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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Strange Physician Yi Chung
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It's a strange proposal.
It couldn't be that he was impressed by my skill in decocting herbal decoctions behind the clinic, so he's making this offer for that reason. More likely than not, it's because of my abilities as a blacksmith.
The problem is that the Strange Physician is a martial artist and a doctor, not a blacksmith.
I have no idea if he's offering to teach me martial arts as a master or pass down medical knowledge, but there's no reason for him to make such a proposal right now.
As Dang Mujin's deliberation dragged on, the Strange Physician spoke up.
"There's no need to decide right away. I'll be leaving Chengdu tomorrow evening, so just decide by then."
"Before that, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"I don't even know exactly what you'd teach me, or why you're making this offer in the first place."
"There are two things I can teach you. Martial arts and medicine. You'll learn whichever one you want."
Martial arts. A corner of his chest trembled faintly.
From a time when he was much younger. Days when he'd dash out to the alleys first thing upon waking and roll around in the dirt pits.
Among the alley kids, the group with the biggest clout was always the ones learning martial arts at the Qingcheng Chengdu Branch. They weren't even third-rate, barely qualifying to be called martial artists, but that was more than enough to rule the alleys.
Those kids moved lighter on their feet than the others and were far stronger too. Swinging wooden swords, they'd take on two opponents at once without breaking a sweat, and in fistfights, getting pummeled while dishing it out was par for the course.
Even in war games, the little lay disciples of Qingcheng always played the leaders, while the rest were mere foot soldiers.
That was over a decade ago. The current Dang Mujin had no lingering attachment or interest in being alley boss.
But deep in Dang Mujin's heart lingered the envy he'd felt back then. Childhood memories are like that.
The instructors at the Chengdu Branch who taught those enviable kids were first-rate or second-rate martial artists.
An Absolute Peak expert might serve as branch leader, but they focused on training the instructors or their own cultivation, never directly teaching lay disciples.
Suddenly, Jin Song came to mind—the one he'd met in front of the clinic. Disciple of Branch Leader Yellow Spirit Master. First-rate martial artist Jin Song.
If kids trained by martial artists on par with or inferior to Jin Song strutted around so boldly, what would it be like to learn martial arts from the superior Strange Physician?
The wall between first-rate and Absolute Peak was sky-high. At Absolute Peak, one was on par with mid-tier sect leaders and respected even in major sects.
The chance to learn directly from such a person wouldn't come twice in a lifetime.
'Isn't this a far better path to success than scraping by as a doctor under Qingcheng?'
He pictured himself with a long sword at his waist, striding proudly through the streets as a martial artist.
Just his name alone might make folks in neighboring villages nod in recognition. With real luck, he could even become an Absolute Peak expert like the Strange Physician.
'Absolute Peak expert.'
In his imagination, he lived not in a modest clinic but a grand estate.
The plaque above the estate's main gate would bear "Sichuan Dang Clan" in elegant calligraphy, and over ten servants would bustle about on quick errands.
His father wouldn't hide his pride whenever he looked at his face.
When his imagination reached that point, Dang Mujin realized the Strange Physician had only answered one of his two questions.
"Why are you making this offer to me? I hear you're an Absolute Peak martial artist... At that level, plenty of people must want to become your disciple."
Dang Mujin waited expectantly for the Strange Physician's reply. Whatever it was, it was bound to be some impressive praise.
'In truth, your skeletal structure is a heavenly warrior physique. I just didn't mention it earlier.'
'Or your eyes shine with righteous light—you're clearly destined to be the world's greatest.'
But the Strange Physician's answer was utterly off the mark.
"A reason? If I take you along, you'll make the items I need whenever I need them, right?"
"Pardon?"
Did I hear that wrong? Dang Mujin doubted his own ears.
"Other blacksmiths can't make what I want, or if they do, the quality doesn't satisfy me. Unless they whip it up on the spot, they drag it out for half a month or more. But you're quick with your hands, and the quality of what you made was excellent. You more than qualify to be my disciple."
Dang Mujin narrowed his eyes. As expected of someone called the Strange Physician—he wasn't exactly normal.
"...Elder. That doesn't seem like the mindset of a master seeking a disciple."
"Why do you think that?"
"That's not a master-disciple bond; that's a business deal."
"Is there a law saying master and disciple can't make deals?"
The Strange Physician shot back shamelessly.
He was right—there was no such rule forbidding deals between master and disciple. It was just a notion that flatly rejected common sense.
"Well, no, but anyone would think it's odd. A master imparts teachings without expecting reward, and the disciple serves with sincerity. Isn't that the norm?"
"Is it? Even those Qingcheng Chengdu Branch hacks charge for teaching martial arts. Isn't that right?"
He had a point. One reason Dang Jesun hadn't enrolled Dang Mujin as a Qingcheng lay disciple was the cost.
"But..."
"No need for long-winded debates. If you don't like the master-disciple label, we won't use it. No need to call me 'Master.' I'll teach you martial arts and medicine, and you'll make items for me. A fine deal, no?"
Dang Mujin was at a loss for words.
Normally, wouldn't a martial artist carefully select a disciple, then meticulously pass down their personal or sect's secret arts?
But the Strange Physician viewed his martial arts and medicine as trade goods. Utterly bizarre by any measure.
The Strange Physician spoke in his usual crooked manner.
"Master-disciple or deal—what's the difference? As long as we both get what we want, that's all that matters."
Not wrong. There was no rule saying martial arts could only be taught within a master-disciple bond.
It might even be better this way. Becoming the disciple of someone so willful could mean just waiting on him hand and foot until he got fed up.
"That aside, I'm not sure I could learn well. I've never even tried anything like martial arts."
When Dang Mujin voiced his subtle concern, the Strange Physician crossed his arms.
"Your limbs are intact, so your body's fine. How far along are you in medicine? Have you read the classics?"
"I've studied the Inner Classic and Treatise on Cold Damage."
The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic and Treatise on Cold Damage were the two tomes that compiled medical knowledge.
Vast and complex, not easy to read or master, but essential for any proper physician.
The Strange Physician fired off a sudden question.
"If external pathogenic qi infiltrates, causing qi stagnation, and the patient suffers cold reversal and palpitations, how do you treat it?"
Dang Mujin answered without hesitation.
"Treat water first—prescribe Poria-Licorice Decoction."
The Strange Physician looked pleased with Dang Mujin's response.
"If you can study and memorize the Treatise on Cold Damage to that extent, your intellect should handle martial arts just fine."
It had been a test not of his medicine, but of whether he could learn martial arts.
"Does being smart or stupid matter for learning martial arts? Martial artists are just people who fight well, right? Wouldn't sturdy, strong folks have the edge?"
"You'll understand if you ever try teaching a dimwit. They wouldn't notice enlightenment brushing past their shoulder. Those types just swing swords aimlessly and end up stuck at second- or third-rate. For martial artists, mental sharpness trumps physical robustness."
A persuasive argument. Dang Mujin found himself nodding.
"So, could I become a first-rate expert too?"
"First-rate?"
The Strange Physician scoffed.
"To call yourself a master, you need to do two things: lead the learner to your own level, and show them the path beyond."
Arrogant words, but not easy to dismiss.
To claim mastery, one must elevate the learner to their realm—that meant raising Dang Mujin to Absolute Peak.
"...Can you do that?"
"If you follow well."
The Strange Physician grinned crookedly. No extra flattery.
He truly believed it.
*
Back home, Dang Mujin sank into thought.
The prospect of Absolute Peak shone dazzlingly bright.
Qingcheng treated his father Dang Jesun as less than a second-rate martial artist. His grandfather too.
No need to go as high as Chief Instructor Jin Song—even young instructors made them bow and scrape. Touch their tempers wrong, and you'd have to play dead.
Plenty of those instructors were like that—nitpicking to belittle others and stroke their egos. Clinics made easy prey.
Public perception wasn't much different. Medicine was hailed as a humane art with bold words, but not treated as such. Just recently, the Coordinating Lieutenant Adjutant had openly rebuked his father.
Of the ten hardships in doctoring, seven or eight came from dealing with such types.
Dang Mujin respected his father Dang Jesun deeply and didn't want his own children seeing him like that someday.
Accepting the Strange Physician's offer might make that possible.
'If I become an Absolute Peak expert...'
Even first- or second-rate martial artists wouldn't dare bully—they'd bow low and tremble.
No, even without reaching Absolute Peak. If he could learn even a hair of the Strange Physician's arts. If he could boast, "I'm the disciple of the Strange Physician. Disciple of an Absolute Peak expert"—that alone would suffice.
People would hesitate to mishandle him out of fear of the Strange Physician.
Beyond that, martial arts offered plenty of benefits. Stronger body, fewer illnesses.
'They say inner energy builds strength too, so hammering at the forge would get easier.'
Two concerns nagged him.
Leaving home, and whether the Strange Physician was trustworthy.
But life demands a gamble now and then.
Dang Mujin felt this was the time.
The next evening, Dang Mujin sought out the Strange Physician.
"I'll go with you."