Where Did That Go Again?
Yi Jinpyeong finished his circulation meditation. No matter how potent a pill might be, fully assimilating it into one's own body was never an easy task. Typically, seven or eight out of ten parts of the energy would dissipate or go to waste during absorption. But Yi Jinpyeong was no ordinary warrior—he was the man who had reached the pinnacle of the world in his previous life. Having sampled every kind of elixir, herb, and spirit ingredient back then, he could absorb even the tiniest strand of energy from the True Essence Primordial Pill without letting a drop escape.
The inner energy that would take a normal martial artist a full decade to accumulate seeped perfectly into his body, becoming his achievement in full. And what was that achievement? The first stage of the Gwi Hwa Yeon Cheon Gong: Geunlip (Firm Stand). The first step taken in darkness, the origin from which all flows began. It was the humble stream that would one day swell into a mighty river and vast ocean.
The result had been that divine might soaring into the heavens just moments ago as he exited the annex hall. But it lasted only a fleeting instant. The wind energy cloaking his body gradually subsided, and his body—which had seemed poised to shoot eternally toward the sun—began plummeting back to earth.
As he neared the ground, Yi Jinpyeong flipped twice in midair, landing steadily on his feet. Though the time had been absurdly brief, confirming the inner energy swirling within him—the wind qi enveloping his frame—left him feeling utterly refreshed.
Only then did Yi Jinpyeong's eyes fall on Gang Ryong, sprawled face-down on the bare ground. What a fuss. Was it really that impressive? This guy's got more loyalty than I thought.
"Hey. Cut the act and get up!"
He nudged him with his foot. But there was no reaction. Looking closer, the guy had passed out cold in that prone position. Or rather...
Zzz... Zzz...
"...So he really fell asleep, huh."
He'd told Gang Ryong to guard the annex, but had the fool been napping the whole time? A reasonable suspicion, yet Yi Jinpyeong vaguely recalled the man staring up at him wide-eyed when he'd launched into the sky. Which meant he'd conked out just moments ago. A stroke of immense luck for Gang Ryong. If Yi Jinpyeong hadn't caught a glimpse of the scene, it might've been better for him never to wake up at all.
Thinking back, it had been a brutal schedule for Gang Ryong. After all those ordeals, he'd had to stand guard here all day.
"Still, who the hell poisoned the manor... Everyone keeps passing out or falling asleep left and right?"
Glancing around, twilight had already fallen—far more time had passed than expected. In the interim, scum like Jang Gapae's gang might've swung by, but nothing had happened. A relief. If trouble had brewed, the manor wouldn't be this quiet.
There was no way to tell if Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun had come looking for him. They surely had, but Gang Ryong must've handled things well enough to keep his meditation undisturbed.
"Mmm... I'm the greatest under heaven... Hey! Heroes love the ladies!"
"...What the hell is this guy dreaming about?"
Ever the warm-hearted leader, Yi Jinpyeong decided not to disturb the sleep-talking fool. Whether leaving him to snooze on the bare ground counted as consideration was debatable.
As he walked past the annex halls, a bushy-haired young man caught his eye—scanning each building of Yi Gajang with keen scrutiny. Still boyish-looking. The very guy who'd fetched his custom elixir last night.
"Oh. If it isn't my little moneybag buddy."
Hearing his voice, the bushy-haired youth hurried over and bowed deeply.
"Young master! You took longer than expected. How was the elixir?"
"Good. Damn good."
Yi Jinpyeong clapped his shoulder with a satisfied grin.
"But what was your name again?"
"Gwak Yeonyong, sir."
"Gwak Yeonyong. Right. Everything go smoothly? Brothers up and about?"
By "brothers," he meant Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun. The youth hesitated briefly before answering.
"Yes. I met them this morning and chatted briefly, but..."
"But?"
"They didn't seem to know the full details of how we ended up staying here. There was some confusion."
"And? What'd you say?"
"Explaining the whole backstory felt off somehow, so I didn't correct their misunderstandings or point out the gaps."
Yi Jinpyeong nodded.
"Smart move. That's my job."
The brawl with Hwang Sabang last night had too many brutal edges for his soft-hearted, goody-two-shoes brothers to swallow easily. Luckily, these Hwang Sabang guys weren't total idiots. Fetching the elixir on time, handling things just right—it all sat well with him.
"Anyway, what're you doing poking around out here? Nothing worth stealing."
"Hah, steal? As if. I was just inspecting the manor."
"Inspecting the manor? Why you?"
"Well, now that you've appointed me chief steward—even if temporary—I figured grasping the assets and operations here is priority one..."
Unexpected. Truth be told, Yi Jinpyeong had already forgotten he'd named the guy temporary chief steward. And that was just a pretext to squeeze some work out of him anyway. Smart as he was, the kid had to know that. Calling himself "chief steward" just now was like a reminder: Don't forget you put me in charge.
I like him.
The guy had ambition. The type to seize any chance that came his way. He'd handled yesterday cleaner than expected, and now, freshly absorbed into Yi Gajang, he was showing real drive. Time to hear his thoughts.
"Alright, temporary chief steward. What looks worst after your tour? Where do we start?"
"Food, above all. That's the most urgent."
Yi Jinpyeong nodded.
"Food. Critical stuff."
"Exactly. We've got twenty-three warriors who joined Yi Gajang from Hwang Sabang yesterday. They had a solid setup there, but now their affiliation's flipped overnight. Fear and force can hold 'em for the first few days, but without proper food, shelter, and clothes, they'll bolt no matter what."
"Spot on."
"But I looked everywhere—no separate stores of grub."
"Figures."
"If we'd taken over Hwang Sabang's assets wholesale, no issue. They had enough wealth to last months, plus steady goods from their businesses. But you had us liquidate everything overnight into elixirs, so I figured you had a plan..."
The bushy-haired steward trailed off. Yi Jinpyeong stared blankly, and the man pressed on with anxious eyes.
"You really got nothing to feed 'em? No other assets worth selling?"
"Nah. My martial arts were the priority yesterday."
He answered shamelessly. Yi Jinpyeong looked conscienceless, but he did have one ace...
"We'll stuff you all today at least. Tomorrow's problem for tomorrow."
His sole backup: the pork from Gu Sam's butcher shop in the market. Way too much for just the three brothers, so divvying it up should tide them over today. But the steward's cautious words shattered that hope.
"Uh... if you're thinking pork..."
"If? Why the ominous trailing off?"
"...It's gone."
"Why? Don't tell me—"
"The brothers already scarfed it all?"
Possible. He pictured second brother Yi Jinun's eyes rolling back in starved frenzy at the sight of pork after so long. In that state of hunger and madness, self-control was out the window—he could've wolfed it solo.
"No, not that."
"Then?"
Yi Jinpyeong eyed the steward in bewilderment. Gwak Yeonyong replied as calmly as he could.
"Around afternoon, the brothers hauled the cart of pork outside. Came back empty-handed hours later. I asked what happened, startled—they said starving neighbors in the next village over needed it, so they shared..."
"What?!"
Yi Jinpyeong's voice boomed with fury. His eyebrows shot up at the ends. An unnatural energy surged from his body, and in an instant, razor-sharp winds erupted around him. Gwak Yeonyong jumped back in alarm as the vortex-whipped Yi Jinpyeong stormed forward, eyes bloodshot. The steward's legs shook.
"That pork I busted my ass for? They didn't even eat it themselves—why the fuck give it to outsiders?! And you idiots just stood there watching?!"
"But young master, those were your own brothers! How could the likes of us stop them?!"
"Argh... you morons... bald-headed monks!"
Yi Jinpyeong spewed curses nonstop. Even Gwak Yeonyong, hardened by rough days in Hwang Sabang, winced at the raw vitriol. It was aimed at his brothers, sure, and at the warriors who'd failed to halt their "charity"—or reckless stunt.
His rage wouldn't subside. He grilled the hapless steward.
"So what the hell do those fools plan to eat? We all just sit here and starve?!"
"No, that's not—"
"Then what? They got some genius fix?"
"The brothers said it was for them and shared this with us. Might look rough and taste bad at first, but it gets better after a bit..."
Gwak Yeonyong fumbled in his robes and held something out. The moment Yi Jinpyeong saw it, something in his head went boom.