Chapter 25
“Is that the Golden Eagle Guard?”
Standing at the edge of the cliff, I gazed at the waterfall that seemed to cascade endlessly. It hit me hard—across that roaring torrent was the legendary Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng sleeping away.
“Am I the only one in the world bold enough to consume this divine elixir twice?”
This cherished ginseng was a once-in-a-century rarity and had turned the martial world into a bloodbath as countless warriors fought over it. The chance of ever consuming something as rare as this twice was next to none. But shaking off such distracting thoughts, I stepped into the waterfall.
As I passed through the cave behind the waterfall, I spotted the pristine snow garden where the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng lay dormant.
I began clearing the snow, setting down the bucket I had lifted from a nearby house. Just like before, I needed to simmer and chew on the leaves and roots of the Black and White Lotus again. Cooking tools were essential!
Once I entered the cave and admired the majestic ginseng’s presence, I noticed it still wore its glorious white patterns undisturbed. Like before, I began to simmer the Black and White Lotus.
Soon, everything was ready, and without hesitation, I bit into the roots of the Black and White Lotus. It tasted just like potatoes, which wasn’t too bad. But the thought of the trials that awaited me after eating sent shivers down my spine.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, an overwhelming flood of Yang Energy began to surge from my dantian. I clenched my teeth, recalling the hellish pain I’d experienced last time. Yet, strangely, it wasn’t as painful this time. Last time had felt like my insides were melting in lava, but now it only felt like a mild stomachache.
‘Huh? Not so painful after all?’
Though the energy was overwhelming, my body seemed to have adapted to it. But I knew I couldn’t just let all this massive energy hang around, so I grabbed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and started chewing on it.
The coldness of it traveled down my throat. Soon, a colossal clash of Yin and Yang energies began to brew within me, as if ready to explode. Last time, I had my eyes roll back and my nose bleed; the searing pain had felt like my skin was being flayed off. This time, the tension flowed through my body like a coiled spring, waiting to snap.
Then it hit—
CRACK!
“…?”
But something felt strange. The explosive energies circling in my dantian began to subside, almost like water soaking into the ground. The pain dissipated, just like melting snow! I was taken aback as I realized I was stabilizing remarkably fast; all it took was the Great Circulation technique of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique.
‘What’s going on here?’
Curiously, I checked the flow of Qi towards the Life and Death Meridian. It was still open, just like the surrounding channels. However, that large flow of energy didn’t push through to the Life and Death Meridian as I had feared.
I waited, feeling nothing but a light fog in my head.
“What gives? Did it actually get stronger?”
I tried to check my internal power, but it was still such a convoluted mass that I had no means to measure it now. Was it really impossible to consume the elixir multiple times? I pondered briefly, fearing I might have fallen into the Walking Fire Entering Demon state and casually tossed out a Lightning Cloud Palm technique to test.
BOOM!
And just like that, the air erupted with a forceful explosion, sending arcs of thunderous wind into the empty space. This was even more powerful than before! My instinct told me my internal power had increased. But at the same time, I sensed a wave of impending danger.
“Ugh, sh*t!”
My face turned ghostly white.
As I screamed, the massive powdery snow piled around was awakened by the noise and roared to life. The snow began to tremble, resonating with the booming echo.
A snow slide!
I dashed away, escaping the sheets of white powder tumbling down like a heavenly blanket. There was no time to grab my cooking gear; I ran without glancing back. Even though my Light Body Technique was fast, I could see I wasn’t outrunning the avalanche. A regular person would have perished buried under that pile years ago!
“AAAHHH!”
Even after sprinting fifty steps, I let out a hopeless scream at the sight of the descending avalanche. Even considering this was a secret realm, how much snow was there even?! It took another thirty steps before I noticed the speed slowing, and I plopped down near a nearby rock to catch my breath.
“Haah… Haah… Almost bought it…”
This was no joke. I had just gobbled down an elixir and almost bit the dust while testing my internal power. It was a rookie mistake; this area around Mount Huang wasn’t known for heavy snowfall, so clearly, I hadn’t expected such a disaster.
Once I calmed down, I pondered whether my internal power had doubled. But just the increase in Thunder Cloud Palm’s power wasn’t enough proof. What troubled me most was that the intense pain of consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was gone, replaced by a smoothly passing phase of consumption. My power may feel weak, but not knowing if I had grown stronger was equally unsettling.
What should I do from here? I had everything prepared, including the Heavenly Secret and the elixirs. Yet here I was, still unsure of my next move. Training inside the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School seemed ideal, but realistically, that was almost impossible. I was stumped.
Suddenly frustration bubbled up.
‘What if I just forget about training and live comfortably instead?’
A typical martial artist would gasp at the very thought. Here I was with a fortuitous encounter and having consumed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng twice, thinking to just kick back and relax. Yet, deep down, that feeling of doubt from my third rebirth haunted me. After all the struggles of mastering martial arts and attempting to steal that Nameless Ritual Book, what was the point of all of this?
I’d suffered enough.
If I wanted to live comfortably, then no one could stop me.
My strength was already ample.
“…”
Deciding after my moment of thought, I declared, “Let’s live comfortably.”
This time, I wasn’t going to waste time with annoying troubles. I would finally do what I wanted.
Forget the Nameless Ritual Book for now.
I already knew what I wanted. As soon as I descended to the lower village of Mount Huang, I stealthily entered the notorious abuser’s home. Stepping inside, I pulled out 50 silver coins and exited.
‘This should cover my travel expenses.’
I was clearly committing theft, but I couldn’t care less. After all, I was already labeled the village outcast and was known to mistreat the farmers. I wasn’t killing anyone; that was a plus in my book.
Standing at the crossroads outside the village, I pondered.
“…”
Which way to go? For some reason, I found my mind wandering but, without hesitation, I chose the eastern direction. This was me returning to my roots, back to my hometown, Soeul Village.
I could visit the Sagong Escort Agency and see the pretty face of Sagong Lin again.
I could also drop by Mangnyang for a bit more knowledge on Qimen Dunjia.
There were various directions to choose from, but I headed back to Soeul Village.
It didn’t take long for me to arrive back at the village after leaving Mount Huang. I avoided the mountain paths and traveled exclusively along the official roads, often borrowing a cart at the relay stations or sometimes even riding on horseback. 50 silver coins made that journey possible.
As I walked into the entrance of Soeul Village, I cracked a chilly smirk.
“Hah!”
This was why I had returned. For vengeance, of course! Looking back, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this sooner after all the buildup.
I suppose the psychological impact when the village chief had hired an assassination squad to kill me had been overwhelming. I was probably just too scared to think straight back then, which led me to evade my rightful revenge. But now, having consumed the elixir twice, I felt calm and steady.
Worry about the village chief? I’d just wipe them all out, who’d care?
Even if I did find time to investigate later, I could always just vanish.
Who would believe some peasant named Soeul’s boy would obliterate the village chief’s family in a single night?
‘People should live the way they want.’
As I strolled into the village, I summoned my strength, ready to unleash my aura. My eyes sparkled with murderous intent. Catch anyone off guard, and I’d be tearing them limb from limb for a show of it!
That’s when I heard it.
“Soeul! You’re back!”
“…?”
Hearing the warm greeting from a familiar face sent a wave of confusion over me. It was some villager I barely knew offering a friendly greeting. Would you believe it? In all my life, I hadn’t had a proper conversation with this guy before, just seen him paying the landlord off! I didn’t even know his name, so I replied in a daze.
“Uh, yeah, yeah…”
The murderous intent faded away. All this time, I had harbored hatred for everyone here, yet this unexpected greeting caught me off guard. The farmer handed me a potato and said,
“Why return to the village? You could have just left and lived on.”
“Huh?”
He seemed to click his tongue, looking at me with pity.
“I figured you’d run away from the village chief since your life was so tough.”
His words rendered me speechless. Didn’t the villagers watch me in suffering all this time?
And with that tone of sympathy, I had no idea how to respond. Clutching the potato carefully in both hands, I remained silent until he continued.
“If only your parents hadn’t passed suddenly during that illness, you could’ve grown up like the normal village kids…”
Right. My parents had tragically passed away from an epidemic when I was young. I suddenly became an orphan and the villagers squabbled over who would take me in until the village chief decided to keep me. I grew up like a servant in the chief’s home, enduring my teenage years in that environment.
Taking a bite of the potato, I stated, “I came back to kill the village chief.”
“Hahaha, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
The man chuckled, clearly thinking I was letting off steam. Who would have expected a ten-year-old kid to possess the world-class internal strength? Now, though, I had the power and the will to commit a massacre. I stared blankly at him before asking,
“What was your name again?”
“Me? Jangsu.”
“Such a regular name.”
“Names are like that for people like me.”
“What was your son’s name?”
“Jangtae.”
“…”
I knew well of Jangtae, Jangsu’s son. He had been among those who bullied me, pushing me around while kicking me when we were kids. He was the one who poured icy water on me when I was sleeping in the barn.
So it was no surprise that when I had returned for revenge, I crushed Jangtae’s skull under my boot, leaving him to bleed out. I still remembered how I stomped and laughed madly when his head burst apart. That little brat was Jangsu’s child.
‘This man seems nice, so why was his son such a jerk?’
Then again, I couldn’t say Jangsu was entirely innocent. Since it wasn’t his business, he had turned a blind eye to how I was abused by the village chief. Of course, it wasn’t like he had any real power to confront the chief, so maybe I should let that slide.
After some pondering, I asked, “If you could live your life again, how would you like to live?”
“Live again? Like going back to the past?”
“Yep.”
“Well… I’d try to do what I want and live happily without regretting anything.”
I nodded at Jangsu’s reply. “Me too.”
THUD!
At that moment, Jangsu fell forward, fainting. I had quickly sealed his acupoint. Despite being knocked out cold, he wouldn’t remain in a coma for long because I hadn’t struck him too deep. I slumped him against a tree stump and muttered, “Time to go.”
To not regret anything.
To do what I wanted.
To live happily.
It may sound simple, but that’s the toughest challenge in the world. With no more hesitation, I headed toward the chief’s house at the top of the village, where they were likely gathered for dinner on this early evening.
For a person seeing the scene, it might have appeared all cozy and happy, but the moment I spotted the village chief, a surge of rage welled up. Memories flooded back—the instant the chief’s assassination squad had beheaded me and the relentless struggle I had undergone in my last life to live was boiling my blood.
I walked slowly toward the chief. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and barked, “Soeul, you little brat! Where have you been wandering off to?”
“Chief!!”
I roared, the sound rumbling like thunder, freezing everyone on the spot, even the chief. Clearly sensing something was off, he staggered back in alarm.
I exhaled with murderous intent and declared, “Choose the one you want to save the most from this spot. I’ll let that one go.”
“…”
“Answer me now.”
Momentarily panicked, the chief became calm quickly and pointed at himself.
“Me, me…”
“I knew it.”
PLOP!!
In the next instant, the chief’s head flew off, hit by my Thunder Cloud Palm. Blood sprayed, and flesh splattered. I could have tortured him before finishing him off, but the talk with Jangsu had left me confused, and I just wanted it to be over quickly.
“AAAAAHHHH!!”
“Chief!! AHH!”
“Wife!!”
Chaos erupted, and screams filled the air. A few individuals noticed the situation and attempted a hasty retreat, but I dashed forward to deal with them first.
THWACK!
CRASH!
“AAAHHH!!”
With a single punch, each person fell one by one, and in mere moments, only one person remained standing amidst the carnage. Even through the resulting sea of blood, I remained clean, fists clenched tightly.
Kim Manje stood in shock, unable to process the massacre unfolding before him. He looked lost, as if he were escaping reality, clueless about this sudden turn of events.
I approached Manje and slapped him across the face.
“Ugh.”
While I hadn’t put much force behind it, his teeth flew from his mouth, and he fell sideways. I purposely restrained myself from knocking him out cold. Looking down at the toppled Manje, I spoke.
“You don’t understand why this is happening, do you?”
“A… why… wh-why…?”
“You see, I have a 50-year-old grudge against you. Today is the first time I’m repaying it.”
“…”
He trembled with fear and anger but was unable to formulate a coherent response. If he were strong enough to retain his sanity in such a situation, I surely wouldn’t have held a grudge for so long.
I grinned, “Damn you! Was it so hard to show some kindness after living the good life?”
PLOP.
Manje could hardly breathe, clutching his belly as he doubled over. I hadn’t infused much power into my blow, yet it was more than enough to inflict pain. Watching him squirm brought relief as if a weight from decades melted away.
Every memory of the torment he put me through replayed vividly. He had been the architect behind rallying the other village kids to ostracize and beat me, treating me like a servant within my own home, denying me any respect. I must have sobbed a hundred times in the barn, wishing for a normal childhood.
The worst part of my first life as an escort wasn’t about the daily struggle for survival; it was knowing that the person who bullied me enjoyed a carefree life while I had no way to retaliate. Yet, that chance for revenge now burned inside me like a wild beast.
The rage coiling within me ignited as I glared into Manje’s fearful eyes. At that moment, I did something I couldn’t even comprehend myself.
“Your eyes are a nuisance. They shouldn’t even exist.”
CRUNCH.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
In that instant, I gripped each of his eyeballs in my hands. As I severed the blood vessels and plucked them free, Manje transformed into a writhing mass of agony. He was undoubtedly experiencing the worst pain conceivable.
“Try living without those eyes, Kim Manje.”
Having settled the score, I turned my back on the scene of slaughter.
Next, I headed into the chief’s house, activated the secret mechanism, and retrieved the vault filled with gold and silver bars. With this wealth, I’d find no difficulties in living from here on out.
Initially, I had contemplated wiping out the entire village, but recalling my earlier encounter with Jangsu made me reconsider. If he hadn’t shown me any semblance of humanity, blood would have drenched the village, and I would’ve ignited the place.
As I stepped outside the village, I set down the vault and rinsed off my blood-stained hands in the stream.
As I cleansed myself, I noticed my hands quaking uncontrollably.
“…”
My reflection danced in the water.
‘Am I happy now?’
After decades of harboring this grudge, I had finally executed it. There was no lingering fear; I got things done without a care in the world. Whether Manje survived or not, with his eyes ripped out, he would never live normally again. I had avenged both the village chief and those who wronged me for years. No need to worry about any consequences.
Consequences? Those happen when the one resenting you has ‘power.’ Sure, the Plum Blossom Escort Agency or Greater Circulation might classify me as a suspect, but there’s no loyalty left to chase after the clan now that the chief is dead. The best they would do is waste time searching for a lookalike to the Soeul boy, probably leaving the case unresolved.
For all intents and purposes, I was free from worries now.
Yet my heart felt heavy. Unlike that euphoric vengeance from when I first wiped out the village bullies, a murky darkness descended over me. It stemmed from the realization of how brutally I had massacred all of them.
More than anything, what gnawed at me was the truth—the village chief and his family had never shown a hint of remorse before dying. Killing them had proven easy, yet seeing their cooling corpses made me wonder. Just as the anger had blown away, uneasiness filled its place.
I wasn’t happy anymore.
Just frustrated.
I shook my head and continued on my way.
Right now, this feeling coursing through me probably stemmed from all the pent-up resentment from years of hardship. Yet, for some reason, I felt a bit indifferent as I went with the flow.
I had to think this through, methodically. First things first—could I exchange this silver with cash?
“Hmm, can’t turn it in right away. Best to stash it away for a few years before cashing in.”
With the village chief obliterated, the Plum Blossom Escort Agency and Greater Circulation would soon pick up movement. They’d naturally want to dig into suspicious activities nearby, and if word spread about a child suddenly converting a massive amount of silver into cash, they’d be hot on my trail. Waiting several years before cashing it in became essential.
After contemplating where to hide the silver, I buried it under a cluster of pine trees. The terrain felt familiar enough that I should be able to find it again without trouble whenever I came back. In my mind, I promised myself to unearth the treasure three years from now.
Then came the real dilemma.
Where to go from here?
I could wander anywhere, but that made the choice even more overwhelming.
“…”
After some thought, I set my sights on visiting Mangnyang’s place.
“Wisdom is what I need right now.”
I could hone my martial arts at the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, becoming an expert, but that was very much an impossible dream at this point. And when it came to making a living, I had no clue how to put my talents to use. The thought of consulting Mangnyang popped into my head; he might just provide insights on my current status.
Perhaps he would reveal some wisdom to help me get inside the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. Of course, I had no intention of discussing the Nameless Ritual Book with him anymore; for now, ensuring my survival was priority.
Now heading toward Jinrang Valley, where Mangnyang resided was my goal!
