Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Millennium Snow Ginseng
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The village where I grew up was called Soeul Village. It was a nice name that didn’t suit its rundown state, but to me, it was nothing more than a place filled with nightmarish memories from my past. That made sense, given how it had all the downsides of a closed-off rural farming community—frequent bullying, and everything dictated by the whims of the Village Chief, who held absolute power.
Fortunately for us, the Village Chief was pretty shrewd when it came to making money. He had ties with the nearby Plum Blossom Escort Agency, which brought cash into the village. That was why things kept running smoothly despite his tyrannical ways, like forcing pretty village women to become his concubines or mobilizing the villagers for his personal errands.
A village ruled by a tyrant.
That was my impression of my hometown.
In fact, I owed half my escape to the Plum Blossom Escort Agency to the Village Chief’s approval. His influence extended there too, so if things had gone wrong back then, I might’ve been stuck as a servant for life. It was chilling to think how my entire fate could’ve hinged on the slightest shift in his mood.
Crunch.
As I entered Soeul Village, complicated emotions welled up inside me.
‘Should I just trash the place as it is and leave?’
If I wanted, I could unleash a massacre here and be on my way. Mask my face, strike at night, slaughter just the Village Chief’s family, and slip away—no one would ever suspect me. There’d be no better chance to settle my old grudge.
But I’d made up my mind before coming, so I shook my head and headed toward the Village Chief’s house. My steps were tense and heavy.
Walking along the farm paths, a group of young men approached and greeted me like they knew me.
“Hey~ Isn’t this So-dung-i?”
“Man, it’s been forever? Heh.”
“...”
There were five or six of them, all plump from good eating—the village’s so-called able-bodied youths. These were the bastards who’d tormented me three years ago—no, even before that—when I was slaving away at the Village Chief’s house. They’d beat me whenever they felt like it and make me run their errands constantly. A few years older and always in a pack, fighting back was next to impossible.
I gave them a cold smile.
“Long time no see. You guys been well?”
The leader looked a bit surprised but soon flashed a sleazy grin.
“You guys? Looks like our little So-dung-i lost his fear after not getting beat for three years~?”
“Hahaha!”
“Yeah, gotta beat him some more till he listens!”
I just stared at them blankly.
No trauma from the bullying or anything like that. If anything, I’d spent every day sharpening my blade, dreaming of killing them—so my hands were itching right now. I was just suppressing my killing intent; in truth, swinging my sword and lopping off their heads would feel just right.
These punks were weaker than five armed bandits. Even ten armed bandits—I could slaughter them in the time it takes to finish a meal.
What the hell made them so cocky?
I pondered for a moment, then realized they must not have heard properly why I’d left the village. Otherwise, they wouldn’t dare act this way toward someone who’d joined a martial hall. Any martial artist would scare them off on sight. Looked like the Village Chief had kept quiet about where I’d gone.
Now that I had the lay of the land, I smirked. It made my original plan even easier—and lightened my mood.
My smile must’ve pissed them off, because the frontmost youth swung a fist at me.
Thwack!
“Grahk!”
There was a sound of impact, but it was the attacker’s arm bone snapping at a weird angle. At the same time, two kicks to his solar plexus sent him vomiting and collapsing, trembling.
“What... what?”
“What the hell...”
Boom!
I casually grabbed two more by the head and smashed them together. Their eyes rolled back as they passed out instantly.
The rest hesitated, backing away in confusion, so I sighed.
“Sigh... Can you even see my movements? Bet you don’t know what I’m doing, huh?”
They probably couldn’t react at all.
I hadn’t spent the last three years lounging around. With nothing but martial arts training to do—and needing to get strong—I’d trained with venomous determination. My talent was average, so I hadn’t quite reached First-Class Expert level, but I was still leagues beyond ordinary people.
“Y-you... y-you bastard...”
“Hey, you three. Tell me my name. Do that, and I’ll let you go.”
Hearing my demand, they trembled, unable to believe reality. They’d realized they were no match.
“Raaagh!”
“Run, and you’ll get it worse.”
I snatched the collar of the screaming escapee in an instant and slammed him to the ground.
Splat.
His face hit first—nose broken, a tooth flying out. My movement had been so swift they must’ve grasped the gap now.
“Say it.”
“...”
The brutal rural thugs from my past went pale as ghosts. They glanced at each other, but stayed mute as clams for a long while. Realizing they truly didn’t know my real name made it all the more ridiculous.
‘I carried the trauma of their bullying for nearly fifty years... and these assholes didn’t even know my name?’
To them, ‘So-dung-i’ was just a convenient toy to mess with. Something boiled inside me, and I laughed ferociously.
“Haha! Perfect. Just perfect!”
“W-what’s perfect...?”
“If there’s an offering, you gotta eat it up gratefully! Right?”
I grinned wickedly.
“Then die, you fucking bastards!”
Crack.
Thud!
“Argh!”
Moments later, their necks snapped, chests caved in—they couldn’t breathe anymore.
Thump.
“Guhk!”
“Eek!”
I booted the heads of the unconscious ones like kicking a ball until they were dead. Taking the lives of five or six humans took only a few breaths’ time.
“Uahaha!!”
After unleashing half a lifetime’s revenge, emptiness mixed with explosive pleasure surged through me. I was so exhilarated my hands shook.
I did it!
Killed all those dog bastards!
‘Revenge feels empty? Bullshit! That’s just talk from people who’ve never tried it!’
I gritted my canines hard.
Blood boiled in my veins. I wanted to rip apart everyone who’d oppressed and tormented me back then, spill their guts on the ground. The feeling of being dragged to a corner for no reason and beaten with clubs for over an hour, pants yanked off and hung like a piñata, beaten like a dog—even after decades, the memories surged vividly.
Revenge must be taken!
I swore to make that my life’s creed from now on.
Calming my excitement a bit, I walked steadily toward the Village Chief’s house.
After about five li along the mountain path, a grand private residence—far too big for such a small village—came into view. I sensed almost no presence inside, meaning most people were out.
Creak.
Pushing open the front door, I spotted Seo Ssi, the Village Chief’s concubine, fetching water. She startled upon seeing me. Before she could scream, I closed in and struck her mute acupoint.
“... Mmph... mmph...”
Unable to speak, she struggled to flee, but I grabbed her arm, gently subdued her, and sat her by the doorsill. Then I said coldly,
“You’re a victim of the Village Chief too, so I don’t want to harm you. But don’t interfere with what I’m doing. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your son’s life.”
She had a three-year-old son, born after becoming the Village Chief’s concubine—shunned by the wife and Geum Manjae.
“...!!”
“Nod if you understand. I’ll release the point, so no screaming.”
She nodded, and I undid it. After a few coughs, she looked at me fearfully.
“Baek Woong... what’s this terrifying business? I heard you joined the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, but breaking in without warning is no good.”
I replied flatly.
“You’ve got no grudge against me. You didn’t treat me well when I was rotting in the stable, but you didn’t curse or bully me either. Stay quiet, and you and your son will be fine.”
“W-what are you planning? Surely not the Village Chief...”
Her voice trembled, and I gave a cold laugh.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him. Just here for some business. Don’t make trouble—stay put.”
“...”
“Where’s the Village Chief?”
“...Collecting rent from another village right now.”
She seemed to get it. Knew getting involved would only hurt her, so she was backing off quick.
“When will he be back?”
“About an hour... around sunset.”
Perfect timing. I nodded.
“Where’s the wife and Geum Manjae?”
“In the inner quarters... Geum Manjae’s been living at the academy.”
“Living and eating my ass... Probably whoring it up at the red-light district right now.”
No doubt. Back when I was a servant, Geum Manjae had sent me to deliver food and pocket money to the brothel. He’d been rolling around with a woman, reeking of sleaze and filth.
“...”
I sneered coldly, but Seo Ssi’s expression barely changed. She probably knew Geum Manjae was a degenerate skipping studies for debauchery. Seeing her stirred a bit of bitterness in me.
‘Seo Ssi was a poor villager’s refined daughter, sold into concubinage for money. They said she was stunning and pure... but the world changes people.’
Even now, her looks were so youthful and beautiful it was hard to believe she was in her early-to-mid thirties. She didn’t suit the pot-bellied, hairy Village Chief. Nothing more to say, so I told her,
“I’m going to seal your acupoints now and do my thing. You won’t be able to move, and don’t even think of coming out no matter what noises you hear from outside. You’ll be fine.”
Click.
I sealed her acupoints, immobilizing her, and shut her in a room. She looked terrified but seemed set on obeying.
I headed to the inner quarters toward the Village Chief’s wife. She was leisurely knitting when she saw me and panicked, then bellowed,
“You dung brat! How dare you barge in here!”
“Shut up. Unless you want to die.”
“What...”
Thud.
I flung my dagger from my bosom, embedding it in the pillar beside her face. The wife clamped her mouth shut. She sensed the blatant killing intent. Glancing around fearfully, she instinctively knew screaming meant death.
Trembling, she said,
“W-what do you want? Money? I’ll give you as much as—”
“Shut it. I didn’t come here to chat with a sow like you.”
I growled savagely, then added,
“Cause trouble, and today’s your family’s last day.”
“...”
I sealed her acupoints too and shoved her inside. I quickly subdued the servants milling about and crammed them into rooms. My internal energy wasn’t strong enough for deep seals, so they’d free themselves in an hour or two.
Then I calmly sat in the master bedroom, back against the wall.
A short while later.
The man I’d been waiting for arrived right on time.
The Village Chief looked puzzled at the eerily quiet house, then walked toward the master bedroom. The moment he opened the door, he saw me leaning against the wall, spear at the ready.
“...!!”
“Hey, Village Chief. Long time no see.”
He looked on the verge of fainting for a second, then composed himself and stood firm.
Then he said,
“So you’ve come back...”
“What, ‘come back’? You expected this, didn’t you?”
He pressed his lips tight, eyes darting anxiously.
I glared, then said,
“Sit down first. We’ve got things to talk about.”
“Alright...”
He sat awkwardly. Still, as the head of this dog family and dictator of Soeul Village, he kept his cool. I watched him leisurely before speaking.
“You knew I harbored grudges against this village and family, yet you sent me out into the world. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out now.”
“...Right. I knew you’d come like this three years ago.”
He sighed wearily.
“Looks like you really became a First-Class Expert at the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. That commotion in the lower village—was that you too?”
“Who knows? First I’ve heard of it.”
“...”
I smirked mockingly.
“The moment I stepped in this house, I wanted to kill every last one—not leaving even a single egg. Especially you, Village Chief—I wanted to tear you limb from limb.”
“Ugh...”
“...But I held back to talk first. Because I’m curious why you released me into the world, knowing I’d come for revenge someday.”
That’s right.
It nagged at me why he’d let me go despite foreseeing this.
He wasn’t stupid—he must’ve known sending me out meant a day like this would come. Yet he’d even given me travel money to join the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. It didn’t add up.
“I see... Thanks for not massacring my house.”
“Cut the crap—talk.”
“I believed in you.”
I stared, wondering what that meant, and he continued in a tense, quavering voice.
“I’m sorry for all the awful things my family did to you. I felt guilty about your parents and meant to let you go independent when the time came. Making you live like a servant was to toughen you up for self-reliance.”
I bared my molars in a grin. Veins bulged on my spear-gripping arm.
“Heh... Dream on. You had me mucking stables like a servant—what’s that about?”
“...”
“You sent me to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall figuring I’d wash out anyway. Nice excuse.”
“T-that’s...”
I cut in firmly.
“You never thought I’d make it into the Azure Dragon Martial Hall from the start. You probably hoped I’d die somewhere. Never imagined I’d come back this strong.”
He stammered, then knelt and bowed his head.
“I’m sorry! I’m selfish—I never thought to treat you better.”
“Hmm...”
“Please spare me. Please...”
He’d gone all-in, spilling his guts. Hearing what I expected made rage boil over. The urge to smash his head with my spear hit hard.
But—no. Killing him here would make me no better.
Suppressing my killing intent, I said,
“Heh... If you hadn’t taken me in, I’d have wandered as an orphan, starved, or become a beggar brat. You fed me and sent me to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall—so I’ll call that your grace.”
He looked up anxiously. I grinned.
“But I need compensation for all the physical and mental damage I’ve suffered.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Hand over five hundred taels of silver.”
“Gasp...!!”
His eyes bulged.
Five hundred taels of silver!
That was over half his fortune. Even if he made good money, he was just a rural village chief—his wealth had limits. Pleading, he said,
“P-please... If my assets vanish now, all of Soeul Village starves. I’ve been paying the Plum Blossom Escort Agency bit by bit to secure work for the village...”
“Bullshit. I mean your slush fund.”
He looked thunderstruck.
“What?”
“I know there’s a silver safe hidden somewhere in this house.”
“Gasp... N-no such thing.”
Whoosh!
My spear shot forward at blinding speed, stopping at his nose. One more inch, and it would’ve split his forehead, brains spilling out. The Thunder Spirit Eight Forms didn’t suit me perfectly, but as a first-class spear art, I’d reached a decent level.
“Really wanna die?”
“Ugh...!! How the hell did you know!”
“Who knows.”
I smirked.
‘Heard it from your son Geum Manjae.’
Back when I slaved here, a drunk Geum Manjae had blabbed: his father the Village Chief had a hoard of silver and gold, over five hundred taels, hidden away. I’d once planned to steal it and run, but only the Village Chief knew the spot, so I’d left empty-handed.
Moments later, he shuffled ahead of me, fumbling around. In his room, he pressed the wall cautiously—and with a rumble, a hidden door opened.
‘Secret mechanism in his bedroom. What a rich bastard.’
Just big enough for one person, the passage led him inside. Soon, he emerged hugging a chest-full silver safe.
“Open it.”
Creak.
The silver safe swung open, and I shielded my eyes from the gleam. It was packed with pure silver ingots! Not loose silver—no, preserved ingots. I sensed their value far exceeded five hundred taels.
He handed over the silver safe, saying,
“T-this enough?”
“Yeah. Now get lost. I won’t set foot in this village again.”
“Thank you...”
“Of course, report this to the authorities, and your whole family dies that day.”
“I know.”
I turned away, then added,
“Don’t feel too hard done by. Better than handing this to your son.”
“Ugh... Go easy, please...”
“You know Geum Manjae’s not studying at the academy anymore? He’s hooked on brothels and vice. He’ll drain your fortune his whole life anyway.”
“...”
I mocked him with Geum Manjae’s truth, but surprisingly, the Village Chief just looked depressed. That’s when I realized—he already knew.
‘Wait, what? The Village Chief wasn’t deluded into thinking his son was studying hard?’
On a hunch, I said,
“You knew about that, Village Chief?”
He rasped like scraping the floor,
“Of course... How could I not? I’m best friends with the Plum Blossom Escort Agency head, and I know folks in the nearby Beggars’ Sect. No one knows better than me how worthless my son is.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“Then why send him to the academy for pricey out-of-town studies? Wasting time and money? You think that punk can pass the imperial exams?”
No way.
When I ran his errands, I never once saw Geum Manjae crack a book. Not even a promising scholar—let alone a degree holder.
The Village Chief bit his lip. His eyes were bloodshot.
“You wouldn’t get it... No matter what others say, parents believe in their kids to the end, hope they make it. He’s straying now, but he’ll come around someday. I believe in my boy.”
“...”
I didn’t get it.
My parents died when I was too young, and in my past life, I’d never married or had kids. Couldn’t grasp this parent stuff no matter how I tried. But something twinged inside.
Swish.
I pulled one of the ten ingots from the safe and tossed it to him. He fumbled to catch it, and I clicked my tongue.
“Hmph... Leaving you a little. Live right from now on.”
I left without looking back.
Not like he’d actually straighten up, but worth a shot.
‘Where to now?’
Not keen on heading straight back to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. Low chance he’d report it, and I’d gotten what I came for, but it was still messy business.
‘He might report to authorities and hire martial experts, but then I’d wipe out his family no matter what.’
A bit reckless, yeah—but no dwelling on it.
Just do better from here.
I wanted to wander the world, do what I pleased, then return.
That’s when it hit me.
“Oh yeah, the Millennium Snow Ginseng!”
I’d forgotten amid all the training.
Got the ingots from the Village Chief, built up my martial arts—now time to head to Yellow Mountain, find and eat that Millennium Snow Ginseng!
Alright, off to Yellow Mountain for the elixir!
============================ Author's Note ============================
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