Danyeo was from the Blossom Healer House (Hwajung Uiga).
The words she had heard more than any other during her time there were simple and sharp:
"You're vicious."
Among the young apprentices of Namyang, she was considered a prodigy, but in truth, she was no genius.
Her skill came not from talent but from sheer, relentless effort—the kind born of desperation.
She hadn't devoted herself to medicine out of any noble desire to heal or save lives.
It was a matter of survival.
'If I showed even the slightest weakness, I'd be thrown out.'
She was not a typical inner disciple.
She was the daughter—no, the illegitimate daughter—of Dan So-cheon, head of the Blossom Healer House.
Her mother had been a kitchen maid.
Naturally, Danyeo was never acknowledged as a legitimate child. She grew up under the scorn of the main wife and her half-siblings, surviving on humiliation and scraps.
Then, tragedy struck again—her mother died when she was still young.
Left utterly alone in the world, Danyeo became an inner disciple of the Blossom Healer House, living and learning within its walls.
But her father's family continued to despise her.
Every day, they found new excuses to criticize her.
And so, she fought back the only way she could—by studying.
If she could prove her worth through medicine, perhaps they wouldn't cast her out.
But all that desperate effort ended, abruptly, a short while ago.
"Like mother, like daughter. A shameless little wench."
Her senior brothers—her half-brothers—had insulted her late mother.
By the time she came to her senses, the fight was already over.
She had struck them.
For committing the grave sin of rebelling against her seniors, she was expelled and branded a traitor to her house.
That was how she ended up in the Divine Healer Clan.
'I'll have my revenge.'
Now, Danyeo had a goal.
She would take revenge on the Blossom Healer House.
Not with blood or blades, but through medicine.
'I'll crush their pride as a physician.'
She had joined the Divine Healer Clan not merely because no other family would take her—
but because she intended to raise the Divine Healer Clan high enough to trample over the Blossom House.
'But that fool is supposed to be the senior disciple?'
She knew who Wi Jicheon was.
Their positions were mirrors of one another.
She was the illegitimate child of a clan head.
He was the youngest legitimate son of one.
She was called a prodigy but treated like trash.
He was called a fool but loved by everyone.
The world that had been so cruel to her seemed to smile endlessly upon him.
'He's flaunting himself after helping those debt-ridden students with the Divine Healer Clan's money, acting like he's their savior? And now he calls himself "Senior Brother"?'
Of course, her challenge wasn't only out of spite.
'If that pampered fool becomes our leader, the Divine Healer Clan is doomed!'
She couldn't stand by and watch the very clan she planned to rebuild fall into ruin.
From now on, the Divine Healer Clan would change—
and she would be at its center.
The tragic genius of medicine, Danyeo!
"I'm not sure you're in any position to say that," said Wi Jicheon mildly. "Tell me—explain the concepts of Qi Rising (Gi-sang), Qi Relaxing (Gi-hwan), Qi Fading (Gi-so), and Qi Descending (Gi-ha)."
Danyeo let out a mocking laugh.
It was from the Huangdi Neijing, the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, the foundation of all Central Plains medicine.
'Ha. I finished reading that before I could even walk.'
…That was an exaggeration.
In truth, she'd finished it after turning ten.
Still, she knew the passage inside and out.
"When Qi rises against the natural flow, causing one to vomit blood or suffer diarrhea, that is Qi Rising (Gi-sang). When Qi circulates smoothly, harmonizing the nutritive and defensive energies, that is Qi Relaxing (Gi-hwan). Qi Fading (Gi-so) occurs when—"
She recited the text flawlessly, word for word, as if reading directly from the original scripture.
The other apprentices murmured in awe.
—So this is the skill of an inner disciple.
Danyeo raised her chin proudly.
'Hmph. Let's see what he says to that.'
She expected one of two reactions.
First, that he would be struck dumb by her perfect answer.
Or second, that he would desperately try to twist her words and argue back.
If he chose the latter, she would destroy him in a Medical Debate—as she had done many times before in the Blossom House.
But Wi Jicheon did neither.
He began to clap.
Clap. Clap.
"Excellent," he said sincerely. "Exactly as written in the Huangdi Neijing."
"!!"
He was praising her.
She thought it might be sarcasm, but no—
his expression was one of genuine admiration.
Wi Jicheon truly was impressed.
'That's the exact passage I read this morning. She didn't miss a single word.'
She must have memorized the entire text—dozens of volumes. The effort it took was unimaginable.
"You've worked very hard," he said warmly.
Heat rushed to Danyeo's face.
In the Blossom House, no one had ever praised her—no matter how much she studied.
She wasn't used to it.
'…Maybe he's not so bad after all.'
He was still a fool, sure—but a kind one.
Now that she looked closer, his face seemed gentle, even pure—untainted, like someone who wouldn't hurt a fly.
Actually… he was kind of cute.
'He's younger than me, isn't he? Still just a kid. Maybe if I treat him like a little brother and scold him properly, I can make something of him.'
Just as her hostility began to fade—
"But," Wi Jicheon continued, "do you know why Qi Rising, Qi Relaxing, Qi Fading, and Qi Descending cause those symptoms?"
"Because… imbalance in Qi flow leads to excess or deficiency—"
"I know what the text says. I asked for your interpretation."
Her eyes narrowed.
'So much for kind. He's trying to show off after all.'
Scowling, she shot back, "And what is your interpretation, Wi Jicheon? If you're our Senior Brother, why don't you enlighten us? Teaching is your duty, isn't it?"
"I can't explain it," he said simply.
"Hah! As I thought—"
"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't know. It's that the concept is too profound for me to explain in words you could understand."
He wasn't bluffing.
Neither Danyeo nor anyone else present could have imagined it, but Wi Jicheon truly saw something different.
When he opened the Huangdi Neijing, he didn't see mere medical theory.
He saw the laws of the universe—the divine order itself.
Medicine was merely the reflection of that vast principle.
"Your dedication is admirable," he said. "But tell me—do you believe what you've studied is the end of medicine?"
"You—!"
She had no reply.
He was right.
But hearing it from him made her blood boil.
Then Wi Jicheon smiled faintly.
"In one month, after the hell-training is complete, we'll settle this with a Medical Debate. As your Senior Brother, I'll show you that what you've learned is only the tip of the iceberg."
"Ha!"
Danyeo sneered.
"Fine! But if I defeat you, I'll never acknowledge you as Senior Brother!"
"Then allow me a condition of my own," Wi Jicheon replied calmly. "If I win, I'll take charge of your medical technique training from then on."
"!!"
The hall erupted in murmurs.
The Medical Exam consisted of countless fields—
Internal Medicine, Pulse Reading, Herbology, Acupuncture, and more.
These could be broadly divided into two categories:
theoretical knowledge and practical healing.
The upcoming hell-training led by Wi Jigang would focus on the first—theory.
Theory wasn't the real issue.
Most of the new disciples were exam veterans who already knew their texts.
The true challenge was practice.
Practical healing required mastery of the Qi Meridians—
through disciplines like Herbology, Acupuncture, Energy Guidance, Internal Qi Control, and External Qi Control.
In other words—Medical Qi (Igong).
It was the greatest obstacle for outer disciples,
because healer families never taught their secret techniques to outsiders.
They took huge tuition fees and called the rest "forbidden arts."
'We came to the Divine Healer Clan because we heard they teach the Earthly Immortal Medical Qi Technique.'
The apprentices' faces darkened.
They'd assumed Wi Jigang would handle the Qi instruction,
but now Wi Jicheon was claiming he would teach it himself?
They respected him, yes—but this was worrying.
And indeed, after the session ended, Wi Jicheon was summoned by Wi Jigang and scolded soundly.
"What were you thinking, saying something like that? You can't teach Medical Qi. That's my area."
"Brother, what do you think the pass rate will be this year?"
Wi Jigang frowned.
"With how motivated they are, perhaps thirty percent. Better than usual."
Thirty percent.
Three out of ten.
And that was considered good.
Most outer disciples never broke twenty.
All because of Medical Qi.
"If I teach them," said Wi Jicheon calmly, "they'll all pass. Every single one—with gold medals."
"!!"
A gold-medal certification meant scoring in the highest ranks,
earning direct commendation from the Medical Union.
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"If you don't believe me, Brother, wait one month. After the hell-training ends, watch me teach. Then decide if I'm qualified or not."
Wi Jigang stared at him, half in disbelief, half in resignation.
'Anyone listening would think he's some legendary master physician. He's barely finished reading the Huangdi Neijing.'
And time passed.
The promised month drew near.
Summer had fully settled over Namyang.
The Medical Exam was fast approaching.
At the Blossom Healer House, a grand feast was underway.
"Please, accept another drink! I, Dan So-cheon, am honored to welcome a healer of such renown to our humble house!"
The atmosphere was festive, as though entertaining a royal guest.
But the guest's response was cold.
"Lavish hospitality can be seen as an attempt at bribery."
Dan So-cheon's smile froze, his face twisting in discomfort.
'Damn it. Of all examiners, why did it have to be him?'
The Ice Crane, Sima So.
One of the Ten Peaks—a physician of near-mythic reputation—
had arrived in Namyang as an official examiner for the Medical Union.