Wi Jicheon's senses were sharp enough to detect even a leaf falling within a hundred paces, but tonight the festive noise dulled his awareness. Amid laughter and drunken chatter, he didn't notice the quiet approach behind him.
"I greet Master Binghak. About what I said earlier…"
"It's fine," Sama So replied, smiling faintly. "You weren't seeking wealth for yourself, but funds to help your patients. If my name can be of use, that's a reason to be glad, not offended."
A surprisingly generous response.
Binghak Sama So was not a man known for leniency—but he was now completely smitten with Wi Jicheon's talent and sincerity.
After watching the young man with a pleased expression, Sama So spoke.
"There's something I wish to tell you. Can you spare me a moment?"
They left the lively manor and walked toward the quiet back mountain.
"What is it you wish to say?"
"Do you know of the Geo-Spirit Star?"
"I've heard of it, yes. Isn't it one of the so-called Medical Stars?"
Wi Jicheon tilted his head slightly.
Even a master at the peak of enlightenment didn't automatically understand celestial matters. Astrology required its own form of study.
He only knew what any ordinary martial wanderer might have heard.
"The Geo-Spirit Star has appeared over Namyang," Sama So said. "I came here as examiner for the sole purpose of finding the one blessed by it."
Wi Jicheon blinked in surprise.
"Are you saying…"
"Yes. I'm certain you are the one blessed by the Geo-Spirit Star."
'…What kind of nonsense is this now?'
If he'd been told he carried the mark of the Blood Demon Star, that he might have believed. But this?
"You must be mistaken, sir. I could never possess such a blessing."
"Your impossible genius, your intuition that transcends experience—if that isn't the mark of the Geo-Spirit's favor, then nothing is."
It wasn't divine favor, of course. It was the residue of enlightenment from a past life as an unmatched master. But that wasn't something he could explain.
"Perhaps you've misread the heavens, Master. I'm… hardly deserving."
"Ha! So modest as well. A man blessed by the heavens and yet so humble—the medical world's future shines bright indeed."
Wi Jicheon shut his mouth.
'This is absurd. And there's no way to disprove it either—Geo-Spirit energy doesn't exactly glow over one's head.'
If he had been marked by a Heaven-Killing Star, at least the killing aura would make it obvious. But the Geo-Spirit Star left no such trace.
'Those said to be born under it are destined to heal the world with their medicine, right?'
Sama So nodded as though echoing his thoughts.
"Whether or not you truly bear that blessing, time will tell. But those chosen by the Geo-Spirit Star always become Saints of Medicine in the end."
'That's definitely not happening.'
Wi Jicheon almost laughed aloud.
A man once called a Demonic Fiend—a Saint of Medicine?
True, he'd chosen the path of healing, but his primary purpose was clear: to protect his family, even if he had to wade through rivers of blood.
How could such a man become a "saint"? Impossible.
'Forget it. This misunderstanding will fade on its own soon enough.'
But Sama So's next words carried an unexpected gravity.
"You must be careful from now on."
"…Sir?"
"As you grow stronger as a physician, you'll draw great storms around you. I fear the light of your star may be extinguished before it can even bloom."
Wi Jicheon immediately sensed this was more than a polite warning.
"Is this because of the Baekseon Medical House?"
"!!"
Sama So's startled expression was answer enough.
'Of course. If someone blessed by the Geo-Spirit Star appeared, the Baekseon clan would see them as a threat.'
In the current medical world, Baekseon sat at the very top.
Not necessarily the most skilled—but the most influential.
While other Heaven-ranked medical houses pursued their own studies in isolation, Baekseon controlled the medical alliance, the courts, and nearly every policy of medicine across the Central Plains.
Then Sama So mentioned something Wi Jicheon had never heard before.
"Tell me… have you ever heard of the Anti-Heaven Society?"
"…The Anti-Heaven Society?"
Sama So's eyes flickered—he had clearly said too much.
'What's that supposed to be? Never heard of such a group.'
Even in his previous life as the Demonic Fiend, he had heard nothing remotely like it.
"You should at least know this much," Sama So sighed. "I don't know their full nature myself. Only that they've allied with Baekseon and other powerful houses within the Medical Alliance… trying to bend the world to their will."
"What power could physicians possibly hold to do that?"
Actually, they held plenty.
Reputation alone could move kingdoms. The trust of the sick, the desperate—was power of its own kind.
And Wi Jicheon could already think of one example.
'Five years after my family's extermination… a plague spread through the land. Baekseon became the undisputed top medical house by discovering and curing it.'
Their fame had soared to the heavens.
And they weren't the only ones who profited.
Several other allied houses expanded enormously in wealth and influence.
'Even the Martial Alliance and the Noble Clans rose in prestige—so much that they could defy imperial authority.'
He couldn't claim the plague had been orchestrated by this so-called Anti-Heaven Society—but the timing itched at the back of his mind.
Officially, that plague had been the work of the Blood Sect.
And the Martial Alliance's rise came from their efforts to save lives when the imperial court failed to act.
Still, something about it felt wrong.
'Could the destruction of my family—the Divine Healer's House—be connected to these "Anti-Heaven" bastards?'
It was only intuition. No proof at all.
But he'd learned to trust his instincts.
'I'll have to investigate them. If there's even a chance they're tied to my enemies…'
He bowed his head. "Thank you for telling me, Master."
"And I have something for you."
He handed over a thin, ancient book.
The title read: "Living Heart Cultivation Art (活生心功)."
Wi Jicheon's eyes widened.
"This is—?"
"Yes. The secret cultivation manual of the previous Saint of Medicine, Dan Mun Songbaek. I came by it through unusual fortune."
"!!"
To be called a Saint of Medicine was a far rarer honor than Divine Physician—it meant not only mastery of medicine, but also a lifetime of deeds worthy of sainthood.
Dan Mun Songbaek was unique among the Saints. He had also been a martial master—one of the strongest of his era, called The Living Lord (活尊).
'He was famous for pure, serene inner power. They said his qi alone could suppress even other grandmasters.'
No one knew what inner art he had practiced, but everyone agreed on one thing:
His cultivation method had to be among the greatest under heaven—perhaps equal to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art or Wudang's and Shaolin's sacred techniques.
'I've been wondering which righteous cultivation art to learn anyway…'
The Heavenly Immortal Divine Art he practiced was a system of qi manipulation and refinement—it wasn't a heart method by itself.
In his past life, he had paired it with the demonic Blood-Burst True Art, becoming the fiend the world feared.
'But if I combined the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art with the Living Heart Art…'
He swallowed.
Then even the title "Greatest Under Heaven" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"Why didn't you practice it yourself, Master?"
"I tried," Sama So said quietly. "But I lacked the qualification."
Wi Jicheon frowned.
It couldn't be lack of talent—Sama So was no mere physician. Had he devoted himself to martial arts, he would have reached the peak of mastery.
"The previous Saint of Medicine was also blessed by the Geo-Spirit Star. The Living Heart Art can only be truly cultivated by one under its blessing."
"!!"
"To advance through its stages requires enlightenment in the meaning of Life Itself. That wall… I could never cross it."
Wi Jicheon stared, baffled.
Binghak Sama So—lacking enlightenment in life? Impossible.
"They call me one of the Ten Peaks, a famous healer of the world… but it's all empty fame. I'm just a common man doing his best. The ones who can change and save the world are those like you—those chosen by Heaven."
"..."
'…Sir, I'm really not one of those people.'
The ex-Demonic Fiend, now an apprentice healer, could only gape in disbelief.
Sama So smiled, oblivious to his inner turmoil.
"I'll take my leave now. I look forward to our next meeting… future Saint of Medicine."
With a flash, he was gone.
Wi Jicheon scowled, looking down at the Living Heart Art.
'…I think I just got myself into something troublesome.'
'Still, too valuable to throw away.'
After studying the text in detail, that was the conclusion he reached.
'This art far surpasses the Blood-Burst True Art I practiced before.'
In this life, he intended to master both righteous and demonic techniques.
With the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art, he could harmonize both without conflict.
The only problem was time.
Rebuilding his old demonic strength would take about five years—he knew that path well.
But mastering a righteous art? That could take decades.
'With the Living Heart Art, I could cut that time dramatically. It really is extraordinary.'
Another advantage was that it didn't conflict with other righteous arts. If he ever failed to progress, he could switch to a different method without issue.
'And I do need to build my righteous inner power as quickly as possible. Perfect.'
He turned his thoughts to what came next.
The examination was over. Now it was time to expand the Divine Healer's House.
Frankly, their current estate was far too small and run-down.
To qualify as an Earth-Rank medical house—and to prepare for the flood of patients sure to come—they needed to grow.
'Time to make money.'