[I'll Just Cultivate and Seduce Women]
"Young Master, if you have no further questions, I shall go and inform the others of the news."
"Right. Go on, get out of here."
As I waved my hand, Palbong bowed politely and vanished. I watched him go, lost in thought.
'Parents, huh...'
Kim Minchul... that was me in my life before Son Gihu. After losing both my parents in a tragic chain-reaction car accident, how furious I had been when relatives appeared, vultures circling for their inheritance? How disappointed I was to see them care only for money. 'I couldn't call such trash "family."' My real family had all died in that accident. Left alone, he lived like a degenerate, doing whatever he pleased. Fortunately, the family was well-off enough that there was plenty of inheritance, but he had spent a long time in solitude. To him, words like "family" or "parents" were just awkward, forgotten concepts. He wasn't a villain, but he wasn't a saint either.
'Still, I guess I'll have to play the "family" game for a while.'
With that thought, I slowly assessed the state of my body.
'Did I swallow some miraculous medicine while I was out?'
In a word, my condition was peak. They said I’d been lying there for seven days and nights, but perhaps that was why all the fatigue in my body had vanished? A direct descendant of the Sa-geom Sect who only reached the Second-Class realm, a rolling piece of trash, a cripple who only looked fine on the outside, a martial arts dunce—those were the labels that had defined Gihu until now. If that wasn't the case, had I awakened something during my transmigration?
'Come to think of it, the pain of my bones and flesh separating before I passed out... there’s definitely something there.'
While I was calmly feeling out my body, the door creaked open, and two people entered the room. Among the pair of handsome man and beautiful woman, the woman rushed toward me the moment she saw me.
"Gihu... you've woken up! Do you recognize your mother? How is your body? Is there anything wrong, or are you in pain?"
The woman approached me, speaking in a rapid-fire, worried tone. She was Namgung Wol, my father's second wife and Gihu's mother, possessing a benevolent aura. Her neatly arranged, long black hair and milky skin formed a perfect symmetry, with crimson eyes sparkling in between. As my gaze drifted down her narrow shoulder line, I noticed the large, bountiful fruits that seemed too big to fit in one hand. Furthermore, the azure hairpin in her hair and the golden dragon embroidered on her white silk robes exuded the dignity of a noblewoman. At a glance, her clothes and accessories might seem flashy, but her elegant face and the sense of restraint within it only enhanced her unique beauty. Overall, she was a woman with a strong, graceful, and kind presence. It was hard to believe she was a mother of two.
To think my father took a daughter of the Namgung Clan, the overlords of Anhui Province, as his second wife—his ability was no joke. 'Whoa... this is no joke, is it?'
"Yes, Mother... I'm fine now. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Was it the body's memory? Even though the concept of family was faint and should have been awkward, the words flowed out naturally. My mother shed tears and hugged me tightly.
"No, it's fine. Didn't you say you were fine? It's enough that you're healthy. Do you know how scared this mother was when you collapsed?"
I was slightly taken aback by Namgung Wol's sudden embrace. I hadn't thought of them as real family; I felt like I only understood it through knowledge. But seeing her eyes, her tone, and her behavior, I could feel that she was genuinely worried about him.
'That's right, this is what family was.'
Just a moment ago, I was thinking, 'They aren't my real family, right?' but her actions stirred up forgotten memories of family. 'Yeah, playing the family game for a while wouldn't be so bad.' I was dazed for a moment, savoring a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time.
"Wife, calm down. You're making Gihu uncomfortable."
My father, Son Gang, the Sect Leader of the Sa-geom Sect, approached. He was a handsome man with a strong gaze, middle-aged charm, and an aura of nobility, wearing a well-fitting black martial uniform. He was a master at the late Peak Stage, one step away from Transcendence. 'Wow... is this what it takes to be a leader? How are both my parents so young-looking?' Was it the effect of internal energy? Both of them looked like they were in their mid-thirties. If they walked side-by-side, they could pass for siblings, if not the same age. 'I knew that as one's realm rises and internal energy advances, aging slows down, but Mother is only at the First-Class level...'
While I was lost in thought, Mother, hearing Father's words, continued with a tearful voice.
"How can I be calm? When Gihu was spraying blood from his seven orifices and his heart stopped, I thought it was truly the end..."
His heart stopped? What was this? Was the situation really that dangerous? I searched my memory, but I could only recall writhing in pain before losing consciousness. Of course, unlike the seemingly dire situation, my current body was overflowing with strength.
Father looked at me with a joyful expression and said to Mother:
"My heart sank back then, too... but whose child is Gihu? Isn't he our child? I believed Gihu would overcome it. To think I would see the Four Gods Body in my lifetime... I couldn't be happier, hahaha."
Having said that, Father began to pull me and Mother into a hug.
Four Gods Body? What was that? I was genuinely curious; just by the name, it sounded like something incredibly powerful. Four Gods Body...?
Mother, who had been worried, asked about my condition repeatedly until she seemed to calm down. She soon brought out tea, gave me and Father a warm look and a smile, and then left. It seemed she wanted to give us some father-son time. After she left, I quickly grasped the situation and asked Father about my current state and the Four Gods Body. He took a sip of tea and began to explain.
"Gihu, I knew all along that Domi wasn't the one who made you like that."
The Sect Leader knew. It was obvious, but still...
"I just used it as an example to everyone, with the mindset of punishing one to warn a hundred."
"I understand."
Actually, the disciplinary action was a bit weak.
"While you were in a coma, I read through our sect's old records and ancient texts to find information. Do you know anything about Bone-Cleansing and Rebirth?"
I told him what I knew.
"Yes, isn't Bone-Cleansing and Rebirth when the body changes to handle martial arts more efficiently as one's enlightenment reaches the peak and internal energy reaches its limit?"
"That's right. Besides that, it can also extend one's lifespan through Returning to Youth."
"Why do you bring that up suddenly? Is the Four Gods Body a type of Bone-Cleansing and Rebirth?"
"It's similar. Originally, the Four Gods Body is a constitution born innately to bloodlines, like the Sun Body or the Moon Yin Body, but it cannot be known before the transformation."
Father began to tell stories of the past as if he were happy.
"Unlike other constitutions that appear in legends or stories, our bloodline's Four Gods Body is..."
'Oh boy... this is going to be long.' A long explanation began.
"...And so, thanks to heaven's grace, it seems to have ended safely. But just in case there are lingering issues, rest well for today. If you have anything to talk about, come find me tomorrow. I've told everyone except the direct family that you collapsed due to accumulated fatigue from training. Keep your mouth shut about your physical condition to others."
"Yes, Father."
I was exhausted from just listening for so long... I didn't know he was such a "too-much-talker."
"You must keep your mouth shut about the constitution."
Just as I was about to leave the room, organizing my thoughts after the conversation ended, Father suddenly added:
"When you go out and see the young lady of the Eon clan, get some Purple Amber powder and take it. There should be some left."
Hearing Father's words, a specific term made my mind snap to attention. Purple Amber? Why would I eat Purple Amber? Purple Amber usually refers to resin or sap that has hardened over a long time into a solid. It is particularly difficult to obtain. However, in a novel I had read, Purple Amber was not only extremely rare but also used as medicine, and it appeared as a very effective drug for helping with body stability and recovery. Normally, taking this while fully conscious would be a very unusual thing, right?
'Hey, hey, no way, right?' I couldn't calm down. There was no way such a convenient thing could happen. 'Let's count prime numbers... prime numbers are lonely numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves... damn it, why am I counting these?'
Setting aside whether it worked or not, it was a type of gemstone—who would think to grind it into powder and use it as medicine? But what if, like in the novel, the Purple Amber powder actually worked? Father wouldn't have brought it up for no reason...
'It wouldn't be, right? I'm not even sure. It could just be a local folk remedy... I don't know.'
Expectation leads to disappointment. I calmed my excited heart with a thought and stepped out of the room.
Walking out, I chewed over the story I heard from Father. The Four Gods Body is a type of Bone-Cleansing Constitution that rarely appears in the Son bloodline of the Sa-geom Sect. It usually manifests around the age of 20, but it is said that most of the bloodline dies while their bodies are being transformed by the Four Gods Body. Gihu's awakening of the Four Gods Body could be called a miracle of heaven. What Father said earlier was just to calm Mother... although he must have been happy to see the Four Gods Body.
Four Gods Body—that was me. It wasn't a legendary body like the Heavenly Martial Body, but considering it was said that only one person besides the founder had it in the long history of the sect, perhaps it was like a curse that manifested in many bloodlines but killed everyone except for a tiny few? I didn't know if I was lucky to succeed in awakening, or if there was some special reason, but it was clear that there was tremendous potential.
He explained it grandly, but it seemed there was no detailed information other than that it was easy to learn martial arts and that my sensitivity was excellent. It was funny that there was almost no information about it, even though it was the secret of secrets of the sect.
'Yeah, what could be so special?' It's better than nothing. I'll just have to find out as I go. My body felt much lighter than usual, too. Since Gihu was a body practicing martial arts, it was natural for me, who was a civilian until recently, to feel light, but compared to Gihu's memories, my condition was definitely good.
Also, I felt that my Qi-sense had become much more sensitive. My Qi-sense, which always felt dull, could now grasp not only my hands, feet, and every corner of my body but also the surroundings. It was an auxiliary part, but this feeling was very similar to "spreading Qi-sense" in the knowledge I had in my memory, and spreading Qi-sense was something only a First-Class master would attempt. I couldn't do this before, but it's the best. Four Gods Body!
What was the problem? The fact that my husband brought in a woman from the Namgung family as a second wife because I couldn't bear children? The fact that that bitch had a child before me? Because the child I gave birth to late was constantly compared to that bitch's child? 'I don't know.' Now, the reason didn't matter anymore. In any case, the relationship between husband and wife had been broken for a long time.
A resentful husband who didn't even take care of me but cherished only that bitch... I admit it. I kept digging my own grave, blinded by jealousy. Putting poison in that bitch's tea was something I should never have done... but if anyone saw a husband who only cared for Namgung Wol, that fox-like bitch, wouldn't anyone act like me? If you see your own things being stolen right in front of your eyes, anyone would go crazy.
Should I say it's fortunate? I avoided being kicked out by the pity of my husband and that bitch, but my pride was all burned to ashes. Of course, the anger from back then has long since disappeared. I just live alone in a small rear pavilion in the back... now all that's left is faint resentment and lingering attachment...
One day, while I was taking a walk alone as usual, that bitch's son came into my view from afar. A child who had grown up so much in a few years, who was training hard at the training ground even though he had no talent for martial arts. Unlike her own child, if he grew a little more, he would definitely be a man who looked just like my husband in his youth... no, he would definitely be a more attractive man than my husband.
'He's cool...'