The Wall Valley Pill
Once the greatest family under heaven, the Yi Gajang. Now, its descendants, Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun, sat together in the annex hall.
They kept stealing glances at each other, as if they had something to say. Finally, the eldest, Yi Jingang, spoke first.
"Jinun, it's truly strange."
"What's strange, brother?"
"Today, your skin has this unusual luster to it—like you've taken some fine tonic. Knowing your personality, you wouldn't have eaten something like that alone... Did you perhaps rub mud on your face?"
Yi Jinun's eyes widened at Yi Jingang's words.
"What a curious thing! I was just thinking your skin looked radiant today too... Mine as well?"
"Is that so? Amazing! We both used to have such dry, rough skin like old tree stumps..."
They each caressed their cheeks. It was as if they were suddenly women engrossed in a beauty lesson.
Yi Jinun tilted his head.
"Brother, that's not the only odd thing. Normally at this time, we'd be starving so badly we could barely move. But today, I've felt full of energy all day long—no hunger at all. It feels completely different from usual."
"You felt it too? So did I."
"Could it be...!"
"Could it be what?"
"The effects are finally kicking in?"
"Ah! You think so?"
The two brothers clapped their hands together with a sharp snap!, as if on cue.
"Truly wondrous! That monk was right! He said if we took the Byeokgokdan steadily for three hundred days, we'd surely see results..."
The brothers' eyes sparkled like they'd made some grand discovery.
"Roughly speaking, it's been about three hundred days since we started taking the Byeokgokdan in earnest."
"What a relief. I was starting to doubt if this was the right path."
"I never expected the effects to hit so suddenly. It feels like we've been reborn!"
In truth, it was only natural they brimmed with energy. While they lay unconscious, Yi Jinpyeong had stuffed them full of pork until their bellies nearly burst. It was like a torrential downpour blessing their desert-dry bodies.
But the two brothers remembered nothing of it. They simply rejoiced, attributing it all to the faithful effects of the Byeokgokdan they'd taken so diligently.
As the brothers praised their own endurance and patience...
Bang! The door flew open violently, and the person they'd been waiting for appeared.
Their beloved youngest brother, whom they'd protected and cherished all their lives: Yi Jinpyeong.
The brothers' faces lit up even brighter.
"Jinpyeong! Did you rest well?"
"How's your body feeling?"
"No dizziness...? No other symptoms? You're okay, right?"
Their voices overflowed with worry and warmth. They rose to pull their little brother into a hug but hesitated mid-motion.
A chill hung over Yi Jinpyeong's face.
"Is that true?"
His tone growled like a beast baring its fangs. Ever since he'd regained his senses, an overwhelming aura emanated from him, dominating those around him.
Overpowered by his icy voice, the eldest Yi Jingang faltered.
"What do you mean?"
"That while I was in the Mu-geuk Chamber, you threw the pork away somewhere pointless."
"Jinpyeong, it wasn't pointless—"
"Enough. You're about to say something like 'there are people even poorer than us, so we must give and give.' Fine. Let's say it's my fault a hundred times over. I should've hidden the pork better from the start. Who can I blame?"
"..."
"But at the very least... you shouldn't have given this garbage to the warriors who've entrusted themselves to Yi Gajang."
He tossed what he held onto the floor with a thud.
It was none other than—the Byeokgokdan they'd been praising moments ago.
Or was it? Could this truly be called Byeokgokdan?
Originally, Byeokgokdan was what high-realm monks or Taoists took to stave off hunger during wall-facing meditation. A single pill should sustain one for days—a miraculous elixir.
But anyone could see this wasn't worthy of the name. It was dried barley husks and stale bean powder ground together, forcibly molded with mugwort juice. It looked tasteless, lacked any nutrition, and would surely choke the throat on swallowing... More poverty pill than wall-facing pill.
"Brothers, you know what's funny? Even after I came back to my senses, I couldn't remember what I'd been eating all this time. Guess the madness made even choking this down utterly horrific. And yet, you thought to feed this trash to the newcomers in Yi Gajang? While perfectly good pork gets given away? Does that make any sense? Are you in your right minds?!"
Yi Jinpyeong's stern rebuke filled the annex. Rage poured from him, his aura crushing the others.
Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun struggled even to breathe under that fierce pressure.
It defied understanding. This swirling energy could only come from one with profound inner power. How could their youngest brother—until recently a madman—emit such strength?
As Yi Jingang silently gazed up at him, the second brother Yi Jinun hesitantly stood and blocked Yi Jinpyeong's path.
"Jinpyeong, calm down first and sit for a moment..."
"Calm down? Where's the calm in this? Don't you have any pride? Handing out this crap to people who've put their faith in Yi Gajang—aren't you ashamed?!"
"But Jinpyeong, with our estate's current state, even sharing this Byeokgokdan is a stretch."
"Reality? You said reality?"
Yi Jinpyeong snorted derisively. His furious demeanor trampled the line between respect for elders and insolence.
"You're the ones living detached from reality, yet you invoke it? Look at yourselves! Withered and shriveled, skin dry as dust! No stamina, no muscle—what kind of successors to a family that once commanded the world are these pathetic wrecks?!"
Yi Jingang finally spoke.
"Jinpyeong. Sit."
Yi Jinpyeong had no intention of sitting. The brothers' gazes clashed fiercely in the air. Yi Jinun stood awkwardly between them.
After a long stare at his youngest, Yi Jingang spoke again. Quietly. Unyieldingly.
"I understand what you're saying. But I don't think what Jinun and I did today was wrong. The homes we gave pork to today—without it, those people might have died within days. But those Hwang Sabang warriors? They're healthy enough to find their own way, even without relying on Yi Gajang. They're not like the powerless commoners collapsing helplessly."
"Hmph. How saintly. And those warriors aren't just passersby. They're my subordinates—our Yi Gajang's men. You'd let a mere twenty-odd guys starve and send them packing?"
"They joined Yi Gajang as retainers...? Why? And how are we supposed to support them?"
"We gain power, that's how!!!!!!"
Yi Jinpyeong bellowed. The shout shattered the annex door with a boom! Yi Jinun staggered. Yi Jingang remained straight-backed.
"We build our strength! Gather subordinates, amass wealth, grow the family—until we can embrace the entire Central Plains! We can play the saint later. How? Why are you so powerless? Is that what a Yi Gajang member says? Handing out scraps when we have nothing—how much can that change the world?!"
Yi Jingang's face hardened. Right or wrong aside, Yi Jinpyeong's attitude and words toward the eldest brother clearly crossed his limits.
The air turned to ice. Disaster loomed.
Yi Jinun interjected right then.
"Brother, the maknae has a point."
Yi Jingang whipped his head around. Yi Jinun had never once opposed him. It was unbelievable that he now sided with Yi Jinpyeong.
Meeting Yi Jingang's gaze, Yi Jinun pressed on with difficulty.
"If we can't properly care for those already in our household, what meaning is there in helping outsiders? We started the Byeokgokdan for various reasons, but honestly, wasn't the past year torture even for us? I'm fine—I'll follow wherever you lead. But for these newcomers—no matter how long they stay—forcing our lifestyle on them will be harsh. Have you forgotten the pain when retainers left years ago because they couldn't endure?"
Yi Jingang listened silently, emotions flickering across his face.
The youngest he'd protected lifelong now scolded him harshly. The second brother he'd trusted as eternal ally now challenged him.
A fallen house. He'd witnessed its decline up close, forced to its center whether he wished or not. The old wounds in his heart tore open anew.
It hurt. It hurt because he knew his brothers were right.
The growing helplessness with each passing year. Days of reciting ancestors' ideals without solution...
After long silence, he spoke.
"What must I do?"
"Simple."
Yi Jinpyeong answered. No anger, no shout. Still rude.
"Grind that so-called Byeokgokdan garbage to dust. And reclaim what's rightfully Yi Gajang's."
"From where? What's ours that's out there?"
Yi Jingang and Yi Jinun asked, puzzled.
"Brothers. Follow me, and you'll see."
Yi Jinpyeong grinned.