Elixir in the Evening Glow
The evening sun cast a red hue over everything. The former Hwang Sabang members, ordered to clean every corner of the estate, were still bustling about, but that was no longer Yi Jinpyeong's concern. He had his own important task: rest.
For a fifteen-year-old with such a wretched body, it had been an exhausting day—especially after expending so much mental energy dealing with Hwang Sabang's leader and his gang. Rest was no longer optional. The skin on his palms was shredded, and every muscle from his toes to the crown of his head screamed in protest. Without Yi Gyeol's superhuman willpower, he wouldn't even be able to move.
He took a deep drag from his pipe, then exhaled a long plume of smoke. Cheap tobacco, but better than nothing for dulling the pain. Savoring its taste and aroma, he reclined diagonally across the main hall floor.
He glanced toward the back of the room, where his brothers lay haphazardly moved. Unconscious or asleep—he couldn't tell—they showed no signs of stirring.
What laid-back fools...
During the fight with Hwang Sabang, while he darted through the fray, some thugs had tried sneaking toward his brothers. With the siblings defenseless on the estate grounds and the enemy outnumbering them, disaster had nearly struck. If Yi Jinpyeong had noticed even a moment later...
I need to get stronger. Faster than anyone can predict. One day sooner.
That was why he'd ordered them to liquidate Hwang Sabang's assets immediately, even at a loss, and procure spiritual medicine without delay. Considering his temperament and ambitions, such provocations and threats would keep coming. He needed overwhelming power that not even flies like them could touch.
Forcing his heavy eyelids open, he silently recited the incantation.
Abandon the center, and it becomes like empty space.
Cast it away, yet it is not true abandonment.
Returning at last to the primordial one...
The mind extinguished, then true beginning dawns.
The incantation of Gwi Hwa Yeon Cheon Gong, which had propelled him to the world's greatest martial artist. But no matter how he recited and focused, his dantian showed not the slightest response. As expected.
Kindling the first spark in an empty dantian required time and effort. Moreover, this body of Yi Jinpyeong's—wasted for fifteen years—lacked any preparation for circulating inner energy. Without the aid of proper spiritual medicine to blast open the path at once...
Would that bucktoothed chief steward and Gang Ryong bring back something to his liking? Who knew. Usable pills didn't always appear at the black market, and it was questionable if they'd even handle Hwang Sabang's assets properly.
He stopped waving his hand at the empty air. So what if they failed? Once recovered, he'd handle it himself.
Just sleep.
Not fretting over the unnecessary. Not obsessing over the unchangeable. Focusing on the best he could do in the moment. That was his way.
Yi Gyeol, the greatest under heaven. Pipe in hand, he drifted off peacefully in the spring evening breeze.
He cracked his eyes open. Pitch darkness surrounded him. Quite some time had passed. Someone approached cautiously. He tensed the hand gripping his pipe, then relaxed at the faint breathing.
It was his descendants—his brothers. Eldest Yi Jingang and second Yi Jinun.
"Jinpyeong. Jinpyeong. Wake up."
"Mm... What is it, brothers?"
Pretending ignorance, he shifted sleepily. He was too drowsy to chat, and beating them unconscious weighed on him a bit. But unexpectedly, they sighed in relief at his response.
"Thank goodness. So it wasn't all a dream!"
"A dream? What do you mean?"
"It's strange. We were talking to you at the end... but nothing after. We were flustered."
"...!"
"We thought maybe it was a dream. You finally snapping out of your long madness. We don't know why the memories vanished, but what a relief!"
Their faces brimmed with pure joy. Yi Jinpyeong shared it—especially since his impulsive punches to their jaws were so easily forgotten. Did his fists have some memory-erasing magic?
"I'm glad you're happy, brothers. So don't worry and let's sleep. It's not even midnight yet, right?"
He just wanted more rest. But their eyes gleamed in the dark.
"Little brother, big trouble. Not time to sleep."
"What now?"
"Someone's in the estate. Listen—that snoring beyond the wall?"
"......"
"Not just one or two. What happened? Do you know?"
What happened? The former Hwang Sabang thugs whose leader he'd killed and absorbed. Without specific orders, they'd probably finished cleaning and crashed outside the inner courtyard.
How to explain? Detailing everything would take too long—he was too sleepy. Telling why they stayed meant revealing he'd killed the leader, which meant explaining his skills, which meant...
Annoyance flooded him. He'd brush it off vaguely again, details for later.
"Who knows. Heard their leader died in some turf war. Some survivors had nowhere to go, and we've got empty rooms, so I let them stay awhile."
Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun gaped at him. Had his half-assed lie been too obvious? But no—they slapped their knees in awe.
"Our little brother's virtue reaches the heavens! Taking in struggling neighbors without hesitation—our ancestor, who always said to give and give again, would be overjoyed!"
That ancestor wasn't joyful. Or rather, utterly flabbergasted. He'd said to give, sure—but give and give again? The nuance differed. No energy left to rage now.
Anyway, no worries, talk tomorrow—he soothed them. Convincing the chatty brothers to leave took ages...
Yi Jinpyeong had barely fallen asleep again when he sensed another cautious approach. Brothers once more? What nonsense now? He'd use the Fist of Oblivion this time...
But it wasn't them.
"Young master."
A whisper. Supervisor Gang Ryong and bucktoothed chief steward Gwak Yeonyong.
He glanced around. Still dark predawn. How had they returned so fast? Trouble?
He raised an eyebrow; Gwak Yeonyong continued softly.
"Sorry to disturb your sleep, but it seemed urgent..."
Gwak Yeonyong pulled a small wooden box from his bosom. Yi Jinpyeong bolted upright from his reclined position, took the sturdy if worn box, and opened it.
Inside: a round pill faintly glowing green. True Origin Minor Qi Pill.
Exactly what he sought. Far from the best elixirs, but among purchasables—considering his body's state—the optimal choice.
Gang Ryong grumbled theatrically.
"Never imagined one pill costing so much. Dumped all the proceeds from Hwang Sabang's assets and barely covered it. Couldn't get the incense grass."
With this elixir, who cared about incense grass? Smiling satisfiedly, he asked,
"Liquidating the businesses in haste must've been tricky. Any issues?"
"This guy's got skills. Pulled off a clever scheme." Gang Ryong clapped Gwak Yeonyong's shoulder.
Clever scheme? Sleepiness gone, Yi Jinpyeong inquired.
Bucktoothed chief steward Gwak Yeonyong explained sheepishly.
"No one knows the leader's dead yet, right? I visited rival factions with funds, hinting he was negotiating to hand businesses to their enemies. Sure enough, they grabbed me before I left—offered more gold to convince him to sell to them instead. Then swollen-up Supervisor Gang showed with the deeds, yelling we'd ripened the deal forcibly and to pay up now or else. Smooth sailing after."
Listening, Yi Jinpyeong burst out laughing—kekekeke.
He'd assigned the tasks hastily without high hopes, yet they'd nailed both brilliantly. Since awakening to reincarnation, the most satisfying feat by anyone but himself. Especially venting the frustration from his brothers.
"Excellent! Perfect! You're no temp—you're official chief steward now."
"...Thanks to your trust."
"You've worked all night—rest now."
"Yes."
"Yes!"
"Not you, Gang Ryong."
"Huh?"
"What 'yes'? Follow me."
Without waiting, Yi Jinpyeong strode off. Dazed Gang Ryong hurried after. Destination: the deepest hall of Yi Gajang.
Now, true growth began.