Book 24 Chapter 4

Yun MiSojae (美小姐) is coming!

-Dance of the Plum Blossoms

The boy was always shy in front of people. It's called blushing, but it's not the kind of thing you can fix, and it's quite severe.

His natural timidity was not easily cured, and his lack of aggression made him an easy target for his fellow members of the Volcanic Sect. Humans have not yet mastered their animal nature, and when they see a weakling, they are more inclined to bully or suppress them to prove their dominance than to help them, and so the boy was bullied all the time, day in and day out. In addition to his narcolepsy, he was born with a very peculiar constitution that caused him to break out in hives at the scent of plum blossoms, the symbol of the volcanic clan. He became so successful that it was an insult to his fellow alumni to call him a friend. Even though he was more advanced, he was still bullied due to his psychological problems. Perhaps if he hadn't met a human being named Bi Ryuyeon, who could not be bullied unless he broke all the conventions of the world, he would still be bullied.

Of course, many people had many doubts about Bi Ryuyeon, that he was human, and there were many who claimed that he must be a ghost or a goblin, but it was only after meeting him that the boy was able to look himself in the eye and acknowledge, reflect, and be confident. It was only after meeting him that the boy realized that he had to change before the world could change.

But a little more confidence hasn't cured her of her inherent timidity, not even after she's transformed into a fictional character named Yoon Mi by a man named Yeon Bi, through a combination of intimidation and cajoling.

"Why did this happen?

It seems like only yesterday that I was breathing a sigh of relief, thinking that after being separated from Bi Ryuyeon, I wouldn't be caught up in strange events against my will. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of another event, and at the center of the maelstrom was a man named Yan Bi.

In truth, he didn't know much about Yan Bi, and neither did everyone else in the delegation. The black-clad woman with the mysterious tiger-eye stone eyes had suddenly appeared out of thin air one day and become the new eye of the storm. All he and his friends knew was that the woman, Yan Bi, was very close to Ice White Peak Na Yerin and had known her for a long time. It was because of her that he was standing in front of so many people in such an unwanted outfit.

"What do I look like, do I look good, do I look weird?

Luckily, he hadn't been outed as a man yet, but he couldn't help but feel nervous standing in front of such a large group of people. He spoke in a firm voice and with conviction.

"Oh, don't worry about it, the public only sees what they want to see, they don't think any more calmly than they would if they were alone, it's almost like they're thinking, 'Oh, I don't have to think about it because someone else is thinking about it for me,' so it's a lot less likely to get caught in front of tens of thousands of people than it is in front of just one person who's a bit of a prying eye."

"Is that true?"

"Sure. Haven't you ever heard of the public being blind? They're a race of people who can't and won't see the essence of things. They only see what they want to see, so don't worry about it, okay?"

"Well, I see……."

Yunbi had told him that before his first outing, and it had cheered him up, but he was still nervous, probably due to his own timid nature. Regardless, now was the time to fight, so she needed to quickly put her distractions aside and focus her mind. Yun Mi stroked her dagger with a slightly nervous touch.

He still trembled every time he fought. He wasn't afraid of his opponent; he was more afraid of the eyes of the crowd watching him than he was of his opponent's crossed swords. As he shivered with nerves in the waiting area, he remembered what Yunbi had said to him as he approached, his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Yun Smiler. There's nothing to be nervous about, because they're not looking at you."

Whenever Yunbi called him, she never called him "Yun Miss Sojae," but always "Yun Miss Sojae. It was intentional.

"You're not looking at me, what does that mean?"

Yunmi looked at Yeonbi with tears in her eyes. Yeonbi nodded vigorously.

"They're looking at a fictionalized version of you, Yoon MiSojae, so there's nothing to shake, nothing to be nervous about, because like I said, they're not looking at you. They're not looking at you, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"You're not looking at me……."

The unlikely advice worked surprisingly well. Before I knew it, my hands had stopped shaking like they were lying.

"What? You're okay? I'm not really shaking."

He looked puzzled himself, and then Yunbi laughed.

"See, you don't have to be nervous at all. If you're nervous, you're nothing compared to him. Now, let's go out there and show him how good the volcano's swordsmanship is."

And then he added a little something else.

"Dance of the Plum Blossoms."

One by one, Yun Mi slowly looked at the three people dressed in snow-white robes. Two were men and one was a woman, all of whom were thin and had snake-like eyes. The white robes they wore were not pure and innocent, but rather morbid. Just by standing, they emitted an aura that made people uncomfortable, like snakes or frogs. Yun Mi was no exception.

Incredibly, there was not a speck of dust on their white clothes. That would be the color of offensive white. But Yunmi, who had seen them compete, knew better. But the instrument that drew the blood was no ordinary weapon. It was a tiny, thin, razor-sharp surgical blade. That's right. They were lawmakers. They were members of the Fourth Battalion of the Thousand and Thirteenth Priests, a medical organization. No doubt they chose the number four because the "four" is the same sound as the "four" that will die. Do they want to assert that they are in control of death, that they are the only ones who can give life or death to the students of the Heavenly Palace? Honestly, Yun Mi didn't want to fight these people, whose madness could turn a sane person into a patient in an instant.

'Alas, I must, must, must fight…….'

She wanted to turn around and leave right now. Just looking at their skinny bodies and their pure white robes and white gloves made her stomach churn. Yun Mi couldn't forget the white gloves she'd seen them wearing in a match not long ago.

* * *

"Medical immaturity!

That was the name of the group to which the pure white wannabes belonged. Their group's name had the power to inspire an unspeakable sense of dread, anxiety, and loathing. It had been suggested to them that they should keep an eye on their competition, as they were the key members of the Thirteenth Priestly Clan and of great skill.

"You've got to watch those crazy guys fight, because they're incredibly dangerous, and if you don't watch them, you probably don't realize how crazy they are, because they're crazier than you can imagine."

Eun Seol-ran added a warning, but it was hard not to see it coming. So Yun Mi sat in the front seat with Yeon Bi and Na Yerin to watch them compete. As participants, they had the best seats in the house. Eun Seol-ran was not a contestant, but she easily slipped into the players' section and sat with them.

"Ohhhhhh, I'm still doing one strand here."

Eunsulan said with a deliberately exaggerated smile to the surprised crowd.

It was easy to recognize the members of the Fourth Battalion who had come to cheer on the medically inexperienced, because they were all dressed in pristine white, just like them.

"I'm sure there's a clause in their code that says if you get dirt on that white robe, you're dead."

There's no doubt about it, Yunbi said in Na Yerin's ear, her voice full of conviction.

"Maybe, but who's that guy over there in the middle of the hundred onlookers, the one with the big diagonal scar on his face? He's very tall. I'd say about 'nine chucks,' fairly muscular, and an out-of-towner?"

Na Yerin's finger pointed to a spot. She looked to be in her early thirties, and a scar like a twine mark cut diagonally across her face. Somehow, the color of the skin above the line was subtly different from the color of the skin below.

"Ah, that's the Fourth Grandmaster, 'Life and Death Permitless'."

Eunsulan said.

"Oh, that's him!"

Only then did Yunbi shift her gaze to see if he was interested. Once you've reached the rank of Captain Twenty-Three, it pays to memorize it for as long as you can.

"Who's the other side, are they a bunch of wingnuts too?"

Eunsulan nodded.

"They're blue wolves."

"Blue wolf?"

"They're from the nineteenth and twentieth generations, the 'Changlangs'."

So they named their group "Changlangzo". It was a simple name that didn't seem to take much time.

The contest between the Fourth Master and the Ninth Master, Cang Langzhao, was decided to be a three-on-three bout instead of a one-on-one three-way match. It didn't matter to these three hundred thousand yuan fighters whether they fought one by one, three by three at the same time, or one fighting the other two, as long as they could agree, and if they couldn't, they would draw lots. Both sides seemed to be very accustomed to working in tandem with each other, and had apparently decided that group battles were more advantageous than individual battles.

The Changlangzhi, in particular, seemed to have specialized in the art of passing, as they were able to use different lengths of weapons without harming each other's strengths. One person becoming two, or two becoming three, does not make you unconditionally stronger, and it was not uncommon to be wounded by a colleague's sword if you performed a passing move based solely on the number of heads. However, this 'Changlangzo' was like a pack of wolves, breathing in unison, protecting his place and not invading others', so you could tell he was strong just by looking at him standing there.

"A lone wolf isn't scary, but a wolf in a pack is, and indeed, a wolf is a wolf."

Looking at the blue wolf sigils on their chests, Silver Snow murmured.

"Are they that scary, they?"

Yun Mi frowned as she looked at the nine characters on their backs.

"Few packs are as tenacious and persistent as a pack of wolves, especially those blue ones."

According to Eunseulan, they were the most obsessed with the art of passing, even among the Thirteenth Generation. Their obsession was so great that there were even stories circulating that the only time they were unable to use it was when they were alone. No one knew if that was true or false, for they never traveled alone. Whenever there were more than two of them, they could always pass for anyone from the old school, and it didn't matter if the number grew to four, five, eight, or nine. Rumor has it that there is even a "Great Passing Team" that mobilizes the entire student body. It was an open secret that the number one martial art to be broken was Shaolin's Hundred Eighty-Nine Jins, but no one had ever broken the Hundred Eighty-Nine Jins. The ranking had remained unchanged through successive generations of masters, and the only way to prove that the theoretical method could be applied in practice was to prove it with one's own body. Of course, they would jump at the chance.

"So how strong are those people in white, and if it's the Passing Technique, to so readily hand over the opportunity to perform the Passing Technique to those with broken bones…… wouldn't be possible without a great deal of confidence?"

There was nothing wrong with the Yeonbi.

"They're…… maniacs."

"A madman?"

"Yes, a medical madman."

The silver snowflake's ami frowned slightly.

"Then those old-timers have the advantage."

Apparently, being a councilor was considered weak because they were supposed to heal wounds rather than hurt others. The only exception was the captain of the fourth battalion, who looked like he would beat the crap out of his opponent and say, "You're already dead," but the rest of them were all weaklings. Eun Seol-ran, however, disagreed with Yun Mi.

"Why do you think that?"

Eunseulan asked.

"Of course, because they're the ones in charge of the force, but don't you think they've had a lot more training and practice with it? They look a lot stronger, too, whereas those guys in white have barely mastered medicine, right?"

Their armed superiority was obvious. The men in white were indispensable, but that didn't mean they were strong.

"Do you think so?"

Silver Lily smiled bitterly.

"Did I mention there's no such thing as a silver bullet? Well, you'll find out when you watch this match."

Once again, Eunsulan emphasized seeing things in person.

They turned their attention to the center of the arena, eager to see what they could do. A moment later, they realized that those white men were indeed amazing. But they were great in a terrible way.

The nine generations of Changlangzou were in a triangular formation, while the four generations of Mishui Mishou were in a straight line. While the three Changlangs are posed with swords, sabers, and spears, respectively, the untrained medical practitioner is wearing snow-white gloves and raising both hands to his chest. All six of their hands were empty.

"Why is he in such a weird position?"

Unable to contain her curiosity, Yun Mi asked, looking at the only person in the room who could answer the question. Eun Seolan sighed softly and answered.

"I don't know the details, but they say it's to protect their hands from weapons."

"From a weapon like a knife or sword? How? That seems pretty vulnerable."

To Yunmi, their postures seemed to be screaming for her to cut off their hands, and their postures were grossly out of line with the martial arts.

"It's not so much a weapon as it is an aura of disease, and they believe that everything outside of us is contaminated with dirty disease, so we must always stay clean to prevent it from invading."

"For what?"

This short question came from Yunfei. Eunseulan hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should answer, and then opened her mouth with a look that said she couldn't.

"I heard that…… is for cutting people's stomachs."

The first of the two groups to move was the oldest. These blue wolves were not patient enough to wait for their prey.

"Unleash the Three Rings Marangjin!"

The most senior of the three wolves, the Blood Three, cried out. He was the third in line of succession and a master of the sword. At his command, his sons-in-law, Black Love and Dao Mei, and the fifth in line, Red Orang, went to their positions and stood. They had an unusual tradition of numbering themselves down to the asterisks, for the wolves valued order, and when the order changed, so did the numbers in the center of the asterisks.

The three men formed a triangular shape. The apex of the triangle was Masung-jin, who stood at the front.

"I don't need to drag this out for a long time with those assholes. We'll end them once and for all. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

The answer came at the same time.

"They're a bunch of councilors anyway. Let's make them treat each other like shit! Beat them up to your heart's content."

"Okay."

Bloodthirsty commanded.

"Move into the 'third formation'."

A jinhyeong is a method of operating a passing line that is promised in advance, and in the passing art, without such a promise, the movements can become confusing and even collapse if done incorrectly, so we had to be careful.

"Let's show them how sharp the teeth of the blue wolf are!"

The three wolves stomped off in unison, still in formation, and howled.

"Charge!"

Hapkukjin, hapkukjutsu, or hapkukjutsu, in short, is the practice of using multiple people to effectively manipulate a single person. At least that's the way it's thought of in the Black Sea, which is why the Black Sea hapkuk is so different from the White Sea hapkuk in every way. There is no need for yin and yang, five elements, three materials, and the nine balls. For them, the operation of nature and the coexistence of the five elements were old-fashioned and useless theories. They only wanted one thing: practicality. How to defeat the enemy easily, quickly, and in a short period of time was the beginning and end of the compound wall. The Canglangzhi were no different; they staked everything on how they could bite off their targets in the quickest and easiest way possible. As such, their movements were swift, swift, and greedy.

The white men, who hadn't moved until now, finally made a move. They weren't going to just stand there and stick their heads in the wolf's maw.

"Okay, let's start the diagnosis. Commence examination!"

The man in the back of the room shouted out, and it was Dr. Hausu, the fourth in line of succession.

"Yes, Medical Director!"

The first white man, Moon Jin Chae-soo, lunged at the three blue wolves. The blue wolves weren't stupid enough to leave their prey alone.

On the right wing of the triangle, the Red Orangeman moved, his weapon a massive two-handed greatsword. His role was to block his opponent's movements with this single weapon. His role was to block, not kill, and once he had blocked his opponent, he could then use his full strength to hold him down. However, Chai Yi Su was incredibly fast and avoided the fall with a swift move. He quickly grabbed his wrist, twisted the joint backwards and broke it, and then stomped on the back of his knee with his foot to block his leg.

The Red Orang was subdued so swiftly that Bloodsucker and Black Love were dumbfounded and lost their breath to charge. If their captain was looking down on them now, they would go back and salute him. Their captain, Wolf, was a cruel Marang who knew no forgiveness. The worst part was that their leader was right there, in the front row, watching this fight. A cold sweat trickled down the three wolves' backs.

"Uhhhhhhhh!"

With a high-pitched whistle, Black Love stabbed his long spear like a thunderbolt. It was his job to pierce his opponent's heavily guarded belly.

"Initiate anesthesia!"

That's when Uhohousu called out again.

"Yes!"

Then a second white man rushed in, who was surprisingly a woman. Several large spitballs shot out of the white woman's hand and she hurled a long spear at Black Love. Black Love quickly changed the direction of the spear and deflected the flying needles.

Boom!

She parried the third sting, but not the fourth. After being stabbed, Black Love stood as still as a statue for a moment, and the Three Bloods rushed to her aid. But Hausu did not intervene; he trusted the white woman, Ho Wen.

The White Lady's left hand stretched out wide. From her white glove rose a thick smoke that quickly enveloped the three sheets in all directions.

"Poison?!"

Startled, he immediately stopped breathing and pulled back. However, he was unable to take more than three steps backward.

"Oh, my God, he's clearly stopped breathing…….

The original "poison dance" wasn't as lethal as you might think, especially in the midst of such a fast-paced fight. It tends to disperse before entering the opponent's respiratory system. So it shouldn't have worked, but it did: sensation was slowly draining from his entire body.

"No way!

He was stunned. That would explain the stiffness in his body even after he stopped breathing. He couldn't figure it out, but it was actually the interaction between the paralyzing acid in his saliva and the poison that had been absorbed through his skin, causing it to take effect more quickly.

"Oops, poison! Poison! Isn't poison against the rules?"

Minor Eugene exclaimed in horror.

"Oh, if it's poison, it's against the rules, but if it's not poison, it's fine."

Mr. Mubak replied in a nonchalant voice.

"Then……."

The answer came out of the White Lady's own mouth.

"It's not poison, it's a type of paralytic acid. It's meant to be absorbed through the skin. The stuff in the saliva is meant for the muscles."

The white woman glared at him, telling him to stop being so ignorant.

"But why……."

The first white man and the second white woman swept their hands over the bodies of the three men, who had been pinned down.

"Symptoms?"

The white-clad man, still motionless, asked.

"Yep. I think I have a bad stomach."

Hearing Chae-soo's answer to Moon-jin's question, Hausu's eyes flashed sharply.

"Chae-Su, how many organs do you think are inside a human being, how many muscles and how many bones do you think are inside a human being, and do you think that's enough to fix the patient, and where exactly?"

"Sin, I'm sorry. I'll try again, I think it's the warden."

"Maybe? Like?"

Still in a disgruntled tone, Huisu replied. Chae Yi Soo's face became urgent as he examined it with his hands.

"No, it's definitely the small intestine. You must have an infarcted small intestine and are suffering from extreme indigestion."

Chae replied in a confident tone.

"Good! Then let's get to work on improving your patient's symptoms. What treatment is required, attendant?"

House asked again, this time to Ho-won, the white lady.

"I believe you need an urgent laparotomy."

Laparotomy literally means to cut open the stomach.

"Okay, I'm going to start the laparotomy now."

Before the words were out of his mouth, Yuhao Hausu moved, closing the distance like a tiger on the run with a swift stride, his white gloves holding a sharpened sword. The blade was sharpened to a bluish edge, but it was far too small to be a weapon. To put it mildly, it was the size of a small paintbrush. No matter how sharpened it was, it was unlikely that a knife like that could hurt anyone.

The Scourer!

Lefty!

But in an instant, they were all proven wrong. With a single flick of the sword in Hausu's hand, the standing Blue Wolf of the Changeling Clan's stomach was sliced in half. But the wolf himself didn't seem to feel any pain. Instead, he looked down at his stomach in disbelief. There wasn't as much blood as one would expect for such a wound. He seemed to think that this couldn't be right.

Poof!

Hausu's white gloves dug into the crack without hesitation.

"Hic!"

A grotesque scream erupted from Yun Mi's mouth as she saw that horrible, grotesque sight. Yan Bi and Na Yerin also frowned slightly. Eunseulan averted her gaze. She didn't want to see the terrible things that would happen next.

Boom!

The white glove that had been embedded in Red Orang's stomach was ripped from his body, and in his hand he held a long string of entrails. It was his opponent's small intestine.

"Hmmm, the reddish tinge to the color suggests you're in better shape than I thought. Can you see the color of this small intestine?"

Hausu asked, turning his attention to Chae-soo and Ho-won.

"Yes, I see it."

"Yes, I see it."

The other two answered at the same time.

"This is a healthy small intestine. Remember this elasticity and color well. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

No one seemed interested in the fact that Chae's diagnosis was a misdiagnosis. No one was pointing that out. All they cared about was what the man's insides looked like. Without hesitation, the white-hooded man pushed the intestines back into his stomach, then turned around and said, "I'm sorry.

"Paperweight, I want you to try suturing this time."

"Thank you for the opportunity, Deputy Medical Director!"

Chae replied in a cheerful tone, then drew a needle and thread from somewhere and quickly began to stitch up the open stomach. Carefully tucking in the intestines to avoid kinks and dirt, she closed the incision and stitched them tightly at regular intervals with the threaded needle. He moved very quickly, as if he hadn't done this before.

"Unlike other parts of the body, a person's stomach has strong muscles and is very thick, so it can open up quickly if not sutured properly. So always be careful when stitching."

He explained in detail and kindness as he watched Chae Yi Su work diligently on the stitches. If it weren't for the fact that they were in the midst of a match to advance to the quarterfinals, this could have been considered a conversation between two people seriously exploring their intentions. But now that there was no fighting, their attitude was nothing short of insane.

"Suturing is complete."

With that, the white hooded leader of the Fourth Battalion inspected the sutures carefully, then looked into the patient's eyes and mouth.

"Well, that's good, good job."

"Thank you."

Chae Yi Soo folded her waist in half in greeting.

"What do you say we take care of you too? We still have plenty of time, and it's our job to take care of our friends in the Great Hall."

Hausu said, slowly turning his head toward the two remaining people. The faces of Black Love and Blood Samurai paled. No matter how many times they had fought amongst the wildest wolf packs, what they had just seen was truly a hellish sight to endure. They quickly shook their heads. Fortunately, he could still move his neck.

"Leave this laparotomy to me, Assistant Chief!"

Chae Yi Soo said with eagerness in his eyes. He didn't want to miss this wonderful opportunity to cut open a man's stomach.

"No, leave it to me. I'm confident I can do a good job."

"Ho-won, you just stitched up a patient with a knife in his stomach!"

"Yeah, well, you were a kid with gloves on, and have you already forgotten that two days later, the stitches weren't strong enough and the wound opened up again, almost spilling your guts?"

As Chae-soo and Ho-won's bickering intensified, more and more blood drained from the faces of Bae Sam-rang and Black Love.

"U…… we…… lost."

Finally, an admission of defeat escaped the bloodsucker's lips. It was clear that these madmen would not hesitate to cut open his stomach out of curiosity. He would much rather have his stomach ripped out by the big wolf.

After watching Chae-soo and Ho-won argue for a while, Hausu pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and began to scribble something on it with a brush at a rapid pace. He then threw it toward Red Orang, who had just gutted his stomach with a nonchalant face. The paper flew through the air and landed in the arms of the pale-faced Red Orang, who had a large laparotomy scar on his stomach.

"This is a prescription."

With those words, the three white men turned and walked back to their waiting room. Their once-white gloves were now stained bright red with blood.

"Bar, what did you just do?"

Yunmi asked, her voice shaking.

"Health check."

"Diagnose what?"

"I've just diagnosed the health of his guts, and thankfully he's not sick."

Eunseulan's expression was uncomfortable as she said that.

"You mean you'd cut open an otherwise healthy person's stomach for that?"

"It must have been a misdiagnosis, because I told you, they're crazy."

"Do people die from that ruthless care?"

"You think there won't be?"

Eun Seolan asked, looking straight into Yun Mi's eyes.

"Oh, no."

In a cold sweat, Yunmi replied. It didn't make sense to say no.

"They don't die right away, but they say it's one out of every three times, and the leader of that unit, Saint Samuels, says it's one out of every ten times."

It's almost a miracle, which is why it has such a high success rate.

"And you're still doing it?"

"That's why you have to keep going," he said, "until you've cut and sealed a hundred times and there are no failures. Last time I saw him, he was bragging that he'd made it up to seventy-seven, and there were only thirty-three more to go."

Yun Mi was stunned by the brazenness and uncontrollable madness of it all, and was at a loss for words.

Yunmi almost vomited at first. What's even more amazing is that no one who saw her guts died. As if they were overconfident in their skills, or practicing to improve their skills, they quickly pushed the intestines in with dexterity and quickly closed the incision with thread and needle. The work was unnervingly neat, with every stitch evenly spaced and without a single error.

It was then that Yun Bi, Na Yerin, and Yun Mi could clearly see what Eun Seolan had meant. It was certainly very cruel to force them to put that sight into words.

"That's definitely not moderately crazy."

Yeonbi expressed his appreciation with a slight grimace. The tone was one of displeasure.

"I'm really glad I don't have to explain anything further."

Eunsulan said, her fine brow furrowed. Even though this wasn't the first time, she felt nauseous at the sight she would never get used to. Even if I see it again a hundred times, I will never get used to it. If the day ever came when he could get used to it, he would wonder if something was wrong with his head, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to forget what he had seen today. The thick scent of blood seemed to stimulate his sense of smell, even though he was quite a distance away.