Namgung Chang-hwi quickly gathered the seriously wounded in one of the tents.

There was no point in doubting Seo-jun’s intentions; if left alone, they would all die anyway.

A total of nine seriously wounded people, gathered together with a sliver of hope.

Seo-jun looked over at them and nodded.

“This should do…”

“My lord, you know how to practice medicine too?”

“Nope.”

“What the—?”

Jang Geuk scratched his head as Namgung Chang-hwi approached Seo-jun.

“What should we do now?”

Namgung Chang-hwi’s cooperation was almost too eager. Seo-jun gave him a quick look before sitting down.

“Start by laying the most critical patients in front of me.”

Seo-jun wasn’t capable of curing illnesses, but he could expel harmful energy with his internal energy. There were conditions that might improve, though most would not. But external wounds and internal injuries were a different matter.

The first warrior laid in front of Seo-jun had a massive sword wound across his chest. The injury was festering, his face pale, and his temperature dangerously high. Not that it mattered to Seo-jun; he didn’t bother checking the pulse, knowing he lacked any real medical knowledge to interpret it.

“Amitabha…”

Seo-jun glanced at the monk murmuring a prayer nearby, then placed his hand on the patient’s abdomen.

“Everyone, please be quiet.”

His internal energy flowed from his hand into the patient, identifying and releasing the twisted energy paths first.

“Gah…!”

The patient coughed up blood, but there was no danger of suffocation. Seo-jun used the patient’s own internal energy to clear the airway and guided his own energy through the body’s meridians.

Crack—

The patient’s entire body began to contort.

Venerable Jibeak’s eyes widened, and he reached out instinctively.

“……”

But Namgung Chang-hwi held his arm back.

[What if this goes wrong?]

[Do you have a better solution? If left alone, they’ll die anyway. Trust him if you’ve left it to him.]

Jibeak closed his mouth at Namgung Chang-hwi’s words.

After a while, Seo-jun removed his hand.

Namgung Chang-hwi’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.

“He’s really healed…”

What Namgung Chang-hwi witnessed wasn’t exactly medical treatment—it was more like a miraculous rebirth, as if the wound had been completely reformed.

Seo-jun wiped the sweat from his brow as Jang Geuk handed him a wet cloth.

“Thanks.”

“My lord, where did you learn to do this?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then how…?”

Seo-jun chuckled, burning away the blood on his hands with a flash of energy.

“Could you slice an apple thrown into the air?”

“What kind of question is that? You really think I can’t?”

“No, no. It’s more like that. Something you just know you can do.”

He was confident, even if he’d never done it before. It wasn’t particularly difficult for Seo-jun, though it was exhausting.

Stretching his stiff muscles, Seo-jun looked at Namgung Chang-hwi.

“And you are…?”

“Namgung Chang-hwi. And you are…?”

“Oh, I’m the son-in-law of the Namgung family’s head.”

“So, you’re Lady Sua’s…?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Namgung Chang-hwi quickly laid the next patient before him as he spoke.

Before starting, Seo-jun explained some precautions to him.

“This technique draws on the patient’s energy to induce a crude transformation. It depletes their internal energy, strength, and lifespan.”

“That’s fine. Survival is the priority.”

“No, what I mean is, you need to take care of them properly afterward; they could still collapse.”

“Understood.”

Namgung Chang-hwi moved swiftly, organizing with the other Namgung warriors while Venerable Jibeak coordinated with the monks. Even other fighters who had strength left offered their aid.

By dawn, Seo-jun had treated all the critical patients, and he lay down, utterly spent.

“Ugh… I’m beat.”

Jang Geuk, who had been keeping watch, handed him a damp cloth.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Seo-jun wiped his face with the cloth, then sat up abruptly.

“So, what’s the plan now?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Ah, right.”

Venerable Jibeak, who had just returned from tending to the last patient, answered.

“We should withdraw. The Black Lotus Sect will have reinforcements soon, and the situation isn’t favorable.”

“Are you sure? If we pull back now, what about the nearby towns and the Ha-buk Peng family?”

“If we retreat, others may come to relieve us.”

Namgung Chang-hwi, who had just returned, frowned.

“That won’t do. Even if reinforcements arrive, we have to hold this ground until they do.”

“Amitabha… This is reckless. Staying here will only lead to needless deaths.”

“If we withdraw, the people in the cities occupied by the Black Lotus Sect will all be sacrificed.”

“And what meaning is there in holding this ground? If the Black Lotus warriors attack, we won’t last. It would be a pointless sacrifice.”

Seo-jun blinked as the argument suddenly escalated. Jang Geuk sent him a private thought.

[What will you do?]

[Well, both sides have a point.]

After all, warriors had no obligation to protect civilians. Civilians relied on warriors for survival, and warriors benefited from the goods and services civilians provided. If warriors wanted, they could conscript civilians or even force them into farming as a condition for protection.

The Central Plains was a dangerous place. Without the protection of a martial sect, civilians wouldn’t survive, given the constant threats from both bandits and monsters.

For the orthodox sects, cooperation with civilians was common, and their chivalry allowed civilians to live relatively well.

While it was a bit strange for Seo-jun, who came from a modern world dominated by democracy, he understood it. Here, power belonged to those with martial strength.

Only martial prowess mattered.

As long as there was some chivalry within this martial world, it would survive. Hence, it was called the world of “Martial Heroes.”

Namgung Chang-hwi’s voice interrupted Seo-jun’s thoughts.

“What do you think, young master?”

“Me?”

Venerable Jibeak and Namgung Chang-hwi looked at Seo-jun. It seemed like the decision had fallen to him.

After a moment’s thought, Seo-jun made his decision.

“Let’s hold out. Honestly, I think we can manage.”

There was a mix of relief and frustration on their faces.

After offering a quick bow to the two warriors, Seo-jun was led to his tent by Jang Geuk, who laughed heartily.

“Haha! Our lord truly is a hero of chivalry!”

“Chivalry? It’s not about that.”

“Then what would you call risking your life for civilians?”

“I just think we can pull it off. If it seemed impossible, of course, I’d run.”

Obviously, his life mattered more than strangers he’d never met.

It wasn’t as if he feared death—only when Chun-bong or the Namgung family were in real danger would he go all out.

After all, he was living a life on borrowed time, so death didn’t particularly scare him. He collapsed onto the floor to rest.

•  

Contrary to expectations, the Black Lotus Sect didn’t immediately attack.

When Seo-jun emerged from his tent after a good rest, several familiar faces greeted him.

“Thank you!”

They were the patients Seo-jun had healed. He scratched his head as they bowed low.

“It’s cold. You should rest inside. You’re not in top shape yet.”

“It’s alright! We’re fine!”

One of the Namgung warriors grinned.

“We’ll show the spirit of Namgung on the battlefield!”

“Great.”

Seo-jun gave them a thumbs-up and made his way to the command tent.

The morale seemed decent, perhaps due to the reinforcements or the recovery of their comrades.

Stepping inside, Seo-jun called out.

“If they’re still not coming, and reinforcements aren’t here, shouldn’t we just charge in?”

“That would be unwise. Their base is heavily guarded by various curses, making a frontal assault difficult.”

“Oh…”

Curses? That didn’t sound like much. Probably no big deal.

Seo-jun scratched his head, then asked a sudden question.

“Isn’t there a strategist here? A military advisor?”

“There was one…”

“There was?”

“He died about a week ago.”

“Oh.”

Seo-jun quickly covered his mouth.

‘What is Murim Alliance doing?’

The situation was this dire, and there were still no reinforcements? Were they insane?

Maybe he should just take the entire Namgung family over to the Demonic Cult.

Seo-jun pondered this idea seriously.