Even to a fool, the story sounded absurd.
A rogue of the demonic path, suddenly reformed by the words of a young boy?
And yet, everyone had accepted it — because no other explanation made sense.
It was far more believable than imagining that a fifteen-year-old boy had beaten and threatened a demonic expert into submission.
Wi Jicheon decided to come clean.
"I subdued Great Hero Zhang Sam with martial power and made him cooperate with the Divine Healer Clan."
"!!"
'At least I should be somewhat honest with my family.'
The secrecy he maintained was only to avoid drawing attention before he was ready.
Unnecessary fame would attract wolves — or worse, alert the enemies from his past life and hasten their moves.
But with his family, it didn't matter.
They wouldn't spread rumors.
And if he acted strangely, they'd forgive it.
Still, he couldn't exactly tell them the truth about his rebirth, so he fabricated a believable story.
"I learned martial arts in secret," he said. "Unlike Brother, who quit early, I continued training the Divine Healer Sword Art in secret. Turns out, I have a natural talent for it."
"Hah?"
Wi Jikang's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Then—
Smack!
"Argh!"
"Lies again, you brat?! Since when have you ever trained anything, let alone martial arts? I've never even seen you run!"
"Well… I trained in secret… I'm something of a martial prodigy—"
"Prodigy, my foot! If that's true, show me! If you could defeat Zhang Sam, you must at least be at the Body Qi stage, right?"
Wi Jicheon pouted, then raised his hand.
'Body Qi? Please. I was once a Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the Fiery Realm.'
He was about to demonstrate a faint trace of sword energy on his palm when—
'Wait. I only know Bloodline Demon Art right now.'
He'd intended to relearn proper righteous martial arts later through the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art, but he hadn't reached that point yet.
Showing them a demonic art wreathed in blood-red Qi was clearly out of the question.
"…Brother, you may not realize this, but martial arts isn't just about Body Qi or sword energy. What truly matters is enlightenment—"
Thwack!
Another flick to the forehead.
"Enlightenment, my ass."
"..."
"Enough. For a second, I thought you might have had a mysterious helper, but after hearing that nonsense, I see I was wrong."
Wi Jicheon rubbed his aching forehead.
'Well, it's better this way… though why does it feel so unfair?'
"I really did defeat Zhang Sam," he muttered. "I'm… actually a martial genius—"
"Tsk."
"..."
'Fine. I'll master proper righteous arts soon, and then I'll show them all.'
Just then, Wi Jikang sighed heavily.
"Anyway, be careful for a while. Things are about to get noisy around here."
"What's happening?"
"Your uncle is arriving soon."
"!!"
Wi Jicheon's expression stiffened.
Uncle.
That word meant another storm was about to sweep through the Divine Healer Clan.
In the martial world, most sects had a similar structure — an Inner Hall and an Outer Hall.
The Inner Hall managed internal affairs; the Outer Hall handled dealings beyond the sect.
Healer families followed the same pattern, though with a slightly different focus.
The Inner Hall tended to patients — consisting of the Living Healer Pavilion for treatment and the Pill Refining Pavilion for medicine production.
The Outer Hall managed external logistics and assisted the physicians in their practice.
Wi Jicheon's uncle, Wi Jimu, was the head of this Outer Hall.
"The five organs are sound, the meridians flow smoothly, the muscles relax, the skin is firm, the spirit remains dignified, the breath is even, the Qi circulates, the six viscera function properly, and the vital fluids are stable…"
Wi Jicheon flipped through a medical text, absorbing each line with ease.
'Strange. The contents flow straight into my mind now. If I'd been like this before, people would've called me a genius.'
Having once reached the Realm of Transcendence, his understanding of the principles of Heaven and Earth made the medical texts seem vivid and alive.
They were even… enjoyable.
'At this rate, I might top the Namyang apprenticeship exam.'
The age of the great healer families had brought with it a flood of charlatans.
To counter that, the healer union, Iryeon, had established a qualification test — the Medical Apprenticeship Examination (Uigyeonrye).
Only those who passed could officially treat patients as apprentice physicians.
It wasn't a centralized test — the continent was too vast.
Instead, each region's healer families held their own exams.
Wi Jicheon would soon take his in Namyang, alongside other apprentices from nearby families.
'If I win first place, everyone will be shocked. In my last life, I failed five times and gave up.'
He sighed softly.
His studies were progressing well, but another problem had arisen.
That's why our family is doomed!!!
You insolent brat!
Wake up, brother! Can't you see the clan's collapsing?!
Crash!
A commotion erupted outside.
Wi Jiseon and his younger brother Wi Jimu were arguing — again.
"Sounds like they're really going at it today," one servant muttered.
"Do you know why?"
"No idea. Probably money, like always."
Wi Jicheon nodded.
'Well, that's understandable. Uncle Jimu handles the family finances. He has the hardest job here.'
As the head of the Outer Hall, Wi Jimu was also the clan's steward — the one responsible for its funds.
Whenever expenses rose, he would erupt like a volcano.
Damn it, I'm always the villain! Let brother play the saint all he wants! I've had enough of this damned clan!
You fool, Jimu!
Wi Jicheon quietly closed his book.
"I suppose that's enough studying for now."
"…You barely studied a few hours," a servant grumbled.
"Quiet. Even a leopard doesn't rush its hunt. If I go all out, the other examinees won't stand a chance. Better to give them hope."
When he stepped outside, he saw a familiar face.
A kindly but weary face — with a bald patch shining under the light.
Wi Jicheon smiled faintly.
"Uncle."
"…Cheon?"
Wi Jimu, still fuming, froze when he saw him.
"My apologies for not greeting you properly earlier. I heard you traveled far to gather herbs. I'm glad you returned safely."
"Are you really Cheon? Since when did you become so polite? They said you matured after the… 'incident,' but I didn't think it was true."
"..."
Rumors had spread about Wi Jicheon's sudden change — one of them claiming he had "grown up" after soiling his pants.
'Whoever started that rumor, I'll kill them slowly.'
Still smiling, he said, "I heard you quarreled with Father."
"Quarrel? Ha! I'm always the bad guy, your father's always the saint. That's it! I'm done with this family! Live well without me!"
He turned sharply, seething.
Wi Jicheon knew exactly how to handle this.
"Uncle, where will you go? The Divine Healer Clan can't function without you."
"Hmph! Maybe when I'm gone, they'll finally appreciate me!"
"They already do. Father often says that without you, the clan would've gone bankrupt long ago."
"…He said that?"
His uncle's ears perked up.
It worked.
'Simple man, easy heart.'
Hot-tempered, but honest and kind — devoted to the clan more than anyone.
Even his balding head was proof of how much he'd worried for their sake.
"What caused the argument this time?" Wi Jicheon asked.
"I can't find any Coptis chinensis," Wi Jimu grumbled.
"…You mean huanglian?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what that is? The exam's coming up, and you don't even know your basic herbs?"
"…I'm studying it now."
Leopards, after all, take their time.
Wi Jicheon grumbled silently.
"Summer's coming. When cholera outbreaks begin, huanglian is vital for treatment. I've searched everywhere — can't find a single root."
"That's strange."
The Divine Healer Clan mainly treated commoners, so they used the cheapest herbs available — meaning they were usually easy to find.
"Someone's stockpiling it," Wi Jimu said grimly.
"!!"
Wi Jicheon's brows furrowed.
"Who?"
"The Southern Heavy Pharmacy."
'Again.'
It was run by the Southern Heavy Healer House — the same scum who had caused their recent troubles.
Despicable, but hardly unusual. Hoarding supplies for profit was common in every trade.
"Can't we get it from another region?"
"I already checked. Every nearby town's supply has dried up. The Southern Heavy House has colluded with other merchants — there's none left within a hundred leagues."
"What about the larger cities — Xi'an, or Kaifeng?"
"And how long do you think that would take?"
Ah.
For martial artists, those distances weren't far.
But even Kaifeng, within Henan Province, was over a thousand li away — more than ten days on foot, one way.
"Even if we found some there," Wi Jimu continued, "by the time we negotiated as outsiders, secured wagons, hired guards, and brought it back, the outbreak would already be over."
In the end, they had no choice but to deal with the Southern Heavy House.
'We keep crossing paths with those bastards.'
"We'll have to trade with them," Wi Jicheon said quietly.
"They'll charge us a fortune."
"Maybe. Or maybe we'll see who really gets fleeced."
"…What?"
Wi Jicheon's gaze sharpened, a faint smile curling on his lips.
'Time to settle the bill for last time — with interest.'