Chapter 88
Chapter 88
When not a single one of the ten long needles touched Jin Cheon-hee, Flying Dagger clicked his tongue.
It seemed his intention was to distract and then escape.
At that moment, Jin Cheon-hee’s figure appeared again in front of him.
Simultaneously, a palm strike hit his temple.
Thwack!
There was no need to use the Ten Steps Divine Spear.
It was just a light strike.
That one hit made the man’s skull ring.
‘Just shaking the cochlea a little is enough to make a person stagger.’
He had simply infused a bit of wind energy into his palm and struck the ear.As soon as the man staggered, Jin Cheon-hee grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back as if he had been waiting for this.
Crack-
“Aaaagh!”
He didn’t break it. He just grabbed the arm and dislocated it.
Just the separation of bone from joint is enough to cause great pain for humans.
“Don’t move. If you put weight on it carelessly, you’ll have aftereffects.”
“…”
When Flying Dagger hesitated, Jin Cheon-hee pulled out his other arm this time.
Crack-
“Aaaagh! Stop, stop!”
The watching Beggar’s Sect members inwardly let out silent screams.
Getting injured during battle is common.
Being cut by swords or getting fractures from clubs happens countless times.
But there was something different about Little White Dragon. He was calmly showing the eccentricity of pulling out both arms.
“You’ll stay still, right?”
“…”
“Good. You’re a polite person.”
As Flying Dagger became polite, Jin Cheon-hee smiled innocently.
Perhaps he became even more polite because Jin Cheon-hee was preparing to grab and twist his ankle.
“What should we do with this person?”
The Beggar’s Sect members answered:
“He tried to take Little White Dragon’s life, so you can do as you wish.”
“You mean I can kill him?”
“It’s up to Little White Dragon.”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee realized anew the frightfulness of the martial world.
Flying Dagger said:
“Young master, I’ll do anything if you just spare my life.”
“Well, since I’m a doctor, I had no intention of killing you. But it doesn’t feel right to just let you go either…”
Jin Cheon-hee thought for a moment and then said:
“I’ll block your danjeon for a while by pressing acupoints, so why don’t you do some boat work?”
“Boat work, you say?”
“We need an oarsman to cross the Yangtze River, don’t we?”
Jin Cheon-hee smiled brightly.
“Since you have good physical strength, please keep rowing until I say it’s okay.”
If asked to name the toughest jobs, miners and oarsmen are always mentioned.
It was so bad that they would buy people who were sold due to debt because no one wanted to do it.
Even people with good physiques would ruin their backs after just a month of rowing.
That’s how harsh the work was.
And now he’s being told to row without even inner energy.
Jin Cheon-hee said:
“It’s fine. Even if you collapse, I can heal you!”
A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body. Jin Cheon-hee thought.
‘Right. He’s a young man with all limbs intact. This much should be enough to fix his spirit and build muscle. It’s killing two birds with one stone.’
I don’t know how he fell into this bad path, but he’s still young.
The only problem was that Jin Cheon-hee’s standard of fixing one’s spirit was a bit different from the average person’s.
‘Sigh, yes. This must be the gratitude of the martial world. To think I’m already starting to bestow favors. As expected of me, as expected of me. This is behavior befitting the top disciple of White Dragon.’
Anyway, even if several of these petty criminals came, they couldn’t even touch the tip of Jin Cheon-hee’s sword.
Isn’t it productive to use all the guys he meets as oarsmen?
Jin Cheon-hee thought brightly and positively.
“Oars…man…”
The Beggar’s Sect members looked at Flying Dagger with pitying eyes.
‘I remember there was a section where we had to go upstream along a tributary of the Yangtze River on the way to where Little White Dragon wants to go…?’
Moreover, at this time of year, even the wind direction wasn’t favorable, making it even more hellish for oarsmen.
Thus, Jin Cheon-hee’s first oarsman slave was assigned.
***
After briefly treating the injured Beggar’s Sect members, Jin Cheon-hee headed to the Yeong-gyon Inn.
The whole way there, his skin felt tingly for some reason.
It was different from the killing intent Flying Dagger had emitted, but it felt a bit stickier.
‘It feels like someone is watching me closely?’
He thought it might actually be true.
Upon arriving at the Yeong-gyon Inn, Jin Cheon-hee handed Flying Dagger over to the Beggar’s Sect members.
With his acupoints pressed, Flying Dagger would be unable to use martial arts for a while.
“I pressed the acupoints with divine technique, so only my master and I can undo it. If you try to forcibly undo it by finding another doctor, you’ll probably never be able to function as a person again for the rest of your life.”
Jin Cheon-hee calmly explained his current condition to Flying Dagger.
“I’m a doctor, so I have no intention of torturing or killing you. Just show me that you’ve reflected on your past mistakes, and I’ll undo it then. Until then, you’ll work as an oarsman.”
Flying Dagger nodded.
For him, there was no better offer than being released if he just rows well.
Except for the fact that the Beggar’s Sect members kept looking at him with pitying expressions for some reason.
“Have this person row at the front.”
It’s the place that directly cuts through the current and sets the direction. It meant the most difficult position.
“The front… Understood. We’ll place him in the very front row.”
The Beggar’s Sect members’ pitying expressions grew even stronger.
Unaware of this, Flying Dagger said:
“I’ve never rowed a boat before, how do I do it?”
“Ah… We’ll teach you well, so don’t worry. Other positions are problematic too, but the front… You’ll really… really need to learn quickly.”
“…?”
The Beggar’s Sect members dragged away Flying Dagger, who was tilting his head in confusion.
They were the ones who had received Jin Cheon-hee’s treatment. They had no intention of handling the job carelessly.
‘Good. I’ve done another good deed today.’
Jin Cheon-hee entered the Yeong-gyon Inn.
Inside, quite a few people could be seen.
There were people who looked like martial artists with swords at their waists, and scholars wearing expensive clothes.
Waiters moved quickly back and forth taking orders, and the heat from the kitchen could be felt even here.
That’s when a man and woman he had never seen before approached Jin Cheon-hee.
“Pleased to meet you. Are you by chance Little White Dragon Jin Cheon-hee, the young hero of White Dragon Medical Pavilion?”
They both made cupped-hand salutes and bowed, with the man speaking first.
‘Huh? Who are they?’
At a glance, both of them seemed to have learned martial arts to a considerable level.
Not only that, their clothes were also luxurious, and the swords at their waists looked like famous blades.
It was natural that they looked like martial artists, and judging by their behavior and gait, they seemed to be people from a prestigious sect.
Jin Cheon-hee also made a cupped-hand salute and bowed his head.
“I am indeed Jin Cheon-hee of White Dragon Medical Pavilion, but who might you two be?”
“It’s an honor to meet the disciple of the renowned doctor whose fame spreads across the world. I am Namgoong Woon of the Namgoong family. My friends in the martial world call me the Azure Dragon Sword.”
‘Azure Dragon Sword Namgoong Woon? Ah. The one who’s later called the Emperor Sword and becomes one of the Three Swords Under Heaven?’
Jin Cheon-hee looked at Namgoong Woon with a slightly surprised expression. Meanwhile, the woman spoke up:
“I, I am Namgoong Yeon of the Namgoong family.”
‘Namgoong Woon’s sister Namgoong Yeon!’
The woman who stuttered slightly, Namgoong Yeon, had a small build with delicate features resembling a cat, while Namgoong Woon had a large build with droopy eyes and open features resembling a large dog.
Looking at the two of them, Jin Cheon-hee was surprised for a different reason.
This was because Jin Cheon-hee knew the significance of these two names.
First, Emperor Sword Namgoong Woon.
The Namgoong family, which reigns as the hegemon of Anhui Province, has long been known as a prestigious sword family, famous for being powerful in both light and heavy swords.
They have produced outstanding swordsmen for generations, being one of the pillars of the martial world that debaters never fail to mention when discussing the world’s greatest swords.
Among them, Namgoong Woon could be called the crown jewel who had mastered all the secret techniques of the Namgoong family.
He becomes one of the Three Great Masters of the world at a young age, standing as one of the pillars of the righteous martial world.
He also later becomes the Alliance Chief of the Martial Alliance.
He’s famous for doting excessively on his younger sister Namgoong Yeon, who has stuttered since childhood and always followed Namgoong Woon very well.
The book didn’t mention the reason for her stuttering, but I suspect it might have been a psychological issue.
This is because after Namgoong Woon’s death, Namgoong Yeon greatly blames herself for a month.
She changes completely, as if she’s a different person.
Namgoong Yeon, who had been teased for stuttering since childhood, was no longer there.
Only a taciturn and cold swordswoman remained.
She moved to reunite the Namgoong family with her sword and avenge her brother.
Then who is this enemy?
Naturally, of course, the enemy is the protagonist.
Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryoon.
He kills Namgoong Woon after engaging in a life-and-death battle with him.
At that time, it was described that even Yeo Ha-ryoon fought a fierce battle with Namgoong Woon to the point of being prepared to die.
He was that strong of an opponent, one of the strongest in the story.
“It’s nice to meet you. But you seem to have come knowing about me, I’m curious what brings you here?”
Jin Cheon-hee answered calmly, unlike his inner thoughts.
Why had these two come looking for him?
“We were passing through here on a pleasure trip when we heard some quite interesting news. Then seeing the protagonist of that rumor right before our eyes, we wanted to have a chat. How about it? If it’s alright, I’d like to treat Little White Dragon…”
‘It feels really strange to hear directly what I’ve only seen in novels…’
Jin Cheon-hee was feeling unfamiliar inside as he listened to Namgoong Woon’s words.
When had he ever had such a conversation in the past when he was a modern Earthling?
Even after arriving in this Hua Empire, a world of martial arts, he had only stayed within the medical center, so this was his first experience of something he had only heard about in words.
“If you’re offering to treat me, I’d be grateful. By the way, let’s drop the formalities. I’m younger, so it feels a bit uncomfortable if you speak so politely to me.”
“Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
“Hahaha. Little Brother Jin is quite open-minded.”
Jin Cheon-hee thought Namgoong Woon laughed like a great hero.
Jin Cheon-hee followed their guidance into a small private room.
He ordered a few dishes and said:
“Brother Jin. The xiaolongbao here is excellent, so try it. Also, whether it’s dongpo pork or huiguo (double-cooked) pork, all the pork dishes are the chef’s specialties. Order more of anything you want to eat. Or is there something else you want to eat? Yeon, what will you choose?”
At those words, Namgoong Yeon blushed and said:
“I, I’m fine with any noodle dish…”
“You greet well but still get shy. Can’t you do as we practiced?”
Instead of answering, Namgoong Yeon pinched Namgoong Woon’s side hard.
“Ouch ouch. Your brother is dying. This is why they say my sister’s hands are the best in the world even though her speech is a bit slow. Her specialty is pinching. Ouch!”
Their behavior made Jin Cheon-hee laugh.
They were a different type of close siblings compared to the Mu-hwa and Mu-wol siblings he had seen before.