“That little brat is lucky.”

“Perhaps. But do you truly believe it was luck?”

“Then are you suggesting, Master, that the boy has senses so sharp he could detect the Qi-Dispersing Poison? His body shows no signs of having learned any martial arts.”

The sky was hazy. Like a drop of water spreading on mulberry paper, the moon was slowly obscured by clouds, its light fading into the gloom. The night was deep and starless, a pitch-blackness that swallowed everything.

Atop the roof of the tallest pavilion in the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency’s branch office, three figures stood.

White Qilin Divine Physician, Zhuge Rin, his brilliant silver hair fluttering in the wind. Beside him, Yoo Ho, the Chief Steward of the White Qilin Medical Pavilion who proclaimed himself his master’s servant. And finally, the giant of a man with a sword at his waist, the Chief of the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency, Woon Jin-sang.

“The eyes of a Divine Physician are truly different, it seems,” Woon Jin-sang said. “I myself saw nothing special about the young hero… his aptitude for martial arts also seemed ordinary.”

“Then why were you so eager to claim him?” Yoo Ho retorted.

“…”

Woon Jin-sang fell silent, offering no reply. Zhuge Rin seized the moment, his voice soft but edged with steel.

“Chief Woon. Let me be perfectly clear right now. That child will become my disciple. Besides, who was it that detoxified him from the Qi-Dispersing Poison?”

At his words, Woon Jin-sang heaved a great sigh.

“Huuu… How could I go against your will, Divine Physician? Is the child truly so pleasing to you?”

“My feelings are the same as yours, Chief.”

“Tsk. It can’t be helped, then. It seems the bond of master and disciple was not meant to be…”

“Oh? So you intended to take him as a disciple, even knowing he had no talent for the martial arts?” Zhuge Rin pressed.

“Though he is young, he is thoughtful and possesses a deep will. And that medical skill of his… is he not a talent to be coveted? As you well know, Divine Physician, an escort agency cannot be run on martial prowess alone.”

“Indeed. Which is why I covet him as well. In any case… it seems they are beginning to arrive.”

At Zhuge Rin’s words, Woon Jin-sang’s expression turned fierce. In the distant darkness, they could both see a group of figures converging.

“To dare attack my escort agency…” A draconic aura surged from his body. “I cannot allow harm to come to my guests. If you two would be so kind as to wait here, I would be grateful.”

“May your journey be swift.”

Woon Jin-sang leaped from the roof of the pavilion. At the same instant, figures clad in black began to scale the walls of the Cloud-Dragon branch office below. Each wore a mask, and their blades were blackened to prevent the moonlight from catching on the steel. It was, by all accounts, a night raid.

The inside of the branch office was silent. Even the serving maids were nowhere to be seen, presumably asleep.

“Master. I can feel demonic energy,” Yoo Ho murmured.

“So they are practitioners of the demonic arts… With numbers like that, could it be the Demonic Cult?”

“Most likely. I hope you haven’t gotten yourself involved in something troublesome.”

“But I have you with me, do I not?”

“Hahaha, honestly. For a man who could annihilate all of them with a single sword stroke to say such things, I am truly flattered.”

Instead of answering, Zhuge Rin merely smiled slyly. It was the smile of a dragon hiding its claws. Yoo Ho scratched his head.

“Master. You haven’t forgotten that your life is short, have you?”

“Of course not. But is it not human nature to wish to burn like a flame, even if only for a short while?”

“I would rather you simply stay with me for a long, long time…”

“Some things cannot be helped. In any case, it has begun.”

Where the Divine Physician’s gaze fell, a bloody battle was unfolding.

****

Jin Cheon-hee was curled up beside the bed of the future Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryoon. Shouts echoed from outside, punctuated by screams and the sharp clang of steel on steel.

It’s started, he thought, glancing at Yeo Ha-ryoon’s closed eyelids. This kid is still out cold.

Considering the life that lay ahead of him, perhaps it would be better if he never woke up.

Isn’t it amazing? All these people have come here just to kill you.

A child. An innocent child, burdened only by the secret of his birth. And to kill this one child, so many had made such thorough preparations.

Yeo Ha-ryoon’s hands were still pale, unstained by anyone’s blood. To kill him, the world itself had been set in motion.

The Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency is strong. Even if I hadn’t warned them, they would have won one way or another.

Even with their elite warriors poisoned by the Qi-Dispersing Poison, they still had their lower-ranked warriors. The full strength of the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency was not to be underestimated. However, they would have shed much more blood, and the losses would have been a crippling blow. A power vacuum would have formed on the Yangtze River, and countless other escort agencies would have fought to fill the void. It would have been the beginning of a great calamity.

“He’s sleeping so soundly through all this. Then again, I’m not really trembling either…”

Jin Cheon-hee stared at his own hands. People were dying outside. A normal person would be shaking in fear. At any moment, a man with a sword could burst in and kill him. And yet, for some reason, he wasn’t afraid.

Come to think of it, I was like this when I was sorting the living from the dead, too…

Something inside him had changed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be like this. Perhaps it was because he had already died once.

Right. Being shot to death by rebels isn’t exactly a common experience.

At that moment, a groan escaped Yeo Ha-ryoon’s lips. Was he having a nightmare? The sound was a guttural, bestial noise that no child should ever make. It startled Jin Cheon-hee.

Should I wake him up? No, he wouldn’t wake up before, even when I tried.

The noise alone hadn’t triggered a nightmare before now. Could it be the smell of blood from outside? Cheon-hee hesitated, then rummaged through a nearby shelf and lit another incense candle. He didn’t know what scent it was, but he hoped it was strong enough to mask the stench of blood. After lighting a third candle, Yeo Ha-ryoon’s expression slowly began to relax. As his pained groans subsided, Jin Cheon-hee let out a small sigh.

You’d better be nice to me, you little punk.

He was the protagonist, after all. It was probably best to get on his good side early. He’s still a kid, so he should be impressionable.

Outside, the battle raged on. And so, Jin Cheon-hee kept watch over Yeo Ha-ryoon’s night.

***

The battle at the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency’s branch office did not last long. Realizing that the Qi-Dispersing Poison had not taken full effect, the masked assassins suffered heavy losses and retreated.

Finally, the sun rose. Jin Cheon-hee had stayed awake all night. Even though he had been dropped into the middle of the Gangho, his mind was still that of an ordinary Korean. He wasn’t so thick-skinned that he could sleep peacefully while people were dying outside. He wasn’t scared, but he wasn’t numb, either.

He heard the sounds of bodies and the wounded being carried away. He heard the guards taking up their posts.

It’s over.

The battle was finished. The Cloud-Dragon branch was safe. An event that should have resulted in many deaths had been changed.

Alright, then… what do I do now? Be a bystander, or a collaborator? I have to choose one.

With slightly hollow eyes, Jin Cheon-hee stared at the door.

If I remain a bystander, my abilities will remain unknown. That’s the safe option. As it is, other physicians seem to have a lot of questions about the first-aid I used on that man.

He glanced to his side. The Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryoon, was still asleep.

If I get involved, people who were supposed to die might live. White Qilin can’t be everywhere at once; there’s a limit to how many people he can save. But that’s not more important than my own safety.

The answer was obvious.

My medical knowledge is clearly alien and strange here. I could even be mistaken for a spy. Yes. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll just stay here, and then leave. I can work for the Cloud-Dragon Escort Agency for a while, and live as a doctor in this world. Right. That’s the plan. I can save plenty of people then…

As he was rationalizing his decision, he looked at the sleeping Yeo Ha-ryoon and suddenly recalled a face from his past. The face of the small child, terrified at the barrel of a rebel’s gun. The child he had shielded with his own body.

Had that child survived?

—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?

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

“Dammit. I really am…”

Finally, Jin Cheon-hee stood up. That’s right. He hadn’t been able to turn away then. There was no way he could rationalize turning away now. He walked over to Yeo Ha-ryoon’s bed, intending to check the patient’s condition one last time before leaving the room.

No. Why is he acting up again?

This time, the boy was caught in a nightmare far worse than before, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was panting, and then suddenly, his breathing stopped.

Sleep apnea…?

One second, two seconds… thirty seconds… a full minute. He didn’t breathe for an entire minute.

Worried, Cheon-hee reached out to shake his shoulder.

The moment his hand touched him.

Tak—!

The boy’s pale hand shot out and clamped around Jin Cheon-hee’s wrist. His eyelids slowly peeled open. His eyes were crimson. In a voice as raspy and grating as a rusty sword being dragged across the ground, he spoke.

“…Who sent you.”

A wave of killing intent³ erupted from Yeo Ha-ryoon.

Kuguguguk—

Fuck. This little brat’s killing intent is already no joke…

Hoping to calm the future Heavenly Demon, Jin Cheon-hee forced a smile.

“I am…”

“Enough.”

“Huh?”

“I can just kill you and ask your corpse.”

In the next instant, Yeo Ha-ryoon’s other hand shot out and closed around Jin Cheon-hee’s throat.

Eudeudeuk—

He was pulled forward irresistibly, his neck caught in an iron grip. The powerful pressure forced a choked gasp from his lungs.

F… fuck… I never imagined he’d be this far gone.

Jin Cheon-hee knew. One of the reasons Yeo Ha-ryoon becomes the Heavenly Demon in the novel. The blood of the Star of Heavenly Slaughter.

In modern terms, you might call it the disposition of a serial killer. No, it was more than that. The Star of Heavenly Slaughter was described as a being with a genius-level talent for killing, one who grows stronger with every life they take. Not only that, they possessed a divine talent for martial arts, allowing them to become stronger than anyone else. They were, in the truest sense, a killer born from the heavens.

Of course, such a great talent came with a drawback. Eventually, they would be consumed by their own killing madness. But Yeo Ha-ryoon, being the protagonist, manages to control his insanity, overcome it completely, and become the strongest under the heavens.

A power that slaps modern science in the face… No. This isn’t the time for random thoughts. My throat is closing, my head is starting to hurt. In that case…

The calamity must have awakened the dormant blood within him. But he couldn’t just let himself die here. He wanted to call for help, but with his throat being crushed, no sound would come out.

Jin Cheon-hee thrashed his body. The movement knocked over one of the incense candles he had lit earlier, and it fell to the floor.

Yes!