Zhuge Rin, lost in contemplation, finally broke the silence.

“Well, surprisingly, you chose the safest variable available. Even if it sounded like the ravings of a madman.”

It was, in truth, safer than a head-on collision with a Profound Realm master. The alternatives were grim: throwing himself into the grinder of the front lines to duel the enemy general, attempting a non-lethal assassination against impossible odds, or exhausting himself ferrying the wounded on his own back until he collapsed.

It sounded ridiculous, but his disciple was precisely the sort of man who could do anything. Possessing immense wealth, fame, profound knowledge, a youthful body, vast internal energy, and the martial arts of the Transformation Realm—not to mention his comely appearance—he was the type to discard it all like refuse if the situation demanded it.

Zhuge Rin mentally cursed the heavens for saddling him with such a disciple. Is this karma coming back to bite me? This lunatic never listened to his master. Yet, today was different.

“You actually spared your body somewhat.”

“…Ah. Thank you for noticing…”

“However,” Zhuge Rin cut him off, “spare it more. It is still too much.”

“…Yes.”

The Master stroked his disciple’s hair. Right. He has improved a bit today. Isn’t that enough? Perhaps if this continues, one day he might learn self-preservation even against a monster of the Profound Realm. He improved. My disciple actually improved.

Zhuge Rin congratulated himself, while Jin Cheon-hee, lying in his sickbed, felt a swell of pride that he hadn’t snapped a single limb this time.

It was a deranged master-disciple dynamic that the rest of the world would never comprehend.

“How is the situation outside?”

“Thanks to your performance, the Suksin have retreated completely out of range. I heard they fell back so far that even the scouts are struggling to locate them.”

“Truly fast.”

“Yes, hit-and-run is the nomad’s specialty. In a sense, you must assume their entire army has mastered Lightness Arts. That makes them even more formidable.”

“Perhaps… it wasn’t just because of the cannons. Master must have contributed to their tactics.”

“……”

Instead of responding, Zhuge Rin simply stroked Jin Cheon-hee’s hair. His disciple was safe—so safe that he was eating wheat cakes with his own two hands. He couldn’t recall how long it had been since he had witnessed such a sight.

If Zhuge Rin were back in modern times, he might have turned on a live stream to boast: Everyone, look! My disciple is eating with both hands! No one would understand the magnitude of this. It was a miracle that this boy, despite his injuries, was lying in bed with all his limbs attached.

After taking this boy as a disciple, Zhuge Rin sometimes wondered if he was receiving divine punishment for slaughtering too many people during his days as the Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer.

Impossible. Thanks to our Hee, I learned the true meaning of saving lives and the joy of living.

Just as he learned joy, emotions like rage, sorrow, helplessness, and killing intent also flooded in, but it couldn’t be helped.

Was this not the teaching of Buddhism? That worldly desires stem from the oscillation of joy and sorrow. Pain is proportional to joy; perhaps that is why life is enjoyable.

Jin Cheon-hee ate the filling inside the wheat cake with great satisfaction. “Putting sunflower seeds inside was definitely the answer, Master. As expected of me. Kuh…”

I can’t help it. This lunatic is my disciple.

“…I must definitely cure the Nine Yin Severed Meridians completely.”

Thanks to the stent in his heart, the probability of sudden death had decreased. However, in return, he could only engage in short-term battles. Since it was like planting an inner core in his heart, he always had to be vigilant not to absorb it by mistake. It wasn’t difficult for Zhuge Rin to manage, but he couldn’t predict what might happen if a fight turned into a prolonged war of attrition.

When Jin Cheon-hee heard this, he clutched the sunflower seed-filled wheat cake with both hands, his eyes gleaming with a manic light.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been researching the Sutra of Changing Tendons and Washing Marrow recently. Master! Could the martial theory of the Sutra serve as the foundational theory for Bone-Transforming and Embryo-Seizing Metamorphosis?”

“Hmm… I was actually contemplating that as well. I intend to delve deeper into it once this war concludes.”

“As expected of Master.”

Zhuge Rin handed a cup of tea to Jin Cheon-hee, who was mumbling with his mouth full.

“Thank you.”

Zhuge Rin watched as Jin Cheon-hee took the teacup with his own hands and drank. He was moved to tears once again. It was an expression of paternal affection that would have instilled cosmic horror in any enemy who remembered the Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer.

Especially the Tang Clan Head, who might have denied reality, insisting that ‘that bastard’ who stuck needles into finger joints and ‘this bastard’ moved by his crazy disciple doing slightly less crazy things must be two different people.

“The tea is delicious, Master.”

“Would you like more wheat cakes?”

“Yes!” Jin Cheon-hee beamed with pride.

People of the world, look! My disciple kept his limbs intact today. Nothing is broken. The Blood Qilin Mad Slaughterer felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

***

Several days passed swiftly.

Traces of the Suksin forces were discovered, but they had vanished without a trace, leaving no clue as to their destination. Eventually, the Empire’s army of 400,000, comprising troops from various regions, arrived, accompanied by martial artists from distant sects.

Among them was Danmok Fortress’s formidable 150,000 troops, bringing the total to a massive army of 550,000. The sheer size of the force made it impossible to accommodate everyone within Danmok Fortress, prompting the establishment of a sprawling city of military tents in the surrounding area.

Among the martial artists who joined this grand coalition were a few unexpected figures. It was none other than the Thieving Phantom and the Fist Emperor!

Two of the Ten Greatest Masters under the Heavens, who had held their positions for an extended period, had arrived. The reason for the Thieving Phantom’s presence was none other than Zhuge Rin’s call.

Zhuge Rin had summoned her after witnessing his disciple’s reckless act of running out of the walls, destroying the cannons, and returning alive. As Jin Cheon-hee had claimed, such a feat was only achievable by the Thieving Phantom—aside from Jin Cheon-hee himself. Consequently, Zhuge Rin had called upon her to intervene and prevent Jin Cheon-hee from engaging in such dangerous behavior again, opting to use the Thieving Phantom’s expertise instead.

In addition to these notable figures, numerous other martial artists arrived. The Sichuan Tang Clan, the Hwangbo Clan, the Kunlun Sect, the Qingcheng Sect, and others had finally assembled. There was no particular political reason for their late arrival; it was simply a matter of geography. Sichuan and Shanxi, located at the southern and northern extremities of the Empire respectively, were distant regions, resulting in the delay.

Naturally, the Young Clan Heads and Junior Sect Leaders of each sect had also arrived to represent their factions.

***

“Hey, Savior Kiddo! Are you okay?”

Gongsun Yeong rushed over and hugged Jin Cheon-hee tightly.

Due to his wounds, Jin Cheon-hee was in excruciating pain, and his master had strictly restricted visitors. However, the Thieving Phantom was allowed entry.

Thieving Phantom Gong Ya-geon looked down at Jin Cheon-hee lying in bed for a long moment before speaking.

“Oho… You look more intact than I thought?”

“I didn’t expect you to come.”

“The White Qilin Divine Physician personally called me, saying his disciple did something crazy again. When a superior calls filled with rage, what choice do I have?”

“……”

Jin Cheon-hee forcefully turned his gaze to stare at empty space.

“Stop doing crazy things. I feel like dying too.”

“Uh… Thieving Phantom, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, right?”

“He said if I go, he’ll attach a Star Instructor to educate my granddaughter. I have no talent for teaching, but that instructor might be different.”

Star Instructor tutoring…?

Jin Cheon-hee tried to count on his fingers if anyone among those busy people had time, but he realized such calculations were useless before his master. Even a Star Instructor had to go if the Pavilion Master ordered it. Even if it was just tutoring.

His master had thus swayed the Thieving Phantom in one go with a carrot and a stick. And so, the Thieving Phantom came, grumbling all the way.

“Fuck… I tried not to interfere in the Jianghu, and now I’m interfering in the military.”

“…I apologize.”

“Apologize, my dear. You’re a vicious thing.” The Thieving Phantom grumbled for a while before asking, “I heard you trained the Star Instructor. Does he teach well?”

Jin Cheon-hee nodded. “Yes, he teaches quite well.”

“I’ve heard that the mental cultivation method the Star Instructor teaches doesn’t clash with other martial arts. If my granddaughter learns the basics there and later receives my martial arts, could Qi Deviation occur?”

Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened. “You plan to teach her?”

“If, I say, if. If that child can take care of herself.”

She still had lingering attachments. Indeed, her movement technique was unparalleled. No one in the world could match her on foot. Perhaps the Khan of the Suksin Tribe’s horse could, but having not seen it personally, he excluded that variable.

“Well… That shouldn’t be a problem,” Jin Cheon-hee replied. “In fact, it might be beneficial in terms of learning the basics beforehand. Basics are crucial for these things.”

“Your answer is peculiar. Well, you’ve always been peculiar.” She clicked her tongue and smirked. “Is the situation serious enough for me to come?”

At that question, Jin Cheon-hee nodded instead of answering. He knew the flow of the original story. The Suksin Tribe wouldn’t stop, and tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions would die, be enslaved, and forcibly conscripted to fight against them. It was Earth’s history, and while different, the story here followed a similar broad context.

Also, it was a future event that could be known without reading Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon.

“If this front line breaks, it will likely be difficult to turn back.”

Despite this grim prediction, many people were present. Among them were those saved by his own hands as a physician.

Gong Ya-geon reached out and stroked Jin Cheon-hee’s hair.

“You have a face full of worries. If the head becomes too heavy, the feet become slow.” She chuckled softly. “Walk. If you walk, worries will fly away.”

“Understood.”

“And make sure to assign an outstanding Star Instructor. She’s my granddaughter, but I don’t believe she has talent.”

Could it be that the Thieving Phantom is simply not a good teacher? Jin Cheon-hee thought it, but didn’t voice it.

“Your expression has improved a bit. You’re laughing at me inside. This black-hearted Zhuge bastard.”

Gong Ya-geon pulled Jin Cheon-hee’s cheek.

“Ouch, ouch. Thieving Phantom, it hurts. Ouch.”

“Does a joke hurt a man with an arrow in his back? Anyway.” The Thieving Phantom released his cheek. “When you’re worried, just move your feet first, Baby Zhuge. That’s the secret to this old monster’s long survival.”

Saying that, she left with a refreshed expression.

Does she mean that the answer lies in walking?

Truly, this was advice befitting the Thieving Phantom.