Chapter 137

Yeon Woo Jin, after some thought, decided to create a place near the Hall of the Medicine King where all kinds of water could be generated. Something... like a mysterious cave one just happened to stumble upon. Without delay, he began roaming the area surrounding the Hall of the Medicine King and soon headed toward Daebul Mountain, which, along with Cheonbuk Mountain, enclosed the hall. Deep within Daebul Mountain, in a densely wooded area, he discovered a small cave. Yeon Woo Jin immediately flew over and used his psychic power to vastly expand the cave. Then, inside the large cave, he carved out several smaller ones—and caused all kinds of water to spring forth from within each of them. Naturally, the water that gushed forth was connected to the highest-grade springs scattered across the Central Plains. The best waters for decocting medicinal ingredients surged without end from each spring inside the cave. Yeon Woo Jin began drawing and transporting the water from that place. Before long, the darkness lifted, and the morning sun rose over Cheonbuk Mountain. Before decoction began, the Middle Physicians came out to check the state of the water. Physicians in the Hall of the Medicine King were divided into Senior Physicians, Middle Physicians, and Junior Physicians. The ones in charge of overseeing the students were the Junior Physicians. But on this day, it wasn’t a Middle Physician, nor a Senior Physician, but the very master of the Hall of the Medicine King—Medicine King No Sobaek—who personally came out. And at such an early hour, no less. In truth, it wasn’t that he had taken charge directly—he had come for an unannounced inspection. To see how well things were being run. To see if the water—foundational to everything—was being managed properly. Dressed in ragged clothes, No Sobaek loitered near the water jars, and Yeon Woo Jin, spotting him, approached. “Are you looking for something, sir?” “Hmm? Who are you?” “I’m a Senior Division student assigned to the Hall of the Medicine King for field training.” “Oh ho, I see. You must be from the Medical Division.” “I’m from Baekyeong.” “Baekyeong? Isn’t that a general Senior Division?” “Yes, that’s correct.” No Sobaek’s expression twisted slightly. Those bastards! I told them again and again never to send students from the general divisions! Had they just ignored his words? Seething at the thought of not letting the Head of Recruitment off the hook, he stared at Yeon Woo Jin. When he saw what the boy had slung over his back, his expression contorted further. Water was the most important factor in decocting medicinal herbs—and they had left that task to a general division student with no knowledge of medical arts? Were they insane? Just who in their right mind— Was there really a physician out there who mistook drawing water for mere manual labor? If there was, he ought to be stripped of his robe and thrown out on the spot. When he looked into the water jars, he saw they were already filled to the brim. All of them. The boy had clearly drawn the water early and diligently filled each one. Still, that’s commendable. He didn’t slack off and worked hard. The problem, however, was that the water was unusable. Sigh... but it’s not the boy’s fault. The one who gave him this job is the one who ought to be dragged out and executed. How disappointed would he be, after putting in all that effort, only to be told the water couldn’t be used? Still, he had to tell him the truth. There was no helping it. The water simply wasn’t usable. Hold on—should he ask first? Surely the one who gave the order didn’t completely ignore the importance of the water. That wouldn’t make any sense. Maybe they at least gave him some sort of instruction on where or what kind of water to draw. Even that would be a serious mistake, but at least it would mean they’d told him something. Harboring the faintest shred of hope, No Sobaek scooped up some water to taste it. “What in the...?!” A piercing chill struck straight to his core. It was top-grade Cold Spring Water—Hancheonsu. No... where could he possibly have gotten this kind of Hancheonsu? Even the Cold Spring Water from the Cheonbuk Mountain caves didn’t carry this kind of icy energy. He tasted the other waters as well. Every single one of them was top-grade. Staring at Yeon Woo Jin in disbelief, No Sobaek asked, “W-where did you get this water?” “You told me to draw water, so I searched for the best possible sources and brought it.” “No, I’m asking—where exactly is this place you got it from?” “Daebul Mountain.” “What? T-that’s impossible! Do you think we’ve never investigated Daebul Mountain? There’s no such Cold Spring Water there!” “I’m telling the truth. There was a place there where all kinds of spring water were flowing.” “What? A-are you saying all the water here was drawn from that place?” “Yes.” No Sobaek hastily took another taste. Sure enough, it was all top-grade. Water of this caliber could draw out the efficacy of medicinal herbs to their absolute limits. “Incredible! Take me there—now! I must see it with my own eyes!” “Understood.” No Sobaek flew after Yeon Woo Jin toward Daebul Mountain. **** Daebul Mountain Cave. No Sobaek inspected the interior with trembling eyes. The entrance was narrow—just wide enough for one person to pass through—but the inside was vast. Within the large cave were multiple smaller caves, and above the entrance to each of them, different characters had been engraved. The moss covering them suggested that the engravings were extremely old. Looking closely, he realized the inscriptions marked the different types of water. “Good heavens...” No Sobaek stepped into each of the smaller caves to inspect the springs. Just as Yeon Woo Jin had said, the finest waters were flowing continuously. The depths of the springs were immeasurable. “A place like this... this is absurd...” It defied belief. There was no way such a place could exist naturally without being created intentionally. He looked around. Yet nothing about it appeared artificial. The cave walls exuded the weight of countless years. “H-how did you even find this place?” “I was looking for a location to train and stumbled upon it by chance.” “Train?” Yeon Woo Jin scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I may be in the literary track, but I’ve always had an interest in martial arts...” That wasn’t unheard of. There was no rule saying a literary student couldn’t study martial arts. In fact, achieving both literary and martial excellence was considered ideal. So he’d just happened to discover this place by accident. “Then this morning, when I was told to draw water, I noticed the water jars had labels on them. That reminded me of this cave, so I drew the corresponding waters and filled the jars.” No Sobaek nodded. If that was how it had gone, then it made sense how someone with no medical background could’ve drawn such excellent water. All he had to do was draw according to the labels. Nodding again, No Sobaek resumed his inspection of the cave. There, amidst the thick moss, something caught his eye. He quickly moved closer and brushed the moss away. What emerged was an inscription. It recorded the name of the one who had first discovered the place. Sage-Hand Hua Tuo. To those who walked the path of medicine, he was akin to a god. And now, his name was carved into this cave wall. There was also a message requesting that the water here be used to save many lives. The name of the cave was also carved: Sacred Water Celestial Cave. Just as the name suggested, water worthy of being called sacred was gushing forth in abundance. Gripping Yeon Woo # Nоvеlight # Jin’s hands tightly, No Sobaek spoke in a voice filled with emotion, “Well done! Thanks to you, the medical arts of Mushincheon will make a tremendous leap forward! This is all your doing!” “No, sir. This place was destined to be connected with the Hall of the Medicine King. I was merely the bridge.” “Hahaha! And modest, too! While you’re here, I’ll see to it that you receive every possible convenience!” “Thank you.” “Now then—is there anything you want?” “All I want is to help however I can while I’m here.” “Hahaha!” No Sobaek liked Yeon Woo Jin. No—not just liked him. He was utterly taken with him. To the point that he genuinely wanted to take him as a disciple. A disciple? If he had even a shred of talent, No Sobaek would take him in right this moment. Let’s see, then. Let’s find out whether he has the talent. A smile spread across No Sobaek’s face. **** Junior Physician Ma Seung. He stood with a bewildered look on his face as he received a shower of praise from the Middle Physicians. “Hahaha! The water today is excellent!” “You did well.” “Keep this up—we’ll be counting on top-grade water like this going forward!” This wasn’t the kind of reaction he’d expected. What on earth had happened? Still, he couldn’t very well deny their words to their faces, so he simply bowed his head and thanked them. He decided he’d have to ask Yeon Woo Jin for details once he arrived. After that round of praise, the senior physicians went back inside. In the distance, Ma Seung spotted Yeon Woo Jin approaching. He hurried over, intending to ask him what was going on—but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who was next to him. “L-Lord of the Hall?” The head of the Hall of the Medicine King, No Sobaek, gave Ma Seung a broad grin. If that fool hadn’t given him such a ridiculous task, would Yeon Woo Jin have realized the importance of the Sacred Water Celestial Cave? Of course not. It was absurd to assign such a task to a clueless child—but in the end, it had brought tremendous benefit not only to the Hall of the Medicine King but to all of Mushincheon. He decided to let it slide. “Junior Physician Ma Seung pays respects to the Lord of the Hall!” “Hahaha, good. So you’re the one responsible for this boy?” “Yes, sir.” “You were the one who told him to fetch water?” “Y-yes, sir.” “Kuhahaha! Well done! Truly well done!” “...Pardon?” He’d been bracing himself for a scolding—but instead, praise poured from the Lord’s mouth. “Th-thank you.” “From here on, I’ll be personally overseeing this one. You don’t need to worry about him anymore.” “Sir? H-how could I possibly entrust him to you, Lord? I’ll see to him to the end.” “No. This boy—I will handle him myself. That’s all. Now off with you—go tend to your other duties.” Faced with No Sobaek’s firm insistence, Ma Seung could only lower his head and prepare to leave in silence. Just then, Yeon Woo Jin’s voice rang out. “Thank you. Because you taught me how important water is, I was able to find such fortune today.” Thank you? But... I tried to get you kicked out... Was he covering for him? “Oh ho! Is that so? You mean he didn’t just order you to fetch water without telling you anything?” “Not at all. He explained that water is the most crucial ingredient when decocting medicinal herbs—and that each herb has water it pairs with, and when matched correctly, the herb’s effects are multiplied. That’s what he told me.” “Hahahaha! This fellow... very well done!” Ma Seung couldn’t say a word in reply. He’d never said any of that. This... this wasn’t right. He should confess the truth... But then— “If I ever get the chance, I’d love to learn more from you.” Yeon Woo Jin had stepped forward and was now clasping Ma Seung’s hands tightly in his own. There was warmth in that grip. To think—he’d tried to cast out someone this kind and full of loyalty... Tears of repentance welled up in Ma Seung’s eyes. “Th-thank you. I’ll devote myself and train harder—so I can be a physician worthy of your trust. If there’s ever... ever anything you want to know, come find me! I’ll stay up all night if I have to just to teach you!” “Thank you. I promise—I’ll come find you.” “Promise me you will! I’ll be waiting!” Watching Ma Seung’s tears stream down his cheeks, No Sobaek smiled inwardly. Remarkable. He turned someone who hated him into a loyal ally. Hahaha... I’ve met a monstrous talent here in my twilight years. He’d already thought the boy was wonderful—but now he looked even more radiant. He was completely smitten. Doesn’t matter if he has talent or not. This boy is mine. He’s going to be my disciple. He had made up his mind. Yeon Woo Jin would become his disciple. **** Now that Yeon Woo Jin had mastered the most foundational knowledge a physician needed—the importance of water—No Sobaek decided it was time to move on to the next stage. The subject now was medicinal herbs. But the boy already knew everything. Apparently, he had memorized it all the previous day when instructed to. In just one day. And it wasn’t just the names—he answered effortlessly when asked about appearance, effects, and even herb compatibilities. He was a genius. To think that someone like this had been hiding in a general Senior Division. At first, No Sobaek had cursed the Head of Recruitment for sending Yeon Woo Jin here. Now he wanted to kiss him. So those damn recruiters saw his potential as a physician and sent him here! Kukuku. No wonder they have a reputation for being competent. No Sobaek silently swore to prioritize all future requests from the Recruitment Hall. “Very well. Then tell me—based on the illness, which medicinal herbs should be used, and in what quantities?” Once again, the answers flowed without pause. Even if someone were reading from a book, they couldn’t have answered as well as this. He was even applying the knowledge to hypothetical scenarios. It was beyond astounding.