Chapter 208 |
Having come this far, Jin Cheonhee dressed lightly and wore a bamboo hat to cover his face.
The restaurant Sama Hyeon recommended seemed like a righteous sect establishment befitting the Martial Righteous Alliance… but seeing how warmly they greeted Sama Hyeon, there must be some connection with the owner.
“The crab sweet and sour pork here is delicious, brother.”
“Crab sweet and sour pork? They don’t seem to serve that…”
The menu on the wall didn’t list any crab sweet and sour pork.
“Waiter, one large plate of crab sweet and sour pork!”
Sama Hyeon casually called the waiter and ordered.
“Ah! Right away! The owner said to serve the young master whatever he desires!”
The waiter took the order with a practiced bow.
“You must come often?”
“No, how could I visit often when this is the Martial Righteous Alliance~”
When Jin Cheonhee wondered how he could order it then, Sama Hyeon explained.
“It’s nothing special. Like I said, Golden Blood Chamber is doing new business. The owner was about to be dragged to the salt farms with his family but survived. He paid back quickly because he’s skilled~ Golden Blood Chamber is happy too since this side is profitable.”
“That’s good.”
“After paying off his debt, he borrowed again from Golden Blood Chamber to open this inn. It hasn’t been open long so word hasn’t spread, but it’ll be crowded soon enough.”
It seemed remarkable that he would think to borrow again after paying off his debt.
Sama Hyeon responded as if Jin Cheonhee was being naive.
“Brother, did you come from another world? Where else besides us would let debtors pay back money without beating them, kidnapping them, or selling them to salt farms?”
Ah right, this is the martial world.
Jin Cheonhee quickly took a sip of tea.
“Same interest rate?”
“Reduced by 10%. He’s an excellent customer who significantly increased the principal. Yes, big business requires big risks. We support our valued customer~”
…Perhaps Sama Hyeon was born in the wrong era.
Maybe he should have been born in modern Earth instead of causing events like the Ten Mountains Blood Sea☆Absolute Hell in this martial arts world.
If he’d been born on Earth, perhaps he would have used his natural talent to become an idol or actor?
Then retired at the right time to start a cult or multi-level marketing scheme…
That would be problematic in its own way.
In any case, he’s not one to live like others.
“Here’s your crab sweet and sour pork! And complimentary xiaolongbao, young master!”
While they were conversing, the waiter brought out the food.
The aroma was so surprisingly delicious that his eyes widened.
“They made this by picking out all the crab meat piece by piece?”
“It’s very labor-intensive. That’s why it’s not on the regular menu.”
Crunch-
When he put it in his mouth, he felt the savory, crispy exterior.
One bite released an explosive burst of king crab leg meat and juices.
Combined with the signature sweet and sour sauce, it was heaven.
“!”
Jin Cheonhee was speechless from that moment on. He only wielded his chopsticks valiantly to eat as much as possible.
Seeing his brother’s satisfaction made Sama Hyeon satisfied too.
“I knew you’d like it.”
He ordered two more plates from the waiter.
Seeing Jin Cheonhee’s eating speed, even two more plates might not be enough, but Sama Hyeon figured they could go to another place when he wanted to try something else.
Just then, there was a loud crash!
“Hm?”
As Jin Cheonhee turned to look with crab meat in his mouth, he saw a body flying toward a table.
Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique acceleration!
He activated his brain with the sole determination to protect the food.
While it might have been excessive, he had to protect the food!
As his thoughts accelerated, the flying person seemed to move in slow motion.
Jin Cheonhee grabbed the person’s nape and spun them once using a Taiqing Mountain Water technique.
The mysteries of taiji infused with obsession for crab meat.
He then slammed the rotated person to the side.
Crash!
“Really, they say even dogs don’t disturb others eating, what is this…!”
This was the third time being interrupted during a meal.
At this point, he was getting angry enough to wonder if there was some kind of “pick fights during meals” energy flow in the Martial Righteous Alliance.
But no one was paying attention to Jin Cheonhee.
“Sect enemies! Take them down!”
“They say enemies meet on a narrow bridge. How fortuitous to meet you here! Red Moon Sect!”
Two groups of Late Foundation Stage practitioners were engaged in a brawl.
They had drawn swords, sabers, and even axes to fight each other.
The grudges of the martial world… huh.
To think grudges would erupt even in this small, newly opened inn.
They were seriously fighting, even mixing in hidden weapons.
The waiter crouched under a table crying “Please spare us, young masters!”, while others slowly backed away.
The innkeeper didn’t even come out.
He wasn’t trained in martial arts, and if he carelessly emerged and got caught by a stray blade, no one would take responsibility.
Right, in martial arts movies the inns always get destroyed like this.
It was quite cool seeing red tables explode from masters’ strikes.
“Ah, Hyeon. I like the martial world but I don’t like martial artists.”
“Oh~ What do you mean by that, brother?”
“Think about it. When they fight and get injured like this, where do you think they’ll run to? No… looking at them, many are already injured.”
Would I have seen it more romantically if I wasn’t the one who had to treat them?
Sama Hyeon looked at Jin Cheonhee with momentary sympathy before grinning as he pulled out his large, sturdy hand.
“If they die, you won’t need to treat them, right brother?”
Did he mean to kill them all to prevent his brother’s overwork?
While it’s true you can’t revive the dead no matter how divine your medical skills are…
The problem is that it goes way beyond human principles.
“Just stay still. Please.”
At that moment, a sword plunged down toward someone’s brow.
If they couldn’t dodge, they would die, and even if they dodged, they would suffer a serious shoulder injury leaving their arm unusable!
“…!”
As everyone’s eyes widened in shock, Jin Cheonhee immediately channeled qi into his finger and flicked lightly.
Flicking Heaven-Penetrating Finger.
Jin Cheonhee’s modified direct shot[1]
Pleasing Qi Shot[2]-!
The qi shot imbued with cold energy exploded from his fingertip and precisely struck the sword.
Clang-!
The iron sword broke as if hit by a bullet.
The loud sound of the breaking sword momentarily froze everyone’s movements.
Sama Hyeon’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow… Brother, that’s awesome? What martial art is that?”
“The Quanzhen Sect’s Flicking Heaven-Penetrating Finger.”
Jin Cheonhee gave only that brief answer as he watched the opponent.
To protect this crab sweet and sour pork, he was prepared to break every sword in this inn.
Instead of getting excited, the martial artist whose sword broke sheathed the broken blade.
Then he gave Jin Cheonhee a respectful bow.
“I apologize for the disturbance. I am Ha Yeong-cheong of the Red Moon Sect. Which great master has graced us with their presence?”
A thousand thoughts crossed his mind at once.
Should he give any random name and slip away?
Or should he tell them to mind their own business and finish the remaining crab dish?
But the problem was that he had already noticed the injured people.
Tsk. No choice I guess.
Jin Cheonhee removed his bamboo hat and stood up.
“It was me. The hidden weapons seemed excessive. Moreover, this is an inn, a public place. There are other people here, and disturbing their meals like this doesn’t seem right.”
Crab sweet and sour pork.
My crab sweet and sour pork…
Swallowing those words, Jin Cheonhee spoke of a physician’s duty.
Ha Yeong-cheong of the Red Moon Sect was startled.
He had thought the person was an eccentric master with a nasty temperament since they broke the sword without saying things like ‘please stop’, ‘cease this’, or ‘what are you doing’, but it turned out to be a young handsome man speaking such sensible words!
Though it was difficult to gauge the opponent’s personality, they were clearly a master.
He decided it would be best to answer as respectfully as possible.
“I apologize for the rudeness. Might I know your honored name…”
“I am Jin Cheonhee of the White Dragon Medical Pavilion.”
Both sides exclaimed in surprise.
“Little White Dragon Jin Cheonhee!”
“The Minor Pavilion Master of White Dragon?”
“But where did the dog and hawk go?”
Yes, where did they go…
What was the point of promising them special food to leave them behind.
The young man before them somehow wore an expression as if his soul had left his body.
He looked like an old man who had experienced all of life’s hardships.
Jin Cheonhee sighed once. Then, as if deciding to forget everything, he approached the scene of battle.
“Since I’m already involved, let me examine the patients briefly.”
“Patients? What do you…”
Before answering, Jin Cheonhee first examined a patient with a wound in their abdomen.
He quickly stopped the bleeding with acupressure and checked their pulse with the Five Elements True Qi.
This level… should be fine.
“Ohhh!”
Everyone was amazed by Jin Cheonhee’s quick and precise movements.
“As expected of the White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s successor!”
And there was one more thing to be surprised about.
The martial artists, including the patient, thought simultaneously:
Why? Why do we feel such presence from a physician’s acupressure?
They felt a strange pressure as if he might strike their vital points instead of treating patients.
Regardless, Jin Cheonhee immediately directed them to go to the temporary emergency room set up by the White Dragon Medical Pavilion.
Though they weren’t officially accepting patients yet before the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, these minor injuries wouldn’t be difficult to treat and could serve as practice for the intermediate physicians.
Sigh… I wish they would live peacefully without slashing at each other.
But he knew that wish wouldn’t come true.
Next person is… a fracture.
Fracture. Fortunately, it was a clean break.
“Don’t move. Moving carelessly will only make things worse.”
He immediately performed manual reduction and used a broken table leg as a splint.
“Argh!”
“You must not move.”
They hadn’t even finished emergency treatment but tried to jump up and grab their sword.
They’re truly remarkable. True martial artists indeed. The Dragon Phoenix Gathering hasn’t even started but they completely ignore physician’s orders…?
Tears clouded his vision.
In gaming terms, this would be like a pre-release demo version.
His flesh trembled thinking about what the main game would be like.
Just then, there was a commotion outside.
“Stop fighting immediately!”
It was the Martial Righteous Alliance warriors.
They seemed to have just arrived after receiving reports.
“Huh…?”
They had expected intense fighting but found a relatively clean inn interior and two patients receiving emergency treatment.
And somehow, a solemn atmosphere.
The warriors asked in confusion:
“…What exactly happened here?”