Chapter 16: The Thunder Dragon Emerges
Having gained the power of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, I felt as though I could fly. For a martial artist, internal energy (neigong) is the foundation for achieving superhuman strength, and having a lot of internal energy typically meant possessing skills on a whole different level. While combat skills and weapon techniques are also important, having strong internal energy allows one to attempt anything.
‘Speaking of which, how much has my lightness skill improved?’
I glanced up at the cliffside cave at this height. Normally, it would be right to find another path out from here, but I was eager to test how much my lightness skill had progressed. Moreover, since I was also feeling hungry from using up my energy, I had a strong desire to return home quickly.
Originally, I could leap about five feet into the air with my lightness skill. Being able to jump as high as a person’s height was impressive on its own, but somehow it felt like I could surpass that now. I stood before the cliff, gathered strength in my legs, and leapt upwards.
Whoosh!
“Wow! Ha!”
I was surprised to find myself soaring up to the top of the cliff so quickly and effortlessly. Even as I flew, my reflexes allowed me to swiftly place a hand on the cave wall to steady myself. Remarkably, my lightness skill’s elasticity had more than doubled compared to before!
With this level of ability, there were hardly any obstacles or walls I couldn’t leap over. As I walked into the cave, I calmed my astonished heart.
‘This… this internal energy is even more amazing than I had heard.’
I had known that the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was a peerless elixir that granted immense internal energy with just one consumption. However, I hadn’t expected it to be this effective, so it still felt somewhat surreal. With this level of power, it seemed like I could achieve world-shaking feats just by mastering a few palm techniques.
Swish!
“So fast…”
As I ran through the mountain valley, I experienced a heightened sense of perception, as if I had entered a new realm of awareness. Bounding over rugged rocks and narrow paths felt effortless, and it was as if time had slowed down, allowing me to leisurely take in the surroundings. It was as though I had a third eye on the back of my head, sensing events behind me.
Even when I suddenly landed on a slippery rock, my footwork and internal energy prevented any sensation of slipping. It felt as if the world was my own playground, and I could move freely like a bird.
How many years would it have taken to achieve this level of internal energy through normal martial arts training?
Fifty years? A hundred years?
What was certain was that my own efforts had led me to obtain the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and receive its rewards. From now on, I only had to use this power as I wished. I had a premonition that even if I were to die now, the beginning would be far from painful.
I reached my small cottage before sunset, traveling at a speed five times faster than usual. It had been reinforced over the past three years to the point where it could be considered as sturdy as a regular house. I opened the wooden door and collapsed onto the straw mat.
“Ouch.”
My torn fingernail hurt. Since the injury could become infected by touching the straw, I wrapped it in cloth. Fortunately, I had prepared all the essentials, so I was comfortable in such situations.
As the pain subsided, I thought about what to do next.
I had yearned for power, but now that I had it, I was overwhelmed by the possibilities.
‘I want to get revenge on the village chief. But…’
The first thing that came to mind was to seek revenge on the village chief who had tried to kill me by hiring assassins. While it would be satisfying to crush the village chief now that I had the strength, I was reluctant to make it my immediate priority. What would happen after I did that?
In the past, when I faced the Black Night Gate’s assassination squad and was on the brink of death, the only thought in my mind was that the world was a scary place.
Yes.
The world is frightening.
In my second life, I had only managed to threaten a village chief. Yet, assassins who were no match for a second-rate martial artist had come in droves.
If I wiped out the village chief’s family and the village, I would feel satisfied, but the authorities would be dispatched to investigate, or the Plum Blossom Escort Agency or other organizations that dealt with the village chief would demand answers. If my identity were revealed, a new calamity might befall me, leading to endless battles with martial artists from all over.
The world is not a place where one can live alone. There are rules and order. Breaking those will bring corresponding punishment. The stronger one becomes, the easier it is to ignore those limits, but one must always be mindful of others’ influences.
I didn’t want to spend my life on the run just because I eliminated the village chief’s family. More precisely, I didn’t want to equate the life of the village chief’s family with my own. If I was going to seek revenge, I wanted to build my life on a solid foundation first and then crush the village chief like an insect in a powerful and fulfilling way.
To achieve that, it’s not enough to simply wield power and destroy everything. I needed to have enough strength, status, or reputation so that any attempts by the world to restrain or challenge me would be minimal. Wealth could also serve this purpose.
“Haha.”
I chuckled. In fact, I should have had these thoughts before even finding and consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. However, I had been so consumed by the extreme labor and mental strain of searching through thirty peaks that thinking about the future was draining. When one is focused on a single task, it becomes hard to think about what to do next.
“Let’s not overthink things. Let’s start with what I must do.”
Revenge was pushed down the priority list.
So, what was the next most important thing?
After thinking for a while, I reached a conclusion.
“It’s to decipher the Cheonam Biseo.”
This was the priority. While it might be exciting to go wild in pursuit of wealth and fame right away, the truth was that the ability of the Cheonam Biseo to reverse time was shrouded in many mysteries. Frankly, there had only been two instances of time reversal so far, and if there were no more, I would have nothing to say. I didn’t know a single line of the content beyond the title of the Cheonam Biseo.
Time reversal is a power that, if used correctly, could allow one to rule the world. Even if I could not understand all of the Cheonam Biseo, I felt I needed to at least grasp the nature of this time reversal ability.
To do that, I needed to find the most intelligent sage in the world.
Where could the most intelligent person be?
After much contemplation, I was able to decide on a destination.
Luoyang.
The most populous city in the world and the capital where the continent’s emperor resided. Although I wasn’t knowledgeable about the details, I reasoned that in a place where power and wealth were concentrated, there would also be a multitude of the most intelligent individuals.
‘Hmm. Speaking of which, I still need to repay Mr. Song from the fabric shop.’
He was the one who had kindly fed me and given me new clothes when I first arrived in Huangshan. Although he lived in a neighboring village and I hadn’t seen him during my search for the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, I was clear on the fact that I owed him a debt of gratitude.
I had thought of bringing the money I earned from delivering firewood to the lumber mill as repayment. But I soon shook my head.
The gratitude I felt was not something that could be repaid with just that.
I wanted to repay him with something more significant.
Whether it was for kindness or enmity, my feelings were to repay beyond the level of the debt.
I decided that I would at least ask him how to repay him. Since I also needed a new set of clothes, I finished up at my cottage the next day and left Huangshan. I went to find Mr. Song from the fabric shop.
Mr. Song was still operating his shop there, even after a long time had passed. I approached him with a smile.
“Hello. It’s been a while.”
“Um… who was it again?”
“Thanks to that meal you gave me back then, I was able to find the Sagong Escort Agency.”
“Oh! That boy from back then!”
He seemed to clearly remember me. This made me even more pleased, so I engaged in a pleasant conversation with Mr. Song.
“Oh, I see… So you became an escort after that.”
“Yes.”
“So why are you looking like a beggar now?”
“I’ve been wandering in the mountains…”
Mr. Song clicked his tongue.
“Sorry, but these days I’m not in a good position to offer you free clothes…”
“No, I’m not asking for clothes. I haven’t even repaid my debt yet…”
I subtly inquired.
“By the way, why are things not going well for you?”
“It’s nothing special. Clothes always sell well, but the tribute keeps increasing. Ugh.”
He took out a cigarette from the side and started puffing on it. It wasn’t particularly good for his health, and seeing him smoke it like a stick of incense, I could tell he was quite distressed. Of course, it was almost inevitable for a professional merchant like Mr. Song to pay tribute to someone, but it seemed the amount was excessive.
“Who are you paying tribute to?”
“Do you know where you are?”
“Huangshan.”
Mr. Song tapped the cigarette against the floor.
“Then it’s the Huangshan Sect.”
“Ah…”
It was a bit of a wordplay, but at that moment, I felt the true power of the Huangshan Sect. There were many martial arts sects near Huangshan, and from what I knew, there were more than ten. The fact that it was “only natural” to pay tribute to the Huangshan Sect showed its significant influence.
“How much tribute are you paying that you’re struggling so much?”
“Don’t even get me started. I barely make two taels of silver a month from selling and tailoring clothes. But those Huangshan Sect bastards always demand one tael from me. They’re even worse than robbers.”
“……!!”
That was at a level where calling them bandits wouldn’t be too much. Even for a prominent orthodox sect, if they had a reputation to uphold, there was a limit to how much tribute they could demand. For non-orthodox sects, excessive tribute would definitely damage the sect’s reputation and could even lead to the authorities getting involved. Non-orthodox sects or demonic sects would use violence to intimidate and prevent any intervention by the authorities.
So, I asked cautiously.
“Is it just you who has to pay this tribute?”
“No, it’s everyone in this village and the surrounding villages.”
“What happens if you can’t pay it?”
“You can’t survive in this village. The Huangshan Sect puts pressure on the landlords to drive out the tenant farmers or stops people from doing business. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“……”
I asked carefully.
“Can’t you report them to the authorities?”
“Ha… If that worked, I would have done it long ago. Don’t you know that the influence of the Huangshan Sect extends all the way to the county magistrate, not just the local district head?”
Mr. Song sighed deeply in frustration.
“If you report them, the Huangshan Sect might hesitate for a while, but the person who made the report will definitely face retribution from the sect. Who would want to put a bell on a cat’s neck?”
“I see…”
The Huangshan Sect was an orthodox sect but pursued a path of tyranny. Even if they couldn’t directly act against someone, it was too easy for them to crush a common person. They could simply put on masks and use their martial arts to beat someone up. Since there were no martial arts sects around Huangshan that could stand against them, no one could challenge their actions.
I realized that the Huangshan Sect’s oppression was worse than I had imagined and sighed inwardly.
‘Even though they are an orthodox sect, this is too much. Even the disciples of the Scorpion Sect, which is relatively harsh, wouldn’t be this bad. What in the world are they doing?’
At the same time, I felt a signal that the time had come to repay Mr. Song’s kindness more quickly than I had expected. Helping to reduce the Huangshan Sect’s interference would be a more significant repayment than just giving a few taels of silver.
Of course, directly confronting the Huangshan Sect would be foolish. No matter how much I had gained from the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, I could not face a true supreme master. I needed to use my wits to solve this problem.
‘Ah! I’ve got it!’
I came up with a good idea and smiled. Then I said to Mr. Song.
“Well… just wait a bit. I think there will be some good news in three days.”
You may also like Childhood Friend of the Zenith
