0024 : Golden Eagle Guards
Terrifying pain!
Breath cut off!
My tongue twisted.
“Ah-hah-hah-hah-hah!!!”
In that moment, I found myself emitting a screech reminiscent of a pig being slaughtered.
“… Ugh!!”
However, I hurriedly tried to suppress that voice as much as possible, forcing myself to hold onto the internal energy that surged through my body like an erupting volcano. I quickly scanned my surroundings and, calming my energy, pinched my cheeks, nose, and uvula once. Feeling the pain, I relaxed my body and collapsed back into the stable.
“……”
Once again, I lay in the stable during the midnight hours, recalling the time when I was around ten or eleven. The cold seeped from the straw pile meant to shield me from the dawn dew. I found myself missing that chill and quietly curled up, leaning against the straw wall.
“Ha…”
I’m lucky.
I truly am lucky.
A tear of joy rolled down my cheek.
This time, I sensed death and resolved to avoid being tortured as much as possible. Rejecting the Iron Blood Sect Leader’s demands for sparring and attempting to escape could lead me to extreme torture, given his personality, which could result in a painfully drawn-out death. Additionally, if I were to be tortured, there would be a high possibility I would divulge information about Cheonam Biseo.
Thus, I intentionally accepted the sparring challenge and fought to my utmost, ensuring that I would die in the process. At the very least, if I died while fighting, it would spare me the humiliation of being left alive. After dying several times, I managed to mentally prepare myself for the experience.
Yet, all of this rested entirely within the realm of ‘luck.’
I had reversed time twice with Cheonam Biseo, but there was no guarantee I could do so a third time. This was because I didn’t know a single thing about Cheonam Biseo’s contents. Thus, it felt as if I had jumped into the flames while holding onto the straw, gambling on the hope that I could reverse time once again.
To numb the pain of dying, I purposely invoked breathing techniques to draw up my internal energy, generating further pain. The one who beheaded me was a peak expert, making it a clean, swift execution with minimal pain.
So, for this time, I was able to endure the torment without crying out. In terms of pain, it felt comparable to being struck by a whip on the uvula.
In the end, I was fortunate.
I’ve returned like this, and my internal energy remains intact.
On top of that, with the knowledge I learned from Mangnyang about understanding, Qimen Dunjia, and illusions, I was in a much better position.
“……”
However, I found myself unable to speak.
To be exact, I was too depressed to say anything.
‘Damn it. In the end, I couldn’t take down a single member of the Twin Gate Sect.’
And upon entering the Imperial Palace to retrieve the Nameless Ritual Book, I realized just how absurdly difficult that would be. Mangnyang seemed to have devised a plan based on the assumption that I was a world-class expert, but in reality, I couldn’t defeat a peak expert capable of unleashing sword flames.
Moreover, even against the Ghost Shadow Swordsman, who killed me in three hundred fifty seconds, I would still perish against ten Golden Eagle Guards. The mere fact that just ten of them could take down that monstrous peak expert indicated that the average combat proficiency of the Golden Eagle Guards was terrifyingly high.
There were over thirty of those Golden Eagle Guards roaming inside the Imperial Palace, and not only that, they were capable of trapping intruders using Qimen Dunjia at any moment, with high-level experts from the Eastern Workshop constantly on guard. I felt a sense of self-reproach for thinking I could take on such odds.
‘No. With this power, there’s no chance.’
Retrieving the Nameless Ritual Book is currently impossible. Even as the Great Thief of the world, it’s a matter of life and death. Perhaps only the supreme martial masters, unrivaled and extraordinary, might attempt such a feat? At this point, I can’t help but think that it would have been better to die quickly and recognize my limitations.
“Hmm… but there are some gains.”
I managed to faintly smile as I organized the benefits I had gained from this reincarnation in my mind.
First, I acquired the internal energy of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
Second, I gained knowledge at the scholarly level, as well as knowledge of Qimen Dunjia.
Third, I memorized the layout of the Imperial Palace.
Fourth, I obtained experience from a life-and-death struggle against a peak expert.
Fifth, I learned that the renowned sects of the martial arts world are a bunch of utterly despicable bastards.
Especially the fifth realization struck deep within me.
I berated myself.
“Damn it. I’m still an idiot.”
How naive I had been.
Even if I had gone to spar with any of the six major sects of the Twin Gate Sect, the outcome would likely have been the same. The difference would only be in speed; they would never forgive someone who tarnished their honor. The moment I initiated a conflict with them, I was destined to either become an idiot or face death. Just as people say, the idea that a wanderer could enhance their skills through sparring is a fantasy that only exists in novels.
If I wanted to gain real combat experience, I had to face real combat. I had to push my opponent into a situation where I could decisively kill them, so there would be no future repercussions. This was utterly obvious, yet I seemed to have been lost in the dreams of the martial world all this time.
While squatting and holding my legs, I continued to ponder.
Through this incident, I certainly recognized the gap in skill between peak experts and myself. I heard with my own ears that narrowing that gap would require at least a decade of training. So now, if I train in martial arts for ten years, I too can become a peak expert.
But—how exactly would that happen?
Merely collecting basic techniques and swinging my sword at empty air would not aid my improvement. I need someone to point out my shortcomings and offer advice on how to enhance my skills. Otherwise, I would have to risk my life to fight similarly skilled opponents repeatedly, a dangerously reckless endeavor that I realized through my recent death.
Gaining enlightenment through life-and-death battles to grow stronger would be convenient, but realistically, such occurrences are rare.
Moreover, chasing safety by beating on weaker opponents would not lead to skill improvement. If I started doing that, I would just be relying on my internal energy to dominate those below the first-class level. It became clear again that this fighting style would be of no use against true peak experts; it might work against someone at the level of the Eastern Workshop’s Guild Leader like Kyo Jun, but against the elders of the Iron Blood Sect, it would be utterly ineffective.
I kept thinking, but it still seemed that training under a ‘master’ was the best option. I’m not a genius, so I need to absorb all the teachings of an outstanding mentor, and only then can I branch out and cultivate my own style. It was such an obvious fact, yet after receiving the internal energy from the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, I seemed to have forgotten it in my joy.
Thinking back, I had only truly learned martial arts for three years. While I had learned intensely during that time, since then I had haphazardly adapted what I knew to practical situations, without any substantial improvement in martial skills. My internal energy had increased significantly, but that was all.
Then I must go to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.
There lies my master—someone who can provide the most suitable and valuable advice regarding the martial arts techniques I have just learned!
Having reached this conclusion, I let out a sigh.
“Sigh… How on earth do I manage this?”
Entering the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School now would be utterly preposterous, creating an overwhelming sense of unease. After all, I possess both the secret martial techniques and internal energy of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, while simultaneously holding the fearsome internal energy of the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng as a child in my early teens, suddenly asking to be accepted as a disciple.
If I were Master Samjeol Lee Kwang of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, he would either be shocked and chase me away or attempt to kill me himself. I had become an utterly bizarre existence by this point.
This is my third reincarnation, yet my worries only deepened. I shook my head to dispel my uneasy feelings and stood up.
“Ah, I don’t know. First, I should focus on what I need to do.”
What I must do—
No, what I have to do—
There are two things.
First, I need to go to the cave and obtain Cheonam Biseo.
Second, I must go to Mount Huang and acquire the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
“If I can accomplish both, it might take about a month? Well, whatever.”
Tydaht!
Without any hesitation, I turned my back to the village chief’s house and began to execute my light body technique towards the cave. At my current strength, wiping out the village chief’s family would be as easy as flipping my hand, but I thought it unnecessary to act on such an easy target.
“Hmm… I feel like I’ve forgotten something important… What was it?”
I tilted my head for a moment, but at this point, I couldn’t determine what I had forgotten. I was likely too lost in my own thoughts.
It took me significantly less time to reach the cave than during my second reincarnation. My running speed had at least tripled, and with my stamina unwavering, it was only natural. By the time dawn broke and the morning sun rose, I had already entered the cave.
This time, to save time, I did not bother to buy a copper shield. Instead, I picked up a few large stones from the roadside. I then prepared to bypass the arrow trap that guarded Cheonam Biseo.
“I really don’t need to go through the trouble of blocking it. I know where the arrows are fired from.”
I murmured and infused my internal energy into the stones, then threw them toward the location of the arrow mechanism from a distance. The stone imbued with formidable internal energy possessed enough physical power to penetrate a human body.
Boom!
With that, the wall crumbled, revealing the concealed arrow mechanism being crushed within. I had easily bypassed the trap.
However, at the same moment, a loud noise erupted, and the ground shook beneath my feet.
Rumble!
“… Gah! What the hell?!”
I recognized this as a sign that the cave was collapsing and quickly dashed inside, clutching the box tightly and sprinted out of the cave. I executed my light body technique and successfully leaped up onto the opposite cliff.
A moment later, I saw the cave entrance completely collapse, stones tumbling down toward the cliffside. I checked the box containing Cheonam Biseo and let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew, thank goodness. That was a close call.”
I realized that this method should not be used again in the future. It might be better to block arrows with stones or a copper shield, no matter how troublesome it may be. Even now, I had narrowly escaped from the cave, so I shouldn’t attempt such risks hastily.
After obtaining Cheonam Biseo, I buried the box in the ground, wrapping the book tightly in my clothing’s inner pocket. I couldn’t afford to let it out of my sight, so I intended to carry it with me at all costs. I then promptly began my journey towards Mount Huang.
I could consider going to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, but right now, I felt it would be better to just eat the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. There’s no guarantee that I can learn anything at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, and it’s more beneficial to gain internal energy from the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng rather than wasting time hesitating.
“Alright, let’s go!”
This would be my third journey to Mount Huang.
Plod, plod.
I started walking at first, but then I began to run whenever I had the chance. The road to Mount Huang was long and tedious, so I wanted to save as much time as possible. Of course, I still had to hunt and eat mountain animals, wash myself in the valley, and forage for roots. I disliked sleeping outdoors because it made my back ache too much.
The silver lining was that my experience living in the mountains at Mount Huang made me very familiar with these tasks, and my internal energy had increased, significantly enhancing my hunting skills. I was now successful in hunting wild animals eight times out of ten, unlike before when I would wander the mountains nearly starving.
Pitter-patter…
About a day’s walk from Mount Huang, I was roasting a frog on a nearby mountain. Since I was a day’s walk away, if I started to hurry, I would probably reach Mount Huang in about two hours, and it would take an additional three hours to reach the secret location where the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was. It was practically assured that I would be eating the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng again “tomorrow.”
My clothes were already tattered, but I didn’t mind that at all. What bothered me now was that I couldn’t tell whether this was a poisonous frog or not. Regardless, I had to eat it, so I was heating it up to test.
I swallowed hard.
I was so hungry.
I want to eat this…
If I mistakenly ate a poisonous frog, my entire nervous system could become paralyzed, and my face might turn purple, leading to death. Once, when I lived at Mount Huang, I nearly died from eating a poisonous frog, but a passing villager saved me by giving me an antidote. That villager was a pharmacist who provided me with essential knowledge.
“Wasn’t it said that the belly of a poisonous frog expands when heated?”
I calmly watched the frog. Sure enough, its belly began to puff up. This confirmed it was indeed a poisonous frog I was dealing with. Disappointed, I tossed the skewer with the frog aside carelessly.
“Ugh, damn it.”
Looks like I’d have to go hungry again today.
To keep snakes away, I sprinkled some asbestos I had found nearby around my sleeping area and began to prepare for the night, feeling quite listless. My nose tinged slightly.
If it were someone else, would they endure such hardships and suffer like me while going backward in life?
Was I the only one acting so bizarre?
Was this really the right way to live a comfortable life?
… But no matter how much I thought about it, there was no one else to ask.
If pondering leads to no answers, then there’s no point in thinking about it.
The sounds of insects chirping were loud.
Thus, the night descended on the eve of my second attempt to consume the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng during my third reincarnation.
—————————= Author’s Note —————————=
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