If the Shaolin Sect’s Great Returning Pill is comparable to the Thousand-Year Pine Elixir, then this One Hundred Years Pine Elixir is known to be on par with their Small Returning Pill. And yes, an item of this caliber was something that could easily incite bloodshed in the Gangho.

Considering her station within the Gongsun family, this might even be a modest offering… but it’s certainly not something they would give to a child with no background. What is the Gongsun Clan after?

Zhuge Rin, the man called White Qilin Divine Physician, smiled wryly. It was clear they didn’t fully believe that a mere child had been the one to save her. Some had even subtly suggested that the Divine Physician was merely being humble and passing the credit to the boy. It made sense. Even Zhuge Rin himself found it hard to believe.

Which is precisely why the Gongsun Clan must be plotting something.

That was Zhuge Rin’s private conclusion. He watched the extraordinary boy before him, a secret smile playing on his lips, one that he did not let show on his face. While everyone else held their breath in awe of the elixir, the boy in front of him was simply darting his eyes back and forth.

Was he being cautious? No, that wasn’t it. His expression conveyed a completely different set of emotions.

A hint of irritation and frustration? Truly…

What an interesting child.

This revelation only strengthened his desire to take Jin Cheon-hee as his disciple.

***

Oblivious to Zhuge Rin’s internal thoughts, Jin Cheon-hee was growing increasingly frustrated.

What is going on? What is this silver pill? My head is killing me. If they’d just tell me the name of the medicine, I could probably figure it out…

“Excuse me… I’m sorry, but what kind of medicine is this? Judging by everyone’s reaction, it seems quite precious…”

I’ve read enough of these novels to know my stuff. Just tell me the name. I’ll figure out the rest.

With this strange thought in mind, Jin Cheon-hee asked his question. The Divine Physician replied.

“It is a fine medicine for internal injuries. It should also help ease your headache. You have strained your body severely while already in poor health. It would be best for you to take it at once.”

No, you beautiful man! That’s not what I’m asking! What is it?! Good for internal injuries… so it’s some kind of elixir? Judging by their faces, it must be… Ah, whatever. He’s giving it to me, so I’ll take it. A patient should listen to his doctor.

He had been the one saving lives just a short while ago, but now, he was the patient. Jin Cheon-hee accepted the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

A cool, refreshing fragrance spread down his throat. At the same time, the world tilted, and he staggered.

“Ah, and drink this as well. It will help you sleep.”

The man with the slit-like eyes handed him a bowl of herbal tonic. Cheon-hee drank it down without a second thought.

This medicine is so bitter… Huh… my eyes are getting… heavy…

The moment he finished the tonic, Jin Cheon-hee slumped over, fast asleep.

“The patient needs to rest. I must ask everyone to leave,” White Qilin announced.

The escort warriors nodded and filed out of the room.

“That boy is even more remarkable than the stories we heard,” one commented.

“Makes me a bit ashamed thinking of my own good-for-nothing son back home,” another added, rubbing the back of his neck, his face flushed.

White Qilin smiled benevolently and ushered them all out.

The room was now empty. Yoo Ho drew the beaded curtain across the doorway, ensuring their privacy.

“Are you really going to take him as your disciple?”

“I am.”

“What if he refuses… no, who in their right mind would refuse to become the disciple of the great Divine Physician, White Qilin… Still, I am worried.”

“Yes. I am worried as well. That the child might refuse.”

“What in the world…?”

Yoo Ho clicked his tongue. The master he served always had a peculiar streak. This must be another instance of it, he thought.

White Qilin produced a set of golden needles from his robes.

“Even so, if I show my sincerity, perhaps his heart will be moved. Let us begin.”

“Surely you don’t mean to use that on this boy?”

“I do.”

As he spoke, one of White Qilin’s golden needles pierced the space between Jin Cheon-hee’s eyebrows.

Tung-

With an unusual sound, Cheon-hee’s unconscious body twitched. Yoo Ho looked down at him and thought:

I don’t know if you’re pitiful or enviable. Now that you’ve caught the Master’s eye, a peaceful life is no longer in the cards for you.

***

He dreamt he was a butterfly.

This was nothing like Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream. It was a nightmare where he was captured by a madman and had needles stuck all over his body. He was plunged alternately into fire and ice, over and over, until he felt he was on the verge of death.

Ugh… save the butterfly…

He remembered screaming every curse word he knew, praying for the ordeal to end.

When he finally awoke from the dream, he was staring at the same ceiling he’d seen before he fell asleep. The only difference was that he was now completely naked.

What is that foul smell?

An indescribable, putrid stench, like rotting garbage, assaulted his nostrils.

“Ah, you are awake.”

It was White Qilin.

Did he watch over me all night? No, that’s not right. The Divine Physician doesn’t handle simple nursing tasks himself; he has attendants for that…

Surely the renowned White Qilin wouldn’t have personally nursed him. He must have just stopped by to check on his condition and found him awake by chance. That was the most logical explanation.

As he tried to sit up, something sticky pulled at his back. It was a black, viscous substance that clung to his skin. It felt less like a liquid and more like chunks of dried rubber.

“Huh?”

This seemed to be the source of the horrific smell.

“Curiously, your body had not accumulated many impurities. Your constitution is quite good. Are you feeling any discomfort?” White Qilin asked.

“Not at all. In fact, my body feels incredibly light. Oh, and please, speak casually to me. I’m just a child. It makes me uncomfortable when you keep using honorifics.”

At his words, White Qilin smiled faintly. The simple gesture seemed to brighten the entire room.

So that’s what they mean by a ‘city-toppling beauty.’

He found it amazing that a person could be so beautiful.

“Very well, I will speak casually then.”

“Yes, please do. By the way, what did you mean by impurities? Wasn’t that medicine for my internal injuries?”

“While I was treating you, I took the liberty of performing a Marrow Cleansing as well. Since you will be learning martial arts in the future, I thought it would be best.”

Marrow Cleansing!?

Marrow Cleansing. It was one of the most common and significant tropes in martial arts novels. A supreme technique that used Qi and medical treatment to purge all the waste products from a person’s body.

Whoa… so what does that mean? I’ve had my blood vessels cleaned out?

In the modern world, vascular diseases were common. High cholesterol and the buildup of plaque in the arteries could lead to myocardial infarctions and other venous diseases. Even strokes were a type of vascular disease. Having clean blood vessels was obviously good for one’s health. And in a martial arts novel, undergoing Marrow Cleansing meant…

It’s extremely beneficial for learning martial arts… Wait a minute? Did he just say I’ll be learning martial arts in the future? Who decided that?

Jin Cheon-hee’s mind was a mess of conflicting thoughts.

But wait, if the Marrow Cleansing was performed by none other than the great Divine Physician, White Qilin, it must be far more special than the kind performed by an ordinary martial family, right?

Why would he do something so precious for him? White Qilin spoke of it as if it were as trivial as hooking up a nutritional IV after a surgery.

“First, you must wash. Yoo Ho!”

***

It was the main bathhouse of the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency. As befitting an organization that held sway over the entire Yangtze River, even their branch office was quite luxurious. Normally, this place would have been for the use of the escort warriors, but at the word of their benefactor, the Divine Physician, they had offered him their very best facility. The large bath was filled with all sorts of fragrant medicinal herbs.

As Yoo Ho helped him bathe, he asked a few questions. Where he lived, who his parents were, whether he had ever belonged to a martial arts school.

If I tell them I died and was reincarnated, they’ll just think I’m crazy.

In the end, every time he was asked a question, he could only reply with, “Aah, my head hurts…” He had a mark on his head from where he’d been struck when he first woke up in this body; feigning partial amnesia seemed like the best course of action. Of course, in reality, getting hit on the head was more likely to kill you than to cause convenient amnesia. But…

He can’t exactly prove I’m lying if I say I don’t remember.

Though his body was that of an innocent young boy, his mind was that of a grizzled, middle-aged man who had seen it all. By putting on a confused and pained child’s expression, he managed to deflect the questions until Yoo Ho finally gave up.

Before leaving, Yoo Ho told him to call when he was finished and went outside.

That attendant is pretty persistent. Then again, if I were him, I’d also be suspicious of some stray mutt who just appeared out of nowhere and received a Marrow Cleansing from the Divine Physician…

Slosh-

The water rippled gently with his movements.

A child’s body…

In his past life, he had died saving someone. In this life, it was no exaggeration to say he had survived because he had saved someone.

What a twisted, ironic fate.

The funny thing was, even now, he found himself wondering if the child he had shielded from the rebel’s gunfire had survived. He hoped that his sacrifice hadn’t been in vain.

Why must people be saved? Why had he gone to such lengths to save them? Why hadn’t he abandoned those people on the mountain? If bandits or a pack of wolves had arrived instead of the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency, he would have been the one to die.

‘I don’t know. I really don’t know, Director.’

The closest thing he’d ever had to a father was the director of his orphanage. Even while cursing the world, his body had always moved first.

He began to sort through the memories of his past life, which felt like it had ended only yesterday. It had been a life without family, without relatives, without a lover. The only one who could truly mourn for Jin Cheon-hee was Jin Cheon-hee himself. It had been a damn hard life. But it was also a life he had lived to the fullest.

Come to think of it, that novel didn’t have an author listed.

It had been in his purchase history, so he had just read it. There was no author or publisher listed. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time; he wasn’t the type to pay attention to such details.

Pushing that thought aside, he returned to his current reality.

What do I do now?

He had been dropped into this world with nothing but the body he was in. According to Yoo Ho, anyone who might have known about this body’s past had been killed in the bandit attack. All they knew was that he was an orphan, and he had been on his way to a place called Xuzhou.

Xuzhou… Xuzhou…

The name was familiar. Of course it was; it had been mentioned several times in the book.

Ah, that’s where the Demonic Cult’s branch is hidden.

The protagonist, the Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryoon, joins the Demonic Cult through Xuzhou. There, he endures brutal trials and humiliation as he grows stronger. The Demonic Cult is a place where might makes right.

When one becomes the Junior Cult Leader of the cult, they are made to consume the Crimson Demonic Blood Elixir. Upon consumption, one’s perception and internal energy increase dramatically, and the body is forcibly molded to be suitable for learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

However, no one who consumes the Crimson Demonic Blood Elixir lives past their twenties.

There is only one way to survive.

You must completely absorb the internal energy and the Innate True Qi of another who has also consumed the elixir and trained in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

In other words, you have to kill and devour each other.