The Martial God with Psychic Powers

No Sobaek looked at Yeon Woo Jin and asked,
“Is this really your first time learning medicine?”

“I actually picked up a little just by watching others.”
And this is what he picked up just by watching?
Then what if he were to study it properly?

He could very well surpass even him—and become the greatest physician in the Central Plains.
No Sobaek’s smile deepened.
“You. Have you ever thought about formally learning the medical arts?”

“I’d like to.”
“Then from today onward, I will personally teach you medicine. Become my disciple.”
“Thank you. But I already have a master. I’d have to get his permission first.”

“What? You already have a master? Who? Someone I know?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”

“It’s Strategist Sima Cheon.”
“What?”
No Sobaek’s eyes widened in shock.

It was a name he hadn’t even remotely expected to hear.
“Sima Cheon is your master?”
“Yes, sir.”

“Huuuh…”
A flash of awkwardness passed across No Sobaek’s face.
The one person he genuinely liked in all of Mushincheon was Sima Cheon.
To now feel like he’d tried to steal his beloved elder brother’s disciple—it left a sour taste.

Did he believe Woo Jin’s words?
Of course.
In fact, it made perfect sense.

With a brain like that, being Sima Cheon’s disciple was more than fitting.
Sending him to this hall must have been a directive to let him experience all aspects of Mushincheon.
It wasn’t that he’d been sent here for his medical talent—Sima Cheon must’ve pulled strings.

“That settles it. I can’t steal the disciple of the man I respect most. Even if we don’t form a formal master-disciple bond, I’ll still teach you medicine.”
It was disappointing not to be able to officially take him as a disciple—but with a talent like this right in front of him, he couldn’t just let the opportunity pass.
But Yeon Woo Jin didn’t give up.
“I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”

“Your answer?”
“To the offer you gave me today.”
“You really intend to go and ask for Brother Cheon’s permission? That man would rather die than let someone take what’s his.”

“I believe he’ll permit it.”
“You believe he’ll permit it?”
Yeon Woo Jin simply smiled.

Seeing that smile, No Sobaek tilted his head, unable to make sense of it.
 
****

“Hahaha! What brings my Woo Jin here today!”
Sima Cheon greeted him with a radiant smile as he came rushing out to meet him, and Yeon Woo Jin bowed his head.
“I’m sorry I haven’t visited more often, Master.”

“Hahaha! It’s fine! It’s fine! Have you just been busy lately? Congratulations, by the way—on unifying the Senior Divisions of Mushincheon.”
“It’s not complete unification yet. Once I’ve brought Jungcheon to its knees, then I’ll accept congratulations.”
“Exactly! That’s how it should be! Whose disciple are you, after all! Hahaha!”

Anyone else who saw Sima Cheon like this would be stunned.
To think the great strategist could laugh so heartily.
“Come to think of it, this is field training season, isn’t it? I heard you were assigned to the Hall of the Medicine King?”

He hadn’t simply “heard.”
Orders had already been issued to the Military Division to report any news related to Yeon Woo Jin on a top-priority basis.
All reports concerning him were classified as top-secret and went straight to Sima Cheon.

“So then—what brings you to see this master today?”
“There’s something I want to request your permission for.”
“Permission? What kind of thing would you need permission for within Mushincheon?”

“I’d like to take on a new master.”
Sima Cheon instantly knew who it was.
“No Sobaek, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”
“That old rascal tried to seduce you, didn’t he?”
“He did at first, but once he found out I was your disciple, he gave up.”

“And yet?”
“Even so, he’s been teaching me… and I’d like to formally take him as my master.”
Sima Cheon smiled.

Such a good heart.
“Learn whatever you wish. If you need a master for that, then take a hundred, or even a thousand—it doesn’t matter. Understand?”
“Yes, Master. Thank you.”

“Hahaha, that’s enough. Just seeing your face makes me happy.”
“I’ll visit more often from now on.”
Sima Cheon looked at Yeon Woo Jin with warm eyes.

Before he knew it, the boy had grown into a tall, upright young man.
To think he’d grown this well, this straight.
Sima Cheon smiled deeply as he placed a hand on Yeon Woo Jin’s shoulder.

“My Woo Jin has become a fine young man. Hahaha! Well? Since you’re here, why not have dinner with your master?”
“Yes, sir!”
 

****
The next day.
No Sobaek read the letter from Sima Cheon and was taken aback.

“I didn’t expect Brother Cheon to give his permission so easily.”
The letter asked that he look after Yeon Woo Jin well.
After finishing the letter, No Sobaek smiled and said,

“For you to go to such lengths just to have me as your master—you’re a good one. I knew I hadn’t misjudged you.”
“I was only doing what I should.”
“Hahahaha!”

He already adored him to death—and now, with every little thing he did, he was falling harder and harder.
Looking at Yeon Woo Jin with eyes full of affection, No Sobaek said,
“Now then. Where should we begin with our new disciple?”

Two of the most fundamental areas for a physician had already been tested and passed.
The next was acupuncture.
“Normally, one spends three years learning to manage water, and three years with medicinal herbs, before moving on to acupuncture. But you’ve already mastered the first two, so we’ll go straight into acupuncture. Tell me—do you know anything about it?”

In response to No Sobaek’s question, Yeon Woo Jin recited everything he knew.
No Sobaek was floored.
His theoretical knowledge was already perfect.

“Whew… no need to teach you theory, I suppose.”
There was no need to instruct him in the basics of acupuncture.
“You don’t happen to know the other theoretical areas as well, do you?”

“I do.”
“Let’s hear it, then.”
Yeon Woo Jin began speaking fluently about every medical text he had read.

“…Don’t tell me you’ve memorized every medical text in the Muryang Archive?”
No Sobaek, knowing Yeon Woo Jin had come from the Muryang Archive, asked with a look of disbelief.
“I’ve memorized them all.”

They say assumptions can kill a man…
“So that’s why Brother Cheon made you his disciple.”
He was too smart—shockingly smart.

In his entire life, No Sobaek had never encountered someone like this.
People had called him a genius, but next to Yeon Woo Jin, he was like a firefly beneath a full moon.
No—beneath the sun.

There was nothing to teach him in theory.
If anything, he might need to start asking Woo Jin questions.
“This is… troubling. If I have nothing to teach, it’s hard to say I deserve to be called your master.”

“I may know the theory, but I’ve never practiced any of it.”
“Of course. Then from today, you’ll shadow me directly.”
“Yes, sir.”

For some reason, No Sobaek had the unsettling feeling that this entire field training period would drain him of everything he knew.
 
****

On the first day, Yeon Woo Jin simply observed as No Sobaek diagnosed and treated patients.
He paid close attention to the process of No Sobaek inserting acupuncture needles.
More precisely, he was watching the flow of qi.

The bluish-stagnant energy began to turn red and flow freely the moment No Sobaek inserted the needle.
The needle was placed at the most concentrated point of the blue qi.
That was where he struck.

As the needle drove deeper, the blue hue faded—and when it turned red, No Sobaek’s hand stopped.
The red energy began to gradually devour the remaining blue and circulate smoothly.
That moment of turning red—it seemed to indicate the ideal depth to stop the needle.

After placing the needle, No Sobaek would lightly infuse it with inner energy, helping the qi spread more effectively and amplifying the treatment’s effects.
The types of qi varied widely.
Black signified poison.

In those cases, acupuncture was used to draw the poison out from the body.
As he compared No Sobaek’s movements with established theory, Yeon Woo Jin was rapidly absorbing it all as his own.
No Sobaek was startled by how Yeon Woo Jin didn’t blink once—utterly focused.

That level of concentration…
Could he really have mastered acupuncture just by watching it once?
Surely not.

After all, memorizing something and putting it into practice were two completely different things.
And yet… he couldn’t shake the feeling that Yeon Woo Jin might’ve actually learned it all.
This wasn’t good—but he wanted to test it.

“If it were you, where would you place the needle?”
At the question, Yeon Woo Jin silently approached the patient and spoke.
“You’d start here and drive the pathogenic qi upward.”

“Correct. And what depth?”
“For the legs, I would use a round needle and insert to about 1 cheok and 3 pun. For the lower back, I’d use a long needle, drive it roughly 6 cheok deep, and ensure the pathogenic qi doesn’t settle into the spine.”
No Sobaek was astonished.

A flawless answer.
“In that case…”
No. Not yet.

That’s what he thought.
“...Would you like to try administering the acupuncture yourself?”
Ah!

He’d said it.
Words that should never have left his mouth slipped out before he realized it.
Refuse.

He hoped the boy would turn him down.
“I’ll give it a try.”
The moment was gone.

Well, if he closely supervised, he could prevent any mistakes.
That’s what he told himself—when suddenly:
Papapap!

Before he could even begin observing, Yeon Woo Jin’s hands shot into motion.
“Whoa!”
In the blink of an eye, the needles had already been placed across the patient’s body.

He hadn’t expected him to administer acupuncture this quickly.
Damn it!
No Sobaek hurriedly checked on the patient.

Thankfully, nothing seemed off.
But then—his eyes caught something.
The patient’s face was already showing signs of healthy color.

Already?
He was healing at an unbelievable pace.
This was absurd.

He quickly grabbed the patient’s wrist to take his pulse.
It was real.
The patient’s condition was improving.

This was an illness that should’ve taken at least three months of treatment.
A miracle.
No Sobaek turned to look at Yeon Woo Jin with wide, trembling eyes.

He wanted to ask what exactly he had done—but the patient was still nearby, so he held back.
Instead, he swiftly took Yeon Woo Jin to his personal quarters and asked,
“What exactly… did you just do to that patient?”

“I administered the acupuncture exactly as I described a moment ago.”
“That alone wouldn’t yield results so quickly. Did you do anything else?”
“Since I saw Master infuse qi into the needles during treatment, I did the same and added a bit of my own qi.”

“…What?”
That was something a beginner should never attempt.
He should be scolded severely.

But the results were too good.
What kind of qi could produce such rapid healing?
No Sobaek extended his hand to Yeon Woo Jin.

“Show me that qi.”
Yeon Woo Jin grasped No Sobaek’s hand and infused his energy.
In that instant, No Sobaek’s eyes shot open wide.

It felt like the very cells in his body were being rejuvenated.
As if the source of life itself was flowing into him.
With qi like this, it made sense.

If he had used this qi during acupuncture, it explained everything.
“You… your body isn’t in great shape either, Master.”
“…What?”

The energy entering his body suddenly [N O V E L I G H T] surged even stronger.
“Ahhh!”
A cry of joy burst uncontrollably from No Sobaek’s mouth.

It was as if a refreshing current of energy was washing through every inch of his being.
Like being reborn.
Yeon Woo Jin’s qi wrapped around his entire body, drawing out the harmful qi within—and returned to Yeon Woo Jin.

No Sobaek, who had just moments ago been basking in that overwhelming sensation, slowly turned his head toward Yeon Woo Jin in a daze.
His body felt light.
All the stiffness, the chronic aches—they were gone.

He felt at least twenty years younger.
“You… what on earth are you?”
“I am your disciple, Master.”

Disciple?
But I have nothing to teach him…
He had never felt the title “Master” weigh so heavily.

If anything, he ought to serve Yeon Woo Jin.
It felt like he had dared to covet something holy—some sacred being he was unworthy of touching.
He felt like a blasphemer who had offended a divine presence.

At a complete loss for words, he could only stare blankly—when suddenly, noise erupted from outside.
“What’s going on out there!”
“It’s urgent! The Lord of Tianzhu is urgently summoning you, Master!”

“What? The Lord of Tianzhu?”
“Yes, sir!”
“You don’t know what for?”

“I only received word that he urgently requires your presence, so I came at once.”
“I see.”
No Sobaek turned to Yeon Woo Jin.

His eyes still held the same astonishment.
If something’s happened to the Lord of Tianzhu… then we’ll need Yeon Woo Jin’s power.
No Sobaek spoke firmly.

“It seems something’s happened to the Lord of Tianzhu. You’re coming with me.”
“Yes, Master!”