The Qi Arts Master Chapter 47
Tian Ailang lay on the bed in the room where he had first awakened, receiving a pulse diagnosis from the old man known as the Divine Physician. Gathered around him were Dam Soyeon and his sworn brothers.
"How is it?" Ni Da-hyeok asked the Divine Physician cautiously.
"Hmm... well now." The Divine Physician tilted his head, delaying his answer, and Song Sogeol urged him on.
"What?! Is there something wrong with my big bro?!"
The Divine Physician gave Song Sogeol an incredulous look.
"This punk. Did he boil his brains in stew?" Shaking his head, the Divine Physician continued. "A problem? Quite the opposite."
"Pardon?"
"In my fifty years as a physician, I've never seen recovery like this."
The Divine PhysicianJin Seolju withdrew his hand from the pulse and spoke.
"So, big bro's broken ribs and internal injuries are all fine now?"
The Divine Physician clicked his tongue at the hot-tempered Song Sogeol.
"Damn kid. Whoever ends up taking you must have the patience of a saint."
"Huh?"
The Divine Physician shook his head. "No matter. This guy's recovery is downright unnatural. He's basically healed already. But since he hasn't moved for so long, he'll need to slowly realign his heart and body."
The Divine Physician dusted off his hands and stood.
"Whoa! You're leaving already?"
Tian Ailang, who had been lying still for the examination, bolted upright in alarm. The Divine Physician waved him off.
"Don't make a fuss. Da-hyeok, bill the family head for this visit too."
Ni Da-hyeok smiled and replied, "Of course. After saving someone so important, how could we not?"
The Divine Physician shook his head at Ni Da-hyeok, then eyed Tian Ailang like some kind of monster.
"Looking at this guy, he probably would've healed on his own even without me. It just would've taken a hell of a lot longer. What a freak."
"That impressive?"
The Divine Physician nodded as he brushed past Ni Da-hyeok. As he reached for the door, he suddenly turned back to him.
"Your old man paid up front for treatments, so I left a few meds behind. Heard he joined up with that Red Turban crew as their strategist?"
Ni Da-hyeok smiled at the Divine Physician's generosity. "Yes. Thank you. We'll put them to good use."
The Divine Physician left without waiting for a reply.
Only after he had fully departed did Chanho speak up, still leaning against the wall and staring wonderingly at the open door.
"That old codger's really that good?"
Dam Soyeon answered for him. "He's got a cranky personality, sure. But his skills are the real deal."
Ni Da-hyeok picked up. "Exactly. He didn't earn the title Divine Physician for nothing."
"He goes just by Divine Physician—no real name?"
Ni Da-hyeok had ended up the youngest of the sworn brothers.
"He abandoned his old name. They say he goes by Jin Seolju now."
"What?!"
Song Sogeol jumped at the name. As Tian Ailang slipped on his shoes, he asked, "Why? He famous or something?"
Song Sogeol gaped at him, too stunned to close his mouth. "Famous...? Yeah. He was renowned for crafting the Shaolin Temple's Great Returning Pill. Then he vanished out of nowhere."
Sure enough.
Tian Ailang nodded easily. He'd suspected as much when the physician was called the Divine Physician. This must be the man said to stand alongside Old Man Ma of the Medical Pavilion as one of the two great Divine Physicians—especially since the Great Returning Pill came up.
Chanho stared at Song Sogeol in shock. "Great Returning Pill?"
The Great Returning Pill was one of the world's supreme spirit elixirs, so hearing the old man from moments ago had made it left Chanho unable to hide his astonishment.
"Yeah. Even now it's top-tier, but decades ago, it rivaled the Qi clan's elixirs as the absolute best... Ah!"
The sworn brothers had all learned of Tian Ailang's Qi clan origins from prior talks. They weren't offended that the Dam family had known while they hadn't; it had been an unspoken rule among them not to pry deeply into each other's clans or sects. Now, with their bond deepened, they relied on one another, dismissing such secrets as trivial.
Song Sogeol, mid-explanation of the Great Returning Pill, suddenly remembered Tian Ailang's background and asked, "Big bro, you know how to make elixirs?"
Tian Ailang shook his head. "Nah. Just the theory. Never tried it."
"But theory should be enough to make 'em, right?"
"Dunno. Probably tough. The top Qi clan elixirs need insane ingredients."
Song Sogeol tilted his head. "Why? How much could they possibly need?"
Tian Ailang grinned mischievously. "Great Returning Pill."
"Huh?"
Song Sogeol's eyes widened in shock. Tian Ailang smiled and continued. "And Ice White Pill."
"Whaaat??"
Song Sogeol's eyes bulged impossibly wide. "And Fire Dragon Pill."
Unable to hold back, Song Sogeol half-kneeled to meet the eyes of Tian Ailang, who sat perched on the bed. He wasn't the only one stunned.
"You're joking, right?"
Tian Ailang tapped his shoes into place and stood. "Nope. From what I know, the Qi clan's elixir combines those three with Qi Arts refinement."
"Ahh... then what in the world... what the hell...?"
Song Sogeol gnawed his nails, imagining a single elixir born from those three.
Unable to wait, Dam Soyeon pressed from the side. "What elixir does it make?"
The room's collective curiosity fixed intense gazes on Tian Ailang. Even Song Sogeol abandoned his imaginings to watch his lips.
Tian Ailang recalled his knowledge and stated flatly, "What I was taught? A panacea that cures all diseases."
"......"
"......What's that?"
"Sounds... familiar somehow... Like something street charlatans peddle..."
"Hmm..."
Tian Ailang chuckled as he straightened his disheveled clothes from the treatment, amid the group's reactions.
"Exactly what it says. Any poison, any internal injury, any wound— one dose revives you. Plus some inner power boost."
"Gasp! That's insane!"
Song Sogeol's jaw dropped. Tian Ailang nodded. "Yeah. Take it when you're healthy beforehand, though, and you gain monstrous inner power and recovery. The clan only had one."
The room's occupants all stared at Tian Ailang.
"Huh?"
He blinked at the focused attention. Ni Da-hyeok ventured carefully, "Ailang bro... was that the one you took?"
"Uh, huh?"
Song Sogeol jumped in with conviction. "C'mon, bro. You took wounds that should've killed you, recovered like a monster per the Divine Physician, and that ridiculous inner power? Obvious. Man, I'm jealous. Eating a once-in-a-lifetime elixir like that. Wonder if I can snag one somewhere."
Song Sogeol laced his fingers behind his head enviously.
Tian Ailang glanced around; everyone nodded along, convinced he'd taken it. He racked his brains, certain he hadn't.
...Why? No memory of eating an elixir. Me, take something like that? When? I fled the clan at one year old. Even the earliest it'd be safe is past three... Ah! ...Grandfather... .
Something heavy settled in Tian Ailang's chest.
"And you didn't take it..."
he murmured softly.
"Pardon?"
Song Sogeol leaned in at the faint voice, but Tian Ailang shook it off, soothing his aching heart. "Nothing."
"Boring."
Song Sogeol smirked. Reading the mood, Ni Da-hyeok said to Tian Ailang, "You seem fine now, so if you're up for it, bro, how about heading there?"
"Ah, that unit with the old man?"
Ni Da-hyeok nodded assent, but Dam Soyeon cut in urgently. "Wait!"
"What's up?"
She smiled at Tian Ailang's question. "We gotta go somewhere together first."
* * *
Mount Tai.
Renowned as the foremost of the Five Great Mountains, Mount Tai was the sacred peak where ancient emperors performed rites of cosmic worship. The highest mountain in Shandong Province, it was peerless in historical significance and scenic beauty.
Gazing at the snow-capped summit, Tian Ailang asked Dam Soyeon, "The white tiger's up there?"
Having become sworn brothers with Ni Da-hyeok—who now called him "bro"—Tian Ailang felt comfortable addressing Dam Soyeon casually too.
"Yeah. Thought it was a big cat at first... turns out it's a tiger. Freaked me out when I realized."
Dam Soyeon said sheepishly. The others had stayed behind at the Dam estate to rest, leaving just Tian Ailang and Dam Soyeon for Mount Tai—thanks to her insistence.
The Dam family villa lay at Mount Tai's flank, so they reached the base quickly.
"Hmm... but do you know where exactly?"
Dam Soyeon tilted her head at the question. "Weird. Usually it comes out to greet me by now."
She pulled her fur coat tighter against the biting mountain wind. Tian Ailang closed his eyes and spread his energy wide. With the spirit energy gained from resonating with the white tiger, he figured he could sense it easily.
Sure enough, extending his energy to envelop the whole mountain revealed the white tiger's presence near the peak.
Maybe he could call it down without climbing? He nudged it with energy laced with spirit energy.
But though the white tiger clearly sensed him, it showed no reaction.
Tian Ailang prodded a few more times, then opened his eyes. No dice—he'd have to go find it himself.
"Let's go. I know where it is."
"Huh? You found it already?"
Dam Soyeon gaped; he'd located it in this vast mountain without even ascending. Tian Ailang smiled lightly and took the lead.
They began climbing the mountain path like it was a stroll. Despite the chill, Dam Soyeon beamed, happy to be with Tian Ailang, and spoke up.
"You know Mount Tai's the king of the Five Great Mountains?"
Tian Ailang shook his head. "Not up on the history."
"Hehe, they say Emperor Qin Shi Huang climbed it to worship heaven. Many emperors followed."
"Oh? That cosmic rite thing?"
"Yep. And the people revere this mountain as truly divine."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. They say just climbing it shaves ten years off your age."
"Ten years?"
His perfect reactions spurred Dam Soyeon on happily. "Yes, and midway up there's the Five Pines Pavilion."
"Five Pines Pavilion?"
"Legend says Qin Shi Huang was climbing for the rite when a storm hit. He sheltered under some pines at mid-mountain."
"Even that legendary emperor couldn't handle a storm, huh."
"Hehe, guess not. Later, to thank them, he granted those pines the rank of Five Great Physicians."
"Think we'll see it on the way up?"
"Hehe, probably. But where's the white tiger?"
Dam Soyeon followed his gaze to the summit. "No way it's at the top, right?"
Tian Ailang just smiled and nodded.
"We won't make it by tonight," she fretted.
He paused thoughtfully, then extended a hand to Dam Soyeon. Effortlessly, he scooped her up by the back and legs into his arms.
"Excuse me."