The Herb Beneath the Moon
Why are there two roots of this?
The question struck me at once.
As I remembered it, the herb gatherer had found only a single stalk of the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb.
Which meant that within the next two years, one of these would disappear.
Then who would take it?
Or maybe some animal passing through ate it.
If a person had found it, they would have taken both, not just one.
In any case.
My luck holds.
I hadn't expected to gain something extra here of all places.
I crouched down and carefully dug up both roots of the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb.
Beside me, Sagong Cheon asked in a trembling voice, "Young Lord. Is that really...?"
"Yes. It's the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb. Touch it."
When I handed it to him, Sagong Cheon touched it with utmost care.
His pupils widened.
He must have felt the fierce cold energy pouring from the herb.
"Here."
I wrapped one root carefully in the pouch I had brought beforehand and handed it to Sagong Cheon.
With tears in his eyes, he lowered his head.
"Thank you, Young Lord. I will never forget this kindness."
His voice shook with emotion.
Those words were sincere.
Given Sagong Cheon's character, he would never betray me now.
I had gained a reliable ally, one who would one day become a master of the Harmony Realm.
"Then may I ask one favor of you?"
"Anything. If it is your command, I will stake my life to carry it out."
"You don't need to risk your life just because it's my command. Always put your family before me. You're the head of a household. Don't forget your priorities."
"Young Lord...!"
"Though what I'm asking isn't anything grand. Just stand guard for a while. I intend to consume this."
I pointed to the remaining root I had kept back instead of giving him.
Sagong Cheon nodded with a face set in firm resolve.
"I will complete the task without fail."
"I'm counting on you."
At my reply, Sagong Cheon stepped out of the cave and took up watch.
Watching his back as he left, I sat cross-legged and brushed the dirt and dust from the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb.
Then I bit down in one gulp.
Crunch!
Cold.
An icy chill spread through my mouth, as if I had shoved in a chunk of solid ice.
At the same time, the herb's energy flowed into my stomach.
I focused my mind and activated the Vajrayaksha Divine Art.
Golden radiance flowed from my body, shielding my flesh from the herb's freezing force.
A low hum rose as golden light spilled from my body.
The Vajra Yaksha Qi had wrapped itself around my entire body, protecting me in case the cold damaged my flesh.
With my body thus protected, I began circulating the energy through my microcosmic orbit.
The immense power that had entered me seeped into every corner of my meridians and reacted to the Vajra Yaksha Qi.
Crack.
Craaack!
My body began changing once again.
My bones and muscles strengthened, and my meridians widened.
The Vajrayaksha Divine Art was using the energy of the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb to forcibly remake my body.
After fusing with my flesh, what remained eventually settled into my dantian and transformed into my internal energy.
"Hoo..."
Considerable pain had followed, but I blew it away with a single breath.
If enduring this much pain meant growing stronger, I could do it a hundred times over.
I rose slowly and checked my altered body.
Bang!
When I threw a punch into empty air, it burst with the sound of wind exploding.
I could probably smash a wooden practice target to pieces in a single blow now.
Not long ago, I had been so frail I could barely move. And now I had changed this much.
If anyone else saw me, they'd probably think, like Sagong Cheon had, that I had been hiding my strength all along.
If I used the Gale Continuous Sword in this state, it would be terrifying.
At this point, even if dozens of Wang Ho's caliber came at me, they still wouldn't be able to bring me down.
It was no exaggeration to call this a tremendous achievement.
Satisfied with my growth, I walked over to Sagong Cheon, who was still standing guard outside.
I approached using the Overlord's Footwork, and because of that, Sagong Cheon didn't even notice me coming.
"You've worked hard."
"Young Lord?!"
Sagong Cheon seemed startled by my sudden appearance without so much as a trace of presence.
I laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
After briefly gauging the qi rippling from my body, Sagong Cheon's face shifted into open admiration.
"You have achieved great success. Congratulations."
"It's thanks to you for guarding the place. Let's head back for now."
Taking the unexpected spiritual herb had delayed us longer than I had planned.
Most of them were probably asleep by now, but once they realized we were gone, a commotion might already have broken out.
I kicked off the ground, applying the principles of the Overlord's Footwork.
Perhaps because I had consumed the spiritual herb, my body felt as if it had cast off a heavy burden and could practically fly.
When we returned to the village, warriors of the Gale Squad were moving through it with torches in hand.
They were clearly searching for us.
"Young Lord?!"
"The Young Lord is here!"
They soon rushed over and welcomed us back.
So Ho, the leader of the first squad, asked anxiously, "Where in the world did you go?"
"My apologies. I was reviewing today's battle and sparring with Guard Sagong, and I lost track of time."
I pointed to the dirt on the hems of my trousers and sleeves as I spoke.
So Ho nodded as if he understood.
"I see. We feared some of those mounted bandits' remnants had shown up."
"If we'd been attacked, it could have turned serious."
"If they value their lives, they won't come back here again."
"Well, that's true enough."
"Tonight, leave only a minimal watch force and let everyone get proper rest. We'll head back early tomorrow morning."
"Understood!"
The warriors who had been continuing the search accepted the suggestion readily, no doubt exhausted.
Sagong Cheon and I also returned to our quarters and got some sleep.
And the next day.
We were able to return to the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
"The Young Lord has returned!"
"Waaaaah!"
An enormous roar of cheers greeted us.
To be honest, the retainers of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect had been deeply uncertain.
Even if he had gone with the Gale Squad, they had worried whether their frail Young Lord could really return after subjugating the Red Wolf Gang.
But those worries had been pointless.
To everyone who had expected him to fail, Jin Muyeol had shown them his success in unmistakable fashion.
And not only that, he had brought back a considerable amount of treasure and iron as well.
Even that wasn't the end of it.
"Take one each."
He distributed a small portion of the wealth to every man who had accompanied him.
Using the authority of the Young Lord, he allotted part of the spoils.
No one had expected to receive anything, and their eyes widened in shock.
But Jin Muyeol only smiled and said, "This victory wasn't won by me alone. Everyone suffered and fought for it together, so how could I keep all the glory for myself? I was glad to stand with the Gale Squad."
When the retainers heard that, they could only marvel.
Usually, the high-ranking members of a clan had no taste for sharing credit.
Even when a subordinate had sweated and bled to earn merit, it was common for their superiors to claim it all for themselves.
But Jin Muyeol was different.
He formally thanked Sagong Cheon and the Gale Squad for their contributions.
And he did it in front of many witnesses.
For the Gale Squad, that was a truly honorable thing.
So among them, quite a few were moved enough to pledge loyalty to the Young Lord.
"The Young Lord is truly kind. Most people would be puffed up with pride after their first success."
"Wasn't the Gale Squad's contribution simply too great? So great that he couldn't claim the entire achievement as his own?"
"What nonsense are you talking? Haven't you heard? The Young Lord personally cut down dozens of enemies and even slew their leader."
"I heard. But honestly, I still can hardly believe it..."
"Do you really think dozens of squad members would all lie? At this point, it has to be true."
All kinds of talk passed among the retainers.
There was praise for his decision to share the merit with the Gale Squad.
There was doubt over whether the Young Lord had really accomplished so much.
And there were rebuttals to that doubt as well.
There was some debate, but in the end, everyone concluded that Jin Muyeol's achievement truly had been enormous.
Just as one retainer had said, the idea that dozens of Gale Squad warriors were all lying was absurd.
Especially since some among them were making an even bigger fuss, insisting he had fought with astonishing brilliance.
And in the middle of all that, Sagong Cheon received a summons from the Elders' Council Head.
Naturally, it was to explain the full circumstances of the incident.
On the way back to the clan, he recalled what Jin Muyeol had told him.
Every word had been spoken with consideration for him.
Jin Muyeol had even been willing to let information about himself slip out, all so Sagong Cheon would not be put in danger by giving a false report.
That moved him deeply.
It would have been enough that he gave up the Under-the-Moon Four Yin Herb so willingly, and yet he looks after me like this as well.
Once again, it seemed to Sagong Cheon that choosing to follow Jin Muyeol had been the right decision.
It was rare to meet a man like that in this world.
And so, even when he was summoned before Yi Tae-gyeom, he was able to remain calm.
After hearing the full explanation, Yi Tae-gyeom let out a low murmur.
"How very strange."
He was referring to the story of Jin Muyeol killing Jeok In-hoe, the leader of the Red Wolf Gang.
Yi Tae-gyeom had believed Jeok In-hoe would be more than capable of killing Jin Muyeol.
Yet the result had been the exact opposite.
Jeok In-hoe had not even lasted ten exchanges against Jin Muyeol.
"How could this have happened? Jeok In-hoe was a martial artist who had at least reached the First-Class realm."
Yi Tae-gyeom looked at Sagong Cheon with suspicion.
"You didn't interfere, did you?"
"No, sir. As ordered, I fell back while the Young Lord fought."
"Guard Sagong is telling the truth. According to the testimonies, the Young Lord really did fight alone."
Yi Tae-gyeom's bodyguard backed up Sagong Cheon's words.
A chill ran through Sagong Cheon inwardly.
Just as Jin Muyeol had predicted, they really were gathering information through other routes as well.
If he had lied, he would have been in serious trouble.
"So the Young Lord brat had been hiding his claws."
"It seems so."
"Troublesome little bastard. Blood will tell, is that it?"
Yi Tae-gyeom thought for a moment, then spoke.
"If that's how it is, then it can't be helped. We'll have to take action."
"What do you intend to do?"
His bodyguard and confidant asked the question.
Yi Tae-gyeom twisted his lips into a smile.
"...!"
Listening from the side, Sagong Cheon felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Those words meant only one thing.
They were planning to poison Jin Muyeol.
The Young Lord is in danger.
He resolved to warn him as quickly as possible.
It was the least he could do to repay the kindness Jin Muyeol had shown him.
And at that same moment, Jin Muyeol had already gone to Sagong Cheon's house.
"Are you Rin?"
He had come for one reason.
To treat Sagong Rin, Sagong Cheon's daughter.