When dawn broke, the Namyang magistrate's office was in an uproar.
An assassination — inside the city prison?
Even the most reckless demonic cultivators rarely dared to commit such a brazen act.
It was a direct affront to the authority of the government itself.
And this wasn't something that could be smoothed over with bribes.
"I didn't do it! I swear it wasn't me!"
Geum Yeohwi's desperate cries echoed through the hall. But no one believed him.
He had sown too much filth to reap anything else.
One by one, every ally turned their back on the Southern Heavy Healer House.
Patients stopped coming entirely.
After all, who would entrust their health to a healer who committed murder?
Thus fell Namyang's second-ranked Earth-grade healer family.
"…To think the Southern Heavy House would end like that."
Evening at the Divine Healer Clan.
For the first time in a long while, the entire family was gathered around the dinner table.
"They brought it upon themselves," Wi Jimu said with satisfaction. "Our Cheon has done something truly remarkable this time."
His eyes practically glowed with affection — the kind of look that said, Who knew this boy was such a treasure?
"Thanks to Cheon, those Southern Heavy bastards, cornered like rats, finally caved to all our demands. Not only did we secure the huanglian, but we made a handsome profit too! I never imagined my nephew had such a head for business!"
He was so busy praising him he forgot to eat.
"To think that the boy who never studied a day in his life, who spent his time lazing about, was actually a sleeping dragon all along!"
"…Uncle, please calm down."
Wi Jicheon glanced at his father.
His uncle only cared about results — as long as money flowed in, he didn't ask how.
But his father, Wi Jiseon, was different.
A single glance at the man's face revealed his upright, stubborn nature.
'He might scold me. I did go a bit too far this time.'
The assassination of Eun Sowee was, of course, something he hadn't told anyone — not even family.
But even without that, he had manipulated the Beggars' Union, cornered rivals, and instigated chaos.
It was all… excessive.
Clack.
Wi Jiseon set his chopsticks down.
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned to him.
His expression was unreadable, but far from pleased.
"Brother! Our Cheon is a sleeping dragon!"
"…It is fortunate we were able to obtain the huanglian," Wi Jiseon said quietly.
"And this fine meat dish — also thanks to Cheon!"
Each family member rushed to speak on his behalf.
But Wi Jiseon's expression only darkened further.
Then, unexpectedly, he spoke.
"We owe our thanks to Hero Jang Sam. Without him, Cheon might have been in grave danger."
"!!"
Jang Sam nearly choked.
He had been invited to dinner that night as an honored guest — at Wi Jiseon's insistence, no less.
Wi Jiseon sighed deeply.
"I am proud of what Cheon accomplished. How could I not be? This father was too weak, and the boy carried the burden for the clan in my stead."
"..."
"But it was too dangerous. The kind of people who would send assassins into a prison — if they had turned their sights fully on you, Cheon, I might have lost you. I've barely slept since."
A somber hush fell over the room.
Until that moment, everyone had been too caught up in celebration to realize how close Wi Jicheon had come to death.
Only Jang Sam sat there fighting the urge to roll his eyes.
'Are they all blind?'
The boy they were weeping over wasn't some innocent child — he was a monster.
Watching them fuss over him made his stomach turn.
That gentle smile on Wi Jicheon's face, that faintly bashful look — it was revolting.
'He's not just strong. He crushed the mighty Southern Heavy House in a matter of days. He's a devil wearing a boy's skin.'
But Wi Jiseon, unaware of the demon he was praising, continued to speak softly, full of fatherly love.
"Cheon, promise me. You won't do something so dangerous again."
"I'm sorry, Father. I can't make that promise."
"…What?"
The unexpected reply froze everyone.
Wi Jicheon looked his father squarely in the eye.
'It's time they all knew what I intend to do.'
"Father, do you think this will be the last time something like this happens to our clan? Do you think we'll be safe now?"
"Well…"
Wi Jiseon hesitated.
"When one Southern Heavy House falls, another will rise," Wi Jicheon said. "As long as the Divine Healer Clan isn't just another ordinary healer family, this kind of trouble is inevitable."
It wasn't just because of the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art.
This was the era of great healer families — an age when physicians multiplied like stars.
Competition was ruthless.
If the Divine Healer Clan were mediocre, no one would bother them.
But they weren't.
They were gifted — too gifted.
Even if people had forgotten, the blood of the former "Greatest Healer Family Under Heaven" still flowed in their veins.
A needle's point hidden in a sack — the talent will show itself eventually.
And the more they shone, the more others would try to snuff out their light.
'In my previous life, even without my interference, the Divine Healer Clan eventually rose to become Namyang's greatest Earth-grade healer family.'
But the road there had been painful.
Wi Jicheon, too young to help then, still remembered the struggles — his father, his uncle, his siblings, all barely holding on through endless hardship.
'And when they reached their limit, that's when the Baekseon Healer House came — and sank its claws into them.'
That had been the beginning of the end.
'This time, things will be different.'
"We need to become stronger," Wi Jicheon said firmly. "So strong that no one dares touch us again. Earth-grade, Star-grade, Heaven-grade — no, we must become the greatest healer family under Heaven."
Silence.
Then a few soft, incredulous chuckles.
"The greatest healer family under Heaven, you say?"
"I believe it's possible," Wi Jicheon said without hesitation. "With our skills, Father's knowledge, my brother and sister's talent…"
'And with me among you.'
But no one took him seriously.
It was too far-fetched — too grand for reality.
And yet—
'The greatest healer family under Heaven… it does make the heart race.'
The truth was, the Divine Healer Clan's members had long forgotten their own legacy.
Everyone now believed that the true heir of the "Heaven's Greatest Healer" title was the Baekseon House.
Their own clan felt too small, too poor, too insignificant for such dreams.
Still, every one of them — once, at least once — had imagined what it would be like to reclaim that glory.
A dream quickly buried by the weight of reality.
Now, their youngest had spoken that dream aloud.
'Well, he's still only fifteen. Dreaming is what boys his age should do.'
They nodded indulgently.
Still, a quiet truth lingered in their hearts.
'He's not wrong. Even if we never reach the top, the Divine Healer Clan must become stronger. Otherwise, we'll always be at the mercy of others.'
The Southern Heavy House incident had made that painfully clear.
The only question was — how?
Then Wi Jicheon spoke again.
"To start, we must first become an Earth-grade healer family."
A newborn cannot leap to mastery in a single bound; everything must be built in stages.
"It won't be easy," Wi Jiseon said. "To reach Earth-grade, we must draw in the wealthy and the martial artists. They're the ones who decide such things."
It wasn't that he refused to treat the rich out of pride.
He simply couldn't.
The Divine Healer Clan had treated only the poor not by choice, but by circumstance.
The wealthy never changed their physicians without cause.
"That may have been true before," Wi Jicheon said, "but the situation's different now. The Southern Heavy House has fallen."
"!!"
"This is our chance."
And soon after, astonishing news spread across Namyang.
The Medical Union (Iryeon) had officially stripped the Southern Heavy Healer House of its Earth-grade title.
The medical world of Namyang erupted in chaos.
There were many organizations in the martial world.
The most famous was the Martial Alliance, founded by the Nine Great Sects.
Then came the Alliance of Noble Houses, led by the Ten Great Families, and the Alliance of Demonic Paths, which united the heretical sects.
But not only martial artists formed alliances.
Merchants had their own — the Nine Provinces Association.
And physicians too had theirs — the Medical Union (Iryeon).
'So the Medical Union moved faster than I thought.'
It was both a guild and a governing body, protecting the rights of healers while disciplining those who violated medical ethics.
They had created the Medical Apprenticeship Examination to weed out quacks.
And their greatest authority was the ranking system — the power to determine a healer family's grade:
Heaven (天), Star (星), Earth (地), and Village (鄕).
A family that brought disgrace to the profession could have its grade revoked.
Such a demotion was a death sentence — especially for those catering to the upper class.
No noble would visit a healer house marked by shame.
'Losing rank destroys a family overnight.'
The Union didn't make such decisions lightly.
But the Southern Heavy House's actions had been severe enough to warrant it.
'I wonder… did the Baekseon Healer House have a hand in this?'
Among all Heaven-grade healer families, the Baekseon House held the most sway in the Medical Union.
There were only five Heaven-grade families across the entire Central Plains:
The Sichuan Tang Family,
the Heavenly Peak Healer House,
the Evil Alliance Healer House,
the Demon Sect Healer House,
and finally, the Baekseon Healer House.
Each was aligned with one of the great powers — except Baekseon, which stood alone as the most respected and influential.
'No… I doubt they're involved yet. The Baekseon House probably doesn't even know about the Heavenly Immortal Divine Art.'
That wasn't what caught Wi Jicheon's eye.
His attention fell to another line in the announcement.
—Notice: Selection of a new Earth-grade healer house in Namyang.
It meant the position left vacant by the Southern Heavy House was up for grabs.
'If we're chosen, the Divine Healer Clan will rise overnight.'
There was, however, one problem.
Wi Jicheon's expression soured.
"The selection process includes the apprentices' Medical Exam scores?"
And that exam — the Uigyeonrye — was less than two months away.
As for his current level of study?
"..."
He stared blankly at the ceiling, the very image of lazy indifference.
A cheetah lounging in the sun.