"Yan-ho."
"Yes?"
"...Stop beating him, stop."
"Yes?"
Wei Jeong-han gently pulled Wei Yan-ho back. He should have stopped him much earlier, but the beating was so impressively delivered that he had been watching in a daze until now.
"But where did you learn to beat people like that?"
"I didn't learn it."
"Mm."
Wei Yan-ho smiled awkwardly as he spoke.
"After getting beaten for five years, I naturally learned where and how to hit for maximum pain, you know?"
"...."
The more he heard, the more Wei Jeong-han thought that the human called Wei Yan-ho's master was someone not worth associating with. Even if only half of what Wei Yan-ho had said so far was true, it felt like he had secured his place as an unprecedented scoundrel in martial world history.
"St-stop beating me, stop. I'm going to die at this rate."
"But father told me to beat you?"
"...I didn't know you'd beat him so thoroughly."
"You're quite fickle. But my master said that accepting a father's flaws is a child's duty, so I understand that much."
Wei Jeong-han's eyes widened.
"Your master said that too? From what I've heard so far, he doesn't seem like someone who would say such things."
"Yes. When I said my master's personality was so annoying I couldn't stand it, he said, 'Since master and father are one, just as accepting a father's flaws is proper duty, you must understand your master's damn annoying personality too. What are you going to do if you don't?'..."
Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.
"Then I got beaten again. If that was the case, why did he say that?"
Wei Jeong-han's eyes grew moist.
No matter where in the world you put this kid, he'd turn others' insides upside down rather than suffer himself, yet he met such a terrible person and endured such hardship.
"Anyway, good. Let's organize the situation first."
"Yes. Well, go ahead."
Wei Jeong-han turned his head away from Wei Yan-ho. In this situation, the people he could reasonably consult with were Gong Mu-jin, Jang-il, Jin Ye-ran, and Jin So-ah.
"What do you think?"
Jang-il scratched his head vigorously.
"The most proper thing to do now would be to quickly inform Orthodox Alliance and have them handle it, but..."
"Dat's nonsense!"
The brigade commander, whose mouth was so swollen he couldn't pronounce properly, protested violently. Jang-il sighed at the sight that naturally evoked human sympathy.
"He's so violently against it, what can we do? We already promised not to tell anyone else besides us."
"Hmm..."
Wei Jeong-han nodded as if agreeing with those words.
No matter how delicate the situation, he couldn't break a promise already made. For Wei Jeong-han, that was an absolute principle.
Not being selective about means for an end would ultimately result in failing to properly achieve even that end—this was something he had already experienced sufficiently during the last war.
"Then what would be best?"
"For now, it seems we should try to treat him somehow."
"...Didn't that fellow say he couldn't do it?"
Jang-il shook his head.
"Not Yan-ho, but this physician here should be able to do it."
"This person?"
Wei Jeong-han looked at Jin So-ah and blinked. Of course, he acknowledged the ability to diagnose Green Forest King's poisoning, but diagnosis and treatment couldn't be the same matter.
It wouldn't be something a young physician not even past his coming of age could do...
"This physician is the famous Medical Prodigy of Sacred Hand Hall."
"Ah!"
Wei Jeong-han nodded greatly.
If it was Sacred Hand Hall's Medical Prodigy, he had heard of that too. Among the countless medical houses existing in the martial world, Sacred Hand Hall, which could be called a prestigious house among prestigious houses, had recently been revived, and word had been spreading widely in the martial world recently that at its center was a medical prodigy called the Medical Prodigy.
"Ah, this person is..."
To gain such fame at this young age—what an excellent physician he must be. Knowing that even with natural talent, it would be impossible without blood and sweat effort, Wei Jeong-han looked at Jin So-ah with moved eyes.
Looking at those bright, sparkling eyes made Wei Yan-ho's rotten dead-fish eyes stand out even more.
Just as he was about to offer a word of encouragement, Wei Yan-ho quietly approached Jin So-ah and spoke in a low voice.
"But if you come here, who looks after the medical house?"
"I was captured, so how would I know?"
"Don't you need to go back?"
"The general manager will handle things well for about a month. He's like a ghost when it comes to making money."
"Really?"
Wei Yan-ho asked with a hee-hee chuckle.
"Is the money coming in well?"
Jin So-ah grinned and made a coin shape in front of his chest with one hand.
"We're raking it in with a galkkuri."
"Ooh!"
Wei Yan-ho nodded repeatedly as if pleased.
"Recently we even added two more branches. Now there are five Sacred Hand Hall branches throughout the land. By next spring, we plan to add two more."
"Keu, as expected, putting that moneylender bastard as general manager really makes him rake in money like crazy."
"Just the money for Wei Young Master to take is packed full in the warehouse right now. Kil-kil-kil-kil."
"...."
Seeing the two people giggling, Wei Jeong-han's pupils trembled.
'So, those two people right now are the young master who's supposed to shoulder the future of the martial world and the young physician who's the hope of the medical world?'
If you removed the background and judged only by what was visible, it looked like two thugs counting the booth fees they'd collected while going around market stalls, giggling.
'Where is the martial world headed?'
Is this okay?
Is it really okay like this?
"See? Making money is the best, right?"
"Hehe, if it weren't for big brother, would I have known this taste? It's all thanks to Wei Young Master guiding me to the right path."
The strength completely drained from Wei Jeong-han's face.
'Yan-ho corrupted a well-growing sprout.'
Then that one's unusable now.
"You little rascal!"
Perhaps realizing her younger brother had received a 'non-recyclable' judgment, Jin Ye-ran opened fierce eyes and shouted.
"Right now with a patient in front of you, where are you..."
At that moment, Wei Yan-ho slightly raised his hand. Jin Ye-ran, who had been pressing Jin So-ah with autumn frost-like momentum, immediately closed her mouth.
"I have something to discuss now, so a little later."
"Yes."
Jin Ye-ran nodded and stepped back. Her face, which had been filled with anger, softened gently.
Jin So-ah watched this scene with round eyes, then glared at Wei Yan-ho with hostility. It seemed he had absolutely no intention of giving up his sister, no matter what.
"So, can you treat that old man?"
"Hmm..."
When treatment was mentioned, Jin So-ah completely erased his previous carefree appearance and returned to the solemn demeanor of a physician.
"My predecessor's teachings include methods to treat Qi Deviation."
"Oh, indeed!"
"But my learning isn't deep enough..."
"If you can't do it, just say you can't. Why is your tongue so long?"
Instantly, veins bulged on Jin So-ah's forehead.
"It's not that I can't do it! It's because the conditions aren't met."
"Conditions?"
"Yes."
Jin So-ah nodded and spoke with a serious face.
"To treat such a serious condition, we need energy that can protect the patient's body."
"What's that?"
"Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King, or Ginseng Snow Ginseng, or at minimum even Thousand-Year Polygonum Root..."
Wei Yan-ho looked at Wei Jeong-han and smiled brightly.
"Did you hear? Let's go home."
The brigade commander desperately grabbed Wei Yan-ho's leg and hung on.
"Great Hero! Great Heroooo! We can obtain the spiritual medicine! So please just treat him! Just treat him!"
"Use such spiritual medicine on a dying old man? I'd rather eat it myself! How much longer would the old man live even if he recovers!"
Though Wei Yan-ho was spouting almost unfilial harsh words, no one stopped him. These were people who wouldn't be surprised anymore no matter what came out of his mouth.
"Shouldn't we save him first and see?"
Wei Yan-ho puffed his cheeks.
"Well, it's not mine, so do whatever you want."
Knock knock knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
The brigade commander twisted his face and shouted.
"Come back later!"
"...Brigade Leader."
At the powerless voice from outside, the brigade commander flew into a rage.
"Didn't I say I'm in the middle of important business, so come back later!"
"This is also important business."
"You bastaaaard!"
The brigade commander's anger exploded. He was already miserable from being treated like a punching bag because of Wei Yan-ho, and thinking that even his subordinate was disrespecting him made his anger reach the top of his head.
"Can't you get lost right now! The moment I open this door and come out will be the moment you die."
"...Even if you don't open the door and come out, I think I'm going to die."
"You bastard, are you really... Huh?"
Only then realizing something was strange about the situation, the brigade commander tilted his head.
"Die? What do you mean by that?"
"We're surrounded."
"Surrounded?"
The brigade commander's face trembled. They were people who surrounded others, not people who got surrounded.
"Surrounded? Which bold bastards dare to surround the Great Tiger Stronghold? Don't tell me Orthodox Alliance has come attacking? Those cunning..."
"Your mouth seems to need a bit more beating?"
At Wei Jeong-han's words, the brigade commander quickly shut his mouth.
"It's not that..."
"Then?"
The door slid open, and a pale bandit opened his mouth with difficulty.
"Government troops have swarmed in and surrounded the mountain stronghold without a gap."
"...What?"
The brigade commander's face turned pale.
***
"Government troops?"
"Yeah."
"So, you said government troops?"
"Yeah. They swarmed in like a pack of dogs. I thought some barbarians had invaded."
"That..."
Sagan couldn't help but make a strange expression.
"Great Tiger Stronghold has existed for decades, but why would government troops, who never came to subjugate it, attack at that very moment?"
Guangqushen chuckled and spoke. How could this fellow still ask such things after hearing this much of the story?
"There could be various reasons. If you really examine it, there would be dozens of reasons. Among them, there would be the most decisive reason, and there would be other reasons too. But honestly, if you push aside all these various logic, there's really only one reason left."
Sagan's face turned slightly pale.
He could now guess what Guangqushen was about to say. It was an all too obvious and absurd statement.
"Because Wei Yan-ho was there."
"...."
Hearing an answer that didn't differ even an inch from his expectation, Sagan mercilessly contorted his face.
"No, that..."
Guangqushen chuckled and said.
"You think that's not it?"
"...."
Seeing Sagan's contorting face, Guangqushen spoke as if nothing could be more delightful.
"If you live in this world long enough, you learn one truth. If you also keep this one thing in mind, your future life will become quite comfortable."
"Wh-what is that?"
Guangqushen shrugged and said.
"It's comfortable if you give up."
"...."
"Especially regarding that human."
Sagan could no longer understand what was what.
***