Chapter 11: Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
A piercing scream burst out, threatening to tear my vocal cords. The sensation of a cold steel blade slicing through my neck was still vivid. As my gaze floated weightlessly in the air, an overwhelming sense of discomfort and fear of facing a cold death enveloped my entire body.
How long did I scream like that?
I realized I was crying out alone under the dark night sky.
“This… this is…?”
I carefully felt around my throat and the back of my neck. My neck was intact, and the familiar smell of cow dung quietly lingered around me. It was so familiar that I blinked and cautiously looked around.
Familiar cold. Familiar darkness. Familiar smell of cow dung.
Yes.
This was the stable.
It seemed to be the exact place and time when I had come back to life.
“……?!”
I opened my mouth in disbelief.
Could it be the third regression?!
I would have to check in the daylight, but it seemed likely. The feeling was too similar. I touched various parts of my body with trembling hands, confirming that it was indeed a child’s body. Kneeling there, shivering, I remained silent for a long time.
I felt an intense emotion surging through my entire body.
Intense joy at being able to start again.
The misery of having to live again despite facing death twice.
And a burning desire for revenge and anger that made my spine straighten.
From my mouth flowed a voice filled with hatred.
“Village Chief… you broke your promise…!!”
The one who hired the Black Night Gate’s Assassination Squad was the village chief!
He repaid my revenge with revenge of his own. Even though we had agreed to forget everything!
As a result, I was the one who suffered losses and even died, causing a violent killing intent to swirl inside me. But I forced myself to calm down, breathing heavily. My mind was dizzy.
“Huff… huff… huff…!!”
Sweat poured down as the energy of my internal power surged up from my dantian, as if it had been waiting.
‘As expected… my internal power has been passed on!’
Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique!
It was the secret cultivation technique of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School and was proudly listed among the top internal energy techniques. I had once melted all my Three-Refinements Heart Technique into Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique and diligently practiced it for three years.
Currently, my internal power was unmatched by those of my age. I possessed a strong internal energy that even those in their late teens would struggle to have, and now I was in a younger body.
Age was very important in martial arts. Especially for internal energy cultivation techniques, it was almost absolute. The younger you were, the easier it was to open your meridians, allowing your internal energy to grow rapidly, and consequently, your physical abilities to improve easily. If I started diligently training in the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique from now, it would not be impossible to reach the threshold of a top master in ten years.
However, because of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique, I was in agony. My emotions were swinging too violently, causing the energy of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique to surge erratically and strongly stimulate my meridians. At this rate, I might fall into a state of internal deviation. Desperately suppressing my emotions, I bit down hard enough to draw blood.
“Huff… Ugh… Ahhh…!!”
Letting out beast-like screams, I buried my head in the haystack of the stable and struck my fist against the stone wall of the stable.
Crash!!
Normally, if a child’s frail hand struck a stone wall, the hand would be covered in blood. However, instead, a scar in the shape of my fist was engraved into the stone wall. This was proof that my internal energy had deepened to the point where I could break stone walls with my bare fists.
Silence filled the air for a while.
Barely managing to control my internal energy and emotions, I let out a deep sigh.
“Phew… I survived.”
If I had fallen into internal deviation here, it would have been worse than death. Not only would I have to live like a cripple, but I would also be unable to cultivate internal energy ever again.
Once I calmed my emotions, my mind returned to clarity. Wiping the blood dripping from my lips with my arm, I thought.
‘Yes. First, let’s calm down. This is my third life. If I fail again this time, I won’t be able to live a proper life. Let’s calmly plan for the future.’
Since my internal energy had been passed on, I could take my revenge at any time.
At the same time, I couldn’t hide the doubts surfacing in my mind.
‘Why? Why have I regressed this time? Is there a common factor with the last time?’
I needed to think carefully.
What was the principle behind the regression?
Lost in deep thought, I could form one hypothesis.
“Cheonam Biseo.”
Yes.
The common factor in both regressions was that I died with the Cheonam Biseo in my possession. Thinking back to my first death, it seemed that merely holding the Cheonam Biseo triggered its effect. When I died the second time, I had the Cheonam Biseo in my possession. This was the only common factor I could think of.
If I thought of it this way, what I needed to do next was simple.
I had to put everything else aside and go to the cave to retrieve the Cheonam Biseo, then carry it with me at all times. No matter how great another opportunity might be, this had to be my primary obligation.
However, there was one thing that bothered me.
I frowned, unable to resolve it.
“…Why is the starting point of the regression today? Why?”
I couldn’t understand. Even if the Cheonam Biseo enabled regression, why did I return to the time when I was a servant cleaning cow dung at the village chief’s house? If I had regressed to my 20s or 30s when I was an escort, I would have been able to proceed much more smoothly. Enduring and waiting for several years in a child’s undeveloped body was unbearably frustrating.
Then I realized that to resolve this question, I had to somehow interpret the strange writings in the Cheonam Biseo. Though I couldn’t read them, the Cheonam Biseo contained ‘content,’ and if I could decipher that content, I would understand more about it.
As I organized my thoughts, my mind felt clearer. At the same time, I realized what I needed to do first.
“Alright. I will leave the village.”
There was no need to curry favor with the village chief to get travel money for the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. Having already mastered top-tier internal energy, I could easily endure cold, heat, and hunger, and I had sufficient self-defense abilities. What I needed to do now was to head to the cave as quickly as possible.
Thud!
Just as I was about to leave, having packed a usable rope and hammer from the stable, someone blocked my path in the darkness with an unpleasant expression.
“Damn it… What are you yelling about in the middle of the night? Cow Dung.”
“Kim Manje.”
“This bastard… Aren’t you going to call me ‘young master’?”
The one shouting at me was the village chief’s son, Kim Manje. He was truly human trash, a worthless bastard not even worth killing. However, in the current situation, he was an obstacle to my escape from the village, so I spoke calmly.
“I’m really not in a good mood right now. So you’d better move aside.”
“What? You bastard!”
Kim Manje kicked at me without warning. This attack method was very effective for intimidating peers, showing that Kim Manje had some experience in street fighting. But I coldly smiled and easily deflected his attack.
“Uh…”
As Kim Manje lost his balance and staggered, I steadied his body.
“Oh dear.”
Kim Manje struggled to move, but because of my grip on his arm, he couldn’t budge an inch. It must have felt like being chained.
I whispered into Kim Manje’s ear from behind.
“Stay still, you idiot.”
“……”
Terrified by my killing intent and pressure, Kim Manje couldn’t even breathe loudly and stood there trembling. It seemed that as my internal energy had been passed on, so had my ability to emit killing intent. I left the village, leaving Kim Manje behind.
This time, there would be no ridiculous pursuit by the village chief. Last time, I nearly annihilated the village chief’s family and ran away with all the secrets, so he chose the extreme measure of hiring assassins. But there was no way he’d hire martial artists just because ‘Cow Dung’ made Kim Manje tremble and ran away in the night. Knowing the village chief’s personality, he would probably just laugh at me from home, thinking I would starve to death somewhere.
‘Even if they do pursue, it’s fine. As long as I get my hands on the Cheonam Biseo, I can start over.’
At this point, regardless of what happened, I could get the Cheonam Biseo first. I looked down at the village sinking into darkness from the ridge with eyes full of hatred. I thought I had already taken revenge, but my anger had not subsided.
I muttered, staring at the village chief’s house from afar.
“I was too soft. I admit it.”
And I clenched my fist tightly.
My eyes shone with murderous intent.
A trickle of blood flowed from my clenched fist.
“This time, I’ll do it right.”
It took three days to obtain the Cheonam Biseo. Without money, I had to steal a copper shield from the blacksmith’s shop, and it was difficult to find the cave where the Cheonam Biseo were hidden with my child’s body.
But anyway, having successfully obtained the Cheonam Biseo, I collapsed and rested in the cave for a while.
“Haa… I’m exhausted. What should I do now?”
Should I go back to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School?
If I were accepted into the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, this time I could aim to become a top-tier martial artist within ten years. With a solid foundation in internal energy, I would start at an incredibly advantageous position, surpassing even the most talented individuals.
However, I dismissed that thought with a bitter smile.
“No, it’s impossible. This time, I have no choice but to retrain in martial arts through self-study.”
If I went to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, unimaginable hardships would await me.
I had already mastered secret martial arts and internal energy techniques, but Master Samjeol Lee Kwang and Chief Instructor Jin So-cheong had no memory of teaching them to me. Naturally, they would think I had stolen the techniques, and in the worst case, they might seal my internal energy or even kill me.
Of course, they might find me interesting and teach me martial arts to exploit me. But even then, the thought of facing death again was repugnant. Each time I died, I felt my mental strength eroding, a psychological pain that only those who had experienced it could understand.
I don’t want to die if I can help it.
Even if I could be revived, I don’t want to die.
Fortunately, my internal energy was maintained and I retained my martial arts knowledge even in this child’s body. If I trained for three years, I would achieve a higher level than before. Finding solace in that fact, I thought.
‘I need a place where I can train and make a living… somewhere that minimizes wasted time…’
There was only one answer.
I arrived at a single conclusion and smiled.
“Becoming a guard for an escort agency would be perfect, wouldn’t it?”
Even in a child’s body, I’m much stronger than I was in my original life. I’m at least three times stronger now. If I train like this, I can surpass the level of an escort guard within three years. An escort agency would be the ideal place to earn money and legally train in martial arts.
Of course, the nearby Samsong Escort Agency or Maehwa Escort Agency were out of the question. The village chief’s influence reached there, and I would be discovered quickly. If they started probing into the secrets and origins of my martial arts, it would become endlessly troublesome.
After much deliberation, I made my decision.
“I’ll get a job as an escort guard near Hwangsan. Then, at the right time, I’ll search for and consume the thousand-year-old snow ginseng from Hwangsan! Perfect, even if I say so myself, it’s a genius plan!”
There was no better method. It saved time and kept me as far away from the village chief’s influence as possible. Although it was uncomfortable to associate with strangers, I would manage. Once my plan was set, I prepared to put it into action.
Growl…
“……”
I was hungry.
I simultaneously realized the biggest flaw in my plan.
With no home, no property, and no money, I would have to survive by catching animals or begging on my way to Hwangsan. This would undoubtedly be my first major hurdle.
“Should I try eating animals…”
It was time to start hunting. I broke a nearby tree branch to use as a makeshift weapon and set my face with determination.
That day, I was lucky enough to catch and cook a mountain rabbit and a chipmunk. The next day, I drank stream water and ate tree bark. Most days, I ended up eating tree bark or grass because small animals were hard to catch.
Even as I felt my body becoming more emaciated, I kept moving. If anyone saw a young boy catching animals and marching through the mountains, they would think he was crazy. I was deliberately traversing mountains and rivers to avoid any news of me reaching the village chief, but it was a grueling process.
For about eight days, I lived by digging up roots and mushrooms, catching bats in caves. One day, as I lay on the damp cave floor, I felt a few tears escape.
What is life that I have to abandon everything to keep living?
I didn’t seem to have an answer to that question yet.
By the time I reached Hwangsan, nearly a month had passed. I was in a terrible state, and I had caught a slight cold, leaving me somewhat weak.
“Cough, cough…”
My head felt slightly dizzy, but I forced myself to stay alert.
I couldn’t afford to collapse now.
I needed to become an escort guard at an agency before I could afford to collapse.
Strangely, there were villages and a large town near Hwangsan, but no escort agency in sight. As I wondered about this, a fabric shop owner, feeling sorry for me, brought me a plate of food.
“Oh dear, you look like a skeleton… Don’t you have any parents or siblings?”
“No, I don’t…”
“Eat slowly. After a meal, gather your strength and live well.”
“Thank you…”
Being pitied didn’t feel bad. In fact, I was so happy to have a proper meal after so long that I didn’t care. It was just rice mixed with vegetables, but I devoured it ravenously.
After finishing my meal, I cautiously asked the fabric shop owner a question.
“I want to join an escort agency near Hwangsan. Do you know where it is?”
The fabric shop owner’s expression turned peculiar. He shrugged.
“Kid, there are no escort agencies in Hwangsan.”
“……!!”
Oh, shit…!!
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…!!”
My… my neck… my neck hurts…
“Hey! Kid! Are you okay?!”
“……”
I was so angry that I fainted on the spot.
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