of Nanyang, but wasn't that too grandiose? To have 'Immortal' in one's title!
Titles that included local place names like Nanyang were often exaggerated.
Just like how Jang Sam had gained the title 'Southern Hegemon of Nanyang' for merely pacifying a single southern street in the city.
However.
That movement just now... it's not something such a young boy should be able to display.
It was just a few steps of footwork, but it contained a surprisingly profound principle.
So much so that he wanted to show it to the disciples of Mount Hua.
The young boy couldn't possibly have grasped the principles of footwork, so he must have moved instinctively.
He was a heavenly martial talent. The kind rarely seen even in Mount Hua, which was filled with prodigies.
Just as Hyun Woon, the Plum Blossom Swordsman of Mount Hua, was about to express his admiration, the person next to him spoke first.
Impressive. I am Jang Myeong of the Eighteen Hands of Zhongnan. A martial talent great enough to open my eyes. What do you say to becoming a disciple of our Zhongnan Sect?
What, just like that?
Hyun Woon of Mount Hua frowned.
Although they had joined hands for now, Mount Hua and Zhongnan were originally on bad terms.
What are you talking about? Why should the young doctor become a disciple of Zhongnan? We of Mount Hua are right here.
Hmph, hasn't Mount Hua already lost its chance? I heard you offered him a position as a lay disciple back in Xi'an and got rejected. A lay disciple for such a talent. How ridiculous.
What! The gates to our main sect of Mount Hua are wide open for him. We'll even let him skip the ranks and become a direct disciple of the Sect Leader!
Our Zhongnan Sect will spare no expense in supporting him! Whatever you can imagine, you'll receive more than that!
You're still just a Zhongnan mule. Imagine becoming the First Sword of Mount Hua. Doesn't that sound better than the First Sword of Zhongnan?
What did you just say? You Mount Hua clod.
As Hyun Woon and Jang Myeong bickered, Hong Gae cleared his throat beside them.
Perhaps we should save that discussion for later. Shouldn't we first express our gratitude for the favor Young Doctor Wi has shown us?
Hyun Woon and Jang Myeong realized their mistake.
They had been so captivated by Wi Ji-cheon's martial talent that they had lost their composure.
We've made a scene. If it weren't for the young doctor, we would have continued to be played by that Blood Cultist's tricks. Mount Hua is once again in your debt. I express my gratitude again.
The same goes for Zhongnan. Thank you very much.
You praise me too much. I only did what was my duty as a doctor.
Hyun Woon and Jang Myeong were once again impressed by Wi Ji-cheon's humble response.
His medical skill that allowed him to see through the Blood Cult's scheme at a glance, and his outstanding character, which was obvious to anyone.
Greed once again filled their hearts.
Ahem, we have an opening in our Mount Hua's Inner Medical Hall How about you take charge of it, becoming a main sect disciple of Mount Hua while remaining a disciple of the Medical Immortal Medical House?
We have a spot in Zhongnan too!!
Seeing the two renowned Daoists bickering again, Jang Sam lamented.
The future of the martial world is bleak. To think that even the renowned masters of the Nine Sects, One Union are being played like this by that devil.
Wi Ji-cheon gave an awkward smile and changed the subject.
First, I will treat the injured. Could you please guide me?
There were many victims of the Soul-Bewildering Poison.
Nothing could be done for those already dead, so they began treating the injured.
Junior Sister Dan Yeo?
I know. Junior Brother Ah-seop, let's go!
Yes, Senior Sister!!
Wi Ji-cheon, along with Dan Yeo and Ah-seop, began treating the wounded, and the martial artists watched the three of them in amazement.
These young doctors are incredibly skilled.
They're even more skilled than our sect's personal physician.
Was the skill of the Medical Immortal Medical House always this great?
It was a curious thing. Wi Ji-cheon, of course, but Dan Yeo and Ah-seop were still just fledgling apprentice doctors. How could they receive such high praise?
There was a reason.
Treating the severely wounded is one of our Medical Immortal Medical House's specialties.
Martial artists weren't the only ones who got injured and died in the world. The powerless and the poor were exposed to all sorts of dangers, and the Medical Immortal Medical House had treated countless wounded people.
Of course, when it comes to 'Surgical Arts,' which specialize in treating external injuries, the doctors from medical houses that cater to martial artists are more skilled than us, but this isn't an environment where such arts can be properly performed.
Surgical Arts.
The principle of medicine in the Central Plains is based on restoring the body's imbalance through Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.
However, external injuries were a difficult problem for doctors.
If someone was stabbed in the stomach, their intestines torn and leaking waste, could the body's imbalance be restored with the principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements?
In the past, they would use medicinal herbs to aid recovery as much as possible, helping the body find its balance, and then leave the rest to fate.
Naturally, countless injured people failed to recover and died.
They considered it an unavoidable matterdoing one's best and leaving the rest to heavenbut times had changed.
The main clients of medical houses became martial artists, and they wanted medical techniques that could save them from their injuries.
Thus, a medical art specializing in treating external injuries was born: the Surgical Arts.
It was called Surgical Arts because it used a blade in treatment.
It's a treatment method inspired by Hua Tuo's art of scraping the poison from Guan Yu's shoulder with a blade.
The basic concept of Surgical Arts is this: when the body's balance is severely disrupted by an external injury, recovery is limited. Therefore, a blade is used to cut away the excessive evil energy, creating a situation where the patient can recover.
For example, if the intestines were pierced by a blade and began to rot?
Previously, they would administer medicine and wait for recovery.
With Surgical Arts, they would cut out the rotten section of the intestine first, then use medicine to facilitate recovery.
Brother Wi Ji-gang specializes in Surgical Arts.
Wi Ji-cheon, Dan Yeo, and Ah-seop were still fledglings; performing Surgical Arts was far beyond their capabilities.
Of course, in Wi Ji-cheon's case, his experience of reaching the pinnacle of his art gave him a significant advantage in learning Surgical Arts, but it was still too soon.
So, why were people so impressed?
Surgical Arts can only be performed inside a medical house, with perfect preparations like anesthetics and Purifying Powder to eliminate toxins. In an environment like this, emergency medicine is far more important.
Th-this patient's abdominal wound is too severe, what do we do?
Hmm, Junior Brother Ah-seop? What did I tell you?
Gasp! I'm sorry, Senior Sister! You said just stopping the bleeding is enough!
That's right. If you don't want to be doing group drills under the moonlight, stay focused. Our role isn't to completely heal the wounded. It's enough to provide emergency treatment so they can hold on.
Proper treatment would be administered after they were transported to a medical house.
On-site, just providing emergency care exponentially increases the survival rate.
This kind of emergency treatment was their specialty. After all, it was the role of these rookie doctors to provide the initial emergency care to the patients who flocked to the Medical Immortal Medical House.
Amazing. They're calmly performing only the necessary treatments.
If they had misjudged the situation and wasted time trying to perform overly complex treatments, the number of casualties would have only increased.
The martial artists' admiration didn't end there.
After the treatment of the wounded was finished, they proceeded past the mechanism.
It's a coffin!! The Sword Lord's Half-Sword is on top of the coffin!
Everyone shouted with joy.
The members of Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and the Beggars' Sect also breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank you. Thanks to Young Doctor Wi Ji-cheon, we were able to get here safely. Because you quickly saw through the Blood Cult's scheme, the damage was contained. Otherwise, who knows what other tricks they would have pulled.
Mount Hua, step aside. I want to properly reward Young Doctor Wi Ji-cheon for his help. Would you be willing to come to Zhongnan?
Forget Zhongnan, come to our Mount Hua. The scenery is magnificent.
Magnificent? You mean accursed. After all, Mount Hua is one of the Five Great Mountains, known as the most accursed of them all.
Just as another spat was about to spark between them.
Wi Ji-cheon raised his hand.
Wait, please.
What is it?
Something is strange.
Hmm?
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
This was the final destination of the mechanism, so they had all checked for potential traps, but they hadn't seen any particular danger.
What you see isn't everything.
Wi Ji-cheon recalled information he had heard in his previous life.