Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Millennium Snow Ginseng
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The Millennium Snow Ginseng first appeared in the martial world when I was in my early thirties. I think it was about twenty years before my death. At that time, I was steadily building my career as an escort warrior, just scraping by day to day, and those were the most peaceful and leisurely days of my life.
The first person to discover the Millennium Snow Ginseng was Danmok So, the Young House Lord of the Danmok Family. Danmok So, a young martial artist, loved wandering through mountains and rivers, and during one such trip, he stumbled upon a strange place on Yellow Mountain. It was said to be a spot in the mountains where ice never melted throughout the year, and there he harvested the Millennium Snow Ginseng.
That was when the trouble began.
Danmok So hadn't discovered the Millennium Snow Ginseng alone. He was traveling with the Five Dragons, the prodigies of the Righteous Faction. These outstanding young martial artists noticed the Millennium Snow Ginseng that Danmok So had obtained and immediately began fighting over ownership. A brutal battle ensued where they tried to kill each other, and even the martial sects around Yellow Mountain got involved, causing a commotion that lasted a full month.
In the end, the Millennium Snow Ginseng became the property of the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader, bringing the incident to a close. I don't know the detailed inside story of why it turned out that way. That's because I was just a low-level escort warrior, too busy taking care of myself to keep up with such things.
'But one thing is certain. There's Millennium Snow Ginseng on Yellow Mountain, and I can find it before anyone else.'
Find and consume the Millennium Snow Ginseng faster than anyone else!
Was there any more certain and powerful fortuitous encounter in the world?
The Millennium Snow Ginseng was a legendary elixir said to instantly grant the internal energy of two sixty-year cycles, guaranteeing immortality to those who consumed it. Considering that even among peak experts who had trained for decades in the world's top first-class sects, almost none possessed even one sixty-year cycle's worth of internal energy, the Millennium Snow Ginseng was undoubtedly worth risking one's life for.
Of course, simply eating the elixir wouldn't turn someone into an expert overnight. It required peak-level martial arts to back it up. However, with the Millennium Snow Ginseng, becoming an expert was only a matter of time, so I was burning with impatience inside.
'Yellow Mountain is far away. I need enough traveling money and stamina.'
Yellow Mountain was about half a month's ride away on horseback. For this teenage body, the journey there could easily lead to starvation or exhaustion, and even if I made it, I couldn't comb through the entire mountain in a forced march to find the elixir.
So, there was only one answer. I needed to save up enough money. That way, I could ride a horse, and once at Yellow Mountain, search for the elixir without going hungry. Drawing from my experience as an escort warrior, I calculated in my head how much money I'd need.
The result came out to exactly ten silver taels. It was a considerable sum. Just thinking about how to earn it gave me a headache. As a low-level escort, it would take nearly half a year of work to save that much.
I needed money, but had no idea how to get it. What should I do in a situation like this?
'No. Let's think about it slowly.'
Historically, Danmok So discovered the Millennium Snow Ginseng at least twenty years from now. That meant as long as I found it before then, I had a good chance of monopolizing it. Realizing that my rush stemmed from wanting to escape this beggar-like life serving the village chief's household, I let out a wry smile.
"Hoo..."
In truth, I was still dazed. Why hadn't I died after taking an arrow to the chest back then, and instead returned to the past? Though I'd quickly adapted to reality and started making plans, I knew nothing about what had happened to me.
One thing was certain.
I needed 'power'. And money too.
Only then could I uncover the truth behind this regression.
Settling for just getting by day to day like when I was rotting away as a low-level escort would never achieve that.
I went to the stable and finished cleaning up the last of the cow dung. It took an hour, and afterward, I washed at the stream, lay down, and rested. After the heavy labor, I was hungry, but the village chief wouldn't feed me, so I just closed my eyes.
'Going straight for the Millennium Snow Ginseng is impossible. First, I need to persuade the village chief.'
Persuading the village chief.
That meant negotiating my way out of servitude in this household.
As I waited, the sun began to set, and the village chief's son, Geum Manjae, sauntered in from the private academy. The academy was where the sons of local influential families gathered to prepare for the imperial exams, famous for its excellent scholars. But I knew Geum Manjae pretended to study there while slacking off daily, occasionally gorging on liquor and meat with his friends. Already knowing the taste of alcohol at such a young age, I worried about how he'd turn out.
Seeing Geum Manjae with his pockmarked face, I spoke up immediately.
"Young Master. I have something to say to the Elder. Do you know where he is?"
I was forbidden from leaving the stable area, so I didn't know much about where the village chief's family spent their time. I had no choice but to ask.
"Huh? Did you finish the work I assigned?"
"Yes. I cleaned the entire stable."
Geum Manjae glanced over the stable like an inspector, nodded, and said,
"He's probably in the annex. Don't bother me."
He spat it out curtly and headed straight to his room to flop down. Though we were the same age, seeing Geum Manjae didn't even make me angry. I knew he'd end up a good-for-nothing freeloading off his parents, indulging in wine and women every day. Ignoring him, I headed to the annex where the village chief was.
The village chief was leisurely strolling in the annex courtyard. As soon as I saw him, I bowed and spoke.
"Elder. I have something to tell you."
"Hm?"
The village chief was a middle-aged man with a goatee and a sly look. He squinted his beady eyes and tilted his head.
"Cow-dung, what is it?"
Grit.
I clenched my teeth.
That was right.
Before becoming an escort warrior, I didn't have a proper name. The village chief's family just called me 'Cow-dung' or 'Cowshit'. They treated me with contempt and disdain as if it were natural. I stood there for a moment, then balled my fists and said,
"Elder. I'm not Cow-dung. I'm Baek Woong."
After going independent as an escort, I'd lived by the name my parents gave me. The village chief flinched at my matter-of-fact response.
"Hmph! Don't you even know your nickname? Stupid brat... Tsk tsk."
Instead, he clicked his tongue and glared at me. He'd always been fine with my silence, but now that I was voicing an opinion directly, he seemed displeased. But I was the truly displeased one. He knew my real name all along, yet in the years I'd slaved like a servant, he'd never once called me Baek Woong. He must have deliberately avoided it to keep me as a dumb servant for life.
Before he could hypocritically get angry, I said,
"It's nothing else, but I want to take the entrance exam at a martial hall. Can I go to the city tomorrow?"
"What?"
The village chief made an incredulous face.
"Are you sane?"
Taking the exam at a martial hall!
A martial hall was a dojo that taught martial arts. They charged high fees for instruction while aiming to produce exceptional martial artists and grow into major sects in the martial world. This village wasn't far from the city, where there were over ten such halls nearby.
And entering a martial hall required a lot of money. The operators were first-class experts who'd made a name in the martial world, or warriors from the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families. They typically charged exorbitant fees for teaching. It was normal for common riffraff to be unable to learn martial arts even if they wanted to.
However, there was one way to receive martial instruction without paying a hefty fee.
That was to pass the entrance exam and prove one's exceptional martial talent.
Though martial hall instructors pursued profit, at their core, they strongly desired talented disciples to expand their sects. If the talent was outstanding, they'd often invest their own money to raise them as disciples, even without fees.
I said quietly,
"There's no reason it can't be done, is there?"
"There are plenty of reasons. What talent do you have to knock on a martial hall's door?"
The village chief laughed uproariously as if it were amusing, then said,
"Fine, tell me which martial hall you want to test for. It might be fun, so I'll let you go once."
"Guanzhong Azure Dragon Martial Hall."
"......!!"
The village chief's beady eyes widened slightly. He said in disbelief,
"Cow-dung. Do you even know what the Azure Dragon Martial Hall is before saying that?"
He called me Cow-dung again, but I decided to ignore it.
"Yes."
"What kind of place is it?"
"It's the martial hall founded by Lee Gwang, an instructor from the imperial guards. It's the largest and most famous in Guanzhong."
Lee Gwang was one of the peak experts in the Guanzhong region. He had mastered swordsmanship, spear arts, and fist techniques equally, earning him the title Triple Excellence. There were no shortage of martial experts who admired his skills and character.
"You know well!"
The village chief's face twisted like a fierce catfish. He jabbed his finger into my forehead repeatedly, venting his temper.
"You, a mere cow-dung cleaner, want to take the exam there? Even renowned warriors are desperate to get in, and you think you can?"
"......"
"If you become a laughingstock, I'll get flak too for raising you in my parents' stead. Don't entertain foolish thoughts—go inside and sleep."
I grabbed the village chief's arm.
Crack!
"Urk, urk, ugh!!"
The village chief screamed from the sudden pressure on his arm. It wasn't enough to break it, but I'd gripped hard enough to leave red marks. When I released him, he stammered in panic.
"Y-you, to the very person who raised you..."
"Watch closely. I have this kind of strength."
I went to a nearby tree and grabbed a thick branch as wide as my forearm. With a surge of power, I snapped it clean off in one go. It was something even a grown man would struggle with, so the village chief stared at me with bulging eyes. No matter how third-rate the Three Talents Heart Method was, nearly half a century of training could produce this much power.
I grinned and said,
"If Baek Woong gets accepted into the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, I won't burden you anymore, Village Chief, and your reputation will rise too, won't it? Even if I fail, it won't tarnish your face, so it's worth a shot."
"......"
The village chief tugged at his goatee as if racking his brains a few times. Then, with a reluctant face, he nodded.
"Fine, good. But if you get in as a disciple there, you must repay the money for raising you."
"Pardon?"
What was this nonsense?
Thinking I'd misheard, I looked at him, but he said calmly as if asking what I was staring at.
"It's natural—we impoverished our household raising you for two years. If you become self-sufficient there, we deserve that money."
"Hah... How much are you talking about?"
"Fifty silver taels at least."
Something surged up inside me. This scumbag who starved a teenage boy in the stable, made him work, and barely fed him was demanding fifty silver taels for two years' living expenses? I realized he was someone I could never deal with.
But for now, I held back. Suppressing my boiling anger, I forced a smile.
"Haha! I'll go tomorrow right away."
Just you wait.
Once I gain power, I'll kill you and your son Geum Manjae without fail.
While harboring such vicious thoughts inside, I pretended to be purely delighted.
I could probably kill these bastards with a sword right now, but having gained a new life, I wanted to secure my own path first.