The Martial Alliance’s Commission

“Fellow disciple, wake up. Fellow disciple, wake up.”

He had only managed to fall asleep at dawn. If he wanted to study and train, there was no choice. Since he had started late, the only way was to cut down on sleep more than others.

Had he slept even one sijin?

That voice stabbed at his ears. Neung Je-gang yanked the blanket over his head.

“Get up. You’re late.”

Rough hands did not forgive him.

Whoosh—

The blanket was snatched away. Neung Je-gang rubbed his eyes and sat up.

“If you don’t wash and get ready fast, there’s no breakfast for you today either.”

The owner of the voice tidied his bedding in his stead.

“Can’t you stop this already? And I told you to call me sahyeong.”

Grudgingly sitting up, Neung Je-gang grumbled.

“Hmph, is age all it takes to be sahyeong? You have to start learning first to be a senior, right? And why are you talking down to your sajeo?”

The nasal, sulky voice belonged to a girl barely past ten, with a fresh young face.

Even as she scolded him, the girl briskly cleared every trace that he’d slept.

“If I’d married early, I’d have at least two daughters your age by now.”

“Quiet. Something so surprising is waiting today. It’ll snap you awake—so hurry.”

With that, the girl whisked outside.

“Surprising, huh? I hope all the women in the medical school vanish.”

Muttering, Neung Je-gang stepped out and washed his face. The cold water jolted him awake, but the daily sleep debt made his eyelids feel like lead.

‘One round of breath-cultivation would wipe this fatigue clean…’

But there was nowhere here to circulate energy, too many eyes on him, and—like that girl just now—plenty of women who would hunt him down if he was out of sight for a moment, making it hard to slip outside.

Above all, because he had promised not to use martial arts while learning medicine, Neung Je-gang had to start another weary day.

In Jinhua, Zhejiang, there was a family famed as best under heaven: a medical clan said to summon even the souls of the dead.

The world called it the House of Shinsu.

It was also where, as Grand Elder, lived Je Yeong-hak—the Soul-Returning Divine Doctor—whom the Demon Doctor had told Neung Je-gang to meet.

About fifty years ago, after the birth of the peerless divine doctor Je Yeong-hak, the House of Shinsu rose to fame, built halls in Jinhua, and began teaching those devoted to medicine.

The Soul-Returning Medical School.

Named after Je Yeong-hak’s epithet, the school produced many medical trainees and remained a place where would-be physicians lined up to study.

Neung Je-gang had entered there as a student.

Granting the Demon Doctor’s last request had not been hard. He had already visited Je Yeong-hak and conveyed the Demon Doctor’s wish; Je Yeong-hak examined the new body the Demon Doctor had crafted.

“Perhaps he thought himself above me, but I always believed he stood above me. Striving not to fall behind him, one day people called me ‘Divine Doctor.’ I rejoiced, thinking I had surpassed him—but that joy drove him to despair.”

So Je Yeong-hak reflected on the Demon Doctor.

“To be honest, I don’t precisely know what capabilities your body holds. I can say it resembles what the martial world calls Celestial Steel Body. Heh—if he could fashion a human body like this at will, that alone proves he stood above me. I promise you this: I’ll make it known that the Demon Doctor stood above the Divine Doctor.”

He even made that pledge.

“May I study medicine here?”

“You seem like a martial artist.”

“Martial artists get hurt more often. I’m at Kuaiji Mountain now. Fighting pirates, there are many places that need medicine.”

“Ah! I’ve heard of that—fighting the pirates the authorities ignore. Such a place needs medics. Not only will you study, I’ll also assign trainees there.”

Though born from the Demon Doctor’s thread, the bond turned out good. Pleased, Neung Je-gang thought Kuaiji Mountain would benefit too.

But Je Yeong-hak set a condition.

“While you study medicine, you must not use martial arts. For fairness with other students.”

“I understand.”

And so, weary though he was, he had to move by mundane means.

He wasn’t the only late starter in medicine. The problem lay with his face. He had kept the same handsome guise to get used to it, and already regretted not changing it again—several times.

Though younger than he, the girls who had begun earlier took turns watching his every move. Eyes followed him everywhere.

Even late at night, when he stayed up to study alone to graduate faster, someone watched. Rumors spread so far that women from the Shinsu main compound traveled over just to glimpse his face.

After breakfast, as always, he went to the medical master’s room for lessons.

“From today you begin clinical practice. Theoretically, there’s nothing more to teach you. Ask when you’re unsure, and move your quarters to the main house.”

Unexpectedly, he had completed the theory course in record time.

“So that’s the surprise?”

The women exploded. One of their few joys at the school vanished before their eyes.

“This is definitely that Je So-yeon scheming.”

“Right, right! That hussy meddled.”

At that remark, the others made an even bigger fuss.

“Heh.”

Neung Je-gang held his tongue. Je So-yeon was the very girl who had woken him minutes ago.

He could not say she had summoned him to the main house—but she clearly knew in advance and had played a decisive role.

He returned to his quarters and packed. It was only a few clothes and some basic medical texts.

“So I’ll finish medicine faster than expected?”

That alone satisfied him.

He was a martial artist. He had no reason to devote a lifetime to medicine. Facing pirates, he had watched the wounded bleed out with nothing but acupressure to stanch it—that was why he had chosen to learn.

Once he completed practice and graduated, he would return to Kuaiji Mountain and teach a few youngsters simple techniques.

At the school, the “main house” meant the Shinsu Household. When he arrived, Je So-yeon had somehow gotten there first and waited at the gate.

“Hehe! Welcome, fellow disciple.”

People around them snickered. A girl so young she could be taken for a little sister—or even a daughter—calling him “fellow disciple” was quite the sight.

From that day, Neung Je-gang joined practice at the Shinsu Household. It mainly meant watching physicians treat patients and running errands, but even that made his skills surge.

Being a martial artist, he paid extra attention to lacerations, cuts, and internal injuries.

Months passed at the Shinsu compound. Summoned, he sat down with Je Yeong-hak.

“Have you been well?”

“Welcome. I hear you completed the course in the shortest time.”

“It’s thanks to your care, Elder.”

“Shall I bring tea, Father?”

“Do.”

A middle-aged woman brought in tea. As she poured and set the cups before them, she studied Neung Je-gang closely.

Her stare was so blatant that he felt awkward.

“Where’s Geum-wol? Why are you bringing tea?”

“Me? Hohoho—Geum-wol is busy.”

The woman hurried out.

“Heh-heh, that’s So-yeon’s mother. Likely curious who you are, thanks to her daughter’s fuss.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh? You didn’t know—or didn’t care?”

“I don’t follow…”

“Heh, really now… You truly didn’t know. It seems So-yeon wants to marry you. You didn’t notice?”

“…”

Of course he hadn’t. She fooled around like a kid sister—he only found it endearing.

“So not ignorance—no interest at all.”

“Forgive me. I only ever saw her as a younger sister—I had no idea…”

“No need to apologize. She’s the childish one. I’ll handle it; you needn’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

Reassured by Je Yeong-hak’s words, Neung Je-gang relaxed. Arguing here would only make things worse.

But he overlooked that Je Yeong-hak had lived more than thrice as long as he had. He could not yet know how that promise to “handle everything” would one day catch his ankle.