Expanding a medical house.
It was an undertaking that required an enormous amount of money.
Fortunately, Wi Jicheon had a plan.
'First, I need to master enough martial arts to protect myself.'
His demonic arts could never be exposed. Those would remain his hidden dagger — used only when absolutely necessary.
To move freely and safely, he needed a solid foundation in righteous martial arts as soon as possible.
'The Living Heart Art, Stage One — The Path of Life (活人之道).'
The Living Heart Art consisted of five stages in total.
Stage One — The Path of Life (活人之道): the first step upon the way of saving others.
Stage Two — Entrance to Life and Death (生死入門): the threshold of understanding life and death.
Stage Three — Life Is Heaven's Will (生卽天命): the realization that life and death alike are Heaven's decree.
Stage Four — Defying Heaven's Death (逆天死生): the rebellion against Heaven's order of mortality.
Stage Five — Life Ascends to Heaven (活生入天): transcending life itself and touching the divine.
Each stage required an enlightenment in its corresponding principle before the heart method could truly advance.
'Even Stage One alone is at the level of a supreme technique. What kind of power do the later stages hold?'
Wi Jicheon quickly realized that The Living Lord — the legendary cultivator who created the art — had not reached the fifth stage.
'At best, he probably reached the third stage. The Living Lord was powerful, but not at the level of the Manifest Realm.'
His reasoning was simple: the manual stated that upon mastering the third stage, Life Is Heaven's Will, one could faintly touch upon the Heart Sword Realm — the same realm Wi Jicheon had reached at the very peak of the Enlightenment Realm in his previous life.
'If the third stage alone equals the peak of Enlightenment, then the fourth must be Manifestation itself… and the fifth, perhaps the mythical Realm of Life and Death?'
He shook his head, half amused, half in awe.
Of course, even the Living Lord — blessed by the Geo-Spirit Star — had only reached the third stage. For Wi Jicheon to surpass that was likely impossible.
'For now, the first stage, The Path of Life, will suffice. Combined with the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art, it'll get me to the pinnacle in no time.'
Whirr—
Qi began to flow through his meridians.
A clear light flickered in his eyes as the moon climbed higher into the night.
Several days passed.
Wi Jicheon's daily routine had changed completely.
Until now, he had devoted himself entirely to preparing for the examination.
But now, he began taking on the duties of the medical house.
His first task was as an apprentice physician — treating patients.
He was still a novice, so he wasn't allowed to see severe cases.
Under the supervision of Wi Jigang and other senior doctors, he began handling mild illnesses.
"The treatment is finished. How do you feel?"
"Oh, wonderful! How does a handsome young man like you use the needle so well?"
Wi Jicheon's patients were more than satisfied.
There were two reasons.
First — effectiveness.
Even when performing the same acupuncture or qi therapy as the others, there was something distinct about his technique — something deeper.
His seniors often watched in confusion, wondering what secret art he was using.
Second — impression.
"…Our Senior Brother really does look kind, doesn't he?"
"Because he is kind."
"…Have you already forgotten what happened last time?"
"Ah! Don't remind me! I still have nightmares! But—hehe—Senior Brother is kind. Yes, very kind."
With his gentle appearance — one that even made Jang Sam grind his teeth in exasperation — and his calm demeanor, it was only natural that patients adored him.
"Take care on your way home. Be careful not to stumble — your leg still needs time."
"Oh, thank you, dear! To think our sweet little doctor has become such a fine young healer. I'll be counting on you again."
"Of course. And please remind your grandmother to take her medicine regularly."
Wi Jicheon treated each patient with sincerity.
Every act of healing was a quiet atonement for the countless lives he had taken in his past life.
So whenever a patient thanked him, he felt a pang of guilt instead of pride.
'Do I really deserve to heal others?'
He shook the thought away.
Precisely because of who he had been, he needed to devote himself even more to this path.
But patient care wasn't his only duty.
In the afternoons, he worked in the Outer Hall — the administrative branch of the house.
'This will be my main focus eventually. I'll need to master the external affairs of the Divine Healer's House.'
But there was one problem.
"…You're terrible with numbers."
"…I'm sorry."
Head administrator Wi Jimu let out a long sigh.
He'd expected more, considering the miraculous things his nephew had accomplished recently — but paperwork, it seemed, was not among his talents.
He couldn't help it.
His experience as a grandmaster had sharpened his medicine and martial intuition, but that had nothing to do with accounting.
'Still, I'll have to learn this if I want to manage the house.'
And so he found himself buried in ledgers, sweating bullets.
There was one more thing he began.
"You wish to practice martial arts as well?"
"Yes. I plan to pursue both medicine and martial cultivation."
It wasn't unusual — Binghak Sama So himself had been proof of that.
The principles of medicine and martial arts were intertwined; understanding one often deepened the other.
Wi Jigang and Wi Jisang both trained as well. Even his sister, Wi Jisang-a, though her family didn't know it, had reached the rank of a first-class martial artist.
'In my previous life, she once slapped down a poison master from the Sichuan Tang Clan during a dispute at a medical alliance meeting. Literally.'
Wi Jiseon and Wi Jigang nodded in approval.
"It'll be difficult doing both… but if that's your decision, so be it."
Thus, his routine began:
Mornings for patient treatment.
Afternoons for administrative work.
Nights for martial training.
A schedule that would've killed a normal man.
But for Wi Jicheon, it was nothing.
Compared to the brutal years he'd endured for revenge in his previous life, this was leisurely.
Back then, he'd survived on fasting pills and slept only when his body gave out.
Now, he filled each day with purpose — and another grand task.
The expansion of the medical house.
"So, we're really doing this."
"Yes. I believe now's our chance. Thanks to our performance at the examination, all of Namyang views our Divine Healer's House in a new light. But if we don't act while the iron's hot, we'll fall behind."
Their astonishing results had spread far beyond Namyang.
All disciples passed with gold medallions.
The top scholar of the Hundred Sects Award came from their house.
And the examiner had been none other than Binghak Sama So.
Yet the house itself had changed little.
"There are plenty of people who want to be treated by us, but the wealthy hesitate. The building's appearance doesn't exactly inspire confidence."
"Our house is simple and traditional," Wi Jiseon said defensively.
"It's not traditional, Father. It's old and cramped," Wi Jigang corrected.
Wi Jicheon nodded.
"The appearance of a medical house matters, especially for the rich. They value face above all."
The more refined the exterior, the more the nobles gathered.
Being seen as a patron of a prestigious house was a status symbol in itself.
In big cities, there were even absurd cases where higher treatment fees attracted more patients.
"Besides," Wi Jicheon continued, "we treat poor patients freely, so the wealthy avoid us even more. If we want to draw them in, we must create a place that suits their sensibilities."
And treating the rich wasn't optional.
To expand, the house needed wealth.
But only treating the rich wasn't the answer either.
To become indispensable, they had to serve everyone — rich and poor alike.
Once the Divine Healer's House became a haven for all, no one — not Baekseon, not the Medical Alliance, not even the Anti-Heaven Society — would dare touch them.
'Though that day is still a long way off.'
For now, even expanding the building was a struggle.
"I agree, but… money."
"Father, I support Jicheon," said Wi Jigang. "This is the perfect time."
"Me too. Big move, big gain," said Wi Jisang-a. "If we're buying a bigger estate, I'm all for it."
Uncle Wi Jimu chimed in as well.
"Brother, even if we buy a new estate, we can always sell it later. Real estate is the safest investment there is."
"…And where did you hear that?"
"…Jicheon mentioned it. He said Namyang's land prices are about to rise. I looked into it — seems true. Even if we sell later, we won't lose money. Who knows? Maybe we'll get rich overnight!"
With everyone in agreement, Wi Jiseon clenched his fists.
"Very well! We'll expand the house. Are you sure about this rumor of rising land prices?"
"…Father, did you just decide based on that?"
"Hmph! If we're moving anyway, a little profit wouldn't hurt, right?"
"You could just admit you're being greedy, Father."
"To riches, then!"
Laughter filled the room, and the decision was made.
Next came the question of where.
They had to find a place that existing patients could still reach easily — but that also attracted the wealthy.
And Wi Jicheon added two more conditions.
"The land must be spacious. And it should have good access to the main roads outside Namyang City."
He was thinking ahead — preparing for the day when the Divine Healer's House would rise beyond Namyang and become a Star-Rank institution, known across the region.
The others stared at him oddly.
"…You've got quite the business sense, don't you, Jicheon?"
"Ha! What are you talking about?" Wi Jiseon said, laughing. "That's not greed, that's insight! He's hopeless at paperwork, sure, but he's a genius when it comes to vision!"
Wide land.
Good roads.
Prime location.
It sounded suspiciously like a real estate scheme.
But Wi Jiseon was already fired up.
"The youngest is right! Let's go big — wide land, good spot!"
And so, they settled on a location along the central boulevard — the heart of Namyang City.
Where did the money come from?
They scraped it together — every last coin.
They mortgaged the entire property of the Divine Healer's House, and all of Black Ghost Gate's assets besides.
"Sir Jang Sam, this is far too much. I can't possibly accept such generosity."
Even Wi Jiseon hesitated.
"…No, no," Jang Sam said through gritted teeth. "Last night, a—divine—being appeared to me and said if I didn't spend all my money on good deeds, I'd meet with terrible misfortune. So please, take it. Take it all."
They had secured the land.
But barely.
The debt was crushing — one step away from ruin.
If they failed now, they'd own a house but live as beggars.
'Then I'll just have to earn more.'
Wi Jicheon straightened and addressed his family.
"I'll be going to Xian City for a while."
"To Xian? Why?"
"I need to visit the Medical Alliance branch regarding the Hundred Sects Award."
A convenient excuse.
His real purpose was simple—
To collect money.