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Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Jin Cheon-hee solemnly swore on his parents’ names.
He could have sworn on his grandparents’ names too if asked.
Just as Jin Cheon-hee finished his oath, a commotion was heard from outside.
Before he could turn around to see what it was, the door burst open.
“What’s going on? We’re in the middle of…”
Interrupting the Hwaju Medical Pavilion member’s words, a servant who had rushed in spoke like lightning.
“Divine Doctor Baek Rin orders you to tidy your medical robes and come immediately!”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened slightly.
The order to tidy medical robes was not fitting for this White Dragon Medical Pavilion.
If a patient comes, they just treat them, so why tidy medical robes?Before Jin Cheon-hee could ask his question, a Medical Pavilion member said,
“The Wangya Ju (Imperial Highness)[1] has arrived!”
Wangya?
Jin Cheon-hee thought about that word for a moment.
Wangya. It refers to those among the imperial bloodline who don’t have the right to succeed the imperial throne. It can include siblings at the least, and children at the most.
“What do you mean by Wangya?”
Phantom Archer asked in confusion.
The Medical Pavilion member said,
“Yes. Wangya Ju has arrived.”
At those words, the Hwaju Medical Pavilion member shouted,
“That’s impossible. Wangya Ju has been a long-time guest of the Hwaju Medical Pavilion. You must have mistaken the name of another Wangya.”
“I, I would never commit such a disloyal act that would cost me my head. It is undoubtedly Wangya Ju.”
At those words, the faces of the Hwaju Medical Pavilion members turned deathly pale.
The sponsorship Wangya Ju gives to the Hwaju Medical Pavilion is no small amount.
It wasn’t just a matter of sponsorship.
Just the fact that they were serving a member of the imperial family was a great symbol for the Medical Pavilion.
Because it was a place that person could entrust their body to, it was trustworthy – just for that reason, numerous martial artists sought out the Hwaju Medical Pavilion.
Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘So it’s like a regular VIP customer coming to a competitor’s store.’
The Hwaju Medical Pavilion Master was pettily causing trouble by sending his subordinates.
A golden opportunity to crush that bastard’s jaw.
***
The imperial family members of this world are all descendants of Fuxi the Great.
Fuxi is one of the Three Sovereigns, a primordial creation god who gave humans the Eight Trigrams, fire, and animal husbandry.
He bore children in the human world, and his descendants became today’s imperial family.
The imperial family uses the surname Feng (風, pheonix).
As befitting those with the creator god as their ancestor, those in whom the blood manifests strongly use abilities.
The rank of imperial family members is determined by two factors:
- How strong is the power of their maternal relatives?
- How strongly have they inherited Fuxi’s blood?
The manifestation of blood does not discriminate between male and female, and no one knows how those abilities will manifest.
The imperial family members of this continent fight with spears for the imperial crown, regardless of age or gender.
Wangya Ju was the one born with the most powerful ability among them. Yet she was also one who refused to become the emperor herself.
She was naturally open-hearted and free-spirited.
There was no way such a person could live confined in the imperial palace for life.
Therefore, she promoted someone less pure-blooded but benevolent and wise as the emperor, while she became a Wangya Ju to support the imperial power.
She has two abilities:
- She can control the mass of any object she touches.
- She can control the heat of any object she touches.
It was rare for two abilities to manifest simultaneously.
Moreover, she also had unparalleled talent in martial arts and leadership skills as a great general.
That’s why, despite not having very strong maternal relatives, she defeated the forces of eight imperial Princesses and Wangyas one by one. Then she carefully placed her beloved younger sibling on the throne she had secured.
She was truly a human butcher and the azure dragon protecting the imperial throne.
She enjoys wearing red (朱) clothes, loves alcohol (酒), is bold (走), and likes pretty and splendid things (姝).
Among these, what she loves most is the blood of her enemies.
The emperor bestowed upon such a person the title of Wangya Ju (柱, pillar).
Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘Wangya Ju? No, why on earth is Wangya Ju coming here?’
But originally, she doesn’t come to the White Dragon Medical Pavilion.
The place Wangya Ju should go is the Hwaju Medical Pavilion. It would be the Medical Pavilion she has dealt with for a long time.
Jin Cheon-hee realized.
‘Phantom Archer’s matter was bigger than I thought.’
Enough to change the behavior of an imperial family member.
Jin Cheon-hee quickly tidied his medical robes with the help of Medical Pavilion members and came out.
There, numerous Medical Pavilion members had already gathered to welcome Wangya Ju.
Not long after Jin Cheon-hee arrived, the palanquin finally arrived.
It was a palanquin carried directly by a total of 12 martial artists.
The aura of each of the martial artists carrying the palanquin was so strong that it was breathtaking.
“The Wangya Ju has arrived!”
All the Medical Pavilion members prostrated themselves on the ground to show respect.
“Wangya, may you live for a thousand years, a thousand years, ten thousand years!”
It means please live for a thousand years to take care of the Emperor.
“Stop it. I don’t have time for such courtesy.”
A woman in blood-red clothes descended from the palanquin.
An overwhelming pressure came.
It was strange. Just one person stepping on the ground, but just by touching the earth, her aura was so tremendous that it was suffocating.
Jin Cheon-hee thought she looked like a red petal blooming with redness.
Spring’s Beginning, the season to meet people you miss.
It’s a day when relationships connect according to the harmony of yin and yang.
In that sense, this year’s Spring’s Beginning was quite impressive.
Behind Wangya Ju, a patient was brought down on a stretcher.
***
The patient’s body was in a terrible state.
He was a man in his 30s with a clean appearance, said to have fallen badly from a horse.
Fortunately, there wasn’t much damage to his internal organs, but his legs were the problem.
The leg bones were fractured and protruding through the flesh.
‘A fracture, and an open fracture at that…!’
It was clear there would be extreme pain.
“Zhuge Pavilion Master. Quickly take his pulse and start treatment. Hurry!”
Wangya Ju.
One of the Emperor’s sisters, and also the owner of the Wangya Ju Estate.
Such a Wangya Ju shouted at everyone in an urgent and pale voice.
The stretcher quickly heads to the treatment room. There was not a single tremor in the escort of the Wangya Ju Estate martial artists.
The patient was laid on the patient bed.
“Urghh!”
The patient groaned in extreme pain.
It was considerable willpower just to not have fainted.
The master immediately began taking the pulse.
“Reduction seems difficult.”
Reduction, in the martial world, usually refers to manual reduction.
Manual reduction means fitting the broken parts of the bone together like puzzle pieces by hand.
In the martial world, they typically use the method of splinting and wrapping in this state and waiting for natural healing.
‘But it’s not just a fracture, it’s an open fracture. There’s a high risk of contamination.’
It was one of the events that happened in the novel too.
However, seeing it in reality now, the condition was even worse than when seen in the novel.
Jin Cheon-hee immediately asked,
“How long has it been since the accident?”
As with other external injuries, the golden time is important for fractures too.
“It’s been about two shichen (1 hour) since the Imperial Prince Consort fell from his horse. But who are you, young hero?”
‘1 hour… Then the accident happened nearby. Of all places, for such an incident to happen near the White Dragon Medical Pavilion… The events have changed from the novel. No. That’s not what’s important right now. Focus on the patient.’
Imperial Prince Consort. Wangya Ju’s partner.
Everyone seemed greatly surprised to hear that it was the Imperial Prince Consort of all people who was injured.
However, Jin Cheon-hee knew this from reading the novel. But in this situation, being calm would be strange in itself.
Jin Cheon-hee also pretended to be surprised and opened his mouth.
A warrior from the Wangya Ju Estate asks.
Zhuge Rin answered instead of Jin Cheon-hee.
“He is my immediate disciple.”
At those words, this time the people from the Wangya Ju Estate seemed surprised.
It was because Jin Cheon-hee was younger than expected.
Regardless of the reactions around him, Jin Cheon-hee continued to be lost in thought.
‘1 hour. That might be okay.’
At that moment, the Hwaju Medical Pavilion members shouted,
“You must amputate!”
“What!? Are you saying to amputate the leg now?”
Wangya Ju shouted in surprise.
Yoo Ho yelled,
“Aren’t you here as guests? This is the White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s treatment room. Hwaju Medical Pavilion members, please leave.”
At those words, the Hwaju Medical Pavilion members calmly said,
“That’s right. However, if it were any other patient it would be different, but isn’t the Wangya Ju someone who has been with the Hwaju Medical Pavilion for a long time? This old one followed in with an urgent heart, thinking I might be of help.”
As Yoo Ho tried to drive him out, Wangya Ju raised her hand to stop him. Then she asked like this,
“In the view of the Hwaju Medical Pavilion members, is this a situation that requires amputation?”
“The fragmented bone pieces have protruded outwards. If they were inside, we could heal through manual reduction, but as it is now, it’s dangerous. To save the patient, we must amputate.”
It was not a good scene.
The Hwaju Medical Pavilion members had stolen the merit that the White Dragon Medical Pavilion members should have established by speaking first.
As a result, the situation became very awkward, but the Hwaju Medical Pavilion was not one to hide it.
If this could turn Wangya Ju’s steps back, that would be enough.
And in their view, this was a case that required amputation.
The patient groaned and said,
“Wangya…”
“Speak, Rang-rang.”
Rang-rang, the pet name of the Imperial Prince Consort, Cheon Yoo-rang.
“Rather than living as a one-legged man for life, I would rather take my own life.”
At those words, Wangya Ju’s forehead wrinkled.
“How can you say such things?”
“Please, I beg you… Urgh…! Please don’t amputate. Don’t take away my only joy. Wangya…”
Wangya Ju’s eyes wavered.
Jin Cheon-hee thought,
‘This scene… It’s definitely different from the novel. Originally, the accident happened near the Hwaju Medical Pavilion. There must be a variable I don’t know about.’
Originally, the accident was supposed to happen near the Hwaju Medical Pavilion.
Because Wangya Ju had visited the Hwaju Medical Pavilion.
‘Is there some butterfly effect? Or is it a conspiracy?’
The future had changed.
The location of the accident had changed.
At that time in the novel, Wangya Ju rejects the Imperial Prince Consort’s desperate plea and amputates his leg.
It was an unavoidable choice to save his one and only life. However, for Cheon Yoo-rang, it was a punishment worse than anything.
For him, who had lived his entire life as an entertainer in a brothel, not being able to dance meant death.
Even though people pointed fingers at him for his lowly status, he was able to live because Wangya Ju’s favor was always by his side.
But not being able to dance for life as an entertainer was something that couldn’t be replaced by anything else, it seemed.
Afterwards, he stopped eating and drinking, slowly losing his strength.
-Please, please take even one spoonful. My Rang-rang… I’ve prepared all the delicacies of this world for you, why can’t you eat!
If his leg is not amputated, he dies.
But even if his leg is amputated, he died.
After that, Wangya Ju loses interest in state affairs and confines herself. And that meant a crisis for imperial power.
The world thus began its era of chaos.
Like dominoes, one small factor grew larger and larger, eventually toppling the imperial family.
Having thought that far, Jin Cheon-hee could draw one conclusion.
‘As expected. There is a conspiracy involved. What should I do?’
- Derived from the term Wang-ye 王爷, His/Her (Your) Highness. A title usually accorded to sons of the Emperor. In this novel, Wangya Ju is a title accorded to both sons and daughters of an Emperor or late Emperor, or of imperial bloodline.[↩]