Chapter 1

The Demon's Path (1)

In the deep hours of the early morning, as darkness descended.

A figure walked the rugged mountain path, pushing through the thick fog.

He appeared to be in his mid-fifties.

A middle-aged man with sharp features and piercing eyes.

However, his complexion was extremely pale.

His martial robes, torn and tattered like rags, were stained with blood that continuously trickled from the corners of his mouth.

The wounds visible on his body were all horrific.

Especially the stab wound starting from near his right collarbone, which ran across his chest to the opposite side of his ribcage.

His thigh was also missing a large chunk of flesh.

A deep arrow was embedded in his shoulder, jiggling with each breath.

He was a complete mess.

His injuries were so severe that it was a wonder he was still alive, but he did not fall.

He clenched his teeth and continued to move forward, step by step.

How long had he been walking?

“Guh...”

Soon, a groan escaped the middle-aged man's lips.

‘Is this as far as I can go?’

The thin thread of inner energy that had sustained him finally snapped.

Blood began to flow from all his wounds.

There was no longer any way to stop the bleeding he had been barely suppressing with his inner strength.

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

Then, he collapsed as if he had been struck down.

An overwhelming sense of despair washed over him.

As he gasped for what might be his last breath, a faint fragrance wafted to his nose.

Chao Ailiang struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

Flowers in full bloom came into view.

With the last of his strength, he managed to turn his body over.

Wouldn't it be a rather poetic way to die, gazing at the stars in the night sky?

But...

‘Damn it.’

The thick fog prevented him from seeing anything.

Everything was hazy and pitch black.

‘Just like my current state.’

At that moment, he felt his strength draining from his body.

His consciousness began to blur, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his heavy eyelids open.

‘This is really the end... huh?’

Chao Ailiang could not continue his final thoughts.

A face suddenly appeared before his eyes.

No more than twelve years old?

A cute face that made one feel good just by looking at it.

A boy with strikingly clear eyes.

Before Chao Ailiang could examine the boy's face further, he lost consciousness.

Chao Ailiang regained consciousness after a considerable amount of time had passed.

When he opened his eyes, he was bewildered.

He was still alive, despite the fact that he should have died.

‘Where am I?’

He noticed that the surroundings had changed.

He was lying on a clean bed in an unfamiliar room.

He looked around.

It was a simple room with a bed, some furniture, and a table. A scroll was hanging on one of the walls.

The calligraphy on the scroll was so elegant that even he, who knew nothing about art, could not help but admire it.

As Chao Ailiang tried to sit up, he involuntarily groaned.

“Guh!”

The pain in his entire body, which had been suppressed, suddenly awakened.

It was an excruciating pain that made him shudder.

However, he gritted his teeth and managed to stand up.

“Huff... Huff...”

He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

Just the act of getting out of bed made him sweat profusely.

‘Damn it!’

He forced his uncooperative limbs to move and staggered out.

“...!”

Chao Ailiang's eyes widened.

He was speechless at the scenery before him.

A basin surrounded by sheer cliffs like a screen.

A waterfall cascading from the cliff, creating a misty spray, was a magnificent sight.

At the end of the waterfall was a pond.

A clear pond that made one feel refreshed just by looking at it.

A stream originating from the pond flowed across one side of the basin.

Next to the pond stood a two-story pavilion, which looked like a painting.

As he surveyed the surroundings, his gaze stopped at one place.

A deep red flower that seemed to bleed if touched. The waves of Huahong (花红) covering the plain captivated his eyes.

A gentle breeze blew at that moment.

The lingering fragrance filled the valley instantly.

‘I must have collapsed there.’

Chao Ailiang smiled bitterly, recalling the events.

“Eh? You shouldn't be up yet...”

Chao Ailiang turned his head toward the voice.

Not far away, the boy he had seen just before losing consciousness was approaching.

“You need to rest now.”

Chao Ailiang stared at the boy for a moment before speaking cautiously.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I'm Dan Aoxian.”

Chao Ailiang frowned.

“I didn't ask for your name.”

Dan Aoxian tilted his head in confusion for a moment before nodding.

“I'm the one who saved you.”

“You saved me? You?”

“Yes. I'm a doctor.”

Chao Ailiang was taken aback.

It was truly absurd to think that a child who still had baby fat on his face could be a doctor.

“Let's continue the conversation inside.”

Dan Aoxian urged again.

“Your condition is such that you could die at any moment. It's best to go back to bed.”

Dan Aoxian walked past Chao Ailiang into the room and pointed to the bed.

However, Chao Ailiang hesitated.

He could not accept the situation.

“Do you really mean that you treated me?”

With a guarded expression, Dan Aoxian smiled softly.

“There's no one else here besides me. No one else could have treated or attacked you. So, please come inside and lie down.”

Chao Ailiang's eyebrows twitched.

“Do you know who I am?”

Dan Aoxian thought for a moment before answering.

“You're a patient.”

“...”

Chao Ailiang was speechless. Then, Dan Aoxian urged him again.

“Hurry. If we don't continue the treatment, it might be too late. Do you know how hard I worked to save you?”

Chao Ailiang grunted.

‘Indeed...’

It was true.

Before he lost consciousness, he was as good as dead. Moreover, there was an innocent look in Dan Aoxian's eyes, devoid of any ulterior motives.

In the end, Chao Ailiang lay back down on the bed.

Dan Aoxian handed him a wet cloth.

“Wet your throat first. You've been out for four days.”

Confused, Chao Ailiang listened as Dan Aoxian continued.

“You lost a lot of blood. Drinking water normally in your current state could be harmful. Just hold it in your mouth and sip it slowly.”

Chao Ailiang silently followed Dan Aoxian's instructions.

“Then, I'll start.”

Dan Aoxian took out a small wooden box from his robe and removed several needles of different sizes.

The needles were clearly not ordinary.

The handles of the needles, which glowed with a blue light, were made of ivory. Intricate carvings adorned the tips of the needles.

A memory came to mind.

“Xianyang Zhen (仙仰針)?”

“Eh? You know about it?”

Chao Ailiang was surprised by Dan Aoxian's question.

“How could I not know the talisman of Shengshou Shenyi (聖手神醫)?”

“My father. I'll start the acupuncture now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Dan Aoxian's hands moved.

In the blink of an eye, needles were inserted into various points on Chao Ailiang's body.

“...!”

Chao Ailiang was shocked as he felt his entire body stiffen.

‘Acupoints and pressure points simultaneously?’

It was a highly refined acupuncture technique.

However, the surprise that followed was even greater.

‘The pain is disappearing!’

As the boiling qi and blood settled, his body quickly began to feel more comfortable.

‘Could it be...’

Chao Ailiang's heart began to race.

If the boy before him was truly the son of Shengshou Shenyi...

And if he had inherited his medical skills?

‘I can survive!’

Shengshou Shenyi was the doctor who vowed to save anyone as long as they were still breathing.

‘Wait a moment?’

But there was a problem.

Shengshou Shenyi had only treated righteous sect members.

‘Hasn't he disappeared from the martial world for twenty years now?’

At one point, various information networks in the martial world, including the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Beggar Sect, and the Hao Sect, even the government's Six Selections Sect, had scoured the land in search of him.

But there was no trace of him.

While he was lost in these thoughts,

Swoosh.

A refreshing sensation spread from his shoulder as all his meridians were unblocked.

Chao Ailiang let out a gasp.

“You really did save me.”

There was no denying it. He had seen it with his own eyes and experienced it himself. How could he doubt it?

But then another question arose.

“Why did you save me?”

Dan Aoxian looked at him with wide eyes.

“Does a doctor need a reason to save a patient?”

“Just... that's all?”

Chao Ailiang sighed.

“I am not a righteous sect member.”

“Is that so?”

“As far as I know...”

Chao Ailiang spoke cautiously.

“Shengshou Shenyi only treated righteous sect members.”

“Oh! So you're a villainous sect member?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Dan Aoxian laughed as if amused.

Chao Ailiang's eyes turned cold.

“Answer my question.”

“I'm sorry for laughing. It's just hard to explain.”

Dan Aoxian looked at Chao Ailiang after stopping her laughter.

“I'm not my father.”

Chao Ailiang still had his doubts. Dan Aoxian pouted.

“I wasn't taught that saving lives is wrong.”

Then, she continued bluntly.

“It's your only life. Treasure it. Someone will be sad if you die.”

“No one will mourn for me.”

Chao Ailiang said firmly.

“Is that so?”

Dan Aoxian added with a bitter smile.

“I will be sad. If you die.”

Dan Aoxian took out another wooden box.

When she opened it, red needles appeared. The handles of the needles were made of black ebony. Chao Ailiang was startled when he saw the demonic faces carved on the handles.

“Maling Zhen (魔靈鍼)!”

Dan Aoxian asked, surprised.

“You know this too?”

“How could I not recognize the talisman of Shengsi Mayi (生死魔醫)?”

A doctor who, along with Shengshou Shenyi, stood at the pinnacle of villainous medical skills.

She had also disappeared around the same time as Shengshou Shenyi. Known for her eccentric personality as much as her refined medical skills, she only treated villainous sect members.

Her parting words were still remembered.

—Ungrateful brats, may you all suffer.

“Surely not?”

Dan Aoxian nodded at Chao Ailiang's question.

“Yes. She's my mother.”

“So, the son of a divine doctor and a demonic doctor...”

“That's why I exist now.”

She had a slightly pouty expression. The doubt quickly turned into certainty.

“This will hurt a bit.”

As Dan Aoxian inserted the Maling Zhen,

“Cough!”

A groan, almost a scream, escaped Chao Ailiang's lips.

“Ah, sorry. I forgot to press the acupoints.”

At that moment, Chao Ailiang felt his body go numb again. But the pain remained.

Despite facing death calmly,

The pain now was far worse than anything he had experienced before.

The problem was that he could do nothing about it.

He could only suppress the screams inside.

* * *

Four days later.

When Chao Ailiang opened his eyes in the morning, he looked down at himself and muttered.

“I...”

His condition had clearly improved.

“I'm alive.”

He had overcome the critical stage.

“The son of a divine doctor and a demonic doctor...”

Chao Ailiang slowly got up and left the room. Although still difficult and painful, it was nothing compared to four days ago.

Could it be a stroke of luck?

Meeting Dan Aoxian just before death was already a miracle.

As Chao Ailiang enjoyed the rare sunlight,

In the distance,

A figure was entering the entrance of the Demon Valley.

It was Dan Aoxian.

“Eh? You're up?”

Dan Aoxian ran over to Chao Ailiang, her face brighter than usual.

“Look, Uncle!”

Dan Aoxian took something out of the pouch on her waist and held it out. It was a white flower with nine leaves.

“Hehe. I finally found it!”

“Is that why you're in a good mood?”

Dan Aoxian nodded with a wide smile.

“Yes! This is Qiling Cao, a herb good for internal injuries. It's hard to find, but I got lucky.”

“Could it be... for me?”

“Of course! Just wait a bit. I'll prepare it for you right away!”

As Dan Aoxian turned to leave, Chao Ailiang reached out and stopped her.

“How did you get this?”

He looked at Dan Aoxian's hands, which were scratched and bloody.

‘Now that I think about it...’

It wasn't just her hands.

Her entire body was covered in dirt, and her neck and cheeks were full of fresh wounds.

Dan Aoxian laughed it off.

“Qiling Cao grows in dangerous places.”

“...!”

Chao Ailiang was speechless.

The child before him was only twelve years old.

This young child had risked her life to climb a treacherous mountain path alone for a stranger.

His heart ached.

After decades of traversing the dangerous world of swords and knives,

It was a long time since he had felt such an emotion.

“I realize there's something I should have said to you.”

“What is it?”

Chao Ailiang bowed his head respectfully to Dan Aoxian.

“I apologize for my rudeness.”

Dan Aoxian smiled.

“It's okay. Patients are sensitive, especially those who were on the brink of death like you.”

Dan Aoxian readily accepted the apology.

“And...”

“...?”

To the puzzled Dan Aoxian, Chao Ailiang spoke sincerely.

“Thank you. I will never forget the grace of saving my life.”