Chapter 9: Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng
The name of the village where I lived was Soeul Village. It was an unexpectedly good name, but to me, it was a place with a nightmarish past. Not only did it have all the disadvantages of a closed-off rural area, but it was also a place where bullying was common, and everything was at the mercy of the despotic village chief.
Fortunately, the village chief had a fairly good way with things, and he managed to earn money for the village by collaborating with the nearby Plum Blossom Escort Agency. The reason I could endure the chief’s tyranny, like forcing pretty girls into servitude or using villagers for personal errands, was all because of that.
A village ruled by a tyrant.
That was my view of my hometown.
In truth, when I entered the Plum Blossom Escort Agency a few years ago, it was partly with the chief’s permission. His influence extended even to the agency, and had things gone wrong, I could’ve been a servant for life. The thought that my life could be so influenced by the chief’s fickle emotions was chilling.
Thunk.
As I entered Soeul Village, I felt conflicted.
“Should I just leave as is and forget about it?”
If I wanted, I could start a slaughter here and leave. Wearing a mask, I could easily dispatch the chief’s family at night and escape without being caught. There would never be a better opportunity to settle my past grudge than now.
Yet, I had made up my mind before I arrived, so I shook my head and headed towards the village chief’s house. The steps were uneasy, tinged with nervousness.
As I walked the village path, several youths approached, pretending not to know me.
“Hey! It’s Cow Dung!”
“Wow, haven’t seen you in a while. Hehe.”
“…”
They surrounded me, their well-fed bodies betraying their comfortable lives. These were the young men who had tormented me while I served at the chief’s house for the past three years. I endured their beatings and ran errands for them. They were a few years older than me, and their group made resistance almost impossible.
With a cold smile, I greeted them, “Long time no see. How have you been?”
The leader seemed surprised, but then smirked, “What’s wrong? Isn’t Cow Dung scared because we haven’t beaten him in three years?”
“Hahaha!”
“Well, I guess we need to teach you a lesson!”
I stared blankly at them.
I had no mental fear of their harassment. Instead, I often sharpened my knife, eager to kill them. I restrained myself, but the urge was strong. They were weaker than five bandits to me. Why were they acting tough?
After a moment, I realized they didn’t know why I had left the village. Thinking about it, it seemed the chief hid the reason. Having a rough idea, I felt relaxed. I could now act with the freedom I had thought of earlier. But before that, as they found my smile sinister, the leader threw a punch.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The sound was the cracking of the puncher’s arm bone. Kicked twice in the chest, he vomited and collapsed. The others, bewildered, panicked.
It was the sound of a fist breaking the arm bone in an odd direction. Simultaneously, the person who received two kicks to the chest vomited and then trembled before collapsing. The young men, taken aback by the sudden turn of events, panicked.
“What… what?”
“What is this?”
Crack!
I casually grabbed two heads and made them hit each other. The two collapsed, eyes rolling back in an instant. As the others hesitated, bewildered by the situation, I breathed a sigh and spoke.
“Hah, can you see my movements? Do you even know what I’m doing?”
They probably couldn’t comprehend.
I hadn’t idled away the past three years. I had cultivated in martial arts with a ferocious determination, only gaining strength through intense training. Although my talent was mediocre and I hadn’t reached the level of a top master, I had acquired skills far beyond an ordinary person.
“This… this…”
“Hey, you three. Guess my name. Then I’ll let you live.”
At my demand, the men trembled in disbelief. It seemed they finally realized the hopelessness of the situation.
“Ugh!”
“If you run, you’ll get it worse.”
I quickly grabbed the escaping man by the neck, slamming him to the ground.
Thud!
The man’s face hit the ground, breaking his nose, and a tooth flew out. It was a swift, decisive movement, likely enlightening him to the gap in strength.
“Tell me.”
“…”
The former tough villagers turned pale. They exchanged glances, but remained speechless. It struck me as absurd that these men had tormented me for nearly fifty years without even knowing my name.
“To think they had no idea after tormenting me for so long, merely seeing me as a toy to bully…”
I felt something boiling inside me and chuckled fiercely.
“Haha! How fortunate. Very fortunate!”
“What… what’s fortunate?”
“When you have a sacrifice, you should be thankful, right?”
I chuckled.
“Now, die, you bastards!”
Thunk!
Thud!
“Kuaah!”
Moments later, their necks snapped, and they ceased breathing.
Swoosh!
“K-ugh!”
I kicked the unconscious ones until they were dead. Six human lives were extinguished in a matter of moments.
“Uhahaha!”
Having sought vengeance for half a century, I felt some disappointment and intense gratification wash over me. My hands trembled from the thrill.
I did it! I killed all those bastards!
“Is revenge hollow? Nonsense! It’s just an empty talk by those who haven’t done it.”
I gnashed my teeth.
Blood surged through my body. I longed to tear apart those who had bullied and tortured me. Memories of being beaten while tied up like a dog, the unjust punishments, all surfaced vividly despite decades having passed.
Revenge must be exacted!
I swore to make it my life’s creed.
Suppressing the excitement, I walked calmly to the village chief’s house.
After walking about five miles, I noticed the large village chief’s residence, unusually deserted. The majority of people seemed to be out.
Creak.
As I opened the entrance and stepped inside, a maid, Mrs. Seo, was taken aback when she saw me. Swiftly approaching before she could scream, I struck an acupoint.
I walked in. She was pouring water, but when she saw me, she was startled. Before she could scream, I quickly approached and struck a pressure point.
“…Huff… huff…”
Without a voice, she panicked and tried to run. But I grabbed her arm, gently subdued her, and made her sit in front of a door. Then, in a cold voice, I said, “You are also a victim of the Village Chief. I don’t want to harm you, but don’t interfere with what I am doing. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your son’s life.”
She had a three-year-old son, the child born as the concubine of the village chief. She was treated with disdain by both the main wife and Kim Manje.
“…!”
“If you understand, nod your head. I will release your acupoint, so don’t scream.”
Mrs. Seo nodded, and I released the pressure point. She coughed a few times and looked at me fearfully, saying, “Baek Woong… What are you doing? I heard you entered the Martial Arts School, but intruding like this suddenly is not right.”
I coldly replied, “I have no grudge against you. You didn’t treat me particularly well when I was rotting in the barn of this house, but you didn’t curse or harass me either. If you stay still, neither you nor your son will get hurt, so you can be at ease.”
“What… what are you trying to do? Don’t tell me you’re going to…”
Her voice trembled, and I coldly laughed. “Don’t worry. I am not going to kill him. I returned to this village for something else. Don’t make it troublesome and just stay quiet.”
“…”
“Where is the Village Chief?”
“He went to the next village to collect rent. He will be back around sunset.”
That timing was perfect. I nodded and asked, “Where is madam and Kim Manje?”
“She is in the main house… and he’s staying in the dormitory.”
“Staying in the dormitory… hogwash… by now, he must be enjoying his time with a woman in the Red Mansion.”
I remembered a time when, like a servant, I delivered food and money from Kim Manje to the Red Mansion. He reeked of filth and debauchery there with women.
“…”
I sneered coldly, but Mrs. Seo’s expression barely changed. Perhaps she knew about Kim Manje’s corruption and debauchery. I felt a hint of bitterness seeing her.
Mrs. Seo was a poor, talented singer who was sold to the Village Chief. She was beautiful and virtuous, but the world changes once you’re in it.
Even now, in her early thirties, Mrs. Seo was young and beautiful beyond belief. She did not match the overweight and hairy Village Chief. Unable to think of anything more to say, I told her, “I will manipulate your acupoint and handle my business. Don’t think of making any noise from inside. Then, you’ll be safe.”
Thud! I manipulated her pressure point, making her immobile, and left her in the room. She seemed scared but determined to heed my words.
I walked to the main house where the Village Chief’s wife was leisurely sewing. Startled to see me, she shouted, “Cow Dung! How dare you barge in here!”
“Be quiet if you don’t want to die.”
“What…”
With a swift movement, I threw my dagger into the pillar beside her face. Realizing that I clearly came with clear murderous intent, she shut her mouth. She looked around in fear, understanding that screaming would lead to death.
I threw the dagger that was hidden in my bosom, burying it into the pillar beside her face, and the village chief’s wife fell silent. She realized that I was not just someone to mess with. Trembling, she looked around fearfully, sensing that any outcry would mean certain death.
She stammered, “W-what do you want? I-I can give you money…”
“I didn’t come here to chat with the likes of you,” I growled sharply.
“Creating a fuss will only make this your family’s last day,” I added, pressing the dagger deeper into her neck. I swiftly subdued the servants milling about, shoving them into the room. With my strong internal energy, they would regain movement in an hour or two.
Sitting calmly in the room, I leaned against the wall.
Some time passed, and the expected visitor arrived.
The village chief, looking around his unassuming residence, approached the room. As he opened the door, he saw me leaning against the wall, with a spear in hand.
“…!!”
“Ah, Chief. It’s been a while,” I greeted.
The chief, momentarily shocked, soon composed himself and stood there calmly.
“You’ve returned after all…” he said.
“Of course, you expected me, didn’t you?”
The chief, eyes filled with anxiety, sat down.
As the dictator of Soeul Village, he maintained his cool. I watched him before speaking, “You knew I harbored resentment toward this village and your family, yet you let me leave. Now, speak if you have something to say.”
“…Yes, I’ve known for three years that you would come back,” he said, sighing.
“It seems you’ve become a top martial artist in the Azure Dragon Martial School. Was it your doing that caused a commotion in the lower village?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I chuckled, saying, “When I first stepped into this house, I wanted to kill everyone. Especially you, I wanted to tear you apart.”
He trembled.
“…But I restrained myself, at least for now. I wanted to hear why you released me all those years ago, knowing I would return for revenge.”
He was no fool; he knew such a day would come. Yet, releasing me with a sum of money was incomprehensible.
“I thank you for not causing bloodshed in our home,” the chief said.
“Enough with the pleasantries. What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
“I trusted you,” he said nervously.
His next words surprised me: “I apologize for what my family did to you. I felt guilty towards your parents and planned to help you gain independence when the time came. Treating you like a servant was to make your later independence easier.”
I laughed, revealing my clenched teeth. The veins on my arm bulged where I held the spear.
“You talk a good dream. Keeping me as a servant by the stables so I clean up cow dung, what a brilliant plan.”
“You almost managed to trick the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School by pretending to be considerate.”
“You wrap me around your finger quite well for someone who was trying to dismiss me from the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.”
“That… that is…”
I spoke firmly.
“You never expected me to join the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School from the start. You just thought it would be fine for me to stay wherever. You must not have thought you’d receive such harsh treatment like this.”
The village chief hesitated before dropping to his knees, bowing his head.
“I’m sorry! Because of my selfishness, I didn’t think to treat you better.”
“Hmm…”
“Please spare me. Please…”
The village chief, as if determined to gamble, revealed his inner thoughts without hesitation. Hearing the expected words, anger surged through me from head to toe. At that moment, as the village chief kowtowed, an impulse to smash his head with a spear arose.
But – I endure. Killing the village chief here would not change anything.
Suppressing the urge to kill, I said through clenched teeth, “Keke… Village chief, if you hadn’t taken me in, I would have roamed as an orphan, possibly dying of hunger or becoming a beggar. Yet you provided me with food, sent me to the martial arts school; for that, I’ll consider it your favor.”
The village chief looked up at me with anxious eyes. I smiled slyly and continued, “However, I must be compensated for the material and mental damages I have suffered.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Five hundred taels in silver.”
“Gasp…!!”
The village chief’s eyes widened. Five hundred taels!
That amount of money was more than half of the village chief’s entire estate. Despite earning a fair amount of money, as a village chief in a rural area, his wealth had its limits. He pleaded, “P-please… if my funds disappear, the entire Soeul Village will starve. I’ve been expanding the village’s livelihood by gradually paying taxes to the Plum Blossom Escort Agency…”
“Nonsense. I’m talking about your hidden funds.”
“What?”
“I know you have a silver safe hidden somewhere in this house.”
“Gasp… th-there’s no such thing.”
Swoosh!
My spear swiftly moved to a halt just in front of the village chief’s nose. Had it moved a bit further, it could have slashed his forehead open, revealing his brain. While the Thunder Spirit Eight Techniques were not quite suited to my nature, they were first-rate spear techniques, and my skill had reached a certain level.
“Do you truly want to die?”
“Eek…! How… how do you know?”
“Heard it from your son, Kim Manje.”
During the time when I worked in this house like a servant, drunk and rambling, Kim Manje had mentioned his father, the village chief, hoarding a safe filled with silver. The money inside exceeded five hundred taels. I had thought of stealing it but refrained as the location of the safe was known only to the village chief. Eventually, I left the house empty-handed.
Afterward, with me standing behind him, the village chief cautiously began to move, tapping on a certain part of the wall in his room. Surprisingly, the wall slid open with a creak.
“He had a secret device in his room. Truly a wealthy man.”
The opening was just wide enough for one person to enter. As the village chief stepped inside, moments later, he returned carrying a chest full of pure silver ingots.
“Open it.”
Creak.
With the silver chest open, the gleam was blinding, and I raised my hand. Inside the chest were silver ingots! Not coins, but ingots. I sensed that the value of these ingots far surpassed five hundred taels.
I had a hunch.
The village chief handed me the money pouch and said, “I… it’s all over now, right?”
“Yeah. Now I’ll leave. I’ll never come back to this rotten village again.”
“Thank you…”
“Of course, if you report what happened today to the authorities, your whole family will be doomed.”
“I know.”
I turned my back on the village chief and started to walk away. Before leaving, I added, “Don’t feel too wronged. It’s much better than your son receiving this money.”
“I… Please, have mercy…”
“Don’t you know that Kim Manje has been slacking off in the dormitory instead of studying, hanging out at the Red Mansion? He will squander your fortune for a lifetime.”
“…”
As I ridiculed the village chief by revealing Kim Manje’s true colors, I was surprised to see that he only looked despondent. From this, I realized that the village chief already “knew” about Kim Manje’s corruption.
‘Uh? What is this… Didn’t the village chief mistakenly believe that his son was studying hard?’
Curious, I asked, “Village chief, did you know about him all along?”
In a defeated tone, the village chief replied, “Of course… How could I not know? The master of Plum Blossom Escort Agency, a close friend from the neighboring gang, and I are well acquainted. I know my son’s ugliness better than anyone.”
I shook my head in bewilderment.
“Then why are you sending him to a school dormitory and wasting time studying expensive writing in a foreign country? Isn’t it a waste of money? Do you think it would be possible for him to join the imperial examination?”
That’s absurd. During the time I ran errands for Kim Manje, I had never once seen him study with an open book. Becoming a Jinshi was difficult even for a prodigy, let alone a waste like him.
The village chief bit his lips. His eyes were slightly bloodshot.
“You don’t understand… Despite what others say, a parent always hopes their child will succeed. Even if he seems lost now, he will regain his senses eventually. I trust in my son till the end.”
“…”
I couldn’t comprehend. I lost my parents at a young age, and I never married or had children in my previous life. Understanding a parent’s heart was beyond me. Nevertheless, I felt a pang of reflection.
With a swoosh, I took out one silver ingot from the pouch in the safe and threw it to the village chief. He hesitantly accepted it, and I clicked my tongue.
“Hmph… I’ll leave you some. Be good from now on.”
Without looking back, I left.
Even if I said those words, I doubted that man would change. It was just a one-time gesture.
“Where to now?”
Returning to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School didn’t sit well with me. The chances of the village chief reporting me were low, and I had gained what I wanted, although it was an unsavory deed.
“He could report to the authorities and hire a martial arts expert, but then I would annihilate that family with no mercy.”
I might have acted recklessly, but dwelling on the past served no purpose. I needed to move forward.
I wanted to wander the world and do as I pleased, then settle down. Suddenly, I remembered.
“Oh, the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng!”
Immersion in martial arts and forgotten plans. I had received the money, accumulated martial skills, and now, I could find the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in the Huangshan Sect!
Shall I go find the medicine in Huangshan now?
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